Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
Chapter 1- Can't choose love
I got a scar too. Most of us did by the end. Mine is on the back of my leg, far enough to cover it with a longer skirt or shorts, but it doesn't really matter. None of those days much do anymore. Well, of course they matter. They were the days that determined our lives now. If those days had gone another way; I don't want to think of what might have happened, actually. I'd rather enjoy the time at hand.
That was something Harry never did understand. I don't know that he could. He's still caught back to five years ago. It's a nasty place to be stuck, that's for sure. I suppose that's why I'm not married by now. Mum's always asking. Of course she would, though. I don't know that she can comprehend any girl not being married off by the age of 20, let alone the ripe old maidenhood of 22. Mum pestered Ron too. Until he finally proposed to Hermione, that is. Her heart is in the right place, but I don't think she realizes some people just aren't ready. Harry's getting there, I'm sure. It's been a few months since we've been 'official', to be honest, but I know he'll start things up when he's ready again. If not, I suppose I'll move on and eventually I'll be fine. After loads of Ice Cream and some of Mum's chocolate chip cookies, that is.
Until then, I'm going to enjoy myself. I'll enjoy my job and my friends; my family and my life. I'm an Aunt too. I can't forget my nieces and nephews, not that it's very hard when they start attaching themselves to any and every available limb, especially Charlie and Tonks's twins, Luke and Katrina, who are just turning two in one week. We're throwing a birthday party for them tonight, so I better start helping Mum with the decorations.
Ginny Weasley sat up and closed her diary, looking around at her old room. It was now one of the many guest bedrooms, and being used currently for Bill's small family of four; small by Weasley standards. Fleur and Bill eloped, much to both Molly's delight and chagrin three years prior. They now had two children, both boys. One was three and the other was a few months from hitting the terrible twos as well.
Always following in his footsteps, Charlie married a year later, catching up by having twins. Molly was delighted that the 'Weasley curse', as she had referred to it many times, didn't befall all her children. Percy and Penelope had just returned from their honeymoon, and the twins (as always) only needed each other, though George kept mentioning some girl that would come into the shop. Ron and Hermione were on their way down the aisle. Slowly but surely they were getting there. The countdown had begun, as the big date was only six months away.
Ron had wanted to have enough to support a family right away, should they decide to start that sooner rather than later. When Fred and George started teasing Ron about not wanting to fork out for contraceptives, Ron only blushed and muttered words his fiancé would have reprimanded him for saying. Ginny never participated in this kind of teasing; she just watched. "Hey Ronnikins, we got a book for you," George said.
"What is it?" Ron asked curiously, Ginny sitting down the table just a bit, decorating the cake that Molly had made. Molly left more detailed things to Ginny, or to her daughter-in-laws, just to make sure since her eyes weren't up for it they way they had been.
"Just something we had to pick up when we saw it," Fred said, producing a book entitled How to make your love life Magical. Ron went his usual shade of red, Fred and George started commenting on that shade, and Ginny was laughing for quite some time.
"Sod off," Ron finally told them, and went outside to fly around with Bill and Charlie.
"So, Ginny," Fred said, turning his attention to someone else he might be able to embarrass. It wouldn't work as well with Ginny, but he certainly could try. "Where's your Man Candy?"
"I'm not sure," Ginny said, looking out the window. Harry had said he'd be coming in the early afternoon. This was type of thing that worried Ginny quite a bit. Harry overworked, and not because of his boss. Kingsley was endlessly trying to get Harry to take some time off, but after everything had happened, finding Dark Wizards became an obsession. Harry rushed himself through Auror school and now worked over sixty hours a week. Ginny was rather busy herself, working to set up layouts for Quidditch Monthly. This edition was to be on the top ten teams in the world, though that could quickly change. The next weeks' games could determine whether or not Ireland made that list.
"He didn't ditch you again did he?" George asked, serious for once, which was a different light to see him in all together. George had noticed Harry's absence lately, and could tell it bothered Ginny, even if she wouldn't admit it.
"No, he had to work," Ginny made Harry's excuses for him, knowing it was probably true anyway.
"Oh," Fred said, having hoped George would have given him something to work with, but such was not the case here. "Let's see what Bill is doing," he added, getting up.
"We'll talk about this later," George said. Ginny tried giving him a convincing smile, so he'd know it was okay, but he left before she could produce one fully.
The party ended, kids with cake all over their faces and only a few neighbors leaving, as this was to become one of the unofficial Weasley family reunions. Just as Ginny was putting dishes in the sink, she felt someone come up behind her, squeezing her sides to make her jump. "Don't do that!" she squealed, expecting to see Fred as she turned around, her wand ready to hex.
