Harry and Ginny
For years, Harry was oblivious to Ginny's attraction to him. Just like any boy, he hadn't opened his eyes to what was in front of him. Ginny had always had a secret longing for Harry, but was too shy to tell him, though everyone who had ever seen her in his presence knew. You could see the love in her eyes when she looked at him.
After her fourth year, the year the DA was started, she became angry. I can't believe he likes that cow! What does she have that I don't have? That entire year, Ginny had been depressed and self conscience about everything she wore, the way she wore her hair, the makeup she wore. It broke her heart that her attempts went unnoticed because of some other girl, who was only with Harry because her boyfriend had died the year before.
Four years later, she was sitting at the pond by the burrow. She was looking over the water, crying her eyes out. In her fifth year, Harry had finally made his move. They dated up until Dumbledore's funeral. He broke up with her then, but she understood. She let him walk away. Then, her birthday the next year, she kissed him. He kissed her back. She knew he loved her. She could feel it in his kiss. Then Ron came in and Harry ran off. She didn't see him again until the night of the war.
It had been a year since the war ended and Harry still hadn't asked her back out. He had never even attempted to be alone with her. She felt like he never cared about her and she had just been a distraction when they were together; a rebound to get over 'the cow'.
Ginny laid back and looked up at the clouds, wishing for something she felt would never come: Happiness. She closed her eyes as the sun came out from behind a cloud. She felt the shade cover her back up, so she opened her eyes, thinking the sun went behind another cloud. She gasped seeing Harry standing over her, looking thoughtfully down into her eyes.
"Can I sit with you?" Harry asked, sort of shuffling his feet around. After Ginny sat up, she looked more closely at Harry. She admired the light green t-shirt and khakis he was wearing. He always dressed so casual, but she loved it. She thought he was handsome no matter what. She nodded and he took a seat next to her. Ginny kept looking at him, while he stared out over the pond.
Ginny realized he was more toned than he had been when they were together. His hair was a bit longer and unkempt as usual. He had a look of confusion and worry in his green eyes that stood out so well with the shirt he was wearing. He still wore glasses, but he had traded his old ones for a bit thicker black frame. She loved the way they made him look.
"Harry, what's the matter? You look like something is worrying you." Harry looked at her and smiled.
"You always could read me like a book, Gin." He leant back onto his elbows, his legs stretched out before him. Ginny imitated his position and started looking forward.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong then?" Harry stood at this question and stood in front of her, holding his hand out for her to take. She took it, feeling the usual electricity she did at his touch. Harry pulled her to her feet and looked her in the eye, still holding her hand.
"Ginny, how would you like to accompany me to a muggle movie tonight?" Harry asked, hoping upon all hopes that she would say yes.
I've kept it inside for the longest time and I can't keep keeping it in
All this love that's inside my heart
"Sure Harry. I had a lot of fun last time. Will Ron and Hermione be coming?" Please say no…Please say no…
"No, I told them I wanted it to just be you and me. Ron got a bit agitated, to say the least, but I figured it would be fun without him and her arguing over every little thing." Harry gave her a lopsided grin, hoping she got the hint he wanted to be alone with her.
"Okay, I'll go get ready. What time does the movie start?" Ginny smiled back at him, not picking up on his implication.
"Well, the movie starts at 8 but I thought we could go have supper first. There's a nice little restaurant close to the cinema. Is that alright?"
"It sounds lovely, Harry. I'll be ready by six then."
Ginny took off running to the burrow while Harry sat down, again staring over the pond. He noticed that the sun was still fairly high in the sky. He didn't understand why Ginny took so long to get ready, she was naturally beautiful. Harry felt a presence walk up behind him, and new by the vanilla scent that followed her everywhere that it was Hermione.
"Go ahead and ask, Hermione." Harry said, startling Hermione. She hated that he was so in tune with his surroundings. No one could sneak up or spy on him anymore. Hermione sat down beside him and looked at him a moment before asking how he knew it was her.
