All I can say post-DH is... wow. I can't believe it's over - I feel like the last bits of my extended childhood have now ended or something. Obviously, this fic is now officially AU, I guess (and there's a bit of fluff in here for y'all who didn't get the expected dose of H/G from the book!)
I also want to apologize for the delay in getting this chapter up. My job b*&ch-slapped me and locked me in my office for 13 hours a day for a couple of months straight. Thanks for sticking with me!
I want to say a CAPS LOCK THANK YOU to Cel. This chapter and the upcoming epilogue are dedicated to you, the world's best beta! Bearhugs!
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Another World, Another Time | ||||||
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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP, Post-Hogwarts Characters:Harry/Ginny, Nymphadora Tonks, Oliver Wood Genres: Angst, Drama, Fluff, General, Romance, Tragedy Warnings: Death, Extreme Language, Sexual Situations Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 313 Summary: Life goes on after Voldemort's defeat, even though Harry disappears without a trace. How does Ginny deal with his return four years later, when both of them have become very different people? Hitcount: Story Total: 117403; Chapter Total: 10268 Author's Notes: |
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At nine, Ginny was sitting at the kitchen table, drumming her nails against the table impatiently. She’d spent an hour getting ready, trying on outfit after outfit before becoming hopelessly frustrated. Why would it matter - as soon as she opened her mouth to tell him the news, Harry wouldn’t care if she was covered head to toe in diamonds. Ginny couldn’t figure out how she felt. One minute, she was thrilled - Harry! Harry! He was the answer to everything, the most unexpected, the most beautiful truth of her heart. And he told her he still loved her, he wanted her. But what if he didn’t? What if she was pregnant and the sudden reality of it, the reality of being a parent, was just too much for him? He’d already been through so much - he deserved a break more than anyone, a vacation from responsibility. She knew, if she was having a baby, he would be there. It was just him. But if she felt that reluctance in the air around him, that questioning of what fate had handed him yet again, what would she do? She needed him to want to be a father, not to just accept it as yet another thing hewas obligated to do. Ginny felt the sudden urge to Apparate to her mother, to tell her everything, to ask her just what to say, what to do. Her mother would know. And suddenly, it was as though Molly Weasley was standing there, her hand on her daughter’s shoulder. She could do this. No matter what, she’d be okay. The knock came at three minutes past and Ginny headed to the door. She could feel her heart beating through her whole body, resounding in every step. She pulled the door open. “Hey,” he said with a lazy grin, leaning against the doorframe. Suddenly, Ginny felt like she couldn’t breathe. He was really there. Harry Potter. He was absolutely gorgeous in the twilight, his hair rumpled and messy, and he was there to see her. “Harry...” She let him pull her into his arms and kiss her. “Mmm... I’ve been thinking about doing that all day long.” “Me too,” she murmured with a grin, as he buried his head in her neck. She couldn’t imagine not having this to hold forever, the smell of his hair, the slightly wind-chapped hands now gliding down the side of her face, so gentle and soft, yet strong. She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip before pulling away and looking at him searchingly. “I need to talk to you about something,” they both blurted at the same time. Shocked, they burst into laughter. “You’d best go first,” Ginny said nervously. She knew her news would effectively end the lovely euphoria she felt in his presence, and she wanted that feeling to go on for as long as possible. She needed to cherish every last second. “You sure?