Chapter 13 Returning to the Routine
The alarm beeped softly, becoming increasingly louder until a small hand reached out and laid heavily on the snooze button. The hand then returned from under the bedcovers from which it had emerged.
Ginny turned over, snuggling against Harry's warmer body. She would snuggle up to him on cold nights and stick her cold feet on him, especially on the nights when he just wore boxers to bed. She would laugh silently as he exclaimed that her feet were like ice cubes on his warm legs.
She reached her hand over and ran her hand over the side of his body until she reached the waistband of his boxers. She dipped her hand under the waistband, running her fingers along his lower abdomen, tracing the scar from the tummy tuck. Ginny moved her hand out from Harry's boxers and laid her palm over his navel. She then ran her hand up and down the now flat belly.
She then moved her hand from side to side, her fingertips grazing his sides. Harry jerked when Ginny reached a ticklish area.
"Gin, don't start something you can't finish," Harry murmured, voice husky with sleep.
"I was trying to wake you up," Ginny replied.
"If you wanted to wake me up, you could have just sent James in here. He knows how to give a wake-up call."
Ginny chuckled. Before Harry was pregnant with Lily, James would come in and jump on the bed and then on Harry, regardless if the young father was lying on his back or stomach.
"Okay, time to get up." Ginny pushed the covers off herself and slid on her dressing gown. She walked to the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, "You had better be out of bed by the time I come back."
As soon as the door to the bathroom closed, Lily began to work herself into a wail. Harry got up, slipping on his T-shirt, and headed to Lily's room. He reached into the cot and picked up his daughter.
"And good morning to you too," Harry muttered, carrying Lily to the changing table and began to change her diaper.
"Oh, good, a wet nappy. Keep saving the dirty ones for Mummy," he requested. After he changed Lily's nappy he laid her in her swing and set to swing for about five minutes, giving Harry enough time to wash his hands from the nappy change.
Ginny peeked in the room after Harry had returned, smiling at her slumbering daughter as Harry covered her with the pink blanket Molly had knitted.
"She'll be alright for a little bit," she whispered. "Let's go downstairs and start breakfast."
Harry nodded and followed her out the door and down the stairs. An owl was waiting for them when they entered the kitchen. Ginny opened a jar with owl treats and reached into a bowl for some knuts and paid the owl for the morning's issue of the Daily Prophet.
Harry fixed two cups of hot tea, handing one to Ginny. In the seven years they have been married, Harry still could make her tea the way she liked it. No cream, two cubes of sugar and one ice cube to cool it down just a tad.
"What time do you need to be in the office?" Ginny asked.
Harry sat down in his chair at the table. "Nine."
They sat in silence, enjoying the quiet before James and Albus get up. Ginny loved her time with Harry in the morning before the kids got up and her time with him in the evenings when the kids went to bed. It was just her and Harry. They sometimes sat in silence and others, they would talk.
"What do you think about eggs, sausage, and toast this morning?" Ginny asked.
Harry nodded his head in agreement, stifling a yawn. "Fine with me."
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As Ginny prepared breakfast, she sent Harry upstairs for a shower. He trekked up the stairs to their bedroom and started to pull out clothes to wear. He pulled out a maroon button up shirt and a pair of dark navy pants. He reached in the back of the closet for his boots and tossed them next to the armchair.
He walked into the bathroom, clean boxers in hand and turned on the tab. He laid down the boxers on the counter and took off his shirt and boxers. He set his glasses on top of his clean boxers and stepped into the warm water. He began to scrub his hair and then continued with the pattern he always used in the shower. Wash and rinse hair, face, ears, neck, arms, underarms, chest, stomach, back, one leg and foot then the other. Once he was finished, he would stand under the water for a minute to double check that he rinsed all the soap off and then he turned the water off.
Using one of the fluffier towels, Harry dried himself off and dressed in his boxers before stepping out. When he took his evening shower, he sometimes "forget" to bring clean boxers with him and would step out of the bathroom, naked, and then go to the bureau and get a pair boxers. Granted, since he was pregnant with Lily and after she was born, he had been a lot more self-conscious about his body.
