Firewhisky Advice

Ron put the finishing touches on a joint of beef and closed the oven door. He heard the fireplace flare as someone came through it, and went to see who it was. Whoever it was, they were early for lunch. He poked his out of the kitchen and saw Harry turn to help Ginny out of the fireplace.

'Weren't you due on the eighth?' Ron asked Ginny, eyeing her like she might explode at any minute.

'I wish you hadn't said that,' Harry said, but not before Ginny glowered at Ron.

'Yes, Ronald. I was due on the eighth. So, if you can count, today is the twelfth. Four days past,' Ginny all but snarled at Ron.

'Sorry,' Ron gulped, before ducking back into the kitchen. Hermione had warned him Ginny was feeling a bit... grouchy lately. He should have known better, what with Katie spending all that time at the shop before Jacob and Fred were born. But Ron had chalked that up to Katie having twins.

Ginny eased into a chair, batting away Harry's hands, as he tried to help her down into the seat. 'I'm pregnant, you git, not crippled,' she groused. 'I don't need help for every little thing.'

'Never said you did,' Harry replied smoothly.

'Sorry,' Ginny sighed. 'Just getting a little tired of it all. I'm dying to wear knickers that don't come up to here again. To see my feet and not have to check in a mirror to make sure my shoes are a pair. To take an honest to God hot bath,' she moaned, closing her eyes. 'A good slug of Firewhisky after dealing with Flanagan all day.'

'I know.' Harry smoothed the hair from Ginny's forehead.

'Like hell you do,' she replied, but without the heat that laced her response to Ron. 'Next time, you get to do all this.'

'I'll see what I can do.'

In the kitchen, Ron jerked a thumb at the door. 'I wouldn't go out there if I were you,' he told Molly. He sat down at the table and began to prepare a pile of sprouts. 'Ginny's feeling a mite ticked off.'

Molly chuckled a bit. 'You were two weeks late, you know,' she said, pointing her wand at a mountain of carrots. 'I was ready to rip Arthur's head off by the time you were born.' She patted Ron on the hand. 'Don't take it personally, dear.'

Ron watched the sprouts trim themselves for a minute. 'Hermione wants to have one. The more I see all that,' he gestured to the sitting room, 'the more scared I am,' he admitted, biting his lip guiltily.

'Of course it is. It's a lot scary, and you'd be a fool to think otherwise.' Molly examined Ron's bent head. 'Have you talked about this with Hermione?'

Ron shook his head. 'No. I don't want to let her down.'

'Talk to her. You'll let her down if you don't tell her how you feel.' Molly gave Ron a gentle squeeze. 'After lunch, why don't the two of you go talk a walk? Get out of the madhouse for a bit, eh?'

'Thanks, Mum.'

'Anytime, dear.' Molly rose from her chair, and headed to sitting room. 'I'll leave this in your capable hands.' She stopped when she saw Ginny, her feet propped in Harry's lap. Molly used the distraction to get a really good look at Ginny. Maybe not today, but soon, she thought. Molly sighed. All her babies were growing up. And soon, there would be a new baby in the family. Molly used the corner of her apron to wipe a tear from her corner of her eye.

'Mum? Are you all right?' Ginny's concerned voice brought Molly back into the room.

'Just seems like yesterday I brought you home. Couldn't believe how tiny you were.'

'Not so tiny now,' Ginny said wryly. 'Just wish it were over.'

'I know how you feel.'

*****

Hermione let herself in through the back garden gate. Ron always came over early to help Molly prepare dinner, and she either came with him then, or followed later. She could see him in the kitchen window shredding lettuce for a salad. Ron had turned out to be a far better cook than she ever had been. His porridge was never lumpy. She only cooked a meal anymore when Ron wasn't in the mood, or to give him a break.

She opened the kitchen door. 'Hi,' she said.

He looked up from the mound of lettuce. 'Hi.'

'Smells heavenly in here.' Hermione reached in the bowl for a carrot slice.

