Harry Loves Ginny
Chamber of Secrets: Rescuing Harry
"Stop it," Harry muttered as the rattling pounded in his sore head. "Leave me alone . . . cut it out . . . I'm trying to sleep . . ."
He opened his eyes. Moonlight was shining through the bars on the window. And someone was goggling through the bars at him: a freckle-faced, red-haired, long-nosed someone.
Ron Weasley was outside Harry's window.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HP + GW ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For a split second, Uncle Vernon stood framed in the doorway; then he let out a bellow like an angry bull and dived at Harry, grabbing him by the ankle.
Ron, Fred and George seized Harry's arms and pulled as hard as they could.
"Petunia," roared Uncle Vernon. "He's getting away! HE'S GETTING AWAY!
But the Weasleys gave a gigantic tug and Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grasp . . . Harry was in the car . . . almost.
The result of Harry being released by the hard pulling Uncle Vernon was the car began to rock violently. At first it seemed Harry would be thrown head first across the back seat, but then the car rolled back and Harry found himself falling out the still open door, along with Hedwig's cage.
"Ron! Grab Hedwig!" Harry shouted, his one hand grasping the door sill.
Ron lunged across the seat and just managed to grab a hold of the cage as it tumbled out the door, but he was in no position to help Harry, who was hanging on by one hand as the car continued to rock violently.
Harry felt his hand slipping and he gazed down below him and he was shocked at how high the car had drifted, they were probably 100 feet in the air.
He desperately reached with his free hand, hoping to get a better hold on the door frame. He fingers just reached but slipped off and he knew he had one last chance. Reaching again, he felt his hand come in contact with the frame, but then he began to slip off.
He was just about to yell when a hand reached out from under what appeared to be a pile of blankets on the floor, and it grasped his wrist. "I've got you," a voice rang out.
Harry looked up at his saviour, and was surprised to see the face of Ginny Weasley, staring out at him from under the blankets.
With surprising strength for a petite young girl, she held onto Harry tightly. Fred had gotten the car back under control, and with it steadying in flight, Harry was no longer in danger of falling, for the moment.
Harry stared into Ginny's eyes, taken by their brilliant chocolate brown colour, flecked with gold and bronze. Suddenly, Ron reached down and grabbed Harry's other arm and he and Ginny were able to pull Harry into the car, the door slamming shut as Fred turned and banked the car towards the Burrow.
"Ginny! What are you doing here?" Ron said angrily.
"Saving Harry's life, from the looks of it," Ginny replied, just as hotly.
Harry just stared at her with a silly grin on his face. She was just an eleven year old, but to him she looked brilliant. She was flushed from the effort to hold Harry till help came, that and being angry, added to her colour. To Harry she was the most amazing girl he had ever seen.
"Thanks for the help, Ginny," Harry said, smiling at the diminutive witch.
Ginny had sat up on the seat, making Harry slide over next to Ron. She blushed, but smiled at Harry. "Glad I was here to help," she replied.
Fred and George glanced back at her, but instead of being angry like Ron, they grinned at her.
"Hey, Spit-fire," said George. "Just couldn't miss out on the fun, could you?"
"Never!" Ginny replied, smiling at her old brother.
Fred was smiling too, but he was concentrating on driving. "Guess Harry's glad to see you," he teased.
Ginny blushed again, but smiled, glancing at Harry who hadn't taken his eyes off of her.
"So Harry, why haven't you been answering our letters?" Ron asked, with a frown.
"I haven't received any letters," Harry began.
"But I've sent several and so has Hermione, she wrote and told me so," said Ron, irritably. "Have the Muggles been keeping you from getting them?"
"If you'll let him finish, Ron," Ginny said, eyeing her brother disdainfully.
"Thank you, Ginny," Harry said, grinning at the petite redhead. "As I was telling you when I was interrupted, it wasn't my relatives, but don't give them any ideas. It was someone named Dobby . . ."
"A house elf?" Ginny asked in surprise.
Ron looked at her sceptically, "How in Merlin's name do you come up with that wild idea?"
Harry chuckled, "She's right though, Dobby is a house elf."
Fred and George, who were just listening, snickered at Ron being shown up by their sister. They watched as his ears and neck reddened with his embarrassment, and probably some anger at Ginny for showing him up.
"He appeared and told me I mustn't go to Hogwarts this year. He said he had hoped by keeping the letters from me, that I'd get so upset that I wouldn't want to go back," Harry continued.
"So he must have been the one that performed the magic you were accused of doing," Ginny said, seriously.
Harry looked at her in wonder. "How did you know I got a warning about under-age magic?"
Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Our Dad works at the Ministry of Magic," she said patronizingly.
"Oh, yeah, right. I remember Ron saying something about that last year," Harry said sheepishly.
Ron was watching Ginny talk to Harry and was getting a bit annoyed. She wasn't even supposed to be here and yet she was monopolizing the conversation with Harry. "Ginny, shut your gob, before I shut it for you!" he said hotly.
Harry looked at Ron like he was a complete nutter. "Easy, Ron," he said. "She's just being nice, what's your problem?"
Ron frowned at Ginny before flicking his glance back at Harry. "Nothing," he muttered, though he was still frowning and shooting daggers at his sister.
Ginny whispered just loud enough for Harry to understand, "He's jealous because you're paying attention to me."
Harry looked at her in surprise, "Why?" he whispered back.
Ron was trying hard to hear what Harry and Ginny were saying, but with Harry's back towards him and their whispering, he couldn't understand a word.
Ginny looked at him sheepishly for a moment, but then shrugged, after all, Harry had asked. "He's been kind of lording it over me that you're his friend and I'm not," she whispered, matter-of-factually.
Harry's eyes narrowed slightly, realizing Ginny was telling him the truth. He smiled at her, "Well, you saved my life, so I think that's a pretty good reason to be friends, don't you?" he asked her.
Ginny smiled back, blushing heavily, but she still held her look into Harry's eyes, noting for the first time, just how brilliant emerald green they were. She sighed deeply, knowing that she could get lost looking into them, just like in the muggle romance novels she "borrowed" from her mother when she wasn't looking. "Yeah, I do," Ginny said a bit breathlessly.
Harry couldn't believe how Ginny's eyes sparkled and shone, the flecks of bronze and gold standing out even more than the first time he had gazed upon them. Something inside of him felt both twisted and falling away, leaving a hole in the pit of his stomach. It was something he'd never experienced before.
George looked back and saw Harry and Ginny staring at one another, causing him to smile. It looked like there was going to be some great pranking opportunities coming up.
"So, Harry," George said. "What else did this elf tell you?"
