Merry Magical Menagerie

Call me Brittney. She/Her, 29, lover of animals and literature and a proud Hufflepuff. I'm just your average millennial with big dreams but no energy to achieve them. Wear your own banner

[hillnerd]

Why is Drar*y so popular among HP fans but not Hinny? Besides Drar*y, i think second most popular in fandom is Harmion* ship, not Hinny or Romione. So I wonder why canon ship in HP not that popular. As Hinny & Romione shipper, it's really hurt me whenever I read a hurtful comments regarding my ships in facebook, tumblr and ig.

The most popular ships, according to a search through A03, are:

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter (33271)

Sirius Black/Remus Lupin (14305)

Harry Potter/Severus Snape (11205)

Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley (9216)

James Potter/Lily Evans Potter (7582)

Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy (7238)

Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley (7074)

Hermione Granger/Severus Snape (3492)

Harry Potter/Tom Riddle (2919)

Remus Lupin/Severus Snape (2675)

Romione is usually a secondary ship though- to Drarry.

Harmione used to be popular- but they faded into relative obscurity compared to Drarry over the last 10 years. 

So time for some SHIPPING HISTORY:

Before the 5th book:

Hinny’s popularity has never been high- back before book 6 Harmione was the popular ship- Ship wars were mostly Harmione vs Romione- with a side of Hinny, and a tiny bit of Lunarry. 

Then the sixth book came out:

The second Hinny became a thing , Harmoanians were suddenly on the attack. Fandom in general had a MELTdown. 

Romance was the most important thing to fandom- there were tons of people shocked by Hinny happening (they shouldn’t have been. It was very obvious.) But with romance being ‘TEH MOST IMPORTANT THING EVAH! SQUEE’ they were really mad that the all important romance wasn’t given a lot of screen time.

They wanted the books to switch genres in order to build up the romance ‘properly,’ basically. Fandom is STILL that way. We indulge in fanfiction where romance can be the center of attention- but the books didn’t do that. How dare they. :P 

Anyways- people have always disliked the Weasleys for some reason (classism), and Ginny got a TON of hatred. 

There are lots of reasons Ginny was hated:

she broke a ton of ships

she is pretty athletic and sassy- many of the readers prefer Hermione because they identify with a nerdy smart unpopular selfrighteous girl over a ‘jock’ character

she’s not the ‘main girl’ of the book- so has had less screen time

by this point Ginny was also barely in the films- Hermione was being powered up and beautiful- while they made Ginny a shell of a human and did little to vamp up Bonnie’s looks

People wrote her off as a fangirl/stalker character

no one was paying attention to Ginny and so saw her character development as ‘sudden’ (it wasn’t.)

Then the movies caught up to the books-

Kloves was a huge Harmione shipper, so that got a TON of attention in the scripts and films. 

Daniel Radcliffe was a Lunarry shipper and put a ton of his acting into that. 

On film Hinny got NOTHING at ALL except like 2 ‘sad looks’ by Ginny? Until book 6- and then they didn’t even interact? It was awful.

So movie-based fans hated Hinny (and movie Hinny DESERVES the hate. It’s AWFUL.)

Romione gets established in both universes (book and movie) very firmly. (Even though it was not handled the best in the films.)

So with Hinny being hated by movie fans, and disliked by many of the book fans- and movies influencing book readers as well- Hinny was firmly established as a disliked ships.

Then there’s the Draco thing:

Meanwhile- Draco has always been popular in fandom- but the girl he was always involved with in the books (Pansy) was not well developed compared to other characters.

Dramione used to be VERY popular. People LOVE the idea of ‘redeeming draco’- but with Romione being written into the plot so firmly, Dramione lost a ton of shippers over the years because it was messy and upset all the character interactions a lot- and so many of them turned to Drarry. Keeping Romione is easier than Dramione.

Drarry became more and more popular- Hinny was hated, and getting rid of it in lieu of another ship was easy- it didn’t upset Harry’s relationship with the Weasleys, Got in that hothot m/m goodness fandom (again mostly women) crave, has the ‘forbidden love’ people crave, and then they also get that ‘smarmy bastard sex machine in leather pants paired with an uptight ‘good guy’’

That’s the same reason Wolfstar is so popular. It has that trope- troubled ‘bad boy’ and ‘uptight haunted good guy’ that people cream themselves over. It can be a super cute ship- and there are great fics /art out there for it, but the main appeal is the tropes, imo. 

