Making Mistakes

Ginny settled back into the sofa cushions, and grinned happily as the opening credits of Roman Holiday scrolled across the screen. This was one of her favorites, sad ending and all. Harry sprawled at the other end of the sofa. 'We should do this sometime,' she remarked.

'Do what?'

'That.' Ginny pointed to the screen. 'Rome. Go see all those places.'

'Like the honeymoon we never had?'

'Yeah,' she said wistfully.

'Just let me know when,' Harry said.

'Next spring,' Ginny said quickly.

'Just Rome?' Harry asked curiously.

Ginny nodded. 'Just Rome,' she confirmed. 'Now, shhh. Film's getting started.'

Halfway through the film, Harry realized Ginny had managed to maneuver herself to sit in his lap. She nestled her head on his shoulder and began to search for that spot on his neck. 'Ginny?'

'Mmmmm?'

'You do realize that's how we got into this position in the first place...' She found the spot and began to nibble.

'And what position would that be again?'

'Parents,' he said with a muffled groan. She had slipped her hands under his shirt. 'Ginny... you're not watching the film...'

'Bugger the film,' she muttered, trying to unbutton his jeans. Her hands froze when they heard a whimper from upstairs. 'Every bloody time,' Ginny swore. 'You'd think he had the Sight.' She slid off Harry's lap. 'I'll go.' Ginny looked down with a raised eyebrow, and tossed a pillow into his lap.

'What's that for?' Harry asked, holding up the pillow

Ginny looked down significantly. 'In case one of my prat brothers makes an unexpected visit.'

'Oh...' Harry flushed with embarrassment.

Ginny started up the stairs. 'One day, one of them is going to walk in on something they'd rather not see,' she predicted.

Harry let his head drop against the back of the sofa. Moments like this had been hard to come by lately. If Ginny hadn't been tired, he had been ready to drop with exhaustion. Or the nausea that seemed to persistently haunt Ginny would rear its ugly head. He didn't know about Ginny - although he could guess - but he was ready to climb the walls. Bill had warned him the difference between two pregnancies would be like night and day, but Harry didn't really believe it. Not until he realized it had been weeks since the last time he and Ginny had done anything in bed besides sleep.

He felt Ginny plop back down on the sofa. 'So...' she began.

'So?'

'Do you want to...?'

Harry grinned. 'Do I want to do what?'

Ginny rolled her eyes. 'Pick up where we left off.'

'Why don't you come find out?' Harry tossed the pillow across the room.

Ginny scooted into Harry's lap. 'So where were we?'

'Right there.'

*****

Harry stared at Iain. 'When did you find time to do this?'

Iain shrugged. 'I don't sleep much.'

Harry set the parchment down and ran a finger over the surface. 'So... Where does this parchment come from?'

'Isle of Skye,' Iain pronounced, a hint of pride in his voice.

'Portree?'

'No.' Iain pulled out a map of the Hebrides, and tapped it with his wand, making the Isle of Skye glow softly. 'Here.' He pointed to the northernmost tip of the island. 'The bloke that does this does it all by hand. Well, he does use some magic.' Iain tapped the parchment in front of Harry with his wand, and it flared for a moment, before a light purple mist rose from the surface. 'See? Also, he's sort of a hermit, and doesn't do owl order. If you want to get this stuff, you have to go see him.'

'How do you know this?'

'I'm from Portree. This man is legendary on Skye.' Iain ran a fingertip over the parchment thoughtfully. 'My parents used to use this for important letters and the like. I'm surprised I didn't think of it before.'

'You were doing other things,' Harry said dryly. 'This is great, Iain, but it still doesn't tell us who.'

'Yeah, I know.' Iain slumped in his chair.

'But you've given me an idea, so go home and get some sleep. I'm sending out Aurors to take over the watch tomorrow, and I want to see all of you in here on Monday morning. Nine sharp.'

'Shall I tell the others?'

'Thanks, but I'll do it.' Harry stood up and shooed the trainee out of the office, closing the door behind Iain. He turned back to his desk, and pulled the latest note closer. Harry tapped it with his wand muttering, -'Locus Aperio.' It wouldn't pinpoint exactly where, but it would narrow down an area. It wasn't the first time he had tried this spell, but the magazine letters were interfering with its efficacy. It was the same as always - ghostly letters floated above the parchment, a jumble of neighborhoods in London and a few towns in Scotland. 'Bugger,' he growled.

