Hey everyone,
So I reread the story notes I had ready for this story and realized I actually had a lot of stuff that still needed to be covered.
As you can probably see, the last few chapters have been mostly focused on Harry's family, his future and his pregnancy.
I kind of just forgot everything else, sorry.
Either way, this might sound like a weird idea, but I'm going to make a few different kinds of time jumps.
This first jump is going to jump to the end of May and cover Harry giving birth. The next – is going to be a jump back in time and cover other stuff.
Consider it my way to cover the main topic of the story first and then focus on the sub-topics of the story.
And trust me, there are plenty,
Venquine1990
Chapter 49
Finally Here
29th of May 1996
Hospital Chambers
Radiant Garden
Lea's POV
The last week has been absolutely brutal.
And I know that this fact is even more true for my precious mate than for me. Harry's health actually went somewhat backwards the further he got into his pregnancy.
Thankfully it didn't happen in an unhealthy way as he just got more and more tired, the more his body grew to accommodate our baby.
And while my beloved tired more and more easily the longer the pregnancy lasted, this growing lack of stamina resulted in him becoming more dependent on others, which resulted in him actually growing more restless and irritated.
And unfortunately, at the start of May, this growing sense of irritation, no longer really able to find an outlet as Harry hadn't been able to leave his bed for four days, exploded magically.
Thankfully Poppy had already warned us ahead of time that this might happen and Molly had shared her own experienced with us.
Unfortunately, Harry had grown unable to fully control his magic after it got released inside his room and dad had been forced to take Harry to his special room within the Master's castle.
He has been there, all by himself, with only his magic, ever since.
And just like screams and yells of pain and fear were heard coming from the castle a few years ago, just before everything went down, no wails of sorrow and loneliness come from one of the lower towers of the castle.
Multiple times over the last week Mrs. Weasley, dad and the others have been forced to keep me from phasing into the room, to be with my mate.
The whole time the fact that these people know more about wizarding pregnancy – and in the case of my dad, who visits Master Ansem every so often, my mate – fought and battled with my need to be there for my precious partner and my unborn child.
Nothing I did could keep me distracted well enough that I didn't hear my mate's cries for me.
Aeleus suggested that I might want to stay in Twilight Town for the week, but I nearly made him need to visit the hospital himself when he tried to make that suggestion.
Since then the man has wisely kept his mouth shut and avoided me.
On the third day Mrs. Weasley asked Sirius why they wouldn't just let someone put a privacy or silencing charm on Harry's rooms.
Sirius instantly proved that he has the same frayed nerves as me and the same temper as Mrs. Weasley and myself.
"YOU KNOW JUST FINE THAT SOME TEENAGERS DIE WHILE IN THE LAST STAGE OF THEIR PREGNANCY!
IT MIGHT TEAR AT MY HEART TO HEAR MY SON SCREAM, BUT AT LEAST HIS SCREAMS LET ME KNOW HE'S STILL ALIVE!
DON'T YOU EVER MAKE SUCH A SUGGESTION AGAIN, MOLLY WEASLEY!"
It was only a few hours later that Mr. Weasley explained the selfishness behind Mrs. Weasley's question, based on her own heartache at hearing Harry crying like that.
Neither of us had really considered this an acceptable excuse, but we had accepted the reasoning regardless, simply because we didn't want another source of concern.
Now it's nearly eight-thirty in the morning.
My whole family and I have been in the waiting room for 2 hours.
And from where we're waiting and pacing, we're able to hear his screams much better.
And now that the screams have been changed from heartache to pain, things really haven't improved these past two hours that we've been here.
To be honest, I don't even know if it really has been 2 hours or more. I only vaguely remember reading 6:25 on my bedside clock earlier this morning.
And while I pace across the waiting room floor, I sometimes spot the right half of a wall clock around the corner.
I've seen it pass the 12 at the top twice now and the hour hand was nearing the 5 near the bottom of the clock the last time I checked.
Then suddenly the cries and screams stop.
Instantly Sirius, who has been pacing in mirror pace to me, and I freeze.
And together with Damian, dad, Roxas and Master Ansem – who joined us earlier – we all stare at the closed door.
Yet for several more agonizing minutes – that feel like lifetimes – of which each makes me more and more aware of my heartrate increasing more and more, silence reigns.
"No. No, please no."
Sirius whispers, tears in his eyes.
Then finally the door opens. Yet it's not Even or Poppy who comes out or even my mate and my newborn child. It's a completely strange woman, who wears the signature outfit for the Master's apprentices.
I turn from the woman to Master Ansem, who winces and says: "I forgot to tell you. Even came down with a fever the day before yesterday. He didn't consider himself healthy enough to tend to your mate when Harry went into labor earlier tonight."
"But Harry – he – he's okay, right?
The baby's here? They're okay?
They're recovering? We can see them?"
Sirius' voice is a maelstrom of anxiety.
The woman looks at him and actually has the gall to coldly ask him who he is.
Sirius wants to jump her, yet the Master interferes and demands the woman, named Eli, let us pass.
The woman instantly steps aside and then something amazing happens.
Sirius' face has emulated my own growing sense of concern, fear and horror for the past two hours and the man must be fearing for his son's life the entire time.
Yet regardless of this, he turns to me and whispers: "Go. You're the father. You get first visitor rights."
I falter for a moment and stare at him. Yet then the realization of what he said hits me and I nod before assuring him that I will invite him in shortly.
