A/N I Own Nothing
Ao3 – Once_Upon_A_Potter
August 11th, 2004
"Thank you so much for taking him, Molly, really." Harry told her, glancing at the almost four year old who was sitting playing in his grandparents living room.
Molly waved him off, she knew how important alone time as a couple could be for a relationship. "No need to thank me. I get to spend time with my grandson, and you get to go give my daughter a good birthday. You are still coming to celebrate with the family Saturday, though, I presume?"
Harry nodded. "That is the plan." He confirmed, "We will have Teddy as well, I hope it's okay if he comes with us?"
"Of course, it is!" Molly told him, looking scandalized by the fact that he felt the need to ask. "Now go," She shooed, "Spend time with your wife."
He chuckled, "Yes, Ma'am."
"Oh, and Harry dear?" she called as he reached for the doorknob, she pinned him with a knowing look, "Don't worry about picking him up until morning."
Her lips twitched as she stared down the now squirming young man in front of her.
Honestly, Molly wasn't born yesterday, what did they think she thought they were doing when she babysat for a late date night? She'd been married thirty-five years, she had seven children, she knew damn well the process.
"I- He isn't packed for overnight."
"You say that like we're not prepared."
And Harry had to agree. His in-laws were almost ridiculously prepared, especially when it came to their grandchildren.
"Just…" He started, glancing up the stairs slightly, "watch him with Muriel?"
Molly sighed, "Of course."
August 22nd, 2004
Harry sighed, sinking into bed beside Ginny. It had already been a late night, having been at the burrow for Percy's birthday, then it had taken them an hour once they got home to get James to sleep.
He rolled to his side facing his wife, wincing as he pressed a hand to his abdomen, attempting to appease the tight pinched feeling. But, as sudden as it was there it was gone again just moments later, and he was drifting off to the smell of Ginny's honeysuckle shampoo.
August 31st, 2004
"Mate, wake up!"
Harry jerked awake, sending parchments scattering about the room, as he blinked blearily up at his best friend.
"What had the Deputy Head Auror up so late last night that he fell asleep on his desk?" Ron teased gently, but with a worried glint in his eyes, "You okay?"
"Perfectly fine." Harry grumbled, dragging his hands down his face as he looked up at the redhead in front of him. "What'd you need?"
"We had lunch plans at Bill and Fleur's today?"
Lunch plans? Harry stared at his brother-in-law with slowly dawning realization. "Right." He muttered, standing and straightening his desk.
"You forgot. Didn't you?" Ron asked, arms crossed, leaning against the door frame.
Harry side eyed him, before sighing and grabbing his wand from where it lay on his desk. "…Maybe."
xXx
Harry stumbled through the floo into Shell Cottage's kitchen, clutching Ron's shoulder to keep his balance. Seeing Ginny's concern from where she stood by the table, James on her hip, he laughed it off.
Going over to her, he pressed a kiss to her cheek, before taking their three-year-old son from her. "You know how I am with the floo." He told her quietly, to which she nodded but didn't look entirely convinced.
"Everyone else is in the living room." Ginny muttered to him, jerking her head in that direction. Harry could hear Fleur, her sister, and their mother conversing in both French and English.
"Well, then, I suppose we should head that way. Shouldn't we?" Harry asked, looking between his son, wife, and brother-in-law.
"You two go," Ginny told him, "We'll catch up."
She waited until her husband and son were out of earshot before rounding on her brother.
"Tell me the truth," she started.
"Oh, boy." Ron mumbled under his breath.
Ginny glared before sighing softly, "How has he been acting today? Do you think he's actually 'okay'?"
"Dunno." Ron shrugged, "He fell asleep at his desk earlier."
"And?" Ginny prodded, "Anything else?"
Ron shook his head.
Ginny huffed irritated, turning to head into the living room, grumbling about 'unobservant brothers' and 'stupid, selfless husbands'.
Ron followed, attempting to join in the half English, half French conversation.
It would be only moments later that Fleur would go into labor; little Dominique Weasley being born only hours later.
September 1st, 2004
'I want another one.' Ginny had mouthed at him, sitting in the arm chair in her parents living room, a light purple bundle swaddled in her arms.
Imagining another little boy or girl of their own, a family of five, one more then the four they currently were. A thought that was both appealing and terrifying.
He wasn't sure they were ready for another child of their own yet, he wasn't sure he was ready yet.
They certainly hadn't been ready to care for a child full time when James was born, the little boy having been a happy accident.
Though, Harry had to admit, watching Ginny interact with the newest addition to the ever-growing Weasley family, it made him yearn.
September 9th, 2004
"Where are the boys?" Ginny heard Harry ask, when he came home from work and immediately noticed the calm that didn't come with having two young boys in the house.
"Teddy's with Andromeda." Ginny answered at once, "James is with mum."
There was silence as the couple stared at each other, Harry cocked an eyebrow.
"May I ask why?" he asked, though Ginny was sure he knew already, or at the very least suspected.
Ginny shrugged, "It's the last night I have before I have to go back to work." She answered, leaning back against the arm of the couch.
Harry hummed, toeing his shoes off and hanging his jacket on the coat rack next to the door.
He came into the living room, rounding their oversized armchair before sinking into it, bringing his knees up to his chest and leaning his head against the back.
"So?" Ginny asked, coming to sit on the arm of the chair, "What do you say we go upstairs, maybe start trying for our next one?" she didn't have to specify what the 'next one' was she was talking about. They had already talked about the possibly of having another child.
