A/N: Alright everyone...let's shut it down! This author's note thing is getting out of hand. The first couple reviews on the last chapter were about my Author's Notes instead of the story! I read the reviews, laughed out loud, and then said to myself, "I deserve this." I've been out of control, and it's time to let my story speak instead of this drivel that bookends each chapter. Incidentally, I've felt the need to write this all in an author's note like the blatant hypocrite that I am. How do you put up with me?

Chapter Four: The Date

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Harry flew behind Ginny, watching her move through the air with awe. He'd known she could fly—he'd watched her take his spot in his fifth year and then captained her for portions of his sixth year, after all. But he'd missed Quidditch his final year at Hogwarts, off saving the world and what-not. And he'd forgotten how great she was on a broom. Or maybe she'd just gotten better and he was only now noticing.

Another thing he was only now noticing was the way her backside filled out those white shorts of hers. It was a dangerous thing to observe, considering what tonight might entail. It was like watching the muggle news, and his everyday life was playing out on screen. But on the news ticker, there was only one bit of news that endlessly scrolled along the bottom of the screen. "You are going to have sex with Ginny Weasley tonight."

No matter how many times Harry shook his head to clear the thought. No matter how many times he reminded himself it probably wouldn't happen, and that they'd more than likely let the Magical Union die and move on. No matter how often he pointed out how little experience he had with girls, and how he'd probably fuck up fucking.

It continued its continuous loop. "You are going to have sex with Ginny Weasley tonight."

So Harry decided he couldn't trail behind Ginny any longer, staring at her backside and trying not to stare at her backside.

Besides, flying was more difficult with a full erection, and he'd rather not continue to do so.

He caught up to Ginny and they slowed their speed. He hadn't really noticed until now, but Ginny had led them far away from the Burrow.

"I probably should've told mum that I was going flying," Ginny muttered, glancing back in the direction they'd flown from. "Even after your heroics and saving the world, she's still not comfortable with me being out of her sight."

Harry smirked at her and ignored her attention to his deeds. It set him at ease, knowing their playful relationship hadn't faded after their forced marriage. "I wouldn't worry too much. I told her I was taking you out for the morning."

Ginny swung her broom so quickly she nearly ran into Harry, who had to swerve to avoid the collision. "You told my mum you were taking me out? Like on a date?"

Harry frowned and tried to remember how the conversation went. "I think it was kind of implied, yeah. Like a date."

She looked concerned. Maybe confused. And that made Harry confused. And maybe concerned. "Was that wrong?" Harry asked. "I mean, I know you didn't want to tell her that we're married yet, but after the way she was acting this morning with us, and I didn't want Ron to bother us, so I just asked her to run a little interference, and maybe I should've asked you about, like, a date, specifically, instead of just assuming you would want to spend some time together, and now you're kind of making me nervous that I screwed up, and I promise I never meant—"

"Harry, shut up!" Ginny interrupted with a smile. "It's not bad. I'm just surprised is all. If this day doesn't go perfectly, then you've just painted us into an awkward corner with my mum, that's all."

"Oh." Harry frowned again. He wondered briefly what the day going perfectly would entail, but she cut off that thinking, too.

Ginny flew closer and squeezed his arm. "And yes, I'm happy to go on something like a date with you. I'm really rather flattered that you'd risk it like that with my mum." Then she smirked. "Or maybe just concerned that my husband doesn't think through his actions all that much."

Harry laughed. "I play to win, Ginny."

"That is true," Ginny agreed. "I should've remembered from your days as my Quidditch captain. Yelling at me all the time."

Harry laughed again, this time because he knew he never yelled at Ginny. She might have been the one person he never did raise his voice with. Not that he favored her, of course. She was just the perfect teammate and Chaser. He hadn't needed to correct her on anything. Except that one time she was flirting with Dean and distracting the team...

The pair flew down lower to the tops of the trees, but remained at their leisurely pace. Normally, Harry wanted to race through the skies at breakneck speeds. Today, he found he'd rather just be next to Ginny.

"I missed it," Harry said when they'd reached their new altitude.

"Quidditch?" Ginny asked, understanding in her tone.

Harry nodded. "And flying in general. I missed the way the wind feels in your hair. The thrill of dropping faster than gravity. The metal of a snitch in my hand. You know what the craziest thing is? I missed the roar of the crowd when I won a game."

"That's not crazy at all," Ginny said. "We've always known you're an attention-seeking narcissist."

