Chapter Eleven

Morning baby

"Where did you get that photograph from?" Harry asked her after a long pause had passed between them.

"The Prophet," Ginny replied.

"You knew it was us and therefore that the baby was-" he began.

"No," Ginny shot back defensively "I didn't know I saw that picture weeks ago. I stole it from work so that's why you haven't been all over the newspapers again. I didn't know who she was."

"How?" he asked. "How did you not know that was you?"

"Because I couldn't see her face."

"But still didn't you put two and two together."

"What about you, aren't you just as guilty or stupid?" She shouted back.

"I was drunk."

"And was the epitome of sensibility that night?"

"I'm sorry," Harry apologised quickly. "I just can't believe I'm going to be a dad." He sat down heavily on the Weasley's old sofa. Ginny smiled at him.

"You are going to be brilliant. I promise you." She squeezed his hand "but I am not asking for anything. I can do this alone if needs be."

"No," Harry almost growled "no you are not." He changed his tone as Ginny's parents entered the room.

"Is everything ok Ginny?" Arthur Weasley asked. He voice was desperately trying to be casual but fell short of the mark.

"I need to tell you something." Ginny said seriously. No one replied. "I'm pregnant." After a pause of ten seconds or so both her parents began speaking simultaneously.

"Ginny how are you going to cope?"

"Who is the father?"

"I am." Harry said firmly and Molly and Arthur both stopped speaking. Arthur's eyebrows both rose an inch or so on his face. "I am the father of Ginny's baby. I take full responsibility for him. I will love him and care for him and provide Ginny with anything she needs."

"I cannot pretend this isn't a shock." Mr. Weasley said taking a seat beside his daughter. "But I have no doubt that you two will muddle through."

"Muddle through." Molly Weasley shouted "are you mad Arthur? This a child not one of your experiments."

"Molly they will manage."

"They are children."

"Mum I am twenty and Harry's twenty one we are not children anymore." Ginny said angrily.

"They are older we were Molly." Arthur said to his wife patiently.

"Its just she's my baby," Molly half smiled at her daughter and in spite of herself Ginny felt herself being embraced in another of her mothers hugs.

"I'll look after her Mrs. Weasley." Harry said and Molly smiled at him,

"I know you will."

"What are we proposing to tell people?" Ginny asked Harry. They were sat in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. The healer was running over forty minutes later and Harry was getting bored. So was Ginny but she was doing a better job of hiding it. Ginny had already exhausted the limited supplies of reading material. As he turned to reply to there came a shout of,

"Weasley," Ginny jumped up and seeing that Harry didn't she looked around frowning at him.

"Aren't you coming?"

"I didn't think-" he began. She smiled.

"Come on move." He got up and followed her. Since their argument at her parent's house they had lived in a fragile form of civility. She had moved back to the boy's flat. It was a situation they both presented as comfortable to each other however the reality was different. Harry wouldn't make a move because he was worried after Ginny's marriage rejection she no longer liked him. Whilst Ginny was sure that because she had made her feelings clear in trying to kiss him then the fact he had not reciprocated meant her feelings were not matched.

Ginny thought back to when she had returned to Hermione and Draco's flat.

"So?" Hermione smiled.

"What?" Ginny replied.

"How did it go."

"You told Harry." Her blood went cold, she had naively assumed he had remembered the night. "Hermione told him," she thought continually.

"Draco mentioned Harry was hung up on some brown haired girl from the party how no one else spotted it." She shook her head. "So how did it go?" She repeated.

"He is the baby's father."

"And?"

"And what Hermione," she snapped "nothing I am having a child with him and that's it. Do you want me to pour my heart out because I will. I love that boy and he obviously sees me as nothing beside a drunken mistaken. Ok?"

"He's an idiot."

"He's your best friend." Ginny smiled slightly.

"Still an idiot look at you if he can't see your love and beauty then he's an idiot." Ginny smiled Hermione could still surprise her.

That conversation had taken place almost two months ago and as she walked beside Harry down to the healer's room her feelings had not diminished.

"Welcome," the healer smiled at the pair. She was the same overly friendly woman Ginny had seen months earlier.

"Is this the father?" She asked a completely false smile plastered on her face, a little too broadly.

"Mr..." she asked unnecessarily she had already found his file when she had seen the pair sat together in the waiting room at the last appointment.

"Potter."

"Mr. Potter."

"Harry."

"Ok Harry if you can get your lovely girlfriend."

"We're not together."

"She's not my girlfriend." They said simultaneously.

"My mistake," she smiled "modern families I'm so behind the times." Ginny looked at the healer, she would have been surprised if she was ten years older than Ginny herself.

"Anyway Miss. Weasley." The healer said. "I need you to lift your shirt up." This time Ginny had come prepared. She was at five months too big for her normal tops and so was wearing a maternity shirt that unbuttoned at the bottom. "Right," she said "there you go." She point her wand at Ginny's stomach and muttered some words. Ginny felt a warm feeling in her stomach and in front of them Harry and Ginny could see,

"Our baby."

"I'll leave you for a moment." She smiled kindly this time.

"That's our baby." Harry smiled at the floating image of a curled child projected from nowhere in front of the pair. Ginny reached out and felt as though she could touch the picture in front of her. Harry smiled as he turned to look at her. Ginny's face was shining full of happiness. He watched her for a moment then lent in and kissed her. Ginny felt Harry kiss her rather than saw him. She was caught off guard as he kissed her feverishly as though she would disappear. She smiled as they broke apart.

"Took you long enough."

"I proposed, won't be doing that again."

"Ever?"

"Yes," he replied grumpily.

"Well maybe I won't say no this time." She smiled at him.

"Marry me Ginny." He said as he looked up from staring at a knot in the wood of the healer's office floor.