Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Doctor Who, just the plot to this story.


Chapter 24: Child-Filled Christmas

~ GINNY ~

"Ginny, you have to!" Harry yelled.

The two of them were the only ones sitting in the common room, seeing as everyone else was either outside in the snow, or in the library studying for their last minute exams. Neither Harry or Ginny really cared about passing their coming exams, so they sat together in the common room. Harry was sitting in the corner of the sofa and, even though the entire common room was deserted, Ginny was lying on the same sofa with her head in his lap.

"Harry, I'm not going to Madam Pomfrey. Especially behind Dean's back."

"Have you even told him that you think you're pregnant?" Harry accused. "How long has it been?"

"Almost two months..."

"Ginny, come with me," Harry stood, making Ginny fall off him. "It's been two months and you haven't gone to see her yet. We're going."

"Harry, please, just sit back down —"

"Fine. I guess I'm going to have to do this the hard way." Harry bent down, picked Ginny up off the sofa, and threw her over his shoulder.

"Harry!" Ginny protested. But Harry didn't listen; he kept walking through Hogwarts. Ginny kicked and screamed, but no one was around to hear her. It wasn't until they reached the hospital wing that he finally put her down. "Harry, that was so uncalled for!" Ginny exploded.

"Ginny, it's for your own good..." Harry grabbed Ginny by the arm and dragged her in to meet Madam Pomfrey.

"Mr. Potter? What's going on here?"

"Madam Pomfrey, Ginny needs to be tested."

"Tested? Miss Weasley, what is the matter? What do you need to be tested for?" Madam Pomfrey grabbed the young witch by her shoulders giving her a look over to see if anything was physically wrong with her.

"If I tell you, Madam Pomfrey, could you please not promise to tell anyone else? Harry's the only one that knows..."

"Knows what, dear?"

"I… I think I'm pregnant."

Madam Pomfrey provided Ginny with a hospital gown and closed the curtain around the bed so she could change in private. Once she was finished, she opened the curtain. Harry was still sitting in the chair right next to the bed, smiling at her encouragingly. She didn't know why, but she was happy that Harry was here for her and not Dean. She didn't want to admit it, but Harry was right: she knew she had to end it with Dean, even if she was pregnant. What he did to her wasn't right, and she would never be able to live it down. Harry squeezed her hand, pulling her out of her trance. "It's going to be okay," he smiled again. Merlin, that smile, Ginny thought. I've really missed that smile. And those eyes. Those deep green eyes... Ginny suddenly came to a realization: she had never stopped liking Harry Potter. It had always been him. Ever since they had first met at Platform 9 ¾ for his and Ron's first year at Hogwarts. She had never stopped thinking about him; even when she was dating Michael and Dean. She realized now that this wasn't just some schoolgirl crush or obsession over a boy; Ginny Weasley was utterly and completely in love with Harry Potter. She just hoped that after all this time, he felt the same away.

"Alright, Miss Weasley, please lay down on the bed," Madam Pomfrey ran over frantically, wand in one hand, a potion in the other. "Now, would you rather Mr. Potter stay outside, or will you allowing him to stay within the curtain for the process?" Madam Pomfrey asked, eyeing them both. "He can stay if he wants," Ginny faced Harry. He smiled at her once more and stepped towards her bed. "Very well, then," Madam Pomfrey closed the curtains around them and began to unbutton Ginny's gown so that only her stomach was visible. The older witch poured some of the potions onto her hands and, after a quick warning ("This might feel a bit cold"), she began to rub into onto Ginny's stomach. Harry held her hand the entire time and she never wanted him to let go. Madam Pomfrey cleaned off her hands and held her wand above Ginny's stomach while muttering some spells under her breath. The potion on her stomach began to glow, but then stopped suddenly.

"Well, that's a good sign," Madam Pomfrey said as she cleaned the rest of the potion off of Ginny. "What's a good sign? Why did the potion stop glowing?" Ginny forced herself to sit up, but she soon felt lightheaded. She slumped back onto the pillow and Harry placed his hand behind her head.

"Miss Weasley, you may be slightly disoriented for the rest of the night. And as for when the potion stopped glowing," she smiled, "it means that you are indeed, not pregnant."

"No, but… I haven't gotten my period in the past two months..."

