Monday, August 11th 2003
Ginny's 22nd birthday
Ginny Weasley looked at the remnants of fruit and mint leaves in the pitcher in front of her. The slurping sound had just announced that their fourth pitcher of Pimm's had been emptied.
Poking the straw in the pitcher, she glanced at her friends. "Let's get another one."
The bushy-haired girl on the other side of the table looked at her watch and grimaced. "I think..."
"Come on, Hermione. It's not even closing time." Ginny demanded, turning towards her other friend. "Luna?"
"Why not, it's your birthday." The blonde girl shrugged.
"Hermione, come on." Ginny looked at her friend. "Don't be a spoilsport."
"I'm sorry, Ginny." Hermione reached for her handbag. "Ron will be home soon, and I promised to be back when he comes home after his late shift. We'll meet at the Burrow for your birthday party on Sunday."
Rolling her eyes, Ginny got up to say goodbye to her friend. She hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. "Okay then. Until Sunday."
"Bye, Luna." Hermione waved to the blonde. "See you on Sunday?"
"No, I'm sorry, I can't. I need to help father with the paper." Luna grimaced.
Ginny watched Hermione as she walked to the exit when a black-haired man entered the pub. She immediately recognized the untamed hair and bright green eyes behind those black-framed glasses.
She held her breath as the man greeted Hermione warmly. The broad smile on his face caused her goose bumps. It was quite obvious that he was pleased to meet Hermione.
Ginny stared at Hermione's back. How did Hermione know the man who snogged her every night in her dreams ever since she saw him for the first time?
Last night, it wasn't just about snogging. She blushed.
"Your mysterious beau from last week found you again." Ginny was torn from her thoughts as Luna put her hand on her arm.
"Hush, Luna," Ginny replied without taking her eyes off the man. "We didn't even talk. I doubt he remembers me."
Ginny's heart started pounding louder as Hermione finally said goodbye to the man. He nodded friendly and turned to the bar.
What should she do? She mustered all her courage and waved to the man.
Would he recognize her?
Her heart dropped to her boots as his face brightened - delighted? - as he noticed her and waved back.
With quick steps, he came over to her booth. His smile made her legs turn to jelly. Ginny had to hold on to the edge of the table. She had the feeling his emerald green eyes would suck her in. Not that she would fight it.
"Hi, it's so nice to meet you again, Ginny." A shiver run down Ginny's spine. He'd remembered her name.
"And you, of course. Luna was the name, wasn't it?" The man nodded to Ginny's friend.
"I'm also pleased to see you again." The words bubbled out of Ginny's mouth. She got up and grasped the empty pitcher. "I was just about to order the next round. Do you want to join us?"
She gave the man the most radiant smile she could muster and gestured for him to take the spare seat opposite of her. 'Stay calm, Ginny,' her internal voice whispered. 'Don't make a fool of yourself. You're not drunk.'
"I'd love to, but it's still my turn." The man raised his hand. "Last time, you didn't have any of your drink."
"No way." Ginny shook her head. "Today is my birthday, so I'll pay for the next round. No arguing!"
When he hesitated, she quickly added, "Please."
Ginny watched as the man took a deep breath. Relieved, she noticed how the corner of his lips slowly quirked upwards.
"Okay," he said. "In this case, I have no other choice than to accept your invitation. Thank you."
Ginny beamed at him. "That's brill. I have to thank you."
She was about to turn to the bar when the bell rang at the counter and Tom called, "Last order!"
"Er." Luna rose, looking from one to the other. "I'll better go home. It's already late."
"Luna!" Ginny exclaimed, surprised by her friend's betrayal. Luna wouldn't leave her alone with the stranger, would she?
"No. It's really late." Luna stood up and turned to the man. "It was nice to meet you - what was your name again?"
"Harry," the man answered.
"It was nice to meet you, Harry." Luna beamed at him.
"Thank you for the invitation, Ginny. It is always fun to go out with you." Luna met Ginny's eyes. Her lips turned into a roguish smile. "Have a nice evening, you two."
Confused, Ginny looked after her friend. What was she up to?
