Love Letters to My Future

A/N: : While I'm stuck at home with my family in -50 degree temps and several feet of snow, I decided to write a second entry for the upcoming Valentines Day challenge. This is very, very, fluffy, so be warned. And yes, I know that in canon, Harry never saw Snape find Lily's body after she was killed, but it worked here. Also, in case anyone wonders, the last scene takes place a year or two after the rest of the story, not just a couple of months later. Enjoy!

The tufty-haired wizard stood patiently on the porch, waiting for Harry's mouth to start working again. So far, it seemed to have become unconnected from his brain, as the latter attempted to process what it had been told. Harry opened his mouth again.

"My . . . my house?" he finally stuttered. "But . . . but . . . but . . ." That was as far as he could get.

Ginny appeared next to Harry in the doorway and slipped her arm through his. "May I help you?" she asked. Her voice was polite, but suggested that no foolishness would be tolerated.

The wizard nodded at her. "Mrs. Potter," he said. "May I congratulate you as well on your nuptials."

Ginny inclined her head. "Thank you," she said. Her arm tightened around Harry's. "Now, what is this about our house?" She looked around, as if expecting the walls to start revealing secrets.

The wizard shook his head. "Ahh, no. As I explained to your husband, I'm not here about this abode. No, no. It's his childhood home in Godric's Hollow that is the subject of my visit. Its artifacts are still intact there, you know."

Harry finally found his voice. "Maybe you had better come in," he said faintly.

Once inside, the wizard – Archibald Gutter – introduced himself as a practitioner of magical law. "I have been the trustee of the remnants of the Potter home for nigh these twenty-one years," he explained. "You have been there, I presume?" he peered inquisitively at Harry.

Harry nodded tightly. "I've seen it," he said. "From the outside."

Gutter seemed oblivious to the tension. He continued in his mild voice as if he was merely discussing the weather.

"Yes, well, the outside is fine of course, although I can't say I think that it has been improved by all of those messages," he said primly. "Defacing the sanctity of the site," I've always said. "But others in my office – those who make decisions about such things - believe they add a certain spark of interest to the place." Gutter's voice clearly conveyed what he thought about his coworkers' opinions.

The messages from the public that covered the sign and gates outside the house had always been the only thing Harry liked about seeing it, on the few occasions he and Ginny had visited. He gave another tight nod.

Ginny spoke up. "Could you please explain exactly what it is you are here to tell us?" she asked. "We really do have quite a busy day."

It was a lie; Harry and Ginny had planned to spend the entire day cosseted away from the world. There were still two rooms in the cottage that had not been host to their lovemaking, and Harry had fully intended to change that status. Molly had sent over a meal, there was a Quidditch game to listen to, and Harry had been more than looking forward to taking advantage of the fact that he and Ginny both finally had a day with absolutely nothing else to do but spend it with each other. He sighed.

Again, Gutter seemed not to notice that his presence was rather intrusive. He rifled through his briefcase. "Yes, right here," he said, brandishing a sheaf of papers. "As you undoubtedly know, you own the remains of the Potter house, as well as the entirety of its contents. As you have not yet commenced an inventory of those items, it is my duty as trustee to inquire as to your plans for them."

"Contents?" asked Harry. He felt dizzy. "What contents?"

The wizard looked amazed. "Why, everything in the house, of course," he said. "Furniture, personal effects, mementoes." He shook his head in apparent disbelief. "You do know that upon discovery of your parents' untimely deaths, the entire house was cloaked in a protection charm, sealing it and its inventory." Gutter made a small gesture. "After the Aurors had their search, of course." His tone indicated exactly what he thought of the Aurors and their possible defilement of the place.

Harry shook his head. "I . . . I didn't know," he said finally. "I assumed it had been cleared out. Back then."

"Oh no, not at all," said the wizard. "It's all still there, just as it was left. Waiting for you." He gave Harry an eager look. "I assume you'll be wanting to visit straightaway for a full accounting? I'd be happy to help, of course. Part of my duties as trustee."