"You have experienced what is known as a false pregnancy, my dear. Your body will present itself as if you are pregnant when indeed you aren't. No need to worry, Miss Weasley. And I suppose you rather I did not report this to your parents, Miss Weasley? Or your guardians, Mr. Potter?"

"Oh, no, I wasn't the one that..." Harry was wide eyed. "Ginny and I aren't even… dating."

"Oh, alright then. And neither of you will tell who it was then?" She looked between the both of them. Ginny tried to send Harry a warning glance without being caught. She knew that if he told, he would tell the whole story. "Sorry, Madam Pomfrey, but no," Ginny answered.

"Of course not. Well, Miss Weasley, Mr. Potter and I will step out and allow you to redress. Mr. Potter, may I speak with you?" Ginny heard her ask as they closed the curtain behind them. Ginny really hoped that they weren't talking about her. She hated when people talked about her behind her back.

Ginny changed back into her clothes, still feeling a bit out of it. She couldn't keep herself standing for more than thirty seconds before having to sit back down. After a few minutes, Ginny re-opened the curtain to see Harry and Madam Pomfrey engaging in a silent conversation. When Harry caught sight of her, he was immediately at her side, helping her to stand.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Harry said. "We really appreciate it."

"I'm always here to help," she spread her arms out motioning to the room. Harry helped a limping Ginny back to the common room. Her arm was slung around his shoulders, meaning he had to bend down to her height. He kept his arm secured around her waist, making sure she didn't fall. She was so happy that he was there for her.

When they reached the common room, it was still deserted. Harry suggested that Ginny call it a night and head up to her dormitory, but when she tried to walk up the stairs, she fumbled and fell back down into Harry's arms. They stared at each other in pure silence for what seemed like forever. Without looking away from her eyes, Harry lifted Ginny up from the ground, one hand around her waist and the other to support her legs. He walked them across the room and towards the boys' stairs. "Harry, what are you doing?" Ginny placed a hand on his chest, letting him know to stop.

"You're in no condition to walk up the stairs by yourself, and seeing as I'm not allowed up the girls stairs, I'm going to put you in my bed. I'll sleep in the common room tonight."

"Harry, you don't have to do that —"

"I'm not going to sit here and wait for Hermione or Amy to come help you. I'll place you on the bed, close and lock the curtains. No one will know it's you in there."

"Harry, I don't want to be there with Dean only a few beds away," Ginny admitted. She was afraid of being in the same room with him, let alone the same room that it happened. Ginny sighed. "If you're going to put me in your room, I'm not allowing you to sleep in the common room," stated Ginny with purpose.

"Ginny, what are you talking about?" Harry let out a short laugh. But Ginny kept a straight face.

"I won't take up that much space on the bed. You can just lay with me."

Harry eyed her suspiciously. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked, still holding her in his arms.

"Harry, it's not like anything's going to happen." It's not like anything has ever happened before…

"Are you sure, Ginny? I mean what if Dean sees us? Or Ron?" Harry asked skeptically.

"It's like you said. Just close and lock the curtains." Ginny stared into Harry's eyes, letting him know that it was okay.

He nodded his head, gave her a slight smile, and continued to carry her up the stairs to his dormitory. He pushed the door open with his back and brought her over to his bed. He placed her down carefully on the four poster bed and excused himself before he went off to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

Despite what Ginny had told him, she was feeling extremely uncomfortable at the moment. Not because she didn't want him to lay with her, but because she did want him to lay with her. She had never actually laid with someone in bed before, and she didn't count what happened with Dean as 'laying' with someone. Ginny counted in her head and noticed that it was exactly twelve minutes before Harry returned to bed. She saw that he was wearing a light blue long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of dark blue sweatpants. His hair was wet and more disheveled than usual, it was obvious that he had just showered. She couldn't help but feel attracted to him in that moment, despite the fact that she was still technically dating Dean. But she didn't care.

Ginny noticed that she was still wearing her school uniform, but she just left it alone and decided to sleep in it for the night.

Harry opted to sleeping behind Ginny, so that they were not facing each other. He pulled the curtains closed around them, muttered the sealing charm under his breath and placed his wand and glasses on the table next to the bed. Ginny felt him moving around behind her as if he didn't know what to do with his arms. So she reached behind her, grabbed his right arm, and slung it around her waist. Instead of retracting it, like she thought he would, he moved closer to her. Without speaking to each other, they drifted off to sleep.


