Forever Family

Chapter 40

Publish Date: 3/10/19

February 2005

Weeks had passed since the Mungo's appointment, and The Burrow was crowded and full as the entire family sat around the big table for dinner. George and Angelina had even brought Fred, who was now almost a year old. Despite the fact that almost everyone had made it to dinner, the Potters still hadn't arrived.

"Are Harry and Ginny planning on coming?" Hermione asked as they ate. "Typically they'd be here by now."

"I never heard anything," Ron shrugged. "They're probably just busy at work. Ginny's about to publish her first article."

Mrs. Weasley beamed. "Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so glad she found something to do when she's not playing Quidditch. More potatoes, Teddy?" Teddy had stayed at The Burrow for the day while his godparents were at work.

A moment later, the door opened, and Harry and Ginny walked in. Ginny's baby bump was prominent now as she was 25 weeks pregnant, and the family was getting excited.

"Sorry we're late, Harry and I both got stuck at work," Ginny said as she took off her coat and hat. She went over to greet her mum while Harry hugged Teddy hello.

"Well, it's great to see you guys," Angelina smiled as she pulled up more chairs for Harry and Ginny.

"Yeah, sit down, we've got dinner," Bill grinned. The large family made room for the Potters to sit down next to Teddy as they continued to eat dinner.

"How is James doing, Ginny?" Fleur asked. Ginny smiled and subconsciously rested her hand on her abdomen.

"He's doing great. The Healers say he's perfectly healthy," she responded. Teddy leaned over and put his ear to Ginny's bump.

"Hello?" he spoke softly. "I'm Teddy, your god-brother. We're gonna be best friends, okay? You can play with Vic and me."

"I'm sure he's very excited to meet you, Ted," Harry smiled at his godson. Teddy nodded in satisfaction.

Dinner passed with casual conversation about work, hobbies, and kids. It was nice to just sit down and have some family time, especially now that excitement was running high with Ginny's pregnancy.

Harry, Ginny, George and Angelina stayed behind to help clean up the kitchen while the rest of the family went into the living room. Ginny prompted George and Angelina for updates on Fred and their family as Harry washed dishes and pretended not to eavesdrop.

"So, how are things going with Fred?" Ginny asked casually. Angelina smiled at the mention of her son, who was currently being doted on by his grandparents in the living room.

"It's going great. He's finally sleeping through the night without crying for something," Angelina replied. "How're you feeling about being a mum?"

"A little nervous, actually. I'm the only Weasley sibling who didn't help take care of the younger ones, so I don't really know what I'm doing."

"You can always ask Mum or Dad for help and advice, Gin," George pointed out. "They'd be happy to help."

"That's true," Ginny smiled at the reassurance.

There was a lull in the conversation as everyone focused on actually cleaning up for a while. Before long, the kitchen was clean and they rejoined the others in the living room.

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Later that night, Harry and Ginny collected their things and got Teddy ready to go. It had been a long night for everyone, and they were all pretty tired. Ginny was especially drained, as pregnancy was taking a toll on her. She felt constantly tired.

"Almost home, Gin, don't worry," Harry assured his wife as he buttoned his coat. After making sure everyone was ready, Harry Apparated them all back home.

Once they were finally home, Harry and Ginny hung up their coats on the coat rack. Teddy did the same (well, tried to, but the coat just kept falling down). Ginny got settled on the couch.

Harry glanced at Teddy, who seemed downcast, which was not like him at all. They joined Ginny on the couch for some relaxing time.

"What's wrong, Teddy?" Harry asked. "I thought you were excited to see James," he added, in an attempt to cheer his godson up.

"I am, but...well, I've been thinking," Teddy began, frowning. Harry raised his eyebrows, indicating for him to continue. "It's just...when James is born, will you not love me anymore?"

This sparked Ginny's attention, and she and Harry stared at Teddy, dumbfounded.

"Teddy?" Ginny asked. "Why would we not love you anymore?"

"Because I'm not your real son," Teddy whispered, staring at the floor. Harry and Ginny both got down to Teddy's level and embraced him.

"Listen, Ted," Harry began. "I know that Ginny and I aren't your biological parents. And I know that you have a wonderful set of parents that we could never replace. But that doesn't mean we love you any less. That won't change once James is born, either. You are just as much a part of this family as James will be, and any future children we may have. I want you to remember that, Ted. We love you so much, no matter what."

"Hey, love, look at us." Ginny lifted Teddy's chin up with her finger so his eyes were level with theirs. He was crying now, tears streaming down his cheeks. "We love you. Like Harry said, you are just as much our son as James is. You may not be our biological son, but you're our real son."

"Promise?" Teddy sniffled. Harry and Ginny nodded. "Okay, good. Because I love you too."

The Potters wiped stray tears away from their eyes and gave Teddy a bone crushing hug that could rival Mrs. Weasley's. They didn't pull away until they were sure Teddy was smiling again.

"Feeling better, Ted?" Harry asked. Teddy nodded and yawned.

"Oh, it's gotten late. Let's get you to sleep, Teddy." Harry and Ginny carried Teddy to his bedroom and tucked him in with his blue blanket and his stuffed wolf. They each kissed his forehead and his eyelids fluttered closed.

"I think I'm going to head to sleep too, Harry," Ginny said as she walked into their bedroom. "I'm so tired."

"Okay. Goodnight, love." Harry gave her a quick peck on the lips before she climbed into bed.

"Goodnight."

A few minutes later, Harry climbed into bed beside his wife. He couldn't shake what Teddy had said earlier, about he and Ginny not loving him anymore. It broke his heart to see Teddy so sad.

No matter what, Harry decided, he would do his best to make sure his kids felt loved all the time. He knew what it felt like to be unloved, and he didn't want Teddy or James to ever feel that way. He knew that parenting would be a lot of work, but he felt that he and Ginny were ready.

His last thought before he fell asleep was that he was so ready to meet his son.

A/N: Hello. I had Dear Theodosia stuck in my head while I wrote this, which was actually super convenient, given what this chapter's about. Also, I am sorry if you don't like the time skips because it makes the story feel choppy. What do you think of them? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading! 💛
Words: 1,080