He didn't get an opportunity to tell her how he felt in the next few days, and then her words became the elephant in the room. Ginny didn't seem to be concerned, but Harry was aware of her eyes on him often when she thought he was unawares. He wanted to say it, but not just for the sake of saying it. He wanted it to mean something, for them to be in the moment. He decided to wait for the right time for him, and in the meantime, enjoy their developing relationship.
He liked getting to know Ginny's other brothers; Charlie and Bill were home from Romania and France respectively. Harry knew it was Ginny's birthday in several days and a party was planned. Ron was expected, as the Cannons had lost their last match and their season was over. He seemed to be laying low somewhere, but Ginny didn't appear too worried.
The only downside to meeting all her brothers was that there was absolutely no privacy at the Burrow, even for a quick snog. Although the brothers seemed to like Harry, they still kept a close eye on him and Ginny. The one time they managed to sneak away to her bedroom they were interrupted by her father, telling them it was time to eat. Harry felt the older man's eyes on him the rest of the evening.
Mercifully, Ginny asked if he could stay the night at her place, and once again, they made love. It was even better than the first time, with both feeling more confident about what to do. He nearly blurted it out then, as he held her close after, but by the time he'd worked up his nerve, she had fallen asleep.
Harry woke early, and for a moment he was quite disorientated, waking in a strange bed. Ginny rolled into his side, and everything made wonderful sense. He had spent the first night at his girlfriend's flat!
Trying not to disturb Ginny, he managed to get away from her so he could go to the loo and wash his hands. He decided to go get a drink and unthinkingly, walked naked into the kitchen.
He was bending over to peer into the bottom of the refrigerator when a light flicked on behind him.
"Ginny, is everything all-ahhh!" cried Hermione, seeing a naked arse coming out of her fridge.
Harry turned at her cry, and gasped, covering himself. "Turn off the light," he yelled.
"Harry?" asked Hermione, turning the light off. "Is that you?"
Ginny rushed into the kitchen, her wand drawn. She flicked on the light. "Who yelled?" she asked, looking between the two.
"It was me," admitted Hermione. "I heard a noise and thought you might be sick or something, you usually sleep through the night," she said. She looked back at Harry. "Instead I found Harry like this."
Harry was still standing in front of them, his hands covering his manhood. "Do you mind?" he asked Hermione, embarassed.
"Oh," flushed Hermione, raising her eyes. She turned her gaze back to an amused Ginny. "Sorry."
Ginny shrugged. "I like seeing him naked." She was wearing his Bowie tee shirt again.
Harry groaned. "Ginny...not helping."
"Why don't you go back to our room. I'll bring something in," she said.
"Fine," he said, scowling at Hermione as he passed her and went down the hall. "I can still feel your eyes on me, you know," he called, forgetting that, while his front was covered, his backside was exposed.
"Just checking out your fabulous arse," called Ginny. He groaned and they heard the door shut. The two girls burst out laughing.
"Our room?" asked Hermione. "Has Harry moved in?" she asked. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.
Ginny thought back. "Sorry, I meant ours for the night. I wouldn't just let him move in without talking to you about it first," said Ginny.
"Oh...good," said Hermione, sounding relieved.
"A man could die of thirst in here," called Harry.
"Coming, Harry," replied Ginny and she moved past Hermione to go to the refrigerator. As she checked out what they had in there to eat or drink, she bent over, showing Hermione her bare butt.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's way too early for this much nakedness," she sighed. "I'm going back to bed."
Ginny emerged from the fridge, her arms full. "See you in the morning," she said, nudging the door shut with her hip and shuffling past quickly.
"It is morning," drawled Hermione, with a quick look out the window, but Ginny was gone. Hermione returned to her bedroom, wondering what it would be like to have a lover waiting for her in bed, to bring him food, to satiate one appetite before taking care of another. The thought left her flushed, and Ginny's husky laughter didn't help. In despair, Hermione cast a Silencing spell, and tried to return to sleep.
