April 25th

The baby was coming. Harry had always laughed at the men in movies who paced outside the door while their babies were being delievered, but he understood it now. There was nothing he could do for Romy at the moment. She couldn't even hold her hand until Hermione finished preparing the spell. He wished he had a cigarette, but he wouldn't be able to do anything with it even if he had one. (AN: Come on, did we ever doubt that Harry would pick up smoking? It's a great stress-reliever, and if anyone needs that, it's Harry!)

Ginny would be delivering the baby. She had studied with a midwife twice a week since they had arrived at the safe house, leaving early in the morning by Portkey with an escort in tow and returning late at night, looking exhausted. Strenuous as it was, she really was looking forward to the birthing.

Romy had gone into labor at eight that morning. It was now past noon and Harry was frantic. Hermione had been preparing the spell since Romy had woken everyone up. Harry hoped that it would be ready soon. He didn't think he could stand any more waiting.

As if in response to his thoughts, Hermione's voice drifted up the stairs. "Harry! It's ready. Come down to the study!" Harry's heart sprung into his throat and he flew down the stairs and through the wall of the study. Hermione had enough vials and urns lined up on the desk to serve a small army. She picked one up as Harry entered the room.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked, waving it at him. He stared at her as if to say that he didn't appreciate a pop quiz just then.

"It's powdered moonstone mixed into nettle tea, basically."

"Ah. That would've been my next guess, right after 'I don't give a damn!'" he snapped. Hermione huffed a little and set the vial down.

"You're going to have to drink it," she snapped back. "This is very elemental magic, and we have to get every part of it exactly right if we want this to work."

"Drink it? I can't drink anything. I can't even lift a glass." He hadn't realized how edgy he was until just then. Every part of him was straining itself, wanting to be upstairs with Romy.

"You'll be able to drink it after this." She raised her wand and did a few complex movements with it, then pointed it directly at Harry's chest. "Permissum aer exsisto viscus , permissum unda exsisto ferrum," she whispered. She moved her wand a bit more and a stream of colored lights wove out of it. They hit Harry's chest and spread over his entire body. It was like being sewn together at his joints and pulled apart at the same time. He couldn't move.

"Here," Hermione said, putting down her wand and picking up the vial. "Swallow all of this." She tipped the vial up to Harry's lips and he felt the liquid pouring into his mouth and down his throat. He gagged a little. It tasted horrible and felt terribly hot going down. It was a moment before the realization struck him. He could taste the potion. Liquid went in his mouth and didn't leak out of his chin. Unfortunately, he still couldn't move, so his first instinct to hug this brilliant woman in front of him had to be restrained.

Sensations poured through his body and every nerve tingled like it was suddenly waking up after being cramped for hours. Harry felt his mouth drop open as a breeze came in through the open window and danced across his face. He could feel it.

"Harry? Are you alright? Is it working?" Hermione's voice was concerned and a little breathy. Harry had to struggle to make his voice work.

"It's…I…" he stuttered. "I think…it's…..YES!" his voice exploded from his throat, joyful and exhilarated. The tingling sensation was gone from his body, but there was still sensation. He could feel the smooth cotton of the jeans he was wearing against his legs. He could feel the cuffs of his shirt brushing on his wrists. His paralysis seemed to be ending. He took one tentative step and then threw himself at Hermione, scooping her up and swinging her in the air. She laughed with relief and kissed Harry on the cheek. He put her down and grabbed both of her hands in his, relishing the feel of her smooth skin under his. He could feel!

He tried speaking, but all that would come out was "Thank you" over and over and over again. Hermione blushed and pulled him out of the study. After six months of being intangible, he forgot to steer clear of the doorjamb and ended up banging his head sharply. Hermione snickered and pushed him ahead of her up the stairs.

Suddenly, Harry was very nervous. He felt awkward in his own body, clumsy and too incompetent for even the simple task of opening a door. It made sense, he thought, seeing as he'd spent six months drifting through walls and such. Still, he was afraid to go into Romy's room. He paused at the door and Hermione almost ran into him.

