Title: With Arms Wide Open
For: lunalovepotter on LiveJournal
Status: Complete
Pairings: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley/Hermione Granger
Additional Categories: Canon,
Genre: Angst, Comfort,
Book: Picks up on Sept 1st, 2019
Rating: Teen
Warnings: Non-graphic mention of violence (in a medical sense)
Size: 4,829 words
Spoilers: N/A
Summary:
Series/Sequels: No
Prompt: After sending their last child off to Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny discover she is expecting again. Harry is thrilled but Ginny is conflicted.
Author's Notes: I was originally going to have an actual end to the story and bring it to a close but the bunnies decided to end it like this instead. I guess it's up to you what happens after. Thanks to lyras from LiveJournal for doing some really tight beta-reading and to my friend Deb-Deb for trying. And thanks to the mods as the hg_silverlining Community for the chance to participate in this year's summer fest! Hope you like!

Reviews are Greatly Appreciated!

With Arms Wide Open

"Get out of my room!"

Harry's eyes flicked toward the stairs that eased up to the upper stories of the house, brow furrowing as thumps were heard despite the thick walls. Sighing, he glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall. It was barely seven and his kids were already fighting. He hoped the rest of the day they would be able to keep themselves from killing each other on the train, since all three of them would be on it for the first time.

"Mum! James is being a prat to me!" It was at times like these that Harry was grateful they would be gone for weeks at a time now that all three of them were heading to Hogwarts. Maybe he and Ginny would have some time to themselves without screaming teens around them.

"I'm trying to finish packing!"

"Well, if you had done it last night or the past week when I told you to do it, you wouldn't be rushing, would you?" Ginny's scolding voice grew louder as she climbed down the stairs, her calloused hands on a huffing Lily. "As for you, young lady, you know better than to antagonize your brother when he is in a mood."

"But mum, it's my first year going to Hogwarts and I don't want to be late to the train because of James. No one's missed the train before," Lily exclaimed as she took a seat at the large dining table. Harry hid a smile as he began pulling out eggs from the charmed cool box, setting them on the black granite counter. Lily was fidgeting impatiently in her seat, one leg bouncing while the fingers of her left hand tapped out a rhythm on the table top.

Ginny bustled around the kitchen, placing a couple of slices of bread into the toaster. "Honey, you wouldn't be the first one to miss the train and most likely won't be the last." Since Harry was attending to the stove, cracking the eggs into the heating pan, he didn't see the mischievous spark that ignited in his wife's eye as he stepped back and reached for his teacup. "After all, your father and Uncle Ron missed the Hogwarts Express in their second year. I believe it's still a legend at the school considering the aftermath."

Harry started choking as he inhaled the tea the wrong way, sputtering ungracefully. Coughing, he glared at Ginny. "You know i-it wasn't our fault." The words came out between coughs.

Lily's eyes were wide as she stared at her father. "You never made it to Hogwarts? Did you drop out?"

Harry grimaced at his daughter's question, catching his wife's gaze. Their children knew their parents had fought in the Second Wizarding War but out of the three, only Lily didn't know the full extent. Harry and Ginny had opted to tell their children individually when they were ready to know the full truth behind the events that happened over twenty years ago. James and Albus had been told together in James' second year, after James' classmates had begun to ask him questions that he didn't know anything about and Albus was beginning to notice that people acted differently around him.

Harry was not looking forward to the next conversation.

"Love, the eggs are beginning to burn." Ginny's amused tone broke through his dark thoughts.

"Oh, shite!" Harry quickly moved, flipping the omelet over with one hand while the other turned down the flame to low. The edges had turned a dark brown color while a couple of areas were black. Sighing, he discarded the burnt omelet into the bin as Ginny sniggered.

"Why were you late to the station and how did you get to Hogwarts?" Lily questioned again.

