Chapter Twenty-One - And Baby Makes Three
Harry and Ginny spent those last weeks of their year off visiting with their friends and family. They took another trip to Romania, caught one of Ron's road games, and spent a week on their island with Teddy. November was just beginning, and they'd been back home for a few days, when Harry woke up to hear Ginny in the bathroom getting sick. He jumped out of bed, and ran in.
"What's wrong, Ginny? Can I help you?" he asked worriedly. She was at the sink, washing her face, and looking pale as a ghost. When she moved away from the sink to go back into their bedroom, he put his arm around her waist, and led her back to the bed. Once she sat down, Ginny finally smiled wanly at him weakly.
"Thanks for the offer, but I think you've done enough already," she told him, and laughed softly when she saw his confusion. "I'm not catching anything, honey, I'm pregnant." What is it about those two words that makes a husband's brain turn to mush?
"You're…" he couldn't finish the sentence.
"Pregnant," she supplied for him, very helpfully, Harry thought.
"When?" he asked, and Ginny smiled. He had managed to put the complete sentence together all by himself that time!
"Probably sometime near the end of June - it's been known to vary, depending on the baby," she answered. His brain started to function again. Kneeling on the floor in front of her, he put his arms around her waist and gently hugged her.
"I love you, Ginny Potter. We're going to make great parents!" He kissed her then, as happy as he could ever remember being.
"Cut that out" she teased him with a laugh. "That's what got us to this point in the first place."
The stupid grin had been on his face since the morning he'd found out that Ginny was pregnant. He'd come down to the kitchen to start breakfast for them, and saw the two Owl Posts waiting for them. It was December first, one of his favourite days, and he'd completely forgotten about it when he'd woken up. Harry got the cooking started, and then he sat down to read his letter.
Dear Mr. Potter,
Would it be inappropriate to suggest that you take a year off more often? Your finances, while you were gone, continued with unprecedented growth. Prior year investments started having significant impact, particularly at Marauders Institute and in the property division. When you have completed your review of your account summary, please approve the included incentive payout authorizations, and return them to Gringotts with this Owl.
Griphook
Account Manager Co-Coordinator
Harry was flipping to the summary as Ginny came in. He got up and filled cups of coffee for each of them, and served up two plates of food before continuing to read his reports.
Summary of consolidated accounts for Mr. Harry Potter
Beginning Balance: 4,250.25 million galleons
Investment Partnership: 262 million galleons
New Investment: 300 million galleons
Total Beginning Balance: 4,812.25 million galleons
Profits:
Marauders Institute: 1,530 million galleons
Property Division: 340 million galleons
Goblin Ventures: 180 million galleons
Other Investments: 50 million galleons
Total Profit: 2,100 million galleons
Less incentive (Thirty-six Percent): 756 million galleons
*Pending approval of projected incentives
Profit after incentives: 1,344 million galleons
**Investment Partnership receives 11.74 percent of after-incentive profit.
Ending Balance: 5,436.25 million galleons
Investment Partnership
Ending Balance: 720 million galleons
Total Ending Balance: 6,156.25 million galleons
When Harry had finished reading the summary, he handed it to Ginny, and reviewed the seven thirty-one and a half million galleon incentive authorizations, signed them, and sent them off with the Owl. Then it was his turn to sit back and watch Ginny have her annual fun. She read Fleur's letter first.
Welcome home, Ginny, and congratulations!
I am pleased to advise you that your annual incentive has been transferred to your account in the amount of 15.2 million galleons. Marauders Institute continued it's success this past year, with continued significant growth being forecast into the coming years. Please review the Marauders Institute annual incentive report, approve and return it to us for processing. The Owl will remain for your return post.
Fleur Weasley
Account Manager - Marauders Institute
Ginny negligently leafed through the pages, smiling at Harry. She pulled out her remembrall, checked for errors, and then signed the report, and within another minute or two, sent the Owl on it's way.
"Would you like to come to the party today?" she asked Harry. He gave her a hug on his way to refill his coffee.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," he answered.
