Molly Weasley couldn't stop smiling as she prepared her husband's favorite breakfast of bangers and mash. Her daughter Ginny was home, she was happy, and right now she was upstairs singing in the shower as she prepared to spend the day with Harry Potter.
Molly had wanted Harry as a permanent member of her family the moment Ron came home from Hogwarts after his first year and described the awful way Harry's relatives treated him. The summer her three youngest sons had rescued Harry from Privet Drive, she had vowed that if she ever ran into Petunia Dursley in a dark alley, she'd whip out her wand and put it to good use.
She had always thought there was something between Harry and Ginny and had been more surprised than anyone when he let her go to Paris without saying a word. Now that Ginny was back and Harry had admitted his feelings, Molly was sure they would get married. How could they not? They were made for each other–any wizard could see that.
Molly served Arthur his breakfast and spooned some onto her own plate, leaving the rest on the stove underneath a warming charm. She was just about to take the first sip of her morning tea when Ginny bounded down the stairs. She was beautiful, practically glowing. Being in love certainly suited Ginny.
"Morning Mum, morning Dad!" Ginny said brightly as she helped herself to some breakfast.
Arthur gave a sort of grunt from behind his newspaper. He seemed to be heavily engrossed in his reading; every once in awhile, his hand would poke out from the side of the paper with his fork and he would fish around on his plate for bite of breakfast. Once he had successfully speared a bit, his hand would disappear back behind the newspaper.
Ginny rolled her eyes at her father. It was same thing every Saturday morning. Her father would disappear behind the newspaper as if he had been starved for news the entire week. He didn't notice anything around him and one by one his children would leave the table until he was the only one left. Eventually, he would set his paper aside with a satisfied sigh and look around in confusion wondering where his family had gone.
Molly smiled fondly at him, turned her attention back to her daughter, and frowned. "Ginny, don't you think you should wear something a bit more…feminine for your date?" Ginny was wearing tan corduroy pants that hung low on her hips, and a maroon jumper–not the girliest of outfits.
Ginny shrugged. "Harry said to be prepared for some walking Mum. He told me to dress warm but we both know I don't really need that."
Mother and daughter grinned at each other. Ginny had told her parents and brothers about the fire goddess thing three weeks ago. She had to swear them to secrecy and although she worried about the growing number of people who seemed to know about it, she couldn't keep something like that from her family.
"All right dear," Molly said. "Do you know where he is taking you?"
Ginny shrugged again, "No idea." She wasn't about to tell her mother that Harry was taking her someplace isolated so they could practice sharing magic. Or that whenever Harry touched her, she had to struggle to maintain control over the power inside of her.
Ginny had just finished helping her mother clear the breakfast dishes when she heard the front door open and a voice call out. That was Harry. She'd known the minute he'd apparated onto the property; his presence always seemed to fill whatever area he was occupying and she could recognize when he was close by. Her stomach swooped a little bit. This was their first official date and she'd been waiting 10 years for it.
Harry walked into the room, his eyes searching for her. When they found her, her heart fluttered as a big grin stretched over his face. Ginny decided no matter how much time they spent together, she would never get used to the look in his eyes when he looked at her like that; as if she was the only person in the room.
Her mother apparently got the hint and scurried out of the kitchen with a smile on her face muttering something about laundry.
Harry strode forward and Ginny felt frozen as she watched him come closer with a mischievous look on his face. He didn't say a word, just backed her into the counter and leaned against her, his arms on either side of her, boxing her in. His eyes drifted down to her jumper.
"Is that MY Weasley sweater?" he asked incredulously.
Aha, she'd got him.
It was Ginny's turn to smirk. It was indeed his sweater, as evidenced by the large golden "H" on the front. In fact, it was the first jumper her mum had ever knitted for him. She'd found it in Ron's closest several years ago when Harry had left it here after outgrowing it. She'd kept it because it had smelled like him. It was too small for Harry but it fit her perfectly, stretching tight over her breasts and shoulders with the sleeves coming down to just past her elbows.
"Oh I'm sorry," she replied innocently. "Did you want it back?" She put her hands at the hem of the sweater and made a motion like she was going to remove it. His eyes followed her hand's movements and he moved one hand to her hip to caress a bit of skin that had appeared when she lifted up the edge of the jumper.
"Yes, I think I would like it back," he said, just as innocently.
Ginny faltered, he was calling her bluff. She didn't have a choice now if she was going to win this game. She tugged the sweater up, exposing her flat stomach to him, waiting for him to stop her but his eyes just darkened and his nostrils flared as he kept one hand on the counter and ran the other over the skin she had exposed to him. Ginny could feel her skin heating up as he touched her and her breath quickened. Deciding she really didn't care who won the game anymore, she let the sweater drop back down.
