Chapter 10: A Happy New Year
It was a little after nine and Ginny began to wonder if she'd make it to the New Year. She was sitting on the couch at the Burrow next to Harry who was cheerfully talking to Andromeda, who was bouncing a very sleepy eight month old Teddy.
The family decided to skip the New Year's party that the ministry usually hosts, and have the family together. Bill and Fleur were there, Charlie had come to visit, Percy was there with his new girlfriend Audrey, who Ginny sincerely hoped Percy kept around, and Hermione and her parents were there. Ginny watched as Teddy tried to steal pieces from Ron and Bill's game of wizard's chess.
"Do you want me to put him in my room to go to sleep?" Ginny suddenly asked Andromeda. She was asking not only for Teddy, but also for herself. She needed to get up and move around. The older lady laughed at her.
"Good luck, he's rather difficult to get to sleep, but you're welcome to try," she said. Ginny turned to Harry.
"Come check on us around eleven thirty. I don't want to miss the New Year," Ginny smiled and kissed the top of Harry's head before standing and taking Teddy.
"Come on little guy, let's go upstairs where it's quieter. I think maybe you'll be able to sleep," she said to him as they made their way up the stairs. She laughed as Teddy's hair color changed to Weasley red. When they made it to her room, she sat Teddy down on the bed and opened the curtains to let the moonlight in. She loved falling asleep watching the weather outside her room. Teddy started to cry.
"Oh it's okay Teddy," she said scooping him up and carrying him to the window. She pulled her desk chair over to the window and sat with him on her lap watching the outside. It was snowing very lightly, as it always did on New Years, and the moon was a full moon. Before this finally registered with her Bill lightly knocked on her door.
"Hey little girl, Fleur and I are headed home. Full moon and all, I'd hate to ruin the night," Ginny gasped and looked at Teddy who hadn't stopped crying yet. She hugged the little boy to her.
"It's okay Teddy, its okay," she said. She wondered if Andromeda had more trouble with him on full moon nights than others. She stood up and set Teddy down on the bed for another moment so she could hug her brother.
"Okay big guy," she started. They had used these nicknames for each other since Ginny was a little toddler, "As long as you both come back tomorrow for the real party," she smiled. Every New Years day for as long as she could remember, Fred and George had always set off their latest Weasley Wheeze. Bill smiled softly.
"If there even is a party", he said sadly.
"There will be, even if I have to hex George a time or two. It'll be good for him," Ginny said. They all still missed Fred. It had only been eight months, but the pain still lingered. Ginny remembered how the twins' twentieth birthday party seemed like just yesterday.
"Happy birthday boys," Ginny had said sadly. They'd been hiding out for a little over three weeks at Aunt Muriel's house and Ginny was dying to do something new. She had wanted to go to Shell Cottage to visit her brother and sister-in-law, but they had closed the floo networking there when they'd put up the Fidelus Charm.
"Why dear sister, cheer up," Fred started.
"Our birthday only comes once a year," said George who shot Fred one of their famous mischievous glances. Suddenly, Ginny watched as their latest invention shot around their mum in circles chanting:
"It's our twentieth birthday mum," in a child like voice. Mrs. Weasley laughed at the toy and bent down to pick it up. It was a tiny Weasel figurine that the moment that Mr. or Mrs. Weasley touched it, it erupted into a tiny blue screen. It was different memories that Fred and George had of each other that they had duplicated and put into this figure. The memories dated all the way back to when the twins were three, all the way until before the war started. Mrs. Weasley sobbed and told the twins that they should be receiving gifts for their birthday, not giving them. But the Twins simply said that they wanted nothing than what they had which was their family among them.
"Well, there are a few things that're missing," George started as he looked at Fred.
"All our brothers," Fred replied, nodding his head. Mrs. Weasley sobbed even harder and pulled them both in for a hug just before Ginny ducked out from in between them.
Ginny wondered if Mrs. Weasley and George still thought about that day.
"Bye little girl, we'll try to come over tomorrow," Bill said breaking Ginny out of her mind. She had nestled her head against his chest and held on to him tightly, and as her big brother, he'd held her close for several minutes as he used to do when she was younger.
