Inhale Exhale
James's birthday came and went. They celebrated with the family in the Potter's back garden. James enjoyed the party, playing with his cousins and his new toys. Ginny had made the cake for the party as Molly was recovering from a horrible head cold she got from one of the kids. She managed to have some energy to come to the party and help Ginny with the preparations inside while Ron and Arthur helped Harry outside.
Ron returned to work, leaving Hermione and Rose alone for the first time since Rose was born. Jane also was returning to work.
Audrey's pregnancy was going well. Little Molly was excited about being a big sister.
Bill and Fleur were settling into their new house. The kids loved having their own room and the huge back garden. Harry and the other Weasley men came over to help Bill set up the play-set he had purchased in the back garden. They decided to wait until the kids took an interest in Quidditch before investing in a pitch.
Unfortunately, the Friday date night didn't work out. Harry was called out to Azkaban because one of the new prisoners wanted to talk. This caused the ball on the Muggle Baiting case to roll again. Harry and Ron worked on the case all weekend. Arthur delivered food from Sunday lunch when they had to work on Sunday. They had put in so many hours that Monday morning, Robards sent them home for some rest.
While Ron saw Rose in the late-night feeds, Harry hadn't seen James awake in three days.
To allow Harry to sleep, Ginny took James to the Burrow.
On Tuesday, they officially charged the prisoner with Muggle Baiting. He blew the whistle on the entire operation in exchange for a lighter sentence. Kingsley announced the arrests and charges during a press conference.
A pre-trial hearing for scheduled for mid-June.
On Friday, Harry was off from work since he and Ron had solved yet another case. Ginny seized the opportunity for a date night. When she brought it up to Harry, he suggested sending James over to the Burrow for an overnight visit. With Molly and Arthur keeping James, they could have the entire day Friday if Ginny's schedule worked out.
As it was, the interview Ginny had scheduled on Friday morning was with Gwenog. The Harpies were heading to the semi-finals in the Quidditch cup. Gwenog was in the running to captain the England team for the next Quidditch World Cup. But Gwenog had called her to reschedule due to a death in her family. Ginny assured her they could reschedule. She arranged for flower delivery to Gwenog and Ollie's flat.
Now she was free, Ginny and Harry made plans for a day date on Friday.
"Where do you want to go first?" Harry asked as he drove into London.
"I was thinking about going to Oxford Street first."
Driving into London, they discussed what they needed to look for while shopping. They were also going to stop at a dealership and look for a new car if they had time. The plan is to keep the one Harry was driving and add an SUV with a third row.
Harry pulled into the car park on Oxford Street. Ginny waited for him to come around and open the door for her as she was gathering her handbag, making sure she had the list and the measurements for the baby's room.
"Where to first?"
"Primark," Ginny decided.
On her list were some things for herself. She needed new bras, maternity tops, and some knickers. Harry, ever the dutiful husband, followed, carrying the basket. When she finished in the maternity and women's section, Ginny headed towards the home wear section.
"Where are you going, Ginny?"
"Home wears."
Harry followed, refining from rolling his eyes when she walked to the candles.
"You can never have enough," Ginny said.
"And we have about fifty at home," Harry whispered as he watched Ginny pick up two pillar candles.
"These would work with the candle holders I bought for the entryway table."
"You mean the catch-all by the door?" Harry asked.
Ginny turned around, giving Harry a warning look. "And who turns it into a catch-all? Not me."
Harry didn't respond.
After paying, Harry took the purchases to the car. Ginny waited, sitting on a bench outside. She studied the directory nearby to decide where she would like to go next. Debenhams was where she bought a lot of her maternity clothes when she was pregnant with James, with Topshop coming in a close second. She had browsed the maternity section in Next when she went on her lunch break to search for a birthday outfit for James.
"Where to now?" Harry asked, coming up beside her.
"I was thinking we'd go to Debenhams."
As they approached the department store, they window-shopped. They only stopped at a restaurant for Ginny to use the restroom and get a drink.
When they made it inside the department store, they walked straight to the maternity section. Ginny immediately found some tops, handing them to Harry to hold.
"What do you think of this?" Ginny asked, holding up a summer dress. It was a sage green color with crinkled fabric.
"For?" Harry prompted.
"Well, for one, next week."
Next week was the second of May, the anniversary of the final battle. It was also Victoire's 6th birthday.
"I think it would suit you," Harry finally replied. Ginny handed him the dress along with a black dress. This one looked more business style.
