Okay, so in the last chapter Angelina visited George at the shop, we found out that Draco and Narcissa were not sentenced to Azkaban, Hermione is spending Christmas with her family, and Harry snuck into Ginny's bedroom on Christmas Eve. Yes? Thanks for reading!

Harry woke Christmas morning feeling warm… a little too warm. He looked down to see Ginny still wrapped up in his arms. What had he done? He looked at his watch: 5:17. He thought there might still be a chance that no one was awake yet, but then he saw the pile of packages at the foot of Ginny's bed; that meant that either Mr. or Mrs. Weasley had already banished the presents to everyone's beds, and that must have been what woke him up. In a panic, he carefully removed himself from Ginny's arms, trying not to disturb her or the pile of gifts. He eventually made it to the door and put his ear up to listen for any feet coming down the stairs. Thinking he was quite safe, he slowly turned the knob and opened the door… and walked right into Mr. Weasley.

Harry was so shocked and terrified that all he could do was open his mouth in horror. This is scarier than a dementor attack, he thought, bracing himself for a curse, or even a sentence of banishment from the Burrow.

Mr. Weasley, however, merely smirked into his coffee mug and continued down the stairs as if he hadn't seen Harry. Confused, Harry wasn't able to move for a solid minute, the same horrified expression on his face. He eventually gained back his senses and hurried back up the stairs to his bed. Still shaking, he began opening the presents he didn't feel he deserved.

Two hours later Harry finally found the courage to make his way down the stairs. He found the rest of the family in the sitting room enjoying the gifts that they had received earlier that morning.

"Well there you are sleepyhead!" Laughed Ginny. Harry smiled tentatively and tried to avoid Mr. Weasley's eyes. He wondered if Arthur had shared what he witnessed this morning with his wife. By the way Mrs. Weasley was smiling lovingly Harry he didn't think so. He mustered up a sort of smile and sat down next to Ginny, thanking everyone for the gifts.

"What's with the grimace, Harry? Eat too many sweets?" Ron asked jokingly, elbowing him in he sides.

Harry rubbed his ribs where Ron had jabbed him and tried to laugh along with him, braving a glance at Mr. Weasley. Arthur caught his eye and winked. Relieved, Harry thought he might be safe… at least for now.

Breakfast began as a quiet affair, all of them feeling the loss of loved ones, until Charlie surprised them all by showing up. Mrs. Weasley was so surprised and happy that she at once began preparing even more food, and everyone was suddenly very talkative. Talkative enough for no one to notice George leave a note on a napkin and slip into the garden.

George had been feeling guilty about the way he treated Angelina ever since it happened. He kept the slip of paper with her address on it in his jacket pocket and every time he reached in for something he felt it, and the guilt came flooding back. George apparated before he could think too much about it and found himself outside St. Mungos. He took the worn paper out of his pocket and started walking in the direction of the address. George finally came upon Angelina's building and walked up the stairs to the right room, his heart beating faster with every step. He almost turned back around more than once, but finally his feet brought him to a standstill and his fist was knocking on the door.

He could hear a lot of voices chattering that he hadn't noticed before, and they became louder as an older man with caramel skin opened the door with a smile that turned confused when he saw George.

"George Weasley?" Asked the man who George could only assume was Angelina's father.

"Er, hullo sir, I'm sorry if this is a bad time—"

Then Angelina showed up in the doorway, a surprised look on her face as well. "George! What...Why…How are you?" she finally settled on the question. "Please come in! We were just finishing breakfast."

"Are you sure?" He asked, a little embarrassed now that he saw quite a few people peeking around the corner to see who had showed up uninvited on a Christmas morning.

Angelina had a sincere smile on her face now that the shock had worn off. "Of course! Its so good to see you!" She stepped aside and allowed George to step through the threshold.

