KEEPSAKE
Post-Seven; Harry returns from Auror training to find Ginny with a one-year-old son that she claims to be theirs.
Disclaimer: All JKR's work.
TWO: Without Harry
For the next two weeks, Harry and their kiss was all Ginny could think about. She would dream of ways that she could redo their goodbye, of ways that she could have said everything that was on her mind. She imagined that anything she said, anything except what was said upon their goodbye, could have kept him from leaving. Among her daydreams was her telling him that she refused to be happy without him and thereby keeping him with her out of sheer stubbornness. One other particular scenario involved what would have happened if their kiss became more than just a kiss…but that was a scenario that surfaced only when she missed him to the point of loneliness.
However, Ginny had minimal reason to be lonely. Aside from her family's company at the Burrow as well as Hermione's, she was surprised when Harry started writing her. At first, it was a simple letter telling her that they had arrived in Germany and that he had seen a woman that reminded him of her. Naturally, she was worried that he was already getting over her, but he ended the letter by telling her that he wished he could be with her instead. His subsequent letters would arrive in rapid succession and for each one she received, Ginny grew more and more confused. He wanted her to be happy with him out of the way, and yet he kept saying things to her that was clearly more than just mere friendliness or flirtation. It was as if they were together again, except not exactly so.
Thankfully, Ginny had Hermione, who had moved into the Burrow with Ron almost a summer ago. The two of them developed a stronger friendship in the absence of Harry and Ron. Hermione was much stronger and logical about the situation than Ginny was. Hermione was by no means a broken woman without Ron. She used their time apart to focus on her career. Through her increased activism in N.E.W.T., Hermione became a prominent figure in the Ministry's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Her incredible work ethic inspired Ginny to do the same and look for a job. Due to her father's occupation, a position in the Ministry of Magic was a natural choice, but she had always hoped to play professional Quidditch. Realizing that it would take some time to fully reach her dream, Ginny began work in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, hoping that one day she would be able to move away from the desk and onto a broomstick.
New circumstances, however, changed all of her expectations.
When Ginny began to feel nauseous and under the weather, she initially attributed it to stress from work. But when she realized that her Department was perhaps the most relaxed in the entire Ministry, she thought otherwise. It wasn't until Ron and Harry had been gone for three weeks that logic finally kicked in, and Ginny realized just what kind of trouble she might have gotten herself into.
The first step was to confide in someone – Hermione. Although Hermione was surprised with what Ginny was asking her to do, she was determined to be a good friend, one that would help Ginny no matter what happened. A homemade potion and a Muggle test later, Ginny confirmed what she feared – she was pregnant.
Immediately, Ginny saw many things fall apart at once. She thought of her parents, who expected much out of their only daughter. She thought of her dream to become a Quidditch player and saw it vanish. She thought of herself, and where she would go and what she would do with her life now that she had another one to take care of. And most importantly, she thought of Harry, a thousand miles away with no clue of the consequences of their firewhisky escapades. She refused to tell him through letter, a decision that, unfortunately, also eliminated telling him altogether. Knowing that becoming an Auror was important to Harry, Ginny couldn't bring herself to interrupt his training and distract him with this news, or worse, bring him back home. She wouldn't take responsibility for two broken dreams.
However, Hermione assured her that not all was lost. Her parents, she helped her realize, were understanding people, and they would help Ginny with all of her needs. She promised her that she would be there for Ginny as a friend, and that she would be her support in every way possible. All of her encouragement helped Ginny finally understand that she could, with proper timing and handling, be a mother and be the woman that she always wanted to be.
But what Hermione couldn't offer her was Harry. Even with all of her friends and family behind her, Ginny still felt lost without Harry. And now she would have to bring their child into the world without him at her side.
Molly and Arthur Weasley were always kind and understanding parents. But when their only daughter informed them that she was pregnant with the child of their son's best friend, they were not prepared in the slightest. However, they knew that it was their job, as parents, to continue to love Ginny unconditionally and offer her support. And for that, Ginny was incredibly grateful.
Although Ginny wanted to make a fresh start for herself, she knew that it wasn't the smartest idea financially or even practically speaking. If she stayed at the Burrow, like her parents pleaded her to do so, she wouldn't have to pay for anything other than what the baby needed, and she would always have babysitters on hand. This way, she could be a mother and still work. The way she looked at it, she would proceed through the pregnancy and by the time Harry came home, the baby would be several months old and the two of them could discuss moving out and into their own place.