"For work," Ginny murmured. "And in case we have a funeral."
Harry ended up going to get a basket, especially when Ginny found the loungewear. They browsed the other racks, pulling out things to look at them. They would either put it back or add it to the basket.
"Are you getting hungry?" Harry asked while they waited in line at the till.
"I can eat, are you?"
"Kind of."
"Pizza Express or Spaghetti House?"
"Pizza Express, it's quicker. I know you're craving their dough balls."
They made their purchases and headed toward the restaurant, dropping off the bags at the car since they were walking by the car park they had parked in.
When they were sitting down at the restaurant, Ginny asked, "Is it odd? Not having to go into work today?"
Harry paused, drink in his hand. "What do you mean?" He asked, picking up a dough ball.
"This is the first day off in the week you've had since forever and I wondered if it was odd."
"It was when I got up at nine this morning instead of six. It's nice. This has been nice. Spending time with you. Without the boys."
They made small talk as they ate. They talked about the plans they were making this summer with Teddy. Andromeda was getting older. Teddy had been spending more and more time with Harry and Ginny.
As they finished the meal, Harry asked, "Where else do you want to go?"
"I thought we'd go into Next after lunch and maybe Marks and Spencer's."
"Okay."
While they wouldn't get all the shopping done today, it was at least a start.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
The anniversary of the 2nd of May and Victoire's birthday came and went. The family gathered the morning of the 2nd of May, heading to the cemetery where Fred was buried. They would share things that happened over the last year. Ron kneeled in front of the stone holding Rose, turning her around to face the stone.
"This is your Uncle Fred. He was your Uncle George's twin. They used the prank the….."
"Ronald," Hermione warned.
"Snot out of your Daddy," Ron amended.
He stood up with Rose, walking back to Hermione. As usual, the family slowly left the cemetery, leaving George alone. Harry had scooped up Fred and James before they could take off towards the forest, while Bill had a firm grip on Louis's hand.
They met back at the Burrow, where Molly made breakfast for everybody.
As they ate breakfast, George started the tradition they began on the first anniversary, telling their favorite Fred memory. Molly went first.
When they reached Ron, he began to tell the story of how it was Fred's idea to take the car to Surrey to rescue Harry before his and Ron's second year.
"We knew a general idea of where Harry lived, but we didn't think we'd find it that night," George added after Ron finished telling the story. "I told Ron if we didn't find the house that night, we'd go back out again. Luckily, we found it."
"I still can't believe you boys did that," Molly muttered. She smiled at her son-in-law. "Not that I blame you, Harry."
"Do you remember when Gin and I got together towards the end of fifth year?" Harry asked. Ron nodded.
"Well, Fred cornered me before they made their grand escape," Harry paused when George started laughing. "And he asked me if I knew what I was getting myself into with her." He pointed to his wife.
Ron started laughing, remembering the conversation.
"He said she's scary when she's angry. When she shouts, she sounds like Mum, and….she's absolutely wicked with that wand of hers. I thought the conversation was going to 'you hurt and we'll hurt you' but it was more of a how-to know not…" Harry paused, glancing around at the children at the table. "Make her mad, if you know what I mean."
"And did you listen to the advice?" Charlie asked.
"Have you been on the receiving end of your Bat Boogey Hex on purpose?" He directed the question to Ginny
"No," Ginny admitted. "The two times I hexed you were on accident."
After helping Molly clean up, everyone went home to get ready to head to Hogwarts.
Minerva greeted them as they flooed to the castle, walking down with them to the memorial garden. The memorial garden was a way to honor those who had fallen in the war at Hogwarts. The fallen fifty.
Kingsley greeted them as they approached the gardens. They were built near where they held Dumbledore's funeral.
The memorial was short to allow the families, visitors, and students to explore the gardens and walk around the castle to see the memorials inside.
Harry always paused at the memorial site for Remus inside the castle. He had found a picture of him teaching Colin had taken sometime in the year Remus had taught defense. A replica of that picture and one of Tonks in her Auror uniform hung on the wall side by side. A photo of them together hung below it. Their memorial was in the Defense corridor.
"You know one day we'll need to tell Teddy," Ginny said from beside him.
Harry nodded. Teddy had just turned eight. He was told his parents died when he was a baby, but that was it.
"I'll ask Andy what she thinks before I talk to Ted," Harry murmured.