Ginny woke up to the sounds of people talking in the room. She identified the voices as the other four Gryffindors that occupied this room along with Harry: Seamus, Neville, Dean, and Ron. Ginny tried to move but when she did, she was only pulled back to where she was. She looked down and noticed that Harry's arm was still latched around her waist. Except now, instead of just being slung over her carelessly, his arm was secured around her waist as if trying to protect her. She turned around so that she could face him. He looked so calm when he was sleeping; he wasn't busy worrying about what the Death Eaters were planning next or when the next Transfiguration exam was. Ginny had never seen him with his glasses off; he didn't look too different, but different enough where if someone were to quickly glance at him, they would not notice that it was the famous Harry Potter.

Harry shuffled in the bed and began groaning. He rubbed his eyes with his left hand, keeping the other around Ginny. He opened his eyes and eyed Ginny while squinting. "Ginny," he whispered, "is that you?"

"Yes," she whispered back.

He seemed to notice that his arm was still around her waist because he released his tight grip around her. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Much better, thanks." They laid there in awkward silence, waiting for the other boys in the room to leave before getting up.


Later on that day, Ginny, Amy, and Hermione were sitting together in the library when Dean approached them, smiling.

"Ginny, can I talk to you for a second?"

Ginny looked around to her friends, hoping that they would make up an excuse for her to stay, but they were also smiling at her. She turned back around towards Dean, forcing a smile on her face. "Sure, Dean." Ginny stood up and followed behind Dean, who led them into an empty aisle.

"So Ginny, I was wondering if you were going to Slughorn's Christmas Party with me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Slughorn's Christmas Party? You're a member of his club so I figured you were going. And since we're dating, I'm telling you that we're going together."

"You're telling me that we're going together?" Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes.

"Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?" He stepped closer, cornering her while towering over her. Ginny never realized how intimidating Dean became when he was angry.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Dean repeated.

"No," Ginny said immediately, as she back up further into the corner. "No, I don't."

"Good," Dean smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow night at seven, then." Dean backed away from Ginny and walked out of the library. It wasn't until Hermione and Amy came looking for her that she was able to move.

"Ginny, what happened? Are you alright?" Amy moved closer to her but before she could touch her, Ginny pushed Amy's hand away. Hermione eyed her carefully before hesitantly stepping towards her. "Ginny? What's wrong? What did Dean say?"

"Harry," Ginny breathed out. "I need to talk to Harry."

Ginny left Amy and Hermione looking confused as she ran out of the library to find Harry. He was the only person that she could talk to about this and while it upset her that she couldn't talk to her girl friends about this, she was relieved that she had an excuse to speak with Harry. She had reached the Gryffindor common room and was just about to utter the password when the painting swung open and made her fall to the ground.

"Ginny! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were there!" Harry grabbed her hand and helped her to stand.

"Harry, I —"

"Ginny, I was actually coming to look for you. There's something I have to ask you," Harry paced back and forth as if working up the courage to say something. He stopped in front of her and looked her in the eye. "Ginny, will you go to Slughorn's Christmas Party with me?"

"That's actually what I was coming to talk to you about, Harry..."

"Really? So… is that a yes?" Harry had a hopeful smile across his face.

"Not exactly, um…" Ginny rubbed the back of her neck. "Dean just asked me to go with him."

Harry was wide eyed but disheartened. "And you said yes?"

"Well, he didn't really give me a choice. He kind of threatened me."

"What? What did he say?"

"He told me that I was going to the party with him because we're dating. And when I tried to say no, he asked if I had a problem with going with him, and…" Ginny sighed. "And he backed me into a corner in the library," she whispered.

"I can't believe this! I thought you were going to break up with him, Ginny!"

"Well, today, when he asked me to the party, was the first time I had seen him since you brought me to Madam Pomfrey last night. I never had the chance to find and dump him. He didn't even give me a chance."

"So, you're just going to go with him? And pretend that nothing bad happened between you and him?" Harry accused.

"Of course, not! I just don't want him to hurt me again!"

"Then leave him —"

"Why do you care so much?"

"Do you not want me to care, Ginny?"

"You seem to care a lot more than you let on!"