"Bloody hell," she cursed, and grabbed his head, pulling him in for a kiss. His lips met hers and she was lost. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pressed her back against the counter, one arm moving to hold her tight against him while his hand continued to caress her skin underneath the sweater. The kiss went on for several minutes and just as Ginny was about to deepen it, she heard a noise on the stairs that managed to penetrate the layers of fog in her brain.
She broke the kiss and they stepped away from each other just in time for her mother to appear at the end of the steps with a basket of laundry in her arms. Harry moved forward to take the basket from her mother but she stopped him with a wave of her arm. "No, no dear. I can manage. Thank you anyway. You two get going. I'm sure you've got a lot to do today."
Molly pecked Harry on the cheek causing him to blush and winked at her daughter.
Harry turned back to her with a sheepish look, "Sorry, guess we got a little carried away there." Ginny raised her eyebrows at him but just smiled.
"So, can I wear your sweater then?" she asked politely.
Harry's gaze moved to the article of clothing in question and he nodded fervently. "You look much, much better in it than I do. In fact, I've got some other clothes I'll be happy to give you."
Ginny smiled again and held out a foot for inspection. "As ordered, no high-heeled boots."
Harry laughed and reached for her hand, tugging her close again. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Thank Merlin, I think the way that jumper fits you is enough of a distraction for the day. Not to mention how your bum looks in those pants."
Ginny leaned against him, flushing with pleasure from the compliment and lifted her face up to his. "You don't look so bad yourself Potter," she murmured. He was wearing jeans and a red shirt with a dark corduroy blazer and his hair was still a little wet from his shower. He looked yummy.
"Do you want me to dry that for you?" she said, indicating his hair. "It's a bit cold outside."
"I'm okay," he said, squeezing her hand. "We should get going."
"Where are we going?" Ginny asked. "You never said."
"It's a surprise," he insisted. "Now close your eyes."
"Why, what are you up to?" Ginny's voice was skeptical.
"Nothing, I'm just going to apparate us since you don't know the coordinates."
Ginny groaned, "I hate side-by-side apparation. It disorients me."
"Big baby," Harry said playfully. "C'mon, hold onto me."
Ginny grinned and slid her arms underneath his jacket around his waist, pressing her breasts into his chest. "How's this? Tight enough?"
"That's just fine," his voice cracked and he closed his eyes. A second later Ginny felt a squeezing sensation and then a slight breeze on her face. She opened her eyes to find Harry's green ones laughing at her.
"Okay?" he asked mildly.
"Just fine," she said, removing her arms and stepping back from him. He reached for her like he wanted to pull her back but shoved his hands in his jean pockets instead.
"Turn around," he motioned with his head.
Ginny spun around and gasped. They were on a hill overlooking a huge…well…castle really. It was a massive L-shaped stone structure with turrets, towers and huge circular gravel driveway leading up to the front door. Ginny turned in a circle slowly, taking in the mountains and forest that surrounded them and the lake located to the left of the castle. "What is this place?" she asked.
Harry grabbed her hand and began walking towards the castle. "This," he said, indicating the building, lake and land with a wave of his hand, "is Potter Glen. My ancestral home."
Ginny stopped in her tracks, forcing Harry to stop walking. He turned around quizzically but she just gaped at him. "Potter Glen? I've never heard of it."
He smiled at her ruefully. "You wouldn't. I didn't know of it myself until three years ago. I inherited a bunch of money from my parents when I turned 17 but hadn't really had the chance to go through everything until after Voldemort."
He tugged her hand to get her moving again and kept up the narrative as they walked towards the house.
"I discovered it at the top of an estate list from the Potter side of the family. I had no idea they were such an old wizarding family. This was the main house. Sort of a small castle I guess. They owned a good bit of the land around here, including the lake," he explained, nodding in its direction. "They also owned the land of a nearby muggle village. The villagers had been paying rent on the land for years, not knowing their landlords were wizards. Once I discovered this place, I came out here for a few weeks to check things out. The first thing I did was sell the land back to the villagers."
"Why would you do that?" Ginny asked.
He shrugged. "It was only fair. They've had an absent landlord for over 20 years and everyone deserves to own something. Plus, the less people who know me the better. You never know when someone is going to recognize me. I kept most of the land attached to the estate anyway so it wasn't like I needed the extra land in the village. And I certainly don't need the income."
"Where are we anyway?" Ginny said, looking around. It didn't look like any part of England she had ever seen.
"Scotland," he said. "We're really only a couple hundred miles from Hogwarts."
"Really!" Ginny said delighted. "Why don't you live here year round?"
Harry tightened his grip on her hand. "Well, it's really too big for one person," he pointed out. "Remus said there were house elves at one point but after my parents died, Dumbledore told them they could go to Hogwarts and work if they wanted. So the place has been sitting empty for a long time. It was built with magic and that's kept it from falling apart but it would need a lot of work to make it livable."
"But it's so lovely. And isolated," Ginny sighed. "What a great place to live. Can't you imagine waking up every morning to that view of the mountains?"
