“Don’t you agree, George?” asked Fred.
“Absolutely. That’s a brilliant idea!” George chimed in.
Ginny rolled her eyes at her brothers. She didn’t know how much more of this that she’d be able to take.
“For the last time, I am not naming my children Fred and George. Besides, I’m having a boy and a girl, not two boys. How many times do I have to tell you this?”
“I’ll say a few, but no matter, we can fix that problem. Fred and Georgette it is,” grinned Fred.
“Georgette?!” chided George. He narrowed his eyes at his brother and continued, “Nah! How about George and Freida?” He turned his attention towards Ginny waiting for her approval.
“FREIDA?!” Fred scoffed.
“You two can beg or fight all you want but I am not, in any way, naming them after you. Just my luck, they’ll turn out to be like their uncles,” Ginny closed her eyes and shook her head at the thought of it.
I hope I didn’t just jinx myself.
Fred and George simply smiled mischievously.
“What?” said Ginny, perplexed. But, she caught on quickly, “No you don’t! Am I going to have to purposely steer clear of the both of you so that you don’t corrupt them?”
The twins jumped back in shock.
“Us? Corrupt-” Fred said astounded.
“-Our precious niece and nephew?” George finished.
“We would never do that!” both of them chorused.
“Mhmm… I don’t believe that for one second.” Ginny had lived with them for enough years to know exactly how their devious minds worked.
At that moment, Harry walked over to where his wife and brothers-in-law had been chatting for the last ten minutes.
“Are you two tormenting my wife again?” he asked, placing a small kiss on her cheek. He wrapped his left arm around her back and rested his right hand on her growing belly.
“What is it with the accusations tonight?” Fred’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Do you two really have that little faith in us?” George asked.
“Yes,” Harry and Ginny said in unison.
The look of shock that crossed the twins’ faces made them lose control of the laughter that they’d been desperately trying to hold in.
“You two are just insufferable.”
“I’ve never been so insulted.”
“Oh wait,” Ginny said, her voice still thickly coated with laughter. She caught George by the arm as he and Fred turned to leave.
“We’re only joking with you,” she said, pulling him into a gentle hug. “But I’m still not naming them after you.”
“Well, I guess we really don’t have a say in the matter, now do we?” questioned Fred.
Harry clapped him on the back, “Nope. Sorry mate. I don’t even have that much say in the matter,” he whispered his last statement, so that he could avoid Ginny’s wrath. Unfortunately, he didn’t.
“Hey! I heard that!” Ginny shot Harry a disbelieving look. “I’ll have you know that you’ve got a bigger say so in this than you’re letting on to everyone. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you’re trying to paint me as the picture of a hormonal, pregnant wife.”
Fred and George must have noticed her anger building because they quickly snuck away to the kitchen to join the others.
Harry began to edge toward the nearest corner. “Gin, I was only joking. I was just tr-trying to make Fred understand that there’s no way that the babies would be named after them,” he said, but was suddenly caught off guard when he stumbled over something that was lying next to the door and fell, instinctively covering his head with his arms.
“Gin! For the love of God, don’t hurt me. Remember the babies! Besides, you want to have more later, don’t you? Please, please… don’t hurt me!” he begged.
She stood there for a minute, in silence, thinking about what he’d just said about having more kids later, when she burst into fits of laughter.
“Gin?” Harry asked as he brought one arm down enough so that he could see her. Realizing she was doubled over in laughter, he moved both of his arms down and looked around to see what made him fall over.
While silently cursing all umbrellas, seeing as that is what he’d just tripped on, he looked up at her.
“I don’t see what’s so funny,” frowned Harry.
Ginny tried to speak as she gasped for breath. “Well, you… ought to be in my place right now… because you look hilarious,” she said, roaring with laughter again.
He shot her a hurt look, not believing what she had just said.
“Honestly, Harry,” Ginny said as her laughter slowly faded away. “Just look at you, tripping over an umbrella and then cowering in the corner with your arms shielding your face. It’s all quite funny.”
“I should say it’s not,” Harry argued as he stood up brushing dust and dirt off of him.
“Oh, Harry, just calm down,” Ginny said as she reached out and slowly brushed her hands over his broad shoulders.
His breathing finally came in an even, steady rhythm and he leaned down, resting his forehead against hers.
