Chapter 21 – The pictures

The next day it was like being back to the pre interview days; Ginny couldn't concentrate on anything, fretting over nothing and looking at the clock on the mantelpiece every thirty seconds.

After lunch she wasn't containing herself any longer. She said that she was going to her office to finish some work left undone, and Harry pretended to believe her in a quite convincing way.

He was kind of glad by her leaving actually, it was tiring having her in that mood at home.

As soon as she was gone, he made appear some crisps, chocolate and pumpkin pastries and called for the boys. It was a tacit agreement that when they were alone, they would sneak in some junk food and enjoy it secretly as Ginny totally condemned it.

It was a way like any another to bond with his sons. They would chat normally or practice some defensive spells despite the prohibition to use magic outside school (that's why it had to be done when Ginny was absent). Harry was very strict on them getting the highest marks in defence against the dark arts. He wasn't that scrupulous with any other subject being happy if they were doing just fine but he didn't admit any slackness in his favourite one.

That day, before they could start with their feast, he insisted on seeing their progress. Albus had just started but James was very advanced for his age. He was taking clandestine lessons from him since he had started Hogwarts. He liked it; Harry could see it clearly. It was something that united them and made James feel important and appreciated. He was also as talented as Albus with the broom, a natural. Harry secretly wished that James would follow his steps and become an Auror too but never mentioned it. He didn't want James to be influenced, but he was training him in case he would decide to take that path. And as he was starting to grow out childhood the moment to train his body was getting close too. If all this sourness wouldn't have sprouted from nowhere and the popularity situation would have still been what it was before Christmas, Harry would have considered to take him with him to run and start a plan of workout, but he had to suspend everything for the moment.

Therefore, he watched carefully while James showed what he learned, correcting and encouraging, happy to be able to spend some time with him for once without any surliness or bad moods. He taught him a new jinx and they practiced it together while Albus was eying the pumpkin pastries longingly.

'Ok, enough for today' he said after an hour or so slouching on the couch 'You improved a lot. Well done. Let's eat now' he said with a grin grasping some crisps and stuffing his mouth.

'When are you going to teach me the Patronus spell?' James enquired eager. Every single holiday the same question was asked since he was eleven.

'That's a very advanced one. Very tricky. I guess in a few years. We would need a boggart or something of that kind to practice on' he murmured always supposing it would still transform in a dementor for him and, in case, where one could be found. Perhaps in 12 Grimmauld place? The house was empty. It had been decontaminated but at the same time there were many dark objects (like Sirius' mother portrait, the house elves' heads and the family tapestry) that made a plan of renting virtually impossible. Harry had never lived there, besides being gloomy and full of dark memories, it wasn't a safe enough place for him anyway. That address was known. Not by many people but still it wasn't as protected as his own place. The only use that was put to it was by Ted. Early on in his relationship with Victoire he had told him how to get inside so he could use it to be alone with her. That was a kind of a secret too. He wasn't sure how Ginny or Bill would have approved of it, but he was of the mind that it was better to give them a place to be alone with each other in safety instead to look for it anywhere else. He had use it with Ginny too before they would get their own place and he was glad it could make Ted as happy as he had been. When he disclosed to an eighteen-year-old Ted his plan, he almost received back tears of joy. He didn't know of the existence of that place and couldn't believe his luck in being able to use it. Victoire was fifteen at the time, perhaps a bit young but Harry was eager for Ted and her being a couple. She was in a dangerous situation because of her beauty and attraction, an easy prey because of her youth and naivete and Harry wanted to make sure she would end up with somebody who treated her well and trustworthy. He had complete faith in Ted.

He was also mildly curious to know how an intercourse with a Veela woman could be, only looking at her it was destabilising, let alone anything else. He had asked Ted in confidence how their first time had been (it wasn't anyway the first one for Ted) and he only answered very coyly 'Quick'. Harry had spent the next half an hour in a grip of unstoppable laughter.

'How old were you when you learned the Patronus spell?' James asked him eager.

Harry reflected on it 'Actually I was your age' he realised with stupor. By the end of the third year, he had already mastered it well enough to chase away a significant number of dementors. 'If I find something to practice on, we may even try the next Christmas holiday. What do you think?'

'Brilliant!' he answered exalted.

'I want to try it too!' Albus retorted with a frown stuffing his mouth with a pasty.

'You will have to wait at least a couple of years more; you still need to master your disarming spell properly' Harry apostrophized him.

'What's your Patronus, dad?' James had asked taking a liquorice wand and starting to chew it greedily while slouching on the armchair.

Harry became hesitant. He hadn't told anybody about his Patronus changing shape yet and it was somewhat a delicate subject being so linked with tender emotions like his sorrow for Lily's death and his delight for the new baby, but he didn't want to ruin the cosiness created with the usual not-answering-policy and decided for the truth.

'It used to be a stag when I was young, but since a few months it has changed.'

'Can it change?' James asked stopping his chewing and glaring at him interested.

