Chapter 7

Harry took his time adding wood to the fire. He just didn't know if he could go back to the bed with Ginny, even though the warm blankets and the idea of Ginny's warm body pressed against him was more than a little appealing. He had never been so embarrassed in his life. He remembered how tightly he had been holding her earlier, how he had stretched and pressed against her before he was fully awake. From the small squeak that she gave and the shocked expression on her face he knew she had felt his...well, yeah. How was he supposed face her now? He was sure that it was a natural response to waking up with a naked girl in his arms, hell, he often had the same response when he was in bed - alone. Guys just do. It's a waking up thing, but how could he tell Ginny that?

'Gee, sorry that I had a hard on when I woke up, Gin, but it had nothing to do with you. Happens all the time.' That would go over really well. He'd seen the hurt look on her face when Ron had made his last comment. As if it only being Ginny made any difference to Harry. She wasn't his sister after all.

She had actually felt very pleasant in his arms; warm and soft in all the right places. But these weren't the thoughts to be thinking if he was ever going to get back into bed with her. He looked down at the hearth rug - it didn't look too comfortable, but if he took one of the duvets he could curl up in that, and if he stayed close enough to the fire he might avoid the worst of the draft coming in from the door. It wasn't as appealing as Ginny, but it might be safer. Not that he would ever try anything with Ginny - especially with three of her brothers in the room. He just didn't want to embarrass himself any further. It had felt so nice to wake up with her....

"Harry," Ginny's soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "Come back to bed."

A strange prickling sensation ran through his body and centered somewhere in the pit of his stomach at her whispered words. He knew she was only speaking so softly because she didn't want her brothers to overhear. He knew that she didn't mean to sound so...sexy. She was only 14...almost 15 years old. She wasn't doing it on purpose, but Harry couldn't stop himself from reacting. No, no, he told himself. It was much better that he sleep in front of the fire. Much safer. Definitely.

"I, uh..." he began, his voice cracking for the first time in months. He was sure he heard one of the twins laughing softly as he cleared his throat nervously. "I can stay...here. The rug's not bad and I can, uh, take a blanket and..." He continued to stare into the fire, his body strangely hot and cold. Cold despite the fire not a foot in front of him; hot from his reaction to Ginny, only 10 feet away - waiting for him in bed - naked.

"Harry," she responded, sounding slightly exasperated with him. He could just imagine the way she would be rolling her eyes, her head cocked slightly to left as she looked at him. "Even with the fire going it's freezing in here...and you're only wearing a towel."

That's brilliant Gin, he thought absently, feeling his cheeks flush, let's just state the obvious. And what exactly are you wearing? Oh, that's right - nothing! He swallowed hard. Yes, definitely better to stay here. "Well..." he started, trying to think of something that would convince her that he actually wanted to sleep on the hearth rug. Maybe she hadn't felt his...arousal and she didn't know how awkward he felt.

"You didn't mind being in bed with me earlier," she said softly in a slightly hurt tone. "What's changed now?"

Oh great, now he had hurt her feelings. He had seen how hurt and angry she had been by Ron's 'only Ginny,' comment, and now he was only adding to it by avoiding her. "Well, you... you're awake now," he stammered, a shiver running through his body "and warm..and it's not, well, I don't...uh..."

"Harry...." she pouted. Harry couldn't help glancing over at her.

He'd known her long enough to recognize the petulant expression on her face, and the twinkle in her eyes. She was teasing him. The little imp knew exactly how embarrassed he was - and why - yet she was practically taunting him.

"Harry, you great prat," Fred called out. "For the last time, get in bed with my sister! It's your job to keep her warm. If she comes down with so much as a sniffle because you're being so noble, we will hold you personally responsible and deal with you accordingly."

Harry looked over at Ginny, his eyebrow raised in question. That sounded like an order to him. Ginny grinned shyly back, patting the bed next to her.

"Just mind where you put your hands, Potter," George called out. Both he and Fred started laughing.

Ginny blushed as red as Harry had ever seen her. "Sod off you two." She looked over at Harry. "Well, it's looks like it's your duty..."

"Yeah," Harry smiled, winking at Ginny, though he couldn't control the blush that was covering his features. "If I must." He bent down to add one more log to the fire.

Fred had to get in one last barb. "Don't hurt him, Gin. Leave that to us."

"Mind your own business!" Ginny called back. "At least I'm concisous, while poor Angelina is still out cold. Some hero you turned out to be."

Fred sat up on his elbow, looking speculatively at Harry now. "So then, O Wise One," he asked. "What exactly did you do to get Ginny to wake up? Kiss her? Is that why she kicked you out of bed?"

Harry rolled his eyes, knowing that Fred was just teasing him, and tried to react smoothly, but failed miserably as he blushed even more. "No, I didn't...."

"Leave him alone, already," Ron said grumpily, coming to his friend's rescue again. "The poor git can't turn any redder. Now can we please go back to sleep? It's the middle of the night, for pete's sake!"

"But Ron," George whined, drawing at his brother's name in a sing-song voice. "We want to know."

