Bill Weasley woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed and gasping for breath. He ran a hand shakily over his face and tried to calm himself down; forcing his breathing to regulate hoping desperately that he hadn't woken up Fleur. She would tell him he was being an idiot–again…for the fourth day in a row.

It was the same dream and it terrified him every time. His sister Ginny, innocent and beautiful, had been kidnapped by Harry Potter and swept away to a tall tower where he had corrupted her in every way he knew how. Bill had raced after them but could never catch up. After the Dream Harry had locked the Dream Ginny up in the tower, Bill had simply stood at the foot of the tower hoping to catch a glimpse of her through the single window.

Fleur told him he was being ridiculous but Bill couldn't shake the feeling of panic he felt in the dream when Harry kidnapped Ginny. He was her older brother; he was supposed to protect her from evil wizards.

Deciding there was no way he would get back to sleep right away; Bill threw back the covers and grabbed his robe from a nearby chair before tiptoeing from the room. The truth was he knew he was being a bit silly but no need for Fleur to wake up and point that out to him again. He'd had quite enough of her scoffing at him.

He made his way to the kitchen and stood by the sink sipping a glass of water, replaying the dream in his head. He really was being a giant prat. Shaking his head at his own shortcomings, he dumped the rest of the water back in the sink and went outside to sit on the back porch. It was nearly December and quite cold but he just tugged his robe closer around him and leaned back, one bare foot idly pushing the porch swing back and forth.

Bill had been having the dream for the past four nights. Ever since his mother had looked out of her kitchen window and saw Harry and Ginny on fire, rolling around on the grass behind the Burrow. His fingers clenched at the memory. How were they supposed to have known what it meant? That…that…Ginny and Harry were…, Bill groaned and shut his eyes–he couldn't even say the words in his head let alone out loud.

When Molly had shrieked and took off for the back door, the rest of the family had naturally rushed after her. Only Remus had followed at a leisurely pace, strolling with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face–as if he knew what was going to happen.

Bill's mother had shouted warnings at Harry and Ginny but they couldn't seem to hear her. It wasn't until Molly had taken out her wand and shot water at the fire that surrounded them that a bare-chested Harry had finally lifted his head from Ginny and looked up at them with unfocused eyes.

The evening that followed had certainly been enlightening. Remus and Tonks had been beside themselves with laughter and Fred and George had immediately conjured up a piece of parchment and started scribbling and muttering under their breaths to each other. Harry and Ginny both had the sense to look abashed as they stood up from the ground but Bill noticed that Harry had kept a firm grip on Ginny's waist and Ginny had leaned into his side unconsciously. They had apologized to everyone for scaring them but hadn't offered any other explanations except to explain the fire had been an accident.

His mother had been highly suspicious of the lack of injuries on both Harry and Ginny but they had merely smiled at her and started walking back to the house hand in hand. They had walked right past Bill and he had nearly gasped out loud. His experience as a curse breaker had increased his awareness of the magic around him and the power rolling of the two of them as they had passed by had been off the scales. He whipped his head around and noticed a certain hum on the air that faded the further they walked away.

That had been days ago and Bill still couldn't get the picture of the two of them clutching at each other as they rolled around on the ground out of his head. He and Charlie had cornered Ginny later in the house and the conversation had not been pleasant. Ginny had said very firmly they did not really want to know what had happened, that it would scar them for life because they were her older brothers.

When the two had insisted she offer an explanation she had sighed and said, "Fine, when Harry and I snog we get so aroused we can't control our magic and it manifests itself in odd ways. That's what the fire was about."

Bill and Charlie had both immediately turned red. Charlie had snorted trying to hold in his laughter but Bill had choked on his pumpkin juice and Charlie patted him on the back to get him breathing again.

Ginny had merely raised her eyebrows at them and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that clear enough for you then? Or should I draw a picture? Maybe Harry would like to volunteer to come and offer a demonstration-"

"NO!" Bill had gasped out. "That uh…won't be necessary."

Ginny had floated off with a knowing smile on her face and Charlie had made the rounds of the rest of the brothers, spreading the word about Harry and Ginny "setting each other on fire." Exclamations of disgust and guffaws had followed. Everyone thought it was funny…except Bill.

He hadn't been able to stop staring at his "baby" sister and the boy-who-lived. They had stayed close to each other all night. At the dinner table, when Ginny had handed a bowl of mashed potatoes to Harry who was sitting on her left, the expression on Harry's face had been so tender, Bill had nearly choked on his drink again. When it had come time for Harry to leave, he had held his hand out to Ginny who took it without hesitation to walk him outside. Moments later, Bill heard the pop of Harry's apparation and Ginny had walked back into the Burrow with a dreamy expression on her face.

It wasn't that Bill disapproved of Harry–far from it. Harry Potter was one of the best blokes in the world and Bill owed his family's life to him. Bill thought of Harry as another brother and had spent a good deal of time six years ago protecting the boy from harm.

But no one was good enough for his sister.

In truth, Bill had been dreading this day for years--the day when the right man would come along for their Ginny and no one would be able to stop him from taking her away. But it just had to be bloody Harry Potter. Savior of the wizarding world and the most powerful wizard Bill had ever known–including Dumbledore. The situation was made even more disturbing by the fact that Harry had lied to his sister for six years about how he really felt about her and had hurt her deeply. Now she was all ready to forgive him and, apparently, date him.

The back door creaked open and Fleur floated onto the porch. Bill inhaled sharply. His wife still took his breath away when she entered the room, especially in the moonlight. She looked at him, pity on her face and with a roll of her eyes, swept over to sit by him.

"Did you have that dream again?" she asked with just a tad of her French accent creeping into her speech. She spoke English very well but couldn't quite keep the accent away.

"Yeah," he replied dully. "Sorry I woke you."

"You didn't. I woke up to check on Robert and noticed you weren't in bed." She sat back against the swing and he automatically put an arm around her, drawing her close. She swung her legs up next to her on the swing and Bill used his foot again to set the swing swaying.

They were quiet for a moment.

"Bill," Fleur said finally. "You have got to get over this."

"I know," he groaned. "I don't know what's wrong with me. Why can't I just be happy for her?"

"Are you upset that it is Harry? Do you not like him?"

