Chapter 12: Moving On
"I just don't know if we have enough boxes for everyone," Molly said as she sat down at the kitchen table at the Burrow. "Couldn't the children have chosen different times to move?"
Arthur chuckled and placed a kiss to his wife's forehead. "What with Harry, Ginny and Natalie moving to his parent's house, and George and the children moving into Harry's old flat, I think it's probably best that it happens all at once, love. Otherwise we wouldn't have everyone settled in before the British and Irish League Cup."
Molly sighed and nodded, "I know, it just seems like the whole world has turned upside down."
Arthur sat down beside her and took her hands in his own, "We should have known that all of our children would be moving on someday, I suppose we were just spoiled to have them all under one roof for so long."
It was true that their seven children and their respective families has all lived quite harmoniously at the Burrow for years longer than most children, but Arthur knew that it was well past time for them to start their own lives… with or without their parents in reach.
Molly wiped at her eyes with her handkerchief and then she stuffed it back in her pocket. "Do you know if we could find some boxes in your shed?" she asked, putting on a brave face.
"I might have something we can use. I'll go and check it out. Why don't you go up and see how Ginny is doing?" Arthur suggested.
"I think I will, thank you, Arthur," she said and kissed his cheek before heading up the stairs.
She climbed up to the second floor landing and made her way to Ginny's room. She could hear laughing coming from there and she smiled. Harry was the best thing that had ever happened to her daughter, she was glad that things had finally worked out for them. She turned the corner into Ginny's room and froze.
Harry and Ginny were on the bed, wrapped in each other's arms in a very awkward position. When they saw her they jumped apart like two teenagers caught doing something they shouldn't be. "Hello, mum," Ginny said nervously, trying to smooth down her passion mussed hair.
"I was going to offer you and Natalie some help with your packing…" Molly said, trying not to laugh at the situation before her. Harry's shirt was unbuttoned, which he tried to hide by crossing his arms in front of him.
"I think we have it covered," Ginny said with a flush climbing her cheeks. Molly bit her lip and nodded.
"I'll leave you two to finish your… erm… packing," Molly said with a twinkle in her eye and she walked back out of the room and down to the shed where Arthur was. She assumed that her daughter would like some privacy.
Ginny sat down on her bed with a horrified expression on her face. "I can't believe mum saw us like that," she whispered.
Harry sat down beside her and kissed her cheek softly, "We weren't exactly being careful though, were we?" Ginny chuckled and turned into Harry's kiss.
"No, I don't suppose we were. She did leave us alone though," she said, her voice warm and inviting. Harry's hand crept up the front of her blouse slowly as his eyes remained looking into hers. He wanted to see the desire fill her eyes once again.
"Mummy, you forgot to pack my toys…" Natalie's voice came from the doorway and Ginny groaned. Harry pulled his hand away from Ginny and leaned back on the bed, trying to hide his laughter. "What is so funny, daddy?" Natalie asked indignantly.
"Nothing, sweetheart, now what toys were we missing?" Harry asked with a wide grin. Ginny sighed and stood up, resigned to the fact that she and Harry weren't going to find any time together before their move was complete.
Natalie led them into the nursery and pointed to a small stack of toys. "I need a box to put my toys in, I can't leave them here," she said in a bossy sort of voice.
"I think your Grandparents were looking for boxes," Harry said and held out his hand to his daughter. "Do you want to go and help them?"
She nodded excitedly and began to rush down the stairs, pulling Harry after her. Harry looked back at Ginny who was grinning broadly and following them at a much slower pace. "Why do we need so many boxes anyway? It's just me and mummy," Natalie wondered aloud.
"Actually, Tallie, Uncle George and your cousins Jess, Eric and J.R. are moving too," Ginny explained.
Natalie looked confused, "Where are they going?"
Ginny and Harry exchanged a look, "They are going to be moving into your father's flat," Ginny said.
"Then where are we going?"