Harry didn't answer, and he was relieved when Ginny did.

"Thank you so much for your visit, Mr. Gutter," she said. Her polite tone was teetering dangerously towards . . . not so polite. She stood up, her hand resting lightly on Harry's back. "This is a lot of information to process. Harry and I will need to discuss the best course of action going forward." She held out her arm. "May I show you out?"

"But . . . but . . . don't you want to schedule a formal visit?" Gutter pulled out a datebook. "I cleared all next week for the inventory."

Ginny shook her head. "Nothing is going to happen next week," she said firmly. "As I said, we will let you know if we require your assistance."

Gutter finally seemed to understand the dismissal. He nodded. "I see," he said. He took out a card, glowing letters swimming across the front. "My contact information," he said stiffly. "While your husband is able to access the site on his own – he is the only one who can do so – I strongly suggest that he not visit without proper professional assistance. Myself, and a magical historian at the least."

Ginny was pushing the wizard gently towards the door. "We'll keep that in mind," she said. "Have a nice day!"

That had been June. After the wizard had left, Ginny had taken Harry's hand and led him into as-of-yet unsullied back bedroom, where she used her hands and her mouth and her body to make him nearly forget his own name. They had not spoken of the Potter house since.

Now it was nearly September. Their birthdays had come and gone and they had settled quite nicely into the routine of marriage. One afternoon, after Ginny's breathing finally slowed, she lay quite contentedly against Harry on the double chaise in their back garden. When Harry spoke, it was if the legal wizard had just left minutes earlier.

"We should go tomorrow. To Godric's Hollow."

Ginny wasn't surprised at the abruptness; she knew that thoughts of the house, and its contents, as Mr. Gutter had put it, had never been far from Harry's mind. She nodded. "It's Hogwarts tomorrow," she said.

"I know," replied Harry. "Every time September first comes around, I'm still half thinking about making sure I'm not late for the train."

Ginny chuckled. "We rarely seemed to manage our departures smoothly, did we?" she asked. She ran her hand down Harry's bare hip and made an appreciative sound when he shuddered. "Tomorrow then," she said quietly, rolling back onto her husband.

HPHPHPHPHP

Of course, they didn't bother telling the trustee, or anyone else, about their plans. Harry Apparated Ginny side-along, not because he needed to, but because having her more than a few steps from him was unimaginable here. They were pressed together under his cloak; Harry had no idea what curious eyes might be visiting the site that day.

But maybe because it was early, or many in the wizarding community were seeing their children off to school, the road in front of Harry's babyhood home was blessedly empty. He pulled the cloak off both of them and grasped Ginny's hand.

He understood why she didn't bother telling him that he didn't have to do this; they both knew that. He nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed open the gate.

The sign, covered with encouraging graffiti, rose out of the ground. Harry ignored it. He could feel when the wards shifted aside to allow him and Ginny access to the front walk and he forced himself to walk resolutely up the path. His wand was out, the Alohamora on his lips, when the front door silently swung open on its own.

The sight made Harry stumble. He couldn't help but envision Voldemort opening that same door, just as quietly, all those years ago. Ginny turned at his side and put her free arm around Harry's waist. "It's okay, love," she said quietly. Harry briefly leaned into her.

"Okay," he said finally.

The rooms they walked through were not entirely unfamiliar; Harry had once seen them through Snape's memory. Still, Harry couldn't help but pause in front of the sofa, imagining his parents sitting there much the way he and Ginny relaxed in their own sitting room. His eye landed on a small toy broom lying off to one side, next to a discarded child's drinking cup, the cover still intact. He swallowed.

"I don't know that I can do this," he said quietly.

"I know," said Ginny. She didn't try to talk him into or out of continuing.

Harry closed his eyes.

"Let's just look upstairs, quickly," he said after a minute. "In case there's anything important." He waved his hand at the broom. "I want to take that," he said.

Ginny quietly said a spell and the toy disappeared.

