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It Happened One Night | ||||||
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Category: Post-OotP, Buried Gems Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Angst, Drama, Fluff, General Warnings: Death, Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 1042 Summary: Harry and Ginny make a decision that changes their lives.... Hitcount: Story Total: 254441; Chapter Total: 11101 |
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A/N: I didn't think I would be updating this early. But I must say that this is going to be the last update until finals are over. I will try to do my best to work on this but with the semester ending it's going to be hard. This update is very surprising to me! First, the song that appears in here Always and Forever is by Luther Vandross and definitely not mine. The little poem that appears in this chapter was done with the help of my friend Erin. Thankies!! I also want to say that this is by far the FLUFFIEST chapter yet. You might want to see your dentist after reading this one! Once again, thanks for reading and please review!! DISCLAIMER: As much as I wish I was the genius behind Harry Potter, I'm not. *sigh* Chapter Seventeen The school was in shock. How could have someone broken into Professor Dumbledore’s office? It was impossible! Searches were conducted in each dormitory in the school and students were offered a twenty galleon reward for any information about who had done it. The Headmaster’s office was found in shambles (which strongly reminded Harry of the time in his fifth year when he had gone on the warpath and trashed his office). Nothing was stolen but it was obvious someone was looking for something, but what? Something else that the whole school was informed about was that Harry and Ginny were expecting their second child. They had no idea how the news had spread so fast, but they took it in stride and tried not to bring attention to themselves. However that was difficult with the way Harry was acting. He was treating Ginny like a fragile china doll that would break at the slightest touch and asking how she was feeling every five minutes. Ginny found it endearing and she knew he was trying to make up for lost time and for the argument in the common room. She also knew it was a matter of time before she blew up at him for it. Harry knew she was still angry with him for what he said and he wasn’t completely forgiven, (considering Ginny had forced him to sleep on the couch the night before and Harry had a strong feeling that he would be sleeping there again tonight). So, he decided to treat her like royalty, hoping it would help reinstate him and bring him back to her good side. Somehow he doubted it and decided that he might as well get used to the couch, for it was his bed for who knew how long. He hoped it wasn’t that long. They had met the morning after they found out about the new baby with Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall (in McGonagall’s office) to discuss what they were going to do. Professor McGonagall was furious with them but Professor Dumbledore was cool and calm about it. It was decided that they would both stay in Hogwarts with James this time mainly because of the Rita Skeeter article and the possibility that Death Eaters would find out. Another concern was exactly that: Death Eaters. Dark Magic activity was rising again. More and more attacks and disappearances were in the paper and it seemed to be the topic on everyone’s tongue (along with Harry and Ginny’s relationship). And with these attacks, Harry’s nightmares increased. After reading or hearing about the attacks he would see James and a pregnant Ginny in those attacks in his dreams and always ending the same way. Ginny had finally had enough and forced him to go see Professor Dumbledore about taking Occlumency lessons again. The Headmaster agreed and Harry was going to lessons with Professor Dumbledore three times a week for two weeks now. It was breakfast once again. End of term exams were two weeks away along with the ball and a final trip to Hogsmeade was planned for that weekend. So everyone was making preparations for all three events. Sign up sheets had gone around finding out who was staying over the winter holiday and it wasn’t many. Many families had wanted their children to come home for the holidays with the increase in attacks and so only a handful of people were staying. Harry and Ginny were the only ones in Gryffindor who were staying. They saw this as a good thing: the whole tower to themselves and James. Ron had decided he wanted to stay but Hermione’s parents had invited him to come along with her, something that Ron had panicked about, but in the end he agreed. The Potters were happy about it. They really didn’t want James’ first Christmas to be spent with everyone and as much as Ginny would have loved to have her family around for the holidays, she was perfectly happy with just James and Harry. Harry seized a plate of sausages and tipped some onto Ginny’s plate. She stared at him as he continued to pile every sort of food on the table on her plate. He had been doing that at every meal since they found out they were expecting again. “Tuck in Ginny,” he said cheerfully to her and picked up a plate of kippers. Her plate was now rivaling Ron’s. “Harry, I’m not that hungry to be honest with you,” Ginny protested. This seemed to have caused alarm to Harry. He looked at her in slight horror. “Ginny, think of the baby, you don’t want it to starve do you? You need plenty to eat since you are eating for two now,” Harry began to chide her. Ginny sighed and crossed her arms. “And you’re such an expert about it? I have done this before, you know, or are you keeping something from me? Merlin Harry! Were you pregnant before as well?” Harry didn’t reply. He put the plate of kippers down, which Ron who was sitting directly across from him grabbed for himself, and began on his own breakfast. Ginny picked at the mountain of food on her plate finally offering most of it to Ron who took it gratefully and fished for a bottle for James. The owl post arrived, swooping down on students throughout the Great Hall. Ginny’s eyes had widened in fear as she watched Hedwig approaching them. Two envelopes were in her beak; a regular one and a red one, which light wisps of smoke could be seen coming out of it as it got closer. “Damn,” she muttered under her breath knowing that it was her mother’s response to her recent letter. She had tried to be causal about it, talking about class, Quidditch, James, and Harry. She had put in the last paragraph that she was pregnant again even though she knew it was the worse thing to do. Quickly, she muttered a Silencing Charm over James and propped the bottle up on a blanket so James could continue to have his breakfast. Both envelopes dropped in front of Harry. Hedwig took a sip of his orange juice and strutted over to the carrier. She playfully nipped at James’ outstretched hand and he giggled, formula dripping out of his mouth. Hedwig was always affectionate with him. She hooted warmly at James and took off. Everyone near by stared at the smoking Howler on the table in front of Harry. Harry gulped, knowing that the Howler was from Molly. He picked it up. He slipped a finger under the flap and opened it. Molly’s furious voice filled the room. “RONALD WEASLEY!” Ginny was shocked that it had said her brother’s name and not hers. “I HAVEN’T BEEN THIS OUTRAGED WITH YOU SINCE YOU STOLE THAT CAR!” Everyone was staring at Ron. Ron’s face had gone stark white and he was staring at the Howler in shock, obviously not knowing why he was getting one. “HOW COULD YOU PUT YOUR SISTER IN THAT SITUATION? OUT ON A BROOM WITH THOSE HORRIBLE BLUDGERS AND HER BEING PREGNANT! DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU COULD HAVE DONE TO HER? HOW DARE YOU FORCE HER TO PLAY IN HER DELICATE CONDITION! SHE HAS JAMES TO WATCH OVER AND YOU DON’T EVEN CARE! QUIDDITCH IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT TO YOU THAN YOUR OWN SISTER! SHE HAS TO WATCH OVER HERSELF NOW AND THE NEW BABY