"This sunrise better be worth it, if I need to be up at the crack of dawn on my vacation," Harry said as he pulled into the parking lot of the walking trail.
"It will be!" Ginny insisted, convinced it would be.
They both stepped out of the car. Harry looked around for a moment and then reached back into the car to take out his backpack.
"Do you want to take turns carrying the bag?" Ginny offered, she knew it was heavy.
They started walking towards the entrance of the trail by the far end of the parking lot. It was barely dawn.
He shook his head. "No, it's fine. You carry the baby and I carry the bag."
Ginny didn't know why she had even bothered suggesting it. "What do you have in there anyway?"
"Well," he pointed to his fingers and counted. "Snacks. A first aid kit, water…"
She was amused by his preparedness, and couldn't help poking a little fun at him. "Do you have tools to deliver a baby in there? Who knows how long we'll be gone! I may go into labour at some point."
"Fine, mock me. I don't care." He raised an eyebrow at her.
Ginny threw him a fond look and then took his hand.
They walked the first part of the trail and then walked to the designated spot where the sunrise was supposed to be the nicest. When they arrived there, they settled on a bench. The sun was just starting to peak over the horizon and the top of the trees, the first golden rays hitting their face as they looked over the field.
Ginny felt like there was much oxygen in the air and it felt nice to feel the heating rays on her face while it was still a bit chilly in the early morning. It felt peaceful, and she was already glad she had gotten up this early. Harry sat beside her, unmoving. "You're very quiet," Ginny noted without taking her eyes off the view.
"This is nice," he said genuinely. "It is pleasant to just enjoy each other's company and the view. And you were right, this was worth it."
She smiled and leaned back against the bench, relaxing.
"Look," Harry said quietly, pointing at two deer standing at the edge of the forest.
Ginny spotted them too and watched as they grazed for a minute and then quickly took back off into the woods. "How nice."
Harry pulled her closer to him and she squeezed his leg softly.
"When I see you in moments like this, looking like you do. It's hard to believe I never realised earlier that I was in love with you." He spoke quietly, as if it was a little hard to admit.
Ginny turned to look at him. "Maybe we knew we had a good thing going anyway and we didn't care to investigate it further."
He looked at her fondly, leaning his elbow on the back of the bench. "I suppose we were an excellent pair as best friends too."
She smiled in agreement and turned her gaze back to the sunrise. "How are we on snacks?" Ginny asked after a while.
"What do you want?" he asked her, releasing her to take his bag. He zipped it open and looked inside.
"What did you bring?" she asked.
Harry smiled. "Everything."
She shook her head, resisting to smile and looked at him. "What about fruit?"
"Well, I brought an apple, a banana and an orange," he informed her.
"You really did bring everything," she let out. "Well, give me an apple. If you want the orange, I can peel it for you; I know you hate doing that."
He looked at her fondly and handed her the two fruits. She bit into her apple and then started peeling the orange. Harry took the apple from her and held it in front of her so she could take a bite as she peeled. She ended up grinning so wide she had trouble biting into it at all.
"I guess that works," she said through a mouthful of apple. "There." She handed him his peeled orange and took the apple back. "How do you think Ron and Hermione are doing?"
Harry smiled but didn't reply.
"What do you know?" she asked curiously.
Harry popped another piece of orange into his mouth. "They're doing fine, trust me."
"Why didn't you tell me?!" she asked.
"He tells me things in confidence, and he's your brother," Harry explained.
"They had sex?" Ginny pried.
Harry grimaced and hesitated for a moment. "What's your definition of sex?"
Ginny covered her ears. "Okay, I've heard enough!"
"I told you, you didn't want to hear it." He shook his head with a smile.
"It's been barely two weeks since their first date, that's pretty fast," Ginny thought out loud.
"Look who's talking, kettle," Harry pointed out.
Ginny nodded. "Alright, alright." She wiped her hands on each other trying to get them clean.
Harry went back into the bag and took out wet wipes. He handed one to her.