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “I mean, what I have to say isn’t really important, just something I was thinking about-” “It’s okay, Harry. Really,” she nodded. “It... Ginny, I’ve been thinking about you and Oliver,” he said, looking down as though embarrassed. Ginny felt her heart go numb. He was going to break it off, he was going to let her down easily. She knew it. He couldn’t even meet her eyes. “I know it’s wrong to be jealous about it, that it’s the past, but I suppose I am, a little-” “It’s not wrong to be jealous,” Ginny replied, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. “It’s normal.” “I know that you two were happy together. Really happy,” he said. She noticed his eyes light upon the mantel as he spoke, and she knew what he was looking at. There was a photo, and she was laughing, holding her husband’s hand, standing on the front porch of their new house the day they moved in. Ginny knew he was looking at it because she herself had spent a good portion of that very afternoon staring at the very same photo. Her face was happy and bright as she looked up at Oliver and laughed, not a worry in the world. The reappearance of Harry in her life had no effect on her photographic self. “Yes, we were happy,” Ginny replied quietly. “I keep thinking about it... I think, What if his accident had never happened? What if he was still here with you, and I was here too? Which one of us would you choose? I can’t get it out of my head, honestly.” Ginny stared at him, unable to answer. “Oh Merlin, that... that was unfair of me,” Harry continued, looking extremely worried. He squeezed her hand, which had gone limp in his grasp. “I know that it’s a question you can’t answer. I don’t even want an answer. I just wanted to be honest, to tell you what I was thinking about - I wanted to tell you because I want you to know me. I want you to know me inside and out, because I love you, and I thought telling you this, telling you the things that are bothering me-” “You,” Ginny blurted, knowing only as she the words finally crossed her lips that they were true. Ginny squeezed her eyes shut and continued at a whisper. “I would have chosen you, Harry, somehow. I know, in the long run, it would have hurt Oliver more if I stayed with him, knowing that I loved you. My heart wouldn’t have been true; it could never be true if you were there, because I love you. If there’s one thing Oliver understood, it was love.” Harry looked at her, his eyes unreadable. Ginny stared down at his feet in a haze of tears. And suddenly she was engulfed in his arms. He was holding her so tightly, Ginny thought her ribs might break. She could hear his uneven breath in her hair, and when he pulled away, his cheeks were wet. “I’m sorry, Ginny. I shouldn’t have needed to hear that-” “I needed to hear it, too.” She looked at the mantle, wondering if it was her imagination, or it something intangible had changed. The younger Ginny still held Ollie’s hand, still looked up at him smiling, but Ginny swore she saw there a certain wistfulness to her expression, an air of nostalgia, like the photo had become a happy memory rather than a sad reminder. He squeezed her hand, searching her face. “And now it’s your turn...” “Right...” Ginny replied, reality hitting her like a bag of blast-ended skrewts. “I... I.... uh, let’s just sit down. The kitchen.” “Okay,” he replied, following her, his eyes a mixture of bemused worry and curiosity. Ginny looked at him, once again drinking in the sight of him sitting at her kitchen table, alive and well. She sighed, smoothing her sweaty hands on her sides. Just tell him, her mother’s voice echoed in her head. Just have out with it directly. Ginny took a deep breath, and looked at him. As she began to speak her eyes slid off his face to stare out the window. She didn’t think she could handle seeing the worry or anger that would surely flicker across his face. “Harry... We, uh, I didn’t do the protection charm last night. The first time, after we got back from the club.” Harry was silent. She dared sneak a peek at him, but his face was completely impassive. He was staring at the table. Her eyes darted away. “I’m... well, I’m a Weasley,” she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. “You get the drift.” He cleared his throat and looked at her with that oh-so-familiar penetrating gaze. “You’re saying that you could be... uh, you know...” He couldn’t even say it. Pregnant. Ginny felt as though a rock had settled in her chest where her heart was beating only seconds before. “Pregnant,” she finished on his behalf, her mouth dry. “Yes. There’s a chance.