At the end of the day, certain tropes have more appeal to people. It has little to do with the books much of the time- and given everything- Hinny and Romione are simply ‘boring’ to many people, unsexy to others, and ‘poorly done’ to a lot of people.

I disagree- I think they’re awesome! :) But feh- the biggest bummer is not getting as much fan content with my ships, and having to come across SO much hate for Ron and Ginny everywhere. 

 I got the ships I wanted in the books :). I have a lot of cool artists and writers to follow, and enjoy writing and drawing them myself- and you can’t help what’s popular at large. 

[hillnerd]

🙄

Got a lots of notes today on this one.

And to be clear- why I’m ‘giving a history lesson’ is because I was around in this fandom back in the fiction alley days- I’m talking about tropes from 20 years ago back when I was a kid 😂

[pleurocoelus]

Looks like you got the HARMonians up in arms.

Classism is a factor, I think. However, I think that anti-ginger bigotry is a bigger one. Some people HATE redheads in a major way. There are a number of theories as to why this is, but that’s a giant can of worms for another time.

Still, I say that the biggest reason for people hating the Weasleys is, was, and always has been butthurt shippers. Next to nobody hated the Weasleys before Harry/Ginny and Ron/Hermione started looking more and more like the endgame. Sure, there were always some who didn’t like one or more of the Weasleys, but the big, virulent hatred of them (along with the associated bashing campaigns) erupted suddenly onto the scene like a big, loud, stinky fart. And it was just as inappropriate and unwelcome.

[merrymagicalmenagerie]

I grew with the series in the infancy of fandom space. The very first fanfic I ever read was in 1998 shortly after I read PS for the first time. It was a super cute epistolary between Harry and Hermione where you could see a crush developing. I wish I knew where that was. Ginny hardly existed at this point. I loved her in CS and even wrote a little fanfic of my own about them in a notebook but I didn’t know how to publish online back then (forgive me, I was hardly 10 lol).

Harmonie and wolfstar dominated the scene for a long time. Then came the Severus ships (both self, with Remus, then god forbid the children) and Jily.

Drarry, I feel, didn’t have a huge insurgence until the onset of Tumblr. The LGBT+ acceptance was a major cornerstone in early tumblr and I really think it changed public perception (at least in my backwoods small town USA eyes).

Though Hinny was always in backseat, in the 3rd row cramp seats, only a stone throw from crack ships, imo. Tumblr helped it gain popularity immensely.

Eh I don’t know where I’m going with this other than incoherent agreements and anecdotes.

[thegirlwhowrites642]

One of the many things about DH that drives me completely insane is that Harry and Ron's main source of conflict during that book is their complete lack of communication about Ginny, and it's a subplot that's never solved.

[vitalhollow]

Oh save me Auror Potter save me 😓

[faerise-fae]

how Harry felt after feeling protective towards piece of Voldemorts soul at kings cross

[merrymagicalmenagerie]

Poor boy was so confused as to why he cared

[pokemon]

thinkin bout 'chu this valentine's day ;)

[takeariskao3]

Already Gone Chapter 14

It took Harry so long to say farewell to their friends that by the time he returned to the house, Ginny had bathed, dressed, and was in the process of cleaning her teeth.  She tried not to speculate as to the conversation taking place without her—really, she did—but it was near impossible. She knew they were talking about her. Of course they were. Ginny just couldn’t figure out what she was supposed to do about it. Because she had to do something. She couldn’t sit in this feeling of ostracization for another second.

chapter 1 // chapter 14

[merrymagicalmenagerie]

I’m not always going to read AU but when I do, I want to cry.

[outromoonyy]

​At first, when James realizes his Animagus form is a stag, he thinks it’s about the elegance. The grace.

​But then he realizes it’s the antlers.

