No one else in the world

"Crack The Shutters" Snow Patrol

The room was still dark when Harry awoke. Ginny's sleeping figure was curled up next to him, his head resting against her shoulder and his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. He sighed and stretched, watching as she stirred and rolled partly onto her stomach. Her arms were curled up underneath her, and her face was peaceful. The contrast of her auburn hair against her creamy skin fascinated him; it was something he could see even though his glasses were still on the bedside table. Harry ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her shoulder lightly.

She had come to him; he had been silently and internally begging to see her, and here she was, like some angel that had been sent to ease his pain. He reached beside him and put on his glasses before turning back to stare at her as she slept.

How had she come to him? There was only one possible way; Arthur had told her how to find him. Had she begged? Or become angry and threatened to run up and down the street until he came out to her? Harry smirked as he thought of Ginny engaging her father in an argument over his whereabouts.

He suddenly wondered if they were concerned about her well-being at the moment. If it was him, he would have stayed awake all night wondering if she had made it safely. He slipped out of bed quietly and pulled on his discarded pajama bottoms. Harry smiled gently at her still sleeping figure before creeping down the stairs and into the sitting room.

He tossed the green powder into the fireplace, muttering "The Burrow," before peering inside. He vaguely wondered what time it was; perhaps no one would be up at this hour. If that was the case, he'd leave them a note letting them know she was now with him, safe, asleep in his bed… or maybe he should leave out that part.

"Hello?" he said quietly when the spinning stopped.

"Harry?" Molly's voice called quietly. Her face appeared and looked at him curiously. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes… everything is fine. I … I just thought I'd let you know that Ginny made it safely. She's asleep," he replied sheepishly.

"Oh, good. We assumed she had, but it's nice of you to let us know for sure," Molly said lightly. "She was a bit upset when Arthur was telling her you wanted to be alone."

Harry nodded, feeling color flood into his face. "I expect she said something about it being rubbish that I would think that this is all my fault," he said quietly.

"Yes, it was something along those lines. She's right, you know."

"I know."

Molly shook her head. "Silly boy, go back to sleep; it's only seven o'clock. If either of you need anything you know how to reach us," she said with a smirk.

"Right… the same to you," Harry said. "Molly?"

"Yes, Harry dear?"

"Thank you… and tell Arthur thank you for-"

"You're welcome, Harry," she said with a gentle smile. "Now, go back to sleep. I expect Ginny might be cold without you," she muttered in a conspiratorial voice as she moved away from the fireplace. Harry laughed and moved away as well, watching the green flames die away.

He walked into the kitchen and grabbed two glasses of juice and some toast before ascending back to his room. When Harry stepped inside, he set the tray down on the dresser and stood staring at his bed.

Ginny had awoken and opened one of the curtains that hung over the window; warm sunlight was peeking in and illuminating the bed and where she sat. He smiled as he watched her examine the shadows her feet made when she moved them. She ran her fingers through her hair and stood up to open the other window and let more light in. Harry's breath hitched in his throat as he watched her, the sunlight clung to her naked skin the same way his hands had only hours earlier.

"Oh! You scared me," said Ginny when she turned around and saw him standing in the doorway. "I was wondering where you'd gone off to." She grinned as she sat down on the bed and pulled the sheet up to cover herself.

Harry walked over to the bed and snatched it out of her hand playfully. "What're you doing?" he asked, tugging on the sheet as she held on to it. "I was-"

"-Staring at me and making me blush," Ginny said with a giggle before tugging the sheet out of his hands and wrapping it around herself. "You've got a cover on," she said pointing at his pajama bottoms.

"All right, then," he said before lowering them to the ground and crawling onto the bed next to her. "Now, can I have this so I can resume my gazing?" he asked, tugging on the sheet again.

Ginny blushed a brilliant red and held tightly to the white cover. "What's there to gaze at that you haven't seen already?"

"Everything… it was dark in here last night," he said with a smirk. Harry moved closer to her and tugged harder on the sheet. Ginny laughed lightly and held tighter until it was wrestled from her grip and Harry tore it off of her. Before he had even a chance to examine her face, she had grabbed his wand from the bedside table and flicked it, making the curtains close tightly.

"Hey!" Harry yelled in protest, laughing in spite of himself before grabbing his wand out of her hand in a swift motion. "None of that," he said before tossing it across the room.

"Seriously," said Ginny, laughing at his expression of mock anger, "what is there to look at?"

"You," Harry said simply. He stood and opened the curtains to both windows. Sunlight flooded the room, and Ginny raised her hand to shield her eyes from it. She heard Harry mutter something very quietly, but before she could gather her bearings, he had wrapped his arms around her and laid her back against the pillows, kissing her softly as he rested his naked body against hers.

