Harry woke the day before the Ministry's ball and groaned. He was a part of the team that had been assigned to putting wards around the abandoned warehouse that was being used for the ball. He'd had to do it before, and it was tedious and boring work. They usually had most of the Magical Law Enforcement and Auror departments working on it, just to get more than the routine wards. When you mixed different people together, you tended to get many different types of wards. Harry knew for a fact that Hermione and Ron would be there as well as him.

He rolled out of bed – Ginny was still asleep – and quickly showered and dressed in his Auror robes. He wrote a quick note to Ginny telling her that he would be back late and that if she needed to contact him, to send a patronus to Gawain.

He grabbed an apple on his way out of the house and apparated to the old warehouse.

He was one of the first people there. Neither Ron nor Hermione were there yet.

"Ah, Potter, there you are," Harry turned around and smiled weakly when he saw Jamie Preston, an Auror a few years ahead of him. He was very arrogant and he and Ron would spend hours insulting the 'Percy of their department'.

"Preston, good to see you." Harry offered him his hand to be polite and Preston grasped it firmly.

"Yes you as well, Potter, you as well. Now, I was wondering if you were going to be attending the gala tomorrow evening. I'm bringing my cousin and she's a great fan of yours. If we could all sit at the same table that would be lovely."

"Er, actually, Preston, I won't be coming. I have... family stuff. I can't get away." Harry silently thanked Ginny for being nine months pregnant.

Preston sniffed, and Harry barely refrained from rolling his eyes. "Are you positive? I've just spoken to Weasley, and he said that he is going to be attending."

"Yeah, well..."

"Does it have anything to do with your wife?"

Harry scowled. "Even if it did, I wouldn't tell you, now would I? Excuse me, someone's waiting for me." Harry pushed past Preston and wound his way through the crowd of Ministry employees, following a head of bright red hair.

"... Give it up! He'll find us when he gets here."

"Who'll find you when they get here?" Harry asked.

"Harry!" Ron and Hermione jumped and turned around to face their friend. "You are here!"

"Yeah, I am. I was just talking to Preston."

Ron sniggered. "Lucky you. So what did he want?"

"He was wondering if I would sit at his table tomorrow at the ball, and when I told him I wouldn't be there, he started asking me about Ginny, the wanker!"

"Yeah, he was talking to us a few minutes ago; he was asking the same thing. I had to make up some lie about us having promised to sit with someone else already."

Harry grinned.

"Good morning, everyone." The whole room turned silent when Kingsley spoke. "Now, let's start with the wards, shall we?"

*****

Ginny woke around noon and rolled over to face Harry's side of the bed. She noticed a small piece of parchment on his pillow. Easing herself into a semi sitting position, Ginny grabbed the parchment and read the short note.

Ginny

I've got to go help with the wards around the warehouse for that Ministry ball. I'll be back late. If you need to get a hold of me, send a patronus to Gawain.

Love,

Harry

Ginny groaned. She'd forgotten that he was going to be gone all day, along with Ron and Hermione. She slid off the bed, rubbing her sore lower back as she went to the bathroom.

As she was showering, Ginny felt a small twinge in her lower belly. It didn't hurt, but it was uncomfortable. It lasted only a few seconds and then passed. Standing in the shower, Ginny lost herself in thought. That couldn't have been a contraction, could it have? She was only two days from her due date, though.

"No," she told herself firmly, glancing at a clock. "It's just Braxton-Hicks contractions."

While Ginny showered and dressed, she made sure to watch for any other signs that she was in labour. When she arrived in the kitchen to fix herself a lunch, and hadn't experienced any other signs that she was in labour, she went around her usual routine.

While she was eating her sandwich, though, she felt another twinge. She glanced at a clock and saw that it was about three quarters of an hour since the first one. Biting her lip, Ginny decided that if they began to get worse and closer, she would send a patronus to Harry.

Unconsciously rubbing her lower back, Ginny settled into the sofa to listen to one of the Harpie's games on the wireless. As she listened to Kayla score, she felt yet another sharp little pain. She rested her hand on her navel and glanced at the time. That had been forty-five minutes from the last one as well.

At nine o'clock that evening, Ginny hastily removed her wand from her pocket. Another pain had just ripped through her, and it had been the strongest yet. They were now twenty-eight minutes apart, but she worried that she would start panicking anytime now.

Trying to think of something happy around the dark thought that maybe Harry wouldn't get her message, Ginny forced herself to relax. She was not going to have another panic attack. She muttered "Expecto Patronum," and watched her mare gallop from the sitting room.

*****

Gawain tapped a piece of parchment with his wand and sent it zooming to his secretary. It was quiet in the department. Most of the young ones who usually made all the noise were at the old warehouse the Ministry had found to use for the ball the next day. They were helping to set the wards around the building. They could never be too careful. Just two years ago, some lunatic who didn't like the fact that werewolves could get jobs had crashed the annual ball and sent random stunners everywhere. The wizarding community had been in an uproar over the lack of security and many people had sustained slight bumps and bruises from being stunned and falling over.