"What's that supposed to mean —"

"You always tell me that you think of me as your little sister —"

"I never said —"

"Let me finish! Ever since we were younger, you've told me about how you see me as your sister. But you don't, do you? Because you're not like Ron, or Fred, or George, or any of them. You're different." Ginny poked him in the chest. "You're different because I can talk to you about stuff like this. About Dean. I could never talk about any of this with my brothers. You care so much more about me than they do, and I can tell! What I don't understand is why. Why do you care so much? I'm just a stupid little girl that had a crush on you before I even knew you! So why do I mean so much to —"

Harry cut her off once again. Except this time, instead of cutting her off with his words, he did so by pressing his lips against hers. It was the best kiss Ginny had ever experienced. Ginny placed her hands on his shoulders while his rested on either side of her hips. He pulled her closer to him as they deepened the kiss, slowly backing into a corner in the corridor. Ginny's hands traveled up to his hair while Harry's moved tentatively up to her back. He had always been the sweet type…

Ginny, realizing what they were doing, broke the kiss off immediately. "Harry, I can't." Ginny panted as she began to back away from him. Harry seemed disappointed, but apologized anyway. "I'm sorry, I just… I thought that..."

"I like you, Harry. I do. It's just… I feel guilty. I'm still technically dating Dean and it just doesn't seem right. I'm sorry." She reached for his hands but he pulled away. "Harry, I —"

"I love you, Ginny. I do. But if this doesn't feel right to you, I'm fine with backing away for a while. As long as that's what you want… I'd do anything for you, Ginny. I hope you know that."

Without another word, Harry continued down the corridor in the opposite direction of the common room. With tears on her face, the heartbroken red-head mumbled the password to the Fat Lady and ran upstairs to her dormitory without stopping to speak to anyone.


"Ginny, you look amazing!" Amy beamed as she finished up with Ginny's hair.

It was December 20th, the night of Slughorn's Christmas Party, and Ginny, Hermione, and Amy were all getting ready together in the sixth year's girls' dorm. Ginny was wearing a knee-length, green and black lace dress, Hermione was wearing a simple pale pink dress, and Amy was wearing a royal blue high-low dress that reached the floor.

"Me? Amy, you're stunning! Which boy are you going with tonight? Obviously someone with good taste..."

"Actually, Harry asked me. We're going together as friends," Amy smiled.

"Oh… well, alright."

"What about you, Hermione? Did you pluck up the courage and actually ask Malfoy to go with you?" joked Amy.

Hermione turned at Amy accusingly. "As a matter of fact, yes I did."

Ginny and Amy marveled at the comment made by Hermione. "You actually asked him?" Amy asked. "You, Hermione Granger, asked Draco Malfoy to a party? I can't believe it..."

"Well, he never actually gave me an answer..." Hermione mumbled.

"Hermione, do you really want to go with him? After everything he's done to you?"

"He's changed, Ginny! You were there with us in the dungeons at Malfoy Manor! You saw how he helped us to escape!"

"Hermione —"

"He was there for me when I was heartbroken over Ron and Lavender. Amy, you know! You started talking to him, too, haven't you?"

"Well," Amy breathed out. "Yes, but not to the point where I would ask him to go with me..."

Hermione turned around so that she was not facing the others. Amy and Ginny looked at each other and silently agreed that it was time to go downstairs and meet their dates.

"We'll wait for you downstairs, Hermione," assured Ginny. "If you want us to."

"Don't bother." Hermione was still not facing them, but the red-headed girls could tell that she was crying. Together, the two girls exited the sixth year's girls' dorm and headed down the stairs.

When they reached the bottom, Ginny realized that Dean and Harry were in the middle of a deep conversation. Harry looked like he was trying to hide the fact that he wanted to snap Dean's neck right then and there, but Dean didn't seem phased by this. Dean's back was to the girls, so when Harry's eyes met with Ginny's, Dean had to turn around before realizing that they were there.

"Blimey, Ginny, you look beautiful!" Dean walked over to her and pulled her into his arms.

"You look nice as well." Ginny smiled through the false comment. Over Dean's shoulder, Ginny could see Harry staring at her, even though he was talking with Amy.

"I do, don't I? Anyway, let's get going. The party is supposed to start soon." Dean grabbed Ginny's hand and dragged her along with him out of the common room. Ginny could tell that Harry and Amy were close behind because she could very clearly hear their footsteps.

