Tuesday, April 8th 2025

There was a welcome warmth to the air Ginny noticed. March had been a meteorological disaster or at least this was what the local Muggle newspapers had been calling it. March began with torrential rain, not uncommon for early Spring in Britain. This had quickly been forgotten, as a six day spell of warmer weather and clear skies had near most of the country at parks and seaside's. The brief warm reprieve came to a swift halt with an easterly storm warning that brought with it snow. Enough snow to bring the entire country to a near standstill as the Muggle and Magical communities battled with a sudden economic lull. The freezing weather remained for a near fortnight before a new weather system reared its head and a minor hurricane battered the south of the country, which brought with it winds and rain and washed all evidence of the snow away. Thankfully, Godric's Hollow had not been as heavily affected as towns further south or closer to rivers.

Global warming truly is a Muggle Meteorological clusterfuck, Ginny thought to herself with a wry smile, remembering how her niece, Rose, had passionately explained the recent weather at the most recent Sunday dinner at the Burrow, before being admonished by both her mother and grandmother. Sunday dinners with the entirety of the extended Weasley family were few and far between with most of the grandchildren either in Hogwarts or grown up. And while chaos usually ensued it always brought a smile to her aging parents face even if they were the ones telling off their grandkids or even their adult kids.

Ginny sipped her coffee as she looked out her kitchen window, allowing the coffee and the morning sun to warm her soul. She was nearing the end of her cup and was debating if it was too soon for a second cup of coffee.

'Sickle for your thoughts.' Came the calm voice from behind her.

Ginny turned to see her husband leaning against the kitchen door frame, still in his pyjamas, seeming to admire Ginny as she was bathed in the morning sunlight.

'A sickle? I wasn't aware my thoughts were priced at one sickle.'

'You're right, dear. Two sickles.'

Ginny laughed, leaving the mug down on the kitchen counter, as Harry crossed the kitchen to wrap his arms around her and kiss her.

'Morning.' He said against her lips, an infectious smile spreading across them. 'Happy anniversary, Mrs Potter.'

'Happy anniversary, Mr Potter.' Ginny said back, pressing her lips against his once more.

'You know, you could have woken me up.'

'And what? Have you miss out on the first sleep-in you've had in weeks? I think not, Potter, I want you rested for today.'

'Something in mind?'

'Oh many, many things.'

Many, many things had led to Ginny and Harry back in bed wrapped in the bedsheets and each other. The morning sun streaming in through the open window blinds. Harry lightly ran his fingers up and down Ginny's spine as she lay against his chest, eyes closed.

'You know, you should take more days off like this.' She said with her eyes closed, listening to Harry's steady heartbeat.

'Ah yes, I always aspired to be an absentee department head.'

Ginny was sure if she had been looking at him she would have seen his eyes roll.

'Oh please, Harry, if I wasn't there at the ceremony and was, you know, the one you married, I'd say you're married to the job.'

Harry didn't respond to her jibe but continued to run his hand up and down her spine, falling into a peaceful silence.

'I could stay here all day.' Harry eventually murmured, but to Ginny it reverberated around her. She opened her eyes to find Harry's green ones watching her.

Ginny scoffed.

'Bullshit. You can't stay still for longer than an hour.'

A mischievous grin spread across his face.

'Oh, Mrs Potter, I have no intention of staying still.'

'Oh you're insatiable, Harry Potter.'

'Only for you.'

Ginny swotted at his chest and moved to sit up. Harry made no attempt to help her up, in fact, Ginny was quite sure that his hand at her back was trying to keep her down.

'I would rather do more than spend the day in bed, Harry. As much as I do enjoy it. We so rarely get time off together, love.' Harry opened his mouth to speak but Ginny quickly interrupted him. 'That doesn't involve the kids calling by or any of the family. Or some work related function.' She added.

Harry closed his mouth and pursed his lips, nodding to himself as he laid his head back against the pillows. Slowly a smile spread across his face as he looked back at Ginny.

