Chapter 3

It wasn't the loud crash from below where Lee was trying quietly to open the shop that woke George the following morning, it was the gentle arm that slinked across his body. With a startled shout, he sprang from the bed, bumping his head on the wall next to him – just adding to his already throbbing headache.

The figure that had been sleeping next to him stirred, drowsy eyes looking in his direction as he regathered himself.

"What are you doing in my bed?" he asked. He then looked down at his barely-clothed body, groaning. "Please tell me we were just drunk and you just… you needed a place to sleep," he added, rubbing the back of his head.

Angelina, the girl in his bed, looked at him, fighting back a yawn. "I don't think so," she said, and apparently just realising what had happened, she, too, groaned.

"Oh. Were we drunk?"

"It was a long nignt."

"Oh."

A silence fell over them, the tension rising in the room as they tried to come to terms over what a happened. George squinted, hoping it would help him to remember how they had ended up there. He could remember talking to her at the reception – yes, they had been flirting, too – but anything he might have said had always been in good fun. He and Angelina always joked, and he certainly did not see her in that way.

Well, he thought her attractive enough, but she was just a friend, a colleague. Nothing more.

Another groan escaped him.

"It wasn't that bad, was it?" Angelina asked with a smirk. It was a forced one, a way of trying to break the tension neither of them wanted to feel.

George made to tell her he didn't remember a single moment between them, but thought better of it a second later. Although he thought she was in the same position, he still didn't want tk offend her. If they could salvage their friendship he didn't want to ruin it.

"It was a good night, huh?" Angelina sat up in the bed – George still on the floor – the sheet the only thing keeping her from being completely naked.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I always like weddings, though I doubt I'll ever be getting married myself. It seems too much of a hassle."

There was more silence following that statement as George struggled to find the right words. He was now one of only two unmarried Weasleys, and although he was happy with that for now, he would have liked to get married and have a few kids one day.

Just not now.

Definitely not now.

"I should go."

George didn't think that was a bad idea at all. "Er, thanks for… for the company," he managed, and Angelina laughed.

"Pity neither of us can remember, huh?"

George grinned.

Angelina slipped on her dress from the night before and threw George one last look. Behind the confidence and uncaring expression she gave him, it was obvious she was just as uncomfortable has he was. They had always been friends, and although Fred had taken her out a few times once, their relationship had been completely platonic. He'd never thought of her in that way.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow, yes?" she said.

George nodded. "See you then," he said, walking her to the door. He debated whether or not to hug her, but decided against that idea. Best give themselves a day to recover from the incident before doing anything.

Tomorrow at work was going to be awkward enough as it was.

Percy reached out to take his wife's hand, a gentle reminder that she needed to remain calm. The shifting in her seat every five seconds and her heavy sighing was not going to help with the situation at all.

He never thought he'd find himself here – in the waiting room of a Muggle hospital, waiting to find out if they would ever be able to have children. It had never been in his plans. In fact, none of this family life had ever appealed to him. He had been – and still was – high up in the Ministry. He worked directly behind the Minister himself and was sent on many important jobs, trusted to do it right.

If he hadn't been walking down that side street in Muggle London just as Audrey had rounded the corner in the opposite direction, he wouldn't be here.

She had caught his eye immediately with her neatly ironed work attire, her hair pulled back in a bun and everything else that said she was an important businesswoman. She'd never said as much, but her first impression of him probably hadn't been anything like that. He had been dressed in his finest wizarding robes, which to her most likely looked like one of those Muggle hippie people.

But something had sparked between them that day, and two years later they found themselves married. Hardly a romantic story, but he was happy with her. Their careers were both very important to them.

And children, too, apparently. Despite having put her career first since finishing school, Audrey made it very clear early on that she wished to have children. Percy had agreed, the idea sounding nice, but not as important to him. Audrey had already picked out names, whereas Percy had barely wrapped his head around the idea of being a father.

Of that, they weren't just on different pages, they were in completely different books.

"It'll be alright, dear," he assured her calmly. "These doctors will tell us why, and then give us some potion to fix the problem." He didn't notice the look the patient beside him gave at the mention of potion, and Audrey smiled.

"It's called medicine here, love," she answered so only he could hear. "And I'm not sure it's that simple."

Though, everything was simple to Percy if one only thought logical about a situation. Perhaps they just weren't in the right environment to have a baby. Perhaps that was why it wasn't working. He would never tell Audrey, but he truly believed that seeing a Healer might work better for them. After all, these doctors didn't know magic.

"I just hope there's nothing seriously wrong," Audrey confessed, shifting in her seat again. "What if they tell us we… we can't?" The fear in her voice was obvious, and Percy gave her hand a squeeze.

"That won't be the case, dear," he assured her.

