Lunar Eclipse

Chapter Nine

Soft music floated from the car radio and Ginny sat silently in the passenger's seat of the car, bouncing her knee. A half-eaten apple turnover was gently clutched in her hand, and a steaming mug of tea was sitting in the cup holder from their run to the café across town.

"Harry, I know you're not going to tell me where we are going but can you please give me a hint?" Ginny begged, her voice full of anticipation.

Harry chuckled and shook his head. "You just cannot handle a surprise can you? You're as bad as the boys!"

"Uh uh!" Ginny cried, a defensive look on her face. Harry turned on to a gravel road, laughing hysterically. The car began to jostle rhythmically as it made its way over the rough terrain.

"Harry? Where are we?" Ginny asked, growing serious now as Harry followed the winding road through the tall field and back through some trees.

"Don't worry, Gin. I know where we are," he comforted, quickly giving her knee a reassuring squeeze. They reached a bit of an opening in the trees, and Harry grabbed a something out of the console.

"Bloody hell, Harry, I'm not putting that on," Ginny exclaimed, shaking her head at the blindfold Harry was holding up.

"Come on, I don't want you to see the surprise," Harry pleaded.

"Oh fine. But if something scares me, you're dead meat," Ginny threatened, snatching the blindfold from Harry's hand.

"Good," Harry said as Ginny tied the blindfold off and dropped her hands into her lap. He reached over and made a smacking motion towards her face, stopping before he hit her nose. She didn't flinch. The blindfold was serving its purpose.

"I promise we don't have much farther to go," Harry said, putting the car back into drive and driving down the road a bit more. They drove in a comfortable silence for a bit longer before Harry rolled to a stop and turned off the car.

"Okay we're here. I'll come around to your side and help you out," Harry told Ginny, unbuckling his seat belt. He opened the car door and walked around the side of the car and opening the passenger's seat door.

"Okay, careful, the path is a bit rocky," Harry told her, placing a hand on her waist and one in the center of her back. Gently, he guided her down the slope until the ground under Ginny's feet turned from soft earth to a hard wood.

"Okay," Harry whispered, stepping behind Ginny and carefully untying the blindfold.

"Ready... set," he dropped the blindfold and Ginny opened her eyes that she hadn't realized she had been keeping shut.

They were standing around a small pond that was frozen solid. The trees around it had been decorated with lights and there were rose petals dropped about the ice.

"They were in a heart but I didn't factor in the wind," Harry said softly with a shy smile.

"Harry, it's gorgeous," Ginny whispered, a cloud of white escaping her mouth as her breath froze.

"I'll be right back," Harry said, running back up the path to the car. He returned a moment later, two pairs of ice skates tied together by the shoe laces hooked over his finger.

"I figured we could skate," Harry grinned, and Ginny bounded towards him, wrapping him in an embrace.

"Why today?" She whispered, kissing him. "Why this Valentine's day?"

"This is our tenth Valentine's day together as a couple," Harry smiled. "Which reminds me."

He parted from Ginny for a moment, unbuttoning his cloak to grab something from the inner pocket.

Pulling out a small velvety box, Harry knelt down in front of Ginny.

"Harry," she breathed, eyes widening.

"Ginerva Molly Weasley," Harry began, smiling up at his wife. "These past ten years with you have been absolutely amazing, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. We've had two beautiful sons, gone on so many adventures, and I truly believe we bring out the best in one another. I could not ask for a more perfect wife. So, I got you the wedding ring you always wanted. I know we got married early, and we kind of rushed into it and that, without ever saying it, you wished for another ring. But now, I could not think of a better way to surprise you than to give you the perfect wedding ring. I love you."

Tears streamed down Ginny's face as she smiled with happiness. "I love you so much."

Harry stood up, sliding Ginny's old wedding ring off of her left hand and on to her right before placing the new ring on her ring finger of her left hand. Ginny admired it for a moment before grabbing Harry and kissing him passionately, running her hands through his hair.

"And recreating when you proposed to me was an amazing idea by the way, tell Hermione I said good job," Ginny joked, giggling.

"Hey now! I came up with this idea all on my own, I'll have you know!" Harry laughed, hands on Ginny's hips as they swayed back and forth.

"Although, when you proposed, we were actually on the ice, remember?" Ginny cracked up at the memory. She had known even before he knelt down that he was going to propose because he had taken a fall on the ice and the ring box had flown out of his pocket.

"'Well, I guess since I'm already down here, I'll just do it now,'" Harry mocked himself, rolling his eyes. "Of all the things I could have said in that moment, that's what came out."

The two laughed as they laced up their skates, reminiscing in the memory.

Carefully, they got up and Ginny stepped cautiously on to the ice before gliding gracefully to the center of the pond, spinning in a small circle.

Harry was a bit slower, taking a few tottering steps before beginning to remember how to use the skates.

As he was beginning to grow more confident, he glided over a rose petal which threw off his skate, sending him sprawling out across the ice.

Ginny was in a fit of hysterically giggles as she glided over to him. She reached out a hand to help him up, but he just pulled her down on top of him, making them both laugh harder.

They laid in a heap on the ice, laughing at one another with no attempt at getting up.

"I love you," Harry whispered, looking up at his wife and brushing a lock of loose, newly shortened, hair that was being illuminated by the sun, behind her ear.

"I love you too," she leaned in, kissing him.

"Now," she said, bracing her arms on both sides of Harry and pushing herself up. "I'll race you."

She took off across the pond as Harry scrambled clumsily to his feet.

"Oh you're on Weasley!"