Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K.
Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.
Author's Note: Well, my last author's note seemed to be met with mixed opinions, so I decided to give half of you what you want, and hopefully the rest of you can get used to the new member of the Potter family.
Chapter Six: Surprise Delivery
Hermione sat in the living room, holding one-month-old Charlotte in her arms, and rocking the baby back to sleep. She turned her head when she heard a familiar voice call, "Hello?"
"Hi Gin," Hermione called back. "I'm in here."
Ginny walked into the room. "Hey," she said again. She knelt down and kissed Charlotte on the forehead. "Hi sweetie," she said to the now dozing infant. "You're just getting more beautiful everyday, aren't you?"
"What's going on?" Hermione asked, as Ginny plopped down into an armchair with a sigh.
"I have news," said Ginny.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, immediately interested.
"You remember that talk we had, about a year ago?" Ginny asked.
Hermione looked at her. "You're going to have to help me out here, Gin. We talk almost every day. It gets a little hard to keep track."
Ginny laughed. "The one where I asked you if you and Ron were going to break Mum and Dad's record for having children."
"I think I can recall it," said Hermione. "But it was a long time ago."
"It you remember, I think I said something to the effect of two children are enough for me." Hermione nodded.
"And?" she asked, suddenly pretty sure she knew what Ginny's news was.
"It turns out that THREE might have to be enough," Ginny admitted with a smile.
Hermione didn't stand to hug her friend, for she was still holding Charlotte, but she beamed at her. "That's great!" she said. "Are you sure it's what you want, though? I know you and Harry talked about only two."
"Well, things happen," said Ginny. "And whether this one is planned or not, he or she will be here in a couple of months. April, to be exact."
"Have you told Harry yet?"
"He's really happy," Ginny said. "He keeps joking that it'll be really easy for us, since we expect James to be in Hogwarts next September."
* * *
"Come on, guys! Let's go!" Hermione called out.
"We're coming!" Emma yelled back. Still, it was a full five minutes before Emma and Olivia came running down the stairs.
"We're ready!" The nearly-six-year-old Olivia called out.
"Finally!" said Hermione. "We're going to be late meeting your dad."
"Let's go!" Four-year-old Jack demanded. "Dad's waiting."
"Okay, okay," said Emma, and she started towards the door, giving Hermione hardly any time to get now 8-month-old Charlotte and follow her daughter out the door.
* * *
"Hi, love," Ron said to Hermione as his family entered his office. He leaned over his desk and kissed his wife on the lips, much to the chagrin of the two little girls in the room with them. Ron then turned to the children and said, merrily, "Hello, all!" and proceeded to hug all of his children before finally taking Charlotte from Hermione and letting her get the kids settled down.
"How's your day been?" Hermione asked.
"Busy, as usual," said Ron. "But much better now that you're all here." He sat down at his desk and placed Charlotte in his lap. The baby immediately began to grab for things on his desk, pulling a quill towards her.
"Oh no you don't," said Ron, and he pulled it from her hand. "This particular quill is NOT for eating."
Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "And how would she know that there were some quills that you CAN eat?" She was thinking, of course, of sugar quills, one of the things she had been against letting Charlotte try at such a young age.
"She's just.. curious," Ron said quickly. "You know how she eats EVERYTHING." He smiled sheepishly at her. Hermione kept her eyebrows raised, but turned to Emma, Olivia and Jack.
"Are you ready to eat?" she asked. The kids nodded their response.
"Let's go," said Ron, and he stood, and followed his family out the door. Emma, Olivia and Jack hurried ahead.
"Don't run!" Hermione called out.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Ron said, and he slid his hand into hers, having rested Charlotte against his hip. "A lot of the patients like to hear people full of life. Keeps them optimistic, which always helps with treatment."
"I don't want them to get too far ahead, though," said Hermione.
"They'll be fine, love," Ron assured her. "They've spent a lot of time here before."
"And you know what kind of trouble they can get into," Hermione said, and she pulled ahead of him, pulling his hand to make him walk faster so she could keep an eye on her three oldest children.
