Chapter twenty-one
The Interruption
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"Ginny," Harry began, not really knowing what to say or how to say it. His heart was racing and his hands felt numb. "I know I'm too late, but I just have to say this. Something happened to me today to make me realize how short life is. When we have something to say, we need to say it while there is still time, know matter the consequences," he took a deep breath and slowed down his speech. "I know that things have changed. I know how you feel about Dean. In fact, he's probably already asked you, but I was just wondering…I mean…I'd like you to go with me to the banquet for the O.W.L.s. Ron's probably going to give me a hard time about this, but there you have it."
Ginny's mouth hung open. She blinked, staring up at him.
"Well?" Harry asked nervously.
"I'm sorry…" she said, and Harry felt his heart sink. "…but could you say all of that once more? I want to make sure I heard every word correctly."
Harry sat down next to her. " I'm not quite sure what I just said, but the point of it was to ask you to go to the banquet with me."
"That's what I wanted to make sure of…that you'd actually said it." She took a deep breath and shut her book.
"You're already going with Dean, aren't you?" Harry said, wanting to kick himself for having waited so long.
"Dean? Dean Thomas? Harry, are you…jealous…of Dean Thomas?"
"If you're going with him to the banquet, then yes," Harry stated, quite honestly.
"Oh my goodness." Ginny put her hand to her mouth. "Are you serious? Are you saying all of this as a joke? Fred and George aren't going to jump out and laugh at me, are they?"
Harry looked around. "I don't think so…and yes, I am being serious."
Ginny swallowed hard and once again stared at him. "Harry, Dean is just a friend. He was only interested in me because he wanted some flying pointers. He was nice and all…but he's not you."
Harry felt his heart skip a beat. "So you're not going with him?"
"No."
"Then will you go with me?" They locked eyes, and Ginny seemed to be frozen with her mouth agape. "Ginny? This is the part where you say 'Yes' or 'No'."
"I know," she said hoarsely, "I just never though that you would ask me. I've behaved so foolishly."
"I'm the one who's been foolish. I should have said something a long time ago." Harry knew his face had turned scarlet.
"A long time ago?" Ginny was surprised to hear that.
Harry nodded and waited for her to answer. He leaned in closer to her and said, "Ginny…"
"Yes!" she said quickly. "I'll go. I…I…I want to go." They gazed at each other. Then Ginny blurted out rather abruptly, "If you are sure that you really want to…if you've really thought about it."
"I've been thinking about it all year."
"All year?" Ginny's eyes went wide.
Harry nodded. He couldn't seem to pull his eyes from hers. How captivating they were! Ginny had such big, beautiful, brown eyes and Harry couldn't get enough of them. Harry reached out and gently took a hold of her hand. It was warm and soft, and it felt so nice in his.
"What are you going to tell Ron?" Ginny asked softly.
For the first time, it didn't matter to Harry what Ron thought. "That I think his sister is very special." Harry felt his body lean towards Ginny. She was leaning towards him, too. His eyes moved from her eyes to her precious lips as he leaned closer to her. Her face was very close to his now. Harry wet his lips as he watched Ginny eyes flicker shut. With a sharp intake of breath he leaned in and…
"Hey! We're back!" Ron said climbing in through the portrait hole, Hermione behind him.
Harry jumped back quickly letting go of Ginny's hand and looked from Ron to Ginny, and back to Ron. "Yeah, did you have a good time?"
"Well of course we did." Ron took Hermione's hand. "What are you two doing?"
Harry glanced nervously at Ron and kept shifting his eyes back to Ginny. "Nothing…er…we were just talking."
Hermione chuckled, "Yeah, I bet you were!"
Harry couldn't believe she had said that. He felt his face flush again, and saw that Ginny was blushing, too.
"Come on Ginny. You can tell me all about it upstairs." Hermione glanced apprehensively from Ron to Harry. "I think the boys need to have a chat."
Running his fingers through his hair, Harry watched the girls ascend the stairs, leaving him alone with Ron. "What was that all about?" Ron asked.
Harry's mind raced. He had been trying to think of a good way to approach Ron about this all year and now his time had run out. "Er…well…you know Ginny…"
"What about Ginny?"
"Well Ginny and I…we…er…well you see…I asked her to go with me to the banquet." Harry stammered, finding it difficult to look Ron in the eyes.