"Good afternoon, everyone!" Ginny announced. There was a scattered response from her audience that ranged from quiet applause to shouts of 'Welcome back, boss!'.
"I'd like to welcome you all to what I think we can now call our annual incentive day party." Ginny looked around at the large group, now nearing four thousand strong. "Before we hand out the incentives, I'd like to remind everyone that during this coming year, you are each eligible for two weeks vacation at Marauders Paradise Resort." There was loud applause and cheering that accompanied this announcement
"Finally, I hope you all relax and enjoy yourselves this afternoon. You've all worked hard, and deserve it!"
Ginny nodded, and the department managers began handing out the incentive letters to their employees. Harry took her hand as she stepped down from the low stage she'd been speaking from.
"Just the way we like speeches - short, and with a surprise cash ending!" Ginny laughed, and hugged him. Harry saw Natalie and waved her over.
"I hear you've had a pretty decent year in the gaming division while we've been gone," he said, giving her a hug in welcome.
"That's true," she agreed, "but I'm told we're making the games too hard for the World's Worst GameWizard."
Harry laughed. "Which one of my loving group of family and friends told you about that?" he asked, and Natalie laughed too.
"Actually, Gabrielle told me about it when Owen and I were at the island." Ginny took her hand and looked at the additional ring that was now on her finger next to her engagement ring.
"And we'd heard about that," she said, smiling happily at her friend. "Eloping on an island paradise?"
Natalie laughed again. "We decided not to wait any longer. With Mum and Owen both always busy with the GamePortal stores, we decided that finding a day that worked for everyone was just too big a pain. And just think of the money we saved you guys when we didn't need the second suite anymore!" Ginny hugged her and laughed.
"Well congratulations. You guys make a great couple, and I know you're both going to be very happy together."
Harry put his arm around Natalie. "Now, how about we get down to the important things. What's the best hidden secrets in Wizard's Duel, and how can I get to the Firebolt level on BroomRacer?" Natalie laughed.
"Is this official father-in-training, or just because Gabrielle is creaming you at nearly every game?" she asked, and Harry laughed too.
"I choose answer number two, since it would just be wrong to lie to you about my motives," he told her.
Mrs. Weasley waited in her office for Harry to get there for the meeting she had scheduled with him. Penelope was with her, she probably presumed, to take notes. Harry was running a few minutes late. He'd sent her a QuillMessage on her WiComm that the Wizengamot meeting had run a little late, but that he was on the way. She had kept Harry informed of Penelope's progress since she'd hired her to become her assistant, and they had both agreed that she was ready for the next step. He knocked on the door, and then came in, hugging each woman before sitting down.
"Penelope, I've asked Harry to this meeting, because we will be discussing a promotion that I'd like to offer you." Penelope nodded her understanding, and Mrs. Weasley certainly had her undivided attention now.
"Before we begin discussing that offer, I want to tell you how glad I am you came to work for me here in the Property Division of our organization. You've been doing an outstanding job, and have helped keep all of our various projects on-time and under our budgets." Her daughter-in-law smiled.
"It's been a fun year," she answered. "If you hadn't talked me in to quitting my job at the Ministry of Magic, I would have never found out that work could actually be fun." Harry smiled as he watched them. Mrs. Weasley continued, handing Penelope a piece of parchment.
"I'm going to need you to read over that parchment, and accept the confidentiality terms within it before we can continue the meeting," she said. Penelope read it over carefully, a little surprised at the need, just to discuss a job offer, but signed it and handed it back to Molly. Mrs. Weasley took a deep breath and smiled.
"Thank-you, Penelope. You know from working with me that I am the Account Manager for the Property Division for an investment organization." Penelope nodded. "I've learned over the past year that you're one of the smartest Witches I've ever known, so I also expect that you know that Harry has something to do with this organization." She watched as Penelope nodded again.
"What you won't know, and the main reason for your letter of confidentiality, is that Harry isn't part of this investment group. He is the investment group." Penelope looked at him and surprisingly, didn't really look all that shocked. Harry smiled at her.
