AN: ok well this chap isnt my favorite but it does actually have a purpose (believe it or not) which will come up later. I know my stories can go a little slow, so bear with me please! hope u enjoy this chapter...tried to make it funny. altho...my teacher said the other day to us that if you'renot funny, don't try and write funny. maybe i should have taken her advice. lol. anyway, enjoy:
"Hello?" called a voice from downstairs.
"Hi Hermione, I'm upstairs," Ginny yelled out from her position on the couch in Hermione's townhouse. Hermione appeared at the top of the staircase and gave her a stern look.
"I suppose there's a legitimate reason for that man downstairs to have tentacles sprouting from his head…"
Ginny turned a page of her Witch Weekly magazine and shrugged. "He came onto me."
"And of course, just telling him you were married would have been far too rational," Hermione said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"How was your day?" Ginny asked, throwing the magazine down on the coffee table so the large picture of Harry's face on the front cover grinned up at them.
"Awful actually," Hermione said with a sigh as she kicked off her shoes and rubbed her feet. "I've got this whole group of people protesting for puffskein rights. They want me to pass an act freeing all the puffskeins kept as pets."
Ginny snorted and then looked thoughtful. "I used to have a puffskein. In my fifth year I think it was…I don't remember what happened to him though. Last thing I remember was sticking him under the bed for annoying me." Suddenly her eyes went wide. "Oh bugger, I don't remember ever taking him back out."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's because of people like you, who mistreat their pets, that I have the Chinese Ambassador sending me Howlers because he doesn't want to give up his miniature puffskein collection."
"Ginny?" someone called from downstairs.
"Upstairs, Harry," Hermione called back, as Torie came running up the stairs as fast as her short, chubby legs would carry her.
"Nice house," Harry said, gazing around at the comfortable upstairs living room and kissing the two women in greeting. Torie crawled onto Hermione's lap and gave her a big hug and a sloppy wet kiss.
"Well, if it isn't my favourite niece!" Turning her attention back to Harry she said, "I'll show you around if you want."
"That'd be great," Harry murmured, suddenly distracted by the magazine lying on the coffee table. He sat down and picked it up, wincing at the picture on the front, and flipped it open to the article on him and his family.
"Listen to this," Harry said. " 'The person Harry Potter cares for the most in the world has to be his four-year-old daughter, Victoria Potter, whom he is extremely fond off.' Better not let James see this."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I'll make sure he doesn't. Honestly, with all the reading he's been doing lately…just the other day I walked in and he's just sitting there, reading Pride and Prejudice…"
"Very funny," Harry said dryly as Hermione snorted. "You're just upset because they said I preferred Torie to you."
"Crookshanks!" Torie screamed at that moment and jumped off her auntie's lap in hot pursuit of the frightened cat.
"Anyway I don't like them having photos of the children in here," Harry said more seriously, putting the magazine back down on the table.
"How was your day, Harry?" Hermione asked, waving her wand so a tray of tea and biscuits appeared out of thin air.
"Well, I've just been to pick up Torie from school. You'll never guess what her teacher said to me. She said, unless we want to pay for that child's therapy when she's older, we'd better start locking our bedroom door at night."
Ginny blushed and blew on her tea as Hermione looked from one to the other and said, "Why would her teacher say th– oh…" she said as comprehension dawned. Smirking, she said, "Torie walked in on you two having sex, didn't she?" When neither replied, Hermione laughed. "Poor kid…. Where's Jamie by the way?"
"Oh I dropped him off at the Burrow this morning. Better go and get him, now that I think about it. The twins are home and I'd rather he wasn't in their company too much. I think they have a bad influence on him…." Ginny stood and put her un-drunk cup back down on the table and held out her hand to Harry.
"What, I have to come too?"
"Thanks for watching the house for me. Oh and before I forget, we're celebrating your mum's birthday early this year, Ginny. Tomorrow night, everyone's coming round here for a meal," Hermione said, standing up as well.
Harry and Ginny both blinked at her. "You're cooking?" Harry asked carefully, trying not to sound too worried. Hermione glared at him.
"No actually, Molly wants to cook, so she's bringing all the food with her."
"You know 'mione; it's very rude to invite us the night before. We might have had plans."
Hermione actually laughed.
---
"You know, I really didn't like them having photos of us in that magazine," Harry said again that evening after they'd put the children to bed. He was lounging on the couch, propped up against a stack of cushions. Ginny was sitting on him, facing each other, leaning backwards against his knees.
She just shrugged and played with Harry's hand. "I'm just amazed that you're going to be playing Seeker for England." She smiled at him. "I'm married to the best Seeker in the whole country."
Harry laughed and rubbed his nose uncomfortably. "I'm not that good."
Ginny rolled her eyes at his modesty and sighed contentedly, closing her eyes. She felt Harry's hand cup her face and she opened one eye, peering blearily at him.
"I love you," he said quietly. She leaned forward and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Harry swung his legs off the couch and stood up. Ginny laughed and wrapped her legs tighter around him so she wouldn't fall. "You ready to finish what we started last night?" he asked her softly, his arms holding her tightly against him.
Ginny nodded, shivering agreeably at his deep voice. "Just lock the door this time, ok?"
please review! they make me feel special. thanks for reading. nxt chap should be exciting. well...hopefully. xxx (oh and if anyone else on this site is taking the IB and feels like moaning, i'm all ears!)