Disclaimer: I don't own anything. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling. Well,
except the part that me and Stacy thought up. She's an amazing beta reader,
and her e-mail's silenceofthemind@hotmail.com if anyone needs one.
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Chapter 7: The Baby Shower
Eight months, and my mum finally realizes something.
"Oh my goodness," Mum said breathlessly one morning, moments after I'd come downstairs and sat myself down next to Hermione at the breakfast table. "Eight months already, and not one shower's been thrown."
Naturally, I was confused. Who's throwing showers, and why not throw a sink instead? It seems to be a lot lighter, and probably would go farther.
...Obviously the pregnancy had made me delirious.
"You mean a baby shower?" Hermione asked. She had a look on her face that made you think she'd remembered something very important but either the thing she'd remembered had already happened and she'd missed it or it was happening this very second and every minute counted and, to get to this thing she'd just remembered she'd have to run three miles and she'd still be late and if you're late to this kind of thing then you die... ya know, that kind of look.
Hermione looked at mum with wide eyes, and mum nodded.
"The baby's nearly popping out of her, and we still haven't thrown a shower." Mum said, looking very distressed.
"Oh, it's alright. I don't need a baby shower." I said modestly, not meaning a word. Who wouldn't want a party thrown for them, basically celebrating the fact that they had sex and didn't use protection? And you get presents! Okay, so the presents are only for the baby, but presents are presents.
"Don't be silly Ginny." Mum said, pacing the kitchen as Hermione flicked her wand and made a piece of parchment and quill appear. "Alright," she said importantly, turning to Hermione. "We'll need to invite her aunt Georgia, people from the Order, her grandma and-"
"But how are we going to get a hold of everyone?" Hermione asked, a note of hysteria in her voice. "We'll have to have the party soon, and what if no one can come?!"
"Hermione," Ron said soothingly, placing a hand on her arm. "calm down."
"Calm down?!" Hermione yelled dramatically. "CALM DOWN?!"
"...yea." Ron said, his voice sounding very soft compared to Hermione's.
"Okay." She said, pulling herself together. "But when will we have it? What if someone can't come? What if she has the baby early?" Hermione asked, the panic in her voice becoming more apparent with each word.
It was like Hermione was a cartoon character and, with each word, was getting bigger and bigger, and I feared she might blow up. The hysteria would just be building and building until... pop.
Hermione was still rambling, but I felt, for her own safety, I should interrupt.
"Hermione, breath, we'll work something out." I said as Hermione shouted horrible scenarios over me. Something about the house burning down and destroying all of the decorations after we'd spent hours putting them up. "Pop." I muttered quietly, watching Hermione ramble with a deer-in- headlights look on her face.
"What?!" Hermione demanded, glaring at me.
"I said... pop." I muttered, not being able to think of a word that sounded like 'pop' and would make sense in this situation. So, desperately, I tried to recover. "It's-uh -Russian for... calm down..."
"Really?" Hermione asked, her hysteria obviously getting in the way of common sense. I just nodded. "I've never had the discipline to learn another language." She said thoughtfully. "Well, obviously I can speak Spanish, and I've always had a knack for French. But that's it... Well, I mean, I can have casual conversations in Dutch... and Chinese... but nothing else... unless you count the three years of Latin classes I went to... And Viktor taught me the basics of Bulgarian... but that's all... except-"
"Are we going to go through every language on the planet? Because, if that's the case, I'd like to get something to eat since we'll obviously be here for a while." Ron said, looking very annoyed. He didn't seem so upset with Hermione's constant rambling, more at the mention of Hermione's former boyfriend.
Hermione glared at Ron, and they both started shouting. I caught Harry's eye and rolled mine heavenward. He smiled and mouthed, "Russian, huh?"
~*~*~*~
I swear, by eight and a half months, I was huge. I could still see my feet, but that didn't help my self-esteem any. I was use to being the tiny girl, and now I was big enough to be considered a sumo wrestler.
I was wearing my new white dress which was tight around the boobs (which had gotten bigger, thank God), and loose and flow-ie the rest of the way down just above my knees. A red ribbon was tied around the base of my breasts with a bow in the middle.
So, why am I taking the time to describe the dress I was wearing, while you, the reader, roll your eyes and nearly collapse with boredom? And, let me tell you, it's not just because I've been constantly uncomfortable for months, and I want you to suffer too.
It's to emphasize that, normally, I, and any other sane woman (plus some men), would feel absolutely gorgeous in this kind of a dress. But you're forgetting that I'm pregnant, and, therefore, have a huge stomach that gets in the way.
I was standing, with this dress on, in front of the mirror in my bedroom and staring at my horrible body critically.
"Ginny, come downstairs." My mum said, poking her head in. "People will be here any minute. You don't want to miss your own baby shower."
"I'll be down in a second." I said, not taking my glaring eyes off of my stomach.
"You look wonderful, honey." Mum said, walking into my room and standing next to me, smiling at my reflection.
"I look fat." I muttered.
"You're a lot smaller then most women are at eight months." Mum said, still smiling. "Have you thought of any names yet?" she asked, rubbing my stomach.
"I was considering the name Chris." I said thoughtfully. "I've been calling him that for a while, and I think he likes the idea. He didn't kick me when I brought up the name 'Chris'. 'Quentin' on the other hand..."
