So gryffindormischief gave me a little prompt to work on and I loved it so much I couldn't put it down! The general outline was that hinny are secretly dating and nobody knows and they think they're in denial so everyone is being all nosy and trying to set them up. So hinny are like you know we can't let them be right. I hope I did it justice! TheDistantDusk was awesome enough to edit this for me so quickly!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It had started off as a secret, because of the paparazzi. When they had kissed out by the Burrow pond it had felt perfect. It had just been him and her. Just Harry and Ginny. After the war, it had taken time for Harry to get himself right in the head. And Ginny had needed time to cope as well. So their reunion hadn't been some big commotion, just a simple understanding between two people after years of being unable to act on their feelings.

They had spent the entire day out by the water: Wading around, sunbathing, and snogging. Within those first hours, they'd decided not to let their romance out in public. Harry hadn't wanted Ginny to deal with the pressure of being The Chosen One's girlfriend. Which she had waved off instantly, of course. Ginny didn't care if the press followed her around demanding to know about Harry's new supposed tattoo. She would just tell them it was in a place that only she would ever have the pleasure of seeing.

No, what Ginny hadn't wanted to deal with was people saying she was only gaining playtime with the Harpies because she was sleeping with someone famous.

So for a few week, they had kept their relationship a secret from not only the press but also their friends and family. Then when the opportunity to tell Ginny's family about their budding relationship arrived, they had just… hadn't.. When they left the family dinner that night, they had a serious talk while sitting on Harry's sofa. There was something magical about privacy. No hovering mother or brothers. No one making jokes at their expense. And not to mention there was something so hot about no one knowing about their secret moments in crowded rooms. So right then, they decided to just not say anything. If someone figured that they were dating then so be it, but they were not going to come out and tell them.

As the months went on, Harry would make up excuses on why Ron couldn't come over to listen to the Cannons match (because if he did, Ron would see quite an eyeful of his sister). And Ginny had become rather adept at making up reasons for why she needed to leave the bar as all her teammates started selecting their companions for the night.

Before Harry knew it, it had been a year. A superb year, of just him and Ginny. Getting to go for walks around St James's Park, eating Thai food on the floor of his sitting-room, finding dingy muggle pubs to sit and listen to local bands, and he couldn't forget the private moments they shared in his bedroom, kitchen, in the Harpies' changing room, or that one time in that pub loo.

That wasn't to say he'd got to spend all the time he wanted with her. Quite the contrary actually. With their busy schedules, they would sometimes go weeks without getting to spend more than a few moments together. And those moments tended to be supervised at the Weasley family dinners (which Molly insisted on having at least every other week).

Just because they hadn't told anyone about their romance didn't mean the people closest to them didn't sense things. Ron and Hermione, in particular, often slid the topic of Ginny into their conversations with Harry.

One night when they were all out at the pub, Ginny had gone off to the bar to grab the next round; Harry's eyes may have followed her swaying hips.

"Bloody hell, Harry," Ron had groaned, pulling Harry's focus back to the table. "I don't wanna see that."

"See what?" Harry hoped his face wasn't as red as it felt.

"You and your specky eyes on my sister's arse, that's what." Ron rolled his eyes. "I never thought I'd say this, but why haven't you made a move on my sister yet, huh?!"

Hermione gave a surprised snort into her glass. Harry, however, had only stared at his friend in surprise. "Wh -"

Ron cut off his denial. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. It's been a year and a half of watching the two of you make starry eyes at each other. Do you just not see it? I mean you've always been bad with women but I would have thought -"

"Hey! I'm not that bad with women." Harry pointed a finger at his friend. "And it's not like you have much of a soapbox to stand on, mate." He shot Hermione a look.

"That's when we were kids." Ron shrugged off Harry's rebuttal. "Now look at us. We're happy together, aren't we 'Mione?"

Hermione shrugged, but her smile spoke volumes of how she truly felt. Ron gestured to his girlfriend. "See." He grabbed his nearly empty pint and took a long drag to finish it. "I'm just saying, mate; you need to get over whatever it is that's stopping you and just… let yourself be happy."