He paced the office, glaring at the note. Where the bloody hell did you come from? Someone knocked, and he stopped pacing to open the door. 'Kathleen, come in.'

Kathleen sat on the edge of a chair, fidgeting. 'Mr. Potter, sir...' she began nervously.

'Harry.' Harry eyed the trainee. She was normally calm and collected. The anxious fidgets were entirely out of character.

Kathleen took a deep breath. 'Harry. I haven't said anything before, but...' She shrugged. 'I have this feeling.'

Harry perched on the edge of his desk. 'Feelings are what separate Aurors from Magical Law Enforcement drones. I have a high regard for feelings. It's kept me alive more times than I can count.' He smiled encouragingly at the young trainee. 'Go on, then.'

'I should have said something earlier,' Kathleen whispered, twisting her hands. 'But the last few times a note's appeared, I noticed something odd and because I don't have proof, didn't want to say anything.'

'I'll give you the lecture later, Kathleen,' Harry promised. 'What do you mean by odd?'

'The shrubbery. Around the building with Mrs. Granger-Weasley's flat. Every time I've been there, and a note shows up, the shrubbery rustles. I Disillusioned myself and sat as close to the shrubbery as I could, and Harry, just the tops of the shrubs move. Like someone's walking on top, but nothing human can walk across it like that.' She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. 'I thought, maybe Animagus under a Disillusionment, but I checked the register. There aren't any that small.'

Harry's breath caught in his chest. He stared at Kathleen, words forming on his lips, but unable to say them. His eyes closed and a series of images flashed through his head. A roaring sound filled his ears. He opened his eyes, and saw Kathleen's lips moving, but couldn't hear a word she said. He willed himself to breathe slowly. The roaring subsided, and he shook his head. Kathleen was babbling, and Harry held up a hand, trying to stanch the tide of Kathleen's words. 'It's all right, Kathleen.' He gazed at her quizzically. 'You're right in that you should have said something before. But it's all right. I'm glad you've said something now.' Harry put a hand on her shoulder. 'Next time, Kathleen, say something. Even if it's just a gut feeling.' He put his hand under her elbow. 'Go home and get some rest. I expect to see you in the trainee room at nine Monday morning.' He ushered Kathleen out of his office and closed the door.

Dizzy, Harry dropped to the floor, his back against the door. Oh sweet Merlin, he thought hazily. Why didn't I see it before? 'Because you weren't looking for it, gumby,' he said out loud. He pushed himself to his feet and grabbed the trainee schedule off his desk. He tapped it with his wand and grabbed a quill, scrawling a message to the trainees to meet him here at three in the afternoon. Aurors would take over their surveillance posts. Stuffing the schedule into his pocket, he dashed for the lifts and punched the button for Level One.

He ran down the corridor to the Minister's offices, pausing long enough at Percy's desk to bellow, 'Is he here?'

'Yes, the Minister's here.' Percy stood up. 'He's with...' Percy trailed off as he noticed the hectic expression on Harry's face. 'Oh, bugger the Head of Magical Games and Sports. Man's got dust bunnies for brains anyway,' he muttered. 'Go ahead,' he said to Harry gesturing to the door.

Harry burst through the door. 'Kingsley, I need to talk to you.' Now, was the unspoken word in Harry's eyes.

'Smith, this is something that needs my urgent attention,' Shacklebolt, said, clapping Zacharias Smith on the back. 'Go see Percy. This is something he'll be able to clear up.' Shacklebolt saw Smith to the door, closing it firmly, muttering, '... Dust bunnies...' He turned to Harry. 'So, what's this about?'

'I know who it is. Who's been threatening Percy and Hermione,' Harry panted. 'Or at least I know how they're getting there.'

*****

'How do you know it's Inverness?' Harry asked. The past hour planning with Shacklebolt had steadied his nerves.

'Last known location. Or it was as of last year. She's moved around a lot the past couple of years.' Shacklebolt leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window at the sunny meadow Maintenance had provided that day. 'When do you think you and the trainees will be leaving?'

'Sunday morning.' Harry pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. 'Don't tell anybody where we are.'

'Of course not.'

Harry leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. 'I won't be in the rest of the week. I'll have to get Ginny and James settled.'

'With Molly and Arthur?' Shacklebolt guessed.

'Yeah,' Harry said unhappily. 'She won't like it.'

'How far along is she?'

'Six and a half months.'

'Think you'll be back in time?'

Harry sighed and buried his face in his hands. 'I hope so.'