"Ah, the Case of the Locked Entrance." Harry thought out loud, cracking a couple of eggs with one hand into the pan once more as he turned the burner to high with the other. "It began during the early morning hours of September 1, 1992 when two little boys could not enter the platform where their school train was to be found. Little did they know, it would be the beginning of another larger and more terrifying case." He slid his eggs onto a waiting plate, watching as Ginny refilled his tea cup from a freshly brewed pot. He gave Lily a cheeky grin. "But the story will have to be continued at a later time."

"Dad!" His daughter pouted, crossing her arms. Harry tried to keep his grin from exploding, his mind comparing his daughter to another fiery but shy girl he had met over twenty years ago in the busy train station in London.

"Listen to your father, Lily. We have too many things to do today." Ginny made to put the teapot on the mat in the middle of the table when she suddenly reached out and grabbed the closest seat, her face slightly paling. Concerned, Harry made his way to her side, touching her on the shoulder.

"Ginny, are you okay?"

His wife straightened, waving him off as she flashed a grin at him. "I'm fine, Harry. I'm still recovering from the wizard's flu that I got from the match between the Arrows and the Cannons. Completely incompetent seekers," she grumbled. "Twenty hours in the rain and the only reason why the game ended was because the Cannons seeker just happened upon the Snitch in the little alcove he was hiding in to keep out of the rain. Un-freaking-believable."

"Could have been worse," Harry pulled out the cereal for the children, the box quickly swiped from his hand by Lily. "It began hailing the hour after the game ended."

"I know. Can you see what your demon sons are doing? I haven't seen Albus since last night."

"My demon children?" Harry grimaced as he made his way toward the stairs. 'I'm sure they took after your side of the family. I don't think my dad and Sirius has ever caused this much trouble." He laughed as Ginny made to swipe at his bum and Lily groaned.

Deftly climbing the staircase, Harry made his way to Albus' room, which was the closest to the landing. "Albus?" Harry knocked on the door. Hearing nothing, he opened it to see his second child still sleeping on the bed, the thick blanket in Ravenclaw blue draping to the floor. Smiling gently, Harry walked over and gently shook his son awake.

"Mmhmm,'ma 'pp." Albus blinked sleepily, his green eyes looking up through heavy lids.

"You'd better get dressed fast or you'll miss breakfast," Harry said softly, reaching over to ease the third year potions book from under Albus' hand, casting a quick cleaning spell to remove the minor drool mark that had found its way onto the former pristine pages.

"I'm up," his son murmured again as he languidly stretched.

"Be down in five minutes." Leaving Albus to get ready, Harry went a little further down the hall to get his eldest son only to find him rushing about to get everything into his overflowing trunk. "I would have thought that by your fourth year you would have learned to pack the day before if not the week before," Harry told his errant offspring as he crossed his arms, leaning against the doorjamb.

James didn't even look up at him as he stuffed his large Defense book into the trunk, trying to slip it in between the side and what looked like his robes. "I know, I know but I just . . . ." James shrugged, shifting nervously, swiping his tongue over his upper lip. "Can you help me, please?"

Eyeing the dark-haired boy as he bit his lip, Harry thought it over. He was sorely tempted to teach James a lesson in managing his time and tasks but he knew that if they were late to the train station, Lily would never forgive him. "Fine, but only because it's Lily's first year at Hogwarts. Merlin knows, she's been looking forward to it ever since you and Albus came back from Hogwarts last year. Next time, I'm willing to let you hang." Harry flicked his wrist, his wand shooting into his palm as he whispered the incantation for the packing spell. James stepped back as his things flew into the growing tornado over his trunk. With a final howl, the trunk slammed shut and the locks clicked into place.

"Thanks, Dad!"

"Don't thank me just yet. I don't think your mother'll be too pleased with me for packing for you." Harry clapped a hand on James' shoulder and, pulling his eldest son against his side, led him back to the kitchen. They were trailed by a sleepy Albus. As the Potter family sat together to eat breakfast, Harry felt a pang of anxiety strike him in the stomach over the thought of an empty nest.

