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Bedtime Stories | ||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:Other, Harry/Ginny Genres: General Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 17 Summary: Ten year old Ginny Weasley sat cross-legged on her bed casting a rather dirty look towards her closed bedroom door; freshly shed tears were drying on her freckled cheeks. "Ron was such an unbelievable prat!" she thought to herself. Hitcount: Story Total: 7218 |
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The following characters are not mine, I have only borrowed them momentarily for a bit of what if... Thank you JKR Ten year old Ginny Weasley sat cross-legged on her bed casting a rather dirty look towards her closed bedroom door; freshly shed tears were drying on her freckled cheeks. “Ron was such an unbelievable prat!” she thought to herself. She had spent the better part of the day making that card for him and all he had done was laugh at it. He thought he was so high and mighty now that he was preparing to leave for his first year at Hogwarts. Why couldn’t the great prat realize what the card had meant to her; it wasn’t a joke. Ron was her last brother left at home, and even thought she hated to admit it, he was also her best friend growing up. She hadn’t wasted her whole day making that card just so he could make fun of her, she had made it because she loved him and would miss him. Bill and Charlie were grown, no longer living at home, and now Ron was leaving to join Fred, George and Percy at school. They were all leaving her, she was now going to be all alone at the Burrow; well she and her mum anyway, but where was the fun in that? Her mum wouldn’t play exploding snap with her when it was raining or turn the cupboard in the kitchen into a cave so they could explore for treasure. All she wanted was for him to realize that she would miss him, why did he have to laugh? The Prat! Ginny’s angry musings were interrupted by a gentle knock at her bedroom door. “GO AWAY!” she yelled furiously at the door “I just want to be left alone!” “Sweetheart, please open the door, it’s just Daddy.” Grudgingly, Ginny got off her bed and padded over to the closed door. Cracking it open just enough to peer out, she glared suspiciously at her dad. She really wasn’t in the mood to be scolded for kicking Ron in the leg; in fact the more she thought about it, the dimwit deserved it. Ginny had just been so hurt when he read the card out loud to Fred and George, laughing as he did. She hadn’t even thought about what she was doing until it was too late. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ When she had gone down for breakfast this morning Ginny had been painfully reminded that today would be the last day she would have at home with her older brother. Ron had been sitting at the table talking in a hushed voice with Fred and George when she had walked into the Burrows kitchen. She had figured the twins were up to no good by the way Ron was intently waving his wand around and decided that she definitely wanted to take part in whatever misdeeds her brothers were currently involved in. Ginny wanted to try and spend as much time as she could with her brothers today, especially Ron, since after tomorrow she wouldn’t get to see any of them until at least the Christmas Holidays. She was greatly dismayed when they had dismissed with nothing more than a “Go play with your dolls Ginny and leave us be, you’re too young for any of this.” Debating on whether or not to tell her mum that they were up to something just to get back at them, Ginny had stalked off in a huff; tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She had not been paying attention to where she was going and had run smack into her mum. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~ Molly placed a loving arm around her youngest as she led her over to sit on the couch. She could easily read the hurt in her daughter’s eyes, knowing in her heart what must be upsetting her so. After all, it wasn’t all that many years ago when she had been left behind by her own brothers. Doing her best to comfort her only daughter, Molly thought she may just have the way to help Ginny deal with her pain. “I know exactly how you’re feeling dear. I was a year younger than you are now when Gideon and Fabian went off to Hogwarts. I remember what it felt like being left behind, the last one left to stay home with my mum. I promise to try and make our time together fun; we will be sure to do lots of interesting things, just us girls. But until then I have an idea that just might help.” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~ Her mum had suggested that she do something to take her mind off the day’s goings on and had thought that making a card for Ron would be the perfect project for just that. She had also assured Ginny that Ron was probably scared about going away from home for the first time and that a card from Ginny might be just what he needed to help make it easier for him. Once her mum had gotten her a quill, parchment and a couple bottles of colored ink, Ginny had set about the task in front of her. She had spent the day locked away in her bedroom making sure the card was just perfect and that it said exactly how she felt about Ron leaving. It had taken her nearly the entire first hour to figure out what she wanted to say and then almost another hour to decide that the best way for her to say it was in the form of a poem. Ginny loved writing poems and had many of them scrawled in the diary Bill had given her two Christmas’s ago. She had also found that writing poems was a great way to deal with the frustrations of living in a house full of clueless boys. It was nearly supper time when she finally sat back and admired her handiwork. Ginny smiled at the picture she had drawn on the cover of the card; she was not nearly as good of an artist as Charlie, but she thought she had drawn a pretty good resemblance of herself and Ron. They were flying on Bill and Charlie’s old brooms around the back paddock of the Burrow; the cartoon Ginny was doing her best to pass the cartoon Ron a Quaffle as they flew towards a distant goal hoop. The drawing had been the easy part; the hard part had been the poem. Ginny frowned as she opened the card and re-read the poem inside for what had to be the hundredth time. Tomorrow my brother is going away, Leaving me here at home to stay. No more days playing with him in the yard, Watching him leave will be so hard. He’s leaving me here all alone, To go and live in a castle of stone. I want him to know that I will miss him so, And I really, really wish he didn’t have to go! Have fun at school. I will miss you. Love, Ginny Deciding she was finally happy with the way it had turned out, Ginny set the card on her bedside table and headed down to dinner. She would give Ron the card before they went to bed that evening. Once dinner was over she helped her mum clean up after the dinner dishes. Ginny loved helping her mum clean up because every once in a while she would be allowed to hold her mum’s wand and perform a simple cleaning charm. This was a secret that she and her mum shared and one that she guarded closely; it was one thing that she was allowed to do that her brothers were never allowed. When all the cleaning was finished Ginny hurriedly ran up to her room and retrieved the card; she was so excited that she nearly tripped coming down the stairs, as she hurried out to the garden where everyone had gathered. Ron was standing by the garden wall chatting once again with the twins. Ginny ran up to him, her arms outstretched; a giddy smile beaming across her face as she handed Ron the card. “Here Ron, I made this just for you. It’s for you going off to school tomorrow.” Ginny nearly shouted, her voice overflowing with excitement. Ron took the card from where she held it out to him, looking intently at the hand drawn picture on the cover. “This is you and me playing Quidditch, right?” Ginny nodded her head happily; he knew exactly what she was trying to draw. “But you don’t even know how to fly.” She frowned slightly at his remark. ‘Yes I do’ she thought, she’d been sneaking out to the shed and nicking her brothers brooms for years and taking them for joy rides; her brothers didn’t need to know that though. Ginny was becoming a bit upset at her brother’s last comment but her excitement quickly returned when Ron opened the card and began reading the poem inside. Happiness bubbled up inside her at the smile that appeared on Ron’s face. That bubble quickly burst though when Ron broke out into a fit of laughter and proceeded to read the poem aloud, both to her horror and the merriment of the twins. She hadn’t even realized she had kicked him until she heard him cry out in pain, muttering a curse under his breath. Without thinking she had turned on her heals and fled to the security of her room. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~ Arthur looked down at his only daughter through the crack in the door; he could see the hurt that had just been inflicted on her shining in her tear glazed eyes. His heart broke for his baby girl. Arthur decided that he would be sure and have a long talk with his youngest son and make sure he knew exactly what he had done wrong. “May I come in punkin?” Arthur asked, trying to give Ginny his best ‘your not in trouble’ smile, as he produced a handful of chocolate biscuits from behind his back. “I’ve got all these biscuits here and no one to share them with.” Ginny continued to peer out through the crack at her father, the hurt look that had been in her eyes fading a bit as a smile began to creep across her face. Opening the door wider for him to enter, Ginny turned around and padded back over to sit on her bed. Taking this as an invitation, Arthur entered his little girl’s room and closed the door behind him. He positioned himself on the bed next to Ginny and handed her one of the biscuits. They sat that way in silence for a few minutes, munching contently on the chocolate sweets, before he felt it necessary to break the silence. “So…” Arthur questioned, shooting his daughter a sympathetic glance. Ginny continued to look down at her feet dangling over the side of the bed seeming to contemplate exactly what she wanted to say. It was another few moments before Ginny raised her head and looked into her daddy’s eyes, tears once again glazing over their brilliant