* * *
The same day, at the Potter household, Ginny was waiting for Harry to arrive home. She had owled Hogwarts just minutes earlier, to let him know that the baby was ready to make its way into the world. As he was only down the road at the school, she expected him at any minute, but she still watched nervously out the window for him.
* * *
"Healer Ronald Weasley, please report to the Birthing Floor immediately," the announcer's voice boomed out. "Healer Ronald Weasley, please report to the Birthing Floor immediately." Ron and Hermione looked at each other.
"Why do they need you on the Birthing Floor?" Hermione asked. "You don't oversee births."
Ron seemed just as confused as she was, until a light went off in his head. "Ginny!" he said.
Hermione gasped. "She must be having the baby," she said. "I told her I'd take care of James and Lily!"
"Let's head up," said Ron, and they hurried the children from the table to the elevators and rode to the Birthing Floor of the hospital. When they reached the front desk, they were greeted with a smile by the Receptionist.
"There you are," she said, recognizing Ron. "Your sister and her family arrived about twenty minutes ago. The children are in the waiting room. ALONE." She stressed the last word as though it were Ron's fault that James and Lily were left there.
"I'll go," said Hermione. "You look in on Harry and Ginny." Ron nodded, and the couple parted ways, Hermione ushering the children into the very familiar waiting room of the Birthing Floor of St. Mungo's.
"What's going on, mummy?" Olivia asked.
"Aunt Ginny's going to have the baby today," Hermione explained.
"Funny that we were here today," said Emma, and Hermione nodded in agreement. She pushed the door open to the waiting room and they entered, seeing Lily and James immediately.
"Aunt Hermione!" Lily exclaimed, and she ran to Hermione and threw her arms around her legs.
"Hi sweetheart," said Hermione. "What's going on?"
"Coloring," said Lily simply.
"Coloring?" Hermione repeated enthusiastically. "Let me see! Come on Olivia, let's see what Lily's doing." Olivia did not have to be told twice. When together, she and Lily were inseparable. She joined Lily at the small table and they sat down and used the crayons and paper together. Hermione sat with them, alternating between asking them about their drawing and pulling crayons away from Charlotte's mouth.
"Can I color too?" Jack asked, coming over to them curiously.
"Of course you can, love," said Hermione, and she patted the floor next to her to gesture for Jack to sit. Emma seemed to have no interest in coloring, and she headed to the chair next to James.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi," he said back.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," said James.
"I think you're lying," said Emma. "I think you're nervous."
"What would I be nervous about?" James spat out.
"Your Hogwarts letter," said Emma. "You're worried it won't come."
"It's not supposed to come for another two months," said James. "It comes in July."
"Still," said Emma, matter-of-factly. "I think you're worried you won't get a letter."
"I know I'm going to get one," the almost-eleven-year-old said firmly.
"Aren't you worried just a little?" Emma asked again. James glared at her.
"Fine! I'm worried," he said. "You happy now?"
"I don't think you need to worry, James," said Emma seriously. "I know you'll get in." James looked at her, surprised by her sudden change of tactic, and they laughed together.
* * *
"Everything okay in here?" Ron asked, strolling into Ginny's room. Harry and Ginny looked up at his arrival and smiled.
"I see you got the page," said Harry.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Who wouldn't get a page in this building?" he asked. "Whoever does those announcements has got to have the loudest voice I have ever heard in my life!" Harry and Ginny laughed again.
"Ron, do you know where Hermione is?" Harry asked, quickly changing the subject. "She was going to keep the kids for us, but she wasn't home."
"My lovely wife is sitting in the waiting room with your children - and my own, I might mention," said Ron. "She was having lunch with me when you came in." Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness," she said. "Though I expect mum to arrive any second. We called her just before we left, and she said she was just going to tell the family and then head over."
"Are you off now, or do you need to head back to work?" Harry asked.
"I'm working for a couple more hours," said Ron, "but I'll try to get out early. Of course, I'll stop up. You'll let me know when it's born?"
