Another week later, nothing felt any different. But somehow, when Ginny opened her eyes, she felt something strange and dreamlike absorb her. It felt as though she was still asleep, but when she sat up and rubbed her eyes, it all seemed real enough. Ron and Hermione were still asleep, she noticed. They were in separate beds, but Hermione had given up her bed to Ginny and had instead taken the one on the other side of Ron. They were facing each other, as though they had fallen asleep looking at one another: Ron snoring softly, and Hermione's face hidden beneath her hair.

Ginny slipped out of bed, and stood up. She stretched, from her hands to her toes, but the strange feeling didn't disappear.

In the bathroom, she went straight to the mirror, and gazed at her reflection. She looked the same. Same long red hair, same green eyes which she'd often proudly compared to Harry's. Same delicate figure beneath her nightie. She began to brush her hair, still watching herself. There was a strange sparkle in her eyes that she hadn't really noticed before, and when she frowned, it didn't disappear.

Satisfied with her hair, Ginny put the brush down, and gave one last glance at the mirror. The feelings were forcing her lips into a smile, and somehow the girl gazing back at her in the mirror seemed to know something that she didn't. A smile that seemed to say things in a language Ginny didn't quite understand. To her surprise, she saw her reflection nod to her, and then she realised she really was nodding. A confirmation - for what?

She made her way back into the bedroom. Everyone was still sleeping. But Harry had stopped smiling.

She dropped to her knees by his side, and reached out softly, to stroke his cheek. There was still no smile. He was frowning slightly, as though he was thinking, and uncertain. He wriggled his nose as her hand brushed against it, and Ginny leaned back and watched him think. After so many weeks of sleeping, his hair was extremely ruffled and he looked like he needed a haircut. She could barely see his scar beneath the hair over his forehead.

What Ginny missed most, perhaps, if she didn't include conversation, was his eyes. She'd always loved to look at his eyes, daring herself to look for as long as she could before he caught her. Shining green, intense and complicated. Sometimes happy, sometimes troubled. And now hidden from her, beneath his eyelids and dark lashes.

As she watched, his frown softened, and his lips moved apart as if he might speak, and Ginny caught her breath. But almost as soon as it had happened, his frown reappeared. Lips paused. Hesitated.

Ginny felt her heart beat race and it felt so strong in her chest she felt as though she should collapse with the weight of it all, if it wasn't for the light-headed feeling that rushing through her. Contradicting sensations raced to her mind, and she felt breathless and dazed. She felt herself tip forward slightly, as though she really would collapse, and she gripped onto the bed to steady herself.

After that, everything came to her without her evening thinking about it. It really was the right moment. It had to be.

She felt herself lean forward, and inside she was surprised by her sudden certainty, but there was no holding back now. She stopped sitting on her feet and put all her weight on her knees. Her left hand pushed her long hair out of the way as she leant down over Harry, and felt her mouth pressed against hiss.

He stirred beneath her, and she realised that his fingers, next to her right hand on the bed, were wriggling, tentatively. She covered his hand with his, and felt a response from his lips. They moved, gently, softly, against hers, and then more firmly. His hand squeezed hers back, and she broke away, breathlessly.

She had to check, or she'd never believe her imagination. She had to see his green eyes, see what shone in them, had been hidden from her.

Harry blinked sleepily but never took his eyes from her. One hand was still under hers, and his other hand moved to his hair, as though he could sense the state it was in.

Ginny gazed back, hardly daring to believe it, and then she was suddenly distracted by a movement on the other side of the room. Hermione was pulling a stunned looking Ron from his bed, and smiling apologetically at Ginny, and then Harry. She dragged Ron across the room, who looked like he had a hundred things to say but wasn't sure how to say any of them, and then he was gone with Hermione through the door. Ginny wondered how long they'd been awake, what they'd seen, but really, it didn't matter anymore.

Like Ron, all words had suddenly escaped her. She stared stupidly at Harry, having to constantly remind herself that she wasn't dreaming, much as this moment was like countless dreams she'd had recently.

"Hello, Ginny," Harry said at last. "Can you do that again? I was half asleep the first time."

Still wordlessly, Ginny shut her eyes and leaned in again. This time, Harry's lips were firmly responsive immediately, and his other hand moved slowly to her hair, pulling it away from where it was hanging down over their kiss. Ginny felt herself shiver at the sensation of his fingers against his face, and willed all of this new tingling feeling towards the kiss. So this was it. This was the moment.