"No," Bill replied emphatically. "It isn't that. I really like him. I just…its Ginny…and he's hurt her so much already and…" his voice trailed off.

"Is Harry not a good person? Kind? Thoughtful? Intelligent? Loyal?" Fleur asked.

"Yes, of course he is," Bill said. "You know I like him. It isn't that. I'm just worried about Ginny getting hurt."

"Ginny has been in love with Harry for many years," his wife pointed out. "She is probably incredibly happy they can be together now."

"But that's just it!" Bill said, standing up and pacing back and forth in front of her. "Why now? After all these years? She's wanted him for years and now all of the sudden he's ready to pay attention to her!"

Fleur titled her head and looked at him. "William, do you really think this is the first time Harry has paid attention to Ginny?"

"Well," Bill said, startled, "I mean…they never dated at Hogwarts."

"You are a giant idiot," Fleur declared. "You heard what Ron said after they fought at his house--Harry Potter has been in love with your sister for years. Any idiot could have seen that."

"Well I didn't see it! None of us did!" Bill stuttered. "We asked him years ago, all of us, if he felt that way about her and he said no. We made sure of it!"

"Then he lied to you," Fleur said shrugging a shoulder. "I suspect it was some nonsense about wanting to protect her when they were at Hogwarts. Men are such a nuisance about that type of thing."

"A nuisance? Just because we want to protect you! That's crazy. We do it because we love you and don't want you to get hurt."

"That is my point," she replied. "He did it because he loves her. He pushed her away so she wouldn't get hurt."

"Well it did hurt her," he retorted. "A lot. What's to stop him from hurting her again when he decides things get too tough?"

Fleur looked at him thoughtfully. "I do not think Harry will push her away again. He has been pining after her all these years and now he has her, he will not make the same mistake again. He has finally realized, I think, that Ginny can take care of herself and that he is better with her than without."

Bill looked at his wife skeptically before sitting back down beside her with a thump. "How on earth could you know that?"

"I observe things," she said. "I noticed for example the way he was looking at her the first night she came home and the way he looked at her after they dueled."

"Maybe I'm getting too worked up," Bill said hopefully. "It's not like she is going to marry the guy."

"You do not think so? You don't think they love each other to get married?" She paused and turned to look at her husband sitting beside her. It was time for a cold dose of reality.

"William," Fleur said firmly, taking his hand in hers. "Harry Potter killed the Dark Lord only after he had tried to hurt Ginny. He spent years denying how he felt about her so no one would hurt her. He has let her beat him up twice since she got back to England and spent hours while they were at school training her how to defend herself. He is in this for the long while. He loves her and they will spend the rest of their lives together. It is time for you to accept this."

Bill was silent.

"She loves him too," Fleur said softly. "Very much. She always has. Even though she spent four years away from him, she never stopped."

"She said she had gotten over him," Bill grumbled. "When she first got back here."

"She was lying too," Fleur said simply. "You cannot deny this union Bill, you have seen them together, and you know they are meant for one another."

There was the rub, thought Bill. He wasn't completely blind; he saw how they were together. And he had literally felt the power surrounding the two of them the other day. That duel between them…Ginny had shocked him with her talent and ferocity as she had hurled fire at Harry. But Harry had fired right back and Bill had known with a sinking clarity while watching, that no one would ever be able to match Ginny except for Harry.

"What are you afraid of?" Fleur asked curiously. "That you will never see her again? That Harry will take her away from you?"

"Yes," he whispered. "I have this sinking feeling they won't stay put. Harry is the only person who Ginny would follow anywhere and…I'll miss her."

"You are right," Fleur agreed. "They will probably do some traveling. With their talents, I think they will find it hard to work behind a desk at the Ministry of Magic. But Ginny will always be your sister wherever she goes. You are important to her, she will not forget you. Much as you did not forget her when you set off on your own adventures after Hogwarts."

"Yeah," Bill sighed. "It's just I always swore I would protect her and take care of her."

"That is the promise of young boy," Fleur pointed out. "A promise made to a little girl who could not take care of herself. Ginny is not that girl anymore and neither are you that boy."

"Besides," she added, "I suspect that Ginny could take care of you now."

Bill smiled and turned to look at his wife. "Yeah," he said, squeezing her hand. "She's pretty amazing isn't she?"

"She is," Fleur said, a smile lighting up her face. "I have never seen anything like her."

"But," she added gently, "neither have I seen anything like Harry Potter. They are two incredibly powerful wizards who could only find true happiness with each other. No one else would do for them and you know this."

"I suppose you're right," Bill said with a note of acceptance finally creeping into his voice. "I want her to be happy and if this makes her happy then I should just back off."

"It is perfectly normal to be worried about her," Fleur said. "But she can take care of herself and now she has Harry to look after her as well. They will be very happy together."

"But what if you're wrong?" he asked, searching his wife's beautiful face for a sign of doubt.

"Then it is not meant to be," she said honestly. "But Bill, I am not wrong. There is something special about them and you know it. If something does happen, if they break up, then Ginny will be okay. She will hurt for a while, that is true, but she will be able to pick up the pieces and move on. She has done it before and now she knows she can do it again. You cannot protect her from life."

"Okay," Bill said, smiling gently at her. "I'll try to calm down."

"Good," Fleur said briskly getting to her feet. "Let's go back to bed. It's very cold and I have to get up early tomorrow."

"You go on," Bill motioned with his head. "I'll be up in a minute."

Fleur smiled softly at him and bent over to kiss his forehead. "You are a wonderful man to care so much about your sister." She went back inside and shut the door behind her.

Bill leaned back in the swing and sighed again. It wasn't easy to let go of his concerns that Ginny would be okay. Funny, he hadn't been this concerned when she left for Paris. He had seen the urgency in her and knew it would make her happy. So he wasn't sure why he was having so much trouble accepting Harry as her boyfriend when he had seen how happy she was the other night.

He focused his memories on the look in Ginny's eyes when Harry had held out his hand to lead her into the front yard the other night. The gold rim in them had sparkled and the smile on her face had glowed. She looked…blissful.

So, remembering his promise to always take care of his sister, Bill vowed to stop worrying about Harry and went back into the house to join his wife in bed.

"Ginny?"

