Innocent

"Don't look at me, I only steal socks!" Ginny said, innocently.

Harry's head snapped up at this seemingly innocent sentence, "Oh, Ginny. Why ever would you think I was accusing you?" An almost feral grin crept over Harry's face as he stalked towards her. "You wouldn't have any idea where it was now would you?

Ginny's face blushed as she slowly started backing away from Harry. She began to sputter as her back hit the wall and she started trying to slide off to the side to get out of Harry's way, but he was still following her, "Umm, but Harry! You need to be down on the Quidditch pitch! Quick! No one wants Gryffindor to have to forfeit to Slytherin. Right Harry? Shouldn't you be going about now?"

Ginny jumped slightly as Harry's gloved hands smacked loudly into the wall on either side of her, pinning her in place. Harry's emerald eyes boring into her chocolate ones, melting her resolve like butter over a candle. His dark hair was tousled from his anxiety. Her mind started to short circuit as she numbly tried to drag her eyes away from his. He better not learn what this does to me, a stray thought drifted through her mind.

"Ginny? You there? Well, any idea?" His eyes bore deep into hers, and she wanted to do nothing more than lean forward and surrender her soul to him.

"Uhm, What were we talking 'bout?" Her speech was slightly confused as she tried to railroad her thoughts back into a semblance of order.

"We're talking about," Harry leaned forward, only an inch or two from her, his slightly twitched smile and spiced scent intoxicating her, "where you put the trousers of my Quidditch uniform."

"Oh, that!"

"HA! You admit it. You sneaky little vixen!"

"But I only steal socks," Ginny protested lamely in the face of Harry's close and extremely victorious smile.

"Come on Gin!" Ginny's face steeled a bit at the use of her nickname. "I know you've got them! Can you please give them to me?"

Harry had drawn back a bit and Ginny could finally feel her brain starting the thinking process again. Oh! I'll get him for that. Teach him to try and pull that on me. "Depends, Harry," she almost burst out laughing at the sight of the suddenly confused look that had appeared on his face. "What'll you give me for it?"

"What? Ginny, I really need to get out on the pitch! Come on! Please?" Harry's eyes really pleaded with Ginny, and she felt her resolve slip to almost nothing before he started speaking again, which sealed his own fate, "Come on, just please, tell me what you want."

"Oh ho! Mr. Potter asks what I want. Well let's see Harry. You do know the Sonorus Charm right? You can do it and everything?" Harry nodded slowly. "Good then, here's what I want you to do." She leaned over and started whispering into his ear.

Well, Harry thought, It'll be an interesting way of telling the school she's my girlfriend... now if only I can avoid being killed by Ron.

Tired from the Quidditch game and still sore in a couple places from close calls with bludgers, Harry plopped down across from Ron and Hermoine, who were still talking about the game excitedly. After 5th year Ron really had settled in, and turned to be an excellent keeper. It was in good part because of Ron that Gryffindor had beaten Slytherin as badly as they had, 480-40. Smiling at the soft touches between them, Harry cleared his throat to get Hermoine's attention.

"Oh, hello Harry. You did really great today. Malfoy didn't stand a chance with you out there."

"It was nothing. It didn't matter really, if Ron hadn't been so excellent at keeping I'd have had to try. But since he is I could've lazed about on my broom and the game would've gone on and on."

Ron blushed a bit at the praise, and mumbled about how he didn't deserve any of it, that he was just playing the game. Hermoine smiled affectionately and squeezed his hand before looking back at Harry.

"Hermoine, I really need to ask you a favor. You know my… umm...little announcement today at the Quidditch match?" Hermoine nodded and Harry continued, "Well yeah, I had to do that, because Ginny had nicked the trousers from my Quidditch uniform, and that was the price of getting them back. So I thought I'd get her back, and I know just how to do it, but I need to get up into the girl's dormitory. I'll promise to make sure that there's no one up there. You could go with me, to make sure I only go into Ginny's dormitory, if you really wanted to. The problem is, I need to be able to get into the dormitory, and the stairs make it not exactly the easiest of things. Will you help me get up those stairs? I know if anyone can get me up those stairs, it's you Hermoine."

