Chapter 4. She took off her shirt

A/N. This chapter may be a little disappointing. I'm sorry, but no explicit sex is going to be found in the story. I'm comfortable with allusions and innuendos –and had a lot of fun researching info about them- but I feel embarrassed even writing a heated kiss (I'm no prude, I just can't) The chapter is super short, but I wasn't inspired to make it longer, and I didn't like resolving the cliffhanger just after it. A BIG THANK YOU to all of you who are reading this story, and an extra one to those of you who take your time to leave a review. Folks, I'm having big time. You are wonderful.2003

"The moment I took off that shirt, I felt I was losing my virginity," recalled Ginny.

Harry looked at her, amused. "Technically, that happened more than a year later. Back that day, we only ditched clothes and…"

"Sex is much more than coitus, darling," interrupted Ginny. She stretched in the bed before resuming her speech. "That day marked the first of many firsts and it was sex, even if we did 'nothing', " she made the quote signs in the air. "And you behaved like a gentleman, letting me take the lead in all of them. For me, taking off that shirt was a big deal."

"For me it was a big step, too," said Harry. "I had my own issues about taking off shirts, if you recall the night at Gryffindor common room. Besides, after what Zabini did to you, I was terrified of hurting you in any way. So I vowed myself not to push you into any form of intimacy and wait until you felt ready. And I don't regret it."

Ginny turned to look at him. "Did you read it in that book Ron gave you on your birthday?" She smiled and winked.

"How did you know about it?" asked Harry. "And no! I figured that on my own. Besides, I think women should always take the lead in sex. If things go south, consequences are worse for you… well, they can be, er… I don't know how to explain myself." He let out a big breath.

"You don't need to. You've always been sweet." Ginny planted a kiss on his cheek. "Luckily for both of us, I inherited the randy genes of the Prewett side of my family, or we would have been still holding hands and kissing on the lips," she giggled.

"These days I take the initiative, too. I learned from the best." Ginny shoot him an alarmed look. "You, of course," he said, chuckling. He began to tickle her. She laughed and fought him until she got off.

"I learned from the best, too," she replied, catching her breath. "Fleur."

"And I thank her for that," said Harry. "It still amazes me how you two went from despising each other to getting on so well. Not that I'm complaining," he smirked.

"It's called sorority. Nothing makes you bond with another person like being attacked by Death Eaters on a wedding day. Fleur put herself in front of Gabrielle and me. She tried to defend me like a true sister. On the days that followed, she offered words of comfort. It's only natural I turned to her for sex advice. Hermione and Luna are great, but Fleur outsmarts them in the matter."

"Too true. You really surprised me on the night we technically did it. There I was, sneaking into Harpies quarters under the Cloak, up for some innocent snogging and cuddling-" Ginny snorted as she heard that-, "and you practically assaulted me!" Harry feigned being scandalized.

Ginny snorted again. "Oh, come on. It's not my fault if the Harpies have an excellent potioneer in the Healing team. Every month they gave out Contraceptive Concoction freely. All my mates took it, well, the straight ones at least, so what was I supposed to do? Refusing it would have been like saying 'hey girls, I'm dating Harry Potter but we're not shagging'. No way I was doing that. So I figured I might as well took it. Forgot to tell you, but I don't recall you complaining afterwards. Quite the contrary," she said playfully.

"You should have warned me. I carried Muggle condoms in my pocket, to be prepared, just in case, and I didn't even have time to fish out one. Until you told me about the potion, I was terrified I could knock you up." Ginny shook with laughter. Harry sighed. "Oh, not again".

He resigned himself to wait until the laughing subsided. Eventually Ginny sobered up and asked him: "And what are those condums things?"

Harry blushed. He tried to hide it while racking his brains trying to come up with the best way to explain it, but Ginny was no fool.

"Hmm, Potter, I think I can tell there's a good story behind that condim stuff." She winked at him.

"There's one indeed, Weasley, but it is a long one and it doesn't involve your blazing look, so Scheherazade here will keep it for another occasion." And before she could protest, he quickly added, "Condoms are little, er… raincoats for the… well, you know…" Ginny doubled over in laughter again.

"Oh, please, tell me," she said, wiping tears. "For the love wand? Custard launcher? The Fun-tastic stick? The flesh fiddle?"

Harry frowned. "You know perfectly well what a condom is, don't you? You just love teasing me. Am I right, Weasley?"

"Oh, I only wanted to see you struggling for avoiding to say penis," she said. "Of course I know what a condom is. Some of my teammates have dated Muggle boys. Condoms are useful for avoiding STD as well as pregnancies so they used them in addition to the potion. The wizarding equivalent is a spell, but you can't cast it in front of an unsuspecting Muggle, so it's the best option for one night stands with them." Harry gaped at her. "Oh, don't look me like that. The Harpies' lockers room is a real school for life. I just never considered using it because I knew neither of us had been intimate with another person, so the Concoction was enough… of so I thought…" She nearly whispered the last part.

"You thought… wh-"

But Ginny changed the subject. "One thing I want to know, did I have that famous look of mine on that night?"

"How could I know?" he said." It was dark, remember?"

"Oh, it's true. Damned Florence! I swear she could detect a privacy charm in her sleep. She's the main reason I hated living at the quarters. So, after my birthday, when was the next time?"

Harry looked down. "Hogsmeade trip, Halloween." He saw Ginny stiffen. "When you broke up with me."