Chapter Ten
Happiness is walking hand in hand
"Would you just look at this?" Ron slammed his coffee cup down and slapped Daily Prophet on the table.
"Good morning to you too, Ron." Hermione smiled as she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Trash! I can't believe they can get away with publishing stuff like that!" Ron sat in his chair fuming and watched the smiled fade from Hermione's face as she skimmed the article.
"Potter and Weasley-Longbottom: Wedding Bells before the week is over," Hermione yawned and she tossed the paper on the floor. "Ignore it, it's rubbish."
"I bet Harry hasn't seen that one yet."
Hermione shrugged and handed him a plate of pancakes. "Harry is pretty laid back when dealing with the press. I don't know how he'll react about Ginny."
"If I were him, I'd be furious," muttered Ron stabbing a pancake with his fork.
"Harry's used to it by now. Let's just not bring it up when we talk to him. The same goes with Ginny, okay?"
"She's MY sister. I think I should be down at the newspaper office right now screaming for grounds of validity!" harrumphed Ron, his brow still furrowed.
"My friend and sister-in-law, remember? And you'll do no such thing. It would only make things worse. I can just see the next story.... 'Hothead older brother attacks Daily Prophet employees: Dysfunction is suspected in Weasley family.'"
Ron made a sulky face at his coffee. "I just hope this doesn't upset Ginny to the point of going back to the way she was."
~*~
Ginny was pleased. She set down the article and laughed out loud.
"Ha! We've got the town abuzz, don't we, Webster?"
She patted her owl and broke off a bit of English muffin for him.
"Listen to this, 'Friend of family takes on a new meaning in this latest pursuit by Harry Potter. Ginny Weasley-Longbottom is apparently the newest dame to be wooed by the hero. Other bachelorettes are green with envy with the sight of Potter being snatched up from the courting game.' "
Ginny stretched her arms, still smirking.
"Ginny, you are a latest pursuit," Ginny said to herself with a giggle. "This will certainly make Christmas interesting. Maybe Fred and George will call me 'Harry's dame' in front of mum."
~*~
Chloe patiently waited downstairs. She couldn't wait to go Christmas shopping. She wished her Daddy would hurry up. Grown-ups were so slow sometimes!
She sat on the couch her feet dangling off the edge. Chloe couldn't wait until her feet would touch the floor. It was unfair being so little sometimes. She slouched down in the couch and tried to get her feet to touch. If she reached really far she could almost—
"What are you doing, Chlo?" Harry asked as he hurried into the room.
"Practicing being tall," she said slipping down to the floor.
"Oh, okay." He looked confused, but still smiled at her.
Harry tickled her foot and then handed her the slippers that matched her favorite robes. (Pale pink with ribbon trimming.) Chloe pulled them over her tights.
Harry pulled her up from the floor and awkwardly managed two low pigtails tied off with ribbon. Chloe squirmed as he covered her in a heavy white cloak and mittens.
"It's hot!" she said gasping for air.
"Not for long," said Harry pulling the hood over her head. He then put on his winter cloak and gloves. He took her hand and they Apparated right into the heart of Hogsmeade.
Chloe was grateful for her heavy clothes now. She held out her hand as a few snowflakes dotted her mitten. The street was bustling with holiday shoppers. She clung to her Daddy's hand as they made their way to one side of the street. She tried to read the shop sign as they entered, but they walked by it too fast for her to get a good look. Harry pushed back her hood and she felt the warm air of the shop burn on her icy cheeks and nose.
Chloe looked round and round for a moment. The shop looked just like the pictures of forests that Chloe had seen in her storybooks, although this one was slightly more unusual. Flowers poked proudly out of walls and the more daring ones dangled from the ceiling. Potted plates were lined on shelves made out of tree stumps and flat, bright toadstools.
"Mind the floor," Harry warned, narrowly avoiding tripping over a moss covered rock.
Chloe liked the floor very much. It was covered in the prettiest green grass she had ever seen.
"Hello and Merry Christmas," said a raspy voice.
A gnarled hand brushed aside long strands of Spanish moss and a wobbly looking old lady appeared from what Harry assumed was a very cleverly concealed backroom.
"Merry Christmas." Harry nodded towards her politely.
"Merry Christmas," chimed in Chloe.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Potter?" She stopped wobbling toward them to yank a dandelion growing on the floor.
"I'd like to send a bouquet of flowers."
"Good bunch or bad bunch?" The woman blew her nose with a green and pink polka-dotted handkerchief. Chloe thought she sounded like a goose honking.
"Oh—good, of course," Harry said quickly.
The little old woman sneezed loudly, "Pardon. My allergies again."
"God Bless you," said Harry.
Chloe tugged slightly on Harry's robes. "What's a bad bunch?"
The woman gave a noisy hacking cough and answered her. "People send flowers that bite, or cause hives or something outwardly horrible to people they want revenge on. It's a blooming business, believe it or not." The old woman blew her nose again loudly.
"I'll believe it," said Harry shaking his head.
"What sort of flower do you want to send?" She sneezed and the polka-dotted handkerchief appeared once again.
"God Bless you," said Harry absentmindedly as he looked around. "Something nice."
"Roses, my boy?"
"That would be splendid, thank you. Two dozen."
The lady sneezed loudly.
"God Bless you," said Chloe looking up from her pursuit of an orange ladybug that she had spotted on a rock.
"Pick your color along that far wall," she said waving her handkerchief.
"I'd like those delivered in that vase over there. Could you wrap up one of those pink roses?"
Harry signed the card to go along with the roses and then gave the flower shop lady an address. He handed the pink rose to Chloe.
Chloe held the flower to her nose and was rewarded with its sweet fragrance. "Thank you Daddy," she said.
~*~
Ginny opened her front door an hour later and a vase full of roses was thrust into her arms.
"'Ave a good day, Miss!" said the deliveryman tipping his hat.
Ginny set the roses on her table and felt a flush creep up her cheeks. The roses were grand. She had never seen any of this color before. She touched a cool petal and inhaled the scent deeply. The outer sides of the petals were a golden buttery color and the inside of the petals were a perfect red. They were very antique looking and quite exquisite.
She knew whom they were from but her hands still shook as she opened the envelope.
There were only a few sentences:
After the air cleared…
I did some serious thinking last night.
Why shouldn't we give it a try?
Harry
Ginny carefully replaced the card after affectionately reading and re- reading the words. She briefly allowed herself to daydream about Harry while she went to the front closet and got her winter cloak. She shouldn't be sitting at home. She had a million things to do this weekend. She scolded herself as she thought of how much Christmas shopping she had to do. She might as well get most of that done first, since Christmas was right around the corner.
~*~
Harry saved a large stack of books from tumbling onto Chloe. He shakily put them back in line and took her mittened hand. She looked up at him with her bright eyes unaware of what had nearly happened to her.
"Careful, Chloe, the middle book is hard to get to. Ask me next time," he said magically lifting half the stack of books, he handed the book she had been tugging at. The books thudded back into place with a second wave of Harry's hand.
Chloe sat at his feet with all the other parcels they had been shopping for. Harry ran a finger slowly across the titles, searching for a good Christmas gift. Chloe opened the book he had handed her and tossed it up in surprise when loud applause came from its pages. Harry cleared his throat, to mask his chuckle.
