Chapter 3
After she heard Harry and the twins leave, Ginny made her way to the loo, only to find out that she needed to wait until Ron was done before she could get in. By the time she felt the water hit her body, all of the hot water was gone. But it was okay; she reckoned she could deal with a cold shower to ease the fire that still seemed to be burning slowly inside of her.
After she was done, Ginny stood and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She wrapped a towel around herself and tried to look at herself objectively. Did she look different? Did she look like someone who had just been...sitting half-naked on top of a boy who'd just had his mouth around a part of her? Ginny removed her towel and tried to see what Harry saw; was she beautiful?
She didn't think so, but then, she wasn't a boy either. She knew she wasn't unattractive, but she didn't know her body could inspire such...lust. As ashamed as she thought she should be feeling right now, she actually didn't. She had never been that far with anyone else before; it seemed right that it was Harry who had been the first to do that to her. She'd had other boys kiss her, and had even had other boys put their hands clumsily on her, but she'd never allowed anyone to touch her and kiss her so intimately before. Even now, thinking of the way his mouth had felt as it had closed around her breast, Ginny felt her skin flush.
An ache also seemed to be growing inside of her somewhere, an ache she'd never had before in quite that way. When she looked at her face again she thought she could almost see a difference. Maybe it was there in her eyes; eyes that now seemed filled with want. Maybe it was in the flush of her skin...skin that now seemed to be crying out to be touched.
Ginny shook her head and slipped her nightgown back on. She'd have to fix the button Harry had managed to rip off in his hurry earlier. Funny, how she hadn't noticed it then.
She didn't know how she would face a whole day of being next to Harry. She didn't know how she could do it - fighting not to be touched by him and trying to be touched by him at the same time. It made her dizzy just to think of it.
It also scared her a little bit. When she went back to her room, she saw Hermione talking with Ron, laughing. They seemed so happy together. Ginny wondered if Hermione let Ron do to her what she had let Harry do. At least Hermione and Ron were in a relationship together; at least they had an understanding about their feelings. What did she have with Harry? Nothing but confusion and trepidation and teenage hormones. Why had she let it happen?
Ginny did the only thing she could do; she feigned a headache and told Hermione and Ron to send her mum up after breakfast. They looked at her, immediately concerned, but Ginny ignored them. She lay down on her bed and closed her eyes. Images of Harry floated through her brain causing her body to react. No, this wouldn't do at all. Ginny knew then that she would not be going down for lunch nor would she be going to Diagon Alley afterwards.
But after dinner...after everyone had retired to their rooms, she'd be joining Harry in his. She knew it with every breath in her body. She was his, after all.
When Harry returned back with the twins after their little outing (a trip to a Healer who had given him a very embarrassing talk about what wizards and witches did to make little wizards and witches) his first thought was to find Ginny, to make sure she was...well, all right with everything that had transpired up in the storage room. But Fred and George who were peeved that he hadn't died of embarrassment like they'd planned, (not even when the Healer had given him a booklet of 'diagrams' to study) forced him to stay in the kitchen.
"All right, out with it mate, who have you been with?" asked George, not too unkindly, his expression curious as he looked at Harry.
Harry felt his skin heat up and glanced away. Unfortunately, he glanced in Fred's direction. Cursing inwardly, Harry used all his power of Occlumency and made his face a passive thing.
"Been with? I don't know what you're er...talking about, George."
George raised an eyebrow at him and Fred sat down on the other side of Harry, his face showing the same signs of disbelief.
"Well that little talk the Healer gave you didn't throw you for any loops, now did it? I mean, even Ron blushed more than you, and he'd heard all about ours and Percy's ages ago. So unless you've been reading up on things in your spare time—"
"And I don't think Dumbledore admires you that much, to let you go running about the Restricted Section at school -" Fred added smugly.
"Who have you been practicing with?" Both of the twins asked him this at the same time and it took a long concentration of power on Harry's part to not blush again. If the twins knew that their very sister had just recently been nominated into the role of educator, he'd be picking himself up off of the floor in about twenty pieces.
Truth of the matter was he really hadn't been that embarrassed when it became apparent what the chat was going to be about. He'd learned some things from over-hearing his cousin talking. He knew what slot A was and he knew that it needed to go into Slot B to get things done. Harry might be thick, but he wasn't a simpleton. It was only after the Healer had started talking to him about making the time 'special' for his partner that Harry experienced any real discomfort. Unbidden images of Ginny and what they'd done up in the storage room immediately came to mind, and Harry had a hard time concentrating on what the Healer told him after that. He had taken one look at the parchment of 'diagrams' she'd given him (and they were moving diagrams, from what Harry could tell by that brief look) and mumbled a thank you, trying not to run from the room.
He looked at George and Fred with what he hoped was an honest face.
"No one. Honest, guys. I just...well...Ginny and Hermione sort of—"
"Ginny and Hermione what?" This was from Ron, who came into the kitchen, oblivious to everything that had been going on.
George smirked at Fred and Harry suddenly got an odd feeling in his stomach. Oh, no.
"Well, Harry here was just explaining, little bro, how Ginny and Hermione told him all about the facts of life. In fact, I think he meant to tell us that they actually showed him about the facts of life..."
Ron nearly spit out the water he'd been drinking. "What?!"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Fred and George think they're funny, Ron. Ignore them. They're just annoyed I didn't get embarrassed as much as they wanted. What I was trying to explain is that Ginny and Hermione sort of let me know what was going to happen today." Harry said this defiantly as he looked at the twins and relaxed when he saw them laugh good-naturedly. Ron still looked red in the face. Harry watched him scowl at his brothers.
