Chapter 76: Albus Severus Potter
"Ugh!" I groan as I try to turn around in the bed.
I'm currently 8 and a half months pregnant and it feels worse than when I was pregnant with James. I feel tired all the time, I hardly get any sleep even though I haven't had a lot of nightmares, not like last time.
"You okay?" Harry's croaky voice questions.
"Just tired of being pregnant," I huff in annoyance.
"Just a few more weeks," Harry's voice soothes me.
"I know," I reply, putting my hands on my stomach.
The baby has been kicking a lot and incredibly hard. I have a feeling it's a boy but I'm not sure.
After tossing and turning for maybe half an hour, I decide to give up and get out of bed.
It's half past six now so it isn't too bad. I do hope to get enough sleep before having to give birth but at this rate, I doubt being well rested by that time.
I go into James's room to check on him. He has his hands held high, wanting me to pick him up. Being heavily pregnant is never pleasant but I'm not aloud to carry heavy things, infants included.
I feel bad about it but I go to wake Harry up to get him out of bed for me.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?" Harry replies groggily.
"I'm sorry to bother you but could you maybe get James out of bed for me? I can't lift him and I didn't want him to wait there until you woke up," I bite my lip but Harry gets out of bed without hesitation.
"Of course," he smiles and puts on his glasses.
I follow him to James's room and wait for him to lift James out of his cot. We've been thinking of getting James a real bed but we might wait until after the birth of our new baby.
As Harry goes downstairs with James in his arms, I stop and open the door to the baby room.
I smile at the work Harry and I finished with a few months ago. We decided on a starry night on the ceiling and white walls with some sweet decorations on them. I'm quite proud of our work and the fun we had that day still brings a smile to my face.
"Ginny? Do you want tea?" Harry calls from downstairs.
"Yes please," I call back and then waddle out of the room.
When I arrive downstairs, I already feel exhausted and the only thing I've done is walk down the stairs.
Luckily there's already a nice cup of tea, along with breakfast, on the table waiting for me.
I smile thankfully at my husband and then take a seat.
Teddy's sitting opposite me, politely using his knife and fork but I smile when I see my two and a half year old sitting next to me with his whole face, hands and clothes fully covered in food.
"You're a messy boy, aren't you," I tickle him under his chin which ends with me having a dirty shirt too.
"Thank you, James. As much as I appreciate your kindness, I don't necessarily feel the need to share your food," I say sarcastically. Harry smirks but James pushes another round of food in my hand.
"James, no," I say sternly and he stops, looking at me with wide eyes. I shake my head and he retracts his hand.
"Thank you," I add and James smiles.
We finish breakfast and get dressed just in time before the bell rings.
I waddle to the door and open it to see the newly weds on the doorstep.
"How are you, Luna?" I ask her while attempting to give her a hug.
"Fine, thank you. And you?" she smiles dreamily.
"I'm feeling heavily pregnant and tired but other than that, fine too. How was your honeymoon?"
"It was amazing! We absolutely adored it! It's a shame to have left so soon but it's good to be back too," Luna replies, taking off her cloak.
"We're excited to hear about the rest but please do come in! Do you want something to drink?" Harry interjects.
"Do you have Gillywater?" Rolf asks and Harry smiles.
"Yes, since you wanted it last time, we got some for if you wanted it again," Harry laughs and Luna agrees with her husband.
"What about you, Ginny?"
"I'll just have some water, please," I smile and sit down.
Teddy comes downstairs, holding James's hand and smiling when he sees Luna and Rolf.
He gives them both a hug while James comes toddling to me.
"You can say hello to them too James," I smile at my youngest son.
" 'Ello!" James says to the couple.
"Lap!" James then squeals, looking at me.
"I'm afraid you'll have to wait for Daddy to return buddy, I don't think you'll fit on mine. Or you can go to Luna or Rolf," I tell him and he looks disappointed.
Once he hears the name Luna, he turns around and looks at her.
"Of course," Luna smiles and puts James on her lap.
Harry then comes in, holding the tray with the drinks.
After a few hours, Luna and Rolf decide to go home. We thank each other and then say goodbye.
It was nice to talk to them again, especially to hear about their honeymoon. According to Rolf, his grandfather (Newt) had found a new magical creature. He also mentioned that Newt has found a way to extend his and his wife's life. It is known that wizards and witches live longer than Muggles but it's not uncommon to find ways to live longer. It is uncommon if you find a way for eternal life.