"Ginny?"

" Ginnn-eee."

"GINNY!"

Ginny snapped out of her daydream to find Hermione looking at her exasperated and Tonks laughing.

"What? What's going on?" Ginny asked confused. "Did you need something Hermione?"

Hermione threw up her hands. "I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes. What on earth is going on with you?"

"Oh leave her alone Hermione," Tonks said with a smirk. "Can't you see she's in love? She's been thinking about Harry of course. I'm surprised your couch isn't on fire."

Ginny blushed. "Shut it Tonks. That was an accident and you know it."

"Right," Tonks agreed. "It was a complete accident that you set yourself on fire when Harry kissed you. I set things on fire myself when Remus does this thing with his tongue on my-"

"Okay!" Hermione said, clapping her hands over her ears. "No sex talk about former professors. I can't handle it."

"Well we had to hear about you and Ron and that time in the Quidditch stands," Tonks retorted.

"Enough!" Ginny said. "Now I'm disgusted. It took three weeks before I could set foot back on the Quidditch pitch after that story so I'll thank you not to bring it up again."

The three witches were at Hermione and Ron's cottage outside of Hogsmeade. Harry, Ron and Remus had gone to the Leaky Cauldron for what Ron insisted was "wizard time only" so Hermione had responded by inviting Ginny and Tonks over for the evening.

It had been four days since she had properly kissed Harry, Ginny thought with a sigh. Since the incident in the yard, when her whole family had been witness to "What Happens When Harry and Ginny Snog," they had barely had time to be alone. Ginny didn't know if it had been done on purpose but she couldn't seem to escape the clutches of her mother to get a spare moment. Then, two days ago Harry had to leave town suddenly on ministry business and she hadn't seen him since.

He'd returned home late last night and sent her an owl first thing this morning, promising they would see each other this evening after his dinner with Remus and Ron. He'd offered to cancel but meeting for dinner was something the three of them did once a month and she hadn't wanted him to give that up. They'd just started dating after all; she didn't expect to see him constantly.

But oh, she wanted to. She wanted to spend every waking moment with him, learning everything that had happened to him in the last four years. In fact, right now, she wished they were alone so he could put his hands back on her waist and stroke her skin with his thumb like he did four days ago…

"Ginny!"

"Ooops, sorry Hermione," Ginny grinned sheepishly. "Did I do it again?"

"What is wrong with you?" Hermione huffed. "Can't you stop thinking about him for two seconds?"

"Sorry 'Mione," Ginny said guilty. "I'm just…well, you know."

"Yeah," Hermione finally grinned at her, "I can see that."

Ginny moaned and flopped back on the couch, grabbing a pillow and covering her face with it. "What am I going to do?" she asked, her voice muffled. "I can't stop thinking about him. We agreed to go slow and all I can do is think about that feeling I get in the pit of my stomach when he looks at me." She pulled the pillow away from her face, frowning. "And you know what incredible eyes he has. I think he may have put a spell on me."

Tonks drained the last of her butterbeer and slammed it down on the coffee table in front of her. "There's only one thing you can do in a situation like this Ginny. You've got to shag him rotten. It's the only way to get it out of your system."

Hermione nodded her head sagely. "She's right Gin, you're distracted because of the sexual tension between you. Getting it out of your system would allow you to concentrate again."

Ginny sat up in disbelief, the pillow falling to her lap. She stared at her friend. "I'm sorry," she spluttered. "Did Hermione 'Head Girl' Granger just tell me to have sex with Harry Potter after I've only been dating him for four days?"

Hermione waved a hand at her dismissively. "Oh please, you guys were meant to be. It's not like you won't get married or something. What difference does it make how long you wait?"

Tonks grinned. "I like this slutty side of you Hermione. Does Ron see this side often?"

"Shut it Tonks," Hermione said. "I'm just pointing out there might not be any point in suffering here. Harry and Ginny are obviously attracted to each other, anyone with eyes can see that and they're in love so why wait?"

Tonks studied Hermione thoughtfully. "Hermione's right Ginny," Tonks said, turning towards her. "What's the point in waiting?'

Ginny slumped back against the couch and put her legs up on Hermione's lap. "It's not that simple," she said glumly. "There are…complications."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. "What sort of complications could there be? You both wanted each other, we could all tell that the other night."

"Yeah," Tonks snickered, "The flames were a dead giveaway."

"Well for one, I've never slept with anyone before," Ginny retorted. "And according to Harry, neither has he." She covered her eyes with her hand, "I probably wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Okay," Tonks said slowly. "You're both virgins. That's great isn't it?"

"Yes," Ginny agreed, "it's really great. But there's more to it." She swung her legs off of Hermione and sat up, biting her lip indecisively.

"What is it Ginny? What's wrong?" Hermione asked shrewdly.

"I really want to tell you guys this, because Merlin knows I need someone to talk to, but you have to promise not to share the information with your husbands!" she burst out.

"Okay Ginny," Hermione said concernedly, "We promise."

"Tonks?"

"Hey, you don't have to worry about me. I'm an auror, I can keep a secret."

Ginny grinned at her. "Oh like you were supposed to keep that secret about Remus' little rash he got one night running around as a werewolf?"

Hermione snorted and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Please," Tonks rolled her eyes. "He wouldn't have been so upset if I hadn't accidentally said it in front of the twins. I can't help if those two are a menace to wizarding society. Now spill."

Ginny took a deep breath. "Okay. I haven't shared this with you both before because, well, it was kind of private. And it's not entirely my story to share. That's why you have to keep quiet about it and not say ANYTHING to embarrass Harry…EVER. I want a witches' oath from both of you."

Hermione and Tonks agreed quickly. Ginny took another deep breath and began. "What do you two know about sharing magic?"

Hermione gasped and quickly connected some dots in her head. "You didn't?!"

"What?" Tonks demanded. "What didn't she do?"

Hermione just looked at Ginny amazed. "That's not supposed to be very possible."

"What?" Tonks insisted. "Someone tell me what's going on!"

Hermione cleared her throat. "Supposedly two wizards who are powerful enough and uh…compatible in many ways can sort of…merge their magic. Combine it you know? It increases the effect of spells. But it's very rare, so rare in fact there are very few recorded cases of a successful spell being cast."

