Lily stepped out of Ginny's bedroom forty five minutes later and turned, unsurprised to see both her son and husband sitting there waiting.
"How is she?" asked Harry, jumping up. He looked over his mother's shoulder, in the hopes that Ginny would appear.
Lily took Harry's hand and gestured for him to sit back down. "Poor thing, she's so exhausted. The hormones, the changes to her body... you men have no idea," she sighed.
"She was crying. Is she okay now?" asked Harry, worried.
"She's been worried about your reaction, and she's missing her mother. Quite natural, really," reassured Lily. "Now, what about you? How do feel about all this?" she asked her son.
Harry grinned and jumped up. "I can't believe it. It's brilliant, I mean, like I told Ginny, I'd hoped we'd have a couple of years together, but this is our baby! This little one couldn't wait to be with us, and here he is," said Harry, smiling goofily.
Lily and James exchanged a smile. Then James looked at Harry.
"He? It's a boy?" he asked, hopefully.
Harry shrugged. "I reckon, but Ginny thinks its a girl. I don't care, it's my child. Dad, I'm going to be a dad!" he cried, excited. James hugged his son.
"You and Ginny have got a lot to discuss," reminded Lily, "but she's agreed to come to ours tonight and tell the rest of the family. I think you need to treat her with kid gloves for the next few days, she's still quite emotional."
Harry nodded. "Good, we have to plan the wedding. I wonder if she'd mind getting married in our church. Merlin, I'll need to go and talk to her dad again," he said, mentally running through a to-do list in his head.
"Again? You've already talked to her father?" asked Lily, surprised. She had met Arthur before, and liked the older man.
"The day after I met her," nodded Harry. "I went to his office, and told him I loved Ginny and intended marrying her," he said, confidently.
"Harry," sighed Lily, yet smiling and shaking her head. She should have known he'd be like this when he found his true love. "You've always been exuberant and tenacious to the things that matter to you, but I think, in this case, you need to take a step back. Just a bit," she hinted.
But Harry shook his head. "No, Mum, sorry, but I need to speak with him. He needs to know Ginny won't be alone in this, and that I intend to follow through on what I told him before. Ginny WILL be my wife," he said, determinedly.
"Don't I get a say in that?" asked Ginny, from the doorway.
"Ginny!" Harry rushed to her side. "Of course you do, like where and when."
"How do you feel, dear. You haven't been asleep long," chided Lily.
Ginny moved further into the lounge. "Much better. Thank you for letting me cry on your shoulder," she said.
"Poor thing," said James, opening his arms to to hug her. "Don't ever think you're alone, anymore. We're here for you, you're family now," he whispered.
"Thank you," said Ginny, letting him guide her to the couch. "I have to admit, I've been worried about your reactions."
"We love babies in our family," said James, and Harry nodded eagerly.
"Well, just a warning, this might be your only one, my brothers may be on a hunt to castrate you," Ginny told Harry.
He winced, covering his man parts. "Then I defintely need to go and speak with them, sooner rather than later," he said, decisively.
"Ginny, dear, if you're feeling better, we'll return home, but we'll see you both for dinner tonight. I know the girls will love to see you again," smiled Lily.
She smiled back. "I'd love to see them too, and Teddy," she said.
James and Lily smiled in approval. "Good. Come over anytime, either your father or I will be home for the rest of the day," said Lily to Harry. She stood and hugged Ginny, and then she and James Flooed home.
Ginny yawned. "How about you go back and lay down, try and get more sleep?" Harry suggested.
She nodded and stood. She turned to go, but turned back to hug him. "Thank you for getting your mum. She was just what I needed," she said.
Harry stroked her hair, and gently kissed her. "Can I get you anything? Food, drink, Vegemite?" he teased.
Ginny chuckled and kissed his cheek. "I'm fine, thanks."
She turned to go and he patted her bottom. "Good. I'll be right here if you change your mind," he said, settling on the couch with the Daily Prophet.
"You're staying?" asked Ginny, surprised.
"Oh, did you want me to go, because I will if you want me to," he said, hurriedly.
"No." She smiled softly. "No, I'd like it if you stayed," she said.
"Good," he said, nodding. Ginny turned to go to her room, but when he called her name, she stopped to turn back to him.
"Just so you know, I intend to be a big part of this pregnancy. I know I've missed the first part, but I don't want to miss anymore," he said.
"Well, technically, I think you were there for the first part," she teased, and he chuckled. "But I know what you mean, and I'm glad. I have to tell you, Harry, I'm scared shitless."
