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Ginny sat on a plastic garden chair on the patio at the back of the cottage, nursing a glass of iced lemonade. She took a deep breath, and allowed the June sunshine to warm her skin, stretching her legs out in front of her and lifting her face to the sky. The whole summer seemed to stretch out in front of her - the season was done, the Harpies had finished a creditable fourth. Rest and relaxation beckoned, for a little while at least.
If she listened closely, she could just about hear the sea, gently lapping at the shore, just beyond the hedge at the end of the garden. High overhead, seagulls cawed and wheeled, and there was just the faintest tang of saltwater in the air. It was difficult to overstate just how much she loved this place. Oh, Grimmauld Place was fine , particularly since the renovations got completed, but Ginny had always been a country girl at heart, and there was just something very special about this stretch of the Welsh coast, as far west as you could go. It felt like being at the very edge of the world, a place of big skies and even bigger seas, beautiful in its isolation. That, she thought, was probably what Harry loved most about it.
No one bothered them here. Yes, of course, they had every ward and protection known to wizard kind, but barely anyone ever ventured out this way anyway, barring the occasional Muggle walking their dog along the beach. Otherwise, there was nothing here but peace and quiet - the perfect refuge from the constant noise, stress and pressure of each of their chosen professions.
Of course, the moment that particular thought crossed her mind, the peace and quiet was utterly shattered, by the shrieks of an over-excited five-year-old accompanied by his godfather, making their way back from the beach. Teddy’s hair was bright yellow, a sure sign of the heady mix of happiness and excitement that accompanied much of a weekend stay in Pembrokeshire.
“Can I go on the trampoline now, Harry?” he asked. “ Please? I promise I won’t bounce too high! Just for a little while?”
“Okay, okay!” Harry held up his hands in mock surrender, although of course Ginny knew perfectly well his answer had never been in doubt. “Just until Granny comes to take you home.”
“Yay! Best day ever!” yelled Teddy, dashing towards the corner of the garden where Harry had installed the trampoline. “Come on with me Harry! Let’s bounce together!”
Ginny suppressed a laugh. When Harry had explained the Muggle concept of a garden trampoline to her, she had been incredulous, let alone when he insisted on buying one for Teddy. There was, after all, a wide selection of Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes products that would have produced a similar effect, but Harry had insisted. Eventually, after much prodding, he had confessed that he had always been jealous of the one that Dudley had at Privet Drive one summer, which Harry was, predictably, banned from using. Ginny had subsequently teased him repeatedly with the suggestion that the trampoline was as much for Harry himself as it was for Teddy.
Harry looked up at her, as he trailed after Teddy towards the trampoline. He waved, and gave her one of those crooked grins that still made her heart skip, no matter how many years had passed. Seeing her laughter, he shrugged, wordlessly telling her that yeah, okay. You got me.
Teddy was leaping higher and higher, giggling as Harry joined him, and used his own weight in counterbalance to catapult Teddy into the air. Teddy squealed with delight, though Harry’s own face was no less joyful. Even a perfect stranger would have been under no doubt that he adored the little boy
Just then, Teddy veered just a touch too close to the springs at the edge, and in a flash, Harry’s hand was at his back, gently guiding away before Teddy even really knew it had happened. There was no real danger given the number of cushioning charms that had been cast ‘ just in case’ , but watching them, Ginny felt a warmth spread through her chest, and a contented smile settled on her lips.
She remembered being more than a bit daunted at taking on caring for Teddy (albeit on an occasional and very much second-fiddle basis), in the aftermath of the battle. Back then, she was still mourning Fred, dealing with her own trauma and attempting to repair her relationship with Harry, even before adding an actual baby into the mix. It had been a lot . Now, she wouldn’t have it any other way. Seeing Harry with his godson, all the time, energy and patience that he had for the little boy, brought her so much joy that she wondered if her chest could burst with it.
Checking her watch, Ginny saw it was close to four o’clock; Andromeda would be arriving soon. Harry would be disappointed to have to say goodbye for Teddy, but Ginny was pretty sure she would be able to cheer him up.
She wondered exactly how she would phrase it, when the time came. She didn’t have long to decide - only until the green flames signalling Teddy’s departure died down in the fireplace, she reckoned. If she kept it to herself any longer, she was worried she might actually explode, and she decided just to trust that she would find the right words when she needed to.
She glanced back down the garden one more time, to see Andromeda at the gate, and Harry helping Teddy down from the trampoline. Without even realising it, Ginny’s hand moved gently to settle on her stomach, and the smile became a grin as one thought swirled into her head with absolute certainty.
He’s going to make a brilliant dad.