'I often thought of him,' she said softly as she gazed into the distance at the hills and fields that fenced them in. This was the place she always came to talk with her older brother; not far from the house where they had grown up. 'During my pregnancy, I mean,' she continued, still not looking at him.
'Yeah?' asked George quietly, and she realised from the corner of her eye that he was looking at her.
She nodded. 'I don't know exactly why either. But I couldn't help thinking that he'll never meet Jamie. And Jamie won't know him.'
Speaking of the devil, the baby in her arms made a small sound and sneezed. Her eyes slid down to her three-day-old son lying in her arms. Ginny and George both laughed as James sneezed again.
'Bless you, sweetie,' Ginny said softly, taking James' small hand in her own and stroking the soft skin.
'I don't know if it was because I'm more hormonal when I'm pregnant - and even now. But again, I feel guilty that I'm so happy now that the little one is here, even though my brother, whom I love very much, is dead,' she continued, shrugging her shoulders. Again her eyes turned to the distance.
George reached out a hand and stroked his nephew's silky black hair on his little head. 'But that was exactly what Fred wanted. He fought because he wanted to give the people he loved a future. That's what he died for. And he would never be disappointed or angry that you're so happy, Gin-Gin,' he assured his sister. 'Merlin, he probably would have laughed at you for getting pregnant so early.'
'Of course he would have,' Ginny agreed with a grin, 'And I would have gladly put up with that. I wish he could meet Jamie, hold him in his arms and be a wonderful uncle to him.' She paused for a moment. 'But instead you're here,' she joked, to which George laughed.
James made another sound and stretched his little arms as his eyes slowly closed. Without thinking twice, Ginny passed her son to her brother. It was the first time he had held his first nephew. George's hand wandered to the baby's cheek and stroked it soothingly as James slowly drifted off to sleep.
'I wish he could meet my baby too,' George murmured then, his gaze still fixed on James.
Ginny looked at him in surprise. 'You know Angelina's pregnant?!'
Her brother laughed softly. 'She left the bloody pregnancy test in the bathroom. Of course I know she's pregnant. I also know you know.'
'How?'
'Because you looked at me really emotionally charged after you nursed Jamie and Angie was with you,' he countered with a grin.
His sister looked at him indignantly. 'How can you look emotionally charged. Besides, it might as well have been my hormones. I just had a baby three days ago,' she defended herself.
Laughing, George put an arm around her and gently pulled her to him. 'Admit it, Gin-Gin, I've just known you for far too long.'
'Why didn't you tell Angie you knew?'
'Because it's really funny to see her always pacing around me, trying to get up the courage to tell me,' he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
Ginny shook her head. 'You're incredible!'
For a while there was a comfortable silence between the two siblings, broken only by James' soft baby noises and the still warm October wind. Then George looked back at his sister.
'If it's a boy, I'd like to name him Fred, if Angie is okay with that,' he finally said.
Ginny nodded and thoughtfully placed one hand on her still round belly; a habit from her pregnancy that she still hadn't given up. With her other hand she propped herself up on the grass behind her. 'I assumed you would,' she replied. 'Harry and I had briefly considered naming Jamie Fred. Or choosing Fred as a middle name. But we didn't want to because we're leaving the name up to you and not going on a 'first come, first served' basis.'
'I would never have been mad at you guys for calling him Fred - first or second name. I never thought I'd have a kid of my own one day anyway. Oh shit, Mum's going to freak when she finds out Angelina's pregnant without either of us being married,' George realised.
'Mum should just be happy that she's having another grandchild! She's really still living in the last century. You've been together for a long time, you both have a job that pays well and you're in your mid-twenties. There are no better conditions for bringing a child into the world. What the fuck does it matter if you're married on paper or just happily in a relationship,' Ginny interjected, to which George grinned. 'Besides, Mum knows that all of us, except Percy, are living or have lived in sin. As if we wait until marriage to have sex,' she said with a snort.
'And it's because of comments like that from you that I love you, Sis!'
Ginny grinned cheekily at him. 'Thank you! And since you love me so much, dearest brother, you like changing Jamie's nappy, don't you? I smell he's left a big surprise in there for you,' she said as James slowly woke up and became restless.
'No definitely not,' George said, but it was already too late as Ginny had already got up and headed back towards the burrow. Sighing, he stood up with James in his arms and looked at the baby. 'Your mummy can be a real dumbass sometimes!'