A puppy. One of these cute little buggers. That was exactly what he wanted. One would think that he'd despise dogs, given his past with Ripper, his aunt's rabid dog, but Harry actually very much felt like he needed one. Right now. It may have been half past two in the wee hours of the morning and everyone at the Burrow was still asleep, but Harry wanted a puppy and nothing would stop him from getting one.
So he threw the covers off himself, Ron was snoring so loudly besides him so that he could have blown the door off it's hinges, and dressed himself in whatever he could grasp in the dark. It came down so a pair of baggy pants that hung far too low at his hips and a shirt that was definitely far too small for him but it would do. He silently crept out of the room, made an effort to be extra silent at the landing before Ginny's room, and stood eventually im front of the hearth.
Now, where could he get a puppy? Maybe Diagon Alley. Harry dismissed the thought, the puppies he could get there were quite likely to bark fire and singe his eyebrows off. Then a muggle animal shelter. But, bugger him, he had no idea where to find one.
Shrugging he pulled his wand from his pant pocket and whispered, "Point me an animal shelter!"
The wand lurched in his hand and the tip pointed in what Harry thought could be north. But... maybe it was south. This wasn't helping at all! Then a person came to his mind that could probably help him.
"Dudley! Dudley, wake up!"
"H-Harry?! What in the world are you doing here?" The young blonde man sat up in his bed, sleep still clingimg heavily to his mind. "What time is it? Do we have to leave the country again?"
Harry, crouching atop the bed, shook his head. "No, nothing like that," he assured, "But, I need to ask you something."
Dudley Dursley caught a glimpse of his alarm clock, the red letter flickered a bit but displayed the time all the same. "For fucks sake, Harry!" he groaned, "It's not even three yet! What the bloody hell do you need?"
Harry took a deep breath. "Now listen closely," he said seriously, "I need a puppy. A cute one. And I need it now. Can you point me the next animal shelter?"
Dudley blinked a few times. "What?" he said eventually. "A... puppy?"
"Yes," Harry confirmed. "A puppy. Now, the animal shelter?"
The blonde boy felt entierly too tired for this. "Why do you even-? Ah, never mind. Just head past the park, then up the main road. Somewhere on the left after the convinience store."
"Thanks cuz!" Harry laughed.
Dudley waved him off. "Yeah yeah, now get the hell out of here an let me sleep!"
He yelped when Harry vanished in a crack of displaced air.
He found it easily enough after aparating to the store. How had he never seen this before? Curiously enough, the front door was locked.
"Mad, these people," he muttered to himself, "locking out people that need a puppy." A few quick spells undid whatever security system the shelter may have had and Harry let himself inside.
"That is a lot of puppies," he admitted once he found his way to the animals. There were a few cats, a wounded but cared for fox and at least twelve, bloody adorable puppies, all in the same holding, looking curiously at him, yipping and yapping in a chorus of squeaky noises. Now there was only one problem left.
Which one to get?
"Ginny! Ginny wake up!"
She groaned and rolled over onto her stomach, burying her head in the pillow.
"Come on!" he urged, gently prodding her... bare back. Well, well, well. That was nice.
"Either you get in," she whined into the pillow, "or you get the hell out of my room."
Hm, that was indeed a rather pleasing offer. But no, not now. At least not yet. "I need your help!" he whispered, leaning onto the bed and getting closer to her ear. She made a strange noise that Harry would have identified as a moan if not for the elbow that caught his side. "Let me sleeep...," she hissed sleepily, one chocolate colored eye glaring weakly at him. Merlin and Morgana, she was so cute when sleepy! And terribly prone to violence. But didn't she understand that he needed a puppy?!
Well, he hadn't told her that yet, but she could have guessed it. Maybe. With a lot of creativity. Anyhow... "Not now, Gin, I need your help with my puppy!"
She raised an eyebrow, eyes still closed and most of her face hidden underneath her fiery mane. "Your... puppy?" she asked.
"Well, not mine yet, but I need your help selecting one."
Ginny sighed. "It's late... Or maybe even early, Harry. If this isn't about your penis, right now, I don't care."
He gave her a look of bewilderment. "You... what? Why my... penis? You said you are tired."
She shrugged. One eye opened and she grinned at him, albeit sleepily. "I suppose it would be a nice way to fall asleep and then after waking up..." She trailed off but Harry knew exactly what she implied.
He grinned back. "I suppose it would be nice."
She lazily flipped the covers back, revealing her bare body to him. "Then get in here, Mr. Potter. And... are you wearing one of my shirts?"
"Maybe," he admitted, shrugging it off. It was really tight.
"As good as it looks on you," Ginny mumbled, "You are still better without."
Harry snuggled on behind her, pulling her close. "Night, Gin," he whispered into her neck."
"What about the puppy?" she murmured, already halfway back in dreamland.
He kissed her neck, causing her to shiver in delight. "What puppy?"
She smiled. "That's what I thought."
He fell asleep not a minute later. He may have wanted a puppy, but in the end, it was always Ginny who got what she wanted. If only it were a puppy...