"Hey, Dean! Mind if we walk with you?" Harry called from behind as he and Amy caught up with Dean and Ginny.

"You might as well. We're heading the same way anyway." The four continued down the corridors together while Dean was persistent to make conversation. "So, Amy. I never noticed how good of a Chaser you were until that last game. Why didn't you ever tryout?"

"I was never really interested in playing for the house team, but when that happened to Katie… I figured it was just a way to make her recovery a lot easier. She wouldn't have to worry about someone inexperienced in Quidditch to have to play for her."

"Yeah, well..." Dean and Amy continued on with their conversation about Quidditch. Ginny could notice Harry making slight glances in her direction while they walked towards the party. As they reached Slughorn's office, the pairs spit up and walked amongst the crowd alone with their dates. Slughorn was immediately at Harry and Amy's side, introducing them to famous Slug Club alumni. Ginny tried her best to avoid having to talk to Dean, but he kept talking to her throughout the night. She was only able to catch snippets of what he was saying.

"Ginny, are you alright… This party is alright but… I wonder what Harry and Amy… Is Hermione coming… Can you get me a drink?"

Ginny took the opportunity to leave him alone and slowly get drinks for them both. Ginny walked over to the refreshments table, looking around the room to see if Hermione had shown up with Malfoy. Ginny wasn't exactly excited that they could be coming together, but she wasn't angry either. When they were at Malfoy Manor and he hugged Hermione, she and Ginny were both confused as hell, but Ginny noticed that they were both smiling to themselves afterward. Ginny would be fine if the two of them ended up together, so long as he treated her with the respect that she deserved, but she had no idea how they had become so close in such a short amount of time. Broken away from her thoughts, Ginny felt a slight tap on her shoulder and turned to find Amy standing there, smiling at her.

"Ginny, how's your night going? Where's Dean?"

"Oh, he's over there," she gestured to the other side of the room. "He's waiting for me to bring the drinks."

"Oh, alright. I won't hold you up —"

"No! It's okay. It's a party, no reason he can't wait a little while..." Ginny made sure to allow herself some extra time away from Dean. "So, Amy, where's Harry?" Ginny scanned the crowd for the dark haired boy.

"Somewhere in here with Slughorn. If I'm being completely honest, I'm pretty sure Slughorn's obsessed with me and Harry. I mean, I get Harry, but me? What's so special about me?"

"Amy, don't say that," Ginny comforted her friend. "You are special."

"Okay, but why? And why does Slughorn think so…?" Amy had a determined look on her face as if she was about to charge into battle. The look on her face did not match the attire for the party.

There was a sudden movement in the curtains behind the pair. They turned and through the curtain was a barely visible outline of Hermione Granger. They pushed away the curtains and joined the brunette so that none of them were able to be seen.

"Hermione, what's wrong? Where's Malfoy?" Ginny asked.

"No, but… that's not why I'm hiding." Hermione took a deep breath before continuing into the story. "I figured Draco wouldn't show, so when I went down to the common room, I found the person that I thought would annoy both Ron and Draco the most."

"Okay… so who did you come with?" Amy begged.

Hermione sighed once again. "I invited Cormac."

"Cormac?!" Amy and Ginny both blurted out at the same time.

"Yes, and now all he wants to do is snog me to death. It's unbelievable. And all he talks about is Quidditch! Merlin, I might as well just leave..."

"Hermione, as much as I would love to see you and Malfoy together, he made a fool out of you and you need to prove to him that you don't need him to be happy," Ginny smiled at her friend. Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny could see that Amy was trying to hide something; perhaps about Malfoy.

At that moment, the curtain was pushed aside to reveal a tall, pale man with shoulder-length hair wearing long black robes.

"Miss Pond, may I speak with you for a moment. I have for you — I guess you could say — a Christmas gift," Snape grimaced.

Amy looked him dead in the eye and replied. "It's alright, Severus, they know. Just give me the potion." Amy held out her hand and just as he was about to place it there, he pulled it back slightly.

"You know the rules, Miss Pond. The full moon is at exactly 8:43 on Christmas Eve night. Take the potion at least five minutes before so that the effects kick in on time." He placed the potion in her hand and turned to leave, but not before making one last comment: "And don't call me Severus." He walked away leaving the three girls alone behind the curtain when a familiar voice filled the room. "Okay fine! I wasn't invited! I was gate-crashing! Better?"