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But there’s a charm to find out for sure...” Ginny nodded. “It takes 24 hours before results will register. So, I guess I’ll try in a few hours...” “Okay,” he said quietly, a firm sort of resolve entering his voice. She heard him get up from his chair, but still she dared not look at him - more tears threatening to roll down her cheeks. “Ginny, we’re going to be okay.” His voice was close to her, unbearably tender. “I don’t know... I mean, I hope so.” He took her hands in his. “Please don’t look so scared.” Ginny forced herself to look up at him, the determination wrought on his face. It was as though she’d forgotten how brave he was. “I choose you,” he said, a funny crooked smile on his mouth. “It’s all going to be okay.” Ginny laughed as he kissed her chastely on the lips. She looked into his eyes searchingly. “You’re really not scared, Harry? Not even a little?” Harry looked down at their joined hands for a long time before he answered. “Is it strange if I say I’m not?” “Of course not...” she whispered. “I’m a little shocked, maybe,” There was a long silence, Ginny could see him thinking, planning. “But no, not scared. This isn’t the worst thing that could happen to us, is it?” Ginny shook her head, half in shock. “I’d like to have a family someday. This seems a bit soon for us and all, but then again, maybe not. Who’s to say?” Ginny nodded. Her heart felt like it was going to explode with emotion for the thousandth time that day. “Are you scared?” he asked, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. “A little,” she admitted, nodding. “What do you think our baby would look like?” Harry asked, tenderly tucking a strand of her hair behind her ears. “Do you think he’d have red hair?” “I’m guessing he might,” Ginny replied softly, in complete disbelief that she was having this conversation. “And he’d have big brown eyes, just like yours.” “I’d want him to have green eyes like his father. Eyes that light up whenever he smiles.” Ginny felt the tears finally run down her cheeks. Harry smiled softly, wiping the tears away with his finger. “Why are we talking as though we’re sure it’s a boy? What we have a girl?” “You actually like this idea...” Ginny murmured. “I could get used to it,” he replied, looking down at her, his eyes soft and serious. “UNCLE!” Ollie crowed, running towards them in his pyjamas. Ginny stiffened, but resisted the urge to draw away from Harry. Her son stopped short about a foot away and looked up at them curiously, their arms snaked intimately around each other’s waists. “Hi Ollie! You’re up pretty late,” Harry replied, grinning down at the little boy. Ollie approached warily, tugging on his mom’s leg. “Up, pweeze.” Ginny let Harry go and picked Ollie up, kissing him on the forehead. The little boy snuggled possessively against his mom, wrapping his arms tightly around her neck, and glaring at Harry from the corner of his eye. “I think he’s a wee bit jealous,” Ginny mouthed. Harry nodded, moving away. Ginny shook her head, reaching over to grab Harry’s hand, pulling him close again. She wrapped her free arm around Harry. How would Ollie react? Maybe this was a risky approach. She looked down at her son and smiled comfortingly. “Look how we can all hug! Mummy, Ollie and Uncle. You try, Ollie.” Ollie looked back up at her for a long moment before slowly, tentatively, reaching one of his little arms towards Harry. “This is a nice big hug. Isn’t it?” “It is,” Harry grinned at her, his voice quiet and serious. “One of the best hugs I’ve ever had.” “Why didn’t we think of this before, huh Ollie?” she said, wrinkling her nose at her son. “I like it,” Ollie said solemnly, nodding. He was still for another moment, looking from Ginny’s face, to Harry’s, to Ginny’s again before he squirmed a little bit towards Harry, and transfered himself fully into his arms. The smile on Harry’s face at that moment caught Ginny’s breath. Harry leaned over slowly, and kissed Ginny's cheek, Ollie watching them curiously. “Let’s put this little guy back to bed,” he whispered. **** “Is he asleep?” Harry asked quietly, as Ginny tiptoed into the room, closing the bedroom door behind her. “Yes, finally!” she replied, flopping down onto the bed beside him. “His grandpa feeds him his weight in chocolate every visit, no wonder he can’t sleep. All that sugar!” She snuggled next to Harry and sighed contentedly as he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead. “How are you doing?” “Much better now that I’m here with you,” Ginny replied, tracing his jawline with her finger. The room was cool and comfortable; the window was open and a soft breeze blew in, making the curtains billow gently. Ginny slid her hand up Harry’s shirt, onto his warm skin, drawing circles on his stomach. “This is what it’s like being a parent,” Ginny replied. “Ollie hates going to bed. It’s hard work most of the time.” “I know,” he answered. “Things that are truly worth it are always hard work, aren’t they?” Ginny nodded - her heart filling with love for him - Harry knew above all other people what hard work life could be. “Despite the fact that you just heard my son cry for 45 minutes straight, you’re still excited about the possibility of a baby?” she asked. He nodded. “I