Ch 51 December with Babies
Saturday December second Harry and Ginny were at breakfast in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place when she received an owl from Ivana Romanoff. She read it, looked at Harry, and told him, "I guess Ivana is serious about Hudson Jordan."
"Oh?" Harry responded, moving next to Ginny to read the message.
"She wants to spend Christmas Eve with his family, and then bring him to Christmas day with us," Ginny explained, pointing out the message on the parchment.
"Oh!" Harry exclaimed, as he read the parchment.
"Oh indeed," Ginny grinned. "I knew she was seeing Hudson, going to dances with him. She swore me to secrecy, and I was never sure if it was serious."
"Bringing him to face the mob at your mother's house is serious!" Harry exclaimed.
"It is lots of people, and a number of rather forceful personalities," Ginny agreed. "Mum and dad are not that old for Magi. I just wonder what it will be like when there is another generation. It could take a moderate size hotel to hold all their descendants."
Ginny made a face. "Victoire and Teddy, Albus and Cleo all want big families. We are going to have the same issue if we live long lives."
Harry smiled. It was the type of problem he did not mind facing. His children only had one set of grandparents, and he didn't mind being the second set of grandparents to Teddy's children, or to Ivana's. Even though he and Ginny had not really planned on having such a big family.
"Do you want me to take Monica?" Harry asked. Ginny stood up, and Harry unfastened the carrier with the tiny baby in it and put it on. He made sure the oxygen concentrator was in place, and looked at the bracelet that would turn from green to orange if the baby was having trouble breathing. Harry started to walk back and forth; the motion soothed the unhealthy baby.
Ginny looked sadly at Monica. "I could spend all of my time taking care of her, but I need to be doing something else," she shook her head, trying to clear it. "I'm going to spend a little time playing with Gregory. I feel I'm leaving Gregory to mum and the Elves too much."
Gregory was sleeping in a cot they had in the kitchen, a much more content and healthy baby than his sister.
"I thought that I'd get a Christmas vacation," Lily complained as she and her mother worked on a schedule for interviews and columns for the month of December. Ginny had redone the office on the top floor of Grimmauld Place so there were desks for both of them, side by side, so they could work on columns together.
"As long as I am tied down with Monica Jane you are going to have to be doing most of the interviews," Ginny replied. "You are doing an excellent job of it." Ginny looked down at the tiny baby she was wearing. Gregory was on a blanket on the floor of the office, lifting his head and trying to roll. An Elf was talking to him in Elvish, and Gregory was obviously listening, making noises.
Lily frowned, typed a few things on her tablet, and then printed out a list. Ginny made a couple of suggestions and Lily frowned at her, crinkled up her nose, and furiously threw out the first list. She printed out a second list, and gave a big sigh.
"I thought Billy and I would have a LOT more time together after Quidditch season," Lily griped. "It is some better, but between practice and exercise and working on strategy and recruiting with James and Mrs. Paganelli he is, well, it is more than a full time job."
"That is what it takes to be successful, Lily," Ginny responded. "Your reporting and writing have become better and better since you started helping me. You have talent, but you have also worked hard at it."
"Some of it is fun, but some of it is just hard work," Lily complained.
"That's life," Ginny confirmed.
"I guess," Lily muttered as she went back to her tablet to try and edit something she had written.
Ginny went back to her own writing. She had become reasonably good at typing and editing while wearing Monica.
It was Saturday December sixteenth, and Harry and Ginny were meeting the Hogwarts Express to pick up Ivana and Hugo. Ginny was wearing Monica; it was just hard to escape the baby and Monica seemed to do better when Ginny was wearing her.
Ivana exited the train hand in hand with Hudson Jordan.
Lee and Nora Jordan met the couple, and a brief and somewhat energetic conversation ensued. You could see that Nora was excited, and Lee had an amused look. Ivana was smiling a shy smile, and Hudson looked like he had just caught a snitch. Then the four walked over to Harry and Ginny.
Ivana asked, "May I go home with Hudson? I will be back tonight, and he would like to come to breakfast tomorrow and go over to lunch with Grandmother Weasley."
