Firewhisky Advice

'Harry? Are you home?'

'Yeah, I'm in here!' Ginny followed the voice and the scent simmering tomatoes and garlic into the kitchen.

'What is all this?' she asked amazed at the amount of food on the table.

Harry looked at Ginny over his shoulder and smirked, 'You see, Gin, there's a meal that occurs in the evening. We call it 'dinner'. I know it's been quite a while since you've actually seen a dinner, but this is what one looks like.' He set two plates on the table filled with pasta. 'I hope you're hungry.'

'Famished.' It was true. The ever-present nausea had vanished, and Ginny was usually bordering on ravenous.

'Good. You might want to go easy on that. I made apple crumble for pudding.'

'Ice cream, too?' Ginny looked at Harry with a hopeful expression.

'Maybe,' he said coyly.

'So what brought all this on?' Ginny gestured at the meal and Harry in the apron.

'Just happy to see you eating. Had me worried for a bit.'

'Treacle tart still makes me ill, though,' Ginny said with an apologetic smile.

'Oh well,' Harry sighed. 'But the first thing I'm going to have when this one's born is the biggest piece of treacle tart I can find. I don't care what time of day it is.'

'I'll make sure Mum has one on standby,' Ginny said dryly.

Ginny insisted on doing the dishes. 'I can do it with magic,' she argued. Harry just shrugged and sat back to watch. Ginny put her feet in his lap. 'Rub them for me? While I do this?' she begged. Harry grinned and pulled her socks off her feet. She wore red nail varnish on her toes.

While Ginny levitated the dishes from the table and into the sink, Harry picked up her left foot. As he began to run his thumbs down the sole of her foot, Ginny smiled at him, a beatific expression on her face. After repeating his ministrations on her other foot, he dropped a light kiss on her ankle, before placing her feet back in his lap. 'Got any plans this weekend?' he suddenly asked.

'Nope. Nothing major after Wednesday... Why?'

'It's Teddy's birthday.'

'Oh, right. That's next week, isn't it?'

'Yeah. But your Mum wants to have a big party at the Burrow for him Saturday afternoon.'

Ginny grinned. 'I think Mum just wants an excuse to have a big birthday party since none of us will let her do one for us anymore.'

'Didn't she just do one each for Victoire, Isabella, and Parker?'

Ginny nodded. 'She's mad I tell you, but it makes her happy to get a large group of family together and feed them.'

'She does that every Sunday,' Harry retorted bemused.

'True, but this is a party, not just a run of the mill Sunday lunch.'

'Ginny, I've known your mum for twelve years, and I don't think I will ever understand her.'

'Harry, don't even try. I quit a long time ago. She's a mum and it's just what mums do.'

Harry squinted at her across the table. 'I'll have to remember that. When you go nutters and I have to explain to little Sam-I-Am here why.'

'Sam-I-Am?' Ginny gave him a perplexed look.

'Green Eggs and Ham. Muggle book for little kids. Dudley had a copy. Not that he ever read it. It was still brand-new when we were eleven. ' Harry's eyes unfocused slightly as he tried to remember a bit of the text. 'I do not like them in a house/I do not like them with a mouse./I will not eat them Sam-I-Am./I do not like green eggs and ham,' he recited.

Ginny stared at him for a full minute before bursting into laughter. 'That's mental!' she gasped between giggles.

'No,' Harry corrected. 'That's Dr. Seuss.' He added, 'It's no more mental than Tales of Rabbity-Bappity, or whatever that is.' Ginny was still fizzing with laughter. 'We're going to a Muggle bookshop next week,' he said finally.

'Whatever for?'

'To complete your Muggle storybook education. We're getting Dr. Suess and Beatrix Potter.'

'She related to you?' Ginny had finally managed to subdue her giggles.

'Nope. Weird coincidence.' Harry remembered the day in primary school library when he'd found the series of stories written by someone who shared his name. 'I read them all, though. I was sort of obsessed, because I did think she might be related to me somehow. But, no.'

Ginny grew quiet. 'We're not naming our child Sam-I-Am.'

'I would hope not.'

Ginny pulled her feet from Harry's lap. 'I need to get to bed. They're sending me to Puddlemere tomorrow. European Cup's coming up, and I'm writing a piece about the team and how the measure up to the top teams in Germany, France, and Bulgaria.' Ginny stood and stretched, the fabric of her blouse pulling tightly against her body. Harry eyed her stomach for a moment, then shook his head. It was just the stretching.