Chloe stared warily at the book and decided against opening it again. She turned to the same stack it had came from and waved her hand hopefully. She glared at the stack of books and gave a violent wave of her hand. Still nothing….
Harry couldn't remember which books Hermione had asked for this year. He was seriously considering giving her a copy of....
He didn't get to finish his thought. A stack of books toppled on him, knocking him flat off his feet.
Chloe's green eyes widened and she put her hand to her mouth. So that was what happened if you pulled too hard on the middle book.
Harry groaned as he pushed a book or two off his face and saw Chloe looking very astonished.
"Planning to learn by osmosis, Potter?" said an ugly voice.
Harry's gaze shifted from Chloe to the face of Draco Malfoy. It was a sickening change of scenery. The books flew off of him and stacked themselves neatly in the corner.
"The Megalomaniac help section along with the evil villain autobiographies are at the opposite end of the store." Harry got up, brushed off his robes and pulled Chloe behind him protectively.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Was that an attempt to be clever I heard?"
"No, it was a polite way of saying, get out of my sight."
"Oh, really? What would happen if I didn't?" asked Draco crossing his arms.
"Who's that man, Daddy?" asked Chloe tugging on Harry's robes.
"Only the most wealthy wizard in the wor—."
"That's Draco Malfoy," interrupted Harry.
"Oh," said Chloe.
"Yes, she remembers now...she's heard of me," said Draco smugly.
Chloe nodded and gave Draco a friendly smile. "You're the ferret."
Harry made a noise that sounded something between a laugh and a cough. Chloe hadn't intended to be rude; she was just rehashing a story that Harry had told her. Of course, that didn't make it any less funny…. "That's right, Chloe!"
"You better teach your filthy Mudblood child some manners," hissed Malfoy.
"Don't call my daughter that." Harry said harshly. He couldn't lose his temper… it was too dangerous with Chloe with him. Draco might hit her with a spell.
Malfoy looked pleased. "Did I hit a soft spot, Potter? I wouldn't threaten me...threatening an innocent man would look horrible for your validity as an Auror," Draco sighed airily. "That is…if I dare call you an Auror."
"If I also dare to call you an innocent man."
"It would be wise not to provoke me, Potter. I am a powerful man, and things tend to happen to people who provoke me."
"Was that a threat coming from the divinely innocent Draco Malfoy?" said Harry icily. "Seems to me that there are serious punishments for attempted murder of an Auror. Last I heard, it was punishable by death. Isn't that interesting?"
"Your little confederation of Aurors," sneered Draco, "is a flagrant joke of under-qualified morons, who can't do anything but tramp around with a handful of worthless spells and a glorified name."
Harry kept a firm hand on Chloe's shoulder. "And I believe your pack of cowardly terrorists seem to be going out of their way to run from my Aurors. Dregs of society do tend to go straight to the bottom, don't they?"
"Watch yourself, Potter," spat Draco.
"Likewise," Harry took a step closer to Malfoy. "It really was so smashing to see you again, but I'm afraid you should leave before I decide to arrest you on grounds of suspicious activity." Harry raised his wand at Malfoy and waited.
Malfoy turned sharply on his heel and glared at Harry. "Have a nice evening, Potter, try not to get yourself killed."
~*~
As Ginny was browsing around Flourish and Blotts, trying to remember what books Hermione had asked for this year, she thought she heard a familiar voice. It sounded an awful lot like Harry. She thought for a moment that she was just hearing things, especially because she really did want to hear Harry's voice, but then she heard another familiar voice. That was without a doubt Draco Malfoy's voice.
Ginny peeked around the corner and saw them in the middle of an argument. She silently cheered to herself when Harry threatened to arrest him. Ginny waited until Malfoy had stalked off until she made herself seen.
"What on earth was that about?"
"Ginny!" Harry turned around and his face smoothed into an expression of happiness.
"Ms. Ginny!" Chloe jumped up and down.
"Nothing," said Harry, "just the usual idle threats between Malfoy and myself."
Ginny looked concerned. "You should be careful."
Chloe tugged on Ginny's robes. "Ms. Ginny?"
"Yes?" said Ginny bending to Chloe's level.
"My Daddy says you danced with him, is that true?"
"Completely true," Ginny smiled.
"Ms.Ginny! You and my Daddy are going to get married now!"
"Chloe!" Harry didn't know where Chloe had gotten that one. That was most definitely not his fault.
"Well you did dance with her. Now you have to get married," said Chloe as if it was supposed to be clear as day to them.
"People don't get married because they dance together," Ginny explained gently.
"They don't?"
"No," said Harry playfully tugging on one of her pigtails. "Where ever did you get that idea?"
"But Cinderella...and the prince…." Chloe looked quite confused now.
"That's just a fairy story, Chloe, it isn't real," said Ginny.
"But fairies are REAL! Why aren't their stories?" Chloe didn't look like she was going to believe either of them now.
Harry was stumped over this one. "Ah well, let's go get some lunch, shall we? Would you care to join us, Ginny?"
Chloe gave him an exasperated look that was entirely too old for a five- year old. "You're changing the subject, Daddy."
"That's absolutely right, I am changing the subject. I can't think on an empty stomach," he said tickling Chloe's side.
"I'd love to join you two for lunch. The conversation about the fairy tales has me intrigued," Ginny smiled.
Harry smiled at her fondly. "Right then, let's go. Put your cloak back on, Chloe."
"Can dragons sneeze?"
Harry was certain this was the hundredth question today.
"Yes," confirmed Ginny, fastening Chloe's cloak.
"Do they sneeze fire?" Chloe's voice was slightly more muffled because of the cloak.
Ginny pulled the cloak down so Chloe was free to talk normally. "I'll ask my brother Charlie. We'll write a letter to him during our free time on Monday."
"Really? Could we write it in all capital letters? I like those best."
"On your part, you can write all the capital letters you like," said Ginny nudging Harry and giving him a merry look.
Harry smiled and shook his head. Chloe seemed to have an opinion about everything.
As they walked down the chilly alley Ginny walked on his left and Chloe skipped ahead on the right.
"Thank you for the roses," said Ginny.
"You're very welcome," Harry said giving her a small smile and adjusting the bags on his arm. She had liked them…. Harry felt very happy about this.
"They're the most beautiful I think I've seen."
"I have more beautiful things to compare to those flowers." Harry removed his gaze from the street and looked directly at her.
Ginny didn't notice the cold wind after that little comment. She had to tear her eyes away from Harry in order to continue walking without falling over something.
"You should have made your life as a poet. It would have been less dangerous then this whole hero bit you've got," Ginny teased.
"Dangerous? Have you been looking at my insurance bill? They seem to think the same thing, very odd." Harry quipped, clearly amused at her comment.
"You don't have insurance..." Ginny scoffed playfully, "not even the Gringotts goblins would be crazy enough to insure you!"
Harry grinned at her, but it was soon replaced with concern when he saw Chloe take a spill on the road. He immediately started to go to her, but Ginny held him back. Sure enough, Chloe wrinkled her nose in annoyance and got to her feet.
"Are you okay, Chloe?" called Harry.