AND YOU WANT HER TO PLAY DANGEROUS SPORTS! GET HER A REPLACEMENT NOW OR ELSE YOU WON’T WANT TO COME HOME! “AND ANOTHER THING, HOW DARE YOU AND YOUR BROTHERS TAKE JAMES LIKE THAT WITHOUT HARRY AND GINNY’S PERMISSION! TAKING A NEWBORN UP, YOUR OWN NEPHEW NONETHELESS, ON A BROOM AND NEARLY FALLING, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? YOU WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU YOUNG MAN, YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!” And with that, it burst into ashes and fell onto the table. There was a very stunned silence that followed. Voices began to murmur and a few people were sniggering at Ron. The usual chatter replaced the silence and everyone went back to their breakfast and Ginny took the charm off of James. She pulled the bottle out his mouth and he immediately stuck his hand in his mouth. Ron was still white. He was staring at the remains of the Howler in shock. He looked up and glared at Ginny. “What did you tell her!” he demanded angrily. “I didn’t say anything! I mentioned our matches and that I was back on the team that’s all,” Ginny argued. “Then why does she know about me taking James flying?” he asked. “I don’t know Ron! Stop asking me, all right!” Ginny shouted and picked up the other envelope which she had just realized it had her name on it. Ignoring Ron, she opened the envelope and shook the letter open. Dear Ginny, I hope all is well with you, Harry, and James. Things are well here. Charlie is still recovering. The Healers think it would be best if he return to England with us so he can heal in peace. And before Ron asks about how I knew about him taking James on a broom, Charlie admitted to it just the other day under the influence of his medication. I sent Howlers to them all about it. I hope you gave Ron a good talking to. These boys! Your father is with us right now. His work in China is over and he’s taking a nice long holiday with Charlie and me here in Romania until Christmas and then we will be heading for the Burrow again. Well I must say I’m not too happy with you. Another child, Ginny what are you thinking? You’re only 16 and shouldn’t even have one let alone two. You should know how difficult it is to take care of an infant. What about your school work? How on earth are you going to manage things and especially next year? You have another year of school to go young lady. I haven’t a clue as to how you and Harry will manage two children under the age of two. However, I know that you and Harry are wonderful parents and it is your decision on what to do. Congratulations. We’ll be picking up you and James on our way back to the Burrow after Christmas so you can have the baby at home again. See you then. Love, Mum Back to the Burrow? She read the line over and over again. “What’s wrong?” Harry asked noticing her frown. Ginny silently handed the letter to him. He scanned it over and sighed. He reached over and took her hand then squeezed it. “I’m not going. I can’t. It’s not safe,” she said, shaking her head. “Hey,” Harry said, “hey come on. Don’t worry about it all right,” he tried. He saw people starting to go to class and decided to talk to her later about it. “Come on, let’s get to class.” Ginny didn’t reply. She picked up her things and Harry took his bag and James in his carrier and joined their friends. He walked her over the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He accidentally bumped into Draco Malfoy. He muttered an apologized and kept on walking. Harry frowned. There was something definitely going on. He waved it off and kept on walking with Ginny. They entered the classroom where they found Remus was busy getting ready for his class. He glanced up and smiled at them. Harry set James on a desk and took Ginny’s book bag from her. He opened it for her and took out the materials she needed for class and set it on the desk. “Sit down, love,” he said and attempted to help her to sit down. Ginny frowned as he did so. “Need anything else or are you going to be okay?” he said, smiling at her. Ginny smiled sweetly at him. “Actually I do need your help. Why don’t you take my notes for me seeing as holding a quill is too heavy for me,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Harry frowned. “I’m just looking out for you,” he said. “I know,” Ginny sighed and slumped a little in her seat. “Feeling all right?” he asked when he saw her sink in her seat. “No Harry, I think I just went into labor,” she said in a mock serious tone. “What!” he exclaimed and looked at her in horror. “Oh relax! I was only joking. Besides, I’m only nine weeks in and no where near going into labor,” she said, rolling her eyes at him. “There is early labor you know, it could happen,” Harry pointed out sternly. “Hardly,” she huffed and felt sorry for it when she saw Harry’s hurt expression. “Honey, I’m all right I promise. If something’s wrong you’ll be the first to know.” Harry smiled at her. He gave her and James a good bye kiss and left the room for his own class. Ginny groaned. “I’m going to kill him.” “Ginny, he’s just looking out for you,” she heard Remus say. Ginny looked up to see Remus standing in front of her. “He was turning the pages in my Potions book last night because it’s too much exercise for me to do. I might injure myself and the baby, he said,” Ginny informed him. Remus chuckled. “He loves you very much and he wants to make up for what he missed,” Remus said. Ginny smiled. “I know.” Remus smiled at her and turned back to his desk and class began. Harry had tried to keep his constant babying of Ginny to a minimal the rest of the day and Ginny was grateful for it, although he did insist that he walk her to every class. Ginny spotted him with James in the hallway after her last class talking quickly and quietly to Hermione. The moment she approached them they stopped talking and Harry swept her into the Great Hall. She had questioned him and he had told her that they were discussing an essay for Transfiguration. Ginny knew he was lying but didn’t press him any further. After dinner, they both did some homework in their room together. Ginny decided to lie down for a few minutes and instead she fell fast asleep. Harry watched her sleep for a few minutes, hoping that she really was sleep. He stood up and crept towards the bed. James let out a loud sound, telling Harry he wanted attention. “Sh!” Harry quickly scolded and continued to walk towards the bed. James seemed to understand now that he had to be quiet and watched his father closely. Harry stood next the bed and said Ginny’s name aloud. She simply rolled over and went on sleeping. Harry smiled and went over to the crib. “Come on James. We need to work on Mummy’s surprise and don’t you dare tell her what we’re up to either,” he whispered as he picked him up. Harry went out the door and carefully shut it before making his way into the common room. “Where are you going?” Hermione asked. Harry paused to look at her. She was sitting in Ron’s lap on the sofa, both reading a book together. “For a walk,” was Harry’s reply and he climbed out of the portrait hole with James. He listened to James babble the whole time and endured him playing Pull Daddy’s Hair. He wondered when he would begin to talk and couldn’t wait to hear him say “Da da”. “Ouch!” James had tugged hard at Harry’s hair and Harry had enough of his game. He grabbed both of his hands and held them in place the rest of the way. He couldn’t wait for James to get out of this whole hair grabbing phase and he was sure it wasn’t going to be for a very long time. Finally they reached the portrait with the bowl of fruit. Harry let go of James’ hands to reach up and tickle the pear. James watched with interest as the pear laughed and a door handle appeared. Harry grasped it with his free hand and the painting swung open. House elves were running back and forth all over the kitchen. They were putting the remains of dinner and desert away and cleaning up the large kitchen. “Harry Potter sir!” a voice squeaked and something had nearly knocked him over. Harry was able to hold onto the wall for support with one arm while the other had