"Of course," said Harry, and he and Ginny said their good-byes to Ron, who headed back to the waiting room to say good-bye to Hermione and the kids before heading back to work.
* * *
As it turned out, the newest family member seemed to want to wait for Uncle Ron to get off of work before making an appearance. Ron returned to the waiting room a few hours later, having changed from his work robes into regular clothes. He joined the large group of family that had now gathered. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting together, each of them with a grandchild in their lap (Mr. Weasley was bouncing Charlotte around while Mrs. Weasley was reading a book to Jack). Fred and Angelina had arrived, having left their children behind at home, and they were engaged in a game of Exploding Snap with Emma and James, with a fascinated Lily and Olivia looking on. Ron took a seat next to Hermione, who was watching her family with an amused smile on her face. He slid his hand into hers and squeezed it.
"No news?" he asked.
"No news," Hermione confirmed. She shifted so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. Jack slid off of Mrs. Weasley's lap and over to his parents. Ron gestured for the little boy to sit in his lap, and he climbed up and yawned.
"Tired, buddy?" Ron asked him.
"A little," said Jack, and he yawned again.
"Why don't you rest, love?" Hermione said to him. "We'll wake you up when your new cousin arrives."
"No," said Jack, seeming adamant to stay up, but Hermione could see his eyes drooping already. He rested his head of brown curls (for he was the only one of Ron and Hermione's children that seemed to inherit their mother's hair color, or so it seemed now that Charlotte was sporting the trademark red) on Ron's other shoulder, and was soon dozing.
It was another hour before Harry showed up in the waiting room, and announced to the entire family that his second son had arrived.
* * *
Once James and Lily had a chance to meet their new baby brother, the rest of the family was allowed into the room. As was the Weasley family custom, they all gathered around the new baby to welcome him into the world. Ginny looked exhausted but elated, and she gingerly pulled back the blankets so that the family could see more of the baby.
"Does he have a name yet?" Ron asked, looking down at his new nephew.
Ginny nodded. "It's Daniel," she said. "Daniel Sirius Potter."
Author's Note: Well, my last author's note seemed to be met with mixed opinions, so I decided to give half of you what you want, and hopefully the rest of you can get used to the new member of the Potter family.
Chapter Six: Surprise Delivery
Hermione sat in the living room, holding one-month-old Charlotte in her arms, and rocking the baby back to sleep. She turned her head when she heard a familiar voice call, "Hello?"
"Hi Gin," Hermione called back. "I'm in here."
Ginny walked into the room. "Hey," she said again. She knelt down and kissed Charlotte on the forehead. "Hi sweetie," she said to the now dozing infant. "You're just getting more beautiful everyday, aren't you?"
"What's going on?" Hermione asked, as Ginny plopped down into an armchair with a sigh.
"I have news," said Ginny.
"What is it?" Hermione asked, immediately interested.
"You remember that talk we had, about a year ago?" Ginny asked.
Hermione looked at her. "You're going to have to help me out here, Gin. We talk almost every day. It gets a little hard to keep track."
Ginny laughed. "The one where I asked you if you and Ron were going to break Mum and Dad's record for having children."
"I think I can recall it," said Hermione. "But it was a long time ago."
"It you remember, I think I said something to the effect of two children are enough for me." Hermione nodded.
"And?" she asked, suddenly pretty sure she knew what Ginny's news was.
"It turns out that THREE might have to be enough," Ginny admitted with a smile.
Hermione didn't stand to hug her friend, for she was still holding Charlotte, but she beamed at her. "That's great!" she said. "Are you sure it's what you want, though? I know you and Harry talked about only two."
"Well, things happen," said Ginny. "And whether this one is planned or not, he or she will be here in a couple of months. April, to be exact."
"Have you told Harry yet?"
"He's really happy," Ginny said. "He keeps joking that it'll be really easy for us, since we expect James to be in Hogwarts next September."
* * *
"Come on, guys! Let's go!" Hermione called out.
"We're coming!" Emma yelled back. Still, it was a full five minutes before Emma and Olivia came running down the stairs.
