Ch. 20 Exchange

The following morning, Harry used the floo to contact Bill asking him to accompany him to Gringott's bank. He had been "cleared" by the goblins but Harry still didn't trust any of them fully. So the two of them went and exchanged wizard gold for a substantial amount of muggle pounds. He also took a generous amount of Wizard gold in case he needed anything form a magic shop. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Molly then all ventured out into downtown London searching for everything Harry would need for his own flat.

Ginny, Hermione, and Molly rarely ever found themselves on the same brainwave, today they seemed to be in agreement about nearly everything. It was frightening to Ron but merely amusing to Harry. Together, Molly helped Harry find a sofa, a beautiful four-poster bed much like he had at Hogwarts. This one was larger however, though he didn't voice it to Molly, it was certainly big enough for two.

He found dinnerware, a few muggle household appliances and lamps since the flat was equipped with electricity, a recliner, side and coffee tables, bookshelves, armoire, and dresser. Most of the things Harry found, he scheduled to be delivered the following Monday. It would mean that he would have to take that day off of work but Bashir might understand. If not… well he'd done worse things in life.

As they trudged down Clerkenwell drive, muggles seemed to be out in force that day. They had seen dozens of muggles in shirts with pictures of swans on them. Unable to explain it, they just went about their business. As they passed Berry Street, someone behind them yelled out.

'Oi! Harry.'

They all turned around and Harry saw one of the last people, save Riddle himself, that would be flagging him down in downtown London: Dudley Dursley. He came running up but behind him was a young girl about their age wearing his letterman's jacket from Smeltings.

'Dudley?'

'Hey, Harry. I thought that was you. How are you?'

'I'm… fine. How- how are you?'

'Great!' he exclaimed with a look to the young girl. 'Oh! This is Susan Smith. Susan this is my cousin Harry that I told you about.'

Uh oh. Red flags started popping up all over Harry's mind that apparently also shown on his face because when he looked back at Harry, he shook his head slightly and gave him re-assuring expression.

'Oh yea – this is Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Molly.'

Everyone greeted each other kindly though Molly seemed slightly guarded. She had never been happy with his treatment at the Dursley's.

'Look, Harry. I'm sorry about how Mum and Dad were when you came over that day. They haven't been quite right since those months in the north. They hate you for it as a matter of fact.'

'Well, I guess I could apologize if it weren't for your own good.' Harry said a little heatedly.

'No, I get it. Really I do. And I wouldn't have met Susan if we hadn't gone.' He smiled at the young girl.

'Yes, I guess I should thank you. Dudley has been great to me.'

'Dudley?' Harry asked perplexed. 'He's been nice? I knew you were treating me differently but I honestly wouldn't have thought you would… you would ever-'

'Yea, I guess I didn't either. But everything changed when I turned 16. A guy at Smelting's that year convinced everyone that I was in the Guinness Book of World Records for most burgers eaten in a day. After that, I started seeing how I had been for so long, especially you. '

'That's … good I guess. I certainly appreciate the change'

'As do I' Susan chimed in.

'I wish you could come by the house some time, but the vein in Dad's head probably couldn't take it.'

They all laughed, especially Harry who remembered all too well how it pulsed when danger approached. It was better than a sneakoscope at times.

'That's true. Why don't we get a bite to eat sometime?' Harry suggested looking round at his companions.

'That'd be great, don't you think Susan' who nodded enthusiastically.

'Great! I actually just got a flat here in London so I'll send you a message… somehow' he stumbled remembering how Vernon hated owls. 'I'll get it to you somehow. Is the phone number the same?'

'No actually. Dad changed it so you wouldn't try and contact us.' Dudley wrote down the number on a receipt he had in his pocket and gave it to Harry.

'Well we got to go. We are going to catch a movie at Renoir Cinema. It was good seeing you Harry. I'll try to make sure Dad doesn't explode if he knows it's you calling.'

Harry chuckled and shook Dudley's hand. 'It was good seeing you too, Dud. Nice meeting you, Susan'

They walked down the street leaving Harry with a new outlook on life. Eventually, they made their way to Diagon Alley where Harry found several things, like an alarm clock that would bounce around the room until you turned it off, a chest much like the one he'd seen in the fake-Moody's office 3 years ago, a two-way mirror for him and Ginny to use when she went to Hogwarts, a cloak like Hagrid's but it would keep him warm, cool, dry, or whatever the weather called for as well as having several dozen pockets that were only visible when you tried to access them, and a special cupboard he found that he hoped to give to someone.

Harry found a magical optometry shop that he really wanted to go it but all four of his companions screamed 'NO' when he tried to go inside. With confusion lining every millimeter of his face, he looked at Ginny and said 'Ok? And why not?'

'Because your birthday is next week'

Harry stood there for a moment dumbstruck. Between Ginny, training, and Carrow and Greyback, he had completely forgotten that his 18th birthday was approaching fast. Cursing himself for not remembering to watch what he said. He never liked getting presents much but he especially hated getting them from the Weasley's or Hermione because they had already given him so much.

