Chapter Three: Breaking the News
As Harry walked back to Ginny’s room from the Healer’s office, he began running the scenes through his head of how to tell Ginny. Each one was wrong, ending in what seemed as unavoidable catastrophe. He knew that Ginny would be upset no matter how he told her, but he knew that he had to tell her.
“Harry! Where are you going?” a voice called, breaking into his thoughts. Harry looked around and found he had walked right past the waiting Weasleys.
“I was just doing some thinking,” he said, turning around and walking back. He melted into a chair, and sighed deeply.
“What did the Healer say?” Ron asked.
“Ginny should be the first to know,” Hermione said, smacking Ron in the back of the head.
“I’m his best mate! And her big brother!” Ron protested.
“Ron, I’m siding with Hermione on this one,” Harry said. He looked around at the people in the small waiting room. Ron and Hermione were sitting right next to him, and Mr. Weasley was a few chairs down, reading a newspaper. But he saw no Mrs. Weasley.
“Where’s Molly?” Harry asked.
“She went to sit with Ginny,” Hermione answered.
Silence filled the air for a moment before anyone spoke again. Hermione and Ron stared at Harry tentatively before he spoke again. ."I’m . . . going to go and see Ginny.”
Harry entered the room quietly. He saw a plump, sleeping figure in a chair beside Ginny’s bed. He approached her, tapping her lightly on the shoulder.
“Molly, wake up,” he whispered.
“What? Something happen?” she exclaimed, her eyes snapping open.
“No. Everything’s fine. I’ll wait with Ginny now,” Harry said.
She took a glance at Harry, finally realising where she was and walked over to the bed. She kissed Ginny’s forehead lightly. After she had said her goodbyes, she opened the door and slipped out quietly, letting the door click shut behind her.
Harry pulled the chair Molly had been sitting in closer to Ginny’s bed.
He didn't mean to wake her up, but then the chair slipped from his grip and banged on the side of the bed.
Her eyes fluttered open, blinking the sleep away. She looked at Harry and smiled.
“Hi there, stranger,” she whispered. “When I woke up earlier, they said you went to talk to the Healer about me.”
“Yeah, I was. Listen, Ginny. She told me why you had the accident.”
Ginny gave him a disheartened look and spoke again.
“It’s not . . . good news, is it?” Ginny asked, seeing the look on her husband’s face. Harry shook his head.
“Just…tell me,” she said firmly, a tear escaping her eye.
Harry took a deep breath. He knew that what he was about to say was going to change his wife’s life forever. It would hurt her now; he still didn’t even want to tell her. He hesitated, then decided that it was her body, and she needed to know.
“There were twins inside you, Ginny,” Harry said, taking a hold of her hand, wiping away the tears from her cheek. “But the Healer said it was too much for your body right now, and…and one died,” he finished, tears falling from his own eyes. Ginny was sobbing, shaking her head.
“No, Harry, it can’t be.” she whispered through blurry eyes. “This is my fault, isn’t it? I shouldn’t have been running around; shopping, cleaning, and working.”
“Ginny, this is not your fault at all. There was nothing you could have done to prevent this; not one thing,” Harry said, putting his hand on her shoulder.
“It’s my fault, Harry. It’s my fault!” was all Ginny could say. She pulled Harry closer to her, letting his arms surround her while she sobbed.
The pain that overtook Ginny was something she had never experienced before. It wasn’t a physical pain, but an aching in her heart; a longing. She couldn’t believe that this had happened.
If anyone had wandered into the room at that very moment, they would have been moved to tears at the sight of the two grieving parents.
The rest of the family was brought in and informed of the situation. Molly had cried inconsolably, and Hermione had muttered a soft sob here and there. They both hugged Ginny, who was crying gently herself, obviously exhausted. The men stood at the side of the bed, shedding a few of their own tears.
When Ron and Hermione returned to their Hogsmeade flat and Arthur and Molly to the Burrow, Harry and Ginny sat in silence of the small hospital room.
Harry lay on the small cot he had brought, and Ginny on the bed. The silence was almost unbearable. Ginny was now sitting up on many pillows, staring out the window to the left of the room in a daze. She sighed quietly and turned her head to the right to see Harry sleeping. His arms were folded across his chest, one foot hanging of the side, and his glasses slightly askew.
No wonder he’s been so quiet, Ginny thought, smiling at her husband.
She yawned, realising that she too was tired. She adjusted her pillows, lay on her left side, and pulled the covers to her chin, closing her eyes to sleep. But the sleep seemed miles and miles away. All she could think about was the baby she had lost. Lost- gone forever.
She rolled over to her right and faced Harry’s sleeping figure.
“Did I let you down?” she whispered.
“You must take the blue potions everyday for the next month. You must then take the red twice a day, morning and evening, until you give birth; followed by the purple for eight weeks. It is very important you follow these instructions,” Healer Peeker explained. She had stopped by the morning Ginny was to be released from her care. She was giving Ginny a large box of potions, which were going to be important towards the health of her child and herself for the next few months of pregnancy.
“If you have any problems, questions, or worries, let me know. I will see you in five days for a check. Are you ready to get home?” she asked.
“After five days in here, I want to sleep in my own bed more than anything,” Harry laughed.
“Me, too,” Ginny agreed.
“Great. I will send a nurse along soon with some more papers, and I will see you in five days. Good luck, Ginny,” Peeker said. She shook hands with Harry and left the room.
Harry was busying himself with gathering the few things the Weasleys had been kind enough to bring them. Mostly toiletries, along with a few pictures and some clothes for Harry (Ginny had been wearing hospital-issued gowns and robes.)
“Harry? Can you come here?” Ginny called. Harry poked his head out of the bathroom to see Ginny smiling over a book. Being curious, he came and sat next to her.
“What do you have there?” he asked, looking at the book cover.
“A book of baby names,” Ginny replied simply. “We should pick a name for her,” she said, putting a hand to her stomach.
“Her? I say it’s a boy,” Harry said, crossing his arms.
“Well, how about you pick a boy’s name, and I’ll pick a girl’s name. And we can be surprised when she is born,” Ginny said.
“Deal. You go first,” he replied.
“All right… How about Lillian Beth?”
“Too fancy,” Harry shook his head.
“Okay, Anna Leah?”
“Sounds good,” Harry said, smiling. “As for my son, I think we should name him after me, of course,”
“Harry! Be serious,” Ginny said, patting his arm.
“I am being serious. We could call him James.”
“All right, if we must,” Ginny said jokingly. “Really. It’s great. I love it.”
Harry smiled and closed his arms around Ginny.
“Good. And I think Anna Leah is a beautiful name, too.”
A/N: There! I hope you liked it! I had a bit of trouble trying to get their emotions to play out right, so. Thank you to my beta, Winged Artemis. And to Ron x Hermione for taking her place. Thanks!! The next one is already with the beta!!
~A.G