'Well, you know, I heard the 'Life and Times of Gilderoy Lockheart: The Musical' is in town.'

Ginny narrowed her eyes at her husband's words.

'You wouldn't dare.'

'Hey, it has great reviews. Wasn't it that co-worker of yours - what was it Imelda Hawkins? - who wrote that article saying it was 'the theatrical trailblazer of this generation '.'

'No. That was Esmeralda and don't get me started on her. You know she wanted to run a piece on how Ron and Neville are secretly having an affair and are going to run away together to Fiji?.'

'Bet Ron would have loved that, hasn't he been trying to get Hermione to take a holiday for the last two years?'

'Another family member who's married to the job. And at this rate, Potter, it may be your only marriage if you so even think of dragging me to that Lockheart crap.'

'I guess it's a good thing I got us tickets to go see Artemis and the Billywigs'

Ginny sat up straight, her brows furrowed. She had planned on getting tickets herself but had had no luck. Artemis and the Billywigs had become one of her and Harry's favourite bands over the last five years after Albus had played their debut album on repeat for the entire Christmas holidays of his fourth year. Unfortunately for him, and perhaps fortunately for his dormmates, Albus left the record behind and Ginny and Harry found themselves playing it when they'd be cooking dinner, having a coffee in the morning, winding down in the evening. Since then the band had blown up and it was next to impossible to get tickets.

'But they've been sold out for weeks.'

Harry smiled smugly, stretching his arms to rest behind his head.

'Yeah, well, contrary to what Hermione will have you believe, I am actually capable of planning things, you know. Besides, no one says no to the 'Saviour of the Wizarding World'.'

Ginny reached out and smacked him on the chest with the back of her hand.

'You are unbelievable!'

Harry winked at her.

'And I have us booked in for dinner at Antoine's beforehand.'

Antoine's had been their restaurant for the entirety of their relationship. It had been where Harry had asked her to move in with him, it was where they had their rehearsal dinner for their wedding. Ginny had informed Harry that she was pregnant with James over a Thursday dinner at Antoine's. And when Albus and Lily had each came along, they celebrated their birthdays with dinner there, before they went to Hogwarts at least.

Ginny smiled at him. It was perfect, much better than anything Lockheart related.

'Well, that sounds like a wonderful evening. I, on the other hand, have us booked into the spa at Lionsbridge House for lunch and massages. Our appointment is for twelve so we have just over an hour to get there.'

Ginny laid back on their bed beside Harry. He grabbed her hand and brought it up to his face to kiss it.

'Oh, I forgot to tell you the best part.'

'And what would that be?'

Once again Harry's grin turned mischievous. It reminded her of how he would smile at her when they'd sneak down a secret passage or behind a tapestry to hide from Ron, Hermione and the rest of the world during her fifth year.

'Well, I told James to find somewhere to crash for the night. So we have the whole house to ourselves.'

'Harry!'

'What? As if he needs any encouragement to spend the night at Margy's.'

Ginny shook her head at him.

'You just don't like her because she has your aunt's name.'

'She wasn't my aunt, thankfully.'

'Well, I think she's delightful. And much more tolerable than Fleur was when she first came along.'

'Fleur wasn't that bad, Gin.' Harry said.

'Oh please, Harry. She was all French and pompous and Veela-like.'

'Not that this should even matter but she's Canadian not French.'

Oh whatever. I really don't know what you have against her.'

'I mean not everyone understood why I had an indescribable mistrust for Roland Thornton but it turned out he was smuggling controlled substances through the Floo network from Norway.'

'Oh let it go, Harry. Marguerite is a perfectly charming, young woman. James could do a lot worse than her.'

'He could do a lot better.' Harry mumbled under his breath.

'What was that dear?'

'Oh nothing. I'm going to have a shower. Care to join me?'

Ginny didn't need to be asked twice. Harry threw the cover off and stood up quickly. He grinned back at Ginny and then winced, clutching at his chest. A hiss escaped his clenched teeth.

