Harry ran his finger along the edge of the worn photograph

Harry ran his finger along the edge of the worn photograph. It was something he did often during rookie career with the Tornados. It was the only picture there was of Ginny and himself, taken on the steps of The Burrow one summer's evening. He had stolen it soon after, partly because the photo version of himself was sitting a step above Ginny making cow eyes at the back of her head.

For some time now, the picture had stayed in a frame on the topmost level of his bookshelf, tucked away from prying eyes. This morning, after waking up from one of the best night's sleep of his life to find Ginny gone, he grabbed the photo before Floo'ing to work. He couldn't wrap his mind around last night's events. He didn't mind that she slipped him a trick candy. He knew she got her sense of humour from her twin brothers. If he was honest with himself, when it came down to it, he'd eat a Canary Cream daily if it continued to make her laugh like she did last night. But it was what happened afterwards that Harry was obsessing over. He could count the number of times anyone had ever taken care of him, but none of them compared to this. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he had been so soothed by Ginny's fingers in his hair and the flowery scent of her shampoo.

Looking at the picture now, Harry was pleasantly shocked. The Ginny in the photograph had moved up a step so that she was now next to Harry. True, they weren't locked in some passionate embrace or holding hands. Hell, they weren't even touching for Merlin's sake. But it was something.

Harry was just gazing at the way photograph Ginny's hair kept falling in her eyes, despite her best efforts to keep it behind her ears when the door to his office swung open.

"I've got to talk to you, Potter."

"Ron!" Harry gasped, nearly falling backwards over his chair. The sight of his best friend collapsing into the chair opposite of his desk sent Harry into a frenzy, trying to hide the picture under rolls of parchment. Ignoring the frantic beating of his heart, he pasted a smile on his face. "How've you been?"

"Not so good, mate. I think you know why," Ron said with narrowed eyes.

Noticing the serious expression on Ron's face, Harry began to panic. He couldn't know. It was impossible. He slid a few pieces of parchment around his desk and made sure the photograph was hidden. "What…what, uh, do you mean?"

"How could you have taken that bet, Harry?!" Ron exploded.

Harry's heart dropped to his stomach. This was it, he was going to die. Ron was going to kill him, and Ginny would hate his memory forever. He couldn't let it end like this. He had to try and make him understand that Ginny meant more to him than just a bet.

"I've been a prat Ron, but you've got to listen-"

"I mean, you think you know someone." Ron ignored Harry and stood up to begin pacing. "You think you know what a person is capable of. I thought you were my best mate!"

"Ron, please!"

But Ron wasn't listening. He slumped back into the chair and ran his large hands over his face. He began mumbling and Harry could only catch phrases. "Trust…completely taking advantage of…family…she'd kill…"

Harry could feel the sweat drip down his back. He should have known Ron would have figured this out. He was rising through the ranks of the Auror Department at a surprising speed.

"Ron, let me explain! I love - "

"Why did you agree to the bet between the Tornados and Cannons? You know Hermione hates it when I bet! Now I have to explain to her where the Galleons went. You know she'll notice," Ron continued, ranting about how meticulous Hermione's accounting was.

Harry, on the other hand, clamped his mouth shut. How could he have forgotten? Despite being a devoted Cannons fan, Ron knew the chance of his team winning against the Tornados was unlikely. Over the years, they had begun making smaller bets. The latest one had been that the Cannons would score before the Tornados. He let out a sigh of relief and couldn't believe how close he had been to digging his own grave.

Chuckling, Harry said, "Yeah, she's not going to be happy about this loss."

Ron finally seemed to register Harry's presence in the room. "Not at all. Wait, what did you just say?"

"Eh?"

"You said something. What do you love?"

Bollocks. "Quidditch? I love Quidditch? Uh, but since I don't want you sleeping on the sofa for the foreseeable future, how bout we just forget about it?"

Ron didn't seem convinced, but the thought of avoiding a row with Hermione seemed to distract him. "Seriously? You'd forget about the bet?"