"It would probably be good to get some exposure to the family gathering before the madhouse that Christmas will probably be," Ginny smiled in reply. She looked at Harry for his agreement and then answered, "Let us know when you are going to be back so we can have the Floo opened."
"Yes, mum," Ivana answered.
Lee looked at Nora and took her hand, and they led the way to one of the Floos. Hudson took Ivana's hand, she smiled, and they followed his parents.
Hugo spotted Harry and Ginny, and came over, pulling a small rolling suitcase. "I need to bring my things home before going to the store," Hugo told Harry and Ginny. "Mum told me you would be picking me up."
Harry and Ginny took Hugo to his house. Hugo then took the Floo to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
It was about ten in the evening when Harry met Ivana at the kitchen Floo.
"Welcome home," Harry told his adopted daughter. "Ginny is up in the drawing room. I think she has just finished feeding the babies."
The two climbed from the kitchen through the floor with the living and dining room and into the large drawing room.
"Hello, Ivana," Ginny said, as she handed Monica to an Elf Ivana did not know. "How was your visit to the Jordans'?"
"Brief," Ivana replied. "Hamilton, Hudson's older brother, is home from school. He is learning Muggle accounting and finance. I think he wants to work with his father, travel to buy and sell things for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes."
"Is that something you and Hudson want to do?" Ginny wondered.
"Like, together?" Ivana asked, eyes suddenly wide opened and open mouth.
"Maybe I am assuming too much," Ginny softly replied. "Usually when a girl wants to bring a boy to meet the family it means something."
"Well, yes," Ivana responded. She fidgeted like she wanted to say more but wasn't quite sure how and what to say. Finally, she asked, "Do Magi really mature sooner?"
"Yes, they do," Ginny replied. "Maybe that is partly why there are as many of us that marry reasonably quickly after graduating from Hogwarts."
"Is it all right if I don't want to have children right away?" Ivana wondered. "Most of your family seems to want to be pregnant right away."
"I didn't," Ginny replied. "I had a Quidditch career first. I think I would have played another year or three except I was hurt and had to retire."
"Hudson and I have been talking about what we want to do when we grow up, and we both think we like science and engineering and maybe working for one of the Dursley, Potter and Weasley companies or some other company like that," Ivana explained. "If we do it will take four to six more years of education, though. I don't mind waiting four or six or even eight or ten years before having a family, I mean, if you start before you are thirty you are still plenty young, especially for as long as a witch stays fertile, but if Hudson and I are together, if we? Well, we are talking about it."
"There is money to pay for your education if you go on," Harry told the young girl.
"Even if Hudson and I get married?" Ivana wondered.
"I would rather we talk about it first, and make a plan," Harry responded. "I think we can work something out, though."
"Thank you," Ivana replied. "I should get to bed. Hudson is going to be here first thing in the morning."
"Good night," Harry and Ginny both said as Ivana went up to her bedroom.
Harry, Ginny, Minerva and the two babies were in the kitchen with Ivana when Hudson Jordan showed up. Hudson came through the Floo, dusted himself off, and looked around. A couple of Elves were making breakfast.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Hudson said. "Thank you for letting me come."
"You are very welcome," Ginny responded. "We are delighted to have Ivana's young man over here."
Ivana and Hudson looked at each other and blushed.
Ginny, who was never reluctant to push for a little more information, asked, "Oh? Did I misinterpret something?"
Ivana looked at Hudson for an answer, obviously not quite sure what to say.
Hudson smiled. "Probably not. We are certainly more than casual friends.
"Am I going to be asked this by everybody at Grandmother Weasley's house?"
"You will not be asked by everybody," Harry laughed, "but some of the witches will want to start planning a wedding, so be ready when they ask you. Don't be afraid to tell them that something is none of their business, either."
"I've great-great grandparents," Hudson volunteered, "but the family is not that large. Mostly one or two children, on both sides."
"It is a madhouse at these lunches," Ivana growled.
"You don't like it?" Hudson asked.