'Harry?'

'It's nothing.'

'Harry.'Ginny said much more firmly.

'I must have stood up too fast.'

'And what, had a heart attack? What's wrong?'

'It's nothing, just a twinge. It's already gone. Come on.'

Ginny watched him walk into their ensuite bathroom, a frown on her face. She had noticed him make a similar motion just two evenings before when he stepped out of their fireplace. Surely he would tell her if something was wrong.

'The water won't stay hot forever, love.' Harry called from the bathroom, the sound of water carrying through the room.

Ginny rolled her eyes.

'You're a wizard, darling, of course it will.'

Nevertheless she got up to join him.

Sunday, April 20th 2025

Easter had never been one of Ginny's favourite holidays growing up, it was simply there. Sure she enjoyed the excuse to eat extra chocolate but it had never been the holiday she looked forward to the most. As a parent, however, she always enjoyed watching her children compete with their cousins to find all the little eggs that had been hidden in the garden behind her parents house (and if she was being honest, compete with the gnomes who were all too keen to take part in the hunt). Now that the time for egg hunts had passed, she looked forward to Easter as a time to catch up with her family and some friends, as it was getting more and more difficult to get everyone in one place.

This Easter found all the Potters at the Burrow, as Lily decided to spend Easter break at home. Ginny doubted she would be making the trip home next year with N.E.W.T.s. Lily was in the sitting room with Roxanne catching up with Rose, who had graduated from Hogwarts the year before. James had disappeared somewhere in the orchard behind the Burrow with Marguerite. Ginny tried not to think what they might be up to. And Albus was sitting on a bench in the garden with Bill and Charlie, discussing tales of their great escapades.

Ginny smiled and walked over to where Harry was helping Ron set up the large table in the garden for dinner. Hermione was sat in a reclining chair close by with a mug in her hand, her sunglasses covering her eyes.

'I see you're making sure they don't mess up.'

Hermione let the glasses slide down her nose as she observed Ginny with a smile.

'Oh Merlin, no. I'm on my holidays for the next six days and I intend to do absolutely nothing .' She pushed the glasses back up her nose and took a sip of her drink. 'Saying that, I would prefer that the table was set up correctly so I can enjoy dinner, so….' She trailed off as she motioned her hand in the direction of their husbands.

Ginny squinted at the glass suspiciously.

'Have any more of that?' She asked, nodding to the drink.

'Of course. Anything for my favourite sister-in-law. Pull up a chair.'

Before Ginny could take out her wand, a chair appeared beside Hermione, she turned around but Harry was already back to setting up the table with the Easter decorations that her mother had handed him. Ginny clinked her mug with Hermione's as she settled into her chair. Wine was Hermione's favourite and Ginny was thankful that her sister-in-law had impeccable taste.

Ginny sighed.

'Do you remember when they were all small and we used to have egg hunts for them?' Ginny asked as she watched her brother and her husband compete to outdo each other with extravagant and unnecessary wand movements.

'Do you remember when they were small and couldn't talk back?' Hermione replied as she took another sip of her wine.

'Hugo?'

Hermione shook her head.

'Rose. You know I thought when they finished Hogwarts they moved out? Merlin knows I did.'

'Hermione, you went on a four month holiday to Australia to find your parents. I don't think that counts. Why? What's been happening?'

'Oh you know, the usual. Criticising my government decisions. All of them. Reckons she would do a better job if she were in office. Oh and that she would be embarrassed to look in the mirror if she were me with the way I'm running things.' Hermione smiled as Ron looked back at her after a particularly over exaggerated flick of his wand had made the streamers land on Harry.

'No.' Ginny gasped.

'Oh, yes. All because I told her her suggestion to have a magizoologist go into infestation zones of magical beasts and safely rehome them was ridiculous. A) because not all magizoologists are trained in capturing aggressive creatures, b) it's what the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures does to the best of their capabilities and c) we legally can't remove native species from specific areas even with a sanctuary or the likes in place.' Hermione paused to take a long drink of her wine. 'She didn't like that answer at all.

