A Godfather's Love (aka The Other Side of the Coin)

18 - August 2000: Harry's Child is Born

Ginny had never thought to ever see Harry looking as he did now, almost as big as she was with a single child as she was with two. It wasn't until after her morning sickness had inexplicably ended in the middle of her fourth month that her appetite kicked in, double-time. Fortunately she didn't have too many unusual cravings at this point: She just wanted to eat ... and practically around the clock, to boot.

There was finally a time that both Molly and Harry had to put their feet down in order to make sure that Ginny didn't gain too much weight, especially in the latter half of her pregnancy. Molly had admonished her that she should not gain any more than 35-40 pounds maximum and gave her yet another potion (pregnancy-safe, of course, but still most effective for appetite control). Of course, he had an increase in appetite around his sixth month - in more ways than one ... After the eighth month for both, ordinary face-to-face sex would be forbidden for the young parents-to-be. Other ways would have to be found to satisfy one another--and that wouldn't be easy, especially since both were pregnant and both allowances and restrictions as to position, who was on top and who was on the bottom, would have to be taken into account.

It was less of a problem for Harry and Sirius, albeit something of an inconvenience sometimes, because the boy's continually growing belly had an unfortunate and irritating (especially to Sirius) tendency to get in the way when he wanted to go down on his young lover. The only thing that kept him from going totally ballistic was Harry promising that they would make up for lost time with a vengeance once he had the baby. The backdoor sex could continue, at least for a little longer, according to the Healer; but soon it would be too dangerous to make love because of the likelihood of premature labour if shagging was done too late in the pregnancy.

Fortunately, Harry's labour pains began when he was with Sirius. Sirius recognised them because he had acted as moral support for James when Lily had given birth to Harry. He quickly scribbled an owl to Ginny and the elder Weasleys, and then he carried his pregnant partner to the car Harry had recently bought. It was also a good thing that Sirius had managed to learn how to drive it, especially since Harry was in no condition to do so. It was another stroke of luck that the main branch of St. Mungo's wasn't that far away from Grimmauld Place, although it was further away from there than the Hogsmeade branch was from Harry and Ginny's home.

He was a mixture of anticipation and apprehension as he tried to both drive and keep an eye on Harry, but in the end he knew the only way to get them both to medical help alive was to concentrate on the road ahead. Fifteen minutes later, he was glad to see the false storefront that was the cover-up for St. Mungo's appear a short distance ahead of him. He was also glad to see a mediwitch and mediwizard waiting for them with a levitating gurney.

They rushed to help as soon as he braked to a stop, turned off the car, pocketed the keys, and then went around and pulled open the passenger door. He and the wizard helped get Harry onto the gurney, moving as rapidly as possible into the building, then into the nearest lift that would take them to the birthing floor (with the growing popularity of male pregnancies, it had been decided to call what had always been called the "maternity" floor the "birthing" floor to cover both types of pregnancies).

They were met on the sixth floor by the older Weasleys, Ginny and Ron (who had recently become engaged to Hermione). They worriedly gathered around the sleeping Harry, who hardly moved except for his breathing and emitted occasional moans of pain. Ginny and Sirius got on each side of him, holding a hand and crooning soothing words of love and comfort until the mediwitch told them they needed to get the patient to the delivery room toute suite, obtaining joint permission from Sirius and Ginny to do the Caesarean surgery.

As big as Ginny had gotten, however, all were sure that it wouldn't be long before she would be the one lying on the gurney, ready to give birth, and it was likely to be Harry on one side of her and either Mrs. Weasley, Ron or Hermione on the other, speaking soothing words to her. A recent discussion with Harry had brought Ginny to her own decision to have a Caesarean when it came time for the twins to be born. It was especially logical, at least to them, because that way they wouldn't have to wait six weeks to make love, as would be the case with an ordinary delivery.

It wasn't long until they heard a loud cry as the baby girl they would name Stephanie Leigh Potter-Black joined the world. Ginny had had to lie down on her side, her head in her mother's lap, Hermione on her other side and Ginny's legs across her lap, the latter occasionally patting her friend's humongous belly. Despite her advanced pregnancy, however, Ginny almost literally sat bolt upright (and one may be sure her babies told her about it by kicking her hard) once she heard that cry. "Harry's baby ..." she murmured, almost too softly to be heard, as she was helped to sit up in a neighbouring chair to that of her mother.

"Yes, love, and it will soon be yours," Molly crooned back, one plump arm around her daughter's shoulders even as Ginny rested her head on the nearest one.

"I can hardly wait to see her," came the reply. "I bet she's beautiful." She didn't have to wait long, because within the hour after the baby's birth, a gowned, gloved and masked mediwitch brought a small pink bundle to the small group waiting anxiously in the outer room.

"The Potter party?" was all the nurse said. It was all she needed to say, because within moments she was surrounded. "Who is the father of the child?"

"That would be me," Sirius told her. The nurse handed the child to him--and with one look at his tiny daughter, Sirius "Padfoot" Black was instantaneously twisted around her even tinier finger. If ever there was a "Daddy's girl," little Stephanie would be it, and it would likely be all the others could do to keep her from being spoiled rotten by her doting father.

Ginny and Molly made their way over to the new father and his child, smiling tenderly and stroking either the baby's cheek or her lips, if not her tiny head with its wisps of silky black hair, and crooning soothingly to her.

"Oh, aren't you the most precious little thing that ever was ... and so beautiful, too? But that's to be expected with Harry as one of your parents," Ginny murmured so only the baby could hear, even if she was presently incapable of understanding.

"I can hardly wait to see what your little ones look like, Ginny darling," Molly crooned. "I'm sure they'll be every bit as beautiful as this little one."

"Wouldn't surprise me a bit, Mum," Ginny replied as they returned their attention to the newborn child.

Neither would it be any surprise to anyone if little Stephanie turned out to be a virtual duplicate of Harry, right down to his green eyes. One could only hope, however, that her hair would act more like that of Sirius. It was best for a girl to have manageable hair, if at all possible.

Once he managed to tear his eyes away from the baby, Sirius looked up at the nurse and asked, "How is Harry?"

"He's fine. He's sleeping right now. We've got him situated in a private room. Unfortunately, there is a limit as to how many visitors he can have at one time. How about the child's father, the young man's wife, her mother, and older brother?" Arthur and Hermione didn't look too pleased at being left out as they watched the others leave with the nurse, but they were mollified when it was promised that they would be able to see Harry when Molly and Ron came back out half an hour or so later.