A/N: I know a lot of you were curious about what happened with David so I delved into that briefly in this chapter so this is also your warning if this is a sensitive topic for you. (Mostly verbal abuse and manipulation/love-bombing)
The rest of this is uh fluffy... you could say. Who would have thought... me writing fluff ;)
As for Percy's can of worms from last chapter, that will be addressed later, once I have written it. It is definitely on my bullet point list for upcoming chapters.
And all my walls stood tall, painted blue.
But I'll take 'em down, take 'em down
and open up the door for you
And all I feel in my stomach are butterflies, the beautiful kind
"Making up for lost time, taking flight, making me feel like," Ginny and Harry sang together. "I just wanna know you better know."
Harry folded the last of his side of the pile of laundry. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
"And your eyes look like coming home," Harry sang kissing her cheek.
She finished folding her last two pieces. "Is it belly time again?"
"It's always belly time."
She leaned into him, her hand reaching to his face. "We get to see her again soon."
Harry hummed silently. "She's the size of a banana. That's considerably tall already."
"Would still fit in your hand," she said.
"Mine," he responded. "Not yours."
She turned around in his arms and shot a judging look at him. "Was that necessary?"
He grinned. "Yes."
Ginny's phone rang and she reached out to it on the table. When she saw it was Luna calling, she immediately picked up and Harry released her from his embrace.
"Hey Luna."
"Hi," Luna said. "I have a favour to ask…"
Ginny looked over at Harry but he wasn't paying attention to the phone call, loading the laundry into the basket. "What is it?"
"So I was going on a date and I took a bus to campus and then another one from there but I missed it…" Luna said with a sigh.
"Do you want us to drive you there, Luna?" she asked.
Harry looked up and raised an eyebrow.
"No, he is coming to pick me up but it'll take him an hour to get here. I just don't want to sit here for that long and I kind of need to pee soon," Luna told her.
"Oh my god, yes. Come over! Or do we need to meet you halfway? Where are you?" Ginny asked, walking to the window.
"No, it is fine, I'll walk. If you can just let me in," Luna told her. "Thank you."
"You are always welcome, no questions asked… Though calling five minutes ahead could be advisable at times," she said with a wink at Harry.
Luna laughed. "You're using living together well then?"
"While we can!" Ginny replied. "Okay, you do know we will need the details on this guy."
"Yes, fine fine," she said dismissively. "I'll be there in five."
Ginny finished the call.
Harry frowned at her. "Is she okay?"
"She missed her bus, but her date is picking her up so she just wants to hang out until he arrives," she walked to the door. "I'll let her in."
She walked downstairs and outside, standing out on the sidewalk looking for Luna. She checked her phone for any messages and then looked around. On the right she saw the blonde hair of her friend and waved.
Luna waved back, a broad smile appearing on her face. As she came nearer, she looked properly excited. "Girl, look at that belly!"
"I know!" Ginny said.
Luna wrapped her into a tight hug. "The photos do not do that bump justice. Insane. How are you?" Luna met her eyes.
"I am fine for the most part. I have aches in places I did not know could ache but I can't complain. We're settling in okay," she told Luna. She entered the code of the front door and it clicked open. "How are you?"
Luna replied as they began walking up the stairs. "Good, good! Not much going on, just relaxing. And well… got a date."
"Yes, you'll tell us all about it," Ginny said.
"Your hair looks insanely good, is that because of the hormones?" Luna asked.
Ginny nodded. "Yes, it's been super silky lately and I just don't have bad hair days anymore. I wonder how long that will last."
"Pregnancy looks good on you," Luna commented.
Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure? Because half the time I feel like a boiled potato and Harry is entirely unhelpful."
"You look great!" Luna said. "What do you want him to do? Tell you you look awful?" She shook her head at Ginny. "Of course he won't."
Ginny opened the door and let Luna walk in. Harry stood up and hugged her too.
"I want a tour of this place," Luna demanded. "I know I've seen photos…"
Ginny chuckled and dragged her along. "Come on! I'll show you. Harry will set tea or something."
"Hey! I am not your maid," Harry complained as he shuffled towards the kitchen.
Ginny winked at Luna and then turned to Harry. "I have a craving for tea."