'Oh, Hermione..'

'Oh I'm not finished. Then, she said that the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures should be disbanded because its barbaric. Which, I'll give it to her, it is. But what happens if we get another Fenrir Greyback? Hm? Who's sole mission in life is to infect as many people as possible with lycanthropy? Or perhaps a Hippogriff that has contracted Oxinlunis? They go rabid after two days and will even attack their own kind. I don't like it but these extreme cases are instances where it is necessary.'

'Oh, your house must be a riot.'

'You have no idea how lucky you are that James has a girlfriend.'

'Don't worry, Hermione, we'll find Rose a girlfriend.'

"Girlfriend. Boyfriend. One way ticket to South America. I'm all ears.'

'Oh you don't mean that.'

Hermione sighed and took another drink from her mug.

'No, you're right. I don't. Maybe just a one way train ticket somewhere.'

'Hermione.' Ginny scolded

'What's going on here?' Ron asked, walking over to the two relaxing witches with Harry close behind.

'Oh your wife is just informing me of the delightful conversations she and her first born do have.'

'Oh stop. Honestly! I'm so glad we're here today we can put a whole table between them. You know when I said Rosie had her mother's brains I didn't realise she'd get her stubbornness too-'

'-Excuse you-'

'Mead Harry?'Ron asked, a cheeky smile on his face as he met his best friend's eye.

'Alright then.' Harry said with a laugh as Ron all but ran back to the kitchen.

'The absolute cheek! My stubbornness? Have you met the man? Oh no, she is all Ronald!' Hermione fumed.

Harry made a chair appear beside Ginny and sat down.

'Some things never change.' He muttered, so only Ginny could hear.

'What was that?' Hermione enquired sitting forward in her seat and almost spilling her wine with her swiftness.

'I said, isn't it strange? How quiet it is, remember when they were younger and if it got this quiet we all panicked because it usually meant James and Freddie were up to something.'

'And if it wasn't them it meant Roxanne, Hugo and Lily were.' Ginny replied with a laugh.

'I suppose we're lucky Roxy and Fred never teamed up together?' Hermione said as she settled back into her chair. Ginny watched as she narrowed her eyes at Ron returning with two more mugs.

'Mum said it should be ready in about ten minutes.'

Hermione opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Harry

'Oh I've missed her cooking.I missed the last dinner because of work and boy did Ginny make me jealous by describing each and every item she ate.'

Ginny smiled as she caught Harry's eye.

'Well I had to make sure you didn't miss the next one.'

'Speaking of not seeing you in so long, how was your anniversary?' Hermione quipped.

Feel free to not go into too much detail, though. I'd like to keep my appetite.' Ron interjected.

'Oh it was wonderful. Harry got us tickets to Artemis and the Billywigs.'

'No way!' Ron said.

'Ron, I told you about that.' Hermione said as she smacked his arm gently.

'Did you?'

Hermione rolled her eye

'Anyways, Ginny, go on.' Hermione motioned for her to continue.

'Anyways, we went to that spa that Hannah recommended and got these amazing massages. Oh Merlin, you've got to try their hot stone massage. I honestly felt like I left my body. Then we went for dinner at Antoine's and then the concert. For a Tuesday, it was pretty amazing.'

'And I kicked James out of the house.' Harry said with a grin as he looked at Ron, winking. Ron almost choked on his mead at the information.

'Mate! I didn't need to know.' Ron spluttered.

'Oh, grow up, Ron.' Hermione scolded.

'I couldn't face James the next morning, I actually avoided the kitchen for three days before I had to face him.' Ginny said.

'Oh come on, Gin. He doesn't still think he just appeared under a cabbage patch now, does he?' Harry said looking at Ron who coughed once again around the mead he had just drank.

The three laughed as Ron wiped furiously at the mead that was dripping from his chin.