That afternoon the Weasley family and Harry were relaxing in the living room, the fireplace bringing a comforting glow. Christmas dinner was cooking in the kitchen and the delicious smells were wafting into them, all of their stomachs rumbling. Mrs. Weasley would occasionally go and check on a dish, and every time she stood up she would wonder aloud where exactly George had gone. But no one was too worried; he tended to wander off a lot.

Harry was still tiptoeing around Mr. Weasley, afraid that if he made one wrong move Arthur would spill the beans to the rest of the family. And now that Bill and Fleur were here he was being extra careful, not wanting to have a run-in with Ginny's oldest brother. Andromeda and Teddy had arrived not long after breakfast. At first, Andromeda seemed as though she felt out of place, and had held tightly to Teddy, not wanting to release her one comfort. But eventually she began to relax around the family, allowing Harry to take Teddy in his arms and hold him on the couch next to Ginny.

Teddy was quite a well-behaved baby. He could sit up on his own and was very playful. He had the tendency to look at one person and immediately change his hairstyle to look like theirs. At this given moment, his hair was rapidly changing between a thick, messy black and a fiery red. Ginny was delighted with Teddy's talent, but Harry felt a strange, queasy sensation whenever he thought about a child that had his or Ginny's hair. He was definitely not ready for that yet.

Another couple seemed quite interested in Teddy. Fleur was holding him at every opportunity she had (at which point Teddy's hair would turn an astounding white-blonde) and would look at Bill with lovey-dovey eyes. Bill would return her look but when she turned away a slight look of panic would settle on his face. At one of these moments Harry was going to voice his observation to Ginny, but he noticed Mr. Weasley quietly slipping out of the room and into the Garden. Harry could only guess that Arthur was headed out for some quiet time in his shed, so he gave Ginny a quick hand squeeze and followed him out, deciding it would be best to confront the man while he was away from everyone else.

When Harry walked into the shed, Arthur didn't seem surprised to see him there. He just got that same smirk on his face and gestured to an old car seat. Harry sat down on the edge of the leather and looked up at Mr. Weasley slowly.

"I'm sorry sir, I know what I did was wrong but I swear nothing happened, and I won't do it again, I promise," he said quickly.

Mr. Weasley looked at him without speaking. After a long moment, he finally said, "Don't make promises you can't keep, Harry."

Harry opened his mouth to respond but then closed it again, hearing what Mr. Weasley said. Would he do it again? He had to admit that the thought was tempting… Harry was confused, so that's exactly what he told Mr. Weasley.

"I'm confused Mr. Weasley."

Arthur chuckled and took a seat on the stool across from Harry. "You have a right to be, Son. You and Ginny have been through more than most couples will go through their entire lives. It's understandable that you seek comfort in her, especially at night when nightmares are so present. But I know it's hard for you to have to deal with things as simple as parental control when both of you are of age and well beyond your years. I also know that I wouldn't feel comfortable about Ginny dating anyone but you, Harry. God knows she can take care of herself, but it's good to know that she has such a brave, selfless man in her life."

Harry was speechless for a solid thirty seconds. He was very flattered that Mr. Weasley thought so highly of him, and he was also quite relieved. "Um, thank you sir! That… that means a lot. I promise to do my best to take care of her, and that's a promise I can definitely keep."

"I know you will Harry. And about the incident last night. I know you two didn't do anything but sleep, but just be careful. I can't promise that Molly will be as understanding."

Harry laughed, "Yes sir."

"And for goodness sakes, Harry, call me Arthur."

George was having a surprisingly good time with Angelina and her family. She had explained to him that since she recently moved into her flat she decided to host Christmas there to make it feel more homey. Her family was extremely friendly and welcoming, even though it was a bit overwhelming for him. He had met both her parents, her younger sister, two aunts, three uncles, and four cousins. Not exactly a Weasley bash, but it was close! Especially with the small amount of elbow room in the flat. But He could how happy it made Angelina to have her family there.

They had a chance to really talk when they were doing the dishes a little bit after they got there. At first it was a bit awkward, considering the last conversation they had.