chocolate color. “Ron is such a prat!” she snapped, her tears once again beginning their decent from the corners of her eyes. Arthur continued to sit in silence, looking intently at his little girl, waiting for her to finish expressing her feelings. “I worked so hard to make him that card and all he could do was laugh at it. Why does he have to be so mean?” Finally sensing her need for comfort, Arthur did his best to reassure his baby girl. “I don’t think Ron meant to hurt your feelings sweetheart. Sometimes we boys can be a bit thick when it comes to understanding other people’s feelings.” Arthur placed an arm around Ginny and pulled her into a loose hug. “But why did he have to laugh like that? I mean, I just wanted to let him know how much I would miss him.” Ginny sniffed, her tears slowly coming to an end. “You know punkin, I’ll bet Ron really did like the card you made; he probably just didn’t know how to react to it in front of Fred and George. You know how Ron gets when it comes to expressing his feelings; he generally winds up putting his foot in his mouth.” “I know how he feels all right. He thinks I’m just a silly little girl that he can’t be bothered with now that he’s going off to school. Doesn’t he realize that I’m the one being left behind again?” Ginny pouted. “I don’t think that’s it at all love. I seem to recall that the two of you were pretty inseparable for most of the summer, you were either playing together out back or swimming in the pond.” “Yeah.” Ginny replied, realizing her Daddy was correct. “I just think Ron may be a bit scared about going away even though he may not want to admit it. Sometimes it’s easier to act brave than to really be brave.” “Do you really think he’s scared daddy?’ Ginny asked, a hint of concern creeping into her voice. “In fact, I know he is. Ron is really going to need your help to be brave tomorrow. Do you think you can help him with that?” Ginny sat up straight, a resolute expression set on her face. “Yes I can!” She said firmly, the smile returning to her eyes. “Good, I know Ron will really like that. Now why don’t you put on your pajamas and I’ll tuck you in; we’ve got a long day ahead of us tomorrow and it’s getting late.” Arthur leaned down and placed a kiss on his little girl’s forehead. Standing up, Ginny padded over to her bureau and removed a nightgown from the top drawer. She turned around and shyly looked at her daddy. “Could you turn around so I can change Daddy?” Arthur’s heart broke a little at his daughters request, it was only a few short years ago that she would have changed in front of him without a second thought to it. Now, her modesty at changing in front of him brought the realization at just how grown up his little girl was becoming. Turning around to provide her the privacy she requested, Arthur waited until he heard the tell tale rustle of her duvet as she climbed into bed and under her covers. “How about a bedtime story then?” He suggested “Daddy… I’m a little old for bedtime stories don’t you think?” Ginny giggled “Oh,” He replied sadly “I guess if that’s the way…” “Actually daddy,” Ginny interrupted a little nervously “There is a story that I wouldn’t mind if you told it to me.” “Really now.” The fatherly light returning to his eyes “And what story might that be?” Ginny looked down at her hands shyly, a slight blush rising in her cheeks. “Could you tell me the story of Harry Potter?” Arthur smiled, recognizing the tell tale blush of a childhood crush staining the freckled cheeks of his little girl. “Of course sweetheart, where would you like me to start?” “Hmmm… I know, tell me about his mummy and daddy. Oh, and then tell me about how brave he is and how he saved everyone.” The excitement in Ginny’s voice was only matched by the redness of her cheeks. “Lets see then, when should I start? Hmmm… I know! Once upon a time about sixteen years ago a young wizard by the name of James Potter fell in love with a young witch by the name of Lily Evans while they were at school at Hogwarts. James and Lily were…” “Daddy?” Ginny interrupted, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Yes punkin?” “You and Mummy went to Hogwarts, right?” “Yes, why do you ask?” Arthur questioned, wondering where his daughter was heading with this. “Well, if you and Mummy went to Hogwarts and Harry’s Mummy and Daddy went to Hogwarts, did you know them? Were they nice people?” Ginny finished, looking at him expectantly. “Actually sweetheart, Harry’s Mummy and Daddy were a bit younger than Mummy and me. We were at Hogwarts at different times. We did know them though, and they were both very nice people. Does that answer your question?” “Yes thank you.” Ginny said excitedly, a look of awe shining in her eyes. She could hardly believe that her Mummy and Daddy actually knew Harry Potter’s Mummy and Daddy. She didn’t know if she would ever be able to look at them the same way again. “Now where was I? Oh yes, as I was saying… James and Lily were very nice; they had many friends that loved them very much. James was a handsome and talented wizard with black hair and glasses and Lily was a very smart and very beautiful witch with long red hair and green eyes. In fact sweetheart, other than your pretty brown