"What are you doing? Go in!" She gave him a puzzled look as he still hesitated. But a sharp cry sounded through the walls and Harry rushed in, all at once dying to see Romy and touch her face and…

He hadn't been expecting the sight that greeted him as he burst through the door. Romy lay on the double bed, pale and drenched in sweat. Her legs were propped up and spread open, and there was a small amount of blood on the white sheets. Romy was gripping Ginny's hands tight and whimpering a little.

"Not long now, dear. Just a little longer, and…look, Harry's here!" Ginny's face lit up and she released Romy's hands, ushering Harry over to sit by his fianceé. He perched on the edge of the bed and stroked her face, feeling more content than he had in ages.

"Hey, love," he said quietly, leaning over and kissing her brow. "How're you doing?" She smiled weakly and clasped his hands in both of hers.

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to tell you I hate you for doing this to me?" Harry smiled softly and put her hands to his lips.

"If you want. Technically, I did do this to you…" he grinned wickedly and winked. Her face mirrored his expression.

"Pity the spell hadn't been invented two months ago," she said with a coy smile. "I assume that every part of you is back and working properly." Harry forgot that there were other people present in the room and let all of the yearning he'd felt in the past six months flow into one kiss. It went on until Ginny cleared her throat.

"Erm…Harry? Can you go stand…over there please? I need to check on Romy…" she seemed very embarrassed to break them up. Harry complied and stood next to Hermione near the door. He spoke to her quietly.

"How long is this spell supposed to last? Will it still be working if this whole thing takes another…say, four hours?" Hermione nodded quickly.

"It should work for at least twelve hours. I'm not sure past there, but you should be ok until midnight at the very earliest." Harry nodded gratefully. He had time enough.

Turned out he needed all the time he could get. After an hour, things were no farther along. Harry went down to the kitchen and found his favorite kind of tea in the cupboard, savoring the taste of it with the understanding that it might be his last cup of tea ever. There were chocolate biscuits in the pantry and he helped himself to the entire package.

Oddly enough, he still looked like a ghost. There was no visible change at all. He had been shocked when he spotted himself in the mirror after leaving Romilly's room. He could still see through himself.

Thank goodness he couldn't see his food going down. That might've taken all the enjoyment out of it.

Harry didn't want to go back into the room. As much as he wanted to be around Romy, there was still nothing he could do. Ginny kept shooing him away from the bed and she obviously didn't need his help, so he stayed down in the kitchen for another hour. Eventually, Hermione joined him.

"How's she doing?" he asked in a weak tone.

"Great, just great. It's taking a little longer than expected, but Ginny really knows what she's doing, and everything is going fine."

"I never expected Ginny to get into that kind of thing, did you?" Harry smiled, thinking of all the times he and Ginny had talked about what they were going to be when they left Hogwarts. He had wanted to be an Auror for as long as he could remember, but Ginny had always expressed an interest in teaching or working at the Ministry.

Healing was the last profession he would've guessed Ginny would take a liking to. When he had left Hogwarts, Harry had gone straight into Auror training, despite missing three months of school. Ginny had stayed as a teaching assistant for old Professor Flitwick for a year. She had decided it wasn't for her and gone to help her mother out at home. Before she could really pick a profession, Voldemort had risen again and the wizarding world had been plunged into war once again.

"It comes naturally to her," Hermione was saying. "She's doing so well with Romy right now, keeping her calm and giving her potions for the pain and everything. It's so weird to see Ginny acting so grown up."

"She is grown up," Harry commented. "She's almost twenty-two now. God, that means Ron would've been…" He stopped and flinched at his own slip. But Hermione smiled.

"Ron would've turned twenty-three last month. It's ok, Harry. We can't keep talking like he and Neville and Fred and everybody never even existed. It's alright to talk about them. Sure, it's hard to miss them so much, but talking sometimes makes it easier." She smiled again, achingly sad but not as bleak a smile as she used to get when Ron was mentioned. Harry understood what she meant, but it was hard to get rid of the hollow feeling that crept through his insides when he thought of his best friend.

"Harry!" a voice called from upstairs. Harry stood up so fast that his chair fell over. "It's time! Get your arse up here!" Ginny's voice was excited and exhausted at the same time. Harry sprinted up the stairs.

Ginny was bent over with her hands on Romy's legs. Harry rushed over and grabbed Romy's hands.

