Chapter Text
invisible string.
MARCH 2003 When Ginny Potter fell ill, she thought it was just something eaten but the real reason, well, she felt like all her dreams had come true.
Spring was one of Ginny Potter’s favourite times of year. The weather would lose its chill. The flowers would start to bloom. And new life would be born.
As March neared its end, she had a few rare days off. Usually, she would spend them with her husband, Harry but he was on a mission. He had been gone for five days. And would be gone for at least another five weeks. She did not know much, as she was not allowed to but what she did know: there was there was Death Eater activity in Brazil.
She woke on a Thursday morning and out of habit stretched out to the other side of the bed but of course, it was empty. She sighed and turned out of bed. She rubbed her eyes and headed towards the bedroom for a shower. She knew what she was getting into when she married Harry but it did not make it easier to miss him.
After her shower, she headed downstairs and made herself a coffee. She was pouring in some milk when she got a strong stench of the milk. She lifted it to her nose and regretted it. It turned her stomach and she felt bile rise. She ran to the toilet and was sick. She had not been sick in a long time. Not that it was not self inflicted anyways. She remembered the New Years that had just passed and she was violently sick all day after mixing her drinks when she should not. Harry had been there then to hold her back.
This was different though. She had not drank for a while. She racked her brain and remembered she had eaten out with Luna two days previously. It could have been the fish she had had. She sighed and flushed the toilet after she had finished throwing up. Food poisoning was the last thing she needed but it was what was happening so she had to accept it.
She had plans to see Ron and Hermione but she sent an owl to cancel due to being sick. Half an hour later, the fire lit up and her sister came through.
Ginny smiled ‘Don’t tell me you hit pause on newlywed life to see little old me’
‘You’re more important. Besides, we can wallow together. I’m on my period’ Hermione replied with a bright smile.
As Hermione made herself at home, Ginny’s brain had gone into overdrive. She tried to not make it obvious that she was trying to work things out. She quickly went to the kitchen to look at the calendar.
The reason she had gone into overdrive was that her own period usually came a week before Hermione and had always been that since forever. She looked at the dates and quietly gasped when she realised her period was nine days late.
‘Oh’ she said quietly. Her and Harry were not actively trying but were not careful anymore. She had come off the potion earlier in the year, both of them concluded ‘it will happen if it meant to be’ at the time. She walked out of the kitchen to the living room and excused herself to her bedroom. Hermione looked at her suspiciously but Ginny did not have time to answer any questions.
She ran to her potion and ingredients cupboard. She had made this certain potion twice. Once in 1997, when Tonks came to the Burrow worried she was pregnant only fresh into her marriage then in 1999, when Fleur fainted and Ginny would not rest until she brewed the potion.
It had been four years since she brewed it but she remembered the recipe down to the T. She just forgot one other thing.
‘Did you forget that the pregnancy potion stinks like rotten eggs?’ Hermione called and was banging on the door a few moments later.
Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes. She muttered ‘fuck’ then ran to open the door. She scrambled up and opened the door to allow Hermione in.
‘You know, this is the one potion I don’t trust. The muggles have a much better method in my opinion’ Hermione replied with a bright smile. She was trying to read Ginny and her mood who was not giving too much away. She was actually being calmer than Hermione thought she would be.
‘I’m not pissing on a stick!’ Ginny hissed and continued to stir the potion.
‘You are calmer than I thought’
‘The five year plan, remember? I just can’t believe it could actually be here. That I could be the one to have kids after Bill’ Ginny replied. She leaned back to monitor the potion and it was ready. It was a bright yellow and Hermione was right - it really did smell of rotten eggs.
‘It stays yellow if you’re not then clear if you are?’ Hermione questioned.
Ginny nodded ‘Now I just need to…’ her voice trailed off. She grabbed a needle and pricked her finger. She placed it over the cauldron and the blood dripped into the potion. It hissed, almost like it needed to think about it. Then a moment later, just like magic, it ran clear. She gasped.
