Ginny/Harry. Written for the Ginny Challenge and the Harry Lover Challenge, both by Lord Harry James Potter, and the A to Z Phobia Challenge, by acciohope15. I hope you enjoy.
Ginny felt the draught seep into her house in Godric's Hollow and fear clawed like an enraged cat in her stomach. Her breath made steam and condensation on the window she looked out of, her fingers on the glass left prints and the snow outside was only getting wilder. At this rate, she'd be inside all winter. The very thought of the freezing snow on her skin made her gasp. It'd be the worst way to die. She'd take the Cruciatus Curse over it.
It was something that had been inside of her for most of her life, something she had been silently ashamed of. Brave, fiery-haired Ginevra Weasley, the youngest and only daughter of the Pureblood Weasley family, was frigophobic. The wife of the heroic Harry Potter, who displayed no fear and defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, was frigophobic.
She was afraid of the cold.
Ginny wasn't particularly afraid of anything but it. Spiders and snakes didn't faze her, despite almost being killed by a Basilisk in her first year at Hogwarts. But ever since one severe punishment for defending a little Hufflepuff boy in her sixth year, when Harry was off saving the universe, she'd been afraid of the cold. They took her outside of the castle and forced her to lie down in the torturous snow, and she was all alone, even though the Carrows stayed with her in their thick coats, and they watched her curl up in the snow, wearing only her flimsy white blouse and short skirt. Her face, arms, collar bones and legs from the mid-thigh down were exposed to the cold. It gnawed at her, and her fingers were going numb and unmoving, and she honestly thought she was going to die out there, but then her time was up, and the Carrows took her back inside. It was the only punishment she'd received when she'd let herself cry out.
And ever since, she was frigophobic.
She tugged out of her haunting thoughts and continued gazing out at her death. She felt hands on her waist and didn't start, knowing it was Harry. One of the things she adored about Harry was that he was always warm.
He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, rested his hands on her abdomen and put his chin on the top of her head in a loving hug.
"You're going to go out there, Ginny," he whispered into her hair.
Ginny shook her head, muffling a whimper.
"Gin, you're better than this. The Ginevra Weasley I know wouldn't let something as mundane and unavoidable as the elements defeat her."
Ginny remained silent, her eyes still staring at the snow.
Harry let go for a moment, and then she felt something heavy on her shoulders, and fur brushing her face. "Nothing's going to happen. I'm with you." And he began whispering sweet, affectionate, soothing things that made Ginny's heart pound.
Ginny looked to her side and saw a thick winter coat on her shoulders, like the one the Carrows wore but with less blood stains and more soft fur. She wriggled into it and waited by the door as Harry pulled on his own.
As soon as Harry got into his coat, he held out a hand to Ginny and she took it, lacing her glove-clad fingers into his own. Her eyes stared sadly out of the window on the front door, at the snow still falling. Her teeth worried on her lower lip until it was swollen and cherry red.
Harry planted a tender kiss on her mouth. "Do you really think I'd let anything happen to you?"
Ginny had to shake her head at that.
He smirked. "Beside, what's winter without playing in the snow?"
Ginny smiled and they both ventured out into the cold wonderland.
When Ginny felt the first snowflake burn faintly on her skin, she tensed up, eyes widening, remembering. She hated it. She forced her muscles to unclench. Ginny, you're with Harry. Don't be a chicken. She swallowed her memories up and carried on.
Harry suddenly tumbled over in the snow and Ginny yelped. She quickly got to her knees, ignoring the ice seeping through her jeans into her legs, and began to dig into the snow for him, just like she once did. She had no need to worry, however—he emerged, his nose red from the cold and silently laughing. Ginny's face softened in relief. His nose was so red; Ginny had no choice but to kiss it.
Harry smiled at the kiss and lay down fully in the snow. Only this time, he pulled Ginny down with him, resting on him so her skin only skimmed the pristine, bitter white blanket.
Ginny began to shiver, so Harry wrapped his arms around her even tighter, his breath, smelling of his spearmint toothpaste, warming her face. Ginny could also smell the outdoors, that fresh smell you get after rain. Above her, the snowflakes were falling steadily, glittering in the sun that shone down but provided no heat. The cold was very uncomfortable, and she was still very nervous, but with her Saviour beside her, she knew she was safe. Suddenly, she was crying, tears streaming down her face.
Harry stared at her in horror. "Oh, come on, Gin, please don't cry. You know how bad I am at comforting crying girls. You were doing so well. There's nothing to be afraid of."
Ginny wiped her eyes. "It's not that. I feel much better now, anyway."
"You're not crying because you're frigophobic? Why are you crying?"
Ginny's lips pressed together so that her mouth was a straight line.
"Gin…"
"I'm pregnant," she confessed.
Harry looked at her, and she looked at him, and the snow falling in their hair, and the angry cat started pawing feebly inside of her. She could imagine millions of butterflies whacking the sides of her stomach with their frail wings.
What if he didn't want this? What if he wanted her to abort it? He was twenty-two, for Merlin's sake!
"Do you want to keep it?" he whispered.
"What?" Ginny asked.
He was blushing now. "It's your choice. Having a baby is a really extreme thing and you're the girl having to go through with all of the pain and everything, so I don't really—"
Ginny felt a little warmer, despite the sub-zero temperature. "Do you want the baby?"
"I just said—"
"If it was your choice, would you keep the baby? Do you want the baby?" Ginny repeated.
Harry gazed at her. "Of course I want the baby."
Ginny began to cry again. "Then we keep it!"
"Why are you crying?"
"I don't know!" Ginny laughed, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
"You're insane!"
"I know!"
And they were both laughing, and now Ginny would have a new memory to return to whenever she saw snow.
She didn't think she was afraid of the cold anymore.
-Fin.
This is a one-shot, which means there will be no sequel. Ever.