A/N: This took way too long for 1k words haha but I did it and I like it now...hoping to post another tomorrow for Ginny's birthday woo

"Why the hell are you bleeding!?"

Ginny plopped her bag down in the hall and took a breath without turning to face her husband, who had dropped his copy of the Prophet into his lap and froze.

"Gin?" he asked again, now much closer, his voice intentionally calmer. Ginny knew better though, she'd heard this tone before and knew he was tamping down his distress. She toed off her trainers and sighed, "Practice?"

Harry let out a snort, he was right behind her now, "You should've let someone take care of it. Although I'm questioning the truth of that answer."

Ginny turned, cheeks flushed with frustration, "Would I lie to you?"

She shuffled into the cozy, dim-lit living room and slumped onto the couch, tugging off her socks, her head dropping back on the back of the couch. Running a gentle finger down the bridge of her nose, Harry whispered, "Does it hurt?"

Cracking an eye open with a chuckle, Ginny drawled, "Yeah but only when you touch it."

He was quiet for a moment, before she felt him shifting to straddle her knees, "Gonna kiss it better Potter?"

He was close now, she could feel his breath arch across her cheekbone as he whispered, "I have to assess the injuries first."

Ginny smirked but kept her eyes closed, "Ah, playing healer then? I like it."

Thin, calloused fingers softly gripped her chin, "You've got to behave Gin, you're worse than Teddy."

"He loved watching practice by the way," Ginny tried, hoping mention of Harry's pride and joy of a godson would be a successful subject change. Although it's unlikely…the man's like a bloodhound.

Slowly, he probed her nose and cheeks with careful pressure, feeling for broken bones or injury beyond the obvious black eye and bloody lip. Wordlessly, he summoned a bowl and flannel, cool water spilling from the tip of his wand. She heard him squeeze the excess from the cloth, turning back to her and dabbing at the wound. Droplets slid down the side of Harry's hand as he wiped the blood from her lower lip, "Care to tell the truth about how you got these, Bruiser?"

A chuckle sounded from Ginny's chest before she groaned, "Don't make me laugh it hurts."

Ginny opened her eyes, as Harry murmured spells to heal the abrasions on her face, "I may have gotten into a bit of a…tussle."

Harry quirked a brow, "Did this 'tussle' involve any injuries below your chin?"

"Where's my pride located?"

He snorted and sat to the side, pulling her close and rubbing her shoulders gently, working the knots out, interspersing his rubs with feather light kisses. Ginny groaned again, this time from pleasure, "You'll never get me to talk Potter, even with heavenly massages."

Harry slid his hands down her arms, kissing up one side of her neck and nuzzling behind her ear, "C'mon Gin, you can tell me."

Ginny speared her fingers through his messy locks, encouraging him to continue his ministrations, "Hypothetically, would you think it was funny if the wife of someone who is say, an auror and plays for a sports team – lets say Quidditch for the sake of the hypothetical – got into a minor physical altercation with I don't know – Rita Skeeter outside their stadium?"

Pausing, Harry dropped his forehead to her cool shoulder. Ginny bit her lip nervously, "Your silence is scaring me…are you seething?"

He pulled away completely, leaving Ginny bereft and also concerned that a fight was about to erupt, and she was still sore from her post-practice boxing match. He let out a frustrated puff of breath, "No – well I should say I am seething but it's not at you."

"I usually control my temper-"

Harry let out a snort.

"Excuse me I am a very self-controlled individual. For example, right now I am not smacking you silly for snorting at me," Ginny argued, turning around to face her husband, legs folded underneath her bum. Harry scooted forward, his legs walling Ginny in and reached to grasp the end of her braid, slowly pulling her tired hair free, then letting his fingers work the base of her neck, "Tell that to Percy's hydrangeas."

Ginny carefully unfolded her legs, draping them over Harry's hips and nuzzling into his shoulder comfortably as she whined, "He insulted my muffins."

A laugh rumbled deep in Harry's chest, "That bastard. I enjoy all your muffins."

"Are you ever not thinking about-"

"Are you?"

"Fair point. We do have a collection of lovely muffins."

Harry pulled her closer, her legs wrapping around his waist tightly as her breathing slowed. Ginny sighed quietly, "It was Teddy."

"And Rita?"

"She was going at him – Andromeda had gone off to the loo and Teddy and I were waiting outside and that hag of a woman came up and said things I won't even repeat," Ginny growled, her voice gravely with emotion. Harry remained silent as she took a breath, fighting back angry tears no doubt, before continuing, "And I'll be damned if I let her print anything about that little boy or Remus and Tonks. I can't abide sitting around letting my family get ripped to shreds, and if that means I get a split lip, bad press, and a slap on the wrist from Gwenog so be-"

Ginny's impassioned rant was cut off as Harry pressed his lips to hers, then pulled away, "You are just." He paused and locked eyes, their breaths mingling in the short space between them.

Unhurriedly, Harry reclined back, taking his wife with him as her legs shifted to straddle his hips. With gentle fingers, he worked the back of her shirt up, exposing her back gradually, drawing random circles on the chilled skin. Ginny slowly ran her nose along the underside of his scratchy jawline, using tender presses of her lips to work her way to his ear, "I love you, Potter." Without another word, she flicked her wand, closing the flat to unexpected visitors, letting it drop from her fingers as Harry slipped her jersey over her head and flipped their positions, soaking in her sparking chocolate brown eyes, flushed cheeks, and stubborn chin before dipping his head to press his mouth to her parted lips, "Ditto."