He stopped and looked down his stomach. With some work, he'll get the muscles back, but that didn't mean that Ginny still found him attractive. After the bandages came off and the stitches were removed, Harry had more than once found Ginny looking at his new and improved belly. He never said anything to her that he knew she was looking, but he was relieved that she still found him attractive.
Once Harry was dressed for work, he returned downstairs for breakfast. Ginny had Lily in her bouncer and the boys were in their chairs at the table.
"Good morning, Daddy," James greeted when Harry entered the kitchen.
"Good morning James." Harry took the plate Ginny handed him and placed it in front of his oldest son. Ginny placed Albus's place down, waking up the toddler.
"Good morning, Daddy," Albus said when he noticed Harry cutting up his sausage.
"I think someone needs to take an early N-A-P," Harry told Ginny, spelling nap. Sometimes Harry and Ginny had to spell certain words such as nap, bath, park or bed in order to either surprise the boys or to accomplish a task. Otherwise, there would be a battle or tantrums.
Ginny agreed, making a mental note to tell Molly to put Albus down for his nap earlier.
"Did you sleep okay last night?" Ginny asked her husband, handing him his plate.
"Why wouldn't I," Harry replied, taking the plate from her.
Ginny shrugged her shoulder. Harry sat down at his place at the table and started to eat his breakfast while reading the Prophet.
"I've made you a sandwich for lunch and there's some left over treacle tart. I included it with your lunch," Ginny informed Harry, fixing a bag of grapes and tossing it in the bag with Harry's lunch.
"Thanks, hon."
Harry took the last drink of his tea and took his plate to the sink. He headed upstairs where he tried to fix his hair and brushed his teeth. He grabbed his Auror robes as he left the bedroom. He stopped by the office and picked up his bag. He reentered the kitchen.
"I gotta go," he said to Ginny as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "We got the department meeting this morning."
"Have a good day, sweetie," Ginny said, kissing him goodbye. Harry then walked over and kissed Albus and James goodbye.
"Be good for Grandmum, boys. See you later."
"Bye Daddy," they said in unison.
Then he turned to his daughter. "Bye baby girl, I'll see you later." She cooed in response.
Ginny met him by the floo and handed him his lunch.
"Be careful and have a good day." Ginny kissed him and straightened the collar on his shirt.
"I will love you," Harry murmured as he kissed Ginny goodbye.
"Love you too." Ginny stepped aside to watch him go.
Harry stepped in the floo and called "Ministry of Magic!" and he was gone in a puff of green smoke.
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Harry walked into the Atrium and took a deep breath. He was headed to the lifts as a booming voice called, "Harry! Welcome back."
"Good morning, Kingsley."
Kingsley approached Harry and patted him on the shoulder. "Good to see you back to work. Does Ron know that you are returning to work today?" Kingsley asked.
"Yeah, I told him yesterday when we were at the Burrow. I'm going to ease myself into it. I'm not in the same shape as I was before."
Kingsley laughed. "Don't let Yonas hear you say that," he warned.
"I won't. Besides, I'm using the "my healer hasn't cleared me for physical activity such as exercise yet" excuse."
Kingsley chuckled. "I was just heading to the floos, have a meeting with the Muggle Prime Minister at nine."
Harry approached the lifts and waved to Kingsley as he left to the floos.
"Welcome back, Mr. Potter," Maisy said, coming up beside him
"Thanks, Maisy. Do I want to know what my office looks like?" Harry asked. He dreaded to think of what his office looked like and imagined that he would be spending the day filing and storing documents.
"Thanks to the wards you put on it, it's not too bad, but that was, according to Mr. Weasley," Maisy explained. "So, how's the baby?"
Harry smiled and replied, "She's great. Ginny was keeping her at home with her and sending the boys to Molly."
"How's Ginny doing?" Maisy asked.
"She's doing well. Lily's sleeping more through the night than the boys ever did. James and Albus seemed to have taken to her well. We do have moments of jealousy, but we've seemed to be doing fine."