Ginny sighed as Harry squeezed her tightly, his lips parting hers softly as he deepened the intensity of the kiss; his fingers traced their way through her hair, and his hands cupped her face. She felt her shyness melting away as he moved his lips to her neck, nipping at her shoulders and ears and causing her to laugh lightly.

"Can I look now?"

"No," Ginny said, fighting to keep a smile off her face as Harry nestled his face against her neck and nipped her gently.

"Why not?"

"I'm shy!"

"No you're not."

"Yes, I am. Remember when I used to not be able to talk while you were in the room?" She said, giggling as he began to trace the sides of her waist with his fingers. The sensation was arousing, but it also tickled in the worst way.

Harry leaned up and looked at her quizzically. "I think after last night that's out the window now, don't you agree?"

"Well, now I just have a new reason to be shy," she said, staring into his emerald eyes and trying not to lose her train of thought.

"What's the reason? You don't want me to admire your amazing, immaculate, incredible body? Or you don't want me to remember you calling out my name over and over?"

Ginny sat up quickly, her eyes and face blazing. "You arrogant prat!" she said, trying her best not to laugh. "It's no different than you –"

Her argument was silenced by Harry kissing her fiercely; she could feel his lips quivering against hers as he tried to refrain from laughing. "Ginny, I love you," he whispered with a chuckle. She glared at him mischievously before smiling as Harry pressed his lips to hers again, a different kind of intensity sneaking into the kiss.

She sighed against his lips, and before she knew it he had lifted her aside so he could lean back against the headboard. Not wanting to break the kiss, she was forced to straddle his waist and seat herself atop him. As she settled herself against his hips, she felt a wave of arousal run through her as his hardening erection rubbed against her clitoris.

Harry inhaled sharply and gently pushed her back so she was sitting up straight. He began examining the way the sunlight illuminated the highlights in her hair and the color of her skin. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he traced his hands over her shoulders, down her ribs and over her stomach. He rested his hands against the outside of her hips and sighed deeply.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"For what?"

"I just wanted to look," he said. She blushed brightly and turned her eyes away. He took her face in his hands and turned her eyes back to his before tracing his fingers over the curve of her breasts, and over the indent of her waistline that rounded into her hips. He ran his hands over the outside of her thighs and over her backside; then he traced imaginary lines on her stomach and over her shoulders. Harry trailed his fingers down her arms before intertwining them with hers; he pulled her close and kissed her softly, enjoying the way she sighed when he parted her lips with his.

"You know what's funny?" he said quietly.

"What's funny?" she said with a smile.

"The sunlight likes you too," he said, observing the way it had slowly crept over her figure, enlightening the semi-darkness so he could see her clearly.

Ginny laughed and looked at the golden light around her, nodding in agreement. She turned her eyes back to Harry's face to see him watching her with avid curiosity. "What's so fascinating?"

"You are," he said. Ginny blushed again; the innocent expression on her face caused a jolt of arousal to rush thorough his system. Harry placed his hands against her hips and pushed her backwards, groaning lightly at the sensation of her grinding against the stiffness that had been present since he walked back into the room.

Ginny lifted her hips up only an inch as Harry pushed against her, but it was enough give him the freedom of movement he needed. As she lowered herself back down, he tilted his hips and groaned as he entered her slowly.

Ginny closed her eyes and allowed the sensation to run through her. She let her head fall back and pressed her palms against Harry's chest. Harry began to push her hips in a rocking motion, moving against her at a painstakingly slow pace, causing her to shudder each time he thrust against her. She gently began to rock her hips in response, and he encouraged her by gripping her hips tighter and letting her control the pace.

Harry watched with intense fascination as Ginny rocked herself against his thrusts. Keeping his glasses on enabled him to see everything he had longed to: the way her skin became flushed and pink as she became more and more aroused; how her auburn hair swayed gently each time she rocked her hips against him; the way she bit her lip to try and keep herself from crying out; everything she did was arousing and enthralling. Harry could have stared at her all day, he could have watched the way her breasts moved and the way her eyes squeezed tightly shut as the pace of his thrusts increased, but he longed to be close to her.

He sat up and pulled her flush against him, pressing his lips to her neck as she tangled her fingers in his hair. She cried out softly and arched against him, allowing him to take one of her nipples into his mouth and graze it with his teeth.

Ginny grasped onto Harry's shoulders as he lifted her up with one arm and flipped her onto her back. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her eyes shot open when his hands gripped her hips tightly as he thrust himself against her with increasing force.