'It's all right,' Ron said diffidently. 'Kreacher's was better.' He set the bowl aside. 'Can we go for a walk after lunch? Maybe down to the tree house?' Hermione raised an eyebrow. 'To talk,' Ron responded firmly. 'Not like we have to sneak down there anymore.'

'We can talk now,' Hermione said, snatching another carrot slice from the bowl.

'Stop that,' Ron said, lightly slapping the back of Hermione's hand, as it snaked back toward the bowl. 'You'll spoil your lunch.' He looked at Hermione. 'I know I said I wanted to do the baby thing, but I'm really, really scared.'

'Why? I thought you said you wanted to.' Hermione was confused.

'I do! But have you seen Ginny lately? She about took my head off earlier!'

'You mentioned the due date, didn't you?' Ron shrank from Hermione's beady eye.

'Uh, I, uh... Yes.'

'I told you not to do that,' she said.

'I know, but she's so huge! And I think you're scary enough when your knickers are in a bunch about something, and I can only imagine what it'll be like when you're all hormonal!'

'Well, you can relax for a bit longer,' Hermione said in a slightly detached manner. She picked up a knife and began to chop tomatoes by hand.

Ron saw her hand tremble briefly, and watched as she bit her lip. He knew that lip-bite. She was trying to keep from crying. He'd seen her do it often enough in school. 'Mione?' He laid a hand on her wrist. She looked up at him and shook her head. Ron felt a pang of dejection and tugged the knife from her hand, and pulled her closer. 'It'll be okay,' he crooned. 'It will happen.'

'What if it doesn't?'

'It will. We'll just have to be patient.'

'But...' she sniffed.

'I'm an idiot, you know that.'

'Yes, you are.'

Ron put a finger under Hermione's chin and tipped her face up. 'Hey. I promise, when it happens for us, I won't get too mental. I may not be too sure about the whole becoming a dad thing, but it makes me happy to see you happy.' Ron gave a half-laugh. 'I should remember my own advice. When Harry found out Ginny was pregnant, he was terrified. I told him you're never as ready for anything like this as you want to be. I guess we'll be okay.'

'I think I'm going to have to change my opinion about you. Your emotional range is way beyond a teaspoon these days.'

'Thanks, Mione.'

*****

A few days later, Ginny woke up early. Something didn't feel right. Even if she'd wanted to wake up Harry and tell him, she couldn't put her finger on it. She lay quietly, trying to go back to sleep, when she felt... Something. It wasn't quite a cramp. Ginny set her hands on top of her stomach, waiting. After a while, she felt it again. She turned her head on the pillow, and thought about waking Harry for real, but a glance at the clock told her it was barely six in the morning. Shrugging, Ginny pushed herself to a sitting position and picked up her wristwatch from her bedside table. The last time she'd woken Harry up with pains it had been false labor. She wasn't waking Harry up unless it was for real.

She held the watch in her left hand, her right resting over her navel.

In two hours, she'd only had six more twinges of something. It wasn't painful yet, but Ginny knew it was only a matter of time. She thought maybe she should wake Harry up now, but decided to let him sleep. One of them, at least, needed to rest while they could.

*****

Harry woke up soon after that. He fumbled for his glasses, pushing them on his nose. 'Morning, Gin,' he yawned.

'Morning,' she said distractedly, as a twinge hit. Still twenty minutes apart, she noted to herself.

Harry sat up a bit, noticing the watch in Ginny's hand. 'You okay?'

'Yeah, fine. Just keeping track.'

'Of what?' he asked blankly.

'Labor pains.'

Harry shot out of bed. 'What? Now? Why are you just lying there? Why didn't you wake me earlier?' He tried to put his jeans on and walk at the same time, but just ended up tripping and cracking his head on the wardrobe. 'Ohhhh. Bloody, effing hell that hurt!' He pressed a hand to the throbbing area of his head and glared at Ginny, who was snickering at him. 'It's not that funny.'

'Sure it is.'

'Shouldn't we go to St. Mungo's?'

'It's fine. Shanti told me I didn't have to go until the contractions are around ten minutes apart. So far, they're still twenty minutes apart.' Ginny settled back into her pillows. 'Are you hungry? Why don't you go make yourself some breakfast?' she suggested.

