Here it is! The next chapter. Aren't you excited? I'm so sorry it took so long. I just got busy and writer's block. So, hope this is good enough, I'm still not quite where I was in writing good-ness. I don't know what happened, it feels like I'm getting over a cold.





The next day at noon, Harry was standing with Ginny, Ron, and Hermione on the steps of Gringotts. They rest of the family had left them, but Ron had insisted that he stay with Harry and Ginny until he was sure some of Ginny's friends were going to be there. He was not very pleased with the whole situation, but let it go because it was only Harry, after all, and he wasn't going to pass alone time with Hermione up.

"Ginny!" Harry turned to see a girl with short, curly brown hair running up to them. Ginny saw her and waved, smiling broadly.

"Ginny," she cried again when she had reached them. "Guess who I saw!"

"I hope it was Adriana," Ginny said. "I haven't seen her at all."

"Ok, so it was," the girl said, her excitement faltering for a moment. "But you'll never guess who was with her!"

"I hope it was Colin," Ginny said. "I haven't seen him either." The girl stopped smiling and put her hands on her hips.

"You really know how to take all the fun out of it, don't you? Well, they're going off by themselves today. Collin finally asked Dree out. It only took him a year."

"I know!" Ginny agreed, rolling her eyes. "I was beginning to think he never would."

Harry chose this moment to cough rather loudly. Ron and Hermione were talking in whispers again, unaware of the world outside them, and with Ginny and her friend ignoring everyone else, he suddenly felt stranded.

"Oh!" Ginny turned around to look at him apologetically. "Sorry. Harry, this is Rose. Rose, Harry."

"Nice to meet you," Rose said, taking the briefest glance at his scar. He smiled and nodded, a little wary of what he had gotten himself into.

"He's coming with us today, is that ok?" Ginny asked her.

"Sure!" she answered, smiling. "But I'm warning you now, we're still going in the Order."

"Order?" Harry asked. He was beginning to realize that these girls had a language all their own and Ginny might have to play interpreter for the day.

"We shop in a certain order," Ginny explained. "We've always gone to the same stores in the same order. It's become an unwritten rule over the years." Rose nodded.

"And that means Flourish first," she declared.

"Ok," Harry said. "I can deal with that."

Soon, they had all their books, and new robes, and were sitting at Flortescue's, eating ice cream on the sunny patio, chatting pleasantly. After the first 15 minutes or so, Harry had begun to relax and really have a good time. It was different hanging out with girls. He had practically no contact with them, save Hermione, but they weren't all that bad. Every once in a while they would go into giggle fits that Harry couldn't understand, but once they got past that, they were ok. In fact, Ginny was more than ok; she was wonderful. He had never really seen her like this, laughing and having fun with a friend. She was never so outgoing around him usually. It was nice.

All of a sudden it wasn't so nice. Ginny, who had been in the middle of telling a story, stopped and glared at someone standing behind Harry. He looked over his shoulder and groaned when he saw Malfoy (alone, rather than with Crabbe or Goyle), sneering, but he wasn't looking at Harry at all, he was focusing on Rose.

"You're hanging out with *them*, MacKay?" he asked in a disgusted tone. "What would your mother say?"

"I doubt it'd be what you'd think," Rose said heatedly, "considering she hates you and loves Ginny."

"Well there's no accounting for taste, is there?"

"No," she said, looking him up and down once. "I supposed there isn't. I mean, look at you and the way you behave. You're a complete disgrace."

"I knew there was a reason I hated you," he said with the malice he usually reserved for Harry alone.

"Then leave," she said as if talking to a small child and making a motion away from their table.

"Make me."

"Malfoy, do you try to make yourself sound as much like a three year old as possible, or does it just happen?" Ginny asked, more exasperated than anything. Harry laughed and Ginny leaned over to him and whispered, "Now watch. He's going to make a comment on me being poor."

"Oh, Potty's little girlfriend? That's sweet, that really is." Ginny slapped her hand on the table in mock frustration.

"That was my second guess," she cried. She might have been joking about it, but Harry was starting to get mad.