"Or taking an afternoon swim in the lake…" Harry mused. He was trying not to picture the house filled with his and Ginny's children. That would definitely be moving too fast.
Ginny cleared her throat. Her imagination had been traveling to places she knew were dangerous. "Did your parents live here then?"
Harry smiled at her sadly. "For a little while. Until they had to go into hiding at Godric's Hollow. There's a room here that used to be my nursery."
"Oh! Can I see it?" Ginny asked excitedly.
"I'll give you a tour," he promised.
They reached the front steps and Harry placed a hand on the door. The house seemed to recognize him and it swung opened to reveal a dark interior. Ginny grinned, "I presume I would not have been able to get in that easily?"
"No you wouldn't," Harry admitted. "Oh! That reminds me, I need some of your blood."
Ginny stopped on the threshold of the door and stared at him. "Pardon?"
"Your blood," he repeated. "I want to add you to the wards around Grimmauld Place. That way you can come and go whenever you want. You won't have to ring the doorbell anymore."
Ginny was touched. He was giving her a key to his house. She lifted a hand to his cheek. "Oh Harry, that would be…wonderful."
He smiled at her and turned his head into her hand, kissing the palm. "You are a part of my life now," he said softly. "The biggest part."
"Mine too," she whispered, rising up on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips. She stepped back and grinned at him. "What if I show up while you're still in the shower or something?"
He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Then I hope you'll join me." He laughed at her expression and shoved her through the door. "Go on then, let's take a look around."
As Ginny walked into the large entryway, torches flamed to life on the walls. "Guess I don't have to light the torches," Harry said dryly. "It's handy having a fire goddess for a girlfriend."
She smirked at him over her shoulder. "This is nothing, you should see the way fire goddesses travel."
Harry frowned. "What does that mean?"
"I'll show you sometime," she said glibly. "Now commence with the tour."
They spent the next two hours walking every inch of the house and with each step, Ginny fell more in love with it. Sure it was old and could use a little updating but it had large rooms and fireplaces and the walls were covered in tapestries and wizard paintings that talked to them as Harry showed her around. The whole house was a monument to the history of Harry's family. After gaping at the huge kitchen and house elves' pantry, Ginny slipped an arm around his waist as he led her back to the front hall.
"It reminds me a bit of Hogwarts. I wonder if there are secret passages and shortcuts. This must have been very exciting for you to discover. There is so much of your family's history here."
"Yeah," Harry said, a shadow falling over his face. "I spent a lot of time talking to the paintings. They were full of information. Several of the pieces of furniture in here are antiques and the library is full of rare books. I could never bring myself to show it to Hermione though. She would have…well, you know…"
"She would have ruined it by being all clinical about it," Ginny said knowingly.
"Yes," Harry agreed gratefully. "I wanted to keep it to myself you know? It's the first time I've ever had a family history that didn't involve the Dursley's and it felt too special to allow it to be dissected and catalogued."
"Hermione certainly would have wanted to catalog it," Ginny mused. "I'm curious though, if you wanted to keep it to yourself, why am I here?"
Harry looked at her with exasperation on his face. "Ginny," he said patiently. "This is my past," he explained, motioning to the house around them. He stepped closer and slid his arms around her waist, leaning forward to rest his forehead on hers.
"And you," he whispered looking into her eyes, "are my future. I wanted the two to meet."
Ginny sighed softly. "Sorry," she said. "I know. It's just a hard concept to get used to. I've spent a lifetime training myself to not think like that."
Harry closed his eyes. "I know and I am so sorry. I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you."
"No need," she said, now sliding her arms around his waist and hugging him close. "All I need is you."
"Well you've got me." He lifted his head and looked down at her. "Ginny, thank you so much for forgiving me. I know I didn't deserve it but-"
"Stop," Ginny commanded. "You are not going to spend the rest of our lives apologizing for the past and thanking me for forgiving you for mistakes. I made mistakes too and we'll both make them again. I forgave you before that silly duel and I meant it. Now shut up and kiss me."
Harry grinned. "We've been together for five days and you're already bossing me around. Damn that feels good."
He tugged her closer and kissed her hard on the mouth. His hormones were urging him to deepen the kiss but he really didn't want to damage the house so he pulled away before things got too heated. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she was disappointed but understood his actions.
"C'mon, let's take a tour of the grounds. There's a great place where we can practice."
She followed him into the sunlight and squinted her eyes against the sudden brightness after the dark house. "You know," she said thoughtfully, her boots crunching on the gravel driveway, "I think we're already getting used to one another. It gets easier every time you kiss me. I mean, I can still feel my magic reaching for you but it's sort of calmed down. Can you feel it?"
"Yes," he said. "But I wondered if it was just my imagination. The urge is still there, I can feel that, but it's like the more time we spend together, the more our magic gets used to the feel of each other. It still wants to connect but I wonder if it can sense that we're going to be together a lot and it doesn't need to panic anymore."
