Chapter 11 – Sunrise's dream

It was only at dinner time when chatting with Ginny that he was reminded about Sunrise's dream.
'… so, then he admitted he is taking to bed that sale girl and mum lost the plot completely and, honestly, I quite agree with her, she is so young….' She was saying eager all taken by her tale while picking her salad energetically with the fork.
'You didn't have a problem with Luna marrying a twentyish guy' Harry interjected busy over his steak, only occasionally reminding Sunrise to eat.
Ginny stopped in her track taken aback but she recovered pretty fast 'It's different, Sean doesn't work for her.' she said pouring herself a glass of water and setting down the jug a bit too firmly as to underline her point.
'Doesn't he help her out in writing that column for the Quibbler on the lives led by muggles?' Harry asked raising two innocent eyes on her.
Ginny found herself speechless again but as before she recovered soon 'He does but she doesn't pay him! He does it for fun!' she retorted challenging.
'You are actually saying that if George stopped paying her would it be fine?' Harry asked nonchalantly returning his attention on his plate.
'No, it wouldn't be fine!' she spat virulently. She was starting to be short of accusations when finally remembered one of the reasons why the relation Jude-George was on trial, and she blorted out 'She is already married!'
'It didn't seem your first preoccupation…' Harry said knowing he was pushing it but unable to stop.
'It actually is!' Ginny said dropping her fork and glaring at him 'Did you know about it? Why didn't you tell me?'
Harry paused eating and arched his eyebrows looking up 'What should I have said exactly "Ginny, George is having an affair with his married whippersnapper sale assistant"?
She nodded energetically 'Yes, exactly that!' she grunted.
'It's none of my business who he is taking to bed. And it shouldn't be your either.'
It was a very bold answer and as soon as he uttered it, knew to have pushed his luck a bit too far, but it was too late to take it back.
Ginny was so purple and ferocious that Harry considered seriously to grab Sunrise and run outside to be far from the line of fire.
But as she inflated with wrath menacing the worst outburst ever had, after a second of consideration, she deflated, returning to her lovely pinkish tint. She took back her fork mulling it over 'Actually you may be right… And she seemed actually very worried for him.' She only added retrieving her eating.
Harry, still on the lookout, watched her carefully fearing an act but not seeing any other dangerous sign, retrieved his fork and only giving her a watchful glimpse or two, he returned to his stake.
They were silent for a few moments, but he could perceive Ginny's thought still fixed on the subject.
'Do you think he is in love with her?'
Harry was taken aback by the question and didn't answer straight away
'You must have seen them together…' she added cutting down for Sunrise a piece of veggie too big for her.
He actually never gave it a thought. He tried to bring his mind to the moments spent in their company and reflected on it.
George had never admitted anything of the kind (which wasn't surprising anyway) and talked always lightly of her when they were alone, but he had noticed how caring he was in her regards, those small gestures, kisses and cuddles he reserved her without even realising it. Exactly the same he poured on Ginny every day.
He reflected as well about what George always affirmed about her involvement, inexistent under his point of view, but somehow it clashed with Jude's behaviour that day. Harry didn't know if he was in love or not, but she may actually be. He promised himself to give a hint to George in that direction the next time.
'I don't know' he only answered to Ginny having finished his steak and trying, without being noticed, to push away his plate with all the veggies still untouched.
'Eat the veggies too' Ginny ordered stern spotting his sneak. Harry pulled back his plate begrudgingly.
'Well, I hope not…' she said soon after with a sigh.
'Why?' Harry asked puzzled. It didn't seem such a bad notion to see George finally in love. He never had a steady partner, only pointless affairs, where he was usually the third of some kind, that couldn't for that reason evolve in anything serious. Perhaps Harry didn't actually picture him in a family or as a father, but he was sure that a good strong love could have benefitted him.
Ginny raised an eyebrow and looked at him meaningfully 'Harry, she is married' she said pointing out the obvious (that had totally escaped Harry) standing up to take her empty plate to the sink.
That was indeed a problem.
'I lost hope to see George married honestly…' she added half-heartedly returning to her chair.
Sunrise hearing what Ginny had just said and waving her spoon in the air hooted 'Joe got a booboo!'
'Yes sweetheart' she said sweetly taking her empty plate from under her 'Uncle George got a booboo, but he is well now.'
Those words froze Harry as suddenly he remembered about the morning. He shot a bewildered look at Sunrise who was playing with her spoon insouciantly and felt a creep drive along his spine.
She couldn't know, it hadn't even happened yet. A coincidence? A second coincidence?
The hypothesis of coincidence was starting to be farfetched. Although, he was reticent in acknowledging any other theory far more difficult to accept. But as Ginny was in a chatty mood that required his undivided attention, he tried to put the matter aside, though founding his mind hardly able to set itself on anything else.
Uneasiness growing, he offered himself to put Sunrise to bed after dinner, to try to explore the matter a bit more in depth.