tightened around James. “Harry Potter has come to see Dobby!” the voice squeaked again. Harry looked down and smiled at the house elf. He wore a purple tie with lighting bolts going across it matched with pink shorts. He wore a pair of mismatched socks, one red with Christmas trees all over it and black one with bright yellow polka dots. “Hello Dobby. How are you?” Harry said politely. “Oh very well, sir! Professor Dumbledore has given Dobby a raise. Dobby gets four Knuts a week now!” he said proudly and smiled a large toothy grin. Harry returned the smile. James let out an impatient sound clearly showing he wanted attention from Harry. Dobby seemed to have noticed the infant for the first time. His eyes went wide and his large ears perked up a bit. “It is true then! Harry Potter has a son!” he squeaked and clapped a hand over his mouth. “Yes, yes I do. Dobby, this is my son James,” Harry confirmed. “Is it true that you married your Ginny Wheezy as well?” Dobby asked excitedly. “Yes, Dobby, Ginny and I are married. In fact, that’s why I’m here. I need your help,” Harry said. “Anything for you Harry Potter, sir! Dobby is at your service,” Dobby said and bowed low enough for the tip of his nose to touch the ground. “Excellent,” Harry grinned and began to tell Dobby his plan. Harry was happy that Dobby agreed to help him with his plan. He noticed that James had gotten heavy in his arms. He looked down and smiled. James’ head was on his shoulder, his eyes shut and one arm hanging limply. Harry placed a kiss on his forehead and brought his other arm to hold him more securely and rubbed his small back lightly. “Best get that little one to bed,” the portrait of the Fat Lady in the Pink Dress said as Harry reached it. “I will. Hinkypunk,.” he said and the portrait swung open and Harry climbed through. “Where have you been?” Harry was shocked to hear Molly’s voice. That was until he realized that the voice was Ginny’s. He looked up and saw her standing in front of him, arms crossed and a very angry look on her face. It was uncanny of how much she looked like her mother right then and there. “We went for a walk so he would go to sleep,” Harry said. He felt James move and looked down to see that his son was awake and looking around sleepily. “Or he was at least,” he muttered and walked past Ginny and to their room. Ginny was not satisfied with this. She went after him. “So why didn’t you leave me a note then?” she asked hotly. When Harry entered the room he went straight to the dresser and looked for some pajamas for James, still ignoring Ginny. “I wake up and my son and husband are gone! No note, no nothing!” “Ginny!” Harry paused in changing James, who had woken up and was yawning sleepily, into his pajamas. “I took him for a walk so he would sleep. I told Ron and Hermione where we were going. Didn’t you ask them?” Ginny paused in her rage and looked sheepishly at him. “No . . .” Harry smiled and finished dressing James. He picked him up. “Say good night to Mummy.” “Good night sweetheart,” Ginny bent over and kissed James on his cheek, all her previous anger gone. Harry put James in his crib and the infant fell asleep quickly. Harry turned and looked at Ginny. “Sorry. I over reacted,” she apologized. Harry smiled and pulled her into a hug. Ginny sighed and yawned. “Looks like Mummy needs to go to bed as well,” Harry teased. Ginny playfully smacked his arm and went to change. Harry sat back down at the table and continued with his homework. He watched Ginny get ready for bed and she slipped beneath the covers. “Good night, love,” she said. “Good night, sweetheart,” he replied and returned to his homework. A thought crossed his mind and he looked over a Ginny who was snuggled beneath the sheets on their bed. “Love?” “Hmm,” was her sleepy response. “Can I sleep in our bed tonight?” he asked, hoping she was would say yes. Ginny sat up and looked at him. “Not a chance,” Ginny said and smiled sweetly at him. “Sweet dreams. I hope the sofa’s comfy for you tonight.” And with that Ginny lay down again and left a pouting Harry staring at her. * * * * * As always, the castle was adorned in the most gorgeous Christmas decorations. Different colored fairies twinkled from the ceilings and the walls. Ivy and holly hung from ceilings and banisters. Enchanted mistletoe floated to and fro from time to time, catching unsuspecting students in the corridors. A few times it landed over James and a nearby girl would give him a kiss on his cheek. This didn’t please Ginny too much; she didn’t want her son to have a name for his self at the age of six months! Christmas trees lined the sides of the Great Hall, each different from the next. A tall Christmas tree stood behind the Head Table, decorated in gold ribbons and candles with a bright fairy on the very top. Every common room had their own Christmas tree as well, each decorated in the house colors and ornaments that had each house members name on it. Even James had his own in the Gryffindor common room. Many students were crowding the Great Hall, all who were staying for the ball. Most of the first and second years had left before breakfast, leaving the rest of the school to join in the festivities. The remaining students at breakfast were busy discussing the ball that would take place that night, causing chaos and confusion among some groups of students. Harry and Ginny were the only ones who were not busy making final touches on plans. Instead Harry had told Ginny to dress up and meet him later in the common room. This lead to Ginny becoming very curious as to what he had planned. She had noticed that he had been acting strange for the past two weeks and was often going to “study” with Hermione. She had tried to persuade Hermione to give her a hint but she stood her ground. For the briefest moment Ginny thought that Harry was having an affair because she had banished him to the sofa. She had asked Harry this a week ago. She was sitting at the table in their room crying because Harry had left to meet Hermione. He had returned and immediately asked her what was wrong. Ginny bawled and said it was her fault he left her because she forced him onto the couch and she had forced him to see another woman. Harry (biting back a laugh at the absurdity of it all), reassured her nothing was going on and Hermione was only helping him with an assignment. Ginny realized how stupid she was being and allowed Harry to sleep in their bed that night. Heads looked upwards as three tawny owls flew into the Great Hall a long package beneath them. The owl post had arrived earlier and as it was a Saturday, there was never much post; it was strange to see this late delivery. Ginny was surprised when the owls landed in front of her and wanted to be rid of their burden. Ginny untied the package from them and they took off. Heads were craning to see what was in the package. Ginny was puzzled herself. She glanced at Harry and noticed he was deliberately trying not to look at her. He was busying himself with feeding James and pretending he didn’t notice anything. She opened the box and gasped. A dozen white roses laid inside, tied together with a white ribbon. A piece of pink parchment was folded on top of them. She picked it up and read the note. G is how gorgeous you are I is for I love you N is for never parting N is for no one is better than you Y is for the years ahead together One rose for each month we’ve been married. All white to represent eternity which is how long our marriage will last. The past year has been the best of my life with your love and sharing life with you. I could never ask for something better and I wonder why I even deserve you. You are my everything and always will be. Happy Anniversary my love. Ginny’s eyes were tearing up. She looked over at Harry and saw he was still not looking at her, but there was a clear flush in his cheeks. Ginny threw her arms around his neck, forcing him to look at her. “Oh Harry!” she exclaimed and kissed him. “That was so sweet, even if the poem was a bit corny. Oh Harry, I love you!” “I love you,” he said and they kissed again. They were very aware of people staring