Harry sat alone at the Gryffindor table, staring gloomily at his supper, not feeling remotely hungry. If anything, he felt sick. He's spent the whole day beating himself up internally for what had almost happened the previous day during that Slytherin-Hufflepuff match. He still couldn't believe it – he had actually tried kissing Ginny, tried taking advantage of her when she was at her most vulnerable and needed his support the most. And the worst part of it is, he would have done it too, had the game not ended when it did, and then what would have happened? What was he thinking? What kind of a lowlife had he become? He'd never tried kissing a girl in his life, why did he have to pick on Ginny to start? I don't deserve to be in Gryffindor, he thought bitterly as he glanced down the busy Gryffindor table, which was full of the bustle and happy chatter of his classmates, which so strongly contrasted his own feelings. I don't even deserve to live…

Hey whoa whoa whoa whoa! Wait a minute! The defence spoke up. What are you talking about? You didn't try kissing her because you'd suddenly turned evil. You weren't exactly thinking "hmm, Ron's ickle sister's all upset, let's see how much I can hurt her even more!" You weren't thinking, you were entranced…one look into her eyes and your mind went completely blank. You were doing what her eyes were telling you – you discovered what a beauty she was –inside and out – and your heart just took control…

Hold it, what are you saying here? The prosecution side of Harry's brain demanded. That what? That you're in love with Ginny or something? Because that's impossible, you know it is. She's your best friend's little sister! You can't love her. It's like…like incest. You're like family to her. People don't just suddenly fall for their friends' sisters. Besides, what exactly was it that you discovered about her yesterday anyway? That she was pretty? That's hardly a reason to go getting any ideas and blaming Ginny for what you almost did to her. Get a grip! Everyone grows up, why should Ginny be any exception? Why haven't you grown up yet, that's what I'd like to know!

Harry's defence side was just arguing that he knows that he discovered a lot more about Ginny yesterday than just her looks, when a shadow fell over him. Looking up, Harry felt the guilty knot in his stomach tighten itself painfully.

Standing opposite him, her soft delicate-looking hands clutching the back of the empty chair opposite him, was Ginny. Miserable and mortified though he was, Harry couldn't help marvelling subconsciously at the beautiful glint of her ice-white teeth as she smiled at him or at the twinkle of her astonishing brown eyes, or the way her very long red hair flowed smoothly down wither side of her neck, sliding magnificently over the bump of her chest. But his remorse returned as he shook off the brief trance and remembered the last time he'd noticed these things and what his realisation had almost driven him to do.

"Good evening, Harry," Ginny said pleasantly, and Harry wondered whether she was trying to torture him, acting so calmly while he was so eaten up with self-disgust.

"Hi Ginny," Harry replied uncertainly, then, before he could stop himself blurted, "how are you? After yesterday, I mean?"

His stomach was now writhing so violently, he felt he might be sick.

"Oh, I'm fine, really," she replied good-naturedly, and she looked it too. "I'm completely over Dean now. I'm starting to enjoy life again."

Perhaps he'd been moving towards her so slowly yesterday she hadn't noticed what he was doing, Harry thought hopefully, though something in her eye told him not to relax just yet.

"D'you mind if I…?" Ginny indicated the chair she was gripping, and Harry replied that he didn't mind at all with perhaps a little more enthusiasm than was necessary. Ginny smiled graciously and seated herself opposite Harry.

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" she asked, taking the bowl of potatoes and applying some to her plate. "Wait, don't tell me! Hermione's on her prefect duties and Ron…..is………..probably in detention again. Which teacher was it this time?"

"Trelawney," Harry grinned. "After three years, she finally cracked on Thursday night, so he'll be spending the evening polishing the exterior shell of her 'infinite crystalline orbs.'"

Ginny laughed. "Well, that's something I could have predicted without a lump of soggy tea-leaves!"

As their laughter faded, Harry watched Ginny start on her supper with semiconscious admiration. A few moments later, Ginny broke the silence.

"Harry, could you please pass me the -?"

"The steak?" Harry offered quickly, eager to be helpful, but faltered as a look of revulsion crossed Ginny's pretty face.

"Urgh, no thanks, Harry, I'm vegetarian," she said, staring at the plate of meat in Harry's proposing hands with disgust. "No, I meant the jug…"

"You're vegetarian?" Harry echoed in amazement as he put the steak down and handed her the heavy glass jug of pumpkin juice. "how come?"

"I was born an animal lover," Ginny shrugged simply. "I've never seen the justice in killing animals to feed human stomachs. I mean, it's not like we depend on them to survive! I haven't eaten meat for nine years and I'm perfectly healthy!" (Very healthy, Harry thought) "I'll never understand people like Hagrid – love animals but still eat stoat sandwiches by the kilo. It's disgusting the way people use animals for their own selfish benefits. These poor creatures have feelings and families and lives…they've got the right to live like everyone else. They're defenceless, too. Personally, I think killing a chicken or a cow or even a fish is just as bad as slaying a unicorn. I don't know why people make the distinction."

