(Disclaimer: You know the drill – I don't own Harry Potter.)
Harry was watching Ginny from across the Gryffindor common room. A crowd of boys were gathered round her, gazing at her, some less than subtly. Ginny whispered something to her friend sitting beside her, casually tossing her flame-red curls over her shoulder as she did so. She smiled as her friend laughed. Ginny looked up and her eyes connected momentarily with Harry's before they both turned away, seemingly unaffected. Yet in that split-second Harry admitted to himself what he had been denying for months, he no longer thought of Ginny just as Ron's little sister. He was forced to acknowledge that the Gryffindor lion that seemed to erupt in his chest whenever she was with other guys, and that had roared its displeasure when he and Ron had caught her kissing Dean, weren't just because of brotherly feelings. Harry looked back down at the potions textbook in his lap as casually as he could, considering his heart was pounding so loudly that he could have sworn the rest of the common room could hear it. He turned the page, pretending he had merely been looking around the room, not staring at her. Ginny hid her disappointment as they broke eye contact, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry continue to survey the Common Room before returning to his book. She had hoped, just for a second there, that Harry had been staring at her. In that split second she realised what she had known but refused to acknowledge for months now. She had never truly given up on Harry Potter. She sighed, telling herself to stop hoping so foolishly, he would never think of her as anything more than his best friend's little sister.
Dean stepped through the portrait hole. Harry looked up briefly, his green eyes hardening as he looked stonily at Dean. Dean didn't notice, walking straight over to Ginny and giving her a quick kiss in greeting. The lion reared up in furiously Harry's chest, his heart seeming to contract painfully, and it took all his self-control not to storm across the room and punch Dean. Ginny flashed him a brief smile before she carried on chatting to her friend. Harry looked back at his textbook and tried to concentrate, but his head was filled with thoughts of her fiery red hair and piercing blue eyes. Hermione leaned over and tapped him on the shoulder, hiding a knowing smile from him. Deciding she couldn't help but to tease him just a little she said,
"You know Harry, I'm sure it makes things much more difficult reading like that." Harry glanced at the book in his lap and flushed as he realised he was holding it upside down. Hermione took pity on him.
"I think you must be tired." She continued, "Maybe you should get an early night."
"Yeah – tired. I think you're probably right." Harry hugged Hermione goodnight and started climbing the steps to the boys' dorms. As he hugged Hermione a pair of piercing blue eyes watched sadly and followed him up the stairs as his messy black hair disappeared round the corner.
The next morning Harry reluctantly dragged himself from his comfy bed, and slowly got dressed. He met Ron and Hermione in the common room and they started to make their way down to breakfast. As they entered the Great Hall and walked down the long table to find some space to sit, Harry heard a familiar voice snap; "Dean, I'm not a child for God sake!" He spun round to see Ginny storming off.
"Ginny hold up!" shouted Dean, chasing after her. The creature in Harry's chest growled at Dean's retreating figure.
"Harry!" shouted Hermione, bringing Harry back to earth with a jolt.
"Wh…What?" Harry shook his head, attempting to focus on what Hermione was saying.
"I said, we should probably get going!" said Hermione, looking faintly amused.
"Oh yeah sure," mumbled Harry, getting up clumsily. They made their way up to the common room to get their bags and headed off to the days' morning lessons.
At dinner Ginny sat morosely picking at her food. Hermione sat down beside her.
"Hey Ginny, what's up?"
"Nothing" replied Ginny dully.
"Oh come on.I'm your best friend, I know you well enough to know its not just nothing."
"Well it's just that me and Dean broke up. He was always treating me like a little kid, like I couldn't do anything for myself".
"Uh-huh, I heard, but that's not what's bothering you is it?" asked Hermione sceptically.
"No."
"Its Harry isn't it?" whispered Hermione, so the people sitting around them didn't hear. Ginny nodded glumly.
"Well why don't you just tell him?" Hermione asked.
"Don't be silly Hermione; he's never going to think of me as anything more than his best friends little sister". Ginny replied walking off, leaving Hermione with one eyebrow raised.
"Those two." she sighed with a half exasperated, half amused expression.
Later that evening Ron, Hermione and Harry were sitting cosily around the fire, chatting.
"So, did you hear about Ginny and Dean?" Hermione asked casually.
"What?" said Harry immediately, slightly more urgently than he had intended, he noticed that Hermione was looking at him as she said this, with a knowing smile twitching the corners of her mouth upwards merrily.
"Oh, they broke up."
"Oh really?" Harry said, almost managing an air of casualness this time. "How come?"
"Oh, just something about Dean being too pushy and overprotective."
"Yeah? Shame." said Harry. Inside his head thoughts were flying furiously back and forth.
"Ginny's single!"
"She's Ron's sister!"
"He wouldn't care!"
"You know he would."
"What if I don't care?"
"You know you do." …
Harry went to bed early to think things over, but sleep eluded him.
Ginny went to bed early, to get some time to herself, but when she reached her dorm Hermione was sitting on the bed waiting for her.
"So," she said, eyes twinkling, "I told Harry and Ron about you and Dean breaking up today."
