Harry and Ginny: A Love Story
Chapter 20: Secret Information
It was early afternoon when the Floo flared and Poppy asked if she could come over. She had caught Molly a bit by surprise but she readily agreed. As she came through the Floo, Poppy explained that she thought a follow up on Harry was warranted as he had a history of great reluctance to report nagging injuries.
Molly had nodded knowingly, Harry's position on anything to do with the Hospital Wing and medical treatment was well known. "He and Ginny are upstairs, in Ginny's room I believe. Should I run up and have him come down?"
"Don't put yourself out, Molly. I know the way and knowing Harry, I'm sure he'd rather do this in private," Poppy said with a smile.
Molly wouldn't be denied in performing what she saw as her motherly duties and insisted on preceding Poppy upstairs. She knocked once on the door and hardly waiting for an answer, entered Ginny's room.
"Come in," Ginny was saying as her mother came through the door. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes she sent to Harry, "I don't know why she bothers to knock."
Harry couldn't help but chuckle at her comment. "I guess it's what mothers do, though I really don't have anyone to compare her to."
"Harry, dear, Poppy stopped by to give you a once over to make sure everything is all right," Molly said with a smile.
She didn't notice but Poppy did, as a dark look passed over Harry's face as he glanced at Ginny. She also saw Ginny's horrified reaction and her pleading look at Harry, and she was sure what was transpiring.
"I thought you said you didn't send for Poppy for me?" Harry sent accusingly.
"Harry, honestly, I didn't. Please believe me," Ginny sent, her heart in her throat, knowing Harry's problems with trust issues.
Harry just got a hardened look on his face, his jaw clenched as he fought his clearly visible anger.
Poppy smiled as she passed Molly in the doorway, "I've got it from here, Molly," she said, waiting by the door in a clear sign of dismissal.
Ginny almost laughed at the look that passed over her mothers face, and probably would have if she wasn't so worried about Harry's reaction.
Poppy gently ushered Molly out and closed the door, Harry and Ginny were surprised when she drew her wand and cast several spells on it. She then turned and said sympathetically to Ginny, "I'm sorry if I have caused any distress between you and Harry, but it was the most logical excuse I could think of to visit without raising a ruckus."
She looked at Harry, "Harry, I hope you believe me when I say, Ginny did not ask me here to check on you." She was gratified to see Harry take on a very apologetic look as he looked at Ginny.
"I'm sorry for doubting you, Ginny. I should know by now that you'd never do something like that," he said contritely.
Poppy then looked at him with a grin and added, "Though, from your reaction, I bet that you are still suffering from some pain, so while I'm here, I will give you a check up."
She and Ginny shared a chuckle as Harry groaned and flopped back on the bed. "Serves you right," Ginny sent with a giggle, not letting Harry's unfounded accusations bother her.
"All right, all right! I give," Harry sent. "Lesson learned, always trust your Bond-Mate, or Fate will come up and bite you in the arse."
Ginny couldn't help but laugh and Poppy was curious as to what had been exchanged between them. "So what did Harry have to say for himself?" she asked, smiling at the pair.
"Well, let's just say, Fate was involved and something about getting bit on the arse," Ginny said, giggling madly as she looked at Harry.
Harry blushed deeply, "Fine, you two. Let's just have an embarrass Harry day and get it over with," he groaned.
Poppy couldn't help but smile at the two young people before her, because even though they still looked like children, they certainly didn't act like typical children. She was also acutely aware of their special circumstances. "Okay, Harry's arse aside, lets get started."
Ginny had tried very hard to reign in her giggling but as soon as Aunt Poppy had said "Harry's arse", she lost it completely and was reduced to a laughing hysterical mass on her bed. Though Poppy's lips twitched and quivered, she had years of experience to draw on to keep under control.
Harry took it all stoically as he sat up on the edge of the bed. "I'll get you for this Ginny. I don't know how, I don't know when, but I will get you."
This did have the effect of halting Ginny's uncontrolled laughter as she sat back up, but she obviously wasn't quailed by Harry's announcement. "Oooo, I'm so scared, Harry."
She faltered though when she saw sadness flicker across his face, "What is it, Harry?" she asked anxiously.