/*/*/*/*
A week later, they were all at the Burrow to celebrate Ginny's birthday. Ginny had invited all her fellow trainees, even Adelinda, who she stayed in touch with, and a couple of Harry's mates and their partners that they had become good friends with. Neville brought Luna, naturally. Ginny and Hermione spent the day at the Burrow, helping to decorate and clean and cook. They had decided to shower and dress for the party there, rather than head home, then come back.
Harry was already waiting for Ginny when she came downstairs. He was playing a game of Wizard's Chess with Fred, but completely forgot about it as she descended. He whistled approvingly, making Ginny blush in delight. He stood and moved towards her, taking her in his arms. "You look beautiful," he assured her.
"I've never worn anything so pretty," she said, runnng her hands down the sides of her new dress. "Fleur has good taste." Bill had returned from Paris with a fiancée on his arm.
"Come on," he said, taking her hand. "People are starting to arrive, and wondering where the birthday girl is."
"Did your mum and Sirius say if they were coming?" she asked.
"Already here," he said, escorting her outside to a sea of people, who cheered at the sight of her.
Meanwhile, Hermione came downstairs still fussing with her hair. Fred looked up and whistled. "You scrub up all right, Granger," he said, standing.
"Gee, thanks," she replied dryly. She went to move outside, but Fred halted her. "What? What is it?" she asked, looking up at him.
Fred stared down into her eyes, making Hermione realise how close together they were standing. Funny, she never noticed how Fred's eyes were a bit lighter than Ginny's. More golden brown, like maply syrup, than Ginny's melted chocolate brown. She didn't know why it was important to make that distinction, but it felt like an important fact that she mentally filed away.
"You have a bit of dirt here...right here, on the side of your nose," he said gently, softly touching.
"Oh." Hermione's hands instinctively came up to cover it, and she rubbed at the spot he'd carefully nudged. "Is it gone?" she asked, looking back up at him.
Fred gulped. "Yeah, it's gone. You look really pretty tonight," he said.
Hermione smiled half heartedly. "Thanks, but no-one's going to be looking at me when Ginny is wearing a genuine Paris original Delacour gown. She looks stunning."
Fred smiled softly. "Yeah, she does, but I think most of that is because of Harry, not some gown. Trust me, Hermione, you look stunning yourself." His words were spoken huskily.
"Thank you, Fred, that means a lot. Shall we?" she asked, holding her hand out and gesturing outside.
Fred grinned and took her hand. "It would be an honour," he said, and they went out to join the party.
The party had a buzz of excitement to it, and Hermione saw Ron and Jamie had arrived. "Hi," she called, waving to Ron. He was talking to someone Hermione didn't know, who had his back to her.
"Hi, you look nice. Pink suits you," admired Jamie.
Fred nudged her. "See," he said, winking at her.
"Thanks, you look nice too. Ron suits you," said Hermione cheekily.
Jamie laughed. "I happen to agree with you," she said, then smiled as her mum and Sirius came up to join them.
"Hello, Mrs Potter, Mr Black," said Hermione.
"Hello, Hermione, Fred. Please, call us Lily and Sirius," said Lily. She looked around. "I don't think I've ever seen a place like this before. It's amazing," she said.
"It's not much, but it's home," shrugged Fred. "Held up with a whole lot of love and magic."
"Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What a lovely thing to say," she told him.
He leaned over so they were face to face. "I'm not just a pretty face, Granger. You have no idea what's beating in here." He pounded his chest.
Sirius laughed, which sounded more like a dog's bark. They were then joined by Fred's twin, George.
"I think you've got a pretty face, brother," he teased.
"Well, naturally, brother dear," replied Fred. He introduced George to Lily and Sirius.
"Did you hear who Ron brought to the party?" asked George.
"I thought he brought Jamie," said Hermione.
"Oh, yeah, he did, but he brought someone else. A very special someone else," said George, knowingly. His eyes gleamed, and he rocked back and forth on his heels.