He followed Ginny to the gardens where Arthur was watching Freddie, James, and Louis.
Afternoon, they returned to the Burrow for lunch and to celebrate Victoire's birthday. Fleur had baked the cake they would have after lunch. As it was her birthday, Victoire got to pick the menu for lunch. She picked Molly's chicken casserole.
The weather was warm and sunny. Molly decided to take advantage of the weather and they would eat outside. Bill, Charlie, George, Ron, and Harry came over the day before to set up the tables. All they would need to do was to set up the chairs.
Victoire sat in Arthur's usual seat at the head of the table with Teddy on one side and her parents on the other. Ginny sat next to Teddy with Harry and James beside her. Andromeda sat next to Molly as the two women talked about how nice the garden was and the plans they had for the summer.
Arthur sat on the opposite end of the table with Charlie and George, the latter talking about how they were getting ready for the summer sale when Hogwarts students would return home for the summer. It had become an annual event along with the Christmas sales and specials around the holidays.
The rest of the family was scattered around the tables. Of course, with a family of their size, multiple conversations broke out. The women discussed plans for the summer. The baby sprinkle they were going to throw for Ginny with just the family and Ginny and Harry's close friends was the main topic that day.
Once everyone was done eating, Victoire was given the choice between opening presents or eating cake. She picked opening presents.
Most of her presents were things for her new room, but there were new toys in the mix as well.
"Thank you for the presents," She said after opening the last gift.
Fleur went to bring out the cake with Bill following behind her. They had lit the candles on the cake before they approached the table.
"Are we ready?" Fleur called.
That was the family's cue to start singing 'Happy Birthday'. Victoire stood up on her chair. Charlie held it to keep it from tipping.
"Make a wish," Bill said when the singing stopped.
Victoire blew out the candles as the family applauded. Fleur cut the cake, giving Victoire the first slice. Molly went to help serve the cake, only stopping to kiss her oldest grandchild on the head.
"Happy Birthday, sweet girl," She murmured.
It was nightfall before the family all left to return to their respective homes. Bill and Fleur were the first ones to leave. They were taking a Portkey in the morning to Paris, where they were meeting Fleur's family to celebrate Victoire's birthday with them. Charlie went with them as he was helping them get Victoire's presents home. Arthur went with them to help as he held a sleeping Louis.
Percy and Audrey left with Little Molly not long after.
"She seems to be doing well," Angelina commented as she packed the nappy bag. George came up to her with a sleeping Freddie.
"Ready to go?"
"Yes, before he wakes up, preferable," Angelina intoned.
Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny were left. James had finally crashed in Ron's arms an hour ago, having been fighting sleep. Rose was comfortable with Molly.
The best solution Ron and Harry came up with was Ron would go home with Harry and Ginny, and lay James in his cot. He'll come back for Hermione and Rose.
Once she had James settled and changed, Ginny headed downstairs. Ron and Harry had a hushed conversation by the floos. She heard the floo roar. Then Harry came into the kitchen.
"Is he asleep?" He asked.
"He is. Are you alright?"
Harry nodded. "I used to feel guilty. I felt I could have done more to prevent what happened. But then I might not be here."
"And that's something I'm thankful for, is I still have you," Ginny said as she approached her husband, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"I love you," Harry whispered.
"I love you too."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Ginny walked around the car dealership, looking at the different cars they could purchase. She and Harry had sat down last night, writing down the list of things they needed for this new car. Third-row seats were definite.
They had looked at a few and test drove some of them, but they hadn't come across the one they wanted.
"This one here is a 2006 Volvo XC-90…."
As the dealer reviewed all of the features, Ginny felt something different about this car than she did the others they looked at that day.
Sitting in the driver's seat, she noticed how comfortable it was. She could, like their car, reach the back seat easily.
"So, what do you think?" Harry asked.
"Let's test drive this one," Ginny said, without needing to think twice about it.
As Ginny was in the driver's seat, she went first. As they drove, they talked about how nice the ride was, how it was like the car, which was the same make as this SUV.
"I like it," Ginny said.
"We can fit the boys in the back and have room if we have another or one of the cousins comes with us somewhere."
Ginny pulled into a car park to allow Harry to drive. It was on their way back to the dealership, Harry asked.
"Are we sold?"
Ginny nodded. "We're sold."
When they pulled into the dealership, the salesman they were working with came over.
"So, what do you think?" He asked.
"We'll take it," Ginny said.