​They’re heavy. They’re a crown he didn’t ask for but has to grow every year. It’s the weight of being the steady one, the good one, the "complete" one among all his broken friends. Because all of them have had such things going on in their lives, such hard childhoods, that how could James, with his loving parents and his sun-drenched childhood, ever complain?

​He realizes the antlers represent the space he has to hold for Sirius’s trauma, Remus’s furry little problem, and Peter’s insecurities. Because his friends are always fraying at the edges, James feels he has to be the solid thing. He has to grow these massive, sweeping points of bone just to make sure he’s visible enough to be followed.

​He’s the one meant to stand between his friends and the rest of the world, head held high, carrying the weight of all of them on his brow. And that kind of magic... that kind of magic is heavy, too heavy for such a young boy, and lonely.

​But it doesn't matter, because for them, James Potter would grow a thousand crowns of bone.

[merrymagicalmenagerie]

YES! This! All of this. This is my headcanon too and part of my Year 6 July fic (that is forever wip)

[oldpokecardart]

Pikachu illustrated by Ken Sugimori

Keep reading

[tyako89]

[feelinbleu]

No one on here had a GIF version of this little dance uploaded yet so I'M DOING IT MYSELF. From the latest Poketoons episode!

[goth-queen]

[tedwardremus]

How do you feel like Arthur coped after the war and with the loss of Fred? I feel like I see a lot of attention given to Molly and her grief, even in fics unrelated to her (and which is likely due to her boggart in OotP), but I don't feel like Arthur gets nearly as much mention..

I think Arthur would throw himself into post-war reconciliation and reconstruction, not as a way of avoiding his grief, but as a way of making himself useful while he holds his family together. Molly is, undeniably, a powerful presence in the Weasley children’s lives, and it’s easy to imagine how utterly devastating Fred’s death would be for her. Arthur’s grief, by contrast, feels quieter—something that would creep up on him rather than arrive all at once.

He would grieve immediately, of course, but I think he would place Molly’s pain ahead of his own, supporting her first and postponing any real reckoning with his own loss. That instinct feels deeply in character.

I’ve always loved Arthur’s relationship with his children. They respect him profoundly—not out of fear, but out of genuine admiration. They don’t want to betray his moral teachings; they look up to his work ethic, his kindness, and his principles. The fact that none of the Weasley children are ashamed of their father says everything about the kind of home Arthur and Molly created. Their love, their security, and their loyalty are rooted in him just as much as in Molly.

Arthur clearly delights in how intelligent, creative, and bold his children are. I’m always struck by how much he actually enjoys the twins’ inventions, even when he tries to pretend otherwise. He tinkers with Muggle technology in his shed. He enchants a car. The inventive streak that defines Fred and George doesn’t come from nowhere—it comes from Arthur. I don’t think the fandom talks enough about that connection. The twins adore their father, and their joke shop is, in many ways, a reflection of their upbringing: curiosity encouraged, cleverness valued, joy treated as something worthwhile.

That’s why I imagine Arthur’s grief truly crashing down after everything settles. When George is back in the shop. When Ginny returns to school. When Percy is home again. When Ron joins the Aurors. When Charlie is back in Romania. When Molly is learning, painfully, how to keep busy in a world without Fred.

It’s in those quiet, unoccupied moments that grief would slam into Arthur’s chest.

I think Molly and the children would eventually have to comfort Arthur as much as he once comforted them. You never truly get over the loss of a child. But Arthur is creative, principled, and deeply kind. I can see him working alongside Kingsley and finding a way. small or large, to honor Fred through his work. Not by erasing the pain, but by ensuring that Fred’s brilliance, mischief, and love of invention left a mark on the world that helped make it better.

[starlingflight-deactivated20260]

You Can’t Hurry Love

For @ginnystrophyhusband drunk prompts. People noticing Harry’s pining before hinny get together

The bottle of firewhiskey had appeared shortly after dessert had been cleared from the table.

Arthur had summoned it from the liquor cabinet in the adjoining living room, along with half a dozen glass tumblers.

Remus had accepted his measure gratefully, clinking his glass against Bill’s before letting the warmth of the amber liquid sink into his chilled bones.

