"Oh, just look at them," the woman breathed softly and clasped her hand on over her husbands which was resting gently on her shoulder. "Look at how happy he is". She craned her neck and gazed into his hazel eyes.
"I know… They remind me of us, you know". The man gave his wife's hand a gentle squeeze. The pair were tucked into the corner of a well-lit family room. The woman was sitting in a comfortable, yet rarely used armchair in the corner; the man standing directly behind her. Immediately to her right was a fireplace that was casting a warm glow from the dying flames into the centre of the room. To her left, a large window that displayed the natural Welsh forest just a few meters East of the family home. It was grey outside, and light was quickly fading from the Winter day. There was no art hanging in this room, instead, in a slightly overcrowded, fashion there were moving photographs of varying sizes and hung mismatched frames lining the walls and covering the surfaces of the end tables and mantel piece.
The photographs showed a two to three second clip of when the picture was taken on a repeating loop. In addition to the typical milestone photos of weddings, ceremonies, and new babies there were also pictures of what seemed to be everyday occurrences. There was a small red-haired woman reading on the very same sofa that sat opposite the fireplace, a very pregnant woman frowning at a man standing over a stove with his back turned to the camera, small children playing in the dirt of a slightly overgrown garden. One could tell that whomever owned this house had a very large and very extended family. The largest photo sat atop the fireplace in a large silver frame. It depicted a candid shot of two people on their wedding day. They were dancing. The groom smiled at his bride and spun her into a low, almost clumsy, dip as she laughed and swung her arm to the top of her head to keep her rather orate tiara in place. When she came back up reached for his face and pulled him into a kiss as their friends and family laughed and clapped.
The woman remembered that day perfectly, watching her son get married was most definitely her favourite memory. She remembered watching her daughter-in-law walk down the isle and bursting into tears after the first kiss. She also remembered exactly where she was standing when that picture was taken.
Lily Potter and her husband James were standing just to the left of Luna Lovegood during Harry's first dance with his bride, Ginny Weasley. Lily even remembered the dress Luna wore. Hand sewn and made almost entirely out of peacock feathers, it was impossible to forget. Lily looked up at the photograph again, smiling at Harry's playful smirk right before he suddenly shifted his weight and pulled Ginny down low. Across the dance floor, slightly to the right was Luna and her outlandish dress. However, in the photograph, she was standing alone. Lily and James had been at every family gathering, major holiday, and milestone in Harry's life. She remembered fuming when he received his father's invisibility cloak for Christmas and cheering him on every Quidditch game. His childhood birthdays were the hardest. After watching her son be ignored and forgotten, she would sit at the end of his mattress and sing him to sleep. She would always try to reach out and stroke his hair, but she was never able to feel him. Almost like he wasn't there. James chose to stop attending Harry's birthday after the first few years.
Yes, Harry's parents had been there with him throughout his life, yet the only picture they were featured in a small frame hanging on the wall. It was their wedding day, and it was taken while they were still alive. Not ghosts, they were peaceful in death, they were invited to most Harry's life, particularly when he was feeling especially emotional or thinking of them.
After their deaths in 1981, James and Lily were only able to watch Harry's life as if they were a metaphorical fly on the wall. Apart from not being able to interact with their son, they found death to be quite peaceful. Most of their family and friends had joined them after what seemed like no time at all. Lily even took special care to spend time with Fred Weasley as most of his loved ones were still on Earth and she took great pride in being able to care for Molly Weasley's child as Molly does for Harry.
Currently, Lily and James were watching Harry and Ginny putter around the house preparing for the evening. Harry was tiding the family room room, lazily flicking his wand around, dusting the lamps, folding Ginny's reading blanket and draping it over the slightly oversized couch, and fluffing the many cozy pillows that were strewn around the room.
…~*~*…*~*~…
Harry pointed his wand at the arm chair beside the fire place, it pulled slightly forward and adjusted its angle. Making quick work of the sitting room, he turned around to catch Ginny's eye. A smile bloomed across his face, and his eyes sparkled as he raised his eyebrows. She returned the expression and quickly looked down at her handiwork. She was hand-kneading dough for tonight's dinner rolls – a recipe passed down from Molly.
"They're going to be here in thirty minutes." She sung as she put the dough in a bowl to rise and glanced at the clock. She leaned over the counter and twisted her shoulders towards Harry. "More like forty-five before everyone gets here." She sighed excitedly.
"I know," he whispered. Harry wrapped an arm gently around her waist and kissed the crook of her neck. He placed his chin on top of Ginny's forehead "I know!" He exclaimed in a hushed tone.
Ginny craned her neck to look at her husband, "I'm telling everyone as soon as they all get here. I'm not waiting until we've all settled for dinner."
