Ok I know this has been done and redone a thousand times but this is my 1st attempt at a fanfiction so I wanted to start with something easy. It's just a little cute and fluffy story between Harry and Ginny.

Again: 1st fanfiction, so I need to know if I should go bury my head in the sand or not so reviews are more than welcome but have mercy on a beginner. Thank you and enjoy.

He was sitting there chatting with Ron and Hermione when something caught his eye. A certain red-haired girl entered the common room with a light smile on her lips and twinkling eyes. Having practically been part of the Weasley family since he was eleven Harry had learnt to know and understand Ginny as if he were her brother. That's how he knew that smile. This smile was small. It didn't cross her face from one ear to another but after all, her smiles were never huge. She made a big deal of the fact that her teeth weren't perfectly aligned and tried to hide them as much as possible. Harry knew that smile for he had often seen it on little Ginny's lips. It was a smile that taunted you, that said she had a secret and didn't let you in on the news. Harry knew that smile meant she was happy. Feeling his gaze, Ginny looked up at him and peered into his emerald eyes, not losing her smile while a light blush erupted on her cheeks. She quickly turned away with a malicious look in her eyes and headed to her dorm. Harry chuckled internally at seeing the girl he cared for so much in such a pleasant mood and focused his thoughts back to his friends.

The next day, as he was making his way to the Great Hall, his mouth watering at the idea of a well deserved lunch after three hours of quidditch practice, he ran into a fuming Ron. Concerned, Harry asked him what was wrong and understood after Ron had blabbed on incoherently for a good five minutes that he had found Ginny and Dean snogging in an empty classroom and something about feeding his sister's new boyfriend to Buckbeak to "see how much snogging that git could do then". During his best friend's fumbling, Harry had felt a strange feeling towards Dean that he couldn't exactly pinpoint and shrugged it off as over-protectiveness for his best friend's sister.

Over the next few weeks, as Ginny's relationship with Dean evolved into something more open, Harry still couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling whenever he saw them together. A few days before, Ron had confronted Ginny about it and a screaming fit that only she could master had ensued. She ranted about him being an annoying overprotective arse who should mind his own business instead of constantly interfering in his sister's life and went on for a good ten minutes about the pain she could inflict on him (without her wand) if he ever tried to mess with her love life. Witnessing the scene, Harry decided to keep his trap shut while his best friend retreated to their dorm to lick his wounds and heal his bruised ego.

As fall started its not so slow revolution into winter, and the shortened days announced the imminent arrival of the Christmas holiday, Harry found himself thinking about Ginny more and more often. It was during those days that he started noticing how much she'd changed from the little girl that got manipulated by Tom Riddle's diary many years back. Yes, he noticed how she had taken on wearing makeup on Saturdays, how gracefully she walked, and how her long red hair swayed in light curls down her back. The hormonal teenager inside Harry found himself more than once wanting to reach up to her hair while they were talking and twirl a stray strand of her ginger hair around his fingers but his conscience always butted in and kept his hand right where it was while a maddening voice in his head, that peculiarly sounded like Hermione's, repeated over and over again "she's with Dean. She's Ron's sister. Your best mate's sister. What the bloody hell is wrong with you Harry! Just focus on something else instead of fantasizing on what her lips taste like."

And that's how Harry finally understood what the odd feeling towards Dean was: jealousy. Pure and unadulterated envy toward his crush's boyfriend. Knowing he would never find it in him to try and break-up Ginny and Dean, Harry just tried to know how the couple was with subtle questions to Hermione and Ginny when he was with them. On a particularly cold December afternoon, he and Hermione were making their way to their transfiguration class, huddled close together trying to stay warm against the freezing wind when they passed by Ginny and Dean, the former looking cozy, snuggled in her boyfriend's chest. Harry couldn't help but feel a pang of irritation at his roommate. He then turned to Hermione and cleared his throat before saying in a tone that he wanted casual: "umm… so do you know how things are between Gin and Dean?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and mumbled something that suspiciously resembled "oh boys…" and said without trying to mask the laugh in her voice: "how do you think they are? Because as far as I know, when you're looking as comfy as she is right now you aren't fighting with your boyfriend".

