Written for:

Quidditch League, Round 8: CHASER 3: [Chaser 1, Emmeebee, Montrose Magpies]- Harry and Ginny asked Hagrid to be one of James' godparents.

Prompts: (word) elegant, (quote) This is not a normal day. – Raymond Gaines, San Andreas, (word) possible.

A/N: I tried for Hagrid's dialect to be accurate. Don't flame me for any mistakes or inconsistencies because there are plenty even in the original books. Also, the part of blood siblings not being able to be godparents is absolutely made up to make it canon-compliant.

Thanks to Sammy, Amber and AJ for betaing! I love you all and you made this fic so much better. *hugs*

o.O.o

There are moments where Harry feels invincible— with the wind edging him as he soars, weightless on his broom, when he twirls Ginny on the nights they turn the radio on loud enough to drown out their demons, when he curls up to go to rest and counts his heartbeats as Ginny falls asleep, curled up catlike in the crook of his elbows.

On the other hand, there are days when he realizes more than ever how mortal he is, all gasping for air and aching bones. Humanity is a scary thing and he has never been happier to get to live, but if he hadn't—

Well, then he would never get to live out this moment.

"Harry—" Ginny says and then stops, and that's how he knows something is wrong, because his wife is the kind of person who storms through life, all smug grins and fiery hair. She's the kind of person who dares the devil to make a deal with her.

"Gin?" he says hesitantly and she offers him a tired smile.

"Harry, I'm pregnant." She leans on his shoulder and he wraps an arm around her small form. "I know we didn't plan for this, but… I want to keep the child."

Harry closes his eyes. He has lost every single father figure he has ever had (James, his real and beloved father, and then Sirius, who had tried so hard, and Remus, who had left behind Teddy) to war, to death, to the veil.

(This is a shock, this is fear, this is winning a war and trying to move on without knowing how, but he's trying so, so hard, and it's Ginny, after all.)

"Of course," Harry says slowly, "but we need another bedroom. How would you feel about moving into Grimmauld Place? I know it holds some bad memories, but we can clean it and make it ours."

Ginny looks at him then and his heart skips a beat at the purity her facial expression conveys. She's her mother's daughter, down to the way she always makes him feel like he has a home in her.

"I love you," Ginny says, her tone so raw and genuine that he can do nothing but stare. "Everywhere is fine… well, not everywhere, but you get my point. Together, we could be just about anywhere and I wouldn't mind."

"I love you," Harry says, smiling softly at her lame attempt at a joke. He leans in, capturing her lips in his as he runs his fingers across her stomach fondly. "You and our child. I promise."

"I know," Ginny says, ruffling his hair as she winks at him. "I've always had faith in you."

o.O.o

"Have you thought about baby names?" Harry asks, as he cooks breakfast the next morning. Beside him, Ginny sits cross-legged on the counter, occasionally stealing bacon and eggs from the steaming pan. He swats at her hands half-heartedly, protesting about her spoiling her appetite, but they both know he doesn't mean it.

Ginny shrugs, the movement surprisingly elegant for a girl wearing pyjamas in the afternoon, with tangled hair and only one sock. "I thought we'd get a baby book, surely there have to be at least a few possible names for us to work with. Unless…"

"Unless what?" Harry flips the pan and Ginny snags a piece of bacon as it's in the air. "Do you have a crazy idea like… I don't even know what you'd come up with, Gin, but I'm not naming my son after Dudley."

Ginny snorts at that. "Thanks, Potter, for ruining my newest and greatest idea. Now, we'll have to settle for something like… James Sirius Potter. How bad do you feel, hm?"

Harry struggles to form an answer. The comment was supposed to be humorous, he knows, but James Sirius… it strikes a chord in him. There's a distant stirring of something that feels almost like fate, a cycle coming to an end.

Ginny watches him, her gaze knowing. "That's it, isn't it? James Sirius for a boy."

"Unless you want something else," Harry protests, but it's weak at best. Ginny smirks like the canary who got the cream.

"It's perfect. I would know. Just promise me one thing: if we have a girl, we're naming her Lily Luna."

Harry laughs, adoration as clear as day in his eyes. "And Luna will be the godmother, I presume?"

Ginny pauses. "Well, for Lily Luna, yes, of course, but what about for James?"

"I just assumed we'd have Ron and Hermione step in as godparents," Harry ventures, frowning. "Won't we?'

Ginny smiles ruefully. "Just another thing they don't teach you at Hogwarts. Blood family aren't made godparents, love. So Hermione would be fine, but Ron's my blood brother so he's out. Maybe Neville instead?"

Harry goes quiet at that before saying, "There's somebody else I was thinking… Gin—"

It's a symbol of how long they've known each other, loved each other, that she knows instantly.

"Time for a trip to Hogwarts, huh?" she says, smiling knowingly. "I'll eat and get dressed. We can go today."

Squeezing her hand gratefully, Harry can do nothing but smile. It feels like everything is finally falling in place.

o.O.o

"Harry, Ginny!" Hagrid exclaims as the two approach the pumpkin patches surrounding the groundskeeper's hut. "Yeh're here!"

Ginny laughs, standing on her tiptoes to wrap her hands around the giant, kissing his cheek as soon as he bends down to match her height. Harry smiles happily at the sight, hugging Hagrid too as soon as Ginny steps away.

Fang runs out, tangling around their feet happily. Ginny crouches to pet him, burying her face in his fur.

"I'm happy to see yeh," Hagrid says, gesturing them both in, and Harry sinks into his massive chairs with a feeling of coming home.

Ginny smiles. "Me too, Hagrid, but this isn't a social call. We actually had something to ask you."

She glances at Harry and he sighs, squeezing her hand. "Hagrid, Ginny's pregnant. We were wondering if you'd want to be godfather?"

To neither of their surprise, Hagrid's eyes tear up instantly. "Blimey Harry," he says gruffly, "I wasn' expecting this."

Ginny's face has gone from excited to cautious and Harry frowns. Maybe it came from growing up the only girl in a house of boys, but her perception skills are honed beyond belief.

"You will be, right?" she says, her brown eyes sharp. "We need an answer, Hagrid."

Hagrid's smile is sad. He sits down beside them, abandoning the tea and rock cakes he was preparing. "Dumbledore took me to Saint Mungo's… diagnose ain' good. I don'have too long, wanted me to tell y'all soon, but this ain' how I planned it."

Harry winces, standing up to throw his arms around the older man. "I'm so sorry," Harry whispers. "I never wanted to hear you say anything like this."

Harry feels Ginny press against Hagrid beside him and closes his eyes, burrowing his face into their combined warmth.

He's about to lose even more.

o.O.o

"Harry—" Ginny tries when they exit the hut, him clutching her hand like it's a lifeline. "I'm so sorry."

Harry shakes his head. He can't acknowledge it. He can't lose any more, but he is.

"We need a godfather," he states, interrupting anything Ginny was going to say. She watches, somber, but she clearly understands because she lets the topic drop.

"Ron."

Harry's brows furrow in surprise. "But you said earlier, about how they don't make blood siblings godparents in the wizarding world—"

"Fuck what they do," Ginny says vehemently. "You're Harry Potter and I'm Ginny Weasley-Potter. We do what we want and everyone else can write to Rita Skeeter with their concerns, for all I care."

That startles a laugh out of him and he squeezes her hand gratefully. "Okay, Gin. Ron and Hermione as godparents then."

Her resulting squeeze feels like pain-relief potion. His life has never been easy, but he knows he can get through it with Ginny by his side.