"Oh, I love it!" Ivana exclaimed. "It is just that it is a madhouse, with all the people, and now with all the babies. It's enough for me to want to wait to have my own babies."
"Lots of pretty babies," Minerva added. "I like babies! I'm glad that mum had babies, and Gregory is becoming a baby you can look at and play with, if you are careful. They all are, except Monica. She just sleeps, mostly."
Which was true, Ginny thought. Monica Jane still slept mostly, like a newborn, or maybe more than a newborn. It was hard to keep her awake even to feed her.
Hudson came back to Grimmauld Place along with the rest of the Potter family right after a light dinner at the New Burrow.
"Come up to the drawing room, you two," Harry told Ivana and Hudson. Everyone climbed up to the drawing room.
"Does anyone want to hold Gregory?" Harry asked.
"I will!" Minerva exclaimed. She went over to an overstuffed chair and plopped down, obviously excited to be holding the baby. Harry, who had been carrying his son, put him in Minerva's lap, and she held him and started to talk to him. Gregory babbled back. Harry left the two, and sat down next to Ginny, and motioned for Ivana and Hudson to sit across them them.
"So it is going to be even more crowded Christmas?" Hudson tried to confirm.
"Teddy Lupin is working long hours before Christmas, including Christmas Eve," Harry explained. "The mob that is his family, his wife and another witch and all the children, are in France with Fleur Weasley and her family. They will be back for Christmas, along with Dominique and her husband François and their son, and some of his wine.
"Albus and Cleo and their two will be there as well. Ron and Hugo were working at the Wheezes, the week before Christmas being some of the busiest for the store. So they will be quite a few more people Christmas day."
"I'm not fond of the retail business," Hudson told Harry and Ginny. "I've avoided getting talked into helping in the store. I've worked making things and stocking shelves, but the hours, the working with customers, just isn't me."
"I'm working very long hours before Christmas, but will be off sometimes Christmas Eve, and I try to take off between Christmas and New Year," Harry told Hudson. "We can talk about your future plans then."
"Thank you, Mr. Potter," Hudsonsaid before he headed home.
Ginny handed Monica to Harry, and told him, "I will see Hudson out." Then she accompanied Ivana and Hudson down to the kitchen Floo. Ivana looked at the Floo after Hudson had left, and then looked at Ginny and grinned. Ginny hugged Ivana, and the two witches giggled.
Ivana did spend a couple of days at the Jordan home, meeting with Nora, Hudson's mother, and some of the other relatives the week before Christmas.
Ivana met Hudson in the busy Grimmauld Place kitchen Christmas morning. "We are having breakfast here before heading over to the New Burrow," she explained.
There were beings in the kitchen, Magi and Elf. Hudson knew that Al and Cleo had guards that always traveled with them, and he guessed that these beings may have come with Al and Cleo. Some of the Elves were preparing food. At least one of the wizards gave Hudson a look that indicated that he was suspicious of anyone he didn't know.
The couple climbed up to the next floor, where it appeared that the hall and part of the living room had been turned into the dining room, one of the ways magic could rearrange space in a house. Harry never got over how magical it was, to expand and rearrange space like this, like, well, magic.
"Hello, Hudson," Lily told Hudson. Lily looked at the couple and giggled.
Ivana rolled her eyes. She whispered, "It is not going to be any better this week."
Albus waved. Ivana and Hudson went over to where Albus and Cleo were sitting, two cots with their two babies next to them.
"Welcome, Hudson," Albus greeted him, as he arose and shook hands. "Good to see you, Ivana."
Cleo arose and took out her bamboo and sandalwood wand, and waved it over Hudson and Ivana. She became a little pensive, and told them, "Hold hands." They did, and she waved the wand over them again. She then had a big smile. "I'll make soap, shampoo, and perfume for you," she told the couple. "A pre-engagement present of sorts."
"We are not exactly engaged," Ivana insisted, cautiously looking around the room. She glanced at Hudson, and then looked down. Hudson just smiled.
Cleo shrugged her shoulders. "Yet," she replied. "You will be."