Lifting his fork up, Harry began to eat. What am I thinking? James still has three years to go and even then, there's no guarantee that he'll just up and leave. And Lily just barely started school. What do I have to worry about? Breathing in through his nose and exhaling out his mouth, Harry began to eat, chatting easily with his wife and three kids. It wasn't as if they were abandoning him and Ginny while they went on with their lives.

"So, Lily, what will you do if you're Sorted into Slytherin?"

"JAMES!"

"I can't believe it; we're free!" Ron pumped his hand into the air, a grin making its way onto his face.

"Ronald!" Hermione scolded, her head whipping around from where she was waving at the departing train. Ginny could see the small smile teasing the side of her mouth at her husband's antics.

Ron's enthusiasm refused to diminish, however. "The house will be empty for the first time in years until the winter break." Ron jiggled his eyebrows in Hermione's direction, ignoring the fact that his best friend and sister were still there.

Ginny clamped a hand over her eyes, turning her face into the crook of her husband's neck. "They haven't been gone a minute and you are already telling us that you want to shag your wife. Have you no decency?"

Harry and Hermione laughed. After so many years together, the four of them had grown comfortable speaking about sex in front of each other. In the beginning, every time Harry looked at her a certain way, Ron would blush and demand that Harry stop thinking about his little sister, regardless of the place and time they found themselves in. It was only in the past few years that Ron began to mellow out and actually had joined in on the fun. The first time he made a crack about Ginny and Harry, it had shocked all three of them into silence for a few minutes while their brain caught up with their ears. It was only until Harry and George, who had overheard, began laughing that Ron gave Ginny an evil smirk and replied that it was time the tables were turned on her.

Of course, there were some lines that neither of them was willing to cross. . . .

. . . . Like when Hermione had come to a Sunday dinner eight years ago and for some reason had chocolate syrup stuck in her hair. Ginny refused to ponder how it got there in the first place while Harry looked anywhere except at his sister-in-law's face.

"It's Ron, we're talking about, Gin. He's always going to be like that," Harry whispered as they turned and began walking to the exit. "I've known him for almost thirty years now and he has yet to prove me wrong."

"Oy! None of you believed me that I would pass the driving test!" Ron exclaimed.

Harry snorted, and Ron gave him a death glare. "Well, I would love to chat about our personal lives, but I find myself needed at the office today."

"Hermione?" The hopeful look in Ron's eyes was quickly dashed when Hermione began shaking her head.

"Sorry but I need to go to the Ministry and make sure that the legislation going before the Wizengamot is completed and error free."

Ron huffed. "Fine, fine, if that's how you want to spend your free time. What about you, Ginny? I'm sure the Daily Prophet can live without you for an hour, at least."

"You're going to have to ask Hannah. I've got a doctor's appointment with Lorraine." Ginny patted a dejected Ron on the arm. "As you said, we have the rest of the term."

Hermione paused in pulling out her wand and after a second of deliberation, leaned into her husband. Harry and Ginny only heard some furiously spoken words but the spark that ignited in Ron's eyes made Harry and Ginny want to close their eyes. "I'll be good."

"I'm sure you will. Bye, Ron, Harry, Ginny." With a final smile and one last look around, Hermione disappeared with a faint pop right out of the station. Nodding to his sister and best friend, Ron sauntered off to the muggle car the Weasley family had used to get to the train platform.

"I hope he doesn't cause any accidents." Harry chuckled, looking down at Ginny. He pulled her in, staring at her intently. "Will you be back home tonight?"

"Depending on what articles are turned in for today's deadline, maybe by seven," Ginny whispered, closing the distance between them. Harry's arm slid down to her waist, pulling her harder against him as his mouth claimed hers. They broke apart with a gasp, panting harshly.

"Tonight for sure." Harry said huskily.

"Mmhmm." With one last squeeze, Harry let her go and Apparated away.