The three looked at each other quizzically before moving around the curtain. Standing in the middle of the room held by his ear by Filch was none other than Draco Malfoy. "Argus, it's fine! It's Christmas! Leave him be!" Ginny could tell that Slughorn was drunk out of his mind; he was half-leaning against Harry for support when he called out to Filch. Malfoy released himself from Filch. "Thank you, sir," he smiled at Slughorn smugly.

Everyone returned to their festivities, but Ginny kept her eye on Malfoy. He was soon pulled aside by Snape and led out of the room by him. She saw Harry excuse himself from his conversation with Slughorn and follow after them. Amy, who also seemed to have watched the entire ordeal, excused herself and followed after them. Hermione and Ginny were then confronted with their dates and forced to separate and rejoin the party.


It was Saturday, December 21st, and the students were set to leave on the Hogwarts Express for the break that evening. Ginny was busy packing her things for the vacation while her friends were sitting downstairs in the common room. She suddenly had the urge to visit one of her friends that she knew was staying near the Herbology greenhouses. Reminding herself to finish packing later, she headed off towards the greenhouses to meet with Tonks.

When she arrived, Tonks was sitting on an upside-down flower pot outside, shivering and hugging herself to keep warm. Ginny conjured a mug of hot chocolate with her wand and walked towards the older witch.

"You look cold," Ginny said over the sound of the loud snow. "Hot chocolate?" She held the mug towards Tonks.

"Thanks, Ginny," she accepted the mug and began to drink from it. "I seem to think that you all forget that I'm here. You haven't visited in awhile."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just… a lot has been going on and I haven't had the time —"

"It's fine, Ginny," assured Tonks. "So, what brings you down here? She asked, taking another long sip from her mug."

"Nothing really… I just wanted to check up on you and — maybe — convince you to come to the Burrow for Christmas?" Ginny rushed out the last bit of the sentence.

Tonks sighed deeply and placed the mug on the ground. "Ginny, you know I'm here at Hogwarts on business. I'm just going to stay here over the break and watch over the students that are staying."

"But there are plenty of Aurors and Order members that are already staying! Please, Tonks. This will be Amy's first Christmas not at Grimmauld Place and I'm sure she would want you at the Burrow to make that better."

"Ginny, you know I can't. I'm sorry, okay. I would really love to come back for Christmas, but… I just can't."

Ginny sighed, feeling defeated. She really did know that Tonks wouldn't agree to come back to the Burrow, but she still wanted to talk to Tonks before leaving for the holidays. She needed advice.

"Tonks, can I ask you a personal question? I don't feel comfortable asking my mum or Amy or Hermione..."

"Of course you can. What's wrong?" Tonks queried.

"Well… you know I'm dating Dean Thomas? He's in Gryffindor but in Ron's year. Over the past few weeks, I realized that he's been cheating on me with other people and he..."Ginny stopped herself. She'd rather not go into such detail with Tonks as she did with Harry. If she could keep the rape and 'pregnancy' a secret for the rest of her life, she was completely fine with that.

"Ginny, if he's cheating on you and you've known for a few weeks, why haven't you left him already?"

"I know, that's what Harry said." The words left her mouth before even thinking about it. "Harry? You've talked to Harry about this? But you don't want to talk to your mum, Amy, or Hermione?"

"I know it's strange, but..." she sighed. "I should dump him, shouldn't I? Before things get worse?"

"You always were the smart one in your family, Ginny." Tonks smiled at the young witch.

"Hm. Well, I do think I have feelings for someone else..." Ginny blushed.

"Already?" Tonks laughed. "You've only just decided to break up with Dean!"

"I know, but… I feel like the guy I like might like me back. We've known each other for a while and… I just feel like we should be together." Ginny shrugged it off. "I don't know, it's just some weird instinct thing."

"I know what you mean..." Tonks sighed sadly and then stood, a fake smile on her face. "I think it's best you go get ready, now. The train leaves in a few hours. I'll see you after the break, okay?" Tonks pulled her into a strong hug.

"Tonks, you sure you're alright?" Ginny pulled away. "Because you don't seem it."