"Did you… get tired of looking?" she asked breathlessly.

Harry growled against her skin. He lifted his head and looked into her eyes, "No… I could look all day. But I want you close," he whispered before kissing her softly.

Something in the way he said the words caused Ginny's arousal to burst into over drive. She whimpered into his mouth, the feel of his tongue caressing hers only added to the sensations that were overwhelming her. She arched her back and responded to his thrusts with her own; her efforts rewarded when he groaned her name and pressed his lips to her neck.

As his movements became more erratic and forceful, Ginny began to cry out much louder than she had the previous night. Her cries seemed to stimulate him, and though she felt embarrassed, she found that it no longer mattered; her awkwardness seemed to disappear as another peak of ecstasy rose inside her.

She bit her lip and arched her back, surprising herself when she reached her hands around to grab tightly onto Harry's hips and pull him closer to her. He supported himself with one hand, and held onto the outside of her thigh with the other, seemingly steadying her hips while he continued to move. How long had she imagined this? How long had she fantasized about him wanting her this way? Still, the reality of it was much more amazing then her mind could have ever imagined. She heard her own voice calling out Harry's name; it sounded as though it was miles away. When her body began to rhythmically contract all around him, she felt him slow his pace only slightly, as if he wanted to absorb the feeling of her orgasm just as much as experience his own.

Harry watched in fascination as Ginny's face flushed scarlet, her eyes closed tightly and her lips parted provocatively as she cried out again. He felt his arousal surge through him as his orgasm began to build, and he didn't even to try to hold off this time. The inarticulate moans of pleasure that were leaving her pink lips stimulated him to increase the pace of his thrusts, and his body responded by convulsing as the surge of pleasure raced through him. At the same time, he felt the rhythmic contractions he had begun to long for squeeze in all around him. He kept his eyes open, watching Ginny arch her back and grasp onto his hips tightly as she came.

As the contractions from his own orgasm ceased, he collapsed against her, exhausted and hungry, but not wanting to move away from her. The smell of her hair as it caressed his face was soothing, and her legs still wrapped around his waist only added to the pleasure and peace he felt from being against her. He lay panting lightly on top of her, enjoying the feel of her thin fingers tracing their way through his hair. It was a few moments before he spoke.

"I … I brought toast up," he muttered. His voice was hoarse and deep; it tickled her ear and Ginny laughed lightly.

"It's probably cold," she said quietly.

"Yeah…"

"It's the thought that counts," she said lightly. She kissed his forehead and sighed deeply, relaxing back against the pillows and holding him closely to her.

"Right… I think I might still eat it though," he muttered before pressing his lips against her neck.

"You need more sustenance than that," she said lightly before sliding herself out from underneath him. "Come on, I'll make you something to eat."

Ginny had only gotten to the edge of the bed when Harry's arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close, his lips pressing to her neck and causing her to laugh lightly.

"Shower," he muttered, as he picked her up and carried her into the bathroom, her laughter echoing throughout the sunlit room around them.

An hour later, they had showered and were now eating eggs, kippers, and toast in the dining room. Ginny had only one change of clothes and her night dress with her, so Harry had loaned her one of his larger shirts to clothe herself in. They both sat at the table, finishing their breakfast and talking quietly.

"Dad wasn't going to let me come, but I threatened to run up and down the street screaming until you came out," she told him when he asked how she convinced them to let her come to him.

"I guessed something along those lines," he chuckled lightly. "Did they tell you that even if I would have come out to meet you we wouldn't have been able to get back in?"

"Dad started to say that, but that's when mum jumped in and told him to give me the secret. And he did; and here I am," she said gesturing to herself as she slid closer to Harry.

"And I'm glad," he whispered, pulling her close and kissing her lightly.

"Really? I couldn't tell," she teased.

Harry grinned and buried his face in her neck, kissing and nipping at her skin and causing her to laugh lightly.

"You are a cheeky little git though," she said when he pulled away.

"Why would you say such a thing?" Harry asked, his face falling into a mock frown.

"Oh, because of your earlier comment: 'You don't want me to remember you calling out my name over and over,'" she said in a quick imitation of his voice.

Harry laughed. "Well, I wasn't sure why you were suddenly so shy. You don't have any reason to be," he said, tracing his fingers over the outside edge of her thighs.

"I was naked in the bright sunlight; isn't that a good enough reason?"

"No," Harry said simply.

"Well, what would be a good enough reason for my shyness?" asked Ginny.

"For shyness… no, you have no excuse to be shy," he said shaking his head.