Harry let out a sigh and only noticed what he had let on when Hermione stopped walking and looked at him maliciously before giggling. "Well well, she said, my suspicions appear to have been confirmed"

Feigning innocence Harry said "and what suspicions could they be?"

"Don't act stupid Harry; I've seen the way you look at her lately. Sometimes, when she walks by, you stop midsentence and gaze at her until she's out of sight. Thank Merlin Ron's nose is too big for him to notice anything past it."

Harry groaned at the thought of Ron's reaction if he ever were to find out. As if reading his mind, Hermione said: "I wouldn't worry about him. He's best kept in the dark."

"Thanks Hermione"

They walked in an easy silence for a few minutes.

"I've found myself thinking about her more often than not. Hermione could you please explain to me why I've fallen for the only unavailable girl I know?"

She giggled. "Oh Harry, don't worry she won't be unavailable for ever. She confides in me and apparently things aren't as perfect as they look between them"

"Really?" he said, unable to burst the little bubble of hope that had erupted inside him.

"Yes you idiot. Anyway, I know quite a few AVAILABLE girls who have let me know in not so subtle ways that they would be more than interested in a date with the famous Harry Potter." She laughed.

He stared at her with eyes wide as saucers before stepping into the classroom where an irritated McGonagall was waiting for them.

Christmas came and went and the students came back to a snow-covered Hogwarts. To Harry's satisfaction, Ginny had started spending more and more time with Hermione, Ron and him. He often found himself spending lots of time with her in their common room studying or at meals. They were now what could be considered good friends. She told him about classes, gossip and life. He listened, a goofy grin on his lips.

Days turned into weeks and before they knew it March had come. One day, Ginny barged into the common room, tears trickling down her cheeks. Hearing the portrait door banging, Harry looked up from his defense homework to see a sniffling Ginny heading towards her dorm but before he could reach her, she had disappeared into the spiral staircase.

Worried, Harry went to Hermione to get some answers but she told him she was as clueless as he was.

The next day, Harry looked for Ginny at breakfast be she was nowhere to be found. Resigned, he slowly went to his first class of the day. As the day went by, he kept an eye out for her but to no avail.

During the night, Harry woke up parched. He looked outside and saw the dawn starting to break. Assuming it was no use going back to sleep, he quickly and silently got dressed I order not to wake his snoring roommates and went down to the common room to finish his potions essay. As he went down the stairs stifling yawn he saw Ginny asleep on a couch by the dying fire. He noticed that she really didn't look well at all. Her eyes were puffy as if she had cried and her sleep seemed troubled. He tried to walk as quietly as he could but as he stepped on a creaky floorboard it squeaked and Ginny woke up startled. "what?" she said.

Feeling like an arse, Harry went over to her and said softly "Hey Gin. Sorry I woke you, I stepped on a bad floorboard. Did you spend the whole night here?" she smiled softly and said "No I woke up a couple of hours ago but couldn't go back to sleep so I just came here and apparently, that got me to sleep." Harry sat down next to her and they stayed in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. Harry really wanted to ask her about Dean but his so-called Gryffindor courage had decided to desert him. Finally, he said "so… um… how are things? School? Dean? Everything good?". She scoffed " Dean and I broke up. I wasn't working anymore". Harry's heart couldn't help but do a cartwheel in his chest but he stopped his smile and said a "sorry" that he hoped sounded true enough. "It's okay" answered Ginny "I don't think we liked each other anymore. Well I don't like him now anymore. The way that git treated me!" harry smiled and said very truthfully that if she asked him to he would gladly put him back in his place. She laughed and thanked him but said she could fend for herself.

After a second Ginny stood up and said she was going back to her dorm. Before he knew what he was doing, Harry grabbed her hand and said "Hey Ginny. Ummm… you know I've been thinking about something for a while but ummm you know… ?" "As in on a date?" she asked with a smile dancing on the corner of her lips. "well yeah…" mumbled Harry. "I'd love to. I'll see you later Harry" and she walked up to her room without turning back. Harry fell down onto the couched smiling madly. He had finally gotten his date!