Harry gave her a wan smile, "Just memories, Ginny. When you said you were soooo scared, I thought about holding you down and tickling you again, but we know how well that went, don't we."
Ginny leaned forward and took him into a hug, "It's okay, Harry. We'll work through this as we will everything we have to face, together."
Poppy was watching Harry and Ginny closely and she was pretty sure what they were going through. She waited for a couple moments before she gently interrupted them. "Why don't we get started. Now Harry, be truthful, have you been having any pain?"
She saw his eyes flit to Ginny before looking back at her. "Yes, Aunt Poppy, I have. Though it's not that bad, really."
"Harry, it's bad enough to make you groan out loud sometimes, and knowing you it must be pretty bad then," Ginny said, showing her annoyance.
Harry shrugged, though he did have a frown on his face. To him pain was something to be endured and if you let it show it only led to more.
Ginny felt his sadness, and she wished again that she could remove the hurt from inside of him.
Poppy also knew of his history and what his reaction meant. "Harry, while it may be true to never show your pain or weakness to you enemy, you need to tell those who love you and can help, you must let them. It will make you stronger in the long run."
Harry considered her words carefully, "I understand, Aunt Poppy and I'm sorry to be such a bother."
Ginny rolled her eyes and had to bite her lip to keep from screaming at her Bond-Mate. She was so tired of hearing him say he was sorry to be a bother, it was driving her round the bend.
Luckily for Ginny, she didn't need to speak up, "Harry, let me assure you, I will let you know in no uncertain terms if you are ever a bother. Have I made myself clear," she said, a touch of Madam "Dragon Lady" Pomfrey in her voice.
Harry couldn't help but smile at her, "Yes, Aunt Poppy," he said softly, with a grin.
Poppy saw Ginny breath a sigh of relief and flash her a grin. She gave Ginny a nod, letting the young witch know that she was on the same parchment when it came to one Harry James Potter.
"Now then Harry, where does it hurt?" she asked.
Harry found he just couldn't help himself, "Who said anything hurts?"
Ginny and Poppy looked at him incredulously, both their tempers starting to flare, then Harry began to giggle and Ginny turned on him, swatting him in the back of the head. "Harry James, I can't believe you did that, you prat!"
Harry was trying desperately to protect his head, but Ginny was in a fine temper, not that she was hitting him particularly hard, but she did have a good eye for accuracy.
After about a dozen well placed smacks, Poppy grabbed Ginny's hand. "That's enough now, Ginny," she said with a smile. "I mean we did kind of set ourselves up for him."
Ginny thought about it and realized it was a perfect prank opportunity. "When did you become so devious?" she asked, looking at him with a new respect. "Here I thought we were going to have a hard time training you and you are already pretty good."
Poppy had him remove his shirt and asked him to show her where it hurt. When he had his shirt off Ginny smiled at him, "Nice body there Potter," she teased, "It will look even better after Mum gets some meat on your bones."
Harry couldn't help but blush, which of course Poppy noticed. Not one to pass up paybacks, she looked at Ginny and winked. "So Ginny, what did you say to make Harry blush so?"
"Ginny! Please don't," Harry pleaded.
Ginny couldn't help but smile at him before looking at Poppy, "I said "Nice body, but he needs some meat on his bones," Ginny said with a smirk.
Harry buried his face in his hands, "Godric Ginny, why do you take such delight in doing this to me?" he moaned.
Ginny's smile softened to one that was filled with her love, "Because I love you Harry and even though I know you're embarrassed, I can feel the joy radiating off of you."
Harry couldn't deny it, as mortified as he was, Ginny's teasing touched him in a way that no one else had ever managed. It wasn't done maliciously, it was done in a spirit of fun, playfulness and above all love and respect for one another.
Harry reached for Ginny and hugged her tight, "Thanks Ginny," he whispered to her. He then turned back to Aunt Poppy, lifting his left arm he pointed with his right hand to a spot about five inches down from his pit, "It hurts right in there."
"Thank you Harry, please tell me if what I do hurts and how much, okay?" Poppy said with a smile.
Harry nodded his head and Poppy gently reached out and put her hand tenderly on his side. Harry jumped and both Poppy and Ginny looked concerned.
Harry sheepishly said, "Sorry, cold hands."
