A Cup of Tea, Please

1 | Le Café de Carnation

"Happy birthday, love," Harry smiled, brushing Ginny's soft red hair out of her face and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Quite scandalous, Harry," Ginny replied with a giggle, "considering we're only a wall away from the rest of the family."

"You make it sound like we're right next to the Burrow," Harry remarked. "If they can see anything through the forest, I'd be concerned."

The two were sitting close together under a yew tree, with branches as entangled as the couple themselves. Ginny's head had slowly come to rest on Harry's shoulder as the pair looked out towards the red sun which slinked back into the horizon.

At their feet was a large pond, brimming with crystalline water and enclosed with a circle of rocks. The water itself waved calmly in the late-summer breeze, exploding comfortably against the rocks and reflecting an amber glow from the sunset. At the heart of the pond, a single lotus flower dipped its petals into the lake.

Around the pond was a somewhat dense forest, consisting of trees, shrubs and other various luscious plants rich with colour and life.

The couple fell silent, both bewitched by the beauty of the view and the evening chorus of the birds. It was clear that both of them enjoyed the moment, their fingers intertwined.

"Hey, Harry?" Ginny spoke up, though rather quietly as to not disturb the peace.

"Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought about—er—marriage?" she asked sheepishly. Although Harry couldn't see her face, he could tell she was nervous.

"Sometimes. Why?"

"Well, would you like to get married someday?"

Without missing a beat, Harry responded, "I'd love to." But after a moment of thought, he added on, "But I can't yet. I still need to secure a place as an Auror and get my work life figured out. How else are we going to get married if I don't have a proper job?"

"But you're already rich, aren't you?" Ginny asked. "Not trying to say that you shouldn't get a job, but it could take a backseat if you really wanted to get married."

"I don't want to rush. The only reason our parents got married so quickly after graduation was because of the Wizarding War, but I know we have plenty of time to settle down and plan the perfect wedding before anything big happens, y'know?"

Harry felt Ginny lift her head from his shoulder, and he turned to look her in the eye. Her brown eyes were sparkling amber and her freckles reminded him of stars in the night sky. Ginny was wearing a frown, but the moment Harry's eyes met hers, the corners of her mouth twitched, yearning to smile.

"I guess you're right. But don't get yourself hurt, okay?"

"I'll try, but Aurors face life-or-death situations everyday, so no promises," Harry laughed, caressing Ginny's hand.

Ginny, however, didn't reciprocate the laughter. She only looked more worried.

"I suppose I understand," she mumbled, turning away from her boyfriend to take in the scenery once more. "Don't you think this place is beautiful?"

"It's right out of a fairytale," Harry replied, following Ginny's gaze back to the single lotus on the surface of the glassy lake.

"You're right."

Once again, the two fell silent, watching the lone lotus bathe in the last rays of the evening sun. Eventually, the pink-tipped petals began to close, and Ginny turned to Harry.

"Should we go? It's getting late."

"Don't you want to celebrate the last few hours of your birthday?" Harry asked, still admiring the bewitching beauty of nature.