He resolved himself to be more wary for the rest of the day and to tell them all 'Nothing big or complicated. I'm lucky to have reached my birthday this year so I get to choose how to celebrate it.'

'Not a chance, mate. Mum's already invited nearly all of the DA and half the ministry.'

'Well, damn.' Harry said lost for words for a moment. 'Well you're not cooking then' he said turning to Molly. 'You've done enough for me so you're not spending all day cooking. I'm hiring a caterer.'

Harry sounded much more confident than he felt about telling Molly what she was going to do in her own kitchen. Ginny turned to look at her, Hermione smiled exasperatedly, and Ron even stepped back a few steps.

'You're sweet, Harry. If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do.'

Harry exhaled not realizing he had been holding his breath.

'But I'm choosing the food' she said quickly.

'Deal.'

From then on Harry made sure to not to linger at windows looking at things else the others might try and get it for him. They made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron for lunch and then headed back to the Burrow. Harry told them he would meet them there as he had to go sign the lease for his new flat. After handing the man the money for the deposit, signing the lease in what seemed like a hundred different places, he left the office with 3 keys and a 5-digit code to his very own place.

Excitement literally oozed from him but he reeled it in so he could mark one more thing off his to-do list before returning to the Burrow. He walked down Charing Cross road for a time looking for a good spot when he saw a small side alley big enough for people to walk down but not near big enough for cars to traverse. He crossed the road, passed under a billboard that read 'turnkey' and walked about 40 feet before stopping.

He looked around and made sure that no one was around before saying out loud 'Kreacher'

With a crack, the tiny, aged house elf appeared and gave Harry a unsteady bow. He clearly didn't like being out in the open in muggle London.

'Hello Kreacher. I'm sorry for calling you here but I need to ask a favor of you.'

'Of course, Master. Kreacher would be proud to perform a favor for the vanquisher of the Dark Lord' croaked the old house elf.

'Please, Kreacher, it will always only be Harry to you'

'Yes, Master Harry.' Harry frowned but decided to not worry about it. He didn't need to hang around talking long.

'Mrs. Weasley is throwing me a birthday party next week but I told her she wasn't allowed to cook. Would you be willing to cook for the party?'

Kreacher's face lit up, or at least it seemed to. 'Yes, yes, Master, of course Kreacher would.'

'Thank you, Kreacher. I don't really know the details but –'

'How many witches and wizards will be at Master's party?'

Harry though hard but knowing Molly, it could be a staggering number. 'I'm not that sure yet. But I'll let you know. I'm sure it will be around twenty.'

Kreacher thought for a moment which made Harry chuckle. If any muggle came down this small alley, they would find a young man bent half over talking to a wrinkly, flappy-eared elf that was rubbing his chin like he was trying to do complex arithmetic.

'Kreacher will bring Winky. Winky has been getting into much trouble in the kitchens. It would be good for Winky to get away from all the other elves.'

'That's fine. Will it be ok if Mrs. Weasley comes in occasionally to help? I'm sure she'll try to'

'No, it will be Kreacher's job to cook. He will shoo the Weasley women out if he needs.'

Harry laughed thinking that that would be fun to see. But not wanting to cause a problem, he thanked Kreacher again, who agreed to come to the Burrow the following Friday to start cooking. Harry had to remember to ask Hermione to help him keep problems to a minimum that day.

The remainder of the weekend passed without incident. Monday came with much excitement to much in the house. Hermione was meeting with a committee to approve many of the changes and additions she made to policies within the ministry. If the committee approved of her methods, she would be put on the task force assigned to re-write unjust laws that had been put in place during Voldermort's regime. Percy had already been assigned to this group which Hermione didn't look forward to. However, she wasn't going to pass up a chance to prove herself.

Ron, who was so excited about returning to the Puddlemere training session, he nearly ran downstairs without pants on. Or at least that's what Hermione told Harry and Ginny that morning. To which Ginny said 'Why were you even in his room then?'

Hermione glared at her but Molly walked in at that moment effectively ending their conversation. Ginny would be accompanying Ron as well. She was excited as well because Cal had told Ron that he was always looking for talent so Ginny was welcome to come fly with the team and try and learn some new things.

Harry departed the Burrow just a few minutes after the others for his new flat. The deliveries started coming not long after he arrived drawing curious looks from some of the other tenants. A seventeen year old kid getting deliveries from a half dozen furniture companies to a flat that should be outside his price range was surely an odd sight.

By noon, most of his furniture had been placed in the flat for him to position wherever he wanted. The delivery men gave him another curious glance when he told them that they didn't need to assemble anything. But they left the boxes for everything including the armoire and four poster bed in the den of the flat and left.

Harry spent the next hour placing everything in the right room and levitating them to the places he thought they should be. He used Erecto to assemble that needed it. The sight of the four poster bed putting itself together had been so amusing to him that he actually assembled and disassembled the bed three times before moving onto the armoire.

