"Open up Seamus, you coward!"
Ginny pounded on the front of the small oak door. The tiny white stoned cottage sat on a hill about a half a mile away from the Burrow. A sweet smell of cinnamon surrounded Ginny as she waited for a reply at the door.
"You can't hide forever." Ginny teased with a grin. She stood on her tiptoes and peered into the shamrock window above the iron knocker on the door. A soft green fabric covered the opening of the window so she couldn't see into the room. However, she did her a patter of footsteps coming closer to the door. She knocked yet again on the door. "Come on Finnigan." She said with a chuckle.
The front door swung open and revealed a short lady dressed in a pink flowered dress. Her sandy brown hair tumbled around her gentle face. She always wore a cheerful expression and ever since she moved in about a year or so ago from Ireland, Ginny had never seen that smile fade.
"Oh," Ginny bore an expression of guilt. She had thought Mrs. Finnigan had been out at town or else she wouldn't have been so loud. "I'm terribly sorry Mrs." Her eyes went to the ground and she could feel her face grow pink. "Is Seamus home?"
Mrs. Finnigan merely chuckled a bit. She always could turn a situation Mrs. Weasley would have blow off on into no big deal. "No dear, he just left. I believe he was looking for you." She explained wiping her hands on her wore patched apron. "Might I interest you in a cup of tea?"
"No thank you." Mrs. Finnigan nodded and clicked the door shut.
Ginny was about to turn back home when she heard a crack of a stick coming from the Finnigan's potato garden. She narrowed her blue eyes and wheeled around, a grin slowly spreading across her face.
When she pushed open the wooden gait to the patch of dirt, the rusty hinges let out a soft creak. Seamus, clearly taking it as a warning, darted out from behind a shed that housed all of their gardening supplies. He threw his legs over the fence and went running across the field next to their house.
Ginny chased him across the field drenched in yellow light beaming from the setting sun. The tall grass whipped her legs as she sprinted as fast as she could across the rather deserted patch of land. Her heart was racing in rhythm with the crunching of dried grass below her foot.
"Wait until I catch you!" Ginny yelled from behind Seamus. He was carrying something. She squinted her eyes to see what it was. A bucket.
Her short legs were no match for his long ones and he easily gained speed and distance from the panting red head. He took a sharp turn and headed over to the water pump a few feet away.
Muggles had owned the house before the Finnigan's had moved in. They used the pump to water their crops and give their cows something to drink. But Seamus wasn't going to us the water he was pumping into the bucket for any of these reasons.
Ginny had immediately realized where that water was going and quickly ran in the other direction towards a great big oak tree.
She jumped up and grabbed the thick branch. She continued to laugh as she tried to pull herself atop of it.
The sun's rays burned at her eyes and warmed her freckle-covered face. Having little strength left, she could only pull herself half way up before the boy reached the great oak.
"No Seamus!" Ginny squealed as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She hugged the branch trying to fight against the force pulling her away.
The both laughed even more when Ginny tried to wiggle her way free from Seamus's grip, in one last attempt. It didn't work. Seamus held Ginny under the billow of leaves above them.
"Not fair, you're bigger then me!" Ginny helplessly breathed.
"You should learn. Life's not always fair." His light Irish accent sent goose bumps crawling up Ginny's back.
Seamus had set the bucket now only half filled with water down next to the tree. He put her down gently on the ground and quickly snatched up the bucket. Ginny backed up. "Don't you dare!" She hissed trying to hide her smile with not much luck.
"What's wrong, lassie? Afraid of a bit of water?" He titled the bucket threateningly at her. Ginny groped at her pockets trying to find her wand. A clear image of it sitting on the kitchen table entered her mind. Seeing no other way around this, Ginny kicked the bottom the bucket up sending the water shooting back into the Irish boy's face.
She let out a full belly laugh as Seamus whipped some of the water from his face. "Weasley!" He shook his head spraying her with the cold water. Seamus had tried to sound threatening but Ginny knew better. Millions of tiny droplets cascaded down him and soaked the dirt below where he stood.
Ginny clutched her side for support trying desperately trying not to fall to the ground with laughter. Seamus merely threw his sopping arms around her. The frigid water seeped through Ginny's cloths, which was rather refreshing from the hot air yet she still attempted to push him off.
"Get off of me." She slipped down his grip and sat on the ground, laughing lightly. Seamus, satisfied at how wet she was, plopped down next to her. He laid back and looked up at the now starry sky. Ginny rested her head next to his.
She felt safe next to him, which had been something she hadn't felt in a long time. Ginny felt a stare pricking at the side of her face. She turned to see Seamus was staring at her. He went to look away but for one reason or another he couldn't remove his eyes from hers.
Ginny's cheeks went pink as their lips touched and a flood of happiness filled her. She shivered a little. This felt good yet…odd to her. Seamus had been like a brother to her ever since their family moved in.
They both looked back up at the sky not saying anything. An overwhelming sense of relaxation filled Ginny and her eyes slowly slide shut underneath the wide-open sky.