Hudson looked questionably at Ivana.
Ivana quietly told Hudson, when they could talk without anyone else hearing, "The problem is, Cleo is always right when she says something like that."
Hudson gently pulled Ivana towards him and gave her a little kiss, which brought out applause.
The couple had a hard time not grinning through the day.
The group sat down to a traditional English breakfast. When they were finished Ginny told everybody, "We have a couple of hours before we have to be at the New Burrow, and we want to take this time to give out a few Christmas presents.
Ivana had a book she gave Hudson, and he gave her a book. To Hudson's surprise he received an Engineering series he had wished he could justify buying from the Potters'.
Lily Luna Lionheart received The Modern Witches guide to Pregnancy and Lactation, from her mother.
Lily looked at the book and wiggled her nose in a very Lily style, before saying is a small voice, "Thank you, mum."
Lily was sitting next to Ivana, and Lily looked at the book and whispered, "Not what every sixteen-year-old wants to get for a Christmas present."
"We all guessed that is why you left school when you did," Ivana responded. "I know you disappeared a couple of times after we were swimming."
"Mum has a Touch-of-Lust spell," Lily whispered, grinning, before frowning again. "Don't use it if you don't want to become pregnant."
"You used it?" Ivana whispered back.
Lily grinned. "It was a lot of fun!"
She then looked at the book and grimaced. "I should have known better." Lily felt down to her expanding shape, rubbing her belly like the pregnant woman she was.
"How is it being a grown-up and working on the Quidditch column?" Ivana wondered.
"I really like it, and I like going to bed with Billy, especially when he is not too tired, but," Lily gave a big sigh, "it is more work than I thought it would be. And it is expensive being a grown up.
"I should have, well, I shouldn't have, I … It would have been nice to be an adolescent for a little longer.
"I don't know why, but I know that there is a baby growing in me, and I just have to be more careful because it isn't just me anymore it is me and the baby and that is thrilling and terrifying all at the same time and I'm not really old enough but I don't have any choice now."
The Potters were among the last to arrive at the New Burrow.
Minerva immediately went over to where Molly and Victoire were preparing the food, joining the group that was getting food on the table.
Harry told Hudson Jordan, "Best to just stay out of the way. We are at the first table. Ginny is too unsteady on her feet to help in the kitchen. I'm mostly good at breakfast, and they usually don't ask me to help unless they need someone to fry eggs."
"Ivana tried to explain to me about Teddy's family, but that is a lot of little children," Hudson commented, looking at the third table where Teddy was working with another witch getting children into chairs. An older witch, Hudson had been introduced to last week, Mrs. Tonks, was sitting next to and talking to one of the children. "Ivana told me that Victoire wants to have more children with Teddy?"
"She's planned on having a dozen with him for years," Harry confirmed. "Actually she is very lucky he is alive, and despite the other children from his stay on what is now Resort Cleo, what was the Island of the Pirate Witch Queen, she still wants to have a dozen children with him."
"Does Louis have a girlfriend?" Hudson wondered, looking over at uncle Bill's family.
"Not that anyone knows of," Harry replied. "He is going to a Muggle University studying finance, and working with his father part time. He has never been short of girlfriends."
Hudson looked at Fleur and Dominique, who were both putting themselves back together after nursing their babies. It was hard not to stare. They were both beautiful, both perfectly proportioned except for breasts swelled just the right amount because of the nursing. François was a pretty male, not ruggedly handsome, but all male with fine perfectly proportioned features. He and Dominique were a beautiful couple.
Mr. Bill Weasley was not beautiful. His face was less scarred than some pictures of him, partly due to some expensive work with the healers developing cures for curse scars. His hair was thinning, and he had a modest middle age belly.
Hudson tried to imagine what the family would be like in another generation. It would take a small book to list all the people. He was grateful that Ivana was not an orphan, however, having been adopted by this large, wild, accepting family. Cleo was right. If they wanted to marry, and they did, and then go to school, they needed to talk to Mr. Potter about going to school, together.
