Chapter 7 – Seven Years Later
"MUM! HAVE YOU SEEN MY TRAINERS? Actually, just my left one."
Ginny finished putting on her own shoes, took a breath and headed upstairs to help her eldest son. On the way, her second son nearly collided with her as he barreled down the stairs.
"Albus! Slow down, you're going to get hurt again. We ran out of skele-gro last week."
"MUM!"
"I'm coming James."
As she reached the top of the stairs, Lily ducked out of her room with her hair going in five directions and two half done lopsided ponytails. It was obvious the two year old had done her own hair, and by the look on her face was quite proud. James was still mumbling and Ginny rolled her eyes. Then Harry came out of their bedroom.
"Alright Gin, I finished wrapping Molly's present."
"Thanks Harry. We're almost ready to go. You want to take a lost trainer recovery or a two year old hair fixing?"
"Hmm, hard choice. I'll take the trainers."
Ginny nodded and turned around to find her daughter. After a bit of wrestling, she had Lily's hair fixed and they were headed downstairs to meet her father and brothers. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, Ginny ran a quick assessment of her family. Eight year old James was wearing two matching trainers and actually had his shirt tucked in for once. His five year old brother Albus had his pants unbuttoned and his hair was a mess. Ginny quickly fixed the pants and gave a couple swipes at the hair before giving up. Al had inherited his father's hair and Ginny knew that was a losing battle. She turned to her husband and found Harry smiling at her. He put his arm around her and all the worry and commotion dissolved. He kissed her briefly and James groaned before Harry pulled back and decided his eldest son had earned a hair mussing for that. Ginny sighed and then straightened James' auburn locks. Albus then started poking his brother and pretending to straighten his clothes, causing James to turn and grab him around the shoulders. Before a full wrestling match started, Ginny began shuffling everyone toward the floo. She handed Lily to her father and took both boys by the hands as they stepped into the fireplace and floo'd to the Burrow.
Ginny stepped out into her mother's kitchen and the chaos that was the essence of the Burrow descended on her. Hermione and Angie were in the kitchen with the stove running at full capacity and several dishes flying around, collecting ingredients. Ginny released her sons to go find their cousins and went to embrace her sister-in-laws.
"Hey you two. I see you got Molly out of the kitchen for a change."
"Well we figured she deserved a break for her birthday."
Harry arrived then with Molly's present under one arm and his daughter in his other. Angie gave him a quick peck while she grabbed Lily for a hug. Hermione also kissed Harry briefly and Ginny saw what others somehow missed, the deep look between them that said so much more. Ginny supposed she saw it because she knew what to look for. So far in the thirteen years since the battle, their secret had stayed with Ginny, Bill and Fleur. The trio had become quite good at covering and, while the rest of the family knew they were close, no one else guessed the true depth of the bond between the trio. Harry stepped back from Hermione and Angie set down a squirming Lily. Harry smiled at Ginny and put his arm around her.
"Shall we go find the birthday girl my love?"
Ginny looked at the Angie and Hermione, wondering if they needed help. They shooed the two of the them out of the small kitchen and Harry and Ginny went to find the family matriarch. As they reached the garden, their two sons went racing by with Fred and Hugo on their heels, almost colliding with Charlie. Their dragon tamer uncle quickly joined the chase and Ginny suppressed a laugh. The boys were going to be in for serious tickles when their uncle caught them. With no more small missiles intersecting their path, Harry and Ginny made their way to where Molly sat at the table holding baby Lucy, Percy's second daughter and the youngest of the Weasley grandchildren.
"Hi Mum, happy birthday!"
"Harry! Ginny! I'm glad you came. We haven't seen you in a couple weeks. Where's my Lilybug? "
"Of course we wouldn't miss your birthday mum. Sorry we haven't been around, it's been a bit busy lately. As for my daughter, I think she's in the living room playing with Molly. So, it looks like we're the last to arrive? We had a few child related delays, sorry."
"Nonsense dear, I certainly understand. My word, some days when I was trying to get all of you ready to go somewhere I came close to just cancelling everything out of frustration. Now, come sit and fill me in on what's been keeping you so busy."
Harry and Ginny settled and had just started talking when Ron and Arthur emerged from Arthur's workshop and came to sit with them. Ron gave his sister a quick hug and then took a seat next to Harry. Ginny glanced over and could see the connection between them. It was almost as if Harry relaxed once he knew Ron was near. Ginny leaned back just a bit and saw Ron's hand on Harry's knee under the table. She was the only one sitting on their side, so no one else could see it. Once again, Ginny wondered how the family missed all the little signs, but then she figured after thirteen years everyone had gotten used to it and didn't think it was anything unusual. Although Ginny was accepting, the connection still sometimes took her by surprise. She shook herself and focused on the conversation. Harry was busy detailing the latest training exercises that the Auror department was developing. After Harry recovered from his injuries seven years previous, he never completely lost his limp and his running gait was slowed enough that he no longer qualified for field work. At the time the department had several veterans who retired and Harry had taken up a position in the training department. A year ago, he was promoted and was now the Director of Auror Training. He may have been a bit slower running than others, but trainees learned quickly to not underestimate his skill with a wand. Ron had also continued his work as an Auror, and two years previous had moved from an investigative lead position to assistant director for the entire department. Everyone expected he would make director within a few more years, and more than a few people teased about he and Harry working side by side in their director positions. Ron had initially hesitated taking the position, as he didn't want to be stuck behind a desk. He eventually conceded and found that there was still plenty of opportunity for him to join in on larger operations. Hermione was also happy, as his hours were much more regulated. Now he and Harry went back and forth, detailing the changes in the department. Ginny marveled at the easy way they switched positions in the conversation and often finished each other's sentences. It was times like this where their bond seemed so blatantly obvious. Ginny figured that her parents must think it was due simply to their long friendship.