Harry jumped a little at the sound of his name and he found himself blushing slightly, without understanding why.
"He said that bad things were going to happen at Hogwarts this year and that I would be safer not going," Harry replied.
"And he didn't say what kind of bad things?" Fred asked, keeping his eyes forward as he drove the car.
"No, nothing at all about what, just that it was going to happen," replied Harry.
"I think we should tell someone," Ginny said, with a sense of finality.
George looked at her sceptically. "We don't have a lot to go on. Do you really think it's that important?" he asked her.
Ginny rolled her eyes again, "George! First off, a house elf shows up at Harry's muggle relative's house, telling Harry he shouldn't attend Hogwarts this year, and then uses magic in an attempt to have Harry expelled, plus he intercepted his mail, hoping Harry wouldn't want to come back because no one was writing him. To me that sounds pretty suspicious, and someone needs to know," she said determinedly.
George nodded after a moment of deep thought, "Well, put like that, there does seem to be something that needs looking into. Any idea who Dobby's owner is, Harry?" he asked, seriously.
"Not a clue," Harry replied.
"Well it has to be someone from a well to do family, only they would have a house elf," Ginny said.
Harry smiled at her. He was quite taken with how she didn't let anyone intimidate her and spoke her mind. "Isn't there some kind of list at the Ministry of who house elves work for?" he asked.
"I think so," Fred said, "Dad should be able to find out who he belongs to."
"Shouldn't we be almost home?" Ron asked, as he glanced at the lightening of the sky to the east.
"Another couple of minutes," Fred said, as he steered the car toward the ground.
"All we need to do is slip in nice and quiet like and no one will even know we were gone," George said with a smile.
As Fred banked the car around, Ginny pointed out the window, "There's our house, the Burrow," she said to Harry.
Harry looked to where she was pointing and got a glimpse of a tall, ramshackle house, just before Fred straightened the car.
"Hang on to your hats," Fred said, jovially as the car lurched lower.
"We're not wearing any hats," Ron said with a frown.
"It's a figure of speech, Ron," George said, shaking his head.
Before anyone else could say a word, the car bounced a couple of times before settling on its wheels and they rolled to a stop by a small garage. Directly ahead lay the Burrow.
Even before the car was completely stopped, Ginny was opening her door and tugging Harry out behind her, the car coming to rest just as her foot touched the ground.
Good timing," Harry said with a smile.
Ginny beamed back at him, "Come on, Mum will have Kneazles when she discovers we were gone."
"Kneazles?" Harry asked.
"Kind of like a muggle cat, but neater" Ginny said.
The rest of the crew were getting Harry's stuff out of the car when Ginny suddenly said, "Uh Oh, here comes Mum and she doesn't look happy."
Harry looked at Mrs. Weasley as she came storming at them, but she whisked right by Harry and Ginny, heading straight for Fred, George and Ron.
"Where have you been?" she screeched. "Bed's empty, no note, Ginny missing. What were you thinking taking her along?"
"Mum, we didn't . . ." Ron started to say. He stopped immediately when his mother's eyes fell on him.
"Don't give me that. How in the world do you expect me to believe that Ginny could be in that car without any of you noticing. It's barely big enough for you all to begin with," Mrs. Weasley said disdainfully.
She then turned towards the Twins, "And you two, taking that enchanted car. What would've happened if you had been seen? Do you want your father to lose his job? Haven't you at least one brain between the two of you?"
The Twins looked at her in disbelief. "We'll have you know, we both have fine brains," George said.
"And we went at night so that we wouldn't be seen," added Fred.
"Mum, we had to rescue Harry, they had bars on his window and his door was locked," Ron protested.
Mrs. Weasley spun around and looked at Harry, who gulped, guessing he was next to be yelled at. Ginny just squeezed his hand and whispered, "Don't worry, you're fine. Mum never yells at guests."
Harry glanced at her before looking back at Mrs. Weasley. "Is that right, Harry?" she asked, pleasantly.
"Um, yes, Mrs. Weasley," Harry replied, softly.
"You poor dear," she said, coming over and hugging him so hard, he thought his ribs were going to break.
"Mum, you're going to hurt him," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.
"Nonsense, dear. You're perfectly okay, aren't you, Harry?" she asked, smiling at him.
"Just fine," Harry managed to squeak out.
Mrs. Weasley's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't didn't say anything for a moment. Then she smiled and said, "Bet you'd like some breakfast, wouldn't you two," as she looked at Harry and Ginny.
She then looked back over her shoulder, "Make sure you take Harry's things into the house and upstairs into Ron's room," she said, putting one arm around Harry's shoulders and one around around Ginny's, leading them towards the house.
"Welcome to the Burrow," muttered Ron as he watched his Mum, lead Harry away.
XX HP + GW XX
In no time at all Mrs. Weasley had thrown together the biggest breakfast Harry had ever seen outside of Hogwarts.
Help yourself, dear," Mrs. Weasley said to him. "You look like you're just skin and bones. Don't your relatives feed you?"
Harry blushed in embarrassment, "Well, not all that much," he said lowly.
Mrs. Weasley's eyes narrowed, not liking what she was hearing, though she made sure she didn't let Harry know she was concerned.
Harry had three helpings of just about everything, eggs, rashers, sausage, home fries, and several pieces of toast, slathered heavily with jam. He probably would have stopped at two, but Ginny had piled some more onto his plate, telling him, "You need to get some body to you."
Harry was going to try and refuse, but when he looked at her, he felt that he just couldn't refuse her and he ate what she had given him.
Ron got up and stretched mightily, yawning at the same time. "I'm really knackered, I think I'll head back to bed for a while. You coming, Harry?"
Harry didn't feel the least bit sleepy. His exciting rescue and warm welcome making sleep the farthest thing from his mind. "No, I'm not sleepy," he replied.
Ginny smiled as she watched Ron head off up the stairs. "Want to come out and see the property?" she asked, smiling at Harry.
"That sounds like fun," Harry said, but then turned toward Mrs. Weasley, "That is if you don't need me to help with anything?" he asked.
Mrs. Weasley smiled at him, "No, I'm good, you go and have fun with Ginny," she said kindly.
Ginny's smile widened and she grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him out the door. "Come on, there's a lot to see," she said enthusiastically.
Harry chuckled, he loved Ginny's fun, playful attitude. She was much more friendly and warm than Ron was.
Ginny led him through the back garden, pointing out the tire swing and the garden bench, under the huge old oak tree. "We come out here and play sometimes, either swinging or if it's hot, just sitting on the bench in the shade," she said, her smile seeming never ending.