at them, but neither cared. It was their anniversary and it was their day. “Now, tell me what you have planned for us tonight?” Ginny asked innocently. Harry raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh no you don’t. You’ll just have to wait and see,” Harry laughed and resumed feeding James. She pouted and looked at James. “You’ll tell Mummy won’t you sweetheart?” “Sorry, he’s sworn to secrecy,” Harry sighed, shaking his head at Ginny’s attempts to find out his plans for them. Ginny sighed and finally gave up. She’d try Hermione later. Later that day, the Potters spend the day with Ron and Hermione outside. James was bundled up and had his first experience in the snow. Ron had borrowed a friend’s camera so that Harry and Ginny could capture the momentous event. James was fascinated with the white flakes falling from the sky. Tiny flakes of snow caught in his eyelashes as he looked up towards the sky as light snow fell and Ginny couldn’t help but snap a million picture of it. Harry and Ginny had made a snowman, James sitting on a small blanket with a Warming Charm on it. He helped his parents by grabbing small handfuls of snow and handing it to them happily. Once the snowman was complete, Ron had taken a picture of the happy family and their snowman. In the late afternoon Gryffindor Tower was in pandemonium. Girls were running up the stairs and shutting themselves in their rooms to get ready for the ball. Boys were lounging around in the common room, wasting time until they were to get ready. Harry had shooed Ginny out of their room with James claiming he was wrapping Christmas presents for James and didn’t want him to see them. So Ginny found herself sitting on her old bed with her old roommates. “He’s wrapping presents? James wouldn’t even know the difference would he?” Bridget asked. “No he wouldn’t. But he was pulling out bags and wrapping paper, so I guess he is wrapping them. You wouldn’t believe how much he bought!” Ginny said. She held James up under his arms and let him stand on her legs. He bounced slightly up and down on his feet and Ginny hoped that this would help his legs get stronger. She had noticed him trying to hold himself on all fours and thought he might be crawling soon. “How much did he spend?” Claire asked. “Fifty galleons,” Ginny said. Her friends’ jaws dropped. “You’re joking! But he’s only six months! What on earth does he need all those gifts for?” Claire asked. Ginny sighed. “Harry wants to give him everything. He wants James to have the childhood he never had.” “That’s understandable,” Melanie said and sat down on her bed. “I wonder how much he spent on you. It is your anniversary and Christmas is in five days.” “I don’t need anything from him. I’m just happy to be with him,” Ginny said, meaning it, and James babbled to her. Ginny mimicked him and let him continue to stand on her legs. She smiled and kissed his forehead. “So, Ginny,” Claire said and picked up her scarlet colored dress robes, “what are you wearing tonight?” “Oh this white dress I have,” Ginny began and grinned wickedly, “and if things go the way I think they will, I’ll be wearing nothing by the end of the night.” “Ginny!” they all exclaimed, shocked. “What? I am married after all,” Ginny shrugged. “But you’re pregnant,” Bridget pointed out. “That doesn’t mean Harry and I can’t have a little fun,” Ginny said. “It didn’t stop us when I was pregnant with James. Besides, it helps with labor.” “I don’t think I want to know how that helps labor,” Melanie shuddered. Ginny giggled. She lifted James off her legs and sat him on the floor. She slid down to the floor and sat with her back against the side of the bed and watched James. He fell forward onto his stomach and placed both hands on the ground and struggled to lift himself up. “Are you going to help us get ready then?” Bridget asked and headed towards the washroom. “Yeah, I’ll get my dress in a minute, then I promised Hermione I’d help her get ready as well,” Ginny said and watched James succeed in holding himself up with his hands as the rest of his body remained flat on the floor. “Good job sweetie!” “He’ll be crawling soon, won’t he?” Melanie observed and smiled down at James. “Yes and then we’ll be in trouble, especially when this one comes,” Ginny sighed and placed a hand on her stomach. “I have a feeling we’ll have our work cut out for us when this one arrives.” Ginny smiled as James succeeded on holding himself up with two hands and one knee. He looked over and Ginny and made a noise at her then he fell down. Ginny sighed. “It’s okay James. You’ll get it soon enough.” After watching James and chatting with her friends, she scooped James up into her arms and went down to her own dormitory and thought about the evening to come. Her outfit was perfect. It was the same white Muggle dress she had worn on her wedding day beneath her dress robes. She knew Harry would love it. She smiled to herself slightly as she remembered their wedding day. Never in her life did she imagine that this would happen. She was marrying Harry Potter today, something she had always dreamed of but knew would never happen. Now, here she was at fifteen and marrying the Boy Who Lived. She sighed. It wouldn’t have happened if she had enough sense to stop herself that faithful night their child was conceived. Her dress robes weren’t very fancy. They couldn’t wear wedding robes for fear of someone finding out about the secret ceremony. Instead, they were going to wear dress robes. Ginny’s was a soft blue color, simple and elegant, made of a light material that shimmered when she moved. She wore a white dress underneath it with a flower design embroidered in it and came up to just above her knees. She adjusted the wreath in her hair. Molly had made her a wreath with white daises, tiger lilies, and freesias which came from a small garden her mother kept that was enchanted so that all the flowers would last year round. It had shocked Ginny that he mother had made it considering she wasn’t too happy with the circumstances. Nevertheless, Molly had said she wanted Ginny’s wedding to be as perfect as possible, but Ginny knew that wasn’t going to happen. Ginny sat on her bed and sighed. She fiddled with a stray thread on her bed spread and waited, trying to forget her nervousness. She wondered what Harry was feeling? Did he even want to go through this? He had said he proposed because he loved her and wanted the best for her but Ginny couldn’t stop thinking that he was doing this because it was the right thing to do. There was a knock on her door. “Come in.” Hermione and Molly walked in and smiled at her. Her mother was wearing dress robes of deep purple, trimmed with light purple and her hair piled up on top of her head in elegant curls. Hermione wore the dress robes she had at the Yule Ball in Ginny’s third year and had her hair in the same sleek twist. “Oh Ginny, you look beautiful,” Molly breathed, tears in her eyes and rushed to her daughter. “Thanks Mum,” Ginny muttered as Molly hugged her. “Are you ready dear?” she asked and adjusted the wreath in Ginny’s hair. “No,” Ginny replied. Molly smiled. “Wedding day jitters. Every bride gets them,” Molly said. “Harry has them bad,” Hermione said. Ginny looked at her. “He does?” she asked, slightly shocked. Hermione nodded. “I just checked up on him and Ron, and Harry has gone crazy. He wants everything to be perfect for you,” Hermione said. Ginny gave a small smile, still not convinced that he wanted to marry her out of love. Hermione must have noticed. Ginny had confided in her on the train earlier that day about her worries. She smiled and sat next to Ginny. “He really does love you Ginny. He doesn’t want anything to go wrong and he wants you to be happy.” Hermione squeezed her hand and Ginny smiled. There was another knock on the door and Arthur’s head poked in. “Ginny, I’ve haven’t seen such a beautiful bride since I married your mother,” he said. Molly blushed. “Oh Arthur,” she sighed and walked towards her husband. They shared a kiss and Arthur looked at Ginny. “We’re ready. Come on Pumpkin and let’s get you married,” Arthur said. Ginny