Harry, Ron, and Hermione jumped so quickly Harry felt like he had jumped right out of his skin. He hadn't seen anyone in the room but it seems someone had been there, and whoever it was that person was waiting for them. At first he thought it was Molly judging by the tone, but then she stepped out of the corner revealing herself. It was Ginny.
"Bit late to be going on night time strolls isn't it," said Ginny but Harry could hear the sarcasm in her voice.
"How did you even know we were out," asked Harry, had she seen them leave earlier and had been waiting all this time for them to come back.
"Oh come on Harry, don't play dumb with me," said Ginny frowning. "You three have such a reputation of sneaking around places and the three of you staying up later than everyone else down here may not look that suspicious to some, but as far as I'm concerned you might as well write it on the walls because it's so obvious that you three are up to something."
"We weren't sneaking around anywhere," said Ron nervously. "We, er, thought the moon was shining brightly tonight and that we would go out and enjoy it.
Ginny walked over to the window and looked out into the sky. "Oh really, then perhaps you could point out the moon to me then Ron," said Ginny.
"It's right there, isn't it," said Ron pointing out the back window.
Ginny continued to look like she was looking out the window for the moon, though Harry could tell she wasn't really looking.
"Where Ron, I can't seem to find it," said Ginny.
Ron walked over to the window and looked out himself and saw that it was an overcast night, not a single star could be seen, much less the moon.
"Well, where is it Ron," Ginny asked again.
"Er, I guess it's gone now that the clouds have passed in front of it," said Ron trying to keep his voice casual.
"Yes, or maybe you're a very bad liar and you should tell me what you three were really doing," said Ginny dropping her mock voice.
"Ginny, I'm very sorry but we can't tell you where we were or what we were doing," said Harry and then braced himself for the yelling that he knew was about to follow.
"Silencio," Harry heard Hermione say, and feeling very thankful that she had thought of that before Ginny woke up all of England.
"Well I wasn't going to yell but if Hermione's going to make it so that nobody can hear me but you three I guess I might as well then," said Ginny, and Harry then saw Hermione put a look of regret on her face.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE STILL KEEPING SECRETS FROM ME HARRY JAMES POTTER! I'M GETTING BLOODY TIRED OF YOU NOT TELLING ME STUFF AND JUST LEAVING ME ON THE SIDELINE TO DO NOTHING WHEN I CAN BE HELPING YOU. I WANT TO BE APART OF WHATEVER YOU THREE ARE DOING BECAUSE I KNOW WHATEVER IT IS IT'S TO DO WITH VOLDEMORT AND FIGHTING HIM. NOW ARE YOU GOING TO TELL ME OR DO I HAVE TO GO WAKE UP MUM AND DAD AND TELL THEM ABOUT YOU THREE SNEAKING OFF, AND YES I WILL GO UP THERE AND TELL THEM RIGHT NOW IF YOU DON'T START TALKING."
Harry was downright terrified, and a quick look at Ron and Hermione told him that they were just as much as he was. What could he do, would Ginny really tell Molly and Arthur that they were sneaking off if he didn't tell her what they were up to. Trying to do some really quick thinking he looked at Ron and Hermione for help, but could see that they were struggling with the exact same question.
"You've got five seconds to start talking before I walk upstairs," said Ginny as she turned to the staircase. "One."
Harry was now panicking, what to do, what to do.
"Two."
He had sworn he wouldn't get her involved, he had made a promise to himself to not put her in any more danger than she already was.
"Three."
But then again she was the one that he felt more safe talking to anyone on the whole planet, and she was a very strong and spirited fighter.
"Four."
'I guess I'll just have to take this chance, as much as I don't want to, because I can't let anyone else find out if I can avoid it,' Harry thought in his mind.
"Five. That's it, I'm going to wake up mum and dad," said Ginny starting to walk towards the stairs.
Harry reached out to grab her arm lightly and hold her back. Ginny turned around and looked up at him, waiting for him to say anything.
"Okay Ginny, I'll tell you where we were and what we were up to," said Harry.
Ginny smiled at him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
"But, it'll have to wait until tomorrow, it'll take too long to explain now and Ron, Hermione and I really want to get some sleep after the night we just had, but I give you my word that tomorrow night after everyone else goes to sleep I'll tell you everything, okay."