The magical cupboard came as Harry sat down for a lunch he had made in his own kitchen. At a little past two, he decided that he had done enough to satisfy him for the day and he left for the burrow, making sure to lock the door with several spells he read about in a home security brochure at the Ministry.

As he arrived at the Burrow so did Ron, Ginny, an angry looking young man in a Puddlemere jersey and an official looking wizard that Harry had seen in the MLE Office. Molly was just stepping outside when Harry walked up behind the group.

'The boy was free to go as he is seventeen' said the wizard from MLE 'but the girl is underage. Therefore, I had to return here with her to inform her parents and\or guardians.'

'Inform me of what' Molly asked skeptically.

'That I was attacked!' said the young man as Harry flanked the group to get a better look at everyone. The wizard from MLE looked stuck somewhere between boredom frustration, like he thought this task was beneath him. The young puddlemere-clad youth had a black eye, bloddy nose, and a distinctive bruise starting to form on his neck. 'She punched me in the face and then grabbed my broom and hit me twice with it before Cal could stop her.'

'Ginny!' Molly screeched, instantly turning red. 'What in the name of Merlin would possess you to do something –'

'Mum he deserved it. You should have heard what he said about her! Ginny said –'

'Ronald I told you to take care of you sister. Not set her loose on the first person that bad mouthed her.'

'Mrs. Weasley, the young man here –'

'Clive Stevens' spat the young man

'yes – Mr. Stevens here apparently did say something distasteful.' The MLE officer seriously looked like he would rather be anywhere else. Harry took a few more steps putting himself a few steps behind the young man with the MLE wizard between Ron, Ginny, and him.

'Well what was it' Molly asked angrily.

'First off' Ginny said in much the same manner 'he hit on me like a bloody idiot. And when I told him that I was dating Harry he said –'

'I called her a lying little trollop.'

'You did what?' she snapped turning towards the foolish youth. Harry could see this going badly fast. However after hearing what Stevens had said, he wasn't sure he cared.

'I did' he insisted further. 'That's when she attacked me. It was ridiculous. She had no right to do that. I mean, what idiot would believe that this little hot-headed tramp would be dating the Harry Potter.'

'You should' Harry said as forcefully as he could. Everyone except Molly, who had seen him, whipped around to look at him. The wizard from MLE settled on frustration, Ron simply looked surprised, while Ginny looked immensely relieved to see him. But Harry had only eyes for Stevens who had turned green in the face.

'H-Harry Potter? So you really –'

'That's right pillock. Maybe a bloody nose isn't the only thing you're going to get today.'

He started towards him but the MLE Wizard held up a calm hand to forestall Harry from completely re-arranging this young fool's face. 'Mr. Potter, that won't be necessary' he said with a strained voice. 'My name is Chistopher Jones. I'm with the Magical Law Enforcement squad.'

'Obviously Mr. Stevens here would agree that he spoke very wrongly today. So perhaps he would agree to apologize and not press any charges, this nice young lady wouldn't have to be taken before the Underage Behavior Committee, and I wouldn't have to fill out a large and tedious stack of paperwork. Maybe then he wouldn't have to fear retribution from the man who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'

If possible, Stevens turned a few shades paler and nodded his head enthusiastically. 'Are you sure because I could just leave you here to talk to Mr. Potter and his...' Stevens shot the man a look of utmost horror.

'Good. Mrs. Weasley, I'm sorry for interrupting your afternoon. I hope you have a good rest of the day.'

'You.' he said turning to Ginny 'Calm down. He isn't wrong about the hot-headed part. You' he turned to Stevens. 'Pull your head out of your arse. Now get out of here.'

As the two people left, everyone looked between each other for a few moments before Molly rounded on Ginny.

'You just can't go hitting people like that. What if you had been seventeen, he could have pressed charges against you!'

'He wouldn't' Ron and Harry said together.

'How do you know?' Ginny asked rounding on them as well.

'I… I don't know. It just seemed to me that he wouldn't' Harry said with confusion. He wasn't sure why his answer had been so ready. He just blurted it out like she had asked him what two times two is.

'And you' she directed at Ron. 'Why did you know?'

'I'd have blasted that little git to pieces, that's why.'

Ginny smiled vindictively causing Molly to just storm into the house. As she did, all three of them laughed hysterically. That night, Molly invited Bill, Fleur, and Charlie to dinner which turned out to be great fun. Bill and Charlie especially liked the story of their littlest sibling punching a beefy back-up beater in the face.

Charlie brought a bottle of something called Rakia he had gotten in Romania. He told them it was a traditional Bulgarian, which was ironic since he got it from Romania, made from fruit. This particular bottle was made from Mulberries. He poured glasses of clear liquid for everyone, including Ginny though Molly and Arthur either didn't notice or didn't concern themselves, and they drank.

Charlie said he'd been saving this bottle for years and saw no reason why he should continue to hold onto it. After they all gulped a generous portion of it together, Harry decided that it could be years again before he reopened the bottle.

Hermione gagged, Molly and Arthur made faces like the drink had insulted them, Bill just shook his head, but Charlie and Ron seemed to like it. Harry thought it was interesting but had no desire to try it again. Ginny didn't make any faces, but she did set her glass down quickly like it might explode any second.