Chloe nodded, obviously unscathed. "I'm okay, Daddy." She took to skipping again, the fall the least of her concern.
"You were right, she wasn't hurt. How did you know?"
Ginny shrugged. "Five-year olds bounce like you wouldn't believe. And if something does get scraped or bumped, a kiss and a hug usually fixes it."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "So, if I just happen to bump my head or something, you'll give me a kiss?"
"And the wheels begin to turn," laughed Ginny.
Harry grinned at her. "Actually, I've got somewhat of a question."
"Yes?"
"Well, I'm not very good at this…stuff. It actually makes for rather unpleasant morning papers for me, I really didn't…er…test the waters much." Harry examined the pavement, his cheeks red from cold and shyness. "What I wanted to know is…," Harry trailed off with an embarrassed smile.
"What?" she laughed.
"May I hold your hand?"
"Yes you may, Mr. Potter," Ginny said reaching for his hand. Harry was very sweet.
Harry wanted to freeze this moment in time. Walking down the street, hand in hand with Ginny as Chloe scampered ahead and played in the snowdrifts. It was picture-perfect, and for once in his life he could admit that he was doing the right thing.
~*~
Picture-perfect, that is, until the picture was actually taken. They had just walked into the restaurant when half a dozen flashbulbs exploded in their faces.
"Hey! Cut it out!" Harry brusquely pushed a camera that was waggling too close to Chloe's face. Bloody photographers….
Chloe, who wasn't sure what to make of all the noise, lights, and purple puffs of smoke, pressed her face into Harry's robes. "Make them stop, Daddy!"
The Maitre d', an always well-composed Frenchman, appeared immediately and stepped between them and the photographers. "Monsieur Potter wishes you to leave. Go! Out of my restaurant!"
"Give us a couple of snaps with the new kid and the new girl, Harry!" persisted a photographer, stretching his camera around the Maitre d'.
The Maitre d' shook a white linen napkin fiercely at them. "I say go! You are upsetting ma clientèle!"
The photographers glanced at each other and collectively decided that the Frenchman was too much of a hassle for a few more pictures of Harry.
"Thanks, Jean," said Harry taking Ginny and Chloe's cloaks and handing them to the valet.
"At your service, Monsieur Potter. You are our favorite invité!
Harry was a regular customer of the restaurant and he was well acquainted with Jean. "I do appreciate it," he said
"And who is this petite princesse you bring to us?" Jean said, smiling at Chloe.
"Chloe Grace Potter," said Chloe proudly.
"My daughter," said Harry with just as much pride in his voice.
"Your daughter! She is a petite princesse, indeed!" said Jean admiring Chloe.
"Mademoiselle." Jean bowed politely to Ginny.
"Do you have hamburgers here?" piped up Chloe.
"Hamburger!" Jean drew a hand to his chest in horror. "Never! No, no, Jean shall get something much more satisfying for une Princesse stomach."
"Okay, just make sure it doesn't have Brussels sprouts," said Chloe wrinkling her nose.
"The usual table for you, Monsieur Potter?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, thank you."
Lunch was more than enjoyable. Being with Harry and Chloe was delightful and the afternoon couldn't possibly be spoiled while Chloe was chattering away. Ginny found herself imagining what Chloe would be like when she was older. She only had to look at Harry once to know that he was cherishing these moments of Chloe's childhood as he should. It was simply amazing how wonderful a father he had become. As Jean had promised, Chloe had not been disappointed in her meal. The cook had concocted a sort of fish with almonds for them. It was delicious.
Harry would glance up periodically to make sure Ginny was enjoying herself. She seemed to be. There was scarcely time to eat for Chloe kept them on their toes asking questions and telling them all sorts of things she thought about. For example....
Chloe selected a strawberry off of her dessert platter and continued talking at full speed. "I love to sing. It's sad that everyone doesn't know how to sing. Some people know how to sing, but they can't. That's sad. But, I think that's why we can laugh. Everyone can laugh really well. I don't know anyone that is bad at laughing. Do you know anyone that is bad at laughing, Daddy?"
"No, I don't think I know anyone," Harry smiled. "Except Professor Snape."
"Who's Professor Snake, Daddy?"*
~*~
After lunch they continued Christmas shopping and got a good portion of it done. It was starting to get late and Ginny did have a few things she needed to do for the school.
They stood on a sloppy street corner with melting snow and dripping icicles and said their goodbyes.
"Bye, Ms. Ginny," said Chloe waving.
"Bye, Chloe," smiled Ginny waving back.
"It was wonderful spending the afternoon with you," Harry said, squeezing her hand.
"Yes, thank you very much for lunch." Ginny was now feeling quite reluctant to go write out her lesson plans.
"I was hoping I would have the opportunity to do it again." Harry looked straight in her eyes with a hopeful expression.
Ginny wondered how she was supposed to say no to a look like that. The messy black hair wasn't helping either; it made him look so harmless and well…so…sincere. "Of course," she said with a nod.
"We have dinner every day," added Chloe in the silence. "You can come to that too."
The adults glanced down at her quickly, looking suddenly embarrassed, as if they had forgotten she was there.
"Uh, yes," Harry nodded awkwardly at Chloe. "Dinner too."
Chloe nodded, very pleased with herself. Harry cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair. Now how was he supposed to do this with his daughter standing there?
"This may come across as juvenile, Gin, but..." blurted Harry.
"You may," said Ginny before Harry could finish his sentence.
Harry gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Enjoy your evening."
Chloe's eyes widened. Her Daddy had kissed Ms. Ginny. They were really WERE going to get married now. Sleeping Beauty did, right after that prince woke her up with a kiss. She wondered if Ms. Ginny had to be asleep for that to work. Before she could comment to either of them about this, her Daddy swung her up in the air and put her on his shoulders. She shrieked with laughter and forgot all about her question.
Ginny turned around to watch them run off together. Their laughter rang out musically in the winter air until Harry performed an Apparation spell. Ginny laughed a bit herself and Apparated home.
~*~
Later at the manor, Chloe came downstairs in her pajamas and leaned on the couch, resting her chin on the arm.
"It's late, Chloe, you should be in bed," Harry said, letting her crawl in his lap anyway.
Chloe set Norbert in the crook of Harry's arm and turned to talk to him.
"I've decided something." She nodded to let him know she was absolutely sure of herself.
"Oh really? What have you decided?" Harry said letting her lay sleepily on his shoulder.
"It's really quite serious, Daddy," she yawned.
Harry yawned also. "Really? Quite serious...hmmm, let's hear it then."
"I've decided that you should make Ms. Ginny love you so you can get married," Chloe said rubbing her eyes.
"You've decided this?" Harry almost laughed. His five-year old had this figured out better than he had.
"Positively sure, Daddy. You did dance with her after all," Chloe yawned again and closed her eyes.
Harry propped his legs on the coffee table and patted her on the back while he thought of the proper thing to say. "First of all, Chloe, you can't make people fall in love with you. It's not something a person can just make happen. Secondly, even if Ms. Ginny and I ever do get married, it's going to be a long time from now. Getting married is a lot of change. Ms. Ginny would come and live here with us, we'd have new relatives... and all sorts of things…. Do you understand, Chloe?"
No answer.