"I don't know why you two think it's funny that our little sister would...well, really. That's an image I didn't need." Ron said, folding his arms.
Fred laughed. "You were just worried about Hermione and Harry, Ronniekins. Face it."
Ron laughed, but his eyes glanced in Harry's direction, and he looked away. Harry's eyes widened. He was about to say something when Mrs Weasley came in looking rather agitated. She had four huge bags that were being kept up by her wand, floating behind her.
"Oh these Muggles, how do they survive without magic! Do you know I had to use one of those trolley carts to lug all this food back here? And what are you three all doing, standing around? I think I raised my sons better than to sit here and watch me unpack all this food! Especially since it's for all of you to eat later!"
The three Weasley men moved as though she had lit a fire underneath their jeans, and Harry chuckled to himself. He also got up to help her, but Molly poked him in the chest with her finger.
"No, Harry, dear. It's your birthday. Please sit down and enjoy watching me put this lot to work."
Looking at the scowling faces of Fred and George, and remembering what they'd put him through this morning, (and maybe remembering what they'd disturbed between him and Ginny) Harry did as he was told and sat back down without a fuss. He put his hands behind his head and smiled as they helped their mother. Sometimes it was good to have a birthday.
Lunch was almost ready and Ron had challenged him to a quick game of chess, so Harry had yet to go upstairs and talk to Ginny. It surprised him when Hermione came down without her. He noticed it immediately and blurted out his question before he could think.
"Where's Ginny?" he asked loudly, immediately feeling as though everyone had turned to look at him.
After a moment, Mrs Weasley went back to whatever she was cooking, and swatted at Fred's hand as he tried to dip a spoon into to it to taste it.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you dear," Mrs Weasley said calmly. "Ginny's not feeling well, but she sends her apologies about missing lunch and your afternoon in Diagon Alley."
Harry suddenly felt peculiar. He wanted to bolt up the stairs to check on her, and realized Ron, and more importantly, Hermione, were still watching him. Instead, he moved his queen to the wrong space, watching miserably as it yelled at him while Ron's bishop killed it.
"Er...wait," Harry said after a moment, as Ron's bishop then proceeded to knock out one of his knights. "She's not going to Diagon Alley with us?" He looked at Hermione for confirmation of this, and she nodded.
"She says she's just not feeling right. But she reckons she'll be back up for dinner, so she said not to worry, you'll get your present later tonight."
Hermione couldn't know what effect those words would have on Harry, but thankfully he was spared her noticing his skin turning red by Ron screaming out 'Eureka!' as Harry let another piece get killed.
Harry's mind was moving fast. Was Ginny avoiding him? Was the colour of the Weasley hair red? He realized that he didn't want to go to Diagon Alley without her. He'd been looking forward to this day for a long time and every time he'd thought about it, it had included her.
Yeah, well...that was before you snogged her in the storage room, right? That was before you...Harry groaned out loud as he remembered what else he'd done, and this time everyone did notice. He felt his skin flush and looked down at the chessboard.
"Er...it's just a game, Harry," Ron said after a moment. Harry nodded and then offered what he hoped was a charming smile.
"So it is, mate. And yet again, you've beaten me." Harry turned his king down and Ron smiled happily as he began to pick up the pieces. Harry felt eyes on him and looked around to see Hermione looking at him shrewdly.
"Are you certain you're feeling okay, Harry?" she asked him nonchalantly, only her narrowed eyes belying her real motivation. "Perhaps you and Ginny have come down with the same thing."
Harry just stared at Hermione, his jaw dropped open. Luckily, he was saved a reply by Mrs Weasley bringing a huge bowl of bangers and mash over to the table.
"Oh nonsense, there's nothing wrong with Ginny except a headache. Trust me, Hermione. I checked her over myself. She'll be right as rain by tonight. She just needs some rest."
Hermione's reply was interrupted by Tonks and Remus arriving. Fred and George went to meet them in the hall, and Harry gratefully started spooning some food onto his plate. He really needed to stay calm and stop blushing every time someone mentioned Ginny.
Lunch moved fairly quickly, what with Fred and George supplying the entertainment and Tonks and Remus filling everyone in on what they could about the Order. Harry knew he should be paying more attention, but his mind kept wandering to what Ginny was doing and why she was doing it. She'd wanted him to kiss her, right? She'd allowed him to...do what it was he'd done. Harry replayed the scene over in his head and saw nothing about her actions that made it seem as though he had taken advantage of her.
Suddenly he was embarrassed. Maybe he had taken advantage of her. Maybe she had just let him...do...whatever because it was his birthday, because she felt sorry for him. Maybe right now she was up in her room cursing his name and trying to wash the touch of his lips off of her body...
"Er...hello? Harry? Are you ready?" Ron was snapping his fingers in front of his face and Harry blinked back, startled. He hadn't realized that everyone had finished and were now waiting on him.
"Sorry," he said and got up from the table. He paused and looked over at Hermione and Mrs Weasley. "Are you certain Ginny won't come down? It...it doesn't seem right to go without her."
Mrs Weasley smiled cheerfully at him and Hermione gave him another shrewd look. Harry looked away. Sometimes if he didn't know any better, he'd swear Hermione was the one who had been succeeding at Occlumency, not him.
