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Underneath the Tree | ||||
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Category: Post-DH/AB Characters:Harry/Ginny, Teddy Lupin Genres: Fluff, Humor, Romance Warnings: Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations Story is Complete Rating: PG Reviews: 7 Summary: Maybe it was the soothing Christmas lights or the hot cocoa, but Harry’s tongue was too loose. Or maybe not. (Written for the Hinny Christmas Fest on Tumblr) Hitcount: Story Total: 1768 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: It’s not much, but I wanted to spread a little hinny Christmas cheer! It's not much, but I wanted to spread a little hinny Christmas cheer! I saw fightfortherightsofhouseelves Hinny Christmas Fest and I just couldn't resist! Mix that with some help from thedistantdusk and this little fic came to life. |
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Ginny pulled her coat tighter around her, trying to ignore the bitter winter wind chilling her bones. Her cheeks felt numb and her fingers felt raw even through her gloves. It had to be the coldest day of the year and yet they’d decided it was time to pick out a Christmas tree. Yesterday it had been seven degrees with the sun high in the sky, but had they gone out then? Of course not! They had waited for it to be negative six with a wind chill. “Ginny!” Teddy’s loud call brought Ginny out of her tangent. She turned to see three-year-old Teddy running as fast as his little legs would take him. He was grinning from ear to ear, his baby teeth prominent even from her distance. All of Ginny’s bitter thoughts melted the moment she saw the little boy. A little chilly weather could bring her down when Teddy’s smile warmed her right up. She crouched down, opening her arms for Teddy to leap into, which he did with gusto nearly knocking Ginny over. “Whoa! Hey there, Ted.” Ginny pressed a kiss to the boy’s cheek as she lifted him into her arms. “What were you running from?” Teddy instantly snuggled into her embrace, his pudgy arms wrapping around her neck. “Harry.” “Harry?” Ginny smiled as she noticed her boyfriend following the boy’s trail. His crooked smile sent the best kind of butterflies fluttering through her stomach. Even after being together for three years (well... back together after the war), he still had the ability to send her heart racing with one look. He moseyed over towards them, his hands tucked into his pocket. Ginny forced her attention away from her incredibly sexy boyfriend. “What did Harry do, Ted?” “He said if I gots to you ‘irst, I gots to pick the tree.” Ginny lifted her gaze to meet Harry’s, who had just reached them. “Did he now?” “Yup!” Teddy started to bounce excitedly in her arms. “And I know just the one I want.” He wiggled. “Down, ‘lease.” She followed his request, but not before pressing another kiss to the top of his head first. Once on his feet, Teddy grabbed her hand pulling her back the way he’d come. “This way!” Ginny laughed as she let the toddler tug her down the rows of Christmas trees. She grabbed Harry’s hand, making their little brigade gain a follower. Glazing over her shoulder, she could see Harry’s wide grin. Their feet crunched on the snowy path as Teddy brought them over to a collection of battered-looking trees, many of which had already lost seeming half their needles. Ginny looked back at Harry again, her brows raised, but Harry’s just smile widened. Teddy pointed his mittened hand at the smallest of the bunch. “That one!” His selected tree was maybe three feet with only a few limbs branching out, but the way Teddy presented it he thought it was the most glorious specimen in the world. Ginny crouched beside the excited boy. “You sure, Teddy? There are –” better– “taller ones that would let us add more decorations.” Shaking his head emphatically, Teddy said, “Nope, this is the one.” “Tell Ginny why you like this one so much,” Harry suggested. Ginny glanced up at her boyfriend. The overwhelming pride emanating from Harry was practically palpable. She loved seeing the two of them together. Teddy looked at Harry as if he hung the stars and Harry loved everything the little boy said and did. They were a dynamic duo. Godfather and godson. And Ginny loved every minute she got to spend with the two of them. Her boys. Teddy turned to look at her, his hair going from electric blue to green under his snowcap. “It was made for me.” Ginny’s lips curled into an amused smile. “And how did you decide that?” He pointed to the top of the tree then brought his fingers back towards his forehead. “Same.” “Oh, Ted.” Ginny placed a hand over her lips to stifle a laugh. Teddy looked at her, his expression so happy and jubilant that she couldn’t have denied him even if she’d wanted to. “Then this is the one we’ll get.” Teddy let out a loud cheer as he threw himself back into her arms. Ginny looked up at Harry, who had already grabbed the baby tree, he met her gaze with love in his eyes… The coldest gust of wind could blow at that moment but Ginny wouldn’t feel it. The love she was feeling from her boys made her impervious to everything. Ginny lifted Teddy up into her arms, walking towards the payment booth. “Well, let’s get this home so we can start decorating!” XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX “How about this one, Ted?” Harry asked, handing his godson another bauble (that had already been charmed to be unbreakable). Teddy held the ornament with both hands as he surveyed the miniature tree. His tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth as he concentrated. Finally, he let out an excited cry as he carefully hung the piece right beside the last ornament he had put up. Harry couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s enthasum. Every ornament took the utmost concentration, only to be placed right next to the last one. “Good one, mate.” Teddy turned around to beam at him. “Another?” “Sure.” Harry reached into the box Ginny had put beside him before she’d gone to start dinner. “Blue or Green?” The serious expression Teddy pulled made Harry choke back a laugh. “‘Lue.” Their decorating continued for another half an hour. Harry spent the time trying to teach Teddy some carols. So far the toddler had managed to belt out the chorus of Deck the Halls in various creative ways, but none of them the actual words. Sometimes Ginny could be heard laughing from the kitchen after a particularly interesting versus. “Look!” Teddy gestured grandly at the overwhelmingly covered tree. “It’s good.” Harry ruffled the boy’s currently green hair. “It’s perfect, Ted.” He rose from the floor, ignoring the cracking of his stiff joints. “How about we go see how tea is coming along.” Teddy gave a loud cheer as he ran into the kitchen. Harry followed him, his normal stride just a step behind the boy. Ginny had her back to them, her focus on the bubbling pot on the stove. Music played quietly from the portable wireless on the table. Ginny’s body swayed in time with the carol. “Gin-Gin!” Teddy barreled into Ginny’s knees, nearly making them buckle. “We ‘inished the tree!” Ginny spun around so she could lift Teddy into her arms. “That’s great, Teddy Bear!” She kissed his forehead. “I can’t wait to see it.” Teddy’s fingers came to play with the ends of Ginny’s hair. His hair changed to match Ginny’s, his toothy grin wide. “Now?” Harry’s heart pounded like a thousand elephants against his chest as he took in the scene before him. The way Teddy looked with his hair like that… It was like he was Ginny’s son. Ginny’s son… Harry had never thought about having children, but as he looked at Ginny and Teddy his mind started toying with the idea of it. A little boy with bright green that matched his perfectly, but red hair standing up in every direction. The image nearly knocked Harry to the floor, because out of nowhere the idea of having a baby… a baby with Ginny overwhelmed him. “How about...” Ginny walked him towards the booster seat she’d placed at the head of the table. “After supper. Maybe if Harry is good and eats all his vegetables we can even have a cup of cocoa while admiring it.” Both Teddy and Ginny turned to look at him, Ginny’s expression mischievous while Teddy’s had become all serious. “Har, you gonna eat all your veg - veg?” His face scrunched as he struggled to say the long word. He looked up at Ginny for help. “Teddy wants to make sure you’ll eat all your vegetables, Harry.” Ginny waggled a finger at him. “Can you promise?” Harry swallowed hard trying to bring his mind out of the all-encompassing daydreams floating in his head. “I - yeah. Yeah, I can do that.” Teddy let out a loud whoop, but Ginny was looking at him with concern. She placed Teddy in the booster, before turning back to him. “You alright, Harry? You look a bit off.” He shook his head, forcing his feet into action so he could press a kiss to Teddy’s cheek then Ginny’s. “I’m fine, love. Just hungry. It smells great.” The three ate dinner, Teddy chatting excitedly about their plans to go sledding the next day. Harry smiled as his godson explained his plans to make a jump so high that he would soar so high he’d never come down. Ginny‘s foot came to run along his leg, making his eyes jump to hers. She was still concerned, he could see it in her eyes. Harry smiled at her, hoping she’d be reassured. When they were done, he offered to make the coco while Teddy brought Ginny to show her the tree. The three-year-old took off with the idea, practically pulling Ginny into the sitting room. It didn’t take long for the milk to warm. Harry levitated the three mugs carrying hot cocoa (one more tepid than the rest) towards the living room. Teddy and Ginny had settled on the sofa, the light from the fireplace mixing perfectly with the while lights on the tree, bathing the room in a soft warm glow. “Har!” Teddy bounced on the cushion, too excited to sit still. “Gin says we can read babby. You gotta read it!” “Did she?” Harry raised a brow at his girlfriend, as he lowered the mugs onto the coffee table. “And why am the reader?” “‘Cause you do the best voices,” Teddy said in a duh tone. Ginny beamed at him. “He’s right. Your cackling witch is the best of them all.” Teddy nodded enthusiastically, his bouncing matching his nodding. Harry smiled at the boy. “Well, when you stroke my ego like that, how can I refuse.” Ginny laughed as Harry summoned the book from the room Teddy slept in. She patted her lap. “Teddy, why don’t you come over here so Harry can sit beside both of us.” The boy moved at the speed of light, his body sprawling across Ginny’s lap. Harry took the cushion Teddy had just vacated, opening the book on his lap. Clearing his throat in a dramatic fashion he began to read. “Once upon a time –” XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX X Ginny could feel his eyes on her, even though she had hers shut, she knew Harry was watching her. She kept her fingers running slowly through Teddy’s currently brown hair, who was currently sleeping on her lap, pretending as if she could feel Harry’s attention. It wasn’t odd for Harry to watch her. It had started back at Hogwarts, his eyes following her as she moved around the common room or flew high in the sky. But that had always hung with a desire and longing. Even after they got together, Harry was still prone to watching her with a hunger to his attention. But even with her eyes closed she could tell there was something