"Lucky for you, our baby hasn't grown his ears in yet," admonished Harry, teasingly.
Ginny laughed. "I feel so much better now you're here, and your parents know," she admitted.
"Good, now go to sleep," he ordered.
"Bossy, much," she huffed, but she smiled and went into the bedroom.
Harry let out a huge sigh, any longer and he would have scooped her up and taken her to her bed himself, and not to sleep. "Baby, you have no idea," he said, referring to her bossy comment.
He had big plans for them, and wasn't accustomed to not getting his way. And if there was something he wanted, he'd do anything to get it.
And he wanted Ginny to be his wife. Before the baby arrived.
~00~
Dinner went smoothly. Both Mia and Violet hugged her, with Mia telling Ginny she suspected after their meeting in Surrey. Draco and Neville hugged and congratulated her, welcoming her to the family.
The girls were thrilled to learn about a new cousin coming before Christmas, but Teddy was upset to learn she wasn't allowed to fly at the moment, due to her dizzy spells, which her midwitch had put down to stress.
Harry barely left her side, and was very attentive to her needs. However, between dinner and taking coffee and tea in the lounge, he asked if she would excuse him for a while, as there was someone he needed to talk to. As Ginny was happily playing Exploding Snap with Teddy, she told him to go.
After the umpteenth game, and while the family were planning to combine their Fathers Day celebrations and Draco's birthday, Ginny took a moment to step outside for some fresh air. Lily's lovely garden reminded her of her own mother's love of flowers, and Ginny closed her eyes to imagine her child running around out here in a year or two.
"Is everything all right?"
Ginny opened her eyes to see Sirius had come outside and was watching her.
"Fine, thanks. Just felt like some fresh air, and it's gorgeous out here," she said, truthfully.
"Do you love my godson?" he asked suddenly.
Ginny sucked in a breath. "We're having a baby together, so I think it's fair to say I don't hate him."
He barked out a laugh. "A sense of humour, I like it."
"But not me," guessed Ginny.
"I don't know you," said Sirius. "I figure I should get to know you, seeing as you're now part of the family," he said.
"I can tell you're thrilled about that," said Ginny, dryly. "Are you like this with all Harry's girlfriends?"
"No," admitted Sirius. "They weren't important, and he knew it. But you...he knew you were the one the minute he saw you. I want to know how you feel about him?" he urged.
"Honestly, I barely know him. That's why this whole pregnancy thing has got my head in a spin. We were in a getting to know each other phase, then – bang- I'm pregnant. I like Harry, he's a nice guy and he's been great so far, but I really don't know what's going to happen, and that's the truth. I can't offer any more than that," she said.
Sirius eyed her; she seemed to be telling the truth. "And if I were to tell you that Harry is over at the Godric's Hollow church, talking to Father Oldman about a wedding ceremony, how would that make you feel?" he asked, curiously.
She cursed, making him raise his eyebrows in admiration for her use of her colourful vocabularly. "- bogey hex, that prat!" she fumed, finishing off quite lamely.
Sirius turned to face her. "Harry is not only my godson, he's as good as a son to me, and I won't have anyone hurting him, or this family. He's known about this Potter Legend all his life, and he deserves the very best in a woman, someone who will be loving and supporting," he said.
"And you don't think that's me," said Ginny.
Sirius shrugged. "Time will tell," he said simply.
"Here you are," said Harry, stepping outside. He lit up when he saw Sirius was with her. "Thanks for looking after Ginny for me, Sirius. My two favourite people, getting to know each other," he gushed, looking between them.
Ginny smiled faintly, and Sirius smiled weakly, before excusing himself to go in and speak to Remus about something.
"After my parents, Sirius was the first one I told about the baby. He's like a second father to me," said Harry.
"I can tell, he told me how much he loves and cares for you," said Ginny, smiling.
"He's great," nodded Harry happily. "We'll have to pick some pretty special people for this little guy's godparents," he said, caressing her bump.
"Girl. It's a girl," reminded Ginny, for the umpteenth time.
"We'll see," grinned Harry, and took her hand. "Ready for home?"
Ginny nodded, and they went to farewell the family.
~00~
The next day, when Fred and George stepped out of the fireplace of the Burrow, they called out to their dad, but there was no answer. They searched the house, but there was no reply.
They Flooed Bill at Shell Cottage, and he said he hadn't heard from their dad, and promised to come over immediately. Ron said the same, and Percy said he'd get there as soon as he could. They agreed there was no need to worry Charlie at this stage.
