AN: I'm sorry I took this long to update. I have been reviewing earlier chapters and replaced the first three. I removed typos and small plotline errors. I will continue doing so to make the story much better. I hope you all have patience with me.

AN2: I have decided that like with my crossover story I'm going to shorten the chapters and pick up the pace of the story a lot. You will notice that I will only show the important things in Ginny's life as 19 years of daily activity is very boring to write.

AN3: Anyone having something positive to say or constructive critism is welcome to leave behind a review. All those who are rude will be deleted.

14th of September, 2001,

Harry's POV.

Life as a married man suited me perfectly. While I had thought to be happy beyond reason with Ginny since the end of the war, married life supplied me with more happiness then I could take. To wake up to the most beautiful woman in the world each morning knowing that she had sworn to be yours forever was a feeling that I could never get used to.

Being married added a layer of security, peace and love into my life that I never knew I was missing. Ginny brought me that what I was missing all my life, a family. A huge family non the less. One that was growing rapidly. The Weasley's of course had always been a big family and Fleur and Bill had decided to add another member to it.

Last weekend Fleur had announced she was pregnant again. It was a relief for Ginny and Hermione as Molly was still pushing them to produce grandchildren. Now her focus was shifted to Fleur again it gave both girls a bit of a break.

Not that I would mind having a big family of my own. Having kids. While I was very apprehensive about being a good father I did love children. I loved spending time with Teddy and often when I planned an outing for him I took Victoire along so that Bill and Fleur got a little time for themselves. Teddy loved Victoire and was the perfect big brother for her.

Ginny loved these outings as well. She loved spending time with Teddy and Victoire though now with her new trainings schedule it was hard to make these plans. She was so busy all the time. Her schedule was hard and with long hours. One day a week she had a day off to relax and spend time with me. However most of the time she was just too exhausted to really go do something fun. As the dutiful husband I took care of her as much as I could knowing that after the world cup the madness would die out.

Over the last week I hadn't seen much of her. I left early in de morning for work and by the time she got home she had just about enough energy to sit and talk to me during dinner before crashing. More then ones I had to carry her to bed because she fell asleep on the couch.

After today it would get less intensive. The qualifying matches would start soon and today she would hear if she would be a part of the team or not. The original plan of announcing the final selection at the end of August had fallen through and John and Denison had decided to wait a few days before the first match.

If she made the team or not the result would be the same, two days of training, one day off, the match the next day for three weeks. That would mean that she had more time to recover and shorter days on the match days.

For now I was alone, carrying Teddy on my arm.

"Where are we going?" Teddy asked.

"To Ammanford, in Wales, Teddy." I told him.

"We going to get aunt Gin a present?"

"Yes, and you get to pick the present."

"For aunt Gin?"

"Yes."

"And for me?"

I laughed loudly. Teddy had a fool proof way to get me to buy anything the little man wanted. He would pout, ask, pout again and then say something funny. Anyway he had Dora's eyes and no man or woman could say 'no' to them.

"Is it your birthday yet?"

"Nope."

"Is it Christmas yet?"

"Nope."

"Then it's not yet time for you to get presents."

"Is aunt Gin, birthday?"

"No, aunt Ginny is getting a gift because she is an amazing woman."

"I'm an amazing boy, so aunt Gin says." The little tyke protested and I broke down in laughter.

"Yes, that you are. How about you pick out the present for aunt Ginny and then I'll take you to Honeydukes?"

"Chocolate!" the boy screamed happily. I smiled and felt a longing for my father's friend. I still missed Remus Lupin a lot. Luckily I had met a lot of people who remember my parents and could tell stories about them but it wasn't the same as having an uncle. Teddy often made me remember Remus and Dora. The first year after the war it had been hard for me to be with him. While I didn't want to shy away from my responsibility as godfather it was just so painful to visit often. Teddy was the perfect combination of his parents and what ever he did, he made me remember the friend and uncle I had lost.

But as they say time heals all wounds and these days Teddy was with me and Ginny at least one or two days a week. It gave Andromeda a bit of time for herself.

After our wedding I had offered Andromeda to take Teddy in as my own son. I had offered it with the idea that she wasn't the youngest witch anymore and had suffered a lot, Teddy would only add to the stress and would take away her chance to live the last years of her life like she wanted it.

I was happy that Andromeda wasn't insulted by my offer but she refused to give up Teddy. While she gave me officially full rights to the boy and truly be his adoptive father she asked to have Teddy still live with her.

These days it was a dual parentingship. She taught Teddy things like reading, writing, what it meant to be a pure blood wizard and about his heritage, after all he was the heir to the black family and I would teach experiences in life. Like playing with his peers, flying, going out for fun things but also rules of conduct in a family, how to do things the muggle way and how to be a kind friend.