"Alright, let's get the paperwork started. Is this a trade-in or…?"
"No," Harry replied. They had driven their car to the lot. Ginny would drive it home while Harry drove the new car.
Two hours later, Ginny was pulling out of the car lot following Harry back home. She was stopping at the shop to pick up some milk. Then to the pub down the road from the house for dinner.
When she pulled into the driveway, she parked beside the car. She picked up the takeaway bag and the milk, heading into the house.
She set the milk on the counter and took the food to the table. James was spending the night at the Burrow, giving Harry and Ginny another child-free night.
"We'll need to get another car seat," Ginny said when Harry walked into the kitchen.
"We need to buy an infant seat. The shop we'll need to go to is where we bought the car seat James currently uses. Add it to the list," Harry said.
Dinner conversation revolved around the plans for the new baby's room, the upgrades they needed to James's room, figuring out their schedule to best fit in time to take James big boy bed shopping, and purchasing the final things they needed for the baby.
"There's a surprise upstairs for you when you're done," Harry stated as he cleared the table.
Ginny eyed him suspiciously. It was a surprise to her when they first got together how romantic Harry could be. It only grew as time went on.
"Where upstairs?"
"Our bathroom."
Ginny smiled. "Is it a bubble bath?"
Harry smirked. "Maybe it is."
She walked upstairs to her and Harry's bedroom, where Harry had already laid out her pajamas and knickers. She remembered when he did this after grueling practices or long days on the pitch. He would have a bath, sometimes with bubbles, waiting for her.
She entered the bathroom, smiling at the sight of the bubble bath that awaited her. The only light in the bathroom was from the candles he had lit.
She stripped off, pausing when she saw her baby bump in the mirror, and stepped into the tub. She lowered herself down, letting herself relax and enjoy. She sighed.
She had only been there for a few minutes when she heard, "Mind if I join you?"
She sighed happily. "I thought you would never ask. Hop in."
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Ginny drove the new SUV the following week when she and James went to the library for a toddler group. Harry had installed James's car seat in the backseat behind the driver's seat. Teddy's child seat was in the boot.
After the toddler group was over, they walked around the book sale the library was having. Ginny picked up a few chapter books for Teddy, a few new story books for James, and some books for the new baby. She glanced up every so often to check where James was. He was sitting in a bean bag, looking at the picture book.
She couldn't wait for the playgroup tomorrow. Angelina and Fleur would be there with Freddie and Louis.
She and James had been coming to this toddler group for a month, and Ginny had yet to make friends with the other Mums.
"It's like at Hogwarts. They have their little clicks," Ginny told Harry over dinner after the first one. It wasn't like they ignored Ginny. They spoke to her, the other Mums. They asked her where she found something James was wearing or if Ginny asked a question, they would answer it.
Of course, outside the toddler group, Ginny heard comments from other women in the library. When she started showing she was pregnant, she could hear the whispers.
"Not even out of nappies. What was she thinking?"
The one time she replied was some old lady who said, "I bet they don't have the same father?"
Ginny answered, "Yes, they have the same father."
And the looks increased when she brought Teddy with her to the library. Because Teddy morphed his features, he often mixed them up to where he was a mix of Harry and Ginny. Anyone who didn't know them would think Teddy was theirs.
And that brought questions alone.
Ginny paid for the books they were taking and headed out to the car.
On the way home, they stopped in at the grocery store to pick up a few things she needed for dinner that night, plus a few things Ginny remembered they were out of. She picked up the stuff she would need to make pizza. Teddy was staying over the weekend and had requested to do a make-your-own pizza night. While it was a messy activity, Teddy enjoyed it.
"Would you like a cookie?" A girl from the bakery asked James.
"It's okay, you can have one," Ginny told him when he looked up at her.
James picked up a cookie. Ginny held her hand under it to catch it in case it fell.
"Thank you," James said to the girl.
"You're very welcome. How old is he?"
"He's two," Ginny replied.
"And so polite," She said. "Have a good day. "
"Thank you, you too," Ginny said as the girl walked away. She pushed the trolley towards the till.
"Would you like some help out, ma'am," The boy bagging groceries asked.
"Yes, please," Ginny answered.
She got James into the car with his cookie while the boy loaded her groceries. She gave him a tip before getting in and heading home.
Harry was already home, having driven the car into work that morning. He and Ron were doing surveillance in a Muggle neighborhood and the car allowed them to blend in.
