This story was written for hpgw_otp's Fortune Cookie challenge on livejournal. The prompt was: Tomorrow take a moment to do something just for yourself. I would like to thank my beta Mudblood_and_Proud_of_it from MNFF for all her help.
And to avoid any sort of confusion, the story is set before the epilogue of DH - four years after the war. Enjoy!
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Spare a Moment | ||||
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Category: Post-DH/PM Characters:None Genres: Fluff, General, Romance Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG-13 Reviews: 5 Summary: Tomorrow take a moment to do something just for yourself. After a long and tiring week at work, Harry is given a day off to relax and get refreshed, but Harry's idea of sparing a moment for himself slightly differs from that of others. How can he rest when he knows he has got to make amends for his past behaviour first? Hitcount: Story Total: 4482 Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work. Author's Notes: |
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Harry stepped out of the lift and walked underneath the familiar sign reading “Auror Headquarters”. Shoving his way towards his desk, he sent papers and files cascading to the floor. He slumped down the chair, bones aching with exhaustion, and his eyes drooping from lack of sleep. He was so tired that he was nearly falling asleep with his head on his desk when he should have been compiling his report. The growing sound of the pouring rain forced him to look out of the enchanted windows. He stared pensively at the dark cloudy sky, as the pattering sound of the rain on the windows continued to fill his ears. It had been like this all week, and he wondered why even the simulated weather had to be gloomy. He had asked Beates of the Magical Maintenance to get it fixed, but he had apparently forgotten. As he watched the raindrops hitting the windowpanes, he reflected on the week gone by. It had been tough week for him — for all the Aurors. They had been tipped off earlier in the week on the possible location of a supposed Death Eater who was still in hiding, and Kingsley had immediately sent the team out on an assignment to hunt them down. The task wasn’t easy, as it involved constantly watching the specified area without any pause. This meant staying up all night as part of the watch and staying away from home till they had managed to catch the suspect. Whatever time he had after his watch was spent completing reports in his office. Not seeing Ginny for so many days was difficult for him, but he had grown used to it by now because it was a part of his job. He heard the door open with a click, as Ron entered holding a long scroll of parchment in his hand and looking just as drained as Harry, with dark circles under his eyes and a stagger in his step. He, too, had been on the same assignment as Harry, and he came into the cubicle motioning towards the door. ‘Time to go, mate,’ he said in a weary tone. ‘Huh - what?’ asked Harry, perplexed. ‘We need to finish this report.’ ‘Oh, I forgot …’ Ron replied, giving Harry an exhausted look. ‘You look absolutely drained. Blimey, you deserve some peace and quiet.’ ‘So do you,’ croaked Harry, pointing at Ron’s drooping eyes. Ron raised his eyebrows slightly as Harry saw the figure of Kingsley Shacklebolt coming towards his cubicle. ‘Harry, Ron,’ Kingley said, thumping each on his shoulder. ‘I am really proud of you two for handling it so well, and I’m not just talking about this assignment, you know. You two have proved to be a great addition to the team all throughout. I just hope you keep going this way, because I see two great Aurors in you.’ Harry felt slightly awkward hearing Kingsley praise them so highly, and he saw Ron’s ears turn pink characteristically. Kingsley had hardly ever said words of such praise to them before, and both Harry and Ron were left bemused by his sudden assertion. ‘Er — thanks, Kingsley,’ Harry said apprehensively. ‘So now that’s out of the way —,’ Kingsley said, smiling slightly. ‘I have an announcement for you. You see, I don’t want my young and enthusiastic Aurors to suffer from over-exhaustion already, so I’m giving you a day off tomorrow. You’ve done a lot for the people, so now is the moment to spare some time for yourselves.’ Ron looked as though he had been refreshed merely by Kingsley’s declaration. There was a twinkle in his eyes, as he looked at Harry gleefully. ‘Are you serious?’ he blurted out finally; Kingsley nodded, grinning. ‘Uh — thanks, Kingsley — you are amazing.’ ‘Oh, well,’ Kingsley said, walking away from the cubicle with a smile. ‘Enjoy yourselves.’ ‘Listen, mate, I need to tell you something,’ Ron began in a serious tone after Kingsley had left, and Harry couldn’t help but smile at seeing the ‘serious Ron’. ‘Kingsley’s right; I mean you’ve hardly had enough time for yourself, so tomorrow make sure you spend some time with Ginny and relax. Do something for yourself for once. Besides, it’s your wedding anniversary tomorrow, remember?’ Harry couldn’t believe he had forgotten their wedding anniversary; he had lost track of things, but Ron was right; he could really do with a break. He smiled to himself as he pictured going home and seeing Ginny’s wonderful face after so many days away. Only Harry knew how much had missed her, and how bad he felt for leaving her alone at home for days, but she understood; she knew how much it meant to him, so she never complained. After their marriage, Harry could remember countless times he had missed Harpies’ games due to work, or he had gone home at midnight only to find Ginny asleep in the living room sofa where she had fallen asleep waiting for him. He had hardly had any time for her; he didn’t even have time for himself, so it only seemed right to take heed of Ron’s advice. ‘Thanks, Ron,’ Harry said, gratefully. ‘Why don’t you and Hermione come over tomorrow?’ ‘Blimey, Harry!’ Ron exclaimed, shaking his head. ‘It’s your big day tomorrow! Aren’t you bored of seeing me every day? I’d rather not see your face tomorrow, you know. OK, I’m just kidding — we might drop by in the evening — but I’m really sick of seeing you everyday.’ They both let out a laugh as Harry packed away all his things in the drawer before Disapparating. After a few moments, he landed smoothly on the front steps of Number Twelve and quickly checked to see if anyone was watching. Reassured that nobody was around, Harry unlocked the door and entered the house. Instantly, he saw Kreacher rushing towards him. Harry asked the elf where Ginny was, and he replied that Ginny had stayed up waiting for him till eleven before going upstairs to bed. Cursing himself furiously, Harry went to his bedroom quietly, making sure he didn’t wake Ginny up. Moments later, as he lay down on the bed having changed his clothes, Harry decided to do something special the next day to make it up to Ginny. He was going to take Ron’s advice seriously, and do something for himself by making Ginny happy. Harry stood near the living room, waiting patiently under Invisibility Cloak for Ginny’s arrival. He knew she had woken up and could hear her footsteps nearing. It was nine in the morning, and Harry had woken an hour ago for preparations. Finally, she came to the hall through the staircase. While on the staircase, she looked at the large baskets of flowers hanging in mid air in utter bemusement. She looked excited for a moment, before looking down at the floor in disappointment. Harry knew that she was upset at the thought of spending their first anniversary alone, but he couldn’t tell her yet that she had company; he wanted to surprise her. She entered the living room and smiled as confetti rained down from the ceiling, clinging to her hair and eyelashes. She looked about curiously as a couple winged creatures flew around her; Harry would have been worried that she would mistake them to be Pixies or Doxies, but to his relief, moments later she realised that they were actually fairies and let out a gasp. It seemed as though the whole house had been enchanted to set a festive theme, and they had certainly managed to vanish Ginny’s negative spirits. There was almost a look of awe in her face as she gazed at the grand decorations. She was clearly wondering if Kreacher had decided to celebrate Christmas early. Harry followed her closely, and watched her awestruck face with great pleasure. He was glad he had done this because even though he should have been resting, nothing would prevent him from making this anniversary a very special one; not just for Ginny but also for himself. Shaking her head in amusement, Ginny looked nervous but excited, jumping slightly as she saw blue and yellow sparks flying out of nowhere to her left. Harry was using was wand to make the sparks appear out of it and was enjoying watching every reaction Ginny had to these surprises. He couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw him. He couldn’t remember feeling so good about planning a surprise for anyone for a long time. It was as though the simple desire to see a smile on her face had managed to inspire him to do everything. Ginny’s chin set stubbornly as she gazed around the room, determined to find who had taken the time to do all these decorations. ‘Kreacher?’ she called uncertainly. There was no answer, and she looked slightly confused. Harry choked back a laugh. Harry decided that he had had enough fun, and it was time disclose the surprise. Jerking the Invisibility Cloak off, he emerged, laughing in front of his wife. She gasped and her eyes widened in alarm. ‘Harry!’ Ginny shouted in excitement, taking a running leap at him, as confetti slid down her hair. It was as though she couldn’t believe it was him until she felt him. ‘Happy anniversary, Ginny,’ he said, with an infectious smile, as he stroked her hair. Before she could open her mouth to speak, Harry pressed his lips to hers; as he held her tight, he forgot about all those days he had been away from her, and he felt warm, as though he was out in the bright sunshine. The gloomy weather he had been looking at just last night was forgotten. Holding her in his arms had refreshed him in an instant, and all his tiredness had disappeared. ‘When did you come back?’ Ginny asked, looking up at him curiously before she moved a few steps away. ‘And why didn’t you wake me up sooner? Oh — happy anniversary!’ ‘I came home last night, ‘he answered, as he made more sparks appear out of his wand. ‘And I thought it would be good to let you sleep while I did all this. It only took me an hour, but I think it was well worth it.’ ‘You did all this without telling me?’ ‘Well, yeah, I did it for you — for both of us. I wanted it to be special, and I didn’t tell you because it was supposed to be a surprise.’ ‘Humph — looks like you finally managed to spare a moment for your wife, eh?’ she said playfully. ‘Got lucky, I guess,’ Harry replied, smiling timidly. ‘I need to thank lady luck,’ she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. She glared at him reproachfully, before her lips curved into a wide smile. ‘Because she made you return in time for our anniversary.’ She looked happy, and there was not a sign of anger or disappointment on her face. Relieved slightly, Harry smiled back at her; he was glad he hadn’t messed it up this time. He had let her down on too many occasions before to do it again. ‘Listen, Ginny,’ Harry began nervously. ‘I know I haven’t been the best husband — not having enough time for you and all — but today all the time I have is just for the two of us.’ Suddenly, a very popular Weird Sister’s song started playing from somewhere nearby; Harry was certain it was Kreacher’s doing, because he hadn’t made any arrangements for it to happen. But now that the music was playing, the thought of dancing to the music struck him. Ginny gave him a confused look. ‘Kreacher,’ Harry said in response, smiling slightly. ‘Want to dance?’ They swayed amidst the raining confetti and flying fairies, and the smile on Ginny’s face had made his efforts seem worthwhile. Harry felt happier than he had in a long time as he smiled down at her, and things were finally as they should have been. Ginny was laughing and he was smiling. This was probably the best feeling in the world. |
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