"Chloe?" He looked down and she was fast asleep. She hadn't heard a word. Oh well, they would probably discuss it in the morning. Chloe wasn't one to forget things.
Make Ginny fall in love with him. Harry gave a short laugh. If it were only that easy. The Daily Prophet was going to have a field day with this. He tucked Chloe in her bed and settled down with the Daily Prophet. He glanced at an article on the front page, gave a great sigh. He sharply ripped the front page off, balled it up and tossed it in the fireplace. Harry then continued to read the paper as if that had been a perfectly normal thing to do.
~*~
"Today is going to be a happy day," Ginny announced to the children on Monday morning.
The nursery schoolers looked hopeful. They sat around the rug watching Ginny intently. A little boy with a mop of blond curls and brown eyes raised his hand. Ginny nodded to him.
"Is that because it's animal cracker day at snack time?" he asked with genuine interest.
"Yes, Isaiah, it is animal cracker day, but that is not the only reason it's a happy day," smiled Ginny.
The class murmured among themselves about animal cracker day.
"After we have our first thirty minute playtime, we'll change the date on the calendar and then we'll have our special announcement."
"And Show and Tell!" shouted Meghan happily.
"Yes, Show and Tell. Now, class, which number will the big hand on the clock be on after thirty minutes? On the…." Ginny pointed at the big clock and waited.
"SIX!" shouted the class in unison.
They all scattered and went to their favorite centers. Chloe approached Ginny with a sheet of parchment and a quill.
"Ready to write the letter?"
"Yes, please," said Chloe setting the parchment on the table.
"How about I write my part, then you can add yours in right by mine?" asked Ginny taking the quill.
Chloe nodded. "I'll make sure you put the dots underneath your question marks."
"Good deal."
Dear Charlie,
I hope this letter finds you well. It was really too bad you had to miss the Christmas Ball. It was wonderful. You and Bill certainly are avoiding coming home quite a bit lately. (I'm just kidding.) I've been keeping busy with the Nursery School and a number of other things. Harry's little girl, Chloe Potter, would like to add a small question. She's terribly interested in the answer. DEAR MR. CHARLIE, DO DRAGONS SNEEZE FIRE? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. COULD YOU TELL ME ABOUT DRAGONS? CHLOE GRACE POTTER. Well, Charlie, that's all for now and I'll see you at Christmas.
Love,
Ginny
"I like the purple!" exclaimed Chloe as she examined the letter. "Are you really sure that's how you spell sneeze?"
Ginny nodded and folded the letter. "You did very well, you didn't even need to ask how to spell fire."
"I hope he sends his answer soon," Chloe said.
"He will." Ginny tied the letter to one of the school owls and they watched him take off out the windows. Chloe ran off to find Meghan to play before playtime was up.
Meghan was playing in the dress-up trunk with a boy named Sullivan. "Can I play too?" Chloe asked eagerly. Playing Pretend was her favorite game.
Meghan lifted her head out of the trunk and she was wearing a safari hat. "Yup! I'm a zoo-lady, Chloe!"
"Neat!" Chloe excitedly rummaged through the trunk. She produced a beekeeper hat and plunked it on her head.
"You're the elephant," Meghan informed Sullivan.
Sullivan shook his head. "I'm an Auror!"
"My daddy is an Auror," said Chloe proudly. "He's the best one."
"Wow! What does he do?"
"He has lots of books," Chloe said thoughtfully, "and he has to look at them before he goes to put the bad people in jail. He also knows a whole bunch of spells. He doesn't do the bad ones though."
"What does he eat?" asked Sullivan.
Chloe peeked out of the netting of her hat. "Um. Anything except stewed cabbage. He told me it's the yuckiest thing invented."
"May-be," Meghan said suddenly, "it's poison to Aurors."
Chloe's eyes widened. "I'm never eating it!"
"Me neither!" exclaimed Meghan.
"Aurors are boring," complained Sullivan. "I thought they blowed up the bad guys."
Chloe exchanged her hat for a flowery one and shook her head quickly. "Oh no! My daddy wouldn't blow anyone up! I don't think he'd want to…."
"Then I'm going to be a broom racer!" said Sullivan.
The children jumped when the door banged open.
"Who are they?" Chloe whispered, backing against the wall.
"Bad guys," Meghan whimpered, grabbing Chloe's hand as two fully cloaked figures swooped into the room.
Ginny felt her heart come to a screeching halt when she turned around and witnessed the hooded wizards tramp into her room. Death-Eaters.
"Children, come here!" said Ginny loudly. She sounded braver than she felt. Luckily the children all obeyed and huddled together behind her.
"Get out of my classroom!" Ginny brandished her wand at them and stood her ground.
One of the Death-Eaters muttered an unintelligible curse and Ginny felt pain travel down her spine and spread to every last nerve. It was all she could do to keep from screaming.
The other one swooped over the Nursery Schoolers, hands dangerously close to them.
Ginny managed to fight off the spell in her fury. "Get away from those children!" she screamed.
They didn't resort to magic this time. One of them slapped her sharply across the face, shoving her to the ground. Ginny tasted the blood on the inside of her cheek and struggled to get up. Several of her students had begun sobbing at the sight of their beloved teacher being slapped. The Death Eaters' backs were turned…this was her chance…. She mustered all her strength and pulled herself up and shouted a curse at them. She managed to get one bound tightly with ropes but the one she missed lunged toward her. Ginny got one good smack to his head before he threw her to the ground again. From there she saw what they were doing….
Chloe felt her hand yanked away from Meghan's and she was lifted violently from the group. Chloe kicked and screamed but he threw her over his shoulder and started running for the door. The other Death Eater had freed himself from the ropes with and followed suit.
The door slammed shut. There was no sound except the shocked whimpers from the children. Ginny wiped the blood from her face and shakily tried to speak to her class from the floor.
"You will all be safe at home soon, I promise…." Ginny winced and gingerly felt one of her ribs.
Harry and a handful of Aurors Apparated into the room. He ran over to the children and frantically searched among their faces.
"Ginny! Where is she?" Harry kneeled at her side, took her hand and panic accented every line of his face. "Oh God, Ginny, you're hurt! Say something!"
"They took her," Ginny said closing her eyes painfully. "I tried, Harry…I tried…."
Harry quickly kissed the top of her hand and stood up. "Could you see who they were?"
"How could I, Harry? They were wearing masks."
Harry gritted his teeth. He knew perfectly well who was behind this.
~*~
Disclaimer- The chapter title is from a song called "Happiness" on the "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" soundtrack. I don't own the HP characters and if I did, I probably wouldn't have Book V out yet either. (Hurry, JKR!!!) *The dialogue with Harry telling Chloe that Snape is bad at laughing, belongs to my beta, Dr. C. It was too funny not to put in. (
Special thanks to the following wonderful people: Jill-y my editor-y, who let me keep the lines about the toadstools and the blooming business. (Minor victory!) Dr. Cornelius, my other awesome beta, who makes sure I don't post anything too grammatically idiotic. Thank you to Andrea and Anne who took the time to teach me the French words you see in this. And finally, thanks to the people on Chloe's Bookshelf who made suggestions for the flower note!
Thanks for reading!
Cait
"Have you hugged your stuffed dragon today?" Join Chloe's Bookshelf for LFL artwork, discussion, and fun!