They’d made it through three rounds of drinks, their discussion growing animated with each pour of the bottle, as they’d given their opinions on the state of the world, on the Dark Lord’s movements, on the distressing news Remus had to share from the Werewolf community.

By contrast, Ginny’s bright grin upon sidling up to the table, brown eyes wide as she directed them at her father, was a welcome sight indeed.

“Merry Christmas, Dad.”

Arthur, swaying slightly from his fourth glass of firewhiskey, pulled Ginny into a one-armed hug. “Merry Christmas, darling – have you had a wonderful day?”

Ginny nodded, smiling, while she carefully extricated herself from her father’s grasp. “Yeah, mum’s turkey was really good this year –”

“Your mother is a sensation in the kitchen.”

Ginny continued to nod, biting her lip in an effort to smother a smile, Remus suspected.

“She is,” Ginny agreed, her finger running slowly over the tabletop. She peeked at Arthur, her expression wide-eyed and innocent. “And her Christmas pudding was amazing – I’m really full now…”

Bill lifted his tumbler, eyeing the amber liquid within appreciatively. “She always makes sure we line our stomach before the drinks start flowing.”

“Exactly.” Ginny nodded sagely before returning her pleading expression to her father. “So, Dad, we were wondering if maybe you’d let us have some firewhiskey too, please? For Christmas…”

A flicker of movement from the far end of the table confirmed that the ‘we’ in question included Harry and Ron who were casting furtive looks from the chess match they were pretending to be engrossed in.

Arthur’s expression turned thoughtful, he looked to Bill who shrugged unconcernedly. “Not my call.”

Another moment passed, in which Arthur scrutinised Ginny’s wholesome expression. “Not firewhiskey,” he said finally. “Your mother wouldn’t like that.”

“All right,” Ginny agreed immediately. “What about some of the buck’s fizz from this morning then?”

Remus suspected, from the speed with which Ginny had suggested the compromise, that this had been her goal all along, but the innocent look she was still levelling at Arthur would never betray such an admission

“Well Buck’s Fizz should be fine.”

Arthur looked to Bill who shrugged again. “It’s barely even alcohol – besides, they’re definitely getting hold of worse than that in the Gryffindor dorms.”

Ginny didn’t disagree, and both the pink tinge upon her cheeks, and Remus’ own experience as a Gryffindor confirmed the truth of Bill’s statement.

“Help yourself,” Arthur said, gesturing for Ginny to proceed. “But if you’re sick in the morning, you’re cleaning it up yourself – without magic.”

“Thank you!” Ginny placed a kiss on her father’s cheek, quickly throwing her arms around his shoulders in a brief hug before she backed away, heading determinedly for the bottles of Buck’s Fizz on the kitchen side.

She picked up two of the glass bottles, holding them triumphantly above her as she returned to Harry and Ron at the far end of the table.

“I told you I could get them,” she hissed at Ron, evidently underestimating the hearing of her elders.

“I never doubted you,” Harry said, accepting one of the bottles from her.

Ginny clinked the rim of her bottle against his, offering nothing to Ron. “And that’s why you’re allowed to share in the spoils of my victory.”

“I’m honoured.” Harry’s eyes remained locked on hers while he lifted the bottle to his lips and took a drink straight from it.

Ginny winked at him before taking a sip from her own bottle.

Ron scowled, glowering at Ginny across the table. “Harry will share with me.”

“Oh no!” Harry shook his head, clutching the bottle protectively to his chest. “ I’m not going to betray my star chaser – what Ginny says goes.”

Ginny shot a satisfied smile at Ron, an expression that turned softer as her eyes met Harry’s. “Correct answer, Captain.”

“Merlin,” Bill murmured into his glass before tipping the whole measure back in one swallow. “Do we have any mistletoe hanging around? Seems like those two might need a clue.”

Remus laughed softly. “Sirius always insisted there was something there.”

He’d sworn, last year, in the dank surroundings of Grimmauld Place, that the way Harry looked at Ginny was so painfully obvious, he couldn’t understand why no one else could see it.

‘Just like Lily,’ Sirius had said. ‘The way she used to look at James.’