'Charlie, are you trying to kill me?'

'No, Mum. Just thought we … really I was just looking for an excuse to drink it. I'll throw it out.'

'No!' Ron snatched the bottle out of his hands before he could toss it in the bin. 'I like it'

Molly went around the room retrieving the glasses from the table, except for Ron who was still drinking his glass. Most gave theirs up without a fight but Fleur had left hers on the table and began walking away. Charlie struck a conversation with Hermione about how she liked Ministry work when Molly inhaled sharply.

Everyone in the room turned quickly to look at her. However, she was just standing near the dining room table holding Fleur's glass. Harry noticed for the first time that it was still full. It looked like she hadn't drunk any of it. Bill started to walk towards her slowly while Arthur returned from the sitting room.

'What is it, Dear?'

She looked from the glass to Fleur to Bill to Fleur and then back to the glass again. Just then, Hermione gasped as well. About the time Harry started to voice his own confusion, he stopped himself because something had dawned on him.

'Are you…'Molly began softly.

Bill looked to Fleur who was the only one that hadn't turned around yet. Slowly she turned to face Bill with what should have been a calm look but it was overpowered by excitement and emotion. Fleur nodded ever so slightly to Bill.

'We were going to wait to tell when –' but whatever he was going to say was drowned out by an enormous squeal of delight from Molly who crossed the room at lightning speed and hugged her son. She immediately let go and attacked Fleur as well. Arthur hugged both of them as well and went to find a bottle of mulled mead. Not Rakia.

'We were going to wait until the whole family was together but this is just as easy.'

'Bill I'm so happy for you' Molly said the teary eyes. 'Fleur have you told your parents?'

'Not yet. 'E are going to tell zem zis weekend. Zey are coming to visit.'

'Wonderful. Please tell them we said congratulations to them as well.'

'Of course' Fleur said they hugged once more.

After the excitement died down, Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny all volunteered to clean the kitchen while Molly, Arthur, Bill and Fleur went to discuss plans in the sitting room. Charlie left in somewhat of a hurry to head home. When they finished cleaning, they decided to take advantage of Molly's good mood by telling her they were all going to walk to the pond together. She looked skeptical but Bill asked her opinion of names at that exact moment so they were able to slip away.

'Do you think she'll be mad if we are gone too long' Hermione asked

'Yes' Ron and Ginny said together.

'So if we split up, we need to make sure we come back to the house together. Otherwise she will know we were not all together' Ginny said. Even though Harry and Ron had been in more trouble than either of the girls, it seemed that Ginny was easily the most diabolical one of the group.

Soon after, the group separated to their own private strolls agreeing to meet behind the broom cupboard in one hour. Ginny and Harry made it to the pond and circled to find a particularly cozy cluster of trees where Harry conjured a blanket and ropes he was able to bind to four trees. Now they had a makeshift hammock they could lay on instead of being forced to lay a blanket in the tall grass.

For several minutes, Harry and Ginny lay on their make shift hammock and talked about nothing in particular. Eventually, Ginny started running her hand up down Harry's side under his shirt barely grazing the skin over his ribs causing chill bumps to rise all over his chest. He was trying to tell Ginny about something he had learned recently but it became impossible to hold his concentration.

'Why did you stop talking?' Ginny asked him after several seconds of silence.

'I'll give you one guess'

Ginny laughed lightly and continued moving her hand. Harry inhaled sharply several times as she found a particularly sensitive spot causing a sensation somewhere between tickling and pleasure. Harry allowed his own hand to start doing a very similar motion on the skin of her thigh. She closed her eyes at his touch and moaned ever so slightly with her mouth closed.

The sound alone caused Harry's restraint to waver spectacularly. He wanted to pull her as close to him as possible and to kiss and touch her until the sun rose. When he held her close and kissed her, the world disappeared and nothing else mattered except the precious being he held in his arms. He knew though that if he tried to move to fast, the result could be them doing something they both knew they shouldn't.

Harry, unable to completely stop himself, allowed his hand to travel slightly farther up. He grasped the back of her thigh and pulled her as close as he could manage and kissed her, putting as much of the emotion and all the need he felt for her into the kiss. Ginny parted her lips allowing her tongue enter his mouth. For what could have been the remainder of their hour they stayed like this, kissing more passionately than they ever had before.

Finally, they broke apart breathing heavily. Harry's heart was racing at top speed whether it was because of lack of oxygen or intense emotion he wasn't sure. Harry opened his eyes and looked into hers. What he saw in them told him that she felt the same emotion he had, the same need he fought every time they were together.

'Harry, do you remember those spells you used to hide the tent you stayed in last year?'

Harry nodded confused. Sure he could cast them over the spot they had found but even if anybody walked up now, they wouldn't see anything that would get them into trouble.

'Ok. There's something I want to do and I better do it before I …. lose courage. But we'll need a very big towel, big enough for both of us to use.'