"That makes sense I suppose." They walked in silence through what must have been a beautiful garden at one point. Harry led her down the paved path to the nearby lake and they stood for a few moments taking in the view. It was a large lake surrounded by mountains and Ginny thought it was breathtaking. She sighed contentedly. "It's so peaceful here Harry."
"Would you like to spend a lot time here then?" he asked her softly, still looking at the lake.
Ginny stiffened. She suspected the question was not as innocent as it seemed and wondered how much she should tell him of the secret desire in her heart that had been growing since she first laid eyes on Potter Glen. Her traitorous imagination would not let go of the picture of a house full of children and summer days spent swimming in the lake.
"I think it's a wonderful place," she finally said carefully. "It would be a fantastic place to live."
He nodded, satisfied with her answer. It really was too soon to be thinking of such things but he had to know what she thought of the place. He had pictured raising his family at Potter Glen since the moment he entered the house three years ago. It was a bit large, but wonderfully isolated from the rest of the world. Just the place for Harry Potter's children to grow up.
"Shall we keep moving?" Ginny asked brightly, breaking the spell.
He nodded again and they walked for another mile, chatting about the extensive lands Harry had already traversed three years ago. When they reached a large field that was relatively flat and far removed from the forest, he stopped. "This is the place I had in mind. It's far enough from the house and any of the trees."
Ginny agreed, looking around her. "The only thing I could set on fire here would be the grass." She was suddenly nervous. They were going to share magic again and so far, their track record wasn't so great. What if they lost control again? How far would they take things?
Harry sensed her sudden apprehension and took her hand. "Ginny," he said tentatively. "I don't want you to think I'm just doing this so I can get you into bed." The idea had been bothering him since last night, after she had left Grimmauld Place. Sure that was something to look forward too but mostly he wanted them to be able to be in the same room together without their magic going haywire.
"I think it's important we learn how to control this. I want to be with you in every way, it's true, but we've got to be able to control this if we're going to have any sort of relationship."
He searched her face anxiously. Did she think him just a giant pervert trying to get in her pants?
"I know Harry," she said gently. "I understand." She felt the same way really. Making love with Harry was going to be…gods…incredible but it was going to be a problem if they couldn't learn how to control the power levels they created just by being in the same room. Even now, she could feel her magic straining to touch his. That had to stop. She couldn't spend the rest of her life like this. Her magic was just going to have to get used to his.
"But you have to admit," she teased, "It's a nice side effect."
Harry growled playfully at her and pulled her to him. He tucked his head in the crook of her neck and began nipping at her flesh. She laughed breathlessly and allowed him a few moments of nibbling before shoving him away and smoothing her hair back.
"C'mon Potter, keep it in your pants. We've got work to do."
His face blushed at her bold statement and she giggled at him. Rolling his eyes, he took a few steps back from her. "Okay, I think it's best we do this without touching. Less temptation."
"What exactly are we going for here? What's the game plan?" she asked.
"I've been thinking about that since last night," he answered. "I think our main goal should be to learn how to cast spells together, see if it increases the power like Dumbledore thought it would. But I'm hoping that our magic will get used to each other and it won't push us so much to merge."
"You don't think the more we allow it to merge, the more it will want to?" she questioned. "That seems a bit backwards. What if we're just tempting it more? Giving it what it wants?"
Harry grinned at her. Damn he'd missed this. She had always questioned his methods, always challenged him and managed to do it without nagging him like Hermione did. During the years they had trained together, she had been the only one who never gave into him right away. His friends thought it had irritated him but it had only made him work harder and it had forced him to examine the reasons behind many of his decisions. She had been right more times than he cared to admit.
"Maybe," he conceded. "But I think what we'll be doing is training the magic to respond to our commands. Kind of like forcing it into submission. It seems to have a mind of it's own in this and maybe by asserting our control over it, we'll be showing it who's boss."
She lifted her eyebrows at him. "And if you're wrong?"
Harry shrugged. "I might be. But I'm not sure what else to do. We can't get rid of the magic and we've got to start somewhere."
"Okay," Ginny agreed. "I trust you in this; you've always had a better understanding of the nature of magic than I have. But I'm warning you now Potter. If I set something on fire, don't get mad at me for ruining the land."
"I won't," he assured her. "You know what's going to happen when we merge right?"
Ginny smirked at him. "You're going to want to jump my bones most likely."
"Yes I am," he said honestly. "But let's try to control that urge and see if we can get past the first level of merging. I suspect the longer we hold the connection, the easier it will be to work with."
He took a deep breath and faced her. Closing his eyes, he sent a tendril of magic towards her, seeking the power within her he could already feel was reaching for him.