"Go on, then, tell us, you know you want to," grinned Fred.
"Seems Ronny has been moving in quite high circles lately. He's being considered for the World Cup side. He's been in secret training sessions this past week," chortled George.
"Wow, that's great. But what's that got to do with who he brought?" asked Fred, looking over at his brother.
At that moment, the man he was talking to turned around. Hermione gasped; he was the handsomest man she had ever seen. Without thinking, she dropped Fred's hand.
As if he heard her gasp, the dark haired man looked straight at her. He smiled sexily, and a thrill went through Hermione. She tentatively smiled back.
"Blimey," gasped Fred. He looked at his twin. "That's Viktor Krum."
George nodded.
"Er, sorry, but who's Viktor Krum?" asked Lily.
Fred looked puzzled at Hermione, but replied to Lily. "He plays Quidditch for Bulgaria, he's one of the best Seekers ever to play the game," he said.
"Oh, Quidditch," said Lily.
Fred looked at Hermione. He followed her gaze, and found Viktor Krum staring back hungrily at her. Their eyes were locked, despite Ron muttering to Krum at his side. "Hermione?" he called softly.
Hermione barely heard him, his voice and every noise around her was distorted...except for the unusually fast beating of her heart.
For the first time ever, Hermione believed in love at first sight.
/*/*/*/*
The party was dwindling down. Everyone agreed it had been a great party. Fred and George's friend, Lee, played some music and the Auror group were dancing. Arthur and Molly joined them, to their delight, and they encouraged the older pair to try some of the new moves.
Ginny and Harry circulated between her brothers and their new partners, as Percy had brought his long time girlfriend, Penelope Clearwater. Fleur was inundated with talk from the ladies about her family's haute couture business. Both her and her sister, Gabrielle, had followed their mother into the family business.
Sirius and Lily were discussing life on a dragon reserve with Charlie. They laughed as Harry dragged Ginny onto the dance floor, and she put two hands on his butt possessively as they slow danced, both slightly drunk.
Hermione and Viktor had been together all night. Viktor had left Ron's side and came over to introduce himself to Hermione and the others, but it was obvious he was quite taken with Hermione.
They were talking with Ron and Jamie when Ron darted over to Ginny, whispering something in her ear. She gasped and nodded, then hugged him. Harry had found himself twirling hands with Luna, as Neville watched and laughed.
"Can I have everyone's attention?" Ron had climbed onto a table so everyone could see him.
"Don't you get enough from all your fans?" cried Fred. Ron shot him the finger.
"All right, all right," he said, "before people start to leave, I have an announcement to make. Something huge has happened this last week, and I have Ginny's permission to announce it here," he said.
"You made the World Cup squad," guessed George.
PRon chuckled. "Not yet, but from your mouth to the selector's ears, Georgie."
George saluted him.
Ron turned around so he was facing Jamie. "This week...this beautiful witch agreed to become my wife..."
Lily gasped, but everyone else cheered.
Ron beamed and beckoned Jamie to come stand on the table beside him. He put his arm around her waist. "So we eloped three days ago," he finished.
Lily fainted, the table Ron and Jamie were standing on smashed in two and everyone reached for them to break their fall.
Harry rushed to his mother's side, where Sirius was tending to her. The others surrounded the happy couple, offering their congratulations.
In the ensuing chaos, Viktor stole Hermione away, where they shared a kiss or two.
Ginny and Luna danced on. "This is the best elf made wine ever," giggled Ginny.
"I know, I've had four glasses," agreed Luna.
In the back of Ginny's mind came a reminder that Luna drinking more than half a glass of wine wasn't a good idea, but she was too tipsy to remember why. She grabbed Luna's hands. " I love Harry," she slurred.
" I know. I knew from the day you met. He loves you too," nodded Luna. And kept on nodding.
They partied on, while the rest of the family dealt with the announcement and it's aftermath.