When Harry finished his discussion on the training exercises, Arthur turned to Ginny to inquire about her shop. Four years previously, Ginny and Angie had bought Quality Quidditch Supplies and revitalized the old shop. They each worked around six hours a day, depending on their children's schedules. Staggering their schedules and hiring a couple of brilliant employees allowed each of them the time they needed at home, while still giving them the opportunity to be businesswomen. When they had each had small babies in tow, a small nursery had been setup in a corner of the back room. The shop had done quite well and they had each profited from the endeavor, not that it was needed due to their husbands' financial statuses, but it helped them establish their own identities and Harry and George were very supportive. Ginny began to detail her family on a new product line that they were about to introduce and Ron especially seemed quite interested.
As the conversation moved on to other topics, Hermione came out of the kitchen and announced that lunch was ready. Molly's bell was also rung and soon the widely scattered children and a few adults began to find their way back to the garden dining area. The late fall day was beautiful and unusually warm, although everyone knew the night would come quickly and bring a chill to the air. That was why Molly had asked for a mid-day celebration. Once her children appeared, Ginny rolled her eyes at the state of her two boys. With a quick glance at Harry, they rose and each took one of their sons for a cleaning at the sink in the garden shed. A few minutes later, everyone was scrubbed and the food began to make its way out of the kitchen. The next hour was spent gorging on the plentiful meal while at least five different conversations floated around the table simultaneously. Ginny looked around and felt an overwhelming sense of love for her large family. Four of her siblings had married and between the five of them, they had eleven children, with a twelfth on the way. That made twenty three people at the ever extended picnic table, even if some of them were quite small. Fleur was anything but small, as she was expecting her surprise third child in a month. Unless Charlie settled down, Fleur's would most likely be the last grandchild, unless someone else had a surprise of their own. The large group made family lunches and dinners a chaotic affair, but Ginny felt grateful many times over. Then she looked over at Harry and saw him laughing with George about something and Ginny felt even more grateful for him. After the childhood he had endured, Harry deserved having a family to embrace.
After lunch, Angie brought out the large cake that she and Fleur had baked for Molly. It was chocolate of course with the vanilla frosting that Molly loved and the whole thing was tinted in varying shades of purple. Molly loved it and soon the beautiful confection was being demolished. Once the cake was done, children took off to resume their games. Since the women had cooked, Harry offered to do the cleanup and Ron volunteered to help as well. The kitchen really didn't handle more than two people, so Ginny stayed and talked with Audrey. She hoped that Harry and Ron stuck to just the cleanup, but she watched carefully to ensure that no one else headed inside. Ten minutes after Harry and Ron left, Ginny noticed Hermione casually wander away and go inside. That put Ginny on high alert as she tried to keep up with the discussion, while also keeping her guard up. After a few more minutes, Audrey and Ginny were suddenly interrupted when Percy brought a crying Lily to see her mother. The girl had fallen down and lightly scraped her knee. Ginny dried her tears and cuddled her until she settled down, then she looked up from her distraction and saw something that made her heart stop. Arthur and George were laughing about something and walking straight into the Burrow. Ginny wasn't sure that the trio were up to anything, but figured she had better go check just in case. Lily was settled and ready to play again, so Ginny set her down and excused herself, mumbling 'bathroom' to Audrey.
As Ginny entered the house, she was a few feet behind Arthur and George when they suddenly stopped. Sensing what was coming, Ginny cast a couple of quick spells for privacy and silencing. She was just in time as both Arthur and George let out a torrent at what they discovered in the kitchen.
"Fuck, what the fuck?"
"Bloody hell!"
"I cannot fucking believe this."
Ginny looked around her father and brother and took a deep breath at what she saw. Hermione was standing between Harry and Ron and her shirt had been pulled up, with Ron massaging her left breast. Her skirt was also pulled up and Harry had his fingers buried in her. Hermione meanwhile had one hand buried in Harry's hair and the other hand on Ron's cock. Harry and Ron were both dressed, but unzipped enough to let their erections loose. While Hermione handled Ron, Ron in turn was wanking Harry. All three were flushed and sweaty.
As Arthur stood with his mouth hanging open, George seemed to be ready to explode. He had an angry look that Ginny had only seen a couple of times and his entire face was beet red. As he reached for his wand, Ginny reached out and held his hand back. As the trio busily separated and started to pull their clothes back together, Ginny figured she needed to defuse the situation.
"Dad, George, there's an explanation. We need to talk. Please, just calm down."