am. You’re an amazing mum, Ginny.” “And you’re going to make an incredible father some day, Harry.” “You really think so?” “Absolutely.” She kissed him lingeringly on the mouth. “The burning questions remains,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Are you excited about the baby?” “I think I am now, a little bit,” she nodded seriously. Harry smiled softly, twirling a long strand of her hair around his finger. “Do you want a boy or a girl?” “I don’t mind either way.” “I keep referring to him as thought it’s a boy,” Harry replied, gliding a hand across Ginny’s flat stomach. “After all, as you keep pointing out, you are a Weasley.” Ginny laughed, staring up at the ceiling. “This is so surreal, you know?” “How’s that?” She looked over at him. “This conversation. This whole situation. Twenty four hours ago, I wasn’t sure that you were even you.” He shrugged. “We’re making up for lost time, is all... and speaking of making up for lost time, if you keep touching me like that-” “Like this?” Ginny asked innocently, raking her fingernails gently across the plane of his stomach again, just above his belt. She felt a thrill race through her as the muscles jumped beneath her hand. “I warned you,” he laughed, grabbing her arms and flipping her onto her back, his mouth attacking her neck. She shrieked and giggled, pretending to fight him off, and then suddenly they both froze, remembering the toddler asleep down the hall. Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, fully expecting to hear the familiar cry of “Mummy, mummy,’ but there was no sound - Ollie was apparently still asleep. “Thank Merlin we didn’t wake him,” Ginny whispered, reaching for her wand and casting a silencing charm on the room. They looked at each other and simultaneously burst into laughter. “What time is it?” she asked, slinging her legs around Harry’s waist. “11:30,” He looked at his wristwatch. “I can’t believe it. That late already?” “We still have 30 minutes until the test,” Ginny purred, yanking at the hem of his shirt. “I know a few creative ways to make that time go by quicker.” “Oh, but I do too...” he laughed as her lips claimed his neck. “I have a surprise for you first. Cover your eyes - no peeking!” “I hope the surprise involves you with a lot fewer clothes on,” Ginny giggled as she covered her eyes. “Well, I suppose it could,” Harry said, amusement coloring his voice. She grinned as a few seconds later, she heard the clink of his belt hitting the floor. He reached over and pulled her to a sitting position on the edge of the bed, and she heard him rustling around the room, muttering under his breath. “Can I open my eyes yet?” she asked a moment later. “One more minute,” His voice came from across the room by her window. Ginny waited for what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a minute or two. Something smelled amazing, sweet and good. She squirmed in heady anticipation, hoping she’d open her eyes to a Harry with certain bits of his anatomy covered in whipped cream and chocolate. But that smell... it wasn’t food. Was it flowers? What in Merlin’s name was he doing? She tapped her feet impatiently on the floor, and heard his snort of laughter. “Patience is a virtue,” he laughed. “A very over-rated one. Are you done torturing me, Harry James Potter,” she demanded. “I was hoping I could torture you long into the future, actually,” he replied mildly. “Open your eyes.” Ginny opened her eyes. The room was filled with flowers, hundreds and hundreds of furiously bright blossoms covering every available surface, a few that he hadn’t found space for were even floating quietly in the corner. Rose petals, as soft as velvet, covered the bed around where she sat. Every flower Ginny had ever seen or heard of seemed to be there in some way shape or form - there were so many she didn’t know where to look. And in the midst of the wild splashes of color, down on one knee in front of her in bright white boxer shorts and nothing else, was Harry Potter. Ginny’s mouth moved soundlessly as she looked around, taking in the scene. Finally, she found her voice again. “How... how did you do this, Harry?” “I hid the flowers outside earlier, and then, while your eyes were closed, I Accio-ed everything in through the window.” Ginny slid down onto the floor in front of him, cupping his face in her hands. “You’re amazing.” “Well, if we’re making up for four years of lost time, I probably owe you a lot of flowers, Ginny.” “You don’t owe me anything, silly.” “That’s not true,” he said, pulling his hand from behind his back. “I owe you everything.” Ginny stared wordlessly at the bright blue sapphire ring. “I