'Here you go sweetheart' he said to Sunrise folding the blanket around her body and resting her teddy close to her who clenched it straight away pulling it closer.
He smoothened back her hair 'Sweetie, do you remember about the dream of Uncle George's booboo?'
'Yes daddy. He got a booboo.'
'That's right. Can you tell daddy what happened?'
She looked up 'He is playing'
'He was playing, darling? With what? Did you see?'
She looked at his teddy unsure 'with toys…' she replied wriggling her mouth.
'What then? Did you say there was a boom?'
She lighted up 'Yes daddy! A big boom!' she said throwing her teddy into the air and laughing 'File is dangelous.' She added all serious 'If you touch it, you get a boobooo.'
'Yes sweetie, quite right.' Harry answered starting to lose hope to get back something that could help him understand.
'Did you see anything else? Did you see where he got the booboo?'
She looked at him enquiringly, therefore Harry entered in child-modality to see if he could get his answer.
'Did he get a booboo here?' he said smiling and kissing her forehead.
She shrilled delighted and shook her head.
'Here?' he said tickling her tummy. He got back an even louder shrill as she shook her head again.
And feeling foreboding sensation in his stomach, he took her tiny hands and clasped them in his own 'Here?'
Sunrise, still laughing, chirped an affirmative making Harry lurch.
'Are you sure, sweetie?'
'Yes daddy!' she nodded eager clapping her hands.
Harry was trying to make out the whole thing, but it was difficult as Sunrise staring at her hands and then clapping them together had started to hoot excitingly 'Blue! Blue, Daddy!' she said weaving them under his nose 'Like the sea'.
'Yes sweetie… You are right. The sea is indeed blue' he muttered pensively deciding at that moment the time had come to share his uneasiness with Ginny.

She was in the kitchen clearing the table. It had taken Harry sometimes to make Sunrise fall asleep.
Half an hour of, in turn: good night kisses, chats, a bed night story and in desperation a steady entreating, to manage.
Being wintertime, the kitchen was cosily only dimly lightened, the fire was roaring in the fireplace and that and a small lamp were the only sources of light.
Harry suggested washing dishes together as he wanted very much to talk to her. He didn't know where to start as he didn't know what to think. The tale had of the incredible and he was reticent in acknowledging it aloud but washing dishes was an activity that always soothed his mind, making easier for him to ponder and talk about important matters.
Most of the crucial decisions of their life had been made in that kitchen washing dishes as well as most of the confidence made to her.
Harry's mind was loaded most of the time, that's why he tended to be quite silent and not very communicative. Contented to listen to other speaking, usually Ginny and Albus when at home.
That's why washing dishes was such an important time to spend with Ginny, they were the only moments in which he was relaxed enough to be open.
Weren't many the activities that had that power over him. And each of them was dedicated to a member of his family.
Washing dishes with Ginny, running with James and flying with Albus.
'Siry had a dream yesterday' he announced.
'Did she?' Ginny asked filling the sink with soapy water.
'Yes, and I don't know what to make of it.' And taking the first plate to rinse he told her the jest of it.
She listened attentively, passing dish after dish to Harry after having it rubbed it clean.
'Well Harry, it doesn't seem to me anything extraordinary.' She announced at the end 'She told you a silly dream and you, knowing what happened, made it fit.'
'She told me that George hurt himself, Ginny!' he pointed out 'Before it even happened!'
Ginny didn't seem so impressed.
'She is having nightmares any other night. You get hurt, I get hurt, everybody seems to get hurt… And we are all here alive and well.'
'But this was different' Harry insisted 'She wasn't scared and there were too many particulars matching and it's not the only time that happened.' So, then he proceeded telling her of the Luna's dream.
Again, she wasn't impressed at all.
'It was just another silly dream. Luna is dressed in yellow basically a day yes and a day yes, I actually seldomly have seen her without something yellow or other and she brides her hair very often with yellow flowers. And don't forget that since the past summer Sunrise fell in love with the sea, she barely talks about anything else.' She paused while Harry was mulling this over. Only the tinkling sound of the plates and cutlery in the sink could be heard for some time.
'I don't know, I think you are reading more than there is actually in it'
Perhaps she was right, now he had voiced them, they seemed less striking and more silly dreams of a not quite three year old child. He didn't press the matter further a bit quietened by Ginny's words. Probably she was indeed right; he was reading more than there was in it.