After mum helped me put on my shoes (it's impossible to do by yourself with a stomach the size of a watermelon in the way), we walked downstairs.
When I was in the family room, I noticed that a few people had already arrived. One of them being-
"Snape?!" I hissed to my mother, not taking my eyes off of my greasy, former Potions teacher. "You invited Snape?!"
"He's part of the Order, I had to." Mum whispered back. "Besides, he was your teacher-"
"And personal torturer through all seven years of Hogwarts." I hissed. But my anger was quickly switched to curiosity when a woman came up to Snape and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. At first, I was happy, thinking the woman had finally done what everyone else wanted to do and was strangling the ugly bastard. But, with closer observation, I noticed that she was hugging him.
"Who's that?" I whispered to mum, nodding my head over at the woman hugging Snape.
Mum smiled and said, "Don't you remember? Professor Sinistra, your Astronomy teacher."
It suddenly dawned on me that I knew that woman. I took in the bushy auburn hair and warm smile. I had never really taken much notice to her looks, since I'd only seen her during Astronomy lessons at midnight when it was pitch black.
"I didn't recognize her without her glasses." I said, not taking my eyes off of the pair. Snape had just said something, looking very sour, and Sinistra was laughing.
"Aren't they cute together?" Mum cooed.
"You mean they're dating?" I asked, surprised that anyone could stand Snape long enough to go on even one date with him.
"Depends on who you ask." Mum said, smiling at me before going off to talk to a new pile of people who'd come in.
I looked around the room, and the first person I saw was Harry. He was leaning against the wall, talking to Mad-Eye Moody and Lupin. Suddenly, as Lupin was saying something to him, Harry looked up and straight at me. We both smiled stupidly.
"Ginny," Fred said importantly, pulling on my arm. "... What are you looking at?"
"No one." I said, reluctantly breaking eye contact with Harry and looking at my brother. He had a huge grin on his face, the same grin that was on George's face, who was standing behind him.
"Come here, you have to see this." Fred said, grabbing my arm and dragging me over to a spot a few feet away. Both of the twins were looking directly at Snape, who was alone now and looking around the Burrow with distain.
"What did you two do?" I asked suspiciously.
"Wait for it..." George said, pointing to a little girl who was making her way toward the disgruntled Potions master.
"That's Tonks' daughter." Fred said, pointing to the little girl. Tonks had gotten married a few years ago to some muggle who's name I didn't know. Their daughter was about seven.
"Hello." The little girl said cheerfully. Snape only sneered. "My name's Kennedy."
"And what makes you think I care?" Snape asked coldly.
"Who are you?" Kennedy asked with the most adorable smile I'd ever seen.
"That is none of your business." Snape said.
"Can I ask you a question?" Kennedy asked sweetly.
"It's more of the matter of if I can stop you from asking it." Snape said.
"Where do babies come from?" Kennedy asked. Fred and George were shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Hell." Snape said icily. Kennedy didn't seem phased.
"Mummy says I came from heaven on the wings of an angel." Kennedy said with an innocent smile.
"Well, your mother is a lunatic and it seems that she's passed those genes down to you."
There was a small silence between the two of them. A confident smirk was finding its way onto Snape's face, when Kennedy opened her mouth again.
"I saw a butterfly today." She said, smiling at Snape.
"What a wonderful accomplishment." Snape said very coldly.
"It had a broken wing. But I fixed it." she continued. "And then I gave it to my daddy and he said thank you and I said your welcome."
"Making the world a better place." Snape scoffed. "You're right up there with Gandhi."
Kennedy reached into her pocket and pulled out a dandelion.
"I found this outside my house. It's a flower. I named it Jeremy. Would you like him?" she asked, holding it up to Snape.
"A weed. How pleasant." He said, wrinkling his large nose at the yellow dandelion and crossing his arms over his chest.
Kennedy held it to her ear and said, "Jeremy says that he wants to be your friend."
"Are you sure that's Jeremy talking, and not those pesky voices inside your head?" Snape asked with fake concern, his features still like stone.
Kennedy burst into a fit of giggles. This seemed to scare Snape a bit, because he looked at her strangely and backed away a little. He wasn't use to people laughing when he made fun of them. Being embarrassed or starting to cry; yes. But never laughing.
"You're funny." Kennedy said, finally finished with her giggling. She reached into her other pocket and pulled out a chocolate frog. "D'you want one? They're my favorite, but mummy says it's nice to share."
"Uh... n-no thank you..." Snape said, looking very horrified at the words that were coming out of his mouth. Was he being... civil? Never. Severus Snape was nothing of the sort. He just... couldn't find anything about that sentence to make fun of. Oh God, he was loosing his touch.
"Tonks!" Snape yelled. "Get your daughter away from me."
"What's the matter Sevie?" Sinistra asked sweetly. "Can't even insult an innocent child? For shame."
"Don't call me Sevie, and that's not a normal child." Snape said, looking at Kennedy with wide eyes as he backed away a little. "It's like she's possessed by Mr. Rodgers or something."
Kennedy smiled warmly at him, turned, and began to walk away. But not before a horrified Snape heard her singing, "It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood... A wonderful day in the neighborhood..."
Kennedy walked up to us, and high-fived Fred and George.
