A/N: Uhm, so...I absolutely love this chapter more than any of the other's that I've written. I really do. It's by far the longest and I just...I love it, I don't know why. I hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I've enjoyed writing it :)
Harry's POV
The Burrow was teeming with people of all ages, each and every one of them preparing for the Christmas party that would start in just a few short hours. Ron and I were currently up in the attic searching for a vase that Mrs. Weasley swore was up there.
"Have you found it yet?" A very dusty and disgruntled Ron called from where he was searching through boxes of china plates and tea sets.
I picked a spider web out of my hair. "No, all I'm finding are spider webs."
Ron groaned and edged closer to the trapdoor. "Let's get out of here then, before the spiders decide to return to those webs."
I began to follow my best friend until I saw a white vase with gold designs swirling around the bottom sitting atop a stack of boxes in the back corner of the attic. "Hold on, there it is." Ron lingered uneasily by the open trapdoor while I crawled over old furniture and decorations. Up close, the pile of boxes was much larger than I had expected it to be. I stretched my arms as far up as they could go but I still couldn't reach it. Why had I left my wand sitting on top of my trunk next to my bed in Ron's room? My fingertips brushed the dusty, porcelain vase and I slid my feet forward slightly, trying to get a hold on the smooth ceramic.
Next thing I know, I'm on the floor surrounded by boxes and a perfectly unharmed vase sitting in my lap. I handed the vase to Ron, who had rushed over when the tower of boxes had collapsed on me, and looked around at the mess that I had caused.
Sitting amongst several candlestick holders, was a leather bound book. I picked it up as I stood and brushed off my clothes. "What's this?" I asked Ron, showing him the weathered book.
Ron dumped the vase in my arms as he took the book from me and began to flip through the pages. "I always wondered what happened to this." He said as we closed the trapdoor of the attic behind us. "It's a book full of fairytales. When we were little Mum would read to us from it every night before bed."
"Oh good, you boys found it." Mrs. Weasley bustled over to us as we entered the kitchen and took the vase from me. "Ginny, come set the table."
Ginny pressed her soft lips against my cheek as she passed by me on her way to the counter. "I love you." She whispered.
"I love you too." I said, capturing her around the waist and kissing her properly.
Ron clapped a hand on my shoulder and shepherded me out of the kitchen as Ginny sauntered over to collect the silverware from the counter. "Look mate, I'm happy that you're gonna be a part of this family soon and all, but please, for my sake, keep the snogging to a minimum."
(+)(+)(+)
Remus and Tonks were first to arrive at the Burrow that evening. They were quickly followed by Fred and George, Bill and Fleur, and Charlie. The adults all sat around in front of the fireplace and talked while Fred and George led everyone else outside for a snowball fight.
Fred split the six of us up into two teams. "Alright, each team has twenty minutes to build up a base and some ammunition." He said. "Starting…NOW!"
Hermione, Ginny, and I ran to one side of the yard and began to build our base. Ten minutes in, Hermione stopped and began to make snowballs and put them into three piles for easy access. As soon as the base was finished, Ginny and I ducked behind it, joining Hermione and our large piles of snowballs.
It wasn't long before the front of our fort was pelted with snowballs. Hermione tossed one of her snowballs between her gloved hands for a few moments before popping up from our solid wall of snow and throwing it towards the feeble looking base that Fred, George, and Ron had built. Unfortunately, Hermione didn't have much of an arm and the snowball didn't quite make all the way. From then on, Hermione made sure we had a heaping stack of snowballs while Ginny and I threw them at the twins and Ron.
After about an hour of throwing snowballs at each other and ducking behind hastily made mounds of snow after our bases had been destroyed, Mrs. Weasley called us in for dinner and we had to call a truce. "We were just about to win." Ron complained as we sat down at the table.
"In your dreams." Ginny scoffed form the chair on my other side. "You never had a chance."
Once everyone had finished eating, everyone gravitated to the living room where there were several large stacks of presents under the Christmas tree. No one wasted any time in finding all of their presents and tearing right into them. I received a sweater and new mittens from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, a book titled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Quidditch from Ron, the newest broom servicing kit on the market from Hermione, a Gryffindor scarf that had once belonged to my dad from Remus, a few pounds of sweets from Tonks, some brand new Weasley's Wizard Wheezes from Fred and George, a miniature dragon that blew cherry scented, unheated flames from Charlie, Curses and Counter Curses from Bill and Fleur, and from Ginny I received a leather bound book without a title.
"What is this?" I asked the redheaded girl sitting in my lap admiring the diamond necklace that I had gotten for her.
She just smiled as handed me the necklace so that I could fasten it around her neck. "Open it."
Slowly, I opened the front cover and read the writing on the first page. Defense Against Dark Magiks by Godric Gryffindor. "This must've cost you a fortune." I whispered as I wrapped my arms around her slender waist.
