“Merlin, that was quick!” Hermione said enviously. “Ginny only went into labour three hours ago.”
“Yep,” agreed Harry. “She’s an impatient little thing, just like her mother.”
“And grandmother,” muttered Arthur under his breath. He walked to the kitchen cupboard and pulled out a bottle of elf-made wine. Reaching up to the top shelf, he carefully brought out their best glassware and began to fill the glasses. “To Lily Luna,” he said. Everyone raised their glasses to the newest Potter.
“How are you feeling, Ginny, dear?” Molly asked sympathetically.
Ginny, who was nursing the newest addition to the Potter family, looked up and smiled. “Exhausted, happy and, surprised!” she replied.
“Surprised?”
“I thought I’d be like you and have six babies before I got my girl,” Ginny said, smiling impishly. “Although, I think I’d have given up after this one anyway.” She gently touched Lily with her finger, ruffling the fine red hair that was already apparent on her daughter’s head.
“Weasley red,” Ginny said.
“Evans red,” said a voice behind them, as Harry arrived back from the Burrow.
“Prewett red,” declared Molly firmly. “Lily Luna looks just like Gideon. If she takes after him in other ways, she’ll be a right handful.”
A year later, Ginny Potter sat in the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place and sighed. What she really wanted at this precise moment was more sleep, but she knew that Harry would be getting up for work soon, and her sons would be charging down the stairs demanding breakfast. She looked down at Lily, who was finally sleeping in her arms, and wondered if she could risk laying her down in her bed. She could hear the little girl’s snuffly breathing and prayed she’d soon be over this particular cold. “It’s not been a good winter for you, has it, poppet?” she whispered. “All these colds and precious little sleep for either of us.”
She heard a sound at the door as Kreacher crept in. “Would Mistress like her breakfast now?” he asked quietly.
“A cup of tea would be wonderful, Kreacher. Thank you,” she murmured, smiling.
Kreacher busied himself with the breakfast preparations as she sat and waited for the house to come alive.
“How long have you been up?” asked Harry as he walked into the kitchen. He helped himself to a cup of strong coffee from the pot Kreacher had just placed on the table. Ginny just shrugged. Harry crouched down beside her. “You should have woken me up. I’d have sat with her. You look shattered.”
“You’ve got work,” Ginny replied, yawning. “Besides, I don’t think I could have got back to sleep. Lily’s been waking every hour as it is.” She paused and touched her daughter’s dark red hair with her little finger. “Does she sound all right to you?”
Harry looked puzzled at her question. “What do you mean?”
“Well, she’s quite noisy, don’t you think, for someone who’s asleep?”
Harry moved his chair closer to Ginny’s and bent his head down. He could hear Lily almost snorting as she breathed. He grinned. “She just takes after her Uncle Ron, that’s all. Godric, that boy could snore for Hogwarts!” Ginny didn’t smile. “Relax, Ginny, she’s got a cold and she’s probably just blocked up. Can’t you give her some Pepper-Up Potion or something?”
“I gave her some earlier, but it doesn’t seem to have done much,” she replied, yawning again. “Perhaps Mum’s got something better. She was always dosing us up with things when we were kids.”
Harry stood up and grabbed some toast. “I’ve got to go,” he said. “I’ve got a meeting with Kingsley about Pius Thicknesse’s parole application.” He bent down and kissed her cheek, and then stroked Lily’s hair. “Send an owl if you’re worried about her, yes? I can always re-arrange.”
Ginny nodded and watched as Harry picked up a handful of Floo powder and threw it into the kitchen fireplace. The flames turned emerald green. “Ministry of Magic!” he said as he stepped into the grate. As he spun round in the fire, some dust clouded the air and Lily started coughing.
“Merlin, you look rough!” said Ron as Harry walked in after his meeting with the Minister. He wasn’t wrong. Harry had dark circles under his rather red eyes and was unshaven. “Night on the town, or something?”
Harry grimaced. “I don’t think I’ve had a night out for weeks.” He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “It’s Lily, she’s not very well so she’s been up a lot in the night.”
“Nothing serious, I hope?” replied Ron, frowning.
“Nah, they all get these coughs and colds at that age, don’t they? Godric, I remember James seemed to live off Pepper-up Potion when he was small,” said Harry, yawning. “It would just be nice to have a decent night’s sleep again. How are Rose and Hugo?”
“Disgustingly healthy,” replied Ron. “Hugo is not only walking, but running rings round his sister. Monstrous appetite, too. Can’t think where he gets that from.” Ron sat back in his chair grinning with pride at his rambunctious son. A sudden noise from the fireplace caused both men to turn around, surprised to see Ginny’s face appearing in the fire.
“HARRY!” she cried, her voice thick with fear. “Oh, thank Merlin you’re there. You must come home!”
“Ginny, calm down! Just tell me what’s wrong!” demanded Harry.
“It’s Lily,” she cried. “You must come back, now, Harry. She can’t breathe.”
Harry needed no more urging. Grasping his wand, he turned quickly on the spot and Apparated home.
