A/N: I have made a posting schedule!
The complete schedule is posted and pinned on my tumblr, and you can always see the latest version there. Essentially I am trying to post bi-weekly.

For Knight of Mine, we have:
Wed, 6 Mar: ch40: An announcement
Wed: 20 Mar: ch41 (Title TBD)

I was so happy you were also really vibing with the kitties, you are clearly my kind of people!
Thank you for continuing to show your support for this fic! It means so much to me.
Thank you Meg for the beta-reading, you are a star!

Okay now on with the chapter, our lovebirds are waiting.

Ginny talked to all the guards in the group now, to properly introduce herself as Head Guard. The guards who had remained in the castle hadn't met her yet since she took her helmet off. They would have heard reports but she still felt it was proper to introduce herself and lay down some expectations.

Chester, who had remained in Ignotia, hesitantly put his hand up. "Does Colin replace Nigel?"

"No," Ginny said. "Colin is an apprentice of sorts. Nigel's position remains open for now." She looked at the guards. "We do need to hire a new guard, but I'd much prefer to divide Nigel's tasks like the midnight shift among you. The new guard will take up any tasks left." She looked over at Pippin, who seemed to be chewing on a question. She kept her gaze on him, waiting for him to speak.

"How do we address you? You are both Queen and Head Guard," Pippin finally asked.

"We call her Sir while she is acting as the Head Guard, and Queen otherwise," Ernest told him.

She nodded in agreement. "Queen is fine, Sir is fine, Ma'am is fine. Your Majesty only on special occasions… And if there is an emergency, just get to the point. I won't have someone die because you were worried about how to address me. And never ever call me Ginevra." She smiled. "Unless there is something very, severely wrong."

"I am also looking for a Deputy Head Guard to help me out, and any of you are allowed to apply for it. Those who were in Harpia with us have already had some time to think about it but I want to give all of you the opportunity. You have a week to think it over and let me know."

Ginny talked to Neville for a long time, relaying everything that happened since they last saw each other. It was easy to talk to Neville, he understood the delicacies of the battle, the choices she made… he knew what questions to ask.

He was silent for a long time when she talked about the soulbond. When she paused, he reached out to her hand and turned it around. She pulled her sleeve up to reveal the soulmark.

"So that's Harry's hand from the first time you touched?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yes. The morning of my last birthday. I can't believe he was already in love with me then."

"So were you," Neville replied.

"Well yes," she defended herself. "But I could see his face, hear him talk… for him it was way shorter…"

"That's true," he agreed, sitting back in his chair again.

"And the soulbond also makes it that you glow when you're pregnant," she continued casually. "Which has been really interesting." She watched his reaction.

Neville blinked a few times. "… Are you… with child?"

She smiled. "Yes."

He leaned his head on his hand. "I was going to ask you how you were feeling about it, but I can see the look in your eyes. You're happy about this."

"Having kids was a bit a non-negotiable," she said, they needed an heir after all. "But I am pretty happy, yes. The glow gave Harry quite a fright, but as soon as we realised what it was…" She chuckled at the memory. "And in the Oracle, that's one of the things they told us…"

"Told you what?" Neville asked curiously.

"It's a boy, and he will have some special ability and as well they were 'working on something else', whatever that means. He's already got two Gods watching over him. It makes me hopeful."

"Gorphine and Xydite," Neville muttered.

"Yes, we know that Gorphine had at least something to do with me, and Xydite…" She gestured to the space around her. "I hope it brings him luck… if he'll be King he'll need it."

Neville nodded. "Indeed… I don't know how to handle a royal baby."

"You have time before we announce it," Ginny told him. "I'm sure it's written down somewhere. Currently you, Luna, and Hermione know."

"And your husband."

"Evidently," Ginny told him. "He knew before me. He read about the glow in a book." She looked down at her belly. "My current worry is that I don't know how I'll put a belt on over that bump to hold my sword. I know armour will become out of the question at some point."

Neville burst out laughing. "Of course that would be what worried you." He smiled at her. "We'll think of something. Honestly if we add panels to the armour, it has some potential, but I don't know if you'd want to do that regardless…"

"I wouldn't mind, but I think I need to take into account Harry's stress… He doesn't say it out loud but I can tell," she said, tapping her temple. "I will need to slow down a little near the end."

"Once we announce it, I'm sure a few people would be honoured to think of a solution for you. Cross-body belts exist, they could be adapted to be comfortable… we can't have you go around unarmed while you're pregnant, you may resort to biting."

Ginny chuckled. "I'm not above that, but I need to watch what I'm putting in my body and assassin doesn't really make the list."

"Can't be healthy," Neville agreed.