Wham! There it was. Suddenly he was swimming in Ginny again. The volcano within her raged when it recognized him and it set his body on fire as it moved through him. He opened his eyes and saw Ginny standing amidst their swirling auras, her fists clenched by her side. She had her eyes shut tight in concentration.
She looked gorgeous.
"Are you okay?" he gasped. Merlin, would he ever get used to what this felt like?
"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. "I don't want to open my eyes because then I'll look at you and I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself then."
"You need to open your eyes Ginny," he urged. "We can't do this blind."
Ginny opened her eyes slowly, focusing on Harry. His face was strained and it was no wonder. The combined energy running through her had nearly brought her to her knees when they had first merged. It was a wonder they were both still standing. Her gaze traveled down to his obvious arousal and she groaned, shutting her eyes again. Another wave of heat spread throughout her.
"So good," she managed. "Do you think it felt like this for the other people who shared magic?"
"No idea," Harry said taking short breaths, trying desperately to keep his feet where they were. "We should have Hermione look that up for us."
"C'mon Harry," Ginny said, opening her eyes again. "Let's talk about something to get our minds off of this."
"I'm not sure I can," he said, shutting his eyes and letting his head fall back. "All I can think about is how it feels to touch you."
"Stop it," she hissed. "That isn't helping. C'mon, tell me something I don't know about you."
"I can't think of a damned thing," he said honestly. "My entire brain has shut down."
Ginny couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped. "Nice to know I have such an effect on you."
"You have no idea," he breathed, looking at her.
"Oh, I think I do. You…um…excite me too, you know." The auras swirling around them moved faster and his eyes darkened.
"Ginny," he warned. "That isn't helping either."
"I know, I know," she chanted, clenching her fists tighter. "But it's all I can do to keep from launching myself at you and wrapping my legs around your waist."
Harry inhaled sharply. "We've got to stop talking about this. We're just making it worse." He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out, the ache for her was intensifying rapidly.
"Okay," she panted. "I'll tell you something about me…um, I know! I'll tell you funny stories about Fred and George. That's always good for a laugh."
"Please," Harry said, a pained expression on his face. He tried to listen closely and it worked for a while. He found himself relaxing, even laughing at the story of when the 6-year-old twins tried to prank Bill. He opened his eyes and saw Ginny pacing back and forth, fiddling with her left earring as she recited stories from her childhood.
Unfortunately, her constant worrying of the dangling piece of jewelry caused it to fall out of her ear and she had to bend down to pick it up. The sight of her bum as she bent over was all it took for Harry's tenuous control to snap and he moved the few steps to her, grabbed her hips from behind and hauled her against him.
She yelped, but immediately melted into him, wiggling her bum into his erection as he pressed against her. Her arms reached behind her to pull his head down so she could press her mouth against his. The kiss was an instant clashing of tongues and despite the odd angle; Harry managed to ravage her mouth thoroughly. His arms wrapped themselves around her waist and Ginny broke the kiss, gasping.
"Touch me Harry, please." She arched her back, pressing her bottom tighter against him.
Harry needed no further encouragement. He fastened his mouth on her neck and slid his hands up over her jumper to cup her breasts. Ginny cried out when his hands slid over her and his knees nearly buckled at the wave of heat from her that hit him. He kneaded her flesh, Ginny writhing against him.
Ginny was drowning in the sensations caused by Harry hands and she desperately wanted to touch him. He had her pinned against him and she couldn't move, except to rub the back of her body against his front.
"Need to touch you," she gasped out. "Please Harry."
Harry spun her around and yanked her back against him, dipping his head to capture her mouth again. Ginny ran her tongue along his lips, seeking entrance and purred with satisfaction when she sank her fingers into his hair while deepening their kiss. His hands traveled up and down her spine, finally landing on the small of her back and fisting in her shirt.
Ginny's hands moved from his hair and roamed over his shoulders and chest, eventually tugging his jacket down his arms. When he took his hands away to pull the jacket off, she tore herself from this mouth and placed wet kisses along his jaw line, over to his ear. He hissed when she took his ear lobe in her mouth and wrapped his arms around her waist again, tilting his neck to give her better access. She moved her mouth down his neck, sucking and licking his flesh, finally fastening her mouth on the spot where his neck met his shoulder. She frantically undid the first few buttons on his shirt, spreading the collar open as she moved her mouth over his collarbone. She pressed kisses back along his skin, stopping a moment to delve her tongue into the hollow at the bottom of his throat and then ran her tongue up his throat, over his Adam's apple and onto his chin. She spent more time kissing his jaw line before finally moving back to his mouth.
Harry kissed her back with ferocity. He was lost in her. Never wanted to be without her. Couldn't imagine how he had survived a large portion of his life without touching her this way. His hands roamed boldly over her back, even dipping down to squeeze her bum. He gripped her hips and ground himself against her, moaning in the back of his throat when she curled her hips into him.
He really, really needed to get her on the ground, flat on her back if possible.