"Hopefully the doctor's appointment won't take too long," Ginny muttered as she pulled out her wand to Apparate to St. Mungo's. She felt bad about misleading Harry, but she really couldn't bring herself to tell him what she suspected. The Healer's appointment she had set for today was actually scheduled yesterday when a thought had popped into her head about the symptoms she was feeling. Though she had only felt them three times, Ginny remembered them well.

She quickly entered the hospital once she appeared before the seemingly abandoned clothing store, and checked in at the front desk. From there, she went to the second floor, all the while thinking about the compartmentalization of the hospital. It seemed strangely disturbing to her that witches who needed certain types of potions would be sent to the Creature-Induced Floor, though sometimes, she admitted to herself, that Harry at times did seem to be an animal in bed when he was in the mood. . . .

As Ginny waited on the large gurney table, her unfocused gaze on the far wall, she began to think. It wasn't like this was planned, after all, especially after what happened over 9 years ago. The doctors then had told her that her chances were practically nil, zip, zero, not a flobberworm's chance in the desert.

Her thoughts were interrupted when her primary Healer entered the room, carrying Ginny's medical file in hand. "Mrs. Potter, I didn't expect to see you quite so soon. I'm beginning to think you have a crush on me," Healer Lorraine Nate said, her lips lifting at the end.

Ginny's smile didn't feel quite so genuine. "I didn't think so either but with what I've been noticing the past couple of weeks, I had no other choice."

Lorraine nodded, opening up Ginny's medical file. "Well, there's only one way to be sure and that's by taking the potion. It'll be here in a few minutes. Have you tried casting the spell?"

Biting her lip, Ginny glanced at her hands. "It was positive."

"Ah."

At the Healer's words, Ginny blurted, "But how can it be possible? I mean, after what happened, after all the physical tests and spells and potions, you and the other doctors told me that it would be almost impossible for me to be a mother again."

Sighing, Lorraine conjured a comfortable seat and looked at Ginny, her face serious. "I never said that you could never be pregnant again, Ginny. I only said that becoming pregnant would be significantly harder than before due to the massive amounts of scar tissue in your abdomen and the after-effects of the cursed blade. And if you were able to become pregnant, the chances of having a pregnancy with no difficulties would be rare. As it stands, if you are pregnant, there will be some amount of risk while carrying the child to term and I can't give a 100% guarantee that you will reach the end of the third trimester without losing the child."

"But we never used any sort of protection since then. I stopped taking my potion after I healed. Why did I get pregnant now? I'm almost forty!" Ginny almost shouted, her hands twisting in her lap. "Harry is forty and by the time the child goes to Hogwarts we'll be in our fifties." The younger witch felt the doctor's gentle but firm hands on hers.

"It will be alright, Ginny. Magical medicine has come a long way, and considering you are fit and healthy, you will live a long life with your husband, barring any accident or tragedy. You went through this three times and you'll be able to do it again. This time, you'll have help from your older children."

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Lorraine leaned back in her chair. "Come in." A young man who looked barely out of Hogwarts entered, carrying a small pot filled with a steaming turquoise potion.

"Where would you like me to put the pregnancy potion, ma'am?" the young man asked, eyes barely flicking toward Ginny.

Lorraine waved her hand at one of the counter. "Thank you, Mr. Mason." The young Healer-in-Training gave a nod and quickly left. "That boy seriously needs to learn to stop being so shy. I'm afraid when he starts attending, he'll be bullied by his patients." The attempt to cheer Ginny up didn't work. "Alright, you know the drill; just three drops of blood."

Ginny nodded, slid her wand out of her pocket and, with a whispered incantation, pricked her finger. She squeezed the digit until three thick red drops of blood fell into the small cauldron. Almost instantly, it turned a dark blue.

"It didn't turn sky blue. What does that mean?"

"It means, Ginny, that you're not carrying just one child. You're carrying two." Lorraine almost missed Ginny as she tumbled out off the gurney in a dead faint.