"Absolutely," Harry said a bit too enthusiastically. "What are best friends for?"

A slow smile spread across Ron's face. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Honestly," Harry continued, keen to steer the conversation in a different direction, "anything I can do to help out my friends. Last thing I would want is to cause any waves in your happy little marriage."

Ron's smile was larger now. "We are happy, aren't we?" He stared at Harry for a moment as if deciding if he should say something. "Er, Hermione and I were talking about…well, about you the other day."

"Oh yeah? Only good things I hope."

"She's…that is, we're worried about you," Ron began and shifted in his chair. "We want you to be happy."

"What are you talking about?" Harry laughed disbelievingly. "I'm happy!"

"We want you to be happy like we're happy. You see?" Ron clarified carefully.

Harry stared uncomprehendingly at Ron. He was happy. He had great friends and a great job. Things with Ginny were going…Oh.

"You want me to get married?" he choked out.

"Er, kinda," his friend replied, gazing at the items on the desk instead of Harry. "Hermione reckons you shouldn't be alone."

"You think I'm alone?" Harry asked, dumbfounded and overwhelmed.

"I guess, I guess we…" Ron let out a deep breath and sat forward in his chair. Harry was surprised to see the earnest expression in Ron's face. "Look, we all knew during school you had bigger things to worry about than girls. After the war, I guess we both expected – or at least hoped – you to…well, do something."

Harry stared at Ron for a few moments. His friend wasn't joking. His face was sincere, and the tips of his ears were turning red, presumably from the awkward topic of conversation. "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

Ron nodded fervently. "Hermione was talking about setting you up with someone a week or so ago. I thought she finally went round the twist, but there's this new Auror recruit-"

"Whoa! Ron, slow down. I don't want to date your Auror friend," Harry quickly interrupted. The last thing he needed was for Ginny to hear that her brother was setting him up. "I, er, am sorta seeing someone at the moment, actually." His hands felt to make sure the photo was still present under the parchment.

Ron eyed him accusingly. "It's not one of your Quidditch groupies, is it?"

"No!" Harry laughed. "She definitely isn't a Tornados groupie or impressed by whole Boy-Who-Lived thing."

"Do I know her?"

"Uh, Ron do you mind if I really don't want to talk about it just yet?"

"Why? Is she a hag or something? It is a girl right?" Ron joked.

"Of course it's a girl, you prat." Harry hesitated before adding, "And she's bloody gorgeous. I just don't want to jinx it. I have a good feeling about this one."

"That's really great, Harry. Hermione's going to be so relieved! I know, why don't you stop over our place tonight for dinner?" Ron stood up from his seat and walked over to the door.

Harry nearly breathed a sigh of relief to see that the conversation was nearly over. "Actually, I have other plans.'

Ron smirked. "Got a hot date with your new girlfriend?"

"I still have to send the owl, but yeah. Something like that," Harry answered, unable to keep the smile off his face.

"I see how it is. Are you gonna…" Ron trailed off making a vulgar gesture.

The book Harry threw missed him by inches as Ron shut the door with a laugh.

Ginny had spent the entire morning sleeping. Besides the few hours she spent in Harry's bed, she didn't get much rest. She had only woken when there was an insistent tapping on the window. Grumpily she had allowed the owl inside. It carried a letter from Hermione demanding that she meet her and Susan for lunch to tell them about last night.

While she was out, she received a short note from Harry telling her that they were to have dinner at his flat again, and this time he'd take care of the dessert. Thankfully, it appeared that he had no hard feelings about last night.

The fact that he wanted to see her again tonight had surprised her. This would be their fourth date in a row. Thankfully, she was with Hermione and Susan when Hedwig arrived with the note and a flower. If she had been with another member of her family, she'd have a lot of explaining to do.

Hermione had insisted that Harry's interest was a good thing, since it indicated everything was going according to plan. Ginny had blushed and twirled the flower in her hand, neglecting to tell her friends the latter part of the past evening's events. It felt too private to share with her sister-in-law and friend.