'What about you?' Harry kicked off the jeans.

'I'm not that hungry... Scones! Make some? Please?'

'For you? Anything short of a Hogwarts' feast, love.'

'Maybe we could watch a film or something? While we wait?'

Harry's face split into a grin. 'I think we could do that.'

*****

Ginny stretched, checked her watch, and slid off the sofa. She leaned over the arm, trying to ease the ache in her back. Harry immediately stood behind her. 'Where does it hurt?'

'Lower back,' she mumbled, hissing in relief, as Harry dug his thumbs into the area just above her hips, trying to remember to breathe through the pain. Ginny tilted her wrist to check the time. 'Still just under twenty minutes.' She straightened up, exhaling slowly, and leaned back against Harry's chest. 'Whew. That was a bit stronger.'

Harry ran the wet cloth over the back of her neck and face. 'Can I get you something? Besides the mad musical films and wet face cloths?'

'Glass of water, maybe?'

'I'll be right back.'

'And I'll be right here. Not really dressed for going out.' Ginny leaned her elbows on the arm of the sofa, and rested her forehead between them. Shanti had warned her it might take more than twenty-four hours. Ginny had hoped she was joking. It was after two in the afternoon now. She would hit the twelve-hour mark in less than four hours.

'Gin?' Harry held out a glass of water. 'Is there something you'd like to do?'

'Would it be too barmy of me to want a bath?'

'Can you do that?'

'Yep. Just don't make it too hot.'

'As you wish.' Harry hurried into the bathroom. He was trying to remember if any of the others had taken this long to get going. He'd been too preoccupied to really notice when the twins had been born almost four months ago. He rubbed a hand over his face, feeling slightly grubby around the edges. 'Hey, Gin?' he called.

'Yeah?'

'Mind if I join you?

'Nope. Just help me in first.'

Harry went back to Ginny. 'Come on, then. It should be full now.' He pulled off Ginny's t-shirt and the boxers she wore under it. He gripped her hands tightly, as she eased herself into the warm bath. Harry shucked his own shirt and boxers off, and slid in the tub, behind Ginny.

Ginny nestled her head on Harry's shoulder. 'You doing okay?' she asked.

'Yeah. Does it always take this long?'

'Sometimes. Bronwyn was in labor for over thirty hours with Isabella.'

'She was?' Harry was confused. They'd been there when Isabella was born.

'Charlie didn't let any of us know until it was a lot closer to being done, silly.' Ginny flicked water at him. 'Bronwyn told me later. Used it as bribe material when Charlie was an idiot. For weeks, all she had to do was mention the thirty hours, and Charlie did whatever she wanted him to.' Ginny giggled.

'That's not very fair,' Harry objected.

'Isabella had Charlie's big head, that's what's not fair,' Ginny retorted. She arched a bit against Harry's hands. They were kneading the muscles in her back again. 'You can keep doing that.'

'Until my hands fall off, right?'

'You got it.' Ginny reached back to stroke the side of Harry's face. 'You should eat something more substantial than scones with strawberry jam, you know. Probably going to be a long night.'

'I will, later. What about you? You haven't eaten since last night at dinner. You've got to be hungry.'

'A bit,' she admitted sheepishly. 'Just nothing heavy.'

'There's leftover soup from last Friday.'

'Perfect.'

'Hey, Ginny?'

'Yeah?'

'This time tomorrow you're going to be someone's mum.'

'This just occurred to you?'

'Well, no. But by this time tomorrow, Sam-I-Am will be James or Lily.'

'Yeah. Our last day alone.'

'I really hope Sam has your hair.'

'So do I. Especially if Sam ends up being a girl. I'd hate to be a girl with your hair.'

'Gee, thanks. I thought you liked my hair.'

'I do. Just not so sure about it on a girl, love.'

Ginny tensed, her hands wrapped around Harry's. 'Ginny, breathe. Deep slow breaths,' he reminded her.

'Yeah,' she panted. 'Seventeen minutes,' she murmured, checking her watch.

It was definitely going to be a long night.