'Ok? I could turn the hammock into one I guess but why will –'

She put her finger on his lips. 'Trust me'

She reached up and closed his eyelids one at a time. 'Do not open your eyes'. She shuffled out of the hammock pulling him with her. She led him somewhere for several dozen steps though he wasn't sure where. She stopped him and a moment later she used a thin cloth of some kind to tie around his eyes.

Then she raised both of his arms up and took off his shirt. 'Cast all the spells you can' she whispered into his ear causing him to shudder furiously. He silently cast all the spells he could remember, which concealing them for a 50 foot radius from being heard or seen. They also shielded from mild to moderate hexes and jinxes though he sincerely hoped that he wouldn't be needing that protection.

'Stay here until you hear me say something.' He heard her moving around a little what he thought was the sound of a zipper being pulled. He felt his heart flutter and double its tempo. After just a moment he heard her say 'Uncover your eyes'

He untied the cloth with shaking hands and lowered it to find that it was Ginny's shirt. He looked around in confusion for a moment before his eyes adjusted fully and he saw Ginny wading in the pond about 20 feet away, the water was completely up to her neck. Her back was to him but she obviously knew what he was doing.

'You won't need…. Uhhh…. You can leave….' lost for words she pointed over her should with her thumb. Looking on the ground, he found what she was probably pointing at and his blood ran hot. Nearly all of her clothes were in a neat pile at the base of a tree. It was too dark to be exactly sure what was lying there but he realized that it was enough to make him wonder whether she was wearing anything at all.

He undid his belt with much more unsteady hands and let his jeans slip off. He folded and tossed them and his wand to the ground. His feet seemed to be unwilling to obey his commands but eventually they responded and he walked slowly towards the edge of the water.

The mud beneath his feet shifted and molded around his feet with each step through the water. As he approached Ginny he decided that she must be leaning down because it was only up to his waste and she was almost completely submerged. However, about the time he started to extend his arm to reach towards her, he stepped into a hole causing him to plummet into the water up to his shoulders.

'There is a hole there' she said as she slowly started turning towards him.

'Yes I believe I found it'

She smiled but still looked nervous. 'Harry I know you want to… to do more together. But I don't…'

'Neither do I' he replied straight faced.

'You say that but I can see the way you look at me sometimes. As can Bill' she added in a curt voice. She had nearly made her way to him which made his concentration wane even further. 'I can't see why it's any of there business. I'm nearly seventeen plus what we do in our personal lives isn't meant to be discussed in public forum. I can shag whomever I want.'

'Oh is that so?' Harry moved even closer to her.

'Yes' she answered losing the edge to her voice allowing uncomfortably to seep into it. 'But I wan't to wait at lease a little while longer. I just don' think we should yet, so close to losing Fred. I'm sorry if your upset but I know you said-'

'Ginny' he stared into her eyes. 'I promise. I love you, Ginny. I'm never going anywhere. I will always be here for you. So we will have all the time in the world to do those things. Right now, I'm just happy being near you'

She gave him sheepish look and cocked her head to the side.

'You know what I mean'

She nodded and smiled nervously. She reached out and grasped Harry's hand and pulled him forward out of the hole into slightly shallower water. She eventually stopped and allowed him to drift very close to her.

'I just wanted to be sure that you wanted to be with me. Not just wanted me' she allowed her hand to graze his bare chest underwater causing him to shudder slightly.

'I want all of you. Forever' he replied softly. 'Even if you are trying to torture me'

She laughed this time. Harry was knelt down so he could look her in the eyes. They sparkled in the moonlight so brightly. Like her soul itself was finding a way to be the brightest around despite whatever darkness had set in. Harry took her hands into his and pulled her towards him.

As the bodies met, so did their lips. Ginny's hands let go of his to run through his untidy hair pulling his mouth against hers even harder. Harry placed his on her hips noticing that she did in fact have bottoms on. However the feel of her bare skin against his chest was what surprised him. Their lips stayed locked together for an immeasurable amount of time before Harry broke away to kiss her neck. She gasped as his teeth gently grazed the skin over her collarbone.

She pulled his hair slightly but Harry didn't take his lips from her neck. He tried to kiss her in every spot from her bare shoulder up to her hairline. Ginny took one hand and raked her fingernails down his back bringing a gasp from him as well. As she pulled Harry's lips back to hers, he ran his own hands down her seamlessly smooth back and onto her bottom.

At some point in their blinded haze of kissing they had managed to make their way to a spot where Ginny started to lose her footing. Harry, still surely flat footed, lifted her and she wrapped her long legs around his waist. Harry, carrying her, slowly made his way back towards dry land. He got far enough that their upper bodies were exposed to the cool night air when he slipped on a rock and completely submerged the both of them.

They surfaced, both laughing but Ginny wasted no time in reminding him that her legs were still securely locked to him. She kissed him once allowing her teeth to bite gently on his lower lip before she lifted herself allowing him to kiss her jaw, under her chin and then down towards her chest. When Harry's lips touched the skin of her nipple, she inhaled sharply. The contrast of cool night air and Harry's warm tongue shot waves of pleasure through her.