"Your shampoo; it's a dead giveaway." She blushed, and he laughed, finally looking at her. "But the answer to your question is yes, I asked her. And yes I plan on telling her tonight. I'm just worried how she is going to react."
"Better than Ron, I'm certain. He was right pissed when you told him your feelings."
"Well, I can't very well hide forever how I feel about the woman I love." Harry smiled at Hermione and grabbed her hand. She had been there for him through everything. Since his first ride on the Hogwarts Express to now, she had been his very best friend. How could he not love her? But his love for her was platonic. Ginny was the one he was talking about as the woman he loved. Ron was, as always a prat about the relationship and was the reason Harry had not told Ginny of his feelings before now. But he grew tired of being unhappy and trying to hide his feelings. It was time for his happiness and life to begin.
Maybe it's safer not to say that I care
Maybe this road won't lead me anywhere but
A few hours later, Harry had showered and changed into a nice pair of muggle jeans and a button up green shirt. Ginny always said he should wear green all of the time because it made his eyes stand out. He had tamed his hair a bit and stood in the living room getting the speech from Ron.
"You will not hurt her. You will not touch her. You will have her home directly after the movie. You got that, Harry?"
"Ron, chill, mate. I love your sister. I will not hurt her ever again. You know the reason behind the first time. It had to be done. As far as touching her, I will hold her hand, hug her and kiss her, nothing beyond that. We will be coming home after the movie, but not because you say so, but because we both have to be at work tomorrow. Now, will you back off and let us finally have our happy ending?" Harry's face had grown red with agitation with his best mate.
"Harry, I'm sorry, but she is my baby sister, my only sister. I don't want to see any more of my family hurt. We've all finally moved on."
"Not me, not Ginny. Don't you see that we need each other in order to move on?" Ron finally gave in and stepped out of the room.
"Hermione, do I look alright?" Harry was looking down over himself, hoping he had done okay getting ready. He was really nervous.
"Harry, you look very handsome. And you know Ginny loves you no matter what; especially in green." Hermione smiled, knowing he wore green nearly all the time because Ginny had once said she loved the way the color looked with his eyes. "Now I am going to go check on your date. We'll be back down in a moment."
Hermione ran upstairs, leaving Harry a nervous wreck downstairs. It wasn't long before Harry heard the click of heels on the stairs. He looked up and seen what appeared to be an angel descending in a pale green dress, a halo of loose red curls framing her face.
Harry let out an involuntary gasp at the beauty of Ginny Weasley. Her pale green dress reached to right below her knees, it had thick straps over her shoulders, with a modestly cut neckline. She wore a light white sweater over it with white strappy heels and had a cute white clutch purse in her hand. Her makeup looked very natural with different shades of pinks, and her hair was down but in loose curls falling over her shoulders. She was beautiful. When she got down to the bottom of the stairs, Harry walked over and gave her a white lily corsage to put on her wrist. He was worried maybe he was over doing it, but when he seen Ginny's eyes light up at the sight of the corsage, he had a feeling that he had done well.
"Ginny, you look beautiful." Harry stuck his elbow out for her to hold, as he would be apparating them close to the restaurant. Hermione looked at the two happily, taking a quick photo of them before they left.
If I don't tell you now, I may never get the chance again
To tell you that I need you, tell you what I'm feeling if I keep these feelings in,
Once at the restaurant, there was an uncomfortable silence between the two. Ginny felt uneasy and Harry was; well Harry was Harry. He had his napkin in his lap, and he kept fidgeting with it and looking around at the restaurant.
It was quite beautiful. The walls were a deep red color with white border. The carpet was the same red with white floral patterns accenting it. There were chandeliers with lit candles and beautiful paintings everywhere. The tables varied in shape and size, but all of them had a black tablecloth with a red rose and candles in the center. Ginny was memorizing the brushstrokes on one particular painting she had been eyeing for about 5 minutes when Harry finally broke the silence.