"I get the feeling you've had some suspicions for a while that I wasn't really your run of the mill, Godric's Hollow Cottage sort of guy," he said dryly, and Penelope laughed.
"It's a pretty good disguise," she told him, "but you have left a few clues over the last few years." Mrs. Weasley nodded, and then continued.
"In our division, Penelope, you and I are the only ones that know this, and the few of us that do know guard this secret for Harry at his request."
"I can understand that," she agreed.
"The reason we're telling you this now is because we're offering you the position of Junior Account Manager for this division, and if you accept, your training will include learning about, and working directly with myself and the other six account managers that manage Harry's investments." Molly handed Penelope several pages of parchment. "These documents contain the details of the offer, and the contract to sign if you choose to accept the offer."
Harry and Mrs. Weasley chatted about things happening with the family while Penelope read over the offer and contract. The salary was a decent improvement. She'd thought her incentive on December first had been pretty awesome, but she suspected that this amount would be on the life-changing scale. When she'd signed it and handed it back to Molly, the meeting continued.
"We'll be having our annual planning meeting at Gringotts after lunch, and you'll attend all of the account managers meetings with me from now on," Molly told her next. Picking up another sheet of parchment, she held it in her hand, but didn't hand it to Penelope yet.
"Two years ago, in addition to Harry's investment management, we began to manage an Investment Partnership that started with a select group of account managers and senior managers from some of the companies within the organization. It expanded last year, and is available to everyone who works for us now." She paused to take a drink of water. "During the meeting this afternoon, there will be a review of our previous year's performance." She handed Penelope the parchment. "We don't want you to be overwhelmed your first time there, so here's the financial summary."
Penelope's eyes widened as she quickly read the short report. "Alright, Harry," she said, looking up at him, "I'd have never in my wildest estimates guessed at this. You're like the Clark Kent of the Wizarding World." Harry laughed, but Mrs. Weasley just looked confused.
"Clark Kent is the average, unassuming alter-ego of a Muggle superhero character called Superman," Penelope explained to Molly. Mrs. Weasley laughed.
"Except our Clark Kent keeps forgetting to change into his superhero costume - like when he took on the hurricane," Penelope added. Both women laughed, and Harry just grinned. Getting back to business, Mrs. Weasley continued the meeting.
"I requested that we hire a junior account manager because, while I really love this job, I'm also finally in a position to be able to travel and do things Arthur and I could never have dreamed of doing before, and the only thing in the way of doing those things is the amount of work here." Penelope smiled, nodding her understanding.
"That's where you're going to come in. We'll work together for the next year, and then you'll be in charge of the Property Division anytime I'm away, which I hope will be for several months every year."
"I think that's a wonderful plan, Mom," Penelope told her, and Mrs. Weasley smiled, and nodded to Harry, who pulled the envelope out of his pocket, handing it to Penelope. As she read the parchment, Harry stood up.
"Welcome to senior management. Pretty fun, isn't it?" She jumped up and hugged him, then went over to hug Mrs. Weasley too. "Why don't we go out for lunch before we have to get to the Gringotts meeting," he suggested to them.
Harry opened the meeting by introducing and welcoming Penelope to the group of managers. Griphook's review of last year's performance was a little more interesting to Harry than usual, since he hadn't kept up with as much of the detail as he normally would have. He was particularly impressed with the income streams that Natalie and Luna were bringing in through the gaming systems, and the WWVN.
The Goblin went on to announce that the new investments in the Investment Partnership was an additional two hundred million galleons, bringing the partnership investment total to nine hundred and twenty million galleons, and a combined total of 6,356.25 million galleons, of which just over 1,400 million galleons was available for new investment.
Fleur was requesting only four hundred million galleons in new investment for Marauders Institute. They were doing new development, but would spend most of the year consolidating and absorbing the growth they'd experienced over the past few years before being ready to expand in new areas. Harry laughed to himself when he thought about how things had changed when he thought of four hundred million galleons in the same sentence with the word 'only', like it was pocket change.