"Agreed." He beamed again, "I don't think I can keep it in for another second. Besides, I think that chicken is going to be a while yet." He gestured to the oven where Ginny has put a rather large roast chicken in just five minutes prior."
"Hush, you love my cooking!" She playfully batted Harry away as she finished up with the rolls.
"Absolutely dear," he pecked her on the cheek before he started setting the table, "You're a wonderful cook. "We just eat our meals one dish at a time." He teased. His cheeks were starting to ache. Ginny rolled her eyes but muttered in agreement. While a fantastic cook, she did lack some basic organizational skills in the kitchen.
"Do you think they'll know?" Harry asked, "I want it to be a surprise"
"I doubt it, considering we didn't know until a few hours ago. Especially not now, with only a few games left in the season."
"But if you think about it, now's the perfect time, we'll be settled enough so you can pick back up at the beginning of next."
Ginny paused, "I don't know if I'd want to go back." She thought out loud. Harry's face faltered.
"But you love Quidditch! What would you do instead?"
"I do; I do love Quidditch but I'm also having a baby!" She gestured towards her middle, "I don't know, I've only just thought about it, we've plenty of time to sort it out."
"True," Harry stopped at looked at Ginny "We're having a baby!" He exclaimed almost in disbelief. His cheeks were really starting to burn now.
…~*~*…*~*~…
Lily and had moved from her arm chair and leaned against the fridge as she watched Harry and Ginny laugh and revelled in their excitement. She was alone now, James had probably gone to fetch Sirius. Lily knew he would want to be a part of this.
"It feels different this time." James said.
"It does… That was quick, did you find Sirius?"
"He'll be here" James answered. "Do you remember the day we found out you were pregnant?"
"I was just thinking about that. You cried." Lily teased, "…So did Sirius, actually." Lily suddenly remembered.
"Of course I cried." James sniffed, "It was the first good news we'd had in a long time."
"And I was just overly tired. I had just gotten back from a five-day mission and I got maybe ten hours of sleep all together." Sirius defended himself.
"It was three and a half days, and you slept just fine!" Lily tutted and jokingly smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand. "Don't forget I was the one who was to meet you in Romania and when you didn't show."
"Found you sleeping on some muggle couch in Devon." James shook his head. "Thought you were dead, but meanwhile you were just having a nice little nap in some old lady's office."
"I made sure they were on holiday!" Sirius and Lily spoke in unison, Sirius mock defending himself, Lily just plain mocking him. The three of them laughed and continued to watch Harry and Ginny finish setting for dinner.
"Anything else you'd like help with, Love?" Harry asked as he finished clearing the prep dishes.
"Can you bring me the good serving dishes?" Ginny asked while she was fiddling with the roast chicken.
"The good serving dishes?" His brow furrowed
"Well it is a special occasion, don't you think?"
"Yes. Of course," Harry bit his lip, "I'll get them for you." Harry looked around, confused.
"They're in the cupboard to the right of the sink!" Lily called out to him, knowing full well he couldn't hear her. "No, to the right! The right my boy!" Lily gave a sad smile while Harry continued to look in odder and odder places. Ginny looked over at what was taking so long, to find Harry looking very confused.
"That's where we keep the mixing bowls. Honestly, we've lived here for years and you cook more than I do... Do just not pay attention?" Ginny said exasperatedly.
"Not when you're in the kitchen, I don't"
"Nice save!" Hissed James as Ginny's scowl turned into a shy smile. She pulled out a delicate gold and ivory serving set that Harry swore he'd never seen in his life.
…~*~*…*~*~…
Hermione and Ron were the first to arrive. They brought with them Ron's homemade mulled apple cider. Hermione had recently cut her hair shoulder length. Without the added length, her curls hung nicely in shiny, bouncy locks. They'd come straight from the ministry, Ron was still wearing his dark blue work robes. He had recently started in the auror department of the Ministry, after quitting George's joke shop. For the first few years after Fred's death, he helped George run the place. But he seemed to have a handle on it, so now he was working as a Junior Auror directly under Cepheus Ligmum, a peer of Harry's. Hermione wore a smart black dress that fell just below her knees, pair with low and sensible dragon hide heels. After the fall of the Lord Voldemort, attitudes towards muggles and muggle born witches and wizards changed. Wearing muggle clothing in everyday life was becoming more acceptable and was starting to become a fashion trend, particularly among young witches.
"Hello, thank you for coming on such short notice." Ginny called from the kitchen. Harry took the cider from Ron and offered him a hug. He kissed Hermione on the check. Percy Audrey and their daughter, Molly, flooed in from the fireplace. Audrey was pregnant with their second child and was just starting to show.