"I'm fine, Ginny. Enjoy your break and tell everyone I say hello." Tonks waved Ginny away as she sat back down and gulped don the rest of her hot chocolate.

Full of determination, Ginny marched off towards the common room to end something that should have been over for a while.


"Ginny, can't we just go somewhere more private?" Dean asked nervously since the entire Gryffindor population was staring at him and Ginny in the middle of the common room.

"No! You deserve to be humiliated in front of everyone, Dean! You've been cheating on me for months and I haven't had the courage to say anything to you because I was afraid that you were going to hurt me again!" Ginny yelled and cried at the same time. "I won't even say what you did to me because I don't wish that much hate upon you! But you used me and I've had it! We are done! Never speak to me again!" Ginny ran off towards her dormitory to be alone, but was met in there by her girl friends that were completely supportive of her situation. But she would never tell anyone about what Dean had really done to her.


Ginny, Amy, Harry, Hermione, and Ron were standing together in Hogsmeade station waiting for the Hogwarts Express to arrive to take them to Platform 9 ¾. Hermione, Amy, and Harry were standing away from the others while Ginny and Ron engaged in a conversation.

"Blimey, Ginny, you should've just told me what was going on with Dean. I'm really sorry for all the times I was mad at you," Ron apologized.

"It's fine, Ron. It's just that. I felt uncomfortable talking about it with anyone, let alone my brother. It would've just been awkward."

"Still, Ginny, I'm your brother. It's kind of my job to watch over you and who you decide to date," he joked.

"Just do me a favor and don't try to protect me as much from my next boyfriend."

"What? Your 'next boyfriend'? You've already got another one?" Ron worried.

"Not exactly," Ginny mumbled as she peeked over Ron's shoulder to make eye contact with Harry. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

The train arrived and the boys and girls split up into different compartments since Ron and Hermione still weren't getting along.

"So, Hermione, how are you spending your break?" Amy asked. The three girls placed their trunks under the seats as the train began to pull out of the station.

"I'm just going to spend the holidays with my parents this year. I'm sorry that I'm not coming to the Burrow but, I just can't be forced to look at Ron when I don't have to."

"I know what you mean, Hermione," Amy sighed. "It's times like these I wish I was still living at Grimmauld Place so that I wouldn't have to face Fred every day during the break. But I'm technically living at the Burrow now, so I have no choice."

"Wow. I never felt so unwanted before in my life," joked Ginny.

"Amy, you are welcome at my house this Christmas if you like," Hermione offered.

"Thanks, Hermione, but the full moon is on Christmas Eve this year. I think it's better that I stay at the Burrow because of that."

"Yes, and the fact that your best friend also lives there has nothing to do with that," Ginny mentioned as she hit her friend on the arm playfully.

"GInny, could you promise me that you'll try and keep me and Fred apart while we're at the Burrow? After everything I said to him, I'd rather not have to talk to him."

"Of course, Amy, what you feel is best." 'What you feel is best' my ass. I'm going to get those two back together if it's the last thing I do. They're meant for each other and they both know it. I just have to remind them of that…

"I think I'm going to do the complete opposite of what the both of you are doing and actually talk to Harry. I think I'm going to tell him how I feel about him, now that we're both single." Ginny smiled at the thought.

"Really?! Oh, I'm so happy for you, Ginny!" Amy pulled Ginny into a bone-crushing hug, but she was pulled away by Hermione who also embraced her.

"Ginny, you have no idea how amazing this is!" Hermione pulled away but kept her hands on her friends' shoulders. "It's been killing me not telling you, Ginny, but Harry really likes you."

"She's not wrong," Amy confirmed. "I've seen the way that he's been looking at you."

"I know, but… how are people going to react to us being together? I mean, he's the famous Harry Potter. Everyone knows who he is, but… they don't know who I am." This had been bothering Ginny for a while now. Harry had made the first move on her by kissing her in the hallway, but what would everyone else say? Would they just shove her off to the side because of his fame? She had no idea…

"Ginny it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks. It's about the two of you feel about each other. And if you both love each other enough, you'll be completely oblivious to what other people have to say."

"Damn, Hermione, we weren't looking for philosophy on the subject of love," Amy smirked. "But, Hermione is right, though."

The train ride continued all the way to Platform 9 ¾, where Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were waiting to take them back to the Burrow. Ginny was ready to make this the best Christmas of her life.