“Ginny, is there anything I can do?” asked Ron desperately.
“Err, I-I-I don’t know,” Ginny replied, clearly in shock.
To Ron, who had never seen his sister anything less that decisive, this was an indication of how serious things were. “How about I take the boys off your hands?” he said quickly. “Hermione will look after them, or I’ll bring them here with me.”
Ginny nodded and then disappeared from the hearth.
“Keep calm, Lily, darling,” whispered Harry urgently, “we’re going to get you to St. Mungo’s very soon.” He held his year-old daughter in his arms carefully, afraid that if he squeezed her too tight, it would somehow make her worse. He could hear great rattling breaths coming from Lily’s mouth, and she gazed at him with wide-eyes “ so like her mother’s. Ginny was frantically checking through spell books and baby books, looking for a charm that would soothe her child, and calm the rapid breathing that caused her chest to rise and fall. “Ginny, there’s no time! We must get her to St. Mungo’s. They’ll know what to do. Just grab some of her clothes and let’s get there.”
Ginny stopped her frenzied search and looked at Harry. She could see Lily’s stomach moving in and out as she gasped for breath. There was a blue-ish tinge to her lips. “Give her to me, and I’ll go by Floo now.”
Harry handed over his precious daughter and watched as Ginny ran to the fireplace. “St. Mungo’s!” she screamed as she stepped into the flames.
“You must help me,” Ginny cried to the Welcomewitch. There was a queue of people waiting to be assessed but Ginny barged her way to the front, ignoring the gasp of annoyance from the witch in a purple hat who appeared to have been involved in a fight with a Kneazle. “It’s my daughter, she can’t breathe.”
The receptionist gave a cursory glance at the toddler, preparing to make them wait, but did a double-take. Lily’s great gasps of breath silenced her momentarily, and then she sprang into action.
“Can you tell me what’s she ingested -- a plant or a Potion?” she asked urgently.
“Nothing,” Ginny cried. “I’m very careful to keep all potions charm-locked away.”
“Plants, then. Do you have anything poisonous in the house?”
“No, nothing poisonous. Please, I must get her to a Healer,” Ginny demanded. She looked round to see Harry pounding up the corridor. In her arms, Lily was getting worse; the rattling breaths tugged her chest up and down as she fought for breath. “My daughter needs help, now!”
“The trouble is, dearie, I don’t quite know which department to send you to,” replied the Welcomewitch calmly. “Try Magical Bugs on the second floor in case it’s contagious.”
Taking Lily from Ginny, Harry sprinted along the corridor and up the rickety stairs until he came to the Abraxas Malfoy Ward “ Magical Bugs and Contagious diseases.
A Healer dressed in lime-green approached him.
“My daughter,” he said panting hard, “there’s something wrong.”
The Healer took Lily from his grasp and placed her on a nearby bed. Harry and Ginny followed her. “Tell me what happened, Mr Potter.”
It barely registered with Harry that this witch knew his name; he was, after all, still recognised in the wizarding world over ten years after the Battle of Hogwarts. He looked at Ginny who was clutching his arm, white-faced with shock at the sight of her year- old daughter lying on the huge bed, her stomach hollowing out as she fought for breath.
Ginny swallowed as she tried to compose herself. “She’s been ill with a cold, that’s all, but then this morning she seemed to be coughing more. I mean, that’s normal, isn’t it? We have two other children; they get colds.” She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it away from her face. “Then, this morning, after Harry had left for work, I went up to her room and she was making this strange rattling sound as she breathed. I thought she’d be fine....” Ginny’s voice trailed off to barely a whisper.
The Healer felt Lily’s head and began to strip away her clothes. “No fever, no sign of a rash,” she said to herself. She pulled out her wand. “Anhelos!”
Harry and Ginny watched in amazement as Lily’s breathing began to slow down. She gave a cough and a little gurgle and then a smile appeared on her face.
“She seems fine now,” said the Healer. “Perhaps it was just some food stuck in her throat. I’ll be back in thirty minutes to check, but you can probably take her home.”
Ginny picked Lily up and began cuddling her. “You gave us quite a scare, Lily Luna.”
Harry leant in to embrace both his girls and heaved a sigh of relief “ his fears unfounded. Lily looked up at both her parents and smiled widely, giggling at all the attention. Then she coughed again. Harry listened in disbelief as she began to wheeze. “Come back,” he cried to the Healer. Instantly she returned and took Lily from Ginny’s arms. She signalled to a nurse to help her.
“Anhelos!” she incanted, more firmly this time. Lily’s breathing slowed a fraction but they could all see the blue tinge returning around her lips.
“What’s wrong?” cried Ginny, desperately. “You said it was food stuck in her throat.”
The Healer looked up from Lily’s bedside. “Mr Potter, can you and your wife wait outside? I think this is only upsetting your daughter. We need space to work.”
“I’m not leaving my daughter!” cried Ginny. “I’m her mum; I need to be with her.”