Instead stood a tall figure with black hair that was always a mess and round black frames in front of brilliant green eyes, "Sorry I couldn't help myself," Harry said, his hand still on Ginny's hips.
"I was wondering when you'd get here," Ginny said, standing on her toes to hang her arms around Harry's neck. "Why were you late?" she asked with a little bit of a pout that she couldn't help.
"I was working on something," Harry said. He always stayed aloof in his work like this. Never saying what he was working on or who he was working with. Ginny didn't think he enjoyed his job the way he had thought. His mind was always being brought back to ex-Deatheaters who had been apart of occurrences too close to his heart, like putting salt on an open wound.
"Oh, okay," Ginny said simply, not wanting to go into it. Her hands still rested on his shoulders. "Well, we missed you."
"Everyone's still here, aren't they?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Ginny answered, finishing the last few dishes with a flick of her wand, "they're all outside. Even Ron and Hermione came."
"I'll see you in a minute?" Harry asked, looking at Ginny.
"Yeah, I'll be right out," she informed him with a smile, and he left. Ginny turned back, wiping down the counters without magic to give her a moment to catch her breath.
Walking out, she already saw Ron, Harry and Hermione talking with one another, laughing at something. It was good to see him laugh at least. Going near Fleur, who held Eric (their nearly two-year old) on her lap with her slowly growing stomach. "'ow are you Jinny," Fleur asked. She always said 'Ginny' with a 'J' sound, as if she were saying 'Jacque' instead.
"Good," Ginny said with a large smile, the small toddler holding his hands out to her. "We'll be having another one of these soon, won't we Eric?" Ginny said, ending the question in half baby talk, taking Eric in her arms.
"I sink so," Fleur responded, glad to see her son happy with someone else for a bit of time. She was finding herself growing weary more often. "Maybe an engagement too," Fleur added.
"Maybe," Ginny said, looking over at Harry, who happened to catch her eye in that moment. "I think that will depend," she added, lowering her eyes and blushing slightly.
"'E ubviously likes you," Fleur said, her pronunciation having gotten slightly better, though she had her moments.
"Perhaps," Ginny said, her attention trying to stay on her nephew instead of on the many doubts floating around in her mind. Changing the topic, she turned back to Fleur and chatted with her until the little boy in her arms was asleep.
"I'll take him upstairs," Fleur said, trying to get up gracefully though she was starting to show, even after three months of pregnancy.
"I can do it," Ginny offered, not getting to do this often enough as she lived in a flat with three girls in London.
Walking up the stairs carefully, Ginny went into her old room, placing Eric on the small cot placed in the room. At first he began to fuss, trying to hold tightly onto Ginny's neck. "Hush," Ginny said, coaxing him until he was laying down. Gently, she placed a light blanket over him, humming a lullaby to him. Soon his eyes were closed again.
"Sweet," Harry said from the doorway, shocking Ginny slightly.
"That's twice in one day Potter," Ginny said rolling her eyes playfully at Harry.
"Won't happen again," Harry said, still leaning where he was. "I was wondering if we could go somewhere alone," he suggested with a look of hope written into his face.
Standing, Ginny nodded, and followed Harry's lead until they were in a wooded area where only the lights from the house could be seen. "Did you just want to walk around?" Ginny asked, her fingers entangled with Harry's. Ginny felt guilty allowing this to happen, not wanting to push any kind of a relationship, but tried to let those thoughts go. You'd hold a friend's hand, she justified to herself.
"No," Harry said, turning to face Ginny with a smile on his face. Leaning down, Harry found Ginny's lips. Ginny couldn't justify this one. It was something they had done many times before this, but this time Ginny pulled away. "What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"I thought we weren't going to see each other for a while," Ginny said, already very confused about her place in Harry's life.
"Right," Harry said, "but that doesn't mean—"
"Yes it does," Ginny said, not allowing herself to believe otherwise for the moment, as much as she wanted to. Somewhere deep inside her, Ginny always figured she'd be with Harry some day, but she didn't want to act like a fling in the mean time. "I kiss my boyfriend, and you said you didn't want that right now."
Harry let go of Ginny's hands, walking over to a tree, facing away from her. "I just don't want to rush into anything, Gin," Harry said, still facing away. "I want to know I'm making the right decision."
"And you don't know if that's me?" Ginny asked, genuinely hurt. She couldn't believe he would say that. As much as she was trying to be understanding, it was getting difficult.
"I'm trying, Ginny," Harry said, "but you won't let me."
"You're not trying to find someone to love, you're trying to find someone to kiss," Ginny said, anger taking over at that statement. Before saying something she might regret, Ginny walked back towards the house, where her family was currently playing a large game of exploding snaps.