Okay, so I lied and put this up early, I hope its as fun to read as it was to write. This is the last part in my series! Wow. I actually did a series! Once again, thank you so much for the reviews, I can't tell you what the ones I got on the first part meant to me! Please review!
Who Knows?
Ginny stepped inside almost singing, Cellona had that effect on her, the green dress swirled around her ankles while her hair fell loose and tangled to her waist. She had been called down to the lake by the old unicorn to pass on a message to the Headmaster. For some reason unicorns in the area took especially well to redheads, so Professor Dumbledore had asked her to relay any messages to Hagrid or himself that the silvery creatures told her.
From somewhere behind her she heard footsteps and turned, hoping not to see Filch, he wouldn't care if you were going to rid the world of Voldemort. If you were out at night, you were his prey and could quite easily be punished. 'Sure, go ahead and kill Voldemort, just don't sneak out at night to do so,' Ginny snorted and turned away from the empty hall and into a classroom. She needed to write the message from Cellona.
Drawing parchment out of her pocket she ruffled around in one of the desks and retrieved a bottle of ink and a quill. Her mind screwed up trying to remember the exact wording; 'Voldemort's reign will not be in vain, for the blood of Gryffindor shall continue on.' She carefully wrote down the message and considered writing down the last few whispers which had reached her ears as Cellona had turned away, 'inconsiderate black-nest heads, roaming the forests with no consideration, playing with the spiders, and always taking away the good messengers…'
The unicorn only spoke in rhyme to give her information to Dumbledore from some of the more…understanding…of the Centaurs who roamed the Forbidden Forest. She sighed and capped the bottle of ink, no use writing down what was not in rhyme, that meant the comment was unimportant. Either that or Cellona couldn't find a way to rhyme 'black -nest heads.' She yawned and was about to stretch when a voice from the doorway spoke, "Ginny?"
Instead she bolted out of her seat and stared at a very mystified looking Harry Potter. She felt her face grow increasingly warm…it had taken all of her acting ability to be composed and grownup around him last night. Now he was coming in, interrupting her writing a message to Dumbledore and almost making her swoon because he looked so dashing with his hair all mussed up and his eyes flashing brightly, like emeralds in the light.
Her hands were wringing themselves out of their sockets behind her back, so she put on a calm face, threw in a bit of surprised (not that that was particularly hard), and added a bit of relief. 'Are you acting or cooking?' she muttered in her mind so Harry couldn't hear, though she doubted he would, he kept staring at her for some reason…
Her face flushed a red it would shame even the loveliest apple, she was still wearing the dress! Ginny cleared her throat and his eyes flashed brightly as they looked at her face instead of awe gazing at her foot sticking out from beneath the hem of the skirt. She swallowed and tried to speak, no sound was coming out. Harry gulped and spoke so softly that she could barely hear him: "I saw you were out by the lake and that there was someone near you." He looked like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Ginny had to stop herself from sighing, he was so cute when he acted like this!
"I didn't know you could talk to unicorns," he blurted out. Ginny grinned, "Professor Dumbledore gave me the job,"
"Really?" Ginny nodded, "he said his last girl graduated years ago and married someone from her class. Apparently she was a rather good Speaker, but some bloke--the one she ended up marrying actually--" why was she telling him this part? "Kissed her while she was in front of the unicorn. They don't like that, goes along with impure thoughts and such, besides, Cellona says that Moonhorn was rather old fashioned."
Thoughts ran themselves around in Ginny's mind, why did she tell him all that? It had nothing to do with him, didn't it? Harry was staring at her with an unusual look in his eyes, "so you don't ever plan on kissing someone?" She swallowed a gulp of breath, not him, he's not thinking of me. Just being a paranoid sixth- no, seventh brother, it's just because I'm the closest he has to a sister, has to make sure I don't do anything 'wrong'. She cleared her throat realizing how light it actually was in the classroom, moonlight shone in through the windows sending splashes of silver onto the ground, everything seemed very romantic…she shoved the thought away. "Uhm, not in front of Cellona, she is rather nice, and I don't want to let Professor Dumbledore down, it's important what I tell him, though tonight she was mostly grumbling."
"About what?" again, his eyes shone brightly and he was uncharacteristically intense, just staring at her, silently. As if attempting to gather some information from her while she spoke. "Just grumbling…part of it was a rhyme, for the Headmaster, but otherwise she was just telling me she wasn't like Moonhorn…" Ginny frowned, her eyes going to the floor and a slight blush staining her cheeks.
Harry carefully stepped closer to her, as if she was a bird or a rabbit, frightened off at the slightest moment by an unusual movement. "Moonhorn was the one who didn't wish to speak to the girl anymore? Because she was in love with someone?" Ginny knew her face was going red but nodded and looked back at the paper, willing desperately to turn the subject. "Here is the message for Professor Dumbledore. They can't be delivered any other way, they're made to stick in your mind so you don't forget them." Harry nodded and glanced towards the paper.