Ivana smiled at Hudson, and held hands. It was going to be good being a couple, going through life together.
Ivana and Hudson went home to Grimmauld Place before he left for his house. They were alone in the kitchen, hugging, when Ivana told Hudson, "You will receive a jumper from grandmother next year."
"She felt a little flustered that she didn't have one for me this year," Hudson noted.
"That is when you know you are part of the family, when you get a jumper," Ivana told Hudson.
"I didn't want to say it in front of the mob, but I expect we will be married next year," Hudson volunteered.
"Is that a proposal?" Ivana wondered, grinning broadly with just a hint of a questioning look.
"Not a formal one," Hudson answered, "but after surviving the chaos that is your family, yes, and you meeting my family, yes. I want you in my life. I want us to go through life together."
"Yes," Ivana replied. "I will not say anything to anyone until you formally propose, but the answer is yes." She followed up with a big hug and kiss, before putting her head against Hudson's chest, as he kissed her head.
Harry went over to the offices of Dursley, Potter and Weasley mid-week. Bill and Fleur still had the same side by side offices, that could be combined if they wanted. He and Fleur met in her office, still the same office except for a cot for Jean-Paul, Fleur's son.
"You want me to structure it as a scholarship, with support each semester depending on passing the previous semester," Fleur wanted to confirm, bringing out some documents and showing them to Harry.
"Yes," Harry agreed. "Generous support, but not too generous."
"You want the money to come from the Harry and Ginny Potter Charitable Trust?" Fleur wondered.
"No, take it from family money," Harry replied. "Ivana has lived with us as a daughter the last few years, and we can certainly afford it."
"I'm meeting with the couple tomorrow," Fleur let Harry know. "I can have the outlines of what we are going to do for them by tomorrow. Then they will have to make sure they can attend the schools in California and find out about housing and other expenses. It is not the first time you have done something like this."
"You have handled the details, Fleur," Harry responded. "Thank you."
"You have done it often enough that I actually have a staff member who is an expert at this type of scholarship, Harry," Fleur replied. "I think you forget just how generous the Harry and Ginny Potter Charitable Trust has been over the years. You have given away an immense amount of money."
"And Bill has been such a good steward of the money that there is more money than when we started," Harry observed. "I have been so blessed to have you and Bill take care of the financial end of my family."
"And the whole wizarding world is grateful to you and your family for looking after the safety of our world, Harry," Fleur countered. "We each do what we do best. Thank you."
Molly had the family gather Sunday mid-morning, December thirty-first, for the usual Sunday gathering. She let everyone know, "You can all do your own thing this evening."
Hudson met Ivana at Grimmauld Place that morning for breakfast. Hudson came thru the Floo, spotted Ivana, and passionately kissed her. He looked around the kitchen, which is apparently where they were eating this morning. As usual the breakfast was being prepared by a couple of Elves.
James, Lily, and their families were already there, sitting at the breakfast table. Albus and his family was not, and the family did not know if Albus would be able to spend any time at the New Burrow this New Year weekend.
Lily spotted a ring on Ivana's finger, and squealed, "You're engaged!" Lily jumped up from where she was seating, went over to Ivana, and took Ivana's hand in hers. Lily beamed, and then pulled Ivana into a big hug.
Once Lily had released her, Ivana held out the ring, showed it to the rest of the beings gathered there, nodded yes, and smiled.
"We would like a formal engagement before we go back to school," Hudson announced. "That will make it easier to work on plans for next year. We can actually start school in California in the summer, so we will probably want a wedding as soon after we graduate from Hogwarts as possible."
"You don't want to marry today?" Lily wondered. "It comes with some great fringe benefits!"
Ivana and Hamilton blushed. Ivana shook her head 'no.' "I want to plan a wedding," Ivana told Lily.
"I wanted a HUGE wedding," Lily admitted, grinning, and then frowning. "I guess I should have waited."
Before the noon meal at the New Burrow everyone there had heard of Ivana and Hudson's engagement, and congratulated them. Everyone, but especially the witches, were excited about a spring wedding.