Harry looked from his daughter to his wife and then to the Healer. He took Ginny’s arm. “Come on. Let them get on with their job, darling. We’ll wait over here.” He walked to the far side of the ward, not leaving the room but standing back to give the Healer space. She nodded abruptly and then returned to Lily. The nurse walked quickly out of the room and returned with another, older, Healer. He approached Lily and began to examine her. He placed his hands on her chest for a few moments and then bent his ear to her mouth. He whispered something to the nurse and she walked over to the Potters.
“Healer Pye has asked me to take some details,” she said to them. Harry and Ginny nodded distractedly. “Has she ingested anything poisonous?”
“I’ve already answered this,” replied Ginny, impatiently. “Any harmful Potions are charm-locked away.”
“Could anyone else have opened the cabinet, Ginny?” Harry suggested. “Perhaps James --”
“Harry, I know you think James is a genius, but he’s only five. Besides, Mum showed me the Locking-Charm and it was how she kept Fred and George out of her cupboards,” she snapped, looking angry at the suggestion. She looked back at the nurse. “All she’s had is some Pepper-Up Potion about eight hours ago.”
The nurse ticked something off on her clipboard. “How long has she been unwell?”
“Err, three days,” replied Harry. “Her breathing’s only just got this bad, though. My wife thought she sounded noisy this morning, but it wasn’t like this. I just thought she was blocked up.” He turned to Ginny. “I’m sorry; I should have listened to you this morning.”
“What’s her blood status?” asked the nurse.
“What in the name of Merlin does that have to do with anything?” exclaimed Harry angrily. “Or are we only allowed on the Abraxas Malfoy ward if we’re purebloods?”
“You misunderstand me, Mr Potter,” replied the nurse, stung by his vehemence. “We treat everyone here, regardless of blood, but I need family background. For instance, is there any Muggle blood in your daughter?”
“Yes,” replied Ginny. “Harry’s mother was Muggle-born.”
They looked over the nurse’s shoulder to see Healer Pye approaching them. He took the clipboard from the nurse and scanned the answers. Harry glanced over at Lily, who appeared to be wearing some form of the bubblehead charm. Swirling around inside the bubble was a light mist “ like a gas. The first Healer was pumping something into the bubble at regular intervals and Lily seemed to be breathing slightly easier. Healer Pye smiled at them, indicated the door, and asked them to follow him to his office.
“I’ve managed to stabilise your daughter,” he reassured them as he led them out of the ward. He stopped at a red door, decorated with children’s pictures, and opened it. He sat behind a battered, mahogany desk, piled high with paper and files. Harry and Ginny pulled up two chairs and waited for him to speak. He turned first to Ginny.
“I don’t know if you recognise me, Mrs Potter. It has been a few years, now, but I was the Trainee Healer who treated your father when he was bitten by a snake.” He smiled ruefully. “I don’t think your mother was very pleased with me.”
Ginny nodded. “Yes, I remember. Weren’t you into Muggle remedies or something?”
“That’s right.” He leant back in his chair, placed his fingertips together and looked at them both. “In those days I was, perhaps, foolish to attempt something as ridiculous as stitches on a snake wound and I was severely reprimanded. However, Muggle medicine still fascinates me and I’ve become something of an expert at St. Mungo’s. They call on me when they’re unsure of the diagnosis “ especially in the case of people with Muggle blood.”
“What does Lily’s Muggle blood have to do with anything?” Harry asked impatiently.
“Because I believe your daughter is suffering from a Muggle condition called asthma, which affects the lungs. It’s on the increase in the Muggle world so it’s only natural that it would eventually spread to the wizarding world.”
“You mean it’s contagious!” gasped Ginny. She turned to Harry. “The boys, we must get them here, immediately!”
“No, no, Mrs Potter,” said Healer Pye. “You misunderstand me. Asthma isn’t contagious. It’s a breathing condition. Your daughter’s lungs are unable to work properly. It could be an allergy to something, or it could be because of the cold.”
“Asthma,” said Harry quietly. He stared into the distance as a memory flashed through his mind.
Dudley running to catch him one summer. Harry sprinting away, and Dudley barely able to break into a run. He’d stopped halfway around the park and had doubled over. Fat and unfit, Harry had always thought.
“Is there any history of asthma in your family, Mr Potter?” asked Healer Pye.
Dudley wheezing. Dudley with rasping breath.
“I’m not sure,” Harry replied, sounding vague. “I need to talk to my cousin.” He shook his head trying to remove the pictures of his childhood out of his head; it was Lily they needed to concentrate on. “Is my daughter going to be all right?”
Healer Pye leant forwards. “She is stable for now, Mr and Mrs Potter, but I’ll need to keep her in for a few days. This may be the only incident she has. Unfortunately, at this young age there’s no way to predict the severity or frequency of the attacks. If she has more attacks then my advice would be to seek outside help.”
“Outside help!” exclaimed Ginny in alarm. “What do you mean?”
“Mrs Potter,” he replied gently, “although I have an understanding of certain alternative practices, I am not an expert. Lily may need help from the Muggle world.”