‘I can hug you right?’ Hermione asked and walked closer to Ginny who nodded. Hermione squealed and hugged her.
As she ended the hug, Ginny looked to the side where her mirror was and she held her stomach gently. She smiled. Hermione moved backwards, her hands to her face and tears in her eyes.
‘And why the bloody hell are you crying for?’ Ginny asked and turned to her.
‘You’re having a baby. You’re actually having a baby. You and Harry are having a baby’ Hermione replied as a tear fell.
‘Yeah’ Ginny walked closer to the mirror ‘I guess we are’
***
Twenty-four hours passed since Ginny found out she was indeed pregnant and swore Hermione to secrecy until she found a way to tell Harry.
‘Isn’t he on this mission until at least to the end of April?’ Hermione asked
‘Yes, but we have a deal. We have done for years. I just need to find a way to speak to him’.
She was right. They did have a deal.
September 1999.
Both of them had a rare day off. Ginny had been on an intense training schedule but Harry was going on his first proper mission the following morning. Their time together had been cut short but she understood. She always did. They were laid on her bed at the Burrow. Her head on his chest. She listened and felt the rise and fall of his chest. Her favourite feeling.
‘I told Kingsley that if anything happens at home, for you to come and tell him, then he will get the message to me’ Harry said after a moment. She turned her head, rested it on her hand and looked up at him.
‘So basically, if one of us is dead or in danger, that is the only time I am allowed to make contact’ she asked and narrowed her eyes.
‘I know. I’m sor-’ she leaned up and kissed him, cutting him off.
‘It is okay. I get it, love. I do really’ she told him with a bright smile. He nodded and kissed her again.
‘I love you’ he said to her.
‘I love you too’
‘I love you more’
‘I’ve loved you longer’ she smiled against his lips and kissed him again.
‘I wish you could contact me with good news when I’m away’ he said as she rested back onto his chest.
Some time later, they heard Mrs Weasley call them down for dinner. They headed down to see Fleur and Bill at the end of the table, looking excited.
‘What’s going on?’ Ginny asked and looked around at her family.
‘Bill and Fleur said they have something to tell us’ Mrs Weasley said with a smile.
‘Everyone is here… we have some exciting news’ Bill said and then looked at his wife.
‘I’m pregnant’ Fleur added. Mrs Weasley squealed and rushed forward to hug them.
‘I’ve just found a good reason for you to contact me when I’m away in the future’ Harry said quietly to Ginny. She beamed at him.
And it was something that she promised him she would do when the day would come. They had always spoken about this. Yes, she was twenty one, nearly twenty two but she always knew she wanted to be a young mum. She wanted to enjoy her children as long as possible and once they were ready to go to school, she would still have some kind of life to enjoy.
‘I need to speak to the minister’ Ginny suddenly said and stood up.
‘Kingsley? Are you sure he is going to be able to help?’ Hermione replied.
‘That is why you are coming with me!’
***
‘You want me to ask one of my best aurors to come home temporarily for a reason you won’t disclose?’ Kingsley asked. His hands clasped together. He was sitting behind his desk. Ginny and Hermione had come to the ministry to see if he could help.
‘Harry said he spoke to you about if I would come to you and this is the first time I have come to you in five years asking to speak to him. I didn’t come to you when I sprained my ankle, tore a ligament, during the ABC thing. This is the first time’ Ginny replied. She was getting worried.
‘Yes he did, he said if someone had died or was in danger and you say it is not that. Ginny, I have known you since you were fourteen years old. I trust you but the guy assigned as leader in this mission, he isn’t like the others. He is going to want a fair reason as to why I’m dragging the one and only Harry Potter into a private meeting with his wife,’ Kingsley replied, softly.
‘Kingsley, I only need ten minutes with him. I just need to tell him something that cannot wait. He’ll know what it is.’ Ginny groaned. Her stomach was turning and she could feel the sickness coming back. Hermione offered her a bin that was next to him but Ginny refused it.