A tiny nagging voice persisted in the back of Ginny's brain, telling her to slow down, to pull away from Harry but she ignored it. A larger part of her brain noticed that no columns of fire had shot to the sky yet and the ground wasn't moving beneath their feet. Maybe they were getting better at this.
Harry took matters into his own hands and he slid his hands down past her bum, bent his knees a little to grasp the back of her thighs and lifted her up, her legs automatically coming around his waist. Without breaking their kiss, he sunk down to his knees and laid her down on her back. Tearing his mouth from hers, he thrust against her center, causing them both to groan and Ginny to arch her back. She responded to his thrust with one of her own and he quickly settled them into a rhythm. He was so hard for her, it was painful. And the feel of her moving beneath him almost sent him over the edge. He placed open mouth kisses down to her ear, and devoted a good bit of attention to the spot just below it that he'd discovered made her purr louder.
Ginny couldn't stop her hips from moving against him. His frantic thrusts caused the seam in the crotch of her pants to hit just the right spot and she could feel the fire inside of her pooling in her belly, as if it was gathering itself. They were rocking together, the friction almost unbearable. She didn't care that they were in the middle of a field with all their clothes on. She would deal with the embarrassment of the moment later. All that mattered was reaching a point she had only ever reached by herself before now.
His left hand moved up underneath her sweater to cup her breast through her bra. He moaned when he felt how hard her nipple was. All thoughts of reason had already left his brain.
"Tell me this is okay," Harry gasped in her ear. He wouldn't be able to stop thrusting against her if his life depended on it. He could feel the magic swelling between them and knew he was close to making a big mess. "Tell me you want this."
"I want this," Ginny panted. "Gods, don't stop. Don't ever stop." She tightened her legs around him and he increased the pace of their movements.
She matched him thrust for thrust and suddenly, in one shared, blindingly white-hot moment of heat, he took her over the edge, shouting her name hoarsely in her ear, his hips jerkly roughly against her, as he couldn't stop himself from spilling in his jeans.
Ginny gasped his name too, her eyes slamming shut as she gave herself over to the sensations. It was like falling of a cliff. She felt the orgasm spread throughout her body, beginning with her clitoris and ending in her toes, which automatically curled in her boots.
Their loud cries had caused a flock of birds resting nearby to take to the sky and Ginny couldn't stop the fire from erupting around her. The earth gave a tremor as Harry slammed his hips one final time and collapsed on top of her, burying his face in her hair.
Their magic was still connected but Harry could feel the it calming down. Their auras, which had been swirling so fast a light breeze had sprung up, slowed down to wash over their entwined bodies in a mesmerizing mixture of colors.
Ginny hugged Harry tight to her body. She felt different somehow. The world felt different. She let go of her senses and went searching inside her body, looking for the threads of magic that connected them. The threads were completely wrapped up in each other and Ginny slowly started pulling her magic away from Harry's. It didn't hurt like it had the last time even though it still felt a bit wrenching and Ginny sighed with relief when the flames on her skin died down. She could feel Harry pulling his energy back into himself and suddenly the connection was gone.
Ginny felt a little empty and the memory of what they had just done crashed over her.
With a groan, Harry rolled himself off her and lay on his back, one knee bent and one leg stretched flat. He waved a hand over his crotch to clean himself and slapped a hand to his forehead.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled, not looking at her. "I don't know what to say. I feel like a randy teenager."
"No," Ginny said, trying in vain to stop blushing. She scooted over and curled up into his side. He wrapped an arm automatically around her and sighed. "Okay, it was a little embarrassing," she admitted, "but it's perfectly normal and we shouldn't be embarrassed to share that with each other. Besides, I think something really important happened. Can't you feel the difference?"
Harry relaxed the arm he had thrown over his eyes and concentrated. He reached out to sense Ginny's magic and instead of the slamming jolt of power he usually sensed, he found a calm ocean of fire. The power was still there and it noticed his approach but it didn't reach frantically for him like before. On the other hand, the connection was much easier to make and he found he needed very little concentration to sense her.
"What do you think happened?" she asked timidly, still stretched along his side. "I can feel you reaching for me but it doesn't feel like I can't control the power like the other times."
"I don't know," he replied honestly. "I suppose we should try merging again and see what happens."
"You bounce back quickly," she said, trying not to laugh at the absurd situation. "Going for multiples are you?"
Harry tried to hold back his chuckle. It shouldn't be funny but if he didn't laugh about this, the mortification of what the way he had just thrown her on the ground was going to hit him. Soon they were both chuckling and Harry rolled over to face her, one hand resting on her hip.
"I love you," he said softly. "And I'm sorry I let things get so out of hand."
"This isn't your fault," Ginny insisted. "I was there too and just as out of control as you were. Merlin, I practically begged you to touch me."
Harry laughed again at the memory. "You were begging me," he teased. "How could I resist that?"