Poppy gently prodded his side in the area where he had indicated. Ginny was watching his face closely and when she saw him flinch slightly she sent, "Harry! Let her know that hurt."
He looked at her in surprise, he hadn't been aware that he had reacted and he thought for a moment Ginny was experiencing things through the Bond that he wasn't. "How did you know that?" he asked in wonder.
"Harry, I hate to tell you, that you''re not as stoic as you think. I saw your face twitch, in a small grimace. I could tell it hurt. So tell her already!"
"Aunt Poppy, that hurt a little, right back a little where you just were."
Poppy moved her hand back a little and pressed again.
"Yeah, that's the place, right there," Harry said, as he grimaced again. He could tell that Poppy could feel something, it was like a small bump inside.
She drew her wand and cast a spell and smiled. "Nothing serious, Harry. Just a small muscle tear. It would eventually heal on it's own, but I can fix you up quick." She once again, brandished her wand, murmuring a spell that neither Ginny nor Harry could make out. Nearly instantaneously Harry felt the pain ease and disappear.
He breathed a sigh of relief. Now that it was gone he realized just how much it had actually hurt, but he had been suppressing the pain. He knew Ginny could tell immediately how much Poppy had helped him, feeling his sense of relief.
"Now that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Ginny sent with a smile.
"No it wasn't Ginny, I have to admit that you've proven your point," Harry sent in resignation.
Ginny just couldn't let it go at that, "And that means. . . .?"
Harry looked at her and saw the delight dancing in her eyes, he knew exactly what she wanted him to say and though he was loath to say so, he knew he had to admit it to her.
Harry sighed heavily, and met her eyes, "Okay, Okay, I admit it, you were right. Is that what you wanted me to say?" he said, slightly exasperated.
Ginny chuckled, "Now that you say it, Yes." she answered smugly.
Harry could tell, that though Ginny was happy to get him to admit she was right, he also felt it was just based on wanting what was best for him and she wasn't gloating at all.
"Anything else?" Poppy asked.
"No, Aunt Poppy, it's really just been that one spot that has been bothering me," Harry replied.
"Okay, Harry. You can put your shirt back on," Poppy said, looking at Ginny. "So I understand you'd like to have a little talk," she said softly.
Ginny blushed a little, "Yeah, and it's things that I don't feel that comfortable talking to my Mum about right now, because of . . . well, you know."
Poppy smiled and looked back at Harry, "Why don't you take a walk Harry?" she asked pleasantly.
Harry got a concerned look on his face.
"What is it Harry?" Poppy asked.
"Well, if you don't want your Mum to know, don't you think it will be kind of strange when she sees me come down and you two stay up here?" Harry said thoughtfully.
"You're quite right, Harry. Very astute of you. Do either of you have a suggestion?" she asked.
Ginny looked a little annoyed, but after a moment said, "I guess it will be okay for Harry to stay, most of what I want to talk about isn't that embarrassing and when I get to that stuff. Maybe he could sit across the room or something and I can whisper to you Aunt Poppy."
"Okay with you, Harry?" Poppy asked.
Harry just nodded. He had to admit that he was a bit curious, but he also had an idea that maybe he really didn't want to know.
"So what's on your mind Ginny?" Poppy asked with a smile.
Ginny took a deep breath, and after a glance at Harry she said, "Well, first off, I'm starting to change, body-wise. Now I know that's natural around my age but to me it's happening at a much faster rate than the talk I had with my Mum said it would."
"I see," Poppy said, contemplatively. "What do you mean by fast?"
Ginny looked rather thoughtfully at Poppy, "Well, when I left school this year, I was flat as a board," she said, indicating her chest. Now. . . . " Ginny pulled the material of her loose fitting tee shirt tight to her body, and though by no means huge, Ginny had two rather nicely proportioned breasts, both definitely more that a handful for Harry's sized hands.
Poppy was genuinely surprised, she had often had young women who were starting to develop come to her with questions and their anxieties and she had almost with out exception allayed their fears.
Ginny, on the other hand, truly was developing at a very accelerated rate. "Plus," Ginny said, letting go of her shirt and lifting the edge slightly. Both my hips and bum seem to be growing at the same rate, or near to it."
