Disclaimer: I own absolutely NOTHING.
AN: This is one way I thought Harry and Ginny might get together. It's very AU. Take or add what you can to the world of HP to make this story possible. If you don't like AU stories, don't read it.
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Kiss
Harry walked purposefully along the beloved castle's hallways, committing everything to memory, taking care not to miss a single room, nook, or cranny. In a few days now he will be graduating and leaving Hogwarts for good. Seven years seemed to whisk by him in the blink of an eye. It seemed only yesterday when he was a small eleven year old boy, both worried and excited about the long journey ahead.
He had had many adventures at Hogwarts. But now, it was time to start new ones. Ones that would take place outside the castle's walls. It was time for a new journey. Ron and Hermione wanted to go out and see the world. They had assumed that Harry wanted to go with them. For the most part, they were right. Harry wanted to see what's out there too. And just like the boy he was many years ago, he was both worried and excited about the new journey. This time, however, he was not worried about what lies ahead, but what he would be leaving behind.
He knew he ought to tell her. He had been putting it off for a long while now. But he had to tell her. She deserved to know. He owed it to the girls he'd been dating to replace her in his heart. He was unsuccessful, of course. That piece of his heart, it already belonged to her. He could not give it to someone else because it was not his. Not anymore.
At the very least, he owed it to himself to tell her. He knew he won't really be able to look ahead unless he knew, for sure, how she felt. He needed to tell her because it was the only way to move forward. That didn't make things easier for him, however. He'd been planning to do it for days now, months even. He was a Gryffindor and he was supposed to have the courage for it. But there was a difference between facing a mountain troll and opening his heart to the only girl who could possibly break it.
She held, in her delicate hands, an important piece of his heart. He would have loved to ask her to give it back, but he wasn't sure if that was her decision to make. And maybe asking for a piece of hers was too much. All he could really do was ask her not to break the piece she held, or to at least do it gently if she had to.
Then, he could move forward. He could go with his best friends, see the world, meet someone else, forget about her. Or maybe he could stay. Ron and Hermione would love to travel with just each other, together, as they should be. He could start with his Auror training, or play a bit of Quidditch, or maybe do some odd job here and there. One year, and she'll be graduating too. And then, they can see the world together.
He was getting ahead of himself. He needed to tell her first. Hell, he didn't even know if she felt the same way. He had to let her know. Today, tomorrow, the next day, soon—
"Harry!"
He started as he heard his name being shouted. Looking around him, he realized that he was already in the castle's entrance hall. He had been so deep in thought that he had not seen where he was going.
Ginny walked up the stone steps to the entrance hall and made her way towards Harry. She held a Nimbus 2002 in one hand and waved at Harry with the other.
"Hi, Ginny," he greeted, smiling widely at her.
"You really need to get your ears checked," she told him jokingly. "I've been calling you for the last five minutes."
"Er, sorry," Harry said sheepishly.
"What are you doing there standing in the middle of the hall?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, I was just," he gestured vaguely around, "wandering around for the last time."
"Aren't we a bit sentimental," Ginny commented with a teasing smirk and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Well, you would be too if you're leaving this place in five days," he defended, "for good."
Ginny suddenly looked serious, her grin fading. She thrust the Nimbus 2002 out at him and firmly met his gaze. Her brown eyes were blazing in a way he'd never seen before.
"I need you to do me a favor," she said determinedly.
**
"Thanks Hagrid," Ginny called to her half-giant friend as she turned to leave.
She paused for a moment, wondering where to go next. She had checked virtually every place he might be in, but she had not found him. Deciding to wait for him in the common room, Ginny slung the Nimbus 2002 over her shoulder and headed for the castle. She had borrowed the Nimbus from Fred. She had her own broom, a Cleansweep, but she needed the Nimbus for a better chance at winning.
She had checked Gryffindor tower, the library, the Room of Requirement. He wasn't there. She needed to find him, before it's too late. He was graduating in less than a week. She had planned to do what she was intending to do that very day for a quite while now. Ever since the start of term, to be exact, when it hit her that she won't be able to see much of him after this school year. She had been putting it off out of fear. But now, he was leaving in five days. So she gathered all her Gryffindor courage and looked for him.
