Growing Pains

Chapter Sixteen

Ginny and Harry stepped inside the Burrow, and were instantly swarmed by multiple people. Molly and Arthur were first, rambling on in concern. Next was Ron and Bill, then Percy and Charlie who kept touching Ginny's arm as if she was made of glass.

"Guys, I'm fine," she told them, pushing past the crowd to the sofa, where she took a seat next to George and Hermione.

"Didn't figure you wanted us to join those chaotic idiots," George nodded toward the doorway where Harry was still trapped, being pelted with multiple questions.

"No, definitely not," Ginny propped her feet on top of his lap, and motioned to them as if telling him to rub. He complied willingly.

Fleur and Angelina stepped out of the kitchen to check what all of the fuss was over, and when they saw everyone swarming Harry at the door, they calmly walked over and shooed everyone away.

Harry came over and took a seat next to Ginny, taking George's place as foot massager. Ginny leaned back and closed her eyes. Within five minutes, despite all the commotion in the room, she was asleep.

"Harry dear, can I have a word please?" Molly called, motioning to him. Harry carefully moved Ginny's feet from his lap and placed them on the sofa without disturbing her.

He followed Molly out the back doors and on to the patio. A blast of cold, January air hit him square in the face, but before he could pull out his wand, Molly had already cast a warming charm on the area.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked, sitting down on a cushioned bench.

Molly took a seat next to him and sighed.

"I've had multiple grandchildren already, so I should be ready for all of this, but I still worry. I've had this conversation with every one of them, and now it's your turn.

"Parenthood is hard," she continued with a sigh. "You bust your hind end to please everyone, but it doesn't always work. But, I need you to promise that no matter what happens with this baby, you will find a way to make everything work."

She reached over and squeezed his hand. "Life isn't always going to be a cake walk- Merlin knows you know that," she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"What I'm saying is this: no matter how big a toll this baby takes on your relationship, or whatever happens, just make sure you remember how much you love her, and how much she loves you. A baby is a blessed thing, but sometimes it may seem like yet another obstacle you must overcome. Just remember to overcome it together. And if you ever need help, you certainly know where to find it."

She gave Harry one more smile, then stood up and brushed off her apron with purpose.

"Well then. Now that that's out of the way, we'd better get back inside before the others begin to think we've frozen to death."

(A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short! I just had to write myself out of a hole, and I told myself I needed to update this story before I could work on another, thus this crap chapter. Sorry, I promise some more, LONGER, updates are coming soon. Thank you for reading!)