Ginny had pulled the material of her cotton shorts tight across her posterior and Harry felt his eyes bug out. He remembered clearly the incident where he had her over his lap and well. . . . he didn't want to think about what had happened, but now it looked so much more enticing. Again, it wasn't huge by any stretch of the imagination, but it had taken on a fullness that could only be described as womanly.
Poppy had a hard time suppressing the look of surprise on her face. Nothing had prepared her for the amount of development that Ginny had undergone in the few short weeks since the end of term.
"Ginny could you tighten the material on your shirt again, while holding it up so I can see all of you at once?" Poppy asked, cocking her head several ways.
Ginny tried but because she had taken some of Harry's things to wear, there was just a little bit to much material to handle easily. "Oh, bugger this," she said in exasperation. She let go of everything, pulled the shirt off and did likewise with the shorts, leaving her standing in front of Poppy and Harry in her knickers.
Harry had thought he was going to be embarrassed when he realized what Ginny was doing, instead he found himself looking at her awestruck at how beautiful he thought she was.
Poppy had her turn to the side and then all the way around slowly. Ginny began to fidget a little, not from embarrassment, but because no one was saying anything. Though she did smile a little, the feelings coming from Harry were quite unexpected. She had figured he would be embarrassed but all she got was a wonderful sense of approval and happiness. She smiled shyly at him, wondering why she didn't feel any embarrassment either.
When she looked back at Poppy, she was surprised to see a look of bewilderment on her face. "What's wrong, Aunt Poppy?" she asked hurriedly.
"Nothing, Ginny. . . .Really," Poppy said softly, a touch of awe in her voice. "I can confidently say you are developing into a beautiful young woman. It's amazing, but you're perfectly proportioned, and as you get older I'm sure you'll retain that."
"Do you think I'm done for now?" Ginny asked. "I mean it's one thing for Harry to see me, but my brothers are going to be insufferable."
Ginny jumped in shock, as soon as she mentioned her brother being insufferable, she got the most powerful determined, protective feeling from Harry that she had ever felt. She turned and stared at him and she saw a look in his eyes that said loud and clear, Do Not Insult or Otherwise Make Fun of My Woman. Do so at your own peril.
Poppy's gaze followed Ginny's and she saw the blazing look in Harry's eyes and she was a tad worried by what she saw. She had the distinct impression that if provoked Harry would not be very forgiving to anyone who said anything disparaging to Ginny.
"Ginny, why don't you go ahead and get dressed," she said softly.
Ginny nodded, but she wondered about the way Poppy had looked when she had glanced at Harry. Though not really a worried look, it was more one that spoke of caution.
Poppy was glad to see the look in Harry's eyes diminish when Ginny was once again clothed, but she also notice that it hadn't gone away entirely. This was a development that she knew warranted watching.
"Okay. Ginny. Was there anything else?" Poppy added, as she tried to put things into context.
For the first time Harry felt a bit of embarrassment from Ginny, "Should I leave?" he asked her.
Ginny pondered his question for a moment, "Not if you don't want to Harry. There's something kind of telling me I have nothing to be embarrassed about in front of you."
"Well Aunt Poppy, I was also kind of wondering about the other physiological changes that usually take place, you know, my menses , my cycle?" Ginny said, unabashedly.
Harry was again surprised when he didn't blush like a school girl at hearing what Ginny was talking about. He felt the slight apprehension she was feeling, but he couldn't tell if was because of the subject or what the answer might be.
Harry went over and took Ginny's hand and guided her back so they could sit together on the bed. Ginny smiled at him, and Poppy saw her give Harry's hand a slight squeeze.
They definitely weren't acting like a typical eleven and twelve year olds. The thing was Poppy had no idea. Nothing in her texts had prepared her for this, and she didn't quite know what to do. She sat there thinking furiously, trying desperately to come up with an answer, any kind of answer to help alleviate Ginny's concerns.
"Aunt Poppy?" Ginny asked softly.
Getting herself back under control she looked at Ginny, "To tell you the truth Ginny, I don't know." When she saw Ginny start to get worried, she said "Have you had any indication that they might be starting? Things like cramps, aches that you couldn't account for, especially in your lower abdomen."
Ginny took a calming breath, "No Aunt Poppy, nothing like that. Will I definitely feel something like that?"