'It can after some strong emotions or experiences'

'What…' he started asking but seeing Harry's fixed expression he sombre it up suddenly 'Oh...' he only uttered looking away.

'What did it change to?' Albus asked.

'A phoenix' he answered courtly. James widened his eyes but before he could add anything Harry, wanting very much to change the subject, asked with a lighter tone 'So what about this Bianca? Do we still want to pretend she is just a friend? Is she pretty?'

Albus sat up excited with a grin 'She is pretty! They are always glued together! It's disgusting' he grimaced.

James stood up flushing 'Shut it! It's none of your business!'

Harry laughed 'Nothing wrong with that!'

James wavered suddenly sheepishly, he started to gabble 'I don't know if she is my girlfriend really… I mean we hang out and everything, but we never straightened it out…'

'Straighten it out then. Do you want her to be your girlfriend or not?' Harry asked.

'I like her but I don't know…' he said confused and abashed '….I've got a letter to send her anyway.'

'No problem. We'll go to the post office at the first chance we get'

'If we could just get an owl' James said with a pleading tone this time.

Harry turned a deaf hear looking at a card he just got from a chocolate frog. Dumbledore. He winked at him; Harry smiled biting the frog's head off.

'Do you think I could go to visit her?' James asked again with the same pleading tone.

'Sure' Harry answered putting the card aside.

'Would you come too?' James asked with a hint of sourness lowering his gaze.

'Me? Why should I come?'

'Never mind' James answered in a return of sulkiness crouching on the armchair.

'Look, James …' Harry started in saying not knowing exactly how to proceed but feeling ready to unravel the matter that was hanging over their heads. At that moment though, they heard the door's lock click. It was Ginny back.

All of them in unison stood up alarmed. Albus stashed away in a nick of time his unfinished pastry under the leaves of the living room's plant, James hid his wand under the armchair cushion and Harry with a swift movement of his wand made disappear all the food. Everything in two second net.

As Ginny stepped over the living room, Albus was biting a carrot stick nonchalantly, Harry was lying on the sofa with a book and James was rearranging a stack of chocolate cards.

All of them in an appearance of calm and unconcern while their hearts were pounding so fast and so loudly that it was almost possible to hear a steady buzzing.

'Hi mum' the boys chirped sweetly as little angels.

'Hey Ginny, everything ok at the office?'

Ginny didn't even answer and, for all the notice she took of them, they could have carried on undisturbed in their eating. She only took a brown big envelop from her handbag and showed it to Harry.

'The pictures are come, I didn't open it yet. I wanted to do it with you' she said all flustered, her cheeks glowing.

Harry smiled 'Come here'

She hastened to him and, kneeling on the rug in front of the coffee table, opened reverentially the envelope.

A note slipped outside.

Thank you very much for having chosen our magazine for your interview. The gold has been transferred to your Gringotts vault as stipulated in the contract. The magazine will be out by tomorrow and you will find in the bag the best pictures taken.

Margaret Skeeter

This was written in a very flourishing womanly handwriting and just underneath in a more uneven one:

You two look gorgeous!

Harry, marry me!

Many kisses to Ginny and see ya!

Bernard

Harry and Ginny chuckled while James and Albus had sat close to her reading the note.

'Whose Bernard?'

'The photographer' Ginny answered still chuckling.

'Is it a guy?' Albus asked confused.

'Yes, he is a guy'

Albus opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out. He read the note again and then shrugged his shoulders unperturbed and fixed instead his attention on the elegant packet inside it. The pictures were wrapped in a shiny silky fabric, knotted with a thin black ribbon.

While Ginny was unravelling the precious parcel with a worshiping expression, Harry took the note and read it again. Money was mentioned together with a contract. He didn't even know there was a contract, neither he knew that it was going to be paid. He had let the whole thing in Ginny's hands and hadn't bothered with the details. He promised himself to enquire in the matter, not that it was very important to him, but he was nevertheless curious to know.

In the meantime, Ginny had emitted a shriek of delight.

The first image of the stack was one of the two of them. A very beautiful shiny black and white picture.

It was a profile, Harry was hugging Ginny from behind, he was leaning his head to kiss her shoulder, their fingers were interlinking on her protuberant belly and she was smiling sweetly.

'This is beautiful! We'll framed it!' she said, excitement sprouting from every pore 'Don't you think is beautiful?!' she asked turning to him her eyes twinkling.

'Yes, it is' he said kissing her head 'Let's see the others'

With a reverential hand she took the next one and another shriek left her mouth. In this one they were looking both at the camera. They were sitting one in front of each other, Ginny between Harry's legs, forehead touching.

'I love this one too! It's gorgeous, isn't it?! Do you like it? We'll frame this one too!'

Harry laughed amused by her enthusiasm and promised her they could frame all of them if she wanted to.

The next one was a close up of their faces kissing quite passionately and then looking in the camera. The colours were just spectacular, Harry's green eyes and Ginny's gold ones were really piercing and the contrast of their skin, one olive and the other almost white enlightened the effect.