"What else do you have in there?" she teased him. "Did you steal Mary Poppins' bag?"
Harry scoffed. "I'm just trying to cater to your every whim and well, you have a lot of whims."
Ginny laughed and kissed him. Then she stood up. "Let's do the remainder of the walk."
Harry took her held-out hand. "Do you need to pee? I'm pretty sure I put a toilet in there."
"I actually do have to pee," Ginny admitted a little while later. She looked around. "Suppose you didn't actually put a toilet in there."
"No. I did bring tissues," he told her, taking out the package.
She found a good tree to pee behind. "My centre of balance is off, I hope I manage okay."
"Do you want help?" he offered.
She shook her head. "No. You can just stand on the lookout."
"Ginny, it's still absurdly early. Anyone who is out at this hour isn't going to care about you peeing." He nodded. "I'll watch."
"Thank you." She walked behind a tree and looked around once more to make sure there was no one else around. Then she pulled her trousers down and peed.
"Oh, I see someone!" Harry said.
"What?!" she let out, trying to finish quickly and wiping.
"Coming this way," he said.
She cursed and pulled up her trousers up. She made sure she was decent and stepped from behind the tree. She looked around and found there was no one there. She scowled. She walked up to him. "I almost peed on myself. Are you happy?" She slapped him playfully.
He laughed now. "I made sure you were mostly done before I said."
"You couldn't see me, how would you know?" she crossed her arms.
He patted her head. "I know by your pee sound."
She pulled up her lip. "That's it, I am no longer peeing in front of you. You weirdo." She shook her head and walked on.
Harry caught up to her and tried to catch her expression. She couldn't hide her smile anymore and held out her hand for him to take.
"If I peed on myself, you would have to sit in the car with my pee pants," she told him.
"Ha. Of course not." He raised his eyebrows. "I brought a change of clothes."
"Were you planning on making me pee on myself?" she asked.
"No." He pulled an arm around her waist. "You just like to jump into puddles and get all muddy."
She grinned. "Shut up, I don't!"
"Okay, so the mud on the trousers isn't because you jumped into a puddle five minutes ago like a giddy toddler?" he said, tickling her side.
She laughed loudly. "No! You didn't see that. You were taking photos of the view!" she argued.
He laughed with her. "I am always taking photos of you. You should know that by now. And it was a really cute video. I'll send it to your parents later."
She shook her head. "I think if I feel that type of joy, nugget will do too."
Harry sighed. "And now I can't even make fun of it because that's really sweet."
"Don't you think she does?" she asked honestly.
He thought about it for a moment. "I think she does, in a way."
"Now I know if we go on walks with a little toddler, you'll have a change of clothes so she can jump in as many puddles as her little heart desires." Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck.
"She'll take after her mother for that too, probably," he told her. "She'll get her good looks from me."
Ginny kissed him. "I am sure she will. Can we do this trail with her in a few years?"
Harry smiled brightly, almost looking like he was tearing up. "I'd love that actually. Maybe we'll have a second by then."
She cleared her throat. "We'll see about that."
Harry pulled into the driveway and glanced over at Ginny. She was still asleep. He shook his head warily. He pushed against her leg as he unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Wake up, honey," he told her.
She squinted, opening her eyes slowly. She yawned, stretching as best as she could in the car. "Oops, I fell asleep," she told him with a smile.
"All pretty sights in the morning and then I get to drive home in silence with little Miss Drool next to me." He shook his head frowning.
She gasped. "I wasn't drooling." But she still wiped her mouth for good measure. "Wasn't."
He stepped out of the car, picking up the backpack and she shuffled to the door. He opened it and let her in. They settled on the couch together.
"I had a really great time today," Harry told her, pulling her closer.
She smiled at him. "Me too." She caressed his cheek. "I want to do this forever with you."
He couldn't help the smile appearing on his face if he tried. His hand came to her chin and guided her lips to his. "Good, because…"
She grinned. "Stop playing. You won't."
"I can't ask you, because you'll say yes." He kissed her. "And then we'll have to deal with that."
