Author's note:
This was for The Colorful Phrases competition by Peski Ixy Pesternomi. My couple was Harry and Ginny, and my prompt was "White Liar".
I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters.
White Liar:
It was two weeks before Christmas, and Harry was starting to get desperate. He, Ginny, and James were in Diagon Alley, and he was feverishly looking for a last minute Christmas gift for Ron.
"Maybe, we should try something muggle?" Ginny suggested, as they left yet another shop. "Ron does need help with his muggle clothes. What about a tie?"
"What about this one?" Harry asked, holding up a red tie. They were standing in a men's dress shop in a different part of London.
Ginny wrinkled her nose. "I think that red would look awful with his hair," she commented, turning her attention to the baby.
"What about this one? It's orange, you know, for the Chudley Cannons?"
"Uh huh," Ginny said as she pulled James' finger from his mouth.
"Should I get him an orange shirt, too? Or a hat or something? A tie seems awfully lame," Harry commented, looking across the store.
"No, NO, James, don't eat that. No, dear," Ginny said, pulling her hair from the baby's mouth.
"Thanks, Gin," Harry said, and went to stand in line at the register. Ginny looked up, surprised for a moment.
"What did I do?" she asked James, who made a gurgling noise in response. "I don't remember helping him with anything. I thought we were looking at ties," she called to Harry. He gave her a thumbs up and turned to pay. Ginny shook her head and started to pick up their other bags. Harry came over and took James and began to make faces at him. Ginny picked up a blue polo shirt and looked at it before putting it down.
"Do you think that Ron will like that?" she asked pointing to the shirt. "I was in here the other week with Hermione and I got him that for Christmas," she explained. Harry shrugged. "I thought blue, you know, to bring his eyes out," she said.
"Is that why I have so many green shirts?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. Ginny blushed in response and took the baby from him.
"Let's get home. It's almost time for James' nap and I've got to wrap a few presents."
"Ginny? Ginny?" Harry called, coming down the stairs on Christmas morning, "How do I look?"
"Great," Ginny said, as she fastened an earring. "Lovely, dear. Do you have Ron's tie?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's upstairs in the box," Harry said.
"Do you think that you should bring it?" she asked him, straightening his collar. He nodded and got the box. "It's not wrapped?" she asked him slowly.
"Should it be?" he asked. She threw up her hands in the air, exasperated. He nodded. "Where's the paper?" he asked.
She threw him a look. "It should have been wrapped when we brought it home. I've got to go get James ready. Figure it out," and she ran up the stairs.
It was Christmas Day, and Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and baby James were gathered in Hermione and Ron's living room. They had wanted a bit of quiet time to catch up, before heading to the Burrow for the annual Weasley Christmas celebration.
"Do I open this one, now?" asked Ron, pointing to the box wrapped badly in newspaper on his lap.
Harry nodded eagerly. "That one's from me. I picked it out myself. And wrapped it," he added, glancing at Ginny. Hermione pressed her lips together in an attempt not to smile.
Ron tore away the paper to reveal a small box; he opened it, and held up a bright orange tie.
"It's orange-for the Chudley Cannons," Harry explained. Ron held it up to his bright red hair and Hermione supressed a giggle. "But Ginny approved it," Harry whined, turning to look at Ginny.
"If I remember correctly, I said 'uh huh', while I was trying to stop James from eating his finger. I was a bit preoccupied."
"But, 'uh huh' means yes. So, therefore, you said yes to the tie! You lied to me!" Harry accused.
"Actually, I think that that would be more of a white lie," Hermione interjected. Ron rolled his eyes.
"Fine. You told me a white lie!" Harry amended.
"So, that would make me a white liar then?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow. When Harry nodded, she continued, looking down at her hands. "I am awfully pale."
There was a brief moment of silence before Ron said, "So. What are we going to do about the tie?"
"Shut up," Harry told him, without looking at him.
There was another silence, before James spit up on Ginny. Ron immediately started laughing. "Well, you're not pale now," he chortled.
Without a word, Ginny handed James to Hermione, who had gone to fetch a towel. She got up and began walking to Harry.
"Come here, Harry," she said to her husband, before giving him a hug, and passing baby spit-up to the front of his shirt. He ruffled her hair, and she glared at him before taking his glasses. He was just about to retaliate when-
"Both of you, get out of my living room before you drip sick all over the floor," Hermione ordered, pointing them to the bathroom.
They heard Ron say, "See? Aren't you happy we don't have a kid?" before they went down the hallway. Ginny wiped the mess off of her face, and then attempted her front, before throwing the towel at Harry. He held out a hand, and she gave him his glasses. He put them on, and cleaned himself off as best as he could, before turning around to Ginny.
"I think that you owe me a kiss," he said.
"For what?" she asked.
"For that lie you told me in the tie store," Harry said, with the air of someone explaining something to a toddler.
"According to Hermione, it was a white lie," she smirked.
"Well, you owe me a kiss then, for that white lie you told me," Harry amended. They leaned forward and kissed, and Harry forgot all about the tie, and Ginny forgot all about the mess she had just created in her best friend's living room.