Chapter Thirty-Six: The Christening.
The day of Isabella's christening arrived bright and clear, in the morning after breakfast everyone pitched in to help decorate the back yard with soft pink and white flowers. The ceremony would be at half past eleven followed by a light, banquet style lunch.
Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the front row of chairs waiting to be called for the parts that they would take in the ceremony. Isabella was dressed in a satin, ivory coloured robe with a matching headband with a tiny flower on it, she looked adorable, the baby was already in the arms of the wizard performing the ceremony up the front, and once everyone was seated he started talking.
'Good morning everyone, today we are here to welcome a new member to the Weasley family and to the wizarding community. I would ask the parents to join me please,' he said.
Ron and Hermione stood up and stood on each side of the wizard looking down on their daughter.
'Do you wish your daughter to be accepted and welcomed to the world? Promise to guide her through all of her lives ups and downs, to raise her as a good and kind young lady, to support her and to love her unconditionally?' He said.
'We do' Hermione and Ron stated together.
'Have you chosen your daughters Godparents wisely and trust that they can fulfil their role in her life to the best of their abilities?' The wizard said.
'We have,' they said.
'Who have you chosen?' The wizard asked.
'Harry Potter and Ginervra Weasley, soon to be Potter' Hermione replied on her own.
'Mr Potter and Miss Weasley please join us,' The wizard said.
Harry and Ginny stood up; Ron moved to stand next to Hermione so that Harry and Ginny could stand to the other side together.
'Harry and Ginny, we have chosen you as our daughters Godparents because we feel that you will support her and love her like you would if she were your own. Do you both promise to us that you will take an active roll in supporting and loving your Goddaughter and step in should neither of us be able to raise our child and raise her as your own?' Ron and Hermione read together off a piece of parchment.
'We do' Harry and Ginny answered together.
'I name Mr Harry Potter and Miss Ginervra Weasley this child's Godparents,' The wizard said tapping each of them with the tip of his wand.
Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione all smiled together.
'This child is to be named Isabella Mae Weasley am I correct?' the wizard said.
'Yes' The four of them answered together.
'Then this girl, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Hermione and Ronald Weasley and Goddaughter of Mr Harry Potter and Miss Ginervra Weasley, will be named Isabella Mae Weasley from this day forward' he raised his wand and rested the tip of it on the baby's forehead 'you are named Isabella Mae Weasley' he said.
Everyone clapped as the wizard handed Izzy back to her parents.
All of the chairs were magically put in order and small tables appeared between each of the circles of chairs as well as a long table with food on it, another with drinks. People rallied towards them.
The whole of the afternoon people fussed over the baby, coming up to talk to Hermione and Ron all about her, telling them what a gorgeous little girl she was. Hermione and Ron opened their presents and cut the top layer of their wedding cake in to pieces for everyone. They got a lot of keepsakes like photo frames, ornaments and special cards but Hermione's jaw dropped quite obviously when she unwrapped the present from Harry and Ginny, the blanket with Isabella's name embroidered on it and a tiny id bracelet also with her name on it, she fastened it on to her daughters wrist straight away, the young parents loved all of their presents. It was a wonderful day and everyone was exhausted by the end of it.
Before anyone knew it, almost four months had passed quickly before them. Isabella was crawling around already, at only seven months; she was on some solids and had started teething. Her teething drove everyone crazy because when she was picked up she wanted to chew on fingers and she cried so much, even though Hermione had been using a low dose of pain relief potion and given Isabella charmed teething rings to help numb her gums.
One week before Christmas, while he was at work, two strange looking men approached Harry.
'Mr Potter I presume' the first wizard said, he looked a little like a walrus and extended a hand out to Harry.
He took the hand extended thinking that Bagman had forgotten to tell him something 'yes I am, who may I ask are you?' he said.
'I am Kian Skerry and this is my colleague Brent Smith' he indicated the short, tiger like man beside him 'we are from the company that makes chocolate frog cards and we would like to put you on one' Mr Skerry said.
Harry was dumbfounded 'you want to put me on a chocolate frog card?' he said not fully believing what he was hearing.
'Yes Mr Potter, you defeated the most feared dark wizard for a century, you survived a killing curse at the age of one, you've been famous since you were a baby, we think that you, above all people, deserve to be on a card' Skerry said.
Harry didn't know what to say, he really did want to move on with his life, he didn't care if no-one acknowledged, or cared about what he had done, it was his own, personal thing, it always had been 'Can I think about it and get back to you?' Harry asked.
'Of course Mr Potter, when shall we catch up with you again?' Skerry asked.
'Well I have ten days off for Christmas and New Years so sometime after that' Harry replied.
'Very well, shall we say the seventh of January then?' Mr Skerry replied.
'Yes, that would be fine' Harry replied.
The men left then and Harry went back to his work.
When he got home he told Ginny all about the men from the chocolate frog company.
'So are you going to do it?' She asked him.
'I don't know. I don't really care if I'm on a card or not, I defeated Voldemort for personal reasons' he answered.
'Go for it then, I'd love to see your picture on a chocolate frog card' Ginny said.
'I'm going to think about it, I'll see them again on the seventh of January' Harry replied.
He also told Hermione and Ron about it, they both thought that he should too.
The Burrow was very crowded on Christmas day as all of the Weasley family were home plus Lupin, Tonks and Sirius it was also very loud. As well as Christmas Hermione and Ron celebrated their first anniversary and Harry and Ginny, one year since their engagement. Isabella had no idea what was going on but it was her first Christmas so everyone spoilt her rotten. The presents were in the morning, a huge but delicious lunch, and then snowball fights in the garden until it was to cold and they were all called in for dinner. Afterwards they all sat around together talking and singing Christmas carols until everyone was too tired and they went to bed full and happy, one of the best Christmases ever!
There was a New Years party for Ministry workers and their partners so Harry and Ginny went together and Ron and Hermione asked Fred and George out of desperation to baby-sit as Molly and Arthur were attending the party and everyone else had other plans. They agreed but many people in Ron's department wanted to see her so for the first hour or so they had the baby with them.
On New Years Day everyone was tired and the mood at the Burrow was one of a relaxed stupor, Harry avoided Hermione for most of the day because she was in a snappy mood, especially with Ron because as well as a very late night Isabella was still teething and kept Hermione awake while Ron slept thorough it so it was Hermione who suffered extreme lack of sleep. After lunch Ron apologised to his wife and told her to go and lay down and that he'd look after Isabella and wake her up when it was time for dinner, Hermione forgave him and took him up on his offer.
Harry, Ron and Arthur went back to work on the fifth of January and on the seventh, as they'd agreed Harry met up with Kian Skerry and Brent Smith.
'Mr Potter, have you made a decision about the card?' Skerry asked.
'Yes I have…' Harry replied.
They looked at him expectantly 'so…' Brent Smith spoke for the first time in a high, squeaky voice.
'I would like to accept the offer' Harry replied.
'Very good then Mr Potter, here is what we'd like to have written on it, of course you can change it and if you have any change in circumstances it would be updated straight away' Skerry said handing Harry a piece of parchment.
Harry Potter, currently working for the Ministry of Magic.
The Boy Who Lived is of course the only known survivor of the Avarda Kadavra curse.
Mr Potter has been famous since the age of one but his fame was elevated when he defeated the darkest wizard in history, Lord Voldemort, at the age of seventeen.
Mr Potter enjoys Quidditch and treacle tarts.
'Looks all right to me' Harry, said handing the parchment back to the men sitting in front of him.
They took his picture and told him they'd send him the first card produced before leaving.