"Yeah? Bet Ron's pleased." said Ginny, before plonking herself on her bed.
"Actually…Harry seemed pretty interested…" said Hermione smiling. Ginny looked up at her sharply.
"What?" she exclaimed. "Really? You're not just saying that?"
"As if I would! You know Ginny… in a few days, it's the seventh year ball…"
Ginny smiled.
When Harry woke up the next morning he jumped out of bed happily, and rushed down to breakfast. Ron, Hermione and Ginny came sleepily into the Great Hall about 10 minutes later.
"Hey guys, what kept you?"
"Tap-freaking-dancing-freaking-spiders." Mumbled Ron blearily, and through a mouthful of toast.
"Alright Ron" laughed Harry. Nothing could spoil his mood today. Last night he hadn't been able to sleep, so at three in the morning he had woken Ron and confessed everything. Ron, once over his displeasure at being woken at such an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning, had finally caught on to what Harry was saying and burst out laughing. When he had caught his breath he had yawned,
"Bloody hell mate, took you long enough. Hermione and I thought you were going to crack on Michael Corner, it took you until Dean Thomas! Talk about Gryffindor stubbornness. Now can I sleep?" Without waiting for an answer he had collapsed back onto his pillow and started snoring once more.
That evening, after practice, Harry called the Gryffindor Quidditch team over to him.
"Okay guys well done, if we play like that next Saturday Slytherin'll have no chance, next practice is tomorrow evening." The team left the changing rooms and drifted exhausted back towards the castle. Harry hung back, waiting for Ginny, who was for some reason taking her time coming out of the changing rooms. When Ginny finally came out, his heart skipped a beat; she had thrown on a pair of comfy tracksuits which hung low on her hips and revealed a few inches of smooth skin as her tight tank top finished just below her navel. Harry was struck by how toned her body was, due to all the quidditch training. It didn't occur to him that Ginny could be having similar thoughts.
"Oh hey Harry" she said surprised, "thought you'd gone in."
"I…er….well…no." he finished lamely. They walked back towards the castle together, contentedly debating tactics for the upcoming match. When they reached the castle Harry carried on up to the Tower whilst Ginny went to meet Luna in the Great Hall.
Later on, in the common room, Hermione walked over to where Harry was sitting on his own by the window.
"So Harry, when are you going to ask Ginny to the dance?" she asked.
"I-you-what?!" Harry stuttered, startled, "…how?..."
"Oh come on, it's obvious you like her, look, here she comes now." Sure enough, as she spoke Ginny was coming through the portrait hole. Hermione gave Harry a shove in Ginny's direction.
"Oh, err, hey Gin" said Harry, stumbling over to her, thinking 'Damn. That went so much better in my head. Smooth Harry.'
"Hey" she replied cheeks flushing slightly. Harry pulled himself together and ran a hand through his windswept hair, which made Ginny flush further, though Harry didn't notice. 'Damn, he's gorgeous,' she thought to herself.
"I just wondered if you wanted to be my date to the seventh year ball,'' he asked, eyes twinkling and with an irresistible smile.
"Sure" said Ginny smiling coyly, "see you there."
On the afternoon of the ball Harry got changed into his tailored black dress robes and sat nervously in the common room with Ron, Seamus, Fred and George. Fred and George were chatting happily with their dates, Angelina and Katie, Lavender was sitting happily in Seamus lap, and Harry was waiting for Ginny. Ron was talking to Harry; neither he nor Hermione had dates. The girls came own the stairs and the group fell silent. They looked beautiful. Hermione was wearing a light blue dress that fitted tightly from the bodice to the hips, then floated wispily away down to her ankles. Ginny was wearing a dress of the same style but in white. They both had their hair falling round their shoulders in gentle curls. Not that they didn't always look beautiful, but tonight they looked even more so than usual. As they paused on the last step, thoughts mirroring those of the boys passed through the girls' heads, caught by how handsome they looked. When the group had regained the ability to talk they went to the Great Hall, and as they walked through the great doors, they all gasped. The hall was enlarged inside, with icy colours surrounding them on all sides. As they went in a fast song was just finishing and a slow one was starting. All the couples started to drift off one by one to dance. Harry silently offered Ginny his hand with a gentle smile and led her to the dance floor.
As Ginny danced, she thought she had never been so happy in her life as she was now, with her head against Harry's chest and his arms possessively around her waist. As Harry was dancing with Ginny he laughed softly.
"What is it?" asked Ginny.
"Look", replied Harry. Looking over at where he was pointing Ginny saw Hermione and Ron dancing shyly in a corner, with small, contented smiles on their faces.
"Took them long enough" said Ginny happily.
"Mmm…" Harry agreed, looking down at Ginny. She lifted her head and their eyes met, his electric green and her piercing blue ones. He lowered his head towards her and she leant in towards him, and their lips met softly for the first time. Harry's whole body seemed to tingle with electricity, and he wondered if Ginny felt it too, the idea that she wouldn't be able to seemed insane, given the intensity of it. As they kissed in the middle of the great Hall one last coherent thought lashed across Ginny's mind before she melted in Harry's arms,
"Best friend's little sister? Pfft, sure."