Hermoine paused for a minute, obviously mulling it over in her head. Finally she nodded, almost to herself, and said, "Yes, I will help you Harry. And I trust you to only use it to go to Ginny's. In fact, it'll be simple. During lunch, I'll go up, and tie a rope onto the door to Ginny's dormitory. Then you'll go up, and when the stairs turn into a slide, I'll go down, and you'll be able to pull yourself right up to her." Suddenly Hermoine stopped, and waved at Ginny who had just entered the room. "Tomorrow at lunch Harry…" was all she could whisper before Ginny was nearby.

Ginny sat down beside Harry, looked around at the trio, smiled and said, "Planning some more of your escapades for tonight? Any more illegal potions? How about sneaking around in forbidden corridors?" Everyone laughed, and Ron pulled an Exploding Snap pack from his pocket and they spent a blissfully homework-free evening enjoying themselves.

The next day at lunch, Harry was pacing the common room, extremely grateful that no one happened to be hanging around in the room. He jumped as the Portrait swung open, but relaxed as he saw it was Hermoine.

"Thanks Hermoine. Can I ask you something else?" Hermoine tilted her head slightly to the side, in a way that Ron said he absolutely loved, "Do you know a spell that'll lock something so it needs a password?"

Hermoine sighed, "Really Harry, Standard books of Spells 6, page 483. The incantation is possitae inconnitae then the password, with the levitation charm wand movements. You really should read more often. Now down to business. You promise you'll only play a trick on Ginny?"

Harry nodded, and said happily, "Thanks for everything Hermoine."

Harry watched as she set off up the steps to the 5th year girls' dormitory. Soon enough a rope snaked down from above, and he heard Hermoine's voice calling down that it was okay for him to come up now. Moving fast he jumped and ran as far up the stairs as he could before they transformed. Catching himself on the rope he had a brief glimpse of Hermoine as she went whizzing past him down the stairs, an expression of childish delight bright on her face. Getting back to the business at hand, Harry began hauling himself up, hand over hand, towards the dormitory.

Slipping inside the room, he was immediately stricken with just how much of a girl's room it was. It looked generally the same as the boy's dormitory, but it was much more feminine. The carvings on the beds were softer, less distinct. The walls were warmer, and it seemed as though the air was permanently warmer there. The colors were the same, but they seemed warmer too. It was such a comforting place that Harry almost felt an urge to curl up on the floor or on one of the beds and fall asleep. Shaking his head, Harry quickly looked around for the trunk that was obviously Ginny's. Popping it open, all that saved him from being inked was his seeker reflexes. Wow, I could've poked the trunk with my wand for hours and never gotten that undone, he thought smiling, learned a bit from her dad I see.

Smiling at the Ginny-ish mess in her trunk he began digging through her stuff in search of what he was looking for. It didn't matter if she knew someone had been through her trunk. She'd notice fast anyway. Smiling, he came across a picture of himself and Ginny as they were walking by the lake. His picture-self began to wave up at him before grinning mischievously and tossing picture-Ginny into the lake. He laughed out loud as picture-Harry started laughing and running as picture-Ginny started stalking towards him. Setting the picture on top of the pile, he started digging again. Shortly, he came across a small well-used book. Her diary, he realized. Sighing and setting it down, he knew she'd be very unhappy if he read it. Shifting more of her stuff out of the way he finally came across what he'd been looking for. Pulling them all out, Harry set a small rose inside where they had been and shifted her stuff back mostly into place. Smiling broadly Harry stepped out onto the stairway and slid down the slide, and then rushed up to his dormitory.

Rustling through his trunk, he pulled the largish jewelry box out. Setting it on the floor in front of him, he deposited what he had nicked into it. Pausing for a moment to appreciate the irony, he drew his wand and held it over the box

"Possitae Inconnitae frills and black lace."

Harry sat awake, well past midnight. Everyone had gone to bed, so the common room was deserted. Smiling into the fire he leaned back, enjoying the luxurious heat rolling off from it. His plan had gone off perfectly, and tomorrow morning (well, later that day really) she'd come storming downstairs. He felt a grin on his face at the thought of her glowing face and the wild beautiful red hair, like living fire, and the storm in her eyes. Slightly dreamy, Harry jumped when he heard a person in the common room. Turning around to see who it was, Harry's eyes went wide. It was Ginny, and the storm threatened to break him in half.

