Nearly One Year Later
Melody stepped lightly out into the soft snow. They had just finished spending Christmas Eve with her parents, but again she had failed to eat anything. She and Harry had now been married almost a year, but Melody could find little to celebrate with the frequent nausea she had been feeling.
Harry waved one last time to Melody’s parents as he wrapped an arm around his wife.
“Are you alright?” he asked as he kissed her on the cheek, “Is it your stomach?”
Melody only nodded as they simultaneously spun in a circle to reappear at the Burrow. They were pleasantly welcomed by little Connor, fully bundled, laughing merrily in Ginny’s arms. Kallista and Kevin were dancing about in the snow beyond them and from the porch Mrs. Weasley called out to the newest arrivals.
Harry made his way to the door, but Melody stopped and picked up Connor who had been reaching out for her. As she bounced the baby in her arms, a sudden thought hit her. A combination of seeing baby Connor and the illness she had been discomforted with led her to cautiously imagine that she might be pregnant herself.
So here she was, not even a year married and already there was a solid chance that she was pregnant. She carefully placed Connor back in his mother’s arms and jolted forward to catch up with Harry. Looping her arm with his as they stepped into the kitchen, she kind of hoped that she was right.
The group sat down to a splendid meal together and talked joyfully and ate heartily. The hum of a happy family was the sweetest sound Melody could imagine and in this case, it was a roar.
As the plates emptied and the roar died down, Hermione and Ron rose from their seats. It didn’t take much to alert the Weasley’s to big news anymore, so before she even opened her mouth, it was clear what Hermione intended to say. Therefore, it was no surprise that Fred and George said it for her.
“You’re pregnant!” they chimed in together.
Winni and Tori squealed beside them before latching on to their respective twins and before throwing the still stubborn set evil glares.
Mrs. Weasley threw herself from the table and toward Hermione. She danced around the table for another second before gathering her youngest grandchild in her arms.
“Another cousin for widdy Connor and another grandbaby for me!” she sang.
The family’s joy was obvious, but on one end of the table a sudden tension had struck. Bill was sitting next to Fleur tensely as she barely applauded the thought of another child running around.
“And she ‘ad finally grown into ‘er figure,” Melody heard Fleur say under her breath.
Melody wasn’t the only one as Bill rose from the table and violently exited out into the garden.
“Not zis again,” Fleur said as she rose from the table to follow him.
The family sat in silence as the yelling penetrated the walls. Mrs. Weasley tried to divert the ears to the fact that Connor was now spitting up on her, but it was futile. All thoughts were locked with the dispute going on beyond the door.
It continued for awhile, and ended with Fleur flooding into the room in hysterics and disappearing out the front door only to disappear with a Pop. Bill rigidly returned to the party and aware of their knowledge kept it simple.
“Fleur and I are getting a divorce.”
He again took his seat. Everyone knew that being a Weasley, Bill wanted a family, but Fleur had long ago informed Bill that this would never happen for them.
“Congratulations, Ronny,” he said tightly.
Melody moved in closer to Harry that night in front of their fire. The idea of her being pregnant was still eating away at her, but she didn’t know if or how she should bring it up to Harry.
“I’m so happy for Hermione,” she began simply.
“Hermione?!” Harry laughed, “Ron was glowing more than Hermione!”
They laughed for a bit remembering the stupid grin on Ron’s face.
“I’ve never seen him so excited,” Melody said with a smile.
“Well, it’s an exciting thing, fatherhood.”
“Are you excited to be a father, Harry?” Melody asked, feeling her chance quickly approaching.
He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.
“Absolutely.”
With one big breath, Melody pulled herself up so that she was facing Harry with a very serious look upon her face.
“I might be pregnant.”
Harry’s jaw dropped as she stared intently upon him.
“What?!”
“We might have a baby of our own on the way,” Melody responded cautiously.
“We might?” Harry asked, hiding a smile, “Come with me.”
He pulled her gently to her feet and guided her into the kitchen. Tapping the last cupboard with his wand, he opened it to reveal their potion supplies.
“If we are going to be parents, we are going to find out right now,” he said pulling a patch of baby’s breath from a small jar of herbs.
He pulled a cauldron from a hidden compartment under the sink and began throwing ingredients into it. His concoction turned a light lavender hue when he had finished it and he poured it into a little glass.
“Okay, drink this and if your stomach glows, we’ll know there is a baby on the way,” he said handing her the potion.
With one sharp drink, Melody downed the potion that actually ended up tasting like sugar and milk. Quickly placing the glass on the counter, she pulled her sweater up to expose her stomach. They anxiously gazed down only to see her plain stomach.
Suddenly Melody realized just how much she had actually wanted a baby. The absence of the glow broke her heart and she could tell Harry was disappointed by the discovery as well.
They silently began to gather the items and put them away in their hidden homes. Melody grabbed the remaining baby’s breath and sadly returned it to its rightful home on a shelf that only magic people could see in the pantry. As she flicked off the light in the small space, she was alarmed to notice a light source coming from her.
She ran back into the kitchen and beckoned Harry to turn off the light. As he did, he yelled out to her.
“Of course, it needs to be dark to see a glow!”
He slapped his forehead stupidly before haphazardly racing to her in the darkness. Ignoring the fact that he slapped his leg against the corner of the counter, she reached Melody and gathered her in his arms. She pressed her lips against his face repeatedly as he muffled the glow by holding her so tightly.
The next morning Melody nervously knocked on the door to Ron and Hermione’s flat. Harry stood beside her, unwilling to let go of her hand. Hermione came to the door, but Ron was only a step behind.
Ushering them into the sitting room, Hermione spoke a mile a minute about the fact that her and Ron were going to be parents.
“There’s so much to do, so many books to read,” she said as she absently summoned a tea kettle from the kitchen.
Ron took a seat on the arm of her chair.
“Some things you can’t learn in a book, Mione,” he said simply.
Harry and Melody barely heard any of the dispute that followed. They were too much anticipating announcing their own happy news to them to pay attention.
When they had each said their piece, the room fell quiet. Hermione and Ron were looking intently at Harry and Melody who were completely ignoring that they were there.
“So,” Hermione began, “Any reason for a visit, or did you just want to stare at each other in a different setting?”
Melody and Harry quickly snapped out of it, and simultaneously announced, “We’re pregnant too!”
Hermione was instantly on her feet, pulling Melody to hers.
“Mel! How exciting!”
Ron crossed to Harry and gave him a paternal nudge before hugging Melody.
“Looks like you two really do have to do everything together,” Hermione laughed to Harry and Ron as she hugged Melody again.
Mrs. Chancelle squealed with delight before Melody even finished telling her the good news. Instantly, the French woman was up from her seat and showering her daughter and son-in-law with kisses. Melody’s father broke through the hysterics to shake Harry’s hand before stealing his daughter long enough to kiss her cheek.
“I must go send owls to all zee relatives!” Her mother exclaimed, running out of the room.
Melody’s father beckoned for Harry to follow him into the study for a game of wizarding chess and Melody was left on her own to find Anna.
Anna was wearily leaning against the kitchen counter when Melody arrived. At the sound of the door, the elderly woman jumped up in false health. She smiled at the sight of Melody, but something in her eyes had died. Where there was once an incredible spark, there was only a happy recognition.
“Guess what, Anna!” Melody said, smiling, despite seeing Anna in such a state.
“What dear?” she responded as she painfully made her way to Melody.
Melody grasped her out stretched hand and covered it in her own.
“I’m pregnant.”
Regardless of the pains of age, Anna looped Melody in her arms heartily. The small spark fell back into her eyes and for a moment, she looked young again.