Ginny was flicking through her photo album. It had pictures from when she was a baby, up until now. The first picture had a tiny round face smiling up at her. The latest picture had a picture of a tall red-headed man, a very pretty brunette, a tall dark haired man with glasses and a red-headed, freckly young woman all smiling brightly. This was a picture of Ginny and her best friends, Ron (her brother), Hermione, Harry (her boyfriend) and herself. It was taken at Ron's 23th birthday, 4 months ago. This was one if Ginny's favourite pictures. She smiled looking at the pictures of her as a child at Hogwarts. It seemed so long ago she left Hogwarts. So long ago Harry had defeated Voldemort… The thought made Ginny feel as if she was as old as poor Bathilda Bagshot when she died some years ago.
There was a knock at the door, gathering it was just Ron wanting something, Ginny said irritably, "Urgh, what is it?"
"Ginny!" cried the familiar voice of Harry Potter as he opened the door.
Ginny was so confused. Mum had told her that Harry was in Scotland doing some work for the Aurors (he was a trainee), and that he wouldn't come to The Burrow for Christmas! Ginny flung herself into Harry's arms.
"Mum told me you wouldn't be coming!" Ginny gasped.
"Yeah… I kinda wanted it to be a surprise…" Harry said.
"Well you certainly gave me a surprise!"
Ginny's lips touched Harry's. She hadn't seen him since Ron's birthday, which was the longest they had been apart!
"How are you?!" Harry asked as soon as they broke apart.
"Better now that you're here. It's always awful dreary without you… or Fred…"
Ginny still couldn't get over that fact that Fred was dead. Harry knew not to say anything.
Harry and Ginny sat down on Ginny's soft bed.
"So, how long are you staying?" asked Ginny, wishing Harry would reply, "Forever!"
"10 weeks." Harry was grinning from ear to ear.
"10 weeks!" Ginny was doing the same as Harry. "But what about your training?"
"Well… about that…" Harry sounded sorrow.
Ginny feared for the worst.
"Harry you're not fried are you?"
"No! I got the job!"
Ginny literally jumped on Harry bowling him over.
"Harry that's wonderful!" Ginny cried with excitement.
"Dinners ready!" called up Mrs Weasley.
Ginny took Harry's hand and they ran downstairs.
"I see you found Ginny Harry." Hermione smiled.
"Hermione! Did you come with Harry?!" cried Ginny.
Ginny hugged Hermione.
"Yep."
"I thought you were meant to be at work!" said Ginny.
"Well, let's say I just got some time off." Hermione laughed.
Everyone sat at the table. All the Weasleys, Hermione, Harry and little Teddy Lupin gathered at a rather small table.
"Dig in!" Mrs Weasley said.
Everyone ate their roast chicken quickly. Little 6 year old Teddy Lupin was sitting next to Ginny. He pulled on her shirt.
"Aunty Gin, can you help me cut my chicken? It's a bit tuff!" asked the toothless Teddy.
"Of course Ted!" replied Ginny pleasantly, taking his cutlery.
Ginny cut his chicken into little bite sized pieces.
"Fanks Aunt Gin!" Teddy smiled as he put a piece of chicken in his mouth.
After dinner everyone gathered around the fire in the overcrowded lounge room. Mrs Weasley asked if anyone wanted some coffee.
"Yes please Aunty Molly!" Teddy replied eagerly.
Everyone laughed, but little Teddy had no idea why.
"Oh Teddy dear, coffee isn't for little boys!" Mrs Weasley laughed. "I will get you some hot cocoa."
So Mrs Weasley flicked her wand and noises could be heard from the kitchen. When the 5 coffees plus a cocoa were made, they flew into the room and landed in the hands of the people desiring them. Teddy almost dropped his cocoa, but luckily didn't. Harry sipped his coffee and put an arm around Ginny. She looked at him and smiled. Teddy finished his cocoa in 3 big gulps!
"Now, off to bed with you Ted! And baby Fred." Mrs Weasley said.
Fred was Bill and Fleur's little 2 year old son. He was named in honour of Fred Weasley.