"That was bloody hilarious." Fred said, handing Kennedy a few Galleons.
"Yea, I thought you'd stop at the 'where do babies come from' line. Great job, I think you've mentally scarred him." George said, dropping a few more Galleons into Kennedy's open hands.
"You two paid this child to scare Snape?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "What's the matter, couldn't you two do it well enough?"
They both ignored me.
"Who should we do next?" George asked.
"What about Mad-Eye?" Fred asked with a particularly wicked smile.
"Yea! We could have her tell him that she's a Death Eater in disguise." George laughed.
"I bet he hexes her within ten seconds." Fred wagered. I rolled my eyes once more, and decided I'd better leave before Mad-Eye found out about the 'conspiracy' that was going on around him.
I noticed that Harry was alone (now that Mad-Eye was being approached by Kennedy, and Lupin was talking to mum), so I built up the courage to walk over and talk to him.
"Hey." I said conversationally. Just when Harry was about to respond, a great up roar came from the crowd. Apparently, Mad-Eye had pulled out his wand and was pointing it at the adorable Kennedy. He screamed, "No one touches my hip flask!" and stunned the poor child.
I looked at Harry with wide eyes.
"Er-maybe we should get away from the scene of the crime." Harry suggested, motioning up the staircase feet from us. I nodded and we bolted up the stairs. We walked down the hall and opened the door to Ron's room, hoping for some privacy.
Unfortunately, that idea had already been taken... by Ron and Hermione... who were now snogging each other senseless.
"Jesus Christ!" I hissed, covering my eyes and closing the door. I looked at a very amused Harry and said with exasperation, "What *is* it with this house? Do I have to sound a blow-horn whenever I enter a room?!"
Still trying to suppress laughter, Harry grabbed my hand and led me to a different room. My room, in fact. And we both sat down on my bed.
"So, besides seeing Mad-Eye stun a kid, are you having a good time?" Harry asked, a smile that made my heart skip a beat playing on his face.
"It's okay." I said. "But it sucks that there're all of these presents, and none of them are for me."
"I thought you'd feel like that." Harry said.
"Well, it's nice to know my selfishness is apparent to *someone*." I said dramatically.
"That's why I got you this," Harry said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out-okay, I don't wanna oversell this-the most beautiful ring I had ever seen, and probably will ever see, in my entire life. It was a small silver band with a large square ruby in the middle. Simple, but beautiful.
I did the little 'you shouldn't have' look where you cover your gaping mouth and make your eyes really wide. But then, after that little show, I took the ring and shoved it greedily onto my right middle finger.
"Thank you so much." I cooed, pulling him into a hug. There was that clean rugged smell again. It made my head spin, and I couldn't get enough of it.
When I finally found the power to pull away, I didn't go very far. I still kept my hands clasped around the back of his neck, and he was holding onto my waist.
"I saw the ring the last time I went to Diagon Alley." Harry said, not breaking eye contact with me. "And it just... reminded me of you." He said, lifting a hand and brushing back a few strands of my wavy red hair.
It was the perfect moment. And it could have been so much more perfect, if only one of us had had the balls to take it a bit farther. I actually think Harry was going to, but George had to interrupt.
He came running down the hall at top speed, and nearly took my door off as he jerked it open. Harry and I quickly let go of each other.
"Hey Gin," George said, breathing very heavily and leaning on the doorframe for support. "d'you know what the spell it is that makes ropes shoot out of your wand?"
"No, sorry. Hermione might though." I said, looking at him curiously. "Why d'you need it?"
"Mad-Eye's gone bonkers. I guess he wasn't the right guy to play a joke on." George said, a smile playing on his face. "Where's Hermione?"
"In Ron's room." I said, trying not to remember the scene I'd seen just minutes before.
"Oooooh." George said, wagging his eyebrows. "Is icky Ronniekins getting some-"
"You'll have time to mock him later." I interrupted. "Now, go save the world from the evil Dr. Mad-Eye." I said, pushing George out the door. "Quick, before he kidnaps the professor or gets Gilligan off the island or something."
George, being stronger then me, held only the door frame and looked at me strangely. "...You're weird sometimes, you know that?"
"Yes, actually, I do. Now get out!" I said, slamming the door in his face.
I still, to this day, have no idea why I'd said that. I suppose I just wanted to be alone with Harry again. No matter which way you cut it, I'd definitely gotten my muggles movies and television shows crossed.
I rolled my eyes playfully and sat back down on the bed.
"So..." I said, trying to remember what I'd wanted to ask him. "Oh, yea, I've been meaning to ask you; why are you here?"
Well, that came off a bit differently then it sounded in my head. You know, more accusing and bitchy.
"...what?" Harry asked.
"What I meant was; I thought you had a flat. But you're staying at the Burrow-not that I don't want you to stay here. I love you staying here- well, not love in, like, an 'I love you' way-I mean-like-umm-"
Omigod omigod omigod. I was practically hyperventilating. My rambling was getting dangerous, and now I just couldn't stop. I mean, words that were embarrassing just by themselves were coming out, and just all building into this big ball of 'I want to die'-ness.
"Ginny?" Harry interrupted. "I get what you're saying."
I breathed a sigh of relief. He knew what I was rambling about. That, or he was lying really well. Either way, I was happy he'd stopped me from talking any longer.