The Goblin managers had an exceptional opportunity that they presented to Harry next. With all five goblins recommending it, and the added bonus of better balance in his investment diversity, Harry approved five hundred million galleons to their new project.
Mrs. Weasley was the last to put her proposal forward, and Harry was impressed with what he saw. The Property Division had primarily, until Mrs. Weasley took over, been a stagnant package of family homes, a few business buildings that had been empty more often than used, and private home rental properties. Since then, she'd been building and selling houses by the hundreds, and working on what was now a chain of four resorts. This proposal was to move in to commercial properties, and in a big way - buying existing buildings, and developing new buildings. The numbers were exceptional from the perspective of long-term return on investment.
"Five hundred million galleons authorized," he told her after she'd finished her presentation. "Any new business?" There wasn't anything else – as if putting one point four billion galleons into new investments wasn't enough for one day. "Meeting adjourned. Our newest member of the team needs to go home and tell her husband she's been promoted," he added, smiling fondly at Penelope.
Christmas was on a Saturday this year, and because this was, from the Weasley family point of view, a Christmas with the in-laws year, they were having the family celebration on the nineteenth. The whole clan was there, including Teddy, Andromeda, Gabrielle, and for the first time, an overwhelmed Kevin.
They enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon, playing with the children and sharing passing a few hours in entertaining, good-natured and comfortable conversation with each other. That was followed by another one of Mrs. Weasley's incredible holiday dinners. Victoire and Teddy could barely hold in their excitement as dinner came to an end, knowing that opening present time was coming up next.
Kevin was sitting next to Gabrielle in the sitting room of 'The Burrow'. His beautiful fiancée lovingly referred to this frenetic group of people as her 'adopted family', and he smiled as he watched them. They had both come from small families, and adjusting to the whirlwind of activity here took time. Harry and Ginny were sitting on the floor with the kids, and Harry smiled at him when their eyes met for a moment before Teddy drew his attention back to the kids.
He would have never suspected that when he moved to Marauders Paradise to paint that it would lead to him becoming friends with Harry Potter. When he and Gabrielle were married in a couple of weeks, they'd be more like brothers. He decided that what he was going to like most about being part of this family was that they obviously loved to have fun, and loved spending time together.
Ginny was this year's recipient of the most gag gifts. These included a maternity shirt with the caption 'He did this to me' with an arrow pointing to the side, a sign for her office door that said 'Danger! Pregnant Witch. Handle with Extreme Caution!', and a box of business cards for Marauders Institute that had added 'and Mother-to-be' under 'Executive Administrator'.
The children had the usual assortment of toy and clothing gifts, although, for the first year, George and Marietta introduced Teddy to the world of practical jokes by giving him one of their brand new junior skiving snackboxes, which had been one of his favourite presents. Andromeda and Mrs. Weasley were not amused, but they were assured that it was completely safe for little kids, doing things like making smoke come out of their ears, or making them giggle uncontrollably for a minute or two. By the time they'd explained this to the women, however, Teddy was on the floor giggling uncontrollably, after getting Victoire to eat the sweet that made smoke come out of her ears.
The entire family agreed that the best gifts of the night were the paintings that Fleur and Ginny got from Harry. Kevin had painted Gabrielle and Ginny exactly as Harry remembered a scene when they'd been walking together on the beach on a bright sunny day. Fleur's painting was of Gabrielle sitting in one of her favourite spots in the hotel atrium, smiling as she gazed at the waterfall nearby, a softness in her blue eyes that just completely drew you in to the scene.
When Kevin left with Gabrielle for the island, he had commissions for eight new portraits and six requests to view his island landscape paintings. Harry made a mental note to have Fleur invest in his art studio, and to talk to Hermione about looking into a copying process for paintings.
Marauders Paradise at Christmas was an island decorated in lights and colourful ornaments. This was Gabrielle's year to work Christmas, and so the Delacour's had happily moved their Christmas to the island. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley joined Harry and Ginny there too, since they would all be there for the wedding on New Year's Eve.