It seemed forever before they broke apart this time. When they did so, it was because her knees were aching, and she reluctantly pulled back.

"Pins and needles," she said, apologetically, and her words sounded strange in the silence she'd become accustomed to.

Harry laughed. "That's the first thing you tell me, after everything?"

Ginny stood up, rubbing some feeling into her legs. "Well, you know everything else, don't you? You were listening."

"I was listening," Harry admitted. "But nothing really seemed to. it was all like a dream. Now it's like. a different kind of dream."

"I know what you mean." She crossed her arms awkwardly, looking down at him. "Can I sit on the bed?"

He nodded. "Go on. Tell me everything that happened while I was asleep then. How long has it been?"

Ginny sat down on the edge of his bed, and smoothed her nightie over her legs. "About five weeks, I think."

"Really? It felt like ten minutes!"

She was quiet. "Maybe you don't remember everything then," she said, at last.

"Oh, I remember everything. I remember Ron and Hermione snogging all over the place. and once, she was sitting right where you are now and Ron still couldn't keep his lips off her." Harry sniggered as he remembered. "And I remember Hermione reading your letters to me, and then I remember, you were here." He looked at her and smiled. "And I remember what you told me, then."

Ginny blushed.

"But I knew it anyway, I think. It's hard to remember, everything seems hazy."

"I should tell Madam Pomfrey that you're here," Ginny said, suddenly, remembering their instructions.

"No need for that," a brisk voice said behind her, and there was Madam Pomfrey, setting her medical bag down on the other bed and pulling out a stethoscope. "Ginny, do you think you could leave us for a moment? You might confuse him, being here, and I've got some important answers." She smiled, unexpectedly warmly. "We won't be long."

"Of course." Ginny stood up quickly, and tried to remain calm. Her heart still felt heavy in her chest, and her head felt as though it wasn't there altogether. She gave Harry a quick smile, before she left.

***

Ron and Hermione were where she had expected, sitting outside on the grass eating sandwiches that they had got from the House Elves. They both looked up as she arrived, and Hermione nudged Ron.

"Hello, Ginny," she said, sounding suspiciously casual. "How are you?"

"I'm alright." Ginny sat down next to them, and leaned back onto the grass. She gazed up at the blue sky. She'd read, that when you were properly in love, everything seemed so much more beautiful and alive, but that didn't to be the case. The sky looked boring, grey-white clouds that faded into a pale blue background. Nothing seemed beautiful, in comparison to Harry. The green of the grass was dull, nothing like the sharp green of Harry's eyes.

"What are you thinking?" Ron asked her, frowning, and was nudged again by Hermione.

"I'm thinking about Harry," said Ginny, truthfully. Her fingers plucked lazily at strands of grass. She was still in her nightie, she realised, and smiled. Like it mattered.

Hermione squeezed Ron's arm hard, and tried to approach the issue tactfully. "Harry, er, looked awake," she said, and Ron rolled his eyes, nudging her this time.

"He was awake. Very awake. Madam Pomfrey's with him now."

"And you kissed him!" Ron blurted, holding Hermione's hands still with his own.

"I did," Ginny confirmed. "And he woke up."

As she sat up, she saw Ron and Hermione glance at one another, and smiled to herself. She remembered how eager she'd been to ask them questions, when she had found out about them. And now, it was her turn to have all the answers.

Ron and Hermione were having a silent conversation consisting of frantic glances and squeezed hands, a few moments later, when Harry appeared. His hand was in his hair again, still trying to flatten it, and he smiled as though he couldn't do anything but.

He approached them silently, sitting down next to Ginny, his hand finding hers on the grass. She didn't break the silence, squeezing his hand gratefully.

Hermione was smiling too, for once lost for words, and it was Ron who spoke first.

"You should've woken up ages ago," he reprimanded. "You've only got a week left before school. All the time you've wasted!"

"I know," Harry smiled ruefully. "Stupid of me really."

"I did all your homework for you," Hermione admitted, a little reluctantly.

"You did?" Ron looked indignant. "What about mine?"

"You haven't been asleep."

"No, but I've been through severe stress! Think about it: first my best friend goes and suddenly acts like he's dead - no offence, Harry, but it seemed like it - then my other best friend turns out to be secretly in love with me and once I recover from denial I nearly kill her but then save her life heroically. Then my brothers are making bets left right and centre, and then my little sister goes and falls in love with the nearly dead best friend!" He stared at Hermione, triumphant with his excuse.

"Well." said Harry, lazily. "I think that summed it all up pretty well."