Forever Family

Chapter 20

Publish Date: 11/15/18

A few weeks had passed since Harry and Ginny's wedding, and it was now the beginning of October. Ginny wrapped her jacket around herself tighter as a gust of cold autumn wind blew fiercely.

"C'mon, Teddy, let's get inside quickly," Ginny grabbed her godson's hand and led him to the Burrow, where he would be spending his day while Harry was at work. Ginny was going to be talking to Hermione about plans for her and Ron's wedding.

"Ginny, I'm cold," Teddy whined.

"I know, that's why we have to get inside," Ginny said. "Here."

She picked Teddy up and carried him inside. As soon as they closed the door behind them, Ginny and Teddy were instantly warmed up, and were greeted by Mrs. Weasley and Hermione.

"Hi Grandma Molly and Aunt 'Mione!" Teddy grinned and ran to hug his aunt and grandma.

"Hey, Ted!" Hermione laughed and hugged him back.

"Hello, dears. We're having tea in the kitchen, Ginny, and Teddy can go play in the living room." Turning to Teddy, she said, "Victoire is in there."

Once she made sure Teddy was settled in the living room, Ginny joined the ladies in the kitchen.

"Hey, Mum, Hermione."

"Hey, Gin. We're just working out some wedding planning," Hermione smiled. "We don't want to do much while Ron's not here, though."

"Sure, that makes sense," Ginny nodded. "But we can at least talk about things that the bride decides, yeah?"

"Of course we can," Mrs. Weasley said. "We don't have a lot of time, so we need to get started as soon as possible! Hermione, dear, who do you want for your bridesmaids?"

"Ginny's maid of honor. That is, if she'll accept."

Ginny beamed. "Yes, 'Mione, thanks!"

"As for other bridesmaids...what about Audrey and Luna?" Hermione had grown quite fond of Percy's wife, Audrey, over the last few years, because they both had similar interests. Luna was also a close friend of the Weasley family.

"Sounds good," nodded Mrs. Weasley, writing some things down. Hermione couldn't help the excited smile that spread across her face at the prospect of getting married.

They continued to talk, and the topics of wedding planning turned into casual small talk. As Hermione had said, there wasn't much they could do without Ron there. Mrs. Weasley had gone to the living room to play with Teddy once it was decided that no more wedding planning would get done.

"Hey, Hermione, how's work been?" Ginny asked a while later.

"It's been pretty uneventful, actually. Nothing much has been going on," Hermione shrugged and took a sip of her tea. "What about you? How's Quidditch?"

"Quidditch is good as well. I'm not really liking playing in the cold, though."

Hermione nodded. The two continued to talk as they waited for Harry and Ron to get back from work.

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Harry and Ron stood in the small room attached to the Auror Office, waiting for the Head Auror to tell them what they'll be doing that day. It was still early morning, but that didn't stop Auror Roberts from calling them in to work on the case. Everyone stopped their conversations when the door opened.

"I've just gotten news of another attack." Auror Roberts was greeted with silence and solemn faces.

"That—that's the third week in a row!"

Auror Roberts sighed. "Yes. It is."

"What are we gonna do?" Harry asked. "We can't just sit here and let people get hurt!"

"No. We can't"

The Aurors quieted, waiting for instructions. Auror Roberts' expression was unreadable, almost like a mix between worried and thoughtful.

"Here's what we'll do for now," Auror Roberts began. "I will tell you about the attack. You will then research and try to locate the attacker."

"The Minister knows, right?" Someone to the left of Harry asked. Auror Roberts looked alarmed, but he quickly hid his alarmed expression.

"Whether the Minister knows or not is not your problem!" he snapped. "Get to work, all of you!"

Auror Roberts briskly left and closed the door behind him. Ron turned to Harry, his eyebrows raised.

"What do you think that was all about?" he breathed. Harry just shrugged.

"I dunno, mate. But I'm sure tracking down a former Voldemort supporter while also managing the rest of the Auror department has got to be stressful."

Ron nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess so."

The Aurors worked for a while that day, but Auror Roberts did not once stop back in to the small room where they work. In fact, Harry realized, they rarely saw him at all anymore, except for when he was giving instructions in the morning.

"Don't you think that it's a bit strange that we don't see Auror Roberts almost at all?" Harry wondered aloud. Ron looked up from his desk.

"I guess so," Ron shrugged with uncertainty. "He used to be in here for almost half the day, but now we almost never see him."

The conversation died down, everyone returning to their work. Harry's mind drifted from different topics, from work to Auror Roberts to Ginny and Teddy. Before long, it was time to pack up and go home.

Harry and Ron Apparated to the Burrow, where their family was waiting. It had already gotten dark, and the air was cool. They quickly made their way into the warm house, where dinner was waiting.

"Harry! Uncle Ron!" Teddy had ran from the living room and wrapped himself around Harry's legs.

"Hi, Ted." Harry's face brightened at the sight of his godson.

"Hey, Harry. How was work?" Ginny stood up from the table and greeted him with a light kiss.

"It was fine, Gin, I'm just tired."

"Well, we have dinner ready, dears, so you can eat and then get some rest," Mrs. Weasley walked over to Harry and Ron.

Harry nodded and sat down beside Ginny, and Ron did the same with Hermione. Dinner was quick, because everyone just wanted to get home. Soon enough, Harry and Ginny were done eating. After getting Teddy ready to go, they said their goodbyes and Apparated home.

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"I just don't know what to do, Gin."

Harry had filled Ginny in on the situation at work, with Auror Roberts getting mad and still keeping the case a secret. After putting Teddy to bed, Harry told his wife everything.

"That does sound a bit strange, actually," Ginny pondered for a moment. "Why would the Head Auror want to keep this from everyone?"

"The only reason I can think of is that he's not supposed to be working on the case. But why would the Ministry not want the Aurors catching criminals?"

"I'm not sure, love." Ginny poured some tea for them both. "I think you're better off thinking about this in the morning. Y'know, when you're not so tired."

Harry yawned. "I agree. I think I'm gonna go to bed, Gin."

"That sounds like a good idea, Harry. I'll come with you." Ginny and Harry cleaned up their stuff from the kitchen and made their way upstairs.

"Goodnight, Harry." Ginny climbed into bed and settled in quickly, already half asleep. Harry pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"G'night, Ginny."

A/N: Alright, here's chapter 20. I feel like I took a long time to write this one, so sorry about that. How'd you guys like it? Thanks for reading! 💛
Words: 1,172