Chapter 8

The First Letter

Harry Potter beware-

The Dark Lord's supporters are alive and well. We will get your godson, your girlfriend, and you. One day. Killing the Dark Lord did nothing less than make us angrier. Beware, for you will one day go from being the boy who lived, to the boy who died.

It was the first threatening letter that Harry had ever received, and his first impression was that it must be a joke. But none-the-less, he took it seriously. He went upstairs to where Ginny was getting Teddy dressed for the day.

Teddy would be going back to Andromeda's in a few days and Harry was going to miss him loads. He knew that weekends would the best though, because neither he nor Ginny would have work, so it meant that the three of them could spend the whole time together. Today however, was Percy's stag party. He would show Mr. Weasley and Ron the letter he'd received. No reason to worry Ginny now. She was going to go out with Hermione, Sarah, Angelina, Fleur, and Audrey, whose hen party it was.

Once Harry got to Teddy's bedroom, he stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorjam, looking in, and watched Ginny smile down at Teddy as she got him ready. Apparently, Harry had walked in on Ginny having a very one-sided conversation with the toddler.

"…I do love him, I have since I was ten years old. Did you know that he's saved my life? Yeah, not just once either. One time, a very bad man with an evil book sort of took over me, and your brave godfather, who was only twelve at the time saved me, just in time! Nearly getting himself killed of course. Then another time, when I was fifteen, he gave me a bit of potion that saved me from being hit with a curse, I swear. If it weren't for Harry Potter—well…" she trailed off, looking lost in thought for a moment, then began again, "I guess neither of us would really be here, would we?" She tickled his belly and Teddy belly laughed and rolled around on the changing table.

"So that's why you love me, it's just the name," Harry said teasingly. "Is my scar just that attractive?" He said brushing his hair back, exposing the lighting bolt on his forehead.

"Harry!" she shrieked, jumping about a foot in the air. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Oh just long enough for you to list my accomplishments," he said again, clearly teasing her, but giving her a kiss on the cheek and wrapping his arms around her waist. "But Ginny, seriously, you don't—" he started but couldn't think of the words to ask the question that he needed to ask her. "You don't just love me because, because I saved your life? Because I'm Harry Potter? You know it would be much safer for you if you didn't…" He trailed off, because the thought of Ginny Weasley no longer loving him was just about the most painful thing he could imagine.

She looked directly into his eyes, hazel into green, and said firmly "Harry James Potter, if you ever say something that stupid again, I will hex you. You are the love of my life. I mean it. I can't imagine ever being with someone else. I fully intend to spend the rest of my life with you, and if that means escaping death every few years, or months or days or whenever, than so be it. Because as long as you're by my side, I know everything will be perfectly all right. I wasn't listing all the times you saved me to insinuate that I owe you my life or something ridiculous like that. Harry, I love you because you have the purest heart, the greatest capacity for love, the most creative personality out of anyone that I have ever met! You are my soul mate, whether you believe that or not, I do. I know you have baggage, I've known you for most of that. Besides, some of that is good baggage," she bent down and picked up Teddy, who's hair had turned a weird shade between his depressed black and confused forest green. "Harry Potter, I love you. No matter what happens or who threatens us. It's us against the world."

Nothing, absolutely nothing she said could have made him feel better than that. "I love you too Ginny, I'm sorry, I just wanted, needed, to make sure."

"I know, Harry. I'm sorry if I've ever given that impression. I was just telling Teddy what all you've done. I do that a lot when I'm getting him dressed. Or I'll tell him great things about Remus and Dora, or about Sirius, or even Dumbledore sometimes. It just depends on what's on my mind. Today it just happened to be you," she finished with a smile.

"It's funny that you mentioned being threatened though,"

She looked up at him as he handed her the folded piece of parchment that contained the threat aimed at his godson. She read, her face getting angrier and angrier at each line she read. Finally she looked up at him, "How long have you had this for?"

"It just came this morning, I wasn't going to show it to you until after Percy's wedding, but I didn't want to keep it from you either."

"Harry," she started, "Teddy? How are we going to…?" She couldn't finish the question, protect him or stop this Harry did not know how she was going to finish it. Harry just looked back at her and said, simply:

"Together."

She smiled up at him and said, "We'll talk about it later, when he can't hear us."

Teddy then chimed into the conversation, "Pop, pop, pop pop pop!"

"Well it sounds like someone's ready to get going." Together, they walked down stairs and out onto the top step of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, and, holding them both tightly, Harry turned on the spot, pulling Ginny and Teddy towards The Burrow.