shakily stood up and slowly made her way towards the door. She was scared now. She didn’t want to go downstairs and face her brothers. When she had arrived home they hadn’t spoken a word to her or Harry. They simply glared at them and ignored their presence. When Harry and Ginny were whisked upstairs to get ready she heard her brothers arguing with her parents and Ron and she clearly heard them all say they wanted nothing to do with this. “Harry’s already waiting for you downstairs with Professor Dumbledore,” Arthur said as he linked his arm with hers. Harry was down there with her brothers. She couldn’t leave him alone like that. “I’m ready Daddy,” she whispered. Arthur smiled fondly at her and they made their way down the stairs. The scene was just what she had pictured. Harry and Ron were standing next to Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall. Harry wore the same dress robes he had at the Yule in his fourth year and Ron was wearing brand new dark blue robes. The rest of her brothers had gathered into a tight group and none of them were acknowledging that anything was going on. They hadn’t even bothered to change into anything nice. Molly and Hermione went to join the others and left Arthur and Ginny at the top of the stairs. Slowly they descended the stairs, Ginny’s heart hammering in her chest. Each step she took was a step closer to a new fate, a new life, and there was no turning back. The ceremony wasn’t going to be the traditional wizard ceremony. It was going to be cut very short with only the Bonding Ceremony and the vows, nothing more. Ginny eyes locked with Harry and she gasped. In the depths of seas of green she could see the love he had for her. She finally knew that he really was marrying because he loved her. She felt a thousand times better. They remained staring into each other’s eyes, neither one wanting to look anywhere else. And Ginny knew that this was right. Before she knew it she was holding Harry’s hands and the Bonding Ceremony had already been cast without her knowing. Something warm was fluttering in her stomach and it quickly spread throughout her and it left as soon as it came. Professor Dumbledore spoke. “This bond is ever lasting and it has been proven to be a very deep and very true bond. Very few of these exist. You both have something very special here.” Ginny glanced at Harry and found he was looking at her with a strange smile on his face. He squeezed her hands and she smiled. “Do you, Harry, take Ginny to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in good times and in bad, in sickness and health, til death do you part?” Harry smiled. “I do.” “Do you, Ginny, take Harry to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for richer or for poorer, in good times and in bad, in sickness and health, til death do you part?” Professor Dumbledore turned to her. “I do,” Ginny breathed. “The rings,” Professor Dumbledore said. Ron held out his hand where two gold rings were resting, one a thick band of gold and the other a thin band with a beautiful diamond sitting in the center of it. He handed them to Harry and Ginny, looking at them in awe. They were given instructions to exchange rings and waited for the finality of their marriage. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Harry leaned down and gently pressed his lips against hers. When he pulled away, he had a huge grin on his face. He put his forehead against hers and whispered loud enough for her to hear, “I love you.” “I love you,” she whispered back. She heard light clapping and some congratulations. “Come on you two, smile for the camera!” she heard Ron’s voice said. They turned to come face to face with Ron, holding a camera in his hands. Harry slipped his arms around her waist and they both smiled. There was a flash and Ron’s wide grin appeared over the camera. Her parents and Hermione hugged them both in turn along with Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall congratulating them. “Won’t you stay for dinner?” Molly asked the teachers. “Oh no thank you Molly, we must return to Hogwarts,” Professor Dumbledore kindly declined. He turned to the newlyweds. “Congratulations Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter.” Ginny blushed at the new name and couldn’t help but smile. The professors said goodbye and disappeared through the fireplace. The newlyweds found themselves alone in the sitting room and Ginny was looking towards the kitchen in slight fear where she heard her mother setting up the table for the special dinner she planned. Harry squeezed her hand and nodded. “We can do this. We are Gryffindors after all,” he said. Ginny nodded and they entered the kitchen together. No sooner than an hour into a tense dinner in the Weasley kitchen, Ginny found herself in her room sobbing. Her brothers hated her; it was evident in the murderous glares and the shouting. They took turns yelling about how stupid she was and her life was ruined, neither of them bothering to lower their voice. She threw herself onto her pillow and cried into it, hating herself even more after she had come to terms with herself being pregnant. “Ginny.” Harry’s voice. She turned to look at him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at her with eyes full of concern. How many times had they been in this situation before in the past two months? It was always the same conversation each time. She didn’t want to talk. She sat up and he took her hand in his. “Just hold me,” she whispered. So he did. Ginny didn’t know how long they had sat there in their dress robes, just holding each other, Ginny crying and Harry whispering everything would be all right. At some point she had stopped crying and the only sound was the wind outside her window. Slowly, the door creaked opened. Molly came in, a tray in her hands, wearing her dressing gown. “I brought the two of you something. I had made a cake and it wouldn’t be proper for the newlyweds not to have some,” she said, obviously trying to cheer them up. She set the tray on the desk and turned to look at them. “Harry, I’ve very happy to have you part of my family now. I know they boys are a little, well, they aren’t exactly happy with all this, but I know they’ll turn around,” she said and smiled at him. “Thanks Mrs. Weasley,” he said. “I’m your mother-in-law now, Harry. Call me Molly,” she said. Ginny giggled softly at the blush in his cheeks. “Molly,” he said shyly. She beamed at them and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek. “Now, don’t you worry about that tray. Leave it here and I’ll pick it up in the morning. I know you two have, er, other things to do now that you’re married,” Molly said with a knowing smile and she left. That last line had shocked them both as they stared at the closed door. “She doesn’t expect us to, uh, well you know,” Harry said, turning to look at Ginny. “Well it is our wedding night,” Ginny replied and stood up. “It wouldn’t be proper for newlyweds not to celebrate.” She removed her dress robes and neatly hung it on the back of a chair then retrieved the tray and set it on the bed next to Harry. She picked up a plate and a fork and began to eat it. She looked up and found Harry staring at her. “Something wrong?” she asked. He shook his head and reached a hand towards her. He lifted a tendril of her hair and let it slip through his fingers. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything is perfect.” He picked up a plate as well and they ate in silence. “I love that dress you’re wearing,” he said after taking a bite. “Thanks,” she blushed. “You looked beautiful today,” he said, blushing himself. “Really?” she asked shyly. He nodded. “I mean you do look beautiful everyday, but today you were er . . . more beautiful,” he blurted out lamely. Ginny smiled. