Chapter Five:

Dinner with the Whole Lot

Harry watched them file out in families; first came Tonks and her twins, Dahlia and Thalia, better known as Doll and Lea, then came Bill and Fleur with Adélaïde, nicknamed Ada; Ayden, Gavin, and Gabrielle, named after Fleur's younger sister. After them were Percy and Kaiya bringing Braden, Kyleigh, and Edmund (Ed). Following Percy was Fred and his school-sweetheart, Alicia, and their children Cullen, Darien, and Lyle. Always near Fred was George who had also married his Hogwarts sweetheart, Katie Bell. They had Frank, and tiny Thecia, whom they had wanted for years and years before getting, and in the end still had complications, ones which they were ever so grateful would leave once she hit about six months. The largest family was Ron and Hermione's, who were going to tie the Weasley Grandmum's seven. Norman, Lionel, Lawrence, Amaryllis (Mary), Iolanthe (Ann), and baby Cressida were to be joined by number seven in just over four months. The much smaller Longbottem Family was next, as they only had two children, Zoë and Mirabelle (Belle). Since both Luna and Neville were the only ones of their family left after the war the Weasley's had readily accepted them into their brood.

Last was Ginny, at four months pregnant, with her the boys and Harry, looking as normal as all the other families, but yet were not even a family.

(A/n- in case you lost count- 16 Weasley kids will be at Hogwarts at one time, 19 if you count the three Malfoy children!)

"So, Ginny, when is your next appointment with the Healer?" Hermione asked her.

Ginny frowned, when was the last time she'd been checked? It had been at least two months ago, she best go again soon. She couldn't believe she had neglected her health so long. "I don't know for sure, I'll have to Floo over there tomorrow and make an appointment. When do you go in?"

"I went into see Doctor Macintyre yesterday actually, but Ron and I decided not to find out if we're having a boy or girl this time, after all it is the tiebreaker. It should be a nice surprise." She grinned.

"I won't either, just because Draco and I never found out before, and I don't want it to be any different for this baby. It should be as normal as possible"

"But, Ginny it is different now, and it's not going to be the same this time." Ginny looked as if she had been slapped, Hermione gasped and her hand shot to her mouth, "Oh, I'm sorry Gin. I just met that…"

Ginny cut her off, "Its okay Hermione, your right anyways. It will be different, after all it already is." She could feel tears in her eyes, so she grabbed Charlie, who had turned one just two days prior, from the highchair and excused herself. Before she left she could hear the boys asking Harry where she was going. His (typical male) reply was, 'Would either of you like more pudding?' which they both took readily.

She watched from the house as Harry cut their meat and helped Andre hold his fork correctly; it was a very touching seen. She also saw her mum looking around at each of her kids and grandkids, with tears on her cheeks. A few minutes later Ginny went back to her seat and resumed eating, but still not talking to Hermione.

"So Kaiya, how is Madame Malkins doing?" Around five years ago Kaiya had taken over the Diagon Alley Branch of the business, and would, when the real Madame retired, take full charge as owner of every branch. There were nine total throughout England so Kaiya worked a lot, especially for a mother of young kids whose father worked easily as much.

"Oh, it's doing wonderfully thanks, and I'm looking forward to the next few weeks. All of the Hogwarts students should be coming through for there robes and they always bring up business." She replied cheerfully. "Do you suppose that you'll send Draak and Andreas to Hermione this year, now that you don't have the Malfoy tutor?" Hermione home schooled all of the Weasley kids, along with Belle Longbottem, but Draco wouldn't allow it, because tutors were a family tradition.

"I haven't really thought about it at all. I guess that it couldn't hurt. After all, they are Weasleys too." Ginny said wistfully with a shrug of the shoulders.

"I would be happy to have them." Hermione started to talk louder so everyone would hear, "I plan on starting school for the children September first and we'll start at eight-thirty and go until two as usual. Three, four, and five year olds have Wednesday's and Friday's off, that way I can work with more in depth the older ones."

"Mum, I'd met to ask the other day, would you mind taking Thecia for a couple hours of the day once Hermione is teaching again? My maternity leave ends September third." Katie asked her.

"I'll need some help with Iolanthe and Cressida too, what with all the other kids." Hermione added.

"Why don't the younger ones all come to my- Harry's place, and I'll watch them, because I don't plan on going back to work just yet, and I don't have much to do. You wouldn't mind terribly, would you Harry?" Ginny added as an after thought.

"No, I think that it's a great idea, and you can use the whole top floor as a nursery if you want."

"That takes a load off my mind! Thanks a bunch Ginny and Harry." Hermione told them, Katie nodded.