A frown marred his forehead, "how can 'the blood of Gryffindor continue on' if Voldemort still exists?" Ginny shrugged, "it is the message, word for word, exactly what she told me."
"Anything else?"
"What?"
"I said, did she say anything else?"
Ginny swallowed, "nothing of relevance, just some of the usual information, the birds are heading south early this year so watch out for early winter, it is going to be cold, wear your cloak tomorrow…it's like having mum around to watch you." She grinned at him, inviting the grin she knew was there, to form on his face. Eventually it did, in the slow smile that made her knees go a little weak.
"Just that then?"
"Y-yep" her voice squeaked on the last part, Harry just kept staring at her. A silence stretched long with her blushing at the floor and he staring intently at her face, his eyes looking for something.
"Well then," Ginny broke the stillness of the room. "I think we'd best get back to Gryffindor, Filch doesn't let me wander the halls even if I'm doing something for the Professors."
"Mmmhmm." She glanced quickly up at him and found that he was standing rather close, she could almost smell him…grass and soap, clean, safe, warm-- 'stop it!' she shrieked at her mind.
"We haven't talked about what happened last night." Ginny swallowed hard…'oh why did you have to get all sappy on him?' she bemoaned herself. 'You couldn't have just gotten Hermione or Ron, no, nooooo! You had to get all fluffy and sappy! Perfect, absolutely piffling-perfect!'
"I-I'm sorry--" He put a finger on her lips and she nearly collapsed with dizziness. "You kept my nightmares away," he whispered softly at her. "For the first time in months I hated waking up…it meant loosing you…and- and-" his eyes gleamed feverishly bright, pleading her to understand what he was trying to say. If death came on swift wings tomorrow, Ginny knew that she would die happy.
***
Harry tried desperately to find his words, 'what am I supposed to say to her?' as she began to apologize. Without thinking he put a finger to her lips, noticing how wonderfully warm they were, rejoicing in the startled gasp she gave, she was alive, and never leaving if he could help it. The odd rhyme, the unicorns, Dumbledore and even Voldemort were gone from his mind. He just kept his eyes on her and didn't take them away.
'Now what do I do?' he asked silently. The scene couldn't get much worse if any teachers who waked in. Here they were, in the middle of an empty classroom with Ginny dressed like a queen and Harry with an invisibility cloak stowed away in his pocket. There were barely two inches between them, she very flushed and him with a finger on her lips…nope couldn't get much worse.
'But!' cackled the impatient part of him…'if there ever was a way to be caught, couldn't think of a better one! Now don't fail after all of this Romeo!' He was shocked at the way his heart was racing, couldn't she hear it?
"And…and…" his voice faltered, how did he tell her that he couldn't stand to be in her presence and not touch her? How could he tell her that he thought he was going to go mad without kissing her? He drew in a breath, "I need you Ginny, you're perfect and wonderful and I don't deserve someone as kind as you but…" he watched her helplessly as she looked outside the windows.
In the moonlight, Harry could just make out the shimmering, ghost like apparition of a unicorn. He sighed and stepped away, bowing his head, all former thoughts of her being in even more danger of Voldemort, Dumbledore's need for her, the fact he probably wasn't going to live long enough to graduate…
"Harry?" Ginny sounded worried. He just shook his head, mouth turning traitor against him: "You'll be in more danger of Voldemort and Dumbledore needs you. Ron'll kill me if he finds out I love you and I'm probably not going to live to see graduation so you'll need someone who can take care of you-"
"Harry, wait!"
"-If something happens to me. Neville is rather nice even if he can't dance, or maybe that fourth year from Ravenclaw…Hale something? And Terry Boot is an okay guy, well Hermione says he is at least."
"Harry!" He looked up at her; terrified he'd see what he knew was there. Ginny's eyes were full of tears, "you love me?" Horrified, Harry realized that he'd included that in his tirade of reasons why he shouldn't come within ten miles of her. He bowed his head and for the third time in his life began to cry over the loss of someone, even though she wasn't gone yet.
She was suddenly there, in front of him and not wavering from her position. Firmly she pushed his chin up so she could see his face and not much to his surprise, gasped at the sight of the tears. "Oh Harry why do you have to be such a boy?" She leaned forward standing on tiptoes and kissed his nose. "You think Cellona didn't know this was going to happen?"
His heart turned over at the look in her eyes, "she was complaining about 'black-nest heads wandering the forest, playing with spiders and always taking away the good messengers.'" Harry laughed at her mimicking of the irritated tone in the unicorn's voice and sobered. "You're important to Dumbledore," he said softly.
"Find another red head if Cellona won't talk. I'm in love and taken," with that last word she kissed him on the mouth and was about to grab up her things when Harry picked Ginny up by the waist and kissed her soundly, twirling her around in a circle. Her arms wrapped around his neck and Harry felt like stars were in the air around him…everything was so right.