"I am happy," Harry defended quickly. "I have a job I enjoy… except when Robards is up my arse for something. And I love my flat. The rooftop garden is a great place to have a picnic."

Hermione, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, narrowed her eyes. "You have picnics up on your roof?"

"Yeah." Harry shrugged. "There is a little table and chairs set up -"

"And you do this by yourself? Because picnics tend to be between at least two people."

Harry forced himself to take a deep breath. Once again Hermione had proven she was too smart for her own good. He plastered a nonchalant smile on his lips. "Sure I go by myself. It's just so nice up there not to enjoy it."

It had been at that moment Ginny returned with a full pitcher of beer. "What's too nice?"

"Harry's rooftop garden," Ron said, taking the jug from his sister to refill his glass. "He says he likes having picnics up there."

"It is a great place, it has a great view of the setting sun," Ginny confirmed as she slid back into the booth beside Harry.

Hermione tilted her head. "I didn't know you and Harry watched sunsets together."

Ginny's eyes widened as she realized what she'd implied (which was of course the truth, but Hermione wasn't supposed to know). Her fingers dug into Harry's knee under the table. Harry could practically hear the wheels turning in her head as she made her expression neutral. "I wouldn't say we watched them together. More like... I had used it for sunbathing until the sun had set. Actually, I can't remember if Harry was even up there. I had brought up the new issue of Which Broomstick? There had been a fascinating article about the new Nimbus X."

Ron, who clearly had only been half-listening to his sister's story, perked up at the mention of the new broom model. "Yeah? How's it looking?"

The tension in Harry's gut lessened as the topic shifted, that was until he looked over at Hermione. Her eyes were bouncing back and forth between himself and Ginny as if she were trying to see something invisible between them.

Ginny seemed to have caught on to Hermione's focus as well, because she used the best distraction technique Harry had ever seen. "It's looking really nice, Ron. So, Hermione, have you heard about the claim against Hogwarts, a History?"

Hermione's posture mimicked that of a board as she sat straight in the booth. "No, I haven't. What is the claim?"

"Oh, you know," Ginny shrugged before taking a sip from her pint. "Something about there being two hundred and thirty-four candles in the Great Hall, when Hogwarts, a History says there are two hundred and thirty-five. I guess it's making people question the accuracy of the entire textbook."

That had been a month ago and Harry could swear his ears were still ringing from listening to the rant Hermione composed about the audacity of anti-Bagshot readers. Actually, it had been a month since he'd seen his two best friends. He had been sent on assignment to Arezzo a few days after that pub night. He'd only gotten back to England last night, and he'd instantly collapsed into bed.

The next morning he'd woken to an owl hooting at his closed window. Molly had sent a request that he come to the Burrow for Sunday tea if he was home. He was informed everyone was going to be there, including Charlie. So Harry spent the day completing chores and whatnot before heading to the Weasley's homestead.

When he apparated to the corner of the garden, George was the first one to notice him. Harry could see his friend's mischievous grin from a distance.

"Harry!" George bellowed, gesturing for him to come closer. "Maybe you can come and solve a debate we're having."

The rest of the Weasleys turned in their lawn chairs to greet Harry. Ginny, who was next to her mother at the large table, a few meters from her brothers, beamed at him. Harry's eyes never left hers as he walked towards George.

"Hey, Harry." Ron greeted him with a thump on the back and an open beer. "How was Italy?"

Finally taking his focus off Ginny, Harry took the offered drink. "Good. We got the entire crew being processed in the Italian Auror Office as we speak." He turned to George. "What's the issue?"

"Well, my brothers and I are trying to decide on the perfect blind date for that lovely lady over there." George pointed at Ginny, who had gone back to talking with Molly. "Because the rest of us have gotten shackled in some way, so we figure it's Gin-Gin's turn."

"Well," Bill amended. "Everyone but Charlie."

George waved a dismissive hand at his eldest brother. "You clearly haven't seen the starry eyes Charlie makes when talking about that new Vipertooth."

Charlie snorted but just took another drag from his drink.

George turned back to Harry. "Anyways, we've narrowed it down to a few ideal traits the bloke needs to have."