"But me not tired! And neeva is Fred!" Teddy protested.
"Well you have to go to bed now, its late. Give everyone a good night hug now!" Mr Weasley said.
Teddy did the round and gave everyone a big hug. He ran at Ginny and jumped on her. He knocked her hot coffee onto her lap.
"Ah shi-… vers…" Ginny cried.
Teddy looked like he was about to cry.
"I'm sorry Aunt Gin…" he said sobbing.
"Bed now Ted, its ok." Ginny said warmly.
Mrs Weasley picked up Fred from Fleur's lap and led Ted upstairs to their attic room. The little boys had to sleep in the tiny attic above Ron's room. It smelled rotten and stale up there. Everyone guessed it was the ghoul that used to live in there.
It struck ten thirty and everyone except Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione went to bed. The warm, comforting fire was still blazing in front of them. Ron looked at Hermione, then Harry. His eyes asked a question. Harry nodded.
"Hey Hermione… you're a girl…" Ron said.
"You're not asking me to the Yulle Ball are you?" Hermione laughed.
"Well no, I was actually asking if you would marry me." Ron added.
Hermione's eyes widened. Ginny was as surprised as Hermione. Hermione literally couldn't speak. Ron looked hopeful. Harry just grinned and grinned.
"Ron yes, yes, yes!" Hermione cried and flung herself into Ron's arms giving him a long, passionate kiss. There was no ring, but Hermione didn't care.
When they broke apart, Harry said,
"At least you said yes! Ron was afraid you would think he was joking and say no!"
Ginny just had to let slip a giggle. It was so like Ron to be worried, he was actually scared of Hermione at times! Ginny had wondered when Ron would ask Hermione to marry him. I mean, they had been together for years now; surely Ron would make his big move soon!
Without word they all went up to their rooms, bidding each other goodnight. Ginny and Hermione slipped into their pyjamas and hopped into bed.
"I actually thought he'd never ask!" Hermione said to Ginny when she turned the lights off.
"Yeah me too…" Ginny added.
"I was actually thinking of asking him! I mean, seriously, he was taking forever to actually pluck up the courage to ask me. It came as such a surprise though! Oh darn! We didn't brush our teeth!" Hermione said.
"Oh Mione one night doesn't matter!" Ginny yawned. "Well I am going to sleep. I am as tired as ever, with all this excitement. Night"
Ginny turned around and closed her eyes. She was so jealous of Hermione. She wished Harry would ask her to marry him. Ginny loved Harry more than anything in the world. But Ginny knew Harry didn't want to get married just yet.
Ginny fell asleep with the wonderful thoughts of Harry proposing.
The day before Christmas went by like a flash of lightning. Ginny played a game of Quidditch with Harry, Ron and Teddy. Teddy could only fly about 1 metre in the air, so he threw a tantrum. It took Ginny a while to settle him down. But after he did, Harry taught him to fly a bit higher. He reached about 3 metres, so that was the height of the game. Luckily they didn't need household objects for the balls (as they always did at the Weasley's). Harry got a set of Quidditch Balls for his 20th birthday. He used the snitch Dumbledore left him.
The game only lasted half an hour; Teddy got bored. After the game, Teddy wanted to go to the muggle park. Ginny said that she was going to take him somewhere special. Teddy begged to be told, buy Ginny said it was a surprise.
"Take my hand Teddy!" Ginny said.
"Ok!" Teddy said with much eagerness.
As soon as little Teddy grabbed Ginny's arm, they disappeared.
It felt like they were getting squeezed through a narrow rubber tube. Everything was black. But it was all over in a couple of seconds.
"Whoa. Aunty Gin what did we just do?" Teddy asked, getting to his feet.
"We just apparated. You will learn how to do that in your 5th year!" Ginny replied.
"Cool… Aunty Gin, where are we?"
"We are in Diagon Alley. We are going to go to Uncle George's shop!" said Ginny.
Teddy took Ginny's hand and they walked towards Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Ginny pushed open the heavy door and stepped inside. Teddy looked around in wonder.
