2 and a half years later…
"Mum, you haven't seen Harry anywhere have you?" Ginny asked her mother as she reached the bottom of the stairs, taking care not to bump into anything.
Her skin was glowing with pride as she carried little baby Lily in her arms. She had only been born three weeks ago, but she was already such an energetic little monkey, not to mention incredibly clumsy – she somehow managed to roll over in her crib every night, repeatedly bumping into the wooden bars as well as dropping her doll everywhere she went.
She also took after her Godmother in the sense of being fascinated by animals – something that Luna adored.
Molly smiled at her daughter, despite the fact she was struggling to balance the plates in her arms. She couldn't help but admire the way her hair – which hung in delicate curls - bounced around her shoulders and contrasted beautifully against her white sundress – it had thin straps and was tight around her chest before poofing out at the waist in lovely cream gossamer and lace material, which Lily loved to play with as she made to grab at it for the third time. She was such a little monkey sometimes.
"No I haven't dear, perhaps if you check the Apple Orchard?" she suggested with a kind smile.
Ginny nodded and thanked Mrs. Weasley before walking through the back door and into the warm summer air.
The Burrow looked amazing on this warm Spring day, despite the fact that it was February. It was Valentine's day, and little James's 4th birthday and as such, everyone was gathering at The Burrow for his party.
Although for James, Teddy (who was now 6), Victoire (who turned 5 in May) and Roxanne (who was slightly younger than Albus, but still tagged along after her cousins) the party had already begun as they taught James how to fly on his new Junior Firebolt 2010.
Ginny smiled at Teddy and Victoire as he always kept one eye on her, making sure she didn't fall. Bill, Fleur, George and Angelina (who was rocking a tiny little Fred II in her arms – he had been born only two weeks ago) watched from the round table under one of the many trees that filled the back garden and smiled knowingly at the children.
It was clear even at this age that when they grew older, the pair would be incredibly close.
She turned left into the Apple Orchard and walked down the dirt path towards the picket-fenced area that was the orchard.
Ginny loved this place, especially today. The sun filtered through the new leaves that covered the branches of the trees and the cool green grass swayed in the gentle breeze.
Her face lit up when she creaked open the little white gate and stepped through as a familiar voice reached her ears.
"That's it Rosie! Come on, just one more step!" he encouraged, and then proceeded to cheer as Hermione joined in her husbands clapping. Ginny stepped around a tree trunk and saw Rosie stumble into her Daddy's arms.
"You're so clever Rosie! Congratulations!" he praised the giggly two year old in his arms.
Rosie had really grown so much in those two years that appeared to have flown by.
The fiery red hair that had been messy and short on the night of her birth, now hung in fine ringlets down her back. Her skin was slightly tanned like Hermione's, something that surprised Ginny, considering that her and Ron's skin refused to tan and instead just turned red in the sun.
Her little full, rosy cheeks had not lost their adorable dimples whenever she smiled, nor had her large eyes lost their mischievously knowing sparkle. It turns out Ron had been right on the night of her birth, she definitely was a little prankster – taking after her Uncle George and his late twin brother, who Ginny knew would be so proud of the little girl who couldn't resist using her intelligence to help her be cheeky whenever the opportunity presented itself.
She wore a sundress like Ginny's, except hers was violet with little cream embroidered flowers around the hem of the skirt. She smiled when she saw her Auntie walk up to her and kneel down, but her little forehead wrinkled as she frowned at her baby cousin.
It turns out Rosie didn't like having to share the attention.
"Well done Rosie! Auntie Ginny is very proud of you!" Ginny cooed while ruffling her niece's hair affectionately with her free hand.
"And so is Uncle Harry!" he chimed in as he too stepped around a nearby tree trunk with Albus in his arms. He looked even more like his Daddy now than he had when he had been born. "Now if only we can get you walking!" he exclaimed while tickling his little boy.
"He'll get there eventually. It's just that Rosie's got her Mummy's brain! I'm telling you Hermione, she'll be running soon!" Ron announced proudly as he scooted further away from Rosie and opened his arms again. "And you want to know something else? I bet she'll be flying before Albus too!"
"Is that a challenge my friend?" Harry challenged with a smirk as he set Albus down on the grass next to Rose. The cousins were very close, and right now were playing some hand-clapping game they'd invented.