Remus hadn’t been able to see it last year, but it was undeniable now. The soft glimmer in Harry’s green eyes was undeniably Lily when she let her walls down in the way she’d only ever done when James was there.

“They’ll figure it out.” Arthur said now, topping up all three glasses once more. “You can’t rush these things.”

[starlingflight-deactivated20260]

Do you think Harry ever slows down when him & Ginny start having kids?

Hey anon!

I’m assuming you mean slows down professionally?

I don’t think he ‘slows down’ precisely because he does eventually become head of the DMLE so he’s obviously always committed to his career (and there’s no reason for him not to be — he and Ginny have a robust support network to help with childcare).

That being said, I think he takes himself out of ‘the field’ for the most part once James arrives.

I’ve been working on a one-shot about this for literally years (one day I will finish it), but essentially I think Harry has a realisation once James is born that, yes he would die for his child/family, but, perhaps more importantly, he will live for them too.

In DH Harry accepts that he needs to sacrifice himself for the good of everyone else very quickly and relatively easily (he’s not happy about it, but he goes to the forest with little delay).

A lot of Harry’s acceptance of his death stems from him knowing, deep down, that it always had to be that way, but the only time he hesitates is when he sees Ginny and he wants her to stop him, because Ginny is the future he’s giving up when he goes to the forest. He’s already convinced himself Ginny can have a life without him (with that faceless stranger he thinks about her marrying earlier in the book).

By the time Hinny start a family, he can’t convince himself of that anymore. He’s Ginny’s husband, she isn’t going to just get over that. James is a helpless, tiny baby who needs his father. I think Harry would look at him and know that he can’t be reckless with his life in the way he tends to be when facing dark wizards.

So, I think having children would be the catalyst for Harry’s priorities finally changing and him taking a more strategic/leadership role with the Auror department so that he can keep all his limbs/eyeballs, but he would still be dedicated to hunting dark wizards, just in a new, less life-threatening capacity.

[starlingflight-deactivated20260]

Just here with my annual reminder that if you’re feeling the crushing weight of regret or the anxiety of wasted potential, New Year is just another day.

You can change your life on a random Tuesday in March; fate can make a mockery of your best intentioned plans in the middle of autumn; you might make a resolution today that you give up on in three weeks (or you might not).

Life is a series of days and they rarely fit neatly into a plan or a checklist so, if New Year is getting you down, please remember it’s just another day and it’s only as important as the weight you place on it.

[paancakeenthusiast]

Sometimes you just gotta take the tree on the tube

[starlingflight-deactivated20260]

not sure why so many fics assume the ministry host lots of galas but it’s a fun idea. I like the idea of Ginny getting to buy a new dress and getting her walks down the stairs and takes Harry breath away princess moment.

A/N: the Ministry hosts lots of galas so we fic writers can indulge in lots of festive fluff! On that note, Alexa, play The Way You Look Tonight…

Ginny hadn’t felt nerves like this since the last time she’d found herself facing off against a Death Eater.

On that occasion, her fear had been justified. The killing curse that had passed her by mere inches had demonstrated with bone-chilling clarity, just how close she’d been to mortal peril.

Of course, she was in no such danger now.

It was astounding, really, how much circumstances had changed from one Christmas to the next. Last Christmas Eve, she’d spent the night in her bedroom, tossing and turning, unable to stop her restless mind from wondering…

So many questions had plagued her: where were Harry, Ron and Hermione? Were they safe? Would she ever see them again?

Now, just one short year later, returned to the very same bedroom where last year she’d buried her head in her pillow to smother the sounds of her desolate sobs, she had the answers to all of her questions; and while her hands were trembling, it was not sorrow that caused Ginny to shake.

“You look perfect!” Fleur declared. Clapping her hands together in delight, she took a step back to admire the image of Ginny in the mirror affixed to the wall in front of them.

“Are you sure?” Ginny resented the nervous quiver to her voice.

It was ridiculous, utterly stupid really, to be so consumed by nerves at the prospect of attending a frivolous Christmas Ball, but no matter how much Ginny told herself as much, the flutter of fairies currently swirling madly in her stomach refused to settle.

