Chapter 7

The entrance to the Rue Magique was just as different from Diagon Alley as it could be. The tiny little park where the sculpture stood felt almost like a forest in the middle of the city. The trees were large and overgrown, shielding iron benches forgotten by time, and an overgrowth of ivy. Harry felt almost like he was stepping into the Forbidden Forest. The air was moist and heavy with the perfume of plant life.

"For most people, they either wouldn't notice this park, or it would seem abandoned to them," Ginny said as she led Harry down a crooked path that was upheaved with tree roots. The hair on the back of his neck stood up and Harry looked around, sure someone was watching them.

"Here's Claudine."

Ginny pulled the ivy back to reveal a carved statue of a sad looking woman. She'd been young and beautiful, but time had worn the stone down until it was pockmarked and green with patina.

Harry had accused Ginny of being proud like Claudine last night during their argument. He looked between the two witches now, trying to see the similarities and differences. Ginny was arguably much prettier, and not just because she was real. Her hair was escaping from the twist she'd had it in this morning, rustled by the breeze as they'd ridden the bicycle all around Paris. The urge to reach up and smooth it back down was great. He lifted his hand and did so, hoping she wouldn't hex him.

"How do we enter?"

She seemed caught, looking up at him in the green-grey light of the park. "Tap your wand."

"Where?"

"Anywhere."

Harry turned and realized that he was face to face with a rather precarious part of Claudine's anatomy. He hadn't noticed before. His face heated and he cleared his throat, looking down at his shoes when Ginny chuckled.

When he looked back up, there was a look in her eye, a sort of sparkle that was almost a challenge. Harry lifted this wand, not even bothering to look away from Ginny as he tapped it right onto Claudine's chest.

Claudine sucked in a breath and growled at him, but the iron gate next to her creaked open. "Scoundrel!"

"That might be my best memory of the day, right there," Ginny said as they walked through the gate.

Harry laughed and took her hand in his, determined not to let her pull away again. "You enjoyed that too much."

"You molested that witch, Harry."

"Hardly. I don't think you can call it molesting if it's just your wand."

"Tell that to Claudine," Ginny quipped. "She felt horribly violated."

Harry pulled her in closer and swallowed thickly as Ginny's arm brushed against his chest. There was a heavy moment that passed between them. Harry glanced down at her lips, wishing he could gather the nerve to just kiss her. He'd wanted to since the first moment he'd seen her this morning, with her hair twisted up on top of her head, held there by her wand, and cherries from her pastry on the edge of her lip.

"She enjoyed it."

Ginny scoffed and pushed him away, but Harry held tight to her hand. "Tell me about this place," he said. She'd been talking all day, opening up a part of her that he'd never imagined existed. He felt like he might be able to listen to her talk forever and never get tired of hearing her voice.

As she gave the history of the street, Harry turned to face it. The similarities to Diagon Alley were there. It was, after all, a shopping market. People bustled along the cobbled street, speaking in the fluid French that he'd come to think not so nasal and annoying anymore, particularly when Ginny spoke it.

The shops were tall, stretching several stories and most had colorful awnings that reached out into the sidewalk: striped pink and red, blue and yellow, green and gold. Everywhere Harry looked was opulence-iron scrollwork decorated the balconies above the shops, ornate columns and cornices held up signs embellished with gold paint. He saw shops that he recognized, like Madam Pimpernelle's and Gambol and Japes, but also new stores like St. Martin's Potions Boutique, Courtemante Chaudrons, and Baguette's: Fine Wands Since 385 A.D.

"...the flats here are-"

"Wait. Flats?" Harry looked past the signs and upward to where Ginny was pointing. The iron balconies were apparently attached to expensive flats that looked out over the street.

"-far too expensive for the normal witch or wizard to afford," Ginny continued. "They cost more per month than I make in a year."

Harry gave them a dismissive look. "I like your flat," he said and then stammered to cover himself. "I mean, what I've seen of it. I'd like to see more."

Ginny stopped speaking and looked at him, that challenging look back in her eyes. "Oh, really?"

"Not what I meant," he said. He rubbed the back of his neck and couldn't stop a laugh from erupting. "Merlin, I can't seem to say anything right."

"You're cute when you blush, Harry." Ginny moved a step forward, tugging Harry with her. "Come on, let's explore."

Xxxxx

They spent the rest of the afternoon looking in every single shop. Harry tried to back out of the fancy lingerie shop, Dentelle Et Boutons, but Ginny pulled him in and then proceeded to try and make his eyes pop out of his head by asking his opinion of various colors of lacy things. Harry's mind was already struggling since the whole Claudine incident. Imagining Ginny in things like this...

"Alright, Harry, I get the clue."

"What?"

Ginny laughed and pulled him out into the street again. "I won't tease you anymore."

Harry adjusted his collar and made sure his fringe was down over his scar, in case someone happened to see Harry Potter coming out of a place like that. When Ginny continued to laugh, Harry pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her back and linking his fingers.

"A bloke can only take so much, Ginny."

She looked like she might push him even further, but thankfully let it go. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes."

They stood in the middle of the Rue Magique, Harry holding Ginny to him, her hands twisted in the lapels of his jacket, and watched each other. Slowly, and uncaring if anyone saw, Harry leaned in and kissed her. The moment grew long and as much as Harry wanted to deepen the kiss, propriety reminded him that they were in the middle of the sidewalk, where anyone could gawk at them or take a photograph. Ginny didn't need that.