After the four of them had combed the house from top to bottom, they decided to separate and search the grounds. However, before they barely started, the shed door opened and Arthur stepped out, chuckling, followed by Harry.
"Dad!" exclaimed George, in relief. He yelled out to the others that he'd found their dad, and hurried over to Arthur. "We were a bit worried when we couldn't find you," he explained, as both Arthur and Harry seemed surprised to see the four young men there.
"Hi, I'm Harry," said Harry, holding out his hand for George to shake.
"George," said George, shaking his hand. He pointed out the others. "That there is Bill, and over there is Ron. The good looking one over there is Fred."
Harry chuckled, liking George's sense of humour. "Twins, great!"
Arthur put his hands on both George and Harry's shoulders. "Shall we go into the house, I could do with a cup of tea," he said.
George gestured to the others that they were heading for the house. The other three met up and walked back together, the two elder brothers tackling their little brother, good naturedly. Harry liked the camraderie he sensed between the brothers, it reminded him of his dad and his friends.
He waited in the lounge as George and Arthur headed for the kitchen, with one setting out cups, and the other foraging for cake and biscuits. Harry tried to imagine Ginny's mother bustling around, the kitchen her domain, and realised in this male stronghold, how close Ginny must have been with her mum. Now he hoped she was right and they were having a little girl called Molly.
Ron, Bill and Fred came in, still teasing and taunting poor Ron about Hermione, which Harry took to be the Hermione who had been with Ginny at the party. Spotting him standing there, Ron came over to Harry.
"Hi, I'm Ron Weasley," he said, offering his hand. His brothers followed, introducing themselves, little knowing that Ginny had already explained tp him who was who in her family.
"Here we go, boys," called Arthur, putting a pot on the table. "Not as good as your mothers, but then again, your mother was in a league of her own when it came to baking," he said sadly.
Harry noticed the boy's expressions stilled for a moment, and surmised that the heart and soul of this family had been Molly Weasley, and that she was greatly missed.
"So Harry, what brings you to the Burrow?" asked Bill, pleasantly.
"I came to speak to your dad about Ginny," said Harry.
"Ginny? She's okay, isn't she?" asked George.
"She's fine. She's pregnant," said Harry, nodding. He noted that, at the mention of Ginny, all the brothers had stopped eating and drinking out of concern.
"We know," mumbled Ron, who was the first to resume eating. He swallowed and and looked at the other brothers. "Have we had any luck finding the guy?" he asked.
"I checked out some guy named Pete," shrugged Fred. "It wasn't him."
"You don't need to do that," said Harry.
"Oh, yes we do," said Ron, firmly.
"Boys," warned Arthur.
"We need to know who this guy is, what his intentions are towards Ginny," said Ron.
"I still think we should trust Ginny, she doesn't tolerate idiots and definitely wouldn't hook up with one," said George.
"Thank you," said Harry.
"Wait, exactly who are you?" asked Fred, eyeing Harry.
Harry grinned. "I wondered when one of you would ask. I'm your new brother," he announced grandly, his arms outstretched, as if waiting for hugs.
There was silence. Arthur watched his sons, amused to see their reactions. Harry was quite a revelation, had been ever since he'd cornered him in his office announcing he was going to marry his daughter as soon as he possibly could.
"Erm, Dad, aren't you a bit old to adopt?" teased Fred.
"Unless he did a swap for Percy," suggested George.
"Dad, what the - " started Bill, when the Floo lit up and Percy stumbled out.
"I'm here, oh, you found him, good. Dad, where were you?" he asked, then spotted Harry. "Hello, Percy Weasley," he said, offering his hand.
"Hi, I'm Harry, your new brother. No, your dad hasn't adopted me, or done a swap for any of your brothers. I'm going to marry your sister," said Harry.
"Ginny? You're marrying Ginny?" asked Percy, surprised. "I didn't know she was seeing anybody." He turned to the others. "Why am I always the last to know anything that goes on in this family?"
"Yes, I'm marrying Ginny, unless you have another sister that's pregnant with my baby," said Harry, calmly. He held up the plate of biscuits to Percy. "Jam or shortbread?" he asked.
Ron spat out his tea. "Bloody hell," he said, wiping his mouth with his arm. Arthur winced, knowing Molly would have berated him for that. "It's you!"
"Yep," said Harry, proudly.
"Boys, Harry came to me today to tell me he has only the best of intentions where Ginny is concerned," said Arthur, quickly.
"Ginny's been quite emotional lately, she doesn't need any extra stress," said Harry. "I won't have you upsetting her."
