Chapter 7 Happy Husband, Happy Baby

Harry and Ginny had to wait five weeks to tell the family that the baby in Harry's stomach was a girl. The main reason for the delay was James had come down with Dragon Pox two days after the ultrasound appointment, prompting Harry and Albus to retreat to the Burrow for the weeklong period James would be considered contagious. Then Easter came in April, bringing with it colds that ran through almost the entire family. Albus was hospitalized because of dehydration. Ginny and Molly took turns taking care of him in the hopes that Harry didn't get sick. When everyone was well again, Hermione and Ron announced that they were having a boy. Not wanting Ron and Hermione to have to share the spotlight, Harry and Ginny opted to wait.

James's birthday came in the middle of April, almost a month after finding out what the baby was. Tomorrow they would announce to the family that their baby was a girl. Ginny knew her mother was secretly working on pink blankets and booties.

Harry had taken Shanti's suggestion and in April, he cut down on his hours at work. He would be on paternity leave a few weeks before the baby was due and then an additional month after the birth. He would most likely go back to work in September. In the meantime, James and Albus loved having Harry home. He wasn't allowed to lift James, but Albus he could. James was in the independence stage where he didn't want Ginny or Harry to do anything. He didn't want them to go to the bathroom with him, but Ginny would still go because he still didn't clean himself properly.

The warm spring weather caused the usually comfortable Burrow to be a sweatbox for Harry and Hermione. Ginny placed a strong cooling charm she'd used when she was pregnant on Harry to keep him from having a heat stroke.

When they entered the Burrow, one Sunday in late April, all conversations had stopped and they looked at Harry and Ginny.

"Well?" Charlie asked.

"Are you going to tell us what the little monkey is, as Harry puts it?" George asked.

The room was silent until Ginny said, "It's a girl!"

Cheers and groans filled the air followed by hugs.

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After a lunch of grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, the women all gathered under the shade of the old oak tree in the back.

"How much longer, Hermione?" Audrey asked.

"Not too long, he's a lot farther than we thought. I'm thirty weeks as of today," Hermione replied, turning to watch Ron play with Rose. She looked over and saw Harry, James, and Albus under the shade of the trees on the other side of the yard.

"How's Harry?" Angelina asked, following her eyes to the boys.

"Good," Ginny replied. "He's been having more back pain, which at this stage in the pregnancy is normal. Mum's watching the boys next weekend, so I can spend some time with him."

Talk then turned to what the men had done for each of them during their pregnancies, and then Fleur asked how Ginny much longer it would be until Harry's paternity leave.

"I'm not sure, he hasn't when said yet," said Ginny. "He's decided that we're going to the memorial next week, though."

The ladies all looked at Ginny, surprised. Next week would mark ten years since the Battle of Hogwarts. Kingsley didn't ask Harry to speak to the service because he didn't want to cause any more stress on him, especially now, so close to his due date. Despite this attempt, Harry had already planned on attending the memorial.

Which was the reason Ginny was going to wait until after the memorial to pamper Harry.

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Harry didn't sleep the night of May 1st going into the morning of May 2nd. His mind kept repeating the images. The Horcrux hunt, breaking into the ministry and Gringotts, the battle, in the beginning, the deaths, and so much more, especially the aftermath. Ginny had jumped in his arms when he returned to the Great Hall after disposing of the Elder Wand and repairing his own.

He relived the battle for months and sometimes with different outcomes. The most common one – that the killing curse that passed Ginny's ear did hit her. She was his reason for fighting and without her, his life was meaningless.

However for Ginny, the day was not only a reminder of the battle, losing her brother and nearly losing Harry, but it was also a reminder of that dark time when James was a baby. He was just a newborn when Harry had received word that Hermione and the other ministry employees who were working on house elf rights and werewolf rights were receiving death threats.