"I'm sorry I chased your friend away," the man - Harry apologized.
"Traitor! She just left me alone on my birthday." Ginny shook her head. "I'm not in the mood to go home yet."
"Now that it's just the two of us, why don't we head over to the bar?" Harry pointed at two vacant seats on the counter.
Ginny followed his gaze and couldn't hide a grin when she recognized the bar stool she'd been sitting on last week. "Good idea," she agreed. "Let's pretend it is last week and Luna didn't show up. But I pay! Just let me grab my things."
She took her handbag from the bench as she noticed the small, longish box on the table. She'd almost forgotten Luna's birthday present. Heat spreading over her face. Relieved that Harry didn't know what was in the box, she left the wrapping paper on the table and put the box in her handbag.
As she turned, she noticed that Harry was watching her.
"Let's go to the bar," she said, awkwardly aware of her blush.
"Aw, a birthday present?" Harry asked, giving her a curious look.
"Oh yeah." Ginny giggled. "From Luna. She always has some - unique ideas." She put the handbag on her shoulder and pushed it out of Harry's sight.
Waving to the bartender, Ginny ordered two bitters, sat down on the bar stool and waited for Harry to get seated.
"How do you know Hermione?" she asked, genuinely interested in finding out more about this - about Harry.
"Hermione?" Harry looked confused at her before the Knut dropped. "Ah, Ms Granger. She works for the law company which hires me sometimes."
"Oh." Ginny cocked her head and gave Harry a quick once over. Did that mean that Harry was not a Muggle? Hermione would know. But where was she when you need her?
"You know what Hermione is?" Ginny asked, watching Harry closely.
"Oh," Harry raised his eyebrows, holding her gaze, obviously contemplating his answer.
Ginny glanced at her glass and took a sip. Was it really important if he was a Muggle or not? In any case, he was quite handsome. Her pounding heart was proof of it. On the other hand, ...
"Would you like to see my wand?" Harry finally replied with a smirk.
'Typical wizarding pun,' Ginny thought, oddly pleased with a response she'd normally have answered with a hex.
"Is he worth a look?" she answered instead, holding his gaze. An impish grin emerged on her face.
"I don't know." Harry snorted. "But it saved my life once or twice."
"Oh, in this case, I'm really interested in hearing your story." Ginny looked expectantly at Harry.
Harry laughed. "Later, maybe another time. I don't want to bore you with my stories on your birthday."
The four pitchers of Pimm's and Harry's intoxicating closeness suddenly made Ginny feel brave. She leaned in and whispered, "You can skip the parts where you polish your wand."
Harry took her hand, his eyes moist from laughing. "Good to know you're a witch," he said in a low voice. "It makes the conversation easier."
Ginny was glad that Harry obviously enjoyed the conversation as much as she did. She felt his fingers gently stroke her palm. His touch made her feel so warm and - safe.
"Oh, what do we have here?" Harry gave her a curious look and turned her hand to study the calluses on her palm. "I take it, you like flying?"
"I always loved flying." Ginny grinned and gave Harry's hand a closer inspection. A smile crossed her face when she saw the calluses on his palm. "Do you fancy a broom race?"
"Whenever you want." Harry returned her smile. "But please give me the chance to practice a bit. I used to be a pretty good flyer, but lately, I barely have time to get on a broom."
"The calluses tell me another story." Ginny gave him a daring glance.
Harry snorted. "It's all the fault of my godson. He insists on flying with me at least once a week."
"You have a godson?" Ginny examined at Harry, imagining him playing with a child. To her surprise, it suited him.
"Oh, he's everything for me." A smile spread over his face. Obviously, he was just recalling a particularly pleasant memory. "I try to spend as much time as possible with him. He's so much fun."
Ginny cocked her head. "Really? There is no girlfriend?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "You've seen yourself how my attempts to chat up a girl end." He chuckled. "Last time, I didn't even get the chance to say hello before she ran away."
"Aw, poor boy." Ginny pouted.
"Here are your drinks. Do you need anything else?" Tom interrupted the scene, placing their glasses on the counter.
