Ginny awoke the next morning to the sounds of birds chirping mixed in with the sound of snoring, which she assumed was coming from Ron. She sighed slightly, keeping her eyes closed, for she didn't really want to wake up just yet. She would probably be able to get back to sleep if she tried,which is what she planned to do. It was then she felt something brush against her leg and something else moving slightly around her middle. She also then realised that her pillow certainly felt weird and…was slowly rising up and down.
'What an earth?' Ginny murmured sleepily to herself. She rubbed her eyes before slowly opening them. She then discovered that she had her head rested on Harry's chest and that his arms were wrapped around her middle. Ginny's heart then began to pound and she felt her cheeks growing hot. How long had they been laying like this for? How did it even happen? Ginny certainly didn't remember resting her head against his chest nor him wrapping his arms around her.
'I must have done it in my sleep.' Ginny thought, staring at Harry who was fast asleep. 'But why an earth would he let me and hold me like this? Unless he was asleep too…but merlin this feels nice. This is probably what it would be like if we were together…I really don't want to move, but I think I should.'
She sighed and attempted to move from where she'd seemingly been sleeping all night, but Harry was holding her so tightly, that the attempt failed.
'Oh well.' Ginny muttered to herself.
She was about to close her eyes again and try to get back to sleep for a bit, when suddenly:
'What the bloody hell is going on here?'
Ginny opened her eyes again to see Ron glaring down at her, arms folded. She glanced at Harry, who had only just opened his eyes. Harry then realised he was still holding Ginny and felt his face flush. He cursed under his breath and quickly removed his arms from around her. Ginny sat up as Harry reached for his glasses, before he too, sat up.
'Well?' Ron questioned.
'I have no idea how that happened, Ron.' Ginny said, quietly, cheeks very pink.
'Really?' Ron asked, before turning to Harry. 'And what about you? She's my sister, Harry!'
'Yes, I am aware of that Ron.' Harry began, but suddenly there was a brief distraction as Hermione had now sat up and was rubbing her eyes.
'What's going on?' she asked, sleepily.
'I wake up and what do I see?' Ron began, in an irritated tone, before gesturing towards Harry and Ginny as he continued with 'Those two all snuggled up together!'
'Really?' Hermione asked, a small smile on her face. 'Something you're not telling us?'
'No!' Harry and Ginny both exclaimed.
'Look, it wasn't what it looked like!' Harry told them.
'Yeah, I just woke up in that position!' Ginny added.
'Er, me too.' Harry lied.
'That better be true.' Ron muttered.
'It is!' Ginny cried. 'And even if there wasn't there would be nothing you could do about it!'
'What she said.' Harry agreed.
'Well…' Ron began, trying to think of something good to respond with. He then noticed the woven bracelet on Harry's wrist. 'What the bloody hell is that?'
'You've only just noticed? Harry asked, running a finger along it. 'It's a present from Ginny. S-'
'What?' Ron exploded. 'People don't just get each other things like that and wear them when they're not dating!'
'Actually, they do, Ron.' Ginny said, before saying with a smirk. 'That's why they're called friendship bracelets. FRIENDship.'
'She's right, Ron.' Hermione said. 'Come on, just leave it now.'
'But Hermione!' Ron cried. 'This is my best mate and my little sister that might be seeing each other here. It's so wrong!'
'Oh for goodness sake!' Hermione tutted. She leapt up and grabbed Ron's wrist and began pulling him out of the tent. 'Sorry.' she said to Harry and Ginny before she and Ron disappeared outside.
'Well that was awkward.' Harry stated.
'Indeed it was.' Ginny said, eyebrows slightly raised. 'It's my fault, really. I should be more careful where I move to in my sleep.'
'It's not your fault when you were asleep and didn't know what you were doing.' Harry told her. 'If it's anyone's fault, it's mine.'
'Why? I mean, you were asleep too, right?' Ginny asked.
Harry shook his head.
'Wide awake, Gin.'
Ginny swore her heart skipped a beat at that moment.
'So you…meant to…wrap your arms around me?' she asked him, slowly and quietly. 'It wasn't an…accident?'