The lift chimed, "Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Headquarters…"
"I thought Kingsley said that he was going to change that," Maisy grumbled.
"When did he say that?" Harry asked.
"I thought he said something about changing the lifts and I just assumed that the witch's voice was what he was referring to," Maisy retorted.
"Oh." Harry walked towards his office as Maisy stopped at her desk towards the front. Unlocking the door with his wand, Harry opened the door to his office and breathed a sigh of relief. Only three new boxes were added to the ones in the corner and six new purple files were on his desk.
"Not bad." Harry dropped his bag in his chair and picked up his notepad and quills. Ron would be handling this department meeting, so Harry didn't have to worry about it.
He left his office and walked to the conference room. At Harry's request, Ron didn't tell the other Aurors when Harry was returning to work.
Harry smiled mischievously and entered the conference room that was half full of Aurors.
"I'm back!" he called in a sing-along voice. He was met with groans and happy 'Hello Harry' and 'Welcome back' from the Aurors.
Ron laughed at his brother in law's act. "You got their attention, mate."
Harry sat down in the seat next to the head table. "I think I did."
Ron began the meeting after the last of the Aurors arrived and they started with their Monday morning routine, reviewing the Most Wanted list, updating it and then posting the updated list.
"We're also going to do our weekly check on Knockturn Alley. Those who will be going on that raid, stay in the conference room after this meeting is over."
After discussing the schedule for the rest of the week and updating everyone on the ongoing cases, Ron dismissed them.
As Harry was packing up his notepad, Ron leaned over and whispered, "You're going with us."
"Alright, I'll be ready to go when you are."
Ron collapsed in the chair next to his best mate, "How do you do it?" he asked, suddenly.
If Harry was surprised, he didn't show it. "Robards eased me into it, he would give me advice and then on his last day, he told me good luck and not to stress much."
Ron gave Harry a look that said, "And you listened to that?" Harry's stress level had increased when he took the Head Auror position. The only time he was the least stressed when during his pregnancy with Lily and that was because of healer's orders.
Harry sighed. "That part of the advice I've not listened to."
"You think," Ron muttered.
"So who are we looking for now?" Harry asked, in an attempt to change the subject and to learn about the raid on Knockturn Alley.
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Harry and Ron lead the team of twelve Aurors down the alley towards the entrance to Knockturn Alley. The presence of the fourteen Aurors made everyone stop what they were doing and watch. Some moved out of the way, observing the group as they made their way down the alley.
Before they made it to the entrance, Harry tapped the communication mirror to check in with the Aurors that were stationed there.
"Everyone is accounted for Harry, and may I add welcome back," Andrews returned through the mirror.
"Thanks, is Parker and Roberts at the back door?" Harry inquired.
"Yes, sir, and Reynolds and Wilson are back there as well. Jackson, Williams, and Samuels are stationed at the other end of the alley.
Harry stopped and motioned to four Aurors.
"McClain, Sammons, Matthews, and Nickerson, stay at this entrance. Keep an eye out for any of those that are on our list. Communicate with me if there is anything thing wrong. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir!" the four Auror said in unison.
Harry and Ron lead the other Aurors towards Cobb and Webb's, a store that sold items related to the dark arts.
The owner has refused to comply with Kingsley's new laws relating to the dark arts. Before Harry went on leave, Kingsley had asked him to put some Aurors undercover on Knockturn Alley for any and all illegal activity. The list the Aurors had come up was extremely long and if convicted those involved could spend years in Azkaban.
When they approached the shop, Andrews walked over casually to Harry.
"The door is locked, an Alohamora wouldn't open that," he whispered.
Harry looked at Ron, "What do you think? Blast it and then the ministry will repair the door?"
"Kingsley wouldn't care as long we arrest some of these people," Ron replied, pointing to the door with the wanted wizards behind it.
"Harry, will you do the honors?" Andrews asked.
"With pleasure."
Everyone stepped back as Harry approached the door.
