Everlasting

CH.30

Time seemed to be speeding up for Ginny. As each day flew past she got closer and closer to her due date. Days became a blur as Ginny worked from home as a writer for the daily prophet while also being a mother to James and Teddy.  Even though she had a lot of work and every time she pushed it back a little bit more it piled up she was a mother first over anything else. If her kids needed her then she left everything aside and tended to them.  She hadn't seen her family for a while because of how busy she was. Harry was no exception he had been getting busier with Christmas practically around the corner.  It always was one of the busiest seasons in his line of work plus he uses it to get his mind off of the looming date that hung over him. Although he had managed to heal from a lot of the pain it was always heartbreaking to see him sad on the days leading up to Christmas. We made it a ritual to visit Godric's Hollow to honor his mum and dad and leave flowers. It means a lot to him and therefore it means a lot to me too. 

It was nearly noon by the time she got up from her desk and went to the bathroom to wash her hands and her face before she headed down to start cooking something for dinner. The kids were out with Hermione and Luna today because they wanted to help her out so she could finish her work or at least try to get most of it done. Tomorrow marked 5 months of her pregnancy it was nearly the end of her second trimester with only one more month to go. This month was honestly one of the best compared to the other months. Her cravings were still out of control but her nausea has died down a lot and the restlessness at night alongside her insomnia has gone away completely. It was a nice break for her to be able to take care of her job and herself. She made her way carefully down the stairs gripping the railing so as to not fall. turning on the main doorway lights and the lights to the kitchen she made her way to the fridge. The silver metal bars of her double-doored fridge felt cold to the touch sending slight chills up her arms. She pulled it open and was slightly blinded by the bright white light that shot out of the open fridge. Letting her eyes adjust to the light she was met with an array of colors ranging from bright yellows to dark deep reds. Picking up a milk jar, red chili pepper, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese. She stared a little more trying to think of what ingredients would pair well with the idea in her mind. 

I wanted to make something that would transmit warmth and cozy vibes to my family tonight. It has been a rough week for all of us so I figured that a nice gesture was very much well in order. Reaching for a cabinet under her was a bit of a challenge now with her bump continuously starting to become bigger. She grabbed the spaghetti jar and placed it to the side next to the other ingredients. I did a once over but I didn't quite look right so back to the fridge she went. Swinging it open with a little gentle force she was met with a cool burst of air making her shiver slightly. Quickly she found was she was looking for some onions and bacon. Grabbing a pan and a pot she was almost all ready to go. She filled the pot with water put in a pinch of salt a drizzle of oil and set it on the stove. She let that come to a boil before she poured her pasta into the water. Grabbing a cutting board and a knife from the same drawer she set to slicing up her ingredients. First, she cut up eight slices of bacon into cubes,  then her onions so they would measure exactly two cups. Grabbing her cutting board she dumped the bacon into the pan and turned on the heat until the bacon was nice and crispy. She then strained the bacon so that I wouldn't be that greasy.  In the very same pan, she drizzled olive oil and placed her two cups of minced onions in it. As soon as that hit the pan a droplet of hot olive oil jumped from the pan landing on the bare exposed skin of her hand. I always loved cooking having grown up around it because of my mum but if there is one thing I detested was frying anything.  Always without fail, she would burn herself.  Pulling her focus back she added one teaspoon of oregano, one-fourth cup of olive oil, 2 cups parmesan, 2 tablespoons of parsley, some salt, and pepper. Finally, she stirred in the six ounces of tomato paste she has previously made and froze for such occasions. Adding one and a half cups of heavy cream and a dash of milk she stirred the sauce topping it off with some chili flakes.  Turning around to face the sink where her pasta was straining. She grabbed the strained pasta a poured it into the sauce. Stirring thoroughly she incorporated the pasta into the sauce and proceeded to add a drizzle of pasta water to thicken the chilli cream sauce. 

I quickly turned the stove off and headed to the dining area to set everything up. With a quick whip off her wand and an accio plates and cutlery here and there she quickly had everything ready. Something didn't feel right though so she grabbed her wand and took a good look. Inccendio she mumbled at the candle and watched it burn to life. A quick flare of green fire crackling from the fireplace interrupted her thoughts and out came her two children followed by Hermione and Luna who had come to make sure they got home safe. It was mostly Mionie's concern and entirely Harry's fault. You see back when we were in school Harry took the floo powder and mumbled the words diagon alley and ended up in Knocturne Alley and luckily got saved by Hagrid. Therefore ever since then, Mionie has feared him and the kids using floo powder unsupervised.  She made her way to the fireplace to greet the lot of them. Minnie was straightening the kids' coats and fluffing up their hair. 

Mionie, and Luna thank you so much for looking after them today and for bringing them back safe I really appreciate that. I managed to get a lot of work down and you caught me right in the middle of making dinner for the kids and Harry.

Hermione gave her a sweet smile and said "Ginny it's no bother at all they are bright young boys and James is the sweetest little munchkin."

She looked over at Luna who absentmindedly seemed to be staring out the window seemingly in a very far away place. Ginny walked over to her and gently embraced her friend. 

She invited the girls to sit for a bit while she finished prepping the meal. Luna volunteered to help her with the children as she grabbed their hands and steered them up the stairs to get ready for dinner. Hermionie on the other hand couldn't bear not doing anything so she took to setting the table up with glasses and decor. 

I walked into the kitchen and started transferring the pasta into this white acrylic casserole pan and moved it to the table. Hermionie bid me goodbye as Luna walked down the stairs with the kids. They had to leave quickly because both their husbands would be waiting for them at home for dinner. She hugged her friends and watched as they apparated away.

Ginny took one last glance at the table and remembered she had put some cheesy garlic bread in the oven. Quickly she walked over to the oven and took out the tray. She performed a spell to cool down the bread quickly and transferred that to another plate. Now that the food was set up she could make some juice. It only took her about five minutes to get the pitcher of mango juice ready.  Usually, she would pair up the meal with some red wine but given her current state that was a no-go. It wouldn't be long now until Harry came home from work, truthfully these days she missed him more and more as he took on the longer and earlier shifts. She could see the kids missed him too, it showed in their eyes and how they were always asking when he would be coming home. 

Harry was an amazing father to the children and even though he worked long hours and tiring shifts he always came home with a smile scooped them up into a hug and without fail listened to them babble on about their days. He was attentive and gentle with them in the sense that he wouldn't spoil them but paid just enough attention so they never felt left out. The boys loved him and she knew Teddy looked up to him in a fatherly manner. Sometimes when she was getting ready for bed in their bedroom shower she could even hear the boys giggles from their room as Harry played with them swinging them around and tickling them in their tummies. It was cute to her how much he cared for them and the lengths he would go to in order to make sure their kids were safe and happy.  As a husband he was phenomenal and it has been great seeing him evolve into fatherhood. Harry was her rock always caring for her and attending to her every need, even more so now that she was pregnant. 

The door swung open breaking her train of thought as she realized she has been hovering over the table holding the tray for who knows how long. Harry waltzed into the room with a half grin plastered on his face.  Lost in thought love he asked in her direction. Quickly she set the tray down on the table and made her way to him. Pulling Harry into a hug she greeted him and soon she could hear the kids rushing down the hallways and bursting through the living room door. Ushering all of them to the table she prepared the plates. It had been a while since they had dinner altogether like this. It felt nice and comforting, especially after everything that had been going on lately.