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Harry had always loved fall.
When he was a child, it was the start of the school year. While he still had a list of chores to accomplish in the evenings, that still meant at least six hours where he was out of the house. If he was lucky and he knew the daily chore list was short, he could stretch it an extra hour or two in the library after school.
The addition of magic in his life only increased his love of fall. He lived each summer counting down days and praying September 1st would come faster. Even after learning the date of his parent’s death, he could not help but love the time of year where long summer days faded into shorter, cooler fall ones.
Now that he was out of school (and war and childhood), he still couldn’t help the peace he felt each year when the weather began to cool and the leaves began to change colors. Perhaps he would change his mind once the children in his life grew older and fall signified the time they would be leaving. Perhaps by that time he would be able to let go of his need to personally ensure that everything was safe and protected, and make the career change from auror work to teaching that had increasingly been on his mind. Regardless, for now he loved fall and to celebrate the quiet peace he felt each year he embraced the seasonal events wholeheartedly.
Today was a perfect fall day. The air was crisp, the sky was blue, and there was a slight breeze that cut more than expected when it was able to sneak into light jackets. Harry had a permanent smile on his face as he walked hand-in-hand with Teddy, strolling through the orchard in pursuit of “the perfect apple.” Harry was not sure what constituted the perfect apple, but he was content to wander until Teddy found it. He admired the green of the leaves, broken up by the cheerful red of apples. Teddy’s hair had been in a permanent teal, with the occasional flash of apple red or green when he spotted a new variety in the orchard.
Perhaps after finding the perfect apple, they’d check out the charming cafe cart set up outside the entrance to the orchard. The hot chocolate and spiced apple donuts had smelled delicious on the way in, and Harry thought it would be the perfect ending to this perfect fall day. He knew that Andy had planned on him staying for a dinner of butternut squash soup and crusty homemade bread when they returned to bring Teddy back home that evening. Harry loved being Teddy’s godfather to begin with but an additional perk had been his friendship with Andy as a result. She had always welcomed him into her home, even when he was a freshly traumatized teenage war veteran who felt lost and aimless right after the war ended. When he showed up the first time she had promptly pressed a warm sleeping Teddy into his unprepared arms and then disappeared into the kitchen to make a home cooked meal. While Harry still loved and spent frequent evenings in the Weasley’s home (despite deciding to be just friends with Ginny), he had built what felt like his own small family with Andy and Teddy.
Harry was brought suddenly out of his thoughts by a sharp tug on his hand by an excited six year old.
“Harry! Look!” Teddy exclaimed, pointing to an apple that shone ruby red in the bright afternoon sunlight. His hair flashed a perfectly matching red, causing Harry to smile fondly at him. “It’s perfect, can we pick it?”
Harry released Teddy’s hand to ruffle his red hair, then grabbed him in a brief side hug. “Of course we can. I reckon that’s the best looking apple in this entire orchard Teds. Good spot.”
Teddy beamed, and then started pulling Harry over to the tree. Harry anticipated that once they arrived under it he would be enlisted into lifting Teddy up onto his shoulders so that he could reach the apple. He smiled and followed along. He took a deep breath of the crisp autumn air, and savored the feeling of being in such a peaceful setting with his godson. It had been a long journey to get there but looking at Teddy’s carefree, excited response to finding the perfect apple on a perfect fall day gave Harry the satisfying feeling that it had all been worth it to get to here. All was well.