2 YEARS LATER

Preparations for Teddy's birthday party began from the moment I woke up. I walked downstairs to find Mum busy blowing up balloons in the front room and I wondered why she didn't bother using the spell? My stomach, still feeling a little gross and upset, couldn't even look towards food at the moment so I set about helping her. Of course, I used magic to blow the balloons up and stick them to the wall.

"I've got the decorations," mum said after a moment, "Get into the kitchen and eat something."

"I don't want to," I whined, making a face that had mum narrowing her eyes.

"If something happens to you, what am I supposed to tell my son-in-law?"

"You can go tell him to piss off," I suggested under my breath but walked into the kitchen and started nibbling on some crackers.

And well, since I was in the kitchen anyway then I shouldget started on Teddy's birthday breakfast. I was absolutely certain that my nephew knew when food was being served because if he happened to have a lie in, and someone walked into the kitchen he always chose that moment to appear. Sure enough, he walked into the kitchen and seeing me standing there, he ran over with a massive grin on his face.

"Happy birthday Ed," I said, holding him close to me and running a soothing hand across his hair.

"Thank you," he said with a smile, which only grew when I pressed a kiss to his cheek. "When did you get here?"

"Last night." Untangling myself from his arms, I continued to move around the kitchen. "I wanted to surprise you first thing in the morning. Now, why don't you go and sit down at the table. I'll bring everything to you when it's finished."

"Ok," he said turning to leave but hesitating for a moment. Waking back to my side, he pressed a gentle hand to the large bulge of my stomach. "Now you just keep cooking in there."

"Honestly," I muttered under my breath. Wasn't he at the age where he was supposed to believe that babies were brought from the ministry?

I watched my nephew leave the kitchen before turning back to the stove. Only, mum seemed to have an issue with that as she appeared at my side and nudged me out of the way.

"You should be sitting down," she chastised. "Your days past your due date."

"You're beginning to sound like Harry," I grumbled, rolling my eyes.

"Speaking of your husband," mum said, giving me a stern look. "Have you spoken to him since you arrived."

"He'll be here," I assured her.

Mum sighed, plating the food and turning towards me. She reached out to touch my arm. "That's not what I mean sweetheart. Have you talked to him since last night? Since you floo'd over half way through your argument and stomped around in a huff?"

"Of course not." She sighed again and I muttered, "That's kind of the point of an argument, mum."

"Sometimes I wonder how he puts up with you," she said over her shoulder as she levitated the food out of the room and to the table. She went to join Teddy and I grimaced at her back.

"He shouldn't have married me then, should he," I muttered grouchily before going to join them both.

Throughout Teddy's special birthday breakfast, I picked at the food, not feeling up to eating and instead of accepting this, mum continued to shove food onto my plate. But, when he wasn't looking I shifted the food onto Teddy's plate and my nephew grinned at me. As breakfast came to an end, I rose to my feet to help with the tidying up when the fireplace was suddenly activated and out stepped my husband.

I met his eyes before scrunching my nose and turning away from him. Teddy called out 'uncle Harry' and ran right up to him, distracting him. The two of them talked quietly and I left them alone to help mum in the kitchen.

"Harry's here," I said as I dumped the dirty dishes I'd piled into the sink.

"Well, what are you doing here?" she demanded, snatching the sponge from me before I could begin to wash up. "Go out there and talk to him."

"Mum –"

"You're going to pop any minute now and do you really want to give birth to your first child whilst being in an argument with your husband?"

She had a point but I refused to acknowledge that. "Well, he's talking to Teddy right now so it doesn't matter."

Mum narrowed her eyes at me before calling out loudly, "Teddy! Can you come and help me?"

"Yes, grandma!" Teddy called back.

"Now," mum said, lowering her voice, "are you going to talk to him or do I have to force the two of you into the same room."

I sighed, conceding and walking back into the front room. Teddy walked past me as he headed into the kitchen to meet mum and I found Harry seated on the sofa. The moment he met my eyes, he rose to his feet and crossed the distance between us. Once he was in front of me, he reached out to hold my arm, knowing I was a flight risk.

"You didn't respond to any of my owls," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry," I said with more bite than necessary. "But my fat ass was trying to sleep."

"You're not fat," he said with a sigh, "and you know I didn't mean it that way."

"So now I'm being unnecessarily sensitive?" I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms.

Harry screwed his eyes shut, clearly praying for patience and when he opened them again, he let out a breath. "No," he said calmly, "you're not."

"You're just saying that so I go home after the party."

"I'm not," he insisted, the hand on my arm sliding down until he could interlink our fingers. "Love, you're not fat, and you're not sensitive. You're glowing and you're beautiful and any day now you're going to give me the best present I could have ever wanted." My bottom lip wobbled at his words and Harry asked incredulously, "What now?!"

"I don't know," I wailed, close to tears. "My hormones are a bloody mess."

Harry sighed, holding his arms open and I gladly stepped into them. I was happy to be in his arms again, even if he couldn't currently wrap his arms all the way around me. He pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

"Did you remember Teddy's present?" I mumbled against his shoulder and felt his nod.

"I've hidden it so he won't find it," he assured me.

Mere seconds past and then Teddy was shouting, "It's ok grandma! They're hugging – and it's a little gross."

Pulling back from Harry, I met his eyes and we both laughed. Our nephew really was one of a kind.