"Why yes it is Mr. Potter! Will you rise to the challenge?" Ron replied in an overly enthusiastic voice, just for show, and extended a hand towards his brother-in-law with a grin of his own.
"I think I will actually! Al may not be as naturally intelligent as Rosie, but he's a fast learner – AH HA! See?" Harry cried as Albus watched Rose stand up on her own and copied her.
He hesitated before taking a shaky step forward, but started squealing and giggling hysterically when he found that he was able to walk – just like Rose.
Ron gasped and crouched back down.
"Come on Rosie! Come to Daddy before Al gets to Harry!" he beckoned, somewhat frantically.
"Boys, tell me you're not turning your children's milestone markers into a competition! This is a big moment and should be treated as such! Rather than a bet on who's going to win the next Quidditch Game!" Hermione cried in frustration as she shifted Hugo in her arms and sat down on the cool grass beside Ginny.
"Yes, I'd rather my Son and Niece not be used as tools for your amusement. Honestly, you're worse than George!" Ginny declared as she too sunk into the grass beside her Sister-in-law. However she shifted away when Lily and Hugo began poking each other in the arms and face.
Hugo was almost the exact same age as Lily, but the two were not as close as Albus and Rose. On the contrary, they couldn't stand the sight of eachother sometimes!
"Sorry" the men mumbled in unision before kneeling back down, giving eachother a sneaky smile and then proceeding to yell "Come on Albus!", "Come on Rosie!", "You can do it!", "Just a little further until you beat Albus!"
Both women sighed exasperatedly at their husband's behaviour. Deep down, they really were just the same boys from Hogwarts – just as competitive, and still as silly.
But suddenly, things changed.
Ron stopped for a second, appearing to be deep in thought, and then gasped as he turned to look at Hermione. "I just got the most horrible mental picture 'Mione" he said with wide panicked eyes.
"Ron, I thought we obliviated that memory of you walking in on George and Angelina in the store cupboard at the shop. How can you still be remembering that?" she asked with a frown. Wiping his memory clean of that particular incident had been the only way of getting him to stop screaming "my eyes are burning!". If he was going to start that up again, she might just place a permanent silencing charm on him and be done with it!
His eyes boggled and his face scrunched up in disgust.
"What are you on about 'Mione? I think I'd remember something as disgusting as that-" looks like Ron got to keep the ability of speech, praise Merlin. "-No, I'm on about the picture I just got of Rosie running off into the arms of some boy!"
Everyones reaction was different.
Ginny actually burst out laughing, startling Lily slightly before she too began to giggle at her Mummy's watery eyes and happy face.
"W-What are you on about mate?" Harry scoffed as he fell to the ground, clutching his sides as he laughed and rolled around the grass beside Albus.
However, Hermione's frown only deepened as she tried not to roll her eyes and suppress her frustrated sigh.
"Ronald, I don't think we need to worry about that until she can properly walk and form coherent sentences" Hermione lectured as she disentangled a few of her curls from Hugo's fists.
"No I'm telling you love, this is the beginning of the end! First she starts crawling, then she's walking and then before you know it she's strutting down the aisle into the arms of some bloke! I mean look at Ginny!" he cried, thinking back to all those years he and his brothers had purposefully tried to keep Ginny away from boys.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" his sister inquired, raising an eyebrow and glaring at him threateningly.
"Well Ronald now you're being a bit ridiculous. Your sister didn't marry "some bloke"" Hermione scoffed, letting her eyes roll and not bothering to suppress her amused smirk as she broke apart the brawl that was about ensue between the two siblings. "She married your best friend and savior of the Wizarding World" she lectured him with a crooked smile.
"And a fine bloke I hear he is too!" Harry cried, still rolling around the ground laughing while his wife gave him an adoring look. She loved it when he was happy like this.
"Ye, but knowing my luck Rosie will end up marrying a Goyle, or Merlin forbid – a Malfoy" he spat the last name and his nose wrinkled up in disgust.
Ginny had to laugh at that, he was every bit at protective of Rose as he and her brothers had been of her whilst growing up.
"Ronald, I thought we were taking this process of being parents in Baby Steps, not planning the 'worst-case scenarios' for the future. It's quite comical really that you're repeating your same protective behaviour from your time growing up with Ginny" Hermione said whilst chuckling at her husbands irrational behaviour.