It was obvious even before they got all the way up the stairs where Harry's room had been; too much outside light and breeze flowed in from the left of the landing, and they walked into Harry's nearly destroyed childhood bedroom. Only the crib, against the far wall, was in one piece. The Aurors' protection spells did not seem to have kept out the weather, and everything was faintly damp and decaying. Harry ignored the destroyed bureau and the splintered rocker and strode over to look into the depths of the crib. The sheets were mottled with spots of mold and a stuffed animal had melted into an unrecognizable pile of brownish fluff.

Harry rocked back and forth on his heels as he stared at his old bed. At one point, he reached out and ran his fingers across a number of small notch marks on the rail.

"I probably chewed on this," he said quietly.

Ginny joined him. "You must have been teething," she agreed.

Harry took a deep breath and looked around. "Why do you think it's so destroyed here? Usually the Avada Kedavra doesn't leave a mark."

"I think it was the power of your mum's protection spell," Ginny said softly.

Harry nodded. He knelt down to run his hand over the braided rug in front of the crib. "Right here," he said. "It was probably right here." His voice trembled.

Ginny crouched next to him. "I so wish we could have known them," she said.

Harry nodded, still staring at the rug. "They would have adored you," he said. "I'm sure of it."

Ginny waited, allowing Harry time to reconstruct some semblance of memory. Finally he stood. "Let's check out their bedroom. Then I want to leave."

Somewhat more protected from the elements, James and Lily's old bedroom was in better shape, but still showed signs of time. Harry picked up an old Snitch from the bedside table and squeezed it tightly in his hand before giving it to Ginny to send home. A number of papers and photos had not survived the intervening years, and they were getting ready to leave when Ginny's foot caught on a wooden box peeking out from under the bed.

Inside, carefully nestled in padded silk, were a number of neatly numbered glass vials. Harry's breath hitched. Almost reverently, he picked up the box.

"My Pensieve's at home," he said.

HPHPHPHPHP

They did not speak while Harry got the large, rune-covered metal bowl and set it in the middle of their bed. "We'll go in order," he said quietly, opening the first vial with a tap of his wand.

James and Lily were dancing in a garden. There was snow piled around the edges and pink and red fairy lights glowed overhead. Other couples were there too; the Longbottoms twirled and dipped near them, but Lily and James moved sedately, one of James' hands cupped protectively around the curve of Lily's belly. She laughed.

"I'm not breakable, you know. Look at Frank and Alice."

"I don't care," mumbled James into her neck. "I want to be extra cautious."

Lily laughed again. "That would be the first time," she said.

James chuckled too. "Don't tell Sirius, he'll never let me live it down." He leaned his head down towards Lily's waist. "How is little Harry or Charlotte doing?"

"He or she . . . is just fine," said Lily. "They like the music. I've been feeling more movement."

James leaned his head against Lily's. "I love them so much already," he said. "Isn't that odd? I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl; if I'm having a . . . son or a daughter." His voice tripped over the words. "And I'm already in love."

"Much faster than it happened for you and me," agreed Lily with a smirk. She pulled her husband close.

"I needed to grow up a bit, that's for sure," said James. "I'm just glad I finally got my head out of my arse." He gave her a stricken look. "Should I not say that? Can the baby hear? What if its first word is . . . that one."

Lily smiled gently. "I think you have a little more time before you need to worry about watching your language." She looked around. "This is a nice way for the Order to celebrate Valentines Day, isn't it? I'm so glad we have the chance to . . . just forget, for a little while."

James nodded. "I can't believe that next Valentines Day, we'll have a baby with us, can you?"

Lily shook her head. "It doesn't seem real yet."

"I want the baby to know how much we love him or her," James said earnestly. "In honor of Valentines Day." He kissed Lily lightly. "We can make it a yearly tradition. I'll buy you both flowers and then we'll write a love letter to the baby. And all the other babies we have eventually."