I admit that I liked it better this way. It gave me a chance to develop parenting skills that I would need once Ginny was ready to have a family. I needed this chance as my own relatives never truly gave a good example. Bill and Arthur helped me in this and gave me pointers when I needed them.

"Alright Teddy, hold on tightly." I said as I activated the portkey. A few seconds later we were standing outside of the small Welsh town. The farm I planned on visiting with Teddy was just a short ten minutes walk away. I let Teddy walk in front of me and watched him racing down the country lane.

The farm I was visiting was run by an old witch. She was a friend of Andromeda and a dog breeder.

I smiled as I remembered the discussions Ginny and I had about having a pet. I had always thought of her as a cat person. She loved Hermione's monster of a cat but apparently she didn't really care whether or not she got a cat, dog or hippogriff. She liked all pets, even Charlie's half tame pet dragon.

As a surprise and gift for making the team, I just knew she would get it, I had seen practices and knew she was one of the better flyers and team players, I was buying her a puppy. It had taken me some time to find a breeder of the Irish Wolfhound but I found one through Andy and visited her two weeks ago to talk about owning a pup and what we would need to do. In the end I decided that in the interest of having a pup that could handle kids I would take Teddy with me when selecting one.

"Hello Harry!" The witch named Melena said happily. "Who is this little tyke?"

"My name is not Tyke!" Teddy said. "I am Teddy Lupin."

"Teddy! Be nice." I said as his tone was anything but friendly. "Now give Mrs Melena a hand and introduce yourself properly."

Teddy blushed a little before walking up to Melena and offered his hand.

"Hello madam, I am Theodore Remus Lupin, in short Teddy."

Melena shook his hand and smiled at him.

"Come in, I have chocolate cookies for you. Your grandmother tells me you like chocolate."

"I do, a lot!" And gone were all his manners. I sighed and shook my head.

"He is only three, Harry. You can't expect much more from him yet." Melena said with a smile.

"It won't stop me from trying, though."

"No, of course not. He will end up the perfect young man with you and Andy as his guides."

"Thanks, Melena."

"How is Ginny doing?"

"Tired most of the time. But she is enjoying herself greatly and that is what is important. I can wait for her to live her dreams."

"You are a good man, Harry. Not many would have the patience. Especially not in the wizarding world. Most wizards with such a lineage would see to an heir as soon as they are married."

"I have never cared for traditions or heritage. I'm much more happy to see Ginny glowing with happiness as she is chasing her dreams." I told her. "Besides, I have Teddy to take up the Black lordship once he is old enough."

"That's true." Melena said. "I'm going to get the pups. Make yourself at home."

I nodded and sat down to help Teddy with his tea and chocolate cookie. The boy had a gift to make himself look like a chocolate doll with very little amounts of chocolate.

"Puppies!" Teddy yelled as seven miniature wolfhounds raced into the living room. Teddy ran to them immediately and soon they were rolling around on the floor under the watchful eye of the mother.

I couldn't help but smile as I saw Teddy play with the pups and giggle loudly. The boy had a gift with animals and dogs in particular.

"It seems that there will be no issue with Teddy and a pup."

"I did not expect one. Hagrid has done a good job on him introducing him to all sorts of animals. Teddy is not afraid of any animal."

"That's good." Melena nodded. "Do you have a pup in mind that you want?"

"Yes, I was hoping to get a darker coloured one. Preferably black but it depends on which one Teddy likes the best."

"I would advise you to do with on of the calmer ones. They need a lot of exercise and attention. As you are both working it might cause problems if you get yourself a dog with a wild character."

I nodded and thought it over. What she said made sense but I still would prefer to go with the one Teddy would pick. We watched the pups and the boy play for a while. The pups grew tired more quickly and fell asleep while playing or eating. It was funny to see.

As the noise, barks and giggles died down I noticed that one of the pups fell asleep against Teddy.

"What's the name of that pup?" I asked Melena.

"I haven't really named them yet. Normally I leave that to the person who buys the dog. However that one I keep calling Pads. I don't know why but it seems to fit him."

"Pads?" I asked and immediately felt the scar that Sirius had left behind on my heart ripple. The pup did look like Padfoot. His coat wasn't as dark and shaggy but it got close. "My godfather was an animagus. His form was a dog similar to an Irish Wolfhound. I think that is was got me interested in the breed. His nickname was Padfoot."

"How about that." Melena sighed.

"Yeah, how about that." I agreed. I got up and walked toward Teddy. "And? Any puppy you particularly liked?"

"Yes, unca Harry! This one! Can we have this one?" Teddy asked as he carefully petted the pup.

"Why would you like this one?"

"Pups is sweet, unca Harry. He lick my hand. Dog kisses!"

I laughed at the happy look on Teddy's face. I carefully picked the pup up and it opened its sleepy eyes.

"Hey boy." I whispered softly. The pup gave a soft whine and licked my hand before falling asleep again. I don't know why but I instantly felt a connection form. Magic maybe.