Ron was put on administrative leave because of Hermione. In the end, he helped bring in the person responsible. Harry had gone to arrest the person, only to discover that it was Rita Skeeter. Her partner was a former Auror who hated Harry. It was during his arrest that he attacked Harry, knocking him unconscious.

They could think their lucky stars that Harry wasn't seriously hurt. The blast from the explosion caused Harry to fly ten feet, knocking him unconscious. He was in a potion-induced coma for nearly two weeks, though. Ginny had never been scared like that since the battle.

Harry's biggest fear in life may have been losing Ginny, but Ginny's biggest fear in life was losing him.

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The alarm clock on the bedside table showed that it was five fifteen. Harry knew he wouldn't go back to sleep. He felt Lily moving around in his stomach as he slowly got out of bed. To his relief, Ginny was still asleep.

Harry walked across the hall to what once was Teddy's room, but would soon be Lily's. Teddy was sleeping in the bed that was still there. The house had a two-sided attic. While one side was finished and the other wasn't. The finished side was going to be Teddy's new room, so his old room could be Lily's.

Harry went to the room next door and watched James sleep. He slept like Harry did, all over the place. Ginny had once joked that she needed to put a shield charm in the middle of their bed to keep Harry from rolling onto her.

He crossed the hallway, backtracking to his and Ginny's bedroom, quietly as to not wake Ginny. He reached his destination, passed the hall bathroom and to Albus's room. His room was the closest to Harry and Ginny because when he came home from the hospital, he required extra care than what James did. Harry had placed a charm on the room that alerted them to any distress Albus may have had, everything from not breathing to temperature change. When he got older the charm changed to where there was a silencing charm on the boys' bedrooms, but if they hollered for Harry or Ginny in the night, they would be heard.

Harry placed the silencing charm so he wouldn't wake the boys up in the event of a nightmare. Once he had checked on his sons, he waddled downstairs, heading to the kitchen to fix himself a glass of water.

Despite the war, having been over for ten years, Harry still couldn't get over how his life turned out. His mind took him back to his 18th birthday, the first one after the war. As a matter of fact, he was the first one in the family to have a birthday since the battle. He had been busy making plans for Ginny's 17th birthday that he had forgotten about his own.

Harry never thought he'd live to see his 18th birthday. Molly had fixed all his favorites and everyone came. Neville, Luna, Seamus, Oliver, Katie, Angelina, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, and Kingsley all came to celebrate Harry's birthday. The Weasleys were all there, from Bill right down to Ginny.

Of all the presents he received the most surprising was his own hand on the Weasley Family clock. Molly said that he was like another son to them and felt that he deserved to have his own hand on the clock. With tears in his eyes, Harry hugged Molly and thanked her for treating him like he was her own son.

When Ginny's birthday came a week or so later, Harry took her out on their first date since the war. He had discovered a movie theater in London that played old movies and one of them was The Sound of Music. Ginny loved it and the restaurant they went to for dinner before the movie was romantic. After the movie, Harry took her to see his new flat. They spend the night in the bedroom talking.

A sharp kick from Lily brought Harry's thoughts back to the present. He looked down at his stomach, feeling Lily moving around. He headed to the living room where he sat down on the couch.

He soon fell asleep.

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Ginny woke up when the sunlight shined through their bedroom window. She stretched cautiously as to not smash up against Harry. When she turned and found Harry's side empty she got up and checked the bathroom. She went downstairs and found her husband on the couch, fast asleep.

She quietly made eggs, sausage, and waffles, knowing her boys would need a filling breakfast for the day's activities. Once she had breakfast done, she a warming charm on it went into the living room where Harry was still asleep. She placed her hand on her husband's stomach, feeling their daughter move under her hand. She knew Lily wasn't the reason Harry hadn't slept much the night before.

"Harry, hon, it's time to get up." Ginny gently shook him awake.

His green eyes opened up and looked up into her brown ones. Ginny helped him up and he headed to the downstairs bathroom. When he returned to the kitchen, he found the boys up and in their seats.