"I moved out of my old flat and I'm looking around for a new one. So I'm just staying here till I find another place to stay." Harry explained. "There's this one place that I love, but I donno if I can afford it."
"Where's it at?" I asked curiously.
"Well, say this is your house." He said, pointing to a spot on my bed where there was a hole in the comforter. He drew a line down, saying it was something-or-other street. "And this is where Diagon Alley is." Harry continued, pointing to a spot inches from my bare thigh. "So you cross over this street," he said, his voice getting quieter as he drew a line that started on the bedspread, but ended up running across my thigh. The place where his finger had touched, and still was touching, was tingling. I could feel my breath shorten, and my eyes flickered up at his face before they went back down to my leg. "Then you turn onto my street," Harry whispered, slowly moving his finger up my inner thigh, coming closer and closer to the place where most of the tingling was happening. His hand was now under my dress, and I felt like I was going to faint with pleasure. "And, right here's the place that I really wanna stay." He whispered hoarsely, moving his finger up and down along my panties.
I could barely breathe. I looked up at him and saw that his eyes were already on me. We were both eyeing each other hungrily, and that's when it happened. The thing I knew would happen, but still wasn't prepared for.
With a mighty boom, the room shook. There was shouting a cheering downstairs. Either the twins had blown up Mad-Eye, or they'd blown something else up.
I sighed. The moment was gone. Harry and I stood up, looking at each other sadly.
"We should probably go downstairs..." Harry said, looking like he wanted to do anything but that. "You know, make sure there aren't too many casualties."
I laughed, and headed downstairs with Harry, both of our minds still up in my room, wondering what could have been.
~*~*~*~
I couldn't sleep that night. Around two in the morning, I ventured downstairs, hoping to find Harry down there as well. Not the case. Maybe in the perfect romance novel, but not in my life.
After I found something to eat, I thought about going up to Harry's room, but something stopped me. Chris. Even though he wasn't born yet, I knew that he didn't want me sleeping with any man but his father.
But, still, I couldn't shake the feeling Harry gave me. Like I was the most beautiful person in the world. And, with this enormous stomach, I needed that feeling. I looked down at the ring on my right hand, and couldn't stop smiling.
"Can't sleep?" Came mum's voice from the kitchen doorway. I shook my head. "What're you drinking?" she asked, motioning to the glass in my hand.
"It's a strawberry daiquiri. I just got this really strange craving, and-"
"Virginia!" mum screamed, grabbing the drink out of my hand. "You're pregnant! You can't drink alcohol!"
"Relax mum," I said, rolling my eyes and grabbing it back. "It's a virgin."
"Well," mum said, looking slightly embarrassed. "at least something in this house is."
~*~*~*~
Faith456: Oh, thank you. I'm glad you like it so far.
Lucius magic pimp stick: You like Molly? Thank God! I was so worried that people would get all pissed because she's not the sweet, kind joyful mum that Harry always sees.
Dolphingirl79: lol, I haven't even thought about the stretch marks. I think I'll spare her, she already has enough on her plate.
Eric2: omg, that's such a good idea! But I don't know how Ginny would ever know any mob members. And is there a wizard-type mob? Ah, it's too hard. I suppose she can just use her brothers as the mob.
Swishy Willow Wand: *gets down on both knees and bows before you* forgive me! I was not right in the head! Spare my life and I promise I will never be late in my deliveries again! Thank you, oh great master!
The French Rabbi: No internet connection?! Dude, I totally feel your pain. Damn whatever makes our connections crappy!
Wytil: Interesting. I've gotten that a lot. Fingers crossed, it's a compliment. Yea, I PROMISE to complete this story.
Draco-FutureBF: Thanks so much! I hope you like this chapter just as much.
Voldie On Varsity Track: haha! Spiffy's such a funny word. Lol, I considered your names for the baby, but I *really* don't think he'd like Cathrine or Tamara any better then Quentin.
KeeperOfTheMoon: Aw, thanks! That's the main reason why I wrote this story in first person, because I know that Ginny has a lot on her mind that she doesn't proclaim vocally.
Kneh13: Yea, I agree. Harry seems to want to help any way he can, because he knows it must be hard for her. And, yea, you would think that Molly's friends would understand, but they're bitches, I suppose.
Strayc@t: Thank you, I'm glad someone likes Molly. I mean, sure, she's not the perfect mother, but she's human-or, wizard, rather. BTW: thanks for all of the wonderful stuff you said about me not being a loser!
Foags: Did this chapter amuse you more? I hope so!... I'm still trying to find out about the strange time-speed of when we're having fun and when we're bored to the point where streaking for no apparent reason sounds like a perfectly appropriate pastime.
Herbie: 3 hours at the dentist?! You poor thing!!! That would be the last place I'd want to waste three hours of my life at. So I'm glad I could help.
D.Torres: Yea, I know, too Americanized-but what can I say? I'm American! It's so hard to write like a brit. But I try my best. Help is always welcome.
Byron245: Thanks! I'll post again on Friday.
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A/N: Okay, the thing where Harry is showing Ginny where his dream apartment is, and ends up with his hand on her thigh, is my version from a scene in the book 'Angels.' I just took it a bit farther then the book did. Anyways, I just had to give credit where credit was due.
