A Long Nine Months

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Ron came through the kitchen door of the Burrow laughing his head off. Hermione, Ginny, and Molly all looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"What is so funny, Ron?" Molly asked, standing near the stove with her hands on her hips. James, Albus and Rose were in the living room playing when the adults in the kitchen heard the floo activate and the kids say "Daddy!" and "Uncle Harry!"

A moment later, Harry entered the kitchen.

"Ron, it's not funny," Harry said, exasperated.

"Come on, it was kind of funny. Everyone in the office was laughing." And Ron burst into another laughing fit.

"What is he laughing at?" Hermione asked. "And what was so funny?"

"I wore two different shoes to work today because I can't see my feet," Harry mumbled.

Everyone's eyes, minus Ron's, went to Harry's feet. Sure enough, on one foot was a black shoe and the left was a brown shoe.

Molly had to hide her amusement and Hermione and Ginny burst into laughter along with Ron.

Harry turned to his wife. "Thanks for telling me, honey. I figured you could have told me before I left for work."

The laughter continued for another minute or two.

"You know this isn't funny," Harry muttered as he lowered himself into a chair next to Ginny.

"Not as funny as watching him getting out of a chair," Ron muttered

At this point, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Molly were all laughing, Molly for a different reason.

"Harry, these things happen when you are approaching the end of your pregnancy."

Harry groaned and laid his head down on his arms. He felt Ginny rubbing his back.

"Harry, are you okay?" Ginny asked. Harry nodded and lifted his head. He made a mental note to thank Shanti during his next appointment for suggesting an early leave from work. Harry actually worked three weeks past his original planned date to take off. That day was his last day until September.

"I'm just sick of being pregnant."

Ginny smiled sympathetically. "I know, sweetheart." She got up to help her mother prepare dinner. Molly had invited Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione over for dinner so they could get a chance to talk without the chaos that was the rest of the family and since Hermione and Harry were getting closer to their due dates.

Harry looked at Hermione. "I must sound like a whiney baby to you. Here I am complaining and you haven't complained once."

"That's because this is my second baby, Harry." Hermione reached over and grabbed Harry's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. "This is the first time you had to carry a baby so even though it's your third, the pregnancy is most likely mimicking a first time pregnancy."

Harry knew Hermione was right. He recalled Ginny's pregnancy with James. The fact that HE survived the nine-month ordeal was nothing short of a miracle. Mainly it was because Ginny's temper was worse than Harry had ever seen it. He managed to avoid getting Bat Bogey hexed more times than he could count.

However, with this pregnancy, Harry's infamous temper that was known at Hogwarts and the Auror department had gotten worse with each passing month. There wasn't a person in the Auror department that Harry had told off one time or another.

Ginny had lost count of the times when Harry came home in a foul mood during the pregnancy.

"So, how does it feel to be off work for a while?" Hermione asked Harry.