Ginny glanced at her watch and swore. It surprised her to see how much time had passed while she was absorbed in the memories of the other night, and now she was running late.

She threw her dirty clothes in the corner where they vanished to her laundry room. She had to get ready for tonight.

Ginny was finished changing when an owl swooped through an open window and landed on her counter. She wasn't surprised to see Susan's note attached to the bird's leg. After she had left their company this afternoon, she spent a lot of time contemplating what last night meant.

Even though she had come to no definite conclusion, too much of her was screaming not to do this. She had sent a letter to Susan saying that she was done with the article.

Ginny tore open the note and read quickly.

Ginny stop over-thinking things! Hermione and I have the plan all figured out, remember? No time for cold feet now. Just go to Harry's and do your part and you'll do fine.

- Susan

She crumpled the note into a small ball and threw it in the bin. She'd go to Harry's, but she wasn't going to go through with the plan.

Harry cursed as the kitchen knife he had been using to slice bread cut his finger. Sucking his wound in his mouth, he abandoned the food in search for his wand. He didn't have to look at a clock to know he was running late. Things were not going well so far. Harry had been in the middle of changing out of his work clothes when he finally received a reply from Ginny. In his haste to relieve the owl of its note he had tripped and tore his favourite pair of trousers. Since he had never perfected the mending charms, he threw them in a corner where it'd stay until he visited Mrs. Weasley. After that, he'd been so angry with himself that he put too much force behind his spell and sent vegetables flying in all directions.

He finally located his wand, lying next to the plant Ginny had brought him, and healed his cut finger. There were several times, as he prepared dinner that he wanted to chuck it all in the bin and order food, but he didn't want to do that. He had to impress Ginny. He took a calming breath and surveyed the scene in front of him. Food was cooking on the stove and knives – now assisted by magic – chopped raw vegetables on free counter space.

All he needed was for Ginny to come. Everything would be better once she got here. All the ruined food and torn clothes wouldn't matter once he saw her and was able to tell her – or try to tell her – what it meant to him when she stayed there and took care of him like she did.

Harry restlessly sat at his kitchen table and occasionally directed pots and ingredients around the room with his wand. He had just finished setting the table when there was a soft knock on the door. Mindful not to rush, lest he ruin another article of clothing; he made his way to the front door.

He tried half-heartedly to flatten his untameable hair before turning the knob. The door swung open to reveal Ginny who was smiling radiantly. "Ginny!"

"Harry." She hovered nervously in the doorway and blushed.

As much as he tried, he couldn't hide his pleasure. He hadn't seen her blush like that in years. Before Ginny could move, Harry enveloped her in a tight hug. She seemed surprised by his enthusiasm, but quickly returned it.

"Oh Harry, I'm so glad to see you're alright," the words came out in a tangled rush. "I was so worried all day!"

Harry bit back a smile as he listened to her continue to chatter. At least now he didn't have to worry about finding away to bring up the topic. "Hey listen," he interrupted, "about that-"

"You are alright, aren't you? I just assumed." Her hands flitted nervously over his shoulders and face. She didn't seem sure where to touch him.

Wanting to distract her and prove that he was fine, he caught her hands and led her to the couch. "So you were thinking about me all day?"

To his surprise, she didn't take the bait or give him a sassy reply. Instead, she leaned against him and clutched his hand. "You should have seen yourself, Harry. There was so much blood."

"Hey." He nudged her side and placed a light kiss on her hairline. "I've been through worse. Madam Pomfrey was going to give me my own room in the Hospital Wing."

"Don't joke like that!" she admonished, but there was no harshness behind her voice. "Honestly Harry, I don't know how you always seem to find trouble."

He would have pointed out that she was the one who had put the sweet in the treacle tart but he didn't think it was the right time to bring that up. He watched as she traced the lines of his palm with her fingers, content with the silence.

"So how was your day?" The question was surprisingly normal and seemed out of place in the whirlwind that has been the last four days. It was nice.