It was ironic that of all the days she had decided to do it, it was on the day that she could not find him. He wasn't in the Great Hall, or the kitchens, or the courtyard. But she had to find him. It had to be now. In five days, he will be out of Hogwarts, maybe out of her life. No doubt, he would go see the world. He would probably meet the love of his life out there. She would undoubtedly be perfect. He had such high standards. She might even be a Veela. So she has to ask for it now, while he can still give it.
He wasn't in the greenhouses, the Quidditch pitch, or the lakeside either. It wasn't like she was asking him to return her feelings. It was a tempting thing to ask for, but she knew it was an impossible thing to give unwillingly. No, all she could really ask from him was a kiss. That was an easier thing to give. He had certainly been giving it to a lot of witches. Surely, he could give her one. Besides, she wasn't going to just ask for it. No, that would be unlike her. She was going to fight him for it.
Ginny looked ahead and saw Harry in the middle of the entrance hall. He was facing the Great Hall, but made no move towards it. Drawing closer, Ginny saw that he was deep in thought.
"Harry!" she called him.
No response.
"Harry!" louder this time.
Still, he continued to gaze unseeingly at an invisible point in front of him. Ginny waited until she was at the stone steps before she called him again.
"Harry!"
Her voice seemed to have finally reached Harry's ears. He started and looked around him as though he had just realized where he was. He turned in her direction and she waved at him in greeting.
"Hi, Ginny," he said with a brilliant smile.
"You really need to get your ears checked," she joked. "I've been calling you for the last five minutes," she exaggerated.
"Er, sorry," said Harry.
"What are you doing there standing in the middle of the hall?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, I was just," he waved his hands nonchalantly, "wandering around for the last time."
Ginny smirked mischievously at him. "Aren't we a bit sentimental," she teased.
"Well, you would be too if you're leaving this place in five days," he said defensively, "for good."
His words came crashing on her. Five days. For good. Ginny clenched her teeth and gripped the Nimbus tightly. It was now or never. She looked determinedly up at Harry and stretched the Nimbus out to him.
"I need you to do me a favor," she said firmly.
"What is it?" he asked.
It was the earnestness in his voice that broke her composure and made her realize her mistake. All this time, she had been planning to get that kiss. She had thought of how to convince him to at least let her fight for it. She had thought of how to win it. But she had forgotten that for her to ask for it, she had to at first tell him how she felt.
Blood rose steadily to her cheeks. She looked away, panicking. She hadn't blushed around him for more than three years now.
"Ginny?"
It was the concern in his voice that gave her courage. If not now, when? She met his half-concerned, half-curious gaze.
"Listen, Harry," she began. "There's no other way to say this, but—" she faltered for a moment, "I—I like you—" Harry's jaw dropped. "Really like you. A lot."
Harry stared at her for a moment. "What?" he asked faintly. He looked dumbstruck, like he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "You—"
"Before you say anything else, let me finish."
"But—"
"Let me finish, Harry," Ginny said firmly. She has to say it now, while she still had her courage with her.
Harry nodded mutely, the dumbstruck expression not leaving his face.
"I'm not asking for anything in return," said Ginny.
Harry opened his mouth.
"I won't ask you to give me a chance," she continued quickly before he could say anything. "I won't ask you to try and like me back—that would be stupid. It's just that—you're leaving, and I won't be able to see you anymore, and you'll probably meet a Veela in your travels, and you'll fall in love with her—" she paused, realizing how hysterical she sounded.
"The thing is, I want—I want a kiss," she blushed even deeper. "I just want to know what it's like, to kiss you. I'm not asking you to give it to me right away. I'll—I'll race you for it."
She stared resolutely at him, determined to get what she had been longing for. Or at least fight for it.
"Please," continued Ginny. "Get your Firebolt. I'll race you. If I win, promise me you'll give me that kiss."
"But—"
"Please, Harry."
"Ginny, I," began Harry, taking a step towards her.
She would not let him refuse. She took a step back and again thrust the Nimbus at him. "Just do it!" she shouted heatedly. Harry jumped back in shock. "This is the last thing I'll ever ask from you."
She was starting to get angry now. She had asked him favors before. He seemed to have no problems doing them. But now, he did not seem inclined to do it. And this one was the most important favor she'd ever ask from him!
"O-okay," said Harry, his voice shaking slightly. "I'll—I'll get my Firebolt."
She had probably scared him. She didn't care right now. All that mattered was that he agreed.
