babies
Even though it was already October, the afternoon sun shone brightly in the sky, giving the air a pleasant warmth as Harry and Ginny strolled slowly to the Burrow. With his right hand, Harry pushed the pram in which his three-day-old son slept, while his left hand rested on his wife's lower back.
"I can't believe James is sleeping through his first time outside," Harry remarked amusedly, his eyes only on his son.
Ginny laughed softly. "I can't believe James is here," she countered.
"If it helps you in any way, neither can I."
"Do you think it's a good idea to take him to the Burrowalready when he's only three days old?"
Harry shrugged. "Eventually he'll have to get used to being surrounded by a bunch of crazy people every weekend anyway. So yeah, I think it's a good idea to get him into the habit as early as possible."
"Hey!" indignantly, Ginny slapped him on the upper arm.
"Gin, you can't hit me in front of our son!" he retorted in feigned shock, laughing when he saw the look on his wife's face.
"There you are!" they were interrupted by Molly, who had already been waiting in the doorway of the Burrow for their arrival. "And there's the little man. Oh, look at how cute he is. And you were going to let me miss out on something like that for at least another eight years?!" she continued, looking into the pram where her grandson was still sleeping peacefully.
"I kind of feel like you're wishing I was pregnant again in a month," Ginny muttered.
Molly looked at her daughter. "No, I merely mean that I'm quite happy that you're not capable of using birth control correctly."
"Mum!" retorted Ginny indignantly. "Once! One time we weren't paying attention."
Her mother's eyes were on James again. "And I'm very grateful for that."
Perplexed, Ginny turned to her husband, who only shook his head in amusement. She weaved her way between the pram and Harry and entered her childhood home. Harry bent over the pram and lifted James into his arms before following his wife and mother-in-law.
"Wow Ginny, you look good for having a baby three days ago," Angelina commented as they entered the living room.
"Thanks Angie, I feel good too for only giving birth three days ago."
"That doesn't mean you should be on your feet all day." Molly stepped behind her daughter and pushed her towards the vacant sofa, which had a blanket among other things. "You'll be spending most of your time here today. I've laid out some things for you here to make you as comfortable and easy as possible. There are also some burp cloths here for James when you're nursing him." As Ginny was about to say something, Molly interrupted her, "And don't even start arguing with me, young lady. I've had seven children and I know how you feel after giving birth. Even if you feel good now, it can be over tomorrow, so it's best if you rest as much as possible for at least two weeks. And if you want to start training for Quidditch again in two months, I'd advise you to listen to me."
For a few moments, Ginny looked at her mother with raised eyebrows, but said nothing. Finally, she sat down on the sofa and leaned back.
"Wow, Ginny listens to Mum. Mark the day on the calendar," George remarked with amusement and sat down next to his sister.
"Very funny, George. At the word 'Quidditch', Mum had me."
"Oh Mon Dieu, he's such a sweet boy!" Fleur's voice made them both look up and they spotted their sister-in-law watching James in Harry's arms.
"Do you want to hold him?", Harry asked her.
"Biensûr. I miss having such a small baby around."
Ginny looked back at George as he nudged her and said softly, "I think Bill is getting lucky tonight."
She grinned. "Oh, I think so too. At least someone has to be."
"That's our brother you're talking about," Percy retorted in horror, having heard both his siblings.
George ignored him. "What do you mean 'at least one has to be'?" he asked his sister.
"Ginny means that she and Harry can't do what led to James being here now for the next six weeks," Percy replied in her place.
"It's called having sex, but Percy's right," Ginny said with a grin.
George returned her grin. "And yet another reason why I won't be having children for at least the next few years."
"You do realise that's exactly what Harry and I have been saying all the time?!"
"Yeah, but we're just not as stupid as you guys."
~
"Hey Ginny," Angelina said as she entered the living room after dinner, where Ginny was nursing James. "Do you mind me being here?"
"No, absolutely not. What is it?"
Angelina sat down next to her sister-in-law. "Remember how George just said we're not as stupid as you guys?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yeah," Ginny replied with raised eyebrows.
"Spoiler: We were just as stupid."
Ginny's eyes widened. "You're pregnant?!"
"Shh. George doesn't know yet. I don't know how to tell him either."
"I'm sure he'll be happy."
"Of course he'll be happy, but still I don't know how to tell him," Angelina replied.
Ginny's eyes lit up. "Merlin, I'm so happy for you. James and your baby will be at Hogwarts in the same year. McGonagall is going to hate us for this!"
"I know!"
"If you need any advice from a woman who also got pregnant unplanned, you can always come to me. Even if you're already twenty-six and not five years younger," Ginny offered her.
Angelina laughed. "I'll keep that in mind. And I kind of get the feeling that you're still not quite coming to terms with the fact that you got pregnant so early."
Ginny smiled and looked at James. "No, I'm not."