"I'll make the papers ready for you, Harry." Melena said with a smile. I could only nod and sat down next to Teddy. We both petted the pup until Melena returned with the paperwork and a small gift box.

"I need you to sign these papers to buy the dog." She said and handed me the parchment and quill. I dutifully read the text and signed where needed. "Thanks, this is a starters box. It's shrunken but it contains puppy food for a week, two dag bowls, a few toys, his vaccination papers and a book about raising a dog and what they need."

"Thanks, Melena." I sighed and stood up. A glance at the clock told me that Ginny would be home in about two hours. "Come Teddy, if you want to stop by Honeydukes we will need to hurry."

"Pups, comes with us?" Teddy asked.

"Yes, the pup is a present for Aunt Ginny."

"I give to aunty Ginny?"

"Yes, you can give it to her. Do you still want to go to Honeydukes?"

"Yes, chocolate for me." The boy said.

"Alright, let's go then."

We said goodbye to Melena and promised her to write her on Pads progress before we took a portkey to Hogsmeade. It was funny to see how much had already changed in wizarding Britain. Only a few years ago, making portkeys were restricted. These days domestic portkeys were allowed for all parents and caretakers to create. It was much easier this way to travel with kids.

Honeydukes was relatively quiet as it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend for the kids. On a normal day the village in general wasn't all that busy. A few tourists, a handful of visitors and the people who lived there. And of course the teachers who came here for a drink or to do some shopping.

Luckily today we didn't run into some familiar face. It helped to speed up things but it still was impossible for me to make a quick stop in the town before returning home. People would still come up to me and ask for a picture of autograph. It was embarrassing but I couldn't stop them. All I could do was to remind them that I was with my godson and that we needed to hurry.

We arrived home an hour later with Teddy carrying a stack of chocolate and I a very sleepy pup.

"Teddy, please place the chocolate on the kitchen table and ask Drooble to make you something warm to drink."

"I eat chocolate?"

"Later, first you need something to drink and something normal to eat."

The boy pouted for a second but when I didn't react he left for the kitchen. I knew Drooble would make sure that Teddy ate properly first before attacking the chocolate. I placed the pup in the study and enlarged the package Melena had given me. I pulled out the two bowls and filled one with water and one with kibble.

I picked up an old pillow and enlarged it so that Pads could sleep on it. The pup was happy to sleep and used the pillow immediately.

"I'll buy you a proper dog-pillow tomorrow." I told him as I closed the door behind me.

Teddy had just finished eating when I heard Ginny coming home. Her distinctive popping sound when she apparated was very recognisable to me.

"Aunty Ginny?" Teddy asked.

"Yes. Now remember what I told you."

"Nothing about pups until later." Teddy repeated.

"Correct. We have to wait until aunty Ginny tells us she made the team."

"Harry!" Ginny called as she opened the front door. I could hear by her voice that she was exceedingly happy.

"In here!" I called.

Teddy giggled with excitement as we waited for Ginny to get in.

"I did it!" She screamed as she ran in. She flung herself at me and I was just in time to catch her. "I did it, Harry! I made the team!"

"Pups!" Teddy yelled and immediately rushed out to get Pads.

Ginny pulled back and looked at me in confusion.

"Of course you made the team, love." I whispered to her and pulled her in a hug again. I kissed her softly before continuing. "I knew you would. You are one of the best flyers they have, they would have been insane not to select you. I never doubted it for a second."

"Really?" She asked teasingly.

"Yes, and Teddy ran off to get proof of that."

A soft bark and a giggling Teddy were heard through out the house. Ginny looked up at me in surprise.

"Teddy and I went out to buy you a little present for making the team today."

"Pups, aunty Ginny!" Teddy said as he ran in. "Present for you!"

The pup follow Teddy into the kitchen and barked happily. I scooped it up and held it out to a shocked and silent Ginny.

"His name is Pads but you can rename him if you want to." I told her as I handed her the pup.

"Pads?" Ginny asked as she took the pup. Pads was barking happily and licked her face.

"Yeah, that was what the breeder called him already."

"You bought me a puppy?" She breathed.

"Yes, we discussed that we wanted a pet and you seemed to love the pup Luna was baby-sitting a few weeks ago. I thought it would be a lovely addition to the family to have a pup. You can have a kitten as well if you want to. The house is big enough and I don't mind."

"Oh, Harry I love to have a pup. It is brilliant. He is so cute!" She quickly leaned in to kiss me.

"Ewwww." Teddy yelled.

Pads barked again and pulled Ginny's attention to him. Ginny knelt down to place him back on the floor and petted him. I watched as within a few minutes both Teddy and Ginny were happily playing with Pads. Ginny had conjured up a ball for Pads to play with. Both the dog and the boy ran after it as she threw it.

I sat down in my chair and enjoyed the sight. This was what life was all about, a happy family. I didn't need more then that.