Harry looked around. Everything was so calm and peaceful, he couldn't believe it. It was also kind of over grown a little, looking quite natural, very unlike the careful manicured lawns and gardens of Privet Drive.
"Wow, this looks brilliant," he said softly.
Ginny smiled and said, "You haven't seen anything yet," as she led him down a path from the back of the garden.
They walked for several minutes under the canopy of the large old trees that grew along the path. The further they went, the more wooded the land became, but not real heavily.
Harry wondered where they were headed, but then he head the sound of water tumbling over some rocks. In a moment they were at a small rock dam that was across a small stream. Behind the dam was a wide pond area. It had a small dock, where a very ancient looking row-boat was tied.
There was also a rope hanging from a tree at the bank and a small beach like area. "This is where we come swimming," Ginny said, proudly.
"Wicked," Harry said, his eyes alight with happiness. Luckily for him, the primary school he had attended taught all the children to swim and water safety.
Ginny's face lit up at seeing the delight in Harry's eyes, something she hadn't seen there before. "This way," she said, leading him up a different path from the one they had arrived on.
Harry kept pace with Ginny, walking at her side, and though they weren't holding hands any more, he liked being close to her for some reason. It may have been the look in her eyes as she showed Harry the property, or maybe it was the way her eyes sparkled when she glanced at him. Either way, he found being with her very enjoyable.
Once again they passed through a wooded area, before it began to open up again. This time they came to a fairly large area, bordered by a low stone wall and surrounded by large trees.
"This is the paddock," she said, smiling happily once again. "It's where we come to play Quidditch."
If Ginny though Harry's face lit up at seeing the swimming hole, it was nothing compared to the look he got when she mentioned Quidditch.
"You play Quidditch here?" he asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. I mean, it's not as big as a real pitch, but we usually play two or three to a side, using whatever we can find for a Quaffle. We can't fly too high, so we won't be seen by accident, but we still manage to have a lot of fun," Ginny said, her voice full of delight.
Harry couldn't believe how pretty Ginny looked as she spoke about Quidditch. Instinctively he knew she liked the game just as much as he did and it further raised her standing in his eyes.
Ginny led him around the paddock to what turned out to be a small apple orchard, and though the trees were laden with apples, none were ripe yet.
"When do the apples ripen?" he asked, staring up at the fruit on the trees.
Ginny smiled at the way Harry looked and asked about the apples, she could tell how much he must like them by the look his face.
"We have four or five different varieties and some ripen later than others. The first ones start to ripen at he end of August and into September. The latest ones don't come in till almost the beginning of October," she explained.
She saw Harry's face fall a little, "Don't worry, if Mum knows you like apples, she'll send you them at school. She sends loads to the Twins, they like them almost as much as me," she said smiling.
"How come I never saw Ron get any?" Harry asked.
Ginny frowned, "I think that he's embarrassed to get food from home, like it's low class or something."
"He's an idiot," Harry said, without thinking.
Harry sat on the wall next to her, and once he did, Ginny hopped up and sat next to him. They talked for the next hour or so, both having the time of their lives, finding someone to talk to, a friend who would listen without judging or disparage what the other brought up.
To Ginny, it was as if she had suddenly found someone who seemed to understand her better than anyone else ever had.
For Harry, it was the most wonderful time he had ever spent with anyone. Ginny was just so . . . Ginny. Relaxed, comfortable, playful and unafraid to speak about anything. She was much more laid back than Hermione, who seemed as rigid as the spines of the books she carried everywhere. She was also much more animated than Ron, quicker to laugh, her eyes like the Twins but with a much more openness to them. The Twins seemed to always be plotting or planning a prank, with Ginny it was just sheer delight
By the time they left the wall, it was as if they had been friends forever. They laughed and joked together, walking easily with the other. Totally comfortable with being with each other.
They reached the Burrow just as Mrs. Weasley was coming out the door. "There you two are. Perfect timing, I was just coming to call you for lunch."
She watched Harry and Ginny and smiled. They looked so good together, so comfortable around each other. It made her smile, knowing that Ginny would have at least one friend when she started Hogwarts in the fall.
She had been worried that Ron wouldn't want to hang around with her at school and though the Twins would try and watch out for her, they were too old for her to be hanging around with constantly. It seemed that Harry would fill the role of friend nicely.
XX HP + GW XX
Ron came down to lunch and was surprised but what he found. Ginny and Harry were sitting together and joking with one another. Ron had never seen Harry so happy and carefree.
"Hey, Harry. How was your morning?" he asked.
Harry looked up from talking with Ginny, "It was wonderful Ron. Ginny showed me all around, the swimming hole, the orchard and best of all the Quidditch pitch," he replied enthusiastically.
"It's just an old paddock, not even regulation," Ron said, with a shrug.
"But you can fly!" Harry said, his eyes lit up with wonder.
"Yeah, so?" Ron asked bewilderedly.
Ginny looked at Ron and couldn't believe her ears, "Ron, how many times do you think Harry got to fly at his relatives?"
Ron's ears went red. "Oh, yeah . . . sorry," he said sheepishly. He had never even considered that Harry couldn't go flying whenever he wanted, like they could do here at the Burrow.
Harry smiled at her and leaned over and bumped shoulders with her. "Thanks Ginny," he said lowly.
By then Ron had sat down and grabbed himself a sandwich and some crisps. He immediately began to devour it like he hadn't eaten in a week.
"Really, Ronald!" Mrs. Weasley said, "Where are your manners?"
"Wha, I'm 'ungry," he said, his mouth full of food.
Harry saw Mrs. Weasley close her eyes and it looked like she was counting to ten in an attempt to calm herself. "Ronald Weasley, this is not a pig pen and you are not an animal. If you can't behave like a proper person, maybe I should feed you out in the yard with the chickens," she said tensely.
Ron stopped mid bite, and looked at his mother in shock. "Sorry, Mum," he said quietly, before taking a much more reasonable bite of his sandwich.
Harry glanced at Ginny, she wasn't having much better luck stifling her smile any more than Harry was. They rolled their eyes at one another, causing Ginny to begin to giggle. That, of course, set Harry off and his chuckles joined with Ginny's giggles.
Ron was shocked when Harry snatched the last crisp from Ginny's plate, right as she reached for it. He expected Ginny to blow up like she did if any of the family was brash enough to attempt such a thing.
Instead, Ginny looked at Harry and said jovially, "If you want more, all you need to do is ask."
Harry smiled at her as he munch on the crisp, once he had swallowed it he said cheekily, "I thought that was the best looking one and just had to have it."
Ginny rolled her eyes and shook her head, but then began to chuckle. "Harry Potter, what the heck am I going to do with you?" she asked
Harry smiled at her and said softly, "Be my friend forever."