Harry ruffled her hair as they entered the kitchen. "We are going to move into my parent's old house. It's out in the country, not many people know where it is," he told her. Natalie gasped.
"How will Grandma and Grandpa know where to find us then?" she asked.
"We know where the house is," Molly said as she entered the kitchen from the outside door. "Don't you worry your pretty little head, Natalie. You will still come to see me often," she promised.
"What about Uncle George and Aunt Katie?" Natalie asked worriedly, "Will she be able to find him when he moves into daddy's old flat?"
Molly's eyes filled with tears and she bit her lip, "No, she won't be able to find him," she whispered.
"Then how will she see Jess, J.R. and Eric?" Natalie blurted out, "They need their mommy."
"No, they don't."
Harry turned to see George in the doorway looking tired and worn down. His arms were crossed over his chest in what Harry knew was his stubborn stance. "George, don't get angry with her, she doesn't understand," Ginny said softly. George nodded and walked over to his mother, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"I put out an advertisement," George told her and Molly nodded, "I'm hoping to get some owls by this weekend."
"What is the advertisement for?" Harry asked.
"I'm looking for a live in nanny, someone to watch the children when I have to work at the shop," George explained. "It will work better for the children that way."
"I know someone who might be interested," Ginny said and put her hand on George's shoulder.
"Good, we can talk about it later. Right now I'm trying to find Eric's blanket, he lost it," George said and then he left the room.
"I just hope everything works out for him," Molly said softly as she watched his back disappear. "He has been through so much. I hope that moving out will be the right thing for him."
"Speaking of moving, mum, did you and dad find any boxes?" Ginny asked.
Molly waved her hand toward the door that led to the garden. "He was looking out in his shed when I left him. How he can find anything he left in there is beyond me."
Harry and Ginny were going through her room, packing up anything that she deemed to be of value. They had received several cardboard boxes from Mr. Weasley that had been charmed to be virtually indestructible, which would be helpful in case one of the boxes was dropped.
"I'm never going to get anything done if you keep doing that," Ginny giggled as Harry came up behind her and kissed the sensitive skin behind her ear.
"I can't seem to stop touching you," he whispered softly, moving his hand up and down her side.
"If someone else in my family walks in on us… I swear I will never live this down," she told him and Harry chuckled.
"You win," he said and pulled away from her with his hands in the air.
Ginny shook her head and laughed. "Don't make me feel guilty about this, you and I will have all the time in the world to be together once we move to Potter Manor," she reminded him. "Now come over here and help me pack up my books."
Dutifully he walked over to help her clean out her bookshelf, which consisted of her Auror training books, old Hogwarts text books and even some novels. "I never knew that you were a fan of Charlotte Bronte," Harry said as he turned over a copy of Jane Eyre.
Ginny picked it up out of his hands and put it in one of her boxes. "Dad found it for me when he was doing a raid, thought I might like it."
"Did you like it?" Harry asked interestedly.
Ginny shrugged, "I suppose the gothic novel isn't a favorite of mine. The plain young woman falling in love with the ugly master of the house isn't exactly romantic to me."
Harry laughed and grabbed another few books off the shelf. It seemed that most of the books there were untouched; obviously Ginny wasn't a voracious reader like Hermione was. Not that it was a bad thing, Harry decided as he looked over her shelf. If she was like Hermione he never would have fallen in love with her. He had always loved Ginny's spirit and determination, and the fact that she didn't care about the facts, just knew instinctively what to do.
"Gin, can I talk to you?" George asked as he peeked his head inside her room.
"Sure, come in and sit on the bed. Harry and I are just finishing up packing my bookshelf," Ginny said and gestured to her bed.
George walked in and sat down on the pale blue coverlet. "I was wondering if you really did know someone who might be a good nanny for the kids," he said, bringing up her remark from earlier.
"I do, she is working down in a coffee shop in Diagon Alley right now. You might remember her from school, or you might have seen her if you get coffee after work," Ginny said distractedly as she leafed through a few school books.
