Surviving in Harmony

Chapter Five | Ivy House, July 26th, 1998

Chapter Five

Ivy House, July 26th 1998

 

            A pile of birthday cards sat piled on the kitchen table, or what Sonia assumed were birthday cards. Too stiff to be letters, and most likely containing cash – an odd thing to be sending someone only a month away from having a baby.

Or maybe less.

Sonia was content on ignoring Charlie’s insistent pleas to talk to someone – a healer, even Mrs. Weasley.

“It’s nothing Charlie, just hicks. They can happen up to a month in advance.” She’d said, crawling out of bed to search for a pair of pants.

“Sonia, a baby can be early – I was early, you were early. Weasley’s are always early.”

“Go to work, Charles.”

Charlie had sighed, grumbled and grabbed an apple from the kitchen table. However, a few hours later, Sonia was greatly regretting refusing his offer to stay home.

It was six in the evening by the time Charlie came back, and he found Sonia sitting on the grass outside, eyes closed and breathing deeply.

“Erm, Sonia?” he’d asked, holding his satchel in one hand and large bouquet of late blooming peonies in the other. “What are you doing honey?”

“Breathing.”

“Ah, yes I can see that. But why exactly are you breathing like that?”

“Supposed to help.” She muttered, clenching her jaw.

“Sonia, a little info here, yeah?”

Cracking open one eye, Sonia checked her watch. “Contractions are about … seven and a half minutes apart, water broke about forty-five minutes past? Yeah, so like an hour ago?”

“An hour ago? Sonia, why didn’t you owl me?” Charlie offered her a hand and helped her up.

“I knew you’d be home soon, so I just thought I’d wait.” She said sensibly, letting him help her back to the house.

Taking a deep breath, Charlie nodded. “Okay. I’ll owl Andrew, Mum and the healer. Want me to run you a bath or something?”

“Nah. I’m just going to read on the porch for a bit.”

She walked out the door, and Charlie watched her go, wondering how the they were going to agree on anything ever.

            Sonia let out such a ferocious scream Charlie nearly jumped out of his skin. The look in his wife’s eyes had him shaking, the jittery excitement subdued as pain rippled across her face.