"Look, Angelina," he began as he hand-dried a plate she had just given him. "I'm really sorry for the way I acted last time I saw you. I was just… surprised to see you and it brought up a lot of thoughts of… you know…"

She was quiet for a moment, looking down at the sudsy plates in her hands. "It's okay George, I shouldn't have showed up unannounced like that. It's just that I've had a really hard time with this too, and I thought you might be a person that would want to talk to me about it. I mean, my family has been avoiding the subject because they don't really know what to say. But it was unfair for me to try and force you to talk about things if you don't want to."

"It's still just too painful, Angelina. Everything reminds me of him…but it does make me feel better to know that you're here if I need you," he said, his cheeks turning red.

She looked at him, surprised at his honesty. Gently, and without looking at him, she squeezed his hand and let go almost instantly.

"Me too."

When Harry and Arthur made their way back into the house they found Kingsley sitting amongst the red heads at the kitchen table.

"Kingsley!" Harry said, delighted. "What are you doing here? I mean, how are you?"

Kingsley chuckled and said, "I'm fine, thank you Harry. I actually came to talk to you and Ron about something… could I speak to you both privately in the living room?"

Ron looked at Harry, confused, but shrugged and made his way out of the kitchen. Harry followed behind and he could feel Ginny's eyes on his back the whole way.

Harry and Ron sat on the loveseat while Kinsley took the chair that Mr. Weasley usually occupied. Harry gave a dry laugh when he realized that a year and a half ago he was sitting in similar circumstances in this living room, although with a different minister. That got him a weird look from Ron.

"Er… can we help you with something Kingsley?" Harry said after they had been sitting there a few quiet seconds.

"As a matter of fact you can." He said, with a small smile. I've come here today to ask the two of you to reconsider becoming Aurors sooner rather than later." He held up his hands when both boys opened their mouths to protest. "Please, just one moment. Ron, I know that you changed your mind over the summer altogether about becoming an Auror, and Harry I know that it is your wish to finish school so you can become an Auror "fairly" as you put it. But you boys need to realize that after the war last spring the Ministry of Magic is in desperate need for new recruits. The casualties left a very small number, and I'm just afraid that there aren't many other recruits that are planning on graduating from Hogwarts this year, or even next year. Everyone is wary of the dark arts… and I can't really blame them. But you two boys have more courage and bravery than most of the school combined. I ask you, please, to just listen to my words and consider coming to train. We've figured out how to condense the training so that you two will be ready at the end of the summer. It will be extremely intense, but goodness knows the two of you have enough life experience."

Ron and Harry sat there with their mouths slightly agape. Almost at the same time they looked at each other, and then back to Kingsley.

Ron spoke first. "Did you ask Hermione too?"

Kingsley nodded. "Yes, I just came from her house. She said that she would much rather do research for the department of Magical Law Enforcement than be out in the field, so to speak, which is what I expected, but she would make a fantastic Auror as well."

Ron nodded, looking slightly relieved that Hermione hadn't accepted. Harry felt a similar relief.

"So," Harry began, "we would do all our training in a matter of months? Wouldn't the other Aurors be a little…disgruntled? It really isn't fair, Kingsley."

Kingsley nodded. "I know you feel that way Harry, but we're so desperate that I don't think they'll give you much of a hard time. Besides, they've seen what the two of you can do. You don't have to give me and answer yet, but-"

"I'll do it." Said Harry. He could see what he needed to do, even though it wouldn't be easy. But easy had never been his lifestyle.

"Me too," Ron said, his voice a little shaky. But then he sat up straighter and looked Kingsley in the eye. "Just tell us what we need to do".

After talking to the boys a bit longer and telling them that he would send them letters by owl that would give them further instructions, he led them into the kitchen with a smile on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Molly and Arthur, for disrupting your Holiday. Please carry on." Kingsley said, shaking Mr. Weasley's hand.