"Well can you blame me 'Mione? I don't want my little Princess leaving us for some boy!"
"Ron-" Harry said with a sigh, finally being able to breathe as he wiped the tears from his cheeks,"- let's not spoil this happy family moment by planning worst-case scenarios ok?" he asked with a small smile as he brushed his hair out of his eyes.
"Ok fine, but my point still stands" Ron muttered as he turned back to Rose. Somehow, looking at Rose made all of his problems disappear and always made him smile.
"Come to me Rosie! Come on!" he beckoned cheerily.
But Rose just sat on the grass, her arms crossed and looking at him with a stubborn pout. Albus looked at her and copied her movements exactly.
"What the-?...Rosie come on" Ron said again, sounding a little confused as to why she wasn't moving an inch.
All of a sudden Harry started laughing as he figured out his nieces logic.
"Why are you laughing? This isn't funny, she's not walking to me anymore!" he cried in despair.
"R-Ron, you j-just told her yo-you didn't want her go-going near any boys!" Hermione chortled, clutching her sides with one hand while she held Hugo close to her chest with the other.
Ron's face crumpled up in confusion for a second and then he realized and turned back to Rose on the ground.
"Oh no sweetheart it's ok! It's ok for you to come to Daddy" he explained in a rush, determined to sort out this misunderstanding as soon as possible.
Rose frowned – she actually frowned at her Dad – and if her family hadn't seen what she did next with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it – Rose put her little fingers to her chin and concentrated, a pensive look in her big blue eyes.
Then she looked up and with an inquisitive look on her face turned to face her Uncle.
Ron followed her line of vision and couldn't help but laugh – she really was an intelligent little thing.
"Yes Rosie, you can go to Uncle Harry" he told her. She moved her arm again to point at somebody else, as if moving through a list of people, to which Ron gave an answer to every single one. "And George, and Bill and P- well your Uncle Percy is a bit of a pompous Prat sometimes but sure! Why not?" he asked with a shrug of his shoulders as Hermione smacked him over the back of the head.
Rose giggled at her parents, noting that her Daddy had done something naughty to get a reaction like that from her Mummy, and then turned to look at the three boys zooming around on brooms not far away.
At this one, Ron frowned.
"Well James and Albus, ofcourse you can – they're your cousins! But Teddy…well I'm still on the fence about that one. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it" he told her in a tight voice, trying to get off that topic as quickly as possible.
Apparently Rose didn't like this answer, and neither did Hermione as she rounded on her husband whilst Rose's bottom lip began to tremble and she did her best puppy-dog face – she knew exactly what to do to get what she wanted from her Daddy.
"Ronald Weasley, are you really that thick that you haven't noticed what's been going on?" Ginny demanded to know with a cocked eyebrow and a hand on her hip as she stared her brother down.
Ron only blinked at her in response.
"Ugh – Teddy and Victoire you numpty! He gave her a Valentine's present!" Hermione explained in an exasperated voice.
Ron still blinked at her and scratched his head in confusion. Merlin, the man was really dense when it came to this kind of stuff.
"Teddy and Victoire – they're in Puppy love you numbskull" Harry told him an unamused voice, now sitting bolt upright with a serious expression as he looked at his best friend. The man really was as thick as a brick - it was obvious to see what was going on!
Ron's eyes widened in surprise as he looked to the left at the little blue-haired boy helping the girl with the golden hair and the heart-shaped face get off of her broom safely.
"Oh" was all he could say as the pieces clicked into place. "Well that's alright then!" he declared and bent down once more and reassured Rose that it was ok to go near Teddy.
Rose clapped and Albus joined in too before the cousins looked at each other with a cheeky smile and stood up at the same time, just as Kreacher came skipping into the Apple Orchard.
"Master Harry! Master Harry! It is time for birthday cakes Sir! Kreacher made it himself, just for little Mr. Potter Sir!" he announced happily, his bat-like ears perked right up and his eyes glowing with excitement.
"That's brilliant Kreacher, thank you. Just give us one second though" Harry said while holding up a finger to the elf as he shuffled closer to Ron on the ground and both men extended their arms towards their children and began shouting "Come on kids!"
Copying their Father's competitiveness from before both toddlers took a step forward, their eyes sparkling with the same cheeky look as they walked towards their Daddys, determined to beat the other.
One Baby Step at a time.