Written For:

Quidditch Fanfiction League Competition: Round 5
Captain - Use the title of a story written by your Keeper for inspiration (I used Party Blues)

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Southern Fun Fair
Hedge Maze - (food) chocolate cake

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Eastern Fun Fair
Hook a Ship - G15: yacht! - Prompt: sailing

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Northern Fun Fair
Tunnel of Love - Banana Boat 1 – Harry/Ginny

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Hamilton Mania
Act One - Falling in love - (genre) romance - Optional Prompt - (word) fortune

HPFC: Build a Zoo
Lions - Little Boy - Harry Potter

HPFC: Favorite House Bootcamp
Gryffindor - Prompt - Fool

HPFC: Pairing DiversityBootcamp
HarryGinny - Prompt - Godly

HPFC: Character Diversity Bootcamp
Ginny Weasley - Prompt - Strange

Party Blues

XX

Harry's eyes are closed. He hears noise going on outside of the bedroom. Nothing can touch him within his sanctuary, though.

The door opens.

'Almost nothing,' Harry mentally corrects himself.

"So this is where you're hiding," Ginny wryly muses,

"Go away," Harry mumbles.

"Oh, that will be a no. This is your party, and you're moping in our bedroom."

"Exactly. It's my party. I should be able to do whatever I want to do."

"Oh, come on, Harry."

Although his eyes remain stubbornly close, he can almost see her roll her eyes. "It's my party, and I'll mope if I want to."

"You'll miss Ron dancing like a fool," she attempts to bribe.

"There will be other parties where I can see that." Truthfully, he loves seeing Ron dance. It's usually the highlight of the night when it happens, but he just doesn't feel like it.

Ginny sighs. "Most people in the Wizarding world still think you're godly. If only they could see you now."

He finally opens his eyes and sits up, resting his back against the bed's headboard. He crosses his arms over his chest, a frown on his face. "I don't find my attitude that strange. Maybe I should have just taken Kingsley up on his offer and went sailing for the week. He must have known how I was going to feel."

"First of all, Kingsley might know what it's like to turn fifty, and that's why he offered sailing to you. But that doesn't mean you should accept it. He doesn't have a family to celebrate with; you do. And your family wants to see you on your fifth birthday."

Harry winces. He hates that word. "Don't say that. I'm not…" he trails off, unable to even vocalize the ugly word.

Ginny chuckles. It's normally a sound that makes his heart beat fast, even after all these years, but right now, he feels like she's laughing at him. "You're turning fifty tomorrow. Deal with it."

"I know witches and wizards have the good fortune of living longer lives than Muggles, but fifty is still half a century. I feel so old."

Ginny moves towards their bed and crawls on her hands and knees so she sits next to him. "You're not old."

"I feel it." It's true that his bones don't creak yet, but he can't help but feel it's right around the corner.

"How? You're still an active Auror. You play Quidditch with the kids. It's not like you lay around all day every day staring at the ceiling. If you acted old, you know I would be first to tell you."

"Our kids are all out of Hogwarts. I mean, I know they've been for a while, but I guess it really hasn't hit me until now."

Ginny rests her head against Harry's shoulder. Her free-falling hair tickles his cheek as he rests his cheek on top of her head. "When I look at you, I don't see someone that is fifty. I see the same boy I fell in love with all of those years ago."

Harry frowns. "I'm not sure how to stop feeling like this." He's spoiling the party that Ginny, and the rest of their family, worked so hard to set up for him. It makes him feel guilty, but he can't force himself to have a good time when he's feeling like this.

"Well, we can get out of this room and go to your birthday party. The kids would like to see their father at his party. The feeling will go away in time once you see that you're not old." Her hand touches his stomach. It trails lower, stopping to rest on his belt buckle.

His body reacts slightly. It's not a full reaction, but Harry smiles, pleased that it still works and doesn't need extra help.

"I see that," Ginny teases, "Too bad we have a house full of people waiting for the guest of honor to come back to the party. Let's go, Mr. Potter."

"I can't wait until you turn fifty."

Ginny rolls her eyes and stands up from the bed. "Come on, Great Savior of the World. Your guests await you."

Harry reluctantly stands up. "I guess I can't hide away from the party forever. Okay, I'm ready."

They leave his precious sanctuary. When they get downstairs, the party is still in full swing. Ron is dancing with no rhythm. Hermione is laughing at him behind her hand. George and Percy are arguing. Charlie, Bill, and Fleur are huddled together. Molly is trying to ply anyone who crosses her path with food. And the kids are in various states: drunk, sober, giddy, and annoyed.

All in all, it doesn't look like anyone noticed he was missing.

Red hair catches his attention. It's not like Weasleys' trademark shade; instead, it's like another woman he has heard about but doesn't remember.

Lily has two plates in her hand as she comes over to them. "Here. I saved two pieces of chocolate cake for you."

Harry and Ginny take the offered sweets. "They already cut the cake? " he asks incredulously. "Without me?" he adds, just as disbelievingly.

"Uncle Ron and Freddy didn't want to wait, and you were nowhere to be found."

Ginny elbows him, almost making him drop his cake. "That's what you get for hiding away."

"Where were you?" Lily asks.

Harry averts his eyes.

Lily doesn't need to know his feelings. But then again, he forgot how perceptive she is and how well she knows him. "You were moping about turning fifty, weren't you?"

"Maybe."

"Dad, it's not that big of a deal."

Harry's gaze locks with Lily's warm brown eyes. "You say that now, but just wait until it's your turn. You won't find it so amusing."

Ginny and Lily share twin eye rolls.

"Well, Daddy, I'm about to make you feel even older."

"Lily, really? Are you sure?" Ginny inquires, hope in her voice.

Harry doesn't know what's Lily's alluding to, but Ginny seems to have an idea. "What is it? What's going on?"

"I didn't want to take attention away from you on your birthday, but you're going to be a grandpa again."

Harry drops the cake. His mouth opens and then closes. James and Albus are already fathers, so it won't be his first grandchild, but Lily is his little girl. It feels different.

"Daddy, say something," Lily pleads.

"Harry, you okay?"Ginny asks, tilting her head slightly so she can look into Harry's eyes.

Harry steps on the spilled cake, uncaring of the mess. He wraps his arms around Lily. Over Lily's shoulder, he sees Ginny place her cake on a nearby table and then she joins in on the embrace.

"This news is the best birthday present ever."

"Feel old?" Ginny jokingly asks.

"Yes, but it's the best reason to feel old. My baby girl is having a baby."

James, who is passing them at the time, stops and stares at the trio in shock. "Lily is pregnant!?"

Of course, he says it so loud that more people hear, and they repeat it, so even more people hear it. It's definitely the domino effect.

Everyone gathers around Lily with shouts of congratulations.

Harry and Ginny take a step back, so Lily can receive the praise.

"Best birthday ever," Harry whispers.

"Now I feel old," Ginny whispers back.

Harry puts his arm across Ginny's shoulders and pats the shoulder that his hand is close to. Maybe being fifty wasn't so bad after all.

XX

(word count: 1,256)