Ginny fell back onto the bed in exasperation, staring up at the ceiling in obvious frustration. "I just woke up. Harry didn't do anything. Now go to sleep and leave us alone." She turned her head to look at Harry, her red hair spread all around her head and shoulders like fire. "Sorry," she mouthed softly to him.

Harry stared at her for a moment, mesmerized by the sight she made, pale skin and fiery hair. "No problem," he finally responded with a small smile. If she could bluster through this, then so could he. "It's actually a relief to hear them joking around again. They weren't earlier and...well, it kind of scared me," he said, shrugging slightly. "It had to be serious if Fred and George weren't cracking jokes." He started walking to the bed.

"Uh, Harry," Ginny said, sitting up in bed again, the duvet clutched to her chest. "While you're over there...are any of my clothes dry? My feet are freezing and, well, some underwear would be nice." Harry noticed her downcast eyes and red cheeks. Yes, he agreed silently, underwear would be very nice.

He turned and walked over to the mantle, checking the clothes. "All the socks are pretty wet, but your uh, underwear is, uh dry," he swallowed awkwardly, holding the white cotton item gingerly. "Your bra is still pretty damp though, but if you want..."

Ginny gave an exaggerated shudder. "No, I don't want to put on anything that's damp. I'm cold enough as it is."

"You're cold?" Harry asked.

Ginny nodded. "Well, yes. It's drafty in here - as I'm sure you've noticed. And, well," she stammered. "You were keeping me pretty warm."

He walked over and handed her her underwear. "Well, I don't want you to catch a sniffle," he smiled. He turned around so that she could put them on, trying not to think about what she was doing as he listened to the rustling of the duvets.

"Do I want to know how you were able to pick out my underwear and bra from the selection hanging over there, Mr Potter?" Ginny teased him, her voice barely above a whisper.

Harry smiled softly but didn't turn to face her yet. "Well, someone had to be the one to take it off you, Miss Weasley," he replied smoothly through his embarrassment.

"Oh..." Ginny stammered, her cheeks turning pink once again as she thought about what he had just said. She smirked up at him. "I guess I deserved that, didn't I?" she said softly. He had finally gotten her back for her little 'Come to bed' routine. She cleared her throat. "I'm, uh, ready...if you want to get in bed now."

"'Bout bloody time!" Fred called.

"Shut it, Fred," Ginny called back, smiling.

Trying to control his shivers, Harry sat down on the bed beside her. It was one thing to bluster through all her teasing, it was a totally different matter to actually get in bed with her. "Uh, how...?" he whispered. "There's not much room."

Ginny, still perched on one elbow looked up at him shyly. "Well, we could do it like before, or we could...uh...spoon." She started blushing again. "I don't think there's enough room for both of us to lie on our backs and besides, that isn't very warm."

Harry reclined gingerly, trying not to focus on the warm body inches away from him. "Spoon?" he asked softly. He had no idea what she was talking about.

Ginny didn't give a response but turned over, her back to him. Oh no, Harry thought in a mild panic. I've said something to upset her. But before he could think of apologizing for whatever his slight was, Ginny began wiggling back towards him, grabbing his right arm and dragging it over her side so that his hand rested, entwined with hers, under her chin. Somewhat shocked by her movements, Harry realized his forearm was resting between her breasts. "Harry, you're freezing," she said, chaffing his arm softly and wiggling against him some more.

Awkwardly, Harry slid an arm under her head and pulled her closer to his chest. He couldn't hold back his sigh of contentment. "God, Gin, you are so warm."

Ginny giggled softly. "Well my feet aren't!" She shift her legs against his, straightening her bottom leg down and backwards until Harry had no choice but to lay his left leg over her bottom leg rather than fall off the bed. She was now effectively sitting on his lap, his body leaning onto hers, touching from hip to toe. Harry shuddered, but it wasn't from the cold. So long as she stopped wiggling he would be fine, he thought hopefully. And so long as he kept his mind occupied with...other things, like Snape, and potions, and...Snape.

She yelped softly when Harry's cold foot came into contact with her shin.

"Sorry," Harry muttered into her hair, shifting his foot away.

"S'alright," Ginny replied, smiling softly.

They settled down, letting their bodies slowly warm up. Both enjoying the presence of the other. After a while, Harry no longer had to recite potions ingredients. His body had become used to Ginny's and she had stopped wiggling her bottom, so he didn't think he'd embarrass himself anytime soon.

"Ginny?" he whispered later, unable to sleep.

"Yes?"

"Do you really not remember what happened?"

Ginny sighed, her fingers absently playing with his. "No, I don't. I remember getting to the grotto and playing around, and then deciding to leave. Then the next thing I remember is waking in a panic because I was in bed - naked - with someone!" she laughed softly, her breath tickling the sensitive skin on the back of Harry's hand.

Harry felt himself blushing. "Sorry about that. It was Fred and George's idea. It seemed the best way to get you warm. We couldn't just stand around in wet clothes..."

"I know Harry," Ginny replied, squeezing his hand. "I'm not complaining. You did what you had to do and I'm grateful. And so are my brothers - no matter what they say." Harry didn't respond, but tightened his hold on her briefly. "How'd we get here?" Ginny finally asked after a few minutes.