"Look, Malfoy," he said, rising to look him in the eye. "We're 15. Having a girlfriend stopped being a bad thing a long time ago. Just because *you* don't like girls, doesn't mean the rest of us don't. Now get out."

"Or what," Malfoy challenged.

"Or I'll tell Aunt Narcissa it was you who let the snakes into the chapel at Cecilia's wedding last month," Rose told him. With one more scowl, he left.

"That was brilliant," Rose said to Harry in awe.

"It was an excellent bluff, Harry," Ginny agreed. Harry didn't want to admit that he hadn't meant it as a bluff, that he for a moment had forgotten Ginny wasn't his girlfriend. 'She's not,' he told himself firmly.

"Aunt Narcissa?" he asked, sitting down again.

"We- I-… My older sister's husband is Malfoy's mother's third cousin," Rose said, looking mortified.

"It's ok," Ginny said sympathetically, patting Rose on the arm. "We know it's not your fault. We don't hold it against you."

"Thanks," Rose said gratefully. "Speaking of family, how's Charlie?"

Ginny's gazed narrowed and she looked at Rose suspiciously. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you know…" Rose was looking suddenly uncomfortable. "I just was wondering… he's-"

"He's almost 13 years older than you and my brother!" Ginny cried. "I knew I should have never introduced you! I knew, but I did it anyway because you really wanted to meet him. I should have known you didn't care a thing about dragons really. You only wanted to meet him because you heard he was cute."

"Hey!" Rose said indignantly. "You can't sit here and tell me that you never liked any of his cute friends, can you? I mean, Jack was gorgeous and you know it."

"Yes, but Jack was not my best friend's brother, was he? Come, Rose, not Charlie. You're sure you don't like Percy or something?"

"Oh look!" Rose said, standing quickly. "I think I see Adriana and Collin over by Madam Malkin's. Why don't I just join them?" She made to leave but Ginny grabbed her sleeve.

"Charlie?" she asked in a helpless tone. Rose nodded, turning slightly pink. Ginny sighed letting go of her.

"You're not mad, are you?" Rose questioned, cautiously.

"No," Ginny said after a moment. "It's ok. It's not like this is the first time something like this has happened."

"Alright. See you on the Express then, Gin. Bye Harry, nice meeting you."

"See ya," Harry watching her leave. "What was that all about?" he asked, turning back to Ginny.

She rested her head in her arms on the table and was silent for a long moment.

"Have you ever wondered why I never have my friends over?" she asked finally.

Harry shrugged. "I never really noticed."

"When you have 6 older brothers like I've got, all your friends have crushes on them," Ginny explained. "When I was 8, 8 mind you, my best friend had a crush on Bill. Two years ago Adriana liked Ron. (Don't ever tell him that though.) I've had a couple of friends who've liked the twins. This one girl, Grace, even liked Percy for a while. And now Rose likes Charlie. It's just awful; I refuse to bring home friends anymore."

"Oh," Harry said. He was trying not to ask the question he wanted to ask the most, but he finally gave up. "So, um… who's Jack?" he asked in what he hoped was a casual tone.

Ginny smiled and blushed a little. "He's nobody. Really."

"Nobody?" Harry repeated.

"Nobody." She looked at her watch. "We better getting going; we only have a half hour now. Is there anywhere we missed?"

"We haven't been to the Quidditch shop," he pointed out.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice. Ok, tell you what. I want to stop by Jean's anyway-"

"Jean's?" Harry interrupted.

"You know, the store. Well, I supposed you wouldn't know; it's a huge girl's store- make-up, jewelry, clothes, that sort of thing. It's right across the way from the Quidditch place, so how about we split up. It should only take about 15 minutes, right?"

"Sounds good," Harry said, standing and grabbing his bags. Ginny did the same and they left together, walking the short distance to the two stores. "We'll meet here?" he asked before they parted. She nodded and went into Jean's as Harry went into the store across from it.

Fifteen minutes later, Harry was standing at the designated spot, with a new strategy book, but Ginny was not. 'She's probably still in there,' Harry thought, and went in to retrieve her.

