A/N: This little story started with a prompt from the fabulous ThisIsMegz - thank you, darling! - and then ended up being combined with two other things I've wanted to try along with the title, which a friend of mine sent me a picture out of an old dictionary she had (because we are the weird friends who send each other obscure words and their definitions...) Enjoy!
marrer: (slang) Northern English or Scottish 1. a friend, companion, or workmate (often used as a form of address). 2. something that forms a pair with something else; a counterpart or twin
Harry pulled Teddy from the pushchair and tried to figure out what had led him to be fine one moment and screaming the next. Harry pulled out everything he could think of, pacifier, blanket, bottle, cheerios, but Teddy continued screaming and Harry finally sat down on the pavement to try and think of what to do next.
"Can I help?"
Harry looked up from Teddy to see the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.
"I have no idea why he's fussing." Harry hung his head and tried to rock Teddy.
"Here, let me see him," she reached out for Teddy and Harry handed him over.
"I've tried the pacifier, bottle, blanket, cheerios, nothing is working."
She pulled Teddy close and began singing an old lullaby that Harry had heard more times than he could count throughout his life, and his heart melted.
Teddy's screaming began to subside as she rocked back and forth and sang quietly to him. It took a good fifteen minutes, but her singing and rocking finally calmed the little boy and Teddy drifted off to sleep. Gently, she laid Teddy back into the pushchair after Harry had reclined the seat for him.
"Thank you," Harry whispered, "I had no idea what to do."
She grinned mischievously at him and Harry felt his heart beat faster.
"You can show your thanks by taking a girl out for some ice cream."
Harry laughed, "I can definitely do that."
He held out his hand and smiled when she wrapped her fingers around his.
They navigated the pushchair together down the pavement to a local ice cream parlor that Harry knew of.
"It was impressive how quickly you had him calmed down." Harry handed her the ice cream cone she ordered.
"It's called a woman's touch, my dear," She grinned and took a long lick from her cone. "Everyone knows that."
"I'm not so clueless all the time," Harry sat down at a little table for two with his malted milkshake. "I happen to be rather good with Teddy most of the time."
"Yes, and as long as you realize that I have a natural leg up on you then we'll get along just fine."
Harry laughed before immediately quieting when Teddy shifted as he slept.
"We should do this more often," Harry smiled at her.
"You mean you buy me ice cream? Yes, I quite agree we should do this more often." She licked her cone again and Harry smirked.
"I think you're doing that on purpose."
"Eating my ice cream?" She laughed, "Yes, I am eating my ice cream on purpose. How will I convince you to take me out again if I waste your hard-earned money by not eating the food you buy me?"
"So, you would eat your cone the same way in front of your father then?" Harry leant forward, moving his shake off to the side.
She smirked at him as she leant forward "Why wouldn't I? I'm not doing anything wrong."
She was so close to him, and Harry didn't even think as he pressed forward and pressed his lips to hers.
She tasted like her ice cream and she had a flowery scent that was intoxicating. Her free hand came to tangle in his hair and Harry brought a hand to cup her neck before sliding it to her chin. It was heaven, and Harry forgot all about the chaos that had surrounded his life for the last six months.
"Mama! Mama!" Teddy cried out and Harry sighed as he pulled back.
"I'm right here, Teddy baby," Ginny moved to the pushchair. "It's ok, I'm here."
Harry watched Ginny snuggle Teddy close to her chest. The poor kid had lost everything six months ago when the Lupin's house had a CO leak. It was a miracle that the responders had been able to revive Teddy at all, Tonks had left his window cracked and that had made just enough of a difference. He and Ginny had made the most sense to be the guardians. They were Ted's godparents and his parents and the Blacks were old enough that starting with young kids again would have been exhausting.
But Harry hadn't been prepared for how Teddy would almost immediately start calling him and Gin, Mama and Dada respectively. Molly assured him it was a good thing. It would help Teddy feel like he was a part of their family since he was legally theirs, and because this way he wouldn't feel different from their kids when they started calling them Mum and Dad. It made sense, but it didn't change the way his heart ached because he'd heard Teddy use those same names for Remus and Tonks.
"I don't think I'm going to get used to that, Gin," Harry shook his head and shoved his hand in his hair.
"It is a little unnerving, but I think Mum is right, and your parents thought it was a good idea too." She combed her hands through Teddy's hair and offered him a lick of her cone.
"I guess it's just going to take some time."
"The best way to honor their memory is to treat Teddy like our own." Ginny squeezed his hand after setting Teddy down to sit on the tabletop.
"Right," Harry leant over and kissed her again. "And maybe we can take advantage of nap time today and enjoy some time alone this lovely Saturday afternoon?"
"No nap, Dada," Teddy shook his head.
Harry laughed, "Don't worry, mate, you just need to play in your room and let us think you're sleeping. Then Mum and Dad can nap."
"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Ginny distracted Teddy with her cone.
"It's what my parents called it growing up," Harry shrugged and snagged his shake before Teddy knocked it off the table.
Ginny smirked, "At least your parents had a name for it. My mum would giggle and my dad would clear his throat and that was the only warning we'd get."
Harry offered Teddy his shake and laughed at the perplexed look on the little boy's face. "It has ice cream inside; you drink it through the straw."
Teddy took the cup cautiously before tentatively trying it out. Then he was sucking milkshake out of the straw like his life depended on it.
"Whoa, slow down there, kiddo! You're going to give yourself a headache doing that."
Teddy held onto the cup for dear life but did slow down on his inhaling the ice cream.
"Let's start toward home," Ginny popped the last of her cone into her mouth and picked up Teddy, Harry's shake still clutched in his hands. "I think I could go for a nap." She winked at Harry before sticking her hand in his back pocket.
Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her hairline, smiling at her wedding ring as her hand gripped the pushchair handle. He couldn't imagine what life had in store for them next, but as long as he had her and Teddy, Harry was sure the three of them would make it through alright. Together, they'd make it through anything.