"Unfortunately not my dear, some young women don't have any signs that precede the beginning of their cycle. All I can do is to tell you to keep track of how your feeling and try to take note of anything unusual. I'm sorry I can't be of more help," Poppy said a bit glumly.
"Does that mean I'll be able to get pregnant? I mean if it starts. Will they want to separate Harry and me again?" Ginny said, apprehensively.
Poppy breathed a sigh of relief, "Ginny, that's one thing you don't have to worry about."
"Why is that?" Ginny asked with a perplexed look.
"Remember when I said the other day there was something I thought you didn't need to know yet, well I guess it's time for you to know. All cases of Bondings that have happened to wizards and witches who are not of age have experienced the same thing. There is no desire to take things too far. In fact it seems that before the full Bonding that will happen when you come of age, the Bond prevents you from wanting to take things that far."
Harry and Ginny were surprised and it showed clearly on their faces. "But does that mean we won't want to do any of the other stuff, I mean like snogging and everything?" Ginny said worriedly.
Poppy smiled, "Actually, no. It doesn't interfere with anything else, the text was quite clear on that." She then gave a little chuckle, "And don't worry, I didn't bother to tell that little fact to your Mum and Minerva."
Ginny actually laughed as did Harry when he felt relief sweep through Ginny. Harry then got a troubled look on his face. "Aunt Poppy, can I ask a question?"
"Certainly Harry. What's troubling you?" she said kindly, seeing the look on his face.
"Ginny mentioned a talk that she and her Mum had, right?" Harry said, hesitantly.
"Yes, that's right Harry. It's customary for a mother to explain things to her daughters as they come of age, so they'll be prepared for all the changes that will take place," Poppy said.
"Is it customary for a father to give a similar talk to his son?" Harry asked softly.
Ginny could feel Harry's sadness creeping up, and she realized why.
"Yes, Harry it is," Poppy said, Then she figured out why Harry was asking. His father was dead and if she knew anything, the fat oaf of an uncle would never have taken the time to have that discussion with Harry. "Ahhh," she said quietly, more to herself but heard by all.
Harry nodded, feeling a bit lost. Ginny felt horrible for him, and she silently cursed his so called family once again.
Poppy looked at Harry and sympathized with his predicament, "Harry," she said softly. "While I could give you a kind of run down on the basics of how, I am sure that just like when a mother talks to her daughter, not just the mechanics are discussed, and I think that is some of the most important material of all."
"What will I do then?" Harry asked sadly.
Poppy sighed, "Well Harry, the only answer I have is that I'll have a word with Molly and I'm sure that Arthur would fulfil that role, if you're agreeable."
Harry looked at Ginny, "Would you mind if I had your Dad do that for me?"
Ginny looked at Harry gobsmacked, "Why would I mind, Harry?"
"Well, he is your father. Don't you think it's a little unusual for the girls father to give the talk to the boyfriend?"
Ginny sighed, shaking her head, "For one thing Harry, we're Bond-Mates, not girlfriend / boyfriend, second and more importantly, Dad is also one of your guardians and if I'm not mistaken that role would include something along these lines."
Harry couldn't help but laugh, drawing a questioning look from Poppy. "What's so funny," she felt compelled to ask.
Harry looked from her to Ginny, and shaking his head, "Here's were I get to tell you that you're right again."
The two women joined him in laughing and Ginny added, "Better get use to that, Harry," causing Poppy to laugh even harder at the look on his face.
XX HP + GW XX
Ron got up rather excited, even though he had said to Hermione and his Mum he wasn't that interested in the prize money he was still very interested. He had dreamed last night of what he could get for 100 Galleons.
What was even more exciting about it was the contest ended in a few days and the winner would be announced in a few days time. He had to admit, patience was not one of his strong suits.
He hurriedly got through his morning routine before he went down to eat. He didn't really want to come all the way back to his room, it was already getting warm and the day was still young.
He charged down the stairs almost knocking the Twins down as they came stumbling out of their room.
"Merlin's beard, Ron! What's your hurry this morning?" Fred said, annoyed at his younger brother.
"He probably wants to get a look at Hermione's knickers, it is wash day after all," George added with a smirk.
Ron eyed the Twins darkly, the pranks that they played on Hermione were still taking place, several had been delayed pranks. Certain articles of clothing had to worn a certain number of times before the prank was triggered.