'Oh no, it was no accident.' Harry said, simply, with a small smile. 'But to Ron and Hermione it was.'
Ginny was left speechless at this, so she simply just looked at him.
Harry looked back at her before saying 'I think we should go back inside, don't you?'
'Yeah.' Ginny said, able to speak again. The two of them stood up and began making their way out of the tent.
'You know, that was the best night's sleep I've had in a while.' Harry told her.
'Yeah, me too.' Ginny agreed.
'You have trouble sleeping too?' Harry asked her.
'Yeah, ever since what happened in my first year.' she confessed. 'It still gives me nightmares sometimes. I've never told anyone that before.'
'Gin, you know it's just a bad memory right? And that it won't happen again.' Harry told her. 'I won't let it.'
'Yeah, but…I can't help it.' Ginny sighed. 'It all comes flooding back so clearly…that it seems like it's happening again.'
'I thought it was just me that happened to.' Harry said. 'You know, if it happens again, just come up to Ron's room and wake me up if you want.'
'He'd kill me.' Ginny said.
'Just make sure you're really quiet then.' Harry smiled as they reached the back door and walked back into the house.
Later that day, Ginny had been given the task to bake a cake for when Bill returned with Fleur, which much to her dismay, was going to be tomorrow, whilst the others helped Mrs Weasley with cleaning out the bedrooms.
She found it quite frustrating, cursing under her breath multiple times, including when she accidentally dropped an egg shell into the mixing bowl. Ginny sighed and looked down at her flour stained clothes. She now regretted not putting on an apron. Ginny shook this off as she picked up the whisk and began mixing again, humming slightly as she did so. She then found herself thinking about Harry again and how it had felt to be in his arms and how he actually meant to hold her like that and how…
SMASH
Ginny immediately snapped out of her thoughts. The bowl she had been mixing in was now shattered at her feet, the cake mixture spilling out onto the floor.
She swore loudly and dashed across the kitchen to get the dustpan and brush, before returning to the mess and beginning to sweep it up.
'Need a hand in here?'
Ginny looked over her shoulder and saw Harry standing in the doorway, watching her.
'Um…yeah.' Ginny said, gesturing to the shattered bowl and cake mixture on the floor.
Harry nodded and made his way over to her. He then crouched down beside her and gently took the brush from her.
'This is one of those moments where I wish I was seventeen.' Ginny sighed, holding the dustpan against the floor, allowing Harry to sweep some of the broken bowl and cake mixture into it. 'I clearly haven't taken after Mum…I can't make a cake or any food for that matter, to save my life!'
'I bet you can.' Harry said, smiling at her.
'Oh really, have you ever tried anything I've baked before?' Ginny asked him.
Harry shook his head.
'Exactly.' Ginny said. 'A few Christmases ago, I decided to bake some mince pies. Mum influenced me.'
'What happened?' Harry asked her, as he swept up the last of the bowl and cake mix.
'So, I walk in to the kitchen, proudly holding them on a plate, thinking I had done a good job.'
'And?'
'Dad was the first to try one.' Ginny said. 'He almost broke his teeth. They were all rock hard.'
'Oh.' Harry said, trying not to laugh. 'Where the heck was I when this happened?'
Ginny shrugged as Harry handed her the dustpan.
'I think you stayed at Hogwarts that year.' she said, as she stood up. She walked over to the bin and emptied the dustpan into it, before walking back over to Harry, who was now also standing up.
'Damn. I wished I'd been there to witness that.' Harry teased causing Ginny to playfully hit him on the arm.
'Mum is going to be so cross if I don't make this darn cake.' Ginny sighed, suddenly changing the subject. 'Guess I'm going to have to start again.'
'Yep, but this time, with my help.' Harry smiled.
'Really? Are you sure?' Ginny asked. 'You don't have to be stuck here with me where you'll be bored out of your mind trying to help me to bake. You can go and hang out with Ron and Hermione. I'm sure that's much more fun.
'No, I'm helping you, boring or not.'
'Thanks, Harry.'
'It's okay. They're cleaning up Ron's room anyway.' Harry told her. 'So it's not like I'm missing out on anything. Or you, for that matter.'
