Author's Note: First and foremost I do not own Harry Potter or anything pertaining to the wizarding world. I originally posted this story on with the pen name potter_is_life. I've since updated it and I just decided to move it here. I would like to apologize in advance for any factual errors in my story. I do believe Ginny and Harry were meant to be together, but the fact that he only "dated" one girl before bothered me so I wanted to add to that number. I hope you enjoy.
Scavenging through an old box Ginny Weasley came upon some muggle photos. There were several of her husband sitting alone in his bedroom under the staircase, one of a beautiful sunset that must have been taken from the roof and lastly there were pictures of a girl. She was usually smiling and in a few she seemed almost too happy. She was laughing in some, in the middle of talking in others and even dancing in a couple. Harry was even in some of them.
Ginny had no idea who this girl was. She tried to think of anyone Harry had ever mentioned, but no description fit this girl.
"Harry!" Ginny yelled downstairs, "Would you come up here a second?"
Harry walked up the stairs without much rush. "What is it love?"
"Who is this girl?" She wasn't asking because out of jealousy, she was simply curious. Why did Harry have photos of a girl she had never seen before?
Harry took a moment and looked at the photo Ginny held up. He smiled, "She was an old friend. She lived in my neighborhood when I lived with my aunt and uncle," he looked off into the distance and his smile grew, " I haven't seen her since ... before sixth year."
Ginny nodded and moved on, this was enough for her, she continued going through the boxes and photos, oblivious to the trans Harry was under. He walked back down to his study where he had been before. There he sat down in his big office chair and stared out the window as he thought back to that summer. It was one he would never forget.
Aubrey was her name. She had long brown hair that fell down to her hips. It fell in loose curls that she left natural, never straightened it for fear that the curls might one day not return. Her eyes were a deep green and her skin was a golden brown. The contrast was the most elegant combination that would make any girl jealous and every guy drool. And other than her height there was nothing average about her.
She was born in England but when she was twelve her parents got divorced and she moved to Australia. There she lived with her mother, while her father had stayed in England. She would come back to England every summer to see him. Her accent had adapted into a rather odd mix of the two dialects and it made every word twice as interesting. She and her father lived at 12 Privet drive, right near the Dursley's. And that's how she and Harry had become friends.
Aubrey and Harry had been friends since either of them could remember. They'd done everything together until Harry had gone off to Hogwarts and she'd gone off to Australia. But they still spent every summer together.
The years had changed them. Aubrey became this rebel who hated love because she hated her parents. Meanwhile Harry became the good guy, the hero, the best friend. They had never stopped being best friends though. All that changed the summer before sixth year.
Harry had come back from Hogwarts and Aubrey had come back from her mom's. He'd called her the first night back and she'd invited him over to her dad's house since he'd was going to be out that night. At seven sharp Harry had left the Dursley's without a word, they wouldn't have cared where he would be, and he had walked down the street to Aubrey's house.
When he got there Aubrey opened the door to greet him. She'd been wearing a crop top, giving Harry a great view of her flat stomach and belly button piercing. As well as a pair of leggings that showed off her gorgeously long legs.
"Harry! God I've missed you!" Aubrey smiled wide and gave him a long hug. He could smell the shampoo in her hair, it was green apple, and he remembered her telling him it was the best scent and the only scent she would ever use.
"I've missed you too Aubs," he said hugging her back. Aubs was his nickname for her and with his accent it sounded more like hobs. It had been an inside joke between them and it kind of just stuck.
Aubrey almost giggled hearing her old nickname, Aubs never actually giggled. "Come on in," she offered and he entered. She locked up the door behind them and turned around to face him. It was then that he really noticed just how much she'd changed that year. He hadn't really noticed her piercings before, now he could see the six she had on her ears and one more counting the belly button. She had only had two before. Harry couldn't help but notice how attractive she was. Every year he saw her become more and more beautiful and every year he thought she couldn't get any prettier, but she never ceased to amaze him. This year however he was certain there was no way for her to look better.
"So how have you been?" he asked as she led him up to her room.
"Good, in retrospect. I still have a place to live and that's more than some," she smiled and he laughed at her sort of twisted sense of humor. "How about you?"
"I've been great thanks." he said and almost automatically asked, "How was school this year?"
She went on to tell him all about the drama; the make up, the break ups, who's sleeping with who and everything that went down. When it was his turn to tell his stories there was lull. Being that he couldn't talk about magic or any of that with a muggle all he could tell her was about Ron and Hermione, and even those were vague. Still they talked and talked for hours until Aubrey finally suggested, "Let me get some rum and we can make this a bit more fun."
She went off to get the rum. Upon her return she announced that they would play "never have I ever". Unfortunately they knew everything about each other which took some fun out of it. Aubrey decided that they'd used an app that way the playing field was even. They played a few rounds until things started getting interesting.
NEVER HAVE I EVER KISSED A GIRL
They both drank. Harry gave Aubrey a questioning look. She answered with a, "We were were at a party, I was feeling curious. I think I can now confidently conclude that I'm not gay." He nodded and the game went on.
NEVER HAVE I EVER BEEN DRUNK
They both drank. "Last time I played this," Aubrey laughed and Harry chuckled. He could tell that he'd be pretty tipsy by the end as well.
NEVER HAVE I EVER HAD A CRUSH ON MY BEST FRIEND
They both drank. "Who?" they both asked at the same time. They laughed,
"Okay on three we'll say ours together," Aubrey suggested.
And once again they spoke at the same time saying, "You." They laughed it and continued with the next question.
NEVER HAVE I EVER HAD A PIERCING
Aubrey drank and lifted her shirt to show off her newest piercing.
"Did it hurt?" Harry asked.
"Not too bad," Aubrey shrugged it off. This was something Harry had always loved about Aubrey; the fact that she could just shrug off the most painful of thing. She didn't want to pour her hurt or sorrow onto anyone else. He knew that shrug very well, she did it when they talked of love, her parents, and her boyfriends, which was very often.
NEVER HAVE I EVER BEEN SKYDIVING
Neither of them drank. "We're actually so boring," Aubrey laughed.
Finally one question came up that was the end of the game.
NEVER HAVE I EVER HAD SEX
Aubrey drank and noticed Harry hadn't. This became a long conversation and an ever longer night. By the end of it Harry would have had to drink to that.
The next morning they woke up wrapped in blankets and each other. She got up to made him pancakes. They felt comfortable together and merely reveled in each others company.
It was that one night and the days of summer that followed that Aubrey that love did exist and it forever changed her. It contented Harry to know that he'd been the one to show her that. She taught him to loosen up and he never forgot it.
The last day of summer Aubrey found out that her dad would be moving to Ireland next year. So she and Harry went their separate ways and they never really saw each other again. For Harry that summer would forever be remembered as a summer fling that only they would be able to remember and enjoy.
"Dinner is ready!" Ginny's voice brought Harry out of his daze. With that he got out of his chair, left his office and his past behind him, and had dinner with his beautiful wife. She never asked any more questions about the girl in the photos and Harry didn't think about it. He had moved on, but her memory would always be a sweet one.
