Ginny put her hands on her hips and told Harry, "A little help would be nice."

Harry looked at his wife standing in the middle of the room and replied, "I help."

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "Oh yeah, that's right. On my birthday, you cleaned the bathroom for me."

Harry walked over to the couch and sat down, "Hey, I'm at work eight to twelve hours a day at least 5 days a week, not counting stakeouts and stuff."

Ginny looked at him with fire in her eyes and replied, "I know you work hard, but I'm not the only one who lives here."

Harry sat quietly for a minute and thought. He chose his next words carefully and said, "We do have a house-elf you know."

Venomously Ginny told Harry, "Which you let him do whatever he wants over half the time and the housework falls to me."

Harry stood up, "You're at practice what 2-4 hours a day? You have the…."

Ginny cut him off by saying, "And then I come home and review plays, create new ones, study film, and get prepared for the next match. In case you didn't notice, all that takes up the rest of my day. I also answer the owls that come, not just for me, but for you too because I know you don't have the time. I have to work in the shopping and that takes forever because of the reporters and photographers wanting to know what it's like to be married to you, what you've been up to at the Ministry, or about the loss we just had against Bulgaria. And to top it all off I have to make sure you have a good, warm, home-cooked dinner to come home to when you do manage to come home. That, by the way, is getting less and less often."

Harry started pacing and said, "Well I'm sorry for trying to make a difference."

Ginny glared at him and said, "Don't you get all noble on me, Harry James Potter! How about making a difference here? You can start by picking up your dirty dishes or doing the laundry once in a while."

Harry looked at Ginny. If looks could kill, Harry would have been dead 3 times over. He knew he stepped in it when he brought up Kreacher, but he sealed his fate with his next sentence. He said, "I'm not away from home for days at a stretch, out on the road with a bunch of other women, half of which aren't even married, doing who knows what."

Ginny whipped out her wand faster than Harry had ever seen. Harry put up his hands to surrender, while she then very calmly said, "If you think for one second that when I'm on the road with the girls that I'm out at the bar or anywhere else besides my hotel room or the pitch you are sadly mistaken and you don't know me at all. As far as not being home, there are times when I don't see you for days on end because you come home after I've gone to sleep and you're gone before I get up working on some case trying to catch some dark wizard or something and that's in the offseason."

Harry replied, "I'm just doing my job."

Ginny put her wand away and scoffed at Harry, "Just doing your job?"

Harry had to stick to his guns now, even though he knew his fate was sealed. He had to see this through. Harry nodded as he said, "Yeah, my job. I think you're overreacting. The house looks good anyway."

That was the last straw for Ginny. She yelled at Harry, "Overreacting?! I'm overreacting?!" Ginny walked up to Harry, so they were almost nose to nose and told him, "Listen here and listen good because I'm only going to say this once Mr. I'm Just Doing My Job. This house looks as good as it does because after I've done my job, run all the errands, talked to the press, answered the 'fan mail', and cooked your dinner, which usually goes uneaten by the way, I clean the house. That's right, me. Not you, not Kreacher, me. I can't do it alone anymore. You better start helping!"

Harry was about to make the biggest mistake he could make. He looked Ginny in the eye and asked, "I better start helping?"

Ginny glared at him again, "Yeah, you better start helping or…"

Harry cut her off by saying, "Or what? You'll curse my ear off?"

That moment Ginny saw red. She looked like she could shoot daggers from her eyes at Harry. Before Harry could get out another word, Ginny open-handed, slapped Harry across the face and quietly said, "Don't you ever say that Harry James Potter. Don't you ever fucking say that again. Do you hear me? Do you? You are not to utter those dam words to me again, ever."

Harry took a step back while rubbing his cheek and said, "You say it to Allen."

Ginny was furious with Harry by this point, "Allen is the team's medical trainer and a friend. It's an inside joke between us. You didn't mean it as a joke."

All Harry could say was, "Oh."

Ginny took a step forward and told him, "Sometimes you're such an asshole."

