Paws On My Heart.
Harry divorced Ginny, left his job as an Auror and studied to become the Wizarding World's first muggle-style vet. Harry has a plan to raise his son, make his new business a success but falling in love with his assistant Orpheus Lovegood and his partner Elliot Bode was never the plan and could ruin everything.
Slash/Threesome/AU/OCs/MATURE CONTENT.
This a little one-shot I've had planned for months but I've changed it into a story chapter story. If anyone is reading Ambassador's Journal, I haven't given up but I've been pretty damn stressed lately and I'm not ashamed to talk about it. I've moved house, changed jobs and my uncle is dying of cancer which is making my Mum and Nan so stressed that I've somehow become a support pillar. The next AJ is about one eighth down but I think it will be down by Guy Fawkes Night. (I hate fireworks!)
NOTES AND WARNING: Five to Six parts, one a week for the next five to six weeks. Short, maybe 20k but very little more I should think. This ISN'T a nice Harry/Ginny story. It may start off with them but that will change and yes I know Ginny is out of character but she needs to be!
Talk of ill and dying children and premature birth. Warning that you may be upset but no child will die. I'm not heartless enough.
This is a Threesome MXMXM story (Love writing/reading them!) and there is going to be a small amount of sexy slashy goodness at the end.
PLEASE: If you think it is too much for FanFiction then please tell me before you report it and if I think you have a good reason I will take it out or rewrite it.
Disclaimer: I don't own much. A cat and books is about it…
10th January 2000.
"Harry wake up! Harry!" Someone was shaking the black haired young man awake, a very panicked someone.
He blinked and turned to face the red-headed woman lying next to him in their shared bed. "Ginny? What'ch waking me up for, it's like three am…" The longer he was awake the more aware his brain became and the more aware his brain became the more he noticed the frankly terrified look on Ginny face. "Are you alright? Is it the baby?" Her skin was pale and her hand cold as he held it in his.
Ginny rubbed her slightly swollen belly with her free hand. "Yeah, I don't feel so good. I want to see a Healer Harry; I think I might be in labour."
At her words, the black haired man, Harry Potter, jumped from their shared bed with wide eyes. Nodding at his wife he ran to the floo, hoping that there would be a Healer there at ten pasted 3 in the morning.
When they had arrived at St Mungo's twenty minutes later the Healer had told Harry that his wife was indeed in labour and that there was nothing that they could do to stop it.
His lovely wife was only seven months pregnant and the Healers had warned that the baby was in distress so anything could happen; even the worse.
After an agonising wait in the resting room that was full of baby name books and pregnancy health care posters there was a knock on the door and it opened to reveal the Healer from before, his face set to exhaustion. Harry stood and followed the older man into one of the offices at the side of the waiting. They sit either side of a large wooden deck and stare at each other for a moment.
Taking a deep breath the healer began to talk. "Mr Potter, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Healer Rory Melewbe; I'm currently one of the top healers in Britain for premature babies and I'll be treating your son. Your wife will be under the care of Healer Kelly Brockton and she will be in very good hands; I've worked with Healer Brockton many times over the years." Healer Melewbe was a man in his mid to late fifties, with dark greying hair, a kind smile and sorrowful eyes brown.
Harry nodded slowly. "So he's a boy then," His smile was weak and his heart felt like it was breaking; after losing so many of his friends and family in the war he couldn't believe than he might face losing not only his wife but also his child. "When can I see them? I don't want to bother you or the other healers but I just want to see them." Harry looked at the Healer pleadingly and Healer Melewbe huffed before nodding.
"I'm sure it would be alright for you to see your wife, you can stay with her even, but as for seeing your son? I think it might be best to wait until morning." The sorrow in the Healers eyes made Harry want to flinch and hide away somewhere faraway.
"But what if something happens to him in the night? What if I never get to even hold him?" Harry's breath hitched at the idea and tears started to trickle down his face unnoticed.
