The Importance of Pregnancy Potions

Summary: To ensure a healthy pregnancy and the baby will survive in his body, Harry has to take pregnancy potions. But like any other potions, Harry doesn't like to take potions.

Harry stood at the counter staring at the red vials of pregnancy potion. After the positive pregnancy test in Shanti's office, she prescribed pregnancy potions for Harry to take. He hated taking potions and if memory served him correctly, Ginny wasn't crazy about taking the potion neither. He had even one time resorted to bribery.

He tried to keep the look of disgust off his face when Shanti dropped the bomb that Harry would have to take potions.

"Every day, once a day to ensure a healthy pregnancy and to provide the embryo the hormones that you don't have" Shanti had explained.

"For how long?" Harry asked her once she was done.

"For the duration of the pregnancy," Ginny answered. Shanti nodded and added, "It's important not to miss a dosage, especially for you."

Now, Harry stood in his kitchen, staring at the vials of pregnancy potion. Ginny had to take one during her pregnancies with the boys, but that was one. Harry had to take two. Two blue potions of something that was similar to sludge. Shanti had said that it was a precaution, but Harry wasn't sure.

"It's not going to do you any good to stand there, having a staring contest with the vials of potion," Ginny said, not looking up from the grocery store sale flyer. She was making a list of things she needed for when she did the weekly shopping.

"Do I have to take them?" Harry whined. Ginny turned around, eyeing her husband.

"For a second there, I thought I was talking to James."

James had inherited Harry's dislike for potions. Ginny had to be creative in order to get potions down her husband and oldest son. The only potion Harry took without fuss was stomach soothers, stomach calming, headache and hangover potions. Other times, Ginny had to force Harry to take them and at one time had been close to bribing him with ice cream at Diagon Alley as she did with her sons.

Instead, she resorted to bribery of his one weakness…..chocolate frogs. It worked.

"Harry, for the health of our unborn child, you have to take the potions," Ginny pleaded.

Harry took a deep breath and uncorked the first vial. He took a deep breath and quickly turned up the vial in his mouth and swallowed the potion that more like sludge.

"Ugh, that's disgusting," he croaked, "absolutely foul." He gagged a little before he managed to get himself under control.

"One more and you'll be done with today's dose," Ginny said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking him as if she dared him to pour it down the sink.

"Okay, I'm taking it." Harry eyed the last potion and took a deep breath as he uncorked the second vial of pregnancy potion. Harry quickly turned up the vial and swallowed the potion in one gulp and accepted the glass of water Ginny handed him.

"It's important to take these potions every day," Ginny reminded him. "For the health of our unborn child." She placed her hand on his lower abdomen where the baby that was growing inside Harry was located.

Harry placed his hand over Ginny's. "I know."

Ginny rubbed his back soothingly. "It will be worth it."

Harry looked down at his still flat abdomen. He could feel something fluttering, knowing that it was too early for him to feel the baby kick.

"I know," Harry repeated. He watched Ginny go through the pregnancies with their sons and stood by her during morning sickness, pregnancy potion changes, mood swings and then finally the birth of their first son, and then their second.

Ginny took the potions with no problems.

"How many times will the potion, change?" Harry inquired.

"It will change only when problems arise, such as the baby needs more nutrients or something of that nature," Ginny explained. "If you get really bad morning sickness, Shanti might put you on a potion for it, but it will only lessen it, not take it away completely."

Harry groaned and sat down in a chair at the table. Morning sickness, as Harry learned with Ginny's pregnancies, were what some liar had called it. It happened morning, noon, and night.

When he woke up that morning they found out he was pregnant, he was ready to kill Ron for suggesting the new Chinese restaurant that opened in Diagon Alley three weeks ago. Ginny and Hermione had tried and liked it, suggesting that the boys tried it out.

Then Harry woke up with his stomach upset the next morning and Ginny had found him retching in their bathroom. This led to Ginny taking Harry to Shanti and they found out that the implantation procedure was successful and Harry was pregnant.

While Harry was thrilled to have another child, he was scared. He was scared of something happening and taking the potions would help with those fears. The potions would help the nutrients and the blood flow to the baby from his body.

Ginny was concerned about Harry and the pregnancy. She now understood Harry's concerns when she was pregnant.

She remembered how he catered to her. He even went to Tesco in the middle of the night for ice cream. She was craving cookie dough and Harry came back with four other kinds in case she changed her mind by the time he got back. She remembered how he would massage her feet for her and even painted her toenails for her.

She would need to remember to return the favor, especially the back rubs and foot rubs. Granted Ginny wouldn't be painting Harry's toenails, but she will be clipping them because, by the end of the nine months, his belly was going to be too big for him to do so himself.

"You would think they would make potions taste a lot better after all these years."

Harry's statement brought Ginny back to the present. She sighed when she noticed that Harry was leaning against the counter and had the last jar of peanut butter and was eating it out of the jar with a spoon.

"At least he doesn't eat it with his fingers like someone I know. Ron." Ginny thought to herself as she turned around and added peanut butter to the ever growing list on a pad that was on the refrigerator thanks to a sticking charm.

"Trying to get the yucky taste out of your mouth?" Ginny asked.

Harry nodded, trying to lick the peanut butter off the spoon before he dropped it into the sink, put the lid back on the peanut butter and returned it to the pantry.

"I'll go and get a shower," he told her, kissing her as he passed her.

He was halfway up the stairs when he stopped and called down to her, "You owe me a chocolate frog, Gin."

Ginny exhaled, slowly, and added chocolate frogs to the Diagon Alley list.