"So I'll take Cressida, Iolanthe, Thecia, Lyle, Gabby, Charles of course, and Luna, do you want me to watch Belle?" She asked, counting them off on her fingers as she went.

"Not every day just two or three a week. Thank you very much; it will help a lot at the shop." She and Neville owned a green house and flouriest shop.

That's eight babies, plus all the three, four, and five year olds two days a week, so Mum will you help me most days? I may be good…but not that good." Ginny laughed at her self.

"What else would I do with myself all day? I am most definitely not one to lounge around at home while everyone else is either at work or working with all of my beautiful grandchildren." Molly boasted to them all, feeling a bit betrayed that anyone would think she would do otherwise.

"I was never suggesting anything different Mum. I know that you are in no way lazy." Ginny did not want to get into an argument with her mother over nothing. Ever since the war Mrs. Weasley had been extremely stubborn in her ways.

"Kaiya and I both go into work at seven do you think you could keep Braden, Kyleigh, and Edmund for that hour and a half in the morning?" Percy asked Ginny.

"Yeah, sure, that wouldn't be a problem. I can keep them after hours as well if you need it." Ginny offered.

"Speaking of many hours," Ron said, "I got a promotion, and am now successfully the head of the auror desk division." Hermione, beamed, she was so proud of Ron for doing well in the work department. The two of them together had decided that it would be best for him to not be in the field, having such a large family, so he did strategizing and know he would train, manage, and interview. This was around the time that Lawrence was born, before then he had played quidditch for the Chudley Cannons. Everyone burst out in congratulatory cheers for the younger couple of age 29 and 30. The quidditch players of the family got roped into a heated discussion of who should go into the World Cup the next year, which was the first to be held in England since the trio's fourth year.

Everyone turned there heads when they herd Draak boasting to his cousins that he had been up on a broom with Harry earlier that day. Hermione, not Ginny, turned once more and looked Harry in the eye, "You took him up on a broom? Harry, he could have fallen and been hurt, permanently, Jesus Harry, he could have died, especially with the audacious way you fly!" He looked away from her, also avoiding looking at Ginny.

"It's okay Hermione. I trust Harry, besides he would have died before letting something happen to the boys, and I'm sure he was extremely careful, and he has a right make some of the rules, it is his house after all. " At least she believed in him, and in this case that was all that really mattered.

He smiled sheepishly, "I barely pushed fifteen miles, and didn't go more than twenty-five feet above the ground. They were safe the whole time, I promise." Hermione gave him a disapproving look, but didn't comment, instead went back to her conversation with Luna about how she ran the school, as this was Zoë's first year.

"I am sorry Gin, I guess I should have asked you first, I probably wasn't thinking. Besides, you were napping and I didn't want to bother you." He apologized.

"Like I told Hermione, I don't mind, I trust you. I wasn't lying to Hermione in the least." She glanced over, checking on the boys.

"Thanks. That means a lot. What time should we get going? Charlie looks pretty sleep already.

"Er… let's say seven-thirty? I'm pretty wiped out my self, and home sounds good right now." Ginny said.

"Yeah, home does sound good." He smiled at her, but feeling someone's eyes on him he asked, "So, how is work Bill?"

"Mostly the same, but I'm pretty glad that the goblin's have more rights know. Since some of them are quitting we have a much better chance at a pay raise, which is always a nice thing." Harry laughed.

"Oh, yes. It is quite wonderful." He heard Fleur agree, in her much more British accent.

"That's good. I'm happy for the two of you. If you'd excuse me I'll help Molly with the clean-up." Harry hastily walked from the room, followed by Ginny, along with baby Charlie, who was claiming that Harry didn't know his way around the kitchen.

"Are you ready now?" Harry asked her, puzzled, hadn't she just said that they wouldn't go for another forty-five minutes.

"No, I just needed to get away for a little while, but the older boys still need some time with their cousins. I'll just go up and rock Charles for a while. I need some space."

"Are you sure you're all right?" He bent down a bit, to look her straight in the eye.

She sniffed, her eyes watering, "I'm fine Harry. Don't worry about me." She averted her eyes from his gaze. "I'm going up now. I'll be down soon; would you keep an eye on the boys outside?"

"Of course I will." His eyes traveled with her up the stairs. He could hear her sobs as she entered her old room, but knew that he couldn't go to her, not this time. Nothing could make this pain go away, back in school, before her and Draco he would have, but not now. "I promise you Ginny, I will always keep an eye on the boys. And an eye on you too for that matter." He muttered.

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(A/N- Please let me know what you think! In chap. six it will be 13 days since the death of Draco. We will have skipped five days since this chapter. This makes it a Thursday. This is so the story does not drag on and on and on. :-)