The Healer reached over and patted Harry's clinched fist reassuringly. "Mr Potter, I have dealt with many premature babies over the course of my healing career and never have I met a stronger baby born at seven months gestation. I have high hopes for that little one. That doesn't mean that everything is surely to be alright and if things do take a turn for the worst in the night I will call your wife and yourself to his bedside." The sorrow lessened and Harry felt like he could breathe for the first time in hours.
He nodded at the other man. "Yes Healer Melewbe, I would like that very much thank you." They stood and left the office, walking in silence towards Ginny's room.
His red-headed wife was sleeping peacefully when Harry walked through the door. Her face was still very pale and sweaty and Harry could see her chest rise and fall as she breathed deeply to help her exhausted body heal from the trauma it had gone through.
There was a nurse sitting beside the bed but as Harry walked into the room she got up and walked towards him. "Mr Potter? As you can see, your wife is sleeping and please let her. Healer Brockton will be here shortly to explain your wife's healing process and what you will have to do to help her." The nurse patted his trembling shoulder gently before leaving through the door.
Harry slowly walked towards the sleeping form of his wife, staring at her pale face. She was pretty and he loved her but he felt like he should be with his son, the child needed him more than she did and he loved the child more.
As soon as he thought that he gasped in horror; the woman lying before him had gone through the ultimate declaration of love by giving him a child and he could dare sit there and think such thoughts. She was suffering and in pain and all he could think of was himself. Ignoring the mental whispers Harry took her cold hand in his and leaned over to kiss Ginny's cheek before resting his head on a spare bit of bed.
I'll rest my eyes for just a minute, He thought as his eyes closed and he lost himself in nightmarish dreams of blood and weak cries.
The next morning Harry had woken up to a smiling Ginny whose skin had regained its healthy glow and the tightness seemed to have faded from around her eyes. Upon seeing her awake he grinned and gave her a gentle hug.
"Have you seen him yet?" Was the first thing he asked as he looked about the hospital room which was empty apart from Harry and Ginny; there was no tiny cot in sight.
While he looked about the room he missed the flash of cold resentment in his wife's eyes and the tightening around her lips. "No yet Harry, the Healer was going to bring him in about an hour ago in a cot but I told him I wasn't ready to see him yet so they took him away again." Her tone was that of indifference and it took Harry by surprise to see a look of almost boredom on her youthful face.
He looked at her in surprise and puzzlement. "But don't you want to meet him and make sure he is okay?"
Ginny's sniffed in distaste. "I've been carrying him about in my body for seven months Harry, trust me, I think we know each other by now. As for making sure he is alright? He has the best Healer possible there to help him. Nothing we can do."
Harry didn't know what to say, he thought his wife to be just as thrilled to have a child as he was and for that reason he couldn't quite understand way she was being so cold about it.
"But he doesn't even have a name yet! We can't just keep calling him 'the Baby'."
Ginny looked at him with a confused smile and condescending eyes, "Not only does the baby not have to be here to be named but I would have thought that there was no question what his name would be."
Harry didn't know what to say to that; had she thought of a name without him? Or had he forgotten any ideas she had put forward over the last six or so months. "You already have an idea? I mean, I know that we should have talked about it but I thought we would have another two months at least." While that was true, Harry had also been doing some research and he had some good ideas of what he would like his son to be called but would be open to whatever Ginny had to say after all she was his baby's mother.
Ginny rolled her eyes at him. "I swear you are so dense sometimes. I knew you would like to name him after your father and I'm sure you want to name him after Sirius as well so I've already told the nurse that his name is going to be James Sirius Potter." She looked straight into his eyes, expecting him to be pleased.
But he wasn't; He wanted his child to be their own person, free of the expectations and legacy that being named after a hero came with.
He gaped at her and it didn't take long for it to sink in that he wasn't pleased with her choice of names.
"What is a matter with you?" She asked, "Don't you like it? I mean if you want it to be James Remus or Sirius James or even James Albus then I'm sure the nurse hasn't written it down yet or can change it if she has." Harry couldn't believe how little his wife seemed to care about her own child's name.
