CH 7- First Date: Part One
"Natalie, can you please stop playing with the brush? Mommy needs it," Ginny said gently. Natalie turned to smile at her, her face bright with anticipation.
"We have to be pretty for Daddy," she said as she handed the hairbrush to her mother. Ginny pressed a kiss to Natalie's forehead.
"Yes we do sweetheart. Now go and see if Grandma has any biscuits for your father, I'm sure he misses her homemade goodies," she suggested. Natalie squealed excitedly and ran out of the room, hurrying down the stairs yelling for her grandmother. Ginny sighed in relief and turned to look at her reflection.
Her hair was lying in soft curls around her shoulders, pinned up and away from her face with small butterfly clips. It really wasn't her hair that she was worried about; she was worried about the whole package. She was worried that after all this time Harry wouldn't be able to accept her for the way she was now… that he would cling to the way she had looked and acted when they were at school together. She wanted him to appreciate the woman she had become, not just the girl she used to be. There was so much she had learned in the past seven years, and she needed him to accept all of it, not just a part.
She sighed and tugged on her dress, trying to get it to fall into place. She really wasn't comfortable wearing dresses, it just wasn't her style. Looking into the mirror she groaned. The dress was all wrong, it just didn't look right on her. Frustrated she pulled it off and sat down on her bed to jerk her hose off as well. In her hurry she ripped a hole in them and swore. Muttering curses she hurried over to her closet to try and find something appropriate. She was so involved in her search that she didn't hear the door open behind her.
Harry walked nervously up to the Burrow, with an armful of flowers for Ginny and a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans for Natalie. He couldn't remember a time where he had ever been more nervous going on a date. Of course, he had never gone on a date with his daughter and her mother either. It was going to be a new experience for him, but since he knew that she had been married for a few years he assumed that the girls were old pros.
He stepped up to the kitchen door and knocked firmly, he was going to smile and be wonderful company, even though his stomach was knotted tightly. Seconds later Molly opened the door for him and he was almost knocked off his feet by Natalie who sprinted into his gift laden arms.
"Give him time to come inside," Molly told her granddaughter sternly and then she turned her bright smile on Harry. "Come inside dear; let me put your things on the table."
Harry walked inside, Natalie close to him and smiling at him with adoration. When he finally got all of his things put down and removed his coat his daughter was smiling at him expectantly. Harry chuckled and crouched down on the floor so he could look her in the eye. "Did you want something?"
She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and squealed when he stood up, with her still clinging on. He swung her around and then set her back on the ground. "We made you biscuits!" she said excitedly and showed him the plate.
"Natalie measured all the ingredients on her own," Molly said proudly. The little girl blushed.
"Is Ginny coming soon?" Harry asked her.
"You can go and see her, she is doing her hair," Natalie said and sat down to eat one of the biscuits she made for her father. Harry chuckled again and made his way up the stairs.
He paused outside of Ginny's room, thought about knocking but then decided against it. If he and Ginny were going to try to work things out, they should be comfortable enough with each other to not have to knock. He pushed the door open and stopped still in the doorway. He could see Ginny looking through her closet… and she wasn't exactly dressed to go out.
Against his better judgment he walked in and shut the door quietly behind him. He leaned against it and watched her as she rifled through her clothes, muttering to herself. He didn't announce his presence; he just let himself feast on her ivory skin that was bared for his viewing. His eyes traced her soft shoulders, her back… down to her lithe legs that were free of hosiery or stockings.
He walked quietly over to her, his heart pounding in his chest. He pressed a kiss to her naked shoulder and she spun around fast, her body pressed up against his. Her breathe caught and she back away a step. "What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Natalie said that you were doing your hair and that I should come see you," he said. He knew that she could see the desire in his eyes because she melted a bit and let him move closer to her.
"I didn't like the dress I was wearing," she admitted as he took her into his arms.
"Wear jeans and a sweater," he suggested. He bent his head down to press kisses along her neck and she gasped.
"Why a sweater?" she asked, trying to keep cool as his kisses made her hotter.
