Disclaimer: All characters, the settings, etc all belong to JK Rowling's world. We're just the ones obsessed with it.

"ALWAYS"

( A Harry/Ginny fanfic )

Chapter 1: "The Lake Kiss"

HBP, p499 - "…he grinned down at Ginny and gestured wordlessly out of the portrait hole. A long walk in the grounds seemed indicated, during which-if they had time-they might discuss the match."

Harry and Ginny walked towards the Black Lake, hand in hand. The air was chilly and the sky was cloudy; it looked like rain would fall any second now. Sure enough, raindrops started to decorate their faces. Ginny's hair danced behind her as she walked briskly and the hair on Harry's neck stood up. He was quite nervous; he wasn't sure what would happen now and he had waited so long to touch her hand…

The pair smiled at each other shyly, and they halted as they reached the lake. They stood alongside it. Ginny reluctantly tore her hand away from Harry's, and turned to face him.

"Why did you do that?" she asked, referring to the kiss.

"I…er…" Harry shifted nervously. Didn't she know why? he thought.

"It's just… do you even like me?" Ginny interrupted. "Why would you kiss me if I'm just your best friend's little sister?" she asked accusingly.

"I don't think of you as that!" Harry exclaimed. "I've fancied you for ages!"

Ginny suddenly changed her mood; she now looked delighted. "Not as long as I've wanted you," she said quietly.

Harry looked sceptical. "How long, exactly?"

"Ever since the day I first saw you at King's Cross, when I was ten."

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "That long?"

Ginny nodded. She turned a pale shade of red. "That long," she repeated.

"And yet I had no idea…." Harry shook his head.

"Oh, Harry, don't blame yourself!" Ginny exclaimed. "I went out with Michael and Dean; I was never even brave enough to talk to you casually, not until last year. I hardly talked to you before that, I was just… really shy. You couldn't have known."

"I should have," Harry said, looking into her beautiful brown eyes and gently wiping the raindrops off her left cheek.

"Harry, you're not psychic," she said, sitting down. "But I'm glad you feel the same as I do now."

"I do." Harry said, hoping it would reassure her. He sat down beside her, and held her hand again. "I have for the whole year. I wanted to hex Dean loads of times, but I figured you wouldn't like me for that."

"I wouldn't mind if you did, actually," Ginny laughed. "He was so controlling and wouldn't leave me alone; it drove me crazy."

Harry made a mental note to give her some time on her own. He didn't want her to find him annoying…

He looked at her, and saw her beauty – her long, lush red hair, her nose so unlike Ron's long and pointy one, her piercing eyes, her pink lips… he had never really appreciated just how beautiful she was.

"I really like you, Ginny," he said, and he pulled her into a big hug. Their shyness had definitely disappeared.

Ginny smiled freely. She had never felt so loved, comfortable and cared for. She was only fifteen, but she knew that he was all she needed. Then she grinned cheekily as an idea struck her mind. She touched the water in the lake; it was freezing. She felt its coldness, and without warning she scooped a handful of water and poured it over Harry as if she was decorating a rather large cake with sprinkles. He shrieked and laughed. "You're crazy!" he laughed.

"And I love you." Ginny said, seriously. She grinned at him, and looked at his deep green eyes he had inherited from his mother. Then she took off his glasses and put it beside her on the grass. Harry looked confused and suspicious. "Hey, what are you…"

Ginny had tried to push Harry in the water, but he had caught on and beat her to it. Ginny shuddered, shaking in the freezing lake, but couldn't hold back a smile nonetheless.

"You! You're coming in with me!" she giggled as she held up a cold arm and pulled him in.

They laughed together like little children in the water, but their hearts were feeling something a child couldn't. They felt love, true love; it didn't matter where they were, whether it was at the Burrow, the common room, or here in the murky chilly lake… their teen hearts beating faster and faster…

They were fully clothed, wearing their uniforms, their body temperatures were decreasing rapidly in the cold yet their hearts remained warm with love and passion and all of those wonderful things…

Harry felt her long beautiful hair with one hand and her back with the other, and they were locked in a passionate embrace, kissing and giggling and smiling and laughing at their boldness and hastiness until their faces hurt. Their icy skin didn't bother them one bit, as they couldn't even really feel it, they were wrapped in this beautiful feeling that no temperature could interrupt…

Surely it must have been just a wonderful, wonderful dream…