2. Respite
Ginny was shaking.
"Harry! Harry! Are you OK?"
Attempting to grasp the fact that he was sprawled over his kitchen floor, his drenched, muddy robes sticking to the tiles, Harry straightened up, still pumping with adrenaline, and surveyed the pale face of his wife.
"Ginny – I – you shouldn't – how…?"
Ginny nodded to the large clock suspended above the kitchen sink, where large dials labelled 'Harry' and 'Ginny' rested on 'Home'.
"It was pointing to 'Mortal Peril' a minute ago," she said. "I was scared, Harry. I don't know how I did it, but I knew I needed to find you."
"But you could have died…the baby…you shouldn't have," breathed Harry, shivering.
Ginny took Harry's hand softly, spreading warmth from her fingertips. "I would have thought you, of all people, would understand why a child needs its parents. We're in this together, Harry. I won't lose you, and nor will the baby. We're going to be a family."
Harry wanted nothing more than to kiss Ginny, to tell her how much those words meant to him, to thank her for saving his life – but now was not the time. He was already on his feet pacing the kitchen, his Auror instincts taking over.
"I'll have to inform the Minister, straight away," said Harry, running his fingers through his messy hair. "Death Eaters…at least twenty of them…"
"They must have escaped from Azkaban?" said Ginny quietly.
"Maybe…but there aren't that many left, are there? And I've heard nothing of a breakout, so unless it happened tonight, it looks like some new ones have joined the club." Harry paused, remembering something. "One of them spoke to me. I recognised his voice; I just can't quite place it." He continued pacing, a little frustrated.
But Ginny was now frowning. "Harry, I don't understand why you were out there in the first place. We were in bed – and next thing, I wake up to find you not there. I was worried. And you can imagine how I felt when I came down here to find out you were in mortal peril…"
Harry stopped his pacing and looked momentarily disarmed. "Well, you know me, Gin. I like to go flying if something's on my mind. And – well – the good news – about the baby…" Harry trailed off looking embarrassed. "But you're right – I should have at least told you where I was going."
He had never told Ginny about his occasional night-time flying habits. He shared everything with Ginny, but sometimes he considered flying to be a private, almost spiritual, activity – especially when he wanted time alone to ponder something.
"Oh," said Ginny, looking slightly affronted. "Er – are you sure you're happy, Harry, about – about the baby?"
"You know I am, love." Harry took her hand and squeezed it. I could probably make the world's most powerful Patronus right now. That's why I went flying – it almost…adds to the magic of the occasion."
Ginny's face cracked into a wide smile and she kissed Harry, who suddenly forgot everything that had just happened in a moment of bliss. Pulling Ginny closer to him, kissing her back fiercely, the realisation hit him, harder than ever, of just how much he loved her.
"Thanks for rescuing me," said Harry softly, running his finger down a strand of Ginny's hair that framed her beautiful face.
"You don't know how scared I was, Harry," whispered Ginny. "I'd forgotten how it felt, knowing I could lose you. I don't even remember trying to Apparate – it just sort of happened when I started panicking. I just knew I needed to find you. And next thing, I was by your side."
Harry saw a small tear leak from her brown eye. Marvelling at Ginny for a piece of magic he had never even heard of before, he kissed her again: slowly, reassuringly. Time seemed to stand still. It could have been a matter of seconds or many minutes later when Ginny eventually drew away, and Harry's memory of why he was stood in the dark kitchen with sodden robes in the middle of the night gradually ebbed back into his consciousness.
"I'll have to go to the Ministry," sighed Harry, releasing Ginny's hand. I need to request an emergency meeting with the Minister."
Ginny nodded in resignation as Harry glanced out of the rain-slashed window into the skies over Godric's Hollow.
"They must be patrolling the area," muttered Harry. "Stay inside – you'll be safe here. They all think I'm as paranoid as old Mad-Eye was back in his day, at the office, for having a Secret-Keeper. But I knew something like this would happen sooner or later."
Harry shook his head and pointed his wand at himself, and with one smart flick performed a Drying Charm – restoring warmth to his soaking clothes. He stepped towards the mantelpiece and took a pinch of Floo Powder.
"Hang on, you've still got mud all over your back," said Ginny, who aimed her wand with a mutter of "Scourgify."
"Thanks, Gin."
Harry ignited the empty fireplace with his wand, scattered the Floo Powder, and gave Ginny one last smile before stepping into the fire, stating "Auror Headquarters," and allowing himself to be swallowed up in the emerald-green flames.