The day finally came. Voldemort was defeated. His presence was no longer a threat, and others were finally free to live out their lives without fear. Though lives were lost, and grieving continued on in the months following Voldemort's downfall, the Wizarding world rejoiced, for their hero, Harry Potter, succeeded.
These months turned into years. Those that grieved began to smile and laugh once again. One particular person was Molly Weasley. Losing her son, Fred, took a heavy toll on her. She never wanted to accept his death, but knew she had to be strong in the end for the rest of her family. The same could not be said about George. Fred's death hit him so hard, that he closed the shop to rid himself of the memories of once owning a joke shop with his brilliant other half. The Weasley family tried their best to get him out and about, but nothing seemed to help until Harry spoke to him. After their discussion, George started to come around, but it was a slow process for things to return to normal for him. He knew that he would never get over the loss of his twin, but also knew Fred wouldn't want him to sulk around the house for the rest of his life. Instead, he would want him to get the shop back to working order and inventing newer products, pranking others, and getting on with his life.
Harry accepted an offer of becoming an Auror, the job he had been longing for. Not long after Harry accepted, Ron was recruited by Kingsley Shacklebolt, the new Minister of Magic, to help Harry reform the Ministry and seek out the remaining Death Eaters. As for Hermione, she returned to Hogwarts to finish her schooling properly and to take her N.E.W.T.S. Ginny, also, returned to the newly rebuilt Hogwarts to finish her final year. Afterwards, she received a position on her favorite team, the Holyhead Harpies.
As promised, Harry looked after Teddy, with help from the Weasleys and Andromeda Tonks. It wasn't long either, until Teddy had a playmate. Bill and Fleur celebrated the birth of their first child, a daughter Victoire, who they named for the victory of the Battle at Hogwarts. Each year seemed to get shorter, with the new workload keeping everyone busy.
Harry proposed to Ginny, after dating for over a year. Their wedding, thankfully, was not interrupted as Bill and Fleur's was. It was a beautiful ceremony with family and friends surrounding the Boy-Who-Defeated-Voldemort and the Holyhead Harpy star. Ron and Hermione's relationship continued to blossom, and it wasn't long until Ron proposed. Their wedding, though, was different from what the Weasley's experienced. Hermione's wish was to have a Muggle wedding. It was just as beautiful as Harry and Ginny's, with the exception of magic. Among the weddings, there were still a few surprises for the Weasley family when George announced he was dating Angelina Johnson, the former Gryffindor chaser, and Fred's old girlfriend. Percy, also followed in this fashion, and claimed his relationship with his new girlfriend, Audrey. The world was finally at peace with the Weasley and Potter families.
Grimmauld Place, once the home of Orion and Walburga Black, was now inhabited by Harry Potter and his wife, Ginny. The walls that were once black now shined with the colors of gold and burgundy. The portrait that used to fill the house with Walburga's shrieks was removed, after polite orders from Harry, by Kreacher. The small elf disposed of the portrait by putting it in the attic for safe-keeping. The house, no longer an abandoned building, was cleared of all the Black's possessions, except the most important things that belonged to Sirius. The elves heads that once lined the wall were removed and replaced with portraits of the Weasleys, Harry and Ginny's wedding, Teddy, and other random photos. Number 12, Grimmauld Place, was now a comfortable home where many children could be raised properly.
All the changes were necessary very soon because Harry and Ginny often looked after Teddy. Those moments gave Andromeda time to herself, and were much enjoyed by the Potters because Teddy was a bright and cheerful child. He reminded Harry and Ginny so much of his mother. He had inherited his mother's clumsiness and her morphing abilities. Harry did noticed that he was Remus' son, though. When Teddy didn't morph his appearance, he had Remus' hair, facial features, and hidden mischief. He was definitely the son of a Marauder. That streak of mischief was in action one memorable night.
Teddy had finished his supper and was sent upstairs by his godmother to get a bath. While he was bathing, Ginny turned down his covers and picked up the toys he had played with earlier that day. Teddy walked into his room and sat down on his bed. Ginny hoped that he would fall asleep right away, but her hopes were dashed when Teddy began jumping on his bed. No matter what she did, Ginny could not get Teddy to bed. She did not want to lose her temper with the six year old, so she calmly pleaded with the boy to stop his actions.
"Teddy, please! You need to go to sleep. It's past your bedtime."
"But I'm not tired," Teddy told her while bouncing on the bed. Before Ginny could respond, she heard the sound of someone arriving by Floo, and knew it must have been Harry.
"Harry's home. Teddy, please lie down. Do you want Harry to come up here?"
"I'm not scared of Uncle Harry."
"Ginny?" Harry called up the stairs.
"I'm up here in Teddy's room!"
"Is he still awake?" Harry asked, before walking into the room.
"Yes. Do you think you can get him to sleep?"
"Sure."
"Thanks." Ginny left Harry to deal with Teddy, and walked to her bedroom to lie down.
"Teddy, why are you giving Aunt Ginny a hard time?"
"I'm not," he said, while he continued to bounce on the bed.