'Oh Ronald.' Hermione said as she stood up to help him clean his face, conjuring a face cloth.

'Cabbage patch?' Ron stared incredulously at his sister and brother-in-law.

'Oh it's a running joke at this stage, James asked Harry where babies come from, I think it was when I was pregnant with Lily. And I guess he panicked and said under a head of cabbage. I don't know how he factored in the correlation with my ballooning stomach into it.' Ginny said, laughing at the memory.

'Mate.'

'Aright, well what did you say?' Harry questioned.

'Well, we explained it all to them, obviously.' Hermione said, sitting back in her chair, smugly.

'And you wonder why you don't get on with them now?' Ginny asked, watching Hermione's reaction. Her face turned bright red, Ginny imagined that if it were possible steam would have blown out her ears.

'Now listen here-'

'That might actually explain some things, now that I think about it.' Ron nodded.

'Ron! Don't side with them!'

'You didn't even explain the funny part, Gin.' Harry interrupted. Ginny looked at him in confusion. 'When we went to that amusement park, with Teddy?'

Ginny racked her brains but for the life of her could not recall such a day. She shook her head.

'No? Well, James decided to share with Teddy what he had learned but I think he waited until they were getting their faces painted.'

The memory flashed through Ginny's mind and embarrassment flooded through her.

'Oh no.'

Harry smiled at his reddening wife.

'Ah, you remember now. So James at that age, as you know, had a slight speech impediment, he really struggled with big words and his R's. Somewhere along the way he got it in his head that it was a carrot patch and so he, loudly, I might add, informed Teddy while he was getting, I think it was a zebra painted, that he knew where babies came from and that they came from the ca-unt patch.'

'No!' Ron gasped.

'He didn't!'Hermione added, her eyes wide.

'Oh he did.' Ginny said. She took a large drink from her mug, thankful that she at least had alcohol to accompany that particular memory. 'You don't understand the pain in the silence that followed but that wasn't as bad as the judgement. Every single one of those mothers, judging me.'

'It was hilarious.'

'Yeah you were no help, I remember that part no problem. You took Al and disappeared for like what, an hour.'

'-It was twenty minutes-'

'-I had to wait for Teddy to get his face done before I could escape. Oh, the absolute mortification of it all, and all because you panicked and made up some stupid story about babies and cabbage.'

They all laughed at the story, none more than Harry. Only for Ginny had caught his eye a moment before, did she notice his wince. His hand twitched in his lap as if he meant to move it but stopped at the last second. Her smile fell and she stared at him. He avoided her eyes as he looked out across the decorated lawn.

Fleur walked out from the kitchen towards their group, a mug of presumably alcohol in her hand.

'What was that?' Ginny whispered to Harry whileRon and Hermione were conversing with Fleur.

'Hmm?'

His face was a perfect mask of emotions, the perfect act of innocence.

'Harry?'

'What?'

She finally caught his eye.

'What's wrong?'

'It's nothing. Just a twinge.'

He smiled in an attempt to reassure her but it did little good. Ginny felt her brow pull together as she frowned.

'It's not nothing. That's the fifth time this week, Harry.'

'It's fine, Ginny.' He held her gaze as he said this.

'What are you two whispering about?' Ron called over to them.

Harry smiled good-naturedly.

'Apparently, I forgot to put the clothes out before we left.'

'Harry.'Ginny scolded.

'Aww come on Gin. It's an honest mistake, we all make it. Besides, Fleur said Bill brought the firewhiskey Charlie sent him from has it up in his old room, you coming?'

'Yeah!' Harry started to get up until Ginny yanked on his arm hard, pulling him back onto his chair.

'In a moment, Ron.' Ginny interjected, narrowing her eyes at her husband.

Ron shook his head as he followed Fleur and Hermione into the house. Ginny waited until she was sure they wouldn't be overheard.

'It's not nothing. You're being ridiculous, Harry. I don't care what meetings you have, you're taking tomorrow off or the week off , I don't care. We're going to St. Mungo's and you're going to get that checked out.'