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “And you look handsome everyday as well,” she said. Harry grinned and silence fell once more. They had finished their cake and the tea that Molly had left for them and found their selves standing awkwardly in front of each other. “Are you sure about this?” he asked, his eyes glancing down at her stomach. Ginny sighed. “Harry, you won’t hurt the baby,” she said. He nodded and continued to stand there. He leaned forward and kissed her, placing a hand tentatively on her waist. Ginny pulled away slightly. “Harry, we have done this before,” she said, annoyed at his shyness. “Yes but that was the only time. I’m no expert at this yet,” he replied. An impish grin crossed her face and she linked her hands behind his neck. “Well, we can make you an expert now can’t we?” she whispered and kissed him passionately. * * * * * She felt someone stir next to her and for a few moments Ginny was confused. Who was sleeping in her bed next to her? She opened her eyes for a moment and blinked sleepily, then smiled. Harry was fast asleep next to her, his arms wrapped around her waist and holding her close. Dim morning light shone through her bedroom window and streaked across his face and his bare chest. Ginny suddenly realized that he wasn’t the only one without clothes. A light blush spread across her face. She lazily ran a hand across his chest and let it rest on his shoulder. She smiled at the sight of her wedding ring. She snuggled up to him and closed her eyes again, enjoying the feeling of sleeping in Harry’s arms. “Let them be, Molly,” Ginny heard her father say softly. “I am, Arthur. I’m just watching them,” Molly replied, just as softly then there was silence. “They look so peaceful like that,” Molly sighed. “You can really tell they are in love, can’t you?” “Yes, especially after seeing the Bonding Ceremony. I haven’t seen anything so strong,” Arthur replied. “True love, that’s what it is,” Molly said. She sighed heavily. “I just can’t believe my baby girl is married and having her own baby. She’s just too young for all this, Arthur. Both of them are. I just don’t see how they are going to do this.” “Molly, they are both very strong and very mature for their age. They’ve already been through so much. I know they can do this. Come on. Let them sleep. I’m sure they don’t want to face the angry mob downstairs quite yet.” Ginny heard the door close. She went over her parents’ words in her head. She was scared of what the coming months held for her. She didn’t know what would happen, but as long as Harry was with her, she knew she could do this. Harry was moving and Ginny opened her eyes. He was staring at her with a sleepily smile on his face. “Good morning, Mrs. Potter,” he whispered. She smiled. “Good morning to you too, Mr. Potter,” she replied and he kissed her softly. “I’m not really up to the angry mob yet, are you?” he asked. Ginny blinked in surprise. “You were awake?” she asked. He nodded and rolled over so that he was leaning over her. “You didn’t answer my question though,” he said, bending down to kiss her neck. “Are you up to facing the mob yet?” he whispered in her ear and his breath made her shiver with pleasure. “No,” was her reply and his mouth descended on her neck again. “I’m up to other things though.” His mouth left her neck for a moment to whisper, “Me too.” She giggled and thought to herself that she could get used to Harry waking her up like this every morning for the rest of her life. Ginny had just about reached the door to her dormitory when it flew open and a figure was leaving. “Don’t worry Harry. It’ll go great. She’ll love it!” The figure just happened to be a girl with bushy hair and when she turned around she let out a surprised squeak and stared wide-eyed. “Hi Ginny!” Hermione’s voice was oddly high pitched and loud. “Hello,” Ginny said slowly. “What were you doing in our room?” “No-nothing. You’re still coming up to help me get ready, aren’t you?” Hermione quickly changed the subject. Ginny eyed her for a moment and decided to grill her later. “Yes. I’ll be there in about an hour,” Ginny said and reached for the doorknob. “See you then.” Hermione quickly muttered a goodbye and took off. Ginny shook her head and went inside her room. Harry grinned at the sight of them. “There’s my little guy!” he said and held out his arms for James. James held his arms out to Harry and Harry took him from Ginny. She watched as Harry went on to copy James’ babble and play with him. She wondered how a person such as Harry could have so much love and affection like he did for James with the way he lived as a child. He had told her stories of life with the Dursley’s, all which broke Ginny’s heart. She was surprised at how someone who was raised with no love, have so much like he did. He really was a wonderful father and such a natural at it. Her thoughts were broke when Harry kissed her cheek. Ginny smiled at him. “So, what was Hermione doing in here?” she asked casually and went to gather her things. “Er . . . she was helping me with Potions,” Harry replied and put James in his crib and handed him a teddy bear. “Really,” came Ginny’s reply and she glanced at the empty table where only her roses sat in a vase. “So where are your books?” Harry froze and turned to look at her. She was heading for the washroom, looking casual and innocent. “I put them away before you came in,” he tried to cover up. Ginny poked her head out the door and fixed a questioning look on him. Harry gulped nervously. After what seemed like an hour, she disappeared again. “Funny,” he heard her voice, “I thought you were wrapping presents for James.” “I . . . I was,” he replied. It was the truth. He had been wrapping presents for James but he was also putting the final touches on his surprise for her later on. “So where are they?” Ginny had return, a small bag in her hand. She went over to the wardrobe and opened it. “I hid them,” Harry said. Ginny smirked to herself and closed the wardrobe door. “Right then. Well, I’m off. I’ll meet you in the common room at seven,” Ginny said and left the room with her belongings. Harry let out a slow breath when she left, thankful that she didn’t ask anything else. He wanted everything to be perfect and a surprise. He glanced at James who was happily playing with his teddy bear. Harry walked over to the crib and smiled down at James. “All right, time to get ready. First, let’s get you bathed and dressed,” Harry said and picked up James and went into the washroom. He was just beginning to wash James’ hair when he heard the door open. “Harry? You in here?” he heard Ron’s voice. “In here!” he called and gently worked the shampoo in James’ hair. “Hey mate,” Ron greeted him and leaned in the doorway. “Hey Ron. Thanks for helping me ou — James, stop that!” Harry frowned as James kicked and splashed water. It slopped over the edge of the tub and went on to the floor and down Harry’s front. Harry sighed and continued to bathe his son “You and baths just don’t mix, do you?” Ron chuckled. Harry shook his head. “Snape and I mix better,” he said. After some more splashing and half of the bath water covering Harry and the washroom, Harry lifted James up and dried him off. “Let’s get you dressed and then Uncle Ron’s going to watch you while Daddy takes a shower.” Harry took James back into the room and set him on the bed. He opened a drawer and retrieved the clothes he had hid from Ginny. The outfit included a white dress shirt, a light blue dress shorts, a light blue clip on bow tie, and a light blue Eton jacket. It took some time for Harry to dress James; he was rolling around and trying to play with Harry. Finally, Harry won and James was dressed. He tied his left shoe and stood up straight. Smiling at his son, he picked him up and set him in his crib. “All yours Ron,” Harry said and headed towards the washroom. “Brilliant, now I can tell James all your little secrets. Let me tell you about the time your dad got caught snogging your mum,” Ron said in a mock evil voice and grinned at Harry. Harry rolled his eyes and went to take his shower, thinking of his plans. Some time later, Ginny was beginning to get frustrated with Hermione. There she was, her hair let down and in curls and wearing a white dress with embroidered flowers on it that came to her knees and ready to celebrate her special day. But she was all dressed up and it seemed like she wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Hermione