"We're ready!" The nearly-six-year-old Olivia called out.
"Finally!" said Hermione. "We're going to be late meeting your dad."
"Let's go!" Four-year-old Jack demanded. "Dad's waiting."
"Okay, okay," said Emma, and she started towards the door, giving Hermione hardly any time to get now 8-month-old Charlotte and follow her daughter out the door.
* * *
"Hi, love," Ron said to Hermione as his family entered his office. He leaned over his desk and kissed his wife on the lips, much to the chagrin of the two little girls in the room with them. Ron then turned to the children and said, merrily, "Hello, all!" and proceeded to hug all of his children before finally taking Charlotte from Hermione and letting her get the kids settled down.
"How's your day been?" Hermione asked.
"Busy, as usual," said Ron. "But much better now that you're all here." He sat down at his desk and placed Charlotte in his lap. The baby immediately began to grab for things on his desk, pulling a quill towards her.
"Oh no you don't," said Ron, and he pulled it from her hand. "This particular quill is NOT for eating."
Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "And how would she know that there were some quills that you CAN eat?" She was thinking, of course, of sugar quills, one of the things she had been against letting Charlotte try at such a young age.
"She's just.. curious," Ron said quickly. "You know how she eats EVERYTHING." He smiled sheepishly at her. Hermione kept her eyebrows raised, but turned to Emma, Olivia and Jack.
"Are you ready to eat?" she asked. The kids nodded their response.
"Let's go," said Ron, and he stood, and followed his family out the door. Emma, Olivia and Jack hurried ahead.
"Don't run!" Hermione called out.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Ron said, and he slid his hand into hers, having rested Charlotte against his hip. "A lot of the patients like to hear people full of life. Keeps them optimistic, which always helps with treatment."
"I don't want them to get too far ahead, though," said Hermione.
"They'll be fine, love," Ron assured her. "They've spent a lot of time here before."
"And you know what kind of trouble they can get into," Hermione said, and she pulled ahead of him, pulling his hand to make him walk faster so she could keep an eye on her three oldest children.
* * *
The same day, at the Potter household, Ginny was waiting for Harry to arrive home. She had owled Hogwarts just minutes earlier, to let him know that the baby was ready to make its way into the world. As he was only down the road at the school, she expected him at any minute, but she still watched nervously out the window for him.
* * *
"Healer Ronald Weasley, please report to the Birthing Floor immediately," the announcer's voice boomed out. "Healer Ronald Weasley, please report to the Birthing Floor immediately." Ron and Hermione looked at each other.
"Why do they need you on the Birthing Floor?" Hermione asked. "You don't oversee births."
Ron seemed just as confused as she was, until a light went off in his head. "Ginny!" he said.
Hermione gasped. "She must be having the baby," she said. "I told her I'd take care of James and Lily!"
"Let's head up," said Ron, and they hurried the children from the table to the elevators and rode to the Birthing Floor of the hospital. When they reached the front desk, they were greeted with a smile by the Receptionist.
"There you are," she said, recognizing Ron. "Your sister and her family arrived about twenty minutes ago. The children are in the waiting room. ALONE." She stressed the last word as though it were Ron's fault that James and Lily were left there.
"I'll go," said Hermione. "You look in on Harry and Ginny." Ron nodded, and the couple parted ways, Hermione ushering the children into the very familiar waiting room of the Birthing Floor of St. Mungo's.
"What's going on, mummy?" Olivia asked.
"Aunt Ginny's going to have the baby today," Hermione explained.
"Funny that we were here today," said Emma, and Hermione nodded in agreement. She pushed the door open to the waiting room and they entered, seeing Lily and James immediately.
"Aunt Hermione!" Lily exclaimed, and she ran to Hermione and threw her arms around her legs.
"Hi sweetheart," said Hermione. "What's going on?"
"Coloring," said Lily simply.
"Coloring?" Hermione repeated enthusiastically. "Let me see! Come on Olivia, let's see what Lily's doing." Olivia did not have to be told twice. When together, she and Lily were inseparable. She joined Lily at the small table and they sat down and used the crayons and paper together. Hermione sat with them, alternating between asking them about their drawing and pulling crayons away from Charlotte's mouth.