"And when exactly did you drop this whole meat thing?" Harry asked, fascinated.

"Well, Charlie was the first to turn vegetarian because he loves animals too, and I always thought of becoming one too, except I was worried…then when I was six George told me exactly how my sausages were made in the middle of a family barbecue, and I just decided – that's it for me. I can't eat this stuff anymore. It's too…cruel. Too inexcusable. I haven't touched meat or fish since."

Harry thought about this while Ginny continued eating. If he was honest with himself, he'd always felt like could relate to animals, whether he'd realised it or not. Now that he thought about it, he used to like the spiders in his under-stairs cupboard during his first ten years in Privet Drive. He used to talk to them when he felt lonely, pretending they could understand him. He was so ecstatic when Hagrid bought him Hedwig, he could hardly string the words together to thank him, and somehow he didn't think the only reason he'd sympathised with that Brazilian boa constrictor was because he could speak the language. In fact, apart from Blast-Ended Skrewts and one or two other animals Hagrid would consider harmless, Harry really liked animals. Ginny's theory made perfect sense to him and as he stared at the plate of steak he'd offered her and thought of what had gone into its making, he had to admit the idea revolted him too. He supposed he'd never really given his food much of a thought, really. He just ate it and was grateful for it…but if he could get by without meat…He glanced over at Ginny. It would be just the sort of thing she'd do, drop a carnivorous menu out of sympathy for other living creatures. She was sweet and caring and gentle… this attitude towards animal protein only made him admire her more.

"Is it easy becoming vegetarian?" Harry asked eventually, as Ginny finished the last of her mushroom pie.

"Nothing to it!" Ginny smiled reassuringly. "Even Muggles have proper meat substitutes that preserve the taste and everything, but with magic you can keep the taste and texture and everything. It's not all munching lettuce leaves an cabbages, like people make it out to be. Why d'you ask? Are you thinking of giving it a go?"

"I think you've pretty much persuaded me," Harry smiled, sending the plate of steak whizzing down to the far end of the table with a quick Banishing Charm.

Ginny's eyes widened and she gave him a very warm smile that made his heart go hyper.

"Wow, Harry, I'm really impressed!" and she looked it too. "Good for you! You'll feel so much better about yourself, believe me! I always knew you had a good heart, Harry."

They both blushed for a moment and avoided each other's eyes at these words and Ginny finished her meal in silence, Harry watching her with growing adoration. There was something about her he couldn't quite put into words, something about her twinkling eyes, her delicate gentility and sweetness, something that made Harry wonder if maybe, just maybe he wasn't beginning to feel the first symptoms of lo-

"It's been great chatting to you, Harry," Ginny said, interrupting his thoughts as she stood up. "I'll see you around."

"Ginny, wait!" Harry blurted quickly, taking himself by as much surprise as he did her.

He knew shouldn't be spending time with her, knew that the more he was alone with her the more his feelings were likely to grow, and the harder it would be to get out of this mess of emotions. He knew that he should never love Ginny in any way other than just a friend of her family because of the close family-like relations they'd been brought up on… but at that moment, he considered none of these problems. The only thought lodged in his mind was…

"Would you like to go for a walk?" he offered recklessly. "If you've got nothing else planned for the evening, that is," he added quickly, "because if you do have other plans or if you don't and you don't want to come anyway, I'd completely understand and please don't feel obliged to if you don't wa-"

But Ginny's eyes sparkled as her mouth opened in a smile of pure delight, which dazzled Harry into silence.

"Sure, I'd love to! That's a wonderful idea!"

Harry's heart gave a huge bound, as though it had bounced onto a powerful trampoline and forgot the way down.

"Really?"

"Really really!"

Harry grinned as he got to his feet and walked with Ginny down the long House table to the double-doors leading to the Entrance Hall, unable to believe his luck and completely ignoring the busy debate that had broken out in his mental courtroom about whether he should be doing this or not.

Somehow, being with Ginny just made anything else seem so irrelevant…

A/N Short chapter by my standards. I intended this to be really long but because of my school pressure and stuff, I've had to split it into two parts. Their walk in the next chapter will be kind of like a chapter two – part two. Get it? So this was part one and next would be………you get it! we both have layers!

About the vegetarianism, well, I always imagined Ginny as an animal lover because she cared about Mrs Norris when she was Petrified and besides, I am veggie, and I've been veggie for nine years for the reasons listed above and I just wanted to get my point across. If anyone's got a problem with that, well, keep it to yourselves. Don't mean to be nasty, but I get enough stick from the people around me and I don't want my darling reviewers to start too! And speaking or reviews……ahem! Hint hint!

Chapter three – well, chapter two part two, will be up….whenever. Need I beg once more for reviews or worship those kind souls who did?