Harry just shook his head slowly, filling up the kettle with water. "I was already doing it!"
"I see how it works," Luna commented.
Ginny showed her around, showing the baby's room last. "She'll sleep with us for a while but once she's big enough… she has her own room."
"Wow, you already have everything you need!" Luna commented.
Ginny shook her head. "Not even close! Baby needs a lot of things. The list is endless."
"It truly is!" Harry commented from by the counter.
After Luna had a chance to pee, they settled down on the couch.
"So, tell us about the guy," Harry said. "I miss listening to Ginny's dating endeavours."
"Do you really?" Luna asked him.
He thought about it. "Well, not exactly. But now I don't hear any crazy stories anymore."
Luna chuckled. "It is nothing too crazy. His name is Rolf. We've been on a few dates already and it has been going pretty well."
"He is driving this way for you?" Ginny asked. "Just to pick you up?"
Luna nodded. "Yes. We are having dinner at his place. He said he needed to finish one thing and then he's coming to get me."
"So he cooks?" Ginny asked.
Luna smiled at her. "I guess we'll find out."
Ginny asked a few more questions but he seemed to be a good guy and a good fit for Luna.
"What do we think, Harry?" Ginny asked him.
Harry shrugged. "I think he sounds okay," he agreed. "But if you do need someone to pick you up, you call us. Even if it is in the middle of the night."
"Thank you," Luna said. "I am hopeful that won't be necessary."
When Rolf arrived, the both of them walked her down. Luna hugged them both and then walked to his car a little further up the street. They watched as she got into it and he drove off.
"Got his license plate?" Ginny asked.
Harry nodded. "Got it."
They walked back upstairs.
"If you needed to, could you run it?" she asked curiously.
He smiled at her. "Of course. We'd know her approximate location in minutes." He closed the door and looked at her, as if he knew she'd have another question to ask.
"Did you ever do that for me?" she asked softly.
"Almost," he admitted. "I didn't want to spy on you and I do trust you to make your own choices but once when you were dating David, I couldn't get hold of you until well into the morning…"
"Why didn't you?" she asked.
He chuckled. "Because Ron sent a photo of you hogging his bed."
She was about to reach for the laundry basket but paused. "I worried you a lot, didn't I?"
"I was just looking out for you, as a friend," he told her. "And that was after the first time you told me you might break up with him."
"I should have done it then," she said.
"Giving people a second chance is not awful," he told her. "And he was a master in manipulating." He stepped closer to her.
"I know." She picked up the laundry basket. "I still regret it though. If anyone ever treats our baby like that I'll personally relieve them of their eyeballs," she said as she walked into their bedroom and set the basket down.
"Oh, leave an eyeball for me," he told her.
She sat down on the bed and looked up at him. "Why didn't you…?"
He let out a big sigh. "Mainly because you asked me not to interfere." He sat down beside her. "We were seeing you less and less and I knew if I broke your trust then… you may not confide in me again."
Ginny frowned for a moment. "I don't know if it would have come to that."
"It might have," he said softly. "It would have been very easy for him to paint me as the bad guy."
"I suppose," she said.
"Usually you can fight your own battles. I just knew I needed to give it time and hope that you'd realise on your own that you're worth more than he made you out to be." He smiled at her. "And you did."
"I wish I had seen it sooner," she said. "But it's not like he ever hit me. He just convinced me of his opinions and manipulated me into losing my self-worth." She looked up at the ceiling. "And I hate that so much because I pride myself in being independent and being able to stand up for myself and it happened anyway."
"That wasn't your fault. He was very charming at first, you open your heart and mind to him… they learn what makes you tick and use it against you. It could happen to anyone and you got… terribly unlucky."
She heaved a heavy sigh and leaned against him. He wrapped an arm around her.
"I don't know if I ever thanked you for being there for me when we broke up, after I had been such an awful friend to you," she told him. She looked up.
"You finally confirmed my suspicions and I knew you weren't going to go back, because he took it too far. I was just glad to have my best friend back, and I was happy I could be there for you. I knew that wasn't going to be easy." He caressed her side. "That's why I think Lars was good for you because he was the complete opposite."
"I would have never gone for a guy like Lars otherwise, but he felt like a secure option," she said. "And his family was so friendly too. I think I'll always be grateful to him."