They took a moment to remember Sir Alastor at the start of the council. They went over the current treaties with Harpia. Then the topic turned inevitably to Ginny.

"I would like to raise concerns about whether it was appropriate for her to be privy to so much inside information," Lord Elphias said. "She could have been anyone under that helmet."

Neville looked over at the royal couple to see if one of them was going to speak, or if he could.

Harry opened his mouth. "That would have been a legitimate concern before you knew she was the Queen, but you didn't raise it then. We all trusted Sir—Prince Regulus's judgement, rightfully so."

"I do think this should have been communicated to us earlier," Lady Minerva said. "But I don't think there is anything that happens in the castle that the Queen could not know."

"Not to mention that the soulbond means they are sharing thoughts to a certain extent regardless," Neville added. "It would be extremely difficult to keep things from her."

"If I had told you earlier—before our wedding—this could have led to other difficulties. It was the safest option at that moment," Harry said.

Lord Filius looked at him. "Do you mean any inappropriate conduct? When did you find out?"

Harry contemplated what to say, but he knew that honesty was likely his best bet. "I found out she was a woman about a month after she started working here." He looked over at her. "I didn't know she was a Princess. I slowly figured that out on my own, and when I confronted her, she immediately admitted she was." He would conveniently leave out that she had threatened him with her dagger—that wouldn't be productive to the conversation.

"There was no inappropriate conduct," Ginny spoke up. "And we are married now, so I don't think it matters regardless."

Neville nodded slowly. "They're soulmates and soulbound, I think that makes their marriage pretty secure."

Kingsley cleared his throat. "I am sure the Queen had no ill intent," he spoke, neglecting to mention he had found out a while ago. "And I don't think it has negatively impacted her work as a guard or as the Queen and she will have no trouble managing as Head Guard."

"If I could speak for myself for a moment," Ginny started.

Harry looked at her and smiled encouragingly.

"I never intended to lie to any of you. I arrived here as a Knight, and that's all I was planning to be. It's difficult to be a Knight that can't speak. I was trying to keep my identity hidden and being a female Knight often already raises enough questions." She looked at the council members in turn. "I didn't come here as a Princess, I was hired to protect the King; I did. And I will continue protecting the King."

Harry couldn't help smiling at her words.

"The reason you weren't informed in a timely manner is because there was a lot of stake going to war for Harpia. We didn't need anyone doubting that, or revealing it to Bellatrix. Considering what happened with Peter and half the council, I think we made the right choice there, or I would have never been able to kill her."

"Is it true that you climbed up the castle wall?" Dean asked with intrigue.

She nodded. "I did, I used to do it for fun as a child, now I was able to put that to good use."

Neville called the attention back to him. "I understand there is a lot to discuss here, but to get back to the core of the question. While it is true that Queen Ginny had been attending the council as a guard before she became Queen, there was no issue as she needed to attend them in order to do her job. As the Queen, she has every right to attend any council she wishes, by law." He looked around. "Are there any other concerns on this topic? Otherwise we must move on to the next point on the agenda."

Ginny braced herself to start to clear out Sir Alastor's office. She had to sort through the items to decide what to keep. She wasn't too surprised to not find many personal items amongst the paperwork, daggers and schedules.

She looked up when she heard a knock on the open door. Seamus was waiting there.

"Come in, Seamus. What can I do for you?" she asked him, stopping what she was doing.

He stepped in and closed the door. "I would like to apply for Deputy Guard."

Ginny asked him to sit down and sat across from him. "I expected you to, but I was starting to wonder if you changed your mind."

Seamus shook his head. "No, not quite. I just figured it was something I had to think about before jumping in, because I understand how important it is."

"I have noticed you've been taking some more initiative yourself as well, that's appreciated." She had noticed especially in Harpia, when the day-to-day activities were a bit more out of the ordinary.

"I've been with the group for a while, I am friends with almost everyone." He folded his hands up. "I know I am known to be a gossip…"

She bit back her smile. "You don't say."

He looked a little embarrassed. "I am aware of that, but it is because I notice so many things, and people just tend to tell me things. It can be useful, but then instead of sharing that information with the staff or the guards, I will come to you."

"You're right, your knack for it can be useful," Ginny told him. "You understand as Deputy you might hear information from me, the King or the council that you would have to keep to yourself?"

"Yes," he said with a nod. "I would take my job as Deputy very seriously, I don't want to be sharing that type of information."

"I am glad to hear it." She wondered if she could ask him, but she thought it was better to have it out of the way. "Can I ask you about Dean?"

He looked a little alarmed. "I was worried you were going to bring that back up."

"I know it makes me a bit of a hypocrite to bring it up and I am not saying it would hurt your chances, or that you two can't be together. I just need to know what the situation is there, so I know how it would impact your role."

