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FIC: Getting Older (H/G; PG; 800)
Fandom: Harry Potter
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement intended.
Title: Getting Older
Characters: Harry/Ginny, Lily
Rating: PG
Word Count: 800
Status: Complete
Summary: After James and Albus leave for Hogwarts, Harry and Ginny console their daughter.
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Two large cages rattled on top of the laden trolleys the parents were pushing; the owls inside them hooted indignantly, and the red-headed girl trailed tearfully behind her brothers, clutching her father's arm. "It won't be long, and you'll be going too," Harry told her. "Two years," sniffed Lily. "I want to go now!" (pg. 603, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) |
"See, right there, to your left."
"I can't see it!" Lily exclaimed, annoyed.
"Your other left," Harry pointed out.
Ginny tsked at him. "You're looking in the wrong direction, honey." She reached out, turning Lily's head the right way.
Lily shook her head. "That's not a witch," she said flatly.
"It is," Ginny assured her. "She is standing, and reaching out to him. See, right there." Ginny pointed at the mass of stars and continued softly, "He's her love and he's kneeling down and proposing." Harry could hear a smile in Ginny's voice.
They were lying on a blanket in their backyard, staring at the stars, Lily safely tucked between them. She was the only one sitting up, gazing at the sky intently.
"I think that's her wand. She'll hex him," Lily said with conviction.
"No," Harry said firmly. "She's agreeing. They'll get married."
"But how can you tell?" Lily insisted.
Harry thought about it, now that she mentioned it, it did look more like a wand. Ginny came to his rescue. "But, see, the witch is looking the other way. So she can't hex him."
"Hrmph," Lily said, dissatisfied. "Why is she looking away?" she asked reasonably.
"Maybe she's embarrassed," Ginny suggested.
"But why?" Lily sounded puzzled. "She loves him and she's agreeing."
"Maybe she's just surprised," Ginny tried again.
"But then how do you know that she'll agree?" Lily asked, nearly hitting Harry's nose as she tossed her hair and crossed her arms in a huff.
"Because she loves him and he knows that," Harry said confidently. "He would never dare to ask otherwise."
"He must be a coward then," Lily mused. "Definitely not a Gryffindor."
"He's not a coward," Ginny said gently. "He just didn't want to decide things for her. He only asked after he was sure it's what she wanted as well."
Harry smiled, still looking at the twinkling stars above. "He wasn't always that wise ..." he murmured and Ginny chuckled.
Lily glared at the sky. "I still think it's a wand," she said stubbornly. "I wish I had a wand," she added wistfully.
"You will," Harry promised. "When you get older."
Lily made an odd sound in her throat, something between a growl and a whine. "I wish I were older," she amended quickly.
"But then you would leave for Hogwarts and who would look after us?" Ginny said, sounding pleased with her argument.
Lily turned and looked at them with wide green eyes. "But I will leave one day! Who will take care of you then?" she gasped.
"Er ..." Ginny began, but then kicked Harry's foot.
"Well," Harry was thinking fast, "we'll be older then too. We'll be fine then, but right now, we still need you around."
"Mmm-hmm," Lily agreed and relaxed, turning her gaze upwards again. "I can see that. Can't even tell the difference between a hand and a wand."
Ginny giggled, her laughter loud and tinkling in the darkness. Harry bit his lip, preventing himself from joining her, not wanting to disturb the pleasant sound.
Ginny eventually regained her breath. "It is her hand. He is proposing," Ginny tried to say seriously. "That's what the legend says."
Lily sighed, sounding miserable. "But then, it's so sad."
"Why?" Harry asked, looking at the back of his daughter's head. Such a tiny head, but with so many thoughts inside.
"Well, he'll never get her. They're ... stuck like this." Lily sighed dramatically again. "Forever."
"Hmm," Ginny murmured, clearly trying to buy some time. "I think that they're both very happy at that point, so they'll be happy — forever," she said finally.
Lily shook her head, her red hair dancing on the moonlight, and Harry's nose was indeed hit this time, the soft strands making him sneeze. "No, they can't be happy. They have no ending," Lily sniffed.
"But they're at the very beginning and they have a lot to look forward to," Harry argued.
"But ... but they'll never move on ..." Lily reasoned sadly.
There was a long silence and then Ginny said, "You're right. There is much more to look forward to and they'll never have it."
"Of course I'm right." Lily sounded satisfied, her sadness forgotten.
"Yes," Harry said with a smile. "You are right. I think that they're actually very old, and he's on his knees because he's looking for his teeth! They fell off earlier because he was laughing too much."
"Oh, yes, you're right," Ginny exclaimed, barely containing her laughter. "That's why she's looking away, so he wouldn't see her laughing at him!"
Lily gasped, delighted. "Then she's not trying to hex him! She will use her wand to help him find them! Oh my, he is so old he forgot about magic!" Lily shook her head at the stars, looking exasperated with the shiny pinpricks of light, and finally she lay down between her parents.
Harry grinned, pleased. "I like that story better," he said, leaning sideways to kiss Lily's head, his forehead clashing with Ginny's, who leaned in to do the same.
Lily giggled, looking up at them while they rubbed their sore foreheads. "You're hopeless," she told them, amused. "Good thing I stayed at home."
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