A/N: Okay, so it's been longer than I thought it would be since I first uploaded this story. I swear, I completely meant to update sooner, but since this last week has been the last week before school starts, everyone's been wanting to do stuff. I'm not usually this social, so as soon as school starts, I'll probably be able to find more time to update, other than the time I have to spend doing homework for my AP classes, going to rehearsals for our school's musical (Les Miserables), and maybe doing a bit of babysitting. Wow, I sound busy, don't I? But don't worry; I always find time to procrastinate, so surely I'll be able to do a drabble every few days, especially since I have a bit of time before I get too weighed down with school work! :P So, shout out to Ta Dziewczyna and Raissa for their cool reviews! Note: I'm sure that Ron and/or Harry would have sworn at least a couple of times in this chapter, but I really wanted to keep it rated K, so in a few of the places where they would have sworn, I've put the word blimey instead. Anyway, onto the story! Read, review, and enjoy, please!
I watched as the last people in the common room, a couple, went up into their respective dormitories. They'd been snogging in the corner for the last few hours, making my relationship with Lavender look innocent and chaste! I was glad that they were finally going to bed. They hadn't been making me feel any better about letting Harry and Ginny go out together by themselves. I couldn't believe that those two still weren't back yet! The celebration had ended a while ago, and Hermione, being Hermione, had gone up to her dormitory long before then. She had told me not to worry about the fact that Harry and Ginny were still out and had cautioned that I shouldn't wait up for them. But blimey, what could those two be doing other than...
I quickly shook myself from my thoughts and looked at the clock, only to see that it was 8:58 P.M. Two minutes away from curfew! That rat! Not only had he taken my baby sister out, alone, doing who knows what, but now he was keeping her out, after curfew! When I get my hands on him-
My thoughts were interrupted when two people strode through the portrait hole, hand in hand. It was Harry and Ginny, with one minute to spare. They walked silently to the bottom of the stairs leading to the girls' dormitories, ignoring me as if they were the only people on earth.
"Goodnight, Harry," Ginny said with a smile, standing on her tiptoes and giving him a rather long peck on the lips.
"Night, Gin," Harry grinned a goofy smile after they broke apart. With that, Ginny turned around and glided up the stairs. Harry stood there for a while, staring dreamily at the place where she had disappeared.
"Get that look off of your face before I throw up," I growled, standing up. Harry turned around, noticing me for the first time, looking confused.
"What's your problem?" Harry asked.
"My problem is that you were out with my baby sister nearly past curfew, doing who knows what! She's only fifteen, Harry! Just because you're the chosen one, that doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want with my sister!" I was breathing heavily, my fists clenched, and I'm sure that my face was as red as my hair.
Harry's mouth fell open slightly, and then he looked offended. "First of all, we made it back before curfew. I wouldn't get her in trouble! Anyway, it's not like you, me, and Hermione have never stayed out past curfew before. Second, we didn't do anything bad! I mean, we kissed, but we talked and stuff, too! Finally, Ginny is fully capable of taking care of herself. Besides, I thought that you were okay with us dating!"
"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean that I want to see you two eating each others' faces in front of me!" My voice was growing louder and louder, and climaxed as I said, "Nor does it mean that I'm okay with you taking advantage of her!" As soon as I said this, I could see the hurt in Harry's eyes. He took a few steps toward me, and looked me right in the eye.
"I would never hurt her, Ron. I care about her. A lot. I wouldn't push her to do anything she didn't want to do, and I would never take advantage of her." He took a deep breath, and said, "I love her, Ron. I love Ginny."
"How do you know that?" I demanded, though my voice was a bit more even after hearing Harry's promise. "For the last two years, you were all about Cho. Now that that's all over, you suddenly want to date Ginny, who you've never shown interest in before, even though she's fancied you since our second year? What, did she finally get pretty enough for you?"
"Ron, it's not like that!" Harry was whispering now, probably for fear of attracting the attention of anyone that might hear in any of the dormitories. However, his voice was still tense. "I didn't know Ginny before now. When we were younger, she was always so shy around me, so quiet, and I never got to know who she really was. When she finally relaxed around me, I got to meet the real her. That's when I learned how strong she was. Last year, when we formed Dumbledore's Army and later, during the battle at the Ministry of Magic, she proved to me that she was more than a little girl. She's one of the fiercest, most amazing witches I know. And when I saw her fiery personality, the way she won't take anything from anyone, and how she understood me, how I never wanted any of this fame or anything, I knew that she was more that my best friend's little sister. She was a friend that I truly cared about. But it wasn't until I got over Cho and spent more time with Ginny this year that I noticed her beautiful, red hair, her playful smile, the way she treats those she cares about, and, most importantly, just how much in love I am with her. When we caught her and Dean kissing in that abandoned corridor, I wanted to kick him off of the Quidditch team and rearrange his face. I've felt this way for a while, Ron, but this is what I was afraid of. I was worried that you wouldn't accept us as a couple. What, do you expect Ginny to be a nun for the rest of her life?"
I gaped at him slightly, finding my words stuck in my throat. I had never known that Harry could be passionate, and this outburst was a surprise. When I finally spoke, it was more of a plead than anything. "She's my sister, Harry, I don't want to see her get hurt. Especially considering the danger and all, with the Dark Lord..." I stopped before I said anything that he already knew too well.
"I know, Ron. I understand the danger. Blimey, don't you think I know more than anyone?" At this, Harry's voice cracked. I knew that this was a hard subject, but now that Ginny was a part of this, we needed to talk about it. "But I swear that I will never let anything happen to Ginny. If it's the last thing I do, I will keep her safe. I saved her in the Chamber of Secrets, and I'll save her as many times as I have to. Besides, don't you trust me? I'm your best friend and you know me. Wouldn't you rather it was me instead of some random bloke like Dean Thomas?"
I took a deep breath and sighed. He was right, really. I knew that he was the best person for Ginny. Even with the danger he presented with You-Kn—I mean, Lord Voldemort, he was the person who had the best chance of keeping her safe. Besides; we were all in danger anyway, with all of the death eaters and Voldemort threatening to take over the world. She was in even more danger, being the sister of Harry Potter's best friend and belonging to a family of blood traitors. I sunk into the closest chair.
"You're right." I said simply.
"And in any case, I'm sure that the rest of your family will be fine with our relationship. You've said yourself that I'm already part of the family, and-" Harry stopped dead in his tracks, processing what I had just said. "Wait, what did you just say?"
"I said you're right." Those words always tasted bitter in my mouth. "I overreacted. I trust you. You have my permission to date Ginny." I watched as his face turn from set determination to hope. "But don't think that changes much. You still have six older brothers to deal with if you ever hurt her." I offered a small smile, and he returned it. "But I wouldn't bank too much on the fact that my family likes you. You do understand that besides me, Ginny's older brothers consist of a curse-breaker, a dragon trainer, a git high up in the Ministry of Magic, and two ex-beaters, who happen to be the kings of pranking and mischief? Not to mention Ginny—I mean, you've seen her when she's mad." I grinned as I saw his face drop. "Add us all together..." I let the threat hang in the air, and chuckled as Harry grimaced. "What do you say we go up to our dorm and try to get some sleep? I'm sure that Ginny will want to send a letter about you and her to Mum and Dad tomorrow, and of course Mum will want to tell the entire family after that. You know, next Saturday is a Hogsmeade weekend. Maybe some of the family will decide to visit!" Harry's eyes widened, and I decided that I had done my job as an older brother for now. I guided him up to the dormitories, an arm around my best mate's shoulders, and I thought, Maybe having him for a brother-in-law won't be such a bad thing. If anything, it's fun to mess with him.