The atmosphere was so comforting. Being Christmas, it was crowded. George got a lot of profit from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He used to own it with Fred. But after he died, George closed it down for a year, but re-opened it after he stopped majorly mourning.
"Hello Gin, Teddy!" came a cheerful voice from behind.
Ginny and Teddy spun around, looking into the green eyes or George Weasley.
"What can I get you?" he asked.
"Well actually, we were going to get something for Ted and Harry. I still haven't got Harry a Christmas present." Ginny replied.
George let them look around. Teddy wanted many things. Most of which he couldn't have.
"Can I have this?" he asked, pointing at a love potion in a pink bottle.
Ginny laughed.
"No Teddy, that's love potion!"
"Oooooooooh." Teddy said.
Then Teddy pointed at a packet of Puking Pastilles.
"No Teddy!" Ginny laughed.
Then he pointed at a wand that turns into goo whenever you try to use it.
"No Teddy, Aunty Molly would have a fit if she saw that goo on the ground." Ginny giggled, she could just see her mother's reaction. "God George, why don't you have anything appropriate for 6 year olds here?" laughed Ginny at George.
"It's not my fault!" George replied.
"Well can I have one of these Aunty Gin?" Teddy said, pointing at a pile of small black rocks.
Ginny looked at George.
"That's Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. And yes he can have it, it's safe." George commented.
Ginny picked up a rock and went to find something for Harry while Teddy looked at stuff with George.
"What would Harry want?" Ginny muttered.
She looked over at little Ted, flying on a tiny broomstick again, still only lifting 3 metres. He looked like he was having so much fun with George.
Ginny looked all over Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. When she got the second floor, she saw something. It was a life size picture of her late brother, Fred Weasley, on the wall.
"Fred…" she whispered, tears started welling up in her eyes.
She missed him so much. Ginny never realised that you don't actually miss someone until they are really gone. She had to look away; she was looking for a present for Harry, not mourning over Fred.
Ginny went downstairs again. Great. She heard crying. Poor little Teddy must have fallen off the broom.
"Er, Ginny?" George called.
"Urgh what did he- no, what did you do?" Ginny asked with a sigh.
"Nothing! He just ran into the stack of boxes with the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes variety pack."
Ginny picked up Teddy and said bye to Fred and stepped out the door. They stepped out into the busy Diagon Alley. Wizards and witches were everywhere. Teddy held Ginny tightly, not wanting to fall in all the kafuffle. Ginny Side-Along Apparated with Teddy clutching her thin torso. They ended up just outside The Burrow.
Teddy ran inside, Ginny walked slowly behind him. When Ginny reached the lounge room, she heard Harry's voice,
"Ginny, wanna go on a walk outside?"
She spun around, she nodded.
Harry held out his hand, Ginny willingly took it. His hand was smooth and warm, she could hold it forever. They walked outside. The day was getting old; the sun was beginning to set. The sky was a romantic shade of rose pink. The air was cold, being the middle of winter, it didn't surprise Ginny. The frosty grass crunched beneath their feet. Harry and Ginny didn't talk; they just walked through the Weasley's orchard hand in hand. If only I spent the rest of my life doing this, I would die very happy Ginny thought to herself.
"Ginny?" Harry asked turning to her and taking both her hands.
"Mmm?"
"I love you so much." Harry beamed.
"Me too." Ginny replied.
She looked at the sky; it was turning black now, the air felt dense. It was going to rain.
"Ginny, marry me." Harry said, as the crown of their heads lightly touched.
Ginny looked up.
"What?!" Ginny exclaimed.
"Ginny, wi-"
"I know what you said!" she laughed. "Of course." She replied as she wrapped her arms around Harry's shoulders.
The rain started pouring down, heavily. Ginny's lips touched Harry's. Their lips interlocked into a passionate kiss. The rain didn't bother them; they just stood there snogging… drenched. They finally broke apart. Ginny's arms were still around Harry's shoulders, his still around her waist. Ginny hugged him as tight as ever. Hand in hand (yes, still very much WET) they made their way back to the shelter of the burrow. Ginny was happy, it was all she ever wanted.