"You...won't have us...upsetting her," repeated Ron. He glared at Harry. "She's our sister! We don't upset her, we protect her," he insisted.
Harry nodded. "Good, then you'll give her some space. Look, I have two sisters myself, and I know what I'd be like if some guy hurt them, but I'm not like that. Ginny's the one for me, and the baby is a welcome surprise," he said.
"So when's the wedding?" asked George, calmly. Harry decided he quite liked the twins.
"The sooner the better, as far as I'm concerned, but it's totally up to Ginny. She's...she's really missing her mum right now, and planning a wedding might make her even more upset."
"GINNY'S PREGNANT!" cried Percy finally, aghast.
Harry, Arthur and the rest of the brothers chuckled. "Looks like Perce is up to speed," commented Bill.
"Guess we should let Charlie know, so we don't have to go through this again."
"How...when," sputtered Percy, turning red.
"As I was telling Arthur, she's due at the end of October or early November. As to the how, I think Arthur should be the one to talk to you about that," said Harry, teasingly.
George and Fred snorted. "Welcome to the family, Harry," they chorused.
Percy was still trying to get his head around the fact that his sister was pregnant. "So her Quidditch injury was what, a lie?"
"That was the Harpies call, not Ginny's," said Harry sternly.
"What's going to happen after the baby comes? Is she going to continue her career? Is she okay for money?" asked Percy, thinking practically.
"Ginny's not thinking long term at the moment," said Harry, "but you don't have to worry about money." The Potters were very well off, financially.
He knew immediately he's said the wrong thing. The brothers had all stiffened, affronted. Even Arthur looked embarassed, for thought they may not have had much money, they'd always had love in abundance. Harry felt bad for making the older man feel that way.
"I just meant, Ginny's got a little nest egg saved up from her contract, and has paid ahead on her lease," explained Harry. He didn't mention his plans for the two of them to live at Godric's Hollow in the little cottage his parents had started their married life in.
Arthur and the Weasley boys let out a sigh of relief. "My girl's got a good head on her shoulders," said Arthur.
"Still, it wouldn't hurt to put some extra funds her way. Make it look like a gift for the baby," mused George.
"The shop's doing well enough," nodded Fred, in agreement.
"I can spare some galleons each week," said Ron, who worked at the Department for Magical Sports and Games.
"Aren't you saving for a ring for Hermione?" teased Fred.
"Shut it," snarled Ron. "We're just friends, that's all."
"Maybe Hermione likes this guy named Pete," suggested Bill.
"She certainly remembered him from last December," hinted Fred.
"Who's Pete?" asked Percy, lost again.
Harry patted him on the shoulder. "No-one you need to worry about, Percy."
"Oh. Good," he said, expelling air. "Please tell Ginny I'd like to see her for myself, make sure she's okay," he said.
"Harry was just talking about that," said Arthur. "He suggested we join his family for a Father's Day celebration. Seems appropriate," he joked.
Harry laughed in agreeance.
~00~
The combined Father's Day/Draco's birthday celebration was a success. Arthur was heartily welcomed by both James and Lily, as both a co-worker at the Ministry and a fellow grandparent.
The twins were explaining some of their wheezes and pranks to Sirius and Frank, who told them of some of the pranks he, Remus, James and Frank had gotten up to in their time at Hogwarts.
Percy found himself chatting with Remus, while Bill talked with Tonks, about Charlie who she remembered from Hogwarts, and various cases they'd each worked on for Gringott's.
Fleur was welcomed by Mia and Violet, and Victoire was immediately drawn into Serah and Daisy's circle, although she seemed strangely shy around Teddy Lupin.
Ron was chatting enthusiastically with Draco about Quidditch, and Ginny found herself chatting with Neville and his mother, Alice.
Serah helped her daddy blow out the candles on his birthday cake, and then all the father's received presents.
Harry was touched when Ginny handed him a present. It was a copy of the first picture she had of the baby, from her mid-witch. She had also included a little pink onesie, that read 'Daddy's little Witch.'
"Oh, wow," said Harry, holding it up for everyone to see. "I love it," he said to her, amidst all the laughter.
"And on the off chance that you're right..." Ginny held up a blue onesie, that read, 'Daddy's little wizard.'
Harry choked up, and he pulled her close for a hug. He inhaled her flowery scent. "Thank you," he whispered. "I love you."
Ginny hugged him back, wishing desperately she could say the words back to him. As she pulled back from him, over his shoulder, she saw Sirius watching them, as he usually did.
Ginny smiled at Harry, a strained one, then they both turned their attention back to the party.