"Dean has to marry a lady. His dad is dead, it's up to him to keep his house going. I'm a Guard. We may never be together in a capacity that matters, but I'll take what I can get." He seemed earnest, and somewhat pained. "He's on the Council now, so he hangs out a bit more often. I think that'll be nice… but I don't think it'll impact my work at all."

"Doesn't Dean have brothers?" she tried.

Seamus nodded. "Half-brothers, with a different father so it doesn't really help him at all…" He shook his head. "I know his father's legacy means a lot to him and I respect that. It is what it is."

"And I do think most of the guards know, don't they?" Ginny asked

"They do," he confirmed. "I don't think they care much, unless it is to tease me."

Ginny chuckled. "That does sound like them. I don't have any other questions."

"Great." Seamus looked around the room. "It's weird not seeing a grumpy Alastor in here."

"Indeed. He was a special man," Ginny said.

"That he was," Seamus agreed. "He always told us he wanted to die fighting. At least he had that."

"It was cruel, but it was honourable," she said. "I hope we can make him proud."

"Me too."

The day was a whirlwind for Ginny. There was so much to do. She only really had a private moment with Harry before lunch and the remainder of the time was spent discussing with Neville, attending council, looking after the kittens and taking up her Head Guard duties. She missed being a guard a little. While their days were long and a little boring, she was much more used to that than this.

She was glad when Harry silently suggested to go upstairs after dinner. Luna had already offered to watch the kittens overnight and she was going to show Neville how to feed them.

Harry closed the door and undid the top buttons of his vest. "You're tired."

"I am drained," she admitted. "There is just so much to think of in a day."

"I know." He wrapped an arm around her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. "You'll get used to it." He walked to the cupboard. "You could have taken it slower today."

"I didn't realise I'd need to," she said. She walked to the couch and sat down.

Harry turned around to her. "Drink?"

She smiled, feeling reminiscent of their old nightly drinks. She nodded. "I guess I'll do water."

"It's from a good year," he joked, pouring some water into a goblet, and pouring himself some wine.

He set both goblets down and sat down beside her.

She kissed him as soon as his butt hit the seat. " I need you. I missed you today ."

" Me too." His hand came to her waist so he could pull her closer.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Ginny leaned away reluctantly. She could sense that her annoyance amused Harry somewhat.

"Who is it?" Harry asked.

Neville's voice came from the other side of the door. "Your advisor!"

"Ah, we do have to let him in," Harry said to her. "Come in!"

She adjusted her position but remained tucked against Harry as Neville opened the door. He walked in and sat down on the couch across from them.

"I just didn't manage to catch both of you together; this won't take long." Neville looked at his notes. "They are expecting a celebration for the victory in Harpia, sooner rather than later. If we can confirm the day, we can put in the orders. I propose next Saturday."

" Any objections?" Harry asked her.

She shook her head. " No ."

"Saturday is fine," Harry confirmed. "Make Ron guest of honour as Harpian."

"What about me?" Ginny asked.

"I am sorry but in this case, you don't count." He squeezed her knee.

Neville chuckled. "Okay. And when do you want to announce you're pregnant?"

She looked over at Harry helplessly. She didn't know. She wasn't sure what the rules were, and if she should abide by them.

Harry counted on his fingers for a moment. "In two months should be fine. We have to be careful, however. The Council and staff should be informed before we make a public announcement." He looked over at her with a frown. "And you may want to let your brothers know before then as well."

"Right," she agreed. That timeline made sense. Most women didn't find out as early as she did, so it made sense they would wait for a little while. At least she'd be more comfortable sharing that news when they were a little more settled, and she had a better hang on acting like a Queen. "Sounds good to me."

"Noted," Neville said.

"While you're here," Ginny started. "Can you check what our budget is for our guards? I want to know what pay the Deputy Head Guard should be getting. We do save some money since I don't have to get paid but…"

Harry nodded in agreement. "Over time we should expect to have more guards, but I do think I had more than average because I was being attacked all the time." He looked over at Neville to confirm.

"I think it evens out," Neville agreed. "You also can't underestimate Ginny in that regard. The fact that she can easily defend herself and you, makes that you don't need as close watching. I'll look into the overall budget and we can discuss it in a few days."

"Sounds great," Ginny told her. "I feel like you've settled in well while we were off."

Neville looked at both of them. "I would like to think so. The staff have been great in getting me used to the daily things. I think I am getting the hang of it."

"I would say you have," Harry agreed.

"That's all for me today." Neville stood up and said goodnight, leaving the room.

Ginny looked over at Harry. He pulled her into his lap and she quickly connected her lips back to his. Their hands set to work undressing each other quickly.