'Krum still playing in Bulgaria somewhere?' Harry asked idly.

'I think so.'

'He tried to hit on you at Bill's wedding, you know,' Harry informed her. Ginny stared at Harry in astonishment before bursting into laughter.

'You're joking!'

'Nope. I told him you had a boyfriend. Big bloke. Jealous type. You know the kind. They enjoy ripping rivals' heads off and stuffing them up their arses.'

'Now I know you're barking. Why did I marry you, again?'

'Because I'm Harry-Sodding-Potter?' he said brightly. At Ginny's narrow glare, Harry protested, 'Aw, c'mon, Gin... He didn't even remember you from Hogwarts. And he should have as much time as you spent with Hermione. He all but stalked her!'

'Oh, all right. I suppose it's okay. You only had my best interests at heart.' Ginny started to walk to the bedroom. 'I think I'm going to have to get some bigger clothes.'

'Why? Oh, wait. Dumb question. Never mind. I thought you were doing Engorgement charms on your clothes for now?'

'I was. But I can only do so many, before the clothes start to look like a tent.' Ginny stripped her blouse off and tossed it into the hamper and quickly shucked her trousers. Harry blinked. He pulled his glasses off, rubbed his eyes, and put them back on. 'What?' Ginny noticed him staring at her. Harry reached out and laid his hand on her stomach. Ginny looked down and noticed it was starting to show a visible curve. 'Oh.'

'It's real, isn't it?' Harry's breath was a bit shallow and he felt lightheaded.

'You mean the nausea and vomiting weren't real enough for you?'

'Well, yes. I was right there for most of it. But this makes it really real. You really do look pregnant now.'

'Give it a few more weeks.' Ginny kissed his cheek and went to take a shower.

When she came back into the bedroom, Harry was lying on the bed, eyes focused on something beyond the ceiling. Ginny climbed into bed, and stretched out, reveling in the sensation of lying down. 'You okay?'

'Hmmm? Oh, yeah. Just thinking.'

'About what?'

'What my mum and dad would say about this. Or Sirius. Or Remus, for that matter. Would they think we're too young?' Harry paused. 'More like that they were too young to be grandparents.' He smiled. 'They'd only be forty-three if they were alive.'

'Then I think they'd have no room to talk. Merlin, your mum was only nineteen when she got pregnant with you. At least I'm twenty-two.'

'Kind of boggles the mind, doesn't it?'

'Just a bit,' Ginny murmured sleepily.

Harry pulled his clothes off and went to brush his teeth. When he came back to bed, Ginny was curled on her side, sound asleep. He kissed her forehead, then slid down to her stomach. Feeling slightly foolish, but needing to do it all the same, he kissed the slight bump under her nightdress. 'Hi there, little one,' he whispered, spreading his palm over it. 'This is your dad.' He paused. 'You know your mum, of course.' Harry rested his forehead against the bump. 'I hope you get your mum's hair. If you have mine, your Grandmum Weasley will spend a lot of time trying to get it to lie down. And it won't. Something of a bad job all around, if you ask me.'

*****

'Is it just me, or has my bum gotten bigger?' Harry looked up uncertainly from tying the laces of his trainers, wracking his brain for the right answer.

'Is this one of those questions that no matter how I answer it, I'm a berk and a git, you end up in tears, and I have to sleep on the sofa for a week?'

'No. I really want to know,' Ginny insisted.

'Erm. Okay.' Harry came to stand behind Ginny, his hands on her hips. He pulled her back against his body. 'I think it's just you,' he said comparing how she fit against him. 'But seriously, Gin, if your bum grows to the size of Brazil, I'll still love you.' He tilted her chin back so he could kiss her.

'Harry, stop...' He sprang away from her.

'What? Are we not supposed to do that? Did I touch something I'm not supposed to? No kissing?' He looked at her wildly.

Ginny smothered a laugh. 'No... Teddy's party? It starts at two. We need to get to the Burrow to help Mum set up. You start all that now and we might miss our own godson's birthday.'

'Oh, right.' Harry exhaled in relief.