"What in Merlin's bollocks do you mean Ginny and why are you so bloody calm? You should be hexing them all right now."
"The reason I am calm George is that this is not new and I am fully aware of what is going on."
"What? You condone this?"
"I accept this dad, but there is more to it, now can we go somewhere and talk please? Maybe your workshop? Harry, Ron, Hermione, does that work?"
The trio agreed and gradually George and Arthur nodded as well. Ginny had them wait long enough so that she could finish washing the last few dishes. The trio had been almost done with the cleanup when they had gotten involved with each other. Once that was done, Ginny dissolved the wards she had cast and the six of them made their way out to the workshop. Molly looked up at them briefly, but then turned back to her conversation with Percy. Once they reached the workshop, Ginny locked the door with her dad's muggle lock before casting privacy, silencing and repelling charms. Then she turned back to see Arthur and George facing off with the trio. She stepped over to Harry and gave him a long kiss before asking him to tell the story of Malfoy manor. Harry nodded and began to briefly overview what had happened thirteen years previous. The whole family had heard the general story, but without the details about the bond that formed through Ron's elemental magic. As Harry finished with the details from the manor, he had Ron explain what happened at the cottage after when they realized the extent of their bond. Arthur and George remained silent throughout, although both still looked quite upset. When Harry finished their story from the cottage, he admitted that the three of them had started an intimate relationship on their last night there and that the relationship had continued since. That finally unhinged George's jaw.
"So you're saying the three of you shagged each other at Bill's house? Merlin's beard I hope he never finds out."
"Actually he did find out the following morning and he knows we've continued together. He and Fleur both have kept our secret. He doesn't necessarily like it, but since Ginny is accepting he has agreed to be as well."
"Gods, this just gets weirder by the minute."
George shook his head and turned around, opened a cabinet, pulled out a basket and withdrew a hidden bottle of firewhiskey. He waved it at Arthur, who just nodded, not even questioning how his son had known where his stash was. George downed a gulp and passed it to his father, who did the same. As the firewhiskey hit him, Arthur found his voice again.
"Alright you four, I'm still trying to understand this. Maybe Ginny you should explain why you allow this?"
"Dad, the morning after the battle I found the three of them in bed together. Yes, I was shocked and hurt, but then they explained it to me. Ron performed a legilimens inverto spell and showed me what their connection is like, and it's amazing and beautiful. I cannot love Harry and deny him that. I also couldn't give up on him. I love him more than life dad, enough that I am willing to do what is best for him. That means allowing him to have a relationship with his soulmates. He has never lied to me about this and he is always thoughtful about my feelings. The three of them spend a night together three or four times a month and I always know the plan. If something comes up and I need Harry, he puts me and the family first. I know it's hard to believe, but this works for us."
Arthur and George took a couple minutes while they passed the bottle back and forth. Eventually he looked up at his daughter.
"Okay Ginny, I'm still alternating between being shocked numb or being angry about this. I suppose you are all adults and each of you is in agreement. I just really wish I hadn't caught you. I would have preferred to never have known."
"Dad, I know you hate the idea, but there is always obliviate."
"No! I am not having my mind tampered with!"
"Me either. I guess I need to accept this, but you three had better keep your activities to yourselves. I don't want to see that again. And I hate to think what mum would say."
"I'm sorry George. We should never have done that here. I'm afraid it's largely my fault and the point I'm at in my cycle. It's hard with the link we share to dampen my mood around Harry and Ron."
"Fine Hermione, I don't need to know more. Just never again."
"Agreed George, Arthur. So can we count on your word that this goes no further? I really don't want to hurt the family."
"Yes Harry, I do not want Molly to ever know about this. I may have a word with my eldest son, but that will be done elsewhere."
Each of the trio thanked Arthur and George, and Ginny hugged her father and brother. She dissolved the wards she had placed and left the workshop with Harry and George, moving back to the party to talk to other family members. A few minutes later, Arthur, Ron and Hermione casually joined everyone as well. Molly wasn't happy when she smelled the whiskey on Arthur, but he put her off and immediately called in the grandkids from their play and declared it was time to open presents. That provided a welcome distraction and the party resumed where they had left off. Harry made sure to stay a distance from Ron and Hermione, usually remaining close to Ginny. She could see he was trying hard, but felt the tension in his body as his eyes regularly found his soulmates. Shortly before four, everyone began leaving. As they made their way to the floo, Ginny leaned over and whispered to Hermione. With a thankful smile and damp eyes, Hermione nodded and accepted Ginny's offer. Each of the two couples gathered their children and floo'd to their separate homes. As soon as the Potters were back at Grimmauld Place, Ginny sent her sons on to play and stopped to talk to Harry briefly. Five minutes later, Ron floo'd from his house to Grimmauld with both his children in tow. Ginny took her niece and nephew while Ron took Harry's arm. The two soulmates then floo'd back to Ron and Hermione's for an evening together that the three of them needed.
After they disappeared, Ginny took Rose and Hugo to find the boys. She settled in for a not so quiet night at home with her children, confident in the knowledge that when Harry returned he would be much be much happier and able to focus on his family.