"I'll meet you at the pitch," she told him.
Harry nodded before turning on his heel and heading for Gryffindor tower. Ginny watched him climb up the marble staircase and disappear into the second floor before she too turned on the spot and headed for the Quidditch pitch.
**
Ginny paced back and forth at the edge of the Quidditch pitch, half-triumphant for finally being able to ask Harry for a kiss and half-furious with herself for doing it so ungracefully. She glanced at her watch. It was only three minutes since she'd arrived, but it already felt like ages. What if he won't come? What if she had scared him so badly that he decided to avoid her forever? She should not have shouted at him, but he was being so hard-headed. She checked her watch again. Four minutes. She'll give him fifteen minutes, or thirty, or an hour—
"Ginny?" Harry's somewhat breathless voice startled her out of her worrying thoughts.
Ginny turned and saw Harry walking towards her, only a few feet away. She thought he saw him limping very slightly, but he closed the gap between them in steady steps.
"Thanks for doing this," she told him gratefully. She had always counted on him to agree. It was one of the things he liked best about him. He was always so selfless. Sometimes it frustrated her, but just this once, she had used it to her benefit.
The dumbstruck expression had not left Harry's face ever since she told him how she felt. Now, he looked even more confused and somewhat disbelieving.
"Ginny," began Harry, "I—we—"
"Let's just get this over with, Harry," implored Ginny. "And then I'll leave you alone."
"But—"
"Please."
Ginny was already putting a leg over her Nimbus. Seeing no choice but to comply, Harry mounted his own Firebolt. His hands were shaking and sweating so badly that he wouldn't be surprised if he fell once he took off. He gripped the broom's handle tightly. He did not want to fall off. Not now.
"One," murmured Ginny.
Again, Harry tried to tell her, but she would have none of it. She was at her most stubborn yet, and he knew that he will have to do what she asked before he could get her to listen to him.
"Two."
Harry felt his legs shake. He feared that if he didn't take off soon, his legs would give way and he would topple to the ground.
"Three!"
Harry kicked the ground and took off into the air. He accelerated on his Firebolt, leaving Ginny and her Nimbus far behind him. The Firebolt was speeding up on its own. He wanted it to slow down. Damn, he wanted her to win. But he was so nervous that he had momentarily lost control. It seemed only a moment later when he crossed to the other end of the pitch and almost crashed on the stands. He checked his direction at the last second and landed roughly on the ground. Ginny caught up about a minute later.
She gave him a half-smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Well," she began, her voice so casual it hurt, "looks like the Firebolt is still the b—"
He could not wait for her to listen to him anymore. He took one long stride towards her and kissed her on the lips.
The kiss ended just as suddenly as it begun. Her lips were soft, and sweet, and nothing like any of the ones he'd kissed before. It was a kiss that sealed his fate. He had known long before that a piece of his heart belonged to her. But part of him had held on to that piece. In a way, the piece she held was still tied to him by a string. The kiss had cut that string, and he could just as easily lay claim to that piece of his heart as he could the moon.
He stared nervously at her, fearing her reaction. She stared back, looking as dumbstruck as he felt many minutes ago.
"You kissed me," she finally said, her expression unreadable.
"Yeah."
"But, I lost."
"I know."
"Oh," she said, a look of confusion crossing her face. "Er, thanks."
What?
Ginny smiled up at him, and though it was a wider smile than the last one, Harry could tell that she didn't really mean it. She blushed deeply, looked at her shoes, and before he knew it, she was already walking quickly away from him.
Are all Weasleys this thick?
"Ginny, wait," called Harry.
He hurried after her, ignoring the small pain in his foot, and moved in front to block her path. Ginny stared at him, her brown eyes full of sadness, and confusion, and maybe—hope?
"Do you really mean it?" he asked. "What you said—do you really like me?"
He knew he should just tell her, but at that moment he was being a coward. He needed to be sure that she felt the same way.
Ginny nodded mutely at him, but she didn't look away.
"I thought—I thought you were over me," he said weakly. All this time, he had thought—"I—Hermione said you gave up on me. Three years ago."
"That's what I told her."
"So—you're not?"
Ginny shook her head. Still, she kept her gaze locked on his.
Harry hovered between elation and frustration. "What about Michael, and Dean?" he asked. "And Colin?"