Ginny smiled at him and said cheekily back "I'll think about it," she said, playfully.
Ron watched in fascination, Harry was acting most un-Harrylike. He was eating, but watching Ginny with a huge smile on his face. "Thought about it yet?" he asked.
Ginny shifted her eyes to him, smiling the whole time, "Not yet," she replied.
Harry seemed unfazed, grinning at Ginny the whole time. Several moments later, he repeated the question, "Thought about it yet?"
Ron couldn't believe Ginny didn't snap at him, like she usually did with any of the brothers. Instead, she glanced at him, still smiling and replied, "Not yet."
This went on for about five minutes with Harry questioning Ginny every thirty seconds or so, each time getting the same answer.
Finally Harry looked directly at her and asked, "Have you thought about it yet?"
Ginny couldn't help herself and she began to giggle uncontrollably. "Okay, Okay, I'll be your friend forever. Happy now?"
Ron almost lost it when all Harry did was calmly pick up his sandwich, look at her and said, "Oh, okay," before he took a bite.
Even Mrs. Weasley couldn't hold back her laugh, their antics were so funny.
As lunch wound down, Ginny looked at her mother expectantly, "Mum, can we play Quidditch this afternoon?"
"I don't see why not? Though you'll have to wait till Ron and the Twins finish de-gnoming the garden," she replied.
Ron groaned, "Why do I have to help them?" he asked, dejectedly.
"Because I said so," Mrs. Weasley replied, looking sternly at her youngest son.
Ron just sighed and slumped in his chair, "Where are they anyway?" he asked, looking around.
"I think they're already out back," Mrs. Weasley replied.
Then from somewhere up in the house, they heard a muffled wvumph! Mrs. Weasley sighed and looked a bit sad, "Apparently not," she said, dejectedly.
Just then the Twins came charging down the stairs, a faint odour of rotten eggs hanging about them. "Ah, not to worry, Mum," George said.
"Yeah, Mum. The smell should be gone by bed time," Fred added as he and George snagged sandwiches.
Mrs. Weasley took a deep breath, her teeth clenched, but all she did was point at the door, while looking disapprovingly at the Twins.
Seeming unfazed, the Twins just smiled at everyone, grabbed another sandwich apiece and headed out the door.
Harry was looking at Ginny, who was trying very hard, once again, to not burst out laughing. "Does that happen often?" he asked.
Ginny shrugged, "Depends on your definition of often," she then looked thoughtful, "I guess it happens about once every week or two."
"Must drive your Mum spare," Harry said, smiling lightly.
"I'm surprised her hair isn't grey, but then maybe she magic's it," Ginny said with a smile.
Ron sat there and kept watching Harry and Ginny, though Mrs. Weasley finally noticed. "The sooner you get to helping, the sooner you'll be done," she said to her son.
Ron sighed as if he were being sent to work in the mines or something, from the looks of it, you'd think he'd been sentenced to 10 years at hard labour.
He rose slowly, and dragged his feet as he headed out the door, following the Twins.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Harry asked.
Mrs. Weasley looked at him kindly, "Well if you want to, you can help Ginny clear the table. Just place the dishes in the sink, and Ginny can take care of any left overs."
Harry smiled at her, "Sounds good to me," he said, happily.
Ginny looked at him, knowing from their conversation that if he was still at the Dursley's, he would be doing all the work himself and probably without any lunch to boot. Here he was happy to help, not being force to do anything he didn't want to. She knew it had to be a strange concept to him.
With the two of them working, it didn't take long to finish. "Anything else?" he asked Mrs. Weasley.
"No, dear. Why not go get your broom and you and Ginny can fly a little till the boys are done," she said to him.
Harry didn't need to be told twice to get his broom. He was off like a shot, and returned quickly with his Nimbus. Ginny was waiting patiently for his return and as soon as he appeared, she dragged him by the hand out the door and towards a small building that may have been a privy at some time in the past.
Now it was where the Weasleys stored their brooms, and Ginny wasted no time in picking out one of the better looking ones in the shed. "This is Percy's old broom. It's not very good, but it's in better shape than Charlie's old one any more. Charlie's has been used hard over the years and the spells are starting to wear off," she explained, as she led him toward the paddock.
"Now remember, no flying higher than the tree tops," she said to him, with a smile.
"I'll remember," Harry said with a smile.
Ginny just grinned at him and then as she threw her leg over her broom, she shouted, "Last one in the air is a rotten dragon egg!"
"Cheater!" Harry called out after her, as he jumped on his broom and pushed off hard, following Ginny into the air.
Ginny was laughing and Harry began to chase after her. He thought that with his Nimbus he would have no trouble in catching up to her. Unfortunately for Harry, it didn't work out quite like he planned.
Yes, if Ginny had flown straight and flat out, Harry would have easily out paced her, but in the confines of the paddock with Ginny twisting and diving, hardly staying straight for more than ten feet, it took Harry considerably longer than anticipated to finally catch her.
They had been laughing and teasing one another the whole time and both were nearly out of breath by the time Harry had tagged Ginny on the back. As they slowly spiralled down, they noticed Ron and the Twins watching them.
At first they were a little troubled by the way the three watching them acted, but as they got closer they saw the awed look on their faces as they stared at the two flyers.
As Ginny circled close to them she yelled out, "What? Why are you staring at us?"
"Ginny, that was amazing to watch," said Fred, his face in a huge smile.
"Yeah, Ginny. I haven't seen flying like that, since . . . well forever," George added, his smile matching Fred's.
The only one not smiling was Ron, he just had a stunned look on his face, almost as if he'd been struck by a Bludger.
Ginny circled back, "When are you guys going to be done?"
Fred and George suddenly began grabbing gnomes and throwing them as fast as they could, "We'll be done in five minutes," George yelled.
"Three if Ron would start helping again," Fred said, poking Ron in the side.
XX HP + GW XX
The next couple of weeks went by in a blur. Most days were similar to Harry's first day, with a few chores to be done and then either swimming, Quidditch or sometimes if it got really hot, just hanging out in the garden, under the huge old oak tree, who's shade was a welcome refuge.
More often than not, Harry and Ginny were together, sometimes with Ron and / or the Twins, sometimes alone, or on extremely rare occasions, without Ginny, when her Mum asked her to help with something.
It was those times that Harry seemed more like the Harry Ron remembered, something even the Twins picked up on.
To Harry it seemed like clouds had covered the sun, and it would start raining at any moment. He was definitely much quieter when Ginny wasn't around, not that he was morose or anything, he just didn't have the same look about him and was more subdued.
