The Golden Trio
Late Again
Harry Potter woke up once more slumped over his desk, headfirst in a sea of papers. His glasses had slipped over the bridge of his nose and as he pushed himself backwards, it was apparent that the front page of yesterday's daily prophet had stuck to his face. Pushing his glasses back up his nose and lifting himself up off his chair, he hardly heard the door open or for that matter his friend Ron walk in.
Ron wore a mask of smugness as he asked Harry whilst slapping him on the back "Sleep well Harry?" paper still falling from Harry's face he glanced at the charmed clock on the wall and replied, "Oh Shit!" running at top speed down the corridor.
Ron shook his head and pinched his arm to check whether or not he had been dreaming and strode off grinning and muttering to himself "Just your average day with Harry Potter."
Harry tore down the hallway skidding to a halt as he reached the apparition spot and disapparated with a crack. He appeared outside two dull grey looking buildings labelled 11 & 13. Slowly but surely number twelve Grimmauld Place slid out in between them, nervously flattening his hair and straightening his robes Harry knew he was in trouble as he walked up the steps and pushed his wand into the lock. He walked briskly down the corridor pausing once to attempt to tame his hair but realising he was going to lose that battle carried on down the hall.
Grimmauld Place had changed significantly since Harry, Ron and Hermione had camped out during the days of Voldemort's reign. Gone were the severed house elf heads and the horrendous screaming portrait of Mrs Black replaced with portraits of Dumbledore, Harry's Parents, The Marauders (minus Wormtail), Remus, Tonks and (eventually, although it had taken a while) Severus Snape. Turning the corner of the kitchen Harry found his wife Ginny standing with her hands on her hips a pose reminiscent of her mother Molly Weasley. Harry knew this all to well and also what was about to follow, he breathed in bracing himself.
"Where have you been" She demanded a blazing look in her eyes.
Harry looked at the floor muttering something about the Ministry and business with goblins.
However, this was obviously not deemed a good enough answer, for Ginny pacing the kitchen narrowed her eyes and said "For goodness sake Harry it's the same every single time, The Ministry of Magic is going to be the death of you. The Minister is your best friend and you've known the head of your department for 4 years! I've talked to the Minister… Hermione and she's more than happy to cut your workload, she says you're pushing yourself to hard. Screw the Goblins of Gringotts I need you and only you… Please love…"
To any normal person this conversation was sure to sound a bit weird as many of these words did not make sense or were not even real, but Harry Potter and his wife were not normal. In fact they were very extraordinary indeed, for they were wizards.
It had been 4 years since the Great War against Voldemort, the evil dark wizard who had murdered Harry's parents when he was just a baby. He had tried to kill Harry to but the curse had rebounded and reduced him to nearly nothing. Ever since Harry had beaten him that fateful night he had become famous, then when Voldemort had risen again Harry had beaten him once more in the Great War, ridding the wizarding world of dark magic for once.
Indeed, this made Harry even more famous giving him names such as 'The Boy Who Lived' 'The Chosen One' and many more. He, Hermione and Ron had been nicknamed 'The Golden Trio' and awarded Order of Merlin First Class for their war efforts.
However, to Ginny, his wife he was just Harry Potter and there was no escaping that. Harry didn't know what to say or how to put into words what he felt, "I'm sorry Gin by being to hard of myself its effected you. But I love you, you know that." To Harry's surprise Ginny burst into tears and cried out " Harry, oh Harry that's all I needed, I couldn't keep that up for much longer. I've just had such a bad day and what with the baby she pointed to her swollen belly and, oh Harry!" Harry kissed her lightly on the cheek and lifting her gently from the kitchen table headed upstairs.
Although it being only nine in the morning, Harry was knackered and as he made his way up the stairs with Ginny in his arms he grinned, for he was surely the luckiest man in the world.
Harry woke a while later collapsed on the bed with Ginny, his beautiful wife in his arms, slowly he got up tucking her and her baby bump under the duvet and crept out the door. Harry wished he had told Ginny the truth about why he was pushing himself so hard, but he just couldn't bring himself to say anything. Although it had been a peaceful 4 years since the Great War, Harry still felt guilty about the disastrous events of The Great War, and despite the ministry's greatest efforts many death eaters had evaded capture. No matter how many times Ron had told him "but you killed you know who man!", no matter how many times Hermione said it wasn't his fault and not even when Ginny, oh sweet, beautiful Ginny had explained to him how it wasn't him but it was Voldemort who had killed all those people, Harry still felt bad.
As he was thinking this, he sent an owl to Hermione asking her if he could have the day off and apologising profusely for not getting his report on the giants in Austria in quick enough. After the death of Hedwig, his faithful Snowy Owl, he and Ginny had gone to Diagon Alley after the war to pick out a new one for the both of them. They had chosen Pluck, so named, as he was a bit plucky, quirky and slightly different. As he took off out the window, Harry watched him go, wishing for a swift reply from Hermione.
He made his way back in the kitchen where he scanned the room, truth be told Harry had never been good at cooking, even though he had been made to cook for the Dursley's he had always found a way of mucking it up.
However, being the good husband, he tried to be he managed to make eggs on toast without burning anything, and succeeding which was a pleasant surprise. He walked up the stairs pointing his wand at the hovering lunch tray above his head and upon reaching Sirius's old bedroom, gently nudged open the door and shook Ginny gently awake. She stared up and him and on noticing the tray beside her kissed him, pulled him down on top of her. They ate lunch in bed and Harry insisted that for the rest of the day Ginny was not to lift a finger to help him in the house.
Luckily, for Harry, Hermione had indeed replied swiftly and told him to take the week off and 'forget about the report as it wasn't important anyway'. Hermione and Ron came around for supper later that night and Hermione flashing her newly purchased glittering engagement ring, looked happier than ever. Hermione told the story of her engagement as she explained how Ron (who now owned Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes) had proposed right in front of the council and serenaded Hermione with puking pastels that tasted like roses and nosebleed nougat that made hearts come out his nose rather than blood. Hermione although shocked had accepted and they had recently returned from their holiday to Australia.
Harry tried as hard as he could to keep the conversation away from "How he was too hard on himself" but no matter how hard he tried he could not prevent Ginevra Potter and Hermione Granger getting their way. As quickly as it had begun Harry had pulled Ron from his chair and hastily left the kitchen telling Ginny and Hermione that he was taking Ron to admire his new set of Gobstones. Ron looked at his friend in a bewildered way puzzled wondering why his friend had pulled him away from his chocolate pudding.
"What you do that for Harry? I was enjoying that pudding," he added with a chuckle.
"If I tell you something you won't tell the others?"
"Harry I won't breathe a word but if this is about-"
"I've been thinking about well you know…" He paused
"The Great War?" questioned Ron, Harry opened and closed his mouth like a fish. "How did I know? You forget who my wife is mate! Look Harry it's not your fault… I'll leave you to your thoughts," He added and wandered back into the kitchen.
Harry sunk to the ground with his head between his hands, how could he have been so stupid? His friend Hermione Ministry of Magic, who had been by far the brightest witch in their year and Hogwarts (Lockhart had been right about one thing) had known all this time. He needed someone to talk to someone who he could confide in. Ginny, a little voice in his head said Ginny, talk to Ginny. He knew he should but right now Harry felt like he needed someone who was older and wiser someone like a mother. As quick as the idea had come he found the answer, of course why hadn't he thought of it before.