Ginny nodded as she re-read the instructions before handing them to Harry and beginning to measure the ingredients. Once she'd finished doing this, she carefully tipped them into another mixing bowl she'd got out of the cupboard and turned around to face Harry.
'This is the bit where I always seem to go wrong.' she sighed.
'Well why don't I take over for now?' Harry suggested, walking over to where Ginny was standing and picking up the whisk.
'Well, if you're offering.' Ginny said with a smile.
'I'll take that as a yes then.' Harry smiled back, before beginning to mix.
Ginny watched him mix the ingredients together perfectly. It was beyond her why Harry hadn't done the slightest thing wrong yet or gotten anything on himself.
'You make it look so easy.' she told him, with a smirk.
'It is easy, Gin.' Harry smiled, as he temporarily stopped mixing and looked over at her. 'Why don't you finish it off? It's almost done.'
'No, I'll mess it up!' Ginny protested. 'I know I will! And it won't be fair if you've done all that mixing for nothing.'
'You won't mess it up.' Harry reassured her. 'Come on, just give it a try and I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised.'
'Okay.' Ginny sighed, walking up to the mixing bowl and picking up the whisk. She began to mix and soon enough, some of the cake mix ended up flying out of the bowl and landed on her t-shirt.
'See.' she said, putting down the whisk and sighing. 'I'm useless.'
'You're not useless, you're just mixing it too fast.' Harry told her. He reached over, picked up the whisk and handed it to Ginny.
Ginny sighed and was about to mix again, when Harry walked up behind her, put his hands over hers and began stirring the mixture, forcing Ginny, who was now blushing again, to do the same.
'Mix it like this.' he told her.
Ginny nodded and Harry removed his hands from over hers and watched as she continued to mix at the slower pace he'd shown her.
'That looks done to me.' Harry told her after almost another minute. Ginny nodded, put down the whisk and smiled slightly.
'See, you're not useless.' Harry told her.
Ginny just smiled and got out two tins to pour the mixture in, ready for baking.
'You do this bit.' she said to Harry. 'I'm not going to risk doing it myself.'
'Alright.' Harry said. He picked up the mixing bowl before pouring the cake mix equally into the two tins. 'Are you going to put them in the oven or is that too much of a risk as well?'
Ginny laughed slightly.
'Shut up, Harry.' she teased, before walking across the kitchen and putting on her Mum's oven gloves. She then walked back over and picked up one of the tins in one hand, before walking over to the oven and opening it with the other hand. She placed the tin she was holding inside the oven, before dashing over and grabbing the other tin and putting that in too, before closing the oven and removing the oven gloves.
'Now what?' Harry asked Ginny.
'Well.' Ginny said, looking around the kitchen. 'I could go and change out of these flour stained clothes.'
Harry just looked at her as she walked back over to where he was standing.
'But I think it would be much funner if…' she continued, her hand sliding around the bag of flour. 'I do this.'
With a mischievous smile, Ginny tipped the bag on Harry resulting in him being covered in flour too.
'Ginny!' Harry laughed. 'I'm getting you back for this!'
'Oh really?' Ginny sniggered, raising an eyebrow at him.
'Mmhmm.' Harry said, picking up the mixing bowl and tipping its remaining contents over Ginny.
'Hey!' Ginny exclaimed, laughing. She ran across the room, picked up the sugar and tipped it on him. It almost missed completely – the only thing it did hit was Harry's feet. He chuckled at her and she fake scowled at him.
'You're too tall!' she cried as she searched the kitchen for anything else she could throw at him.
'No, you're too short!' Harry said back also searching.
'Shut up!' Ginny laughed, now holding a pie and walking over to him, the mischievous look back on her face.
'No, no.' Harry said, attempting to back away from her, but he soon became trapped, since he had backed into the sink. 'Oh no…'
'Oh yes.' Ginny grinned.
Harry braced himself for the pie being smashed in his face.
Ginny was about to do it but then:
'Bloody hell!'
Ginny spun around to turn to where this had come from, accidentally letting go off the pie in the process. She and Harry watched as it flew across the kitchen and hit Ron, right in the face.