Ginny turned in my lap so that she could face me. "It would have if it hadn't been passed down through the family."
I grinned and kissed her gently. "I love you."
(+)(+)(+)
That night, I sat awake at the window reading the book Ron had given me. I had finished the introductory chapters and decided to skip over the chapters about the different types of brooms. I began to read the next chapters about the Quaffles and Bludgers but found that since I didn't deal with those much in the games, the chapters bored me. I skipped ahead to the chapter about the Golden Snitch.
The Golden Snitch is the most unique invention since Nicholas Flamel invented the Sorcerer's Stone. Never is the same Snitch used in two games of Quidditch. Once it is used, it must either be destroyed or kept by the Seeker who caught it. This is because the material that the Snitch is made of imprints onto the Seeker and will only respond to them from there on out.
Suddenly, Ron snored loudly and pulled me from my reading. I shut my book and crossed the room to the bed that had been set up for me. I had just about fallen asleep when there was a loud tapping at the window. In the dim light of the half moon I could just barely make out the silhouette of an owl carrying a small, square package. Ron grunted and rolled over, mumbling something about rats. I stifled a chuckle as I opened the window and let the owl perch on my arm.
As soon as I had untied the package, the owl flew out into the night. I shut the window against the cold, winter breeze and put the package under my pillow before falling asleep to dreams haunted by the ghosts of all the Snitches I had ever caught.
Morning came and I woke to Ron shouting at me that breakfast was ready. It wasn't until lunch that I remembered the package that I had put under my pillow the night before and not until after supper that I was able to grab a moment to myself in which I could open it.
Inside, nestled in green silk, was a Golden Snitch, its wings furled. My mind flashed back to the beginning of the chapter I had read last night. I put the lid back on the box and slid it back under my pillow.
Ron barged into the room seconds later. "Harry, mate, what are you doing up here? I've been looking all over for you." Annoyance stirred inside me, but at what I wasn't sure. "Fred and George want to have another snowball fight before they leave."
I followed Ron out into the backyard. The teams were split differently this time. It was Fred, Hermione, and I against Ginny, George, and Ron. Being a Chaser, Ginny had quite the arm and before we knew it, we were being pelted by snowballs.
This snowball fight, more of a snowball war really, lasted long after all the lights in the Burrow had gone out and we were all stumbling blindly in the dark. "I think we need to call a truce again guys." Hermione's voice came from somewhere to my left.
"Never!" Ron yelled and suddenly I was hit in the arm by a snowball.
We continued throwing snowballs into the darkness, hoping that it hit someone, until we heard the clock inside chime 2 o'clock. "Come on guys." Hermione protested. "I'm cold and tired, can we go inside now?"
"Are you surrendering?" Ginny, Ron, and George all yelled at the same time from various areas of the backyard.
"No way!" Fred and I shouted back. "Weasley's never say die!"
No one said anything for a while and the only sound that could be heard was the crunching of the snow under our feet as we all edged towards the Burrow. "So…truce?" Ron asked hesitantly not too far from where I was standing. Various sounds of agreement echoed and the six of us rushed towards the door.
(+)(+)(+)
After a few mugs of hot cocoa, Ron fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow, his snores filling the small room. For a while, I just sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the box containing the Golden Snitch. When I opened it, I was careful not to touch the Snitch itself.
Under the green silk, I found a folded note. With slightly shaky hands, I removed the parchment and unfolded it. I hope you had a happy Christmas. There was no signature or anything to let me know who had sent it. As I turned it over to check the back of the parchment I caught an unfamiliar scent that stirred something in my chest. It smelled like vanilla and something else that I couldn't quite put my finger on, something flowery.
I tucked the note into the bottom of the box again and carefully placed the Golden Snitch on top of it, still wrapped in the green silk. Placing it under my pillow once again I fell into a deep sleep.
(+)(+)(+)
I was back in the castle, running down empty hallways. No, not just running, chasing someone. It was the same person that had sent me the Snitch. The hallways were filled with the flowery vanilla scent.
No matter how long I ran, I never got winded and I never lost faith that I would catch whoever I was chasing. With each corner I turned I could feel myself getting closer and closer until finally there he was, in the middle of the Great Hall. His blonde hair shone silver down his back and it moved like water as he turned to face me.
"My mate." His whisper carried easily over the silence.
(+)(+)(+)
Cold air caressed my feet and arms. I shivered and opened my bleary eyes. Ginny was standing at the side of the bed holding the blanket in one hand, exposing me to the cold, winter air. "I had a bad dream." She whispered as she climbed into the bed with me.
I draped an arm over her waist and pulled her warm body closer to me. "Do you want to talk about it?" She shook her head and turned around so that her face was pressed into my shoulder. I could feel tears begin to soak through my t-shirt. "Hey," I pulled away from her, "are you okay?"
She sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I just can't shake this feeling that something's going to happen. Something bad." She wrapped herself around me and sniffled again. "I keep dreaming that you're going to leave me."
My thoughts went to the dream Ginny had woken me from. I wanted to reassure her and tell her that I'd always be there for her and that I'd never do anything to hurt her, but in the pit of my stomach I knew that that might not be true. It wasn't just in my dreams that Malfoy had called me his mate.
Luckily, Ginny had fallen asleep. I pushed her hair away from her face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. I couldn't imagine being with anyone else but her yet there were these feeling inside me that came from absolutely nowhere and left me confused.
(+)(+)(+)
Early the next morning I carried a sleeping Ginny back to the room she was sharing with Hermione. As I entered the room, the bushy haired witch raised her eyebrow at me over her book. "Nothing happened." I whispered as I pulled Ginny's covers up to her shoulders. "She just had a bad dream."
"I know." Hermione said, putting her book down. "She's been having them all holiday. Every night she wakes up crying and I tell her not to worry, that you'll never leave her, but I know it doesn't mean anything to her coming from me."
My stomach began doing flips. "Hermione…" I paused, not really sure what I was going to say. I noticed the book that she had set down beside her. "Can I borrow that when you're done?"
She smiled and held out the book. "You can take it now. I've already read through it twice." I thanked her and left the room with the book. I didn't know what had spurred my interest in Wizarding fairytales, but something had drawn me to the book.
Ron's snores made it impossible to read in his room so instead I took the book down to the sitting room. The first few fairytales bored me but then I came to one titled Cassandra and the Two Suitors.
Cassandra was the daughter of the most powerful wizard in the village. She had flax golden hair and round green eyes that captured the attention of dozens of men. Each of them had tried courting her but not a single one of them had captured the heart of the beautiful young maiden.
One warm afternoon, two suitors came into the village, having heard of Cassandra's beauty. The first was from an eastern village and had dark hair and dark eyes. The second was from a village to the north and had even lighter hair than Cassandra and pale blue eyes.
The man from the east was named Rafe. He showered Cassandra with expensive gifts and tokens of his love. Every day he would take her out to a different village in his carriage and he would buy her anything she wanted. He came from a wealthy family and promised to take care of Cassandra.
The man from the north was named Fabien. He didn't shower her in gifts like Rafe did, but instead picked flowers for her every morning at dawn and had them waiting for her in a vase next to her bed by the time she woke. Every evening, after Cassandra had been out with Rafe all day, Fabien would be waiting for her with a warm bowl of water for her aching feet. He did not come from a wealthy family and he had nothing to offer Cassandra but his love for as long as she would have him.
The time came when Cassandra's father asked her if she had chosen a suitor. Her father really wanted her to choose Rafe but when Cassandra looked at the dark haired man her heart didn't do flips in her chest the way it did when she looked at Fabien. Rafe had showered her in material possessions while Fabien had showered her in affection.
Cassandra chose Fabien. As soon as the words left her mouth Fabien began to change in front of them. His hair began to shimmer silver in the sunlight and his eyes were no longer blue, but a piercing grey. Everyone present gasped at his beauty.
Fabien took Cassandra into his arms and kissed her, bonding them together forever. Then they rode off into the sunset and lived happily ever after.
"That was my absolute favorite fairytale when I was little." I jumped about a foot off the couch and whirled around to see Ginny leaning over the back of the couch. "I used to lie awake at night and wish that there was a Veela out there somewhere waiting to bond with me." She walked around the couch and curled up in my lap so that she could see the pictures on the pages. "Luckily for me I found something much better." She tilted her head up and pressed her lips to mine.
I lost myself in the feeling of her kisses. It seemed like it had been ages since the two of us had last spent any alone time together. "How would you like to go to lunch with me today? We can go to Hogsmeade and then we can go visit Luna at the castle."
Ginny frowned nuzzled into my neck. "I promised Mum I'd help her start planning for the wedding." She mumbled.
"We have until summer to plan for the wedding." I told her as I began to nibble her ear. "It's been so long since we've last gone on a proper date." I said, punctuating my words with kisses down her pale neck. "I miss having you all to myself." My lips connected with hers again shortly before they went to trace her jaw line.
"Harry." She squirmed in my lap as I nipped at her pulse. "You know I can't say no to you when you do this." I smirked into her freckled skin. "Alright, I'll tell Mum as soon as she gets down here that I'll start planning with her tomorrow."
A/N: I'm sorry that there is still no Harry/Draco action but I prooommiissee that it's coming eventually but for right now you'll just have to bear with me or stop reading. It's your choice. And I know that there's been a lot of Harry/Ginny stuff but he does love her, a lot, and he always will, so deal with it or quit reading because I don't care what you think about it, i think it's cute! Please review :)