A Serpent Among Lions 2
Chapter 4
A Birthday Celebration and Dark Plans
Ginny awoke, hearing James cry in the bassinet beside her. Reaching over, she gently lifted her son and cuddled him to her, "Hey sweetheart, are you hungry?" She cooed to the baby, smiling at him. Undoing her hospital gown, she lifted him to her breast and smiled as he latched on easily, "You're a natural, just like your sister was."
Leaning back against the pillows as he nursed, she breathed a sigh of contentment. The horrible things that had happened months ago seemed like little more than a bad dream.
Harry stumbled slightly on the final step to Ginny's floor. His arms were laden with packages and it was quite difficult to see where he was placing his feet. He steadied himself and clutched the packages tighter to make sure he did not drop any of them.
Meghan was waiting for him on the landing with excited expectation on her face. Harry thought to himself, "I can't be so old that my daughter beat me so easily up these steps. She's not even breathing hard! " He made a mental note to get back into his exercise regimen once Ginny and James were settled at home.
After catching his breath, Harry smiled at Meghan and said, "Are you ready to give your mum and brother some of these gifts?"
Meghan watched her dad as he struggled up the steps and kind of snickered. Remembering what he was like as a Quidditch player she could hardly believe that this was the same guy, "Daaaaaaaaaaaad, I thought you'd never get up here," She drawled out, giggling, "Mum and James are waiting right behind this door and you are taking forever! We gotta give them these gifts!"
Harry chuckled at Meghan's enthusiasm. Sometimes he wished that he still had the zest for life he had had as an eleven year old. He remembered that nothing could ever come soon enough for him at that age. "I'm here now, sweetheart," Harry said. "Would you like to give your gifts to Mummy and James first or would you like me to go first?"
Meghan thought a moment, "Why don't you go first, in case Mum's asleep or something? I don't want to be the one to wake her up," Meghan knew that her Mum was kind of grumpy sometimes when she got woken up and she'd rather her dad go first just in case.
Chuckling again, Harry nodded his understanding. He lead his daughter to the door of Ginny room and quietly pushed the door open. Inside, Harry saw Ginny feeding little James and his heart swelled with love. It had been much too long since he had seen his wife breast feed one of their children.
He spoke quietly so as not to disturb the baby. "Hi, Ginny. We've brought some gifts for you and James. Are you feeling up to opening some presents?"
"Sure," She said, speaking softly, "He's just about done as it is, would you like to burp him?" She said, gently removing him from her breast and covering herself up, "You know, Meghan, I fed you this way too when you were a baby," She said, as she saw Meghan looking with awe at her.
"Really, Mum? That's really cool. My Mum, the refrigerator," She said, innocently, looking at her baby brother.
Harry stifled a laugh as he took his son from Ginny. "Meghan," he said on a choke, "I'm not quite sure that's appropriate." But it was sure a cute observation, he thought. He lifted the baby to his shoulder, making sure to hold his head stable, and began to pat his back gently. Once he had established a rhythm of patting and gentle rocking, he made a gesture with his head and said, "My gifts are just there. Why don't you open a few?"
Ginny had to chuckle too, "Don't worry, Meghan, it's okay,"LOoking at Harry holding James, she smiled at the two of them. They almost blended into one person, "So you and Daddy went shopping hmm? Did you have fun?" She said, giving her a hug.
"Yes, we went and shopped and then got ice cream. Mum, can you open my presents first?" She said, handing them shyly to her, "This one is for James," She said, indicating the top one, "And the other one is for you. I picked them out myself."
Ginny smiled at Meghan as she opened the one for James, "Meghan, what a cute stuffed hippogriff!" It was a golden brown and had wings that were silver colored,"He will love this," In the other package was a plaque that said Best Mum in the world from Meghan and James and brought a tear to her eyes, "Thank you, Meghan. These are wonderful."