"You'll see," he promised and bit her neck gently. She squealed.
"Let me get dressed, mum is going to wonder what we are doing up here," she reprimanded. Harry just grinned and kissed her lips sweetly.
"Let her wonder, we are adults you know," he teased. Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled out of his arms.
"Go downstairs, I'll be down in a few," she told him sternly. Harry raised his eyebrow and she giggled. "You are hopeless."
"I'm really just afraid to leave you," he said seriously.
"Why?" she demanded.
"You'll try to put on some fancy dress and it isn't necessary. I want you to wear jeans and a sweater," he crossed his arms and gave her a firm look.
She threw her hands up in the air, "I give up."
"That's better, now I'll just sit here and watch to make sure," he said with a slightly mischievous glint in his eyes.
Ginny burst out laughing, "Is that what this is all about? You won't leave because you want to watch me change my clothes?"
"Not entirely, but it is a factor. I've never gotten to see it," he said seriously and lay back on her bed, propped up on his elbow.
Ginny crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared at him. "Well, since it is my decision whether you stay or go…"
Harry walked down the stairs and into the kitchen wiping the tears out of his eyes as he laughed. He sat down at the kitchen table and grinned up at Molly Weasley. "You raised a very feisty woman," he told her, helping himself to a biscuit.
"What do you mean, Harry?" Molly asked curiously. Natalie settled herself in the chair beside her father and stole another biscuit from the plate. "You aren't going to want dinner if you keep eating," she reprimanded the little girl. Natalie looked up to her father for support but he just gave her a wry smile and she sighed and put it back.
Harry looked up at Molly and gave her a solemn look, "Your daughter is mean."
"He just thinks I'm mean because I threw him out of my bedroom," Ginny teased as she entered the kitchen. She kissed the top of Natalie's head and then walked over to Harry. She did an exaggerated turn for him so that he could see her outfit. "Does this fit with your approval Harry?"
He stood up and pulled her into his arms, leaning close so that Molly and Natalie couldn't hear him. "I'll tell you later after we put Natalie to sleep," he whispered and kissed her neck.
Ginny was blushing when he pulled away, but she didn't say anything. All she could think was, what exactly is Harry expecting from me? Instead of worrying about it, she put a smile on her face. "Are we all ready to go then?" she asked.
Harry turned to Molly, "I'll have the girls back late, but don't worry, they are with me and I'll take good care of them," he promised with a wink. Molly kissed Harry's cheek.
"I trust you with my girls," she said, "now get going. I'm sure that you have peaked their curiosity about where you are taking them."
Molly ushered them out of the house and they walked out into the garden. "Okay now Natalie, I need you to hold on to your mum and my hands okay?" Harry told her. Natalie nodded and clutched their hands tight.
"Where are we going, Harry?" Ginny asked.
"Just hold onto my hand and you'll see in just a moment," he promised. Ginny closed her eyes, squeezed Natalie's hand and suddenly felt her body being sucked through a tube of air. When they came out the other end Natalie was squealing with delight.
"I've never apparated before," she told him excitedly.
"Really, how did you get to the Quidditch field this afternoon?" he teased.
"We flooed into the office," Ginny informed him. She looked around to see where they were and realized that they were on the front steps of a building that looked very high class. "Where are we?" she asked.
"I wanted us to have our first dinner together in my flat," he admitted. Ginny saw the nervousness in his eyes and she felt her heart wrench for him. He was so worried about impressing them.
"I think that's a wonderful idea," she agreed and Natalie looked up at the building.
"You live here?" the girl asked in awe. Ginny could see why Natalie looked so shocked. The building was massive, over thirty stories tall and it was all steel and glass. It didn't look like anything that either of them was used to, and it seemed odd to place Harry somewhere like that.
"I've lived here for five years now, it's just somewhere to sleep when I'm not on the road," he shrugged. "Come on up, I'm sure you are both hungry."
Harry turned on the electric lights as he walked into the flat and he moved aside to let the girls in. "Just put your robes on the rack and come inside, I'll get a fire going."
