Maybe Next Time

Chapter Six

"We need to get to work on the nursery, Harry," Ginny told her husband one day.

"I have work today," he reminded her.
"I don't care, tell Kingsley you can't go," she demanded.

"Yes, Ginny," he agreed. He found it easier to just agree with Ginny when she was pregnant.

"I was thinking she could take the room next to us and across from Albus, it's big but not too big." Ginny told him, and he nodded.

"Yeah, that's perfect,"

"And I want the ceiling to be like a night sky during the night, and a sunny daytime sky during the day, with the walls to be like a brilliant yellow that will match the sun and the stars."

Harry kept nodding.

"And the furniture….I want it to be a lovely deep stained wood, all the furniture the same wood- like the changing table, crib, dresser…."

Harry nodded.

"And the bedding, a pale yellow as well, and… will you stop nodding?!"

"Sorry, Gin, er, sorry."

"Send the boys to Hermione's and then we can go shopping." She gave him a stern look.

"Yes, Gin."

"Now!"

"Oh, er, yes, Gin. Teddy! James! Albus!"

oOo

"It looks so good," Hermione gushed as she got the grand tour around Lily's nursery. They had added paintings of lilies around the white trim near the hardwood floor as an afterthought, and Ginny completely adored it.

"If….. Er, if my baby had lived, she would have had a pink room. I would have named her Rose." Hermione said slowly.

"That sounds lovely," Ginny told her best friend, speaking carefully.

"Thank you." Hermione changed the subject. "How much longer until you're due?"

Ginny brightened significantly. "Three months."

"You're enormous!"

"And I'm only going to grow more and get crabbier." Ginny laughed. "Harry should be used to it though, this is my third pregnancy and hopefully my last."

"How many kids are you wanting?" Hermione said softly.

"I don't really know. With Teddy, we have three already, so four. Only four," Ginny backtracked as she saw Hermione's face.

"Listen, I better get going," Hermione murmured.

"Alright, I'm sorry, Mione."

"Wait! Aunt Hermione!" James came sprinting up the stairs. "I love you!"

"Aw, Jamie, I love you too, hon," she kissed his cheek and then Apparated away.

"Is Aunt Hermione sad, Mummy?" James asked Ginny. She picked him up and cuddled him.

"Yes, honey, she's sad right now."

"Why is she sad?"
"Well…she and Uncle Ron are fighting."

"Why?"

"Because Uncle Ron said some mean things to Aunt Hermione."

"Why?"

When will he stop talking? "Sometimes, people say some mean things to people they love, even if they don't mean it."

"Like when Teddy called me a meanie?"

"Er…. Yes, like that."

"Oh. Okay."

"Understand?"
"Yup."

"Go play with your brothers now, okay?"

"Okay."

Ginny let him down and watched him run down the hallway.
"Hey, James?"

The five year-old turned around. "Yeah, Mum?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, and Lily, and Teddy, and Al, and Daddy, and Grandmum, and Granddad, and"-

"Lots of love, James, right?"
"Right." He smiled his tooth-missing little grin.

He ran back, hugged his mummy, and looked at her ever-growing belly.

"Hi Lily, I'm James, your best big brother. See you soon!" He kissed her stomach and then ran back down the stairs. Ginny smiled.

"I'm so fat," Ginny moaned. "Get this thing out of me!"

"You're not fat," Harry told her, wrapping his arms around her middle. "You're beautiful."

"Don't touch me," she pushed him away.
"Ooh, Daddy, you just got rejected," James giggled. Harry and Ginny laughed.

"Don't worry, Gin, you only have another month." Harry attempted to comfort her.

"Ughhhhh," she groaned, turning to face the mirror. "I look like a whale! I need another month of this?"

"Don't worry, babe," Harry kissed her, grinning at the boys. Ginny slapped his shoulder.

"'Don't worry, babe,'" Teddy and James imitated, then burst out laughing.

"Hey, dudes," Harry covered a smile. "One day you will have girlfriends, and women love to be called babe." He winked at Ginny, who scowled, rubbing her enormous belly and turning in the mirror.

Teddy cocked his head, watching Harry intently. "I'll never have a girlfriend," he finally declared.

"Me neither," James repeated. He practically worshipped the ground Teddy walked on.

"Oh, yeah? What about you and Vicky, Ted?" He flushed red.

"Nothing, Harry," he mumbled.

"You'll have some time to prove that 'nothing' to me in two weeks for Dommie's birthday," Harry smiled crookedly at Teddy, who shoved his face in his hands.

"Harry, stop it!" he moaned, embarrassed.

"Never," he snickered. "I promise to embarrass you until you're thirty."

"What have I done?" Teddy covered his ears, his hair turning neon orange.

"Happy birthday, dear Dommie, happy birthday to you!" everyone cheered two weeks later as Dommie smiled, taking a big breath and blowing out her six candles on her cake shaped like the Sorting Hat.

"Cake now, please?" Albus demanded.

"Of course, darling," Molly pinched his cheek.

"Hey, babe," Teddy winked at Victoire. "Want me to get cake for you?"

"Er… okay," Victoire looked at her toes, smiling, sneaking glances at Teddy as he sloppily cut a slice of chocolate cake for Vic. Fleur and Bill were stifling laughs.

Ginny's mouth dropped, and she whipped around to face Harry. "You prat! He's copying you!"

"He sure knows how to charm the ladies, though, right babe?" Harry smirked.

"Hopeless," Ginny sighed, rubbing her belly and lower back, cringing.

"What's wrong?" Harry immediately asked.

"I don't know," Ginny muttered, massaging her lower back. "My back is hurting, and there are dull pains in my stomach. I'm fine, though."

"Mama! Daddy!" Victoire piped up, running to her parents, grasping Teddy's hand. They were both grinning widely, Teddy's hair was bright blue.

"Hey, Mum, guess what?" Teddy exclaimed at the same moment.

"What is it, honey?" Ginny grimaced, and smiled at him.

"What's up, kiddo?" Bill mussed Vic's long blonde locks. She jerked away from him, patting her hair down.

"Teddy is my boyfriend now!" Victoire beamed. The family room burst into laughter. Bill laughed loudly, Harry chuckled at his son, and George turned to his son.

"Get a lady, son! Be more like James!" He teased.

Ginny and Fleur laughed the hardest, though. Ginny was crying and Fleur was wiping her eyes. Suddenly, once the laughter died down, there was a loud gasp and a cry.

"Mummy went potty!" Albus shrieked.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked Ginny immediately. She hit him.

"You prat, my water broke! I need to go to St. Mungo's!" She shouted. Harry didn't move, his eyes widened, and he looked paralyzed.

"NOW, YOU GIT!" Ginny screamed. Harry shot up.
"Come on, let's Floo, it's safer." He held Ginny's wrist as she shuffled over to the fireplace.

"What's going on, Mummy?" Al's voice rose an octave.

"Nothing's wrong, Al, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur will bring you to the hospital later, okay?" Ginny panted.

"Why the hospital?" Al's face turned red, on the verge of a breakdown.

"Eet eez okay, Albus." Fleur comforted him.

"Harry," Ginny grimaced. "Feel like leaving anytime soon?"

"Oh! Oh, yeah!" Harry grabbed a handful of Floo powder, tossed it into the fireplace.

"St. Mungo's!" He declared, and they were whisked away in green flame.