Lily leaned into James. "Or we could put the memories away to be viewed in a Pensieve," she said. "I bet our future children would love to see how young and silly their old parents were once."

James nodded. "Good idea. A Pensieve. And we can start now. He dropped to his knees and spoke into Lily's belly. "Hello there, little baby, it's your dad. Kick once if you can hear me."

Lily laughed. "It doesn't work that. . . oh, it kicked!"

"Of course it did," said James. "Good listener, that one's going to be. He leaned in again. "Your mum and I just wanted you to know that we love you very, very much, even though we haven't even seen you yet. We might just be pants at being your parents, but never forget we love you. Actually, I'll probably be pants, but your mum is going to be brilliant." He kissed Lily's stomach and then leaned his cheek against it. "I'll teach you Quidditch though," he said in a quieter voice.

Lily's hands brushed through James' hair. "We're both going to be brilliant parents," she said. "Except for the times when we bollocks it up completely. And there will be plenty of those." She pulled her husband to his feet and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Twirl me please," she commanded. "The baby wants it."

"Well, what the baby wants . . . " said James with a smile.

The memory ended and Ginny looked up at Harry. He was staring down into the bowl as if he wanted to pull his parents out of it, into the room. She wiped a tear off his cheek, and then off her own.

"They had no idea, then," he said softly. "They still thought they had time. Time for each others, and me, and . . . other children." He shook his head. "They were so happy."

"They remind me of us," said Ginny. She took Harry's hand. "Do you want to see the next one?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, please," he said thickly.

Lily and James were dancing again, this time in their own living room. A small baby with dark hair that stood up all over his head balanced in their arms between them. Harry was chortling and waving his arms around as James twirled and dipped him and Lily.

"Happy Valentines Day," James sang softly. He straightened up and pulled Lily close. "I love you both," he whispered softly into her neck. He looked around the room. "I wish we could be in a garden like last year."

Lily snuggled close, adjusting Harry on her hip. "As long as we're all together, I don't really care. It's not forever."

"I hope not," sighed James. "I hope Dumbledore is making progress figuring out Voldemort's weaknesses. If he has any. I'm beginning to think Dumbledore's the only one powerful enough to kill him. I just feel helpless, hiding here."

Lily stroked down his arm. "I know; I do too," she said. "But it's worth it, if it keeps Harry safe."

James looked down at his son. "It definitely is, that's for sure." He kissed the boy's head. "Remember last Valentines Day, when I said I couldn't believe how much I already loved him? Well, that was nothing to how I feel now."

"I know," smiled Lily. "And despite all your fears, you've a mostly brilliant father."

James pulled back in mock consternation. "Mostly? I think I've been pretty close to perfect so far."

"This from the man who almost got sick in the loo the first time he had to change a dirty nappy?"

James kissed her. "I didn't know about odor canceling charms yet," he laughed. "I'm much better now." He spun her around "I can't wait to buy him his first toy broom! Maybe for his birthday."

"Let him learn to sit up on his own first," Lily said. "And then we can think about teaching him to balance on a broom."

"For his birthday," said James firmly. He plucked Harry out of Lily's arms. "I think it's time for a our second annual Valentines Day love letter, what do you think?" He tossed the boy into the hair and grinned as Harry laughed.

"So, little man, here we are, your first Valentine's Day. It's certainly been quite a year, hasn't it? Your birth was definitely the highlight." James shifted Harry into his other arm so he could pull Lily more firmly into his embrace.

"And there have been some . . . not so wonderful things that have happened too, of course. Hopefully by next Valentines Day, we will all be celebrating happily somewhere other than alone in our sitting room." He shook his head as if to clear it. "But enough of that, today is a day for love! And all I can say, Harry, is that your mum and I love you more than anything else in the world, and every day more." His voice went rather misty and Lily ran her hand down her husband's cheek.

"It's true," she said. "Being a mum, being your mum, is the greatest gift I could ever ask for. You dad and I love you so much, and we love watching you grow and change every day."