A few days later, an owl with a letter attached to its leg. It appears to be an invitation for a surprise party for Ron. I smile when I read that Hermione has strategically planned it on the 28th of February. I just hope I can make it and that this baby doesn't come too early.
I hand the card to Harry and he smiles too.
"So, shall we go?" Harry asks me after putting the card down.
"We can at least try," I breathe as I receive another kick.
*
It's the 28th of February and Harry, the kids and I are on our way to Ron and Hermione's house. Ron is supposedly still at work and is predicted to come in half an hour.
We ring the doorbell and Hermione opens the door, smiling. She had told us in advance that it wouldn't be too busy.
We follow her and Harry starts helping her. I try to too but they both tell me to sit down and that I shouldn't be doing too much anymore, not now as I'm nine months pregnant.
I take a seat and watch them prepare for the party, wishing I could help.
Within twenty minutes, everyone has arrived and we're all ready for Ron to come home.
When we finally hear the key turning in the lock, we know it's time to turn out the lights and get ready to surprise Ron.
I must say, it was funny to hear my brother let out a scream when we scared him.
The rest of the day, minus a few minor contractions, was really enjoyable. It was nice to talk to Erin and about the life as a married woman.
*
It's March 1st and I get woken up with a painful contraction. I gasp and breathe slowly until it passes.
Harry stirs and sits up to see what's going on.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, except for that the demon inside of me has chosen to wake up and wants to get out," I say sarcastically.
"Demon? Really?" Harry looks at me, arching his eyebrow.
"It's the first thing I could think of," I grin sheepishly.
"Should I wake the boys up?" Harry shakes his head, amused.
"No, we can let them sleep and ask Mum to come over," I say, attempting to get out of bed.
Harry gets out of bed himself and helps me. As I make my way to the bathroom, Harry gets the hospital bag and puts on other clothes.
When I return, my handbag, hospital bag and the car keys are laying on the table and Harry's Patronus disappears as I enter the room.
It's still dark outside and the clock on the fireplace shows that it is 2:45 am. I sigh as a new contraction arrives.
I sit down and start focusing on my breathing. Without having to ask, Harry puts a glass of water in front of me and I smile thankfully.
Within minutes, there is a soft knocking on the door and Harry stands up to open it.
Once I hear the door close again, Mum comes into the room, holding a big bag.
I stand up to give her a hug but she quickly helps me sit down again. I slowly drink my water and when the next contraction hits, I grab onto the table until Mum gets something out of her bag.
"Here, it's a stress ball, you can squeeze it as hard as you like, without harming yourself. I don't think you're going to win that battle with the table," Mum says, handing me the ball.
I juggle it around and I take a little stroll through the house, waiting for the next contraction to come.
It does after about six minutes. I've decided to time them so I know when to call the hospital.
Harry soon joins me and holds me in his arms.
"Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asks me while placing a kiss on my head.
"Take the pain away from me," I frown in pain, knowing this is only the beginning and that it will get even worse.
"If it was possible, you know I would do that, but I'm afraid it isn't," Harry says soothingly.
"It'll be over in a while," Mum tells me as Harry lets me go.
"How long did I take to come?" I ask her.
"As you were the last, you were also the quickest. I think you arrived after maybe six hours," Mum guesses, taking a seat.
"And who took the longest?" I ask her, sitting next to her.
"Charlie, he took about twenty eight hours in total. It was a nightmare but it was worth it," Mum sighs.
"Molly, can I offer you something to drink?" Harry quickly interrupts.
"Just some water," she smiles.
"And you?" Harry turns to me.
"Same please," I reply and take the stress ball, feeling another contraction coming.
After about two hours of walking, sitting and drinking water, I get up to take a little stroll again but gasp when I feel some liquid trickling down my leg.
Of course, I was so smart to wear my white pyjamas. I look down and see a light red staining the material.
I sigh and call Harry, asking him to get me my black jogging pants and a towel.
He hurries upstairs and comes down again, holding both out to me.
I take off my pyjama bottoms, not embarrassed by the presence of my mother, and hold the towel to my thigh. The liquid is still slowly coming so it might take a while for it to stop.