He had just unlocked the house when Ginny pulled in. Harry walked over, opening the door for Ginny.
"Hi," She greeted.
"Hi. I'll get James out and unload the groceries. Go sit down for a minute."
He opened the back door.
"Hi Daddy," James greeted.
"Hey, buddy. What did you eat? You got chocolate all over your mouth?"
"Cookie."
"Oh. That explains it. Go with Mummy."
James followed Ginny into the house while Harry got the groceries out of the back.
"What's for dinner?"
"Spaghetti Bolognese," Ginny replied. "I needed some things for dinner tonight, plus we need other things so I thought we'd go to the shop after the toddler group."
While Ginny got started on dinner, Harry put away the groceries. They often worked as a team and it worked for them, especially after dinner. One would clean up while the other played with James before it was time to head upstairs for bath time, the start of the bedtime routine.
"Andy called before I left. She needs you or me to go pick up Teddy tomorrow. She has an appointment at St. Mungo's tomorrow afternoon. She won't be out in time to pick up Teddy."
Harry picked up the new toddler chair they had bought for James, putting it in the chair between his and Ginny's seats.
"I can pick him up. We arrested the guy we've been after. I can take the afternoon off."
"That works."
As Ginny plated dinner, Harry took James to the downstairs bathroom to wash up and for a quick nappy change.
Over dinner, they talked about the events of the day and things coming up.
"We'll need to come up with a name for the new baby," Ginny said as she broke off a piece of breadstick, handing it to James.
"I know we got time, but we need to pick one or at least make a list of names."
"We need to get on the ball with potty training this one, too." Ginny motioned to James.
Tonight, Ginny took James upstairs for bath time early due to getting sauce all over himself. She had put on his smock she used when they ate something she knew he would get messy. Despite her best efforts, James got sauce all over his face. He refused to let Harry or Ginny feed him, wanting to do it himself.
While she bathed James, Harry cleaned up the kitchen.
Harry was finishing loading the dishes in the dishwasher when Ron burst through the back door.
"Harry, we need to get Diagon Alley. Now!"
"What happened?"
"Matthews got eyes on Rollins."
Paul Rollins was wanted in connection with the Muggle Baiting case. He was the last one they were looking for. Aurors had been on shifts of 12-hour surveillance on his home. He hadn't left his house in days. The warrant came through today. When Aurors entered the house, it was empty. Hannah called to report him in Diagon Alley.
Harry bolted up the stairs, grabbing his uniform to change quickly. As he left the bedroom, Ginny stood in the doorway of James's bedroom with their son in her arms.
"Rollins is in Diagon Alley. I got to go."
He kissed James's cheek, whispering, 'Daddy loves you'. Then he kissed Ginny.
"Come back to me," She whispered.
"Always. I love you."
"I love you."
Harry ran down the stairs and out the backdoor. He was gone with a pop.
"Daddy will be back," Ginny murmured. She smiled assuredly at her son.
Only she didn't know that herself.
OoOoOoOoOoOoO
Ginny opened the door to her closet. She pulled out the black dress she only wore to funerals. Well, it seemed that's all she wore it to.
She sighed, closing her eyes slowly.
She was attending another Auror's funeral today. She had lost count of how many funerals she attended in Harry's career. She didn't attend every funeral, just the ones Harry attended.
She took a deep breath as she turned to lay the dress on the bed beside her sheer tights.
"Ginny?"
She turned at the voice to find Molly standing at the door, holding James in her arms.
"Are you alright?"
Ginny nodded. "I'm fine, Mum. I….."
Molly smiled softly. "I know, dear."
Every time Ginny attended an Auror's funeral, she was thankful it wasn't her husband's.
When Harry came home around two in the morning, Ginny was still up. She fixed him a cup of tea as he told her what happened.
Rollins had barricaded himself in a shop and had the shop owner and an employee hostage. It had taken a negotiator to get him to let the hostages go. The Aurors seized the opportunity to go in and arrest him as they were moving out the hostages.
During the struggle, he blasted one of the Aurors into a wall. He died from his injuries.
Harry had to be the one to tell his wife as he was the senior Auror on the case. It was part of the job Harry hated.
Ron and Harry left to head back to the department, where murder charges were added.
Ginny shook her head, ridding herself of those thoughts.
When she came downstairs, she let the sound of her son's laughter fill her. Harry had taken a few days off from work after the night they had arrested Rollins. He spent the entire time with her, Teddy, and James.