The first thing he noticed was that everything was shimmery, fluffy, or sparkely. Ginny wasn't kidding when she said it was girly; it was no wonder Harry had never been in here before. The second thing he noticed was that Jean's was larger that he expected, obviously the work of a spell. He couldn't see Ginny anywhere.

"Can I help you?" the small, blonde woman at the counter asked Harry, noticing the lost look on his face.

He walked towards her. "Have you seen a girl with red-" He stopped in mid- sentence, something in the glass counter catching his eye. It was a necklace- sliver on a thin chain but on it was a locket, in the shape of a notebook. It shined in the light and Harry immediately thought of how much Ginny would like it.

"How much is that?" he asked the woman, pointing to the locket.

"8 galleons," she answered.

"I'll take it." Without a second thought, he handed her the money and had it wrapped in a small white box with a red ribbon. He was about to walk away when he remembered why he had come in in the first place. "Have you seen a girl come in with red hair in a ponytail?" The woman smiled.

"That one?" she asked, pointing to Ginny walking out the store.

"Yeah, thanks!" Harry went to chase her. "Ginny," he called. She stopped.

"Hey, how long have you been in there?" she asked.

"Not long. Here." He handed her the box. "I got this for you." Her eyes grew wide and when she didn't say anything or move to take it, he began to think it might not have been such a good decision after all.

"You… bought me something?" she finally asked, still not moving.

"I just thought you might like it," he said, feeling incredibly stupid, but still holding the box out to her. She finally reached up, very uncertainly, and took it from him. Gently, as though it were glass, she lifted the lid and gasped when she saw what was inside.

"Harry, I can't except this," she said.

"Why not? I really want you to have it."

"I- just can't." She handed it back to him, shaking her head. "I just can't," she repeated. "We better go, everyone's waiting at the Leaky Cauldron." Harry nodded, to confused to press the matter of the necklace anymore.

The rest of the day, which wasn't very long, Ginny and Harry were both distant and quiet. Ron and Hermione seemed to notice this and when everyone came home, dragged Harry into Ron's room, very much like they had the day before, only this time, nowhere near as angry.

"What happened?" Hermione asked, gently.

"What makes you think something happened?" Harry countered, avoiding her eyes.

"Oh come on," Ron said. "You're not fooling anyone. What happened?"

Harry sighed and pulled the box containing the necklace out of his pocket, tossing it on the bed.

"I tried to give this to her," he told them. Hermione reach over and picked up the box opening it.

"Wow," she breathed, showing the necklace to Ron, who was remaining silent, with some restraint. "So what's the problem?"

"She wouldn't take it," he said, miserably. "She wouldn't even tell me why, just refused to accept it. I just thought she'd like it. I guess she didn't."

Hermione was watching him and frowning. Ron was looking out the window, trying to keep his face placid and not doing very well.

"What?" Harry asked, throwing his hands in the air. "I give up. What is it I'm missing, huh? What do you guys know, that I don't? Because there's obviously something that I'm not getting!"

Hermione and Ron looked at each other and it seemed that they were communicating without speaking.

"Harry," Hermione started softly. "I'm not sure if I should be telling you this but… To Ginny, it's not just locket. You giving her something so personal like that means that you *like* like her, and I think the problem is… She's been waiting a long time for you to notice her and like her back. To her, that necklace is really important. It means you return her feelings. She doesn't think it means the same to you as it does to her, and if it doesn't, then she doesn't want it. Understand?"

Harry sat there for a minute, not saying anything, and then rose, grabbing the box. He walked towards the door, and paused.

"Why doesn't anyone ever tell me these things?" he asked over his shoulder before he left. He jogged down the stairs and walked straight to Ginny's door, which was closed.

"Ginny?" he called, knocking. She answered, obviously surprised.

"Hi Harry."

"Can I come in," he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "Sure." She moved away from the door and let him in, leaning against her desk. "So…"

He held out the box again and she blanched slightly at the sight of it.

"Harry-"

"I bought this for you," he said. "I want you to have it."