He said the last name quietly. Colin had been the most recent, and his relationship with Ginny bruised Harry more than the other two did. While Michael had nothing in common with Ginny, and Dean was too stupid to realize that Ginny did not like being babied, Colin had what Ginny had been looking for in the other two. They had a lot of things they could talk about, he made her laugh, and he gave her space. It was when Ginny dated Colin that Harry started really losing hope.
"I thought I liked them," replied Ginny. Harry could see the honesty in her brown eyes and he felt hope coming back to him. "At some point, maybe I did. But—they weren't you."
Ginny held Harry's gaze firmly for another second before looking away.
"Ginny, I—I—"
Get a backbone Potter! If she can tell you, why can't you?
"I like you," he said, "too," he added, hoping that it was still valid.
Her eyes snapped back to him. "What?" she mouthed more than said aloud.
The blazing look in her eyes gave him courage and he felt that what he told her was not enough anymore.
"I really like you," he said, matching the passion in her eyes. "A lot. A lot, a lot." Maybe he even loved her, but he'll save that for later.
"I didn't know," she said weakly. She looked away for a second before meeting his gaze again. "What about Cho? And Parvati? And the others?"
To date, Harry had gone out with eight girls within three years. Ron claimed he had lost count, but Ginny never did. How could she? Her heart broke with each new girl. Hermione had said that Harry was never serious with any of them, but it did not make Ginny feel any better. She liked him, maybe even loved him. It hurt to know that there were only two possible explanations why Harry was dating the way he did. Either he still liked Cho and he was using the other girls as rebound, or he would never, ever be serious with a girl. But now, she couldn't help but hope for a third explanation.
"Cho—I thought I liked her," began Harry. "Maybe, I did. But I don't know. As for the others—I dated them hoping that they could make me get over you. Let's just say I failed spectacularly," he added lamely.
Harry blushed, knowing the stupidity of what he did and admitting it to the one girl whose opinion mattered most. He looked expectantly at her, hoping that she would not judge him for it.
"Oh, wow," Ginny said faintly, not knowing what else to say.
Harry had just told her everything she had hoped for, and more. She finally let her heart beat freely for him. No more holding back. Looking into his eyes, she saw that they reflected the very yearning she had felt for a very long time now. How stupid they had both been.
Ginny bit her lip. Harry felt his heart beat faster at this absent-minded action.
"Can I, er, can I kiss you again?" he asked her, feeling both brave and stupid.
Ginny did not say anything. Instead, she smiled conspiratorially at him and took the one step that closed the gap between them. She leaned in and Harry did not hesitate to meet her halfway.
And then they were kissing.
This kiss lasted much longer than the first one. It was tentative at first, but it soon deepened as both poured everything they had ever held back into that kiss. They kissed liked they had never kissed anybody else before. They kissed with an abandon that was both reckless and carefree. They can stop pretending now. No more supporting Ginny through her relationships with other boys. No more teasing Harry about his dates with other girls. They didn't know why they had done those things in the first place. And as they tasted each other's lips, they realized that the only relationship they could be in and the only dates they could go out on are with each other. They would not have it any other way.
After a few minutes, or hours, or possibly several sunlit days, they pulled apart, grinning madly at each other. Green met brown and they twinkled with a happiness that was beyond either of them had ever felt. It was a joy that radiated from the very core of their hearts and travelled throughout their entire body to the very tips of their toes and fingers. He had to put a hand over his mouth and she had to bite her lip again, but neither of them could quite stop themselves from grinning like patients in a mental asylum. They weren't quite sure who gave in first, but a few seconds later, both of them were overcome in a fit of joyful giggles.
"We're a couple of idiots, aren't we," Harry said after a while. He was still grinning madly. Truth be told, he didn't think he would ever stop from grinning now.
Ginny scoffed. "You're the only idiot around her," she said, but she too was still grinning.
Ironically, her comment only heartened Harry and he suddenly kissed her, just like the way he did after the race. The events of the past half hour came tumbling back to Ginny and some of her happiness was replaced with indignation. She hit his arm. Hard.
"Aw!" Harry cried in protest, wondering what he did to deserve such abuse.
