AN: I just want to say thanks for all the reviews, especially A. Amishi who gave me a suggestion for part of this chapter. On with the story.
"Hey, Harry," Ginny said the following day. It was after lunch and Harry and Ginny were in the common room.
"Hey, Gin," Harry said as she sat on his lap.
"Are we going to start the search this afternoon?" Ginny asked of the second task clue.
"Umm, actually, Gin, I was thinking and I don't want to trouble you and Ron and Hermione about this. I can do it myself. You don't need to help me."
"Excuse me?" Ginny asked, offended, turning to face him. "I can help you know. I'm not useless."
"I know you're not but I don't want to bother you."
"Harry, listen to me," Ginny said. "I know you like doing things on your own, but I can help you. We're a team now. You don't have to do it all alone."
"But-"
"No buts. I'm helping you and that's final."
"Are you sure because I-" But Ginny cut him off with her lips.
"You were saying?"
"Never mind," Harry said, kissing her again.
The search for a method of underwater survival had begun the first weekend after break but had so far not produced many results. After much arguing, they had decided to only work on the weekends and do homework and 'other things' during the week.
"Harry, I think the only thing you can do is try to learn human transfiguration," said Ron on the last weekend of January.
"But, Ron, that's Newt level! How is Harry going to learn that!" said a frustrated Hermione, who seemed to be taking the library's lack of knowledge as a personal insult. "There has to be something else!"
"Actually, human transfiguration might not be a bad idea," said Ginny, closing her 20th book. "He might be able to manage turning himself into a merman or something, considering that he's got a month and he's not really doing a complete transformation, is he? I mean, merpeople are part human. What do you think, Harry?"
"That doesn't sound like that bad of an idea. I do think that we should still try to find another way, just in case I don't manage the transfiguration on time," Harry responded, looking up from a book titled Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charmes.
"Good thinking, Harry," Ginny said, leaning over the table to give him a peck on the lips.
"Can you please not do that while I'm here?" Ron whined.
"Why? Do you have a problem with it?" Ginny said, her glare icy and her wand in her hands.
"No, n-never mind. Forget I said anything," Ron stuttered.
"I thought so," said Ginny with a satisfied smirk. Hermione looked on the verge of laughter but held it in for fear of Madame Pince's reaction.
"OK. Harry and I will go see McGonagall and ask her about teaching Harry human transfiguration and you two can stay here and find something else, incase it doesn't work," said Ginny. "Any questions? Good." She grabbed Harry's hand and took off before either Ron or Hermione could object.
"There not only going to ask McGonagall about transfiguration, are they?" said Ron, already knowing the answer and regretting his question as to here his thoughts voiced out loud.
"Probably not," said Hermione, looking completely unconcerned and standing up to lift another tome off the shelf behind them.
Harry and Ginny ran down the corridor, breathless with laughter.
"Did you see Ron's face when we just took of? I think he knows what we're doing," Harry said when the couple stopped to catch their breath.
"I know. Too bad Colin Creeve wasn't around, he could have taken a picture for us," Ginny managed before collapsing again.
"Come on, we have to go see McGonagall. Then we can have our fun," Harry whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine. He grabbed her and together they walked to McGonagall's office. A few minutes later, they knocked on the door.
"Hello, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley," she greeted, opening the door and offering them seats. She sat down opposite them and began to speak, "What can I do for you today."
"Well, Professor, I was just wondering if you could teach me human transfiguration," Harry said.
"May I ask why, Potter."
"So… well… so I can do the second task."
"Well, let me congratulate you on figuring out the clue. However, I cannot help you," she said, looking slightly regretful.
"Why?" Ginny asked.
"Because it would be against the rules, Miss Weasley. The champions are not supposed to receive help from teachers. I'm sorry, Potter, but I really cannot help you." Harry nodded and he and Ginny stood up and left.
"I forgot about that rule," Harry said a few minutes later, while he and Ginny were heading to their favorite spot.
"Me too. At least Ron and Hermione are still looking for something else," Ginny responded, swinging their interlaced hands slightly.
"Do you think we should go back and help them," Harry asked, not really wanting to but thinking he could later defend himself from Hermione by saying he had asked Ginny.
"No, they'll be fine," she said, before pulling him into the unused classroom.
The next week went by rather quickly, though Hermione had not been pleased when she found out that Harry and Ginny had gone snogging rather than tell her and Ron that McGonagall could not teach him. Before they knew it, it was the first weekend of February.
"Good morning, Gin," Harry greeted Ginny as she descended the girls' staircase.
"Morning, Harry," she said, giving him a small kiss. "What's that all about?" she asked, pointing to the small cluster of people around the notice board.
"Oh, that," said Harry. "There's a Hogsmead Weekend next weekend for Valentines Day," he said, looking at her.
"Oh," Ginny said, slightly disappointed that he didn't say anything about them going together. Harry saw this and smiled.
"Do you want to go with me?" he asked, like it was no big deal.
"Of course! I thought for a minute that you weren't going to ask me."
"Well, that was my plan, actually," Harry said, ginning down at her.