Ginny nodded her head. "Yeah. Dumbledore and Lupin asked us to learn how to do it at Hogwarts during Harry's seventh year. They said we could probably handle it and they hoped it would create a new power level when we were merged. We hadn't heard about it before and so we trained for it."

"You did!" Hermione asked breathlessly. "What happened, did it work?"

"Down girl," Tonks said dryly. "Let her tell the story."

"We did actually," Ginny said looking down at her lap. She didn't understand why she was so reluctant to tell her two closest friends this story. This is what girlfriends did. It just seemed so…private. And she felt funny talking about Harry this way.

Taking a deep breath, she plugged on. "It took us several days but we finally managed to merge and well, it wasn't exactly what Dumbledore and Lupin had expected."

"What? Were you more powerful than they thought you'd be?" Tonks asked.

"Well…we never got around to that part," Ginny said sheepishly. "Sharing magic for Harry and I was very…sexual."

There was silence. Tonks looked like she was trying not to smile and Hermione's mouth had fallen open in shock.

"S…s…sexual?" Hermione finally managed.

"Yes," Ginny confirmed, determined to see this through without blushing. "It was incredibly sexual. The power was intense and it almost felt like…like…an orgasm." She struggled not to blush but she couldn't help it.

"The magic inside of Harry is very powerful–like raw energy–and when we merged, I felt that energy moving around inside of me, all over me. It combined with my magic and well…it felt incredible. I don't know how else to describe it to you."

"And did Harry have similar problems?" Tonks said, trying to keep a straight face.

Ginny nodded, a smile quirking at the corners of her mouth. "He did. He was all flushed and sweaty and well…you know…it was pretty obvious. We were so embarrassed we couldn't look at each other for a week."

Tonks lost the battle to control her laughter and collapsed back on the floor cushion, holding her stomach.

"Did you do this in front of Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione asked horrified.

"Yes," Ginny said miserably. "And Lupin. It was awful."

"Hey," Tonks protested, sitting back up. "Remus never said a word!"

Hermione started giggling. "Poor Harry!" she said between chuckles. "I bet he was so embarrassed."

"He really was," Ginny grinned. "We never talked about it again…until the other night." Both women stopped laughing abruptly.

"And…" Tonks finally prompted.

Ginny sighed. "I asked him to share magic with me again."

"Why would you do that?" Hermione asked. "You'd just finished telling me you weren't in love with him."

Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "That was exactly why I thought it would be okay. I figured even if felt like it had the last time, we would be expecting it you know? If we weren't surprised by it, then maybe it wouldn't have the same effect."

"But why Ginny?" Hermione persisted.

"You don't know what it's like to live with this all this power inside of you," Ginny said carefully. "It can be very…intense, and challenging. Harry and I struggled for years to control it and it was always something we shared, just the two of us. Because we were the only ones who could understand it. It bonded us."

"Okay," Tonks said, titling her head. "I can see that."

"So when the fire goddess reared her head my powers grew and changed. I didn't have anyone to share it with me. Harry had always been there to sense what was inside of me and so he always understood things. In Paris, I was alone and I didn't realize how much it had helped, having Harry there."

She shrugged her shoulders. "When I got back and saw him, I remembered what it felt like to have someone know what was going on inside of you. I couldn't stop myself."

She bit her lip and looked at her friends. "Does that make sense?"

"I think so," Tonks said slowly. "What did he say when you asked him?"

"Well, I had to convince him it would be okay but he agreed." She smiled faintly. "He even made me promise not to hold any of his actions against him. I think he thought he wouldn't be able to stop himself from jumping my bones."

She stood up and walked over to stand in front of the fire. Tonks and Hermione both jumped a little bit when the flames grew suddenly higher as Ginny got closer.

"Sorry," she said, smiling over her friends. "That's not something I can really control. Fire seems to recognize me."

She turned around with her back to the fire. "We merged by the lake," she said. "And it was…even more incredible than last time. The power inside of him, it's grown and changed and it was all I could do to keep the connection."

"Was he having the same problem?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," she admitted. "But we were able to maintain the connection longer this time and well…he kissed me."

Tonks, who had been about to drink another sip of a new bottle of butterbeer, halted with the bottle halfway to her lips. "What!" she exclaimed. "You didn't tell us that!"

"I know," Ginny said, looking down at her feet. "But I thought it was just because of the connection you know? Things had gotten out of control and I didn't want to embarrass him. I didn't realize that he kissed me because he also had feelings for me."

"What happened when he kissed you? Did you kiss him back?" Tonks asked.

Well yeah, I could hardly stop myself. You have no idea what it's like to have someone's magic running through you, especially someone as powerful as Harry," She shuddered. "It's like liquid sex. And we both totally lost it. Harry caused an earthquake and I shot a column of fire into the sky. Totally unintentional I assure you."

Hermione and Tonks stared at each other. "Wow," Tonks breathed. "He kissed you and the earth moved?"

Ginny laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Okay Ginny," Hermione said wearily, leaning back against the arm of the couch. She wasn't sure how many more revelations and long-kept secrets she could handle after the way this month had gone. "What has this got to do with why it's complicated to have sex with Harry?"

"Well," Ginny began and then paused. She contemplated her feet for a minute and then looked up frowning. "I'm not sure I know how to explain this but I think sharing our magic has done something to the connection between us. We can't…um…seem to control it."

"What do you mean?" Hermione said sitting up.

"I mean," Ginny cleared her throat. "I mean that our magic seems to have a mind of its own. In the clearing, after the duel, Harry and I were…you know…kissing and stuff and I could feel my magic reaching for him. Every time he touched me, it was like something inside of me was pushing to get out and touch him."

She looked anxiously from Hermione to Tonks. "Am I making sense?"

"Are you saying you think that when you and Harry get aroused, your magic spontaneously merges?" Hermione asked slowly.

"Yes," Ginny said excitedly. "That's it exactly 'Mione. We couldn't stop ourselves. I've never felt that out of control before. Harry was shaking he was trying so hard to control his magic from escaping. I couldn't stop and it was like this big roaring sound inside of me, kind of like a bonfire and the next thing I knew, we were connected and it was…well, you know."