Ginny covered her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter, but hearing Harry sniggering behind her set her off into a fit of giggles.
'What the bloody hell was that for?' Ron cried, attempting to wipe the pie off his face.
Ginny nor Harry explained, they just kept on laughing.
'Bloody hell, Ginny!' Ron moaned, still trying to wipe the pie from his face.
'Sorry.' Ginny laughed.
'You'd better be bloody sorry.' Ron muttered before leaving the kitchen again.
Harry and Ginny, who had stopped laughing for a moment, looked at each other and immediately started laughing again.
'So, how much longer to we need to leave the cake in for?' Harry asked Ginny once they had overcome their laughter.
'Hmm, I'd say about ten more minutes.' Ginny replied. 'The recipe says fifteen to twenty five minutes, so we'll check it in ten and if it's still not done, leave it for another five.'
'Alright.' Harry said. 'Well, I'm going to put on some clean clothes, then I'll be back.'
'I was going to do that too.' Ginny told him. 'But I think I need a shower also. Oh, I'll just ask Mum to keep an eye on the cake whilst we're not here.'
'Okay.' Harry replied.
Ginny gave him a small smile and was first to leave the kitchen. Harry hung back and watched her walk away, wishing he could just ask her out already. He had come so close two days ago. He sighed and eventually left the kitchen himself.
'Mum!' he heard Ginny shout. 'MUM!'
'What is it, Ginny?' Mrs Weasley asked.
'Keep an eye on the cake!' Ginny shouted. 'I'm having a shower! Check it in ten minutes!'
'Alright, dear!'
Harry continued climbing the rest of the stairs until he'd reached the fifth floor. He then went into Ron's room, pulled off his flour covered clothes before pulling on a clean t-shirt and worn jeans. Harry then headed back down the staircase and onto the fourth floor. It was here, he heard a melodious sound mixed in with the sound of running water, coming from the bathroom. Curious, Harry approached the bathroom and soon discovered that the melodious sound was singing. Ginny singing.
The song she was singing was familiar to Harry, but he couldn't put a finger on where he'd heard it before.
'And make your final move don't be scared, she wants you to. Yeah, it's hard, you must be brave, don't let this moment slip away. Now, believe, that magic works. Don't be afraid, afraid of being hurt. Don't let this magic die, the answer's there. Yeah, just look in her eyes.' he heard Ginny sing.
Harry smiled slightly for Ginny was quite good at singing and he was now imagining that she was singing the song to him.
'GINNY!'
Mrs Weasley's shout that had just rung out from downstairs had interrupted Harry's thoughts and also had caused Ginny to stop singing. The sound of running water had also stopped. Harry quickly got up and moved away from the door and went over to the staircase that led to the third floor. He sat on the top step as another shout came from downstairs.
'GINNY! COME DOWN HERE NOW!'
Harry then heard the sound of a door opening and several seconds later, Ginny emerged, wearing a clean t-shirt and shorts, her damp hair tied into a messy bun and a towel wrapped around her shoulders.
'I'M COMING!' Ginny shouted, just before reaching the staircase. 'Oh, hey Harry.'
'Hey.' Harry said, immediately noticing the fruity aroma coming from her.
'I expect Mum's seen the mess.' Ginny said. 'I'd better go down there.'
'I'm coming with you.' Harry told her, standing up. 'I'm not letting you get all the blame for this.'
'Thanks.' Ginny smiled, before the two quickly headed back down and into the kitchen.
There, they saw Mrs Weasley standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at the mess. The cake was set out on the table and the delicious scent of it had filled the room.
'Mum?' Ginny called as she and Harry stood in the doorway.
'Ginny, for heaven's sake, look at all the mess you've made.' Mrs Weasley tutted. 'The cake itself turned out fine, but you're going to have to help me clean all of this up. Also I heard you threw a pie at your brother.'
'Okay.' Ginny sighed, before walking over to her mother. 'And the pie thing…I was holding it and I er slipped.'
'Yeah she did and the mess was partly my fault as well.' Harry admitted, following Ginny. 'So I'll help too.'