"Oh yeah?" Harry asked, honestly curious about what Ginny's brother thought she needed. Not that it would make a difference to him… for them, but his curiosity was piqued.

"First of all, he needs to be one brave S-O-B." George held up one finger. "To deal with Spitfire over there, he needs to show more courage than most… maybe prove himself in battle."

Ron plopped down in the seat next to the reading Hermione and grinned at his brother. "Also, this guy needs to be able to talk quidditch, because there is no way Ginny wouldn't brag about her most recent victory on a date."

George nodded approvingly, sticking up a second finger. "Right you are, Ron. Right you are. Whoever Ginny dates should be able to take a verbal beating. That girl is small but most of her body mass is cheek."

"I need the cheek to deal with all of you." Ginny snuck up behind George and flicked his good ear. "What are you talking about, anyway?"

"Hey!" George swatted her hand away. "That's no way to treat someone who is trying to find your perfect man, now is it?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You lot"- she made a grand gesture to her brothers- "could barely find your way out of a paper bag, let alone find me the perfect man." Ginny's use of air quotes for her conclusion had Harry hiding a snort behind a fake cough. "Besides, who says I need your perfect man, anyway? I'm happy with my life as it is, thank you very much."

George pressed his hand over his heart, feigning shock.. "How dare you! I'll have you know that in the ways of love I am a pioneer. Isn't that right, Angie?"

Angelina, who had been dating George for about six months, snorted. "Yeah, that's what we'll call it. Such a romantic you are." She tipped her bottle towards George. "Like last night when you said -"

"See!" Geroge spoke loudly over Angelina, making her snort even harder. "So you should just give us a chance, yeah?"

Ginny looked her brother over. It was only from years of observation that Harry noticed the mischievous glint in his girlfriend's eyes. "All right, then. Let's hear it."

George nodded cordially. "I knew I could get you to come around. Now as we were discussing with young Harry here. He reached forward and slapped Harry's knee. "You need a brave, cheeky lad who loves quidditch."

After a second Ginny nodded slowly. "Okay… so you've got a few things right."

Harry snorted when George's smile grew smug, which went perfectly with his little bow. "I know. But I'm sure now you're now asking do they have someone in mind? And Gin-Gin, we do."

Ginny grimaced. "Don't call me that."

George ignored her, standing to heighten his performance. "After careful consideration, multiple drunken discussions, and one very compelling argument from Oliver Wood about future quidditch talent, we have all come to an agreement that your perfect man is..." He paused and looked around the group. Harry knew he loved having every eye on him. George moved so he stood behind Harry, his hand coming to rest on Harry's shoulder. "This man right here."

Not a noise was heard in the Weasley's garden other than one frog croaking in the distance. Harry knew his eyes must be the size of tea saucers. A million thoughts raced around his mind, that all came back to one question: did they know?

Ginny was staring at George, a look of pure shock on her face. "I - I - What?"

Harry was actually a little impressed that George rendered Ginny speechless. It was such a rare sight.

For his part, George kept on a wide, proud smile. "It was a rather easy conclusion to come to, right lads?" He gestured at his nodding brothers.

"It is rather obvious you two would make a good couple," Bill said as he took his little Victoire from Fleur. "I mean we all know how well he can pull you out of one of your moods."

Harry frowned. He hadn't thought anyone had noticed him pull Ginny aside after that horrible loss. It had been well over a month ago, and Ginny had been visibly upset during the after-match dinner Molly had cooked. So when the rest of the family had seemed preoccupied with George's new product for the joke shop, Harry had taken Ginny to the side and held her close to him. That's all, but that's what she had needed. Ginny didn't need George mocking the Arrows' goofy flying techniques or Ron's assurance that the Harpies were still in good standings for the finals. No, she had needed some quiet comfort.

"And don't get us started on your obsessive discussions about Firebolts," Percy chimed in. Harry felt a shiver go up his spine. Their Firebolt discussions weren't typically about the broom, but Harry had no inclination to explain their innuendo. "We get it you like riding brooms, Ginny."