Ginny turned around and looked at Ron and Hermione and did notice that they did seem extremely tired and they did look like they'd had a very long night, so she looked back to Harry and nodded.
"Okay Harry, but if you try to squirm out of telling me anything now that you've told me you would you'll find yourself wishing you could be standing in front of a dragon again instead of in front of me," said Ginny with a threatening stare.
Harry simply smiled and gave her a soft kiss on the lips to tell her that he would never brake any promise he made her. She smiled at him and put her arms around his neck and they held each other for a minute. Harry pulled back from her and gazed down into her lovely brown eyes.
"Will I ever be able to have a day without having to worry about doing anything that involves saving people," said Harry smiling down at her.
Ginny gave him another quick kiss on the lips before answering.
"I promise you that you will once this whole thing is over with," said Ginny suggestively.
With that the four of them all went upstairs quietly and into their respective rooms, boys together and girls together. Harry then remembered that Ron and Hermione wanted to have a talk about what had happened after the cave had nearly fallen on them and they shared that kiss.
"I thought you were going to talk with Hermione," said Harry as he pulled his clothes off and slipped into his pajamas.
"It's too late, we said we'd talk tomorrow," said Ron as he climbed into his own bed. "Night' mate."
"Night," said Harry.
The next afternoon Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all grabbed some food for lunch and a blanket. They had told everyone that they were going to have a picnic outside because it would be a more romantic spot to celebrate Ron and Hermione finally getting together. But this wasn't completely untrue, for they really did want to celebrate them finally getting together, it just wasn't the main point of them getting away from everyone else. They wanted to make sure they weren't overheard by anyone while they told Ginny what they had promised last night.
As they all settled down underneath a tree they started eating and just talking about teenage stuff for a few minutes, wanting to actually be able to enjoy a little time alone before things got serious. Ginny was laying down with her head in Harry's lap so that he could feed her grapes while she pretended to pout at him, while Ron and Hermione were sitting side by side, hips touching and all, with Hermione doing her very best to try to get Ron to be more polite while he ate, and failing miserably. After they all finished eating Harry took a look back to the Burrow to make sure nobody was coming towards them and also around the trees making sure nobody like the twins were spying on them. Convinced that the area was completely deserted except for the four of them he looked down and Ginny.
"Okay, you ready to hear the whole story?" asked Harry.
"Well I was quite comfortable where I was but I do really want to hear about this, and also seeing as you promised you'd tell me, might as well," said Ginny sitting up.
"Well you didn't need to sit up, I could have told you while you were down there," said Harry smiling at her.
Ginny lightly hit his arm and told him to just start talking.
And so Harry launched into the whole story just like he had told the Order when they said they wanted to join, only this time he didn't leave out the horcruxes. He told her about the prophecy, his lessons with Dumbledore last year, what the horcruxes were and what they did, how he and Dumbledore had gone to the cave the night Hogwarts was attacked, how they had been working since they got back from school on trying to find them, and about the very crazy events of the night before, plus how Hermione had saved Ron and how they got together after the shock was all over. The only thing Harry left out was his meeting with the stranger after the funeral and what he was planning to teach him when he felt the time was right. After Harry finished telling the story about a half hour later Ginny was looking at him with her eyes open so wide Harry felt that they could have rivaled a house elf's. She clearly had heard a lot more than she thought she was going to and was feeling scared for all of them.
"Oh Harry, I had no idea," said Ginny throwing her arms around him and pulling herself against him. "How could someone only seventeen years old live with that kind of weight on their backs.
"Well I do have a few things that distract me at times and makes it a lot easier," said Harry looking into her eyes and smiling.
Ginny then smiled back at him and wiped a tear from her eye. "Really, what do you have to distract you from all of that," said Ginny in mock tone.
"Well it has gorgeous red hair, beautiful brown eyes, it'll be sixteen in less than two weeks, and she makes me feel more alive than anything on this planet," said Harry putting his forehead against hers.
Letting a few more tears fall from her eyes Ginny moved in to close the gap between their mouths. They shared a few minutes of pure passion and love, letting everything else in the world be erased from their minds while they were like this. Harry could feel all the love in the world in their kiss as he pulled her closer to him. How he wished he never had to go on all these dangerous tasks and be the one that had to rid the world of Voldemort. There was nothing he wouldn't give to just be a normal teenager without a care in the world other than being with Ginny for the rest of his life. Right then he decided that as soon as this war was over and Voldemort was gone he would give Ginny the life with him he knew she had been praying for since she was ten. Ending the kiss Harry gazed into her bright brown eyes, seeing the love she had for him in them.