"Is that new?" Molly asked, pointing to the dress.
"Yes," Ginny replied, slipping on her flats. She picked up her handbag and the garment bag that held Harry's dress uniform. She needed to iron the pants, mend a few buttons on the jacket, and wash the shirt.
"Are you going to the house after the service?"
"If Harry wants to, we are," Ginny said.
"I'll take James back to the Burrow. You and Harry could come for dinner," Molly offered.
Ginny nodded. "Thanks, Mum, we'll do that."
She walked into the family room, stepping over toy cars and blocks. "Come here and give Mummy a hug. I got to go."
James ran over a packet of little graham crackers in the shape of bears in his hand. "Bye, Mummy."
"Be good for Grandma. I love you."
She picked up the garment bag she had laid on the sofa to hug her son. She walked out to the back where the apparition point was and apparated to the Ministry. She showed the guy at the desk her badge Harry had given her. He nodded to her.
"Good day, Mrs. Potter."
She strolled to the lifts, waving to the employees she knew. She rode the lift to level two. Once it reached the floor she needed, she stepped off. As she walked to the Auror Headquarters, she greeted the Aurors she knew as they passed her, some dressed in their dress uniform.
"Thank you, Tank," She said when Tank, one of the Aurors, opened the door.
"You're welcome, Miss Ginny."
She walked the now familiar path to Harry's office. She greeted Maisy as she walked to the open door.
Robards stepped out just as Ginny approached the door. He stepped back to allow her entrance first.
"Hello Ginny," He greeted.
Harry walked around, taking the garment bag from Ginny. He pulled her in for a kiss.
"Hi," She greeted.
"Hi. Thanks for coming with me," Harry said.
"Of course."
Harry didn't have a private restroom, so he had to change in his office. Ginny stood by the door, holding it close to keep someone from walking in.
She only stepped away from the door to tie the tie.
"Did you wash this?"
"I washed the shirt. It smelled."
Harry shrugged. "Just wondering why I smelled that laundry soap you've been using."
He sat down in the chair to put on his shoes.
Ginny opened the door as Harry slipped on the jacket. He walked towards Ginny as he buttoned it. Ginny reached over, dusting off lint, adjusting the collar, and fixing Harry's hair.
"Are we ready?" She asked.
"We are. Let's go." He stepped out, locking the door to his office with a tap of his wand on the knob. He turned to his secretary. "Maisy, we're going to the funeral. I might not be back in the office for the rest of the day, so when you finish what you're doing, you can have the rest of the day off."
"Thank you, Harry."
As they walked to apparition point, Harry reached for Ginny's hand. She took it, lacing her fingers, and squeezed his hand gently.
"Mum is taking James back to the Burrow. She's going to fix dinner tonight. Are we going to the house?"
"It's family only. The Aurors doing their own memorial," Harry explained. "I've warned Hannah. Let her know to call me if she needs help."
Ginny nodded.
They met Ron and Hermione at the apparition point.
The funeral was a graveside service. The family greeted them as they walked through the gate of the cemetery.
Ginny and Hermione shared a looked when they passed the wife. How many times did they come close to this? They felt lucky to have their husbands. Harry had two many close calls over the years. Ginny had literally lost count of many times she had sat at Harry's bedside in St. Mungo's. Ron only had two close calls, and they were enough for Hermione.
Somber music played softly as the guests found their seats and had hushed conversations. Some people came over to speak with Harry and Ron.
The music stopped, the family went to their seats in the front, and the minister approached the podium.
As he spoke, Ginny let her mind wander. How would she manage if something happened to Harry? How could she raise two boys on her own?
She wouldn't be on her own. Her family wouldn't allow her to go it alone. Especially Ron.
She looked at Harry out of the corner of her eye. She would imagine a day of her life without him in it.
She remembered one of the first Auror's wife meetings she attended. It was a month after she and Harry got married. Mary, Robard's wife, headed it. She had invited Camilla, Kingsley's wife, to speak. She was the one with the most experience. She talked about how no one else but another Auror's wife knows what it's like.
The worrying, the fear, how often you're cleaning blood out of their clothes. You question whose blood it is.
Ginny added when they opened the floor, "You're on a first-name basis with Healer Chorley's staff and nearly everyone at St. Mungo's."
Mary approached her afterward. "I had forgotten how much Harry was in the hospital before you got married. How did you do it?"
Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. I got through it. I think it's because of my family."