“I’m sorry for saying that I didn’t have any say in naming the babies. I shouldn’t have.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. But, it’s all right. We hormonal wives do have a tendency to go easy on our husbands…once in a while,” she smiled back at him.
Harry smiled weakly at his wife, while making a mental note to be careful about what he said and did while she was pregnant. He really couldn’t afford any more big surprises. If this kept up, he’d be checking into St. Mungo’s before she did.
“Ahem…” Mrs. Weasley sounded from across the hall. “Do you two dears plan on joining us any time soon?”
“Oh…yes ma’am. We’ll be right there.”
“Harry, dear? How many times must I say it? I insist on you calling me Mum,” she smiled and walked back in to the kitchen.
“Yes…Mum,” he whispered.
Ginny giggled at him again.
“Well, you certainly find me extremely amusing today, don’t you?” Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Very,” she replied with a smirk. “Now, how about we go and join in the festivities. After all, it is our anniversary that they are celebrating.”
Harry flashed one of his brilliant smiles and leaned down to kiss her gently.
“So,” he started and held out his arm for her to take. “Does this mean that I can name the twins whatever I like?”
Ginny didn’t miss the devious tone coating his voice.
“Just as long as it’s something that I like. And for your future reference,” she paused, “…Roonil Wazlib is not a name that I fancy… nor is anything else that my brothers’ Spell-Checking quills can come up with, once the charm starts to wear off.”
“Ugh…there goes all the fun,” Harry said letting his smile fade away.
“I’m telling you,” Ginny began, “I won’t need any practice raising children. Between my brothers’ antics, Ron’s tantrums and your willingness to play along, I feel like I have four kids already.”
Harry choked with laughter and rolled his eyes at her assessment as they walked into the kitchen.
It had now been two hours since Harry and Ginny had arrived at the Burrow. They had to come by way of Harry’s broom, since Apparating wasn’t the suggested method of transportation for pregnant women. Not only that, but they were running late as well, so muggle transportation was another alternative that was crossed off the list.
Now, they all sat around the kitchen table, pleasantly full from the meal that Mrs. Weasley had prepared. They were celebrating Harry and Ginny’s first anniversary, which was technically tomorrow, and the announcement of Ron and Hermione’s engagement.
“Well,” Mrs. Weasley started. “All I have to say is that it’s about time that you asked Hermione, Ron. It’s been too long coming. And you know how I don’t like the fact that the two of you are already living together but you always were hard-headed.”
“Mum!” Ron said, looking shocked.
“Well you are.”
“Can we move on to another subject, please?” Ron pleaded as he looked around the table for someone to come to his rescue.
Ginny obliged, since all Fred and George, and everyone else for that matter, could do was to snigger at Ron’s uncomfortable state.
“So, Mum. I had my seven month check up today at St. Mungo’s.”
“Ah…and is everything still going well with my grandchildren?” Mrs. Weasley asked as she reached out and lightly patted Ginny’s belly.
Ginny rolled her eyes in annoyance. She only liked it when one person touched her stomach and that was Harry. Ron was going to owe her big time for this.
“Yes. The Healers say that everything appears to be fine and right on schedule.”
A bright smile flashed across Mrs. Weasley’s face.
“Oh…I’m just so excited; I can hardly wait,” she exclaimed as she got up from her seat and walked over to draw both Harry and Ginny into a tight hug, pressing their heads into her sides.
“Mum,” came Ginny’s muffled voice. “We need air.”
She patted them on the shoulders and released them.
“I never thought that you two would be the first to give me grandchildren. For as long as you and Fleur have been married,” she said turning to Bill, “I’d have thought you would’ve been the first to bring grandchildren into the Weasley family.”
Ginny chuckled as she watched Bill choke on his butterbeer at the sudden change of attention towards him.
“Mum…you know that Fleur and I work a lot. We’re too busy to think about having kids right now. That’s exactly why she couldn’t come to dinner with me; she’s working.”
“Well, I should hope it won’t be much longer. You’ve both had more than five years to concentrate on work. It’s about time you concentrate on having a family of your own.”
Ginny to the rescue again, she thought.
“Dad! How’s work been at the Ministry?” Ginny asked, trying to shift control of the conversation away from her mother.
They were always more willing to listen to their father’s ramblings about work and muggles than they were to listen to their mother’s incessant badgering.
“Ah…you should’ve seen it today…five more raids…” Mr. Weasley began.