"Then what happened?" Tonks was listening with rapt attention, popping crisps into her mouth and crunching loudly.

Ginny gulped, "I kissed his scar."

"What did that do?" Hermione was on the edge of her seat, eying a quill and piece of parchment across the room as if she couldn't wait to take notes on what Ginny was saying.

"It was like…the connection exploded. It was beyond anything I could describe to you. I couldn't stop the flames from bursting around us and the earth sort of…bloomed I guess. Flowers grew, the trees had leaves…it was amazing."

"Man," Hermione grumped. "nothing like that ever happens when Ron kisses me!"

"I'm not sure it's such a good thing 'Mione," Ginny pointed out. "If Harry and I can't learn to control the power, it's going to get out of hand every time we kiss. We're talking natural disasters. Harry can cause earthquakes for crying out loud!"

Ginny was starting to get worked up. She paced back in forth in front of the fireplace, the flames following her movement. What if they couldn't ever learn to control it? They would never be able to be together. She stopped and whirled around.

"What if we can't ever have sex because our magic destroys something every time we do?" she nearly shouted at her friends.

"Ginny calm down," Hermione said firmly, standing up and walking over to her friend. She gripped Ginny's arms. "You and Harry will find a way to control it. You've done it before, you can do it again."

"Hermione," Ginny groaned. "You don't understand. The power inside of him…it's intoxicating. And it does something to my power–they react to each other. I don't know if I can ever control it."

"Sounds like it would be good sex though," Tonks commented, reaching for more crisps.

Ginny gaped at her. "I can't believe you. I am going to die a virgin; sacrifice myself for the greater good and you are just sitting there eating crisps."

"Well," Tonks said, swallowing her mouthful. "I don't really think that is going to happen. I've said it before; you're a bit of a drama queen."

Ginny mouth twitched. "You think I'm exaggerating the situation?"

"No," Tonks conceded, "I felt the power in the air that night after we caught you guys on fire. But Harry's a pretty stubborn bloke and if he wants to shag you, he'll find a way."

Ginny's eyes crinkled and she fought to hold back a smile. "Blokes will do anything to get laid won't they?"

"Yes," Hermione said. "And I can't believe I'm going to say this but I'll look around at work, see if I can find anything that might help you."

"I'll be happy to teach you some meditation techniques Ginny," Tonks offered. "It might help to calm you down in the…er…middle of things."

Ginny couldn't help it; she threw back her head and laughed. "You two," she said between giggles. "You are the best friends ever." And she threw her arms around Hermione.

"Yeah, we really are," Tonks said, standing up to join the hug. "I didn't see you sticking around to help me get in the sack with Remus."

"Yeah," Hermione said into Ginny's shoulder. "You never let me even talk about sex with Ron. And here we are helping you have sex with Harry Potter."

The three women collapsed in giggles, the absurdity of the situation finally overwhelming them. Ginny felt much better. Perhaps she had been exaggerating the situation and Tonks was right; Harry could do anything he set his mind to.

Including, she thought with a silent giggle, her.

Three hours later, Tonks, Hermione and Ginny were curled up on the couch underneath a blanket watching a muggle movie. Hermione was sitting in the middle and Tonks and Ginny were both leaning their heads on her shoulders. That was the way it had always been between the three of them. They had first become friends six years ago when Voldemort was at the height of his power and had been inseparable since, despite the difference between their ages. Tonks was older than the other two but Ginny was the glue that held them together. Hermione was nurturing and very affectionate. She fussed over them like a mother hen and though it got on their nerves sometimes, it could be comforting. Tonks kept them all grounded and made them laugh. She never let Ginny's temper get out of hand and she had a way of calming Hermione down when she was in a particularly bossy rant.

They were so into the movie they didn't hear the front door open until Harry, Ron and Remus came stumbling into the living room.

"Oh no," Tonks said disgustedly, lifting her head from Hermione's shoulder to peer at her husband. "Don't tell me they're drunk."

Hermione switched off the television and fixed Ron with a stern stare. "Ronald Weasley, are you drunk?"

"Absolutely not," he said. "Remus is."

Harry snorted in laughter as Remus lurched his way towards Tonks, collapsing in a heap on top of her, his legs stretched out on Hermione and Ginny's laps.

Harry's gaze snapped from Remus back to the end of the couch.

Ginny.

It had been four days since he had really kissed her and two days since he had held her. Gods, he missed her. Stupid ministry sending him away at a time like this.

Now, as Ginny stood up and stretched, he swore he would never work for the ministry again. There were more important things to be doing–such as making sure Ginny wore that shirt often. It was just a purple t-shirt but it was short and tight and he could see the pink skin of her flat belly when she stood up. She had on faded blue jeans that hung so low on her hips, he could see the beginning of her hip bones. His mouth went dry imagining how easy it would be just to slide those loose jeans down…

"Harry!"

Harry was startled out of his thoughts when Hermione shouted at him. "What Hermione?" he asked irritably.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Honestly, you and Ginny are so frustrating." She had seen the way he looked at Ginny. His eyes had darkened and some of the plates on the coffee table had started rattling. Merlin, maybe Ginny hadn't been exaggerating.

She looked back to her girl friend and found her staring right back at Harry, a slow smile stretching across her face. Hermione quickly decided it would probably be a good idea to distract her husband from the obvious sexual tension in the room between his sister and his best friend.

"C'mon Ron, help me clean up."

"Me? I didn't make the mess!" he protested, but bent down to gather the trash on the floor anyway. "Oi! How much did you guys eat?"

"Just a little junk food Ron," Hermione said airily. She swept out of the room with Ron following behind her.

Harry and Ginny stared at each other until finally, almost wearily, Harry made his way over to her. "It has been way too long," he said in a low voice.

"It's only been a couple of days," she said, crinkling her nose back at him. But she knew what he meant. It had been too long.

"I'm never working for the ministry again," he vowed.

"Don't be silly," she chuckled, and reached up to put a hand on his neck, letting her thumb stroke up and down his adam's apple. She couldn't stop herself from touching him. He responded by placing his hand on the slim waist poking out from underneath her t-shirt. Her skin sizzled when she felt his bare hand on her. The fire in the fireplace roared and Harry stepped back, removing his hand.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, not taking his eyes off Ginny.