If you want me to e-mail you when I update, just give me you e-mail address in the review and I'd be happy to do it :)
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Chapter 7: The Baby Shower
Eight months, and my mum finally realizes something.
"Oh my goodness," Mum said breathlessly one morning, moments after I'd come downstairs and sat myself down next to Hermione at the breakfast table. "Eight months already, and not one shower's been thrown."
Naturally, I was confused. Who's throwing showers, and why not throw a sink instead? It seems to be a lot lighter, and probably would go farther.
...Obviously the pregnancy had made me delirious.
"You mean a baby shower?" Hermione asked. She had a look on her face that made you think she'd remembered something very important but either the thing she'd remembered had already happened and she'd missed it or it was happening this very second and every minute counted and, to get to this thing she'd just remembered she'd have to run three miles and she'd still be late and if you're late to this kind of thing then you die... ya know, that kind of look.
Hermione looked at mum with wide eyes, and mum nodded.
"The baby's nearly popping out of her, and we still haven't thrown a shower." Mum said, looking very distressed.
"Oh, it's alright. I don't need a baby shower." I said modestly, not meaning a word. Who wouldn't want a party thrown for them, basically celebrating the fact that they had sex and didn't use protection? And you get presents! Okay, so the presents are only for the baby, but presents are presents.
"Don't be silly Ginny." Mum said, pacing the kitchen as Hermione flicked her wand and made a piece of parchment and quill appear. "Alright," she said importantly, turning to Hermione. "We'll need to invite her aunt Georgia, people from the Order, her grandma and-"
"But how are we going to get a hold of everyone?" Hermione asked, a note of hysteria in her voice. "We'll have to have the party soon, and what if no one can come?!"
"Hermione," Ron said soothingly, placing a hand on her arm. "calm down."
"Calm down?!" Hermione yelled dramatically. "CALM DOWN?!"
"...yea." Ron said, his voice sounding very soft compared to Hermione's.
"Okay." She said, pulling herself together. "But when will we have it? What if someone can't come? What if she has the baby early?" Hermione asked, the panic in her voice becoming more apparent with each word.
It was like Hermione was a cartoon character and, with each word, was getting bigger and bigger, and I feared she might blow up. The hysteria would just be building and building until... pop.
Hermione was still rambling, but I felt, for her own safety, I should interrupt.
"Hermione, breath, we'll work something out." I said as Hermione shouted horrible scenarios over me. Something about the house burning down and destroying all of the decorations after we'd spent hours putting them up. "Pop." I muttered quietly, watching Hermione ramble with a deer-in- headlights look on her face.
"What?!" Hermione demanded, glaring at me.
"I said... pop." I muttered, not being able to think of a word that sounded like 'pop' and would make sense in this situation. So, desperately, I tried to recover. "It's-uh -Russian for... calm down..."
"Really?" Hermione asked, her hysteria obviously getting in the way of common sense. I just nodded. "I've never had the discipline to learn another language." She said thoughtfully. "Well, obviously I can speak Spanish, and I've always had a knack for French. But that's it... Well, I mean, I can have casual conversations in Dutch... and Chinese... but nothing else... unless you count the three years of Latin classes I went to... And Viktor taught me the basics of Bulgarian... but that's all... except-"
"Are we going to go through every language on the planet? Because, if that's the case, I'd like to get something to eat since we'll obviously be here for a while." Ron said, looking very annoyed. He didn't seem so upset with Hermione's constant rambling, more at the mention of Hermione's former boyfriend.
Hermione glared at Ron, and they both started shouting. I caught Harry's eye and rolled mine heavenward. He smiled and mouthed, "Russian, huh?"
~*~*~*~
I swear, by eight and a half months, I was huge. I could still see my feet, but that didn't help my self-esteem any. I was use to being the tiny girl, and now I was big enough to be considered a sumo wrestler.
I was wearing my new white dress which was tight around the boobs (which had gotten bigger, thank God), and loose and flow-ie the rest of the way down just above my knees. A red ribbon was tied around the base of my breasts with a bow in the middle.
So, why am I taking the time to describe the dress I was wearing, while you, the reader, roll your eyes and nearly collapse with boredom? And, let me tell you, it's not just because I've been constantly uncomfortable for months, and I want you to suffer too.
It's to emphasize that, normally, I, and any other sane woman (plus some men), would feel absolutely gorgeous in this kind of a dress. But you're forgetting that I'm pregnant, and, therefore, have a huge stomach that gets in the way.
I was standing, with this dress on, in front of the mirror in my bedroom and staring at my horrible body critically.
"Ginny, come downstairs." My mum said, poking her head in. "People will be here any minute. You don't want to miss your own baby shower."
"I'll be down in a second." I said, not taking my glaring eyes off of my stomach.
"You look wonderful, honey." Mum said, walking into my room and standing next to me, smiling at my reflection.
"I look fat." I muttered.
"You're a lot smaller then most women are at eight months." Mum said, still smiling. "Have you thought of any names yet?" she asked, rubbing my stomach.
"I was considering the name Chris." I said thoughtfully. "I've been calling him that for a while, and I think he likes the idea. He didn't kick me when I brought up the name 'Chris'. 'Quentin' on the other hand..."