"I don't usually have time to stop by for coffee, after work I always come straight home to be with the kids," he reminded her. "What is her name?"
"Do you remember Hannah Abbott?" Ginny asked.
George rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Wasn't she in Dumbledore's Army?"
"Yes, she was in Harry's year, a Hufflepuff. She is a really sweet girl, good with Natalie whenever we go into the shop. She told me that she is trying to find something else because she is having problems at the coffee shop with her manager," Ginny explained, "I think you should go in and see if she would work out for you."
"I might just do that, thanks Gin," he said and walked to the door, "You've been really helpful since… since last week." He went quiet and it was obvious that he was thinking about Katie.
"It's no problem, brother dear. I only want the best for you and your kids. I love all my nieces and nephews," she reminded him. George nodded and then walked back out into the hallway and down the stairs.
"Do you really think Hannah would like to be a nanny?" Harry asked after George was out of sight. He knew Hannah, she had been sweet and cheerful, but if he remembered correctly she wasn't exactly full of common sense.
Ginny gave him a soft smile, "Hannah may not be as smart as Hermione, but she is patient and wonderful with children. She just has a way with them. It would be the perfect arrangement, you'll see."
"I really have to thank you, Harry. I had no idea where I was going to go," George said as they brought everything into Harry's suite.
"Don't mention it; I already planned to leave the flat when Ginny said that she and Natalie would move in with me. I started moving everything to Potter Manor the next day. When you told me you wanted to move away from the Burrow it just seemed like the obvious thing to do," Harry said with a shrug.
All of the Weasley men and Harry had flooed in from the Burrow with boxes and small furniture so they could start moving things in. It seemed easier than hiring a truck to come and move everything for them, especially when it would only take them a day to move in everything by floo. They shrunk the beds and other large items of furniture so that they could carry them to the suite and then they restored them to their size once they arrived. It seemed like an easy afternoon of work, but they didn't count on having George's kids running underfoot either.
"Daddy, there is a bedroom with a big window seat in it! Can I have it?" Jess asked excitedly as she ran out of one of the rooms.
George turned to look at his daughter and he grinned, "I suppose a window seat is more feminine than masculine, so I don't think your brothers are going to argue about you taking that room."
Jess squealed and hugged her father tightly around his legs. "Thank you so much, daddy!" She ran off back to the room, glowing with happiness.
"I think you're children are going to be very happy here," Harry said with a smile. "Hopefully you will be able to make this place a home… I never could."
Ron walked by and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I think you are going to make me ill with all the sappy talk," he teased. "Can't we just finish up here and head back to the Burrow? I'm starving."
"You are always starving little brother," Fred reminded him as he walked by with a miniaturized bed in his hands. "I think you can go without food for another hour or two until we finish this up."
"Actually I think we are almost done," George said and looked at his watch. "As soon as we finish setting up the bedrooms we just have to make sure the flat is secure and then we can head home for dinner."
Quickly the men finished unpacking the items that George had brought with him and set up the bedrooms. The longest room to finish was Jess's; she had to have everything in the right spot and have her special window clear so that she could sit at it and look outside whenever she wanted to. It took even longer to get her out of the room and back to the Burrow for dinner; it was obvious that she already loved the flat. George looked relaxed, something that hadn't happened since Katie had left him the week before.
"I think this is going to work out well for us," George told Harry later as they sat beside each other at dinner. "The kids really like the flat, and I'm not worried about the price, I make enough at the shop. Besides, if Ginny was right about Hannah Abbott, this could be the start of a new life."
"Are you really considering Hannah as a choice?" Harry asked nonchalantly, he still wasn't sure whether or not Ginny was right about it.
"If she checks out okay tomorrow then I don't see the problem. I'm planning to go by the coffee shop before work and see if she is interested," George said with a smile.
"Tell her hello for me then, it's been awhile since I've seen her," Harry said and George nodded. Harry smiled, if this worked out well for George than he would overlook the Hannah he remembered. After all, it was George's decision and his life… what was good for him was good for the rest of the family.