"Oh don't worry, love. She's fine. I'm just about to take some food up to her. She's probably fast asleep. I'll tell her later that you didn't want to go without her -" Mrs Weasley was saying kindly to him.
"No!" Harry said loudly and then blushed again. Bloody hell. "No, I mean, just um...yeah...tell her we all missed her."
Mrs Weasley nodded and pushed everyone out of the kitchen towards the front hall. Remus had arranged for a car to take them to the Leaky Cauldron. Suddenly anxious to leave the house and get some new air into his lungs, Harry was the first one out the door, leaving Ginny and the embarrassment behind him.
Ginny heard everyone leave and soon her Mum was bringing her a bit to eat. She told Ginny that Harry seemed most disturbed to find out that she wasn't feeling well. Ginny simply nodded at her and thanked her for the food. Surprisingly enough, her mother didn't bother her for once.
Ginny didn't know what her problem was. She was embarrassed but not as much as she should be, and the fire that Harry's kisses had ignited still seemed to be burning slowly somewhere in her middle. She knew it was pathetic to be hiding away like this, but a part of her couldn't help it. She just needed to sort herself out.
What exactly was she planning to do later with Harry? Offer herself to him? Wrap herself up in a big bow? Maybe Harry didn't even want her, now that he'd had time to cool down and think about things. Maybe he'd convinced himself that she had turned into some scarlet woman and taken advantage of him. Maybe Ginny felt like that was a correct assessment.
Ginny got up and paced around her room. She was sixteen years old; she could do what she wanted, really. She didn't need to worry about getting in trouble, although if her mum knew what her only daughter was considering doing with the boy she practically considered a son, then Ginny was certain she would never hear the end of her mother's voice screaming at her. Never mind that a young Molly Prewett had already been involved with Arthur Weasleyby the age of sixteen herself.
Ginny stared absentmindedly at her closet and looked at her clothes. She wondered if Hermione would mind if she borrowed something to wear to dinner. There was nothing wrong with wanting to look gorgeous for Harry's birthday. Maybe Harry's reaction to her, looking grand and beautiful would be all the answer she needed. Ginny snorted at her own girlish thoughts and sighed. Who was she kidding?
What was she really talking about here? Shagging the Boy that Lived? Where did she get off thinking that was even something he'd want? Harry was even more inexperienced then she was, and although his kisses made her believe he'd been studying pamphlets on the subject, she didn't think he was anywhere near ready to take that step. He couldn't even figure out if he liked her or if it was just hormones, for Merlin's sake.
You know it's more than that, a small voice said in her head. Ginny frowned. Was it more than that? What else could Harry be thinking about? Maybe Harry's thinking about the Prophecy and how he'll be dead at the end of everything. Yeah, well, shouldn't he be thinking about living as much as he could, then? Ginny didn't know, and lost the argument with herself. Flopping down on her bed again, she searched her feelings.
She'd told Harry that she'd gotten over him, but that had been a lie. She was no more over him then a flobberworm was an exciting pet to keep. She didn't understand now why it was so important for her that first night they'd kissed to leave Harry feeling as though he'd missed out on something. It was obvious that she was going to continue to be there for him, no matter what.
Somewhere out there in the world she knew she'd probably just made a million strong 'don't take any crap from him' witches moan in frustration, but she couldn't help it. Harry had always been her weakness. And if he thought he wanted her right now, well, then...Ginny was going to make certain he got what he wanted. She got up out of bed, her mind made up. Whatever happened tonight, happened. With renewed energy, Ginny started pulling clothes out of the closet. There had to be something in here that Harry hadn't seen her in.
For once, Harry was having a decidedly non-Harry time. He was, to be exact, having a wonderful time. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so calm and...well, so normal. Harry could almost forget that he had a dark shadow hanging over him; in fact, with everything that had been transpiring lately between he and Ginny, he hadn't thought of Voldemort very much at all. It was very refreshing. Although he knew it couldn't last. But for right now, on this 31st day of July, his seventeenth birthday, everything felt exactly right. Well, almost everything.
He looked ahead and saw Ron and Hermione holding hands as they looked in through different windows as they walked; he turned around and saw Tonks and Remus enjoying a laugh. George and Fred were right next to him, discussing some new concept they'd spotted at Gambol and Japes. He knew there were other members of the Order out there, also keeping guard under cover, and Harry silently thanked them. He'd have to find out from Remus who had been on duty, so that he could thank them to their face later at dinner. He was touched and grateful that people would put aside their busy lives just to watch over him and his friends. He was trying to savor every sight and sound they experienced today, knowing that they would not be allowed back out until right before school.
So yes, mostly everything was fine to Harry. They'd stopped by Florean Fortesque's Ice Cream Parlour, and then Ron and Harry had drooled themselves silly in Quality Quidditch Supplies. Hermione had dragged them into Flourish and Blotts, but after listening to Ron complain for five minutes, gave up and let Harry lead them to a new shop he'd spied, Peter Pugnacious's Tools of the Trade. Apparently, it all had to do with fighting Dark Wizards. Ron bought himself a Sneakoscope ('To help flush out first and second years up to no good at school') and Harry purchased a bag of 'Caveat Stones' that promised to glow and spit white goo at whoever attacked him, 'hence letting him either fight or flee, whichever the situation warranted'. Hermione admonished him for being silly and wasting his money, ('Harry, you're a much better wizard than that!') but Harry couldn't resist. Maybe he'd get to use them on Fred and George some time...