"It smells absolutely wonderful in here, Ginny." Hermione trailed into the kitchen. "How are you feeling?"
Lily gasped "Oh, she knows!"
"They just found out themselves, how could she possibly know from a last-minute dinner invitation?" James asked, completely perplexed.
"She is the brightest witch I have ever seen, James." Sirius praised. "The way her mind works rivals Dumbledore. I would put nothing past Hermione Granger. Seeing her like this doesn't do her justice. You'll have to wait and meet her."
"I can't wait to meet them." Said James.
"I can wait a few more years. We're not going anywhere." Said Lily. She hopped up onto the counter top to get a better view of the table.
"I'll second that," a familiar voice spoke from behind them. Fred had joined the group. He sat down beside Lily.
"Glad you came, Fred." Said Lily.
"It's not a Weasley gathering with out me." He chuckled. George was the next to arrive, with his new girlfriend Angelina. "I crashed their first date you know." Fred gently prodded Lily's ribs with his elbow and pointed with his chin. She cautiously raised her eyebrows. "Literally and figuratively, I sat right between them at dinner and before the main course was over, George was seducing her with all the pranks and antics that I got up to."
"It's good to see him. I haven't seen him since Fleur's baby shower. He's looking good." Lily said. James and Sirius murmured in agreement.
"She had the baby. A girl; Dominque." Fred offered.
Fred was talking Ron about Quidditch and seemed to be getting into a well-mannered disagreement. Ginny and Hermione were busy filling everyone's glasses and preparing the last of the meal. Harry and Angelina hadn't seen each other since Hogwarts. While they were catching up, Harry kept exchanging looks with Ginny whenever she walked by. Harry had a hard time listening to what Angelina had to say, he was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.
The house was starting to fill with Weasleys. Molly, Arthur, Bill, Fleur and their two kids were that last to arrive. The new baby was six months old and fussy. Fleur spent a lot of time at the Burrow. Bill still worked away for long stretches of time and the stress was starting to show on Fleur. She was still beautiful, but her eyes were tired, and she wore her hair in a loose style that looked like it could use a wash. Her blouse, while clean was very wrinkled. Bill looked equally as drained. Arthur seemed to be the only one who was able to get Dominique to stop crying for any meaningful length of time.
"'ello 'Arry, do you 'ave somewhere we can put 'er down?" Fleur gestured to the sleeping baby in her arms, whom had, by some miracle, managed to stay asleep during the Floo ride.
"You can put her in our room." Fleur and Bill followed Harry down the hall.
"I swear, everyday, Mum's hair gets greyer and greyer." Stated Fred. Molly was starting to get distinguished grey streaks around her temples and the crown of her head. She had finished brushing the soot off Victoire and was working on her own clothing.
"Arthur dear, don't track that everywhere! It looks like Ginny's just done the floors." Molly called after her husband.
"It's amazing how quickly time flies when you're dead." James joked.
"James. Don't be morbid." Lily chastised.
"Well Love, we are deceased." He replied.
"Yes but, let us all remember how long of an adjustment period that was." She pointed at Fred with her eyes.
"Oh, don't fuss over me." Fred rolled his eyes, "I'm fine."
Lily sighed, "I know you are, dear." She put a hand on his shoulder
"Actually Mum, Harry does all the cleaning." Ginny corrected as she gave her mother into a quick hug. "Thank you for coming."
"Oh, anytime darling. It was a welcome surprise. You know we don't see enough of you." Said Molly.
"Oh Audrey, I can take that wine from you." Ginny bustled into the kitchen. "Hermione, could you put this in the fridge for me?"
Molly smiled, "Oh, Harry! There you are dear, come here. It's been far too long."
"Molly, it has been far too long." Harry pulled her into a loving embrace. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to make it to dinner in a while." Weekly dinners were hosted at the Burrow every Sunday, without fail since Victoire was born. Harry had missed the past four due to work. He and his team were working with authorities in Belgium, trying to bust a terrorist organization based out of Bruges.
"Oh, no don't be silly, we know you're busy with work and we've been busy too with the new grandbaby. Arthur tells me you're up for a promotion?"
"I'm not too sure, actually. This Belgian gang keeps slipping out from between my fingers. There was another attack on muggles just yesterday. Had to cover it up as an engineering failure."
"Nonsense. You re-built that department from it's ashes. If anyone deserves that promotion, it's you. Just keep working away and doing your best. If anyone can catch them it's you, dear." Molly patted his shoulder
"Thanks." Harry smiled for what felt like the thousandth time today.
"Does it get easier," Fred asked Lily gesturing to Harry and Molly. "Being this close but not being able to talk to them or touch them?"