Well, now." Ginny's lips twisted in a sly grin as she winked at Harry. "Only a select broom."

Ron waved off her words. "And of course there is no denying all the looks you two share."

Everyone in the garden made a noise of agreement, even Arthur and Molly. Harry met Ginny's surprised gaze. He had no idea they'd been so obvious, and apparently neither had Ginny.

Ginny glared at her brothers, who were all looking too smug. George had even conjured a hand to pat him on the back. "I hate when you lot get this… self-righteous." She held up her hands in surrender. "Okay so maybe there's some attraction between me and Harry, but that's natural. We did date back at Hogwarts."

"Ah, but my dear sister." George shook his head in mock disappointment. "This isn't just some residual sexual tension -"

"Can we not use that word to describe our sister?" Ron groaned, but George ignored him.

"These are some let-me-into-your-trousers-tonight looks." George smirked at his sister. "Can you deny it?"

Ginny opened and closed her mouth three times before speaking. "I -" She cleared her throat. When she turned her eyes back on him, Harry knew the jig was up.

George apparently got the messages as well, based on the whooping cheer he gave. "Go on, Gin - Gin! Ask Boy Wonder on a date!"

"I guess." Ginny ran a hand through her hair. "Harry, this is not how I planned on doing this, but I did want to ask you to dinner tomorrow night." She took a deep, shuddering breath that Harry knew was all part of the act. She wasn't actually nervous. On the contrary, Harry could see amusement in her brown eyes. "Harry, would you like to go on a date with me?"

The tension and excitement were practically palpable across the garden. Harry could feel every eye on him, but he never looked away from Ginny's. He stood from his lawn chair and moved to stand in front of his current girlfriend.

"Ginny - I." He licked his lips, suddenly noticing how dry his mouth was. "This isn't how I planned on doing this either." Taking a deep breath, Harry reached into his pocket pulling out the small box he'd bought in Arezzo. He could hear everyone's intake of breath as he bent down onto one knee. "Ginny, will you marry me?"

Ginny's jaw dropped as he flipped the lid to show the simple diamond ring he'd spent thirty minutes deliberating. He hadn't been debating proposing. They'd discussed marriage multiple times and always came to the conclusion that they were each other's end game, but the need for a ring wasn't really pressing. But then while on assignment, Harry's team had patrolled past a jewelry store that had this ring in its window.

The image had instantly flown into Harry's head: Holding Ginny's hand as she wore that ring, eating dinner together, looking at her hand he'd see his ring, feeling the cold metal run across his skin as she moved her hands up body… And the pictures just kept forming from there. Harry and his team had continued on walking, but the idea was in the back of his mind for the remainder of the mission. The day they were heading back to England, he'd gone to that little shop and bought the ring.

"Gin?" Harry prodded gently because Ginny was just staring at him. "You -"

Before Harry could finish, Ginny was kneeling in front of him. Her hands cupped his jaw before she kissed him hard. Harry ignored all of the Weasleys' eyes on them. He didn't care about the grass staining his trousers. Hell, he nearly forgot his name.

Ginny was the one to break their kiss. She pulled back slowly, her scent filling his lungs as he took a deep breath. "Yes."

Harry opened his eyes, which had closed on their own accord. He met her loving gaze, butterflies fluttering in his stomach. "Yes?"

"Fuck yes!" Ginny whispered, her grin widened before she kissed him again. Harry let her distract him, losing focus on anything but her. That was until Ron's yell broke through his trance.

"What!?"

Harry pulled away from Ginny's lithe form to look over his shoulder at the rest of the Weasleys. Everyone's jaw had fallen wide open, except for George whose lips were curled in a knowing smile.

"Good one, guys." George stepped forward to slap Harry's back. "You almost had me there for a minute."

"Had you there?" Harry wasn't sure what George was on about, but based on the sinking feeling in his gut it couldn't be good.

George wagged a finger at Harry. "You, sir, are even better than I thought. Faking a proposal so we will stop badgering you about being single." His grin became overly wide. "Genius!"

