Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognise.
A/N: Firstly, happy birthday Harry! Obviously, Harry's birthday was coming up and I decided to write something that had been playing around for a while to honour it. It's all things fluffy and embarrassing but also kind of hilarious so I decided to actually get it written down and posted. I have no idea how Healing programmes work in America and if it's particularly good in California, but roll with it. Also, I don't know how old Metamorphmagi are before they can start controlling their own appearances, but for the sake of this story, they can at a young age.
There are now also companion pieces to this called Flowers and Broomsticks and also A Sky Full of Pain so go check them out if you like this one!
Also, this is British English so sorry to anyone who speaks otherwise, but English isn't my first language, so bear with me. This is also on HarryPotterFanFiction under WhatChooFellOverFor if their reading format's easier to use for anyone.
Please leave a review and tell me what you think and if you have any suggestions or errors that need correcting.
Warnings: Rating: T
Contains strong language/profanity and mild sexual themes. Only people who know where babies come from will understand it. And also fluff overload. And red-faced humility. We've all been there before.
Enjoy!
Ginny Potter wandered through the bookshelves of Flourish and Blotts, rubbing her swollen belly absently. Technically, she had no reason to be there, but apparently food wasn't the only thing she would be craving for out of the blue when she was pregnant.
She meandered aimlessly down the aisles, pausing when she saw a recipe book. Then she remembered that her mother would probably take offence if she tried to take recipes from other people, so she continued on. Ginny knew that her husband's last attempt at cooking a fancy meal had been disastrous, even if she hadn't said it out loud, but figured that Molly Weasley would be more than happy to help him out.
She turned around a corner and spotted a gleaming book displayed on the shelf. She took it down and read the title. 101 Easy Household Spells. Useful. Harry wasn't the most adept at household spells, and neither was she, so moved to open the book. Before she had even read the name of the first chapter, a surprisingly familiar voice called out to her.
"Ginny Weasley, is it really you? I haven't seen you in years!"
Ginny turned on the spot, one hand instinctively going to her stomach and the other one to the pocket of her robes. She fought the instinct to correct the speaker, but relaxed slightly when she saw who had called out, but only slightly. She fully refrained from telling the speaker her true surname when she realised that might be awkward.
Cho Chang, Harry's only ex-girlfriend, was making her way towards Ginny. She smiled and shook her long mane of red hair out of her face.
"Hello, Cho," Ginny greeted her. "You're right, it has been a while." She studied Cho for a moment. Her black hair was shorter, her face tanned and slimmer and she was taller, and it all suited her very well; she was even better looking than she had been at Hogwarts. "Where have you been, all this time?"
"I've been in California, in America!" Cho replied brightly, stopping in front of Ginny. That explained her tan, then. "They have an excellent Healing programme in San Francisco and I was accepted, so I spent a few years training over there."
"That's good," Ginny said, still smiling. "So you've moved back then?"
"I have a couple of weeks worth of break before going back to take the final test, so I decided to come back and see everyone again." Cho beamed at her. "It's wonderful seeing you again!" She seemed to notice Ginny's swollen belly for the first time. "And pregnant, are we? Congratulations! How far along are you?"
"Nearly five months," answered Ginny, her hand straying towards her stomach again.
"I've been thinking about specialising in maternity, actually," Cho said. "It's such an interesting subject!"
"I'd know all about it," said Ginny.
"Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron and have a drink!" Cho exclaimed. "We need to catch up properly!"
"Right, I was going to meet my husband there later anyway," Ginny said, casting a fleeting, longing look back towards 101 Easy Household Spells. "Let's go, then, shall we?"
Cho chatted to Ginny animatedly all the way to the Leaky Cauldron, talking about California, Healing programmes, and all sorts of other things that Ginny couldn't keep up with. She was still talking even when they sat down at their table in the dark, dingy inn.
"I heard you were signed for the Holyhead Harpies, the year before I left, I think, am I right? Congratulations!"
"Thanks," Ginny said, smiling warmly at her. "I retired last year to spend more time with family, though."
Ginny was glad for this topic of conversation, because she was trying to avoid talking about Harry, her pregnancy, Harry, the Battle of Hogwarts, and Harry, just to name a few, in case it became extremely awkward.
"So, how's Harry?"
Great. She wanted to talk about Harry.
"I know things might be awkward between you," Cho added, misreading Ginny's look of apprehension, "you know, given that you broke up and everything, but I've been in America all this time and I don't get the news from here over there, so I don't know if he's done anything big and Dark-defying lately. Since I broke it off with Michael, I've tried seeing a few people over in California but I just - I'm a bit lonely, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about Harry. Since your brother is his friend and everything, I thought you might know if he's been thinking about getting back together with me lately?" Cho looked eagerly at Ginny for an answer.
Ginny looked blankly at Cho for a moment. Despite the fact that Cho had just admitted to wanting to get back together with a married man - married to herself, no less - she couldn't help but feel sorry for the older witch.