"It's okay," Ginny said breathlessly. "I suppose we really need to get to work on this."

"Yes," he said fervently. "We really do." He cleared his throat. "I really missed you."

"Oh Harry, me too," Ginny replied, reaching out to grab his hand and lacing her fingers through his.

"Get a room you two," Tonks broke in, still looking down at Remus who was babbling drunken nonsense at her. "Harry what did you two let him drink?"

"Firewhisky," Ron answered, walking back into the room, a dishtowel slung on one shoulder. He shrugged. "He lost a bet and had to drink 10 shots in a row."

"What was the bet?" Ginny asked.

"Who could name the last five Quidditch World Cup winners," he grinned at his sister. "Remus isn't known for his expertise in quidditch facts."

"Werewolves are bad drunks," Tonks said crossly. "Help me get him up. Harry I think you're going to need make us a portkey."

Harry and Ron moved forward to lift Remus off Tonks so she could stand up. Ginny found a fork and handed it to Harry who waved his hand over it and it glowed with a soft purple light.

"Sorry Ginny," he said apologetically, looking up at her. "I think I should go with them to make sure Remus gets home okay."

"She can come with us," Tonks said. "We might need the help." Ginny shot her a grateful look and reached out to place a finger on the fork. "Thanks Hermione!" Tonks shouted towards the kitchen.

Hermione came rushing out, "Wait, you're leaving?"

"Sorry," Tonks said, "Remus is five minutes from passing out." Hermione came up between Ginny and Tonks where they were crowded around the portkey. She threw her arms around their shoulders and they both leaned in to kiss her on either cheek.

"It was fun 'Mione," Ginny said, turning back to the portkey. "I'll floo you tomorrow."

"Yes, see that you do," Hermione said pointedly, her eyes sliding towards Harry. "We should talk more," she mouthed silently at her. Ginny nodded and with a swirl, the four of them disappeared.

They reappeared in the Lupin's front hallway. Tonks and Harry dragged a now unconscious Remus into the nearby study where they dumped him on the couch.

"Do you want us to move him upstairs?" Ginny asked.

"Nah," she replied, removing her cloak and throwing it over Remus' prone figure. "He'll sleep it off down here. Thanks you two." She shot Harry a grateful look. "This might make up for getting him drunk in the first place."

"It's not my fault he doesn't know his quidditch," Harry shot back. He held his hand out for Ginny and they turned towards the door. Tonks followed them out.

"Now don't go burning anything down!" she called gaily after them.

Ginny and Harry swung back around but were too late to reply before she shut the door.

"Nevermind," Ginny said darkly, "I'll hex her later." She turned back towards Harry to find him grinning at her. "What?" she said suspiciously.

"Oh nothing," he said innocently. "It's just that we're all alone for the first time in days and its only 8:30 p.m."

Ginny looked around, noticing they were only the ones on street. Her eyes landed on Harry, a slow smile spreading over her face. "What should we do with that then?" she asked, her voice suddenly husky.

"Well," Harry said thoughtfully. "I definitely think we shouldn't waste this chance. I mean, obviously the universe wants us to be alone."

"Obviously," Ginny deadpanned. Harry put his hands on her hips and started walking her backwards until her back hit the front door of the Lupin's house. He pressed his hips into hers, effectively pinning her against the door. He placed his hands flat on the door on either side of her head, boxing her in.

"Did you really miss me?" He asked in a low voice, his eyes on her mouth.

"I really did," Ginny breathed. Harry moved his face close to hers, his lips hovering over hers.

"Harry?" Ginny asked breathlessly.

"What Nix?" His breath hit Ginny's lips. He smelled like firewhisky and peppermint.

"Don't be gentle, I want to set Tonk's door on fire."

With a growl, Harry closed the distance between them and captured her mouth. Gods that was good. He was never going to go so long without kissing her like this again.

Their mouths moved together and her arms came up to wrap themselves around his neck. He rested his torso on hers, molding himself into her body and slid his arms around her waist. They both jumped at the skin-to-skin contact and Ginny whimpered into his mouth. He took advantage of her lips parting and slipped his tongue into her mouth, deepening the kiss. His hands slid down to her bum and he squeezed, pulling her pelvis against his own. She arched into him, her hands fisting in his hair. Harry found himself distracted by the sounds Ginny was making for him. He had noticed a similar sound the other night. It sounded like-

"Ginny," Harry said breathlessly, breaking the kiss, "Are you…purring?"

Damn, Ginny thought, her mind still reeling from the kiss, he'd caught her. "Um…" she said, biting her lip and looking at him guiltily. "Yes?"

Harry looked at her sternly and pushed himself off of her. "Is there something else you discovered in Paris that you'd like to tell me?" He held out a hand and she took it, following him down the front steps and onto the sidewalk. She opened her mouth to speak and he stopped her. "No wait, lets apparate back to my house. You can tell me there."

They appeared with a pop on the front steps of Number 12 and Harry opened the door with a wave of his hand.

"Not very good security you've got there," Ginny commented. "I'm a bit surprised, I thought you'd be locked up tighter than the ministry."

"I am," he said with a lopsided grin as he ushered her in the door. "You just can't tell because the house recognizes me. If I weren't with you that would have been a bit more difficult."

He motioned with his arm towards the study. "C'mon, lets go in here."

She followed him into the room where a fire was blazing in the fireplace. "Would you like something to drink? Tea or something? I could call Dobby." Harry was suddenly nervous. She was in his house and they were alone for the first time in days.

Only this time they weren't fighting, they were, he gulped, together.

"No thanks," she said smiling brightly at him. "I've been meaning to tell you, I really like what you've done with this place. I noticed it the other day but didn't get a chance to say."

"I'll give you a tour later," he offered.

"I'd like that," she smiled again.

Harry crossed his arms in front of his chest determined to stop the nervous chatter. This was Ginny for Merlin's sake. The love of his life; not some awkward date.

"Okay, spill it, what's with the purring?"

Ginny grinned. "Well, apparently I purr when you touch me." Harry flushed and she laughed. "Okay, I'll be serious." Her face sobered. "I'm an animagus."

"No shit, now show me," Harry said amusedly. He'd figured that much out for himself. Before he could blink again, a majestic animal stood before him. It was large and strong with muscles that rippled and large brown eyes. It had thick, striped fur, a long tail and large claws that looked deadly.

