It was Sunday morning. The inhabitants of Willow Cottage had spent the last few days being as lazy as humanly possible. Ron loved it but it took a great deal of effort for Hermione to properly switch off. Granted it was much easier for her with Ron home all week. A prime example of how it should be done and making sure she didn't venture too far from 'resting'. He made it fun and comfortable, he kept her laughing, well fed and cosy snuggled on the sofa.

Kingsley himself had visited Willow Cottage the previous Monday evening. He'd told Hermione that under no uncertain circumstances was she to come back to work until she was fully cleared by Healer Erik and even then it would be on agreed reduced hours and workload until after her maternity leave. He had reassured her that her place at the ministry would be there when she was ready to return in whatever full time or flexible capacity she desired. Ron could see his wife physically relax after Kingsley left, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Ron had gone into the Ministry Auror office on Tuesday morning to speak with his boss. He'd been surprised to find Harry already seated in Bottcher's office, not aware he even knew of their arranged meeting. After politely answering Bottcher on how Hermione was doing, Harry cut across the conversation and insisted the field office did not need Ron for the rest of the week. Bottcher had raised his eyebrows at this but Harry persisted in divulging a well thought out plan which had adequate cover for major cases. Minor case load he argued could wait another week. Bottcher trusted his senior agents, Potter and Weasley, implicitly and had no issues accepting Harry's proposal. He bid them farewell and excused Ron until the following Monday morning.

Afterwards Harry explained he'd discussed it with the team and they'd agreed Ron needed more time at home with his wife. Ron was fairly choked up, astonished his team would step up and do this for him, when they'd already covered so much. He thanked Harry multiple times asking him to pass his thanks on as they walked back to the atrium and to the fireplaces. Ron wasn't going to ask for more leave, he didn't want to push his already stretched team but if he was honest with himself he knew Hermione would struggle being home alone, still anxious after the attack and over their high risk pregnancy.

As if reading his mind Harry eventually said, "It's as much for her as it is for you Ron, not that you're not suffering, I think you still need something for the shock, but I know she puts on a brave face. She'll be overthinking all of this and if you're not about she'll read herself into a right tizz about these pregnancy complications. Go home, keep her mind off worrying about death eaters and the baby. Hopefully by Monday she'll be feeling better about everything." Ron had invited Harry back for lunch but due to 'staffing issues' he'd said with a wink and a grin he really was up to his neck in it and declined. "I'll drop in sometime this week though, I'll owl you…".

It was Sunday morning and they'd yet to see Harry. Ron felt a guilty twinge as he knew his absence was likely making work life hell for him. But he'd be back tomorrow and he'd make it up to him when Harry went off on paternity leave. Hermione was sitting at the dining table reading the daily prophet. Ron was making them a late breakfast/early lunch when the Floo fired up.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed happily. At last, Ron thought, bout time he called in. But then there was a change in Hermione's tone that had him speeding out of the kitchen. "Harry? God's Harry, what's wrong?" She asked, suddenly concerned.

Ron arrived into the room to find Harry frantically pacing from the fireplace to the sofa and back again, trampling soot all over the place, obviously too stressed to remember proper Floo etiquette.

"Harry…mate…what's going on?" Ron waited for an answer but didn't receive one so he strode over to Harry and grabbed both his shoulders, forcing him to look at him. "Harry, deep breath, talk to me."

"I was at work…" He started to say.

"But it's Sunday? Shit I didn't know it was that bad…" Ron scowled.

"Shhh Ron let him finish." Hermione scolded. "Harry?"

"Ginny's horse arrived into my office. She's gone to St Mungo's, the baby's coming."

For about 30 seconds there was complete silence as they stared at one another. Finally, Hermione's brain kicked in.

"Ginny's in labour! Oh Harry, how wonderful." she exclaimed excitedly.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Ron said with a tone of anger, releasing him.

Harry looked up at him. "I thought we had a bit more time, a few more weeks. I'm not ready for this. I can't do this. I don't know how to be a dad. I never even had one. I had a Godfather…for what…a year and a half…I shouldn't be allowed to be a dad." He took up the frantic pacing once again.

"Are you telling me…my little sister has messaged to tell you she's gone into labour, currently a St Mungo's…alone?…and you're here…making a mess of my fucking living room?" Ron was looking incredulous, torn between being a best friend to Harry and the protective big brother he was to Ginny.

"Yes…that's exactly what I'm bloody telling you!" Harry shouted.

"Wow, wow, wow" Hermione was on her feet and in between them now. She grabbed Harry this time. "Harry, stay still! You look at me Harry James Potter!" she raised her voice. "Good, now you listen to me. You are going to make an amazing dad. You don't need to have had one to know what to do. In fact, the absence of a proper father figure can only serve that baby no end. You will make sure that little baby has absolutely everything you didn't. You'll never make them sleep under the stairs will you?"

