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SIYE Time:12:17 on 29th March 2024
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First Gifts
By LadyTonks

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Category: Post-HBP
Characters:None
Genres: Fluff
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 13
Summary: Ginny Weasley treasured these things above all of her possessions...
Hitcount: Story Total: 5574





Author's Notes:
I wrote this one shot for the HP/GW OTP One Magical Year Challenge. It is just an ickle plot bunny that has been hopping about.
Much thanks, as always, to The Order of the Phonics: Crack Beta Squad. This story wouldn't have been possible without Roz and her brave, bold Beta job. Big hugs to Taj for pointing out a flagrant Americanism or two...




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The Burrow was unusually silent. Of course, it was Wednesday afternoon. Mum was out shopping and dad was at work. Besides, Ginny was the only Weasley child who still lived at home. She sighed as she continued to sort through nineteen years of personal treasures.

It was nearly time. She couldn’t believe it. By this time on Saturday, she would be Mrs. Ginny Potter!

‘Well,’ she thought to herself, ‘I best crack on then!’ and with that, she pushed a stool over to her wardrobe to reach the top-most shelf.

Ginny knew it would be easier just to use her wand and be done with the packing. But she wanted this to last just a bit longer. She was saying goodbye to her childhood after all.

Of course, she had really said goodbye to her childhood long ago, when she was only eleven years old, courtesy of Voldemort’s diary. She had nearly got herself and others killed. But, her hero came and saved her. And, at the end of the war, it was Harry who had saved them all. A smile tugged at the corner of Ginny’s lips when she thought of how fairy tales really do come true. Sometimes, it just takes a few years or so for it all to get sorted out.

Ginny attempted to take down a large wooden box from the shelf. It was too heavy. As she and the box tumbled to the floor, Ginny swore to herself, ‘Curse it to Slytherin!’

Standing up and rubbing her back, Ginny squinted through the haze of dust that was now hanging in the room. She saw the contents of the crate had strewn itself everywhere. Splendid. Now she had to clean all of that up as well as finish packing. She had plans with Harry in a little while. Things had been so hectic with the planning of the ceremony and reception. Plus, they had been setting up their little cottage in Hogsmeade. The young couple barely had time for a quick kiss in the last month. Harry and Ginny really needed this time alone to regroup before the madness of "The Wedding" began.

Ginny started to gather her childhood treasures and laid them out, one by one, on her bed. She came across the first doll that her mother had ever made her. The doll’s red hair had faded to a pale orange with the passage of time. She blushed as she remembered that the doll was named after the redheaded heroine of Ginny’s favorite bedtime story.

She straightened Lily’s tattered dress and moved to the next object. It was a bit of parchment that contained Ginny’s first clumsy attempts at writing. She must have been practicing animal names, because the words crudely scrawled across the aged paper were “cat”, “bat”, and “owl”.

There were so many things that Ginny didn’t have the time to muse over everything. She quickly began to toss mementos on her bed, barely stopping to recognize what they were. But a few things did make her stop for a moment and indulge in memories. A chipped and worn child’s tea set reminded Ginny of her grandmother and the hours they spent sipping pretend tea and wearing garishly decorated witch’s hats. Ginny’s favorite had been the bright yellow one with the stuffed canary atop.

She found the detailed, diagrammed drawings of garden gnomes that Percy had given her. Ginny had to stop to wipe away the tears that formed as she remembered her studious brother and how, after being estranged from the family for so long, he had thrown himself in front of an Avada Kedavra curse meant for their father. Percy would have been so proud of his posthumous Order of Merlin award.

Ginny shook herself slightly and continued to pick up all of her memories, occasionally casting Reparo at objects damaged from the fall. She then came across a broken toy broom George had given her. The toy had actually belonged to Fred and it was Ron who broke it. She tried not to smile when she remembered how Fred, out of revenge, transfigured Ron’s Teddy into a spider.

George, with his sense of humor and slight shyness (shy compared to his twin, that is), was now seeing her close friend, Luna Lovegood. They would be attending Harry and Ginny’s wedding together. If Ginny’s instincts were right, and they usually were about these things, it wouldn’t be too long until she and Harry were attending George and Luna’s nuptials.

Looking at her watch, Ginny realized that she needed to speed up this project. She quickly headed back over to the now mostly empty crate. She peered into it and found a stack of worn schoolbooks from her first year at Hogwarts. Most of them were beyond repair and gave off a damp, moldy smell reminiscent of the Potion’s classroom in the Hogwarts dungeon. She made quick work of banishing them.

At the very bottom, wrapped in a rich green velvet cloth were the most prized gifts Ginny had ever received. Ginny smiled as she levitated these treasures out of the box and directed them ever so carefully onto her desk. She sat down and cast a quick Scourgify on her hands. Then, she lovingly peeled back the fabric. It really was silly, she knew. Most people would have burned them, but no matter. They were hers. She could almost smell his spicy, earthy smell. She leaned in for a closer whiff and…

”What’s this? Already sitting down on the job? And here I though you would be in a rush to finish just to be with me.”

Ginny jumped with surprise, turned quickly and saw an amused Harry walking towards her, carrying a bunch of wild flowers. He handed her the bouquet and bent down for a quick kiss.