Ginny looked at him from the bright green eyes down to the toes of his trainers, and back up to his eyes. 'Later,' she promised. 'After the party.'

*****

Molly sent Harry outside to help the 'boys' set up tables and chairs. His ears were met by the sounds of two wooden tables crashing into each other. This time, it was George and Percy jousting the tables. He walked up to Ron. 'Twelve Sickles on George,' he said.

Ron squinted at the tables. One of the legs on George's table looked wobbly. 'All right, then.' Just then, the table Percy was hurtling through the air glanced off George's and the leg fell off with an almighty crash. Grinning, Harry slapped twelve Sickles into Ron's hand.

'What is going on out here?' demanded an irate-looking Molly.

'Uh, nothing,' replied Percy, rubbing his nose. He was trying not to smile. Bill quickly repaired the table, and with Charlie's help positioned them together.

'Just wasn't looking where I was going, Mum,' said George smoothly. Molly just rolled her eyes and went back inside.

'Don't think she bought that one,' chuckled Charlie.

Harry and Ron started whisking chairs into place and the six of them settled at one end of the table. Harry realized everyone was looking at him. 'What?'

'How are... things?' asked Ron.

'Things?' Harry repeated blankly.

'Yeah. Things,' Ron said blushing.

'Does it still bother you that I shag your sister?'

'Do you have to say it like that?' commented Charlie.

'Yep. So what do you mean by things?' Harry said, turning back to Ron.

'Well, Ginny. How's she doing?'

'Fine.'

'Just fine?' asked George

'What do you want? Details?' Harry sighed. 'All right. The nausea's gone, she's always hungry. Always. Like Ron-when-he-was-in-school-hungry. Some things still make her sick, like my favorite pudding in the whole world. I tried just not eating it in the flat. But, no. If I have a slice of treacle tart at lunch, then kiss her hello when I get home, she can taste it on me. If she's in the kitchen, and I'm in the bedroom, eating an apple, she can smell the apple. I swear, most of the time, she's asleep at nine.'

'Yeah, that sounds about normal,' said Bill, nodding. George noticed the tension in the lines of Harry's face. He looked at Harry critically.

'Are you sure you're okay?'

Harry started. 'Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?' George stood up to fetch a tablecloth from Katie, who was heading out to the back garden.

'Because you look like a fifteen year old in need of a cold shower,' George retorted as he strode toward Katie.

Teddy burst through the garden gate, with Andromeda following behind him. 'Harry!' he cried, launching himself at Harry's midsection, with the carelessness of someone who knew with perfect certainty that Harry would catch him.

'Hey, squirt!' Harry picked up the boy, flipping him upside down, so Teddy's head was somewhere in the vicinity of Harry's knees.

'Guess what?' Teddy shouted.

'I give up. What?'

'I did magic!'

'You did, did you?'

'Yep! I turned my teacher's hair purple!' he crowed.

'Which wasn't a very nice thing to do, Teddy,' Andromeda added.

'Why did you turn your teacher's hair purple?' asked Harry interestedly.

'She made me stay inside during recess,' he said casually. 'And I really wanted to go play football.' The men sitting at the table smothered laughs.

'It's a good thing the headmaster at his school is a Squib,' said Andromeda wearily. 'Something usually happens at least once a week. I'm almost as anxious as Teddy is for him to go to Hogwarts. At least there the turquoise hair or other 'odd' things that happen won't be looked at twice.' She looked at Harry holding a giggling Teddy. 'You'll be all right out here?' At Harry's nod, she went into the kitchen.

As Andromeda came into the kitchen, she heard Katie say, 'Six weeks and two more days. I offered them fifty Galleons each to get out, but neither of them paid a bit of attention to me.' Katie looked down her body. 'I'll be so glad when this is over,' she sighed.

Ginny arranged some cutlery into a basket and levitated a stack of plates to the door. 'Is Teddy outside?' she asked Andromeda.

'Yes, and already wound up.'

Ginny escaped the kitchen, which was rapidly getting too hot for her to stand. She took the plates out to the tables and began to set the table. Teddy slid off Harry's lap and ran to embrace Ginny. He had barely wrapped his arms around Ginny's waist when Teddy looked up at Ginny. 'Ginny, why are you so fat?'

'I'm not fat!' she said.

Teddy patted her stomach bemused. 'Yes, you are,' he insisted.