had been frantic ever since Ginny had arrived to help her get ready. She had torn the hem on her dress robes four times and Ginny had to repair them all. Then she had Ginny constantly change her make-up because it didn’t match her robes and it would look awful. Now she was destroying yet another hairstyle that Ginny had done and moaning about how awful her hair was. “This is going to be the worst night of my life! Ron’s going to look horrible with me next to him!” Hermione pouted. “Hermione will you pick a hairstyle already?” Ginny shouted, exasperated. She was very fed up with it all. It was strange for Hermione to worry about her looks and she didn’t remember her going barmy over it all at the Yule Ball her third year. She glanced up at Hermione’s clock. It was already past seven and Lavender and Parvati had left over half an hour ago. “I was supposed to meet Harry ten minutes ago!” “Okay, okay. Just do that first one you did,” Hermione waved if off. Ginny glared at her and yanked her hair hard. “Ouch! Ginny!” “Oops, sorry,” Ginny replied not sounding very apologetic. Hermione glared at her in the mirror and Ginny glared right back. “You know Hermione, it is my anniversary. I’m supposed to be spending time with my husband since that is what one does on their anniversary. But no, I can’t be doing that. I volunteered to help you get ready for this bloody ball and thought I’d be able to meet my husband on time, but I’m not because you’ve all the sudden decided to be some sort of girly girl who all the sudden cares about what she looks like. I seriously doubt that Ron is going to notice that one earring is just a tiny bit higher than the other. And, it’s not like you don’t have a boyfriend already let alone been with him for over a year and a half!” Hermione was silent and made no sign of remorse and Ginny was sure she heard her mutter something about hot tempered pregnant witches. Ginny was very mad now. It was as if Hermione was purposely doing this to her. But the more she thought about it, the more it became clear to Ginny. She was doing this on purpose. “What did he plan?” she demanded. “I mean why else would you be keeping me up here.” “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hermione said a bit too innocently. Ginny narrowed her eyes and finished straightening Hermione’s hair. “You do too know what’s going on, now tell me!” Ginny whined. “No!” Hermione grinned evilly and looked smug. “You’ll have to be patient.” Ginny stepped back and quickly put her shoes on, leaving Hermione’s hair half way done. Patience was not one of Ginny’s virtues. She finished putting on her shoes and made her way to the door only to be stopped by Hermione who had finished her hair with a wave of her wand and stood in front of the door. “You’re not going anywhere yet,” Hermione said and before Ginny could respond, Hermione had opened the door and slammed it in Ginny’s face. Ginny grabbed the handle and tried to pull it open, but it didn’t budge. She pulled it a few more times to no avail. Ginny pulled out her wand. “Alohomora!” she shouted and there was nothing. She tried a few other spells but nothing worked. She was stuck in the seventh year girls’ dormitory. Ginny kicked the door and yelped in pain. She slumped against the door and sighed. Her wedding anniversary and she was stuck in a room without her husband. After a few moments Ginny found herself falling backwards. She gasped and grabbed the threshold with a hand. Somehow the door opened on its own. Before she could get locked in again, she scrambled to her feett and went down the stairs. Ginny’s plan was to strangle Hermione and then celebrate with Harry but that changed when she heard soft music playing “Here Comes the Bride.” Curious as to what was going on, Ginny slowed down her pace, a confused look on her face. The first thing she noticed that the lights in the common room when dimmer than usual and she figured out that the music was coming from there. She smiled when she saw Harry standing at the bottom of the stairs and smiling at her. He wore a Muggle tuxedo, with a dark green vest and a matching tie and it was apparent that he had tried to flatten his hair but it seemed to disagree with him. “Hello gorgeous,” he greeted her and took her hand. He kissed it and smiled at her. “Hi,” she replied and he led her away from the stairs. Ginny saw that their house mates were still there, all dressed for the ball and smiling at them. She looked at Harry. “What’s going on?” “Well,” Harry said and brought her to the middle of the room, “a bride is suppose to be the center of attention on her wedding day. Now, since you did not benefit from that a year ago I thought it would be proper for you to have some of that attention.” The music stopped and Harry smiled and then Ron’s voice said. “Ladies and gentlemen,” a new song began to play, “may I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Harry James Potter and their first dance as husband and wife.” “May I have this dance?” Harry asked softly and Ginny nodded. He put one hand on her waist and she placed one on his shoulder. He took her other hand and they slowly began to dance to the song. It took her by surprise when Harry began to sing to her. Always and forever Each moment with you Is just like a dream to me That somehow came true, yeah And I know tomorrow Will still be the same Cause we got a life of love That won't ever change and Ginny was amazed. She had never heard Harry sing and he wasn’t that bad. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he put both hands on her waist and pulled her close, his voice singing slowly in her ear. Everyday love me your own special way Melt all my heart away with a smile Take time to tell me you really care And we'll share tomorrow together Ooh baby, I'll always love you forever. Harry led her into a spin and pulled her close again, continuing to sing, and flashes from a camera going off somewhere. Ever, ever, ever There'll always be sunshine When I look at you It's something I can't explain Just the things that you do If you get lonely Call me and take A second to give to me That magic you make and Everyday love me your own special way Melt all my heart away with a smile Take time to tell me you really care And we'll share tomorrow together Ooh baby, I'll always love you forever. He finished the song by singing out loud and leading her into another spin then pulled her back to him. They continued to dance and just as the song ended, he whispered to her, “Always and forever.” Ginny was nearly in tears. She leaned up and softly kissed Harry and applause erupted in the common room. “All right, all right, enough snogging,” Ron said, grinning at them and holding a camera. Harry kept an arm around Ginny’s waist and smiled at him. Hermione joined them, James in her arms. James had slowly regained Hermione’s trust once she employed the help of Ginny’s friends and he willingly went to her again. Ginny smiled at the outfit he wore and decided she definitely needed to get a picture of this and send it to her mother. “Before you two get on with whatever plans you have, we wanted to give you something.” Ron held the camera he had all day out to Harry. He took the camera and looked up at Ron. “We figured that since you two are such proud parents and go barmy over ever tiny thing James does, a camera would be good for you two to have so you can capture all those moments. I already started it off for you guys earlier.” “Thanks Ron,” Harry grinned. Ron smiled back and Hermione walked up to them, James smiling at them and babbling softly. “Well we all decided that we wanted to get the two of you something so we came up with this,” she held out a book to Ginny. It had a picture of them, taken the day of their wedding. It was their first kiss and one of the rare happy moments of that day. Ginny opened the book and saw messages from all their friends in it. She smiled and hugged Hermione, careful not to squish James in between them. “Thank you. It’s wonderful,” she said. The rest of their house mates came up to wish them a happy anniversary and leave for the ball and they found themselves