As soon as Ginny returned and joined them, he would break out in a smile and returned to the new Harry, the one who seemed to have fun in everything that they did.
It was as Harry's birthday approached that one evening while the boys were off doing something, nefarious, no doubt, that Ginny went to her mother. "Mum," she said lowly, glancing continually at the stairs, "Do we have any film left in the camera?"
Molly smiled at her daughter, "Yes, I'm sure we do," she replied.
Ginny took a deep breath, not knowing how her mother was going to take what she was asking. "Do you think you could take a candid shot of Harry and me without him knowing?"
Molly tried hard not to smile too much, not wanting to embarrass Ginny. "I think that could be arranged," she replied.
"I'd like to give it to Harry for his birthday," Ginny said, blushing slightly.
"I think that's a wonderful idea, Ginny," Molly told her daughter.
Ginny shyly smiled at her mother, "Thanks, Mum," she said softly.
"Harry's become a pretty special friend, hasn't he?" Molly asked.
"Oh, Mum, you have no idea," Ginny said, happily.
"I think I might have an inkling," Molly said with a chuckle.
"He's so wonderful, I mean he treats me just like a real person. I'm not some younger sister to tell to get lost. We can talk about just about anything," Ginny said with a smile. "He's never mean, he listens to my opinion and he makes me feel so good and he's so much fun to be with."
"I've noticed," Molly said,evenly.
Ginny went over and hugged her mother, "You're the best, Mum," she said happily.
"So are you, dear, and I'm glad that you are becoming such good friends with Harry. I think it's been good for both of you."
XX HP + GW XX
It was in the afternoon the next day when Harry finally asked Ginny what was up. She had been kind of skittish all day, looking around at the slightest sound.
Ginny had been trying hard not to notice if her mother was around, taking the picture. She wanted to act like normal, but she was so intent on not looking, she was glancing around like something was the matter.
From that point on, she forgot totally about her mother and just hoped that things would work out.
Harry had tried to tell the Weasleys that they didn't have to make a fuss about his birthday, but Mrs. Weasley had squashed that idea, saying, "Of course we don't have to, Harry, but we will, because we want to."
Harry had been quite embarrassed, but Ginny sat him down in the parlour after dinner and had a little talk with him, letting him know that while at the Burrow, he was going to be treated just like one of the family, and family celebrated birthdays, so he had just better get use to it.
It took a little doing, but she got through to him and everyone pitched in to make Harry's birthday a really special event.
Ron had gotten him a new set of Seeker's gloves, to replace the used pair he had been using from the team's extra equipment. The Twins gave him a nice selection of Zonko's items, everything from Dungbombs to Fizzing Wizzbangs. Whispering to him that they'd teach him the finer points of pranking the Slytherins once back at school.
Mr and Mrs. Weasley got him a nice quill and ink set and though it was only silver plate, Harry thought it was the most wonderful set he'd ever seen.
Percy's gift was a book on the proper behaviour of a student at school, causing the other kids to snicker at him. Though Harry was sure that Percy had heard, he saw that the older Weasley pointedly ignored everyone's reaction.
Ginny's gift was last and Harry could see how nervous she was. He purposely took his time opening her gift, watching her squirm as he slowly and carefully undid every seam and fold.
Finally it was completely unwrapped and as he turned it over, he was amazed at the photograph he found in a simple wooden frame. It was of him and Ginny, sitting out back under the oak tree, laughing and having a great time. He instantly recognized when it had been taken, he and Ginny had been discussing about what they'd do at Hogwarts that fall, pranking the Slytherins and causing them as much trouble as possible.
Ginny was on pins and needles as she watched Harry's agonizingly slow unwrapping of her present. She had to stop herself more than once from grabbing it from him and tearing off the wrapping paper.
Her heart about stopped beating as he just stared at the picture for several moments, not moving or reacting at all. She was so afraid he didn't like it, she was about to run away, when Harry turned to her and smiled.
"Ginny, this is the best present I have ever gotten," he said emotionally, before he threw his arms around her and hugged her as tight as her mother ever had.
Ginny couldn't contain her smile, Harry had liked, no loved her present and she felt like she was flying on the world's best broom.
XX HP + GW XX
It was a week before Ginny's birthday when their Hogwarts letters arrived and Harry heard Mrs. Weasley complain about the cost of the books on the list. It seemed someone named Gilderoy Lockhart had authored most of them.
Harry had been thinking hard as what to get for Ginny for her birthday. He knew he couldn't come up with something as wonderful and personal as the picture she had given him, but during one of their talks, Ginny had let slip that she would be using a wand that had been from one of her grandmothers.
Harry knew from listening to Mr. Olivander that the Wand chose the Wizard, or Witch in this case and he wanted her to do the best she possibly could. So it was one afternoon when Ginny was hanging the wash out that he approached Mrs. Weasley.
"Mrs. Weasley, can I talk to you for a moment?" he asked.
"Why certainly, Harry. What can I do for you?" she replied.
Harry took a deep breath. He knew the Weasleys didn't have a lot of money, and that it could be a point of contention, but he really wanted his best friend to have the best chance at doing well at school. "I was wondering if I couldn't buy Ginny her own wand for her birthday," he said, uncertainty.
Molly regarded Harry carefully. "They're rather expensive, Harry. I wouldn't want you to go broke just to get Ginny a wand."
"Please, Mrs. Weasley. Trust me, with what I saw in my vault last year when Hagrid took me there, one wand isn't going to make a huge dent in what I have," Harry replied, wanting to tell her the truth.
Molly raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, "Why do you want to buy her wand for her?"
"She's become my best friend and while Ron is still my best mate, I think Ginny and I have become a bit closer. I want to make sure that she does well at school. Ron and I have a friend, Neville Longbottom, who uses his dad's old wand and he has a hard time with it. I just want to make sure Ginny doesn't have to suffer like that."
"Let me think about it Harry," she replied evenly.
When she saw Harry's shoulders slump, she smiled and said, "I haven't said yes, but I haven't said no either. I want to talk to Mr. Weasley before giving you an answer. Is that acceptable?"
Harry straightened up, "Yes, that's fine. Sorry if I made a fuss."
"No problem, Harry. Mr. Weasley and I always discuss monetary decisions," Mrs. Weasley said.
Harry nodded and left to see if Ginny needed any help.
XX HP + GW XX
It was a couple of days later when Mrs. Weasley motioned for Harry to remain in the kitchen after breakfast while Ginny went up to get dressed.
