Hi friends! This is a little sad but happy one-shot that popped into my head. Hope you enjoy it's brief sweetness! I'd love to hear what you think!
The war had left huge scars in her family. Fred was gone, and George was a shadow of himself. Percy was still in intensive care at St. Mungos. Harry had technically died. Remus, Dean, and even Snape were gone. Some days she wasn't sure how to start living again.
She and Harry had sat together one morning a couple of days after the last battle. Staring across the slowly regrowing backyard of the Burrow, they had understood each other's need to move forward, not back. Harry had kissed her on the cheek and wished her luck with whoever she dated next.
"Who knows, maybe you'll open your eyes and find someone's been there the whole time." He'd said with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Although he'd been offered a dozen apprenticeships or continued schooling, Harry'd decided he needed to escape Britain for a while. He was leaving in a few days for the States. Bill had a connection that he'd used to find Harry a place to stay for at least the next month.
She was pretty sure Harry didn't have the sight in his family. But not two weeks later, Ginny had looked up as someone tumbled out of the floo, and noticed for the first time how pretty Nymphadora Tonks was.
She had a fussy baby at home, was grieving her husband and too-short marriage, and was covered in soot. But somehow in that moment Ginny felt like her eyes were open for the first time.
For the next six months, she volunteered for babysitting duty on days Tonks had to go in to work, and reconstruction of Hogwarts when she heard Tonks would be there. She tried to avoid out and out stalking, but wasn't entirely sure Tonks would notice even so.
Luckily, Teddy was actually an awesome baby, and she ended up loving her time with him. She started to talk to him openly, without worrying the way she did with everyone else.
"Time for food, little man!" She announced to him at noon a day seven months after the battle. "Let's try some of these mushy carrots...yum."
He gave her a look that said clearly the carrots would be a battle today.
"Yeah, it looks like crap. Still have to eat it, though." she said with a shrug.
While attempting to get a spoonful into his mouth, she decided to try and distract him with a story.
"Once upon a time, really recently to me, but ages ago to you, a beautiful princess fell out of a fireplace into the, er, flying dragon-slayer's lap. She looked down at the princess and realized that even though she was so sad, she deserved to find happiness again someday. And she decided to try and help her find that happiness, you know, someday far enough down the road that she'd healed a little. But she also decided in the meantime to help with the little prince so she could be close to the princess and make sure she was taking care of herself, too."
"So that's why you keep volunteering to babysit Teddy." came Tonks' calm voice from the kitchen doorway.
Ginny spun around so quickly she nearly knocked over Teddy's high chair. She twisted back to stabilize him and quickly stuffed another spoonful in his mouth while he was distracted. Then she turned back to Tonks, who was still lounging against the doorframe.
"Um...You weren't actually supposed to hear that." Ginny muttered, feeling her face turn bright red. "I mean, I really do like Teddy, and I'm not trying to stalk you or anything, and I don't expect anything from you..." her voice petered out as the older woman just kept watching her with calm grey eyes (which Ginny had recently learned was her natural eye color, she really was a Black).
Ginny sighed, set down the carrots, and stood up. "Listen, Tonks. I like you, a lot, and if you ever want me, I'm here." She grabbed her bag from the counter. "I'll just get out of your hair now." She made to move past Tonks to the front hall.
She was stopped in the doorway by a hand on her arm.
"Give me some more time, okay, Gin?" Tonks said quietly. She peered into the younger woman's eyes. "I like you, too," she said even more quietly, "or at least I know I will, but I'm still grieving right now."
"Of course!" Ginny said earnestly. "You take whatever time you need, Tonks. And I can give you more space if you want." She tried not to feel too resigned.
Teddy gave a howl at that moment, breaking the tension and causing both women to laugh.
"Clearly you can't leave us to our own devices." Tonks said, still chuckling. She looked again at Ginny with sober eyes. "Truly Ginny, we both like having you around. As long as you don't mind being patient."
Ginny just gave her a bright grin, and dumped her bag back in its spot.
"Guess those carrots aren't all bad, huh, bud?" She asked Teddy with a quirked eyebrow. Tonks' retreating snort gave her a warm fuzzy feeling in her chest.
Nearly a year after that, Tonks and Ginny told their families and close friends that they were dating. Most of their dates were to the park or zoo and involved a toddler third wheel, but they occasionally got out to a nice dinner by themselves.
Ginny accepted the Hollyhead Harpies' very generous starting bonus, after convincing Tonks that if they moved in together and combined finances, only one of them would need to work. Tonks had felt a duty to the DMLE, but the war had been over for two years, and it was still hard to face every day of getting up to chase down bad guys and have spells shot at her. Ginny was also the one who'd convinced her that therapy for both of them would probably be a healthy choice.
After three years, on the anniversary or Remus's death, Ginny offered her a ring, promising to never try to replace her husband, and to help Teddy to know what a great father he'd had. Tonks pulled a small velvet pocket from her robes and offered it to Ginny.
"I've been carrying this around for a couple months." She said with a smirk, and a bright flash of bubblegum pink hair.
Ginny was struck dumb for a moment as she looked at the elegant ruby bracketed by small diamonds. Then she launched herself onto her fiancée.
Their wedding was as small as anything involving the Weasleys, the Golden Trio, and the remaining Black women (who had finally come together over the grave of their insane sister) could be. The back garden of the country home the brides had purchased together was covered in ribbons and blooms. Teddy made a very dashing picture in his suit, and made everyone tear up when he changed his hair to Weasley red as the women were declared wife and wife.