*****

Harry stood at the head of the table in the trainees' room. 'Kathleen, Iain, Bree, Andre, Kevin, and Moira - I need you to meet me here at six Sunday morning. I'll tell you where we're going then. Eric, Ben, and Lucy - you three will still be in charge of the surveillance. The Aurors taking over for the others will answer directly to you. If they give you any guff, report to the Minister immediately. Mr. Weasley is to allow you in any time you need to see the Minister.' Harry looked around the table. The three youngest trainees gulped, but nodded.

'Harry? What do we need to pack?' asked Bree, a quill poised to make a list.

'Bring some warm clothing. A sleeping bag would be a good idea. Bring about a week's worth of clothes. But no more than a knapsack. Like what you'd have at school. Charm the inside of it so you can put all your clothes and sleeping bag inside it.

'I don't need to tell you how important it is to keep this quiet. Do not tell anyone where you are going. Not even your families.' Harry gazed at them steadily. 'Are there any other questions?' The trainees shook their heads. 'Send your Patronus if anything comes up.' Harry walked to the door, opened it, and strode to the lifts.

*****

Ginny walked with James back to the house. She had taken him to a play park near the center of the village. It was nearly mid-May and the weather had warmed considerably. He had fallen asleep in his pushchair, a rim of sticky chocolate ice cream around his mouth. Ginny opened the front door, and backed into the house, carefully maneuvering the pushchair into the front hallway. She stooped over James and unstrapped him from the seat, nearly staggering as she tried to lift him up. He was limp in sleep, and seemed to weigh twice what he did awake. Ginny decided to forgo taking him upstairs - she didn't think she could carry him - and laid him on the sofa. She collapsed into a chair, stifling a groan as her body molded itself to the chair cushions. Frowning, she Summoned a small pillow from the sofa and stuffed it behind her back. She saw Harry come down the stairs, a bag in each hand. 'You're home early!' she exclaimed softly, pleased to see him.

'Do you want James upstairs?' he asked, spotting the toddler on the sofa.

'If you can carry him. I barely made it to the sofa.' Harry grinned and made a show of flexing his muscles before Ginny hurled the pillow from behind her back at him.

Harry scooped James into his arms, grimacing at the stickiness around James' mouth. 'Ice cream, Gin?'

'He eats like Ron. One tiny cup of ice cream is not going to ruin his dinner.' Ginny heaved herself to her feet. 'Ten more weeks,' she sighed. She followed Harry and James up the stairs, figuring she could have a nice kip in her bed instead of the armchair. She could feel the baby stretch, the tiny hands and feet nudging her.

James had dubbed the baby "Bunny". He was in the throes of a fervent love affair with bunnies and rabbits, and all animals were called bunny. Bunny was rather shy, however; and although he was active, the second she or Harry laid a hand on her abdomen, he - or she - stopped moving. It was a rare gift indeed for someone other than Ginny to feel it kick.

Harry went into James' room, and Ginny turned the other way to their bedroom. She stopped short when she saw Harry's battered knapsack sitting in the middle of the bed, next to a pile of clothing. The Invisibility Cloak lay neatly folded next to a few of Harry's jumpers. One of her hands reached out and grasped the bedpost to steady herself. She heard Harry walk into the room. 'Where are you going?'

Harry walked past her, and carefully placed his jeans inside the knapsack. 'I can't tell you.'

Ginny's knees wouldn't hold her up, so she slowly sat on the foot of the bed. 'So we're back to that?' she asked coldly.

Harry stuffed the t-shirts and jumpers in the knapsack, and pulled the flap over the opening, threading the strap through the buckle. He carefully rolled up the Invisibility Cloak and tucked it into one of the front pockets. 'Do you remember that week after we found out you were pregnant?' Ginny nodded stonily. 'And I told you someone was threatening Hermione and Percy?' Ginny nodded again. 'I've been working on that since January. And I know who it is, but I have to find them. And I can't tell you anything else.' His voice cracked from the strain.

He looked at Ginny from the corner of his eye. She had kept her hair shorter, and he could see the back of her neck turn red. Damn, he thought. His eyes darted around the room, looking for her wand. Not seeing it anywhere, he took a deep breath and dove into what amounted to shark-infested waters. 'And I want you and James to go stay at the Burrow until I get back.'

'You want?' Ginny asked acidly. 'I'm not a sixteen-year old you can leave behind anymore.'