After mum helped me put on my shoes (it's impossible to do by yourself with a stomach the size of a watermelon in the way), we walked downstairs.
When I was in the family room, I noticed that a few people had already arrived. One of them being-
"Snape?!" I hissed to my mother, not taking my eyes off of my greasy, former Potions teacher. "You invited Snape?!"
"He's part of the Order, I had to." Mum whispered back. "Besides, he was your teacher-"
"And personal torturer through all seven years of Hogwarts." I hissed. But my anger was quickly switched to curiosity when a woman came up to Snape and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. At first, I was happy, thinking the woman had finally done what everyone else wanted to do and was strangling the ugly bastard. But, with closer observation, I noticed that she was hugging him.
"Who's that?" I whispered to mum, nodding my head over at the woman hugging Snape.
Mum smiled and said, "Don't you remember? Professor Sinistra, your Astronomy teacher."
It suddenly dawned on me that I knew that woman. I took in the bushy auburn hair and warm smile. I had never really taken much notice to her looks, since I'd only seen her during Astronomy lessons at midnight when it was pitch black.
"I didn't recognize her without her glasses." I said, not taking my eyes off of the pair. Snape had just said something, looking very sour, and Sinistra was laughing.
"Aren't they cute together?" Mum cooed.
"You mean they're dating?" I asked, surprised that anyone could stand Snape long enough to go on even one date with him.
"Depends on who you ask." Mum said, smiling at me before going off to talk to a new pile of people who'd come in.
I looked around the room, and the first person I saw was Harry. He was leaning against the wall, talking to Mad-Eye Moody and Lupin. Suddenly, as Lupin was saying something to him, Harry looked up and straight at me. We both smiled stupidly.
"Ginny," Fred said importantly, pulling on my arm. "... What are you looking at?"
"No one." I said, reluctantly breaking eye contact with Harry and looking at my brother. He had a huge grin on his face, the same grin that was on George's face, who was standing behind him.
"Come here, you have to see this." Fred said, grabbing my arm and dragging me over to a spot a few feet away. Both of the twins were looking directly at Snape, who was alone now and looking around the Burrow with distain.
"What did you two do?" I asked suspiciously.
"Wait for it..." George said, pointing to a little girl who was making her way toward the disgruntled Potions master.
"That's Tonks' daughter." Fred said, pointing to the little girl. Tonks had gotten married a few years ago to some muggle who's name I didn't know. Their daughter was about seven.
"Hello." The little girl said cheerfully. Snape only sneered. "My name's Kennedy."
"And what makes you think I care?" Snape asked coldly.
"Who are you?" Kennedy asked with the most adorable smile I'd ever seen.
"That is none of your business." Snape said.
"Can I ask you a question?" Kennedy asked sweetly.
"It's more of the matter of if I can stop you from asking it." Snape said.
"Where do babies come from?" Kennedy asked. Fred and George were shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Hell." Snape said icily. Kennedy didn't seem phased.
"Mummy says I came from heaven on the wings of an angel." Kennedy said with an innocent smile.
"Well, your mother is a lunatic and it seems that she's passed those genes down to you."
There was a small silence between the two of them. A confident smirk was finding its way onto Snape's face, when Kennedy opened her mouth again.
"I saw a butterfly today." She said, smiling at Snape.
"What a wonderful accomplishment." Snape said very coldly.
"It had a broken wing. But I fixed it." she continued. "And then I gave it to my daddy and he said thank you and I said your welcome."
"Making the world a better place." Snape scoffed. "You're right up there with Gandhi."
Kennedy reached into her pocket and pulled out a dandelion.
"I found this outside my house. It's a flower. I named it Jeremy. Would you like him?" she asked, holding it up to Snape.
"A weed. How pleasant." He said, wrinkling his large nose at the yellow dandelion and crossing his arms over his chest.
Kennedy held it to her ear and said, "Jeremy says that he wants to be your friend."
"Are you sure that's Jeremy talking, and not those pesky voices inside your head?" Snape asked with fake concern, his features still like stone.
Kennedy burst into a fit of giggles. This seemed to scare Snape a bit, because he looked at her strangely and backed away a little. He wasn't use to people laughing when he made fun of them. Being embarrassed or starting to cry; yes. But never laughing.
"You're funny." Kennedy said, finally finished with her giggling. She reached into her other pocket and pulled out a chocolate frog. "D'you want one? They're my favorite, but mummy says it's nice to share."
"Uh... n-no thank you..." Snape said, looking very horrified at the words that were coming out of his mouth. Was he being... civil? Never. Severus Snape was nothing of the sort. He just... couldn't find anything about that sentence to make fun of. Oh God, he was loosing his touch.
"Tonks!" Snape yelled. "Get your daughter away from me."
"What's the matter Sevie?" Sinistra asked sweetly. "Can't even insult an innocent child? For shame."
"Don't call me Sevie, and that's not a normal child." Snape said, looking at Kennedy with wide eyes as he backed away a little. "It's like she's possessed by Mr. Rodgers or something."
Kennedy smiled warmly at him, turned, and began to walk away. But not before a horrified Snape heard her singing, "It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood... A wonderful day in the neighborhood..."
Kennedy walked up to us, and high-fived Fred and George.
"That was bloody hilarious." Fred said, handing Kennedy a few Galleons.