Harry's heavy footsteps sounded as he entered the house, his eyes automatically searching the foyer for Ginny. After carefully hanging his black travelling cloak in the closet, he went in search of his wife, a plan forming in his mind. The work day at the Auror office had been difficult, especially since it had come to his attention that one of the newer Aurors had been accepting sexual favors from those on the wrong side of the law in exchange for escaping punishment. It also didn't help that sexual fantasies had been slipping into his waking consciousness at the most inopportune times. Such as when he was interrogating an illegal potion-maker who just happened to be female. He had taken to the workout room set up for the Auror Corps to work off his restless energy.

Noises from the kitchen told him Ginny was in there, and a grin formed on his lips. As he entered through the open door, the grin was quickly replaced with a slight frown.

"Is something wrong, Ginny?" She was slumped over the table. Harry came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

Her answer was so soft, he almost missed it. "I don't really know, Harry." She raised her head and looked at him, eyes glistening with barely contained tears. "I'm really scared."

Worry began to settle in his stomach. Ginny hardly cried over mundane things so whatever she knew was troubling. "Is it your dad? I know Arthur's health has been deteriorating slightly but-" Ginny squeezed his hand.

"No, it's not Dad or any of our family members or friends."

"Then what's wrong, Ginny? You're scaring me." She tugged him down until he was squatting before her, his hands clasped in her smaller ones.

"I'm pregnant."

Harry reeled back, his mouth opening in surprise. "What? But – I, I . . . . The doctors said . . . . HOW?"

"Lorraine said that they never said it would be completely impossible for me to get pregnant. They only said that the chances would be slim and the chances of me actually carrying to full term would be even lower." Ginny shakily ran a hand over Harry's jaw. "I guess nature's finally taken its course." The tears finally began pouring down her cheeks. "Sh-she said th-that there's a ch-chance I c-could lose the ba-babies due to the damage I-I have."

Harry swept her into his arms, taking her seat on the chair. "It's going to be okay, Ginny. You'll get through this." He buried his face in her thick, red hair. "We'll get through this like we've always have." Ginny didn't say anything, burying herself deeper into his embrace. He rocked her back and forth, murmuring quietly into her ears as she sobbed.

He had never believed that Ginny would become pregnant again after what happened after Lily was born. For a while then, Harry had felt untouchable. It had all come crashing down when the crazed witch he had been pursuing decided to attack his family. When he and Ron had burst through the thick oak door, right on the heels of a blasting hex, they had arrived just in time to see the unhinged woman attempt to bury her hunter's knife into Ginny's abdomen, viciously jerking it down as she tried to dodge.

She hadn't moved fast enough and the curse spelled onto the blade quickly began its work.

The doctors at the hospital had later informed them the wound started in the area between the large intestine and the stomach, ripping down through the loops of the small intestine and into the uterus and bladder. As Ron dueled the witch who tried to flee in the chaos, Harry had quickly stopped the bleeding and taken her directly to the hidden Auror ward at St. Mungo's. The damage had only been fully revealed after Ginny had healed. The curse on the knife had caused significant damage to her womb and, despite the swift medical response, had left her with massive scar tissue inside as well as removing one of her ovaries.

Both Harry and Ginny had wanted at least one more but the attack had ended that dream. After many attempts over the following two years, they had resigned themselves to the fact that Ginny would no longer be able to bear children. And now, with her pregnant, there was a chance they could still lose them – Harry froze. "Wait, babies? As in, more than one?"

He felt Ginny nod against his chest. "She did more tests and found that I'm carrying one girl and one boy."

"Fraternal twins." Harry felt laughter bubbling up in his chest. After so many years, he was blessed with two more children. "I'm sure George and Fred would be disappointed."

"They're not coming near them." Ginny muttered thickly.