Happiness is walking hand in hand
"Would you just look at this?" Ron slammed his coffee cup down and slapped Daily Prophet on the table.
"Good morning to you too, Ron." Hermione smiled as she leaned over and kissed his cheek.
"Trash! I can't believe they can get away with publishing stuff like that!" Ron sat in his chair fuming and watched the smiled fade from Hermione's face as she skimmed the article.
"Potter and Weasley-Longbottom: Wedding Bells before the week is over," Hermione yawned and she tossed the paper on the floor. "Ignore it, it's rubbish."
"I bet Harry hasn't seen that one yet."
Hermione shrugged and handed him a plate of pancakes. "Harry is pretty laid back when dealing with the press. I don't know how he'll react about Ginny."
"If I were him, I'd be furious," muttered Ron stabbing a pancake with his fork.
"Harry's used to it by now. Let's just not bring it up when we talk to him. The same goes with Ginny, okay?"
"She's MY sister. I think I should be down at the newspaper office right now screaming for grounds of validity!" harrumphed Ron, his brow still furrowed.
"My friend and sister-in-law, remember? And you'll do no such thing. It would only make things worse. I can just see the next story.... 'Hothead older brother attacks Daily Prophet employees: Dysfunction is suspected in Weasley family.'"
Ron made a sulky face at his coffee. "I just hope this doesn't upset Ginny to the point of going back to the way she was."
~*~
Ginny was pleased. She set down the article and laughed out loud.
"Ha! We've got the town abuzz, don't we, Webster?"
She patted her owl and broke off a bit of English muffin for him.
"Listen to this, 'Friend of family takes on a new meaning in this latest pursuit by Harry Potter. Ginny Weasley-Longbottom is apparently the newest dame to be wooed by the hero. Other bachelorettes are green with envy with the sight of Potter being snatched up from the courting game.' "
Ginny stretched her arms, still smirking.
"Ginny, you are a latest pursuit," Ginny said to herself with a giggle. "This will certainly make Christmas interesting. Maybe Fred and George will call me 'Harry's dame' in front of mum."
~*~
Chloe patiently waited downstairs. She couldn't wait to go Christmas shopping. She wished her Daddy would hurry up. Grown-ups were so slow sometimes!
She sat on the couch her feet dangling off the edge. Chloe couldn't wait until her feet would touch the floor. It was unfair being so little sometimes. She slouched down in the couch and tried to get her feet to touch. If she reached really far she could almost—
"What are you doing, Chlo?" Harry asked as he hurried into the room.
"Practicing being tall," she said slipping down to the floor.
"Oh, okay." He looked confused, but still smiled at her.
Harry tickled her foot and then handed her the slippers that matched her favorite robes. (Pale pink with ribbon trimming.) Chloe pulled them over her tights.
Harry pulled her up from the floor and awkwardly managed two low pigtails tied off with ribbon. Chloe squirmed as he covered her in a heavy white cloak and mittens.
"It's hot!" she said gasping for air.
"Not for long," said Harry pulling the hood over her head. He then put on his winter cloak and gloves. He took her hand and they Apparated right into the heart of Hogsmeade.
Chloe was grateful for her heavy clothes now. She held out her hand as a few snowflakes dotted her mitten. The street was bustling with holiday shoppers. She clung to her Daddy's hand as they made their way to one side of the street. She tried to read the shop sign as they entered, but they walked by it too fast for her to get a good look. Harry pushed back her hood and she felt the warm air of the shop burn on her icy cheeks and nose.
Chloe looked round and round for a moment. The shop looked just like the pictures of forests that Chloe had seen in her storybooks, although this one was slightly more unusual. Flowers poked proudly out of walls and the more daring ones dangled from the ceiling. Potted plates were lined on shelves made out of tree stumps and flat, bright toadstools.
"Mind the floor," Harry warned, narrowly avoiding tripping over a moss covered rock.
Chloe liked the floor very much. It was covered in the prettiest green grass she had ever seen.
"Hello and Merry Christmas," said a raspy voice.
A gnarled hand brushed aside long strands of Spanish moss and a wobbly looking old lady appeared from what Harry assumed was a very cleverly concealed backroom.
"Merry Christmas." Harry nodded towards her politely.
"Merry Christmas," chimed in Chloe.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Potter?" She stopped wobbling toward them to yank a dandelion growing on the floor.
"I'd like to send a bouquet of flowers."
"Good bunch or bad bunch?" The woman blew her nose with a green and pink polka-dotted handkerchief. Chloe thought she sounded like a goose honking.
"Oh—good, of course," Harry said quickly.
The little old woman sneezed loudly, "Pardon. My allergies again."
"God Bless you," said Harry.
Chloe tugged slightly on Harry's robes. "What's a bad bunch?"
The woman gave a noisy hacking cough and answered her. "People send flowers that bite, or cause hives or something outwardly horrible to people they want revenge on. It's a blooming business, believe it or not." The old woman blew her nose again loudly.
"I'll believe it," said Harry shaking his head.
"What sort of flower do you want to send?" She sneezed and the polka-dotted handkerchief appeared once again.
"God Bless you," said Harry absentmindedly as he looked around. "Something nice."
"Roses, my boy?"
"That would be splendid, thank you. Two dozen."
The lady sneezed loudly.
"God Bless you," said Chloe looking up from her pursuit of an orange ladybug that she had spotted on a rock.
"Pick your color along that far wall," she said waving her handkerchief.
"I'd like those delivered in that vase over there. Could you wrap up one of those pink roses?"
Harry signed the card to go along with the roses and then gave the flower shop lady an address. He handed the pink rose to Chloe.
Chloe held the flower to her nose and was rewarded with its sweet fragrance. "Thank you Daddy," she said.
~*~
Ginny opened her front door an hour later and a vase full of roses was thrust into her arms.
"'Ave a good day, Miss!" said the deliveryman tipping his hat.
Ginny set the roses on her table and felt a flush creep up her cheeks. The roses were grand. She had never seen any of this color before. She touched a cool petal and inhaled the scent deeply. The outer sides of the petals were a golden buttery color and the inside of the petals were a perfect red. They were very antique looking and quite exquisite.
She knew whom they were from but her hands still shook as she opened the envelope.
There were only a few sentences:
After the air cleared…
I did some serious thinking last night.
Why shouldn't we give it a try?
Harry
Ginny carefully replaced the card after affectionately reading and re- reading the words. She briefly allowed herself to daydream about Harry while she went to the front closet and got her winter cloak. She shouldn't be sitting at home. She had a million things to do this weekend. She scolded herself as she thought of how much Christmas shopping she had to do. She might as well get most of that done first, since Christmas was right around the corner.
~*~
Harry saved a large stack of books from tumbling onto Chloe. He shakily put them back in line and took her mittened hand. She looked up at him with her bright eyes unaware of what had nearly happened to her.
"Careful, Chloe, the middle book is hard to get to. Ask me next time," he said magically lifting half the stack of books, he handed the book she had been tugging at. The books thudded back into place with a second wave of Harry's hand.
Chloe sat at his feet with all the other parcels they had been shopping for. Harry ran a finger slowly across the titles, searching for a good Christmas gift. Chloe opened the book he had handed her and tossed it up in surprise when loud applause came from its pages. Harry cleared his throat, to mask his chuckle.