James wiped his eyes. "Your mother is quite brilliant, isn't she?" he kissed Lily gently on the lips. "I hope that someday you find someone who you love as much I love your mother." He looked Harry in the eye. "And when you bring her home to meet us, I promise not to embarrass you too much with stories and pictures of you in the bath."

"We make no promises about what Sirius might tell her though," added Lily. "So watch out for your godfather."

Somewhere, a clocked chimed seven and Lily took up Harry again. "This little man needs a bath before bed," she said.

James grabbed Lily around the waist. "Let me come help you," he said. "And once he's down, I'll be able to give you my 'special' present." He trailed kissed down her cheek and Lily closed her eyes for a moment.

"It's a deal," she said softly.

This time, Harry gave a watery chuckle as he and Ginny emerged from the Pensieve. "I think I'm very glad the memory ended there," he said.

Ginny reached up and kissed him. "There are some things a child just doesn't need to see," she agreed.

Harry pulled the next vial out of the box, and then the next. He frowned. "They're empty," he said quietly. "That's all there is."

"I'm sorry, Harry," said Ginny softly. She rubbed her hand down his arm.

"I wish there were more, dozens more," he sighed. He carefully packed the vials back into the box and closed it before setting it on the bookshelf. He rested his hand on it for a long moment before turning back to Ginny. "But what a gift, to have those," he said. He took her in his arms again. "Before, I could only imagine."

Ginny rested her head on Harry's chest. "I'm so glad I got to see them. And you as a baby," she said. "You were adorable."

Harry kissed her hair. "I was, wasn't I?" he asked. Now that he'd been to Godric's Hollow and faced the memories there, he felt oddly light. "Nice to know my parents had no idea how to tame my hair either." He pulled Ginny flush against him and dropped his lips to hers. "Wanna do it in the kitchen again?" he asked, groaning with pleasure when Ginny grabbed his bum and pulled him closer.

"The kitchen," she agreed. "And then maybe the shower."

HPHPHPHPHP

Harry and Ginny were dancing in a garden. There was snow piled around the edges and pink and red fairy lights glowed overhead. Other couples were there too; Ron and Hermione twirled and dipped near them, but Harry and Ginny moved sedately, one of Harry's hands cupped protectively around the curve of Ginny's belly. She laughed.

"I'm not breakable, you know."

"I don't care," mumbled Harry into her neck. "I want to be extra cautious."

Ginny laughed again. "You're just like your dad," she said.

Harry held her tighter. "I'm thinking of them too," he admitted. "They would love the idea of being grandparents." He leaned his head down towards Ginny's waist. "How is little James or Lily doing?"

"He or she . . . is just fine," said Ginny. "They like the music. I've been feeling more movement."

Harry straightened up and leaned his head against Ginny's. "I know what my dad meant, that he loved them so much already," he said. He held Ginny closer. "We're lucky."

Ginny kissed him. "This is the place where anyone else would point out that it was all your hard work that got us here," she said lightly.

Harry chuckled. "All of our hard work," he corrected. He looked at all the dancing couples. "It was nice of Ron and Hermione to pick Valentines Day for their wedding. I like dancing with you."

Ginny grinned. "And I like the fact that I still fit in this bridesmaid's dress," she said.

Harry looked down at her stomach. "I want to tell the baby how much I love him or her," he said softly. "Every year."

"For many, many years," Ginny agreed.

Harry led Ginny to the edge of the dance floor before sitting down in a chair in front of her. He spoke softly to her belly, so softly, she could just make out the words. When he finished, he waved his wand and sent the memory away for safekeeping in a rush of silver. Then he stood up and wrapped his arms around her again and they swayed together. "My family," he said contentedly. He started. "It kicked!"

"You know, there's another type of physical activity the baby likes even better," Ginny said slyly. "We've already given our speeches; no one will notice if we slip away for a bit."

Harry leaned down to give her a deeper kiss. "Just promise me that the memory we make is not one that will be memorialized anywhere," he said.

Ginny grinned. "It's a deal."