But still, despite the joy that was inside of him now, Harry knew something was missing. Actually, he knew someone was missing. Ginny. He'd grown used to her being by his side. Not just recently, but from the past year as well. Somewhere along the way the trio had become a quartet, and he'd never even noticed. He was an idiot.
He knew he wasn't missing Ginny because everyone was paired off, (Harry had to smirk when he thought of the twins being a 'couple'). He knew he was just missing her, his friend. She would have made him laugh twice as hard by now. Somehow spending his birthday without her just didn't make any sense. He paused as they wandered by Madam Malkin's, suddenly remembering something he'd seen in there once. He called out to Hermione.
"Er, Hermione, can I borrow you for a moment?"
Hermione and Ron stopped and pulled their heads apart, a guilty look on their faces. Harry knew he wasn't the only one enjoying the outside air.
"Sure, Harry," Hermione said, smiling. She slipped her arm from Ron's and walked over to where he was standing. She looked at Madam Malkin's with interest.
"Bit early for new robes, don't you think?" she asked him.
"Yeah, but I'm not looking for that. Do you...do you remember last year, when we were shopping in there with Ron and Ginny?"
Hermione nodded her head, giving him her whole attention. Harry took a deep breath and lowered his voice so that the twins and Ron wouldn't hear him.
"Do you remember those pins they had? The ones for the different houses? All in gold?"
Hermione nodded again. "You want to buy yourself a Gryffindor pin for your birthday?"
"No, but I um...I thought maybe I'd get one for Ginny, you know, since she's not feeling well and she missed this trip." Harry knew his face was turning pink and Hermione suddenly smiled.
"Ah-ha!" she said triumphantly and rather loudly too; Ron glanced over at them and frowned.
Harry pursed his lips and pulled her closer to him. "Shh! And ah-ha, what? I just want to buy my friend a gift...what's wrong with that?"
"Nothing, Harry," Hermione said seriously. But her mouth twitched as though she were holding in a smile. "Does this mean I can pick one out as well? And one for Ron? Can we all have Gryffindor pins then? Or is this a special club just for one?"
Harry rolled her eyes and glared at her. "Never mind -" When he started to move away, Hermione stopped him and put a hand on his arm.
"Oh, Harry, stop it. I was just teasing. You know, like you and Ginny have done to me and Ron every day since we got together?"
Harry looked at her, his face sullen. "Yeah. I reckon I had it coming, is what you're trying to say. I thought I could count on you to help me at least."
Hermione smiled and shook her head. "Honestly, Harry. If you want to buy a present for Ginny, I won't stop you. What can I do to help?"
"Well, I thought it might be weird if I went in there and got it so -" Harry looked at her, pleading with his eyes. He held out his moneybag and handed it to her, noticing that Ron was looking over at them again.
"Okay, Harry. I'll do it, but later on I expect full details of what's going on between you two." Hermione said loftily and turned back around to face Ron. Harry heard her explain that she needed to check on something in Madam Malkin's. Ron started to go with her but somehow she convinced them to head back over to Quality Quidditch Supplies instead.
A little while later, Hermione swept into the shop, a big smile on her face. She walked casually over to Harry and he felt her drop something into the bag he was already holding from the other store. He looked at her questioningly and she nodded at him.
"They had a few left! I added something to it, I think you'll like as well. I had it made a bit more personal." Hermione winked as she said it, and then wandered over to where Ron and George were debating the difference between having a broom double-enforced Cushioning Charm versus a single-repeating Cushioning Charm. Ron seemed to be making his point by hitting George on the backside with a board.
Harry wondered what Hermione could have added to the pin to make it more personal. He reckoned he would find out soon enough.
They arrived back at 12 Grimmauld Place with their pockets lighter and their spirits definitely more so than when they'd left - at least that was how Harry felt. Mrs Weasley shooed the twins from the kitchen and told them not to mess up Harry's birthday dinner. Harry watched as Remus and Tonks welcomed in Kingsley Shacklebolt and his wife Victoria into the downstairs library. He watched as Hermione and Ron sneaked up the stairs to be alone together, in Ron's room. Harry made his way to his own room, pausing in front of Ginny's door, tempted to see if she were feeling okay.
In the end, he didn't disturb her, wanting to rest a little while before dinner. At least that is what he told himself as he threw himself onto his bed. He kicked off his shoes and reached into the bag he'd brought back with him. He pulled out the Caveat Stones and placed them on the night table. Reaching in again, he pulled out a small purple, velvet box. He cracked it open and smiled. He knew immediately what Hermione had meant by 'more personal' - it was the same pin he'd seen before, a small golden lion over a crest of Hogwarts. But Hermione had added Ginny's name beneath it and it hung down beneath the lion on two delicate chains. It's sort of pretty, Harry thought to himself. Just like Ginny. He felt his stomach do a nervous tumble, and he thought of giving her the pin and what it would feel like to see it on her robes at school. It was just a little thing, but it somehow made him feel closer to her to think of her wearing it. Harry shook his head and placed the small box onto the table. He was getting downright romantic all of sudden, wasn't he? And it was odd too, considering he didn't even know where things stood between the two of them. He closed his eyes and the image of Ginny appeared in his mind. Not how he had seen her in the loo - that had been an accident. But he remembered with startling clarity how she had looked as he'd kissed her neck in the storage room, her skin flushed with what he could only hope was pleasure. She had moaned once when he'd touched her, and he remembered wanting to make her do that again...