"We don't know that, Percy." Audrey's voice raised slightly due to her nerves and a few people looked up from their magazines. "I've always dreamed of this, and I always thought it would be so simple, so easy. Just like it happened for your brother and Fleur. Wouldn't it be good for little Victoire and Dominique to have a little cousin? I was thinking a little boy." She smiled. "Of course, a girl would be wonderful, too."

Percy thought of his extensive, ever-growing family. He thought of how he was one of seven children and Audrey was one of four. He thought of how easily Bill and Fleur had fallen pregnant with their daughters, how simple it had been for them. Neither his, nor Audrey's, family had ever had any pregnancy complications before. He patted his wife's knee. "Everything will be just fine," he told her, the final image of a child – his child – staying firmly in his mind.

It'll be just fine, he told himself, because for the very first time ever, he realised how important this moment was for him. He'd seen the love Bill had for his children and he now wondered what that was like to feel that. Bill had told him it was a feeling he couldn't describe.

"I hope you're right, Percy, I really do," Audrey replied, her voice a whisper. She gave his hand a squeeze back.

"It will be," Percy said again, and then a voiced echoed around the waiting room.

"Mr and Mrs Weasley?"

Audrey jumped to her feet, hands sweaty. "That's us," she said.

The doctor directed them into a small room. "This way," he said.

"You're dressed for work." Ginny found Harry in their bedroom just as he was putting on the official over-robe of the Aurora department, using his wand to eliminate any crinkles.

"I just got a memo," Harry explained, looking at himself in the mirror rather than at his wife. "Something's come up and they need me in there for a few hours."

"We had plans." There was no hiding the disappointment in Ginny's voice. "We were going out for dinner, remember, and then… it was supposed to be just the two of us."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Harry answered, obviously not noticing her tone. "But with Ron away we're one Auror down for the moment, so I need to go in and help. It should only be for a few hours. We can go out tomorrow night instead."

"But we planned for tonight."

"I didn't know they'd need me."

Ginny shook her head, and with a placid, yet furious tone, she said, "I didn't realise your work was more important than me." She left before Harry had a chance to digest what she had said.

"You know that's not true!" Harry argued, following her from the room and down the stairs after a moment.

"Isn't it?" Ginny demanded. "Well, howcome every time we try and organise something together, something else comes up? It's either that, or you're trying to avoid spending time with me."

"It's my job!"

"And I'm your wife! Or have you forgotten that?"

"What are you talking about?"

Reaching the kitchen door, Ginny spun around to glare at her husband. "What am I talking about?" She almost laughed. "I'm talking about this, Harry. Us. We've been married for less than a year and already it feels as if you're growing bored of me. Is that what it is? I'm not enough to satisfy you anymore?"

"Ginny… I… I… what?"

Ginny shook her head. "Forget it, Harry. Just go to work and do your thing. I'm not in the mood to argue with you today."

"I don't understand why you're so upset," Harry said. "You go off for weeks at a time on your Quidditch trips."

"The trips I invite you to come along with me to!" Ginny shouted. "It's not like I run away for two weeks without seeing you. I ask you to come with me, and you never do."

"I do."

"You've come twice your whole life, Harry, and one of those times was because the Prophet requested it so they could do an interview with both of us. You're always working, or you're always tired. It's always something. We've been married for ten months, Harry, and I think we've seen each other for a total of about six of those."

"Oh, so it's okay for you to go off and play Quidditch, but not for me to do my job? Is that it?" Harry was getting angry now.

"No, Harry, at least I plan around my job to have a normal a life as possible. Your job is your life. I'm just second to that."

"That's not true!" Harry insisted. "I love you, Ginny. You know I do."

"Of course I do, Harry, but you love being an Auror more."

"I don't!"

"Then why are you ditching our date tonight for your work?"

Harry looked at her helplessly. "They need me," he said weakly.

"Everyone always needs you for something," Ginny said bitterly. "If it's not them, it's the papers, it's my mother, it's Ron. No one ever stops to think that maybe, just maybe, I'd like to spend just one night with my husband alone."

Harry scratched his head, not sure what to do or say. "Well, I can try and leave by eight. Maybe then we could –"

"No, Harry. I don't want you to try and squeeze me into your busy schedule. That's not how it works. Just go. It's your job." She pushed the door to the kitchen open. "Have a good day."

Slightly bewildered, Harry went to the front door of his home. When he turned his head in the hope of saying goodbye to her, he was disappointed to see that she wasn't even waiting for him to leave. She hadn't even kissed him goodbye.

"See you tonight," he called from the hall, and when no reply came, he left.


I'm so, so sorry this has taken me so long to update (all of my MCs, actually) but betas are as busy as I was over Christmas. But here is this one, and for anyone reading Precious Moments and I Thought I Hated Her - newest chapters are with betas and should be updated soon. I promise.

Big thank you to Liza betaing this one for me :)