"Yea, I thought you'd stop at the 'where do babies come from' line. Great job, I think you've mentally scarred him." George said, dropping a few more Galleons into Kennedy's open hands.
"You two paid this child to scare Snape?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "What's the matter, couldn't you two do it well enough?"
They both ignored me.
"Who should we do next?" George asked.
"What about Mad-Eye?" Fred asked with a particularly wicked smile.
"Yea! We could have her tell him that she's a Death Eater in disguise." George laughed.
"I bet he hexes her within ten seconds." Fred wagered. I rolled my eyes once more, and decided I'd better leave before Mad-Eye found out about the 'conspiracy' that was going on around him.
I noticed that Harry was alone (now that Mad-Eye was being approached by Kennedy, and Lupin was talking to mum), so I built up the courage to walk over and talk to him.
"Hey." I said conversationally. Just when Harry was about to respond, a great up roar came from the crowd. Apparently, Mad-Eye had pulled out his wand and was pointing it at the adorable Kennedy. He screamed, "No one touches my hip flask!" and stunned the poor child.
I looked at Harry with wide eyes.
"Er-maybe we should get away from the scene of the crime." Harry suggested, motioning up the staircase feet from us. I nodded and we bolted up the stairs. We walked down the hall and opened the door to Ron's room, hoping for some privacy.
Unfortunately, that idea had already been taken... by Ron and Hermione... who were now snogging each other senseless.
"Jesus Christ!" I hissed, covering my eyes and closing the door. I looked at a very amused Harry and said with exasperation, "What *is* it with this house? Do I have to sound a blow-horn whenever I enter a room?!"
Still trying to suppress laughter, Harry grabbed my hand and led me to a different room. My room, in fact. And we both sat down on my bed.
"So, besides seeing Mad-Eye stun a kid, are you having a good time?" Harry asked, a smile that made my heart skip a beat playing on his face.
"It's okay." I said. "But it sucks that there're all of these presents, and none of them are for me."
"I thought you'd feel like that." Harry said.
"Well, it's nice to know my selfishness is apparent to *someone*." I said dramatically.
"That's why I got you this," Harry said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out-okay, I don't wanna oversell this-the most beautiful ring I had ever seen, and probably will ever see, in my entire life. It was a small silver band with a large square ruby in the middle. Simple, but beautiful.
I did the little 'you shouldn't have' look where you cover your gaping mouth and make your eyes really wide. But then, after that little show, I took the ring and shoved it greedily onto my right middle finger.
"Thank you so much." I cooed, pulling him into a hug. There was that clean rugged smell again. It made my head spin, and I couldn't get enough of it.
When I finally found the power to pull away, I didn't go very far. I still kept my hands clasped around the back of his neck, and he was holding onto my waist.
"I saw the ring the last time I went to Diagon Alley." Harry said, not breaking eye contact with me. "And it just... reminded me of you." He said, lifting a hand and brushing back a few strands of my wavy red hair.
It was the perfect moment. And it could have been so much more perfect, if only one of us had had the balls to take it a bit farther. I actually think Harry was going to, but George had to interrupt.
He came running down the hall at top speed, and nearly took my door off as he jerked it open. Harry and I quickly let go of each other.
"Hey Gin," George said, breathing very heavily and leaning on the doorframe for support. "d'you know what the spell it is that makes ropes shoot out of your wand?"
"No, sorry. Hermione might though." I said, looking at him curiously. "Why d'you need it?"
"Mad-Eye's gone bonkers. I guess he wasn't the right guy to play a joke on." George said, a smile playing on his face. "Where's Hermione?"
"In Ron's room." I said, trying not to remember the scene I'd seen just minutes before.
"Oooooh." George said, wagging his eyebrows. "Is icky Ronniekins getting some-"
"You'll have time to mock him later." I interrupted. "Now, go save the world from the evil Dr. Mad-Eye." I said, pushing George out the door. "Quick, before he kidnaps the professor or gets Gilligan off the island or something."
George, being stronger then me, held only the door frame and looked at me strangely. "...You're weird sometimes, you know that?"
"Yes, actually, I do. Now get out!" I said, slamming the door in his face.
I still, to this day, have no idea why I'd said that. I suppose I just wanted to be alone with Harry again. No matter which way you cut it, I'd definitely gotten my muggles movies and television shows crossed.
I rolled my eyes playfully and sat back down on the bed.
"So..." I said, trying to remember what I'd wanted to ask him. "Oh, yea, I've been meaning to ask you; why are you here?"
Well, that came off a bit differently then it sounded in my head. You know, more accusing and bitchy.
"...what?" Harry asked.
"What I meant was; I thought you had a flat. But you're staying at the Burrow-not that I don't want you to stay here. I love you staying here- well, not love in, like, an 'I love you' way-I mean-like-umm-"
Omigod omigod omigod. I was practically hyperventilating. My rambling was getting dangerous, and now I just couldn't stop. I mean, words that were embarrassing just by themselves were coming out, and just all building into this big ball of 'I want to die'-ness.
"Ginny?" Harry interrupted. "I get what you're saying."
I breathed a sigh of relief. He knew what I was rambling about. That, or he was lying really well. Either way, I was happy he'd stopped me from talking any longer.