Harry opened his eyes and willed his thoughts to stop. He couldn't go down to dinner all worked up, he'd be nervous all night. He shifted uncomfortably on the bed and realized something was poking him in the back. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the 'diagrams' the Healer had given him. He'd forgotten he'd stuffed it in his pocket, actually. Telling himself he would just take a peek, Harry unfolded the parchment, his eyes widening as he did so. The diagrams were indeed moving. Harry watched in fascination as the figure A moved closer to figure B, which was now, clearly female. He watched as A kissed B and B lay down on a drawing of a bed. He watched A move his hands over B's body and noticed that B did the same to A. In fact, B looked very excited by whatever it was that A was doing with his hand between her legs. Harry felt hot suddenly and folded the parchment shut again. Well, that hadn't helped matters any, had it?
Harry wondered if Ginny would want him to do to her what the A figure had been doing to the B figure. He wondered if she had ever done it before with anyone else. She'd seem to like what he had done earlier; she'd even encouraged him. Harry didn't understand girls. What did it mean, what had happened between them? Why had she stayed away from him all day? Did she think he just liked her for her body? Did he just like her for her body?
At least thanks to today, Harry knew the clear answer to the last one. He enjoyed Ginny's company, end of sentence, full stop. What did it mean that he apparently enjoyed her body as well?
It means you're heading down a path of new territory. An exciting and possibly forbidden path, but a new one all the same.
Harry wasn't sure, but he thought his inner voice had just gotten a lot smarter.
Ginny heard Hermione come back from Ron's room while she was still in the lavatory. She was just finishing her hair. She was tempted to call out to her friend to ask for help, but stubbornly refused to be seen until the last moment. She'd already yelled at Ron to use the other loo on the floor below them. He'd grumpily said something about 'girls' and stomped away.
Ginny ignored the nerves that seemed to have appeared in her stomach suddenly. She'd been fine until she had put on the dress she'd manage to piece together from an old muggle blouse of Hermione's and an older dress robe of her own. She'd always been a fast sewer; she took after her mum in that regard, and had managed to create a brand new dress, amazingly enough. She just wasn't' sure about it, that was all.
Is it too much? Is it too obvious? Can you tell it's made out of two different pieces?
All of these questions steam-rolled their way through her brain, and she hated herself for them. She liked being a girl, but she hated being overly girly, which was one of the reasons she and Hermione got along so well. However, now would have definitely been a nice time to know what she was doing. Sighing and thinking there was nothing else for it, she stuck her head out into the hallway to make sure no one else was around. She slipped inside the room she shared with Hermione and closed the door quietly behind her. Hermione was bending over, looking for something that had fallen under her bed. When she stood up and glanced at Ginny, a smile on her face, her eyes went wide and Ginny felt her skin heat up.
"Ginny!" Hermione said, her voice going up an octave.
"What? Is it bad? Do I look horrific? Do the patterns not go well?" Ginny turned and tried to see the rest of herself in the mirror on the dresser and almost pulled something in her side.
Hermione seemed to recover and walked over to her, placing a hand on her to calm her.
"No...you look...you look amazing, Ginny. Harry is going to fall right out of his seat. I've never seen you look so beautiful before. How did you make this dress? And why do I recognize this pattern?"
Ginny felt some of her anxiety fade. Hermione wasn't one to pay undeserved compliments; if Hermione thought the dress was pretty, it was pretty. She smiled at her friend.
"It's from an old blouse of yours - but don't worry, I'll sew it back together again, after tonight. I just really wanted something nice to wear for Harry's birthday. Don't be angry."
Hermione smiled at her, her hand feeling the fabric of Ginny's sleeve. "Angry? Why would I be angry? This is amazing, Ginny. I never knew you could sew so well. Is it something your mum taught you?"
Ginny nodded.
"Well, she should be very proud. The two patterns are so different and yet...they work so well together. And you made this part so flowing and free. It's soft too...and the colour! It's a beautiful shade of lavender...it really suits you. Harry won't know what hit him."
Ginny felt herself blush. "Well, I suspect he won't even notice really -"
Hermione scoffed at her and hit her arm. "Well, he'd have to be pretty blind not to, not to mention thick as a door. And Harry is definitely not that bad. Well, he can't be. Not about this." Hermione gave her a weird smile and Ginny wanted to ask her about it, but there was short knock on the door. Her mum entered without waiting for a response, and carried in a basket of socks. She stopped when she saw Ginny, and her mouth fell open.
"Ginny!" she said, in almost the same exact way Hermione had. Ginny was really starting to wonder if she just looked bad all the time or if the dress was really that nice.
"Mum!" Ginny said, mocking her.
Her mother regained her composure and put the basket down on the bed. She stood in front of Ginny and her eyes swept over her, ending at the top of the hair piled on her head. Ginny braced herself for the questions that never came.
"Oh dear, this won't do. You need to have some cascading down your back, dear. That will compliment this perfectly."
Ginny felt as though she could hug her mum and never let her go. She smiled at her instead. "Thank you," she said simply and her mum squeezed her shoulder, her eyes growing teary.
"You're such a lovely thing when you want to be, you know," her mum said later, after her and Hermione had worked on Ginny's hair. Ginny rolled her eyes as her mother continued.
"Oh I know, you want to be just like one of the boys, but honestly...after they see you like this, I don't think that's going to be possible. What do you say, Hermione?"
Hermione smiled at Ginny. "Well, I know one boy who won't be able to stop staring, most definitely."