Harry stared at her blankly for a moment in his exhaustion.
"Or you know, we don't have to go upstairs," Ginny continued, "It's not like the kids are here."
"I don't know, Gin." Harry told her, glancing up at her. "I'm sorry, Gin, I'm just not really sure I'm in the mood right now."
"Oh." Ginny muttered, mouth twisting in thought.
"I'm sor-"
"No." Ginny interrupted firmly, "You don't ever have to apologize to me for not wanting to have sex."
She stood moving to their movie shelf. "Although," she continued, "That doesn't mean we can't still take advantage of a child free night." She turned around, having pulled a movie from the shelf. "What say you to a 'Lord of the Rings' marathon, we change into our pajamas, order a pizza and bring out that ice cream we've been hiding from the kids?"
"That." Harry started, "That I can get behind."
September 14th, 2004
Harry cursed under his breath when he woke that morning and saw the time.
A week. Not even a week, since Ginny had left for work, and they already had a day they were running late.
He jackknifed into a sitting position, ignoring when he was rewarded for his sudden movement with the room spinning, and his stomach clenching uneasily.
He could still salvage this, he thought, quickly dressing, they weren't truly late yet, just running half an hour behind what they usually would. With only fifteen minutes instead of their usual forty-five to get ready for the day.
Fifteen minutes only. Then they had a fifteen-minute commute, that if they cut into at all, they would definitely be late. He would be late dropping Teddy off, which meant he'd be late dropping James off, which meant he would be late to work, and with Robards being even harder on him recently, could very well lose him his job.
Could he apparate? Technically, yes.
Was he confident enough in his ability to do so to attempt it with two children? No.
He woke both children up, quickly getting Teddy to change into his school uniform, and getting James into play clothes for daycare. Then carried James downstairs with Teddy trailing behind, setting the three year old down once they reached the bottom of the stairs.
He put on a pot of coffee and popped two slices of bread in the toaster.
"You're going to have to eat in the car." Harry told them, putting little arms in jacket sleeves, and small feet in socks and shoes.
"Why?" James' small voice asked.
"Because we're running late." Harry answered as patiently as possible, zipping up the three-year-old's jacket.
"Why?" James asked again.
"Because daddy overslept. By a lot." Harry told him, putting his own shoes on.
There was a pause.
"…but why?" James whispered, squinting at him.
Harry sighed, not answering as he poured his coffee in a travel mug, gulping half of it down before putting the lid on, grabbing his keys and hooking them around his pinky finger of the hand holding his coffee. Shoved his wallet into his pocket and grabbed the slices of toast from the toaster and two bananas from the counter.
"Alright, let's go!" he said, ushering the three- and six-year-old into the garage. Setting coffee and keys on top of his car to get Teddy in his booster and James in his car seat, handing them both their breakfast as he did so. Then got into the car himself, coffee in the cup holder, seat belt on, key in the ignition, pressing button to open the garage door as he turned the car on.
He pulled out of the garage, patiently waiting for the door to reclose before driving off.
Harry didn't think he'd ever been so glad that Teddy's primary school and James' daycare were across from each other. He and Andromeda had decided that since there shouldn't be anything keeping her from traveling magically, it'd be easier to have him go to a school closer to he and Ginny. It wasn't quite the primary school down the street from them, but it was a good school with a good daycare for James near it.
Five minutes into their drive Harry was regretting chugging all that coffee, especially on an empty stomach, as the liquid settled in his stomach like a rock.
Ten minutes in, and he was hiccupping queasily. Barely having enough time to pull off onto the hard shoulder and open his door before the liquid was making a reappearance onto the pavement.
"Uncle Harry?" Teddy's inquisitive and concerned voice called from the back seat.
"I'm okay, Teddy." Harry reassured, shakily pulling himself back into the car, and closing the door, before pulling back onto the road.
If this was how his day was going to go, it was going to be a long one.
September 19th, 2004
"Hello?" Hermione's voice was muffled when she answered the phone she and Ron kept by their bed.
"Oh, Hermione," Harry said on the other end of the phone. "did I wake you up?"
Hermione groaned into the phone, looking at the time, eight thirteen in the morning.
"I'm going to take that as a yes." Harry told her, "I am so sorry, I can call back later." He told her, getting ready to hang up.
"No. No." Hermione was quick to tell him around a yawn, "It's fine. My alarm was going to go off soon anyway." And it was she had set it for eight-thirty.
"Oh." There was a pause.
"What'd you need?" Hermione prompted, reaching over and fumbling with her alarm clock to turn it off.
"Well, first I wanted to say happy birthday."
"Thanks." Hermione whispered. "Anything else?"
"Well…" Harry paused before sighing. "Could you do me a favor?"
xXx
"Well?" Hermione asked, looking up from where she was on the floor playing with James, when Harry came out of the bathroom.
In response, he came to sit next to her on the floor, grinning like a loon as he showed her the little white stick with two little plus signs on it.
"No way…" Hermione laughed. "I'm going to be an aunt again?"
"Yeah." Harry told her. "You're going to be an aunt again. Like you've been several times now." He teased. But they both knew it was different between them. She would still be Aunt Hermione even if they hadn't both married into the same family.
"I need to find a time to tell Ginny." Harry commented. It definitely wasn't something he wanted to tell her over the phone or in a letter. He also would need to get in to see Ethan.
"Well," Hermione started, "She should be at the burrow for my birthday tonight, right?"