"Well," Ginny began uncomfortably, "I don't -"
There was a cheerful tinkle announcing someone coming through the door and a couple of children, one about ten and the other about three, came charging in, squealing happily. They shot towards Ginny's table, and the younger child attached himself to her leg whilst the older one patted her elbow, giggling to himself. A man came in behind them, puffing slightly, and put another young boy down before either witch had the chance to look at his face, and the boy, younger than both of the other ones, came toddling over, waving his hands in the air. The man headed towards the bar, presumably to order, and Ginny found herself overwhelmed with four children.
Well, three and an unborn baby, but she didn't like to make people feel left out.
"Mummy!" squealed the three-year-old, giggling hysterically. "Daddy gived us ice-cream!"
"Did he, now?" Ginny said, picking up the toddler and placing him in the seat beside her. She sounded as though she disapproved, but was failing to actually show it.
"Are all these yours?" Cho asked, looking quite overwhelmed.
"Oh, no, only the black-haired ones," Ginny replied, scrubbing a spot of ice-cream off the younger toddler's face.
"I can have black hair, too, Gin-Gin," the ten-year-old said, and screwed up his face. His bright turquoise mop of hair flashed and morphed, before changing smoothly into a head of unruly black hair, very similar to the other children's.
"Yes, you can, Teddy," Ginny chuckled. "The Metamorphmagus is Teddy, my godson, this one is James and this little devil here is Albus." The youngest child - Albus - let out another peal of uncontrollable giggles.
"Who's you?" James asked, staring curiously at Cho.
"I'm Cho," she answered.
"Daddy's old kissy-friend?" James said, screwing his eyes up. "That's yucky!" A look of understanding dawned on Cho's face, and Ginny realised, with a cold rush of dread, that Cho thought that she was married to Michael Corner.
"Who on earth told you that?" Ginny asked, trying to flatten down his hair and failing miserably.
"Uncle Won-Won!" Albus said happily, bouncing up and down on Ginny's knees whilst she tried to stop Teddy from snatching one of the floating candles out of the air.
"Uncle Won-Won told you that, did he?" Ginny sighed, deeming the taming of James's hair a bad job and giving up. "Where is - Albus put the knife down - where is Daddy, anyway?"
"Right behind you," said a deep male voice. From across the table, Ginny saw Cho's face whiten and her eyes go wide. Harry Potter dropped a kiss on Ginny's cheek and drew up a chair with his wand and sat down beside her. "Cho, I haven't seen you in a while! How are you?"
Cho didn't answer; she seemed too preoccupied with staring at the couple with slightly bulging eyes and a mouth that was working soundlessly. Ginny suddenly realised where the comparison of speechless people to fish came from. Harry, however, didn't seem to notice; he was busy trying to stop James from burning the table with his wand.
"James - oh, for fuck's -"
"Harry Potter!" Ginny said sharply. "Watch your mouth, you have three young children in the vicinity and an unborn baby, so stop shooting your mouth off!"
"Sorry, Gin - James Potter, put the wand down! Merlin, kids are difficult to deal with."
"It's your fault I'm pregnant," Ginny remarked, before remembering that Cho was still sat opposite them and shot a glance towards her. She was still gaping.
"Don't talk about - Teddy, can you please leave James's hair alone? - how babies are made because last time I checked, they're not supposed to know at about ten years old."
"You weren't complaining that night," Ginny shot back, before blushing furiously. She glanced back towards Cho again, who seemed to have found her voice.
"You're married?" she squeaked, looking mortified.
"Yep," Harry replied proudly, wrapping an arm around Ginny's shoulders while trying to restrain James and Teddy from smashing into neighbouring tables at the same time. "Although when I said I wanted kids, I didn't imagine they would be so - oh, Merlin, put it down, James! - so hard to deal with."
"You know, I think it's something to do with the fact that you gave them ice-cream," Ginny said, gently untangling a giggling Albus's hands from her hair.
"But - but you broke up! I saw you at Dumbledore's funeral - and - and in the Room of Requirement!" Cho spluttered.
"We got back together after," Ginny told her gently. Cho's face went bright red, in contrast with the deathly white she was before.
"Oh," she mumbled. "Right. Well, I've got to be - somewhere. Bye."
Without looking back, she got up, and hurried out, her face still red and her head bowed. Harry watched her go, confused.
"Did I miss something?"
Ginny chose not to answer this, instead asking, "How much ice-cream did you give the kids?"
"One each." Ginny stared at him. "What? This one -" Harry pointed at Teddy, "- was giving me literal puppy eyes." Ginny sighed.
"Idiot," she said fondly, ruffling his already messy hair.
"Yeah, but I'm your - James, no!"
A/N: Happy birthday Harry, again!
Please leave a review and tell me what you thought. Remember to check out Flowers and Broomsticks and A Sky Full of Pain if you enjoyed!
Stay amazing!
-RTTD