"I moved out of my old flat and I'm looking around for a new one. So I'm just staying here till I find another place to stay." Harry explained. "There's this one place that I love, but I donno if I can afford it."
"Where's it at?" I asked curiously.
"Well, say this is your house." He said, pointing to a spot on my bed where there was a hole in the comforter. He drew a line down, saying it was something-or-other street. "And this is where Diagon Alley is." Harry continued, pointing to a spot inches from my bare thigh. "So you cross over this street," he said, his voice getting quieter as he drew a line that started on the bedspread, but ended up running across my thigh. The place where his finger had touched, and still was touching, was tingling. I could feel my breath shorten, and my eyes flickered up at his face before they went back down to my leg. "Then you turn onto my street," Harry whispered, slowly moving his finger up my inner thigh, coming closer and closer to the place where most of the tingling was happening. His hand was now under my dress, and I felt like I was going to faint with pleasure. "And, right here's the place that I really wanna stay." He whispered hoarsely, moving his finger up and down along my panties.
I could barely breathe. I looked up at him and saw that his eyes were already on me. We were both eyeing each other hungrily, and that's when it happened. The thing I knew would happen, but still wasn't prepared for.
With a mighty boom, the room shook. There was shouting a cheering downstairs. Either the twins had blown up Mad-Eye, or they'd blown something else up.
I sighed. The moment was gone. Harry and I stood up, looking at each other sadly.
"We should probably go downstairs..." Harry said, looking like he wanted to do anything but that. "You know, make sure there aren't too many casualties."
I laughed, and headed downstairs with Harry, both of our minds still up in my room, wondering what could have been.
~*~*~*~
I couldn't sleep that night. Around two in the morning, I ventured downstairs, hoping to find Harry down there as well. Not the case. Maybe in the perfect romance novel, but not in my life.
After I found something to eat, I thought about going up to Harry's room, but something stopped me. Chris. Even though he wasn't born yet, I knew that he didn't want me sleeping with any man but his father.
But, still, I couldn't shake the feeling Harry gave me. Like I was the most beautiful person in the world. And, with this enormous stomach, I needed that feeling. I looked down at the ring on my right hand, and couldn't stop smiling.
"Can't sleep?" Came mum's voice from the kitchen doorway. I shook my head. "What're you drinking?" she asked, motioning to the glass in my hand.
"It's a strawberry daiquiri. I just got this really strange craving, and-"
"Virginia!" mum screamed, grabbing the drink out of my hand. "You're pregnant! You can't drink alcohol!"
"Relax mum," I said, rolling my eyes and grabbing it back. "It's a virgin."
"Well," mum said, looking slightly embarrassed. "at least something in this house is."
~*~*~*~
Faith456: Oh, thank you. I'm glad you like it so far.
Lucius magic pimp stick: You like Molly? Thank God! I was so worried that people would get all pissed because she's not the sweet, kind joyful mum that Harry always sees.
Dolphingirl79: lol, I haven't even thought about the stretch marks. I think I'll spare her, she already has enough on her plate.
Eric2: omg, that's such a good idea! But I don't know how Ginny would ever know any mob members. And is there a wizard-type mob? Ah, it's too hard. I suppose she can just use her brothers as the mob.
Swishy Willow Wand: *gets down on both knees and bows before you* forgive me! I was not right in the head! Spare my life and I promise I will never be late in my deliveries again! Thank you, oh great master!
The French Rabbi: No internet connection?! Dude, I totally feel your pain. Damn whatever makes our connections crappy!
Wytil: Interesting. I've gotten that a lot. Fingers crossed, it's a compliment. Yea, I PROMISE to complete this story.
Draco-FutureBF: Thanks so much! I hope you like this chapter just as much.
Voldie On Varsity Track: haha! Spiffy's such a funny word. Lol, I considered your names for the baby, but I *really* don't think he'd like Cathrine or Tamara any better then Quentin.
KeeperOfTheMoon: Aw, thanks! That's the main reason why I wrote this story in first person, because I know that Ginny has a lot on her mind that she doesn't proclaim vocally.
Kneh13: Yea, I agree. Harry seems to want to help any way he can, because he knows it must be hard for her. And, yea, you would think that Molly's friends would understand, but they're bitches, I suppose.
Strayc@t: Thank you, I'm glad someone likes Molly. I mean, sure, she's not the perfect mother, but she's human-or, wizard, rather. BTW: thanks for all of the wonderful stuff you said about me not being a loser!
Foags: Did this chapter amuse you more? I hope so!... I'm still trying to find out about the strange time-speed of when we're having fun and when we're bored to the point where streaking for no apparent reason sounds like a perfectly appropriate pastime.
Herbie: 3 hours at the dentist?! You poor thing!!! That would be the last place I'd want to waste three hours of my life at. So I'm glad I could help.
D.Torres: Yea, I know, too Americanized-but what can I say? I'm American! It's so hard to write like a brit. But I try my best. Help is always welcome.
Byron245: Thanks! I'll post again on Friday.
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A/N: Okay, the thing where Harry is showing Ginny where his dream apartment is, and ends up with his hand on her thigh, is my version from a scene in the book 'Angels.' I just took it a bit farther then the book did. Anyways, I just had to give credit where credit was due.
If you want me to e-mail you when I update, just give me you e-mail address in the review and I'd be happy to do it :)