eyes, you look a lot like her.” Arthur added, Giving Ginny a playful pinch on the end of her nose. “Really?” Ginny gasped, her eyes wide with wonder. “I look like Harry’s Mummy?” “Yes, really; except I think that you are even prettier than she was, and she was very pretty.” Arthur took a moment to look at his little girl; she really was turning into a beautiful young lady. It was going to take a very special wizard to win her heart some day, well at least if he had anything to say about it that is. “Oh Daddy!” Ginny giggled “You have to say that because I’m you daughter.” “Do I now? Well, maybe I am a bit partial, but you are a beautiful young lady; a beautiful, ticklish young lady at that.” Arthur began tickling Ginny at the nape of her neck; after years of their Daddy/Daughter tickle fights he knew this was one of her most ticklish spots. Ginny began laughing uncontrollably, swatting at her daddy’s hands to get him to stop. “Stop…” she laughed “STOP DADDY! No fair!” Arthur stopped tickling and smiled fondly at his daughter. “Are we ready to go on then?” “Please, tell me about Harry Potter now.” Ginny giggled to herself, wondering if Harry Potter would be as handsome as his Daddy. Painting a picture in her mind of a handsome young man with dark hair and glasses, Ginny calmed herself and waited for her Daddy to continue. “Before I go on about Harry, do you remember Mummy and Me telling you about the really bad wizard whose name we never say? You may remember we call him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.” Arthur questioned Ginny pulled the duvet tighter around her small frame and shivered with fear. “Yes Daddy, I remember.” “Good. Now this wizard was a really, really bad wizard who started a war in our world because he hated anyone who wasn’t a pure blood wizard or witch. That bad wizard would hurt muggles or half bloods and even pure bloods who didn’t believe in the same things he did.” Another question surfaced in her ten year old mind, only this time she wasn’t sure how to ask. “Daddy, erm… well… I mean…” “What’s wrong sweetheart?” Looking into her Daddy’s eyes, Ginny mustered the courage to continue. “Well, I was just wondering, was this bad wizard the one that hurt mummy’s brothers?” “Yes dear he was.” Ginny shivered again at this thought, she felt very sad for her Mummy that her brothers were gone. She wondered if they would have been funny like Fred and George, they were twins too if she remembered right. “Would you still like me to finish the story sweetheart?” Arthur asked, concerned that he may be upsetting her. “Yes Daddy, I really want to hear about Harry.” Ginny smiled brightly, the earlier blush returning to her cheeks. “OK then, while all these bad things were going on in our world James and Lily fell deeper in love, graduated from Hogwarts and got married. Then eleven years ago, at a time when the bad wizard was at his worst, James and Lily started their family. They had a baby boy who they loved very much; James and Lily named him Harry.” Arthur saw the light suddenly go on behind Ginny’s brown eyes and paused, waiting for the question he knew was bound to come. “If Harry Potter was born eleven years ago, wouldn’t he and Ron be the same age? Daddy?” Ginny gasped “Do you think that means he will be going to Hogwart’s too?” Maybe if she was lucky she would get to meet him some day; Ginny decided that she would really like that! “He might punkin. I would think that if it were his time to go to Hogwarts that Professor Dumbledore would make sure he was taken care of.” Arthur reached over and mussed Ginny’s hair. “Am I OK to finish?” Yawning, Ginny nodded her head and snuggled a little tighter into her duvet. She could feel her eyes getting sleepy and knew that if she didn’t let her Daddy finish soon she would be asleep before he could. Arthur smiled seeing that sleep would soon overtake his little girl and quickly continued with the story. “James and Lily were both very brave and they had stood up against the bad wizard many times. After Harry was born they went into hiding to protect their baby boy. They knew the bad wizard was looking for them and were afraid for Harry’s safety. James, Lily and Harry hid for a long time. Then, just after Harry’s first birthday, the bad wizard found them. Someone that had been very close to the Potters had betrayed their friendship, telling the bad wizard where they were in hiding. The bad wizard showed up at the house they had been hiding at and surprised them. James and Lily did their best to protect Harry but were unable to stop the bad wizard and lost their lives trying to save his. After the bad wizard had gotten past James and Lily he went after Harry, which is when something amazing happened. Even though the bad wizard was very powerful and had hurt many, many people, there was something about little Harry that stopped him. In the end, the bad wizard could not hurt Harry; instead he wound up being the one who was hurt. Little Harry survived the bad wizard’s attack with only a lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead to show for it. That is how Harry Potter saved everyone from the bad wizard and made our world safe again.” Arthur finished the story of Harry Potter and smiled, watching as his baby girl struggled to keep her eyes open. Ginny was doing her best to stay awake; she had one more question she just had to ask. “Daddy, if Harry Potter made the bad wizard go away, why is everyone still afraid to say his name?” She couldn’t understand why people were still afraid if the bad wizard was gone. “You see sweetheart, the bad wizard made everyone scared for so long that they’re afraid if they say his name they may give him the power to come back.” Arthur greatly hoped that he had explained that so Ginny would understand and not be scared. Ginny giggled with what little energy she had left. