meeting baby potter
When Ginny woke up, it took her a moment to realise where she was.
Slowly her vision cleared and she realised that she was not at home. Then she remembered the events of the last two days and inevitably she had to smile. She was indeed a mother now. At twenty-two fucking years old.
Her gaze slid to her left where her baby lay in a cot beside her, sleeping peacefully.
James.
He was finally here and had taken her heart by storm. Now just thinking about the fact that just a few weeks ago she had wondered if it had been the right decision to choose to have the baby made her shake her head inwardly. Yes, it had been the right decision to go for it.
Then her gaze slid to the right and she looked into Harry's green eyes, which were watching her intently. The hospital staff had arranged a camp bed for him so he could spend the night with her and James.
"Good morning," he said, a big smile on his lips. Slowly he sat up. "How are you?"
"Quite okay," she replied with a smile. "Everything just hurts a bit now, or rather is a bit uncomfortable. But I'm overjoyed."
She slid to one side in her bed to make room for Harry in it. He rose from his bed and accepted her invitation.
"Can you help me shower later? I'd like to freshen up, but I don't quite trust my legs yet."
Harry pressed a kiss to her temple. "Sure."
"I honestly never thought I'd ask for help in the shower," Ginny then remarked.
Her husband grinned. "Some things in life are just very unexpected."
She looked to her left at her son and smiled knowingly. "You don't say."
~
"You're seriously telling us you don't know if it's a boy or a girl, what they are called or what they look like, even though you were there when the baby was born yesterday?" asked George his mother as he walked through the corridors of St Mungo's with his brothers, his parents and Hermione.
"I never said that," Molly replied with a shrug.
"Just wait, George. You'll know in about two minutes anyway," Hermione said, addressing her brother-in-law.
Ron ran a hand through his hair. "Is it normal for me to be so incredibly nervous?" he asked.
"Sure, after all it's your niece or nephew you're about to meet. Plus your godchild and your sister's and best friend's child," replied Charlie, who seemed like the calmest one.
"Aren't you nervous?" asked Bill his younger brother.
Charlie shrugged his shoulders. "I wouldn't call it nervous. I'm more looking forward to meeting my nephew or niece."
"Do you think they'll want visitors now?" asked Percy, adjusting the glasses on his nose.
"From what your mother told me, Ginny literally demanded your presence," Arthur replied. "After all, you are her brothers. If you don't get to meet Harry's and Ginny's child first, who will?"
"So here we are," Molly then said, stopping outside one of the room doors. Before she knocked, she turned to her sons. "And you be quiet, we don't know if the baby is asleep and we certainly don't want to wake them!"
Not even George said anything in reply. They all just nodded. They were far too excited to answer anything.
Molly turned back to the door and knocked softly before pushing down the door handle. Slowly they all trotted into the room. Ginny was lying on her bed with Harry, a small baby in her arms who had their eyes closed and was sleeping peacefully.
When she noticed her brothers and her parents, a smile spread across Ginny's face. "Hey," she said and then looked down at James. "May we introduce. This is James."
A sob was heard and a glance at her mother told her that it was her who was now fighting tears again. Who else.
"Molly, you saw him yesterday," Harry remarked amusedly, getting up from the bed to give his mother-in-law a hug.
Molly sniffled. "Still, I could cry every time I see him. Thank you for such a wonderful grandchild."
Ginny exchanged a smile with Harry before turning to her youngest brother. "Do you want to hold your godson, Ron?"
His gaze broke from the baby and he looked up at his sister. "M-me?" he stammered.
"You're the only Ron I know." Slowly Ron walked towards the bed and held out his arms hesitantly. "You don't have to be so overprotective. I trust you!"
Smiling, she watched Ron hold her son. Only subconsciously was she aware of Harry sitting down beside her again.
"Hey Mini-Potter," Ron said quietly to his nephew before looking up. "He's amazing!"
"Naw, do I see tears there, Gin-Gin?", George's voice snapped Ginny out of her trance. She raised her hand and wiped her damp cheeks.
"Only because my hormones are completely fucked right now," she defended herself.
Harry beside her laughed softly. "Of course, darling."
"When are you going to be discharged?" wanted to know Molly as Ron passed the baby on to Hermione.
"James already had his check-up this morning. Later I'll still be examined and if everything looks good, we'll go home as early as tonight," Ginny replied. "We'll come to the Burrow on Saturday too."
"Sure it's not a bit much for you, Ginny?"
Ginny looked at her mother, aghast. "I already know how much I can take. Besides, I want Angelina, Audrey, Fleur and the girls to meet James before we have him baptised and then the whole wizarding community will see him."
"When is James going to be baptised?" interrupted Arthur, whose turn it was to hold his grandson.
"On Sunday," Harry replied. "We would have liked to wait a little longer, but there's nothing we can do about it."
The Ministry of Magic had decided many years ago that the newborn child must be baptised by a witch and wizard within a week of birth, and thus be officially accepted into the wizarding community. After the war, some things had changed, but not everything. And after the war, there were more important things to change than this.