"Can I color too?" Jack asked, coming over to them curiously.
"Of course you can, love," said Hermione, and she patted the floor next to her to gesture for Jack to sit. Emma seemed to have no interest in coloring, and she headed to the chair next to James.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi," he said back.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing," said James.
"I think you're lying," said Emma. "I think you're nervous."
"What would I be nervous about?" James spat out.
"Your Hogwarts letter," said Emma. "You're worried it won't come."
"It's not supposed to come for another two months," said James. "It comes in July."
"Still," said Emma, matter-of-factly. "I think you're worried you won't get a letter."
"I know I'm going to get one," the almost-eleven-year-old said firmly.
"Aren't you worried just a little?" Emma asked again. James glared at her.
"Fine! I'm worried," he said. "You happy now?"
"I don't think you need to worry, James," said Emma seriously. "I know you'll get in." James looked at her, surprised by her sudden change of tactic, and they laughed together.
* * *
"Everything okay in here?" Ron asked, strolling into Ginny's room. Harry and Ginny looked up at his arrival and smiled.
"I see you got the page," said Harry.
Ron rolled his eyes. "Who wouldn't get a page in this building?" he asked. "Whoever does those announcements has got to have the loudest voice I have ever heard in my life!" Harry and Ginny laughed again.
"Ron, do you know where Hermione is?" Harry asked, quickly changing the subject. "She was going to keep the kids for us, but she wasn't home."
"My lovely wife is sitting in the waiting room with your children - and my own, I might mention," said Ron. "She was having lunch with me when you came in." Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness," she said. "Though I expect mum to arrive any second. We called her just before we left, and she said she was just going to tell the family and then head over."
"Are you off now, or do you need to head back to work?" Harry asked.
"I'm working for a couple more hours," said Ron, "but I'll try to get out early. Of course, I'll stop up. You'll let me know when it's born?"
"Of course," said Harry, and he and Ginny said their good-byes to Ron, who headed back to the waiting room to say good-bye to Hermione and the kids before heading back to work.
* * *
As it turned out, the newest family member seemed to want to wait for Uncle Ron to get off of work before making an appearance. Ron returned to the waiting room a few hours later, having changed from his work robes into regular clothes. He joined the large group of family that had now gathered. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting together, each of them with a grandchild in their lap (Mr. Weasley was bouncing Charlotte around while Mrs. Weasley was reading a book to Jack). Fred and Angelina had arrived, having left their children behind at home, and they were engaged in a game of Exploding Snap with Emma and James, with a fascinated Lily and Olivia looking on. Ron took a seat next to Hermione, who was watching her family with an amused smile on her face. He slid his hand into hers and squeezed it.
"No news?" he asked.
"No news," Hermione confirmed. She shifted so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. Jack slid off of Mrs. Weasley's lap and over to his parents. Ron gestured for the little boy to sit in his lap, and he climbed up and yawned.
"Tired, buddy?" Ron asked him.
"A little," said Jack, and he yawned again.
"Why don't you rest, love?" Hermione said to him. "We'll wake you up when your new cousin arrives."
"No," said Jack, seeming adamant to stay up, but Hermione could see his eyes drooping already. He rested his head of brown curls (for he was the only one of Ron and Hermione's children that seemed to inherit their mother's hair color, or so it seemed now that Charlotte was sporting the trademark red) on Ron's other shoulder, and was soon dozing.
It was another hour before Harry showed up in the waiting room, and announced to the entire family that his second son had arrived.
* * *
Once James and Lily had a chance to meet their new baby brother, the rest of the family was allowed into the room. As was the Weasley family custom, they all gathered around the new baby to welcome him into the world. Ginny looked exhausted but elated, and she gingerly pulled back the blankets so that the family could see more of the baby.
"Does he have a name yet?" Ron asked, looking down at his new nephew.
Ginny nodded. "It's Daniel," she said. "Daniel Sirius Potter."