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that Daddy.” “And why not may I ask?” Arthur questioned, his curiosity peaked. With a tone of certainty that only a ten year old could possess, Ginny told her Daddy exactly why not. “Because if the bad wizard came back Harry Potter would stop him and make him go away again.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she blushed deeply “I know he would because he’s my hero and I love him for that.” Arthur’s heart swelled at his daughter’s innocence, tears forming in his eyes. “You know punkin, I think you might just be right about that. Now it’s late and we have a busy day tomorrow. Goodnight sweetheart, I love you.” “I love you too Daddy. Good Night.” Ginny watched as her Daddy put out the light and left her room, shutting the door behind him. Closing her eyes, Ginny drifted off to sleep while visions of a handsome young man with dark hair, glasses and a lightning bolt scar saved her; carrying her away to live happily ever after. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~ Ginny followed her brothers as they pushed their trolleys towards Platform 9 ¾. They were running late to meet the Hogwarts Express because Fred and George had hidden Percy’s Prefect’s badge, refusing to give it back until their Mum had threatened to search their school trunks. Ginny knew there was no way the twins would want their Mum going through their trunks, they were most likely full of things their Mum would most definitely not approve of. Even though her brothers were leaving her in mere minutes, Ginny was still happy. Ron had come into her room first thing this morning and apologized for the way he had treated her. He had told her he really did love the card and that he would keep it with him to read whenever he felt homesick. Ginny was remembering their conversation when she spotted the young man that was approaching them. ‘He was kind of cute’ she thought to herself as she noticed his dark hair and glasses. Her young heart skipped as she recalled her dreams from the night before. “Excuse me.” She heard him ask her mum “Hello, dear,” Her Mum had responded “First time at Hogwarts? Ron’s new, too.” Ginny just stared at the young man and smiled, she could vaguely hear her mum explaining to him how to get onto the platform. “In fact,” She corrected herself “He was VERY cute!” ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~ Ginny Potter smiled, feeling a pair of strong arms snake around her waist, as she watched the opaque silver fluid recede back into the stone basin sitting on the table in front of her. “It’s late, what are you still doing up love?” His words were hot against her neck. She gave an involuntary shudder at the thrill of the sensations it sent coursing through her body. It always amazed her that he still, after all the years they had been together, could have that effect on her. Ginny purred in delight and leaned into her husbands embrace. “I couldn’t sleep. Anyway, I could be asking you the same thing, what are you doing up? Don’t you have to be into work early tomorrow?” “Nope, I’m owling in tomorrow morning. I’m sick.” “Are you now? And how exactly are you sick?” Ginny asked, doing her best to sound put out but failing miserably at the attempt. “I’m sick of not being able to spend the entire day in bed with my beautiful wife, so I’m staying home.” He softly whispered in her ear “And so is she.” “Oh really? You know, now that you mention it, I think I may be coming down with something as well. Best we stay in bed and get our rest.” She flirted suggestively Harry squeezed her tighter as he glanced over her shoulder at what she had been doing. “So what were you looking at?” “Just remembering a favorite bedtime story from when I was little.” She said, resting her head against his arms. “I thought it might help to relax me.” “And did it work?” He asked playfully “MmmHmm…” Ginny nodded, relishing in the warmth of her husbands arms around her. “Would I know this story of yours?” “Maybe…” She replied with a hint of cheek in her voice “And does this story have a happy ending?” “You tell me.” Ginny turned in Harry’s embrace and placed her lips to his, kissing him passionately. “Now why don’t you take me to bed so we can work on feeling better.” ~end~ A/N: I hope you enjoyed my little journey into the world of what if. On a side note to anyone that has read my other works, I am hoping to post Chapter Nine of 'The Power Within' shortly. Life has just been very busy lately. I appologize for the delay. Thank You! |
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