Harry laughed yet again, but Ginny quickly rectified her statement with an earnestness he was only now beginning to see and appreciate. "You've always downplayed your victories over Voldemort," she said quietly, and seemed very interested in the tree they were passing over. "Always pointed to the help you've received, the sacrifices others made to bring him down. Being a Seeker...Quidditch was the one thing that was definitively yours. You earned each of those wins for you and your teammates, so it was applause you could finally accept."

Harry looked thoughtfully at Ginny, surprised at her insight that rang so true. He felt unsettled at how well she seemed to know him.

"I'm also sad I missed all three of Gryffindor's games last year," Harry said, carefully shifting the conversation away from himself. He already knew about himself. He needed to know about her. "But I heard from Ron how brilliant you were each time I came back to Hogwarts."

Ginny shrugged. "It was a good season. Missed our star Seeker though."

"Why didn't you play as Seeker? Ron says you're loads better than that Greene kid who took my spot."

"Unlike you," Ginny playfully nudged his shoulder as they flew. "I like teamwork. And Seeking just doesn't have the same thrill to it. Too much waiting around."

"Sounds like you just don't understand the intricacies of the position," Harry jabbed back with a grin.

"Nah, I'm just above them," she said with a haughty sniff of her nose.

He made a noise somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle. "Maybe it's the challenge," he said thoughtfully. He appraised her when she glanced over at him. "Last season, you beat Ravenclaw with the one snitch catch Greene had all year. Blew them out by over 300 points as I recall. You lost to Hufflepuff when the match ended early, and their Seeker—what was her name?"

"Bender," Ginny said, eyebrows raised at Harry. "Jess Bender."

"That's right," Harry nodded. "The match ended when Bender caught the snitch the earliest she's ever caught it in her life. But Slytherin...yes, Slytherin was what it's all about. You beat them despite Malfoy catching the Snitch."

Ginny turned away from him, all the answer he needed. He grinned and summed it all up. "Ginny Weasley wants to prove that she can win games 10 points at a time. Final score 280 – 270. Ron had a nice game, sure, but as I heard it, it was your lockdown defense of Urquhart that stunted the Slytherin offense. And how many points did you score? That's right. 160. 10 more than I have ever scored in a match."

"I had a nice game," Ginny mumbled, still not facing Harry.

"Including the game-winning goal just seconds before Malfoy caught the Snitch," Harry added.

She finally turned to him, face flushed. "How do you know all this?"

Harry frowned. "What do you mean? The match results? It's my house and it was my team for six years. Of course I'd follow it closely."

Ginny shook her head. "No, how do you know the details? And my goal count? How do you know why I play Chaser?"

Harry tilted his head, stumped by the question. He was no Hermione. He didn't have her mind for memorization. "I guess I just took extra care of your play. You were my best Chaser, after all."

The air was thick with something, Harry couldn't decide what. But the look she gave him made him feel like a rare plant under Neville's scrutinous inspection. He wanted to squirm under her gaze, but found himself smiling instead. He liked Ginny looking at him like this. Trying to figure him out.

Though he was starting to feel like she'd always had him figured out.

Ginny finally seemed to recognize her intense stare, and shook her head. "Well, let's just see who the better flyer is, then. The star Seeker, or the star Chaser. Wanna play a round of follow the leader?"

Harry's arousal after following behind Ginny had diminished some time ago, but the memory and embarrassment of it lingered. "Okay, but I lead."

-0-0-0-

Even before he'd been married to her, Harry had known Ginny was a beautiful girl. Hell, even before he'd defeated Voldemort a week ago, and his hormones finally didn't have the distraction of a madman, he'd known she was pretty—even if he'd never let his mind wander much further than that.

However, now that his libido was in full swing and he'd been blindsided by a Magical Union, Harry could unequivocally say Ginny was the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen. If he let himself be crass for a moment, he could admit her breasts weren't as big as some girls her age, or her figure was more athletic than built for modeling or stripping. Her face had a few blemishes beyond the cute smattering of freckles. She was shorter than average. And he'd heard her sing once, and knew if he stayed married to her, his ears would be punished for it.

But Harry also knew, looking at her now—hair windswept, face flushed from the exhilaration of a good fly, and chest heaving deeply as she caught her breath—he'd hit the jackpot in this accidental Magical Union.