Fortunately, the head of Ginny's department was very good friends with Arthur. He was very accommodating and provided Ginny with a workplace conducive to her pregnancy and also offered her an extended maternity leave in which she could work from home if she desired. He would occasionally pull strings for her so that she could go watch complimentary Quidditch games and, in a way, have fun for herself under the guise of doing Ministry work. Also, by having Kingsley Shacklebolt as Minister of Magic, Ginny was always in good hands whenever she went to work. Ginny made Kingsley promise not to let the news of her pregnancy slip to Harry, a promise that he kept.
Harry very rarely ever left Ginny's mind. Even as her pregnancy progressed and everything started to become baby-centered, she would think of him. She often pictured alternate realities in which Harry wasn't away on Auror training and he was actually there to be with Ginny, waiting in eager anticipation for the birth of their child. She wondered how he would react when the baby first started kicking, whether or not he would want to know the sex of the baby, or the decorations he would pick when it came to designing the nursery. Sometimes, she would even think of a diamond ring – a proposal, to be specific – and wedding plans that would coincide with their baby plans.
I would want to get married before having the baby, Ginny would think. I would wear a white gown that would emphasize my stomach to show the world that we aren't hiding our love for each other…there would be white flowers…white ribbon…white everything…
But she often found herself saddened after having those thoughts. A wedding was unlikely, if not entirely impossible in the next couple of months. The only constant in her life was her ever-expanding belly, which was a perpetual reminder that she would soon be a mother. Whenever she thought of Harry and how he would react along each step of the pregnancy, she halfheartedly went through the motions herself. When the baby first started kicking, she thought of him. When she had the option of finding out the sex of the baby, she chose not to know. When she had to start designing the nursery, she second-guessed the decorations she liked best, wondering if Harry would like them, as well. Hermione began to worry for her. She thought she had too much Harry on the brain.
To make matters worse, a letter came for Ginny in her eighth month of pregnancy, the first letter from Harry in over two months.
Dear Ginny,
You won't believe it! Ron and I have been doing such an incredible job lately (we're in the Mediterranean right now) that Kingsley offered us an interim position in the American Ministry of Magic for additional experience. He only selected a handful of us, so you can imagine how amazing of an opportunity this is! The only downside is that it'll be another year of Ministry work not even until another three months, but we'll be in America! You and I have always discussed how we wanted to see the world, so I'll be here taking pictures for you. It'll almost be like you're with me.
I miss you greatly, and don't worry, Ron and I have written letters to everyone else informing them of our yearlong stay in America. Who knows? Perhaps we'll do such an extraordinary job there, too, that we'll come home early.
I hope that you've followed through with your promise to me and that you've been keeping yourself happy. However, I do hope that if you've met anyone (have you?), that you'll tell me all about him. He better be fantastic and have saved the Wizarding world at least once in his life! I'm only kidding, of course. But really, I hope you're happy and as much as I regret putting our reunion off for another year, I know that you're proud of me and your brother.
Okay, well, I've got to go now. I'm sure Ron's gotten himself into another predicament with the Muggle appliances in our hotel room, and I'm off to save him. Regards to everyone there!
Love always,
Harry
Reading and rereading the letter sent a sharp blow to Ginny's hopes for a family for their child. Another year and three months? She couldn't imagine coming back from two years' worth of absence. And the part about her being happy made her the saddest she had been in a long time. Here she was, actually pining for him, and he had given her complete clearance to be with other men. She wished to write a vindictive letter back to him, revealing her pregnancy and demanding that he come home to be with her and their baby, which was due in less than a month. But she knew that Harry wanted her to be happy, and that she would want that for him, too.
It was February fifteenth, the day following a particularly lonesome Valentine's Day spent with Hermione that Ginny began to feel the earliest signs of labor pangs. The Burrow was inexplicably empty that day, save for Hermione, who brought her to St. Mungo's. Once there, they met up with the rest of the Weasley clan.
Ginny had a foolish sense of hope in the back of her mind that on this special day, Harry would miraculously appear out of nowhere to coach her and be by her side. Yet she knew better. She excused her tears for Harry as tears of labor.
For Ginny, labor lasted a grueling nineteen hours, all through which Bill, Charlie, Fred and George (Percy couldn't be there) came up with numerous magic tricks to pass the time and humor their younger sister. However, she was hardly amused. With the pain from the approaching birth and thoughts of Harry, she couldn't imagine labor getting any worse.