'You are overreacting, Gin.'

'There's something clearly wrong, Harry.'

'I told you, it's nothing. I was an Auror for twenty years. I'm bound to have aches.'

'Alright then, how bout this. Go to St. Mungos and get checked out, yeah? And if i'm wrong and you're perfectly healthy i'll do all the chores for the next three months.'

Harry rolled his eyes at her.

'This is ridiculous, Gin.'

'What? Too chicken to make the bet, Potter? Guess you know I'm right then.'Ginny smirked.

'Oh in your dreams, Potter. I'm going to enjoy the next three months. What will I do with all that free time? Maybe I'll write a book.'

Harry stood and waited for her to stand too before waving his wand and vanishing the extra chairs. They made their way towards the back door of the Burrow.

'I will happily be wrong but you, Potter, have an annoying habit of not putting your health first.' Ginny said, wrapping her arm around Harry as they walked.

Harry scoffed.

'For the last time, I wasn't aware that a rash was one of the symptoms of dragon pox.' Harry said.

'If I'm right, I want that weekend away in Italy that you've been promising me for the last four years. And by the way, the rash being green and purple, yeah, that's a dead giveaway.'

'Fine. Fine. I'll go in the morning.'

'We'll go in the morning. I've got to make sure I actually see you enter the place, dear.' Ginny smiled reaching up to kiss Harry.

Harry shook his head at his wife and kissed her. He went to open the door, when it swung open, nearly hitting him in the face. He stood back sharply as Hermione walked through with two mugs in her hand, Ron following.

'Here,' Hermione said as she thrust the extra cup to Ginny. 'It's fresh pumpkin juice.' She winked.

Ginny grinned back at her. Hermione looked back over her shoulder into the kitchen. Music drifted out of the room towards the four.

'I honestly don't think I could get through the 'Celestina Warbeck: Easter Spectacular' without this.' Hermione whispered to her.

'You'd think the old bat would start to lose her voice at her age.'

'We can only live in hope.'

Both women sniggered.

'Saw Teddy's here, did he say anything?' Harry asked as he stood closer to the women. A similar mug to Ginny's was in his hand.

Hermione frowned.

'Yeah. Saw him just as we came down the stairs. Why was he supposed to? What do you know?'

Harry laughed, it sounded slightly panicked to her ears.

'Oh me? Nothing, as my dear wife likes to remind me.'

Ginny frowned.

'Why would Teddy need to tell Hermione something? What did he do?' Ginny asked.

'Haven't the foggiest.' Harry replied avoiding all eye contact.

'Harry.'

Harry whipped his head back into the house.

'Hey, is that Percy calling me? Got to go.'

Ginny watched her husband scramble back into the house. She shook her head.

'What do you reckon it is?' Hermione asked as they ventured further away from the house and dulcet tones of Celestina Warbeck and closer to the table where some of her nieces and nephews had already congregated.

And idea suddenly occurred to Ginny and she stopped walking, grabbing on to Hermione's arm.

'Do you think he proposed?' She whispered.

Hermione's eyes widened.

Surely he would have said Teddy and Victoire then? No, no, no. A pregnancy, maybe?'

'Again that would be both of them.' Ginny let go of her arm and they continued walking. 'Maybe he got a promotion?'

Hermione shook her head.

'No, that's not Easter announcement worthy, is it?'

'Guess we'll have to wait and see.' Ginny said.

They sat beside each other at the table at the opposite end of the table to the youngsters. Ginny noticed Rose give her mother the side eye as Hermione refused to look in her direction.

'Oh, whatever it is, I do hope it's before Celestina is forced upon us.' Hermione said.

Ginny shared a smile with her.

'Would we ever be so lucky?' She quipped.

This was originally posted on HPFF many, many years ago under my old username 'Lexi Black' but revisiting the story and reposting it here. As always all right reserved to JK Rowling besides any obvious OC's.