Harry was glad that Ginny liked Meghan's gifts. When she turned to open his gifts, he paused in anticipation. The first gift was a golden necklace with a pendant on the end. The pendant was shaped to look like a mother holding her two children. The mother's hair was formed by tiny, sparkling diamonds while the children's faces were ringed with rubies.
The second gift was really one for James. He had been taken by a small silver rattle that he had seen in the gift shop. The head of the rattle was no ordinary circle. It was instead shaped into the form of a sleeping kitten. Once he had purchased the rattle, Harry had magically inscribed a message into it. My darling son. I rejoice on the day of your birth for you have brightened my world and lightened my heart. You have my love forever and always. Daddy.
He waited as Ginny began to open the first package.
Ginny opened the smaller gift to find a beautiful pendant of a mother holding her two children, "Harry, this is amazing!" She said, with a tears in her eyes, "You know me so well," She reached up and put the pendant around her neck. Reaching over and squeezing his hand, she smiled at him, "Thank you."
Turning to the second package, she opened it to find a silver rattle shaped like the head of a sleeping kitten and saw the inscription, "Harry, James is going to love this!" She had remembered a gift that Harry had given Meghan when she was born, a rattle that was shaped like a flower, "I still have the rattle that you gave Meghan at home."
She heard James burp and then turned to her daughter, "Maybe Daddy will let you hold James now."
"Oh, Dad, could I?" Meghan said eagerly, "I promise to be really careful!"
After considering for only a second, Harry nodded and said, "Of course you can hold your brother, Meghan." He gestured at the chair next to the bed. "Please sit up straight in this chair and I will place him in your arms. You must be sure to hold his head stable and to hold him very still."
When Meghan had settled herself in the chair, Harry slowly and carefully placed the baby in her arms. He was pleased with how she followed his instructions and held James' head carefully with her left hand. He stayed very close in case there were any accidents. "Good job, sweetheart," he said, smiling at his children.
Meghan looked at the small baby in her arms in amazement, "You know, I have held babies before but I don't know...this time just feels more special. I love you, James," She said, bending down and kissing her brother's forehead.
Ginny watched her daughter with her son and smiled at Harry. No words were spoken between the two of them, but they knew how special it was to see their children together. Reaching over, she took Harry's hand and gave it a squeeze.
Harry was as touched as Ginny was by the sight of Meghan being so tender with James. He knew that these were the moments he needed to cherish and remember during the more difficult times that parenting would bring.
Smiling lovingly at Ginny, Harry gave her hand a return squeeze. He thought it would be best to leave James with Meghan for as long as she wanted to hold him, as long as James was doing all right. He knew that making Meghan feel important in the family would go a long way towards curbing any sibling rivalry that might creep up.
"So, Megs," he said with a smile, "how does it feel to finally be a big sister?"
Looking up at her dad, Meghan smiled, "It feels amazing. It's so...I don't know how to describe it really."
Ginny nodded and smiled at Meghan, "Now you know how we felt when you were born. A baby is a very special addition to any family, and Dad and I can teach James lots of things but you will teach him the important things. He'll learn how to laugh from you and how to play."
Molly stood at the door of Ginny's hospital room for nearly a quarter of an hour, watching Meghan with James and smiling. It was so sweet how she had taken to him and she didn't want to disturb them. But she knew that Meghan was more than likely getting tired; it had been a long day for all of them. Knocking softly, she opened the door.
"Hi Mum," Ginny said, smiling at her as she came to her bedside.
"Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" Turning to Meghan she smiled, "I was watching you through the window with James. You are doing a really good job with him."
"I'm doing fine Mum. James and I both had a nap and then James had his first meal. Like all of our family, he is a natural," Ginny said, laughing.
"Thanks Grandmum!" Meghan responded softly, beaming at her grandmother.
Harry knew why Molly had entered the room and agreed with her assessment that Meghan needed a rest. "Meghan, I think it's time that you went home with Grandmum. It's going to be an exciting day tomorrow when we bring James home and I think you'll want to be as rested as possible." He walked to Meghan and carefully took James from her and returned him to his bassinet.