Ginny started spluttering. "You—you let me do that! You let me beg to race you for a kiss—" Harry's mouth started to open, but Ginny cut him off. "You couldn't have just stopped me and told me how you felt? And then you agreed to the race and went ahead and won! I—I—"
"I did try to tell you, Ginny," protested Harry. "You kept cutting me off. And you looked like you were going to hex me if I didn't agree to the race. Your magic is one of the things I admire about you, but I really don't fancy having bat wings up my nose!"
Ginny stared at him for a moment before finally grinning. "Heh, I was close to hexing you when you kept protesting," she said, sounding sheepish. "But I thought you didn't want to kiss me," she added defensively.
Harry wanted to say how wrong she was, but he thought of a better way to tell her. Closing the gap between them again, he leaned in and captured her lips in his, showing her exactly how wrong she was. The kiss turned into a hug and he buried his face in her hair, breathing in the flowery scent he had smelled in the Amortentia potion more than a year ago. Neither of them wanted to let go. They just wanted to sink in each other's embrace.
"Ginny," Harry murmured into her neck, "does this mean we're—we're—"
Ginny pulled away to look directly into Harry's eyes and in that moment, he realized the answer to his as yet unvoiced question.
"We're a couple now, aren't we?" he said, grinning. It was more a rhetorical question than anything else.
Ginny smiled and grabbed his hand in hers. "Yes," she said peacefully.
She turned away from him and, still holding his hand, motioned for him to follow. Together, they walked hand in hand at the edge of the Quidditch pitch.
"I can't believe you thought I didn't want to kiss you," Harry blurted out after a couple of minutes, his voice echoing in the empty field.
"Well, you kept saying 'but'!" Ginny said defensively.
"Well, what I wanted to say was, 'but, Ginny, I like you too'," he parried. "Now, if you'd just let me finish…."
"Alright then," she said, a mischievous smirk crossing her face. "I'll keep that in mind next time I ask for a kiss from someone else—"
Harry's jaw dropped.
"I'll let them continue their sentence—"
He stopped in his tracks.
"—who knows, they might like me too."
"Wh-what?" he finally spluttered, going red in the face.
Ginny sniggered. "I was kidding, Harry," she told him cheekily. "Kidding!"
"Oh," he said, now red with embarrassment instead of anger.
They had now reached the center part of the pitch. They crossed the field, heading for the exit that directly faced the Hogwarts Lake.
Harry had quickly recovered from his embarrassment. "Well, if you ever want to kiss me again, you don't need to ask," he told Ginny with a cheeky grin.
She immediately took him up on his offer and kissed him in the very middle of the field. The Quidditch pitch, he thought, is officially his favorite place on earth. It was a couple of minutes later when they resumed walking towards the exit.
"Erm, Harry, why are you limping?" Ginny asked after another minute.
"Oh, this? It's nothing," he replied offhandedly. "It's just a slight strain, see—"
He hitched up his pants to show that it really was nothing, though that didn't really proved anything to Ginny. Or answered her question, for that matter. She eyed the bruising area critically before finally taking Harry's word for it.
"What happened?"
"Oh, er," he paused, embarrassed, "I tripped down the last few steps of the boys' staircase when I was coming down here."
"You tripped?" she clarified.
"I was in a hurry to get here!" he defended. "And lose!"
"You won," she reminded him wryly.
"And kissed you," he pointed out.
She conceded his point with a light peck on the lips.
"I may also have crashed into Ron and Hermione as they were about to snog," Harry added proudly.
"Really?" she asked happily. "I'm so happy to have caused my dear brother some agony."
"I was the one who crashed into them, Ginny," he reminded her.
"Let's give credit where credit is due, Harry," she said slyly. "You wouldn't have come running here if I hadn't asked to race you for a kiss."
Finally reaching the exit, Harry opened the small gate and let Ginny through before following her out. The wind blew snatches of their conversation towards the pitch and the words "kiss", "hold", "fight for", "heart", "win", and "truth" floated around the field until they combined into one even greater meaning.
Then the pitch was silent. But the atmosphere left by the green-eyed boy and the red-haired girl still hung in the air. It was one of triumph greater than any Quidditch victory the old field had ever witnessed.
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AN: The idea for this story started with a girl asking a boy to race him for a kiss. This could easily be another couple, but I think H/G is the most appropriate. But if you like Teddy/Victoire, George/Angelina, etc.. you can easily replace the characters, and it would become less AU too. But I just think it's very like Ginny to ask Harry to race her for a kiss.