"Thank you, Tom." Ginny put a few coins on the counter, handed Harry his drink and raised hers. "To our birthdays!" She smiled and looked into his eyes.
"To our birthdays!" Harry met her gaze.
Ginny took a sip of her drink and watched Harry unobtrusively, wondering what secrets he still had for her. She couldn't deny it, something about him attracted her. "What are you actually doing for Hermione?"
"I do all kind of investigations." Harry gave her a lopsided grin. "Mostly boring stuff. Watching people, asking a lot of questions..."
"You're a private investigator?" Ginny stared wide-eyed at Harry.
"Yeah. That's what people call it." Harry raised his hand. "Someone has to do it, and if I can help..."
"How many cheating husbands have you already convicted?" Ginny burst out.
"Those are actually the cases I try to avoid," Harry laughed. "They are the worst." He took a sip from his glass. "Enough of me, what about you?"
"Me?" Ginny asked, looking at her hands, which, she noticed, lay in Harry's again. "I'm still in training." She raised her eyes and looked at Harry.
"Training? What kind of training?" Harry squeezed her hands.
"I want to become a midwife and healer for children's diseases." Ginny looked down at their hands. "Next year I'm going to take my exams and then I need to look for a job."
"Wow, sounds fantastic." Harry gave her an admiring look and Ginny felt oddly relieved that he approved of her career choice. "The grandma of my godson also used to be a midwife and healer before she retired." Harry snorted. "She had to patch me up regularly every time I got myself injured."
"That sounds as you've been injured pretty often." Ginny really enjoyed Harry's enthusiasm and was a bit taken aback when he suddenly looked pensive.
"It was a hard time," he said with a sad smile.
Ginny was just wondering what had caused the sudden mood change, when Harry shook his head and smiled at her. "But it's over. No reason to ponder the past today."
"Do you often come here?" Ginny asked, swiftly changing the topic. "I have never seen you."
"Oh." Harry chuckled. "I'm actually here almost every Friday night, and sometimes on Mondays."
"That explains everything," Ginny snorted. "I meet with my friends every Thursday before we go to the cinema, or afterwards, if we went to the afternoon show."
"Then I'm lucky that your birthday is on a Monday this year, or we'd never met again." Harry beamed at her.
"Hello, you love-birds. We're closing," Tom called from the door, waving with a key.
Startled, Ginny looked at her watch. The time had passed in a blink of the eye. She looked around and noticed that they were the last guests in the pub, everybody else had already left. She looked at Harry, hoping…
"Do you want to go for a walk? I'm really enjoying the night." Harry asked.
"Yes. I'd like to," Ginny beamed, relieved that Harry didn't want to go home yet either. She slid off her bar stool and followed Harry, who had taken her by the hand.
Outside the pub, Harry turned to Ginny without letting go of her. "Do you want to get down to the Thames? It's just a fifteen-minute walk down the side street over there."
"Yes," Ginny replied. She would go anywhere as long as Harry held her hand. "The Thames sounds good; the bridges are so nicely lit at night and I love the way the Millennium Wheel is illuminated in the dark."
"Fine, let's go then," Harry beamed at her and led her across the street to the next alley.
Silently, they walked side by side. The pubs on their way were already closed, the last guests were on their way home. Several couples passed them; closely entangled and giggling.
The fresh air, though still hot, helped Ginny to clear her head. She felt so relaxed and - happy. It was not the alcohol, though. Ginny was pretty sure that the reason she felt so happy, walked next to her.
Ginny gave Harry a smirk when they had to dodge a drunk man who was staggering past them, deeply engrossed in a conversation with himself.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the man who led her through the night. Their conversation from earlier had been replaced by a companionable silence, a silence she really enjoyed, but with every step they walked, Ginny's heart pounded louder.
She didn't want the night to be over without knowing when she would meet Harry again.
She had to do something.
"What's wrong? Did the cat swallow your tongue?" Oh well. This wasn't the brightest opening, was it? She was looking straight ahead, afraid that she would tell more nonsense when she'd look at him.
Harry snorted. "Certainly not. I'm enjoying the moment."
Ginny looked up and stared at his smiling face. Okay, maybe she was witty.