"I don't know if it gets easier exactly, but you get used to it. I'm incredibly grateful for your family taking him and I take a lot of comfort knowing that I'll see him again soon."
"And happy days like this are much easier than the terrible days." James added. Lily and Sirius nodded.
…~*~*…*~*~…
The Weasleys had begun to settle down. The adults had poured themselves drinks, Molly and Victoire were playing in another room, the baby was sleeping in the master bedroom and the smell of roast was beginning to fill the house.
"So, Mum, why the sudden change of venue?" Bill asked, sipping his cider.
"Yes, we've been 'aving Sunday Dinner at zee Burrow forever." Fleur added.
"Oh, I don't know. I just got an owl this afternoon from Harry, saying that he would be able to make it tonight, but he insisted on hosting."
"Well Ginny's rolls smell just as good as Mum's." Said George. "And it's good to see you Harry. We were starting to wonder if you'd finally had enough of this one and taken off" He pointed at Ginny.
"It feels good to be back with the family -" Harry started, slowly gathering everyone's attention.
"We actually brought you all here because we have n –" Ginny interrupted.
"She's pregnant!" Harry blurted loudly. A look of slight confusion spread across the rest of the family. Lily grabbed James's hand.
"What?" Asked Ron.
"Oh Ginny, I knew it!" Hermione gasped and hugged her tightly.
"No - Ginny! You're pregnant?!" Bill asked.
"Yes, yes! Everyone I'm pregnant!" She called from underneath Hermione's grip. The room exploded into a mass of excited congratulations. The invisible guests joined in as well.
"Congratulations to the both of you!"
"We're so happy for you!"
"You'll make a wonderful father, my love."
Lily, James, Sirius, and Fred all stood just outside the circle that had formed around the Potters. They called out their well-wishes, hoping that somehow, they would make their way Harry and Ginny. Lily especially liked to believe her presence made a difference. Sometimes she liked to pretend people in the living world could feel her energy or pick up on it subconsciously.
Another round of hugs went around. Ron threw his arms around Harry and murmured something along the lines of "congrats man". Hermione started tearing up when she hugged Harry.
"Who would have guessed?" She whispered in his ear.
"Thank you. For everything." Harry whispered back. When they broke apart, both of them were full on crying. Ginny was crying too. She was hugging her parents and had started to sob. Harry reached through Molly and Arthur to get to her. They kissed through thick tears. Ginny rest her head on Harry's shoulder.
"James, we're going to have a little grand baby." James rubbed Lily's shoulder.
"I know. I know I can't wait to see the little guy."
"Oh, I'm going to burn dinner!" Ginny rushed back into the kitchen, Harry and Hermione followed. They emerged a few moments later with plates of food, and a big bowl full of slightly crispy dinner rolls.
…~*~*…*~*~…
Dinner started with a swing, the family had many questions surrounding Ginny's pregnancy.
"When did you find out?" Hermione asked Ginny.
"About an hour before I wrote you lot" Harry answered. Ginny nodded in agreement.
"'Arry, are you wanting for a leetle boy or a leetle girl?" Fleur peered around the table.
"Oh, I don't care in the slightest." Harry waved his hand. "I do hope they look like me though." He added.
"HA, worried Gin's been getting a little too friendly with the milkman, eh, Harry?" George roared.
"No no, nothing like that." Harry said quickly. Ginny furrowed her brow. "I just… People say I look like my dad and I just thought it would be nice to have someone in the family…" He trailed off and the table quieted slightly.
"Someone in the family who looked like you" Lily said quietly. The mood around the four of them changed drastically. Lily buried her head in her hands. "That." She said turning to Fred, "That never gets easier." She chocked on her words and shook her head.
James sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "It's ok… He'll see us again." He said reassuringly.
"I know… I know. But it's still hard." Lily sniffed and wiped the tears off her face. Even though new tears were rolling down to replace the one's she'd brushed away.
Someone at the table started asking about names. Something neither Harry nor Ginny had even thought to think about.
"Well, they've had their moment. Do you think we ought to get back?" James asked the other three. They nodded in agreement.
Fred paused a moment. He walked over to where Ginny was sitting and did his best to fit his hand around where her shoulder looked to be. He couldn't feel anything living and he doubted she could feel him, despite what Lily thinks. He gave the air a squeeze.
"You're going to make a wonderful mum, Gin." He whispered while Ginny laughed at something Ron was saying. Fred then wondered over to George. He tried to position himself between George and the table as best he could. It was difficult, as the table and chair were solid, but George was not. Fred put his arms around him, closed his eyes and squeezed the empty air. "Goodbye, George. Take care of mum. Give Percy Hell… You'll see me again soon."
…~*~*…*~*~…