"I hate them all." At his words it was her turn to look at him in shock. "I hate them; I never wanted a child of mine to have to deal with a second-hand name and the expectations that come with them. I can't believe you would think I would be okay with you giving the child any-old name." He stood with his face flushed and went to turn but was stopped by a hand on his arm.
Ginny was looking at him pleadingly with tears glittering her eyes. "I'm sorry Harry, I didn't think about any of that. I just thought that you would want to honour your father and godfather by naming your son after them. I don't really care what he is called so if you find the nurse I'm sure she would happy to change it if she has even written it down." At her words he felt guilty that he had been callous when she was only trying to help.
Harry sighed and smiled weakly. "It's alright Gin, I know you must be stressed and tired, I'm gonna leave you to rest while I go find that nurse and tell her his name change." Without another word Harry turned and marched out of the door, unaware that his beautiful red-headed wife was watching him leave with spiteful eyes.
Upon leaving his wife Harry hadn't gone to look for the nurse straight away as he ran into Healer Brockton who explained that the birth had been quite normal so if Ginny was feeling up to it she may go home that night and the Healer also told him that his wife had been ask if she wanted to go to the baby ward but she had refused, which left Harry confused. But he had no time for that; he had to think of a name for his son first of all. He had forgotten all of his previous ideas so remembering the resting room was full of baby name books Harry soon found himself checking if there was anybody using it before seating himself into one of the uncomfortable chairs.
Enoch; From the Hebrew 'educated' and it was used as …
Giles; From the Latin, Aegidius which if from the Greek…
Joubert; From the Old-English name Godbeorht which means 'bright and'…
Leofric; From the Old-English Leof or Dear and rice or ruler and…
Nathaniel; From the Hebrew name Nathan and means Gift of God….other forms include Nate, Natale, Nathanael, Niel…
Nathanael.
Nathanael James.
Nathanael James Potter.
His son had a name.
The nurse had been happy to change his sons name from James to Nathanael when he explained with a lie that his wife, in her stress, had forgotten that they were going to use James as middle name and not as a first. She then happily pointed out the way to the premature babies' nursery and care rooms when Harry asked if it would be alright to see his son.
The babies ward was decorated with light blues and greens and everything was so clean and tidy that Harry feared making a mess or breaking something with every step he took. The ward was spilt into four sections; the Pre-32 week rooms, the 32+ week rooms, the permanent living ward for babies with life affecting issues and those who were not expected to live, and then the infant branch of A&E.
Harry had no idea which of the four sets of rooms his son would be in and to save time he grabbed the first healer he saw, who just happened to be Healer Melewbe. The Healer smiled at Harry and led him into the first set of rooms.
The rooms were painted in shades of yellow and touches of gold. There were ten tiny beds with five lined along each wall and a Healer's station at the far end. The beds were a strange mix of cot and toddler bed and each had their own comfortable armchair and as Harry walked passed he could feel the bed with babies in hummed with soothing magic.
Out of the ten beds only four were occupied with tiny infants. All seemed to be sleeping and although Harry couldn't see them clearly he could tell that they seemed very weak.
Reaching the Healer's station Healer Melewbe pointed to seat while taking the one on the other side of the desk for himself. His face with still lined with exhaustion but his eyes didn't seem to be as sorrowful or as heavy but Harry didn't want to fall prey to hope.
The healer coughed and spoke in a shattered tone of voice. "Well Mr Potter, would you like the good news or the bad?"
Harry gulped in a deep breath. "I guess I should hear the bad first."
Melewbe nodded in approval. "Good on ya lad, you need to hear the facts and be strong for the little 'en. Bad things first, then the good and when I think you understand everything you can meet your son." He flashed Harry a tired smile. "Your son was born at 29 weeks gestation and I'm sure you know that is a very long time before he should have been born. He is going to be very weak for quite a long time and there are a number of issues he could have with his eyes, lungs, heart, brain and guts. I'm being honest with you Mr Potter, your son is doing well now but anything could change so be ready for anything in the next few months."