Ron looked confused. "Why? Wouldn't Daphne go with you?"
"Well, yes, Daphne was willing to go with me, but you see…I'd rather go with Ginny." Harry said carefully.
There was an uncomfortable moment of silence, as Ron comprehended what Harry had just told him. "You…want to go with Ginny?" Ron though for a moment and said, "You want to go with Ginny?"
"Yes Ron. I happen to like Ginny…a lot." Harry said quickly.
"You mean…" Ron held up a shaky finger. "You… and my little sister?"
"Yes Ron, and she's not little." Harry said firmly.
An idea suddenly struck Ron. "Wait a minute! You and Ginny weren't…you know…did you…did you…"
"No." Harry said in an irritated tone. "We were kind of…interrupted."
Still shaking his upheld finger, Ron said, " So you're saying that you would have…that you would have…with my little sister?"
"Yes Ron…and she's not little!"
"Well she is to me!" Ron argued.
"Well she's not to me!" countered Harry.
"Obviously!" Ron's hands were now on his hips.
"Ron, she's only one year younger, and it's not as though I'm going to marry her; I just want to go to the banquet with her." Harry said, trying to ease the tension.
"So it's just the banquet and that's it?" Ron asked.
Harry shrugged. "I don't know…I hope there will be more."
This was obviously too much for Ron as he flopped himself down into one of the chairs with a heavy sigh, and muttered to himself, "I don't believe this."
"Ron, it's not any different from when I found out about you and Hermione. I was just as shocked as you are right now," Harry lied. He had actually been relieved, but he wasn't about to tell Ron that now.
"This is different. Hermione isn't your sister." Ron was still slumped over.
Harry didn't have a response to that. So instead he pointed out something else to Ron. "You weren't upset when you thought Dean was dating Ginny, so why are you upset about me dating Ginny?"
"I'm not upset." Harry was surprised by this but stayed quiet as Ron continued. "It's just…eerie thinking of you and Ginny…together. I mean…you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I think I do. You just want to protect her." Harry was glad that Ron was starting to calm down. "But you know Ron, I'll never hurt her."
"You'd better not! Promise me Harry, that you have nothing but the best of intentions towards my sister."
Harry smiled, "I promise." Then added, mischievously, "I'll tell you what, I promise that I won't do anything with Ginny that you wouldn't do with Hermione."
Ron gave Harry a hard stare. "Potter, do you want me to beat you up now or later?"
Harry laughed. Ron's face began to break into a small grin as he, too, began to chuckle. Then he said, "Look, Harry, just don't go and get all mushy in front of me. Ok? She's still…little…to me."
"Deal," Harry said with a nod.
A small squeal sounded from the girl's stairwell, causing Harry and Ron to turn towards it. "You can come out now! It's all…settled." Ron shouted out.
Ginny and Hermione poked their heads out from around the corner. Ginny's face was a distinctive pink color, and Harry knew that Ginny had been telling Hermione what had happened. Hermione walked over to Ron, and Ginny, more slowly, walked over to Harry. He felt his stomach do a somersault as she looked up at him.
"Remember, no mushy stuff!" Ron reminded Harry.
Rolling his eyes, Harry turned towards Ron and Hermione and said, "Ron, don't you two have anywhere…else to go?"
"Come on, Ron." Hermione said, tugging at his arm. "I think they want to be alone."
They headed back out the portrait hole, but Ron added one more thing before it shut behind them. "Harry, I suggest you tell Fred and George as soon as possible!"
Finally, they were alone. Harry swallowed hard at Ron's last statement, but Ginny, sensing his worry, assured him her brothers wouldn't be angry. They gazed at each other in silence for a few moments before Harry worked up the courage to do what he'd been thinking about doing for quite some time.
Taking hold of her hand, he pulled her closer to him and kissed her gently on the lips. Ginny gasped slightly before relaxing, and putting her arms around him in a romantic embrace. When he broke the kiss, he found Ginny smiling brightly up at him. The knot in his stomach loosened and he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her fully.
Harry had finally realized what all the fuss was about, and found it to be delightful!
****I hope all the H/G shippers out there enjoyed this. I still have at least one more chapter to go…after all, we still have those orange glasses to deal with…and I still have to get to the whole point of the story title!
****Daphne Affigo is an Alphie creation. Harry Potter and all other characters are property of J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers.