"I love you Ginny, so much," Harry whispered to her. This caused Ginny's eyes to explode with tears as he face got all puffy. But she was still smiling all the same, as if she had never heard anything so beautiful.
"I love you too Harry, more than my own life. I've waited since I was ten for you to tell me that you love me, I can't even begin to tell you how happy I am right now," Ginny said as more tears fell down her cheek. She reached to brush them away but Harry took her hand in his and told her to let them drop, that he felt her tears were proof of how much she loved him.
They had forgotten that Ron and Hermione were there but Ginny suddenly seemed to remember and looked over her shoulder, as if expecting Ron to start trying to tell them to quit it in front of him. But when she looked over at him she gasped when she saw him just sitting there smiling at them.
"What?" said Ron innocently.
"Aren't you going to tell me and Harry to stop acting so, as you like to say, disgusting and indecent in front of you like you always do," asked Ginny looking at her brother strangely.
"Now what kind of brother would I be to interrupt my sister when I can see how happy she is at the moment, that wouldn't be very nice of me would it," said Ron smiling.
Ginny then pulled her arms off Harry and turned around to look at Ron. "Okay who the hell are you and what have you done with my brother Ron, because the Ron I know is a complete ass and would never in a thousand years say anything like that to me when it came to me and a boy."
"That Ron isn't here anymore little sister. I've realized that you and Hermione are right and have always been right. I always have been a big prat to you whenever you had a boyfriend and I'm not going to interfere anymore. I can see how happy you are with Harry and that he really does love you and the last thing I want to do now is upset my little sister, I want her to be the happiest she can be."
Ginny stared at him in disbelief, how could her brother that had always been so rude to her when it came to boys suddenly become so mature. She got up and gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.
"Thank you Ron, I love you," said Ginny.
"I love you too little sis, just make sure you never do anything careless otherwise I'll regret ever changing like this," said Ron with a smile.
"I will, don't worry," said Ginny.
"Well, anyone else reckon it's about time we head back to the house," said Harry.
The other three nodded and got up. With a little wave of her wand Hermione folded up the blanket and Ron carried it back to the house while holding her hand and Harry walked with his arm around Ginny's waist. 'To be loved like this is breathtaking' Harry thought to himself.
When they got back to the Burrow Harry went up to Ron's room to grab the chess set so he could have a match with Ron, and of course lose just like the hundred times before. But when he got up there he found an envelope addressed to him. Wondering why it hadn't come this morning during breakfast he picked it up and opened it. As he opened it he saw there was no name.
Harry,
I see that you have found the first of the remaining horcruxes, congratulations.
'WHAT,' Harry thought to himself, who could be writing to him that knew about the horcruxes and that he had destroyed one.
I can see that you definitely are the one they call "The Chosen One" in the Daily Prophet. You must not slack off though; you must find the next horcrux as soon as possible. After you have found the next one, be ready to meet me again, for that will be the time for me to start your training, as I explained to you the last time we met.
"It's from that stranger, but does this mean that he's been following me,' Harry asked himself in his mind.
You must hurry now and complete your mission so that we may begin your training; for the sooner I am able to train you the sooner you may defeat Voldemort and end this world wide nightmare. I'm sorry that I still cannot tell you exactly who I am but I assure you I will tell you everything when the right time comes. Burn this letter after you read it, I still wish not to be known by anyone other than you for the time being. Until we meet in the future,
A friend.
P.S. Keep that female red head friend of yours close to you, you're going to need her with you more than you know.
Harry let the letter drop from his hands onto the bed with disbelief. How could this stranger be keeping such a close watch on him without Harry knowing. Did he perhaps have an invisibility cloak and he'd been following him ever since they met back by the Black Lake. He sure would have a lot of questions to ask him when he met him again in the future. Picking the letter back up in one hand he pulled out his wand and lit it on fire like the letter had asked him to do. He still wasn't fully sure he could trust this stranger, but decided that he would still keep his existence a secret for now.