Though he had found her hair standing on end rather funny, the results were starting to wear thin on him. Well, the turning her bright red for an afternoon was pretty funny too, though their Mum certainly hadn't seen it that way.
"Bugger off," he said as he tried to get past the Twins, who seemed to be taking great delight in blocking him from getting down the stairs this morning.
"Well now, there's a snappy retort," Fred said to George with a grin.
"Yeah, Ron Weasley, Public orator, eloquent speeches and eulogies only a galleon per hour," Fred said in a good imitation of the ad announcer on the Wizarding Wireless Network.
They still wouldn't let Ron pass, as they slowly made their way downstairs, taking great delight in descending as slowly as possible. They could hear Ron fuming behind them and they shared a grin. They loved a day that started out with a bang , always hoping that it would get better.
As they approached Hermione's room, the door opened and Hermione came out. She took one glance at the Twins and frowned. So far a total of seven pranks had been triggered just from the few minutes they had spent with her trunk the day she arrived.
She was past getting angry, even Molly's tirades hadn't had an effect and they seemed to take great delight in the onerous tasks that they were assigned as punishment. Hermione wasn't sure if the delight was genuine or a cleaver attempt to convince Molly that they didn't mind doing them if the prank that was the cause was sufficiently spectacular.
Hermione had tried to adopt a stoic attitude, hoping that if she didn't react they would tire of pranking her and let her be. So far it seemed to be a vain hope, but she figured she give it a little more time.
"Good morning, Hermione," George said genially.
"Did you sleep well?" Fred added, a bright smile on his face.
""Fine, thank you and a good morning to you both," she said calmly.
"Leave her alone," Ron grumbled.
Fred and George turned and looked at him, "Why to ignore her would be quite rude," George said, frowning at his younger brother.
"And it's one thing Mum has always taught us is never to be rude to house guests," Fred added.
Ron just glared at them, "Could we get a move on?" he finally barked.
"Speaking of rude," Fred said to George.
"Yes. Mayhaps we need to speak to Mum about his attitude," George replied.
Hermione couldn't help herself and snickered, the officious manner in which they were speaking sound just like Percy.
"Hermione! Don't encourage them," Ron whined.
"Please Ron, that was actually funny," she said with a smile at the Twins.
"Thank you Hermione," George said.
"Just for that, you may wish to have Mum launder your blue blouse before you wear it," Fred added.
Hermione eyed them appraisingly, "Why, what did you do to it?" she asked lowly.
"Ah, dear Hermione, if you want to know," Fred said with a smile.
"You'll have to put it on," George added, his smile just as mischievous as Freds.
"Hum, I'll have to think about that?" she said with a smirk.
Ron was listening to the exchange in utter disbelief.
Fred looked at George, "You know Bro, I'm liking this one more and more."
George nodded, "I agree, esteemed Brother, she has potential."
Hermione smiled coyly at the Twins, "See you around boys," she said as she descended before them.
"Yes, I'm liking her more too," added George.
Ron took the opportunity afforded by Fred and George watching Hermione descend the stairs to muscle through and get past the Twins. Unfortunately he didn't see the look they got on their faces when he did so. If he knew what they were thinking he probably would have seriously reconsidered his action.
XX HP + GW XX
By the time Ron made it to the kitchen Molly had already sent the essays off to the Daily Prophet. He was a little disappointed in not getting to send it himself, though in hindsight he figured he was glad it was gone so the Twins didn't take the mickey out on him for writing an essay during the summer.
Breakfast was a kind of subdued affair, the Twins doing their best to act distant from their mother and the thing was, Hermione had worked out, they did it just to get a reaction out of her. She was sure if Molly had ignored them, the act would have disappeared in a hurry.
Fred was eating his bacon when he looked around with a puzzled expression, "Hey Mum, where's Percy?"
"Yeah, I don't recall seeing him for a couple of days now," George added, looking just as perplexed as Fred.
Molly sighed, "Left for the Ministry already this morning."
"Mum? Aren't the summer internships like half days or something, starting at noon?" George asked slowly.
"What did he do, leave five hours early?" Fred said with a chuckle.
"Don't be ridiculous Fred," Molly said with a frown, "It was only three."