She pulled away first. "Harry-"

"Let's get something to eat." He took her hand and walked toward the first restaurant he saw, tugging her with him. Maybe it had been folly to kiss her, but Harry couldn't bring himself to regret it. It felt right.

Xxxxx

They ate dinner while avoiding the hippogriff in the room. Harry'd allowed Ginny to order for him-as long as it's not snails, please!-and had enjoyed whatever it was she'd chosen off the menu. They'd had wine, also, but not as much as when they'd been at her flat. Harry paced himself. He already felt on edge and didn't need any encouragement to press further than Ginny was willing to go.

In truth, Harry didn't know what he was doing, anyway. Did he like Ginny? Yes. Did he love her? He had no idea. It wasn't a practical idea, since they'd only really known each other for less than forty-eight hours again. He only knew that he wanted to spend time with her, preferably with kissing on the menu.

There were still so many hurdles to get over and Harry pushed them to the back of his mind. If he had limited time with Ginny-a sure thing since his return portkey to England left tomorrow afternoon-then he didn't want to spend it second guessing every move. He wanted to enjoy the time with her, learn more about her.

They walked back down the Rue Magique together. Ginny had tried to protest Harry's hand holding, but Harry had stayed firm and she'd given in. Minutes later, her fingers had tangled with his and Harry felt she was the one clinging to him, not the other way around.

"This is one of the approved apparition points," Ginny said, pointing to the streetlamp that had a little symbol of crossed wands hidden in a fancy fleur de lis. "They're in various places around the city."

"Seriously? They expect people to be able to find those?!" The symbol was small and easily overlooked.

"In the countryside, it's far less regulated. I think it's something to do with the sheer number of tourists. The French Ministry is rather…"

"Don't I know it," he grumbled. "You should have seen the way they went through my suitcase. Flashed my unmentionables about like a surrender flag."

Ginny snorted and Harry took the chance to wrap his arms around her again, rocking them side to side.

"Try living here and retaining my British citizenship," she said. "Every year I'm forced to fill out dozens of papers and get all sorts of documentation that I plan to stay, that I'm being a productive citizen, and that I'm not trying to subvert their government or magical authority, or something."

Harry thought about that. He'd never considered that Ginny would have kept her citizenship. Did that mean that one day she'd planned to come back? It was on the tip of his tongue to ask when Ginny went up on her toes and kissed him.

Since they were closer to the entrance of the Rue, out of the way of general traffic, Harry deepened the kiss, holding her to him. He'd never felt like this, slightly out of control but feeling everything at once.

There was a nagging thought in the back of his mind that maybe Ginny had figured out a way to avoid talking to him. It was pushed to the side, however, when Ginny broke away and whispered to him.

"Apparate us to my flat?"

"Ginny-"

"Just tonight, Harry. You go home tomorrow, right?"

He tried to clear his mind. "Yeah, but… We need to talk."

"We can," she said as she kissed along his jaw line. "Later."

He wasn't completely convinced, but her hands tugged at him, pulling him impossibly closer. Harry kissed her one more time, ignoring someone who whistled as they passed on the sidewalk.

"I need...I need to concentrate," he finally mumbled. Not all of his parts were in agreement, but he mentally promised them that this was a better idea. At Ginny's flat they could slow things down and talk. He could bring up the revelations from the other night and maybe convince her that hiding in France was no way to go through life. And then there was the whole dark magic thing… She needed to know about horcruxes and that there was no lingering darkness in her.

Ginny pressed her face to Harry's chest and clung to him. "I'm ready."

With determination, destination, and deliberation in his mind, Harry apparated them out of the Rue.

Xxxxx

Ginny was in no mood to talk when they arrived. She kissed him again even before he had opened his eyes. Even though it was difficult, he tried to do a mental inventory, making sure all the distracted parts had made it along with them. When everything checked in, Harry allowed himself a few minutes to enjoy the kiss.

"Ginny-"

"Take this off." She pulled at his jacket. There was a sort of manic brightness in her eyes when he looked down at her.

"-we need to-"

"Please, Harry. Take it off."

He did what she asked, and Ginny removed her coat and tossed her bag to the side. His jacket made a loud 'thump' sound when he tossed it and he winced, having forgotten about his oranges in the pocket.

"We need to talk," he said.

"Talking is overrated. Let's just kiss."

He shook his head, more to clear it than to protest. He'd never expected to hear those words from a witch directed toward him.

"But we need to-"

"Harry, I want you to make love to me. I'm asking you to."

His mind went blank. "I…"

"Do you not want to?" She removed several pin-thingy's from the twist in her hair and shook her head, making the hair cascade down her back and over her shoulders.

"Erm…"

"Because I thought that was what you wanted." Slowly, she began removing parts of her clothing, one button at a time. "I could have sworn I felt-"

"No," he burst out. "I mean...yes, but…" He licked his lips, unable to tear his eyes from the pale skin of her chest, being slowly revealed. "Talking. We need to-"

"No talking." Ginny slid her arms out of the shirt she'd been wearing and dangled it from one finger before letting it slip to the floor.

Harry stared at her. The main part of his brain had closed down completely. All he could think about was what he was seeing. He didn't care anymore that this was probably a bad idea.

When Ginny turned around and fiddled with her bra strap-undoing it with one hand-Harry was lost. He followed her to her bedroom and closed the door behind them.