"Morning, Daddy," James said as Harry waddled past him.

"Morning, James," Harry said, admiring Ginny's breakfast.

Albus looked up from his waffles as Ginny poured orange juice in his cup.

"Morning, Daddy," he said, forking a piece of cut-up sausage.

After breakfast, Harry took a shower while Ginny washed and dressed the boys. When Harry was done, she hopped in the shower.

Once she was dressed, they headed to the Burrow. Molly and Arthur were busy getting a head start on what would be dinner that night. Ginny came in and placed the salad she made that morning in the refrigerator.

A few years ago, Molly and Arthur went on a holiday to the Caribbean, an anniversary gift from their children, arranged by Hermione. While they were gone, they planned on a surprise for Molly. When they returned, they found an updated kitchen with modern and some muggle appliances with charms on them. The fridge had the extension charm to make it bigger to accommodate the growing family, despite the fact that it was only Arthur and Molly living at the Burrow. The old table was refurbished and extended with room for more. Harry provided the finances for the kitchen project, he explained to Molly that it was his way to say thank you to her for all the years she fed him and provided him with love.

Needless to say, Molly was in tears by the time Harry was done explaining.

When Ron and Hermione came with Rosie, everybody disapparated to Hogwarts, except for Harry and Hermione, who Flooed.

"I see congratulations are in order," said Professor McGonagall upon their arrival. "When are you due?"

"Mid July," Hermione answered.

"End of July, early August," Harry replied.

"I'm having a boy, Ron's excited," Hermione told her former professor.

"And you and Ginny?" McGonagall asked Harry.

"A girl, thankfully," Harry replied, knowing Professor McGonagall had heard stories of the terrible two who called him Daddy. Together they made their way to the memorial garden overlooking the Black Lake.

At noon, Kingsley began his speech, which was short, so that those who wanted to could explore the memorial garden and the memorial up at the school.

Ginny walked alongside her mother as she looked at Fred's memorial. George was on the other side, with Angelina holding his late twin's namesake in her arms. Arthur remained behind, having already seen the memorial garden once that day and opting to stay back to watch his grandchildren. Ginny left to go in search of her husband, passing the memorials for her uncles and only pausing to hug Dennis Creevey in front of Colin's.

She found Harry where she knew he would be – in front of his parents' memorial next to Sirius's. Harry's only request was for his parents, Sirius, Tonks and Remus's memorials to be together. It was moments like these that reminded Ginny just how thankful she was that

he had survived the war.

When they returned to the castle, Molly approached Ginny and asked, "What time are you bringing the boys over?"

"Three," she said, looking at her husband, who was gazing out over the lake.

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Harry Flooed home from work a few days later and found the house quiet. He looked around and heard Ginny in the kitchen. He walked in the kitchen watching his wife, fix a plate of spaghetti.

"Where are the boys?" he asked.

"They're at Mum and Dad's for the weekend. We'll get them on Sunday. I figured you could use a weekend where it was just us two."

Harry went in his home office where he dropped his bag in a chair, stopping in the hall bathroom to wash his hands. As he walked to his chair, Ginny kissed his cheek and leaned down and talked to his stomach. "Hello Lily, are you being a good girl?"

Harry sat down at the table. "So what do you have planned?"

"Well, after dinner, you're going to get a shower and then afterward, I'm going to give you a massage."

"Like what I did when you were pregnant?" Harry asked.

Ginny nodded. "I figured you deserved some pampering."

Harry recalled the bubble baths and the two hours he spent massaging her back and feet. He didn't think Ginny would return the favor if he'd gotten pregnant. But then, he didn't think he'd be the one to carry a baby.

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked, wanting to know what to expect.

"Patience, my love. You'll see soon enough."