Fred and George had to stifle their laughs, even Hermione had a huge smile on her face. Molly seemed oblivious to it all, lost in thought. She was thinking about the conversation that she had with Poppy the previous afternoon.
She needed to talk to Arthur about him having the "Talk" with Harry. She didn't get a chance the previous night, Arthur had to participate in some late night raids and didn't get home till after she had gone to bed. In her younger days she would have waited up no matter what time he got home, but with the arrival of the children, they decided that someone needed to be up at the regular time or the house probably wouldn't have been standing by the time they arose.
Not that she was worried about his ability to do so, he had given it to all his sons, it was just that to her it was another one of those things that Harry had missed out on by being an orphan. Though Arthur was a perfectly adequate replacement, it hurt her that it was something he should have shared with his father.
She heard Arthur coming down the stairs softly singing a favourite song, Hippogriffs on Parade. She had to laugh at him, he was such a wonderful man, some would say he was rather plain and lived a simple life, but there was a lot more to Arthur Weasley than first appeared.
"Good Morning, my dear," he said brightly, as he gave Molly a kiss on the cheek as he sat down.
"Dad, aren't you running a little late this morning?" Ron asked as he wiped his plate with a piece of bread.
"Late night last night, boys. Had to take part in some raids up north. Nothing major, but it needed doing just the same," he said as he sipped his tea.
Molly was happy when Ron finished his breakfast and he and Hermione went outside. Then fate smiled on her as the Twins rose to go get dressed, the were heading off to paint the chicken coop today as another punishment for the pranks that they had been playing on Hermione.
She had gotten quite upset at them till one evening Hermione came up to her and told her not to get so upset. She figured as long as they were targeting her they would leave Harry and Ginny alone.
Molly's opinion of the bushy-haired young witch went way up after that. Though she still wasn't going to let them go Scott free. She had rules and the boys knew that if they broke them there would be consequences. She did appreciate the fact that she didn't need to yell at them quite as much.
Alone at last with her husband, she said "Arthur, I have something you need to do,"
Arthur looked up from the Prophet he was reading, "What's that my dear?" he asked pleasantly.
"Well Poppy stopped by yesterday afternoon to give Harry a once over and while treating him, she said Harry asked her about, well, you know. . . ."
Arthur gave a chuckle, as much as he loved Molly, and how down to earth and unflappable she was, she still had a hard time discussing sex outside the bedroom. "I see, dear. What you're saying is he hasn't had the talk yet, right?"
He stifled his smirk when he saw the relief wash over Molly, "Yes Dear, that's right."
Arthur smiled at her and glanced up the stairs, "Well I can't do it right now, I need to get to the Ministry."
He loved it when Molly rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. She got the cutest look on her face and the dimples showed in her cheeks. After all this time and seven children, Arthur still thought his wife was one of the sexiest women he had ever met. The sexiest, he corrected himself, shuddering a little at the thought of what would happen if he ever voiced that thought out loud.
"Really Arthur, can't you take anything seriously?" Molly chided, but she was smiling as she did so.
Arthur sighed theatrically, "Well I guess I'll have to do it sometime this weekend, will that suffice?"
"Yes dear," Molly said, shaking her head again.
Arthur winked at her and finished his his toast," Well I'd better be off, a lot to do today."
Molly watched as he put on his cloak, humming Hippogriff's on Parade again and with a jaunty tip of his hat he left for work. Molly sat there smiling, though most of their sons had inherited the Prewett inclination for pranking, there was a mischievous side to the Weasley's that fit perfectly with the Prewett's and the Twins were probably the ultimate results of the pairing.
With one last pleasant thought about Arthur and their children, Molly finished her tea and got up to clean the kitchen, all too soon it would be time for lunch and she'd have a hungry hoard descending on her and she wanted to be ready.
XX HP + GW XX
A/N: I choose to portray Arthur as a much stronger character than most seem to do. I figured he just sat back and let Molly run the house as long as things went well, he didn't need to get involved, but don't rile him.
Plus this bumbling, stuttering when giving the talk to the boys, I can't see either, he had seven children for Godric's sake, the man must have known something about the process.
Poppy did a lot to alleviate Ginny's fears and by extension, Harry's.
Well as always I love hearing from you, so please leave a review.