924 Dec 2000, One-shot
A/N: Just to place you in my time line – I stick to Canon (as best as I can) and all my stories fit together. There's a couple of stories between this and Checkmate, but I've got them saved somewhere 'safe'! In my timeline, Harry and Ginny got married in Sept 2000 making this their first Christmas as a married couple. This is very late on Christmas Eve/Christmas morning, but I couldn't fit a reference in… Enjoy!
Version 2, Feb 2011 – StephanieO pointed out that Christmas wasn't very prominent here. Thanks must go to her for her observations, and my sister, once again, for proofreading this one (a step I skipped previously!) It's only a couple of small changes, but hopefully far more festive!
VS
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Ginny twisted herself round and Apparated to Godric's Hollow. It was late, the darkness surrounding her as she arrived at her home town was not much different to the darkness that had enveloped her in Holyhead as she had Disapparated. She oriented herself to the small town square, hearing the noises of Midnight Mass in the little church behind her and set off down the snow ridden road in front of her; the slow and steady crunch of gravel beneath her feet was the only sound she heard.
She loved playing Quidditch and enjoyed the company of the other girls she played with, but their idea of a 'Christmas Eve lunch' had taken all afternoon and most of the night too. It was now virtually Christmas Day and Harry must be wondering where she was, what had taken her so long. So much for enjoying the evening together, as was now their tradition.
It was only her own footsteps she heard as she trod carefully through the village's ice and snow towards her home. It was comforting, in a weird sort of way and Ginny was exhausted by the time she turned and ducked down a side alley, into her small front garden and through her kitchen door.
She'd kicked off her boots before she'd even dropped her bag by the door. As she ascended the stairs she started to strip herself of her clothing; the numerous and carefully planned layers, designed to keep the biting cold out, came off surely but slowly and she was in only her underwear as she entered the bedroom. Mumbling something to her husband, promising to pick up her belongings in the morning, she rummaged briefly in the laundry basket, pulling out the shirt he had discarded earlier that evening and was pulling it on over her head as she sat on the edge of the bed.
All this while Harry, who was reading by the light of a lamp on the bedside table, did nothing but smile as he listened to his wife's sleepy self-commentary. She sat on the bed wearily, and somehow removed her bra, pulling it out from her sleeve as she had so many times before. Simultaneously rolling into bed, tucking herself in next to Harry and covering herself with the duvet, Ginny's eyes were closed by the time her husband took his eyes from his book to ask her if she was alright.
"How was your day?" Ginny was so tired, she could only hum, both in acknowledgement that he'd asked and in response to his question. Harry continued to hold up his end of the conversation, somehow understanding his sweetheart's nonsensical utterances. He could at least see that she was trying to stay awake long enough to communicate.
"Glad to hear it. I saw Ron and Hermione earlier. They stayed for dinner; I left you some, I'm not sure whether you saw it or not." Ginny opened her eyes and smiled up at him, shifting slightly so that Harry could put an arm around her.
"No. I'm not hungry. What are you reading?" Her breathing deepening and slowing even now, she snuggled closer to him, her eyes drifting shut again, but still attempting to read the papers he had propped up against his knees.
"Hermione's manuscript; her translation of Beedle the Bard's stories. I've not read the originals so I'm not sure what she expects me to say when I'm done, but they do make for interesting reading… Pardon?" He'd missed his wife intention as she'd mumbled again.
"Read to me Harry." He smiled.
"Do you have a favourite, or do you want me to choose?"
"Any one. I loved them all as a kid." Harry smiled again. It wasn't going to be like reading to Teddy as he did on weekends but he turned back to his own favourite story, hugged his wife closer to him and started to read aloud as she drifted to sleep.
"There once were three brothers…"