"Bye Big Guy," she said holding back her tears. She watched her brother leave the room and then turned her attention to a still crying Teddy. She scooped him up and sat on the bed rocking him, and allowing her tears to fall freely with his.
Harry walked upstairs to Ginny's room at eleven thirty as she had asked. Teddy's crying had quieted about an hour ago and Harry wondered if they were both asleep. He quietly opened the door and saw Ginny sitting at the window holding a redheaded baby. He listened to her talk to the sleeping baby. She was talking about Fred, Remus, and Tonks. She was in the middle of a story about Fred again when she'd started crying. Harry couldn't help but to enter the room and bend down beside her. She still didn't notice him as she had her eyes closed. He touched her arm gently and she jumped. Teddy stirred but didn't wake.
"Can I take him?" he asked. She nodded her head and watched as Harry lifted their godson from her arms and gently placed him on her bed tucking her blankets in around him. When he was done he walked back over to her and offered her his hand.
"Come on, Andromeda will get him if he wakes," he said leading her out of the room. She stopped as he started down the stairs.
"I don't want to join them," she said. He saw that her face was blotched with red. She clearly had been crying.
"I wasn't taking you to join them," he said, "we're going outside." When they got to the kitchen, Andromeda was just leaving the room.
"We've left Teddy upstairs," Harry said as he and Ginny continued outside. He conjured some blankets that came flying down from Ron's room. He sat one on the snow-covered ground, just out of lights reach from the Burrow, and the others he wrapped around himself and Ginny. They sat there for a few minutes saying nothing, and Harry was the one who first broke the silence.
"It's going to be okay," he said.
"I know, but just to think, Fred didn't get to live but a month after turning twenty, and Remus and Tonks won't get to see their little boy grow up," she said leaning her head on his shoulder, "I can't help but to think, we made it to the New Year, and they didn't," she cried.
"I won't let Teddy have the childhood I had," Harry whispered, "If he had the same childhood, all my hard work would have been for nothing. I promise that he will grow up knowing who his parents are and how much they love him."
"Harry, there won't be any child, that will have anything but a great childhood," Ginny said. She knew that Teddy would have both her and Andromeda as mother figures, but Harry would be his only father figure. "You'll make Remus proud that he named you godfather." Harry reached up and wiped her tears.
"I hope so," he said, "I also know that Fred will be remembered by all of us too." Ginny sighed. They sat quietly watching the snow fall around them for a while.
"Can I interrupt?" a small female voice came from behind them. They both jumped and turned around. It was Audrey. "It's almost midnight, Mrs. Weasley wanted to know if you two were going to sit out here or come inside with everyone else." Ginny and Harry looked at each other. Ginny knew that Harry would be okay with either option. She knew he wasn't going to leave her side.
"I think we're going to stay out here for a while longer," Ginny said while she was still looking at Harry.
"Alright, come in when you're ready. I hope everything's okay." Audrey said. Ginny liked Audrey a lot, and she could tell that Audrey liked her as well. She was good for Percy and Ginny couldn't be happier for him.
"It will be," Ginny answered. She felt Harry squeeze her hand.
"Audrey, are they coming?" Percy shouted across the lawn.
"No, but I am," she replied.
"I just want you both to know I'm here if you need anything," Audrey said with a smile before she left to join Percy and everyone else.
"Two minutes!" Percy shouted to Ginny and Harry before he and Audrey closed the door behind them.
"Two minutes, that's all you've got," Harry said smiling at Ginny.
"All I've got? What are you talking about Mr. Potter?" Ginny said, a smile was playing on her own lips.
"You've got a minute and a half to cheer up. If you don't smile in that amount of time, then at midnight, I'm going to have to tickle you and wipe snow in your face instead of kissing you," Harry said. Ginny could see the sparkle in his green eyes. They heard the Weasleys and company start their count down from ten, and Ginny finally smiled.
"I think I'll take that kiss," she said.
"Good, I wasn't interested in tickling you anyways," Harry said, and as they heard the people inside scream "Happy New Year" He leaned over and kissed her as passionately as they'd kissed when Ginny told him she'd marry him.