Mary nodded. "You're lucky. Not everyone has a support system. Though if he does end up in the hospital again, you'll have us too."
And she was right. Harry was in St. Mungo's for three weeks after a mission went wrong. They were only married for six months. Mary, Camilla, and a few other Auror wives came to the hospital to check on Ginny and see about Harry. Thankfully Harry's injuries were not life-threatening or life-changing.
Ginny returned the favor when another Auror was in St. Mungo's. She sat with the wife as she vented.
"Gin?"
Harry's voice brought Ginny back to the present. She looked at her husband to find him kneeling beside her.
"Are you okay?"
Ginny nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." She looked around to see some people standing up to greet the family. "Is it over?"
"Yeah."
They stood up when the usher came to their row. Harry let Ginny go in front of him as they approached the family. They gave their condolences and left the cemetery.
"We're going to the Burrow. Molly has James. Are you guys coming?" Harry asked.
"We're going to collect Rosie from Mum, and we'll meet you there," Hermione said. "Tonight is Mum's widow's group meeting. Otherwise, I'd invite her."
"Okay, we'll meet you there," Harry said.
They apparated behind the bushes. Harry turned to his wife, offering his hand.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
Ginny nodded. "I'm fine, babe."
Harry pulled Ginny close, kissing her temple. "You know I'm going anywhere, right?"
Ginny nodded. "I do. But I..." She trailed off.
"But," Harry prompted.
"I know you don't go on missions anymore, at least not since we had James, but the risk of something happening to you is still there."
"Gin, I know the risks. Hopefully, I'm not jinxing myself, but it has been a while since I got hurt. I try to be careful when I'm out on the field. Because I have you, James, and this one," he laid his hand on her stomach, feeling the baby kick under his hand. "I made a promise I'll always come back to you, and I have broken that promise?"
"No, I hope you don't," Ginny murmured.
"Because you'll bring back to kill me, right?" Harry asked.
"You know it, Potter," Ginny said.
Harry kissed her once more. "Let's go the Burrow."
Ginny nodded, smiling softly at her husband, thankful for the millionth time she still had him.
"Let's go."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Ginny woke up with a gasp. She sat up, realizing it was four in the morning. She looked around the room to find she was in her and Harry's bedroom in their home.
The dream felt so real.
She glanced at Harry, watching him sleep for a moment before she shook his shoulder.
"Harry," she whispered.
Harry woke up with a jolt. "What time is it?" he asked sleepily.
"Four in the morning," Ginny replied.
Harry pushed himself up, reaching for his glasses. "What's wrong?"
"I had a dream," Ginny began. Realizing what happened in the dream, she looked down, expecting to see a flat stomach. She saw her bump. She sighed, relieved.
"Did something happen to the baby in your dream?" Harry asked.
Ginny nodded, feeling like she was about to start crying.
Harry pulled her into an embrace. She laid her head against his bare shoulder.
"The baby's okay. Everything is okay," he assured her. To prove his point, the baby kicked under her hand.
"What if something does happen?" Ginny asked.
"Like what, you lose the baby?"
Ginny nodded, biting her lip.
"We were just at Shanti's office. She the baby's healthy. He's okay. Everything is fine."
Ginny nodded. "I know, but what if that changes."
"Hopefully, everything will keep going the way it is. The baby is healthy. You are healthy and doing good. I couldn't ask for more."
Ginny sighed, nodding in agreement.
Harry kissed her forehead. "It was just a dream."
"I know. I remember when that became a mantra. I said it to you a thousand times," Ginny said.
"I know." Harry kissed her softly on the lips. "Ready to go back to sleep?"
Ginny nodded. "We better. James will be up in two hours. The one downside to the side being off the cot."
They laid back down, Ginny snuggling into Harry. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close as well as he could with her baby bump.
"Go back to sleep, Gin. I love you."
"I love you too."
Ginny laid there, even after Harry went back to sleep, thinking. That dream felt so real. She had dreamed she had given birth to the baby. Harry wasn't there until the baby was already out. He arrived just in time for Shanti to come over, take Ginny's hand, and say, 'I'm so sorry.'
Shanti had warned her about crazy dreams in pregnancy, but this wasn't a crazy dream. She concluded she would ask Shanti about it at her next appointment. She settled in Harry's arms, letting herself fall back to sleep with the dream now the furthest thing from her mind.
But was it a dream? Or was it a warning for what was to come?