Harry grabbed Teddy's hand. 'Why don't you and I go for a bit of a walk, Teddy? And let Grannie Molly set up lunch?'

As they headed for the paddock where they played Quidditch, Harry heard Ginny ask indignantly, 'Do I look fat to you?'

Harry walked in silence, listening to Teddy chatter about his class at school and the lady who lived across the lane who had a cat with kittens. When they reached the apple tree, Harry stopped and sat down in the shade. 'Teddy, you know how Ginny looks fat right now?' Teddy nodded. 'Um... well... she and I... we're going to have a baby.'

Teddy's small brow knitted in confusion. 'How?'

'What?' Harry squeaked. He cleared his throat. 'What?'

'Why are you going to get a baby? You have me.' Teddy's hair changed into its natural sandy brown shade he wore when he was upset. It made him look more and more like Remus.

'Well, Ted, sometimes, when two people love each other, they have a baby.'

'Where does it come from? Diagon Alley?'

'Um. No. It's kind of like your neighbor's cat and her kittens.'

'Ginny's going to have six kittens?' Teddy looked seriously alarmed.

'What? No! Just one baby. It's just going to be in Ginny's tummy until it's big enough.'

'Oh, okay.' The expression on Teddy's face cleared. 'When will that be?'

'In September.'

Teddy was quiet for a minute. 'Does that mean I can't come see you anymore?' he asked with a faint note of worry in his voice.

'Oh, no, Teddy. You can some see me any time you want. Both me and Ginny.' Harry pulled the boy onto his lap and cuddled him. 'I promised your father I would help take care of you the day you were born. Ginny and me having a baby won't change that. It does not mean we don't love you anymore. We will always love you.' Harry kissed the top of Teddy's head. 'Come on, squirt. Grannie Molly's going to have lunch ready soon. And,' Harry added, 'she made cake for later.' Harry stood up and hoisted Teddy to his back, and they went back to the tables.

*****

The party wound down and Teddy lay curled in Harry's arms, drowsing, with smudges of chocolate frosting around his mouth. Andromeda shrunk Teddy's gifts and stowed them in her handbag, then held her arms out for Teddy. Harry shook his head and tightened his grip on the sleeping child. 'I'll take him home for you,' he whispered. He looked at Ginny. 'Are you going to wait here, or go on home?'

'I'll go ahead and go home.' She was starting to fade.

Harry Flooed to Andromeda's home and helped Teddy into his pajamas. He wiped the smudges off Teddy's face, and tucked him into bed. Harry quietly went back down the stairs to the kitchen. Andromeda was sipping a cup of tea. 'Would you like one before you go home?' she offered.

'Yes, please,' Harry answered gratefully. He sank into a chair, and took the cup of tea, inhaling the scent. 'Better than Firewhisky.' Harry sipped his tea for a few minutes. 'Is he going to be okay? When the baby comes?'

'Teddy? It'll be difficult at first, but he'll get used to it. It just takes time.' Andromeda smiled. 'I remember when Regulus was born. Sirius was not happy about it. Of course, he was only two, and didn't quite understand the situation. Don't worry. It'll be fine.'

Harry finished his tea. 'Thanks, Andromeda. I'll pick him up next Saturday morning?'

'That's fine. We'll see you then.'

Harry Apparated to his flat and let himself in the front door. He went into the bedroom and found Ginny asleep. Shrugging, he turned and went into the kitchen. He took a butterbeer from the refrigerator and climbed out to the small balcony. Harry took a long drink from the bottle and sat with his back against the wall, looking up at the sky.

He recalled what he'd said to Ginny earlier that week. Yes, it was real. Knowing she was pregnant and seeing she was pregnant were two different things. Having to explain things to Teddy made it real, too. It made him feel oddly proud of himself to know that he was responsible for it. It was also strangely arousing. Harry angled his head. He could see the bedroom door from his perch on the balcony. When he had walked in the flat, all he could think about was making love to his wife. For a brief moment, he had considered waking her, but that left him feeling slightly ashamed. So torn between lust and love, he came out here.

Harry finished his butterbeer, and went back inside. He slipped into bed. Ginny rolled over and pressed her body to his. Harry froze. Was she awake? Damn, he thought. She was still asleep.

Harry inhaled and slowly exhaled. It was going to be a long night.