"Must be a great moment, then," Ginny teased.
He pulled her closer and put his arm around her. "May I?"
Ginny answered by putting her arm around his waist and snuggling up to him. "Yeah, that's nice."
Too late Ginny noticed the man loitering about in the shadow of a telephone booth. Suddenly she felt the hard grip of a hand on her arm, and with a jolt, she was pulled out of Harry's arms.
Her handbag was torn from her shoulder. "Come on, darling. You don't need that anymore."
The sickening smell of alcohol and nicotine made her feel sick. Disgusted, she stared at the rotting teeth that were laughing at her. Impulsively, she kneed the attacker in the crotch. The painful grimace was proof enough that she hadn't missed her target.
The man dropped to his knees as a red light shot past her eyes and slammed against a wall, missing the attacker by inches.
"Ginny, are you alright?" Harry asked worriedly, his wand in his hand. He grabbed the collar of the man and ripped the handbag out of his hands.
Ginny looked down at the whimpering man who tried to escape Harry's grasp.
"Is everything alright Ginny?" Harry asked in a concerned voice. "Did he hurt you?"
"I'm fine," Ginny muttered, breathing heavily.
Harry pushed the man away. "Sod off!" When the didn't move, Harry yelled, "Move your arse, or you will regret it."
Muttering curses, the man hobbled away, holding his groin with a pained face.
Ginny threw herself into Harry's arms and rested her head on his chest. She took a deep breath and tried to calm down.
"Are you really okay?" Harry asked softly.
"I'm fine," Ginny nodded. "Just hold me a bit." Ginny shivered when she felt Harry's arms tightened around her, his hand gently stroking her hair.
"You hit him pretty hard." Harry's sounded rather proud.
"It's all a matter of practice," Ginny snorted and couldn't hide a smile. She looked up at Harry. "What an exciting evening. Is it always like that when you go out with a girl?"
"That's all arranged beforehand." Harry sniggered. "I like it when the girls throw themselves into my arms."
"Idiot." Ginny nudged him in the ribs.
"Come, let's go." Harry handed her her handbag. "The Ministry will probably show up soon to check what idiot had cast a Stunner here."
Ginny snuggled closer to Harry. "Yeah, let's go."
As they reached the river, a cool breeze blew away the stifling heat of the side street. Harry led Ginny over to the railing and put his arm around her shoulder. When she looked up at him, he gave her a shy smile and pulled her closer. Ginny closed her eyes and felt his lips brush against hers. Slowly she deepened the kiss and was disappointed when Harry pulled away.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
"What is it?" Ginny asked, worried that she'd done something wrong.
"Oh," smiled Harry. "Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but as much as I enjoyed it, I think we should at least properly introduce ourselves before we move on."
"Oh, and I was just wondering why my birthday present was so short." giggled Ginny.
"My name is Ha ..."
"Ginny Weasley," burst Ginny out. "I have six older brothers, but there's no need to be afraid. If you get to know them, I'll protect you ..." Ginny stopped in the middle of the sentence when she saw the way Harry was looking at her.
"Is something wrong?" she asked worriedly.
"Ginny Weasley." Harry replied, his eyes widened. "The girl with the diary?"
"How ..." Ginny suddenly had a lump in her throat. "How do you know..."
"My name is Harry, Harry Potter," Harry said.
Ginny's eyes shot to Harry's forehead.
"Ah, right," Harry chuckled. "I can show you the scar, but please...not in the public."
"How come you know me?" Ginny asked. "I know that it was you who ..."
"Dumbledore told me a lot about you." Harry looked at her, a tender smile on his face. "I used to bother him with questions about you whenever I met him. I wanted to know what happened to you, but I thought I'd never meet you. Dumbledore told me that you're a really great flyer. Quidditch captain at fourteen. I was impressed. You were kind of a heroine for me ..."
"Do not say that. I was a stupid little girl." Ginny shook her head vehemently. The lump in her throat grew larger as terrible memories flooded her mind.