He relaxed and settled further into the couch. "Slow but good. Ron stopped by my office this morning."

At the mentioned of her brother's name, her hand stilled in his for a moment before continuing its patterns. "Is that so?"

Harry wondered what Ginny's feelings were about her family knowing about them. He knew he wanted more time with her before anything was mentioned. He needed to know that this was for real before he was at the mercy of her brothers. "He wanted to set me up on a date."

"Oh." This time her hand did stop. She shifted away from him, her expression unreadable. "Did you agree?"

He wanted to laugh at the absurdity, but the look on her face told him to take this seriously. "I told him we'd have a conflict of interest."

"Which was?" she asked with an extremely hesitant voice.

"Well, I don't think she'd like it very much that I'd be spending all my time with you," he explained as he toyed with a lock of her hair. "And I'm definitely not giving that up."

He wasn't prepared for the Ginny-sized Bludger that collided with his body. Her arms wrapped around him in a vice-like grip and he felt her entire body shaking.

"Well, I hope Ron wasn't too disappointed," she whispered in his ear. Her voice was steady except for the slight quiver at the end. "I don't think he would have been happy with me either. I'd've been forced to sabotage all your dates."

Harry pulled back from the embrace so he could look in her eyes. They sparkled with mischief but he could see the seriousness behind it. A shiver of excitement shot through his body at the thought of Ginny fighting dirty for him. "Now there's a side of you I'd like to get to know better."

Happiness was rolling off her in waves now. She shifted so she was sitting on her knees facing him, her face inches from his. "What's the matter, Harry? Did you not like me playing nursemaid last night?"

"Oh, I liked the nursemaid very much. I wouldn't mind if she came back for another check up." Harry settled further into the couch, arms stretched out against the back of it.

In a flash, Ginny pivoted so that she was sitting sideways across his lap. "Does Harry need some tender…loving…care?" she asked as her hands ran their way through his hair.

His throat had completely dried up, so he settled for nodding in response.

After gently removing his glasses and placing them on the table, Ginny traced the bridge of his nose with her finger. It travelled down the length of it and around the slight flare of his nostrils. When she spoke her voice was soft and teasing. "Maybe I shouldn't have given you that Blood Replenishing potion, Harry. You're a bit flushed."

Despite not having his glasses, Ginny was close enough for him to see clearly. He watched her laugh as he grumbled, "Witch."

She ignored him and continued, more seriously this time. "It looks completely healed, although I'm sure it's still a bit tender."

"You can always kiss it and make it better," he suggested.

Her face contorted into a grimace. "Uh, not to be rude, but how do you expect me to kiss the injured part."

His eyes rolled on their own volition. "Work with me here, Ginny."

She stifled a giggle and said, "Sorry."

Slowly, she brushed her nose along the side of his and fought to keep his eyes open. Ginny then leaned up and placed a gentle lingering kiss on the tip of his nose. With shaking hands, Harry tucked her hair behind her ears and returned the gesture. With his still cupping her cheeks, he pulled back to look at Ginny's face. Her eyelashes lay against her cheeks and she wore the most blissful smile he had ever seen. Slowly, Ginny fluttered her eyes open to look straight into his. His heart pounded in his chest so hard he absently thought he might break a rib.

Before he could to anything else, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Harry grit his teeth in frustration as Ginny slid off his lap and settled next to him. After taking a calming breath, he stood up and crossed his flat to answer the door.

"What?" he grumbled, not caring about his manners.

Harry stared at his visitors in shock and heard a sharp intake of breath behind him. What on earth was going on? Outside his door was a woman with dirty blonde hair and apple cheeks and…Neville?! His friend sent him a shy smile. "Hiya Harry."

"Neville." Whatever it was he needed he hoped it wouldn't take long.

When Harry didn't say anything else, his friend started to look uncomfortable. "Uh, can we come in?"

