"Our Biggest Adventure"

"Muddy boots need to stay outside, Mr!"

"Yes, Mrs," Harry smiled at me, as he stepped backwards out into the garden again, and took off his boots. "What's for dinner?" he asked, stepping gingerly back into the kitchen.

"Nothing."

"What?!" Harry looked genuinely upset, "You mean I weeded the entire garden on the promise of dinner, and you haven't made anything?!"

"I'm joking, you idiot. Sit down."

He took his coat off, and hung it on the hook, with a laugh. "You scared me then." Harry came up behind me, and wrapped his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder, and I could feel the cool metal of his glasses against my cheek. He squeezed me, and I leaned back into him.

"So, what are we having?"

I smiled to myself, "We're having lamb, with baby potatoes, baby carrots, and baby peas."
"Baby peas?"

"Yeah, look," I giggled, showing him, "they're tiny! And they'll be ready in about two minutes."

"Okay," he laughed at my childishness, and sat down at the table.

"So you weeded the whole garden?"

"Um... yeah," he smirked.

"You got distracted again, didn't you?" I smiled.

"A little bit."

"What was it this time?"

"Nothing..." he chuckled.

I just laughed. A comfortable silence fell over us as I finished cooking the food, and plated it.

"Voila!" I announced.

"Thank you, beautiful," he replied, kissing my cheek before I sat down opposite him.

"Do you remember our first meal together?" I asked.

"Of course!" he nodded. "It was on Primrose Street. I think it was the second day I'd managed to sneak away from my parents when we were about nine or ten, right?"

"Exactly! What did we have?"

"Um..." he looked stumped.

"You're looking at it..." I laughed.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Why don't you remember that?!"

"I was a little distracted, okay?"

"By what?"

"By the company."

"It was just the two of us, and my dad."

"I know. I was distracted by you."

"Aw," I smiled. "You loved me even then."

"Kind of, yeah," Harry grinned. "You were the prettiest person that had ever been nice to me."

"But not the prettiest person you'd ever seen?"

"That too," he chuckled, "but to a ten year old, the nice thing was more important."

"Did you seriously like me back then?!"

"Would I be here now if I didn't?"

I grinned at my husband, stretched over the table and squeezed his hand, "Suppose not."

"When did you start liking me then?" he questioned.

I blushed, because I knew he would never have known in the early days. I had kept my love of him quiet, while we were young because I was scared, but also as we grew older, because of what he was going through. "Promise not to laugh?"

"Yeah," he said through a mouthful of peas.

"The moment I saw you."

He spat the peas across the kitchen floor, "What?!"

"That day I found you wandering that field behind the park."

"But you never..."

"I know."

He gave a smug grin, "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Ha!" he cleaned up the mess he'd made.

"What?"

"You liked me then! I can't believe you never told me!"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry!" he came over to me, and kissed me gently, "It worked out for the best, didn't it?"

I giggled, "Yeah."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"You know me..." I trailed off.

"Yeah," he nodded, "I think I understand, actually."

Another few minutes passed in calm silence as we ate.

"Why did you ask, anyway?" Harry looked a little confused.

"What?"
"Why did you ask when our first meal together was?"

"Because I've been thinking about a lot of our firsts, lately."

"Any reason?"

"Kind of."

"Go on."

I halted. How would I tell him this? "It doesn't matter."

"Go on, tell me."

"It doesn't matter, Harry."

We finished our food in silence, and as I got up to take the plates, he stopped me and did it himself.

"You stay there for a second," he said, and I did as I was asked.

When Harry came back over to me, he held out his hand for me. I took it, and he pulled me into a steady, loving embrace.

While holding me close, he whispered, "What's up?"

I took a deep breath, but I didn't know what to say.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me," he said firmly.

"I'm not," I looked into his eyes.

"Okay, so what's up?"

"It's nothing Harry."

"Hey," he lifted my chin, and kissed my forehead, "you can tell me anything. What have I done?"

I laughed and shook my head, "Nothing. It's nothing bad."

"But there is something?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed. "What is it?"

I shook my head again, and hid my face on his chest.

"What is it?!" he repeated, playfully tickling my sides to make me smile. He always did this when I was down.

"Harry!" I laughed, "Don't!"

As always, he didn't stop at this – if anything, it encouraged him.

"Harry!" I squealed, as I ran away.

"Get back here!" he joked, chasing me.

I ran up the stairs, and hid behind our bedroom door. All went quiet outside the room. He snuck around, wondering where I went, no doubt. Finally he came into the bedroom, so I ambushed him from behind and threw him onto the bed.

"Hey!" he shouted, laughing as I tickled him in revenge.

"Your turn!" I laughed.

"I give up! You're too strong!" he laughed, pushing me gently to the side, so I flopped softly onto the bed next to him.

After a moment's rest to catch our breath, I sat up.

"Are you going to tell me yet?" he asked quietly, sitting up too.

"Yeah. You need to find out sooner or later," I smiled.

He stood up and started pacing, "Okay. I'm ready."

"Just sit back down, Harry," I laughed, pulling him back onto the bed.

He chuckled, bouncing on the mattress. "Seriously though, what's wrong?"

His panicky ways made me smile to myself, "For someone who's killed the greatest dark wizard of all time, and continues to hunt bad guys for a living, you get awfully jumpy when I tell you we need to talk!"

Harry looked at me, with a worried smile.

"Maybe it's good news," I smirked.

"Is it?" he questioned.

"You tell me."

He looked confusedly at me as I took his hand and calmly placed it on my stomach.

"What's this?" he asked, still confused.

"This is what we needed to talk about."

"You're..."

"I'm..."

We smiled lovingly at each other before realisation really kicked in for Harry.

"You're having a baby?!" he jumped up and paced the room again.

"We're having a baby, Harry," I corrected.

He stopped pacing, and facing away from me, pulled his glasses away from his face, and rubbed his eyes.

"Harry?"
"We're having a baby?" he sounded shocked.

"Yeah..." I couldn't tell how he was reacting to it.

"We're having a baby..."

The longest few seconds of my life played out quietly, before he turned quickly to face me, then jumping on his knees onto the bed, he hugged me tightly.

"We're having a baby! Oh, you're so beautiful! I can't believe... You're not joking?"

"I wouldn't joke about this," I giggled nervously.

"I can't believe it!"

"You're going to be a daddy, Harry!" I could see the glee in his eyes now.

"I'm going to be a daddy..." he muttered to himself. "Wow." He looked into the distance.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."
"What are you thinking?"

"This is scary."

"I know," I confirmed.

"You're scared too?"

"Yeah."

"You were made to be a mother. You'll be a natural. You'll be amazing."

My heart soared as I heard this. Is there any better compliment for a woman like me? I couldn't think of one.

"You're going to be the perfect father too, Harry," I added.

"I don't know what I'm doing!"

"No one does, the first time," I smiled.

He smiled back at me, and said softly, "This is going to be our biggest adventure yet."

And with that, he kissed me so caring, and loving, that I knew that our whole future lay there, ready to be taken like the adventure it would be.