Ginny felt her face heat, and Hermione chuckled as she grabbed her things to head to the lavatory with. Nodding at them one more time, she closed the door behind her. Ginny knew her mother was about to really get into the questions now that they were alone...she just had to.
"So, you're all set until dinner then? I'll send Ron up to call you down so you and Hermione can make a grand entrance."
"Mum!" Ginny blurted out and her mother paused by the door, giving her a strange look. "Don't you want to know why I decided to get all dressed up?"
Her mother gave her a small smile, her eyes full of pride again. "For Harry, of course. You're not that unreadable, daughter of mine. Nor is he."
Ginny could only stare numbly while her mother smiled at her again and left her alone. Did everyone know she had feelings for Harry, or was it just the women? And what did her mum mean, 'nor is he'? Had she been noticing things about Harry? Oh dear, what if her mum knew? Ginny felt scandalized suddenly. She didn't notice Hermione come back into the room.
"Well, it's nothing compared to you, but it'll have to satisfy your brother...Ginny?"
Ginny looked up at her, worried. "Is it...is it too much Hermione? Am I...am I really that transparent?"
Hermione gave her a sad smile and walked over to her. "Ginny, I know you, you know. Really well. I know you've always had a...soft spot for Harry. And I know you two have been together a lot because Ron and I have been so...ah...busy." Hermione blushed as she said this and Ginny had to resist an urge to giggle.
"But it does my heart good to see Harry worried about things other than Dark Lords and people trying to kill him. He's been thinking about you, mostly, I think. He gets this strange pink blush on his face whenever you're not around and today..." Hermione stopped, casting an odd look at Ginny.
"Today, what? Hermione? Did Harry say something?" Ginny couldn't help it, she was curious beyond belief. He hadn't told Hermione anything had happened between them, had he?
"No, but...well, let's just say he's not the only one getting a surprise tonight."
What in Merlin's beard did that mean? Ginny thought to herself. Hermione laughed at her expression and shook her head.
"Don't even try to weasel it out of me, Weasley," she said laughing at her own joke. "I'll let Harry do the honours."
"Great, I thought us girls were supposed to stick together?" Ginny said, pretending to pout.
"Not for this. For this one, I remain entirely neutral."
"But Harry already told you, or let you know what it is, how is that neutral?"
"Well, he needed my help for it really, but he's the one who...oh, I can't tell you. It's just a little something, but I think you'll like it."
Hermione winked at her and Ginny shook her head, knowing she would get nothing further out of the other girl. A short knock on the door and suddenly Ron was coming in, and Ginny scowled at her brother instead.
"Ye gods, Ron. What if one of us hadn't been decent?" Ginny asked him, angrily.
Ron just stared at her, his mouth hanging open. "Ginny?" he asked after a moment, in which Hermione bit back her laughter by sticking her fist in her mouth.
Ginny pursed her lips and nodded. "Yeah, it's me. Yes, I made the dress. Yes, I did it for Harry. Anything else?"
Ron closed his mouth and took a deep breath as he looked at her. He smiled gently at her. "You just look brilliant, that's all."
For the second time that night a member of her family had surprised her out her socks. She hoped her luck stayed. She hugged Ron and whispered 'thanks' in his ear. She watched as he turned to Hermione, a small blush appearing behind his ears.
"Er, you look brilliant too, Hermione."
Hermione laughed. "Oh, thank you Ron. So nice to know my boyfriend finally noticed me."
Ron turned even redder and Hermione playfully swatted his arm. They left the room and Ginny lingered behind, still nervous about heading downstairs. A second later and Hermione was back, looking in on her.
"Come on, Ginny, Ron says everyone's arrived and your mother is keeping them at bay until we get there. Can't keep a hungry mob waiting, you know. Especially not when half of them are your family!"
Ginny laughed and felt her nerves settle. She'd managed to make her brother shut up for a moment...she hoped she could at least make Harry really look at her for once.
Harry was sitting at the head of the table; a spot forced on him by both Mr and Mrs Weasley. Arthur sat next to him and the seat on the other side was conspicuously empty. Harry didn't have to wonder who it was for. Mrs Weasley had given him a strange smile earlier and he'd felt his face heat for no apparent reason. Why did he always feel like people could read his mind? He was the one who'd studied Occlumency, after all!
He looked around the table and was glad to see everyone. Remus and Tonks were laughing with Kingsley and Victoria; Mad-Eye Moody was telling Arthur about Mundungus Fletcher getting caught stealing frogspawn again, and the twins were laughing with their dates, Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell. Dumbledore was conspicuously absent, but Molly had told Harry that the Headmaster would try to make it in time for cake. Professor McGonagall had shown up with a woman Harry didn't really know, but who had smiled at him and wished him happy birthday just the same. Bill and Charlie were talking about Quidditch. The chairs set for Ron and Hermione were empty as well, but Harry really only cared about the one next to his. Almost in answer to his thoughts, Ron and Hermione entered the kitchen and as everyone called out their greetings, Harry got a strange feeling in his stomach. He stared in disbelief at the vision he saw in the doorway.