“C’est magnifique.” Fleur stepped back to her, adjusting the flowing cape that fell from the back of Ginny’s emerald, off-the-shoulder gown. “Tu es magnifique.”

“And my hair is–”

Fleur reached up, halting Ginny’s hands before they could tug at the carefully arranged strands where the top had been pinned back. “It is striking. All eyes will be on you.”

Far from being reassuring, this statement caused Ginny’s heart to thud more erratically. All eyes would already be on her, that much was inevitable when one attended an official Ministry function as the date of the Saviour of the Wizarding World.

Already, she was anticipating the articles that would be dedicated to her in Witch Weekly over the coming weeks. Ginny was under no illusion that they would be any more flattering than the ones she’d been the subject of in the summer, when she and Harry had first been photographed – without either of their knowledge – together in Diagon Alley.

People, of course, expected the Chosen One to be with someone sophisticated; someone glamorous; someone whose idea of good time was slightly more high brow than a game of pick-up Quidditch in the orchard with her brothers.

Suffice to say, Ginny had not been judged by the general population to meet those lofty standards.

Looking in the mirror now, however, Ginny hardly recognised the hollow-eyed, sallow skinned, morose girl that had appeared unwittingly in print a few short months ago.

Fleur had worked a miracle more powerful than magic.

The silk dress she was wearing – borrowed from Fleur – hugged curves Ginny didn’t even know she possessed. The bodice was tight fitting, the waist cinched flatteringly and the skirt flowed gently to the ground. A charm of Fleur’s own invention – as she’d informed Ginny proudly – caused the light material to shimmer faintly with every slight movement Ginny made.

Her usual careless mass of waves had been battled into uniform loose curls, and the front had been pulled back in a complicated braid that had been secured with two gold and emerald pins that she was already panicked about the prospect of losing before she could return them to Fleur tomorrow.

Her assumption that Fleur would be less than helpful with makeup, given her genetic predisposition to require none, had proved patently incorrect. In truth, Ginny wasn’t even sure if whatever potions and tonics Fleur had covered her face in technically counted as makeup.

Ginny still looked like herself, all her defining features – including the multitude of freckles she usually attempted to disguise – were still perfectly visible, but every imperfection she tended to dwell on seemed to have faded into obscurity, leaving an overall impression that she was struggling to find fault with.

“You are ready,” Fleur said, her tone leaving no room for Ginny to argue.

She might look the part, but she certainly didn’t feel it. The dress, the hair, the makeup, were all a façade, one she was sure would crumble under even the lightest of scrutiny.

Suddenly, going head to head with a murderous Death Eater didn’t seem like the worst option.

It wasn’t an option at all. The only option Ginny had was to allow herself to be led out of her bedroom by a triumphantly grinning Fleur, whose grasp on her hand was vicelike and utterly inescapable.

They reached the Burrow’s rickety staircase; Ginny’s free hand gripped the bannister for dear life. She descended, willing herself to remain steady on the unfamiliarly high heels that had seemed the perfect compliment to the gown in her bedroom, and now seemed like a death trap designed to bring about her public humiliation.

Thankfully, mostly due to Fleur’s graceful lead, she made it to the bottom of the stairs still upright.

“Wait there,” Fleur commanded, finally dropping Ginny’s hand. “You will make a grand entrance.”

“I don’t want to make a –” But Ginny may as well have made her protests to the wall. Fleur had already pushed open the kitchen door and peeked her head around it.

“She is ready,” Fleur announced.

And then, without further delay, she opened the door fully, and stood aside, gesturing for Ginny to proceed.

“It’s just me,” Ginny said, shaking her head as she stumbled into the kitchen. “There’s no need for all the –”

Her mother’s loud gasp drowned out the rest of her sentence. It was quickly followed by a general murmur of surprise from the rest of her family assembled in the kitchen.

Briefly, she was aware of Mum’s hands covering her mouth, and her eyes widening in silent shock, and Ron’s quietly muttered ‘bloody hell’ but none of it really registered; Ginny’s eyes had bypassed them entirely, falling immediately on Harry.

He was sitting in the chair beside Ron’s at the kitchen table, both of them were already outfitted in sharp black dressrobes, and Harry had made some attempt to tame his hair, though disobedient tendrils were already starting to escape, begging Ginny to run her hands through them.