Ginny sat down in the chair closest to Harry. They talked about the plans for the nursery and Teddy's room. Ginny planned since to decorate the latter in the colors of Puddlemere United, seeing as the boy was a huge fan. When they finished with dinner, Ginny shooed Harry to the living room to relax while she cleaned up the kitchen. Ten minutes later, she finished cleaning the kitchen and led Harry upstairs to the master bathroom.

"I've prepared a bubble bath for the two of us and afterward I'll give you a massage."

"Good, I could use one," Harry said as he tried to rub his back.

Ten minutes later found Harry and Ginny in their tub in the master bathroom. Ginny smiled when Harry leaned his head back and closed his eyes with a relaxed sigh. Since the Auror office wasn't that busy Harry was able to cut down on his hours, but he had decided to push back the date to begin his paternity leave due to a few trials his presence was requested for. Some of the Aurors had captured one of the ringleaders of the Muggle Baiting case and found the Death Eaters who attempted to kill Harry and Ron a few years ago.

"Ready to get out?" Ginny asked once the water got cold.

"Yeah."

Ginny handed Harry a towel to dry off and a pair of his shorts.

"Meet me in the bedroom when you're ready."

Ginny left Harry in the bathroom so she could get set up. Shanti had recommended a place to get a pregnancy pillow since she had relatives that were Muggleborn. Ginny had found a massage pillow that had a hole in the middle. The sale clerk had explained that it would allow the pregnant woman to lay belly down for a back massage. Ginny told her that it was a gift for her brother and sister in law. How does one explain the situation Harry and Ginny were in? You try explaining how your husband is pregnant!

She placed the pillow on the bed and set the small folding table that came from Harry's bachelor flat beside the bed.

A minute later she heard Harry. "Somebody has been planning this for a long time."

She turned and found him standing there in only his shorts. She gave him a once-over she did many times before when they were first married. She noticed how much bigger Harry's stomach had gotten over the last month. Shanti had shown no concern over his weight gain.

"I have. I figured you deserved to be pampered like you've done for me when I was pregnant with the boys."

Harry slowly crawled in the bed and laid in the pillow Ginny laid on the bed. She had charmed it so his belly went in the hole and the breast holes disappeared. He placed his head in the hole at the top of the pillow and waited for Ginny to begin her massage. He soon heard the sound of a bottle opening and shutting and the sound of Ginny rubbing her hands together.

He sighed to himself when he felt Ginny's hands work on his shoulder blazes. Ginny didn't plan on massaging his upper back as much as his lower back.

"How am I doing, sweetie?" Ginny asked after moving down Harry's back.

"Good."

She moved down lower to Harry's lower back, gently working out the knots she felt. She gently kneaded the muscles in his back, allowing her oiled hands to roam his lower back. She moved her hands to his side where his back muscles met his abdominal muscles. She let her hands slide down his left side and then his right.

"Gin, you're good at this," Harry mumbled.

"Thanks, now I'm about ready for you to flip."

Ginny finished Harry's back massage by stroking his back in a wave motion, gently kneeing his lower back and letting her hands slide down his sides.

She helped Harry crawl out of the pillow and when Harry's belly was out of the pillow, she moved the pillow to the other side of the bed.

Harry crawled back to where the pillow was and laid down on his back near Ginny. She sat down at the foot of the bed and massaged his feet. She moved up and massages his ankles and back down again. She looked at Harry and saw the look of relaxation on his face.

Harry laid on the bed, feeling Ginny massaging his feet and Lily moving around in his belly. When he felt Ginny get up and her hands left his feet, he was about to ask what she was going to do next when he felt her hands on his stomach. He looked down and saw Ginny's hand make the familiar circles she did when she rubbed his stomach to help him settle it or get to sleep.

"How am I doing, honey?" Ginny asked as she started caressing Harry's sides where his stomach was stretched.

"Brilliant, Lily seems to be enjoying it. She seems to be calmer now."

Ginny brought her hands up to the top of the bump that was Harry's stomach. She turned and wiped the oil from her hands and picked up the jar that had the scrub inside.