Harry loved Christmas on the islands. There were lots of Witches and Wizards that insisted that it wasn't Christmas without winter and snow, but he personally didn't understand how anyone would prefer a bitterly cold winter's night over a moonlit walk on a warm sandy beach. Christmas Eve, after they'd all settled in and Gabrielle had finished work, everyone met in the sitting room of the Delacour's suite, and had a quiet evening together. The time difference made it feel much later than it was here for everyone except Gabrielle and Kevin, so they all returned to their suites early to get some sleep.
Gabrielle was working, so Kevin had been put in charge of entertaining his family to be. They took a small boat tour around the island Christmas morning, went for lunch back at the hotel with Gabrielle, and then spent the afternoon strolling the shops in the village. They were all together again for dinner, and then they went to see the theatre troop's Christmas stage production of what was advertised as an original new Christmas story, but was obviously taken straight from A Christmas Carol, to which music and dance had been added. It was very good, though, and the troop received a standing ovation for their efforts.
The following week was filled with preparations for the wedding and for the New Year's Eve celebration. The young couple wanted a private wedding, and so it was a small group of friends and family that stood with them on the beach near Gabrielle's bungalow to witness the ceremony. There was a warm breeze coming in from the sea, and the sun was bright in the clear mid-afternoon sky.
Marauders Paradise had become a favourite place for proposals and weddings, so there was now an old wizard who had come to live on the island that performed the ceremony. The girls had decided on fairly casual attire for the wedding, so Harry and Kevin were quite comfortable in light coloured cotton suits, white shirts, and silk ties. Gabrielle and Ginny were stunning in a pair of custom designed summer dresses they had taken a trip to Paris to have created for them, and would also be perfect for the festivities that were planned for the night.
Ginny was standing next to Gabrielle, with everyone gathered around them on the beach, when the dear little old wizard began the ceremony with the usual litany on the institute of marriage. She smiled at Harry, who she thought was looking pretty darn good in his suit and tie, and winked when she caught his eye for a moment. When Gabrielle and Kevin exchanged vows, she tried not to cry as they both earnestly and eloquently professed their love for each other.
Her worldly travels had introduced her to the under-appreciated, but amazing Muggle invention called Kleenex, so when she failed in her attempt not to cry, she was at least prepared. Gabrielle and Kevin exchanged rings, and were then pronounced husband and wife. Ginny was sure that she had the tears under control, but then she lost it again as she watched them kiss for the first time as an officially married couple, and hurriedly got a few more tissues.
There was a private dinner that followed the wedding, back at the hotel. They would be joining the resort New Year's Eve celebration after dinner, which included a giant dance and party in the Atrium among other activities going on all around the island. It was just before nine o'clock when they got to the party, and the dance was about to get underway. Harry gave his wife a hug, and then he went up onto the stage that had been set up for the band that would be playing for the dance. Ginny was standing near Gabrielle and Kevin, and smiled at them when they saw Harry on the stage.
"What is he doing up there?" Gabrielle asked.
The Witch who would be making the announcements throughout the evening got everyone's attention, and proceeded to welcome all of the guests to the celebration. She then introduced Harry, and he stepped to the front of the stage.
"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and Happy New Year," he began. "Tonight we are not only celebrating a New Year, but I am pleased to have the privilege of announcing that Marauders Paradise's very own Resort Manager, Gabrielle, and her fiancée Kevin were married this afternoon. Please join me in congratulating them and wishing them well as they start their new life together." There was a loud round of applause, and when everyone quieted, Harry continued.
"Gabrielle, Kevin, would you please come out onto the dance floor, and begin the evening with the first dance?" he asked, inviting them with a wave of his hand and a bright, encouraging smile.
The happy couple walked out onto the dance floor, and the music started, but Harry did not leave the stage. Instead, he delivered a tender performance of the love song that Ginny and Fleur had picked out for him to sing to his young friends. The entire atrium was totally silent, except for the music. The couple danced in the centre of the floor, her arms around his neck, his around her waist, lost in the moment and in each other's eyes.