"HARRY POTTER!" Her hair flung about her face as she stormed over to where he had been sitting. He was quick to get up, but she was faster and pushed him back down as he tried to stand. "How dare you! Give them to me now!"

Harry's eyes went wide into a faux-innocent look, "What's missing Gin? Tell me and I'll help you look for them."

Then Harry realized his mistake. Being a boy, he couldn't have helped himself. He'd brought a pair down to sit with. A particularly lacy pair of her knickers. Ginny saw them within moments of his realizing that he had them with him. He'd thought that she'd be angry before, now he'd rather go insult a herd of hippogriffs... loudly... with no escape.

Ice cracked off her voice as she spoke, "Harry, you'll go get the rest of them and bring them back to me. Now."

Harry shrank back, "But Gin, uhh, I... umm... just took this one pair. I'll really help you look for the rest." Her glare withered him, and he suddenly wished he felt like he wasn't about to become a human ice cube. "All right Ginny. I'll go get them."

Going upstairs, he slipped the box out from under his mattress and crept back downstairs. He paused and collected himself just out of sight from the common room. As he stepped downstairs he saw her, standing, lost in the sparks of the fire. He now noticed that she wasn't wearing anything more than her nightdress, and a fairly thin one. It clung to her body perfectly and Harry stopped for a minute, mesmerized by her beauty and marveled at the way her hair lit up from the fire, reflecting the light like a thousand rubies. Slipping his robe off from over his pajamas, he crossed the common room, and slipped it around her shoulders.

She felt a weight around her shoulders before she realized Harry had come back downstairs. His robe hung around her, still warm from his body heat. She turned to see him standing there, smiling happily, a box tucked under his arm. Her mind numbed because of his smile. She couldn't see how he could do that to her. His emerald eyes were happy, sparkling almost like Dumbledore's. His unruly dark hair almost covered the scar on his forehead that made him so famous. She felt drawn into his eyes, and stood there for a little while, staring into his eyes. His robe around her shoulders, feeling for all the world like everything had disappeared, that they hung in an empty white space, staring into each other's eyes. Snapping back to the real world, she looked at the box under his arm. A jewelry box. She smirked.

"At least you realize how precious what you took is."

The look of innocence on his face didn't fool her for one second, "What do you mean Ginny? It was just the only box I had."

"Give it up Potter. I don't want to have to jump you to get it."

She realized what she had said a moment later, and could tell that Harry was very much debating on whether or not to make her jump him to get it. She just barely bit back her sigh of relief as Harry handed the jewelry box over to her. This was much easier than she had expected. Taking it, she set it down and went to open it. The very least I can do, she thought, is tease Harry about it. She tried to lift off the lid, with absolutely no effect. She attempted it again, with no better luck. After a few moments trying she turned to Harry.

"Why won't it open Harry?"

He smiled and said, "Well, it might have something to do with a password spell I put on it... but you never know."

"WHAT? You passworded my underwear! How do I stand you?"

"I can think of a few reasons," Harry's smirk told her exactly what he meant.

"Fine Harry, what do you want?"

"Oh! Ms. Weasley asks what I want, does she? Well I can think of two things that I want. The first would be... well, " Harry's face suddenly went red, trying to beat out Ginny's hair. Fortunately Ginny knew exactly what Harry wanted.

She leaned forward, and as her lips touched Harry's her mind collapsed. There was no awkwardness, no discomfort. Only the bliss of kissing him. She held onto him, her hand laced through his hair, keeping him close and hard against her. It was fire and ice, winter and summer, death and birth; she could feel all these things in her and between them. The kiss lasted long after they were both out of breath, neither willing to let go. Ginny leaned against Harry. She smiled up at him.

"Is that what you wanted Harry?" A Ginny-ish grin playing across her face.

"Yes. And well, these." Harry held up the black and lacy pair of her underwear that she'd seen in his hands earlier.

Well, it was one hell of a first kiss, she thought, with a smirk on her lips.

"Fine." Ginny was cut off Harry's lips stole her thoughts.