There were many others, Ginny was emitting any kind of possible and impossible cries of admiration and delight ranting as mad of which one was the best one, why, where to hang it and to whom show it first and how many copies she wanted of each, all this shacking Harry's arm enthusiastically and asking question after question without giving him time to reply with more than a vague sound.

Meanwhile the kids were studying them in silence with a critic glance.

'You look beautiful, mum' James said in admiration when Ginny solo ones followed.

Ginny was chuffed to bits 'Thank you, sweetie!' she burst out as she threw her arms around his neck trying to kiss him to which he responded with a real fight flushing furiously and muttering indistinctively some gibberish in which the only distinguishable words were 'mum' and 'stop it'.

Then the Harry's ones appeared under the eyes of an overexcited Ginny that, though, declined in a complete silence looking at them, Harry didn't know how to interpret it. They had many family's ones around the house but mostly taken by relatives or friends. He thought to be normally photogenic, not in any way extraordinary so but just normal. He had however never got any professional pictures taken.

He threw a glance over them while Ginny was slowly unrevealing and spreading them on the table.

They looked ok to him, slightly embarrassing but otherwise good pictures, under his profane point of view.

So then why this silence? There were at least ten of them, all different, half-length, full length, a close up of his face where his scar was even too visible… There was even the one with the puppy dragon. But then, no sound coming from Ginny, literally the opposite from her previous behaviour.

Harry decided to break it, he cleared his throat 'They seem ok… What do you think?' he said hesitantly.

She took a new one and stared at it 'Harry, they are…' and she stopped speaking laying it slowly together with the others on the table not taking her eyes from it.

They are what for god's sake?!

As she got the one just after she emitted a dim sound very similar to a gasp.

Harry frowned 'The scar is too visible in this one too' he said studying it but then he caught Ginny's expression, with her fingers she was touching her lips softly looking at the picture transfixed, then she raised her gaze to him and quickly averted it, pink spreading on her face like gunpowder. In a fulguration, finally Harry understood the meaning of her silence.

Clearing his voice again he said 'James, didn't you have a letter to send?'

James, who after Ginny's attack had retreated to the armchair followed by Albus, brought back his attention to them 'Yes, why?'

'Go to Diagon alley with your brother. It's a nice day you can have a walk there'

'What nice day? It's pouring down outside! And the post office is close on Sunday, and you said we are not allowed to go by ourselves!'

Shit, shit, shit!

He was racking his brain furiously when Ginny, still looking mesmerized at the picture, said 'Didn't George mention that he had a new product to show them? You know that exploding- thingy…'

'Huh?! What?!... Ah, yeah, true!' Harry said, taking the hint and shooting to the kitchen. He thrown a bunch of powder in the fire, in the haste knocking off the whole vase, he stuck his head in the green flames and shouted George's address.

George was sitting at his table in his underwear smashing what it looked like mini bowling's ball with a pounder, he noticed Harry's head in the fire and greeted him 'Hey Harry. What's up?

Harry, very aware that on the other side of the fire the kids could hear everything he said, answered 'Ergh… Fine… Didn't you tell me a few days ago that you had that exploding-thingy to show to James and Albus?'

George looked perplexed 'What exploding-thingy?'

Harry tried to convey his meaning through his eyes and punctuating every word 'You know that exploding-thingy that you wanted to show them until at least…' he looked at clock on the wall ' fiv-six o'clock!'

A flash of understanding passed on George's face at which he raised his eyes to the ceiling and snorted 'Harry I'm working here! If you want to get rid of your sons hire a sodding babysitter!'

Harry hissed in an angry whisper 'George, for fuck's sake, it's an emergency! Please! I beg you!'

'Ok all right, only because you used an appropriate expression' he sniggered but then added grumpily 'but you owe me one!'

'Great!' he said cheerfully returning to his normal tone of voice 'I'll send them over!'

'And I warn you they'll be back at the stroke of six! I've plan for tonight!' George bellowed getting back to the table mumbling under his voice 'That's why I don't want any kids…'

Harry smiled and called out for James and Albus that ambled over him.

James had his most resentful air on 'Don't go thinking I don't know what's all of this is about! And it's unfair' he said frowning slightly disgusted and coy at the same time.

'Very well' replied Harry 'Reason more to be glad to go to your uncle instead of staying here, in your room, that incidentally is just adjacent to ours'

James, for mysterious reasons, seemed abruptly more willing to go and stepped, without any further resistance, in the green flames followed meekly by Albus with a confused expression brought by the sudden bustle.

'See you at six!' Harry said waving his hand, his mind already in the next room 'and enjoy yourself!'

As soon as they were vanished in the fireplace and the flame was back to his low glazing, he rushed there where Ginny was still sitting on the rug admiring pictures. Harry leaned on her saying playfully taking the cue from the picture that made her gasp still in her hand

'Right! Shall I pour a jug of water over my head or it's fine as it is?'

Ginny smirked, looked once more at the picture, then at him.

She decided for him in the end.