The cold November wind whipped furiously about the small house at the end of the lane. The occupant inside the kitchen shuddered involuntarily — she thought the rush of wind against her home sounded like a banshee’s scream. Rubbing her hands against her arms to warm herself, she continued digging through a drawer beside the oven. Everything that didn’t have a precise place in the house seemed to end up in this drawer, and when her husband helped clean, even those items that did have a spot often found their way here.
Finally her hand closed triumphantly over the matchbook she had been seeking. “Caught you at last,” she said happily to the matches as she slid the drawer closed and walked back into the bedroom. After tucking a stray strand of fiery hair behind her ear, she extracted one of the matches and struck it against the book. The tiny fire sprang to life, and she used it to quickly light a thick candle. She repeated the process as she lit the other candles scattered throughout the room. Finally, a quick flick of her wand, and a warm fire sprang cozily to life inside the small fireplace. She smiled somewhat proudly; most people required a few attempts before being able to properly light kindling but she had always been gifted with Charms.
The enormous bed before her was laden with large pillows and cozy comforters. She climbed atop it and nestled herself in the fluffy down pillows. She smiled the smile of a woman with a precious secret, and before she knew it she had drifted into a light sleep.
Moments, or it could have been hours later, for all she knew, she was awakened by a soft kiss to her forehead. She opened her eyes lazily and met the strong eyes of a messy-black-haired man. “There’s my wonderful husband,” she greeted him happily, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a warm embrace.
“And how is my beautiful wife after exactly one year of marriage?” He unfolded himself from his wife’s hug and nestled up beside her on their bed.
Her eyes now shining with excitement, she gave him a mischievous smile and teased, “I might be a lot better after I see my anniversary gift!” She giggled at the feigned look of shock on his face.
“You mean after all this time just being my wife isn’t gift enough?” he asked her, plumping his lower lip out in a pout.
“Nope,” she answered, her hair falling from her shoulders as she shook her head with great exaggeration. “I need presents.”
He sighed with mock frustration, and then, grinning, produced a box which was quite apparent he had wrapped himself. She squealed with excitement and took the gift from him. She tried to tear into it, but the vast amount of tape he had used in wrapping the present made the task a difficult one. Finally she pulled the paper off and was delighted to discover the easily recognizable dark purple box from Heart Stones, the finest jeweler in Diagon Alley. Gently lifting the lid, she found a brilliant stone set in a pendant hanging from a delicate chain. As she lifted the necklace from the box, a small note slipped out. She read it aloud:
The magnificent color of the stone reminded me of the stunning beauty of the most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen. I would marry you again any day of my life.
Her eyes filled with tears as her eyes met his. Her husband was certainly not what she would call romantic, but at moments like this, he was quite capable of surprising her. He kissed her cheek and as he did, he lifted the necklace from her hands. He placed it around her neck and fumbled with the clasp as she pulled her long red hair out of the way. Once he succeeded in securing the gemstone, she thanked him with a tender kiss.
Pulling away from her, mischief glinted in his own eyes as he said, “All right, enough of this lovey stuff. Where’s my present?”
She shifted her eyes to her lap guiltily. “Well,” she began nervously, “I kind of don’t have a gift for you at this particular moment.”
Again, he gave her a look of mock surprise. “What? After putting up with you for one whole year I don’t get any recognition at all?”
“Now, stop that,” she admonished him, giggling. “What I meant was, just think about this for a moment. Think of what a rough year it’s been. Think of how hard life has been since we’ve left Hogwarts. I want you to remember that in all this darkness and adversity, how much we have to be grateful for. We really have been lucky with all that we have.”
Smiling, he took her in his arms again. “Of course we have,” he said softly, kissing her temple. I’m grateful every day for having you in my life. I’m lucky to have such amazing friends. Even with all the misery the Death Eaters —“
“And You-Know-Who,” she interjected.
“Yes, even with all that, I don’t think my life could be any happier."
“Are you sure?” she asked, concern apparent in her soft voice.
“Of course,” he answered with another kiss, this time to her lips.
Glancing down again, she whispered, “I do have a gift for you. I’m pregnant.”
His eyes widened, and this time he didn’t have to fake his shock. “You’re what? When?”
“Pregnant,” she answered demurely. “I just found out. The baby should be born early in August.”
After a moment of stunned silence, a grin began to spread across her husband’s face. “I’m going to be a father? Do you know how much fun this is going to be? He’ll be a Quidditch star!”
“Maybe she,” his wife corrected, “will be a Quidditch star. But if it is a boy, I want him to be named for you.”
“And I feel the same way about you if it’s a little girl,” he responded. He looked at his wife lying so gracefully against the pillows. Almost without thinking, he lifted her sweater and softly kissed her soon-to-be round belly. He lifted his head and found her eyes again. “I was wrong, you know.”
She looked at him quizzically. “Wrong?”
“Yes, wrong. A minute ago I told you it was impossible for me to be any happier than I was. What I’m feeling right now is way beyond that.”
She smiled at him. “I know exactly what you mean,” she replied, wrapping her arms again around him in a tight hug.
And together they lay on the bed for hours, as the wind continued to howl into the night, talking and dreaming of the future of their unborn child.
The Gift by Phoenix5225
Chapter Notes: Please visit "From the Mods" - a collection of one-shots (including this one) from some of the finest writers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.