Lunar Eclipse

Chapter Eight

************One Month Later************

"Happy Valentines Day," Harry whispered, leaning over Ginny and giving her forehead a light kiss.

"What time is it?" Ginny murmured, stretching out her arms and legs. Harry let out a quiet bark of laughter.

"Almost noon," he laughed, and Ginny sat up, looking towards the alarm clock. 8:32 a.m. She grabbed a pillow and whacked him lightly with it.

"You liar," she giggled.

"Hey, I had to get you awake at some time today!" Harry laughed. "You were going to sleep the day away and I had plans for you!"

"For me? Harry, you know we can't do anything with the boys," Ginny sighed, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Which is why Charlie has them for the weekend," Harry grinned.

"They're already gone?" Ginny asked.

"They left about an hour ago," Harry replied. "Bloody hell Ginny, come on."

"Okay, okay," she laughed.

"Dress nice but warm," Harry said, standing up. "Breakfast will be ready in about thirty minutes."

He quietly stepped out of the room without another word, leaving Ginny sitting there to soak everything in.

Charlie was watching their kids? By himself?

"Bloody hell," Ginny murmured, getting up and shuffling to the shower. She turned on the faucet to let the water warm up as she undressed and let her hair down. She set her wand on the counter and slipped out of her undergarments and then stepped carefully into the slick shower. She let the steaming water stream down her back, wetting her long, fiery red hair.

She ran her hands over her head, massaging shampoo into her scalp, and then down the rest of her hair before rinsing and repeating the same process with shampoo.

After a solid ten minutes of washing her thick hair, Ginny was able to quickly shave and wash her body before getting out of the shower and toweling off. She lightly padded to the closet and grabbed a deep purple, cable-knit turtle neck, a pair of skinny jeans and some soft leather boots.

She walked back into the bathroom and began drying her hair with the towel before casting a drying spell over it. She was beginning to braid it to the side when a sudden desire came over her.

Opening the drawer quickly, she fumbled for what she was looking for. She brushed out her long, silky hair and then...

The satisfying snip seemed to ring through the bathroom as the long lock of hair floated to the ground.

And then she did it again. And again. And again and again until her hair was cut into a short pixie cut. She waved her wand and it straightened out a few of the jagged ends and slightly lengths.

"Merlin," Ginny whispered, looking from the pile of hair on the floor and the back into the mirror at herself. "My head feels so light."

"Ginny! Breakfast is about ready!" Harry called from the kitchen. Ginny glanced in the mirror and then at the pile of hair on the floor.

"Shit."

She waved her wand at the messy tile and the pile vanished. Quickly, she applied a light coat of mascara and some thin eyeliner before heading downstairs.

Harry was standing above the griddle on the stove, and she walked up behind him as he moved to open the refrigerator, his back to her. She wrapped arms around him in an embrace, laying her cheek to his broad, muscular back before he turned to face her.

"How is my beautiful wife this- BLOODY HELL GINNY! What did you do?!" Harry exclaimed, running his fingers through her newly short hair.

"I cut it. It took way too long to wash and take care of in the mornings, and I just needed a bit of change," Ginny replied, grinning at Harry's melodramatics.

"I-" Harry began, seeming almost choked up by the dramatic change.

"I like it," he said finally, nodding his head as if trying to convince himself.

"Well, me too so, that's that. It'll grow back," she giggled. "My mum is going to want to strangle me though. She always loved my long hair."

"It'll grow back," Harry repeated, laughing along with his wife as she twirled around the kitchen.

"You're so beautiful," he told her. "Except now you really look like you could beat my arse in one sorry punch."

"And I didn't before?" She stopped and raised an eyebrow at him, leaning back up against the counter.

"Oh I knew you could, but now you look like you will."

"And who's saying I'm not?" She teased, slinking up to him and grabbing the front of his long-sleeve pullover to pull him down to her height. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a passionate kiss.

Harry gave a small noise before pulling away slightly.

"Not yet," he whispered huskily. "Tonight."

"Oh, Mr. Potter," Ginny murmured, "the anticipation is going to kill me."

"Well then-"

Suddenly, a loud ear-splitting shrieking sound began ringing through the house.

"Shit! Breakfast!" Harry exclaimed, rushing to the stove where smoke was billowing from the pan. He grabbed the lid and clamped it down on top of the pan before quickly picking it up off of the burner with a hot pad and tossing it in the sink. Ginny aimed her wand at it and hit it with a charm, and the smoke detector silenced.

There was silence for a moment before Harry and Ginny began laughing hysterically.

"You... should have seen your face," Ginny giggled.

"You should have seen yours!"

"What are we going to do for breakfast now?" Ginny asked as they both sunk to the floor, stomachs aching from laughter. They rested their backs against the cabinets, and Ginny snuggled up against Harry.

"How about we go to that café downtown that you like? I'll treat you to an apple turnover and a hot drink, how about that?" Harry asked, brushing a lock of short hair out of her eye.

"That sounds wonderful," Ginny grinned. "I must ask, though, what do you have planned for today?"

"It's a surprise," Harry gave her an ornery grin.

"Harry James Potter, tell me where we are going!"

"No can do Weasley, a surprise is a surprise," Harry laughed, calling her by her maiden name as he did when they were joking around.

"You suck," she giggled, and he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" She shrieked, kicking her legs lightly, but laughing the entire time.

"Not until you take it back," he laughed, spinning around.

"Okay, okay! I take it back! I take it back!" She shrieked. "Put me down!"

Harry carefully set her down and they both laughed.

"I love you Ginevra Potter," Harry murmured, giving her a light kiss.

"I love you too," she whispered, kissing him back.

"You'd better go get your coat on, we need to get going if we are going to fit everything in today," Harry warned her light-heartedly.

"You're really not going to tell me what we are doing?" She mock sighed. Harry smirked.

"Oh, but what would be the fun in that?"