Turning to Molly, Harry said, "Molly, would you mind taking Meghan to the burrow for the night? I will follow shortly after I make sure that everything is all right around here."
"Okay," Meghan said hesitantly, "Goodnight, James, and happy birthday," She said, smiling down at her little brother in his bassinet, "I can't wait til he can come home, and maybe in a couple more years I'll have a sister too," She said, beaming at her Mum and Dad.
"We'll do our best, sweetheart," Ginny said, laughing but knowing how lonely she was growing up as the only girl in the house besides her Mum, "You go home with grandmum and get some rest and I'll see you in the morning," She said, giving her a hug.
"Of course she can stay there for the night, Harry. And if you want to stay here with Ginny we'll look after her."
"Dad, I really don't mind. I'm a big girl," She said, giving Harry a hug.
Harry chuckled. "All right, I would appreciate the opportunity to stay with Ginny and James tonight. Thanks for being such a big girl, Meghan." He smiled at his daughter.
"Yes, thank you, Meghan," Ginny said, grateful to her.
"You're welcome. Just take good care of my baby brother, okay?"
"We sure will," Ginny said, giving Meghan one last hug before Molly took her out, "She's really growing up isn't she, Harry?"
Harry nodded, a little sadness flitting into his happy heart. "I hope she doesn't grow up too fast, though. I enjoy having my little girl." Shaking off the silly thought, Harry said, "Why don't you get some more sleep while I go arrange with the staff to stay here tonight? I need to let them know that they will have an extra person in the room."
Quietly, Harry left the room and headed down the hall towards the healers' station.
Ginny nodded, resting back against the pillows, watching her sleeping son in the bassinet beside her. Life was good.
Meanwhile, in a chalet in the Swiss Alps, the man in black was freezing. Unbeknownst to him, the chalet had been closed up for the winter several weeks earlier and the heat had been turned off at the same time. Currently, it was no more warmer inside the chalet than outside. He sat in a chair, shivering and rubbing his hands together, trying desperately to warm up as he waited for Umbridge to arrive. She better arrive soon, he whined to himself. If she isn't here in the next 10 minutes, I am leaving.
At that moment, the door blew open and a woman entered the room. He had never seen this person before and he immediately jumped to his feet, wand raised. "Who are you?" he yelled. "Don't come any closer!"
Dolores' eyes grew wide at the person in front of her, who was not at all who she expected, "I am sorry to disturb you, but surely there must be some mistake. I was asked to come here by owl. My name is Dolores Umbridge."
She thought to herself this can't be the person who contacted me, can it? Surely he's not...
The man was as shocked as Umbridge seemed to be. This was not the woman he remembered as Dolores Umbridge. "I'm sorry but you are not Dolores Umbridge," he said, his wand still raised. "What have you done with her?"
"I'll be happy to give you some proof," She said, magically expanding her robes that she was wearing and reverting to the fat dumpy toad like woman that most people saw her as, "You see, i am a metamorphmagus, very few people know this. I only tell those who I deem worthy to know. I will stay in this state, if you wish, or I can change back. I find male companions much prefer my other form."
The man in black, who had never been comfortable around beautiful women, thought he preferred the ugly, dumpy form with which he was familiar. "Please stay in this form," he said. "Now, you may be surprised to learn my identity but please refrain from speaking of it at any time or in any place." He glanced around the room. "There are eyes and ears everywhere."
"Of course, as you wish," She said, bowing, "I shall simply call you sir. I hope you don't mind my keeping my ability a secret. I'd much prefer people to think of me as that dumpy woman who only know mediocre magic. Those who I have dealt with have not been worth my time to show them the full extent of my powers. I am yours to command as you see fit."