Both of their bodies started moving on their own. The muscles in Ginny's legs started tensing causing her hips to grind against Harry. The bulge in Harry's boxers started putting intense pressure against the thin fabric between Ginny's legs. Their breathing started to sync as the moved together. Ginny's hands stayed wrapped around Harry's neck pulling his him as close as she could as she grinded her hips against Harry with increasing intensity. Harry continued to kiss Ginny everywhere his lips would reach while his hands found every inch of Ginny they could.

Without warning, Ginny released her legs and fell back into the water to look Harry in the eye. They embraced and kissed fiercely. Harry lightly bit Ginny's bottom lip and she moaned lowly and kissed even stronger still. Harry moved his hands back to her bottom and around to her thighs below her hips. Ginny stopped kissing Harry and leaned her forehead against his chin for a moment.

Her palms were against his chest when she seemed to realize where Harry's were. She looked Harry in the eye. Both of them were still breathing heavily. Ginny took one hand from his chest and placed it on his elbow and pulled his arm over to put his hand on the last little bit of fabric she still had on. When his hand found her, she shuddered slightly.

Harry's heart leapt into overdrive. He began rubbing his fingers against her making her breathing uneven and shallow. Her eyes were closed and she was biting her lip. Harry followed the only instinct he seemed to possess and started kissing her. First her lips then cheek and jaw. He pulled his teeth lightly over her ear at the same time he pressed his finger against her.

Unable to think about anything except the ecstasy she felt, she placed her hand over his, directed his fingers to move what little fabric was left, and guided him to the right spot. As soon as Harry's finger slid inside her, they both gasped. Ginny moved against him sloshing water around them, Harry kissed her neck and down her shoulders while allowing his remaining hand to wander aimlessly over her silky smooth skin.

Harry watched her face as he moved amazed at what he was able to do. Fear was no longer his primary emotion. It had been replaced by intense longing and a deeper love than he thought he was capable of. After what could have been an eternity, Ginny's breathing became shallower and her body started to tense. One hand was on his shoulder and the other on his bicep and they both clenched tight. Ginny's mouth, which had been open slightly, opened wider and she moaned low and heavy. Her body shook as she allowed a storm of pleasure engulfed her.

Just when Harry thought she couldn't hold her breath any longer, she collapsed completely falling into him. Harry quickly embraced her with both his arms under hers and lifted her off her feet while her breathing evened.

'That' she said breathlessly 'was unbeleivable'

'I agree' he replied in a low voice. He pulled her into an even tighter hug. When Harry put her back onto her feet, she nearly toppled over but Harry held her steady.

'Whoa! Hold on' she took a couple uneasy steps before she was able to walk full on her own. 'Ok, I'll be ok. Just lost my balance for a second'

Harry chuckled ever so slightly but Ginny heard him and turned around. 'Don't laugh at me' she said in earnest. 'It's not funny. I don't see you falling down'

'I'm sorry, Gin.' He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach and hugged her again. By now they were standing on dry ground, so the moonlight shone off of Ginny's perfect milky white skin. 'I love you, more than I can ever explain'

She spun in his arms to face him. 'Shouldn't I be telling you that?'

'You could if you wanted, I suppose'

'Ha Ha' she said ruefully. 'I love you too, Harry. I have since I was 13'

Hand-in-hand they walked to the tree where they had left their things. Ginny shivered slightly in the cool night air. 'Can you get us that towel?' Ginny asked as she tried to wring some of the water from her hair.

'I could but I don't need it' he said with a crooked grin. He pulled her into another embrace and ran his fingers down her back before calling his wand that was just a few yards away and dried them off in the same manner Dumbledore had used in the cave two years previous.

Harry however didn't anticipate what it might do to Ginny's hair which dried almost instantly but looked so insane Harry thought she might have been hanging her head out the Hogwart's express. 'At least, you're dry' he said through a small laugh.

'Shut it' she scolded as she tried to tame it. 'I can't go back to the house like this. Mum will go ballistic.'

Harry grabbed conjured the best hair brush he could having never used one himself. Ginny used it to reign in her hair as Harry put on his jeans. He put them on wrong twice before he finally got his legs straight. His attention was focused completely on the sight of Ginny brushing her long, beautiful red hair in the moonlight wearing nothing but a pair of underwear that didn't do much to cover the front and virtually nothing to cover her backside.

'What?'

'N – nothing. Just looking at you.'

She smiled devilishly. 'Is it torturing you?' Unable to form words, Harry just nodded. 'Good'

Ginny eventually retrieved her bra, shorts, and shirt from the ground. As they put their trainers on, Harry glanced at his watch to see that they had passed their one hour nearly ten minutes earlier. Once Ginny had satisfactorily made sure that neither of them had any embarrassing marks visible, he removed the charms and they walked to meet Ron and Hermione.

They found the couple behind the broom shed but their expressions made Harry want to turn around and go back. Hermione looked like she was ready to curse Ron and Ron looked confused and angry.