"About to blast the door, stand by everyone," Ron said into the commutation mirror
Harry raised his wand and bellowed, "Bombarda!"
The door blasted and the people inside started running, firing off curses, but the Aurors were quicker. Luckily, there was seven of the undercover Aurors on the inside. One of them had been in communication with Harry and then Andrews.
"Petrificus Totalus Duo!"
"Petrificus Totalus Tria!"
After freezing everyone in the room, the Auror began by locating the undercover Aurors and unfreezing them. Then they began to unfreeze, disarm, and handcuff everyone involved in the illegal activity. Then one by one or two by two, they began to disapparate to the ministry.
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Those that were in the Atrium the moment the Aurors arrived said that it was a sight to behold.
Kingsley and some of the other Aurors were waiting for them to begin transportation to the holding cells or Azkaban. Some of those that were arrested were escapees and would be returning to the prison upon arrival to the ministry.
Then the Atrium broke out in applause as the Aurors, led by Harry appeared in the Atrium.
Harry handed off his prisoner to another Auror and headed to Kingsley.
"All fourteen are counted for and the three escapees are in route to Azkaban as we speak. I'm going to have Darwin and Baker accompany the senior trainees back to the scene and collect evidence. I'll be supervising along with Peters, Matthews, Samuels, and Jackson."
Kingsley chuckled. "I figured your first day back would be interesting. Tell the teams good work. See if any of them know who the ringleader of the Muggle Baiting is."
"We will, Kingsley," Harry assured him. He wanted to get to the bottom of it himself.
Harry headed to the lifts and rode to Level Two. He followed the last Auror from the raid. Applause once again exploded throughout Aurors Headquarters.
Everyone was glad that they can now mark off fourteen people on their most wanted list. Now if they could get to the bottom of the Muggle Baiting, Harry would be happy.
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The smell of dinner welcomed Harry as he flooed home that evening. Harry dropped his bag off in his home office and headed for the kitchen.
"Daddy!"
He was greeted by James and Albus first who had just come in from playing outside on the patio.
"Hey boys, been good for Mummy today?"
James nodded and Albus appeared to have to think about before he too nodded.
"Go wash up and we'll eat when Mummy's got dinner ready."
James and Albus ran for the powder room while Harry headed into the kitchen.
"Hi babe," Ginny greeted as Harry approached her.
"How's your day been?" Harry inquired as he washed his hands in the kitchen sink.
"Good, Mum came over and helped with the boys. Luna came over for tea and we got to catch up. Angelina firecalled this morning, wanting to know if I could meet her and the rest of the sister in laws for lunch on Thursday. Andromeda said that she would watch Lily and Albus and I'll send James with Fred to George."
Ginny wrapped her arms around her husband's neck. "How was your first day back?"
"I timed it right," he began. "We did that raid on Knockturn Alley today. We arrested fourteen people and found the three escapees. Hopefully one of them know something about this Muggle Baiting,"
"Hopefully," Ginny repeated.
Harry leaned against his wife, taking in the peace and quiet. Then a loud coo brought his attention to the bouncer on the other table.
"I didn't forget about you," Harry told his daughter. He walked over and picked up Lily.
"And have you been a good girl for Mummy?"
"Yes," Ginny answered. "Although, she left me a lovely surprise when I got her from her nap. Any guess what that would be?"
"A yucky nappy?" Harry guessed.
"Ding, ding, you are correct. For some reason she leaves them for me," Ginny said, taking the roast out of the oven and using her wand to levitate the carrots, potatoes, and peas. Another flick and the basket with the rolls appeared in the middle of the table.
Harry whispered in his daughter's ear, "Good girl."
"I heard that Potter!" Ginny exclaimed, causing Harry to jump.
James and Albus returned from the bathroom and headed to their seats. Harry placed Lily back in her bouncer and sat down at his place at the table.
Ginny filled Harry in how Albus was doing in potty training. He had a relapse a month into potty training before Lily was born and Ginny tried again. Not that they couldn't afford to have two kids in nappies, but it made life easier for Harry and Ginny.