"Harry, Mr. Weasley and I discussed you request, and while we think it's a bit extravagant, we will allow you to purchase her wand for her. The one thing we want to stress is that we do not want you to get use to spending significant amounts of money on Ginny or any other member of the family. Have we made ourselves clear?"
Harry smiled, "Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I understand completely. One point I would like to make is that all growing up, I never had a pence to share with anybody. To me the money is superficial. As long as I can help out a friend, I would like to. I want you to know that I'm not trying to buy anyone's friendship, but Galleons are all I have. I'm not allowed to bring anything into my aunt and uncle's house, let alone anything magical. Everything I have is a hand me down from my cousin, or something he's broke and I was able to fix."
Harry looked pleadingly at the Weasley matriarch. "I swear I'll try to purchase useful things for everyone, and please know that I try to keep the cost down as much as possible."
Mrs. Weasley smiled at Harry, but on the inside she was frowning. The more she heard about his living conditions the more concerned she became. She couldn't believe that Dumbledore actually allowed Harry to live in the conditions she was hearing about. She silently vowed to speak to Arthur and then have a "talk" with the renown Headmaster.
"Since we're not going to Diagon Alley till after Ginny's birthday, do you have an idea how you're going to give it to her on her birthday?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
Harry smiled, "Yeah I do, but I want it to be a surprise to everyone."
"Okay, Harry. I can see you have something in mind so I'll let it go," she replied.
Ginny's birthday came quickly and Harry had a smug smile on his face the whole day, causing Ginny to have fun guessing what Harry had gotten her for her birthday. She was really just having fun with Harry, guessing more and more outrageous things, just to see his face.
Harry was beside himself with joy. He and Ginny were having so much fun, he almost wished that the day wouldn't come to an end, but as the afternoon waned it got closer and closer to Ginny's birthday dinner, Harry began to get anxious to see Ginny's reaction to his gift.
Once again, after dinner, the gifts were given, and as fate would have it, Harry's ended up being last. Ginny eyed Harry appraisingly, now for the first time, seriously trying to figure out what he had gotten for her.
She could see the fun look in Harry's eyes, a sly grin on his face. She knew he wouldn't care if she opened her gift slowly, so she just tore into it like she had the others.
She finally got the paper off and carefully pried off the lid, inside she found a stick, a plain stick. It was about twelve inches long and appeared to come from the old oak tree in the garden.
Ginny eyed Harry quizzically, but he just smiled back at her. When she didn't move, Harry gave a small movement with his head towards the box. When Ginny looked again, she saw a piece of parchment folded up underneath the stick.
Glancing back at Harry, she carefully removed the parchment, unfolded it slowly and began to read.
Harry was holding his breath now, wondering how she was going to take his true gift. As Ginny finished reading, her face lit up with a wonderful smile. She turned towards Harry and while blushing, hugged him tightly. "Thank you Harry. I'm not sure how you convinced my parents to allow you to do this, but I can't begin to tell you how happy you've made me."
The others were wondering what Harry had given their sister and were clamouring to see what she had received. Ginny looked at Harry questioningly and received a small shrug back.
Ginny turned to her amassed brothers and grinned at them as she held up her stick.
She giggled softly as a hush fell on her stunned, uncomprehending siblings.
"Ah, . . . Ginny. What is it?" Fred asked slowly.
Ginny smiled widely and said plainly, "It's a stick!"
"A stick?" George asked, frowning sceptically.
"Yeah, isn't it a beautiful stick," Ginny sighed.
Percy and Ron exchanged looks, clearly saying to one another that they thought their sister had gone completely barmy.
Fred and George on the other hand, gave each other sly, knowing looks, their smiles saying they knew there was more than met the eye going on.
As the night wound down, Harry saw Ginny come towards him, as they found themselves alone for the first time that evening.
"Thank you for the "stick", I didn't expect that at all," she said softly, with a smile.
"I hope you don't really mind," Harry replied, smiling shyly back at her.
Gazing at him appraisingly, her head slightly cocked to one side, she said "No, I don't mind. The fact you could convince my parents means you must have given them a really good explanation as to your reasoning to allow you to give me such a gift."
Harry blushed and had to drop his gaze, "Yeah . . . well, I ah . . ."
Ginny gently laid a hand on Harry's arm. "I don't expect you to explain it to me, Harry. Just knowing that you wanted to do so for me, is reason enough."
She then smiled shyly at him, stood on her tip-toes and gave him a tender, chaste kiss.
Harry stood there stunned, never had he thought about Ginny in such a manner, but the feeling of her warm lips, touching his, even for so brief a moment was a huge awakening for him. Before he could react, other than blink his eyes in wonder, Ginny smiled at him again and then headed for the house.
Harry watched her go with a small smile beginning to curl the edges of his lips upward. He knew that Ginny was still his best friend, but for the first time he saw the possibility of more.
XX HP + GW XX
The end of the month was fast approaching and the annual trip to Diagon Alley couldn't be put off any longer. So it was early on the second to last Saturday in August that the Weasleys and Harry set off via the Floo for the Leaky Cauldron.
Harry was quite nervous as he had never travelled by the Floo Network before so Ginny stepped forward and took his hand. "I'll go with you the first time, we wouldn't want you going astray," she said with a grin.
Harry immediately felt much calmer, to him it wouldn't matter if he ended up anywhere, as long as he had someone, well, his best friend with him, he knew he'd be okay.
Ginny looked him in the eyes, "This time, you're just along for the ride, don't fight me and try to remain calm. Some people find their first time a bit disorienting."
Harry nodded, his stomach deciding that no matter what his brain was saying, it was going to be nervous till this whole thing was over.
Ginny took the Floo powder and tossed it into the grate. Harry was ready for the huge burst of green flames after watching Mr. Weasley, Percy and the Twins go before him and Ginny. What he wasn't ready for was the spinning sensation that assaulted him immediately.
Looking back on it later, he found the experience confusing, because even though he had a firm grip on Ginny's hand, it felt like he was spinning in a circle, right next to her, where she was doing the same. The thing that was most confusing, the whole time he could feel her hand in his.
In no time at all they arrived at their destination, and if it weren't for Ginny's firm grip and the Twins catching him slightly, he knew he would have fallen over.
"Easy there, Harry," said George, smiling at him as he steadied him.
"Takes some getting use to," said Fred as he grasped Harry's other shoulder.
It took a moment for the room to stop spinning, and then with a small chuckle Harry said, "Yeah, I can see that. On the whole, I'd rather fly."
Ginny still had a hold of Harry's hand and tugged him forward. "Come on, Ron and Mum will be right behind us and we don't want to be standing here when they arrive.
The four of them stepped away from the fireplace and they were just in time. The grate whooshed and Ron and Mrs. Weasley appeared right where Harry and Ginny had been standing.
Ron had let go of his mother's hand early and came tumbling out of the Floo, falling flat on his face, right at the feet of Fred and George.
"Nice landing, Ron," Fred said with a snicker.
"I give you a 4.3. Your spin was great, but your landing sucked," George added, adding his chuckle to Fred's.
"George Weasley, that's enough of that. Quit teasing your brother, he can't help it his balance isn't as good as yours and Fred's," Mrs. Weasley chastised her son.
"Yes Mum," he replied, but he winked at Harry and grinned.
"All right," said Mr. Weasley with a smile, "First stop Gringott's, so everybody follow me." He led them out back into the Alley where the dust bins were and like Hagrid the year before, Harry watched as he tapped the correct brick, causing the wall to fold back upon itself, granting them entrance to Diagon Alley.
Though Harry remembered his trip from the year before, he was still awed by the scene before him. Witches and Wizards along with their children were everywhere, scurrying about, most getting school supplies for the coming year.
Mr. Weasley led them through the crowd and in no time at all they arrived at the huge doors of the Wizarding Bank. As they entered, they moved off to the side.
"Okay kids, we'll wait here while your Mum and Harry go down to the vaults," Mr. Weasley said.
Harry would have liked to take Ginny with him, just for the cart ride, as he was sure she'd have loved it as much as he had his first year.
First stop was the Weasley vault, where Mrs. Weasley removed almost the entire contents. With five children attending Hogwarts this year, it was going to be very expensive and tax their resources to the max.
Next stop was Harry's vault, and he requested that Mrs. Weasley come with him. He wanted to show her that buying Ginny her wand was not going to make a dent in his money.
Molly tried very hard not to react to seeing the contents of Harry's vault, though what she saw was astounding. His vault was filled almost to the brim with bright shiny Galleons.
She did get a thoughtful look on her face as Harry filled a small money pouch and as he turned to leave, she said. "Harry, why don't you take some extra and we'll do some clothes shopping for you after we get all of your school things."
Harry looked at her in surprise, never even thinking about spending some of the money on his wardrobe. He smiled at her and said, "Thanks Mrs. Weasley, I don't know why I didn't think of that."
He filled another small bag with Galleons and they headed back to the cart and in no time at all, they were back at the surface.
Once they had rejoined the others, Mrs. Weasley said, "Arthur, please go with Ginny and Harry, while I take this lot and head for Flourish and Blotts to get their books. We'll divide the shopping up and it will take less time that way."
"Sounds good to me, Dear," Mr. Weasley replied, smiling at Harry and Ginny.
"Why does Ginny get to go with Harry and not me?" complained Ron.
Mrs. Weasley frowned at her youngest son and said, "Because I need your help in carrying all the books."
Ron shut his mouth, but still looked unhappy and Harry could see why. As they came down the stairs from Gringott's, he got a look at Flourish and Blotts. The line to the store wound out the door and quite a ways down the street.
Mr. Weasley had Ginny's list and they headed off to get some of the things she needed that the others already had. They purchased her cauldron, telescope, vials and numerous other bits and bobs.
As they came out of Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment, Mr. Weasley turned to the young pair, "How about we go to Ollivanders and get Ginny's wand?" he asked with a smile.
Ginny's face lit up and Harry could see how excited she was. She looked at Harry, her smile making him feel wonderful.
It was just down the Alley and they got there in no time at all. Just as with Harry, it seemed the shop was deserted when they entered, but within moments Mr Ollivander appeared, looking exactly the same as he had when Harry entered.
"Ah, Miss Weasley, this is a little unexpected, but I'm glad you are getting your very own wand. It will certainly out perform any other for you," he said in his own mysterious way.
Ginny, it seemed was just as difficult to match as Harry had been, and Harry wondered if all new wands were so hard to match.
The pile of rejected wands was almost as high as Harry's had been, when Mr. Ollivander got the same thoughtful look he had when he had finally picked out Harry's wand.
"Hummmm," he said, "Yes, I wonder. It would be unusual, but not unheard of," he muttered, more to himself.
He went back into the stacks and came back with another box, opened it and held it out for Ginny to take the wand. As soon as she did so, golden sparks flew from the end of the wand, causing them all to smile.
"Very interesting," Mr. Ollivander said, with a smile.
"What's so interesting," Ginny asked, as she looked at her wand with excitement.
"The wand that chose you is made with the other part of the Holly limb that produced young Mr. Potter's wand. Though your core is made from the tail hair of a very special unicorn. It only gave up one hair and it was only long enough for one wand. Yes, quite unusual indeed," he said, his owlish eyes flicking between Ginny and Harry.
Mr. Ollivander was slightly surprised when Harry was the one who paid for Ginny's wand, but he smiled when he did so. "Yes, most unusual," he repeated, his smile widening.
XX HP + GW XX
As the trio headed back up Diagon Alley they found Mrs. Weasley and the others coming their way. Mrs. Weasley was smiling dreamily and appeared rather flushed.
The children on the other hand looked extremely unhappy, all loaded down with huge stacks of books.
"Did everything go okay?" Mr Weasley asked.
"Just fine, Dear," Mrs. Weasley replied, dreamily.
Mr. Weasley looked at the children and without needing to say a word, Fred and George spoke up.
"Bloody nightmare it was, Dad," said Fred.
"Yeah, that Lockhart guy was there signing his books," George added.
"Yes, father," chimed in Percy, "Quite full of himself." If Percy was annoyed by someone being full of himself, he must have been really obnoxious indeed.
Arthur Weasley quickly shrunk the books so that they all easily fit into Ginny's cauldron and they all went and quickly finished up the remainder of the school shopping.
The only thing left was to get Ginny's robes and then the clothes that Mrs. Weasley had said they'd get for Harry.
Upon hearing that, Mr. Weasley took the boys and headed back to the Cauldron so that they could Floo home, while Mrs. Weasley, Harry and Ginny went shopping for clothes.
Their first stop was Secondhand Robes and though Ginny had looked longingly at Madam Malkin's, she knew that brand new robes were out of the question. She didn't really mind, having her own brand new wand was all she really cared about.
It took longer than Harry expected, but then again, he'd never been shopping with two women before. Even though all the robes were second hand, many looked hardly worn and there were many to choose from.
Like virtually all males who end up being along when women are shopping, Harry sat down in a chair and watched as Mrs. Weasley had Ginny try on a multitude of different robes. At first he found it rather fascinating watching the two women searching through the racks of robes and picking some out to try, while rejecting others immediately.
