"Freddie? George? Tell me a bed-time story!" Their little sister demanded as they said goodnight.
"Okay," the eight year olds said. Fred sitting on her left and George on her right, looked at each other. They were going to tell her the story of Harry Potter, a story Ginny had never heard before. Just then, their dad came home from work at the Ministry and was passing Ginny's room.
"Hello!" Arthur said to three of his seven children.
"Daddy!" Ginny shrieked, jumping out of her covers and running to hug her father.
"How's my favorite little girl?" her father asked her.
"Good!" she squeaked. "Freddie and Georgie are gonna tell me a bed-time story!" she squealed as she was grabbed into a tight bear hug.
"Is that so?" Arthur Weasley asked. His five-year old daughter nodded vigorously. Their father walked to his daughter's bed and dropped her into it softly. "And what story were you going to tell Ginny?" he asked his twin sons.
"Harry Potter," they said in unison.
"Ah-ha! I might just have to listen to this story too!" Arthur said, intending to listen to make sure his sons, who meant well didn't scare their sister into nightmares. This story didn't have a happy ending like the ones they usually told Ginny. As a five-year old and never having heard this story before, Ginny didn't understand.
"You don't know this story, Daddy? You wanna hear it for your bed-time story too?!" she said excitedly.
Arthur chuckled and said, "No, I know this story, but I want to make sure they get it right Gin!"
Ginny grinned a toothy smile, front teeth missing; Ron (another of her brothers) had knocked them out. Arthur smiled at his daughter again and then said, "Well your sister is waiting, boys!"
"Right," Fred said.
"So there was a boy named Harry Potter, and he had a mum and dad just like you and me Ginny!" George said.
"But then, a bad guy with a name you're not supposed to say, so we call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named came and decided he wanted to kill this kid named Harry Potter. And Dumbledore, who is headmaster at the school Charlie goes to, Hogwarts, well he wanted to help Harry's mum and dad make sure he wasn't hurt. So they put a charm on their house, but You-Know-Who found out where Harry was."
"Who's 'You-Know-Who'? I don't know who that is! Who is that Freddie?" Ginny asked, truly confused.
"Gin," Fred said. "You-Know-Who is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"
"Oh," Ginny mouthed quietly and shrunk a little into her covers.
"Alright boys, let me take over this story!" their dad interjected. The twins nodded and let their dad take the reins. He smiled as his sons laid back to relax with their sister. "So, on a spooky Halloween night, the bad guy came to Harry's house, and he… killed his mummy and dad, but not Harry! He tried to, but he COULDN'T!" Arthur said in mock surprise as he looked over to make sure his daughter wasn't terrified, she was okay, Ginny…Ginny was a brave one. "The big, bad guy fled, and all his magic," he pulled out his wand. "Powers were GONE!" Ginny stared at her father with large, shocked eyes.
Ginny couldn't believe this story. How could that be true? So she blurted out, "Is that a true story?"
Before her father could say yes and explain to her, George said, "Yup! It's in my history book downstairs, Gin!"
Ginny's eyes were as big as saucers. "What happened to Harry Potter, Daddy?"
Arthur cleared his throat and said, "Harry, is living with his muggle relatives, but one day he will probably go to Hogwarts, just," He flicked one light out with his wand. "Like," another extinguished itself quickly like water was thrown on it. "You!" he exclaimed and the next to last light was out. "He is about Ron's age…"
"Okay boys, go to bed!" The twins got up out of bed and said goodnight to their beloved little sister. Arthur squatted to tuck little Ginny tightly in her blankets. "You're not scared are you Ginny?" he asked her sincerely. She shook her head. "Good!" Arthur said. "Because You-Know-Who is gone! Harry stopped him!" She smiled and her father kissed her forehead and said "Goodnight darling."
"Night daddy," she said.
Arthur took one last look at his daughter, five years old, but already so eager to grow up. When he was about to extinguish her last little, dim light when Ginny said, "Daddy?" Arthur turned to his sweet, little girl.
"Yes?" he said softly.
"Daddy," she responded confidently. "Daddy, I'm-I'm going to marry Harry Potter one day," she said in a direct tone, only stopping to think about what she would say once. He smiled, his daughter's imagination running wild again…
"I AM!" he heard her say boldly as he walked out of her room.
*17 years later*
A very much older Arthur sits with his wife Molly, watching his little girl dance with her new husband. Smiling and laughing together, they slow-dance as husband and wife for the first time. Harry and Ginny Potter. Ginny had known. She had known since she first heard his name.