It was Ginny. At least, he thought it was Ginny. It looked like Ginny except...better. Her hair, which was always full of light and warmth, stood out against her freckled skin. It was swept up onto her head and one curly plait fell down her back. She stopped at the doorway, a sudden look of anxiety on her face. She met his eyes and they stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. Harry tried to swallow and found that his mouth had gone completely dry. He watched her move towards the table, aware someone was saying something, but he didn't hear it. Ginny seemed to just...float towards her seat and the closer she got to him, the stranger Harry felt. Her dress was lovely; it was lavender and he didn't know what she'd done to it, but it just seemed to move with her. It had a scooped neck and Harry unabashedly stared at her chest, remembering exactly what was under the fabric. His body responded immediately and Harry was very thankful he was sitting down. Ginny took her seat demurely next to him and glanced at him, before turning to say something to Bill, who was sitting next to her. Harry realized his mouth was open and closed it. He glanced to his other side at her father, who seemed to be very intent on pretending that he hadn't noticed Harry leering at his only daughter. Harry stared down at his plate and tried to think un-arousing thoughts. Unfortunately, Ginny's leg chose that moment to connect with his, and he felt the power of the contact flare through him. He brought his face up and met her eyes. There was a gentle smile on her face, and he couldn't even remember his own name. Who was he? Oh yeah, Harry.
"Ginny, don't take this the wrong way, but...wow. That' s all I can say." Harry said this feebly. His mind wasn't working right; he couldn't seem to form sentences. All he could do was stare at the girl next to him.
"Happy birthday, Harry," Ginny said sweetly and her leg bumped into his again and Harry had a mad idea that she was doing it on purpose.
"Thanks," he said, as clever as ever, and tried to find something else to say. Nothing came.
He sneaked a peek at Ron and Hermione and scowled at the expression he saw on their faces. Easy for them to be calm, a goddess hadn't sat next to them. Harry startled when he realized he'd thought of Ginny as a goddess. That was an odd idea. Harry didn't know if he even believed in gods, let alone goddesses. He looked at her and saw a stubborn, mischievous, annoyingly forceful yet beautiful person. He then reckoned that if goddess's did exist then they'd have to look like her. And he realized something else too - he was head over heals in love with her. Why had he been uncertain before?
"Are you feeling better?" he asked suddenly, and Ginny looked at him as she took a drink of her pumpkin juice.
"Oh, much better, thanks," she said politely, but her eyes seemed to be asking him something, and he didn't understand what.
"We...er...that is I...missed you," Harry said, lowering his voice. He tried to ignore the looks Ron and Hermione were throwing his direction.
Ginny's skin flushed pink, and she smiled at him again. Harry felt warm all over. He suddenly wanted dinner to be over and everyone long gone. He remembered that he and Ginny had things to talk about. Someone was saying his name, and he tore his eyes away from Ginny's and looked at dazedly at the table.
"Harry?" Remus was asking him, a humorous edge to his voice. "Kingsley was interested in hearing about those stones you bought today at that new shop. Why don't you tell us about them?"
Harry nodded and was suddenly thankful he had something to focus on rather than staring at Ginny all night. Although he didn't let his eyes stray far from hers. Their legs were practically glued together under the table and once or twice Harry swore she had let her hand linger on his knee, causing his voice to come out sounding odd. He wasn't sure if anyone noticed though.
After most everyone was through eating, and some of the dishes had been floated back towards the kitchen, Harry remembered suddenly that he had promised to say something to everyone for allowing him to have one of the best birthday's he had ever imagined. He cleared his throat and stood up.
"Er...I'm not a big speech maker, but um..." Harry paused as he stared at all the people who had become a family to him. He wouldn't be alive if it weren't for some of these people and he definitely wouldn't be the person he was without their help.
He cleared his throat again and continued.
"I just want to thank each and every one of you for being there for me...for not only my birthday but for...watching over me and caring about me. I don't know why you think I deserve it, but I'm thankful just the same. I can honestly say this is the best birthday I've ever had." Harry looked at Ginny as he said this, and felt his insides sort of melt. Her eyes shined at him and he felt very wobbly suddenly and sat down quickly, nodding as everyone murmured their thanks to him.
"Hear! Hear!" Fred and George were saying. "Now let's get to the presents and the cake!"
Mrs Weasley shook her head at the twins and there were chairs being pushed back from the table. Apparently the cake was already in the sitting room, waiting to be devoured. Harry stood up quickly and helped Ginny with her chair. He let his hand linger on her back, feeling the soft fabric of her dress with his fingers. She turned and met his eyes, the smallest smile on her face. Harry felt his heart catch and wondered if Mr and Mrs Weasley would mind if he kidnapped their daughter and snogged her senseless in one of the upstairs rooms. They must have stared at each other a little too long because Harry heard someone clearing their throat and turned to see the room was empty except for Remus, Bill, and Charlie watching them.
"Er...Ginny," Bill said, a serious look in his eyes, "Would you mind leaving us with the birthday boy for a moment?"
"Yeah, actually I do mind," Ginny said, sticking her chin out in a stubborn way. Harry thought it was adorable.
"Too bad, sis," Charlie said and was pulling her away from Harry. "Because you're outnumbered and I know you don't have your wand anywhere on you in that dress."
Harry watched Ginny's skin turn pink and loved how she was still trying to argue with Charlie even as she was being pushed out of the room. Charlie closed the door and came over to join what Harry could only assume was the interrogation party.
No one said anything at first, and Harry felt a different sort of heat touch his skin. He shifted nervously from one foot to the other and couldn't seem to meet either of the Weasley brother's eyes. Instead, he glanced at Remus.
"Have a good day, Harry?" his old professor asked him lightly, sitting back down at the table. He nodded for Harry to do the same. Harry stayed standing and nodded his head.
"Yeah, like I said...it was a great birthday."
"Not over yet though, is it?" Charlie Weasley asked, his mouth twitching.