'Uh oh' Ginny said under her breath.

'Good' Hermione said evenly. 'Molly is probably wondering where we are.'

Silently the four of them walked back to the house. Harry was arm in arm with Ginny while Hermione was on one side of them and Ron on the other. Though he knew that Ron had obviously made a grievous mistake tonight, Harry didn't ask. He felt sure that Ron would either ask Harry for his opinion or for the book that he had given Harry for his 17th birthday.

When they made it to the burrow, Molly met them at the door with a wide smile, which was a good sign. He was slightly unnerved by the sight of her considering what he had just experienced. Hermione didn't stop once as she crossed the kitchen, into the sitting room, and up the stairs.

'I'm going to go talk to her' Ginny said kissing Harry on the cheek and following after Hermione.

Ron and Harry nodded and ascended the stairs slowly. Ron followed Harry into Bill's room and sat on the edge of the bed. Harry resumed packing some of his things into his new trunk. He glanced at Ron whose expression was flitting from annoyance to confusion to sadness so quickly that Harry was having a hard time discerning when the change actually occurred.

'What happened?'

'I have no bloody idea Harry'

Ginny walked up the stairs, stopped at her room to change out of the underwear she had worn in the pond. It was fine to wear during the day but it wasn't comfortable to sleep in. She slipped on her favorite shorts and a Harpies shirt before she ascended the stairs towards Charlie's room.

The memory of what she had felt earlier kept distracting her. She had never felt anything like that in her whole life. Even with Dean, who she had done some things with, nothing could compare to the intensity of what she felt that night.

She reached the landing and shook her head, trying to clear her head. She was sure she'd need all her best comforting techniques to try and fix whatever her moronic brother had done. She knocked on the door but heard nothing. Not just the absence of someone moving to open the door, Ginny heard absolute silence from the room. Concluding that a silencing charm had been placed on the door she threw caution to the winds and stepped inside.

She expected to see Hermione lying in bed crying or stamping around the room in anger or maybe even cursing a picture of Ron. What she did not expect was to find her about to change out of a very risqué set of lingerie. Ginny saw deep red and black before she shut the door quickly and spun around.

'I'm sorry, Hermione. I was coming to check on you and I knocked but I –'

'I said hold on' Hermione said in an embarrassed voice.

'I didn't hear you. I didn't hear anything so I thought you had just silenced the door so no one could hear you.'

'Bugger! I did, Gin. I'm sorry I forgot about that.'

'That's ok, I'm just going to pretend that I never saw what you were wearing so I can look you in the eye again.'

Hermione laughed uneasily but eventually told her it was safe to turn around. 'What did he do?' She gave Ginny a resigned smile and huffed.

'I guess it was easy to tell. He said something dumber than even I thought he was capable. And at the exact wrong time too.'

'I would think that you'd learned by now that with Ron, nothing is impossible'

Hermione laughed this time. 'That's truer than you know.' She looked at the floor seeing something else in her mind making Ginny shudder.

'I don't want to know.' She crossed the room and sat on the bed beside her. 'Now what did he do tonight?' Hermione gave her an uneasy look with a tentative smile. 'Oh no, do I want to hear this?'

'I'll leave out the details but some of it is part of the story.'

Ginny steeled herself. She had heard some really awful things from Bill, Charlie, Dean, Michael, Fred, and George so she was sure she could handle whatever Hermione had to throw at her.

'Ok, go ahead.'

'I just don't understand why he would lie like that to me. And after everything we talked about just a couple of days ago, I can't believe he would be so brain-dead as to talk about her when I just –'

'Hermione you're leaving me in the dust. I don't have any idea what's going on.'

'Sorry. A couple of days ago, we got into a conversation about… about what we did to each other that we liked.' She tried to be gentle but Ginny took the first blow to her stability well. She only flinched slightly. 'Well I've always been nervous about what he and lavender may have done while they were going out.'

'Ok, but surely that doesn't matter. I mean, he's been hung up on you for years. Even if he was an idiot that whole time'

'I know but I still wanted to know everything'

'Why? Wouldn't that cause more problems than it would solve?'

Hermione nodded slightly. 'Maybe, but did you ask Michael about what he'd done with Rachel when you started going out or did you let your first boyfriend keep that to himself'

Ginny smiled slightly at Hermione's insight. 'Touche'. Go on'

'Well he told me what they had done, and I wasn't too surprised or scared. I knew they had done some stuff but not everything.'

'How did you know?'

'I heard them talking about it one day.'

'Gross'

'Yea.' She shifted to sit Indian style and put her pillow in her lap. 'But when we talked about it, he told me everything they did, or at least I thought he did, and then I agreed to tell him everything Viktor and I did.'

'I'm sure that went over well' Ginny said with a laugh as she lay down on her side.

'Actually it was ok. We never really did anything more than kiss. He was too chivalrous and I was too scared. I mean, I was only fifteen.'

Ginny nodded trying to conceal the memory of what she and Dean had done when she was fifteen.

'Ok but what happened that was so bad?'