“You gave me such a start there, Harry! Finished up early at the Ministry?” Ginny asked, breathing in the sweet scent of the blooms and then conjuring a vase.

“I barely escaped, actually. I finished filing all of my paperwork with Shacklebolt. Then Hermione caught me sneaking out early and tried to convince me to be the spokeswizard for her newest crusade, SPAMAC.”

“SPAMAC?”

“Yes, the Society for the Protection of All Magical Creatures. Sounds like a bad Muggle casserole to me. Anyway, can you believe that she actually has giants and dragons on her list of oppressed beasts? She says that they were both manipulated in the war and wants to ensure that never happens again.”

“What did you tell her?” Ginny asked.

“I told her that I would have to discuss it with my wife, after our wedding.”

Ginny giggled and then turned back to her desk. She felt herself redden slightly as she realized that Harry might see her things and ask questions. Best to just pack them away nonchalantly and maybe he wouldn’t notice.

But Ginny’s hopes were dashed when Harry wrapped his arms around her from behind. Kissing the top of her head, he asked cheekily, “Ginny, do you have something going on with Gilderoy Lockhart? Should I be worried? Should we cancel the wedding?”

“No, of course not. I was just going through my things and came across the books and…” Ginny had trailed off, not quite knowing how to explain this to him.

There was an awkward silence. Ginny was so embarrassed that she scarcely could breathe, let alone think of something to say. Suddenly, Ginny felt Harry’s hug stiffen slightly.

“Oh, Gin. I’m sorry. I can be such a right git sometimes, can’t I?” Harry said.

Confused, Ginny asked, “Sorry? What for?”

“These books…they’ve upset you and I made a joke out of it. I mean, after all that happened in your first year.”

“But, Harry, I…”

“Don’t say another word. Here, let me chuck them in the bin for you.”

“No!” Ginny said with marked urgency in her voice as she wriggled out of Harry’s embrace and blocked the books with her body.

Harry stared at her in surprise. Then he said, “But aren’t those books upsetting you, Love?”


Ginny said in a small, barely audible voice, “No.”

“But Lockhart, that bastard, he was ready to leave you in the Chamber to die. And you kept these books? Merlin, you didn’t just keep them, they look almost brand new. Gin? What’s this all about?” Harry finished, seeming quite confused.

Ginny hesitated slighted and then whispered, “You gave them to me.”

“What?” Harry said, not quite catching what she had said.

Resigning herself to the reality that she would have to explain this, Ginny said, in a slightly shaking but louder voice, “You gave them to me.”

“Yes, I know and I will get rid…”

“No, you don’t understand, Harry. You. Gave. Them. To. Me. As in, The Boy Who Lived gave Ginny Weasley a gift. You could have given them to Ron or Hermione or Fred or George, but you gave them to me.”

It was Harry’s turn to blush when he responded, “Yes, well, I didn’t mean anything by it. I thought you might like something new for you first year. You know that Ron wouldn’t take them and Hermione, well, she had probably bought herself a set and had them memorized by then and the twins, well, that hadn’t honestly occurred to me…”

Ginny looked at him and smiled sadly, “Look. I know now that you didn’t mean anything by the gift. But, at the time, it gave me some hope. You know, like maybe somehow, you fancied me, just a bit? Silly, I suppose, but I had such a crush on you.”

Harry was staring his feet, with his shoulders slumped. Ginny knew that he was feeling badly about her first year. She walked in front of Harry and reached out for his hands.

She smiled up at him and said, “All during my first year, right after those big, blank spaces of time, I would hide in my dormitory and cry. I was so frightened and confused.”

“I’m so sorry.” Harry murmured as he squeezed her hands lightly.

“No, listen. Once I was all cried out, I would take out these books and just sort of hug them to me, one at a time. It made me feel better, some how. I thought of how brave you were. It was like, I don’t know, I got strength from them, from you.”

Harry shook his head violently. “I should have been there for you. I should have known or sensed something. This ruddy scar,” he paused as he released one of Ginny’s hands to point at his forehead, “would hurt whenever he was about. How could I not know?”

Ginny reached up and caressed Harry’s face as she answered him, “Harry, you were a child. So was I. How could you have possibly known what was happening to me? Not even Dumbledore knew what was happening.”

Harry smiled down at her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “I just hate to think how much you suffered.”

“We all suffered, you most of all. But, that’s over now.”

Harry kissed the top of Ginny’s head. They swayed slightly as their embrace tightened, taking solace in the silence of each other’s presence. After a time, Harry guided Ginny over to the bed, sat down and pulled her onto his lap.

“You know, maybe you could chuck those books out for me, after all,” she said.

Harry answered, “But I thought you wanted to keep them. I don’t mind, really. Just, let’s not display them anywhere that anyone can see. I mean, last I heard, Lockhart was still practicing joined up writing.”

Ginny’s arms tightened around Harry, as she said, “No, I think I would rather we chucked them. I have you now. I can just hug you to me anytime I feel sad or scared.”

“Only if I can do the same,” he answered, kissing her on the nose.

“You had better.”

They tumbled together on the bed, laughing. It seemed that a bit on snogging was in order. Quite a lot of snogging, as it turned out.
Reviews 13
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