A/N: Here are the last two chapters and the epilogue. They've not been
beta'd yet, but I figured you'd waited long enough. They will be being
beta'd soon!
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"Do you want me to go and tell the house elves what we want for dinner?" Ginny asked. Hermione didn't look as though she'd ever sit up, away from Ron's arms that were currently around her waist, as she read to him.
"Please," Hermione told her gratefully. "We're in the middle of a good bit."
"The whole book's a good bit," Ron said, but he couldn't repress a snigger.
"Oh, stop it, there's a really good chapter next. You'll like that one."
"Alright then. I'll believe you, like I do about this one."
"It's the chapter when he gets the girl! It's ever so sweet," Ginny pointed out. It was her book that she'd lent them - it had just kept reminding her of them anyway.
"Now there's something I can identify with!" Ron sounded cheerful. "Hurry up and lets get to the next chapter then."
"I'm going to go to the library and do my Potions homework after I've seen the House Elves," Ginny said, picking up her books from the floor. "Bye, you two; bye, Harry!" She waved at him and then disappeared down the stairs.
"It's cute, isn't it?" Hermione said, her head on one side thoughtfully.
"Yeah, it is. Just boring. But the next chapter sounds much more fun."
"Silly, I didn't mean the book. I meant Ginny and Harry."
"Oh, that. I don't know what the big deal is about really." Ron sounded nonchalant.
"Oh, Ron! Don't hide your romantic side. Can't you see they're made for each other?" Hermione laughed at him.
"I suppose so."
Hermione said nothing, but turned to look at him, raised eyebrows.
Ron sighed. "It's just. I don't know, she's my sister. And Harry's. Harry."
"And?"
"Ginny's like, eight or something."
"Ron, she's fourteen." Hermione smiled.
"Yeah, but it doesn't seem it."
"She has to grow up someday, and besides, wouldn't you rather it was good old Harry, and not Draco Malfoy or Crabbe or Goyle or something?"
"Oh, I don't know. I suppose you're right. It's just weird." Ron gave a little shudder for effect.
"Didn't you think the idea of us together was weird once?"
"Yeah. I did. Alright, I give in. You are right, as ever, Miss Know-it- all." He squeezed her tighter and grinned.
Hermione grinned. "Anyway, shall we read on?"
***
A week now, Ginny considered as she hurried down the stairs. A week, and Ron and Hermione were still acting inseparable and overwhelmed. That's the way a relationship should be, of course. Ginny had firm hopes that this would be how it was for Harry and her one day. She remembered the smile on his face earlier, as she'd spoken to him, and hoped again that he hadn't been consciously listening. It was so easy, when talking to peaceful Harry, to just keep going and not stop at all. All her thoughts would spill out before she'd even acknowledged them, and she'd only realise too late.
When she looked at Harry, and watched him smile, she had a funny sensation inside and a hope that maybe, possibly, he was thinking about her. She knew that one day he'd be in love with her, and she couldn't explain how she knew, but she also had an idea that she mustn't push things. Rushing things could ruin the whole would-be relationship: if Harry hadn't come to the realisations of 'one day' that she had, it could put him off the idea. But it was so hard, she felt, to judge the right time. What if they just let it go straight past and miss them completely?
But it was feeling right now. More right every day. Every time she saw Ron and Hermione smile at one another, blow kisses at each other despite the fact they were only a few paces apart, offer to fetch things for one another. she knew that that was what she wanted. The more she observed, the more she felt she understood it, and then everything would come down to Harry's peaceful enigmatic smile and the knowledge that he probably knew everything she was thinking, while she knew none of what was in his mind.
Except that he was happy. And that was enough, for now.
***
Ron jumped off his bed and skidded across the floor, coming to a stop on his knees by Harry's bed. His manoeuvre was disrupted by a dress of Ginny's lying carelessly across the floor, and he pulled it out from underneath him in annoyance.
"Really, you'd think Ginny could leave things on her bit of floor, wouldn't you?" He commented to Harry, as he threw the dress neatly across the room onto Ginny's bed. "Now, wait - I know what you're thinking, and yes, those are Hermione's books all over my bed. But that's different. She's my girlfriend." He sighed, and leaned back so that he was lying on the floor. "My girlfriend!"
"So, you lost the bet," he was reminded. "Serves you right for betting on me and Hermione anyway. But I can't see why you thought we wouldn't get together. I mean, we're made for each other. And everyone says it was obvious all along. Just didn't want to rush things," he confided. "Love's delicate and all that. And there's this really weird thing called denial. But I guess you'll learn all about that when you and Ginny get it together, won't you? Oh, I'm sorry, mate, but earlier Fred and George wrote and asked if I wanted to bet on you and Ginny. So I did. Earlier, I was thinking that it was all a bit weird but then Hermione changed my mind. Oh, but if I win," he added. "I'll give you half. Fair's fair."
He was sure Harry would think this was a fair deal, and besides, he didn't have a chance to say no.
"I don't know where the girls are," Ron reflected, gloomily. "They've gone all girlie on me. Some kind of girlie talk. Ginny keeps asking all these questions about fainting and blushing and swooning and all those things in romance novels. And earlier, I'm sure I heard her ask Hermione something about tongues." He rolled his eyes. "Really."