Chloe stared warily at the book and decided against opening it again. She turned to the same stack it had came from and waved her hand hopefully. She glared at the stack of books and gave a violent wave of her hand. Still nothing….
Harry couldn't remember which books Hermione had asked for this year. He was seriously considering giving her a copy of....
He didn't get to finish his thought. A stack of books toppled on him, knocking him flat off his feet.
Chloe's green eyes widened and she put her hand to her mouth. So that was what happened if you pulled too hard on the middle book.
Harry groaned as he pushed a book or two off his face and saw Chloe looking very astonished.
"Planning to learn by osmosis, Potter?" said an ugly voice.
Harry's gaze shifted from Chloe to the face of Draco Malfoy. It was a sickening change of scenery. The books flew off of him and stacked themselves neatly in the corner.
"The Megalomaniac help section along with the evil villain autobiographies are at the opposite end of the store." Harry got up, brushed off his robes and pulled Chloe behind him protectively.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Was that an attempt to be clever I heard?"
"No, it was a polite way of saying, get out of my sight."
"Oh, really? What would happen if I didn't?" asked Draco crossing his arms.
"Who's that man, Daddy?" asked Chloe tugging on Harry's robes.
"Only the most wealthy wizard in the wor—."
"That's Draco Malfoy," interrupted Harry.
"Oh," said Chloe.
"Yes, she remembers now...she's heard of me," said Draco smugly.
Chloe nodded and gave Draco a friendly smile. "You're the ferret."
Harry made a noise that sounded something between a laugh and a cough. Chloe hadn't intended to be rude; she was just rehashing a story that Harry had told her. Of course, that didn't make it any less funny…. "That's right, Chloe!"
"You better teach your filthy Mudblood child some manners," hissed Malfoy.
"Don't call my daughter that." Harry said harshly. He couldn't lose his temper… it was too dangerous with Chloe with him. Draco might hit her with a spell.
Malfoy looked pleased. "Did I hit a soft spot, Potter? I wouldn't threaten me...threatening an innocent man would look horrible for your validity as an Auror," Draco sighed airily. "That is…if I dare call you an Auror."
"If I also dare to call you an innocent man."
"It would be wise not to provoke me, Potter. I am a powerful man, and things tend to happen to people who provoke me."
"Was that a threat coming from the divinely innocent Draco Malfoy?" said Harry icily. "Seems to me that there are serious punishments for attempted murder of an Auror. Last I heard, it was punishable by death. Isn't that interesting?"
"Your little confederation of Aurors," sneered Draco, "is a flagrant joke of under-qualified morons, who can't do anything but tramp around with a handful of worthless spells and a glorified name."
Harry kept a firm hand on Chloe's shoulder. "And I believe your pack of cowardly terrorists seem to be going out of their way to run from my Aurors. Dregs of society do tend to go straight to the bottom, don't they?"
"Watch yourself, Potter," spat Draco.
"Likewise," Harry took a step closer to Malfoy. "It really was so smashing to see you again, but I'm afraid you should leave before I decide to arrest you on grounds of suspicious activity." Harry raised his wand at Malfoy and waited.
Malfoy turned sharply on his heel and glared at Harry. "Have a nice evening, Potter, try not to get yourself killed."
~*~
As Ginny was browsing around Flourish and Blotts, trying to remember what books Hermione had asked for this year, she thought she heard a familiar voice. It sounded an awful lot like Harry. She thought for a moment that she was just hearing things, especially because she really did want to hear Harry's voice, but then she heard another familiar voice. That was without a doubt Draco Malfoy's voice.
Ginny peeked around the corner and saw them in the middle of an argument. She silently cheered to herself when Harry threatened to arrest him. Ginny waited until Malfoy had stalked off until she made herself seen.
"What on earth was that about?"
"Ginny!" Harry turned around and his face smoothed into an expression of happiness.
"Ms. Ginny!" Chloe jumped up and down.
"Nothing," said Harry, "just the usual idle threats between Malfoy and myself."
Ginny looked concerned. "You should be careful."
Chloe tugged on Ginny's robes. "Ms. Ginny?"
"Yes?" said Ginny bending to Chloe's level.
"My Daddy says you danced with him, is that true?"
"Completely true," Ginny smiled.
"Ms.Ginny! You and my Daddy are going to get married now!"
"Chloe!" Harry didn't know where Chloe had gotten that one. That was most definitely not his fault.
"Well you did dance with her. Now you have to get married," said Chloe as if it was supposed to be clear as day to them.
"People don't get married because they dance together," Ginny explained gently.
"They don't?"
"No," said Harry playfully tugging on one of her pigtails. "Where ever did you get that idea?"
"But Cinderella...and the prince…." Chloe looked quite confused now.
"That's just a fairy story, Chloe, it isn't real," said Ginny.
"But fairies are REAL! Why aren't their stories?" Chloe didn't look like she was going to believe either of them now.
Harry was stumped over this one. "Ah well, let's go get some lunch, shall we? Would you care to join us, Ginny?"
Chloe gave him an exasperated look that was entirely too old for a five- year old. "You're changing the subject, Daddy."
"That's absolutely right, I am changing the subject. I can't think on an empty stomach," he said tickling Chloe's side.
"I'd love to join you two for lunch. The conversation about the fairy tales has me intrigued," Ginny smiled.
Harry smiled at her fondly. "Right then, let's go. Put your cloak back on, Chloe."
"Can dragons sneeze?"
Harry was certain this was the hundredth question today.
"Yes," confirmed Ginny, fastening Chloe's cloak.
"Do they sneeze fire?" Chloe's voice was slightly more muffled because of the cloak.
Ginny pulled the cloak down so Chloe was free to talk normally. "I'll ask my brother Charlie. We'll write a letter to him during our free time on Monday."
"Really? Could we write it in all capital letters? I like those best."
"On your part, you can write all the capital letters you like," said Ginny nudging Harry and giving him a merry look.
Harry smiled and shook his head. Chloe seemed to have an opinion about everything.
As they walked down the chilly alley Ginny walked on his left and Chloe skipped ahead on the right.
"Thank you for the roses," said Ginny.
"You're very welcome," Harry said giving her a small smile and adjusting the bags on his arm. She had liked them…. Harry felt very happy about this.
"They're the most beautiful I think I've seen."
"I have more beautiful things to compare to those flowers." Harry removed his gaze from the street and looked directly at her.
Ginny didn't notice the cold wind after that little comment. She had to tear her eyes away from Harry in order to continue walking without falling over something.
"You should have made your life as a poet. It would have been less dangerous then this whole hero bit you've got," Ginny teased.
"Dangerous? Have you been looking at my insurance bill? They seem to think the same thing, very odd." Harry quipped, clearly amused at her comment.
"You don't have insurance..." Ginny scoffed playfully, "not even the Gringotts goblins would be crazy enough to insure you!"
Harry grinned at her, but it was soon replaced with concern when he saw Chloe take a spill on the road. He immediately started to go to her, but Ginny held him back. Sure enough, Chloe wrinkled her nose in annoyance and got to her feet.
"Are you okay, Chloe?" called Harry.