Harry began to cut the roast and serve it on plates, starting with Ginny and working his way around to himself. He then scooped some potatoes and carrots, cutting them for James and mashing them for Albus. He scooped some peas on James's plate.
"I better not see one pea fly across the room or you'll be picking it up," he warned. James sometimes would throw food, mostly at his brother. Ginny still giggles at the memory of a baby, James flicking his spoon with baby food at Harry.
Ginny tied a bib to Albus and tucked a napkin into James's collar.
"I think I've found our second time out place," Ginny informed him, spearing a potato with her fork.
"The scullery?" Harry asked.
Ginny looked up. "How did you know?"
"I figured that was the next place, what happened?"
"James threw a block at Albus and in turn, Albus bit him."
In hopes of getting some sympathy, James pouted and showed his daddy where his brother bit him. Harry had to smother a chuckle. Then turned serious to his second son.
"Albus, why did you bite your brother?"
"He wouldn't give me the block," Albus replied, as it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"The one he threw at you?" Harry guessed.
"No, another one," Ginny added.
Dinner conversation then turned to Ginny's new article for the Prophet.
"Basically, it's an advice column and I'll be answering the questions I've gotten in regards to playing professional Quidditch," she explained, picking up a carrot.
Harry looked up at her from cutting his roast. "If you have a question that says 'how did you handle separation from your spouse, significant other, etc.?' You'll reply, pack a shirt of your boyfriends or husbands and sleep in it. Make sure it smells like him or steal a bar of his soap and use it in the shower."
He smirked at his wife.
"You took a bottle of my shampoo with you on your missions," she reminded him.
"I know."
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Harry looked left and then right before he headed to his office. His plan was to get to his office and then sneak down to the Auror's gym without Yonas seeing him.
With the coast clear, Harry headed to his office, dropping off his bag, picked up his gym bag and walked to the gym. No one was in there, so Harry headed to the locker rooms, relieved he didn't see Yonas.
"Potter!"
Harry stopped at the Congo accented voice and turned around slowly. There stood Yonas in his usual black tank top and shorts.
"I see you've been cleared. Go change and meet me in the training room," he ordered.
Harry felt his stomach twist into knots. The training room was where Yonas trained the new Aurors and those who were in enrolled in the mandatory training if they didn't pass their physical. Harry hated the training room, he had dubbed it the torture chamber.
"Yes, Sir." Harry walked into the locker room. He picked a stall and changed into his workout clothes. The shorts were on the small side, but he would make them work.
He entered the training room to find one mat on the floor.
"Okay, Potter, let's see what we're working with."
That was Harry's cue to lift up his shirt. He hid a smirk when he saw Yonas's shocked face. He didn't know that Harry had surgery to remove the extra skin.
"Okay, looks like we need to get the tone back. Lie down on the mat and we'll begin," the Congo man ordered.
Harry walked to the mat, first sitting down on before lying down.
"One hundred sit-ups on my whistle!" TWEET!
Harry began the sit-ups as Yonas counted them off. He surprised himself when he made to fifty with minimal discomfort.
"Ninety-nine, One Hundred."
Harry dropped his knees on the mat and propped himself on his elbows to get a drink of water.
"Again," Yonas barked, causing the Auror to groan quietly
Harry began another set of sit-ups, wondering just how many sets Yonas was going to make him do.
He would soon have his answer.
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"Stick a fork in me, I'm done," Harry muttered. Five hundred sit-ups. Five hundred! That was the most he had done since he finished training.
His stomach was throbbing, his back was aching and his neck felt sore. Showering only helped relieve some of the soreness, changing back into his clothes was a difficult task, but he managed.
He shuffled his way towards the floo in his office. Sometimes he would floo home from there instead of using the floos in the Atrium.
Unfortunately, he was out of floo powder. So he walked to the Apparition point and apparated home.
He walked slowly to the front door, opening it as Ginny came downstairs, apparently having heard the crack of his apparition.
"Hey sweetie," she greeted, then noticed his wince when he set his bag down in the chair near the door. "Are you okay?"