"You are a prat sometimes, you know that, right?"

Harry grinned and pulled her close, pressing his lips to her collar bones, her neck, and finally her lips. "But I love you," he said quietly.

"Hmm," she muttered, running her hands through his hair. "That you do," she replied. Harry smirked and kept his lips on hers for a few seconds. "And I love you. You know I always have," she said lightly, smiling as he grinned before leaning away from her.

She sighed heavily and examined the shirt he had loaned her. "I'll probably need to go get clothes eventually."

"Not really," Harry muttered.

"I can't just wear your clothes, they're too big," she protested, tugging at the shirt she was wearing.

Harry observed her and made a face. "You're right… that is a problem. I think I might have the solution though," he said lightly. He stood up and reached for the buttons on the shirt, but Ginny took a step away from him.

"Oh, that's your solution then, is it?" she said with a grin, avoiding his grasp by side stepping around him and behind the table. "I'll just go starkers for a week?"

"Well, our safety does depend on us staying hidden. It may be the only way to be sure that we stay safe," Harry said with a grin. He reached for her again but she dodged him and raced into the sitting room. He followed her quickly, but she was not in sight when he arrived. He glanced curiously around, wondering where she could have possibly escaped to when he felt her small hands grasp the top of the shorts he was wearing and tug them down around his feet.

"Hey!" he shouted, wheeling around to try and catch her, but she had taken off again in the opposite direction, laughing brightly. He pulled his shorts back up around his hips and took off after her.

They chased each other through the house for the next fifteen minutes, both of them laughing and narrowly escaping the other one several times. Harry's heart was lighter than it had been in over two months; he felt free, at peace, and completely content to stay locked away with her for the next week, or two, or three if the office never came up with a plan…

"Gotcha!" he whispered as he caught Ginny around the waist. He had snuck up behind her in the sitting room and completely caught her off guard.

Ginny shrieked but laughed as Harry began to fuss with the buttons on the shirt she was wearing, swiftly undoing them and pulling the sleeves down over her shoulders. He set her atop a low dresser and kissed her passionately, assisting her when her she began to use her feet to lower his shorts to his ankles. She gripped the sides of the dresser for support as he pulled her hips to the very edge and thrust himself inside her.

"Do you think… this will ever get old?" Harry asked, groaning as her legs wrapped around his hips and she arched her back, allowing him to kiss along her collar bones and over her breasts as he held her to him and began to move at an increasingly quicker pace.

"I hope not," she said breathlessly, wrapping one arm around his neck and pulling him close.

They fell asleep early that evening, both of them exhausted from their repeated love making. Harry had wondered if he was being overzealous with her, but she had laughed when he asked her if this was all too much.

"Harry, that's a silly question. You should know by now that if I don't want to do something I won't do it," she said as she kissed him softly.

"I know… I just wanted to make sure," he said, nestling into her neck again.

"I love you," she replied.

"I love you, too," he said, looking her up and down again.

"Besides, it's not like I'm completely innocent in these encounters either," she had said before pulling him close to her and hitching one of her legs around his hip.

Harry smiled to himself; she was asleep next to him now, her breathing slow and peaceful in the dark. He couldn't imagine being without her ever again; it was insanity for him to think that he could survive even a day without knowing she was his.

Though the past day and night had been filled with unbridled passion and expressions of love, his thoughts turned back to the crisis at hand. The Dark Shadow arranging attacks on Ron, Hermione, Ginny, himself, everyone who had established the council and the major players who participated in the final battle.

This was a broad scope, and Voldemort's scope was never this broad. As Harry thought about it, it seemed as though there would need to be at least two people majorly involved in the planning. But who? Harry ran through the Death Eaters in his head, trying to identify any females he had forgotten. He dug out his files from the office and began to look through them, searching for any clues to the identity.

A few hours had passed when a small, soft hand trailed up his back and over his shoulder. Harry looked over his shoulder to see Ginny leaning on one elbow watching him curiously. "Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked, looking at his lit wand and the papers he had spread out over his half of the bed.

"No… what are you looking at?" she asked.

"Women Death Eaters; there weren't many," he said. "It's frustrating… all these things, from the very first incident of the break in to our office, to this last go round, have to be connected somehow. And I can't figure it out. It's in my head somewhere, I know it is, but I just can't find it," he said.

Ginny kissed his shoulder softly. "You aren't going to find it right now," she whispered. "Come back to sleep, this will be here in the morning" she said, tugging on him and pulling him into her arms.

Harry nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist, sighing when she snuggled against his chest. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you. I was just… I was thinking how wonderful this is, to be with just you, and it's all I want now; it's all I'll ever want," he whispered against her forehead.