Harry just stared at her as if trying to decipher her words.

"Will you?" She repeated forcefully.

"No"

"You'll never allow them to be knowingly bullied?"

"No"

"You'll never starve them?"

"No."

"You'll never make them wear horrid baggy clothes that are 4 sizes too big?"

"No."

"You'll never let them feel unloved?"

"No!"

"That's right. You're going to love them, indefinitely, indiscriminately, absolutely and infinitely for the rest of your life? You're going to provide for them? You're going to guide them through life in a way no one did for you?"

"Yes I am" He said forcefully.

"Right, get your backside over to St Mungo's and be with your wife to welcome that baby into this world."

"Yes, that's where I'm going." He agreed in a daze.

"Good!"

"Good."

Harry turned and marched purposefully back to their fireplace, lifted altogether too much floo powder and paused. Hermione and Ron exchanged a nervous glance and waited. Harry turned to them.

"I'm going to need you to come with me." he stated matter of factly.

"Oh! Yes of course!...One minute." There was an unspoken rule in their friendship that when one of them asked the others to follow they simply did.

Hermione looked at Ron who shrugged and then they both broke into action as Harry stood in front of the fireplace like a statue, floo powder trickling out of his clenched fist. They stumbled around gathering things they might need, or Harry might need for none of them knew how long this might take. Objects flew from all directions as Hermione shoved them into a bag. 'Accio bag… trainers… anti-sickness potion… book… jumper… sandwich… jumper… comic...'

"Umm…got everything Ron?" Hermione asked nervously, trying not to giggle. She was sure in the fullness of time this encounter would go down in the history of their friendship as one of the funniest things she'd ever witnessed. Harry however was clearly in no laughing mood and Ron still seemed slightly scandalised at Harry's odd behaviour. She wondered briefly how he'd cope when her delivery time came.

"How the hell should I know…I'd no idea we were going out 3 minutes ago."

Hermione rolled her eyes and glared at her husband trying to convey the message to behave himself. "Right Ron, you go first."

Ron disappeared into the green flames. Hermione wiped the remaining powder from Harry's hand into her own and threw it into the fireplace for him.

"Go on Harry, I'll be right behind you, Ron's right there."

They accompanied Harry through the hospital without another word. Hermione inquired at the reception desk of the family wing to find where Ginny had been taken. They marched Harry into the ward waiting room and Ron rounded on him for a final pep talk.

"Harry, now you listen to me. You've been 'the boy who lived' then 'the chosen one', you're the bloody head of the British Active Field Auror Squad. You once walked into a forest to die at the hands of Voldemort. Through that door you don't even need to do anything. You just have to be there. To…hold her hand. Or err I dunno…help her breathe or something. You just need to be in the damn room. You're not going to want to miss this mate. We'll be right here if you need us."

"Right here Harry, we promise." Hermione agreed and gave his arm a little squeeze.

Harry seemed to mull Ron's speech over for a moment before dumbly stating "I don't know how to change a nappy."

"Neither do I" Ron stated immediately "Do you?" He looked at Hermione, his face completely serious.

"N…n…no…" Hermione fought to keep composure and stuttered in the attempt not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the men in front of her. They were looking at her wide eyed and fearful, much like they'd done countless times in the common room when she'd tried to explain some complex piece of magical theory for the twentieth time. "But Molly does and Arthur does and George and Bill and Fleur…the majority of the Weasley's know…someone will teach us!"

Harry's head began to bob up and down, like he was trying to nod but his brain was too heavy and his neck was struggling with the motion. Without another word he crossed the corridor and knocked on the door. It swung open and they heard Ginny scream "Harrrrrrrrry, where the hell have you been!" before it closed shut and a fairly strong silencing charm took effect once again.

Ron looked at Hermione. His mouth was hanging open like he was flabbergasted by the whole situation. Hermione finally burst out laughing.

"What the bloody hell was that about!?" He fumed.

"Oh Ron don't start, he's just a bit nervous about becoming a dad." She moved towards one of the waiting area chairs.

"Hold on." Ron grabbed her arm and absentmindedly waved his wand to turn the hard plastic into a much more comfortable armchair before helping her settle into it. "A bit nervous! He was going to pieces! I've honestly never seen him like that before. What a prat! And leaving poor Ginny to wait for him!"

"Ron, he was only at ours for a few minutes. It wouldn't have made the slightest difference. Don't you go telling Ginny on him!"

"I wouldn't dare. I just don't get it though. I thought he was looking forward to being a dad?"

"Oh for goodness sake, you can be so dense sometimes. Of course he's looking forward to being a dad. It's because he's so looking forward to it that he's acting this way. He wants the best for the baby so badly that he's scared of messing things up. Also he's scared to see Ginny in pain and not be able to help."

