A Serpent Among Lions 2
Chapter 2 Preparations
Ginny stood in the nursery, making sure that everything was ready. The baby was due to come any day now, and she wanted everything to be perfect. She had included Meghan in helping her pick out the decorations so she knew how important she would be in her new brother or sister's life. Resting her hand on her bulging stomach, she sighed sadly and a tear came to her eye. They had been expecting twins, but due to the cruelty of Dudley and his accomplice, they had lost one of the babies. She was just thankful that all of that was behind them and they were back in their house. She heard Harry coming up behind her...
Harry stood in the doorway of their newly decorated nursery. Although he had not been a part of the decorating, he was very happy with the results. Ginny was sure that they were having a boy and so she had chosen various shades of blue, from midnight to baby blue. The blues were accented with various shapes that invoked thoughts of the wizarding world. Stars adorned the walls, wands decorated linens and a beautiful magic mobile hung over the crib. Harry watched as it turned and he marveled at the changing of shapes and pictures. What a wonderful world he belonged to.
His gaze shifted to his pleasantly rounded wife and he smiled at how she fit into this room. Even before the baby was born, she was completely at home in the nursery. In only a few steps, Harry had reached the back of Ginny and he put his arms around her, his hands placed protectively over her swollen stomach. "Hello, my dear," he whispered into her ear. "Everything looks wonderful in here."
Ginny tilted her head back and gave her husband a kiss, "Well, I can't take all the credit you know. Meghan helped me a lot. I think she's as excited about her new sibling coming as we are," She said, smiling at him.
"What time are you picking her up today? Today starts Easter break, you know. I know she's excited to come home, although I think she was hoping that the baby would be here before Easter break started."
Harry grinned mischievously, "I was hoping the baby would be here by now as well. I would give anything for you to go back to your pleasant self and stop being so moody and emotional." His eyes sparkled. "I will also be glad when your cravings subside. If I have to go out late at night to get you fudge ice cream and sardines one more time, I think I will gag."
He turned her around to face him so that she could see his smile. "All kidding aside, I will be glad when the baby arrives. You look like you are so uncomfortable in this state. As for Meghan, I'm leaving in about half an hour to get her from Hogsmeade. I received a note from Professor McGonagall only a few minutes ago informing me that Hermione will have her at the Three Broomsticks at half past eleven."
Ginny gave him a hug, "I am uncomfortable yes, but I am also very happy. Carrying our child is one of our greatest joys, and the tiredness, swollen ankles and everything else is well worth it."
Her eyes filled with sadness as she thought of the other baby that had been lost. She looked around the nursery and thought about it having two of everything--two cribs, changing tables, dressers...
"Do you think we should have told Meghan about the other baby?"
Harry's smile vanished as anger took hold of him. His face remained calm, however, as he said, "No, Ginny, I don't believe it would have been the right thing for us to tell Meghan about the sibling she lost. Our family has been through enough without traumatizing her with that knowledge."
He had not been able to shake his feelings of anger toward Dudley in the seven months that his cousin had been in prison. His feelings of loss and despair had been overshadowed by the deep rage he felt towards Dudley. Only his family had kept him sane through it all and the knowledge that he would at least have another child slightly soothed him.
"Would you like to have some tea with me before I leave to pick up Meghan?" Harry asked, attempting to move the conversation to lighter matters. He did not want Ginny getting worked up about the lost baby; it was not good for her or for the baby they had left.
Ginny smiled sadly, "Yes, let's do that. We don't have that many more quiet moments left, just the two of us, and I want to take them while we can," She laughed as she felt the baby move inside of her, "This little fellow's feisty today, that's for sure. You know, they say that they can hear us talking to them."
She followed Harry out to the kitchen where she settled herself in a chair, knowing if she sat on the couch or someplace soft she'd never be able to get up again, "Harry, I was thinking. If it's a boy, why don't we name him James, after your father?"
Tears sprung to Harry's eyes at the thought of naming his son after his father. "That is a wonderful idea, Ginny. I really love how thoughtful you are. Now are you sure you don't want to name him after your father instead? I would be fine with doing that," He looked imploringly into her eyes, searching for her true feelings.
Ginny smiled at her husband, knowing that she wanted to do this for
him, "Harry, I want to do this. I want our son to be named for your father, and I know that my dad would agree with me," Taking the cup of tea he handed her, she took a sip, "It will be a great legacy for him, and when he grows up we can tell him everything we know about him."
Returning Ginny's smile, Harry said, "Thank you so much, my love. This means so much to me." An idea came to mind and he said, "Ginny, what do you think of a middle name of Albus if it's a boy. I think it would be great to honor Dumbledore by naming our child after him as well."