The meal was just winding down when the garment that Monica wore started to wail. Mitzi picked up the baby and gave her to Ginny. Ginny breathed into Monica's mouth once, twice, three times as the wail became louder and louder. Finally, the fourth time, Monica shook and started to breath on her own. The garment shut off, and everyone was quiet, holding their breath as they watched.
Ginny broke down in tears. "You have to breathe, little girl," she cried. "You have breathe! You need to grow up and breathe on your own and …"
Ginny was hyperventilating, and she tried to calm down. Harry took the baby and patted her on the back and walked back and forth with her.
"The baby is sick," Minerva announced. "Mum has to do that lots! It is really scary when Monica Jane stops breathing!"
Ginny was still crying, and trying to calm down. "She usually starts breathing as soon as the garment starts to wail," Ginny told everyone. "That was … that was bad!"
"What do the healers say?" Molly wondered, going over to hug Ginny.
"Failure to thrive," Ginny responded. "They do not have any answers. If she grown up and gets stronger she may grow out of it, but they cannot promise anything." Ginny was still crying, and others in the family started to tear up watching.
"It is really hard on Ginny when Monica has one of these episodes," Harry let everyone know. "This was a bad one."
Harry gave Monica back to Ginny, who held the baby and patted her back and looked at her with such a sorrowful face that everyone in the family was sorry for Ginny. Ginny gently cried and held Monica for some time, rocking her back and forth and patting her on the back.
Harry led Ginny to a comfortable chair in the New Burrow living room, and Ginny and Monica slept, Monica in a carrier on Ginny, Ginny with her hand on Monica.
Later that afternoon Hermione produced a formal betrothal contract for Ivana and Hudson. Lee and Nora Jordan appeared, along with their oldest son Hamilton, who wanted to witness his brother's betrothal. Ginny had awakened, although she was still holding Monica close and often looked at the tiny baby with concern.
Hermione told the couple what they were signing. The contract could be broken unless they consummated their relationship, a formal betrothal being less than a Muggle marriage but more than a Muggle engagement.
Ivana and Hudson signed the document, and then Lee and Nora Jordan signed it. Finally, Harry and Ginny, as Ivana's guardians, signed the documents.
Hermione made two copies, and gave on to Ivana and one to Hudson. "I will have the original filed at the Ministry," Hermione told the young couple, as she rolled up the parchment, shrunk it, and neatly filed it in her purse.
Harry couldn't help but speculate how large the purse was, remembering Hermione's beaded bag and all that it contained.
Late that evening, after the Jordans had gone home, and the Potter family was back at Grimmauld Place, Ginny quietly handed a set of contraceptive potions to Ivana. "The matrons at Hogwarts will have more for you," she told her adopted daughter.
Ivana warily looked at the potions. "I thought we would wait. Am Iexpected too?" she wondered.
"Once you sign a formal betrothal contract it is neither required nor forbidden," Ginny explained. "Human hormones being what they are, not every bride is a virgin on their wedding day, although it is better to wait if you can."
"I want to wait, and I don't want to wait," Ivana replied. "I will take and use these, just in case, although I really want to wait. Thank you."
Ginny added, "Even though their future wives were pregnant, I know Albus and Cleo, Rose and Scorpius both waited until we insisted, just before the Battle at Malfoy Manor, and they would have waited until after the ceremony. Harry and I waited. I hope you do."
Well, Ginny thought, they waited because of Harry, not her, but right now, after talking to Ivana, she was glad that they had waited.
Harry and Ginny went to bed at ten in the evening December thirty-first.
"Another quiet year," Harry remarked. "We need a little excitement in our lives."
Ginny gave Harry a wary look. "Sure!" she exclaimed. She snuggled up against him, and kissed him. Harry had continued to exercise, and was a very fit Auror. "I need you tonight," she told him as she took off her garments, admiring his fit body.
Lying in bed after they made love Ginny had to admit that life was still good. Good enough, she thought, looking at Harry, and healthy Gregory, and … she looked at tiny Monica. That part of her life was hard.
2023