"You guys have fun!" Hermione called teasingly, grinning at them over the top of her book. Ron grumbled from his place on the floor but Harry could see the small smile on his lips and the slightly smug look he was giving Dean.
"Will do," he said, giving a little wave and threw his arm over Ginny's slim shoulders and tugged her through the portrait hole. She looked up at him as they walked through the corridors, the deep brown of her eyes lit with mirth.
"Now that mummy and daddy have said their goodbyes are you going to tell me where we're off too?" She asked, smirking lightly as she snuggled into his side. He huffed lightly and looked away from a crack in a classroom doors, one of the countless small reminders of the battle that had been fought here almost half a year ago.
"They are not that bad," he said, pointedly ignoring her question. She was relentless. All week she'd been trying to weasel it out of him. They kept walking, her badgering for answers, giving an occasional wild guess and frequently pouting at his lack of response. They reached the first floor and an idea come to him, he pulled his arm away and started running, "race you to Hogsmeade!"
"Cheater!"
He laughed, skidding around a corner and listening to her curse behind him as she tried to catch up. She had an impressively dirty mouth. He saw the new caretaker standing by the open doors, clipboard clutched to his chest. Harry shouted as he passed, "Potter and Weasley to Hogsmeade!"
He hit the fresh air at a leap and hit the path running. He heard Ginny behind him, predictably giving her everything to beating him. He knew he would win, even without the head start he was a faster runner, Ginny was always a close second though and it was still fun because her determination meant she never refused a race. He flew through the gates, risking a peek behind him to see Ginny, freckled cheeks flushed and her red cloak streaming out behind her.
He won the race. They both collapse at Hogsmeade first building, a currently empty bakery. She slapped his arm as they both waited for their breath to even out, relishing the adrenaline coursing through their veins.
"That was-" she paused for a few deep breaths, "that was fun, but now I want my surprise."
Harry snorted as he straightened up from his slump. Ginny was sprawled out on the grass a few meters away, her hair almost glowing against the fresh green. He pulled her up with a smile and spelled a blindfold onto her before she had a chance to stop him.
"Harry!" She said, tugging at the conjured cloth despite probably knowing nothing but the counter spell would get rid of it.
"Come on, places to be," he said, gripping her hand to pull her along down the only somewhat bustling streets. Only half the old shops were open but there was more everyday, he came down every weekend, sometimes with others but mostly alone, he liked watching the progress and lending the occasional hand with rebuilding. It helped to see people moving forward, recovering.
He pulled them around corners and down alleys, partly because where they were going wasn't on the main street and partly to avoid people trying to come over and talk to him. He saw the ivy touched walls and the welcoming blue door and grinned. "You ready?"
"Yes, yes, hurry up!" Ginny demanded, bouncing lightly as he turned her to face the surprise.
"So impatient!" Harry mock scolded, poking at her sides. She swiped at him half-heartedly through a giggle and he just looked at her for a moment, happy with the genuine tilt of her smile. "Okay, here it is."
He removed the blindfold with a flick and she gasped as she saw the little cafe he'd brought them too. "Oh Harry, it's open! I thought…"
"I may of, uh, helped a bit with the funding. And the rebuilding… and a few other things. But hey, it was totally worth it for the look on your face." That was the truth, for the first time since the war really got started her face was glowing, he'd almost forgotten how well wonder suited her.
"You- oh thank you Harry! Thank you!" he caught her with a laugh and twirled her a few times for good measure. Claws and Paws was Ginny's favourite place barring Hogwarts and the Burrow. The twins had taken her there for her first Hogsmeade weekend and she'd fallen in love. It had been their place for a long time before Ginny started to bring Harry, and she'd been devastated when she'd heard the owner, a really nice witch named Carol, couldn't afford to rebuild. Keeping this from her hadn't been easy, but he was glad he'd decided to make it a surprise.
The cafe was bigger on the inside, a common feature in wizarding buildings, and absolutely adorable, due almost entirely due to the animals. "Twinkle!"
A slightly fat white kneazle bounced over to Ginny who immediately scooped the feline up for a cuddle. Another two felines made there way over to rub against her leg. The Cafe had a family of kneazles, two puffskeins, a colony of bowtruckle that lived in the overhanging plants, a mooncalf most people didn't know about, and, Harry's personal favourite - a flock of golden snidgets, warded carefully so they wouldn't be injured or fly away. All the creatures were rescues of some description and Harry knew for a fact Carol had more at home.
"Harry, Ginny, my favorite customers!" Harry looked up to see Carol walking in from the garden area, lightly wrinkle face joyful. "Finally! Take a seat you two and we'll see about putting some meat on those bones!"
They were seated quickly by the window and chatted happily with Carol while they ordered lunch and Ginny got reacquainted with her furry friends. Harry got cottage pie and Ginny a roast beef sandwich, and they talked lightly while they ate. It was the most relaxed either of them had been in, well, a long time.
"Thank you Harry."
He looked up from Custard, a puffskein, to answer, "it was my pleasure."
"Not just for this, this was great but I meant for, for everything," she said, struggling over what she wanted to say. He waited, he knew it was best to let Ginny say what she thought she had to, no matter how unneeded he thought it was. "For being there for me, for my family. For this, for all the other sweet things you've been doing, for pretending to date me."
He sighed, hearing the guilt that the last thing brought her. "Ginny, dating you, fakely or otherwise, isn't a hard task. You're like a sister to me these days, so if you're not ready to tell your family we broke up, and you need me as a buffer for all the dirty perverts in Hogwarts, that's something I'm cool with doing. Anyway, it keeps the fangirls off."
Ginny gave a wet laugh and kicked him under the table. "You started pretty strong, but I'll be honest, the finish could use some work."
"I'll be sure to do that," he grinned.
"Your so bloody understanding it's not even funny," she said with a sigh. "I really am grateful though. Everyone's so, I don't know, clingy these days. They don't want any big changes, if they knew we weren't planning for forever and a bit then I'm worried they'll overreact, you know?"
"I get it it Gin," he sighed, then he smirked a little and continued, "I'm also pervert defense though, right?"
"Yes Harry, you are the repellent of all perverts, the shining knight of my innocence, the grand protector of my vulnerable virtue!" she said dramatically, swooning back into her comfy chair.
"That sounded a little wrong, but I'll take it," he declared.
"On the subject of perverts, the glances you've been shooting Zabini's arse are anything but pure. Care to explain?" She asked, expertly wiggling her brows.
"Dragon hide trousers that are like, two sizes too small for him is the only explanation anyone needs to stare at that arse," he said easily, leering teasingly. She erupted into undignified laughter - mildly obnoxious, riddled with snorts and completely honest. Just the way he liked her laughing.
"True enough," she agreed "this has been a great day, I wish every day was like this."
"Sounds like a plan."