When the last notes of the song faded away, they kissed tenderly, and then walked over toward the stage as everyone else watched with a silent wonder at what they'd all just gotten to see and hear. Gabrielle had tears in her eyes as she hugged Harry when he stepped off the stage.
"That was a beautiful surprise," she told him. "Thank-you." He and Kevin also exchanged hugs, and then they went back over to join Ginny and the rest of their family again.
The young Witch was again at the front of the stage with tears in her eyes. She added her congratulations to the newlyweds, and suggested a round of applause for Harry, which she received. There were a few announcements, and then the band was introduced, and the party went into full swing.
Ginny had her eyes closed, and was contentedly letting her husband move them slowly around on the dance floor. She was having a wonderful night, dancing and celebrating a New Year, and Gabrielle and Kevin's marriage. They had all 'rung in the New Year' already, and her Mum and Dad had headed for bed. The dance floor was now filled with mostly younger couples, Fleur's parents being two of the few exceptions. She smiled as she remembered how some of the Witches that knew her from Marauders Institute had come up and told her how Harry's singing had just totally melted them. 'And he's all mine' she thought to herself happily.
"It's getting late," he whispered into her ear. "Why don't we wish the happy couple the best, and I'll take you to bed and love you forever."
There were a lot of amazing things happening through the first half of the year, and Harry was, at least partially aware of them. His nearly total focus, however, was on taking care of his wife. He still took Teddy on trips, and they went to see the Cannons play a few times, and he always had time for his adorable little charmer of a niece, Victoire, but he doted on Ginny day and night.
Breakfast in bed was a regular occurrence. Flowers at work - at least once a week. When she was busy with some project in her labs, Winky would deliver a lunch for her and anyone else lucky enough to be working with her that day. Ginny's evenings began with a bubble bath, followed by wonderful dinners.
When they weren't busy with the regular activities that they did with family and friends, they'd share a quiet evening together, reading or watching something on WWVN. When their days were done, if she had fallen asleep, he'd carry her up to bed. On nights she was uncomfortable, he rubbed her back for hours, and would hold her close to offer whatever comfort he could give her.
Victoire turned five years old, and Teddy was very proud to be a grown up and mature seven. Marauders Institute, guided by a great team of managers, continued to develop new games, variations of the different devices, and continued the new research in every field that was so important to the company's future. The Chudley Cannons had another very good season, with only four losses, but were upset in the first round of the playoffs when the Arrows Seeker caught the snitch for a surprise three hundred and ten to two hundred and forty win that quickly ended the drive for a 'four-peat'. Mrs. Weasley and Penelope were racing through the commercial property industry like wind blowing a fire before them, and their resorts and housing interests were outperforming expectations.
Ginny was working in her lab with Natalie. It was the middle of June, and she was trying to get a problem worked out with one of her research projects. Stretching for a moment, she put her arms around her large stomach, and certainly not for the first time felt like a beached whale. 'Just call me Namu', she thought to herself, recalling their visit to Marineland in Niagara Falls, and the trained whales they'd seen. Suddenly, she felt a very strong pain, and an 'Oh!' escaped her lips. Natalie looked up from what she was working on.
"Are you okay Ginny?" she asked her friend. Ginny waited for a moment before the pain eased and she could answer.
"I think so. Whatever that was, I really felt it." Natalie went over to her and put an arm around her.
"Maybe you should get off your feet for a while," she suggested. Ginny nodded, but as they started to walk toward one of the work stools, the pain was back again.
"On second thought, I think maybe we had better take a trip to St. Mungo's," Ginny panted, paling a little bit. "I get the feeling that there's someone that's decided not to wait anymore to join us here in the outside world." Natalie grabbed her WiComm, and in a few seconds, Hermione was there to help, and together they took Ginny to St. Mungo's.