"Harry, you don't understand-"

"I understand," he interrupted, looking her in the eye with fierce determination. "I understand exactly what this means. And I still want you to have it."

She looked at the box again and took in a shaky breath. "Are you sure?" she asked quietly. He nodded again, but she still made no move to take the box, just as she hadn't before. Harry finally opened it and took the necklace out. He took a step towards her, holding it out in an offer to put it on for her. She turned and pulled her long hair over her shoulder and out of the way. He draped it around her neck and closed the clasp, after as little fumbling as possible, (How did girls close these things? They're tiny and awkward!) She turned to face him, looking him in the eye. And then he kissed her, because it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

He wasn't sure what made him do it, but once he had, he decided that it really was a shame he hadn't noticed her before, because he had never felt anything as incredible as this; it even rivaled flying. She didn't respond at first but when she did he felt like he was on fire. The way she moved her mouth under his was just right; it matched his movement perfectly.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he knew that this wasn't just kissing (not that he had any experience before), but that it was Ginny. He realized that Ginny was the one he was kissing, it was Ginny's cheek he was holding, it was Ginny's waist he had his other arm wrapped around, it was Ginny that was doing this to him. He may not have realized it at that moment, but it went deeper than just teenage hormones.

He turned his head slightly to get a better angle, but his glasses got in the way, and Ginny let a sharp cry, pulling away. She put a finger to just below her temple and looked as if she wasn't sure to laugh or cry.

"You're glasses," she explained, pulling her finger away to reveal the small scrape they had made.

"I'm really sorry," Harry said, never hating his glasses more. She smiled and they were both silent for a moment, neither one sure of what to do next.

"That was my first kiss," she said quietly, finally breaking the silence.

"Mine too," he confided. It hadn't felt like a first kiss; it felt as if they had done it a million times before, it was just so… natural.

"You better go, Ron'll be wondering what happened to you."

Harry was about to say 'You happened to me,' and insist on staying, but he obeyed; he had some things to sort out. With one last kiss on the scrap he had inflicted, he left.

Halfway down the hall, though, he stopped, walked quickly back to her door and knocked. She opened it, about to say something, but he held her chin and covered his mouth with hers, this time remembering to take his glasses first. This kiss was just as electric as the first one, and now he was sure. He did like Ginny. He just needed proof. When he pulled away, she was smiling, though a little confused.

"Goodnight," he said, not sure of what else he could say.

"Goodnight," she said, closing the door softly. He stood in the hallway, waiting for the sound of the piano he was sure to follow, but it never came. Instead, he heard some shuffling, and then the distinct sound of a quill scratching.







We got an epilogue coming after this, but I think I might take a while in getting it up. Just to tick you off! Nope, 'cause I'm busy. But we will see how they grow up and everything. Promise.



This fic has made me realize that there are a few things I will try to never do again:

1) Make a character a "wonderful writer" because everything they write must reflect the extent of my talent, and then I go back and think, man, that isn't all that great.

2) Promise a chapter I haven't planned out completely. This chapter was weak. Sorry, it was. I seem to have a problem writing three people talking to each other at the same time. Hence the skippage of the shopping day.

3) Write a story that is rushed. If it can't hold out long enough to take it's sweet time, then it shouldn't be written. (It sucks that there aren't any pre-made relationships in canon. Would make everything so much easier.)

4) Include long author's notes in a poor attempt to explain myself and be witty in the process.



Thanks:

Amanda (Hope you got the e-mail I sent you.), HarryandGinny4eva (Thanks for the review! You're #55!), Cariad, SNOWGRL, kitty (Ugh, brothers'll do that, won't they?), caramelgirl, Llynya, lil azn mystical girl, circinius (If you notice, he doesn't say he loves here in the chapter at all. I tried to make them friends first, but I don't think this fic could hold out long enough to explore the long friendship they should share first. I sped it along… maybe that wasn't so wise after all…), Ara, RogueAngel, ShellyK, Sirius B, Beccy (Yeah, I'm convince that any man like Harry in this story is pure imagination. Pfft, Let me know if you find out otherwise.), LaMe DuCk and Julie (who is on the other computer in the same room right now.)