Lunar Eclipse

Chapter Twelve

Ginny clutched the mug in her hand at the counter, listening to the pitter patter of the rain outside the open window.

It was a cool day in April, temperatures at 12 degrees Celsius. It had been about a month since her pregnancy scare, and life was still just as hectic.

"Hey," Harry said, walking into the kitchen. It was mid afternoon and he had just gotten both James and Albus down for a nap. Ginny gave him a smile and pat the stool next to her at the raised countertop where she had a book open.

"What're you reading?" He asked, sliding the stool out and taking a seat.

"A book about the history of Quidditch. Gwen gave it to me," she replied, shutting the book.

"So I was thinking," Harry began.

"That's dangerous," Ginny teased with a smile.

"Ha ha," Harry rolled his eyes and gave her a playful shove. "Anyway, I know that we were both kind of upset last month when you found out you weren't pregnant."

"Where are you going with this?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I agree that we are way too busy and stressed out right now to have another baby, but I was thinking..." he pulled his wand out. "Accio laptop."

His laptop came floating towards them from the den and landed gently on the counter in front of him. He opened it and logged in before turning his computer screen to show Ginny.

"I was thinking we could get a dog," he smiled. Ginny began looking through the photos of the dog that Harry had found from the nearby shelter.

"Their website says that he's friendly and gentle with kids- perfect for family. And he's potty trained and knows the basic skills, and he's only two years old so he's still got the spirit of a puppy."

"Harry, I don't know..." Ginny began.

"Come on, Gin. The boys would love having a pet to play with, and we've got so much land for them to play on!" He gestured outside to the wide, open field in the back yard. "We've got plenty of space for him here, and I know you would love to have a dog."

Ginny thought for a moment before she began to smile broadly.

"Alright. Let's do it!" She exclaimed. Before she could do anything else, Harry enveloped her in a bear hug, and she laughed.

"So when do we go get him?" Ginny asked.

"I was thinking about when the boys wake up?" Harry suggested, and Ginny's eyes widened.

"Harry that's so soon! We need to get supplies first!"

"We can take him with us! There's the pet supply store just down the road from the shelter where we can get him a kennel, some food, a bed, some toys- all that stuff. He can pick out his favorite things!"

Ginny laughed, shaking her head.

"This is crazy!" She exclaimed.

"I figured we want a new addition to the family, but we are too busy to have another kid right now, so a dog is perfect for us," Harry grinned.

"Then we're getting a dog" she smiled, grabbing Harry's hand.

"A doggy?" Albus asked, standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes. Ginny knelt down and picked Albus up.

"Yes baby, we're getting a puppy," Ginny smiled.

"When mummy?" James asked, walking into the kitchen, bouncing up and down and excited.

"Well, I suppose since you're both up, we can go now?" Harry asked, picking up James and looked at Ginny.

"Can we mummy? Can we?" James bounced in Harry's arms.

"Go get your shoes on," Ginny grinned. She set Albus down as Harry set James down and the boys ran upstairs to grab their shoes. Harry and Ginny laughed as they heard the boys talking excitedly.

Moments later, the boys came thundering down the stairs and ran into kitchen.

"Jackets?" Ginny asked, and James ran to the closet in the foyer before returning with both his and Albus'.

"Can we go now mummy?" James cried excitedly. Ginny and Harry both laughed, and Harry grabbed the car keys off of the counter. Both boys squealed excitedly and ran out into the garage.

"You ready?" Ginny eyebrows raised with a quizzical grin.

"Let's go," Harry gave Ginny's hand a light squeeze and headed out the door.

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Thirty minutes later, James and Albus were sitting on the floor with a fluffy black dog, petting him and playing ball with him. Outside the play room, Harry and Ginny were adoption papers for their new family member.

Harry made one last signature and handed the clipboard back to the shelter employee.

"Thank you so much," the employee, who's name tag read Carlita, said. "These pets really need a good home to go to and I can tell that you're going to be able to provide that for him."

She gave them a smile and peered in the window. "He's always been my favorite. I hope he's good to you all. You can take him home whenever."

"Thank you," Harry grinned and watched as his sons played with the dog. He opened up the door and all three heads turned towards him.

"Are you ready to go?" Ginny asked.

"Puppy come with?" Albus asked, and the dog cocked his head slightly, making everyone laugh.

"Yes darling, the puppy is coming with us," Ginny smiled, picking Albus up. Both boys cheered and the dog let out a bark.

"What are we going to name him?" Harry asked, scratching the dog's thick black fur.

"Ooh! Daddy, can we name him Snuffles like in the stories you tell us?" James questioned excitedly. Albus nodded vigorously along with him.

"I think that would be perfect, how about you Gin?" Harry turned to his wife.

"What do you think about it, Snuffles?" She turned to their new family member, who let out a soft howl of excitement.

"Snuffles it is then."