‘You wouldn’t come here if you were a little sick. Are you ok-.... Oh I see’ Kingsley’s face lit up as he realised.
‘Are you…?’ He raised an eyebrow. Ginny nodded. He smiled ‘Congratulations. Stay here. I need to go to my private fire’
Ginny and Hermione exchanged looks of relief. Ginny suddenly felt like a kid at Christmas and could not contain herself. She was getting impatient and suddenly half an hour had passed. She understood, she really did but she was worried that at any point she was going to be sick all over Kingsley’s office.
***
It had to be the worst mission Harry had ever been on. It was hot to start with. Uncomfortably hot. He really did not understand the language. He had tried to learn Portuguese but after trying to learn French for the sake of Fleur and her family, he had given up on trying to learn another language.
The leader of the mission, Goldstein, was a nightmare. He would not allow them any time to do anything but work. Harry understood that. The mission was important but sometimes, he just needed time to breathe.
Also, sleep was drilled into them as an important matter but Harry had concluded at the age of nearly eighteen it was pointless trying to have a peaceful sleep if Ginny was not there or close to him. She just made it easier to sleep. He had gotten better over years, being apart but sometimes he would wake up in the middle of the night, still thinking he was seventeen on the run, hunting horcruxes and was alone in a tent in the middle of the forest.
They were getting ready for a briefing when Goldstein excused himself suddenly after receiving a note.
‘The minister of magic is here’ he said, confused.
Harry and the other aurors cramped their ears outside the room to hear what was happening.
‘And tell me why you want to take my best auror back to the Ministry of Magic on an urgent matter?’ they heard Goldstein growl.
‘It will only be for this afternoon. There is something that needs to dealt with back in England’
‘And we are currently on a very important mission or have you forgotten?’
‘You do well to remember who you are speaking to, Goldstein, if I want to take someone temporarily of the mission, I am very well allowed to’
A few moments later, Kingsley and Goldstein returned to the room and the aurors looked busy.
‘Potter! The minster needs to take you back to the ministry on an urgent matter’ He turned to Kingsley ‘I expect him back by nightfall’
Harry rushed forward and walked with Kingsley out of the room. They walked towards the fireplace.
‘Kingsley, what is it? What has happened? Is it Ginny?’ Harry asked, a little worried.
‘Yes, she has asked to speak to you. She promises that no one is in danger or anything like that. She also said that you would know what it is’ Kingsley replied and patted Harry’s arm with a small smile.
Harry’s eyes widened ‘Oh… OH! Okay. Yes, where is she?’
‘She is in my office. Congratulations. She did not tell me directly but I worked it out whilst trying to get an explanation so I could tell your boss there. Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything’
Harry nodded and took a handful of powder. He hoped in his rush to get to his wife that he did not end up in the wrong fireplace like he did when he was twelve years old.
***
Ginny had been pacing Kingsley’s office for about five minutes when the door flew open and Harry walked in.
‘Kingsley said no one is in danger and I’ll know what it is? Is it? Are you?’ Harry said quickly. Ginny nodded and she ran towards him. He sighed in content, picked her up and spun her around.
‘Easy. I’ve been sick three times today’ Ginny complained but she did not mind that much.
‘I’m gonna go to my office. I’m so happy for you guys’ Hermione stood up and walked over to them. She smiled at Harry and hugged him. She was close to tears again.
‘She’s been like this all day’ Ginny said and rolled her eyes.
‘I am going to be Aunt’ Hermione replied with a wide smile.
‘You’re already an Aunt’ Harry said, with a puzzled look.
‘I know but this feels different. So different’ she said. She hugged them both again and left. She closed the door behind her.
‘You’re definitely pregnant? I can’t believe it!’ Harry said. He could not stop smiling.
‘No, it is an early April fools. Of course, I am. We are going to be parents!