Disclaimer: Not mine. It all belongs to Ms. J.K. Rowling, a wonderful woman and witch who is a mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, mad, crazy-mad genius.

Chapter Eighteen: Of Life and Death


The scene in the hospital room was like a nightmare. Hermione sat holding Harry's one hand. Ron stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders.

Harry lay on the bed, stripped from the waist up. He was pale and shaking. He was burning with fever. His eyes were closed.

A nurse and two healers huddled around his left side. They had been working for over an hour.

Another healer held their wand over Harry's chest, muttering frantically. He called for potions Ron had never heard of and ones that even Hermione hadn't heard of.

"Daaaad?"

Harry's lips, cracked from the fever that had set in, opened.

"Mum?"

Hermione blinked back tears as she squeezed his hand tightly. "They're not here, Harry. Stay with us. Please."

Harry's eyes opened. "Dad? Dad!"

One of the healers working on his hand tensed. "He' going to convulse again! Hold him!"

Harry screamed. It was sound like a ravaging, wounded wild animal might make. His entire body bucked wildly, shaking and thrashing on the bed. Hermione and Ron did their best to help hold him down. Ron had thrown himself on top of his friend along with the third healer, while Hermione held down his good arm. The nurse and one of the two healers working on Harry's hand lay across his legs. The other healer frantically worked to keep his wrist from flailing.

"Merlin! Can't you sedated him?" yelled Ron, his voice breaking.

"We –can't!" yelled back the healer lying next to him on Harry's chest. "If he goes unconscious- we don't know if he'll wake…up!"

"DAMN IT HARRY!" screamed Ron. "STAY STILL! YOU'RE ONLY HURTING YOURSELF MORE!" His eyes betrayed the fear he felt for his best friend.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Harry quieted again.

"Straps," said the senior healer, wiping sweat off his face. "If he keeps up like this we won't be able to hold him next time. Strap him down."

Hermione grew even paler.

Just then, the door to the room opened. Mr. Weasly strode in.

"Dad!" Ron crossed the room in two strides and hugged his father, clinging to him, as he had not done since he was a very small child. "Why are you here, did you hear, where's Mum-Nick, where's Nick?" Hermione also looked up at this last part.

Mr. Weasly hugged his son fiercely. "Ginny's here. She's having the baby. Your mother is with her. Nick is fine, he's with Penny. I heard from a nurse-and I came. Harry saved my life once. Remember that?" He sighed and sank into a chair.

Ron was staring at his father. "The baby? Now?"

For the first time in what seemed like year, Mr. Weasly smiled slightly. "Babies are never on time, Ron. You should know that."

Ron grinned quietly back. "Yeah."

Hermione softly rubbed one of the straps now restraining her best friend. "Oh, Harry. You want to see Ginny again, don't you? And her baby, just think, her baby is being born right now. You'll see her baby, Harry. Stay with us. Please."


Two floors above, Ginny was almost unconscious. She was exhausted. But as her mother laid her daughter-her beautiful, beautiful daughter-on her now flat stomach she laughed and cried at the same time.

"Hello, baby," she said softly. "I already know what to call you." She softly ran her hand over that beautiful, sweet, gorgeous head. Hair-red, with a little bit of gold mixed in-curled softly over her child's head.

"Your name isArcelia."

Her mother looked at her quizzically. "Why that, dear?'

Ginny's eyes closed softly. "Because," she murmured, "it means 'treasure'".


A/N: So you guys finally get to meet Arcelia. I've known her for a while, so it's a great pleasure to introduce her to y'all. You'll probably be spending a lot of time with her in the future, hint hint.

Yes, Arcelia really does mean treasure. I got it off of babynamesdotcom. Isn't it a pretty name? But it is a bit of an unusual name. Hello, it's Ginny we're talking about here. Since when has she been conventional?

Anyway, Arcelia's nickname will be Cecy. Because I liked the nickname.

And because there was someone, somewhere, a while back who told me I HAD to give Ginny's baby red hair, and there was also someone who said, oh, make it look like Malfoy! I gave Cecy red/gold hair. In other words it's red with flecks of gold here and there.

And she has blue eyes. And freckles.

Sorry if this is a little bit cliffy on the Harry end of the spectrum, BTW. Don't freak out. That's all I'm saying.

Until next time (which should be really soon)!

PS-My muse says thanks for the aloe vera suggestion! He's currently slathering his back with it. And getting it all over my keyboard.