They had landed in a clearing near the Burrow, and Harry let his eyes wander across her face. From her rich chocolate eyes, over her freckled nose, down to her full, red lips. He wanted to kiss them. He wanted to hold her face and run his thumb along her cheek. He wanted to card his hands through that radiant hair of hers.

It struck him that he wouldn't change a thing about her.

"Will you go to lunch with me?" Harry asked without any preamble.

If she'd caught him staring, Ginny didn't say anything. Instead she smiled simply at him. "Is this a new tactic of yours? Spend all day with me to see if you can't handle a day with your wife?"

Harry laughed. "An unintended bonus," he admitted. "But really, I'm just having a really nice time, and want to spend more time with you."

Her smile broadened, white teeth showing and eyes crinkled with happiness. Harry's stomach swooped at the sight. "Harry, I didn't know you were such a charmer!"

Harry scoffed. "Who knew all this time I just needed to be honest?"

Her eyebrows lifted. "Careful Harry. If you keep saying the right things like this, I might just jump you and make our choice about tonight."

Ginny's eyes widened at her words, and Harry's laughter caught in his throat. Because what she said was funny, but this was the first time they'd even broached the subject of tonight. And truth be told, the conversation terrified him. He didn't want to have it yet. Not when he wasn't even sure she wanted to go to lunch with him yet.

"So, is that a 'yes' to getting food?" he asked, and Ginny looked caught between relief and frustration that he moved on so quickly from her comment.

"That is a 'yes'," she confirmed. Harry held out his hand, which she took, and then he turned on the spot.

For the last year, Harry had often been on the run. He'd leave Hogwarts to find a Horcrux or to sniff out a Death Eater hideout. Sometimes he got separated from Dumbledore, and he'd be on his own for a few days at a time without an easy way back to Hogwarts. It was important to lie low for a spell before making his way to a safe house to floo back to the school.

He had discovered the best place to hide was in muggle London. He could wander the streets without any invisibility cloak or disguise. He could go to restaurants and stay in hotels. It certainly beat hiding in the woods in a crappy tent with nothing but canned beans to eat.

So he was familiar with a few places downtown, and was really quite excited to see Ginny in this unfamiliar environment.

She did not disappoint. Her eyes were full of wonder at the way muggles had made do without magic. Her curiosity nearly rivaled her father's, and she pestered Harry with questions when they rode the underground a few stops to get to his favorite restaurant.

She didn't necessarily blend in, with her "oohs" and "ahs" catching a passerby's interest. But Harry saw a love for and willingness to be a part of this world that had become his safe-haven.

When they sat down at last, Ginny was still buzzing with energy, watching the waiters and other customers. He observed her endearing behavior, and couldn't help checking a couple of imaginary boxes in his head. He hadn't written a list or anything, and he hadn't even known it was important to him until he brought her here. But she could be happy here.

It made him smile.

Harry didn't want to live in Muggle London, of course. He knew his future was in the magical world, and he was happy about that. But he needed an escape, and he'd prefer it if his wife could join him in that escape.

Lunch went splendidly, aside from the awkward young waiter who clearly thought Ginny was something special, and couldn't help some terribly misguided attempts at flirting. Harry couldn't blame the kid. After all, he had eyes. He could see Ginny. If anything, he had a small amount of respect for the kid for taking his shot, given how unaggressive it was.

Still, Harry hoped the kid knew "Normally I don't disparage our own food, but these chicken legs sure could learn a thing or two from yours" was an absolutely horrendous line, that he beat himself up for it when he retreated to the kitchens, and never used it again.

"I'm so happy you like it here, Ginny," Harry said after the uncomfortable moment had passed and Ginny moaned her approval of her dish.

"Like it?" she repeated through a mouthful of chicken that Harry decided he'd have to try next time they came here, regardless of the awful pick-up line that came with it. "I love it! Have you come here often?"

Her excitement was contagious, and Harry found himself gushing like a geyser. It started with detailing his favorite dishes. But with only a little prompting, he explained to her his purpose for being a regular in the muggle world. And then, without him even realizing it, he started talking about his feelings about the past couple of years. Harry hadn't talked this much since George had tested the new 'Mouth Laxative' on Harry without him knowing it. "It did its job," Harry and a whole focus group had explained to George. "But the name needs to change."

Without being under the influence, Harry had never opened himself up like this. Not even to Ron or Hermione.