Harry suppressed a smile at the thought of the mischief the twins would get up to if they followed in their uncles' footsteps. Would they be like James, a perfect mixture of Harry and Ginny? Or would they be like Albus and Lily, with one set of the parents' genes almost completely dominant over the other? Would the twins act like true identical twins or would they have completely opposite personalities? Swallowing the lump forming in his throat, Harry asked the question that began to burn in his mind.

"Did Lorraine talk to you about the risks?"

"She said the chances of losing a single child were significant enough to inform me that it could happen. With two, the risk is even higher." Ginny paused for a second, breathing shallowly. "She asked if I want to ab-abort them."

Almost instantly, the hottest flare of rage that Harry had ever felt toward one person, including Voldemort, ignited within him. He inhaled sharply, his nostrils flaring. Abort the pregnancy? How could a parent do that? How could he do that one of his own kids? "I want them," he bit out, beginning to pant slightly. "They're our kids, my kids." His voice grew thick until he was practically choking on the words. "How could she even dare ask us a question like that? After everything we've been through to get here?" The very thought of getting rid of his children, no matter how short their gestation could be, made him physically sick. He had to believe that they would live long enough within Ginny to the point where they could survive on their own outside of her body.

He couldn't believe otherwise and wouldn't.

Ginny drew back, framing her husband's face in her hands. "I know, Harry, I know. I told Lorraine that wasn't an option. She admitted she knew I was going to keep them but she had to ask as a doctor. We talked about it and agreed that I will have to come in for more check-ups to ensure everything is going as planned as well as start a potion regime to help me along. Just to be on the safe side, I will probably stay home sometime in the middle of the second trimester as that's when the babies have a 50% chance of survival outside of the womb. It's also when the growth spurt kicks in."

"I'll see if I can pull some time off. I won't you let you go through this alone."

"I won't be alone, Harry. I have you, Mum, Dad, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of our crazy family."

"We're going to have to tell them soon." Harry moved his hand onto Ginny's still flat stomach. "Are you scared?"

"Yes." Ginny ran her hand through Harry's dark locks, noticing the grey hairs growing in. "We're not young as we used to be. I'm scared my body will give out on me when I need it the most."

"We just have to believe that we'll get there, Ginny. Just like after the last battle at Hogwarts. If we believe anything else, we'll lose our way. We've worked too hard and too far to just give up now." Harry let his forehead rest on Ginny's head. "I can't let my moment of stupidity cost us again."

"It wasn't your fault, Harry. You couldn't have possibly have known that the witch was our previous Healer. We all trusted him, too."

"I should have seen it. I was the one leading that case and I thought I knew the killer inside and out. I let my guard down and she was able to slip inside our house and hurt you. I'll never be able to forgive myself for that."

Ginny closed her eyes, knowing that Harry would never fully let the burden of guilt go. He would just add it to the others left over from the war against Voldemort. "I don't blame you and never will. All that matters is that we here now. And we have two babies on the way."

"Yeah." Harry shifted his grip on Ginny, lifting her up higher so he could stand. Ginny held on tighter with her arms as he carried her up the stairs to the master bedroom. Once there, they quickly changed into pajamas and slipped into their bed. Harry lay back on the black sheets, his arms wrapped tightly around Ginny, who snuggled into his chest. They held each other quietly as the night wore on, both of them lost in the thoughts of the obstacles to come.

Ginny was the first to slip into sleep while Harry watched her, noting the lines of worry around her eyes and mouth.

He was terrified, of losing both the babies and Ginny. The pregnancies with James, Albus, and Lily had been hard on their own, especially in the last few weeks, but this - this would be the hardest of them all. If a day passed without incident, it would be another miracle and a testament to how strong Ginny was with each milestone she reached. 24 weeks. 168 days. 4,032 hours. The clock on the nightstand continued to tick quietly.

Harry breathed softly, taking in Ginny's lingering scent as he felt his eyelids droop in the early morning hours.

The last thought he had before sleep finally claimed him was that he would floo Hogwarts tomorrow to pass on the news.

Spyridon - THE END