The man smiled with pleasure. It always gave him something akin to pride when he found a willing minion. "For the past several months, I have been plotting to destroy Harry Potter," he said. "I am in the final stages of my plan and I now need help." He waited for a sign of understanding before continuing. "I need you to gain entrance to St. Mungo's with the goal of administering a potion to Ginny Potter, who has only today given birth to her second brat. Is this something you will do?"
Dolores Umbridge grinned evilly, pleasure flooding her body, "Anything against Harry Potter is something I will gladly do. It is because of him that I find myself in the deplorable living conditions and I will do whatever you wish me to in order to destroy him and his family. Might I ask what the potion will do to her? "She said, rubbing her palms together and cackling.
The man's smile took on an evil quality as he said, "Upon ingesting this potion, Ginny Potter will have the unfortunate experience of believing that everyone is wants to hurt herself and her new baby." His smile became wider. "She will even believe that her saintly husband wants to murder their baby in his sleep. I will be sorry to miss the good show."
"Interesting. That will cause more pain and chaos for such a close knit family than death itself, I believe," Dolores' toad mouth grew wide in a large smile. Reverting to her former state, she removed the faint traces of Dolores Umbridge known by Harry Potter and his wife from her body, "I believe I have heard of this potion before; the antidote is very rare and not known to many."
The man nodded. "There are less than a handful of people that I know of that could produce the antidote to this potion." He indicated a bottle that he withdrew from a pocket in his robes. "I'm sure they will eventually find the antidote, but not before the intended effect had been produced. I intend to isolate Ginny Potter from her family so that she is more susceptible to my advances."
"Well, then, with your permission I will go administer this potion to Ginny Weasley. Would you like for me to return for more orders when it is complete or would you rather me wait for an owl from you?" She said, taking the bottle from him.
Meanwhile, back at St. Mungo's, Ginny was waiting for Harry to return when she realized how much pain she was in. Her abdomen seemed to be exploding. Worse yet, she saw that blood was soaking the sheet that covered her, "Oh, Merlin! Harry, come quick!"
Harry was walking down the hall towards his wife's room when he heard her terrified yells. Breaking into a run, Harry yelled at the healers to come quickly as he burst into Ginny's room. He immediately saw the rapidly expanding circle of blood on her sheets and he rushed to her. "Ginny, what is the matter? Are you in pain? What happened?"
Meanwhile, back at the chalet, the man in black watched the beautiful woman walk out the door. He had instructed her to return home and wait for his next instruction after completing her mission at St. Mungo's. When she was gone, he apparated back to his secret lair and sat down to wait. He desperately hoped that Dolores Umbridge was not as incompetent as she had been when he had known her in a previous life.
The healer who had delivered James ran into Ginny's room, "Mrs. Potter, are you in pain at all?"
Ginny, unable to speak because of the pain, simply nodded, her eyes wide in pain and terror. Tears cascaded down her cheeks. The pain was worse than she'd had when she was in labor, and even then she hadn't been so scared. She knew that pain was normal for labor, but she'd never experienced anything like this before.
One healer took her blood pressure, while the other gave her an injection to help with the pain.
Giving her a blood replenishing potion, Healer Cynthia turned to Harry, "Harry, your wife is hemorrhaging. We need you to wait outside while we examine her and determine what we need to do," Her eyes were very grim and serious as she said this.
Looking at the baby in his bassinet, she said softly, "You might want to take him with you."
Dolores Umbridge arrived at St. Mungo's disguised as a nurse that she had put out of commission for a couple of hours. Nothing major, just a strong petrificus totalus spell. She heard a commotion coming from Ginny Potter's room and wondered what was wrong.
"Need help in here?" She said, looking at the young woman who was pale and drawn lying on the bed in a pool of blood.
"We're okay for now, but we may need you later," Healer Cynthia said, shouting orders to the nurses and healers who had filled the room.
Even though she had been dismissed, Dolores smiled to herself. Perhaps Ginny Potter would die, although she was sure her master wouldn't like that much. She had to do what she could to keep her alive.