Ginny smiled and closed her eyes, pressing her lips to his chest. "I'm here, Harry. I've always been here," she whispered. He squeezed her against him and sighed deeply, it wasn't long after her final words that he fell asleep.

When Ginny awoke in the morning, Harry was still asleep beside her. She examined his features and smiled to herself, thinking of his words last night and how she felt exactly the same way.

But she knew he wouldn't be able to commit to anything as long as this Shadow hung over them. This was why he had gotten up and begun to examine his files, which were still strewn out along his side of the mattress.

She crawled over top of him and began to look through the papers, reading through the familiar names of Death Eaters and trying to pick out something new.

After going through a few files of seemingly useless information, she stumbled across a prisoner log from Azkaban; it was dated November first of nineteen ninety-nine and listed all the visitors that came to and from the island for the next nine months. Ginny noticed a few things that caused her some concern. Primarily, the repetitive initials of someone from Konispol, Albania: SVL. Again and again, the same initials; it was about once a month that this person visited the prison.

"Something interesting?" Harry's voice mused from his spot on the pillow.

"Yeah, the Azkaban visitation log," she said handing him the paper. "See those initials there? Again and again this person is visiting. Why?"

Harry looked over the form curiously. He saw exactly what Ginny had, the same initials again and again, at approximately the same interval each month. "There's another one here too; MEP. I might send Deacon in and ask Proudfoot for a list of who is allowed in and out of Azkaban; it's very restricted."

Ginny nodded. "You know, you were saying last night that you think all these events are connected? And you think the information is in your head, you just can't find it?"

"Yeah… I know it's there, but I just can't put it all together. Maybe age is addling my brain," he said with a chuckle.

"No… I don't think that's it. It'd be nice if you had access to a Pensieve, though," she mused.

"A what?"

"A pensieve… isn't that what you used to view all of those memories Dumbledore head about Vold-"

"Ginny!" Harry said jumping up from bed and gripping her hands. "You're brilliant! I can't… you're brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! A pensieve! I can go back and view some of those memories, and some of my own to see if I can connect the pieces! And I can show the team what Voldemort looked like before he got all – Merlin's Pants! You're amazing you are!" he shouted. He picked her up and kissed her fiercely.

"All right, all right!" she laughed. "But what… what do we do?"

"Let's get dressed; we can go, we can figure this out and-"

"Hang on, hang on. Let's… let's send a note to Kingsley first, all right?" she said cautiously, watching his reaction.

"Why? We can just go to his office."

"Well… I don't know. I just… I think we should check with him or someone before we leave. Can you send him a message and let him know what you've found out?"

"Sure… yeah. Are you all right? It'll be okay," he said, walking over to where she was standing and pulling her close. "We can figure this out, and then it'll be over."

"I know… I just; I have a bad feeling about just waltzing into the office when we're supposed to be hiding. Just… sending a note would make me feel better."

"All right," he said. "I'll put a charm on it so only Kingsley's wand can open it," he explained as he grabbed a piece of parchment and began to scribble furiously. "And I'll send it through the Floo network rather than Deacon; the house is only connected with Kingsley's office and the Burrow so it'll be less likely intercepted that way," he explained.

Ginny nodded and sat back down on the bed while Harry finished his note. "Brilliant," he said, kissing her lightly before walking down the stairs. She followed and watched him send the letter through the fireplace.

"All right, now we wait," he said lightly. "Ginny, are you sure you're okay? You look very nervous," he said.

"I'm fine, I just… I don't know. That struck me as odd, almost like it was too visible, you know? Like we were meant to find it?"

Harry considered this. "Yeah… but, I only got those records because I took them when I was trying to figure out who killed Kreacher. If we were meant to find it, wouldn't someone have given it to us?"

"Yeah… yeah, maybe you're right," she said nodding her head slowly.

Just then the fireplace burst to life and a note flew onto the floor in front of Harry. In Kingsley's distinct handwriting was written "Give me about ten minutes, then come in through the Floo Network."

"All right, he wants us to come in," Harry said. "Are you sure you're okay with this? I'll stay with you if you don't want to go."

"No, I'm coming with you; I said I wasn't scared and I meant it. Besides… now I understand why you were so desperate to get this to end," she said.

"You do?"

"Yeah…" she said quietly, walking closer to him. "Because … being alone with you, like we have been, like there is no one else in the world but us, is all I want too."

Harry sighed and pulled her into his arms before kissing her softly and running his fingers through her hair. "Then that's what we'll get," he whispered.