"Ginny," he breathed. "You're a tiger."

She was gorgeous. All of the colors he had always noticed in her hair–red, gold, copper, yellow–were woven into the stripes on her body. Long whiskers twitched and if tigers could grin, Harry would swear she was laughing at him. She roared and showed him her long canines and sharp teeth. The tiger began moving slowly towards him, as if stalking and Harry froze, not sure if he should move. How much of Ginny was actually in that thing?

With a sudden leap, the tiger sprang at him and knocked him down to the ground, pinning him on his back with giant paws at his chest. A surprisingly soft, sandpapery tongue licked his cheek delicately and the tiger bent her massive head to nuzzle his cheek with her nose. Harry chuckled. She was purring again. It was louder in the tiger form and he definitely recognized the sound now. He reached up his hands to pet her and scratched behind her ears, making her purr louder.

She rolled off of him and showed him her white underbelly, all four paws stretched in the air invitingly. He laughed again and got up on his knees to run both hands through the white fur, scratching her and she arched her back contentedly. He marveled at the heat emanating from the tiger's belly. Even in her animagus form, he could still feel the fire that always raged inside of her.

The tiger yawned and in another blink of an eye, Ginny was back, stretched out on the floor catlike, grinning up at him. "You like?" she asked.

"I like," he confirmed. "You're gorgeous…and a bit scary. Just like your human form."

She laughed at him and reached up for his shoulders to pull him down on top of her. He followed willingly and she spread her legs, allowing him to rest his weight between her thighs. He leaned forward, his elbows on either side of her head and tangled his fingers in her hair.

"Well," he smirked, "this is familiar feeling."

"Very," she agreed. She ran her fingers through his hair and tugged his head down for a kiss. He had barely touched their lips together when he pulled back.

"Wait," he said, trying not to be distracted by the heat that seemed to be pooling in his groin. "I want to know about the tiger."

She shrugged. "I had to take a class on animal transfigurations and it was an extra credit project. It took the whole year. My teacher was really surprised by the tiger when I showed it to her. I think she's a bit scared of large cats."

"Well I think it's brilliant, you can run with me now in my lion form," he said. "But I'm a bit surprised you aren't a phoenix. They're creatures of fire after all, I assumed you'd be one."

She shrugged again. "I don't know, the fire goddess doesn't seem to have anything to do with the tiger. I'm not sure where she came from."

"Well we need a new name for you then. How 'bout kitty?"

She growled at him and he laughed delightedly. "Okay, I'll think of something else." His face turned serious and he stared down at her. She was biting her bottom lip and he swore she did that just to torture him.

"Do you know that for two years in Hogwarts, I watched you bite your lip and it tortured me every time?" Her eyes widened but she didn't say anything, just kept nibbling on her bottom lip. His breath quickened and he lowered his head to speak into her ear. "I couldn't help but think, 'what is so special about that lip' and I desperately wanted to find out. It got to be a bit of an obsession I think. I imagined doing all sorts of things to that lip, imagined all the places you would touch me with it and eventually, every time I saw you bite it, I got-" he broke off and pressed his erection into her center, showing her what it had done to him. She gasped and arched her head back as a wave of heat spread throughout her body.

"Harry," she said shakily, "go slower, there's already one fire in this room. We've got to work up to this. I'm afraid of losing control again." But she couldn't stop her hips automatic response to his thrust and he moved again, rediscovering the friction that had felt so good the other night.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to still his hips. She was right, he was already teetering on the edge of his control. "Okay," he panted, pushing himself up on his arms. "You're right, we need to slow down." Ginny reached out for him and then stopped herself, dropping her arms to her sides and clenching her fists.

"Why can't anything ever be easy for us?" She ground out, her eyes wide. Harry could see the gold rim in them starting to swirl. "Why can't we just shag like normal people?"

Harry lifted his eyebrows at her. "We just got together after six years of my lies and four years of separation. You want to do that already?" A gigantic part of him hoped she'd say yes, even though he knew it was way too soon.

Ginny faltered. "Well, I suppose that would be a bit much," she conceded finally. "But Harry, it's like I don't even have any control over myself." She felt her face going a bit red at the thought of what they had just been doing. He was right, this was too soon. "Oh no," she groaned, covering her face with her hands, "I'm a slag aren't I?"

Harry laughed and rolled off of her, standing up. He reached down a hand and pulled her to her feet. "No," he said, smoothing the hair back from her face, "you're not a slag. It's not just you. I can't seem to keep my hands off of you and when we're together, our magic seems to reach for each other."

"Yes," Ginny said excitedly. "That's exactly what it feels like. Do you think we screwed things up by sharing magic the first time? Like it created some sort of connection between us and because it felt so good, we're unconsciously reaching for each other?"

"I don't know," Harry said, frowning. "I don't think sharing magic 'screwed things up,' but I do think our magic recognizes each other and wants to be merged on some sort of metaphysical level, I guess in the same way we want to merge physically."

His face reddened when he realized what he had just said.

Ginny laughed, her own blush creeping up her neck. "Oh Harry, there's no need to be embarrassed. We're in love, that's what people who are in love do."

Harry's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah," he said softly, pulling her into his arms, "we're definitely in love."

She smiled up at him, resting her hands on his chest. "So what are we going to do about this?"

"Well, I think the first thing to do is to take it slow. Maybe one of the reasons our power is getting out of control is because it's new. If we give ourselves time to adjust to the feel of each other maybe it won't be so bad."

"That sounds good," she agreed. "I also think we should practice sharing magic again. I know it sounds crazy but maybe the more we share it, the more we'll get used to it."

"On the other hand," she added, "it might just make it harder to NOT merge constantly."

"Maybe," Harry said thoughtfully. "But my instincts say that practice will make this easier. If we can get used to it, I'd like to try casting some spells to see if Dumbledore and Lupin's original theory was correct. My concern is the destruction we might cause while we're practicing."

"Then we should go somewhere isolated. Somewhere away from people."

Harry snapped his fingers. "I've got just the place. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Nothing," she said honestly. She still didn't have a job and had no schedule.