"You were a little girl, but certainly not stupid." Harry took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "You've fought the evil for almost a year, and you brought that damn diary to Dumbledore before anything worse could have happened. I was so impressed. Only a few weeks before, my godfather had told me about a prophecy and that it was my fate to fight against Voldemort. I was so frightened. But when I heard that you fought him for so long, it was the first time I felt hope."
Ginny shook her head in disbelief. "Is that true?"
Harry just nodded his head. To Ginny's astonishment, she saw a tear running down his cheek.
"Oh, Harry," Ginny mumbled.
The man she hadn't even known one hour ago suddenly felt so close. Following an impulse, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.
When Ginny finally pulled away, she gave Harry a friendly glare. "You know so much about my life, but what about you?"
"There is not much to tell." Harry shook his head. "You have so much more to talk about. It must have been fantastic to go to Hogwarts."
Ginny snorted. "Harry bloody Potter and there is not much worth to be told in his life."
"I don't want to bore you on your birthday." Harry gently stroked her hair. "Maybe next time. That is if you want to see me again."
"Don't think you'll get rid of me so easily."
"Okay," Harry grinned. "Does this mean I can still hope for a kiss from the birthday girl tonight?"
As she noticed how close Harry's face was, Ginny suddenly heard her heartbeat throbbing in her ears. She closed her eyes and rose to her tiptoes until she felt his lips on hers, so soft and warm. As he gently sucked her lower lip and his tongue blandly asked for entrance, she opened her mouth and gave herself up to the dance of their tongues.
Later, much later, when they finally parted, she looked at Harry, beaming. "When can we see each other again?"
"Whenever you want," Harry said. "I'm usually free every evening of the week, but on Saturdays, I meet with Teddy."
"Teddy?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"Teddy is my godson," Harry tenderly stroked her cheek and kissed the tip of her nose.
"Oh, right," Ginny replied. "We don't want to interfere in Teddy's flying times, do we?" She tried to imagine Harry sitting together with his godson on a broom. She liked this image.
"And you?" Harry asked, startling Ginny out of her thoughts. "When do you have a few minutes for me in your calendar?"
"Oh, I'm also free every evening, except on Thursdays, when we have our girl's night. On Sundays, I'm usually with my parents." Ginny gave him an impish grin. "If you dare, I'd take you to the cinema with my girls."
She gave Harry a challenging look as a thought crossed her mind. Was it too early? Before she could think about it, she spluttered out, "Or you come to my birthday party on Sunday."
Harry looked at her silently, obviously considering her offer. "The party takes place at your parents?"
"Yeah." Ginny nodded.
"And your six older brothers will be there, too?" Harry asked guardedly.
"Of course, with their families. Hermione will be there too, she's the girlfriend of my youngest brother."
Harry looked pensive.
"Of course, you don't have to." Ginny could not help it ... "if you don't dare."
Harry burst into a hearty laugh. "Nice try. How about we meet on Friday evening and talk about the birthday party again?"
"So, you are really thinking about coming?" Ginny's feelings alternated between enthusiasm and the concern that it would be too early to take Harry to the Burrow. Her mother would be thrilled, but she wouldn't rest until she had a wedding date.
"Maybe," Harry admitted with a small smile.
"Great." Ginny beamed. "Then we'll meet on Friday. Is seven o'clock okay for you?"
"Seven o'clock it is." Harry nodded.
"But don't tell anyone. If you really come, it's supposed to be my birthday surprise for my family," Ginny asked.
Harry shook his head, laughing. "Okay."
"Oh," Ginny paused. "There's one more thing. If you ever meet my brothers, don't ever believe anything they're telling you about a childhood crush."
Harry looked at her blankly.
"Just promise me." Ginny insisted.
"Oh - okay," said Harry.
"Great. See you on Friday," Ginny stood up on her tiptoes and kissed Harry. "Goodnight, Harry."
Harry pulled her closer and lifted her off of her feet. He kissed her hard on her lips, then rested his forehead on hers. "Goodnight, Ginny."
"Bye," Ginny whispered. Slowly, she retreated into the shadows of the side street, her eyes never leaving Harry. Before she disappeared with a faint pop sound, she raised her hand and waved Harry goodbye.