alone in the common room. “Ready?” Harry asked who was now holding James and bouncing him up and down in his arms after Ginny had gotten the chance to take pictures of James in his suit. Ginny nodded and they headed towards their room. Ginny gasped when she entered it. The lights were dim and soft music was playing throughout the room. Two long candles were lit on the table joined by a fancy display of silverware and a chilled bottle of apple cider. “Harry this looks beautiful!” Ginny beamed at him. Harry smiled back and leaned over to kiss her. “I did have some help from Hermione and Dobby. I wanted everything to be perfect,” he explained. “Just being here with you makes in perfect,” Ginny whispered and Harry leaned in to kiss her again. James began to whine and reached out to Ginny. She took him from Harry and James and he automatically tried to latch onto Ginny through her dress. Ginny held him away from her. “I’m sorry sweetie, Mummy can’t nurse you. Come on, let’s get a bottle instead,” Ginny said and went to feed James. Harry waited patiently as Ginny fed James a bottle and made sure that his plans were in place. Half way through his bottle, James began to nod off. Ginny gently tugged the bottle out of his mouth and went to put him in his pajamas. Once she finished changing him she put him in his crib and frowned. A small package wrapped in silver paper was lying on his blankets. She picked it up and read the small tag on it. “To Mummy, from James,” she read aloud. “Imagine that,” Harry said from behind her. Ginny turned to see him smiling at her. “Looks like James got you a little present.” “So he has. It’s amazing how he learned to write before he could walk and talk. We have a genius on our hands. Funny how much his writing looks like yours,” Ginny said. “Like father, like son,” Harry said, looking rather smug and proud. Ginny rolled her eyes and tore the paper off the package. A long, thin velvet box was lying in her hands. She opened the box and her eyes widened. A heart shaped locket with her initials was hanging on a delicate silver chain. Ginny fumbled with the locket and opened it. On one side was a tiny picture of Harry and the other was of James. “Oh Harry. . . .” “Do you like it?” he asked. Ginny looked up at him and nodded. “It’s gorgeous,” she said and hugged him. “Thank you.” “Glad you like it,” he smiled down at her. Ginny smiled back. “Wait here,” she said and took off. She pulled a large box out wrapped in white paper from her trunk and went to give it to Harry. “Happy anniversary.” Harry took the box from her and took off the paper. He opened the box and it was his turn to be surprised. He pulled out the charcoal colored loak he had been looking at on the first trip to Hogsmeade that year. The sliver fastenings with shone brightly in the dim light of their room. He ran a hand underneath, feeling the warmth of the heavy material. “Wow!” Harry’s fingers grazed over the fabric. “I love it! Thanks.” Ginny smiled at him and marched towards the table. “Now I smell food and I’m hungry.” Harry chuckled and gently laid the cloak on his trunk. “Can’t keep a pregnant witch hungry now can we?” “Of course not,” Ginny agreed and took a seat at the table. Harry soon joined her and they enjoyed a delicious Italian meal. After dinner, they had dessert and danced to the soft music in the room. As they danced, they found themselves drifting over to their bed. Ginny stared up into Harry’s eyes and began to unbutton his vest and undo his tie. She kissed him and turned around, wand in hand. She cast the necessary charms around James and the room and turned to face Harry again. He took her in his arms, kissing her passionately and slowly lowered her on to their bed. * * * * * Ginny was looking up at Harry, the sheets pulled up to her chest. Harry was propped up on one elbow, staring down at her, his free hand gently gliding across her stomach. He smiled and bent down to kiss her stomach then looked up at her. “What do you reckon it is?” he asked, continuing to glide a hand across her stomach. “I don’t know,” Ginny sighed, stretching her arms above her head. “What do you reckon it is?” Harry thought about it for a moment. “A girl,” he said confidently. “Really? And what would our little girl look like?” she asked. Harry kissed her stomach again and looked up. “Just like her beautiful mother,” he said and through the darkness, he saw her blush. “Well I think it’s a boy,” Ginny said matter-of-factly. “In fact I’m sure it’s a boy.” “Confident are you,” Harry pulled himself up to lie next to her. “How do you know?” Ginny turned on her side to face him. “I don’t know how to explain it, I just do. I felt the same way I did when I was pregnant with James. I just kind of always knew it would be a boy in the back of my mind and I feel like that again. Call it maternal instinct or something.” “Well whatever it is, it’s ours,” he said, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. Ginny smiled back and her eyes lit up. “I have a name picked out and it works for a boy and a girl,” she said excitedly. “Oh? Well, what is it?” he asked. “Bryce,” Ginny said and waited for Harry’s response. He thought about it for a moment and smiled. “Bryce Potter. I like it.” Ginny smiled and she suddenly frowned. “Harry?” “Hmm?” “What are we going to do when Bryce comes?” she asked. Harry smiled at her for referring to their unborn child by name then frowned at her question. “What do you mean?” he asked. Ginny shifted a bit and sighed. “How are we going to fit the four of us in my room at the Burrow? We could hardly fit all of James’ things as it was,” Ginny said. “Well,” Harry began, “we’ll have to deal with it for a while. I’ll get a job and we’ll look for our own place.” “Speaking of jobs, have you thought about that Quidditch offer?” Ginny asked, remembering that he promised to talk to her about it later. “Oh well, I have given it some thought,” he began. “Harry, it’s a wonderful opportunity and not to mention think of all that money you’ll make. We’d be able to buy a house right away,” Ginny beamed at him excitedly. “Well about that, love, I don’t think I’ll take it,” he said. Ginny’s face fell. “Why not?” she asked slightly disappointed. “Sweetheart, it requires a lot of traveling. I don’t want to leave James and Bryce like that,” he said. “I don’t want to miss them growing up especially since you’ll still be here for a year.” “So what will you do then?” she asked, placing a hand on her stomach. “Work for the Ministry or something. Something that will allow me to spend time with the kids,” he said. Ginny did not look at all comforted by this. Harry sighed and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. We have enough gold to last us for a while without me working. I’ll get a job, we’ll get a house, and we’ll be a happy family.” “What about being an Auror? You can still do that,” Ginny suggested. “Love, that’s three years of training. That can wait until you’re done with school,” he said. He moved a hand to cover the one she had on her stomach. “What about you? What do you want to do?” Ginny sighed. “I’ve thought about it a bit and I really want to be a Healer,” Ginny admitted. She laughed softly to herself. “Stupid isn’t it?” “No, I think that’s brilliant,” Harry said and smiled. “Imagine my wife, the greatest Healer St. Mungo’s has ever seen." “Harry, how am I going to be a Healer with raising two children at the same time?” she asked, her brow furrowed together. “People have done it before haven’t they? I see no reason why you can’t,” Harry said. Ginny sighed and curled up next to Harry. He moved both arms around her and hugged her to himself. “We’ll see what the future brings, all right. First let’s concentrate on right now and see where things take us.” Ginny merely nodded, her eyes closed now and feeling herself beginning to fall asleep. “Happy anniversary Harry,” she muttered. Harry kissed the top of her head. “Happy anniversary to you my love,” he whispered and let his eyes close. He felt Ginny’s heart beating against his chest and soon he fell asleep. |
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