Dumbfounded, he stepped to the side and allowed them into his flat. To describe the scene as awkward would have been a gross understatement. Neville and his companion hovered near the wall of his flat, while he was rooted by the door, hand clutching the knob. Ginny remained standing a few feet from the couch and her face was a mask of confusion and anger.

Glancing at his companion again, Neville said, "Harry you remember Susan Bones, don't you?"

Recognition finally flitted into Harry's mind. "Susan. Of course! How are you?" What are you doing here?

"I'm fine, Harry. It's nice to see you again," she said politely. "We're sorry to barge in unannounced, but I really needed to speak to Ginny. Its work related."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "Fine," she spat. "Harry can we use your bedroom?"

"Sure," he shrugged, happier now that it looked like that wouldn't be staying long. "I have to go check on dinner anyway. Neville, you want to give me a hand?" he asked his friend.

"Oh, umm, okay," Neville replied and removed his cloak.

Ginny grabbed Susan's elbow, all but dragging her toward the bedroom. He wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that he heard her hissing something at Susan as they neared the doorway.

Harry shook his head as he watched the two witches disappear. "Here, follow me," he grumbled and walked into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and gave Neville an appraising look. "So you and Susan, huh? When did this happen?"

"Oh." Neville blushed, but smiled and met his gaze. "Ginny sort of introduced us the other day. I guess you could say this is our first date. I really should thank her for that."

They heard Ginny's raised voice from the other room and chuckled. "Yes, she's wonderful, isn't she? Come on. Help me with getting this food out there."

"What in bloody hell are you doing here?" Ginny spat seconds after the door closed behind them. She wasn't sure if she was madder at Susan interfering or such an amazing moment being interrupted.

"Making sure you don't make a huge mistake," Susan shot back.

"What mistake?"

"It sounded like you were coming here tonight to break things off with Harry. By the looks of it I came just in time. He didn't look too happy when he answered the door," Susan replied with a raised eyebrow.

"What gave you that idea?" After everything that happened last night and today, breaking up was definitely not an option.

Susan reached into her pocket and presented the note Ginny had sent her earlier that day. She unfolded the parchment and read, "I don't know what I was thinking when you two talked me into this. I can't go through with it and neither you nor Luna can make me. I have to end this madness." She crumpled up the note and stuffed it back into her robe. "You can't make hasty decisions like that, Ginny! Talk to me or Hermione about it."

Ginny had meant every word of that letter, but not once did she ever mention breaking up with Harry. She planned on finding Luna on Monday, or hopefully before that, and telling her under no circumstances could she continue. She'd resign if she had to.

"I'm a big girl, Susan. I don't need to run my decisions by either of you before I do anything," Ginny huffed.

Susan gave her a look of deep annoyance, which probably meant that her patience had all but run out. "I never meant that you were inept, Ginny. I just don't want you to make any hasty decisions, especially when you're extremely emotional."

"I am not emotional!" she almost shouted, stopping her foot.

Susan sat on the edge of Harry's bed. "Sure you're not. That's why you're minutes away from a tantrum."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. She'd never taken it well when anyone alluded to her acting like a child. It was something her brothers had always done when they were younger.

The door creaking open halted the conversation. Harry hesitantly stuck his head through the opening and asked, "How's work going?"

From the look on his face, he didn't look too sure that they were actually working. Ginny was sure he could tell how angry she was. She was about to tell him that they had just finished and Susan and Neville would be on their way when Susan stood up and walked between her and Harry, blocking Ginny from view.

"We just finished. I'm sorry about that. Needed to get things done before Monday, you know?" she answered politely, as Ginny stood frozen in shock behind her. She never knew Susan had it in her to lie so well.

"I didn't mean to hold up dinner," she continued. "Which by the way, Ginny invited us to stay for. I hope you don't mind."

Ginny's jaw dropped. What did she think she was doing? Her mind scrambled to find a way to undo what just happened, but nothing worked. How could she directly contradict her friend without looking like a liar?

"Oh. Um, sure. I'm sure the two of you have other work stuff to, uh, talk about."