Fortunately, she was rewarded near midnight, when she gave birth to a small yet handsome baby boy. From the moment she saw his thin strands of black hair and he opened his bright brown eyes, she knew he was her son.
She decided to name him Liam.
Following the birth, Ginny spent a short three days in the hospital, where Liam was kept in an incubator shortly due to his small size. While in bed, Ginny went through stacks of parchment trying to write a letter to Harry and inform him of his new son. But having Liam surprisingly changed something in her. As much as she wanted Harry to be there with her, her needs shifted from focusing on bringing Harry back to taking care of their son. Liam was front and center now. Harry would be a close second.
Ginny's life came to a sort of resolve following Liam's birth. No longer was she sad and lonely over Harry's absence. Having Liam in her life certainly changed things and made them brighter. She loved being a mother and she couldn't imagine being away from her son at all. Everyone at the Burrow loved him, and he was constantly the center of attention. Molly and Arthur couldn't help but boast their new grandson, and Hermione loved being Auntie Hermione. There were days where Ginny actually wanted to work away from home and at the Ministry just so she could bring Liam in and show everyone just how well-behaved her son was. He rarely ever cried and was always cooperative with those that took care of him. Ginny loved to love her son.
It was almost drastic how quick Harry fell from the limelight in Ginny's mind. She would always love him, there was no doubt about that, and having their son didn't exactly mean that she was completely rid of him. However, she wasn't as willing to pick up their relationship where they had left it. She actually wanted to take Harry's advice and be happy for herself. Once Liam was almost seven months old, she realized that as much as she loved Liam, she would love it if she had a man in her life, as well. Even Hermione encouraged her to go out and make herself known to the world. Whatever it took to make Ginny her strong self again, Hermione was supportive by all means.
However, Ginny found that having a son complicated starting relationships a bit. They always seemed to grow a little bit intimidated once they discovered that she was a mother. She couldn't exactly understand how grown men could be held back by such a sweet and timid little child. She almost found it entertaining to see men come up with excuses to avoid meeting her son, but she always grew a little bit irritated when relationships that she believed she could invest in would go to waste due to sheer ignorance.
But all that changed when Ginny met Wyatt Collins one fateful day at the Ministry.
Wyatt Collins had been trying to get season tickets to the Holyhead Harpies for almost a year to no avail. He went straight to the Ministry, where he met Ginny on one of the only days in the week that she actually worked from the office. From his perfectly-coiffed brown hair, charming blue eyes, and Olympian features, Ginny was immediately attracted. And as soon as he took notice of her bright brown eyes and gorgeous red hair, the Holyhead Harpies were out and Ginny Weasley was in.
The two took their relationship slowly getting to know one another. When Ginny let out the deal breaker and informed him of Liam, he was surprisingly receptive and wanted to get to know him. In return, he informed her of one of his own secrets: he was a Squib. He had managed to fit in successfully with Muggle society as a college professor. He was also well-versed in magical teachings, teachings that he passed on to other Squib children that wanted to learn from him. As if his charitable nature and patience weren't enough to win Ginny over, he was great with children, as made obvious from his great relationship with Liam.
Up to a certain point, the two of them had only been going out for coffee and the occasional lunch so as not to interrupt Ginny's time with Liam at night. But one day, he finally got the courage to ask her out properly, the first man to do so after learning about Liam.
"Dinner?" Ginny asked, taken aback. "Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?"
Ginny blushed slightly. "I'm not so sure. After all…Liam…"
"I won't try to replace his father, I promise you that," he said. He had no idea that Liam's father was the great Harry Potter. "Just one dinner. And if you, for some reason, don't enjoy my company then, we can continue with the normal coffee routine."
"You're so sure of yourself."
"It's innocent."
"Innocent?"
"As innocent as innocent gets." He winked at her.
She let herself go to dinner with him and, as a result, let herself fall even deeper into their blossoming relationship and away from the possibilities of Harry.
Ginny just hoped that Liam wouldn't be calling him "Da-da" any time soon.
AN: Clearly, just with the existence of Liam and with Fred still alive, Keepsake is in a slightly different canon. Call me optimistic, but I like the just-a-little-bit-happier alternate reality. I hope you liked this chapter, which was supposed to be a small but sweeping view into Ginny's life without Harry before we move into the bulk of the story. Read and review! [:
