A/N: Thank you for reviewing. This chapter is all Harry and Ginny and I'm really pleased that I'm finally able to move their relationship along, as I know that many people really wanted me to. It's pretty hard to hide something from someone who can read your every thought and feel everything you do, and fortunately, that has definitely worked out in our favor. Enjoy!

That was easily the coldest, most painful night that Harry had ever spent. It would have been impossible for them to find their way back in the dark, so they were forced to remain where they were. But it was well into November, nearing the end of the month, and so it was definitely cold enough to snow. Fortunately, it didn't, but once the sun was gone, the grass frosted beneath their feet and he could see his breath every time he exhaled. In retrospect, though he and Ginny probably would have been a lot warmer if they'd remained as spirits - Merlin knew that he was certainly longing for their wings of fire now - their bodies probably would have frozen to death long before the denizens of the Forbidden Forest overcame their caution to attack. He wasn't entirely certain that it wouldn't happen now.

"Don't think like that, Harry," Ginny said through chattering teeth. She shivered and tried to curl in a bit closer to him, but they were already as close as possible without becoming one person. Harry had sat down with his back to a large, solid tree trunk so that nothing could sneak up on them and Ginny was sitting in between his legs, cuddled up against his chest as best she could without disturbing her left ankle. The position wasn't exactly comfortable for either of them, but it was the best they had been able to manage when both of them were so banged up that just shifting in place was a painful nightmare.

"Sorry," he muttered, tightening his grip and ignoring the dull flash of pain from his sprained wrist. It had gone numb some time ago and no longer hurt unless he moved it. "You know, I was just thinking that thanks to Fawkes, we're going to have to go straight back to the Hospital Wing."

Ginny smiled a little at that and turned her face into his neck, seeking out more warmth. "That bloody bird," she said, though there was noticeably less ire in her voice now than there had been before. It was hard to feel much of anything when you were so cold that you were steadily losing feeling in your extremities. "He could have at least left us the ability to get out of here."

Harry sighed. They'd tried sending up flares and sparks using their wands, but they were so deep in the Forest that either no one noticed their distress calls or no one could get to them. Building a fire increased the risk of attracting creatures to their location, and he didn't really know if either of them would be capable of protecting themselves if something were to attack. Lighting a wand would have presented the same problem as a fire. Neither of them had a lot of experience with warming charms, and no matter how often they were applied the charms wore off before they had the chance to do much good.

"I'd like to think that he didn't mean to do this, but I wonder," he replied. What little he knew about Fawkes had crossed his mind so many times that he was getting tired of thinking about it. He'd really only met the phoenix a handful of times and certainly Fawkes had never spoken to him before. Up until now, he would have said that Fawkes had the tendency to come to him when he was in danger. Now he wasn't so sure.

The two of them sat in silence for some time, though neither of them was able to fall asleep. Harry craned his head back and stared at the sky, watching as the darkness of the night gradually give way to the softer, lighter colors of a new dawn. A wave of relief mingled with panic rolled through him. On the one hand, they would finally be able to see what they were doing, which was a major bonus. On the other hand, all of the creatures that had slept through the night would now be waking up, and their chances of being discovered as missing were rising by the minute. The pattern of breathing against his neck changed as Ginny stirred.

"I think we could try going back now," she said sleepily. Her lips had gone a faint shade of blue from the cold. Without thinking, he reached out and traced a thumb over her bottom lip. Ginny looked surprised by the action and their eyes met when she lifted her head and looked up at him. They hadn't talked about the few kisses that they had shared. Harry honestly didn't know what to say about them. He liked kissing Ginny; there was no question about that. It was a million times better than kissing Cho had ever been and he had the feeling that it would have been that way no matter who else it was; it was Ginny that made the experience better. But what, exactly, did that mean? Sighing in frustration, his hand dropped to the ground.

"Ginny, I - no, don't say anything," he said when she went to speak. "I need to say this. I think… you've been a good friend to me. Better than I deserved. I never realized how great a friend you could be until now, and it makes me angry to think that I ignored you all those years." He frowned slightly and shook his head before he went on. "But lately, I… well… I don't… look at you… like that. As a friend, I mean. Well I do, because of course we're friends, but…" His voice trailed off when he realized that she was grinning.

"I like you too, Harry," she said gently.

A weight that he hadn't even realized had been on his shoulders dropped away immediately. It was stupid, really. He could feel that Ginny liked him, possibly even loved him if the strength of her affection and caring could be believed, but he still needed to hear her say the words out loud before he could bring himself to believe it. "Thank you," he said, his hand rising to cup her cheek again before he could stop himself. "When we get back to Hogwarts and escape the Hospital Wing a second time, would you… I mean, will you go out on a date with me?" The words tumbled out in a rush.

She smiled. "I'd love to go out with you, Harry." Her eyes were shining and all he could feel from the bond was a wonderful sensation that made him feel like he'd been dipped in melted chocolate. It was so warm and shivery that he couldn't even feel the cold anymore.

"Then we will," he said decisively, and then, just because he could, he leaned forward and kissed her. Even though her lips were chapped and cold, it was still one of the best kisses he'd ever had. Ginny sighed and leaned against him, returning the kiss with equal fervor until a rustling in the bushes made them both jump. She jerked away and both of them scrambled to pick up their wands.

"What is it?" she squeaked in alarm. Her fingers were so cold that she had difficulty wrapping them around the handle of her wand; she pointed it weakly in the direction of the bushes, knowing that if something came out at them, their reaction times were so delayed that they would be in serious trouble.

Harry didn't know and he wasn't sure that he really wanted to find out. Carefully, he shifted Ginny until he could stand up without hurting her and stepped forward. His legs were wobbling dangerously and he had no doubt that whatever was out there found him about as threatening as a mouse, but he held his wand up anyway. Even though the sun had risen, it was still so dark in the main part of the forest that he had a hard time seeing anything. A quick flip of his wand changed that; he swept the illuminated tip closer and squinted. He swallowed the yell that wanted to escape at the very last second when he caught sight of fur and hungry yellow eyes.

"It's time to go," he said, hastily backtracking to Ginny. The longer he stood, the better he felt, as his limbs were slowly beginning to warm up and circulate blood again. His toes and fingers still felt so cold they were numb, but there was no way they could stick around. "There's something out there and I think it thinks that we look like a nice breakfast."

Terror flashed briefly in Ginny's eyes before it vanished in the wake of a calm, determined nod. She leaned heavily against the tree as she got to her feet - well, foot, really, because her left ankle was so badly swollen that there was no way it would hold her weight. Harry scooped up his Firebolt before he carefully slid an arm around her waist, leaving her to place her arm around his shoulders. Together, they began hobbling in the direction of the castle as quickly as possible. Once or twice, Harry heard the bushes behind them rustle as the creature kept pace with them, and he remained tense, his wand gripped tightly in his hand and a spell on the tip of his tongue.

Several minutes later, the rustling in the bushes had finally stopped, but they hadn't actually advanced that far. Progress was slow, as Ginny had to put a fair amount of her weight on Harry and he was already tired, not to mention that he wasn't used to having to support someone. He finally paused, lungs burning, and took a deep breath, resting his cheek on top of her head. Ginny shifted awkwardly and sighed. "Harry, I think you'd better do the spell. I'm not sure we're going in the right direction."

"Alright. Point Me!" he declared, placing his wand on his palm. His wand spun around three times before pointing just a little to the right of where they had been walking. They were headed north since they'd flown south to find the clearing. Harry obligingly turned their bodies a little and they started walking again. "Do you know any healing spells?"

"Not really," she said doubtfully. Her breathing was heavy and there were beads of sweat dancing on her forehead. Harry didn't need to use the bond to know that she was in a fair amount of pain. "Astoria and I played around with them a bit when we were younger but I've never really healed anything serious before." She grimaced. "I'm starting to wish we had spent more time on them."

Harry sighed. \Wish my Firebolt would work again,\ he thought, looking glumly down at the broom. It would be so much easier if they could fly, but he wasn't sure that the cracked handle would be able to bear both of them. If they were above the Forbidden Forest and the broom decided to snap, they'd fall to their deaths. He closed his eyes in frustration and exhaled sharply. Then the solution hit him and he felt foolish for not thinking about it earlier. \Ginny, sit on the broom and fly beside me while I walk. That way, if you fall, it will only be a couple of feet but at least you won't have to walk for however long the broom will last.\

/But Harry, it's your Firebolt!/ she protested, looking at the broom that he'd swung over his shoulder. /Sirius gave that to you./

\Sirius is still alive, Gin, and he'll no doubt buy me more presents at some point. Us getting out of here in one piece within the next few hours is more important than a broom.\ Even as the words went through his mind, he still felt a pang. His Firebolt had been one of his most valued possessions for so long that he hated to think of anything happening to it. With a sigh, he handed it to Ginny. She frowned but slipped it between her thighs, kicking off with her one good foot. The broom rose steadily, wobbling a little, but it got the job done, allowing her to hover about a foot above the ground. Harry nodded in satisfaction and, now that he no longer had to support Ginny, switched his wand to his opposite hand, giving his sprained wrist a break. Then he started walking, leaving Ginny to catch up to him.

Now that she was flying, they were able to move a lot more quickly. Harry performed the locator spell every so often to make sure that they were still heading north. It was hard going – trees were growing in every direction with no rhyme or reason, and he lost count of how many exposed roots that he tripped over – and he was glad that he was free to move at his own pace. There was still a noticeable chill in the air, which helped to keep him cool, but it worried him at the same time. They wouldn't be able to take another night outdoors. He and Ginny had to make it back to Hogwarts by nightfall.

\So what do you think?\ he asked her, too out of breath to talk. He was hiking up a small but steep hill and needed to think about something other than their current situation. \Where would you like to go for a date?\

/I heard you like Madame Puddifoot's,/ she replied with a faint trace of both humor and bitterness. /Why don't we go there?/

Harry cringed so hard that he nearly lost his balance. \We can't go to Hogsmeade right now, remember?\ he said hastily, and never had he been more relieved for that.

/I'm joking, Harry./ Ginny shook her head fondly and allowed the broom to ease up over the top of the hill as Harry finally crested the edge and bent double, gasping for air. /Michael took me there once last year just before Christmas and it was a bloody nightmare. He was so proud of himself because it was supposed to be romantic, but all I could think was that it was exactly the sort of place that Umbridge would have been right at home in./

They'd agreed to make as little noise as possible and speak through their bond to avoid speaking out loud. Harry had to clap a muddy hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. \You're completely right about that.\ He had a sudden vision of those god awful pink decorations and grinned broadly. \I would take you there if you really wanted to go, but maybe we could sneak into Honeydukes instead.\

/Ooh, yes./ Ginny's eyes gleamed. /I haven't had any of their chocolate in ages. And you know, I heard Remus really loves their stuff, too. We could some for him as a thank you present./

\Thank you? For what?\ Too exhausted to go on any further, Harry dropped onto a large, fallen tree trunk and put his head in his hands, taking slow, deep breaths in an effort to banish the black spots that were dancing in front of his eyes. Where had all of his stamina gone? Used to be that he could work all day on a very long list of chores at the Dursley's house on nothing more than a glass of water and a small piece of bread, and now a day or two without food or sleep and he was losing it already. Of course, back then he'd had the threat of making Uncle Vernon angry hanging over his head, but still.

Suddenly, he realized that Ginny had gone very silent. Dread mixed with apprehension flooded through him as he cautiously raised his head and looked at her. She was staring down at the broom, her mind suspiciously blank and her hands clenched into fists. Harry fought down a wave of panic, unable to keep himself from wondering how to fix this. He'd never told anyone what the Dursleys were really like, and this was the closest he'd ever come to purposely doing just that. Damn the bond between them and the fact that he kept forgetting that his thoughts were no longer private!

"Ginny," he began tentatively.

"Get on the broom, Harry," she interrupted him, her voice dangerously flat.

"I'm not sure that it will - " he cut himself off abruptly when she slowly raised her head to look at him. The bond was abruptly flooded with so much conflicting emotion that he choked, unable to sort through and identify everything that was crashing through her at one time. Numbly, he stood up and staggered over to her, slinging a leg over the handle and cautiously lowering his bottom to straddle the end. Though the broom shuddered beneath their combined weight, it held, and Ginny began guiding it with one hand.

"Did they really treat you like that?" she asked, staring straight ahead. She kept her voice very soft, and although it would have been safer for them to speak mentally, he was grateful that she seemed to have sensed that he didn't want to. For the time being, he needed to at least pretend that his mind was his own, even if it was just for a minute.

"They didn't like me very much," Harry admitted, staring at the back of her head. It was awkward being on the broom while trying to keep a few inches of space between them, and he flashed back to that night on the lake when he'd scooted up behind her and it had been the most comfortable thing in the world. They'd been friends then and they were more now, so why shouldn't he? Tentatively, he eased forward until his front was pressed to her back and he was able to place his free hand on her hip. There was a brief pause, and then Ginny's hand came down to rest on top of his, pulling his arm into a more snug position around her waist.

"But they never… you know…" Ginny paused, wondering how to put it delicately. "Hurt you. Did they?"

"Not in the way you're thinking." It was too was easy to lean forward just a little more and rest his forehead against her shoulder. Amazingly, even after all they'd been through, she still smelled good. "Aunt Petunia always had tons of chores for me to do and, okay, she probably didn't feed me as much as she was supposed to. But for the most part, she and Uncle Vernon just treated me like I was a lot of extra trouble. I don't think she ever got over the fact that my mum was a witch and she wasn't."

"Jealous old bint," she muttered sourly. "What about your cousin? Fred and George always said that he seemed like the worst of the lot."

"He was. Dudley never liked doing anything except for two things: being cruel and whining. He acted like my aunt and uncle never gave him enough when in reality, there was nothing that they wouldn't have done for him." Surprisingly, he found himself warming to his topic. He'd always hated talking about his family because of the looks he got; the pity was more than he knew how to handle. But there was no pity in Ginny's voice or through the bond; she was genuinely curious and that made him more comfortable. "He and his friends used to like chasing me around the neighborhood. They called it Harry Hunting." Okay, now there was anger pulsing down the bond, too. Tentatively, he sent back a small pulse of reassurance and felt her relax.

"I knew they didn't treat you right, but I didn't know it was like that," she said. "They never hit you? Not even once?"

"For the most part they liked to pretend I didn't exist," he answered evasively, knowing that she would notice that he hadn't answered the question, but not wanting to talk about that part of it right now. They'd never done much, not really - Aunt Petunia had caught him with the frying pan a handful of times before he grew smart enough to duck, and Uncle Vernon had walloped him upside the head on a few different occasions - but it always made him feel uncomfortable to think or talk about. "I'll be glad when I turn seventeen and I don't have to go back."

"Harry, you don't have to go back now," Ginny said, sounding surprised. "Didn't you know? You're considered to be of legal age when you marry in the wizarding world no matter how old you are, and technically, the two of us are married. Gringotts probably sent you a letter but we were unconscious at the time so it's likely being held with the rest of your mail." A small frown came over her face and she glanced worriedly over her shoulder at Harry. "I hope that Dumbledore doesn't have it."

"He better not," Harry said absently, too preoccupied with this new revelation to be really concerned over that. "You mean it? I really don't have to go back to the Dursleys?" His mind was spinning. It sounded too good to be true. For years, his fondest dream had been that someone - anyone - would come along and rescue him from that horrible family. He'd nursed the dream until Hagrid arrived, and after that, he'd just looked forward to the day when he turned seventeen and didn't have to worry about them anymore. Had he known that such a simple thing as marriage would have gotten him out of ever having to go back, he might have considered it ages ago!

"Yes, I mean it." Ginny sounded amused. "No one can force you to go back if you don't want to."

It was such a relief that Harry felt kind of dizzy. The previous summer had been absolutely miserable, as he'd been too depressed over Sirius's death and Voldemort's return to really do much of anything, and that meant the Dursleys had been even more horrid towards him than normal because he wasn't completing his chores the way he used to. Dudley had left him alone for the most part, but Petunia and Vernon had gone out of their way to make up for it, to the point where Harry had actually begun to miss the days when his cousin was the beast to worry about. Hearing that he didn't have to return unless he wanted to - and there was no way in hell that was ever going to happen - was like having a dream come true right in front of his eyes.

"Really," she went on, "If you'd brought this to the attention of someone sooner, like Remus or Sirius, you wouldn't have had to go back before. There would have been a huge outcry when you were younger."

"You mean back when the public liked me?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "No, it was almost worth living with the Dursleys to avoid all that." He shook his head in amazement, still unable to get over the fact that he didn't have to return.

Ginny was silent for a long moment before she spoke again, and her voice was hesitant when she said, "So… you're okay with the fact that we're technically married? You were upset about it earlier."

"I'll be honest… it was a big shock." That was an understatement. It was one thing to hear Remus mention it in passing, but to have Madame Pomfrey calling Ginny "Mrs Potter" had been like a lightning bolt straight to the heart. Harry had never had a panic attack before that moment and he was quite sure he never wanted to experience another one. "I didn't mean to run out on you like that. I guess I probably gave you the wrong impression. I'm sorry, Gin."

She sighed. "It's okay. I can understand. I was surprised, too. I… I went and spoke to Sirius and he showed me something that Rita Skeeter had written. Everyone knows, Harry."

His blood ran cold. "What do you mean, everyone knows?"

"About the bond. I'm sorry. Some Ministry worker found the record of our soul bond and went to The Daily Prophet with the information." She sounded genuinely upset. "Of course, Skeeter couldn't wait to let the rest of the wizarding world in on it. She wrote some great, stupid article about how we were soul bonded and thus technically married, and how dangerous and illegal it was. She was encouraging her readers to write in and give their opinion on whether or not we should be investigated by the Ministry."

Harry was having a hard time remembering how to breathe. If it weren't for his grip on Ginny, he might have fallen straight off the broom at the thought that everyone knew. Oh fuck. Fucking hell. He closed his eyes and placed his forehead against the back of her shoulder again, trying to take slow, deep breaths. Even though he was finding that he didn't really mind being bonded to Ginny when all was said and done, he didn't want anyone else knowing about it. Surely that was one thing in his life that could have been kept under wraps? Why did everyone have to be so bloody interested in what should have been considered their own personal business? Just the thought of having to deal with another trial made him feel sick.

"Harry? Harry!" Ginny hurriedly stopped the broom. It dropped heavily to the ground and she gasped in raw pain, having instinctively swung both of her feet down to avoid falling. Her left foot and ankle were in agony. The feeling flashed down their bond and it was enough; Harry twisted away and promptly threw up all over the forest floor. He crouched down and continued to heave until his stomach was completely empty and nothing more was coming up, though his insides continued to spasm for several minutes while he tried to gasp for breath.

Ginny staggered over next to him, her face white with pain. "Are you alright?" she asked weakly, reaching out to seize his shoulders. Her eyes ran over him worriedly. "I... I shouldn't have surprised you like that. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine." Harry rubbed his face and shuddered at the vile taste lingering in his mouth. He performed a quick breath freshening charm, wishing that he had a glass of water. No - he wished that they were back at Hogwarts, safe and sound. Whatever Fawkes had wanted them to learn couldn't be worth everything they were going through. "Is your leg alright?"

"Nothing broken," she said with a crooked, pained smile, leaning heavily against him in order to keep her foot off of the ground. In spite of what she said, he could feel the pain radiating off of it. "Look, Harry, I don't think it will go that far. To a trial, I mean. I'm not sure that the Ministry would even attempt to prosecute us right now. Regardless of what The Daily Prophet and Rita Skeeter write, you're still the Boy-Who-Lived. Surely that must count for something." She was clearly trying to interject a note of confidence into her voice, but Harry knew that it was a bravado that neither of them really felt.

"I wouldn't put anything past them," he said bitterly, wiping his sleeve across his mouth. "Besides, that doesn't change the fact that everyone knows."

Her eyes flickered. "Does it bother you that much, then?"

Harry blinked at her and then sighed, realizing how his comment must have come across. Her thoughts were all too easy to read, though of course the bond was practically shoveling them into his head anyway. "That's not I meant it," he said gently, reaching out and tucking a strand of dirty reddish hair behind her ear. "Gin, I said that I didn't mind being married to you and I meant it. Especially now." He firmly pushed aside the lingering concern about what would happen if this - whatever it was - ended badly. "But I hate the fact that everyone knows. There's not a single aspect of my life that I get to keep all to myself and that gets very tiresome at times. I just wish that people would mind their own business. Who I date, or who I marry in this case, should only matter to me and you and our closest friends and family. It shouldn't be the kind of thing that people gossip over."

"You're right," Ginny said, noticeably softening now that her temporary fear had been assuaged. "You're right. I'm sorry for thinking that, Harry. This is all really new to me, too, but I know how much you hate being in the public eye. For what it's worth, I don't think there's any way that we could have stopped it. Sirius says that the Hall of Records at the Ministry is open to the public, so chances are, someone would have found it eventually."

It helped very little and Harry suspected she knew it, but he forced a smile anyway. "I suppose so. Might as well get it out of the way, right?"

She smiled tentatively. "At least I don't have to worry about you going on another date with Susan."

He laughed and was surprised by how good it felt, especially when Ginny started giggling as well. "I don't think you have to worry about that anyway," he gasped, shaking his head. "Last I saw, Susan and Neville were getting pretty cozy with each other. And that date was a disaster, if you must know. Susan spent the whole time trying to suss out whether or not I was in love with you."

Ginny looked at him quickly before glancing away. "I guess some things just aren't meant to be."

"Yeah, but I'm starting to think some things are," Harry said slowly. Both of them were rumpled, dirty, and sweaty, but somehow he thought that she'd never looked as beautiful to him as she did at that moment. He reached out and pulled her into a kiss. Ginny made a pleased sound and sank against him happily, tilting her head for better access.

"We'd better keep going," she whispered reluctantly against his lips several minutes later.

Sadly, Harry knew she was right. Both of them climbed back onto the broom, which rose into the air very reluctantly and a good deal more shakily than it had been before. Ginny kept it lower to the ground just in case. Within about an hour, there was a noticeably wider gap between the trees that made it a lot easier for them to maneuver. The temperature rose as more sunlight filtered in through the gaps and Harry felt truly warm for the first time since they'd returned to their bodies. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling Ginny do the same, when they broke through a particularly tangled brush and spotted smoke curling into the air about a hundred feet ahead of them, along with a barely visible glimpse of Hagrid's hut. Home was near, and thank Merlin for that.

He had just enough time to relax before something hairy and covered with razor sharp claws reached out and swept him off of the broom.

Please review!