"I had the first training session with Yonas. Five hundred sit-ups!" he groaned at the memory.
"I figured." Harry looked at his wife, confused. "Ron firecalled me and said that Yonas took you for his torture, I mean training," Ginny explained.
Harry looked around and noticed the house was quiet.
"Mum and Dad have Lily and Albus, and Angelina and George have James. I figured you would come home like this. Have you showered?" she asked.
Harry nodded. "Go upstairs, I'll be up in a minute," She ordered.
Walking upstairs was difficult, but like the other times Harry came home sore and hurting from training, he made it upstairs.
He shuffled into his and Ginny's bedroom and towards his side of the bed. He all but collapsed on the bed, groaning at the pain he was feeling in his abdomen.
Ginny entered the bedroom and approached where her husband laid, sitting down at his feet.
She untied the laces of his boots and pulled them off, tossing them toward the closet. With a wave of her wand, his shirt and pants vanished and were sent to the hamper. She left his boxers on and slipped off his socks.
She then Accio a bottle of massage oil, the same kind she has used since their Hogwarts days. She discovered it during a Hogsmeade trip and tried it out on Harry after Quidditch practice, rubbing his shoulders, back and then his stomach.
She continued to use it to this day.
Ginny pushed back the hair that fell into her face and laid down a donut pillow and another pillow for Harry to lie on.
"Turn over on your stomach, I'll do your back first," she ordered kindly.
Harry turned over on his stomach, bedspread tickling his bare skin. Ginny laid down a donut-shaped pillow for his head. Harry placed his head the pillow, taking care not to aggravate his sore muscles and laid on the pillow Ginny had laid down for him to lay on. He heard the sound of the bottle opening, then the sound of Ginny rubbing her hands together. Soon her hands were roaming his back, spreading the oil.
Once the oil was spread, Ginny began massaging his back. She began with the neck and shoulders, working out the knots she felt in his shoulder blades.
"Tell me if I'm hurting you."
She let her fingers gently work on his neck, working out the knot she felt before she moved to his shoulders. She smiled softly at his sigh of relaxation.
She worked her way from his shoulders to his lower back, letting her fingers do their magic.
Harry always bragged on how good her hands felt, considering he was on the receiving end of her massages. It didn't matter if it was a back rub or a stomach rub after Ginny was done, Harry was more relaxed.
She stroked his back three times and then letting her hands slide down his side, kneading them gently and yet firmly. Her fingertips barely grazed his belly. She then stroked her hand down his back one more time before she had Harry turn over.
"You may flip, now."
Harry turned over on his back, as Ginny oiled her hands once more for the next message. She began like she always did, rubbing his belly in soothing circles. She knew this was where most of Harry's pain was at.
"Let me know if the pressure is too much."
Harry just sighed happily as Ginny's fingers worked their magic on his sore stomach. It was Ginny's fingers that made training, especially the physical training less torturous. Since that first session with Yonas, Harry came home to Ginny and her magical fingers.
He was introduced to Ginny's magical fingers during his sixth year when they first started dating. She rubbed his neck, shoulders, and back while they lounged in the common room, after a rough Quidditch practice. That began an after Quidditch, practice, and matches, of massages and rub downs. Ginny's massages relaxed Harry enough that he would fall asleep within ten minutes.
The massage routine continued after they got back together after the war and Harry's training sessions with the Auror Department.
Ginny glanced up at her husband's face as she made another circle on his abdomen. His eyes were closed, his breathing was even and deep as she felt his belly move up and down as she began a side to side stroke.
"Have I ever told you that I love you," Harry muttered.
Ginny smiled, moving her hand under his belly button, knowing it was this area was one of the areas that Harry held tension
"A little to the right," he directed.
Ginny smiled and followed Harry's instruction and moved a little to the right.
"Harry?" Her response was a snore and she smiled. As usual, her massage put Harry to sleep.
She continued the massage before she concluded and cover Harry up with a light blanket. She washed her hands in the bathroom and returned the massage oil to the cabinet.