'No, Harry dear, I don't expect you to do that.' Mrs Weasley said to him, as she handed Ginny a mop.
'No, I'm helping.' Harry told her, picking up a wet cloth and beginning to scrub the messy kitchen counters.
'Thank you, Harry.' Mrs Weasley smiled, as she placed the dirty bowls and tins Harry and Ginny had used earlier into the sink, and began scrubbing them as Ginny mopped up the mess that was on the floor. The three then cleaned in silence for a few minutes.
'Mum, where are Ron and Hermione?' Ginny asked, breaking the silence.
'Getting Fred and George's old room ready for Bill and Fleur to stay in it.' Mrs Weasley replied, washing up.
Ginny rolled her eyes and stopped mopping the floor.
'Well, I guess they're going to have to do a lot of work in there.' Ginny said. 'I assume Fred and George left it in quite a state and everything has to be perfect for Phlegm.'
'Fleur.' Mrs Weasley corrected.
Ginny rolled her eyes again and put the mop away. She then walked over to where the cake was cooling off.
'Can me and Harry decorate it now?' she asked.
'Of course, dear.' Mrs Weasley smiled, now drying off one of the tins. 'Then go and give your brother and Hermione a hand upstairs.'
'Alright.' Ginny said, walking over to one of the cupboards and getting out some icing and buttercream. 'Harry?'
Harry immediately stopped scrubbing and walked over to Ginny as Mrs Weasley finished drying off the last tin she'd washed.
'I'm just going to check on the other two, then I'll be back down.' she told them, before leaving the room.
'Hmm…' Ginny said, picking up the buttercream and examining it. 'How much of this do you think we'll need?'
'To go in the middle?' Harry asked.
'Yeah.' Ginny replied.
'Hmm, we'll spread a little bit on one side of the cake and then after spreading it, if it's not enough, we can always add some more.' Harry said, before opening one of the drawers and getting out a knife.
Ginny opened the lid of the buttercream tub and Harry then scooped some out with the knife and began to spread it over one of the sides of cake.
'Do you think that's enough?' Harry asked her, once he'd finished spreading the buttercream.
'Yeah, it should be.' Ginny said. She then got the other side of the cake and put it on top of the one Harry had just spread buttercream on.
'Right, icing now.' Ginny said, as she put the lid back on the buttercream.
'Yep, you can do that.' Harry told her, with a small smile.
'Alright.' Ginny said, smiling back as she opened the icing and began to spread it across the top of the top of the cake. Once she'd spread a reasonable amount she put down the knife and said 'That should do it.'
'Yeah.' Harry agreed. 'Are we going to write anything on it?'
'No.' Ginny said. 'Little Miss Priss, Phlegm doesn't deserve that.'
'What about Bill?'
'Oh, he won't care.' Ginny told Harry, as she picked up the knife again, walked over to the sink before beginning to wash it. 'I honestly don't know what he sees in her.'
'She's not that bad, surely.' Harry said, but he then noticed the glare Ginny had now shot him. 'I mean…I didn't know her that well and judging from that she seemed okay. But I guess not.'
'No, she's so irritating and stuck up.' Ginny informed him, as she put down the now clean and dry knife next to the sink. 'She's been around here a couple of times now.'
'Oh.' Harry said, just as Mrs Weasley came back into the room.
'Oh wonderful!' she cried, upon seeing the finished cake. 'Well done, you two. I'll put this in a cake tin, ready for tomorrow and you two should go on upstairs and give the others a hand now. I think they need it.'
'Okay.' Ginny said as Harry just nodded. The two left the kitchen and began climbing the stairs, up to the second floor, where Fred and George's old bedroom was.
As they were doing this, Harry suddenly got the sound of Ginny singing into his head from earlier which caused him to rack his brains to try and remember where he'd heard that song before. They were just about to reach the second floor when it came to him.
'The Yule Ball.' he said, under his breath.
'Huh?' Ginny asked, giving him an odd look.
'Nothing.' Harry said, before the two continued making their way to Fred and George's old room.
A/N : In case you were wondering, the song Ginny was singing is called Magic Works by The Weird Sisters. It is part of the Goblet of Fire soundtrack.