Reaching over to take Harry's hand and squeeze it gently, Ginny's eyes filled with tears of their own, "That is a wonderful idea. I know that wherever he is, he's watching over us. Let's name him James Albus Harrison Potter. Harrison means Harry's son, after all."
Looking at the clock, she realized how late it was getting, "You should probably be leaving soon. It's almost time to pick up Meghan."
Harry looked up at the clock and nodded his agreement. "I'll just run and get my travelling cloak and a special gift I have for Meghan." He dashed off up the stairs and grabbed his cloak and the carefully wrapped present he had hidden in his closet. Within minutes, Harry was back downstairs and he stopped in front of Ginny, doubled over and huffing. "Wow, I need to start exercising again. I'm becoming an old man," he said with a wry grin on his face.
Ginny laughed and stood, "Maybe you can get a game going with my
brothers once the weather gets nicer and that will get you back in shape. I'm not going to be ready to play for a while," She said, looking down at her stomach, "You be careful, you hear?" She said, giving him a hug and a kiss, "Tell Hermione I said hi and that we'll have them over for dinner sometime," Ginny smiled as she thought of
her sister in law. They had been so close when they went to Hogwarts and they still were.
"I'd like to get back into Quidditch and I haven't seen Ron for a few weeks. I think I'll send him an owl this evening asking if he wants to get together soon. I miss spending time with him." Harry threw on his travelling cloak and gave Ginny a loud kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back soon, love." With a loud crack, he disapparated.
Ginny finished her tea and went back into the nursery, taking a book with her. Sitting down in the rocking chair, she smiled and read, looking forward to seeing her daughter again soon.
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Hermione smiled as she saw how excited Meghan was to be going home,
"Have you been enjoying school up until now?" Ron had taken the twins home with him a few minutes before.
Meghan smiled at her aunt, "Oh yeah, I love it. I thought for sure mum would have had the baby by now, though. I wanted to be able to come home and see my new brother or sister."
Hermione chuckled fondly, "I know that it's hard waiting on a new baby but you'll be a big sister soon enough. Look," She said, seeing Harry come towards them, "There's your dad."
Harry smiled and waved with his free hand as he neared his daughter and one of his three best friends. When he reached them, Harry stooped and gave Hermione a hug and a peck on the cheek. "It's good to see you Hermione." He then turned his attention to his daughter. "And look at you!" He exclaimed. "You have grown so much since the last time I saw you. You are changing into a young woman so fast that I barely recognize you." He smiled lovingly at Meghan and swept her into his arms for a fierce hug.
After a few moments, Harry set Meghan down and gestured with the present in his left hand. "I've brought you a surprise, Meghan. Would you like to open it?" He had been looking forward for weeks to seeing the look on his daughter's face when she opened this package. He had spent a Saturday perusing the shops at Diagon Alley looking for the perfect gift for her and he had finally found it as the sun was setting.
In a shop at the far edge of Diagon Alley, Harry had found a beautiful set of earrings and he had known instantly that they were the ones for Meghan. The were made of a delicate white gold that was twisted together in intricate patterns. At the post was a flawless sapphire that sparkled in the light and several smaller sapphires clung to the intricate patters of gold. He knew that the combination of the white gold and sapphires would highlight and accentuate Meghan's fierce red hair and fragile, pale skin.
Harry held out the package to Meghan and said, "Here you go my dear. I hope you like it."
Hermione smiled as she hugged Harry back, "Harry, how are you doing?
How's Ginny? I'm sure that she is looking forward to that new baby of yours coming at last, isn't she? Like someone else I know," She said, patting Meghan on the shoulder.
"Dad!" Meghan ran to her father and gave him a huge hug. She and
Harry had always had a special relationship and never felt weird about giving him a hug in public, "How's Mum doing? Is she okay?"
When Harry gave her the gift, her eyes lit up as she opened it, "Oh, Dad, they're beautiful," She said, looking down at the beautiful earrings he had given her, "Thank you!"
Harry was thrilled to see that Meghan liked the earrings. He had been agonizing over whether it was an inappropriate gift for an eleven year old since he had bought them. The look of happiness on Meghan's face wiped away all those fears.
Stooping to look into her eyes, Harry said, "I'm so glad you like them, Meghan. I haven't yet told you about the most special attribute of those earrings, though." He paused for effect before saying, "I have enchanted them so that you can communicate with your mother and me instantly. All you need to do is put them on, say the incantation, ' Loqueris' and you will be able to speak to us wherever we are." He smiled at her, waiting for her reaction.
Meghan's eyes grew wide when he told her that, "Wow, Dad! That's so
awesome!" She said, giving him another hug, "That's one of the coolest things I have ever seen!"