"Really? Well, it seems you are. Now, stop jumping, get under those covers, and go to sleep."
"Okay," he said, defeat evident in his voice.
"Good night."
"Good night, Uncle Harry."
Harry closed the door and walked down the hall to his bedroom. He stopped in the doorway and saw that Ginny was lying on the bed face down. He walked over to the bed and found that she was silently sleeping. He pulled back the covers, but she woke up and stopped him from doing anything further.
"Sorry."
"Don't be. I wasn't asleep. I was resting my eyes."
"Okay. I'd ask how your day with Teddy was, but from him jumping on the bed at this hour, I'd say it was eventful," he said sitting down on the bed and removing his trainers.
"It went well until he wanted to stay up past his bedtime. How was your day?"
"It was fairly well. Enough paperwork to last a lifetime, but fine just the same." Harry stood up from the bed and walked into the bathroom to shower. Ginny followed and sat down on the corner of the vanity.
"Harry, I was wondering. Have you given any thought on us having a family?"
"I have, but do you want to give up Quidditch? I thought you wanted to stay on the team for a few more years?"
"I thought I did, then I got to thinking about us starting a family. I've been on the team for almost seven years, and I think it's time to seek a new job."
"Like what?"
"Well, Gwenog told me about becoming a Quidditch reporter for the Daily Prophet. I would still be doing something with Quidditch, except I won't be playing it, that's all."
"Love, no matter what you do, I will support you. I want you to be happy."
"So, you don't have a problem with me working for the Daily Prophet?" she asked, feeling slightly guilty about working for the exact paper that printed lies about her husband.
"No. Well, I do have my doubts, but since Kingsley became Minister, I know things will not get out of hand like they did before."
"So, we are in agreement? I'm resigning from the team and taking the reporting job?"
"Yes," Harry said, as he pushed the shower curtain aside.
"Good. I'll let Gwenog know of my decision at our next meeting. Do we want them to know the real reason behind my resignation?" Ginny asked, letting Harry walk past her before following him back into the bedroom.
"I think it's best for them to know just half of the story. No one needs to know that we are trying for a child, except for your family, of course."
"I'm not so sure we should tell them," Ginny said, sitting down on the bed.
"Why?"
"Well, I would rather it be a surprise to them when I do announce that I'm pregnant. I don't want my mum to smother me with baby advice before I even get pregnant." Harry laughed as he climbed into bed. "It's not funny, Harry. You know how my mother is. You remember how she was when she found out about Fleur being pregnant with Victoire! I want to wait until it's final."
"Alright. I understand. What do you want? A boy with black hair and brown eyes or red hair and green eyes, a girl with red hair and your temper?" he asked, taking the discussion to a lighter tone.
"Very funny. I'll be satisfied with whatever we are blessed with. A little boy that takes after you would be nice. If he gets the red hair, you'll never hear the end of it."
"Why?"
"Well, my brothers will just brag that he's another Weasley and not a Potter."
"I can defend that. Redheads are in my family. Look at my mother; she had red hair. Maybe he'll get her's and not the Weasley red."
"Oh, and what's wrong with our hair?"
"Nothing. Besides, yours is different from your brothers. It's darker. Wait, how did we get this far into that subject?"
"I don't know. Wait, you said something about having a girl with red hair and my temper. What do you mean, 'my temper'? I'll have you…."
"Gin, I was kidding. I wouldn't mind having a daughter that looked just like her mother. She is beautiful, after all."
"You're just saying that to get out of trouble."
"Maybe I am, and maybe I'm not. Does it matter?"
"No. I'm just glad that we are finally talking about this. I don't know how my brothers will take it at first, but I guess they'll have to get over it."
"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.
"Well, me being pregnant and you an Auror. They'll say something about me having a baby while you are off Merlin knows where, leaving me to raise a child alone if you happen to be killed." Her voice wavered for a moment, but she gained her courage back and looked at Harry, only to find him staring off into space as if he was thinking over something. "Harry?"
"Hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Gin, you know I wouldn't do that to you, right? I would never leave you to raise a child on your own. I don't care what your brothers may think."
"I know, Harry. Don't worry. My brothers will learn to keep their mouths shut once they get rid of the bats."
"I don't think they'll ever say anything to you after that, but there's always a comeback when they decide to have kids."
"That's true. Can you imaging George having a son? One that will run around pranking everyone he sees."
"He could always turn out like his mother."
"That's likely." Ginny shifted until she became more comfortable and settled beside Harry, with his arm resting along her shoulders. She was getting drowsy, as was Harry, and both were sound asleep before any words could be spoken to one another.
Three weeks passed since Ginny and Harry talked about their family planning. Harry was kept busy with a new mission, leaving Ginny behind. The mission led him around all of Europe to find the one remaining Death Eater that was in hiding for seven years. Ginny, after talking to Harry about starting a family, did as she promised and talked to Gwenog. Though she was unhappy to have her best player leave the team, Gwenog gratefully congratulated Ginny, as did the other teammates, and handed Ginny's resignation over. The following days, Ginny received a letter from the Daily Prophet, which consisted of her acceptance onto their staff. Ginny felt that someone would have mentioned her husband's fame had brought her the job, but to her surprise, the accusation did not come.