Chloe nodded, obviously unscathed. "I'm okay, Daddy." She took to skipping again, the fall the least of her concern.
"You were right, she wasn't hurt. How did you know?"
Ginny shrugged. "Five-year olds bounce like you wouldn't believe. And if something does get scraped or bumped, a kiss and a hug usually fixes it."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "So, if I just happen to bump my head or something, you'll give me a kiss?"
"And the wheels begin to turn," laughed Ginny.
Harry grinned at her. "Actually, I've got somewhat of a question."
"Yes?"
"Well, I'm not very good at this…stuff. It actually makes for rather unpleasant morning papers for me, I really didn't…er…test the waters much." Harry examined the pavement, his cheeks red from cold and shyness. "What I wanted to know is…," Harry trailed off with an embarrassed smile.
"What?" she laughed.
"May I hold your hand?"
"Yes you may, Mr. Potter," Ginny said reaching for his hand. Harry was very sweet.
Harry wanted to freeze this moment in time. Walking down the street, hand in hand with Ginny as Chloe scampered ahead and played in the snowdrifts. It was picture-perfect, and for once in his life he could admit that he was doing the right thing.
~*~
Picture-perfect, that is, until the picture was actually taken. They had just walked into the restaurant when half a dozen flashbulbs exploded in their faces.
"Hey! Cut it out!" Harry brusquely pushed a camera that was waggling too close to Chloe's face. Bloody photographers….
Chloe, who wasn't sure what to make of all the noise, lights, and purple puffs of smoke, pressed her face into Harry's robes. "Make them stop, Daddy!"
The Maitre d', an always well-composed Frenchman, appeared immediately and stepped between them and the photographers. "Monsieur Potter wishes you to leave. Go! Out of my restaurant!"
"Give us a couple of snaps with the new kid and the new girl, Harry!" persisted a photographer, stretching his camera around the Maitre d'.
The Maitre d' shook a white linen napkin fiercely at them. "I say go! You are upsetting ma clientèle!"
The photographers glanced at each other and collectively decided that the Frenchman was too much of a hassle for a few more pictures of Harry.
"Thanks, Jean," said Harry taking Ginny and Chloe's cloaks and handing them to the valet.
"At your service, Monsieur Potter. You are our favorite invité!
Harry was a regular customer of the restaurant and he was well acquainted with Jean. "I do appreciate it," he said
"And who is this petite princesse you bring to us?" Jean said, smiling at Chloe.
"Chloe Grace Potter," said Chloe proudly.
"My daughter," said Harry with just as much pride in his voice.
"Your daughter! She is a petite princesse, indeed!" said Jean admiring Chloe.
"Mademoiselle." Jean bowed politely to Ginny.
"Do you have hamburgers here?" piped up Chloe.
"Hamburger!" Jean drew a hand to his chest in horror. "Never! No, no, Jean shall get something much more satisfying for une Princesse stomach."
"Okay, just make sure it doesn't have Brussels sprouts," said Chloe wrinkling her nose.
"The usual table for you, Monsieur Potter?"
Harry nodded, "Yes, thank you."
Lunch was more than enjoyable. Being with Harry and Chloe was delightful and the afternoon couldn't possibly be spoiled while Chloe was chattering away. Ginny found herself imagining what Chloe would be like when she was older. She only had to look at Harry once to know that he was cherishing these moments of Chloe's childhood as he should. It was simply amazing how wonderful a father he had become. As Jean had promised, Chloe had not been disappointed in her meal. The cook had concocted a sort of fish with almonds for them. It was delicious.
Harry would glance up periodically to make sure Ginny was enjoying herself. She seemed to be. There was scarcely time to eat for Chloe kept them on their toes asking questions and telling them all sorts of things she thought about. For example....
Chloe selected a strawberry off of her dessert platter and continued talking at full speed. "I love to sing. It's sad that everyone doesn't know how to sing. Some people know how to sing, but they can't. That's sad. But, I think that's why we can laugh. Everyone can laugh really well. I don't know anyone that is bad at laughing. Do you know anyone that is bad at laughing, Daddy?"
"No, I don't think I know anyone," Harry smiled. "Except Professor Snape."
"Who's Professor Snake, Daddy?"*
~*~
After lunch they continued Christmas shopping and got a good portion of it done. It was starting to get late and Ginny did have a few things she needed to do for the school.
They stood on a sloppy street corner with melting snow and dripping icicles and said their goodbyes.
"Bye, Ms. Ginny," said Chloe waving.
"Bye, Chloe," smiled Ginny waving back.
"It was wonderful spending the afternoon with you," Harry said, squeezing her hand.
"Yes, thank you very much for lunch." Ginny was now feeling quite reluctant to go write out her lesson plans.
"I was hoping I would have the opportunity to do it again." Harry looked straight in her eyes with a hopeful expression.
Ginny wondered how she was supposed to say no to a look like that. The messy black hair wasn't helping either; it made him look so harmless and well…so…sincere. "Of course," she said with a nod.
"We have dinner every day," added Chloe in the silence. "You can come to that too."
The adults glanced down at her quickly, looking suddenly embarrassed, as if they had forgotten she was there.
"Uh, yes," Harry nodded awkwardly at Chloe. "Dinner too."
Chloe nodded, very pleased with herself. Harry cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair. Now how was he supposed to do this with his daughter standing there?
"This may come across as juvenile, Gin, but..." blurted Harry.
"You may," said Ginny before Harry could finish his sentence.
Harry gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Enjoy your evening."
Chloe's eyes widened. Her Daddy had kissed Ms. Ginny. They were really WERE going to get married now. Sleeping Beauty did, right after that prince woke her up with a kiss. She wondered if Ms. Ginny had to be asleep for that to work. Before she could comment to either of them about this, her Daddy swung her up in the air and put her on his shoulders. She shrieked with laughter and forgot all about her question.
Ginny turned around to watch them run off together. Their laughter rang out musically in the winter air until Harry performed an Apparation spell. Ginny laughed a bit herself and Apparated home.
~*~
Later at the manor, Chloe came downstairs in her pajamas and leaned on the couch, resting her chin on the arm.
"It's late, Chloe, you should be in bed," Harry said, letting her crawl in his lap anyway.
Chloe set Norbert in the crook of Harry's arm and turned to talk to him.
"I've decided something." She nodded to let him know she was absolutely sure of herself.
"Oh really? What have you decided?" Harry said letting her lay sleepily on his shoulder.
"It's really quite serious, Daddy," she yawned.
Harry yawned also. "Really? Quite serious...hmmm, let's hear it then."
"I've decided that you should make Ms. Ginny love you so you can get married," Chloe said rubbing her eyes.
"You've decided this?" Harry almost laughed. His five-year old had this figured out better than he had.
"Positively sure, Daddy. You did dance with her after all," Chloe yawned again and closed her eyes.
Harry propped his legs on the coffee table and patted her on the back while he thought of the proper thing to say. "First of all, Chloe, you can't make people fall in love with you. It's not something a person can just make happen. Secondly, even if Ms. Ginny and I ever do get married, it's going to be a long time from now. Getting married is a lot of change. Ms. Ginny would come and live here with us, we'd have new relatives... and all sorts of things…. Do you understand, Chloe?"