Hermione smiled at Harry, "That is a wonderful invention, Harry. I know that she really misses you two when she's at school."
Harry smiled again. It was gratifying to have his daughter admire his handiwork. "I'm glad you think it's so cool. Some kids would think it was terribly un cool to talk to their parents but I'm glad you aren't one of them."
He turned to Hermione. "We need to get going, Hermione. Thank you so much for bringing Meghan to Hogsmeade for me. Can you let Ron know that I'll be sending him an owl this evening? It's been so long since we've spent time together and I really miss him."
Meghan just smiled and shook her head, "Of course not. I love talking
to you guys and I am really happy that I can talk to you anytime I want."
"It was my pleasure, Harry and of course I will. You tell Ginny to hang in there and let us know when the big day arrives, okay?"
"I will do that," Harry said. Taking Meghan's hand tightly in his, Harry said to her, "This will be your first time apparating. Be aware that you might have feelings of nausea or dizziness. These feelings will wear off soon after we arrive at home. Are you ready?"
Meghan nodded, "I'm excited that I'm going to apparate for the first
time," Waving to her Aunt Hermione, she smiled and thanked her for
bringing her to Hogsmeade, "I'm ready, Dad."
Hermione waved back, smiling at Meghan and Harry.
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Ginny was sitting in the chair, when she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Standing up, she remembered the breathing exercises that the healer had taught them at childbirth class and breathed deeply. I hope Harry gets here soon with Meghan she thought to herself.
She knew that labor could go on for a while but she still felt better with him there.
When Harry and Meghan arrived at the house, Meghan immediately collapsed to the floor, her head in her hands. Harry smiled sympathetically, "I'm sorry it was such a tough trip, honey. The effects will wear off, I promise." When Meghan was feeling better, Harry helped her to her feet and said, "Let's go find your mum; I'm sure she's anxious to see you."
The two of them headed up the stairs to the master bedroom. Harry called out, "Ginny, were home!" as they reached the landing.
Ginny came out of the bathroom, a smile upon her face, "Hi sweetheart," She said, giving Meghan a hug and a kiss, "How are you doing?" Looking at her daughter's ears, she smiled, "What beautiful earrings, honey."
"Hi Mum," Meghan said, giving her a hug and a kiss back, "I'm doing great," When her mother mentioned her earrings, she smiled, "Dad gave them to me. He said I can use a special spell on them and I can communicate with you guys with them. Isn't that neat?"
"That's a great gift," Ginny said, smiling at her daughter, "When your dad asked me to marry him, it seems as if he gives all the special girls in his life sapphires," Ginny grimaced a bit as another pain went through her. It had been about a half an hour since her last contraction so she wasn't really that worried and she didn't want to ruin Meghan's homecoming, "I bet you're hungry. Why don't you go downstairs and your dad and I will be down shortly. We'll have some lunch, how does that sound?"
"That's a great idea. I am STARVING!" Meghan laughed as she ran out of the room and down the stairs.
Harry smiled at his two special girls and watched Meghan leave the room. "That girl has so much energy," he said with a laugh. "I saw that look of pain on your face, Ginny. Is something wrong?" He looked at her with concern.
Ginny smiled at Harry, "Nope, that's normally what happens when someone is in labor," She said, laughing. She'd had an easy delivery with Meghan and she had no reason to think that this baby's birth wouldn't be a normal one, "The contractions are still a half hour apart, we have plenty of time."
Harry experienced a moment of panic before he remembered what an easy time Ginny had during her first delivery. He knew he would only make things more stressful if he acted like the raving lunatic he was 11 years ago when Meghan was born. "Wow, you're in labor! When do you think we should leave for St. Mungo's? I can't seem to remember what they told us the first time. Was it when the contractions were 10 minutes apart or was it when your water broke? Has your water broken yet?"
"No, not yet. Let's have some lunch with Meghan and then contact the family so they know that the time has come," Ginny said, giving Harry a hug and a kiss, "We're going to have a baby today, Harry," She said, smiling at him.
"Mum, Dad! Are you guys coming or what?" Meghan's voice travelled up the steps.
"We'll be right down, Meghan!" Ginny called to her daughter, "Wait til she hears that she's going to be a big sister today. She'll be so excited! Shall we go downstairs and tell her?"
Harry put his arm around his wife and rubbed her shoulder lovingly. "We don't want to keep her waiting any longer do we?" he asked with a smile. "She's so wound up already I can't imagine how she could get any more excited but we both know she will."
As they left the bedroom, Harry whispered to Ginny, "I love you so much. You are having our baby today and I'm so excited. Thank you for this wonderful gift you are giving to me." The two smiled at each other as they slowly descended the stairs toward Meghan and the kitchen.