"Hey, Harry! Teddy just woke up from his nap, I haven't grabbed him yet though," the young woman slipped her jacket on as Harry and Arthur walked into the large flat.
"That's great, Jessie. Thanks for staying late, we really appreciate it."
"Anytime- Is Ginny doing okay?"
"Yeah, she'll be home in just a few minutes. I just wanted to take over with Teddy for you since I knew you were in a bit of a rush today."
"Thanks for that- I'll see you all next week. Give Teddy a kiss for me!" Grabbing her backpack, she walked out the door, closing it behind her.
"Why do you have a nanny? Surely Dora would be willing to keep Teddy if you're too busy to care for him." Even as he said it, Arthur winced at the harshness of his own words.
"Yeah, she just hasn't been doing well lately with the second anniversary coming up, so we've been taking him more. But sometimes we're both working late or what have you, so we hired Jessie to cover for games and stuff until he's old enough to go. We love having him here though, and Dora knows Jessie too. And she never really has to be here long, maybe ten hours a week, and just on the weeks we have him, and if we only have him for the weekend we try to schedule around Gin's games, but since we've had him so much lately we've needed more help." Harry shoved his hands into his pocket, unable to stop himself from overexplaining. It has always been a point of contention with nearly everyone though, that he and Ginny would take such an active role in caring for little Teddy, especially when neither Ginny nor Harry had any experience with young children before Teddy was born.
Responding to the muffled babbling, Harry went to grab the little one while Arthur took a better look around the flat. It was grander than he would have expected, a large but cozy living room, a table with six matching chairs, a tidy, bright kitchen, all visible from the front door. Down the single hallway, Arthur could see the open door of Teddy's nursery, filled with deep colors, books, and toys. Though he hated to admit it, there was something exceptionally endearing about the fact that this child had such a space at a home he typically only lived in every other weekend. Further down the hallway, Arthur could see several more rooms with door ajar, and what he assumed was a bathroom.
Taking a closer look at the living room, he noticed a large, framed picture. Ron and Hermione flanked Harry, wearing a muggle dress shirt, standing next to Ginny, wearing a white lace dress. The four of them were standing, their arms around each other, laughing. But as the picture continued to move, Arthur could see something else. As the people in the image began to laugh, Harry lagged behind, focusing less on whatever it was that was making them laugh in the first place and more on Ginny. Harry's eyes were wide, his smile easy and happier than Arthur had ever seen. Ginny, on the other hand, was absolutely exuding joy, from her posture leaning into Harry and her arm around Hermione. The image of Ginny threw her head back again, laughing even more, a giddy smile on her face before turning to look at Harry. Arthur was sure he had never seen this picture before, he had kept a close eye on all publications looking for such a picture that would give him any insight into the life of his youngest child.
"That was one of our favorite pictures," Harry said, walking back in with Teddy on his hip.
"From your… wedding, I presume?"
"Yeah, it was small, just a few friends and…. Dora." The word 'family' hung in the air, unsaid and uncomfortable.
"Right. Well, this is a really nice place here. I'm surprised you can live so far away from the Ministry though!" Though he knew for a fact that ministry employees had to live closer to London than Holyhead was, Arthur had always assumed there was some amount of willingness to look the other way in Harry's case.
"Yeah, we live here about six months of the year. Then the other six months we have a smaller place in London. After the Harpies are finished with this season we'll go back to London for the off-season and come back when games start again next year." Teddy squiremed out of Harry's arms, running to a shelf with various bins, pulling toys out of one and settling into a game of some sort.
"You move every six months? Isn't that a bit overwhelming? Seems like you've got plenty of space here to just stay put, surely."
It seemed more than a bit overwhelming. How could anyone possibly be settled if they don't even live in the same home for more than a few months at a time? How could anyone be comfortable in this overly large, drafty apartment in the first place? Could anyone be happy under these circumstances? As though he sensed what Arthur's true question was, Harry responded more solemnly than he had previously.
"We insisted on getting married so we could live together. We want to be together, whatever the cost of that. Moving every six months isn't exactly the highest price to pay to be together. We bought this flat before we told you all when we wanted to get married, Gin and I split the down payment with her signing bonus after making everything official. We didn't anticipate your guys' reactions, we planned on needing extra space for everyone to come to games. But I don't really want to have to explain anymore than I already have. We made our decision, and if you guys can't support or be happy about it, then that's fine. But it was our decision to make."
"Gin-gin!" Teddy ran up to the opening door, throwing himself at Ginny. Without the bandage on her head, she seemed far more whole and happy than Arthur had seen her in the hospital. She picked him up, hugging him close. "Win-win?"
"We lost, but that's okay! I got hurt too, but I'm better now. Were you good for Jessie? Did you sleep this time? I hope you napped so we can stay up late and play games. Or maybe we can watch a movie!"
"Yeah, he napped. I order Thai, it should be here any minute. I hope you like Thai food, Mr. Weasley, I didn't think to ask. It's just something we do after all of Ginny's games."
Twisting his hat in his hands once more, thinking over the admittedly competent and reasonable words Harry had shared, Arthur checked his watch.
"Actually, I'm sorry, I really should go home though. Molly will be wondering where I am, I didn't tell her where I was. If it's not too much trouble though, do you think I could get a copy of that picture above your fireplace?"
Harry and Ginny exchanged glances, unsure if this sudden departure but subsequent interest in their wedding photos was a good or bad sign.
"Oh, okay. Yeah, Harry I think there's a few extras in the closet if you want to find one," Ginny put Teddy down, and closed some of the distance between her and her father. "Sorry you can't stay for dinner, you're always welcome though, you know." She looked down at the floor, wondering if the same invitation could, or ever would be, extended to her and her husband.
Harry returned carrying a white envelope. "Here you go, Mr. Weasley."
"Thank you both, I'm sorry again I can't stay. And I'm sorry about your match, Ginny. But you've been doing so well this season." Arthur looked at the two of them once more before fixing his gaze on Teddy and speaking again. "I'm very proud of you both.'
Ginny walked over to Harry, who put his arm around her shoulder and squeezed tightly. She rested her head against him, seeking some kind of comfort in a relatively uncomfortable situation.
"You've both done very well in your careers. I'm sorry we haven't been around, haven't been able to see you. Maybe that could change soon though. Thank you again, for the picture. I'll write to check in soon." With that, he walked out the door without sparing a glance in the direction of anyone else in the room. Though he wouldn't mention it to Ginny, Harry could see the tears welling in Arthur's eyes as he walked out of the flat.
"Arthur! I've been worried sick, where have you been?"
Walking into the kitchen of the Burrow, Arthur avoided the direct question. Instead, he handed Molly the envelope Harry had given him, and sat at the table before speaking.
"Molly, we need to talk."