"I got this for you. It's supposed to help the skin with stretching and it nurtures the skin. Shanti recommended it."

She unscrewed the lid and dipped her finger in the jar. She spread the scrub in her hands and then began rubbing it on Harry's stomach.

"That actually feels good," Harry mumbled sleepily.

Ginny rubbed the scrub down the sides of Harry's bulging stomach and all over the baby bump.

"I read somewhere that sometimes in pregnancy, the belly button opens up. I know mine didn't and yours looks like it didn't either."

Harry moved his hand up and ran his finger across his belly button, feeling relieved when his finger dipped into the hole. Shanti had explained to him that in the event his belly button did open up, he would have surgery to fix it, a fact that scared Harry. He still remembered the horror that was his appendectomy.

He watched Ginny wipe her hands again and then reach for a tube of some kind.

"What's that?" Harry asked, giving her a puzzled look.

"This is the cream for stretch marks"

Harry looked at the tube. At a quick glance, one would think it was a tube of toothpaste, but really it was a tube of cream like many of the ones in Ginny's first aid kit. She had taken to making sure she had the kit fully stocked because she never knew when her four boys (Harry included) would get hurt.

Ginny unscrewed the cap and the squeezed some of the cream in her hands. She rubbed her hands together and then rubbed the cream on Harry's stomach where she found stretch marks. Harry felt the cream work almost instantly. It felt cold to him at first and then it was tingling.

"Thanks for this, Gin."

Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry's forehead and moved down and captured his lips with hers.

"You're welcome."

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"You are completely mental!"

"Harry it needs to be done!"

"Why? Why is it important to be done now?"

"What's wrong with doing it?"

"It will hurt, Gin! I know it won't last for long, but I can't help it this time."

"Harry, this needs to be done. Either I do it or Shanti does or one of her nurses".

"…Okay."

"Ready?" Harry nodded. "One….two….three!"

"OW!"

Harry laid on his bed as Ginny placed and removed wax strips on his stomach. He had grown used to the hair below his navel bushier than normal and the hairy line in the middle of his stomach that formed when his pregnancy progressed.

Ginny had explained if they were going to do a cesarean section, Harry's abdomen would need to be hairless. Shanti recommended starting now removing some of the hair to help the preparation for the cesarean go quicker. Shanti had told Ginny at their next appointment that was scheduled for next week that they would discuss the options they had to deliver Lily.

"What are you thinking about?" Ginny asked when Harry was quiet all of a sudden.

"Nothing, just thinking about how lucky I am because I married you." Harry smiled up at her as she smiled back.

Ginny started rubbing lotion on Harry's stomach to help nurture the skin from where Ginny had pulled off the wax strips. She helped pull Harry up to sit up in the bed and he headed to the bathroom while she cleaned up the mess the hair removal had caused. When Harry came out of the bathroom, he headed to the door to head downstairs.

Molly and Arthur still had the boys and Harry and Ginny was planning one last date night in before Lily arrived.

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Ginny sat on her side of the bed watching Harry sleep. She'd taken to keeping the pregnancy-safe stomach soother on his side of the bed for the middle-of-the-night gas pains. She looked at her husband. The nine months were almost over since he would eight months pregnant in the coming week.

She placed her hand on his stomach, feeling her daughter move under her hand.

She couldn't thank Harry enough for doing this for them. She knew that he was open to the idea of him carrying a baby, but agreeing to it was a whole another story. She gently rubbed her hand across Harry's stomach.

The last eight months had been a rollercoaster ride, one that she knew Harry wouldn't want to change one thing about. She knew that Harry tried to give her anything and nearly everything she wanted. She recalled his face when Shanti told them the baby was a girl. She knew Harry wanted a daughter as much as she did.

She went to sleep that night dreaming of a baby girl wrapped in a pink blanket, nestled in her father's arms.