"It was hard sometimes," Harry said as he finished up a small bowl of ice cream that concluded his lunch. Ginny licked her own spoon, and Harry watched her mouth curiously for a moment before shaking his head of the image.

"You mean hard work that you and Dumbledore were doing?" Ginny asked patiently, not noticing or not commenting on his distraction.

Harry thought for a moment. "That was difficult at times; dangerous, too. But I just mean...Hogwarts was my first real home. And I didn't really get a final year there, you know?"

Ginny's eyes shone with sympathy. "You were robbed of what should've been your best year."

Harry shrugged. "That's how I felt some times last year, yeah. And I know what I did was necessary. For me and for the rest of the country. But it still sucked. Even the time I was there didn't feel the same. We'd be gone for days, weeks at a time sometimes. Missed all of March and April. And while Dumbledore did very well teaching me while I was away, every time I came back to Hogwarts felt like I was a stranger in a new town."

Ginny nodded thoughtfully. "You always did look uncomfortable when you first returned. I never knew what to do to help."

Harry smiled at her, touched that she had been thoughtful of him in his hard times. "And yet you were probably the one person that made me feel normal," Harry said, realizing it was the truth for the first time. He grinned "I mean, you were always pointing out my fame and ego, but being able to laugh at it made it feel fake in a way? I dunno, but it really helped."

Ginny reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "I'm so glad. I figured the best thing I could do was just be myself with you."

"Thank you,' Harry said earnestly. "I'm just sad I couldn't get to know you even better."

"Well," Ginny said with a nervous tilt of her head. "Depending on how things go, we may have a lifetime for that, right?"

"Or even more than a lifetime," Harry mumbled. It was just loud enough for Ginny to hear, and it gave them both pause. If the Magical Union was everything he'd been told it might be, that's what they were in store for. And the thought terrified and thrilled him.

"Harry," Ginny started, and Harry knew Ginny was anxious to have this conversation. For the second time now, she had brought it up. And for the second time, Harry found himself shying away from the discussion they needed to have. Was it denial? Was it simply him wanting to collect more information and more data to make a decision this everlasting?

Unsure of which hypothesis he was proving, Harry blurted out, "Want to go see a muggle film, Gin?"

A flash of irritation at being interrupted was followed quickly by one of confusion. "Erm…what?"

"I just…I don't really know what people do on dates. Except I know muggles go to the cinema."

Ginny frowned. "Isn't that the thing where you just sit in a dark room silently and watch an image?"

"A moving image," Harry supplied, as if it made his suggestion any better. "It's a two-hour story."

Ginny just glared at him. "So, we have ten more hours to make the biggest decision of our lives, and you want to sit next to me in silence for two of them?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but he had nothing to respond with. She was right. Of course she was right. He was being absurd, and there was no way to refute that. But still, he did not want to have this conversation yet.

Ginny huffed and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. "You were the one who wanted to 'figure things out,' Harry. And now I try to have the conversation and you keep avoiding it."

Indignation swelled in Harry and he clenched his fists tightly around his fork. "Hang on, you're the one who wouldn't talk to me this morning. You can't get mad at me for doing the same thing!"

Her face turned red, but Harry was impressed when she took a deep breath and turned her head to the side instead of lashing back at him. "You're right. That is unfair of me. But it's also not the same thing. What I didn't want to talk about this morning is a personal hang up, and one that I need to sort out for myself first. You won't have a conversation about our future, Harry. It's something we need to decide together."

"Well maybe I've got some personal hang ups that are keeping me from addressing it," Harry said, now regretting throwing her own problem back in her face.

"Do you?" Her question was sincere, and it made Harry finally take a moment to reflect.

But his mind remained blank. Like he couldn't even process the mammoth question in front of him and the strict time limit associated.

"I don't know," was his honest reply.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, Harry. I've got to go home anyway. Mum wants to throw me a birthday party this evening, as I'm sure you were aware. If you figure your shit out, we can talk then. Otherwise…"

She let the implications hang in the air. Otherwise they both lose out on the chance at a Magical Union forever. Otherwise they move on and forget about all of this. Otherwise Harry can have his life without Ginny.

That didn't feel right. After most of this day feeling right, Ginny being gone did not.

But Ginny had stood and walked away before he could tell her. Though in his current state, Harry doubted he would've said anything anyway.

Some date.

A/N: I'd just like to point out that I'm not putting an author's note here hoping that you enjoyed the chapter and asking for reviews...

...

Damn it!