"You prat," Ginny mumbled and swatted his arm. Harry laughed.
"You know you love me."
"Yeah, yeah," Ginny replied as Harry leaned down for another kiss.
"So," he said, pulling back up, "do you want to get some breakfast?"
"Sure," she responded, allowing him to take her hand as they headed down to the Great Hall.
The next few days flew by, Harry and Ginny having nothing on their minds but the coming Saturday.
The morning of the fourteenth dawned still and bright. As Harry looked out his window, he saw a cloudless sky and still trees, a perfect day. He dressed and made his way downstairs to the common room to wait for Ginny.
Ginny woke up to find the same weather Harry did and smiled, thinking of the wonderful day ahead of her. She wanted today to be special and, as such, had asked Hermione to help her find something to wear. Finding she had nothing in her closet that would fit the occasion, the two girls had asked a few other girls for clothes to borrow. Finally, Ginny had decided on a black, flowing skirt that panned out when she spun, a blue short-sleeved shirt with fluttering sleeves, a pair of blue flats and to top it off, she put her hair in curls with a spell Hermione taught her for the Yule Ball. Taking one last look in the mirror, she descended the stairs to the common room.
Ginny reached the bottom of the stairs and saw Harry sitting on a chair, facing the staircase. She giggled to herself when she saw his face and walked over to him.
"Close your mouth, Harry. I don't want to kiss someone with flies in his mouth," she whispered in his ear.
"Sorry, Gin," Harry said, closing his mouth and standing up. "As have probably figured out by my reaction, you look especially beautiful today. I say especially beautiful because you always look beautiful but today, you look amazing."
"Thank-you, Harry. You don't look too bad yourself," she said, taking in his jeans and red dress shirt.
"Could I escort the young lady to breakfast?" Harry asked, holding out his arm.
"You may," Ginny replied, giggling and slipping her arm through his. The couple left the common room; not noticing the whole room was watching the scene in silence.
They ate breakfast together; holding hands and stealing kisses in between bites. When they finished, the couple walked down the path to Hogsmead, holding hands and just talking and laughing together.
"So, where do you want to go?" Harry asked once they had reached the village.
"Honeydukes?"
"Sure." They turned into the little crowded candy shop.
The couple browsed around the shop, looking at the new candies and picking some old favorites. They left the shop sometime later (Harry had paid for everything despite Ginny's protests), their pockets full of candy.
"Ginny? I want to take you a few places before we go anywhere else, OK?" Harry said as they walked down the high street.
"Sure, Harry. Where are we going?" Ginny asked.
"It's a surprise," Harry replied, a small grin on his face, knowing how she hated to be kept in suspense. Sure enough, a small groan was heard from his girlfriend.
"Please? Can I know?" Ginny whined, giving Harry the puppy-dog pout. Normally, Harry would have caved in an instant but he wanted this to be a surprise.
"Sorry, Gin, I can't tell you. You'll find out soon enough," he said, looking down at her. Ginny sighed but continued to walk with Harry. After a few minutes, Harry stopped and turned to Ginny.
"Close your eyes."
"What?" Ginny asked, confused. They were standing outside the junk shop in the middle of the village.
"Close your eyes," Harry repeated.
"OK," Ginny said apprehensively, closing her eyes.
Harry took her hands in his and led her further up the street.
"Wait here. I'll be back in a minute. And keep your eyes closed, OK?"
"Alright," Ginny replied, completely confused. She heard a door open and Harry's footsteps fade away. A few minutes later, she heard Harry come back and grab her hand again.
"Just a little further, Gin," he said before continuing walking.
"OK, now you can open your eyes." Ginny's eyes fluttered open. There standing in front of her was Harry, a bouquet of red roses and white lilies in his hand and standing in front of a dress robes shop.
"Oh, Harry," Ginny said, accepting her favorite flowers and kissing Harry passionately on the lips.
"I'm glad you like them," Harry laughed. "And now, I would like you to come in this shop and pick out a nice dress for tonight," he said, gesturing to the shop.
"Tonight?" Ginny asked, wondering what he was talking about.
"You'll find out later. For now, you need a dress."
"But Harry," Ginny said as he led her into the shop, "dresses are expensive. You don't have to, really."
"I know, but I want to. This is our first Valentines Day and I want to spoil my soul mate," he said, winking at her.
"Fine. What kind of dress should I get?" Ginny said, accepting defeat and deciding to enjoy herself.
"Something fancy but not too much so."
"OK… How about this one?" she said a few minutes later, picking a dress off the rack.
"Why don't you try it on?" Harry suggested. Ginny nodded and headed over to the dressing rooms while Harry took a seat on one of the benches laid out in front of them. A few minutes later, Ginny came out in a dark green, floor length dress that fit her growing curves perfectly. It was a V-neck halter and had an open back. She also wore a pair of matching green heels.
"That one is perfect," said Harry coming over to her and kissing her.
"Well, if you like it that much, I guess I'll get it then. Just let me change."
They exited the shop and decided to go to the Three Broomsticks for a late lunch. They spent the rest of the afternoon in the pub, talking to each other and the occasional friend who stopped by (Ron looked like he was going to ask about all the stuff they were carrying but Hermione pulled him away before he could do so). Finally, at 4 o'clock, they decided to head back up to the castle.