"Prat," she huffed and swatted him on the shoulder. He captured her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing a kiss across the fingers.
"You deserved better than that," he said quietly. "I wouldn't have chosen to do that with you in such a way."
Ginny smiled at him. "It was a beautiful setting and it felt bloody brilliant," she said firmly. "I don't need candlelight and roses, I just need you."
"Ah, but I want to give them to you Phoenix," he said, rubbing his cheek on her hand. "But you're right, it did feel bloody brilliant. I've never…uh…done that with anyone before," he finished blushing.
"Me neither," she said, grinning at him. "And if it was that good, imagine how good it's going to be with the clothes OFF."
He groaned again, flopping down on his back. "You are going to be the death of me."
Ginny got up to her knees and bent over him, kissing him firmly on the lips. "C'mon Potter, let's talk about what happened."
Grumbling about girlfriends who were slave drivers, Harry sat up and crossed his legs in front of him, running a hand through his hair. Ginny had really mussed it earlier and it was sticking up all over the place. Facing her, he sensed her magic again.
"It's still there," he said frowning, "the power I mean, it's as strong as ever. But the connection, it's different. I don't have to work as hard to reach it."
"No," she agreed, shutting her eyes. "And I can feel you reaching for me. Look, I can reach back," and she sent a jolt of power reaching for him. He quickly grasped it and suddenly they were connected again, their auras bursting into color again.
"That was much easier," she breathed, "and more…peaceful somehow. I don't feel so out of control."
"Me neither. It's weird. The connection is strong--I can feel your power inside of me and it still feels bloody brilliant but it's like, the urgency has settled down," he said, frustrated he couldn't describe it better.
"Pull out," she commanded. He obeyed and she was quiet for a moment before opening her eyes and gasping. "Harry!" she said. "I can still feel you inside of me, even though you pulled out. It's like…like…like you're a shadow in my mind."
He closed his eyes concentrating for a moment. "Yes," he murmured. "There you are." His eyes flew open to find her gaping at him. "I think," he said slowly, "we may have created a permanent connection to each other."
"How on earth did we do that?" Ginny said shrilly. "Is that bad?"
"I really don't know Nix," he shrugged. "But it doesn't feel bad. I mean, if I concentrate, I can still feel…like a remnant almost…of your magic inside of me. It feels pretty damn good actually. Like our power can reach for each other any time we want."
Ginny sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I suppose we'll have to ask Hermione about this. She'll ask all sorts of embarrassing questions and I'll have to tell her how you humped me like a dog."
Harry's mouth fell open in shock. "Wha…but…you," he spluttered.
Ginny collapsed in laughter. "You should have seen the look on your face," she said between giggles. "Goddess, that was worth the embarrassment of saying such a thing."
Harry fixed her with a stern gaze. "I recall you getting your own too Weasley," he retorted. "And I certainly didn't hear you objecting."
Ginny's laughter died down to quiet chuckles. "I'm sorry Harry, that was just too good to pass up."
Harry couldn't help staring at her. The laughter on her face lit her from within and her hair was still mussed from earlier, her lips bruised from his kissing. She looked gorgeous. And he could feel how happy she was if he concentrated on the shadow her magic had left inside of him.
"Do you have any idea of much I love you?" he asked in a low voice.
She stopped giggling and looked at him with wide eyes. "How much?" she whispered.
"I don't know if I could possibly even tell you," he said. "But it takes up every part of me."
"I can feel it," she said, her voice full of wonder. "If I concentrate on you, I can feel your love for me. Oh Harry, it's the most beautiful thing…" She crawled over to him and up into his lap, hugging him and whispering strange words under her breath.
Harry closed his eyes and let the feeling of her love surround him, penetrating him until there was only Ginny and the words she was whispering to him.
"What is that?" he asked, "What is that you are saying?"
He could feel her smile against his neck. "It's Gaelic," she admitted. "I got it along with the fire goddess–apparently they used to speak it. It seems to come out when I'm feeling particularly emotional."
"There are just all sorts of levels to you aren't there?" he said amusedly.
"Of course," she said airily. "Who else could put up with the Great Harry Potter?"
"I can't wait to discover them," he said firmly, pushing her off his lap and getting to his feet. "C'mon, let's merge again and see if we can cast some spells."
Ginny got to her feet as well, dusting off the back of her pants. "All right Earth-man, whip us up some large boulders."
They spent the next two hours hurling magic at rocks, keeping their magic merged. It was a struggle sometimes to ignore the feelings their combined magic caused but the power of the spells was shocking. One reducto spell pulverized a large boulder and when Ginny shot a fireball at a large tree Harry had conjured, it was vaporized with barely a puff of smoke.
"Merlin," Ginny said. "This is incredible." She looked at her hands, twisting them back and forth as if unable to believe they could produce such power. "I wonder what else we can do."