"Keep pushing, Romy. You can do it. Just another couple pushes and the baby will be born. Keep going, that's it…" Ginny chanted a soothing chorus of encouragement as Harry stared into the face of his beloved. Her eyes met his and he could see the concentration and the strain in the creases around her eyes. "Come on, Romy! Push!" Ginny called.

Romy pushed and suddenly the strain left her face. Ginny was saying something in an ecstatic voice, but Harry only saw Romy. Her face sagged and her eyes shut as she let out an enormous sigh.

"Yes!" Ginny cried. "It's a boy!" Harry's head whipped around and he stared at the tiny, bloody form in Ginny's hands. He turned back to Romy.

"A boy, love. Our son," he choked out. Romy's eyes opened and she smiled the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. A boy. He kissed her quickly and hurried over to stand next to Ginny as she cleaned the baby and wrapped him in a soft blue blanket. Harry held out his hands eagerly. Ginny beamed as she placed his son in his arms.

He was so light, so tiny. Harry was afraid he would drop the perfect little boy in his arms, and he sat quickly in the desk chair. A mottled, red face gazed up at him with bleary eyes and Harry felt his own eyes prickling. Little tufts of black hair stuck out from the baby's head. Harry feathered his hands over the boy's head, careful to avoid touching the soft spot. He kissed his son's face and stood again, going back to the bed and placing the baby in Romy's waiting arms. She looked worn out, but she sat up anyway and cradled her son, looking up at Harry.

"What are we going to name him?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"You mean you haven't picked a name yet?" Ginny piped from her position at the end of the bed.

"No, we thought we'd meet him first, and then pick a name that fit," Romy explained.

"What do you think?" Harry asked her.

"James," she said at once. "Ronald. Arthur. Neville. Frederick."

Harry heard three gasps from behind him. Hermione and George had come in without him noticing. He ignored them and looked back to his family.

"James Ronald Arthur Neville Frederick Potter?"

Romy nodded. "For two grandfathers and three uncles that he'll never meet." Her eyes clouded a little.

Harry let out a small laugh. "That's a lot of name for someone so tiny."

"He'll grow into it. It's a lot to live up to, but he'll do it. He'll make them proud." Harry couldn't tell who it was who had burst into tears, but he sympathized. He felt like crying himself. He held his hands out for the baby again.

"James," he murmured into the baby's hair. He would have to remember to thank Hermione again. She had given him more than she could imagine. He would remember this moment forever.

"Oh good, I haven't arrived too early," said a voice from the doorway. Dumbledore strolled in and made a beeline for Harry and little James. "I heard a rumor that there was something exciting happening here today."

"Professor," Harry said, extending his hand. Dumbledore shook it with no sign of surprise at Harry's new ability to make contact with other people. The headmaster smiled and the familiar twinkle appeared in his eyes as he gazed at the newborn in Harry's arms.

"May I?" he asked, holding out his arms. Harry nodded and gingerly handed the baby to Dumbledore. "I think there is a service I may provide for your child, if you allow it." Dumbledore looked at Romy for confirmation and she nodded. Harry was beyond confused. He stood and looked to Hermione for help.

"A blessing," she whispered as Dumbledore cradled the baby in one arm and raised his other hand over the tiny face. "Most wizard babies get them when they're born. Only a very powerful wizard can do it. I'm pretty sure Dumbledore did yours too." She jerked her head to tell Harry to pay attention.

Dumbledore moved his hand slowly over little James' head. The headmaster's eyes closed as blue light twinkled from his fingers and fell to rest on the baby's face. Dumbledore stroked James' cheeks and forehead until the baby's entire face was glowing with sparkling blue glimmers, and finally the old man spoke.

"James Ronald Arthur Neville Frederick Potter. May you be blessed with the strength of your father. May you possess the goodness of your mother. May the love of your grandmother dwell in you always. May the courage of your grandfathers bring you safely through all trials. May the joy of your aunts and uncles give hope to your heart. And may the blessing of all who love you grow inside you, tiny one, as you become that which you were meant to be."

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AN: Hermione's spell translates to "Let water be flesh. Let air be iron." It's a very rough translation. My Latin sucks.