Harry Potter Oneshots

Out of the Ordinary ~ Hinny + Kids

Harry and Ginny were peacefully sleeping, curled against each other when their door creaked open. Tiny padding footsteps walked over to their bed. The sheet was pulled down and a small head of black hair popped up above the mattress.

Harry was woken up when his son, James, had crawled up his side and cuddled into his chest. He was far too tired to think about what was happening, but why had their son crawled into their bed at 4am? He shook Ginny slightly to wake her up. She rolled back over and threw the pillow over her head, ignoring him entirely. 

What was he meant to do? Was this normal behavior? 

James just laid next to Harry, occasionally sniffing into his dad's chest. Harry knew that while this may not have been normal, his son was crying and needed comfort. He picked his son up and slowly stepped out of bed, careful not to wake Ginny. He walked into the hallway and sat on a chair that was in the corner, sitting James on his lap. 

James just pulled his legs up and buried his face into his father's chest. Harry pulled his son's head to look at him. "What's wrong, James? Why'd you climb out of bed?" 

If the hallway hadn't been silent, Harry would not have been able to hear his son. "I had a nightmare, daddy." 

Harry held James close, not saying anything. He knew that words could do nothing to console him when he was upset, so the best thing to do would just be to hug him tight and not let go. He just needed to make sure that James felt safe. 

Still, he couldn't get the question out of his mind. Was crawling into your parent's bed normal? Harry didn't think so, but then again, he surely didn't have a normal childhood. 

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The next morning, James was sitting on his booster seat, happily eating his waffles drenched in syrup. Harry was getting ready for work when he decided to ask Ginny about what happened the previous night. They walked into the sitting room and Ginny watched him impatiently. 

He finally spoke up after a minute of standing there. "James ran into our bedroom last night. I took him into the hall and he cried to me about a nightmare." 

"Okay, and? So what, he had a nightmare and needed comfort. Why didn't you wake me?" 

"Well, I tried. But that's not the point. It's a bit out of the ordinary for a six year old to want to sleep in his parent's bed, isn't? He has never done this before." 

Ginny furrowed her brows. "Why is it a big deal? Of course it's normal. You never climbed into bed with your aunt and uncle when you had a nightmare?"

Harry shook his head and walked back into the kitchen. James had finished eating, so Harry wiped his mouth with a wet towel to clean up the syrup and let him go into the sitting room to play. 

Ginny followed him. She watched him carefully. He hadn't spoken another word after she asked him about his relatives. "What's your deal?" 

He shook his head and washed the dishes in the sink. Ginny placed a hand on his arm and he looked at her face. His eyes were clouded over and his expression was entirely apathetic. She repeated her question. 

"Nothing, love. I'm fine." He just looked back down at the soapy water and hoped she would drop it. Of course, she didn't. 

"No, you're not. Why were you so worried that James climbed into our bed? You didn't actually answer me when I asked about your aunt and uncle." She was talking quietly so James couldn't hear her. 

"I never climbed into bed with my relatives. That's why I was confused. My cousin may have, but I don't remember. Why are you worrying about this. I didn't know it was normal." He rushed his words out as if he didn't actually want anyone to hear them. 

"You're trying to tell me that you never once sought out comfort after a nightmare when you were little? I used to run to my parent's room every night when I was little." 

"I couldn't run to my aunt and uncle's bedroom at night," he answered. 

"Why not?" She was really getting irritated with his inability to get to the point. 

"Because I couldn't leave my bed."

She scrunched up her face. "What the hell does that even mean? Just answer the question, Harry. I won't care." 

He mumbled something, but Ginny couldn't hear him. He had to repeat himself twice before she heard him. "Because I slept in the cupboard under the stairs." 

She didn't say anything. Ginny just took her hand off of his arm and pulled her coat on. She yanked her shoes onto her feet and walked out the front door, slamming it. 

Harry and James looked at each other in confusion. James ran over to his father and begged him to play. Any thoughts of the previous night left Harry's mind. 

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Ginny came back about an hour later to see Harry sleeping on the couch with James asleep on his chest. She smiled and kissed her boys on the forehead. Harry woke up and kissed his wife on the lips. 

"Where were you, love?" He asked, sitting up carefully. James stirred but didn't wake when he was laid on the sofa. 

"Oh, let's just say, you don't have to worry about your relatives any longer." 

"Did you kill them?" Harry practically yelled. 

"No! Just turned them into toads and put them into the back garden. I guess it is vulture season, though."