He nodded. "I get that." He squeezed her softly. "Am I a secure option?"
She let out a long exaggerated breath. "I don't know, Harry." She sat up and chuckled, her hands tucking against her belly. "You're secure, but in a very different way than Lars was." She locked eyes with him. "Better."
His expression softened and he kissed her lips softly. "Alright, you charmer."
She caressed his cheek. "It's true. You're both fun and secure."
"I think you're setting the bar a little low," he told her. "But thanks." He looked towards the headboard of the bed. "Speaking of running plates, I still need to show you where the guns are."
"Right," Ginny said. "I can't believe I forgot about that."
"I did expect you to ask but you came back home with a truckload of food and well…" He raised an eyebrow.
"Where are they?" she asked.
"So there are some in a closed case that's on the top shelf of the closet. And there are two hidden in the apartment." Harry stood up. "These are loaded, I need you to understand that."
"No touchy, got it." She nodded at him.
"Yes." Harry pointed behind the headboard. "They should be out of the grasp of our kiddo for the coming three years at least."
Ginny stood up and looked behind it too. "Okay." She stuck her hand in between. "So I wouldn't accidentally touch it, you actually need to reach."
He shook his head. "Yes, you'd need to put in some effort." He walked out of the room. "The second one is in the kitchen. If you do happen to grab it, never point it at something you don't want to shoot."
"Why would I grab it?" Ginny asked him.
He shrugged. "A robbery, or accidentally… you never know." He pointed at an unsuspecting piece of cupboard. "There is a gap behind it, just big enough for a gun."
"I never would have guessed that," Ginny told him. "That's all?"
He nodded. "Yes."
She turned to him, already smirking. "Hey, is that a gun in your pants or are you just happy to see me?"
"There is a gun in my pants," he told her without missing a beat.
She crossed her arms. "Prove it."
He walked backwards. "Come and find out."
She ran after him and chased him through the apartment, around the kitchen counter and the couch and then she grabbed him by the waist. She smiled, pleased with herself and pulled the waistband back and looked inside.
"Disappointed?" he asked.
She let it snap back softly and took his hand while shaking her head, leading him to the bedroom. "Not at all."
"Weren't you putting the laundry away?" he asked her. "If you do that first…" He grinned at her.
"Fine. Fine." She opened the closet doors. "Have it your way."
Harry stepped out of the car in the hospital's parking lot and then turned around when Ginny didn't follow. He walked to her side and opened the door. "Are you okay?"
"What if something is wrong? What if that's why I haven't felt her kick?" she told him.
"She is fine! She is growing." He reached in and squeezed her hand. "And even if something is wrong, you'll keep wondering until you have seen her so let's go and find out. You can squeeze my hands to bits the whole time."
She sighed and picked up her bag, stepping out of the car. "I hate when you use logic on me."
"I know." He walked alongside her silently and helped her get checked in.
They settled in the waiting room.
"What if the doctor thinks I am bad for not having felt her kick yet?" she asked.
"The books say that is normal, especially with a first. It's going to be okay. And she's not grading you. They're just checking if the little one is growing well." He squeezed her hand again. "I know you're stressed, but don't forget to take some deep breaths."
She offered him a glare. "I am trying."
Ginny's demeanour changed when they were called in. They waited anxiously while the sonographer moved the probe around, her eyes flitting across the screen. It felt like an eternity. Harry held Ginny's hand the whole time, getting nervous too.
Finally the sonographer stopped for a moment and turned to them. "So everything is looking perfectly normal. Good heartbeat, measuring fine. You already knew if it was a boy or a girl, right?"
"Yes, we know it's a girl," Ginny said, her grip on Harry's hand softening a little.
The sonographer nodded. "She is indeed. Are you ready to see her?"
"Very much," Ginny said immediately.
She glanced at Harry and he smiled back at her. The sonographer turned the screen. "There is your little girl."
Harry's jaw nearly dropped. He could see the individual fingers as she moved her tiny hand. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat as the sonographer moved the probe around, pointing out different things.
"She is in a really good position," the sonographer said. "I already took a ton of pictures so you can look at them later. There is an app where you'll get to see all of it. I'll make sure you have the link."
"Thank you," Ginny said.