The whole world lit up for him, all he knew was that Ginny loved him, the unicorn knew about the whole thing and that there really were shining golden stars twirling in a circle around them. He just grinned lopsidedly at her and she hugged him fiercely.
Whistling interrupted their moment and Harry turned to find Fred and George, leaning on the door frame, alternately falling over themselves laughing or clapping and cheering loud enough to wake the dead. It wasn't what caught his attention though and made him give a guilty grin, for Professor McGonagall stood just behind the twins, tartan nightgown and all. Her eyes flashed at Harry and Ginny (he'd put her down but kept an arm around her waist), taking in the scene.
"Well Mr. Potter," she said crisply. George was mimicking Harry with his arm around Fred's waist while his brother gave him dewy eyes reminiscent of Professor Trelawney. Harry ignored them and kept his stupid grin, Ginny just ducked her head, face reddening. "If you two are quite finished," McGonagall continued. "We are all going back upstairs to the dorm where we belong. Miss Weasley, I do believe you have a reason for being down here?" She raised an eyebrow and Ginny nodded picking up the parchment and giving it to her.
Fred stopped pretending to drool over George and George stopped trying to pick Fred up and swing him around in a circle, both twins watched the parchment intently then looked back to Ginny. McGonagall glanced from the paper to the pair in front of her and back again, seemingly startled.
Eventually she sighed muttering about wanting to string a Centaur up by their hind legs till they spoke in plain, clear English and shoved the bit of parchment into her pocket. "With us, Mr. Potter, Miss Weasley, if you don't mind?" The little golden lights had gone out however Ginny still seemed to glow from them. Harry returned his arm to its position around her waist and hugged her to him.
McGonagall marched purposefully down the hallway ignoring the two pairs of students behind her; one pair blissfully enjoying the each other's company while the other set of students snickered at the first two. Harry ignored them and McGonagall sent the four into Gryffindor tower without so much as a detention.
"To bed Weasleys," she said rather sternly. "Mr. Potter, a word?" Harry sighed and smiled softly down at Ginny, cheeks flushed a soft pink, "tomorrow," he whispered at her. "Tomorrow," she murmured back to him. He kissed her forehead without thinking and heard a fresh bout of snorting laughter from the stairs leading to the Boy's dorms. He rolled his eyes, she grinned and McGonagall humpffed so Harry stepped away from Ginny and she turned, skipping up to her room.
Harry crawled out of the portrait hole and stood in front of Professor McGonagall again with the stupid smile on his face. "I know that you and Miss Weasley are uhm…becoming close." She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "However, any more such incidents will not be accepted." She shot him a look; "do you understand?" Harry nodded. "You may go."
He turned and was half inside the portrait when she called out again: "Mr. Potter?" He half turned, "yes?"
"If it perhaps helps you to relate…you're parents were caught more than once in the same…err- position." Harry just stared at her, half surprised and felt an even larger smile cross his face, almost proud. "I do believe that Mr. Black and Mr. Lupin were very fond of teasing them about it…" her eyes glazed away then flashed back to him. "You may go." Harry nodded and smiled at her again, "y'know, I don't think Professor Lupin ever told me that one…" McGonagall humpffed again, "I should hope not," she said quite primly and turned to walk back down the halls.
Harry crawled back inside the tower and put the invisibility cloak on. He trod carefully up the stairs so as not to alert Fred and George who were waiting around the corner for him. Instead, he snuck past and continued till he reached the door with a brass plate marked, Fifth Years. It took everything he could do to keep the door from squeaking and snuck back into his room.
He took his cloak off and crawled into bed, noticing the hands on the small clock next to his bed, which read that it was 3 A.M. The Hungarian Horntail figurine curled contentedly inside some of Ron's robes that were lying on the dresser for some reason. It curled onto its side, showing it's soft, leathery underbelly, he stroked it softly with his finger and it practically purred.
Sighing, Harry crawled into bed and collapsed, reviewing everything that had happened. Ginny loved him, he loved her, Cellona would still pass messages and McGonagall hadn't given detention. He had the Marauders Map, but was going to have to deal with Ron tomorrow, it didn't matter…dimly he wondered if Sirius would know what his parents did in this situation…probably…he smiled. Remus and Sirius would both definitely be getting owled in the morning. But mostly he thought about Ginny.
The way the moon shone on her hair, the way her eyes sparkled…the way she held the baby perfectly in her arms while two children peered in to them, gazing wondrously at the tiny boy with red hair and bright green eyes. In his dream Harry sighed contentedly and glanced around the inside of a cozy looking living room.
There were wizard-pictures of a wedding…one with a brown haired woman and a tall redhead feeding each other cake. A second with him and Ginny waving wildly…a third with a grinning man and woman, each with hair the color of flames. He recognized the man as Charlie Weasley…second oldest of the Weasley seven. A picture of Sirius and Remus tackling each other over a chicken wing at a picnic, Ron reading to a short girl with bright red hair and delighted blue eyes, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley smiling brilliantly while surrounded by their children and grandchildren. Harry sighed…and slept.