'I know that!' Harry turned to rummage in a cupboard for his spare glasses. 'But Gin, think about it. I'm going to be gone for two weeks at the very least, and maybe longer than a month. I do not want you to be here alone, pregnant, with a two-year old!' he hissed. Harry shoved the spare glasses in their case into a side pocket of the knapsack and turned around, anguish clear on his face. 'Please, Ginny. I'll be able to do my job better if I know the three of you are safe.' He sat on the edge of the bed. 'I need you and James to go stay with your parents,' he pleaded softly.

'When are you leaving?'

'Sunday. Early Sunday.' Harry leaned against a bedpost. 'We can go over to the Burrow Saturday afternoon, get you and James settled in, and stay the night there.'

'Fine. I'll get James and me packed tomorrow.'

'I already did it.'

'What else is there for me to do?' Ginny exploded. 'You've made all the decisions, like I'm too gormless to make my own decisions!'

'I just didn't want you to worry about anything.'

'Guess what?' Ginny spat. 'I've worried since the day you became an Auror.' She stalked out of the room, and went downstairs, slamming the back door.

*****

Harry sat on the bed, stunned. He knew Ginny was going to be upset, but he hadn't been expecting the fireworks. He could go after Ginny, but experience had taught him it was best to let her cool off a bit. If he went after her now, he'd end up with some sort of nasty hex. He hated fighting with her. He hated any kind of bickering. He didn't see how Ron and Hermione could stand it. When he and Ginny fought, it got downright poisonous.

Harry picked up the knapsack and carried it downstairs, with only a mild sense of déjà vu. He left it next to the bags he had packed earlier for James and Ginny, and went into the office. He sat behind his desk for several minutes before pulling the bottom drawer open. The only contents were in a folder that lay in the bottom of the drawer. He picked up the folder and laid it on the desk. It held two pieces of parchment. Harry picked up a quill and turned his attention to the topmost parchment. It was his will. He hadn't changed it since James was born. It was fairly straightforward. Ginny would have sole ownership of the house and number twelve Grimmauld Place. Part of his fortune would go to Molly and Arthur. George and Ron were to split his share of the shop evenly. The rest of the money would go to Ginny. -At least she won't have to worry about money, Harry thought grimly. He had set up an account in Gringotts for Teddy for school, and had one for James. Harry added instructions at the bottom to set up the same kind of account for the baby. He signed and dated the addition and pulled out the other sheet of parchment.

If there was a body - there hadn't been one when Sirius died - Harry asked to be buried near his parents. If there wasn't, he wanted a marker near his parents. It felt rather like tempting fate, but Harry knew that if he were to die, Ginny would have enough to handle without worrying about details.

Harry found another blank sheet of parchment. He held the quill poised over it, for several long moments.

18 May 2006

Dear Ginny...

*****

After Ginny left the house, she stomped into the woods, heading for a small clearing, muttering, 'Arrogant prat,' under her breath. She kicked at a fallen tree, swearing when she bruised her toes. Annoyed, Ginny yanked off her sandals and hurled them forcefully across the clearing. They disappeared into the foliage with a leafy crash. Ginny patted her pocket, looking for her wand, but she had left it in the house. 'Damn it!' she ground out, before dropping to the fallen tree, panting.

Bunny chose that moment to turn a lazy somersault, bringing Ginny back down to earth. She looked down at the swell of her stomach, hands splaying over it. She could see Harry's point. It was going to be difficult for her to be alone for a period of time longer than a few days. It didn't really matter where she did the bulk of her writing, but she wouldn't have Harry to get James up and dressed while she worked if they stayed here. And it wouldn't be forever. 'Just a few weeks,' Ginny said to the trees around her.

It wouldn't have bothered her so much, Ginny reflected, if he had at least talked to her before making all those arrangements. Sure, she would have been upset, but it wouldn't have seemed like he was making decisions for her. He'd even packed her bloody clothes, for Merlin's sake. Ginny knew he thought he was making things easier on her. And deep down, she did appreciate it. But he was right. He wouldn't be able to focus on his job, if he had to worry about either her or James. And he was going to control the things he could control, like packing for her.

Sighing, Ginny slid to the grass and braced her back against the fallen tree. She looked up at the clouds, watching the play of light and shadow on them as they slowly changed from white to orange, and finally purple with the setting sun.