"Great," he said enthusiastically. "It'll be a surprise then. Dress warm."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I don't need to dress warm you dolt."

"Oh right," he said, his eyes flicking up and down her form. His grin suddenly turned feral and he pulled her tight against him. "Have I mentioned my appreciation for the shirt you're wearing tonight?"

"This shirt?" Ginny said incredulously. "It's just an old t-shirt I've had forever."

"Ah but it shows your waist, and your stomach and just enough of your hips to entice me."

He moved his hands over the exposed skin, spreading his fingers wide to touch as much of her as possible. Ginny's skin flared and he marveled again at how her skin seemed to heat up when he touched it. He nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck and began planting soft kisses along the column of her throat. His thumbs moved to trace the top of the hipbones poking out of her jeans and he smiled into her skin when he heard the purring start up again.

"Do you have any idea what you do to me Nix?"

She pressed her pelvis into his, brushing back and forth against his hardness. "I have some idea," she breathed. "Do you have any idea what you do to me?" She took his left hand off of her hip and guided it to her breast. Her nipple was hard and she arched into him as he moved his thumb in slow circles over it.

She gasped. "This isn't very slow."

"No," he agreed. But he made no move to stop and began kissing her neck with urgency, running open mouth kisses up to her ear where he sucked the lobe into his mouth. Gods he wanted to just-

"I really want to put this in my mouth," he muttered against her skin, palming her breast and rubbing the nipple through her t-shirt. His other hand slipped down inside the back pocket of her jeans and kneaded her bottom. "Gods Ginny, you have to stop me," he panted. "Or I'm going to rip this shirt right off you."

His words sent a sizzle through straight to the center of her. Images of a naked Harry putting his hot mouth on her bare breasts flashed in her mind and Ginny felt the fire inside of her roaring in triumph. No, she thought frantically, it's too much. She was about to lose control again.

With strength he didn't know she possessed, Ginny pushed him away and stepped back panting. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes dark with passion and Harry could see several red marks on her neck where he had been. Her nipples were still hard and he could see them poking through her shirt.

With a start, Harry noticed the power in the room. It had risen so fast he hadn't even noticed it. Furniture was rattling and the fire in the fireplace had doubled in size, its flames reaching out towards Ginny.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I did it again."

"S'alright," she replied, willing herself to calm down. "Why don't you just sit over there and I'll just sit over here and we'll talk."

Harry settled himself down on the chair she indicated and tried to get his raging hormones under control.

"Harry," Ginny began tentatively. "I've got a question and it's a bit personal."

"I don't have any secrets anymore from you Gin, ask away."

"That day in my room at the Burrow, when you were telling me how you felt about me, you indicated that you hadn't…um…slept with anyone. Was that true?"

Ginny held her breath. She wasn't sure why this was so important to her, she certainly had no claim over what he had done the past four years but the idea that he had never been with another woman made her feel…giddy.

Harry smiled at her. "I told you the truth," he said gently. "I've never had sex before, never even wanted to sleep with anyone. So a lot of how you make me feel is completely new and I suspect that's one reason why I lose control so easily."

Ginny's let her breath out in a whoosh. "I can't tell you how good that makes me feel," she said, suddenly extremely happy. "I've never been with anyone either."

Harry inhaled sharply. She hadn't? Not anyone? Even though she had been trying to get over him? He swallowed, the idea that he would be the first to touch her, to feel her, to make her…the idea was intoxicating.

"You haven't?" he managed. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "I guess the same reasons you've mentioned. Sharing magic with you was the most incredible feeling I've ever had and after knowing it could feel like that, no one else even had a chance. How could I just settle for someone?"

Harry stood up and walked over to sit down next to her. He leaned back against the couch and opened up his arms for her.

"C'mon," he said softly, "let me hold you. I promise I'll just hold you."

Smiling softly, she snuggled into his side, letting him wrap an arm around her waist and resting her head in the crook of his neck. He laid his head on top of hers and ran his other hand down her arm. He played with her fingers before speaking. "You cannot even imagine how special it makes me feel to know that. That you would give me such a gift-" he broke off, no longer sure he could speak. She lifted her head up and looked at him, eyes shining.

"I was waiting for you," she whispered. "It's always been you Harry. Even when I didn't know it, I was waiting for you. You are the first and the last. And I can't even tell you how wonderful I feel knowing that you haven't ever…you know. You must have had plenty of opportunities."

"None of them held a candle to you," he said honestly. "I knew it could never compare to how it would have been with you and like you said, why settle?" She smiled again and rested her head back on his shoulder.

"I love you Ginny," Harry said in a low voice. "More than-"

"I love you more than," she whispered. "I wish we were already there you know? That we could already control the power between us."

"Me too," Harry managed. An image flashed in his head of what it would be like when they could control the magic. They were quiet for a moment, staring into the fire.

"Harry," Ginny suddenly asked. "You're supposed to tell me about your consulting jobs for the Ministry."

"Oh yeah," he mumbled. "I forgot."

"No you didn't," she teased. "C'mon, a bet is a bet."

"I'll tell you tomorrow, how's that?" he said, running his fingers through her hair.

"Okay," she agreed. "But I'm holding you to that." She sighed regretfully. "It's getting late, I should go."

Harry stood up with her and walked her to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow yeah? I'll pick you up at 10." He frowned, looking at her feet. "Wear some boots okay? Not those high heeled ones though, they're too distracting."

She giggled and slid her arms around his waist, lifting up her face for his kiss. He brushed her lips once, twice and then slanted his mouth over hers, sweeping his tongue into her mouth. She melted into him and kissed him back. After several moments, she gathered enough resolve to pull away and giggled again when she saw the dazed look on his face.

She turned around to open the door and looked at him coyly over her shoulder, "If you think those boots are distracting, you should see what they look like when I'm not wearing anything BUT them."

Harry closed his eyes and shuddered, not being able to stop the picture from forming in his mind. "Minx," he said shakily. "Leave this house before I cause an earthquake. I need to go take a cold shower."

She giggled again and shut the door behind her. Harry waited until he heard the soft sound of apparation before turning out the porch lights and walking back to the stairs.

Tomorrow, he decided, he was going to add Ginny's magical signature to the wards around the house. He wanted her to be able to come and go as she pleased.