to the way he was looking at her. Keeping her voice low to avoid waking the sleeping toddler on her lap, she asked, “Alright there, Harry?” She slowly opened her eyes to a sight that made her breath hitch. There was something different in the way Harry was looking at her. She was used to seeing his desire, love, and tenderness, but the way he was looking at her at that moment… It was like he’d never seen her before. Like this was the first time he’d truly looked at her and he was enamored with everything he saw. Harry swallowed so hard his Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes drifted down to Teddy. “I – I can’t wait until that’s our baby.” Instantly Harry’s cheeks reddened. “I – I didn’t mean to say that.” Ginny felt goose pimples erupt down her back as she raised one eyebrow. “Our baby?” “I don’t – I don’t know why I said that.” Harry looked as if he were looking for the nearest exit, his eyes flickering rapidly around the room. “Can we just forget –” “And just when were you planning on telling me about our baby plans, love?” Ginny was getting too much amusement out of Harry’s panic. Maybe this was just another reason she was a horrible person, but watching her boyfriend squirm was one of her favorite pastimes. “Like were you hoping for our bundle of joy to arrive for Christmas? Because if so –” Harry groaned. “Gin, please can we just pretend I didn’t say anything?” “But Harry, I think we should really talk about desire to be a daddy.” She let the last word take on a provocative tone. “I mean, I’ve never really been into that, but if it’s something you –” “Okay.” Harry cut her off by putting his hand over her mouth. “No more talking from you.” If she hadn’t had Teddy in her lap, Ginny would have reversed her’s and Harry’s positions, but she had no desire to wake the sleepy boy. Instead she sent him her biggest doe eyes, silently pleading for his silence ban to be revoked. But her boyfriend merely shook his head. “Nope. Not gonna work.” Sighing, Ginny’s mind started working up a new plan. Her free hand slid over to Harry, running up his thigh and moving towards his crotch. Just as she predicted, Harry jumped in surprise, his hand falling down to his lap to stop her onslaught. “Gin.” He hissed her name in annoyance. “What are you doing?” “I wanted you to move your hand.” She turned her body slowly so as to not disturb Teddy, but getting a more complete view of her boyfriend. “Did you mean that, Harry?” Harry met her eyes, his face still flushed. She could see the tension in his jaw as he nodded. Her heart pounded so hard against her ribs that she was afraid they might crack. They’d never spoken about marriage, kids, or really the future. Everything between them had just been in the moment. Every part focused on just being together as much as they could. Between her final year at Hogwarts and then joining the Harpies, time had always been their biggest adversary. So talks about where they saw themselves in five years and how many kids they wanted had always fallen to the backburner to focus on them in the present. But as she thought about it, she’d always figured they’d get married one day. Ginny had always imagined it would be Harry’s finger she’d slide a wedding band onto. It was the two of them standing over a pregnancy potion, waiting for it to show their little family would grow soon. It was Harry who would be holding their son (who looked just like his father except for the eyes), his smile so serene and happy as he rocked the infant. Ginny had imagined all of that for years, but they’d never talked about it. And Harry’s comment had opened up the floodgates. He was staring at her, his bottom lip tucked in between his teeth. She could see the tension in his jaw, clearly anxious about what she would say. “Harry.” She removed her hand from his so she could cup his jaw. “I love you.” His lips curled in that adorable smile, just like they did every time she said those words. Ginny never got tired of that smile. Harry’s hand went to the back of her neck as he leaned in to kiss her, his lips soft on hers. When he pulled back, Harry rested his forehead on hers. “I love you too.” Ginny never got tired of the way he looked at her, just with one glance he made her feel so loved. Her entire body tingled and warmed as they just stared at each other. Goose pimples ran down her back as Harry’s hands started to rub slow circles on the back of her neck. But of course, Ginny being Ginny couldn’t help but blurt the first thing that came to her mind (which was something that completely ruined the mood). “But you know our kid will be a terror, right? Like with his heritage, we'll never have a moment of peace. Also I hope you know this isn't happening for many many years. I am going to be to busy taking over the quidditch –" Harry cut off her jabber with a laugh and another heated kiss. With his lips only an inch from hers, he said, “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” “Me either,” Ginny whispered before closing the gap between them. She looked down at Teddy who was still fast asleep in her lap. "How about we get this one up to bed? I have an early present I want you to unwrap." Harry pulled away his smile becoming wolfish. “Oh, this is a very merry Christmas.” He pressed a final kiss to her lips, before getting to his feet. Ginny watched him gently lift Teddy into his arms, cradling the boy close to his chest like a precious package. A soft smile spread across his lips as he turned away to bring Teddy into his bedroom. Ginny watched her two boys leave, her heart feeling so full. Yeah, there was no way he wasn’t her future, and she truly wouldn’t have it any other way. |
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