"I think it's time to go to hospital," I say when a contraction has passed.
"Let's say goodbye to James and Teddy," Harry says, making his way upstairs.
"But what if they don't fall asleep after?" I ask worryingly.
"Well, at least they'll know where we are and that Molly is here," Harry insinuates.
"Fine," I agree and he helps me walk upstairs.
Both James and Teddy are still sleepy when we wake them up but James starts wailing as we lay him down.
"James, please go to sleep for us, you'll be tired if you don't and so will Grandma if you don't sleep," I whisper but he doesn't really calm down.
We decide to leave him in the hope that he'll fall asleep again. I place a spell on Teddy's room so he can't hear James.
We quickly tell Mum about James and thank her for coming. She wishes us luck and we wish her luck with James too.
The journey to the hospital isn't long but it is painful. When we arrive, Harry gets a wheelchair for me and we go to the third floor.
It takes a while to get me a room, a bed and to hook me up to a few different devices. One is for the baby's heartbeat, the other is to record the contractions and a few others.
It feels just like Mum told me about Charlie's long birth. It's 7:30 p.m. and I haven't made a lot of progress. According to Nurse Indy, I've only dilated five centimetres in a period of more than twelve hours.
They have given me a medicine for the pain but it means that I'm not allowed to move anymore, which makes it seem even longer.
After what seems like an eternity, Nurse Indy starts smiling and says that I'm fully dilated.
They take out the medicine and make sure everything is ready for the birth.
Harry takes the seat next to me and holds my hand.
They tell me the instructions I received last time with James's birth.
It takes quite some pushes until we hear Indy saying,"Just one more push."
I give it my all and feel a weird sensation before I hear the baby cry.
"You have a wonderful baby boy," Indy smiles and lays him on my chest.
I hold him, feel tears rolling down my cheeks as I look at my baby. Harry is quick to wipe them away and press his lips on my forehead.
"Well done," he whispers.
The doctors quickly take our son and clean him up after Harry cuts the umbilical cord.
"Which day was he born?" I ask Harry hoarsely.
"If he was born two minutes earlier, he would have had to suffer with having the same birthday as his uncle," Harry smiles, reminding me of the conversation we had after our first ultrasound.
"One past twelve?" I ask.
Harry nods confirming my question.
Soon after, our son is brought back to us.
For some reason, he's quite silent even though he's not asleep. At least, I don't think he is.
It's confirmed once he opens his big eyes and looks at us.
"He has your mother's eyes," I say, not even thinking of that Harry has the same colour too.
"That's the last think Severus told me before he died," Harry sniffs, helping me support our son.
"Remember what I told you after seeing his memory? I said we would find a way to thank him. If you want, his first or middle name can be Severus," I whisper again, softly stroking my husband's unshaven cheek.
"Only if you want to too," Harry replies.
"For you, always," I smile and press a gentle kiss on his lips.
After deciding Severus as second name, it took us a little longer to come up with the first.
After a while, we happily decided on Albus (Al for short) Severus Potter.
As it's half past twelve, we decide to wait until morning to tell Mum (and the others) that our son has been born.
After Al falls asleep, I realise how tired I am too. Harry takes Albus from me and lets me sleep.
*
When I wake up, it's because my newborn son is crying. Before I can get out of bed to get him, Harry has already stood up and handed him to me.
"What time is it?" I ask groggily as Al latches.
"It's six, I already sent a message to Molly. She said she'd be here around half six," Harry replies, sitting down again.
"Okay," I breathe and lay my head against the pillow.
Before I know it, James jumps on the bed and startles his brother.
"James, dear, you have to be a little more quiet and calm," I say softly and James sits down next to me, looking at Al with big eyes.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Mum asks fondly.
"A boy," Harry and I say in unison.
"Brudder?" James asks and Teddy perks up.
"Yes, this is Albus, your baby brother," Harry says and helps Teddy on the bed too.
For a while, the two boys admire their baby brother while Harry takes a few pictures and Mum and I look on.
I fear, as I look at Al's hair, that he may have also been cursed with the Potter's black, thick and messy hair.
When everyone has arrived, we announce the name. There are a few people who are definitely surprised but we don't take notice, he's our son and we as parents decide the name.
In this case, we chose Albus Severus Potter for our third child.
Q: Who's your favourite Marauder?