Ginny walked back into the bedroom and approached the bed. She sat down on the bed and watched her husband sleep. He looked younger and innocent while he was sleeping. The stressed lines on his face were gone, along with the tension he carried during the day.
She laid down beside him and curled against his side, resting her hand on his blanket covered belly and her head on his bare shoulder.
She let her eyes droop and then she fell asleep.
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Harry sat on an armchair in the family room, flipping through the pictures Ginny had taken during his pregnancy with Lily. He watched as his stomach went from flat and muscular to swollen with pregnancy.
He looked up from the album at his little girl, who was lounging in her bouncer
It was hard to believe that the little baby girl who was currently sleeping, came out of him.
She was worth it. Worth the morning sickness, vomiting, stomach distress, stretch marks, back pain, and the nine hours of long and hard labor. Even though the uterus like sack was removed, Harry would do it all again. But he and Ginny decided to they were finished having children, it was removed during the surgery to give Harry his pre-pregnancy belly.
His eyes roamed the ultrasound images, remembering how interesting it was to see his child on the screen, only he was on the table, feeling the wand on his stomach.
Harry turned the page and smiled at the image of James and Albus on the couch, Albus lying on his legs, his little head lying on Harry's stomach. Albus would pull up Harry's shirt and start talking to the baby. James followed, his mouth hovering an inch from Harry's belly button, talking to the baby.
On the next page was the one with him, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. Ginny had her arms around Harry, resting her hand on his bulging stomach.
He laughed when he reached the picture from the day Ginny and the boys painted his stomach. As much as he hated it, the smiles and laughs from the boys were worth it. Ginny was kind enough to give him a pillow to lie on.
"What are you looking at?" Hands slide down from his shoulders to his chest, resting them over his heart.
"I never sat down and looked through this," Harry answered, motioning to the album.
Ginny rested her head against Harry, pressing a kiss to his head.
"I'm going to put her down on her nap," she whispered, strolling over to the baby and picked her up, and headed to the stairs.
Harry watched her go before he turned his attention back to the album. He was met with the image of his post-pregnancy body.
He sat the album on the side table and headed to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and pulled up his shirt.
His pre-pregnancy belly had returned after a few sessions with Yonas, only for Harry to continue the training session himself, at least this way, he would work at his own pace and not be forced to push his limits.
Ginny loved his stomach, often running her hand over the muscles and lightly touching the ticklish areas.
The anniversary of the implanting procedure was coming up, marking a year since Harry and Ginny began the quest of baby number three George had called it.
All of his brother in laws had a new found respect for Harry after the pregnancy and labor and delivery of his daughter.
But looking at his daughter, no one would be none the wiser that she came out of Harry and not Ginny.
Harry watched his daughter sleep as he checked on her before going into his own bedroom for a nap.
"You are definitely worth it," he murmured. He kissed her head and headed towards the door. "One of these days, we'll have to tell you, but right now, we'll wait."
Harry pulled the door to and headed to his room. He no sooner lay down on the bed when he fell asleep.
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On the day of the anniversary of the implanting procedure, Harry and Ginny looked over the photo album of Harry's pregnancy.
"I can't believe it was a year ago we began this journey," Ginny stated.
"Now, here we are, with a little girl." Harry smiled, as he turned the page, looking at a picture of him and Ginny, her hands on his bulging stomach, his hands over hers.
"I thought it would take longer to get pregnant," he confessed.
"Would you change anything?" Ginny asked.
Harry thought about over the last year. He knew it was not part of the plan that he get pregnant, carry a baby for nine months and then deliver.
"No, I wouldn't change a thing."
Ginny smiled and turned the page, smiling at the picture of Harry holding a newborn Lily. Harry wasn't paying attention to the camera, he was looking at his daughter, who had opened her eyes and looked up at her father.
"She's worth it, she was definitely worth it," Harry murmured.
That would be what Harry would tell Lily when the time came that she asked about why her Dad had to carry her.
She was worth it.
AN: Stay tuned for the Epilogue.