Harry was listening as best he would but he just felt so numb. Numb and angry, his wife should be there with him! The Healer had said that she was well enough to be there with him and he thought she should be listening and preparing like he was.
"Now the good news," The healer continued. "Your son is a good weight for his gestation and his lungs seemed to be fully formed but there is still a Lung-Breather on hand. It is a magical version of a muggle ventilator, and it pushes miniscule pockets of air down into the infant's lungs if the sensor tells it that the infant is having breathing difficulties. The cots are warded so that if an infant's heart rate drops or even stops the magic will react, not only to tell us what is wrong but also it helps the heart if it can."
Relief coursed through his body and his breathing evened. "So I should just keep calm and hope for the best?" Harry asked as he stared into the Healers kind eyes. "I can do that I think, I'll have Ginny there to help me and I'll be there to support her. My wife has a big family and I'm sure I'll get time off from work… Can I see him now?" Harry asked slightly breathlessly. Baby Nat might have been a surprise pregnancy but that didn't mean that Harry hadn't been waiting months to meet his little one, his son.
The Healer smile again and Harry got the feeling that the Healer was pleased with his reply. "Of course Mr Potter and don't forget you have an excellent team here that will care for the child around the clock. I understand the boy is to be called Nathanael? Good name, strong name for a little fighter." The Healer stood, now if you'd like to follow me I'll show you to your son." Harry followed the Healer to the bed in the middle of the left side of the room, the chair was green and above the bed was a name plate which read Nathanael Potter, 10th January 2000, 29 Weeks, L+.
Harry stepped forward and finally he could see his son; his tiny little boy who was covered lightly in a soft white blanket and had a fluffy pale grey hat covering his little mostly bald head. Harry first thought was how small his baby was and how pale and thin his skin looked, apart from his face which was blushed a light pink, making Harry breathe a sigh of relief.
The Healer at his side chuckled. "You have a lot of lucky Mr Potter; your son is one of the healthiest I've seen born at that stage. He's about 2.7 pounds in weight and is a typical 15cm long. Heart looks good and lungs are okay, not great but ok so I'm going to keep a closer eye of those as they can develop problems later after everything seems ok at first."
Harry couldn't take his eyes off of his son, he couldn't see the hair colour and knew the eyes would be a baby's blue but that didn't matter; this was his son, his and Ginny's son.
"When will I be able to hold him Healer Melewbe? I know it's far too early but…" He shrugged helplessly and unashamed; it didn't matter now needy he may sound.
The Healer smiled, "Call me Rory, Mr Potter, we'll be seeing a lot of each other over the coming months. As for when you can hold him? We'll see but I don't think it will be too long if he keeps improving as he looks like he will."
Harry placed his hand on the edge of his son's bed. "Call me Harry then, I know you and the nurses will do more than everything to help him." He paused to look at the Healer, "Thank you, you are being so helpful and I know my son is in the best place for him." He held out his other hand for the Healer to shake.
Which he did, "Now Harry you shouldn't thank me just yet; there's a long path to follow and even I don't know where it will lead." Rory let go of Harry's hand and stepped back. "I've got rounds to get on with but please stay; there is a nurse's room just past my desk so knock if you need them." He smiled again, "You can hold his hand as long as you are gentle and you should talk to him Harry, tell him who you are, tell him stories and whatever else. You may not be able to hold him just yet but he can hear you and I'm sure he'll recognise your voice." With that the Healer walked out of the door, leaving Harry with his tiny newborn son.
He wasn't ready to hold his hand just yet but he was sure he could talk to Nathanael.
"Hello baby, my little Nathanael. I'm your daddy, I've had lots of adventures so far but I'm hoping we'll have lots more together…" Harry stared down at the little bundle in devoted wonder. This was his child.
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What did you think of my new story? Reviews are cool, and so are corrections. I don't have children nor have I been round any premmies (Thank gosh for the NHS website!) so I might had got stuff wrong. Just let me know and I'm happy to change it.
Peace, Conquered King.
oNoNo.