Then there was the trying on of the robes they had picked out. Soon Harry's senses we overloaded. He could hardly tell the difference of some of the robes that got rejected and those that were kept. All in all it made his head spin.
Finally as Harry was struggling to remain awake, a very happy Ginny and Mrs. Weasley came and got him.
Mrs. Weasley looked at him sympathetically, "I know that was rather boring for you Harry, and Ginny and I appreciate your patience."
They next went to another store a little distance away. It was called Murphy's Muggle Mantles and was a store that had a multitude of Muggle and Wizarding clothing, especially geared for the younger members of the Wizarding community.
At first Harry was a bit overwhelmed by everything, but with Ginny's and Mrs. Weasley's help and enthusiasm, he soon got into the swing of things. They purchased him all sorts of new clothes, from jeans and shirts, to underwear and shoes and the best part was they all fit perfectly.
Harry left the store wearing a brand new Weird Sisters Tee, (Ginny's favourite Wizarding band), a pair of stone washed jeans that didn't look like they had never been worn before and a pair of new trainers.
Harry was smiling, especially because of the way that Ginny looked at him. Her smile out-matched his own and she kept teasing him about how much different he looked. But you could see, she liked the change and that made all the difference for Harry.
As they were heading back towards the Leaky Cauldron, Mrs. Weasley stopped and looked in the window of a Women's wear shop. She hesitated for a moment, but then turned to the young pair. "Would it be okay if I just dash in here for a few moments?" she asked.
When Harry rolled his eyes, she laughed, "Why don't you two head down to Fortescue's and have a treat while I go in here?"
She began to dig in her purse but Harry interrupted, "I got it, Mrs. Weasley," he said with a smile. He was just glad he didn't have to sit in another woman's wear shop, bored to death.
It didn't take long and they were seated enjoying their sundaes. The weather was perfect for this late in August, neither to hot nor to muggy. Harry and Ginny were having fun, talking about different things they had seen and about Ginny's brothers.
"Well, what do we have here?" Harry heard from behind him.
Harry turned around and came face to face with one of the people he most loathed, along with his two shadows. "What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry asked, with a frown.
"My, my, Potter. Where are your manners," Draco drawled. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your girlfriend?"
Harry barely registered what Malfoy had said, "Ginny, this is Draco Malfoy, I think I've mentioned him to you."
Draco looked Ginny up and down once, sneering at her, he said, "Really Potter, couldn't you do better than a Weasley?"
Ginny was about to get angry when she saw the look on Harry's face. If something wasn't done in a moment, who knew what would happen.
"Better a Weasley than the two baboons you hang out with," Harry retorted, angrily.
Draco's eyes narrowed and his hand slipped towards his jacket.
"Hey now! None of that!" they heard, as Mr. Fortescue came over. He took one look at Draco, Crabbe and Goyle and said, "Be off with ya, or I'll call the Aurors for causing a disturbance."
Draco regarded the man disdainfully, and then looked back at Harry. "I'll see you later, Potter, when there aren't so many eyes around."
Harry just held Draco's gaze, never once giving any indication that he was in any way intimidated.
Draco broke eye contact, looking a bit paler that usual, "Come on," he said to his companions as he turned and left.
"Sorry, Mr. Fortescue," Harry said, apologetically.
"Ah, you have nothing to apologize for. I've had trouble with that one before, thinks he owns everything and that he's better than everyone else," the genial owner of the Ice Cream Shoppe said. "Someday that mouth of his is going to really get him into trouble and all daddy's Galleons aren't going to save him."
Florean Fortescue wiped a nearby table and headed back to the counter, leaving Harry and Ginny alone. It was then that Harry replayed what Malfoy had said and he got a worried look on his face.
"I'm sorry Ginny," he said quietly.
"For what, Harry?" Ginny asked, looking puzzled.
"Well, Draco called you my girlfriend," Harry replied.
Ginny chuckled, "Why do you think you need to apologize for that?" she asked, smiling at him.
"He'll probably spread it all around Hogwarts," Harry said, uncomfortably.
"So?" Ginny asked.
"That doesn't bother you?"
Ginny chuckled again, "No, Harry. I think any girl would be honoured to be called your girlfriend."
"You do?" he asked, in surprise.
"Yeah, I do," Ginny replied.
Harry got very thoughtful, and Ginny wondered what he was thinking. "What are you thinking about?" she finally asked.
"Would you want to?" Harry asked.
"Want to what?"
"Be my girlfriend?"
Ginny was taken by surprise, "Do you mean in general, or are you asking me?"
Harry was quiet for a moment, "I'm asking," he said softly, his heart in his throat.
It was Ginny's turn to be quiet for several moments. She was stunned by Harry's question. Sure they had become great friends this summer, best friends as a matter-of-fact, but boyfriend, girlfriend? She hadn't even considered it, well much.
At the beginning of the summer she had briefly thought about it, but as they became friends she hadn't thought about it for a long time.
Harry's mouth had gone very dry and he thought he might have pushed beyond the boundaries of their friendship. What if she didn't want to be his girlfriend, how would that effect their friendship?
Just when he thought he couldn't take it any longer, Ginny smiled at him. "I think that would be wonderful, Harry," she answered demurely.
"Really?" Harry croaked out.
"Yes, really," Ginny replied.
"Brilliant," Harry said, breathlessly.
"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" Ginny said, her smile a mile wide.
Harry sat there stunned for a moment, then Ginny said, "Well, we need to seal the deal, don't we."
Harry looked at her questioningly for a moment, and then realized what she was saying. Blushing heavily, he leaned across to her and they gently kissed. It wasn't a deep passionate kiss, but one of child-like wonder. The first sharing of something special between two that had come to mean so much to each other.
Harry felt a small shock-like tingle pass between them and he realized that kissing Ginny was one of the most wonderful things he had ever experienced.
Slowly they broke apart, smiling at one another.
Ginny's reaction mirrored Harry's. The warm wonderful feeling she got from their chaste kiss filled her completely. She sighed contently, realizing that one of her childhood fantasies had just come true.
It was a very happy pair that Mrs. Weasley found a little while later and she could tell that something had changed between them. She was pretty sure what it was, but she didn't press them for any answers. She was just happy for her daughter and the young man she had become attached to. They were still quite young but she wasn't worried, these things had a way of working themselves out and if she was any judge of love at all, she knew that they had a wonderful life ahead of them.
XX HP + GW XX
A/N: Hope you all liked this. It's a bit longer than most, and I hope you don't mind, but I felt it needed a long build up.
As always, Please review.
A word of note, I will be moving come the first of June and that may affect my posting schedule. I hope you'll all be understanding and not worry if I go a week or so without updating.