Ginny's feet refused to work, so her view of Harry was still blocked by Susan. She wished she could have seen his face. From what she heard in his voice, he was confused but was being polite. More polite than she would have been.

"Then why don't you two follow me. The tables all set. I'll just grab two more plates."

As the four sat down at the dinner table, Harry was nervous there'd be an awkward silence. He didn't know Susan very well. She was in a few classes and the DA back in Hogwarts, but always kept to herself and her Hufflepuff classmates.

Ginny's sunny disposition was now blocked by a storm cloud. He wasn't sure what was said when they were in the bedroom, but he was sure it wasn't good. Neville had been just as confused as he was when he found out they were staying. When Susan had informed him of the invitation, a comical mix of disappointment and relief battled on his face.

Eager to fill the silence, Harry turned to the one person at the table that appeared completely at ease. "So, Susan, how do you and Ginny know each other?" he asked, hoping to get the conversation started.

"Oh! Ginny and I work together at The Quibbler," she bubbled. "We really didn't know each other all that well until Luna had us working on an article together."

"Oh, don't remind me!" Ginny grumbled. "What a terrible article. Thankfully it never ran. I hate Luna's crazy articles."

Harry always looked forward to reading her articles. "What was it about?" he asked.

"You know Luna," Susan laughed. "She'll ask Ginny to do these –" she cut off, glancing nervously between Harry and Ginny. "–these off-beat articles."

Harry tried to catch Ginny's eye, but she was staring purposefully at Susan as she continued to explain the article. Assuming that Ginny was embarrassed about the article, he switched the topic of conversation to their days at Hogwarts. If Harry was surprised by Susan's outgoing nature, it didn't match his shock to see the affectionate way Neville gazed at her.

An hour later all awkwardness had vanished as they passed the time reliving their "glory days," as Ginny had called it, at school. Susan was telling them amusing stories about what went on in the Hufflepuff common room. "We might have appeared quiet," she had said, "but we were great friends and we knew how to have a good time."

"Well, Harry," Neville said, "I never knew you could cook. I'm glad you made enough for all of us."

"Don't worry about it," Harry laughed. "You always make extra when you're cooking for a Weasley."

The sound of a loud thud from beneath the table was followed by a yelp of pain and a utensil clattering against a plate rang through the flat. Harry glanced around the table. Neville was looking as confused as he felt, but Susan was looking at Ginny with a worried look on her face. He saw Ginny's face scrunched up in what looked like pain. Her shoulders were hunched forward towards the table top.

Trying to figure out what happened, Harry replayed that last minute of conversation in his head. As he reached his last statement, his heart dropped and dread washed over him. Had he inadvertently insulted Ginny? He looked to her for a sign, and was horrified to see her eyes watering.

Helpless, he looked around the table again. Neville continued to stare at Ginny with a terrified expression on his face. Susan, on the other hand, gazed disapprovingly at Harry.

He sent her a silent plea for help.

"Apologize!" she mouthed back.

That kicked him into gear. "Ginny, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that."

Her head snapped up. "Wha? No, Harry I knew what you meant. Us Weasleys –"

"But I didn't mean it like that," he pressed. "It just slipped out. I wasn't thinking."

"Honestly, Harry," she argued. "It's fine. I'm not offended."

He could tell that she was trying to smile, but it was forced and she looked angry. He began to panic, thinking she was just saying that to avoid a scene. He wasn't about to let it go, if it meant she would continue to be angry with him.

"You're not fat!" he blurted out, sending a ripple of reactions around the table. Ginny's eyes opened wide and he heard Susan gasp. Neville started choking on his food. Harry wanted to sink into his chair. "Oh Merlin," he whimpered, burying his head into the palms of his hands. "This is all coming out all wrong."

When he looked up, he saw Ginny's hands covering her mouth and her shoulders shaking. Thinking she was crying, he shot out of his chair and knelt next to her. As he got closer to her, he looked into her eyes. They were dry and bright.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and tried to hold back a giggle. "This isn't funny, I know it's not. You just looked funny."