"Are you having fun, Ginny?" He knew the answer was no, but he wanted to ask, to break the silence if nothing else.
"Of course, Harry."
"Lying isn't a very becoming trait, love." Harry looked at her shocked face and smiled.
"Why would you say I am lying? I am having a good time." Ginny knew she couldn't lie to him, but didn't want him to know she felt the restaurant was stuffy and a little too fancy for her liking.
"How about we get out of here and grab a burger at the fast food place down the street?" Ginny smiled, he knew her all too well. And it was this quality, among many others that made her love him so much.
And if I don't say the words, How will you hear what's inside my heart
How will you know baby if I don't tell you now
Seeing the smile on Ginny's face at his suggestion, he was glad he knew her so well. He should have known that this place wasn't Ginny's style. Sure she liked to get dressed up and have a night out, but not sitting in a quiet restaurant where you feel awkward if you talk above a whisper.
They grabbed a couple burgers, fries and cokes from the fast food place and sat on a bench to eat. She was talking and laughing. Now she was having a good time.
"So, Harry, are you having a good time?" Ginny asked after taking a sip of soda. She had grown addicted to the muggle drink.
"Of course, but then again I always have a good time with you," Harry realized what he said and was afraid he was rushing telling her. "You are so much fun to be around."
Ginny's smile fell for a moment, but Harry didn't notice since he had just turned to throw his wrapper into the garbage.
"Well, I'm ready whenever you are. We can go on to the movie if you like." Harry stood to wipe any crumbs off his clothes. Ginny got her trash together and threw it in the garbage bin and took Harry's extended hand to help herself up.
I'd give anything to be in your dreams and I can't stand standing by
With this dream that's inside my heart
They were the first to arrive to the theater that their movie would be showing. They decided to watch The Sixth Sense. Being the only two in the theater, they decided to take advantage of it. They sat and talked, catching up on everything they had been doing for the past year. Since Harry had been avoiding her, they really hadn't had a chance to talk in a while.
Ginny told him about the friendship she had struck up with Blaise Zabini who turned out to be against Voldemort from the beginning. Harry was shocked, and quite jealous that this other guy got to spend so much time with her. Harry told her about his and Hermione's late night chats and how she finally admitted that she was in love, though not with Ron. She had yet to reveal her love interest, but he knew she would when she was ready. Ginny got angry hearing about all the time he had spent with Hermione. She was her best friend, and she knew Hermione and Harry were really close, but she always loathed her for getting to spend so much time with him that Ginny had only been able to dream about.
Neither realized the others jealousy, but had become more comfortable than they had been earlier.
Maybe I'm only gonna make a mistake
And there's a chance maybe my heart will break
The theater had slowly filled up and the movie began. Ginny went to reach for some popcorn, not realizing Harry's hand was also reaching. There hands brushed and they both pulled away quickly at the feeling of electricity. Both kept their eyes forward, hoping the other wouldn't see their deep blushes.
The rest of the movie went that way. There were innocent touches and looks that neither wanted to admit to, but that both wouldn't trade for the world.
If I don't tell you now I may never get the chance again
To tell you that I need you, tell you what I'm feeling if I keep these feelings in,
After the movie, they decided to walk most of the way home so that they had the opportunity to talk more before getting home to Ginny's multitude of older brothers pestering to find out exactly what happened on their date.
All of a sudden, they came upon a park that neither knew would be there. They walked over to the pond that was covered in ducks and geese sleeping in the still water. There was a small wooden bridge going over a stream that led to the lake. Harry led Ginny over to it and faced her.
And if I don't say the words, how will you hear what's inside my heart
How will you know baby if I don't tell you now
Ginny's red hair glowed in the moonlight and the pale green dress appeared almost white. Her eyes were looking expectantly to him, shining from the reflection of moonlight on the water. She looked so innocent and sweet. He had to tell her. If ever there were a perfect moment, it was now.
