Snapshots From Life

Chapter 6 - Pillow Talk

Ginny walked into the bedroom and saw Harry already lying in bed reading a piece of parchment. She walked to the bed and said, "I thought we weren't supposed to bring work into bed with us."

Harry put the parchment on the nightstand and said, "You're right. Sorry. No more work in bed."

Ginny smiled as she climbed into bed next to him. She said, "Mum came by today."

Harry looked at Ginny, "How's she doing?"

Ginny snuggled up against her husband and replied, "She's doing good. She missed us at Sunday dinner though."

Harry smiled, "We'll make it up to her this weekend."

Ginny kissed Harry's cheek, "She also started hinting about grandchildren."

Harry chuckled, "I saw your dad today and got the same feeling."

Ginny snuggled up against her husband, "Maybe it's something we should start thinking about."

Harry put his arm around Ginny, "You think so?"

Ginny nodded, "Maybe. I mean, we've been married for three years now. You have more of an administrative role in the auror department now and I'm spending more and more time off the pitch with the girls."

Harry kissed Ginny's head, "It's something to think about. We never really talked about it before. How many kids do you think you want?"

Ginny smiled, "Not sure. Not seven though. Growing up with six brothers was a nightmare at times. The worst was somebody almost always walked in on me in the bathroom. There were always so many people around."

Harry shook his head, "That must have been a pain."

Ginny nodded, "It wasn't all bad though. I always had somebody to talk to and be with though. Being the only girl did have an advantage though."

With a confused look, Harry said, "How so?"

Ginny smiled, "I always had my own room."

Harry thought for a couple of minutes, "I had Dudley growing up, but he always used me as a punching bag."

Harry didn't talk about growing up on Privet Drive much. When he did, he usually glossed over the details. Usually, he avoided the subject. It was painful for him to talk about it. Ginny could see the sadness in his eyes as he spoke.

Ginny laid her head on Harry's chest, "That must have been awful."

Harry nodded, "Most of the time it was. When we were younger, I couldn't outrun him, so he always caught me. He would break my glasses and give me a bloody nose. Aunt Petunia would yell at me for getting blood on the floor and I would have to clean it up."

Ginny sat up and saw Harry's eyes well up and watched a single tear roll down his cheek. She reached over and wiped the tear away, "I'm so sorry."

Harry continued, "He was always making fun of me. He made fun of my glasses and the fact that my parents were dead. When Dudley tackled me and beat on me, all Uncle Vernon did was encourage him. He told Dudley to hit me harder and where to hit me so it would hurt more."

Ginny frowned.

Harry continued, "Once I started Hogwarts things changed though. Anytime Dudley tried to hit me, I muttered some nonsense words, and he would get scared." Ginny chuckled.

Harry sniffled, "Honestly, I'm a bit worried about becoming a father."

Ginny took Harry's hand, "How so?"

Harry gave a small shrug, "I didn't have anybody growing up. I have no idea how to be a father. I don't know what to do. I watched Dudley get spoiled rotten while I got nothing."

Ginny motioned Harry to come to her. She laid his head in her lap. Ginny played with Harry's hair as she rubbed his back.

She told him, "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think anybody's really ready for it. I'm a bit scared too."

Harry sniffed, "I just don't want to be a bad father." He then sat up, "You have your mum to go to. I have nobody. Who do I go to if I need help?"

Ginny frowned again. She hated seeing Harry scared and helpless. It always made Ginny sad to see it happen. She knew all Harry need was some reassurance. Once his self-confident was up, he'd feel better about things.

She looked at him, "Love, I think you being worried about being a bad father is what's going to make you a good father."

Harry looked down into his lap, "You think?"

Ginny still frowned, "I see you with Teddy and I think you'll going to make a terrific father. Whenever you have a question, you can always ask Mum or Dad. You know they would do anything to help you."

Harry nodded, "Being with Teddy is different though. He always goes home after a bit. Having a child of our own means they're with us all the time."

Ginny nodded, "True."

Ginny thought for a moment. How could she help Harry see that he could be a wonderful father? Finally, she said, "You know, you could use being a punching bag by Dudley as a teaching tool."

Harry raised his head to look at Ginny, "How so?"

A tiny smile crossed Ginny's lips, "You can use that experience to teach our children how to be kind and compassionate. You can also teach them how to stand up for themselves and to help people who can't."

Harry nodded, "That's true. I can use my own childhood to teach our kids what not to do."

Ginny's smile grew, "Right."

Harry started to smile back at her.

Ginny kissed Harry's cheek, "How many children do you think you like to have?"

Harry thought about the question for a few minutes, "Seeing as I was alone most of the time, I'd like to a fairly large family. Not as large as yours but I'd like the kids to have brothers and sisters to play with."

Ginny nodded, "Ok. I like that idea."

Harry looked across the room, "Maybe three or four kids. I think that would be ok I guess."

Ginny smiled, "Three or four sound perfect. Let's get some sleep."

Harry lay down and pulled Ginny close to kiss her goodnight. Ginny kissed him back and rolled over to have her back to him while Harry wrapped her up in his arms.

Harry listened to Ginny's breathing as she drifted off to sleep. He lay awake while thinking about having children. Harry was almost dreading this. He truly was scared to be a father. He wasn't wrong, taking care of Teddy was easy. Harry would take Teddy only a couple of times a week at most though. He would spend a few hours with him and then Harry brought Teddy back home. He never had to deal with the hard stuff. Teddy was already potty trained and was talking. When they were together it was a fun time. Teddy never gave him a hard time or had any tantrums.

Harry knew that Ginny longed to be a mother. He saw it every time Teddy was over. She fussed over him and doted on him just like Mrs. Weasley did and still does over Ginny and her brothers. There was no doubt that Ginny would be a wonderful mum. He was confident in that. He did admit to himself that he did feel better about having children, but he still remained apprehensive. At least he wouldn't be alone and that was something to feel good about.

Harry drifted off the sleep with a smile on his face. He dreamt of Ginny and him playing with three children in a meadow. There were two boys and a little girl. The two boys looked like Harry and his father James while the girl looked like Ginny. Everyone was laughing and smiling. They were running and jumping around.