Harry smiled as Ginny met him in Ron's parlor, her brother and sister-in-law already where he'd asked them to be.
"What on Earth took you so long?" She ran to him and Harry pulled her into his embrace. The last month particularly of their engagement had been heavenly and he attributed a great deal of it to the number of times he'd been able to hold Ginny as he'd found more and more reasons to be with her in the weeks since the reading of their bands had begun.
"I had to stop for something on my way." He placed a kiss on her hair and took a moment to breathe in her flowery scent.
"What trifling thing did you need to stop for?" Ginny looked around his person.
"Did you really think I'd hold it myself, when I'm engaged to a lady who is keen on finding out her surprises?"
Ginny scrunched her nose at him before looking behind him.
"Sterling, what has he brought me?"
Harry winked at his valet before looking over at Ginny's new lady's maid.
"Healy, does Miss Weasley choose to specifically spoil my surprises or does she do this with every person she is close to?"
Healy managed to only smile at him but he held fast to Ginny to keep her from approaching Sterling.
"I do not ruin surprises," Ginny grinned up at him. "I'm simply paying you the compliment of how well you know what I like."
"You do not have difficult tastes," Harry pulled her arm into his, "but seeing as you are so keen to know what I had to stop for, we may as well show you."
"Sterling," Ginny turned on his valet with a whimsical smile, "would you be so kind as to let me have my surprise."
Sterling laughed and looked over at Harry. "Mr. Potter?"
"Ginny, darling, your surprise is not with Sterling."
"It's not?" She frowned at him. "Did you leave it in your coach then?"
"No, I left your surprise at the manor."
"You left it at home? But you said you had to stop for something."
"Do you want to discuss the finer points of what the phrase "stop for something" could entail or would you like to go see your surprise?" Harry nodded to Healy to collect Ginny's warmer overcoat.
"Yes, I want to see my surprise," Ginny slid into her overcoat before stepping out with him to the waiting coach.
"Are you going to give me any clues to what my surprise is?" Ginny slid against him after he'd seated himself next to her in the coach.
"No, this time I will give no clues." Harry took the blanket Sterling handed him to drape over her legs and placed his arm around her shoulders.
"Oh, it must be a very good surprise if you won't give me any clues." She snuggled closer to him.
Harry laughed at her attempt to try and pull a hint from him. "I say again, I will give you no clues."
"Well then," Ginny pushed her hands further into her fur muff, "Shall we instead discuss our wedding? Is everything in order?"
"I believe it is, but we still have ten days and one more announcement of our bands at the church."
Ginny sighed, "I still think it was a bit much to go for the special license. I like the idea of being married at the weeping willows on the grounds, but it feels ridiculous how much your family paid for us to do it."
Harry chuckled, "The money was mostly to keep others from thinking there was any special treatment. Father knows Archbishop Hagrid rather well actually, and he was able to skip over the vicar and everyone else for it. Besides, it will make my uncle turn purple to know I was married with a special license, and that gives both my parents a good laugh."
"You know, when I first found out you were related to the Dursley's I thought the absolute worst of you?" Ginny smirked up at him.
"I'm sorry you knew of my relation then," Harry kissed her cheek. "What cued you into my being different?"
"Your sense of humor," she responded immediately, before smirking, "that, and your size."
"My size?" Harry frowned.
"How recently have you seen your cousin and uncle?" She looked as though she was putting a great deal of effort into not laughing.
"It's been years, since before I started boarding school."
"Well, I would say that if you were to chance upon them now, you would see that they have developed an affinity for attempting to embody all the more grandiose qualities of our Prince Regent, in fact, you might say they aim to appear in his very image." Ginny finally gave into her laughter and Harry joined her.
"Well, then we'll toast to their good fortune in following after the larger goals they've set for themselves." Harry smiled as the coach came to a stop. "But we have arrived and so let us continue these sentiments later on. Now I wish to show you your surprise."
Ginny perked up and followed him from the coach and into what would be her home ten days hence.
"Where to next, my dear?" She let Healy take her overcoat, hat, and muff before taking Harry's arm again.
"The drawing room actually." Harry led her up the stairs.
"Ah, my first guess was wrong then," she tried to hurry his pace. "I thought our rooms were finished and you meant to show me."
"The staff should finish with our rooms early next week." Harry slowed her to nearly a crawl and smirked at the glare she directed his way.
"Do you delight in torturing me?"
"I suppose it would depend on the occasion, and the particular form of torture you're referring to, Gin." Harry brought her hand to his lips and smirked at the way Ginny's glare softened.
"But torture aside," he placed her hand back on his arm, "would you like to see your surprise?"
Ginny's glare was gone in an instant, "Yes, I've been ever so patient and I believe I deserve my reward."
Harry laughed and waved Sterling away as he opened the door himself to show Ginny her entire family sitting with his parents in the drawing room.
"Where did you all come from?" Ginny cried out and ran forward to Bill's arms.
"Your soon to be husband thought you would enjoy seeing us all again while you're still a Weasley." Fred laughed.
"He's not a bad sort," George nodded.
"Ron found her a good man," Percy nodded.
"Actually, Ginny managed just fine on her own," Ron chuckled. "I was a bit preoccupied with my own betrothal when the two met."
"They didn't need any help from anyone," Mrs. Weasley pulled Ginny to her.
"And you're here early!" Ginny laughed and hugged her mother.
"Mr. Potter thought it would be better for us to be here when your brothers arrived." Her father kissed her head.
Ginny spun to smile at Harry, happy tears glistening in her eyes.
"Thank you!"
Harry smiled, "It was no grand thing."
Ginny turned back to her brothers and Harry caught his mother's eye; she was beaming at him as she took his father's arm. For as much as he'd begged them to leave him and Ginny be, he had to hand it to his parents, things had turned out rather well in the end, even with their meddling.