'Ok, well… this is the part you won't like' Ginny steeled herself again and nodded 'but I asked Fleur about, you know, physical intimacy a month or so ago. She's French, you know?' Ginny laughed remembering the stigma that surrounded French girls.

'Well, she told me about a book –'

'of course she did'

'sod off – she told me about a book that girls had read when she was at Beauxbatons.'

'Yes I'm sure that's how she heard of it. Other girls had read it.'

Hermione smile and blushed slightly. Ginny supposed that either way, she had now read that book. 'Well, in any case, I looked up the name at Flourish and Blott's and then I ordered it under another name and had it delivered here.'

'What name did you use?' Ginny asked curiously

'… Monica Wilkins'

'Oh, that is so wrong. I'm surprised – no scratch that – impressed that you would do such a thing.' Hermione smiled in spite of herself.

'I know, it felt really wrong to write that name but it was the only one I could think of. Anyway' she shifted uneasily before going on 'It talked about something and gave a lot of helpful tips on how to be good at it.'

'So, I put on… that' she pointed at the underwear lying on the floor in the corner of the room 'and decided to surprise Ron with it. I didn't want there to be any part of him that still wanted what he and Lavendar did. But when –'

'Wait, what was so incredible about this… move?'

'Well… it was… it was… oh, I can't stand saying it. It's something you do with your mouth to his… his…'

'OK that's enough' Ginny said quickly with sudden understanding. 'That's plenty of explaining. Go on… I think'

Hermione blushed a deep scarlet but continued. Although, it took her a few moments before she could look Ginny in the face again. 'Ok…so, I did and I thought everything was fine when he said "So much better than Lavender"

A tear slid down Hermione's cheek and she sobbed once. Ginny, using all the resolve she could muster, crossed the bed and hugged her best friend.

'I wish I could tell you that Ron was just being a prat, but I doubt that will help.' Hermione sobbed again and shook her head. 'Did you even ask him what he meant?'

Hermione picked her head up and looked at Ginny. 'What do you mean?'

'Well did you ask him why he said that?'

'No! Of course not! I didn't have to. It was pretty obvious what he meant.'

Ginny looked at her friend contemplating what she was about to do. It went against her number one commandment of life, which was to never help out Ron, but she wanted to make Hermione feel better so she stowed her pride.

'Hermione, I can't believe I'm saying this but, It very well could have meant something totally different. Boys are hardly able to think straight when…' She shuddered again remember that her brother was the one implicated here. 'Look, I learned this from having six brothers and two boyfriends with wandering notions: Guys have a penis and a brain and only enough blood to run one at a time.'

Hermione laughed at loud at that and wiped the rest of her tears away. 'What are you saying?'

'Did you ask Ron what he meant?'

'No I just slapped him hard on the chest and got up and stormed away. Luckily I had my wand or else my clothes would have...'

'No, no. I don't need to hear that' Ginny said closing her eyes trying to wipe the image form her mind.

'Sorry'

'Maybe you need to go ask him. He may actually have a good explanation. If not, well then slap him again'

Hermione laughed and lay back against the headboard. 'I suppose you could be right.' She sat there for a full minute before Ginny's uncomfortable cough wiped the maniacal smile that had cropped up on her face. 'I'm sorry, Gin. Enough about me. What did you and Harry do tonight?' This time it was Ginny's turn to blush. 'I thought your hair looked weird. What happened?'

'We went swimming in the nip' she said quickly and quietly expecting her reaction.

'You what! You swam in that pond starkers?'

Ginny paused trying to think of a better way to put it but came up short. 'Pretty much'

'Ginny someone could have seen you. You would have-'

'No. Harry cast a bunch of those spells you three used to hide the tent last year'

'Oh. Well that would have worked' she wore her expression like she was trying to solve a particularly difficult puzzle.

'Another time, please' Ginny said earnestly bringing Hermione back.

'Sorry. You know I don't always want to hear about you and Harry, either. I think of him as my brother.'

'Then tell me to stop' Ginny said with a smile knowing that it only bothered her a little. Every little girl had at least a little bit of a crush on the idea of Harry Potter. After she told Hermione everything that had happened, in as little words as possible, Hermione blushed almost as much as Ginny did.

'How was it?'

'Intense' was the best word Ginny could think of. 'Like my head might explode from-'

But at that moment, they both heard what sounded like a herd of hippogriff's come running down the stairs. Anxious to see what the big commotion was about, they opened the door in time to see Harry coming past them.

'Oi!'Ginny called. 'What's going on?'

'I have to go' Harry responded breathlessly as he bounded up a few steps. His face was upset but his eyes were the same determined she had seen when he stood toe to toe with Voldemort just a couple months ago.

'Why, what happened?'

'Kingsley, Bashir, and some Auror trainees were attacked tonight in London. One of the trainees was killed.'

Hermione gasped but Ginny reached out to him trying to console the emotions she could sense he felt. 'Who killed them?'

Harry closed his eyes and an expression of deepest loathing clouded his usually attractive features.

'A werewolf'