The sonographer turned the sound on and they could hear the baby's heartbeat.
Ginny looked over at Harry beaming widely. "That's our baby."
"Yes, it is," he responded softly.
They both looked back at the screen to look a little longer, until the sonographer told them it was time to wrap up and they would be seen by the gynaecologist after. They walked to the next waiting room and settled down.
Ginny's hand gripped his and entwined their fingers while she leaned in closer to him. He used his free hand to caress her cheek.
"Do you feel better now?" he asked her.
She nodded. "Yes. Although all these warning posters are giving me new things to be worried about."
Harry looked at them and shook his head. "Half of them are about drinking and smoking, which you aren't doing. Don't shake a baby… we won't. And breast is best according to the World Health Organisation. That is not new information." He looked at the final poster. "And the last one is just a very bad drawing of…" He squinted at it. "Actually I don't even know what that is."
"Placenta?" Ginny tried. She shook her head. "No, that can't be it."
They spent the afternoon buying the items the gynaecologist had recommended - a pregnancy pillow, a bouncy ball, a humidifier. On top of that they bought more maternity clothes and a cozy blanket to snuggle on the couch when it got colder.
Harry surveyed it all when he was done blowing up the ball. "Well, all your tools are taking over the apartment."
"You know what takes up a lot of space? A baby," Ginny responded with a bit of a snap.
He turned around to her, puzzled. "Woah, mama bear. I am not a threat to your cub. I was just saying." He walked up to her.
She let out a little amused huff and leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her, covering her bump.
"I expected I would have to advocate for myself today, but everyone was so nice! I got some fire left." She looked up at him. "I am not a mama bear."
"Yes, you are!" he said. "Fiercely protective and would prefer to hibernate."
She snorted and patted his arm. "I would rather hibernate, but I think you're the fiercely protective one."
"Nuh-uh!"
She turned to him, raising her eyebrows. "You have gotten so much worse over the last weeks."
"Maybe stop bumping into everything," he said with a neutral expression.
She shook her head. "If our little cub would take up less space, I wouldn't have so much bump to bump into things."
"Going to strap pool noodles around you," he muttered.
"Aha! You are the protective one," she said happily. "You would do terribly if you were pregnant, I can tell you that."
"I don't think that's true," he lightly objected. He caressed her bump. "If you have a little fire left… I still haven't managed to transfer your phone to my account and they're being very unresponsive. If you want to yell on the phone…"
"Ooh, yes." She grinned up at him. "Give me your account number, I'll take a stab at it."
Ginny and Harry walked into the Weasley house and found both pairs of parents already cosily chatting on the couch. Their parents looked up when they entered.
"My lovely daughter!" Molly said. "Come in."
"You just want to see the baby," Ginny chuckled.
Her mum stood up and hugged her. "No, I am happy to see you. Come on, sit down."
They settled down on the couch.
Lily gave Harry a scrutinising look. "How are you?"
"Fine," Harry told her. "We have been managing well at the apartment. I thought Ginny would get on my nerves quicker, but she really hasn't, and I only get on her nerves when I breathe."
"That is so not what I said," Ginny complained.
He looked at her. "What did you say?"
She grimaced at him. "I did say your breathing was bothering me…. at that moment." She shrugged and smiled innocently. "I think that's completely fair." She patted his knee. "I think we are doing pretty well? We have divided the chores, our neighbours from upstairs are lovely... I think we couldn't have chosen a better spot."
"I agree," James said. "I had a good feeling when we first went to look and I could tell you two liked it."
"Sometimes you just know," Harry said, with a quick glance towards Ginny.
"Are you going to show us the baby?" her dad asked. "You said you had a video?"
"Oh, yes." She pulled her phone from her pocket. "If you turn on the TV, I'll try to cast to it."
Arthur took up the remote and switched on the TV. Ginny waited for the icon to show up and then shared her screen, opening the app where they had received the images.
The prospective grandparents all let out a collective gasp as the first image appeared, showing the baby's silhouette. Ginny slowly scrolled through the photos as they made comments. 'Look she is waving!' and 'she's got your big forehead, James' and also 'she is so adorable!'.
When they came to the short video of the baby moving around, Ginny let it play on loop. Everyone was entranced by it. Harry's hand came to her bump. She looked up to meet his eyes.