Gawain stood up and straightened his robes, intending to leave his office. When he opened his door, though, a silver horse galloped into the room. He immediately shut the door. Harry had asked him if he could have Ginny send any messages to him, so that he wouldn't receive them in the middle of a crowd. Gawain knew that Harry hadn't actually been expecting her to send a message, so it must be important.

"Gawain, I need Harry back at home."

The message was short, but you could easily hear some panic in her voice. Gawain sent a message back asking "Why" to make sure that it wasn't just an irrational pregnant witch thing. A minute later he received a reply.

"Contractions."

After he sent his reply, ("He'll be there soon.") Gawain left the Ministry, telling his secretary that he would be at the location for the ball if he was needed for anything important.

Apparating to the warehouse, Gawain strode purposefully into the lobby of the building. There were people sitting on the floor in the lobby, eating and just relaxing. Harry and his two friends, Ron and Hermione were sitting on a set of stairs, laughing at something one of them had said.

Gawain discreetly approached them. "Potter."

Harry stood up and spun around so quickly that he lost his balance and toppled over Ron's legs.

"Easy, Potter," Gawain smiled dryly.

"He's not very graceful on his feet," Ron muttered under his breath. Harry smacked him over the head.

"Now, Potter. You are to come with me."

"What's wrong?"

"I will tell you everything I know away from prying ears."

Harry nodded and waved goodbye to his friends who all shared a quick confused glance before he following his boss from the warehouse. When they were out of the warehouse and walking to the point where the wards ended, Gawain started to speak quietly.

"As you requested, any messages from your wife were to be sent to me. About ten minutes ago she sent one saying she was having contractions." Gawain saw Harry pale considerably.

"She-" he cleared his throat. "She's gone into labour?" He asked hoarsely.

"It seems so. Now, you will be formally excused from the rest of the evening here. I expect you to go home and take care of her. You get the week off, unless of course, it is false labour, then I expect you on Monday. After the week is up, otherwise, you will have the choice of taking more time off."

Harry nodded once and went to apparate, but stopped as Gawain said "Wait." Harry looked at him questioningly. "Good luck." Harry gave him an anxious smile and quickly apparated away.

Gawain chuckled at the petrified expression on the young man's face.

*****

Ginny got Gawain's last patronus in the sitting room. She was on her way to the kitchen for a glass of water when the eagle stopped her.

"He'll be there soon," was said in the Auror's deep voice. Ginny sighed and rubbed her lower belly. If the contractions were true to her timing, she would be experiencing another one in about two minutes.

Sure enough, as she was making her way back into the sitting room, she felt a sharp pain in her lower belly. She vaguely heard the door open as she gripped the back of the sofa to keep her balance.

"Ginny!" Harry was at her side just as the contraction passed. "Are you alright?"

Ginny nodded and let go of the sofa. "Just a contraction," she explained.

Harry nodded anxiously and watched as she started up the stairs. "Shouldn't we tell Audrey?"

"No, we'll wait until my water breaks. There's no point in having her sit here while I go through contractions. Besides, they may just be false."

"When did they start?"

"When I woke up at noon. At first they were forty-five minutes apart, but they've gone to twenty-seven minutes. I don't know if that's normal or not."

"So you mean," Harry began. "That you've been having contractions all day, and you've waited until now to tell me?"

Ginny turned to look at him, her expression annoyed. "Yes, I've waited until now. I wasn't sure if they were real or if it was just false labour. Besides, what were you going to do all day if I only got them every hour? They weren't bad; I could handle them."

An hour later, Harry was helping Ginny stand to go to the bathroom. Her contractions were now twenty-five minutes apart, but were still nothing more than an irritatingly sharp cramp.

She relieved herself in the bathroom and as she was pulling her knickers up, she felt something trickle down her leg followed by the sound of a liquid hitting something solid. Ginny looked down and felt her eyes go wide.

"Ha-Harry!"

The door flew open and Harry was at her side instantly. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I – my water broke. I think you should go Floo Audrey."

"Now?" Harry asked. "But, it's half past ten."

"I would like to have someone who knows what they're doing here when the bloody baby comes, love. Now go Floo Audrey before I hex you."

Harry gulped and nodded. "I'll – I'll be right back."

Ginny watched him go, her temper deflating as she Vanished the puddle at her feet. She shuffled into their bedroom and pulled a clean pair of knickers out and slid them on. She then went to the baby's room.

"Soon, you'll be in here, and not in my belly," she said, running her hand along the bassinette.

Author's Note - Here's the second last installment! Sorry for the cliffhanger, but, I should be updating tomorrow before I leave my computer for the week. Enjoy!

-Padfoot7