Molly let out a cry like an angry bird. "That best not be what's going on here, Harry James. You may not be my legally be my son, but so help me -"

The rest of the Weasleys started shouting. Most took the same tone as George, acting as if they'd known it was a prank the whole time. Only Percy followed in his mother's footsteps by explaining his disapproval of this entire endeavor.

Harry couldn't get his head straight with so much noise, but the one thing that his mind focused on was Ginny. Did she think this was a prank too? They'd talked about marriage, but it had always been one of those one-day conversations.

When he looked back at Ginny, his fears were mollified. She was shaking her head at her family, her smile amused, like she couldn't wait to share a secret… their secret.

"So how much did you spend on the ring, anyway?" George asked he snatched the little velvet box from Harry's hand. He let out a low whistle. "Bloody hell this looks nice."

The shock that had been so prominent before left Harry as a rush of annoyance. "That's none of your business." Harry huffed as he took the ring away from George, who had brought the diamond up to his eye as if to see a mark claiming it to be phony.

"Harry." Ginny was now standing, offering him a hand up. "I think it's time we tell them."

"I thought we just did." Harry still had his eyes on George who was still too amused for his liking. "I know we hadn't talked about -"

Ginny silenced him with a kiss. She lingered on his lips longer than what Harry would have considered appropriate for company, but they'd already blown that broom well out of the sky today, not that he would have objected anyway. When she pulled away, he was treated to a wide smile on her adorable lips. "Oh, I was talking about the baby."

It was like a silencing charm had been cast over the garden. Not even the sounds of buzzing bugs could be heard… or maybe that was just because there was a ringing in Harry's ears. "B - baby?"

At the same time Harry was stuttering, Molly had gone into mother hen mode. "Ginny Weasley, what do you mean by baby?"

Harry could feel sweat starting to form at the base of his spine, but it wasn't from the warm weather. His breath was coming out in sharp intervals. Every part of his body felt weightless and out of his control as he stared at Ginny who was still beaming at him.

"Yes!" Ginny took his hand as she spun to look at her mother. "Harry and I are welcoming another life into our home soon. Oh, and I guess now would be the perfect time to tell you that I have been practically living at Harry's for the last eight months."

It was like the whole entire garden had just been hailed by a sudden storm. Electricity charged the air as all eyes were on him and Ginny. And by on him, Harry meant angry, dark glares by all the Weasley men. All the men except Arthur, who was giving his daughter a curious look. Molly was looking back and forth between her daughter and Harry, disbelief and indignation in every glance.

Ginny was still smiling happily at her family as if they weren't trying to send Harry to an early grave with their eyes. "Remember, Harry, we talked about it a few weeks before you went to Italy."

"Wh -" Harry didn't take his eyes off Charlie, whose hand was flicking dangerously towards his pocket. "We never spoke about a baby."

"Yeah, we did. Remember we were having a lazy Sunday in bed"- Charlie's fingers twitched-"and I mentioned wanting one."

Harry's mind went back to that Sunday. It had been an amazing day. No work or practice, just him and her. "You mentioned wanting an owl. There was never - we didn't talk about having a baby."

"Having a baby!" Ginny's surprise tone tore Harry's attention off the Weasley brothers. Her hand was clutching at her heart as her face showed complete awe. But the impish glint in her eyes gave her away. She had been playing them all. "I was talking about finding a baby owl." She turned to her family. "Did you lot think I was pregnant?!"

The shuffling of feet and awkward silence was enough of an answer. Ginny pointed towards George "So you believed Harry and I were getting off, but it was impossible for us to be in a committed relationship?"

George, who was rarely speechless, held up his hands in defense. "I - you -what -"

No one else in the garden came to George's defense. The rest of the Weasley brothers looked rather sheepish as the silence in the garden grew.

To Harry's surprise, it was Hermione who broke the quiet with a snort before her laughter rang out loudly. "Christ, Ginny, you are one of a kind."

Ginny turned to Hermione, the glare she'd been using on her brothers instantly shifting to amusement. "In the best way, I'm sure."

"Oh, of course!" Hermione waved at the younger male Weasley's. "You really made them look like fools. Oh and Harry." She turned to look at him. "I've never seen you so panicked, and we were in a war together."