Ginny then turned around and marched out of the room. Harry could hear her stomp upstairs to their bedroom and slam the door. Harry sat down on the couch. He knew he went too far this time. No apology was going to help him out of this one. Nothing he could say was going to make things better. There was nothing he could say to smooth things over with her. Ginny was not going to forgive him that easily. Harry could only do one thing now and that was the housework. Harry started by picking up his dirty dishes and put them in the sink.

Harry spent the rest of the day cleaning the house. He washed the dishes, mopped the kitchen floor, did the laundry, and scrubbed the bathroom until it gleamed. Harry even dusted every nook and cranny he could find. After all the housework was done, he started on dinner. He got out the big stockpot and started making homemade beef stew. After he filled the pot with stew meat, vegetables, and water, he placed it on the stove to cook. After, Harry added some spices and herbs to taste and then he left the kitchen.

Harry slowly walked upstairs to their bedroom. He leaned up against the wall next to the bedroom door. He knew better to see if she locked the door, and he knew better to unlock it if it was. He had to do this right, or he might as well sleep on the couch. He had never seen Ginny so mad at him. Sure, they've gotten into it before but neither of them swore at each other and nobody ever got physical before either, but then again Harry never insinuated that Ginny wasn't a faithful, loving wife either. He really messed up big time. He deserved what Ginny gave him and he would stop taking her for granted.

Harry quietly knocked on the bedroom door and asked, "Ginny? Can I come in?" There was no response, so Harry knocked again and said, "Ginny, honey? Can I please come in?"

The door opened for Harry and he walked in. Ginny had changed into her nightgown and was lying on her side in bed with a copy of Witch Weekly. Harry could tell she had been crying. Harry stayed standing in the doorway and asked, "Can we talk?"

Ginny nodded and sat up in bed. Harry slowly walked over to the bed and sat at the foot of it. Ginny just looked at him with a deep sadness in her eyes. Harry just couldn't bring himself to look at her though. He really was ashamed of what he said.

After a few minutes Harry finally got up the nerve to look his wife in the eye and he said, "I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

Ginny looked back at Harry and said, "You said some hurtful things. I just don't know what to say."

Harry replied, "You're right and I didn't mean any of it. Not a word. I'm sorry."

Ginny looked exasperated, "How could you have said those things? How could you think that I would do anything to make you wonder about us while I was out on the road? Yes, there are occasions when I'll go for a drink or two with the girls, I never stay long and that's only when I'm not on the road. You know me, Love."

Harry's heart leaped just a little when he heard Ginny call him Love. He replied, "You're right I do know you and you are not that type of woman. I'm sorry I made you cry."

Now it was Ginny's turn to feel ashamed. She said, "I'm sorry I pulled my wand and I'm sorry I slapped you. I shouldn't have done that."

Harry moved a little closer to Ginny and said to her, "I'm sorry about the whole ear thing too. That was just plain stupid. I cleaned the house and started dinner."

A small smile threatened to cross Ginny's face, but she couldn't let it just yet. She said, "Thank you. Will you be helping me more often?"

Harry nodded and replied, "Yes I will. I didn't know me being gone all the time was so stressful for you and I didn't realize you did so much just to play quidditch. I didn't think it was so much more involved than when we played at Hogwarts."

Ginny took Harry's hand, "During the offseason, it's not too bad. I can handle it because I'm not at practice and everything, but since the season has started, I need your help around here."

Harry nodded and said, "Ok. You just tell me what you need or leave me a list from now on. I'll talk to Robards on Monday about spreading the cases out a bit more, so I have more free time to help out more around here."

Ginny let that smile cross her face now and replied, "Ok, good. Now, let's see what you cooked up for us to eat."

Harry and Ginny both stood up and started walking out of the bedroom when Harry asked, "Aren't you going to apologize for calling me an asshole?"

Ginny got a mischievous grin and replied, "Nope. I meant that. Sometimes you are an asshole."

Harry chuckled and said, "I love you."

Ginny responded, "I know."

Harry just shook his head.