No answer.
"Chloe?" He looked down and she was fast asleep. She hadn't heard a word. Oh well, they would probably discuss it in the morning. Chloe wasn't one to forget things.
Make Ginny fall in love with him. Harry gave a short laugh. If it were only that easy. The Daily Prophet was going to have a field day with this. He tucked Chloe in her bed and settled down with the Daily Prophet. He glanced at an article on the front page, gave a great sigh. He sharply ripped the front page off, balled it up and tossed it in the fireplace. Harry then continued to read the paper as if that had been a perfectly normal thing to do.
~*~
"Today is going to be a happy day," Ginny announced to the children on Monday morning.
The nursery schoolers looked hopeful. They sat around the rug watching Ginny intently. A little boy with a mop of blond curls and brown eyes raised his hand. Ginny nodded to him.
"Is that because it's animal cracker day at snack time?" he asked with genuine interest.
"Yes, Isaiah, it is animal cracker day, but that is not the only reason it's a happy day," smiled Ginny.
The class murmured among themselves about animal cracker day.
"After we have our first thirty minute playtime, we'll change the date on the calendar and then we'll have our special announcement."
"And Show and Tell!" shouted Meghan happily.
"Yes, Show and Tell. Now, class, which number will the big hand on the clock be on after thirty minutes? On the…." Ginny pointed at the big clock and waited.
"SIX!" shouted the class in unison.
They all scattered and went to their favorite centers. Chloe approached Ginny with a sheet of parchment and a quill.
"Ready to write the letter?"
"Yes, please," said Chloe setting the parchment on the table.
"How about I write my part, then you can add yours in right by mine?" asked Ginny taking the quill.
Chloe nodded. "I'll make sure you put the dots underneath your question marks."
"Good deal."
Dear Charlie,
I hope this letter finds you well. It was really too bad you had to miss the Christmas Ball. It was wonderful. You and Bill certainly are avoiding coming home quite a bit lately. (I'm just kidding.) I've been keeping busy with the Nursery School and a number of other things. Harry's little girl, Chloe Potter, would like to add a small question. She's terribly interested in the answer. DEAR MR. CHARLIE, DO DRAGONS SNEEZE FIRE? I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. COULD YOU TELL ME ABOUT DRAGONS? CHLOE GRACE POTTER. Well, Charlie, that's all for now and I'll see you at Christmas.
Love,
Ginny
"I like the purple!" exclaimed Chloe as she examined the letter. "Are you really sure that's how you spell sneeze?"
Ginny nodded and folded the letter. "You did very well, you didn't even need to ask how to spell fire."
"I hope he sends his answer soon," Chloe said.
"He will." Ginny tied the letter to one of the school owls and they watched him take off out the windows. Chloe ran off to find Meghan to play before playtime was up.
Meghan was playing in the dress-up trunk with a boy named Sullivan. "Can I play too?" Chloe asked eagerly. Playing Pretend was her favorite game.
Meghan lifted her head out of the trunk and she was wearing a safari hat. "Yup! I'm a zoo-lady, Chloe!"
"Neat!" Chloe excitedly rummaged through the trunk. She produced a beekeeper hat and plunked it on her head.
"You're the elephant," Meghan informed Sullivan.
Sullivan shook his head. "I'm an Auror!"
"My daddy is an Auror," said Chloe proudly. "He's the best one."
"Wow! What does he do?"
"He has lots of books," Chloe said thoughtfully, "and he has to look at them before he goes to put the bad people in jail. He also knows a whole bunch of spells. He doesn't do the bad ones though."
"What does he eat?" asked Sullivan.
Chloe peeked out of the netting of her hat. "Um. Anything except stewed cabbage. He told me it's the yuckiest thing invented."
"May-be," Meghan said suddenly, "it's poison to Aurors."
Chloe's eyes widened. "I'm never eating it!"
"Me neither!" exclaimed Meghan.
"Aurors are boring," complained Sullivan. "I thought they blowed up the bad guys."
Chloe exchanged her hat for a flowery one and shook her head quickly. "Oh no! My daddy wouldn't blow anyone up! I don't think he'd want to…."
"Then I'm going to be a broom racer!" said Sullivan.
The children jumped when the door banged open.
"Who are they?" Chloe whispered, backing against the wall.
"Bad guys," Meghan whimpered, grabbing Chloe's hand as two fully cloaked figures swooped into the room.
Ginny felt her heart come to a screeching halt when she turned around and witnessed the hooded wizards tramp into her room. Death-Eaters.
"Children, come here!" said Ginny loudly. She sounded braver than she felt. Luckily the children all obeyed and huddled together behind her.
"Get out of my classroom!" Ginny brandished her wand at them and stood her ground.
One of the Death-Eaters muttered an unintelligible curse and Ginny felt pain travel down her spine and spread to every last nerve. It was all she could do to keep from screaming.
The other one swooped over the Nursery Schoolers, hands dangerously close to them.
Ginny managed to fight off the spell in her fury. "Get away from those children!" she screamed.
They didn't resort to magic this time. One of them slapped her sharply across the face, shoving her to the ground. Ginny tasted the blood on the inside of her cheek and struggled to get up. Several of her students had begun sobbing at the sight of their beloved teacher being slapped. The Death Eaters' backs were turned…this was her chance…. She mustered all her strength and pulled herself up and shouted a curse at them. She managed to get one bound tightly with ropes but the one she missed lunged toward her. Ginny got one good smack to his head before he threw her to the ground again. From there she saw what they were doing….
Chloe felt her hand yanked away from Meghan's and she was lifted violently from the group. Chloe kicked and screamed but he threw her over his shoulder and started running for the door. The other Death Eater had freed himself from the ropes with and followed suit.
The door slammed shut. There was no sound except the shocked whimpers from the children. Ginny wiped the blood from her face and shakily tried to speak to her class from the floor.
"You will all be safe at home soon, I promise…." Ginny winced and gingerly felt one of her ribs.
Harry and a handful of Aurors Apparated into the room. He ran over to the children and frantically searched among their faces.
"Ginny! Where is she?" Harry kneeled at her side, took her hand and panic accented every line of his face. "Oh God, Ginny, you're hurt! Say something!"
"They took her," Ginny said closing her eyes painfully. "I tried, Harry…I tried…."
Harry quickly kissed the top of her hand and stood up. "Could you see who they were?"
"How could I, Harry? They were wearing masks."
Harry gritted his teeth. He knew perfectly well who was behind this.
~*~
Disclaimer- The chapter title is from a song called "Happiness" on the "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" soundtrack. I don't own the HP characters and if I did, I probably wouldn't have Book V out yet either. (Hurry, JKR!!!) *The dialogue with Harry telling Chloe that Snape is bad at laughing, belongs to my beta, Dr. C. It was too funny not to put in. (
Special thanks to the following wonderful people: Jill-y my editor-y, who let me keep the lines about the toadstools and the blooming business. (Minor victory!) Dr. Cornelius, my other awesome beta, who makes sure I don't post anything too grammatically idiotic. Thank you to Andrea and Anne who took the time to teach me the French words you see in this. And finally, thanks to the people on Chloe's Bookshelf who made suggestions for the flower note!
Thanks for reading!
Cait
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