"Yeah I guess, you're probably right. But honestly after all he's been through, a little baby is the thing that sends him over the edge?"

"Well, everything he went through before, it was just him, if he failed it was his own life he was risking. Now though with this it's his baby's life or Ginny's that his actions are affecting. I dunno, I'm sure there's some sense in that somewhere? By the way…Didn't you tell me you had a bit of a freak out over your wife not long ago…didn't Harry help you? Support you? Be nice to you?" she said with a smirk.

"That was completely different! We'd been attacked…I thought you were going to die. He's just being dramatic that the baby is a week or two early."

"No he's not Ronald! Don't be horrid." Hermione rolled her eyes at him again.

After a moment Ron said. "Bugger it…what was he doing in work anyway?"

"No idea. Do you need to check in?"

"Yeah, do you mind?"

"As long as your back within the hour? If he comes out and finds you gone…"

"No worries…I'll be as quick as I can. I'll just let the team know I'm point of contact again. I was due tomorrow anyhow." Ron bent down and kissed her before leaving the waiting room and hurrying towards the private fireplace he used within the hospital.

Hermione waited, thankful she'd brought her book with her. Ron was back within the hour as promised and resumed the restless vigil. Hours passed by until finally the waiting room door opened and Harry stood there with a huge goofy grin on his face.

"I have a son." He said with weepy eyes. Both Ron and Hermione jumped up to hug him and share their congratulations. They swayed in their awkward hug for a moment or two, Hermione sandwiched in between the men.

"Harry, we're so happy for you. You'll be such a good dad I just know it." Hermione said breaking the silence.

"I know. Now I've met him, I know I will be. I'm sorry about earlier. I've no idea what I was thinking."

"Don't be silly Harry…." Hermione was quick to reassure him.

"Here mate, I know the feeling." Grinned Ron.

"Want to come meet him? See Ginny?" Harry asked.

"Yes! Absolutely! Does she know we're here?" Hermione could barely contain her excitement.

"Yeah, I umm said we were working on handover when I got her patronus Ron. She knows you are due back to work tomorrow…"

"No worries mate, sounds plausible." Ron slapped him on the back following him out into the corridor.

"I mean, I'll tell her at some stage but now's not the movement."

"Like I said, no worries mate." Ron agreed.

Harry led the way into Ginny's hospital room where she was reclined on a large bed against a pile of pillows looking lovingly at a little bundle in her arms. Hermione thought she'd never seen Ginny look so beautiful. Her face was pale except for a warm blush on her cheek bones and she had the most radiant smile.

"Hey" Hermione whispered, creeping up to the bedside, Ron peering over behind her. Harry went to the other side of the bed and sat gently on the edge.

"Hey yourself" smiled Ginny.

"Oh congratulations." Hermione breathed looking at the baby.

"Yeah nice one little sis." Ron added reaching to pat her hand.

"I'd like to introduce you both to James Sirius Potter." Ginny shifted the baby in her arms so both Hermione and Ron could get a better look at his wee face. "And James, this is Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione…your Godparents." Hermione let out a little squeak and covered her mouth. "Is that a yes?" Ginny asked. Harry, who still had that huge goofy grin, was staring at them both happily, expectantly.

Hermione nodded her head eagerly and Ron wasn't surprised at all to see tears flowing down her cheeks.

"I think Auntie Hermione is trying to say we'd be most honoured. If you're both really sure?" Ron spoke as Hermione was too choked up to form a sentence.

"Of course we are. Who better than the full golden trio set to be held responsible for raising this little one?" Ron marvelled how even after giving birth, Ginny couldn't help herself, she had to have a good humoured dig about their famed status.

"Well, I dunno Gin, we were chatting this morning and can you believe it…but not one of us know how to change a nappy!" Ron joked and everyone laughed.

"Oh don't you worry, you're all going to get plenty of nappy changing opportunities. I'll ask mum to give us all lessons." Ginny beamed. "Now who wants the first cuddle?"

"Oh Gods, I do! Please?" Hermione had finally found her voice again. She gently took little James and sat on the visitor's chair next to the bed.

Harry took the opportunity to kiss and hug his wife, whispering how much he loved her and how proud he was of her for delivering their little boy safely.

Ron dropped into the chair next to Hermione and placed an arm over her shoulders. He reached out to stroke the little hand poking out of the blankets. He shook hands with James who had wrapped his tiny fingers instinctively around Ron's index finger.

"Hello little man. Nice to meet you."

"Oh Ron, our little godson!" Hermione gushed.

"Yeah. I've got some great stuff to teach this guy."

"He's so perfect Ginny, you're so lucky Harry." Tears streamed down Hermione's face again and Ron knew she was desperately hoping they'd be in this position in approximately 7 months' time.