He helped the girls out of their robes and hung them up for them. "We'll just sit on the sofa, all right, Harry?" Ginny suggested motioning to the soft leather couch in front of the fireplace. He nodded and knelt by the hearth to start their fire. This gave Ginny time to look around the flat… well, it would be more accurately called a suite, or a penthouse. Just the entrance and living room were enormous. Harry lived in the topmost floor of the building, and it was easy to see that his suite encompassed the entire floor. It was tastefully decorated; soft shades of tan and ivory were dominant in the furniture and the walls. It all flowed together perfectly, but she still couldn't see Harry living here, it just wasn't his style.
Harry backed away from the fireplace and turned toward them with a smile on his face. "I have spaghetti on the stove," he said and at the look of shock on Ginny's face he hurried on, "it's a team favorite, we make it together a lot."
"Come sit by us for a little bit," Ginny suggested and without hesitation Harry hurried over to the couch and wrapped his arms around the girls. "We don't have to eat right now do we?"
"The spaghetti is being kept by a warming spell, we can eat whenever," he assured her and stroked her hair softly. Ginny felt that her life was finally coming together after being broken for a very long time. She could feel the warmth of Harry's arms as he cuddled her and Natalie close, it seemed like the missing piece of her life puzzle had finally clicked into place. She was content just to relax in his arms in front of the fire and leave all her worries for another day. From where she was right now… the future looked bright.
"You need a bigger sofa," Natalie suddenly said and Harry choked on a laugh.
"Why do you say that?"
"I feel squished over here," she announced, wriggling out of Ginny's arms. Ginny and Harry laughed together as their daughter scooted off of the sofa and sat on the floor in front of them. "Are we gonna eat soon? I'm starving."
Harry sighed as he let go of Ginny so they could both stand up and make their way to the kitchen. She surprised him by taking his hand and squeezing it softly. "I'm getting hungry too," she admitted.
"Your wish is my command," he teased, winking at her. Ginny blushed as she recalled other times he had told her that, occasionally with a lusty timbre in his voice.
"I command you to show us the kitchen," she teased back, trying to block those mental pictures. All of that was in the past, she didn't know if she would ever hear his voice thick with desire again and she didn't want to think about it. Harry seemed to have noticed that the twinkle in her eyes died because he stopped smiling and let go of her hand.
"Follow me, the kitchen is this way," he told them and led the way down the hall to a cozy room filled with candle light and the delicious aroma of simmering spaghetti sauce.
Their meal was filled with happy chatter as Natalie set the tone of the conversation with her outrageous stories about her cousins and things they had done. Ginny was able to laugh and enjoy the time spent, even knowing that she and Harry were bound to have a serious talk after dinner was over and Natalie had fallen asleep. She expected it, but she was worried that it was going to be either all talking about how he wanted to be a father to Natalie, and not a part of her life, or he was going to try and get physical with her and not talk… which she wasn't ready for. If she could find a happy medium she could relax, but her traitorous mind couldn't allow that possibility. She hadn't been happy for seven years, why should she be now?
Finally the meal was over and Harry carried all the plates to the sink, pausing to put the spaghetti in a bowl in his refrigerator. Ginny was shocked by all the muggle appliances he had and she commented on it.
"You have to understand that I was raised in a muggle home, I don't know how to function without all of them," he explained as he began to wash the dishes.
"Let me do that," Ginny told him and moved him aside gently. She used one of her mother's favorite household spells and soon the dishes were sparkling clean and put away in Harry's cabinets.
"You'll have to teach me that one," he grinned at her. Ginny couldn't help but smile back at him. It was so easy to fall into teasing back and forth with him, it was almost like it had been ingrained in her from birth… loving Harry.
"Harry…" she began as she reached out to him. He pulled her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. They stood like that for several long moments, their arms wrapped tight around each other as they leaned against the sink. Harry pulled back and looked into her eyes.
"If Natalie is asleep, I think we need to have that talk."