Things between Ginny and Harry had calmed, and they settled into a routine. Harry took care of Alice in the mornings, so that Ginny could get to the bakery early and start baking, then Harry would drop Alice off around mid day and head in to the Ministry, where he worked as an Auror. Ginny began doing her correspondence work from home, so she only needed to attend Quidditch matches, which were every other Saturday. Hermione watched Alice on those days, as Ginny was able to bring Harry and Ron to week, however, Harry had to be at the Ministry early for mandatory training, so it was up to Ginny to take Alice to her 18 month appointment. And it was there that she met Alice's Healer.
Well, re-met, that is.
Ginny had no idea that her ex boyfriend, Dean Thomas, had become a Healer at St. Mungo's, so it was a surprise to her when he walked into the little room. He was just as surprised, when he saw Ginny.
"I had wondered who would be taking care of little Alice, now that Neville and Hannah are gone. I'm glad to see that it is you, as I don't think Neville's gran would be up to the task." Dean gave Ginny a wide smile, and began his exam. A process that normally took fifteen minutes, the exam took nearly forty five minutes, due to Ginny and Dean's prolonged conversations. Ginny told Dean about her work life after retiring from Quidditch, and Dean shared with her the reasons why he decided to become a Healer, and why he specialized in child care. At the end of the exam, Ginny left, a smile on her face and a date for that night.
Harry was going to flip.
He actually took it a lot better than Ginny had imagined he would. He shared Ginny's surprise with Dean's occupation, and said that Ginny 'Deserved a night on the town,' whatever that meant. Harry insisted that he would watch Alice, for Ginny had suggested asking Hermione.
"Nonsense. I don't have any plans for tonight, so there's no reason why I can't take care of Alice," Harry said, taking the girl from Ginny's arms. He sat her in her highchair and began preparing dinner, something else that surprised Ginny. She decided it best not to keep asking him if he was sure it was okay, in case Harry suddenly changed his mind. Instead, Ginny went into her bedroom and got ready for her date.
An hour later, she exited the room, having decided on a beautiful sun dress. She hoped that Dean wasn't planning on taking her anywhere too fancy, as this was the most elegant dress she owned and didn't think that it would fit in at any posh establishment. There was a knock at the door, and Ginny heard Harry open it.
"Good to see you, Harry! It's been so long. I hear you're up for a promotion to Head Auror! Seamus told me- his wife works at the Ministry." Ginny came around the corner and saw Dean reach out to shake Harry's hand. Harry obliged, taking the darker hand into his own. Dean's eyes gazed over Harry's shoulder and locked onto Ginny's eyes.
"Wow, Ginny, you look amazing," He said, walking past Harry. Ginny saw Harry's head turn slightly, and she knew that he was covertly trying to see her. He said a quick goodbye and went into the kitchen.
"Shall we get going?" Ginny asked, wanting to leave before Harry could come back in. Dean nodded, and offered Ginny his arm. She took it, and the pair disapparated.
The date went marvelously. Ginny and Dean caught up with what one another had been up to since Hogwarts. They had seen each other briefly at Seamus and Parvati's wedding two years ago, but didn't have time to talk, and Dean had to miss Neville and Hannah's funerals due to an emergency surgery one of his patients talked for nearly three hours, when Ginny finally checked the time.
"Wow, it's after 10pm! I should probably get going, I have to be up early with Alice," Ginny said, pushing back her chair. The two stood, and walked out of the restaurant, having paid an hour earlier. They walked for a few minutes until Dean stopped and placed a hand on Ginny's arm to get her to stop as well.
"I had a wonderful time, Ginny. Would you want to get together again, perhaps on Saturday?"
"I have to attend a Quidditch match between the Holyhead Harpies and the Montrose Magpies, but you should come with me! If you want to, I mean." Ginny hoped that she didn't seem too overly excited, not wanting to scare him off.
"Sounds great," Dean said, and then leaned in and gave her a kiss. The kiss lasted only a moment, before Dean pulled away and turned on the spot. Ginny was unsure of what she was feeling. The kiss was okay, but she didn't see fireworks, like she had hoped. She, too, disapparated. Upon entering the house, she saw that Harry had fallen asleep on the couch, with Alice in his arms. The baby girl was awake, and greeted Ginny with a smile. Ginny carefully took Alice out of Harry's arms, careful not to wake him, and put the girl to bed. Ginny fell asleep a short time later, imaging how Saturday would go and hoping that Harry and Ron wouldn't mind missing a match.
She ended up seeing Dean a lot sooner than Saturday.
Ginny had been dreaming about a time during her third year at Hogwarts, when Harry was a Triwizard champion and he had opened the golden egg in the Common Room. The room had filled with a horrible wailing sound, and Harry hurried to shut it.
Only, the wailing didn't stop.
Ginny woke with a start, and jumped out of bed when she realized that the wailing was coming from Alice's room. She hurried to the little girl, and picked her up. It startled Ginny to feel how warm Alice was. The girl was covered in sweat, but her teeth were chattering as if she were cold. Ginny rushed to wake Harry.
"Something's wrong with Alice! We need to take her to St. Mungo's. I'm going to change her into dry clothes, can you please send an owl or patronus message to Dean?" Harry bolted up and obliged. Less than five minutes later, the two met back in the living room, Alice in tow, and used the fireplace to Floo themselves to St. Mungo's.
Dean met them there and took them straight into an examination room. He began his examination, muttering to himself as he went along. Ten minutes later, he told Ginny and Harry that he had to take Alice to perform a more extensive test, and that the two of them had to wait there. As soon as Dean left the room with Alice, Ginny jumped to her feet and began pacing. Harry's eyes followed her back and forth and back and forth.
"Harry, what if she's really sick? What if it's something that there is no cure for? What if-" Ginny couldn't finish the sentence. She didn't have to for Harry to know what she was thinking. He stood and walked over to Ginny, taking the girl into his arms.
"She will be okay, Ginny. We have to believe that she will. It's probably just a flu bug or something similar. Dean will give her some medicine, and we will all go home," Harry said, running his hand up and down Ginny's back to soothe her. The door opened, and Dean walked back in.
"Alice has a mild ear infection. I've given her a dose of antibiotics and she is asleep now. You guys can take her home, just make sure she gets her antibiotics and ear drops every four hours." Dean gave a small smile, but did not linger in the room.
"See, I was right, she's going to be okay. Now, let's get our girl and head home." It was most likely Harry's use of the term 'our girl' that did it, or maybe the relief of the whole situation, but at that moment Ginny raised up on tip toes and gently kissed Harry's lips.
Fireworks.
