Forever Family

Chapter 26

Publish Date: 12/20/18

One month had passed since Harry had taken the position as Head Auror, and he had already started to feel the strain. The job was quite demanding, but he knew it could be worse. Still, he was trying to spend as much time with Ginny and Teddy as he could.

Harry had just gotten back from work and stepped inside when Teddy came barreling into his arms.

"Harry!"

"Hi, Teddy. What are you guys doing?" He glanced over to the living room, where Ginny was busy wrapping the railing in a festive garland.

"We're decorating!" Teddy beamed. "It's almost Christmas!"

"He's right, love. We thought we should spice up the house a little. Give it some holiday cheer." Ginny joined them in the hallway, giving Harry a quick hug. "But come on in, and take your shoes off, you're getting snow all over the carpet!"

Harry grinned. He let Teddy pull him into the living room, where an empty Christmas tree was waiting.

"We wanted to wait until you got home before we decorated it," Teddy explained. Ginny smiled and grabbed a box of ornaments from the table.

"You're not getting out of this one, Harry." She handed him a few ornaments to put on the tree. After giving Teddy some as well, she started to string lights on.

After a few moments of concentrated decorating, the family stepped back to admire their work. Their previously empty tree now was emitting a radiant glow as the lights shone brightly. The tree was filled with beautiful ornaments, varying in shapes and sizes.

"We did it!" Teddy laughed. Harry and Ginny wrapped their arms around him.

"We sure did."

Once the excitement of decorating the tree wore off, Teddy went upstairs to play in his room. Harry and Ginny snuggled on the couch, mugs of warm hot chocolate in hand.

"Should we be watching him?" Ginny asked, a few moments later.

"Nah." Harry pulled Ginny a little closer. "He'll be fine on his own for a while."

Ginny laughed. "So, how's work been going? Is being Head Auror as wonderful as you thought it was going to be?"

"it's...well, it's pretty stressful, actually," Harry frowned. "I like the job, of course, but it's a lot more work than just being a regular Auror."

"Sure it is. But you're doing okay, aren't you? No super dangerous cases you have to tell me about?"

"Things have calmed down since then, Gin." Harry stood up, putting his empty mug on the counter. Just a moment later, they heard a knock on their door.

Harry swung the door open to reveal Dudley, who was bundled up in a coat and scarf.

"Hey, Dudley," Harry tried to hide his surprise. "Come on in."

"Thanks. It's quite cold out there, isn't it?" Dudley walked inside and removed his coat. Ever since that first meeting in the coffee shop, Harry and Dudley had been getting closer. They met up every once in a while, but their relationship was mostly confined to letters.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, unable to stifle his curiosity any longer. Ginny had made her way into the kitchen as well, giving Harry a look that quite plainly said 'what is he doing here?'

"I know we've been mostly talking through letters, but I wanted to stop by and give you this." Dudley pulled a red Christmas card from his pocket.

"Wow. Thanks, Dudley."

"I figured it was the least I could do. Y'know, after...well, everything." He shrugged.

"Well, we appreciate it, Dudley." Ginny gave him a polite smile, as though she was merely tolerating him. "Hey, how'd you get in, anyway? I thought this place was invisible to Muggles."

"Oh! Well, I got the address from your friend. Ron, was it? Yeah, he gave me the address and some strange instructions to say it out loud." Dudley shrugged again, still a little uncertain.

"I see. Why don't you sit down?" Harry invited his cousin to the couch. While he may not have the hospitality of Mrs. Weasley, he still knew how to be polite. "You can meet my godson, Teddy."

"i'd like that. Thanks." Dudley took a seat on the couch.

"Ted!" Ginny called. "Would you come down here for a moment?"

A second later, Teddy's uneven stomping down the stairs could be heard.

"What is it? Is it time for dinner already?" he asked.

"Not yet," Harry began. "I'd like you to meet someone. Teddy, this is my cousin, Dudley." He introduced the two to each other.

"It's nice to meet you," Dudley grinned. "Erm...why is your hair blue?"

"Well, it doesn't have to be blue," Teddy said brightly. "See?" He changed his hair from blue to a striking shade of magenta. Dudley looked appalled.

"Teddy can change his appearance at will," Harry explained to a very confused Dudley. "He hasn't completely mastered it yet, since he's still young, but he's gotten pretty good."

"Wow," Dudley breathed. "I guess I've still got a lot to learn about this whole magic thing, huh?"

"I guess so. But you've got time to figure it all out," Harry gave Dudley a reassuring smile. After a few more minutes of talking, Dudley claimed that he needed to go home. He gathered his things, said goodbye to the Potters, and closed the door behind him.

"It seems like you two have improved your relationship," Ginny questioned, her eyebrows raised. Harry nodded.

"I think we have."

"Did you not like him before?" Teddy asked innocently.  "I thought he was nice."

"We grew up together, Ted. He...used to be not so nice," Harry responded.

"Oh. Why not?" Teddy looked up at Harry for an answer.

"I think that's a story for when you're a little older, okay?" Harry asked. Teddy nodded. Harry, Ginny and Teddy relaxed together until it was time for dinner.

Dinner came in the form of Ron and Hermione knocking on the door, carrying a basket. Ginny let them in.

"Ron wanted to cook for you tonight," Hermione smiled, brushing snow out of her curly hair. Unlike most of the other Weasley siblings, Ron had inherited his mother's acuity for cooking.

"Brilliant, thanks, Ron," Ginny grinned. They all sat down to enjoy a great dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetables.

"This is delicious, Uncle Ron!" Teddy grinned, stuffing food in his mouth as he talked. Ron blushed at the compliment.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Teddy," Hermione scolded, a slight smile on her lips. Teddy swallowed than spoke up again.

"Sorry, Aunt 'Mione."

The dinner passed in a comfortable silence, as they were all enjoying Ron's food. Before long, dinner was over, and Ron and Hermione packed up the remains of the dinner and said goodbye.

Harry didn't mind, though. As much as he loved seeing his friends, he was exhausted.

A/N: Hello. Guys, I'm sorry I took forever to write this chapter. I'm pretty sure this is the longest time I've gone without updating since I've started writing this book. Anyway, I wanted to include Dudley in here again, because it's almost Christmas (in real life and in the story). I don't know where I was going with that. Thanks for reading! 💛
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