"Our little cub," she whispered.
Harry's eyes twinkled as he looked at her and glanced down to where his hand rested on her bump. "She's so precious."
She snuggled a little closer to Harry. She caught her dad's eye, who smiled softly at her and then turned his attention back to the screen. Harry pressed a kiss against her hair.
Ginny swiped to the next photo. "I hope you're ready to see some tiny toes!"
"Aw!" Lily gasped. "That's just so adorable."
Ginny smiled softly, swiping to the next photo. "Last one."
"We can watch it twice, right?" her mother asked.
"We can," Ginny told them. "I will also send them once I find out how to export them from the app."
"If you don't manage, I have software that can get it off in a jiffy," James suggested jokingly, earning a warning smile from his wife.
Ginny nodded at him. "We'll keep that as a last resort."
"I am sure the leaflet said," Harry commented. "If only I knew where I left the leaflet."
"We'll manage," Ginny said.
Molly stood up. "I'll go get the appetisers. Arthur, can you see for the drinks?"
Ginny shifted and Harry's hand slipped off her. She stood up and followed her mum to the kitchen. It was always a good moment to speak to her in private.
"Are you less worried now?" her mum asked as she took a platter with finger foods out of the fridge.
"Yeah," Ginny said. "I don't know why I worry, but there are so many things that could happen."
"More often than not, they don't." Her mum smiled at her as she placed the platter down on the table and added the finishing touches. "It's good to be prepared, but you can't assume something will go wrong."
"I know, I guess I want to be prepared."
Her mum nodded. "No one is perfect. None of my kids are. Sometimes you know beforehand what their imperfections will be, big or small. Usually you find out along the way, and you love them all the same." She smiled at Ginny.
Her dad's voice carried over to the kitchen. "Well, I always say whiskey mixes well with everything, except with decisions!"
"How long has he been making that joke?" Ginny asked with a chuckle.
Her mother frowned for a moment. "Decades. Can you take the dipping sauces out of the fridge?"
Ginny ducked into the fridge and found another platter of small bowls filled with different dipping sauces. She put them on the table, tidying them up so they were lined up properly.
"You look happy," her mum commented casually as she placed little forks with the food.
Ginny looked up at her for a moment, and smiled. "I am. I don't know if true love exists, but if it does…" She felt her cheeks heat up. "He's just so… you know?"
Her mum smiled and nodded. "Go on and carry these out and napkins. I'll do the rest," she said as she pointed at the platter.
Ginny nodded and picked it up. She shot a thankful smile at her mum and walked back into the living room. She put the napkins and platter down, while her mum came out with the second one.
She took her place beside Harry again, who was talking to his mum. She found his hand and linked their pinkies for a moment.
He immediately turned around. "Hm?" he asked, a soft frown between his brows. "Okay?"
"Very," she replied.
His face relaxed and he blinked lovingly at her before looking over at his mum. "Mum was wondering what female names would stand a good chance for the little cub, considering we've come up with nothing."
Ginny sat up so she could see Lily a little better. "And?"
"Not good. Mum doesn't want any from her side of the family and the Potter side has lovely options like Euphemia," Harry told her.
James nodded. "I love my mum, but that is not a name you give to a baby."
"We have great options, like Muriel. Don't we, mum?" Ginny said.
Molly nodded. "And you still have to give her a call."
"Why should I give her the pleasure of disowning me when I could do it all on my own?" Ginny tried.
Molly sighed and answered with a measured tone that warned her to drop it. "It's polite."
"Harry wondered if he should let my parents know," Lily added. "It's not always an easy call. It's family, but that doesn't mean we all get along."
"Who knows, maybe she'll surprise us all and drop dead before the baby comes," Arthur mumbled as he poured Ginny an iced tea. He turned around, unaware of the reaction he had caused.
Lily sat silently, watching Ginny and Molly to gauge what reaction was appropriate.
"She's above a hundred," Ginny supplied. "It could happen."
Molly nodded. "And until then, a phone call is appropriate."
"We got Belvina," Arthur suggested. "Or Cedrella."
"I am not hearing a winner yet," Ginny commented. "Mum, was my name picked out?"
"For a really long time," Molly admitted. "But we kept having boys…"