"Let's see what happens if we're touching," Harry suggested and reached out for her hand but the skin to skin contact didn't seem to make much of a difference. "I wonder how long we can maintain this connection."
"I don't know but considering the power of these spells we shouldn't test it around people," Ginny said. "I wonder how close we have to be standing before the connection breaks?" They walked further and further away from each other but the connection held firm. Harry even apparated back to the main house but they were still joined.
"I guess it won't end unless we tell it too," Harry called, making his way back to her. "We should check the Potter library and see if there are some more powerful spells we might be able to work with."
His stomach suddenly gave a large growl and he looked at his watch. "Gods Ginny it's 5 p.m. and we didn't eat lunch, you must be starving!"
"I am bit hungry," Ginny admitted. "But I didn't notice until you said something. Should we go into the village and eat?"
"Actually, I prepared for this," he said smugly. "Dobby!" The house elf appeared with a large picnic basket that he handed over to Harry. "Thanks Dobby," Harry said. "We're starving." He held out his hand for Ginny. "C'mon Nix, lets go eat by the lake."
He apparated them back to the lake where Ginny conjured up a table and two chairs and they dug into the food Dobby had prepared. After finishing the last of his butterbeer, Harry leaned back with a sigh.
"This is the life," he said. "Good food, good scenery," he turned to look at her, "good girl…"
"Yeah," Ginny agreed, "I really am. You are extraordinarily lucky."
Harry threw a balled up napkin at her which she avoided laughing. "Hey! You said it, not me!"
He threw a lopsided grin at her and called Dobby again to come take the basket away.
"Thanks Dobby," Ginny said. "It was delicious."
She banished the table and with a wave of her hand, transformed their chairs into more comfortable ones. "Okay Potter," she said, shifting around to face him with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. "Spill. I want to hear about this consulting stuff. You promised."
Harry sighed. He had known it would come to this. A part of him was excited about the proposition he had been given authorization to make but he couldn't quite get rid of the small part of him that wanted to lock her in a box and keep her safe. Ginny would never stand for that, he thought ruefully, and she was too powerful to let her magic go to waste. He adjusted in the chair, seeking a more comfortable position for what promised to be a long discussion.
"You know two years ago I was part of the Auror Department but that I quit after capturing Malfoy right?" She nodded and he continued. "Like I told you before, I was happy to quit and didn't really need to work but after 6 weeks of doing nothing but remodeling Grimmauld Place, I began to get a little…ancy." Ginny raised her eyebrows at him but did not comment.
"There wasn't anything else I really wanted to do. I'd thought about playing professional quidditch but that's really fun for me and I didn't want to turn it into a job, you know?"
"Shame," she murmured. "You would have been fabulous."
Ignoring the comment on his Quidditch skills, he spoke again. "I was happy to keep leisurely searching for a job but someone from the Ministry came to visit me one day. It was a member of the Magical Law Enforcement office and they wanted me to…find something for them. Sort of as a freelancer. The pay was great but the excitement of it was what really drew me. They had very little information to go on; it was like looking for a needle in a haystack…and I couldn't tell anyone. It had to be a complete secret. It was a real drawback not being able to utilize Hermione's brain, but I finally located the item after three weeks of searching and from that point on…I was hooked."
He looked up at her, "Ginny, I'm a sort of…spy I guess. I work for the Magical Law Enforcement office mostly but occasionally I do some work for the Department of Mysteries. I'm off the record and very few people know my position exists, let alone my real name—they just list a code name on all the paperwork. Your family doesn't even know what I do, although I suspect Hermione and Ron could guess. Your father and Percy probably could as well. But I report directly to the head of the Law office and all of my missions are not necessarily approved by the minister."
Ginny wasn't surprised. She had guessed it was something like this but as he went on to describe a few of his "missions" she was intrigued by the secrecy with which he operated.
"But Harry," she interrupted, "you tell people you do some consulting work for the Ministry. You must be listed somewhere in their employee records."
He grinned at her. "Officially I'm listed as a consultant for the Auror Department. Every year I conduct a workshop on various magical fighting techniques and that provides a good cover. I'm also assigned several diplomatic missions that are listed on the record. Usually they're covers for something else but as far as the ministry is concerned, I'm a diplomat working to bring the magical communities of the world closer together. What better job for the man who killed Voldemort?"
Ginny was silent for a moment, picking at a loose thread on her pants and mulling over everything he had told her.
"Harry," she said finally, lifting up her head to look at him, "how is that you are allowed to tell me this? This is really secret stuff and you probably shouldn't be speaking to me about it, even if it was part of the bet."
"You're right," he said. "I had to get special authorization in order to be able to tell you."
"But why?" she asked stupidly. "Why would you do that?"
Harry waved a hand and a footrest appeared in front of his chair. "Well," he drawled, stretching out his legs and propping up his feet on the footrest, "They've agreed to let me have a partner..."