"Oh Kingsley, wouldn't you like to stay for dinner? It's almost ready! And there's plenty." Molly said, still looking a bit confused about while he was there.

"No thank you, Molly, I have a lot of work to do. I'm sure I'll see you all very soon." And with that he walked into the garden and out the gate, disapparating.

It was quite silent until Percy spoke up. "Well, what in Merlin's name was that all about?"

Everyone looked at Harry and Ron. Harry, who had taken Teddy back into his arms, spoke up. "He wants Ron and me to start Auror training next month, so we can be full Aurors by the end of the summer."

There was a shocked silence, then Bill broke it. "Aurors by the end of the summer? How?"

Ron and Harry went on to explain everything Kingsley had said to them, and then everyone's shock turned to exclamations of congratulations. But when Ginny turned to give him a hug, she could see a tightness in her smile, and sadness in her eyes. He was about to suggest they go out and talk when Mrs. Weasley told everyone to sit down for dinner.

"Wait," Said Bill, bringing Fleur close to his side. "As long as people are making announcements we have one of our own." He looked down and smiled at his wife and then turned back to his family. "Fleur is pregnant!"

Everyone immediately began hugging the couple and giving their congratulations. Mrs. Weasley, so overcome with emotion that she burst into tears was heard saying, "Oh a baby! Our first grandbaby! I noticed you had gained weight my dear, but I didn't want to say anything! But a baby! When is it due?"

Fleur, choosing to ignore the weight comment except for a slight eye roll answered, "eet is due at ze end of May, I am around my fourth month."

"How wonderful!" Exclaimed Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Weasley still seemed too much in shock to put many words in, but he just kept shaking Bill's hand.

Somewhere in the midst of all the chaos, George had made his way back into the house. "What the bloody hell is going on here?" he exclaimed. Everyone laughed and hurried to tell him all the good news.

Later that night, everyone else had gone to bed except Ginny and Harry. They were sitting in the living room, huddled on the couch with a warm fire in the fireplace. Ginny had been mostly quiet, with her head tucked underneath Harry's chin.

"What're you thinking about Gin?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"I'm thinking… how much I hate you for making me find a new seeker halfway through the year. We were favorites for the cup!" She said, but Harry could hear a smile in her voice.

Harry chuckled. "Ginny, with you as captain I have no doubt that you guys will still win the cup." He brought her around to face him. "How do you really feel about me leaving school?"

"Well, I'm going to miss you a lot and I probably won't be able to see you more than once a month because of how intense your training will be. But I can see how important to you it is…and its my job to support you in whatever you do, right?"

Harry kissed her gently on the forehead. "Ginny, I'm so lucky to have you in my life. And I already discussed it with Ron. I'm going to move into his extra bedroom, so I'll be closer than you think!"

That made Ginny smile. "I guess we'll just have to make the best of it. I promise not to get frustrated with you too often."

That made him laugh, and he leaned in and kissed her deeply for a long time, only pulling back when they both needed air.

Ginny smirked at him. "I can't wait to see the newspapers when people start finding out. 'Harry Potter, Auror Extraordinaire!' It'll be great!"

"Oh shut up!" he said, leaning in to tickle her, which made her shriek. He didn't let up until they heard Percy whisper loudly on the stairs.

"Will the two of you PLEASE be quiet? Some of us have work in the morning!"

"Sorry Perce," they both said together, then laughed quietly as they snuggled back up.

They were quiet for a few minutes longer, and Ginny thought Harry might have dozed off, and she was well on her way, but then he whispered quietly.

"Hey, Gin?"

"Yes Harry?"

"I love you. A lot."

Ginny, with her eyes still closed, smiled to herself. "I love you too."

Thanks everyone for your patience and for keeping up with this story, even though I don't deserve it because I'm the worst at updating. I promise I'll update again… as to when, I have to idea. But I'll try and be prompt. Leave your thoughts please!