Ginny and Harry were barely focusing on what he was saying since Harry was gazing intently at her hand that was intertwined with his. He raised it to his lips and kissed the back of her hand gently, making her smile sweetly.
“Happy Anniversary…” he whispered.
“Harry, you know our anniversary isn’t until tomorrow.”
“Yes, I know. I just felt like saying it right now. So… happy anniversary, my darling wife.” He now breathed against her cheek.
Smiling again, she replied, “Happy anniversary, my darling husband.”
Sunlight would’ve been the first thing to wake them up. That or the alarm that they’d set for 10:00 a.m. (Ginny liked to sleep in and Harry didn’t protest.)
However, it wasn’t sunlight or a noisy alarm that woke them, but banging pots and pans and a shrill yell across the house that promised death threats on Fred and George’s lives. No doubt some form of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes had managed to find themselves hidden in one of the many nooks and crannies of the Burrow. Clearly, Mrs. Weasley wasn’t happy about it.
“Tell me again,” murmured a very sleepy Ginny, “why it is that we decided to stay the night…here?”
Harry groaned, “Because it was too late to head back home…especially on a broom, in the cold night air, which would’ve made you sick had we actually gotten out there. Plus, just the thought of the Knight Bus makes you sick at your stomach.”
Ginny whimpered and Harry turned over in the bed to face her.
“No worries, love,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll arrange for muggle transportation today. We’ll have plenty of time to get home and besides, my treat for you isn’t until tonight.”
“You know, I still don’t agree with the fact that you won’t tell me anything about what you have planned.”
“Ah…but you see, dearest, pulling off a surprise for you takes hard work and concentration and is seldom achieved by the greatest of artists. I’ve managed to pull it off twice before, so I’m hoping the third time earns me bonus points,” Harry said with a chuckle.
“Bonus points, aye? And what kind of reward are we hoping for Mr. Potter?” Ginny said mischievously.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something, love,” Harry wiggled his eyebrows and sat up on the edge of the bed to slip his pants on.
“Ugh, no…” she whined, lifting her head from her pillows. “Stay in bed…it’s far too early.”
“Can’t darling…we both should have known that your mother would not have allowed us to sleep in past 8:00 a.m., even if you are pregnant.
“I’m going to the loo. You might want to pull yourself out of bed while I’m in there and start getting ready.”
Ginny narrowed her eyes at Harry and let her head fall back down into fluffy white pillows.
“Fine.”
“Love you too,” said Harry as he closed the bedroom door behind him.
Thirty minutes later, Harry and Ginny made their way downstairs to be greeted by the whole Weasley bunch, with the exception of Bill, Charlie and Percy. Of course, Hermione, soon to become a Weasley herself, was included in the crowd.
“Morning sleepy heads,” came Mr. Weasley’s voice from behind his Daily Prophet.
“Morning,” they grumbled.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anyone sleep later than the two of you-- ah, with the exception of Ron, that is.”
Now, normally, to this kind of statement, Harry would have simply shrugged it off and said, “Well, Ginny likes to get plenty of rest and I’ll not deny her that, especially because she sleeps very little these days.”
However, this morning that was not the response that he gave Mr. Weasley. Matter of fact, he wasn’t the only one that had some kind of remark to make about that statement. That’s why if you were standing in the room, you could have sworn that the house had shifted from sheer fact that six pairs of eyes all rolled at the same time.
“Dad, trust us…we all would have been sleeping late this morning had we not heard screaming across the house,” Fred glared at his mother.
“Oh don’t you start with me Fred Weasley! It was your’s and George’s fault that I had a reason to scream in the first place. Do you know,” she said looking across the table at everyone and shaking her finger at the twins, “that I picked up one of those fake wands by accident. Mine fell out of my pocket. So, I bent down and picked it up then gave it wave to cook the eggs and it started beating me over the head.”
Ron, Fred, and George were desperately trying to suppress their laughter, but it was Ginny who was actually heard. Mrs. Weasley looked at her with an expression of shock, surprised that her daughter would laugh at the cruel joke that had been played on her.
Ginny could feel her mother glaring at her and somehow managed to stifle her uproar of laughter into quiet giggles.
“Oh, I’m sorry Mum…I was just thinking that it’ll be just my luck that these two,” she patted her belly, “turn out like their uncles.”
“Don’t say that dear,” she muttered. “I would never wish that on you.”
“HEY!” Fred and George’s voices rang as everyone else laughed heartily.