"Meet me down here in that dress when everyone is gone to dinner," Harry whispered in Ginny's ear as they parted in Gryffindor Tower. Ginny nodded, a curious look on her face, before kissing Harry and making her way up to her room. Harry smiled a goofy smile and climbed his own staircase.
"How was your day," Neville asked as Harry came into their room.
"Great. I'm taking Ginny out again later."
"Where?" Neville asked, wondering where Harry could possibly take Ginny.
"Sorry, mate, can't tell you." Neville simply shrugged and continues reading his book.
At five o'clock that evening, Harry and Ginny met alone in the common room.
"Are you ready for an excellent night?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded her head and Harry led her out the portrait hole and down the corridor.
"Wait here," he told her as they reached a tapestry. Harry let go of Ginny's hand and walked past the wall three times. Suddenly, a door appeared. Ginny gasped and Harry smiled.
"What is this place?" Ginny asked, looking around the room. There was a table in the middle, with candles, a chocolate cake, and two plates of spaghetti, a couch in front of an instrument she had never seen before and something that looked similar to a Wizarding Wireless.
"This, Ginny, is the Room of Requirement," Harry said, pulling out one of the chairs for her to sit. She took and seat and watched him do the same opposite her.
"But what does it do and how did you find it?" she asked, twirling the noodles on her fork.
"It turns into whatever you want. All you have to do is walk past the wall three times, thinking about what you want. And Dobby told me about it. I wanted to do something for you for Valentines Day and I needed a good place. Do you like it?"
"I love it! But, what are those things," she asked pointing to the other items in the room.
"Those, you will find out about later."
"Please?"
"No." Ginny pouted. Harry laughed at her and the couple continued to eat and talk until the plates were cleaned. Once they were done with the spaghetti, the plates disappeared and Harry stood up to cut the cake. Suddenly, he started to laugh.
"What is it?" Ginny asked, confused.
"There's no knife."
"Well can't you just ask the room for one?"
"No, that's fine. I'll just use the knife Sirius gave me for Christmas," Harry replied, taking it out of his pocket.
"You carry that with you?"
"All the time. It's like having a connection with him."
"Oh. He really means a lot to you, huh?" Ginny inquired.
"Yeah, he's like the parent I never had," Harry said seriously. Ginny looked down at her lap.
"So," said Harry, lightening the mood, "what size piece do you want?"
"Now can I know?" Ginny asked as she ate her last bite of cake.
"I guess," said Harry, teasingly. "This," he said, pointing to the instrument across from the couch, "is a muggle television and VCR. Hermione helped me charm it to work with magic. The charm only works for a little while though. I thought we could watch a movie."
"A movie? Isn't that one of those moving picture things? Almost like real life? I heard dad say something about them once."
"That's right," Harry said. "But first, I have a CD player. It plays music once I put in this disk here. Hermione said it was a mix of a few of her favorite Disney songs or something." Harry said, standing up and placing the disk into the player and pressing play. "Would you like to dance?" he said, holding out his hand. She accepted and stood in the center of the room.
"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" cam out of the system and the two swayed to the music. After the CD had ended, Ginny looked up at Harry and asked if they could watch the movie. He nodded and led her over to the couch.
"So what is it called?" Ginny asked, watching Harry slip the tape in.
" 'Aladdin' I think. Hermione said it was good and that we would enjoy it. She had her parents send it from home."
"Ok." She replied and they snuggled up together.
"That was great! I loved the magic carpet ride! Too bad they're banned now; we could have gone on one. Thank-you for showing me that. It's too bad that we don't have magical things like this, they're really fun," Ginny said as the credits rolled, giving Harry a small kiss. Harry smiled and glanced at his watch.
"WOW! Gin, it's one o'clock in the morning! We have to go! If Ron finds out, he'll kill me!"
"He won't find out, Harry, but how are we going to get past Filtch? Do you have the map?"
"No, I forgot it."
"We'll just have to try to make it then, come on." The two climbed off the couch and ran to the door. Harry carefully opened it and poked his head out to see if there was anyone there.
"There's no one there," he whispered, taking Ginny's hand and pulling her out into the hall.
They crept as quietly as they could back to the tower, thinking how lucky they were that they were on the right floor. Suddenly, they heard shuffles. Their eyes went wide as they looked at each other. Harry looked around frantically for an escape route and saw a door to his right. He motioned to Ginny to follow him and ran to the door. He tried the knob but it was locked. Ginny looked at Harry, an anxious expression on her face. Then Harry remembered Sirius' knife. He searched his pockets, silently praying he still had it. Just a Filtch was rounding the corner, Harry pulled the knife out of his pocket, ran it along the side of the door and pulled Ginny and himself inside.
The shuffling died away and Harry and Ginny laughed at their close encounter with the caretaker. They made it the rest of the way back without incidence and entered the portrait hole quietly. They lounged on the couch for a little while before kissing each other goodnight and heading up to their dormitories for some well needed rest.