Ginny seen something in Harry's eyes change when he turned to face her on the bridge. He no longer had a playful sparkle in his eyes, something replaced that. He now had a deeper emotion filling up the green orbs she so willingly lost herself in. She prayed to Merlin that the emotion was love, and not a friendly or sisterly love, but a passionate love that will stand the tests of time and will reach to the ends of the world. If it were, then it might come close to the way she felt about him.
How will you know you're inside my soul Oh it's driving me crazy
Cuz you don't see you're the one for me I'm so afraid to say the way that I feel. But
"Ginny, tonight has been wonderful. Thank you for coming with me." Harry's eyes never lost that deep emotion, if anything they had gained intensity.
"Of course, Harry. It was really fun. That movie was amazing, the end was a bit shocking but it was really good." Ginny went to look away over the water, but felt a finger glide under her chin to gently hold her head in place.
She looked up slightly and her eyes met with Harry's. His hand slid from under her chin, to cup her cheek, which she leaned her head into, loving the feel of his coarse hands rubbing her silky skin. She had shivers jumping up and down her body.
If I don't tell you now I may never get the chance again
To tell you that I need you, tell you what I'm feeling if I keep these feelings in,
Before Ginny knew what was happening, Harry had leant down and gently touched his lips to hers. He made to pull away, but found that Ginny's hands had slid around his neck, holding him in place. They both gave way to the feelings and emotions they had for so long been hiding from the world.
When finally pulling apart for a breath of air, Harry stepped back a few inches so he could look into Ginny's eyes.
"Ginny, I brought you out tonight so I could tell you something." He looked at her, but had gotten quiet. She wasn't sure if he was trying to think of what to say, or if he was waiting for her to say something.
"What is it, Harry? Didn't I tell you earlier that you could tell me anything?"
"Yes you did. I'm just not sure how to start this. I guess I should start by apologizing to you." Harry took Ginny's hands in his and brought them to his mouth. He placed light kisses on them while never breaking their eye contact. "Ron made me promise that I wouldn't be anything more than friends with you. I shouldn't have done that. It made me avoid you because I knew that if I was around you too much, especially alone, that I couldn't restrain how I feel for you."
Harry then dropped her hands and turned away. He walked over to the side of the bridge and placed his hands on the rail, looking out into the distance. He was embarrassed that he allowed his friend to dictate what he did, but Ron was important to him and he didn't want to upset or hurt him.
"Harry, I don't blame you for that. I understand. Ron can be a real prat sometimes. He is my brother and I love him, but please don't blame yourself for trying to be a good friend." She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist from the back. She laid her head on his back and could hear his heartbeat speed up at her touch.
"Thank you, Ginny," Harry turned, keeping Ginny's arms around his waist and wrapped his around her entire body feeling her head on his chest. "What I wanted to tell you tonight is that I love you. I have loved you for so many years. Even when I had that crush on the person you so kindly refer to as 'the cow', I always loved you. Since my second year when Ron, Fred and George brought me to the Burrow and you came downstairs in your robe. The look on your face when you seen me was charming. I fell in love with you in that instant. And I never stopped loving you."
"Then, why is it that you are waiting until now?" Ginny was the one to pull away. She wanted to see in his eyes.
And if I don't say the words, how will you hear what's inside my heart
How will you know baby if I don't tell you now
"First it was because I was too shy, and then when Voldemort came back, I was worried he would hurt you to get to me. I couldn't let that happen. Then when he was killed, I didn't want to upset Ron. I tell you now because I can't stand living another minute without being able to call you mine. I need you, Ginny. I want you to be mine."
"Harry, I've waited too long to hear that. I love you too. I've loved you since I seen you at Kings Cross your first year. I can't believe you are finally telling me you love me. Harry, I have always and will always be only yours."
Harry and Ginny made their way back to the burrow, fully knowing to expect every one of her brothers as well as her parents to ask exactly what happened on their date. Neither of them worried though, because from here on out, they would face everything together.
A/N This song is "If I Don't Tell You Now" by Ronan Keating