Post by Ginevra Molly Potter on Jan 6, 2022 10:01:52 GMT -7
She hadn’t meant for the evening to turn out like this, in reality she had been expecting quite the opposite. When the invitation to the Gala had come jointly, Ginny knew she’d have a certain level of obligation to attend with her husband, whether they were actually together or not. Of course she never hated him, not truly, but things were nowhere close to how they used to be. The rift between them still held a lot of pain and betrayal. To outsiders it seemed simple; Harry was back now, she should simply lay down at his feet and everything would simply fall back in place.
But it wasn’t that easy. It would never be.
The hurt Ginny held in her heart was difficult to overcome. Ever since he had walked back into her and the family's life eleven months ago it was something she danced around on a daily basis. Even when it wasn’t big things, when she didn’t have to face him directly, there were the little reminders of him everywhere. In some ways the kids had been able to piece their feelings back together and face him with some level of amiability. For James & Lily, their hero was back, for Albus it was proving a little harder to let Harry back in. Ginny didn’t blame him of course, her little Albie had always leaned more towards her side of thinking. Of course this was no different. In some ways Albus was still a little boy, leaning into his mother for comfort, over his father who had abandoned the family when they needed him the most. Like with Ginny, there were a lot of emotions to be unpacked and it would take time.
Ginny had kept her feelings about the whole thing mostly guarded. She kept her thoughts to herself and had never bad mouthed Harry to anyone, of course what he had done was all for the greater good. Apparently. But the suffering was obvious to anyone close enough to her.
Heading out to the Gala tonight, she wasn’t quite sure what she was expecting. She had always liked dressing up and getting out. The schmoozing had always been rather fun for her, as well as it was a great way to let her hair down and have a few drinks. She always put effort into her look for the parties, and made sure she looked her best.
Had she put in a little extra this evening knowing she would be back on Harry’s arm? Perhaps. Did she secretly delight in the way he had looked at her when he had come to meet her before they departed? Of course.
Had she had a near perfect evening of dancing and being romanced? Had she enjoyed being that close and carefree with Harry again, being swung about the dancefloor between glasses of champagne, like he actually was able to dance and didn’t have two left feet like there hadn’t just been this massive void between them? Inexplicably.
When the party had begun to wind down and Harry has suggested coming back to the pub for a night cap, she had grinned all too easily at the idea. Of course there was an official planned after party, and she had rented a room at a London Hotel, but another drink at the dreary pub actually seemed a perfect way to end the night. She was aware of the undertones suggested, and yet she still went with it. Her only hesitation had been a shared one as they left the Floo flames die down and half-stepped half fell out of the fireplace in the Hounds & Harrier, quietly laughing against his neck. There had been a moment's pause, where they both knew where this night was likely going; and yet neither of them seemed to care. Two hours later it had divulged into tumblers of Firewhiskey and reminiscing over nonsensical things before it had happened.
Harry had kissed her.
Squashed up on a bench at a worn scrubbed table, Harry had kissed her.
Suddenly it felt like the early days of their relationship again. Like she was 24, not 44. Sneaking around and having their own private little moments of intimacy behind closed doors so her brothers and mother didn’t comment on it all. For a short time, they were able to forget again. It was like nothing had happened between them, and this whiskey that was warming Ginny’s belly was also warming her resolve towards her Husband. It didn’t take them long to abandon the Firewhiskey and for Harry to half carry, half lead her up the rickety stairs to the small innkeepers bedroom he had taken to staying in to stay away from the house. Ginny had always hated it, far too cramped and cold, she had never actually stayed there, and yet, clearly tonight she would be. To a degree anyway.
And then all at once, she felt her heart swell and she realised she had never stopped loving Harry. That idiot Harry Potter. The chosen one. Her chosen one.
As she sat up in the small bed, watching him softly snore, she gave a small smile. Typical. He always snored after drinking. Pausing, she fiddled with the buttons of his shirt he had given her to wear after for some form of modesty as she sheepishly smiled, and she let her gaze drift to the rumpled ball of her red evening dress, laying forgotten in the corner. She could just slide it back on now and floo home she guessed. Thinking it over made knots form in her stomach. Part of her felt ashamed for letting all this happen, for letting her guard down now. And yet a bigger part of her felt the happiest she had been in a long time. A small snort drew her attention back to Harry, the snoring had stopped and he had woken with a start. Now his bleary green eyes watched her in the dark.
”Gin, it’s three am. Come back to sleep?”.
It had been phrased half as a question, but there was hope in his voice, as if he knew what had been going through her mind. With an internal laugh, she supposed he did. The two had once been so close he for sure knew what she was thinking. It took half a second’s pause, but eventually she nodded in silence and shifted to lay back down beside him. Harry was already snoring before her head hit the pillow, but there was some comfort in that all the same.
With a soft smile in the dark she turned over in the bed to face him and find some warmth in his frame, before one last spiteful audacious move of shoving & pulling the covers off him to wrap herself in them.
Letting her eyes close, she drifted off with a warm smile, confident this was the beginning of a new chapter.
Mentions; HARRY JAMES POTTER Albus Severus Potter james sirius potter lily luna potter