"I -" Harry rubbed the back of his heated neck. "I mean can you blame me?"

"Not at all, darling." Ginny went up to her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek before turning back to her family. "Just so it's clear, I am not pregnant but Harry and I are in a relationship. Actually." She took Harry's hand that still held the small box, albeit in a tight fist. She pulled his fingers apart and took the ring, sliding it onto her left hand. "We're getting married. Now, who wants to come over and congratulate us?"

Hermione and Angelina were the first to their feet, but it was Molly who pulled them into a tight hug first. "I'm upset you kept this from us, but I'm so happy you two are together."

When Molly backed away Arthur was next, then Hermione, Fleur, and Angelina. Finally, Harry could see Ginny's brothers. They were all just staring at them.

It was Ron who made the first move. He rose from his seat with the look of a hypnotized man before pulling Harry into a Molly Weasley style hug. "I'm so happy for you two."

Harry clapped Ron on the back a few times. "Thanks, mate."

"Why didn't you tell me - us?"

"We just want a bit of privacy, which as much as I love your family -"

Ron pulled back far enough for Harry to see his smile, his hands clutching Harry's shoulders "I get it."

"Stop hogging our future brother-in-law," George complained as he pulled away from Ginny, his smile removing any bite from his words.

"So how long have you two been… you know, a thing?" Charlie's asked, his battle stance now gone as he looked between the couple.

"Over a year." Ginny laughed at the multiple shocked gasps. "We just didn't want to deal with - how to put this nicely - people butting into our personal business."

After a moment of silence, Arthur spoke. "Well, I don't care how long it's been. All I care about is that your two are happy and getting married." He turned to his wife. "Won't a wedding be nice, love?"

Molly, who had turned red at Ginny's claim, took a deep breath before smiling at her daughter. "Yes, it will be. We can start planning it tonight, can't we, Ginny dear?"

Ginny grimaced. "Uh - I mean -"

Before her stuttering took on a vicious cycle, George's yell distracted the party-goers. "How did you know?" He was staring at Hermione with a look of pure awe.

Hermione had a sly grin on her face. "I didn't know for certain, but I saw signs."

"Signs." George rolled his eyes as he reached into his pocket. "We all saw the signs but none of us know they were already dating, but you?"

"Wait." Ginny turned away from her mother. "You guys were betting on us?"

George looked over his shoulder as he handed Hermione a handful of galleons. "Of course. Did you expect anything less? I said you'd get together after a successful match like last time in the next year."

"I figured Ginny would just plant one on you after seeing you play with Teddy," Ron told Harry. "She literally looked 'bout to melt when you were playing with Teddy after his birthday."

Harry could feel his lips curving as he remembered Ginny's enthusiasm when they got home. She'd refused to tell him what had brought it on, but he'd been happy to accept her attention nonetheless.

"Eugh, I don't like that look on your face, mate," George complained. "At least not now because we know who's causing it."

"Oh bugger off." Ginny gave George a light shove before turning back to Hermione. "But why did you guess we were already dating?"

Hermione shrugged. "You just couldn't keep your love a secret no matter how much you tried."

Ginny looked over at Harry, her hand reaching out for his. "I'm glad we don't have to hide it anymore."

"Me too." Harry leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Though..." Ginny gave him that mischievous smirk that sent gooseflesh down his back. "It was fun finding ways to sneak around."

Harry ran his thumb across the back of her hand as he made his mind focus on responding and not just imagining all the ways they had found. "Well, we still have to dodge the press."

Ginny beamed at him. "You're right, and it will be more of a challenge with this." She wiggled her ring finger at him. "I knew I wasn't just marrying you for your looks."

"There's also the money." George supplied helpfully as he threw an arm over each of their shoulders. "So, Harry, who is handling your stag-do because I've got some great ideas that I'm sure you'll learn to love."

Harry rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile. The ring on Ginny's finger sparkled in the light and his eyes were drawn to it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad having everyone knowing about them, as long as it meant everyone knew how much he loved Ginny. Though it would take some time to adjust to. "We'll see, George. We'll see."