"Er...no..." Harry said, not certain where this was going.
"The twins tell me they took you to the Healer this morning," Bill said suddenly, his voice very low. Harry blinked at him. Bill seemed cross with him.
"Er...yeah...they sort of forced me. I didn't know where they were taking me."
"Learn anything new?" Bill asked, raising his eyebrow.
Harry felt his skin flush again and sat down. Maybe he did need to be sitting for this.
"Er...no...I mean...I reckon...it's always interesting to talk to a Healer." Harry said lamely. He thought of what looking at the moving diagrams had done to him and how he'd imagined doing that with Ginny, and felt as though the Weasleys and Remus could read his mind. He kept his eyes focused on the table.
"Right. Well, let's just make sure that you understand that just because you're seventeen it doesn't give you the right to act on the things you learned."
"Oh Bill, stop scaring him. For Merlin's sake," Charlie said sitting down next to Harry. He patted Harry's arm, but somehow Harry didn't exactly feel comforted. Charlie continued on. "I'm certain Harry is smart enough to know that just because he's been told how to do things it doesn't mean he should rush out and do them. Right, Harry?"
Harry must have nodded and looked penitent because nobody said anything for a moment.
"How do you feel about Ginny, Harry?" Bill asked him, and Harry jumped at the sound of his voice.
"Er...Ginny? She's er...yeah...she's um...Ginny." Harry rolled his eyes at himself and knew his skin was turning red with embarrassment.
"Well, that's astute," Charlie said softly, and Harry watched as he and Remus shared a smirk about something.
"Well, the way you were gawking at her tonight, something tells me she's more than just Ginny." Bill continued on, stubbornly.
"Look, Harry," Charlie said, interrupting before Harry could answer, "What my thick and too serious brother here wants to know is - what are your feelings for our young sister? It's obvious something's going on between you two and without knowing all the details...well...we want to know all the details, you know? So out with it, what are your intentions towards Ginny?"
Harry looked at Remus, who wasn't even trying to hide a smile. "Don't look at me for help, Harry. I'm just here to make sure those two don't get over-zealous in their questioning. I think they've been fair so far."
Harry took a deep breath. He wasn't even aware of what his intentions were towards Ginny, how could he tell her brothers? Go on, tell them you want to throw her down on your bed and snog her until she can't see straight. Somehow, Harry didn't think that would go over too well. He looked at Bill and Charlie and tried not to flinch as they stared at him.
"To be honest, I don't know. I know that I like her. As a person, as a friend...as a...girl. She's...she's Ginny. There is something happening between us but I don't know what it is exactly. She told me she got over me and that we were just going to be friends, but...but..." Harry's paused and then shook his head. "But I want it to be more than that. I want to be there for her like she's been there for me."And I think I love her, Harry finished silently in his head.
There. He'd said what he'd been feeling. And it was true. Suddenly Harry didn't care what her brothers thought, nor what Remus or Hermione or even Mad-Eye Moody thought. He wanted to be with Ginny. Now all he had to do was convince her that he wasn't just a sex-crazed teenager noticing a pretty girl. He wanted her because of who she was. Because of what she meant to him.
Harry was surprised to see Bill smile at him then, and his confusion must have shown because Charlie laughed and clamped his hand on his back. Harry tried to breathe as the wind got knocked out of him.
"Well, that's great Harry. We're glad you've finally wised up." Bill said, suddenly no longer cross, it seemed.
Harry didn't understand and Charlie shook his head at him. "We were a bit worried, what with Ginny being the only single female your age around here that you might start to think with another part of your anatomy. It's good to see you've put some thought into this and that you know Ginny's a friend first. It means you'll think twice about hurting her."
Harry was about to say he'd never hurt her, when he remembered the Prophecy. Maybe it wouldn't be a question of something he did intentionally. Maybe he'd end up hurting her by dying.
"Don't worry about that," Remus said softly, gazing intently at him and Harry knew his thoughts had been written on his face. "Don't let him take this from you too, Harry. Enjoy falling in love with Ginny. Be a normal seventeen year old for as long as you can be."
Bill and Charlie looked solemn too, and Harry felt a hard lump in his throat as he swallowed. Everyone got up from the table then, and Harry felt as though he had passed an important test. Bill put his arm around him as they headed towards the rest of the party.
"Yes, Harry, I can't think of anyone better for you to fall in love with than my sister. But don't get too carried away with being seventeen. I'm not that old, I remember what it felt like and how those diagrams the Healer told me to study gave me ideas. That's definitely something I don't want you to be doing any time soon with my sister, okay?"
Harry gave him a weak smile and said something that sounded like an agreement. But inside his mind was already flying. He didn't know how strong he could be, if Ginny felt the same way about him, as it was beginning to appear that she did. She seemed to want to continue what they had started as much as he did. Harry was a strong wizard, but he wasn't that strong, was he? Who could resist something when it felt as right as it did when he was kissing or touching her?
The birthday cake had already been cut, and Dumbledore had indeed made it in time. He greeted Harry with a warm smile, but Harry could only nod at him. He felt too overwhelmed to speak, actually. He watched Ginny out of the corner of his eye as she talked to Bill and Charlie, seeming to be angry with them for something. He opened his presents and knew he must have said the appropriate thing for each one because no one asked him if he were feeling all right. When he reached Ginny's gift, he wanted to thank her properly for them, but only squeezed her hand. Ginny smiled a secret smile at him, and Harry felt as though he were melting inside again. When would this blasted party be over?