She grasped both of his hands tightly, trying to look serious despite the smile. "It's really ok, Harry. I'm not mad at all."

"Not at all?" he pressed.

"Not one bit," she insisted. "Now stop trying to fix something that isn't broken before you put the other foot in your mouth.

Still unsure of her feelings, he nodded in agreement and slid back into his seat.

"Well, I'm going to go use the loo," Ginny said and stood up from the table. "If you talk about me while I'm gone, only say good things!"

Harry watched her leave the room, wondering why she walked with a slight limp. He looked back at his dinner companions. Neville stared at the seat Ginny vacated, shell shocked. Susan still wore her slightly disapproving expression. Worried that Susan was still angry on her friend's behalf he whispered, " I didn't mean…I don't think…iShe's not fat!/i"

"Tell her that, Harry!" Susan hissed back. "Make it crystal clear how wonderful you think she is."

"I did! She seemed ok with it."

"Still," Susan insisted. "Maybe I should go see if she's ok."

"No!" Harry protested as he jumped out of his seat and made his way around the corner. He didn't want Ginny to think he didn't care, especially if Susan was the one to fix things. "I'll go."

"Ginny," Harry hesitantly knocked on the door. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Positive!" she called back. She sounded fine, but Susan made him doubt himself. He glanced behind him and saw Susan standing at the end of the hallway. She motioned for him to continue.

"Maybe we should talk about this some more." He hesitated, feeling awkward talking in front of Susan, but at her insistent nod he continued with, "I think you're beautiful, you know."

The sounds of things clattering against the floor of the bathroom and Ginny swearing carried through the door. Without stopping to think, he tried the doorknob and was surprised to find it unlocked. His foot barely crossed the threshold when he realized that this was the wrong thing to do. He was magically propelled backwards and the door was slammed shut. A distinctive click told him she had locked it.

"I'm sorry Harry, but really!" Her voice carried an exasperated tone. "You can't just…walk in on a girl."

Ginny bent down and picked up the things she had knocked off Harry's sink and winced. Merlin Susan kicked her hard. She finished peeling off her trousers and sat down on the edge of the tub to examine her shin.

iI'm going to kill her for this/i she thought furiously. The hard toe of her friends shoe had somehow cut her leg. She had hoped to find something to help her heal the wound, but his cabinets proved to be unhelpful.

She knew what Susan was trying to do. They had talked about the possibility of using the foolproof "Do you think I'm fat" argument in detail. Apparently her friend had thought this was the perfect opportunity to put the plan into motion.

Well, she certainly put an end to that plan. She felt a bit smug that she had successfully deflected the fight despite her friend's best efforts.

Now the only thing she had to worry about was cleaning up this cut. She flexed her leg and couldn't help letting out a small groan of pain.

By now, Harry was ignoring any helpful hints Susan was supplying. "You're right. Sorry. Again. He rested his forehead against the door. "I keep mucking this up. But I think that if we just talk about-"

A groan came from the other side of the door. He nearly tried to open it again, fearing she was hurt, but thought better of it. "This is an extremely awkward conversation to have through a bathroom door, do you know that?" she called.

"Probably, but-"

"I mean this in the nicest way possible, I promise. Please, for the life of me, shut your bloody gob! I'm not mad, but if you keep it up I will be."

Knowing when to quit, he sent out another apology, leaned silently against the wall across from the doorway and waited. Susan had disappeared around the corner to join Neville in the dining room.

After what seemed like an eternity, Ginny opened the door and leaned against the doorway with a raised eyebrow. Jumping at the chance, Harry pushed off against the wall and held out his hands in supplication. "You know I meant what I said before. Not the part about eating a lot – although there's nothing wrong with a healthy appetite." Harry inwardly smacked himself. Why didn't he have a filter on his mouth tonight? "You're beautiful. Perfect. I wouldn't change a thing."

