Snapshots From Life

Chapter 4 - Housework

Ginny put her hands on her hips and told Harry, "A little help would be nice."

Harry looked at his wife standing in the middle of the room and replied, "I help."

Ginny rolled her eyes and said, "Oh yeah, that's right. On my birthday, you cleaned the bathroom for me."

Harry walked over to the couch and sat down, "Hey, I'm at work eight to twelve hours a day at least 5 days a week, not counting stakeouts and stuff."

Ginny looked at him with fire in her eyes and replied, "I know you work hard, but I'm not the only one who lives here."

Harry sat quietly for a minute and thought. He chose his next words carefully and said, "We do have a house-elf you know."

Venomously Ginny told Harry, "Which you let him do whatever he wants over half the time and the housework falls to me."

Harry stood up, "You're at practice what 2-4 hours a day? You have the...."

Ginny cut him off by saying, "And then I come home and review plays, create new ones, study film, and get prepared for the next match. In case you didn't notice, all that takes up the rest of my day. I also answer the owls that come, not just for me, but for you too because I know you don't have the time. I have to work in the shopping and that takes forever because of the reporters and photographers wanting to know what it's like to be married to you, what you've been up to at the Ministry, or about the loss we just had against Bulgaria. And to top it all off I have to make sure you have a good, warm, home-cooked dinner to come home to when you do manage to come home. That, by the way, is getting less and less often."

Harry started pacing and said, "Well I'm sorry for trying to make a difference."

Ginny glared at him and said, "Don't you get all noble on me, Harry James Potter! How about making a difference here? You can start by picking up your dirty dishes or doing the laundry once in a while."

Harry looked at Ginny. If looks could kill, Harry would have been dead 3 times over. He knew he stepped in it when he brought up Kreacher, but he sealed his fate with his next sentence. He said, "I'm not away from home for days at a stretch, out on the road with a bunch of other women, half of which aren't even married, doing who knows what."

Ginny whipped out her wand faster than Harry had ever seen. Harry put up his hands to surrender, while she then very calmly said, "If you think for one second that when I'm on the road with the girls that I'm out at the bar or anywhere else besides my hotel room or the pitch you are sadly mistaken and you don't know me at all. As far as not being home, there are times when I don't see you for days on end because you come home after I've gone to sleep and you're gone before I get up working on some case trying to catch some dark wizard or something and that's in the offseason."

Harry replied, "I'm just doing my job."

Ginny put her wand away and scoffed at Harry, "Just doing your job?"

Harry had to stick to his guns now, even though he knew his fate was sealed. He had to see this through. Harry nodded as he said, "Yeah, my job. I think you're overreacting. The house looks good anyway."

That was the last straw for Ginny. She yelled at Harry, "Overreacting?! I'm overreacting?!" Ginny walked up to Harry, so they were almost nose to nose and told him, "Listen here and listen good because I'm only going to say this once Mr. I'm Just Doing My Job. This house looks as good as it does because after I've done my job, run all the errands, talked to the press, answered the 'fan mail', and cooked your dinner, which usually goes uneaten by the way, I clean the house. That's right, me. Not you, not Kreacher, me. I can't do it alone anymore. You better start helping!"