Ginny pushed herself to her feet. She started to head to the house, but veered to the right. She needed to do something repetitive, just to blow off steam. In the fading light, Ginny rooted for round, flat stones. She thought with a slight pang of the summer she had turned five. Fred had taught her how to skip stones. When she played for the Harpies, some of her best goals used the same motions as skipping stones across the pond. She knew Fred would have gotten a kick out of that.

When she had collected a small pile of stones, Ginny took one from her skirt pocket and took a deep breath. She waded into the chilly water of the pond, hissing as the water crept up her ankles. Ginny flicked her wrist, and the stone skipped five times before it sank into the water. She repeated the action with each stone, nodding in satisfaction when she managed to get the stone to skip more than five times, and grunting in disappointment if it just sank.

The last stone skipped lightly across the surface of the pond, and sank with a small splash. Ginny squinted, but she couldn't even make out the opposite shore of the pond. The sun had set several minutes ago. Ginny looked down at her watch in surprise. It was after nine.

Ginny trudged into the back garden from the woods behind the house. She was exhausted. Harry had left a light burning in the kitchen, and Ginny could see the light in James' room spilling into the corridor upstairs. She circled the house, going into the front garden, watching Harry read to James before he put James down for the night. James' face was alight in rapt attention. All of James' Beatrix Potter books had been charmed so the pictures moved when someone read it aloud. James giggled, the sound floating down from the open window to his mother's ears. Ginny sighed and went around to the back of the house.

Ginny opened the back door and padded into the house. She squinted at the bright light in the kitchen and looked down ruefully at her muddy toes. The mud was starting to dry in dingy rings around her ankles and streaks down her foot. Ginny stole up the stairs, coming to a stop on the top stair. Harry stood silhouetted in the dim light from James' room. 'I'm sorry,' he said quietly, closing the door. Ginny gave him an awkward shrug and went into their bedroom. Apologies had never been easy for either of them.

Harry followed her, his eyes drifting over Ginny's dirty, disheveled clothes. He wondered what had caused the muddy streaks that snaked up the backs of Ginny's legs and blossomed over her feet. 'Gin?'

Ginny paused in her rummaging for a clean nightdress and looked up. Harry was looking at her with a perplexed expression. 'Yes?'

'Where are your shoes?'

'Oh.' Ginny looked down at her feet. 'In the woods, I imagine.'

Harry blinked owlishly. 'Oh. All right.' Harry sat gingerly on the edge of the bed. 'I owe you an apology,' he said stiffly.

Ginny turned around a clean nightdress in her hand. 'For what?'

Harry traced the border of the rug with his bare toes. 'For the mixed messages I keep giving you. I tell you that you're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, then treat you like you can't do anything.' He looked up at her. 'I should have let you pack your own clothes.'

'You were just trying to help.' Ginny went into the bathroom and turned the taps on for a shower.

Harry slid off the bed, and followed her. 'And I could have discussed it with you before I went and made all sorts of arrangements. I've cut you out of enough the past few months.'

Ginny pulled her shirt over her head. 'You're right.' Her hands went to the waistband of her skirt.

'You don't have to go to the Burrow, if you don't want to,' Harry said softly. 'I should have given you the option of staying here.'

'Yes, you should have.' Ginny pulled the shower curtain back, one hand on the wall, to steady herself as she stepped into the tub. 'But I get it, all right? If I were you, I'd probably have done the same thing.' The curtain closed.

Harry pulled back the shower curtain enough to peer at Ginny, who was lathering a face cloth. 'Want some help?'

'Yes.'

Harry stepped into the tub behind Ginny, still dressed in his pajama bottoms and t-shirt. Harry looked down at his soaked clothes in mock surprise. 'Oh, my. I guess I'll have to take these off then.'

'I imagine you will.' Ginny watched Harry toss his wet clothes outside the bathtub, to land with a splat on the floor. He took the soapy cloth and slowly worked his way down to her feet.

Harry looked up at Ginny. 'Just one question... Why are your feet so muddy?'

'Skipping stones in the pond.'

'Oh, okay.' Harry dropped a kiss on Ginny's ankle before he stood up. He carelessly draped the cloth over the side of the tub, and cupped Ginny's face in both hands. 'You know I love you, don't you?' he asked intently.

Ginny nodded. 'You'll be careful, won't you?'

'Of course I will.'

'No heroics,' she ordered. 'I can't have you looking like Mad-Eye. You'll scare the children.'

'I'll try.'

'You'll come back soon?' Ginny hated the child-like tone in her voice.

'I'll try.' Harry wrapped his arms around her.