---------------
"Do you want me to go and tell the house elves what we want for dinner?" Ginny asked. Hermione didn't look as though she'd ever sit up, away from Ron's arms that were currently around her waist, as she read to him.
"Please," Hermione told her gratefully. "We're in the middle of a good bit."
"The whole book's a good bit," Ron said, but he couldn't repress a snigger.
"Oh, stop it, there's a really good chapter next. You'll like that one."
"Alright then. I'll believe you, like I do about this one."
"It's the chapter when he gets the girl! It's ever so sweet," Ginny pointed out. It was her book that she'd lent them - it had just kept reminding her of them anyway.
"Now there's something I can identify with!" Ron sounded cheerful. "Hurry up and lets get to the next chapter then."
"I'm going to go to the library and do my Potions homework after I've seen the House Elves," Ginny said, picking up her books from the floor. "Bye, you two; bye, Harry!" She waved at him and then disappeared down the stairs.
"It's cute, isn't it?" Hermione said, her head on one side thoughtfully.
"Yeah, it is. Just boring. But the next chapter sounds much more fun."
"Silly, I didn't mean the book. I meant Ginny and Harry."
"Oh, that. I don't know what the big deal is about really." Ron sounded nonchalant.
"Oh, Ron! Don't hide your romantic side. Can't you see they're made for each other?" Hermione laughed at him.
"I suppose so."
Hermione said nothing, but turned to look at him, raised eyebrows.
Ron sighed. "It's just. I don't know, she's my sister. And Harry's. Harry."
"And?"
"Ginny's like, eight or something."
"Ron, she's fourteen." Hermione smiled.
"Yeah, but it doesn't seem it."
"She has to grow up someday, and besides, wouldn't you rather it was good old Harry, and not Draco Malfoy or Crabbe or Goyle or something?"
"Oh, I don't know. I suppose you're right. It's just weird." Ron gave a little shudder for effect.
"Didn't you think the idea of us together was weird once?"
"Yeah. I did. Alright, I give in. You are right, as ever, Miss Know-it- all." He squeezed her tighter and grinned.
Hermione grinned. "Anyway, shall we read on?"
***
A week now, Ginny considered as she hurried down the stairs. A week, and Ron and Hermione were still acting inseparable and overwhelmed. That's the way a relationship should be, of course. Ginny had firm hopes that this would be how it was for Harry and her one day. She remembered the smile on his face earlier, as she'd spoken to him, and hoped again that he hadn't been consciously listening. It was so easy, when talking to peaceful Harry, to just keep going and not stop at all. All her thoughts would spill out before she'd even acknowledged them, and she'd only realise too late.
When she looked at Harry, and watched him smile, she had a funny sensation inside and a hope that maybe, possibly, he was thinking about her. She knew that one day he'd be in love with her, and she couldn't explain how she knew, but she also had an idea that she mustn't push things. Rushing things could ruin the whole would-be relationship: if Harry hadn't come to the realisations of 'one day' that she had, it could put him off the idea. But it was so hard, she felt, to judge the right time. What if they just let it go straight past and miss them completely?
But it was feeling right now. More right every day. Every time she saw Ron and Hermione smile at one another, blow kisses at each other despite the fact they were only a few paces apart, offer to fetch things for one another. she knew that that was what she wanted. The more she observed, the more she felt she understood it, and then everything would come down to Harry's peaceful enigmatic smile and the knowledge that he probably knew everything she was thinking, while she knew none of what was in his mind.
Except that he was happy. And that was enough, for now.
***
Ron jumped off his bed and skidded across the floor, coming to a stop on his knees by Harry's bed. His manoeuvre was disrupted by a dress of Ginny's lying carelessly across the floor, and he pulled it out from underneath him in annoyance.
"Really, you'd think Ginny could leave things on her bit of floor, wouldn't you?" He commented to Harry, as he threw the dress neatly across the room onto Ginny's bed. "Now, wait - I know what you're thinking, and yes, those are Hermione's books all over my bed. But that's different. She's my girlfriend." He sighed, and leaned back so that he was lying on the floor. "My girlfriend!"
"So, you lost the bet," he was reminded. "Serves you right for betting on me and Hermione anyway. But I can't see why you thought we wouldn't get together. I mean, we're made for each other. And everyone says it was obvious all along. Just didn't want to rush things," he confided. "Love's delicate and all that. And there's this really weird thing called denial. But I guess you'll learn all about that when you and Ginny get it together, won't you? Oh, I'm sorry, mate, but earlier Fred and George wrote and asked if I wanted to bet on you and Ginny. So I did. Earlier, I was thinking that it was all a bit weird but then Hermione changed my mind. Oh, but if I win," he added. "I'll give you half. Fair's fair."
He was sure Harry would think this was a fair deal, and besides, he didn't have a chance to say no.
"I don't know where the girls are," Ron reflected, gloomily. "They've gone all girlie on me. Some kind of girlie talk. Ginny keeps asking all these questions about fainting and blushing and swooning and all those things in romance novels. And earlier, I'm sure I heard her ask Hermione something about tongues." He rolled his eyes. "Really."