“Wow,” he said, stopping Ginny in her tracks before she could follow that particular urge. His eyebrows lifted high over his glasses and his mouth was slightly agape. The way his eyes roved over her made her previously frantic heart stutter and fail. “You look… wow.”

At least she could assure herself that the burning in her cheeks had surely turned them a festive shade of red. “Is that a good wow or..?”

“It’s a really good wow.”

A smile that had not felt anywhere close to surfacing for most of the afternoon broke free on Ginny’s face, and even Ron’s obnoxious voice couldn’t hope to banish it. “All right,” he nudged Harry on the shoulder. “Stop looking at her like that.”

But Harry’s eyes remained glued to Ginny, not even flinching as though Ron was nothing more than a mildly annoying fly. “Like what?”

“Like your eyes have been replaced with love hearts,” Ron replied. “No offense mate, but it’s disgusting.”

“Don’t stop looking at me like that,” Ginny disagreed.

She couldn’t argue with Ron’s assessment of Harry’s current expression, but, far from finding it as revolting as her brother did, Ginny’s nerves seemed to be melting beneath the warmth of Harry’s adoring gaze.

His mouth curved into a smile that set her heart racing once more. “I wasn’t going to.”

“I want photographs!” Mum declared, already bustling into the living room, evidently to fetch both Ginny’s father and the ancient camera housed in the cabinet.

“I will help with the lighting,” Fleur declared haughtily, following after Mum.

“I’m going to pick Hermione up,” Ron said, giving Harry another shove as he stood from the table. “I’ll see you at the Ministry – try to wipe that expression off your face before then; you’re going to put me off my dinner.”

“Nothing has ever put you off your dinner,” Harry replied, standing and lightly returning Ron’s shove.

“And you’ll be too busy looking at Hermione to care what we’re doing,” Ginny added.

Ron had no reply to this, most likely because of the accuracy of the statement. He merely shrugged, giving the pair of them a silent wave before slinking out of the backdoor.

Alone now, Harry crossed the kitchen to her side.

“You really do look beautiful,” he said earnestly, his hands falling to Ginny’s waist to pull her closer.

At that moment, she suspected she was capable of glowing without the aid of Fleur’s enchantment.

She shrugged as she lifted her arms, letting them come to rest around Harry’s neck. “Well, you know, Christmases in recent years have just been so magical, I knew topping them would be a challenge, but I decided to rise to it.”

Harry huffed in dry amusement. “You really didn’t have to do anything to beat the freezing cold tent, or the really festive Christmas at Grimmauld Place complete with depressing hospital visit.”

Ginny shook her head, biting her lip against a smile that broke through anyway. “Ah, but what about the year you got in a fight with the Minister for Magic? I know that was a personal highlight for you.”

Harry’s forehead came to rest against hers, so that his lips almost brushed Ginny’s when he spoke. “I’m not really sure it’s a compliment, but this dress even tops that.”

She was still smiling as his mouth found hers. The warmth spreading in her chest was caused by much more than Harry’s kiss. It had nothing to do with their inappropriate jokes, or their finery. It was simply that they were both here, wrapped in one another’s embrace, with a lifetime of happy but uneventful Christmases stretched out before them.

The very prospect had seemed so impossible just a few short months ago, that the certainty of it now made Ginny’s head spin.

As was usual, she had no opportunity to find balance before they were interrupted.

“Ginny! Harry!” Mum’s voice called from the living room. “Come in here, your father is going to take pictures in front of the Christmas tree!”

Reluctantly, Ginny pulled her head away. Harry’s grip tightened on her waist, silently confirming that he too recognised this was to be their last moment of peaceful solitude for several long hours.

“Ready?” Harry asked, one of his hands slipped from her waist and entwined with hers.

Ginny nodded, keeping her eyes locked with his to combat the nerves threatening to resurface within her. Everything would be fine, she knew, as long as he was there. “Just don’t let go of my hand.”

“With you looking like that?” Harry shook his head incredulously. “Don’t worry, I plan on keeping you firmly beside me all night.”