Ginny started her new job soon after her acceptance letter. She was thrilled to be working as a journalist for the Daily Prophet. Her family was skeptical about the job, but Ginny insisted that the Wizarding newspaper had changed since Kingsley became Minister. Her first day was a rather interesting day. The head of the Quidditch department showed her around and introduce her to the working staff. Ginny's job required her to visit some upcoming games to gather interviews from the coaches and players. This thrilled her, but deep down she felt horrible that she would have to ask these players inquiring questions. She hated when interviewers cornered her for questions. They always consisted of Harry, and it only made her temper boil over even more. She didn't want to put these people through the same thing; the same humiliation she went through.
The week held progress and her new job intrigued her more. Harry had sent her a letter containing enough details, as to which he would return soon and how he missed her. Never did he mention anything about the mission, afraid that someone might interject the letter, and use the information against them. During his absence, Ginny tried to keep busy with the work her job left her, but the empty void inside her kept expanding. She longed to see him and hold him, but it never came. One particular morning, she became sick. Ginny did not know what the cause of sickness was, and only covered it with the potions she had. Once the feeling passed, she continued onto work, and forgot about what had happened. It did not last long, for the next morning, the feeling returned. This began to worry her, so she made an appointment to see a Healer at St. Mungo's.
The day of her appointment had arrived, and she Apparated to the entrance to the hospital. Passing the mannequin, her thoughts reeled around Harry, and his arrival. Her mind met reality when she walked through the door of the waiting area. After waiting patiently, the nurse called her name, and she followed her to a nearby examining room. Ginny's nerves began to get the best of her as she waited for the Healer. "What would he find? What could be wrong with me?" she thought. The Healer arrived with a reassuring smile on his face, which only eased her worries. Her appointment, to her surprised, only lasted a few minutes. Her tests results would arrive to her by owl by the end of the week, Ginny's Healer had told her. Surprises seemed to have erupted throughout today. When she arrived outside of Grimmauld Place, Ginny never expected the awaiting arrival of someone in her home.
She opened the door, after Number 12 appeared out of nowhere, and walked towards the sitting area. There, lying on the couch, was Harry. Ginny's enthusiasm boiled over, as she ran towards the couch, and pounced onto him. The sudden actions of his wife bouncing on him, woke him from his slumber. He saw the look his wife had in her eyes and his returned the same longing. He held her tight, afraid that if he let go, she would disappear. Ginny clung to his shirt, breathing in his scent, with tears streaming down her face. Harry could feel the tears soaking his shirt, but he didn't mind. He knew she had missed him, as he missed her, and also knew she needed to release the joy of his arrival.
That night, they laid in bed holding onto one another. While lying there, she told Harry of her appointment at St. Mungo's. He started to worry until she calmly replied that she was fine. In the back of her mind though, she held the thought of what the results would say. Each day, she waited patiently for the results. Ginny tried to keep her mind focused onto other things, such as work, her family, and the upcoming Sunday at the Burrow, but as the week was coming to an end, her mind always revolved around the test results.
It was now Sunday, and the results never arrived. The waiting alone was testing her patience, and her temper was on edge. Harry saw that she was becoming testy, and wanted dearly to help, but there was nothing he could do. They landed a few feet outside of the Burrow, finding Ginny's brothers arranging the yard for the meal prepared by Molly Weasley. Ginny left Harry to help with her brothers, and walked into the house to find her mother finishing the meal with a wave of her wand. Molly turned around, after hearing the door close, and saw her youngest and only daughter standing before her with a sad look on her face. Immediately, Molly abandoned the prepared meal for her family, and switch into mother mode. She searched out the answer by looking Ginny squarely in the eyes. Ginny knew what her mother was asking, and only brushed off the examination when Arthur announced that the yard preparations were finished.
Everyone sat down at the table, waiting to dig into the fabulous meal that Molly had prepared. As usual, Ron was the first to grab the nearest dish of delicious food. The Weasleys and Potters were animatedly chatting when a brown owl swooped down and landed onto Ginny's shoulder. The owl stuck it's leg out for Ginny to retrieve the letter clinging to it, and waited until she gave it a piece of her food before leaving. Harry, as well as the rest of her family, stared at her with a questioning look. She glanced up at them, and then turned it back to the letter in her hand. Ginny slowly opened the letter to find her test results appearing before her eyes. Her mind seemed to have frozen after reading the results. Her family held their questioning gaze, but Harry noticed Ginny had gripped the paper tightly and saw that her eyes had glazed over. He wanted to know what the results said, but was going to leave it to Ginny to tell him the news. He slightly shook her from the state she was in. Ginny looked over at him and then to her family, before she glanced back down at the paper in her hands. She handed it to Harry, who gladly accepted, and continued to eat his meal. Before she could take another bite, Ginny heard a fork land noisily onto a plate. The moment she looked up, Ginny saw her family standing over the table looking her way. She followed their gaze, and saw that Harry, who still clung to the letter, had fainted.