Harry shuddered slightly at the fear he had felt, when he had first entered the empty grotto. Until now he hadn't really had time to process the emotions he had been feeling. He had been too busy staying alive and warm to think about anything else. And when he had finally warmed up, he was too exhausted to do anything but sleep. But now.....

"I was so scared, Ginny," he finally admitted softly. "We heard you guys screaming and when we got there, not 10 seconds later, you were just...gone. Clothes, robes, towels...just scattered everywhere, but no sign of any of you. And then we found the tunnel, it was...it reminded me..." he paused, unsure of whether he should tell her or not, but Ginny squeezed his hand encouragingly. "It was like the tunnel to the Chamber of Secrets," he finally admitted, "but much, much longer." This time Ginny shuddered involuntarily, and Harry held her tightly. "In the end we got dumped into a lake...and there you were...floating in the water. Not moving."

He pressed his face into her hair, breathing deeply. It smelled slightly murky, from the lake, but there was still that underlying scent of apples that was Ginny. It was refreshingly alive and vibrant to his senses. She could have easily have drowned, he knew. What scared him most was he didn't know how deeply the loss of her would affect him - until it was staring him in the face. She had become an integral part of him, as much as Ron or Hermione, in the short time that they had been friends.

"I'm sorry," Ginny whispered, cradling his arm as if she were holding all of him.

Harry chuckled, forcing himself out of his melancholy thoughts. "It's not your fault," he said, absently kissing her shoulder blade. She shivered briefly and he wondered if it was from the cold or if she, too, felt that shock that coursed through him as his lips touched her skin. "Anyway," he continued, clearing his throat softly. "Ron found a path that led to this cabin. We got you out of your wet clothes and...here we are. Waiting for rescue or our clothes to dry. Whatever comes first."

"How long have we been here?"

"I reckon it's late Saturday night or early Sunday morning," Harry replied after a moment's thought.

Ginny sighed deeply. "So much for Valentine's Day," she said softly.

Harry stiffened slightly, his stomach wrenching violently. "So, expecting a Valentine, were you?" he teased as he forced himself to relax once more. It didn't matter to him whether she was expecting a Valentine from some other boy. It didn't matter. Really.

Ginny's soft laugh was reassuring. "No, I wasn't expecting one, but there's always hope," she added lightly. "Actually, I was looking forward to dinner...the puddings are always good on Valentine's Day. And I wanted to see if Becca received something from Michael."

Harry smiled. "Well, for what it's worth: Happy Valentine's Day, Gin."

"Thanks Harry," Ginny replied, her fingers still absently stroking his from his palm to the tips. "Happy Valentine's Day to you, too."

Suddenly she chuckled, the sound combined with the movement of her fingers on his caused a bolt of pleasure to course down Harry's spine. She really had to stop doing that, Harry thought as he minutely shifted his hips away from her. "What?" he questioned, trying to focus on anything but what she was doing.

He could practically hear her smiling. "Well, it's been such a strange day. I never would have expected to spend Valentine's Day in bed with you - well, at least not for another four or five years." Her fingers abruptly stilled as she realized what she had just said. Harry forgot to breath, he was so shocked. 'Th..that's not what I meant," she stammered quickly, her body suddenly tense in his arms. "I meant I didn't expect to spend Valentine's Day in bed with anyone for four or five years. I didn't mean you, as you in particular, I meant you as in....oh god...." she trailed off with a groan.

Harry couldn't help smiling broadly at her embarrassment. "I see," he said suggestively.

"Oh Harry, you wretch," Ginny cried softly in exasperation. "You know what I mean. I didn't mean you in particular, I just meant anyone...you know, a boyfriend, or...whatever, and maybe in four or five years...."

Harry could hold back his laughter now. It was rare that he saw her so flustered, and she had definitely said more than she meant. Ginny's not so gentle elbow to the ribs didn't put a stop to his mirth, either. "So, you're going to wait until you're out of Hogwarts before you start your career as a scarlet woman?" he asked impishly.

Ginny gasped in shock. "Harry Potter, stop teasing me. You know exactly what I mean!"

Harry kissed her shoulder again in silent apology. "Yes, I do...but it was just too good to pass up."

"It's late," Ginny replied huffily, her body still rather stiff in his arms. "We should sleep."

Harry smiled softly, still chuckling over her inadvertent comment. He knew she didn't mean it the way it sounded, but it was just too funny. When he had finally gotten control of himself he noticed that she was still lying stiffly in his arms. Uh oh. He must have really embarrassed her. How could they sleep if she was upset with him?

"Gin?" he whispered softly, giving her a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry I laughed at you." It was a sincere apology. He never would have laughed if he knew it was going to hurt her.

"It's okay," she finally replied. "It was pretty funny." He could hear the smile in her voice. Unlike Ron, Ginny was able to laugh at her own foibles now and then. He knew that he was truly forgiven when she finally relaxed and snuggled back against his chest again, her hand once again resting in his.

"Good night, Ginny," Harry whispered softly, closing his eyes and breathing deeply.

"Good night, Harry. Sweet dreams."


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Epilogue to follow