She must have noticed his silent berating of himself, because a smirk formed on her face as she remained standing in the doorway. "And what if I gain weight, huh? Are you going to toss me to the side for some brainless Quidditch groupie?"

Harry took a step forward and held her hands in his. "Ginny, you've been gorgeous since you were thirteen years old," he echoed Neville's earlier words, "and you've only gotten more beautiful over the years. In fact, I thought it was impossible, but I every time I see you, you get prettier. You could shave your head or grow to the size of Madame Maxime, and you'd still be beautiful."

"Do you really mean that or are you still trying to dig yourself out of that unnecessary hole?" she asked softly.

He reached out and cupped her cheek. "Every word of it."

Ginny leaned into his hand and sighed. His heart began beating faster as he watched a slow smile form on her lips. They stayed like that, caught in each other's gaze until a crash from the other room startled them. For the second time that night, Neville had interrupted them, and it was beginning to wear on Harry's patience.

Sensing Harry's mood, Neville repaired the picture frame he knocked over and began apologizing profusely. "Oh Merlin, I'm sorry Harry. I'm all thumbs it seems. At least they're green!" He chuckled weakly at his own joke. "Er, why is the frame empty?"

Harry snatched the frame out of his friends grasp and tucked it on a high shelf away from clumsy hands. He still hadn't returned the picture of Ginny and him to the frame. "Just haven't got around to putting a picture in there."

Susan came to stand next to Neville. "I think we'll be heading out soon. Good night you two."

As they bade farewell as the new couple, Ginny warned Susan that they still had things they had to talk about regarding her latest article. Susan's face was unreadable, but then again who would look forward to discussing work?

After clearing off the table, Ginny rested against the counter and absently watched the scrub brushes cleaning the dishes. "I'd love to be a bug on the wall when Neville says good night to Susan.

Taking a spot next to her against the counter, Harry nudged her hip with his own. "I heard you were responsible for that."

"Hardly," Ginny confessed. "All they needed was a chance to talk. They did all the work themselves." She stifled a yawn. "Sorry. It's surprising how sleeping all day could make you tired."

"I thought you spent all day worrying about me."

"When I was awake I worried. I slept in because I didn't get much sleep the night before," she explained and gave him a significant look.

Harry's mind wandered to the conversation they were having before they were interrupted. "How long were you here last night?"

"Long enough," she answered as her cheeks flushed. Ginny ducked her head and her hair blocked her rosy complexion from view.

Not having any of that, Harry reached out and brushed her hair behind her shoulder. "Did I ever thank you for taking care of me last night?"

"You might have mentioned it," she said and turned to face him. Her cheeks were still red, but she seemed to get over that. "You really shouldn't thank me since I was the cause of all that. Still, it was fun to find out that you look like a four-year-old when you sleep. Complete with stuffed animal."

"Witch," he grumbled and tried to grab her, but she danced out of his grasp.

Ginny laughed and sauntered into the other room and picked up her cloak. "I hate to cut this short, but I should be going too. Early day and everything."

She shrugged on her cloak and pulled out her wand. Once she was situated she faced Harry with a thoughtful expression. "I noticed the plant I gave you looked a bit wilted. There's a pamphlet on what it needs to grow somewhere around here. Probably stuck to the bottom of the pot."

He nodded and made a mental note to look for it later. He didn't want to kill her gift.

"I guess this is good night." Even as she said it, she sounded reluctant.

"I'll owl you in the morning," he promised. Ginny gave him a tight hug and a lingering kiss on the cheek before stepping away

Harry wanted to tell her to stay longer, but she was right about it getting late. He remembered her telling Susan that she still had to owl her some things. After gazing at Harry for a few moments, she sighed and made her way to the front door.

Harry picked up his pace so that he caught her right as she reached the front door of his flat. They stood in the doorway of his flat as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered in her ear, "Oh and Ginny? Don't sell yourself short. You're a thousand times better than any stuffed animal."

Immense satisfaction washed over him as he watched her blush one more time.