She chuckled and agreed with a nod. "I can pinky promise to marry you." She smiled up to him and held up her hand, wiggling her pinkie.
He bit back a snort. He looked at her fondly. "So we agree to marry once the nugget can walk and this is not a proposal."
She nodded. He linked his pinkie with hers and they shook on it. He smiled at her and pulled her in; it felt only right to seal the deal with a kiss. She kissed him deeply, both her hands on either side of his face.
Her cheeks were a lovely shade of red and she looked at him eagerly. Harry thought his heart may burst from happiness. He pulled her on his lap and hugged her close to him. She nuzzled against his neck and let out a little sigh.
"This was the big romance I was talking about," she broke the silence.
He glanced at her. "This is a tiny romance."
"Whatever it is, it's perfect," she told him, lifting up her head. "I mean that."
He smiled softly. "Okay." He kissed her nose. "Shall we continue your nap?"
It took some adjusting on the couch but he managed to lie down with Ginny in his arms. She closed her eyes and guided his hand to the nugget. He closed his eyes too, listening to her quiet breathing.
Ginny woke up feeling slightly groggy. Harry was still beside her on the couch. She had to be careful not to fall off it as she adjusted her position. She then became aware of the noise in the kitchen and realised that was what had woken her up.
Lily and James had come home and left them napping on the couch. They were preparing dinner together. Harry shifted beside her, waking up too. She kissed him softly.
"My parents are back already? What time is it?" he asked.
She picked up her phone. "After six."
They both sat up carefully, Harry braced her against him so she wouldn't fall out. They looked over the back of the couch together towards the kitchen. His parents were playing around as they chopped up vegetables. James looked at Lily fondly when he knew she wasn't looking.
Ginny sighed happily. "I want what they have."
Harry's pinkie linked with hers again for just a moment and then he released it again. She smiled at him.
"Oh, they're awake," Lily said from the kitchen.
James turned around too. "How was the walk?"
"Good," Harry said. "Worth it after all."
Ginny got up from the couch and her back cracked. "Oof." She walked a few paces. "I think my tailbone is asleep."
"Need help?" Harry offered.
"No, I am going to pee," she said, shooting him a look. "And I do not need any more help from you in that regard."
"Harry James Potter, what did you do?" Lily asked.
Ginny didn't bother to explain and walked into the restroom. When she walked back out, Harry had set the table.
"Did you get to pee in peace?" Lily asked her with a smile.
She nodded. "I did."
"So your staycation is over," James said, walking out with the pots. "What are your plans for next week?"
"Harry insists I start packing." She shook her head warily. "Even though it's still more than two weeks."
"It stresses me out!" Harry complained. "I'd rather not rush through our move more than we have to." He walked to his chair. "Oh, and while we are on the topic, I'll be packing the bags for the hospital."
She frowned. "Why?"
"Because you would start packing when you started having contractions," he argued. He pulled the chair back and sat down.
"You do know you need to wait until the contractions are like five minutes apart, I could have hours to pack my bags," she told him with a smile.
His eyes widened. "This is exactly my point!"
She chuckled. She walked up to him and kissed his cheek. "We'll start on those on time. I promise."
"If I go grey early, just know it'll be your fault," Harry told her.
James laughed, looking over at Lily. "He's so much like you."
Lily pressed her lips together and nodded. "We like to anticipate, there is nothing wrong with that." She offered James a stern look.
James smiled at Ginny. "You learn to live with it."
Ginny grinned. "We just have to balance them out, right?"
"Precisely," James agreed. "Let's eat."
A/N: This is one of those chapters where I wrote a part way ahead, I think it must be over a year now. It did some reworking but the first scene or two from the hike has been in for ages. I just knew specifically what I wanted from it.
Aside from that and the last scene I put in, I just kind of love the soft moments in this chapter.
Peeling his orange is something that was inspired by my own parents. My mum hates it, and my dad often peels the orange for her. I think it's the little things, and it's sweet.