Harry was at Hogwarts playing with Teddy when his WiComm went off. He saw Hermione's smiling face when he opened it.
"Hi, beautiful," he said, smiling back at her. "This is a nice surprise."
Hermione laughed. "A better surprise than you think. I'm here with Ginny at St. Mungo's, and your baby has decided that it wants to come early."
Harry's hands began to shake. When Hermione saw his image jumping around because of that, she told him to take the floo to the hospital - they didn't need to have to worry about him losing an arm or leg in an apparition accident. Harry let Andromeda know where they were going, and he took Teddy with him to St. Mungo's.
Early that evening, Harry sat on the side of Ginny's bed, with his arms around his beautiful wife and the incredible little baby boy they had made together. Only a short while ago, he had been with Ginny, holding her hand as this miracle was born, and he was still sorting through all of the emotions, awed by how powerfully the experience had touched him.
"You are both so beautiful," he told Ginny, giving her a soft, lingering kiss. She absolutely glowed as she looked up and saw tears shimmering in his eyes.
"We did a pretty good job with him, if I do say so myself," she said, smiling at him. There was a knock on the door, and Hermione came in with Teddy and Victoire.
"You've got a couple of little visitors who'd like to meet their new cousin before going home to bed," she informed them. Harry and Ginny both smiled, and Harry lifted Victoire up onto the bed, and then picked Teddy up into his lap so that they could both see the baby.
"Hi James" the little girl said. "I'm your cousin Victoire." James was sleeping, and didn't wake. "He's very tiny," Victoire noticed. "Can I hold him Aunt Ginny?" She smiled happily when her aunt nodded, helped her to carefully hold the baby in her arms, and then put her arms around both of them. She looked up at Ginny and smiled.
"He's very nice and soft and warm. Do you think mommy and daddy would let me get one?" Ginny hugged her tightly.
"I don't know, honey, but I guess it couldn't hurt to ask them. If they won't, though, you can come and play with ours anytime." Harry and Hermione laughed. Teddy was looking at the baby in Victoire's arms.
"You're sure he's a boy, right Aunt Ginny?" he asked, and she nodded, smiling at him and reaching out to tousle his hair.
"Good," Teddy decided. "When he grows up a little, I'll have another boy to play with." Victoire looked at him crossly.
"What's wrong with having girls to play with?" she demanded.
"Nothing," he told her - "if you don't mind getting icky girl germs all over you." Hermione picked him up from Harry's lap, and laughed.
"Then watch out buddy, cause here they come!" she told him, and then proceeded to kiss him all over his face, and hug him, which made Victoire giggle.
"Come on, Victoire, it's time to let Aunt Ginny get some rest, and for you two to get home to bed," Hermione told her niece.
Teddy and Victoire were nearly the last of the visitors, which Hermione had regulated carefully. The last to come in were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They hugged Harry and Ginny, and each took a turn holding James.
"He's so perfect," Molly told them quietly. "You're definitely a Weasley too," she told the baby. "All in a rush to get here, and from what we heard earlier, you'll definitely be loud enough to keep up with the rest of your family."
Mr. Weasley smiled at his wife. "I don't think that's just our side of the family, dear. Remember James was quite the character too when he was young." Harry thought their baby was a perfect mix of his parents - Ginny's eyes for sure, and his hair colour. Mrs. Weasley looked at her daughter critically.
"James is sleeping for now, honey. Why don't you let me take him to the nursery so you can get some sleep before he'll want his next feeding." Ginny and Harry both kissed their baby, and then Mum and Dad left to take him across the hall to the nursery. Ginny lay back into the pillows and sighed.
"Too bad we couldn't be home in our own bed tonight," she said regretfully. Harry laughed.
"It's only for tonight while they make sure you're both fine, and so the restoratives can have a chance to work," he told her. She opened her eyes and smiled.
"Come closer, and give me a kiss," she invited.
Harry smiled. "Sure, but just remember it was your idea. You told me that's what started all of this last time." The next morning, two very proud young parents took their little baby home to their cottage near Godric's Hollow.