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Ch. 4    Ginny

            Harry and Hermione arrived at the Burrow, the Weasley's home, just in time for a second breakfast. They were greeted warmly by Mrs. Weasley who stared at Harry. Out of everybody he met Molly Weasley was the most mothering person he knew. Perhaps it was the pity about his orphanage or the way in which the Dursleys had treated him. Harry liked to think of it as the matronly instinct working over time with Fred and George. Harry looked around trying to find the twins but to no avail. Ron sat at the table with Hermione and Ginny, who was looking very attractive, and Mrs. Weasley was moving comfortably around their enchanted kitchen, but the twins were no where to be seen.

            "Ron, where are Fred and George" asked Harry.

            "They are already in their lab for the day" said Mrs. Weasley icily. Harry sensed this was a sore spot. "They added a lab out in the shed for their joke shop and are out there all day every day tinkering and blowing things up. Can you believe that someone gave then One Thousand Galleons to start a joke shop! They could have joined the Ministry like their father and Percy, or gone on to work for Gringotts. But no, they had to keep up with their bloody jokes. You know this house isn't safe for anybody these days. Just yesterday I found three trick wands, one of which flooded my kitchen and instead of a regular egg for the breakfast this morning I got a joke egg where a whole chicken popped out and did a little dance then flew away. I tell you its enough to put me in an early grave. If I ever find the person who funded them I will kill them."

            Harry looked over at Ginny and winked. At least as a celebrity he had some special treatment here, this time being left out of consideration for Mrs. Weasley's hit list. Ginny blushed and stared down at her plate.

            "So, Ron, you got any plans for the day" asked Hermione.

            "Well, I was thinking of re-watching last night's quidditch game but since you blokes are here I will clean off my schedule."

            "What do you guys do for fun around here on a normal summer day" Harry wanted to know.

            "Mum usually keeps us cooped up in here with chores all day and we never see the light of day." Ron moaned as he ducked a swat from his mother.

            "We could go swimming" Ginny suggested brightly.

            "Oh no, I forgot my swimming suit" Hermione groaned.

            "That's ok hun, take the floo back to your house and bring Harry's suit back with you too" Mr. Weasley suggested.

            "Really? I can do that? I thought you had to be on the network to get in."

            "We had you added the other day when we found that Harry was staying at your place. We actually thought of sending Ron over there for a visit. We just hadn't gotten that far this summer."

            Hermione disappeared up the floo and was back in a few minutes with the swimming suits and towels as well as sunscreen.

            "I can't have us getting skin cancer now can I" she said cheerily as Ron and Harry looked at her like she had gone completely crazy.

            "Hermione" Ron groaned "You know that we can transfigure away the cancer right?"

            Hermione looked like somebody had smothered Crookshanks, then, brightened as she realized she had something new to study.

            Harry had never noticed before, but the Weasleys did have a fairly large and deep pond in their backyard. Well, calling it a back yard wouldn't quite be accurate.

            "How much property do you guys have back here" Harry asked Ron in amazement.

            "Oh, we have about 45 muggle acres, I think" Ron replied matter of factly.

            "How did you ever afford that much land" Hermione asked.

            Ron blushed "We aren't as poor as everybody makes out, its just that the house and all of this land takes up some money" Ron replied.

            "But Malfoy…" Harry wondered.

            "You believe a git like that?" Ron asked. "Besides, what pisses me off the most is that it's all a lie. I mean sure dad doesn't make as much as Mr. Malfoy, but then again he doesn't torture muggles to death does he? We just don't flaunt what we do have."

            The swimming was great. Ron taught Harry how to do flips off the improvised diving board. Ginny and Hermione lay in the sun for most of the day talking about various things, mostly Ginny's crushes on various wizards.

            Dinner was fabulous. Mrs. Weasley was one of the best human cooks Harry had ever met. Roast duck and potatoes as well as vegetables Harry had never seen and pumpkin juice to wash it all down with.

            As dinner ended Ron took Hermione to see his textbook on dragons which his brother had sent him. Hermione, always being a sucker for a good read followed along up to Ron's room leaving Ginny and Harry alone at the table.

            "Would you like to go for a walk with me Ginny" Harry asked.

            "What? Are you sure you can be seen alone with such a normal witch like me" Ginny teased.

            "Sure, as long as I don't see any more of a normal witch like you" Harry joked back as he pointedly stared at the neckline of her shirt.

            "You are so wicked Harry Potter. If the truth about you ever got out to the magical community mothers would be locking their daughters up and shooing you off with brooms."

            "I know" Harry said emphatically. "Wouldn't it be great to be able to say you went on a walk alone with the lecherous Harry Potter when you were only 14?"

            "I suppose, but no funny stuff. I most definitely will not bear your children" she winked "at least until I am graduated."

            As much as Harry had wished for a magical starlit evening for a walk, the weather was not cooperating. Harry realized that this was probably the way the "real world" worked. Clouds were moving in and there was a light breeze which reminded Harry of someone blowing a wet raspberry at him. He even felt light drops of moisture on the back of his neck. She couldn't Harry though. She wouldn't have the nerve to do that to me. Besides, she's standing right next to me? Harry realized that it was starting to rain and was embarrassed at thinking Ginny would do such a thing to him.

            "Do you want to go back inside now that it has started raining" asked Harry.

            "You give up easily then don't you?" Ginny smirked.

            "What's that supposed to mean?" Harry shot back.

            "I assumed that you'd want to talk to me about something. I haven't noticed

you walking with women just for exercise" Ginny quipped.'

She has gotten a lot more self confident and mouthy as she has aged. I guess she's more like Fred and George than Percy.

            "Well, I was wondering if, you know, what I mean is…" Harry trailed off lamely.

            "Of course I want to have sex with you Harry, but I already told you to wait till I'm out of school."

            Harry blushed a bright red and tried to continue. "What I was asking was…" Why was this so hard? He had rehearsed this a million times in his head.

            "I know what you're trying to ask stupid, and the answer is yes" Ginny toyed with him.

            "How do you know? For all you know I could have been asking you to kiss Snape!" Harry tried to defend himself.

            "You could have, but I know that you really wanted to ask me out. It was plain as day."

            "What was it that gave me away" Harry grinned.

            "Why do you want to know? I mean if you had stared at me all day I would have known and if you had avoided me all day I would have known. You boys are so transparent."

            "Damned if I do and damned if I don't is that it? Well I'll have you know missy that I had no intention of asking you out tonight but if you insist I will play along, but only because its sad to see someone with your figure and smile unattached!" Two could play this game thought Harry.

            "You, Harry Potter, are pathetic. If that makes you feel better then do what you need to do. If this is really a charity case then hold my hand on the way back." Ginny demanded, not in anger but in a mischievous spirit.

            Harry couldn't believe his luck. He knew that this was a far cry from the dinner he had imagined while eating with the Grangers, but this was a start. He wasn't really sure if the terms had been defined to his satisfaction but right now he didn't care. Even the slightest look from Ginny, his girlfriend, wow that thought hit like a ton of bricks, made him giddy and all floaty and warm. Love was a very odd experience he decided. The house was getting closer and he started to get worried about what everybody would say when they saw him. At the threshold of the door Ginny flung him around and kissed him squarely on the lips. Harry really didn't know what to do. Instinct told him to hold her and kiss back. Reason told him this was a little forward if not way too early and fear told him to pull away before Ron beat the crap out of him.