Then, with my heart in my throat for a completely new reason, I pass the coldly professional woman and enter the room.
The room itself is an utter and complete mess.
Yet I only have eyes for my beloved mate, who has never looked more incredible.
Harry's hair, which seems to have grown past his shoulders in the week he was alone, is more of a mess than it has ever been, his eyes are lidded with tired love, the muscles in his arms seem to be fighting the position they're in, his whole body just oozes exhaustion.
And yet there is a Billion Munny smile on his face and his eyes, while lidded with a need for sleep, are aimed down at the bundle in his arms. And they have never been more expressive than I have ever seen them in the past several months.
And the little bundle in his arms, which is wrapped in a pink towel and blanket, seems like the only thing/being in the young man's world as he seems as oblivious to the carnage around him as I am as I watch him.
Watch them both.
Slowly I approach the bed, careful not to disturb the incredible scene before me. And while I know that the little bundle of blankets in my mate's arms is my daughter, I actually feel as if I'm intruding on their privacy with every step I take.
Harry barely raises his head as I reach his bedside. His smile, though it should be impossible, actually increases in size as he sees me, even though he looks at me through eyes that seem ready to close at any minute.
The boy has been screaming himself hoarse several times over now this past week – and even more so these past few hours. So it really doesn't surprise me that he almost whispers as he tells me:
"I decided that her middle name will be Jade. I wanted you to pick her first name."
My eyes widen as I suddenly realize that, in all the time we've known of our baby coming, we never discussed potential names.
Yet I did think of a few and as I stare at the little bundle, the baby itself barely visible in her mother's protective, caring hold, I whisper:
"I had two names in mind. One is a little more – normal, but both do come with a special meaning. I thought of either Dorothea or Erethea."
Harry looks back down at his baby girl, who seems to be sleeping softly in his hold and whispers: "I like Erethea better. Erethea Jade Potter-Dinsted just – sounds better."
I nod at him in agreement. And while it's obvious that the boy is beyond exhausted, I somehow just know that I shouldn't tell him to lay our daughter in her bedside crib and sleep.
And then Harry proves that his need to be social is stronger than his fatigue. He asks me about the others and I quickly go fetch Sirius, Damian and dad.
The nurse had tried to argue with my decision, yet she had wilted under our combined glares and left when Master Ansem recommended she get back to other duties.
Poppy, who had apparently left the room to report about the labor to dad and Sirius while I went in, joins us back into the room.
"Please note that soft tones are a demand and that you are to leave in –."
But before the woman can continue, Harry tiredly speaks up: "Madam Pomfrey please! Don't make them leave. I – I can't be alone again. You – you don't know what I – what I went through last night.
Please – let them stay."
And this time I vow to myself that I won't let any experts or their knowledge keep me from where I belong, not anymore.
Poppy, who had picked up on Harry calling her by her Healer title and not her first name, apologized and promised that we could stay as long as Harry wanted us. Yet she also reminds us of the other demand, that we keep our voices quiet.
We agree with her and reach the bed again as Damian asks: "And?" Harry, who seems to drain himself of his energy with the act, smiles at him.
Yet before he can tire himself out even more – and fall asleep against his own will or something – I tell the boy: "Get a little closer and you might be able to see your new goddaughter/niece."
Damian's eyes and dad's good eye widen and Sirius mutters how Etherea is the first daughter to be a firstborn in 6 generations of House Potter. He whistles an impressed tune.
"We decided to call her Etherea, Etherea Jade Potter. I picked Jade, after dad and because it's both a gem and a plant. And Lea came up with the name Etherea."
The others look at me and I grin as I say: "It's our baby girl who was the result of our eternal soul-bond being formed. I figured she might as well be named after that special occasion."
"I mean, it's not as if she needs an extra reason to be special to us, but still." I think to myself as I gaze upon my partner and daughter.
Then suddenly something happens.
The little bit of skin that I was able to see and a sweet, greyish blue color suddenly shines out of the little bit of facial skin.
I am staring into the left eye of my daughter as it gazes around the room with awe and wonder. After a moment it passes over her mother and stays there.
Yet before it can do more than water lightly, Harry is already moving. And to the shock of us all, he casts wandless magic to open up the hospital gown he's wearing.
He uses one of his hands to guide our daughter's head to his chest and she seems to actually attach herself to his nipple and start to suckle.
"Wait, my mate – is able to breastfeed our daughter?"
I think to myself as I realize the beauty of the scene in front of me.
"Poppy, is this – is this really – am I seeing this? I – I didn't read about this." Sirius whispers to Poppy, the two of them standing between me and dad.
The woman nods and whispers: "It's rare and only happens with a few male mothers that give birth. Though according to the books I read, it does usually happen with mothers who are required to spend the last week of their pregnancy by themselves.
Their magic just – acts in different ways to accommodate them wherever and whenever possible during this week and often times for several weeks after the birth."
By now, while I'm still hearing her, I stopped listening.
I only care for my mate and my daughter. My daughter, who is finally here.
Welcome, Erethea.
And sure, I'm betting some of you saw the gender and the name coming a mile away. Still, I hope that I gave at least a somewhat unique name to our newborn OC.
Next chapter: Harry returns home, Lea gets to interact with his daughter and Poppy visits her charge, both about Harry's words and about other important things.
After that, I might just put in another "Braig Visits Hogwarts" chapter, so that Dumbledore and the others can catch their first glimpse of the newborn.
We'll see,
Venquine1990
PS. Harry went into labor at around 02.00 in the night.