wanted to ask you before we found out about the baby. I want you to know I’m not asking just to make an honest witch of you. I’m asking you because I love you. You are my whole world, my forever and always. Ginny Weasley, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?” Ginny could only nod, overcome. There weren’t the right words. Yes didn’t seem big enough. He slid the ring onto her finger. Both their hands were shaking a little. “It’s perfect,” Ginny breathed, staring into the clear blue depths of the stone. “I bought it a long time ago, during the war. I was going to ask you way back then, once Ron was better and our lives were back to normal.” “I don’t think anything will ever be ‘normal’ where you’re concerned, Harry.” Ginny said, grinning. “You don’t think we kiss the way normal people kiss?” Harry asked curiously, as she pressed against him, pushing him backwards onto a bed of black-eyed susans. He nibbled at her lower lip and Ginny’s entire body felt as though it was going to implode. She loved how sometimes, he kissed her the way Sean kissed her the first time, a slow steady burn; sometimes it was all Harry, a hot quick blaze. And sometimes, it was somewhere in between. But it was always absolutely perfect. “If normal people kissed each other the way you kiss me, the whole world would be at a standstill,” Ginny laughed, pulling her shirt over his head. “No one would leave their bedrooms.” **** Ginny lay halfway beneath Harry, the heady scent of crushed blossoms surrounding them both in a sleepy haze. “Ginny, love?” “Hmmm...” He rolled over. “Wake up. It’s 6:00.” Ginny looked at the alarm clock, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. “6 am? You mean we fell asleep?” “We were tired,” he said simply, kissing her cheek. Ginny sat up, shivering a little - the room had grown cold through the night. She pulled the blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders, reaching up to grab the book on the night table. The title emblazoned in bright pink across the front read “Handy Household Charms for the Well-Prepared Witch.” Ginny found the title amusing - many of the charms within were about trying to remedy issues of major disorganization and big time screw-ups - certainly spells a “well-prepared witch” would never need. She flipped it open to the page that she’d marked earlier that afternoon - the charm used to determine pregnancy. “The wand movement looks simple...” Ginny muttered. They both watched the moving diagram of a witch swishing her wand in a clockwise circle, before touching it gently to her lower abdomen. “The incantation is Utrum Maternus, the emphasis placed on the last two syllables,” she said, touching the words on the page with her wand. A strange disembodied voice floated up from the book, to pronounce the words for them. “It says if I’m pregnant, the wand will produce an unmistakable blue glow, if I’m not pregnant, the light will be white.” Ginny slid the book off her lap, and looked at Harry, her wand grasped tightly in her hand. They stared at each other for a long time, and Harry nodded encouragingly. “I... I can’t do it, Harry” she said, lowering the wand. “I’m too nervous. Do you think you could?” “Will it work if I do it?” Ginny nodded. “With Ollie, the team medic did the charm.” “Okay,” Harry replied, kissing her forehead. “Just relax.” Ginny squeezed her eyes shut, trying to take a deep breath. “Ready?” She nodded, clenching her hands into fists. Harry spoke quietly. “Utrum Maternus.” Ginny felt the wand tip graze her skin, but she kept her eyes shut. “Harry, what color is it?” she whispered. “Just a second, Gin - I’m not sure I did that right. Let me try again.” Ginny nodded, forcing herself to open her eyes this time. “Utrum Maternus,” he repeated. Ginny looked down at the white light glowing gently at the tip of Harry’s wand. They looked at each other in silence for a moment. Ginny expected to feel a flood of relief - she wasn’t pregnant. It was all a false alarm. But strangely, she didn’t feel consoled. Harry closed the book, putting his wand down. “Are you okay, Gin?” “Yeah, Are you?” He nodded thoughtfully, laying back down and pulling her into his arms. “I... I think I might have wanted the light to be blue after all,” she whispered. “I know,” he replied quietly. “Me too. That’s why I checked twice - I thought maybe I’d messed up the first one.” The cool light of dawn bathed their bodies, and Ginny smiled as the light caught the sapphire sparkling on her finger. “Maybe this is for the best. After all, we’ve got the rest of our lives,” she whispered. “We sure do.” |
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