Chapter 5 - Third Time Lucky
When Ginny awoke the next morning, the memories of the previous night flooded back to her. Harry, caring about her, holding her, Ron. Even thinking Ron's name made her boil with anger. What right did he have to say who she or Harry could or couldn't date? If it was up to Ron, she knew she would end up a virgin spinster. What was his problem? But she didn't care anymore. The only person who mattered at the moment was Harry. He had to know how she felt. He probably already knew, but he needed to know how deeply she cared for him. He needed to know that she didn't care what Ron thought. Little did she know, Harry was thinking exactly the same thing.
Ginny went down to breakfast. She was a little surprised to see that Harry was going downstairs as well, and he was just a floor below her. She ran after him. When she caught up with Harry, she whispered in his ear,
"Harry, can I talk to you in the hall?" He nodded and followed her out. He turned to face her, and looked at her expectantly. Telling him suddenly seemed a lot harder now that he was in front of her. It was a little different from how she had been practising. She made a small squeak, but no words came out.
"What's up, Gin?" he asked
"I wanted to tell you something," she said, but it was barely audible. He took her hand, and squeezed it encouragingly. She found her voice
"Harry, I needed to let you know that I don't care what Ron thinks. I really, really li-,"
"Hey Ginny, and Harry," came Ron's voice from the top of the stairs, followed by Hermione. Ginny paled. Ron looked suspiciously at Harry
"What was all that about?"
"Nothing," they both said very quickly, although Harry had a fairly good idea about what she was about to say. Breakfast was tense. Harry and Ginny were sitting very close to each other, and he was whispering things into her ear, making her giggle uncontrollably. Ron was throwing malicious glares at them, not paying any attention to what Hermione was saying. Eventually, Hermione got very angry with him, and stormed out of the room. Ordinarily, Ron would have gone after her, but he decided not to leave Harry and Ginny alone in the room together.
This policy of not leaving Harry and Ginny alone in the room together stayed with Ron for the rest of the holiday, so Ginny never got the chance to tell him about her feelings for him.
Before she knew it, it was their last night at the Burrow before going back to Hogwarts. She prayed that Ron would let his guard down, but instead he raised it even further, making sure Ginny wasn't even within a couple of metres of Harry. Miserably, she went up to bed. When she had gone, Ron seemed to want to celebrate a job well done. After several butterbeers, Charlie carried him up to his room, and soon after, Harry went to his bed. He had intended on going straight to sleep, but he couldn't resist one more look at the stars, and maybe one more conversation with Ginny.
She was already waiting for him. She could barely contain her delight when she saw he was there, and he sat down beside her.
"Last night, already," he said, almost disbelievingly. She smiled "I know, it's gone so fast,"
"Which do you prefer? Here or Hogwarts?" he asked her. She thought for a minute before replying
"Probably here. I don't get homework. You prefer Hogwarts?"
"Yeah, but I take the best bits of here with me,"
"Which are?"
"You, Ron and Hermione," he said casually. She looked at him, clearly surprised.
"It's true. But I love coming here just before Hogwarts. It's like a medium between the muggle and the wizarding worlds. When I'm here I just want to forget the Dursleys and play some Quidditch, or go to Diagon Alley or just relax with you guys."
"Well, it looks like you've done everything you wanted to do here," she said,
"Well, not quite everything," he looked straight down at her and continued, "there is one more thing I was meaning to do before I left." He fixed her gaze
"What was that?" she whispered
"This," he whispered back. Very slowly, giving her every chance to pull away, he lowered his mouth towards hers. It took her a couple of seconds to realise what Harry was doing, but she certainly wasn't about to stop him. She closed her eyes, and their lips met, and the fireworks began. It was the most amazing feeling she had ever felt. Better than flying, better than Christmas, better than anything. She had shared kisses with Dean and Michael before, but she had never enjoyed anything as much as this. Harry was so gentle, but still passionate. She eagerly kissed him back, and they stayed there for a few minutes, wrapped up in each other. They broke apart but their foreheads were still touching. Harry broke the silence,
"I thought you were over me," he whispered into her lips, smiling,
"I was never over you,"
"I know," and with that, he closed the gap between them again, for another breath-taking kiss. Eventually, Harry asked
"What was it you wanted to talk to me about earlier?"
"Oh nothing, Harry. I think I just explained it to you better than I could say it." She paused for a few seconds before asking, "Harry, what about Ron?"
"What about him?"
"I mean, he isn't exactly going to be very supportive about this,"
"Don't worry about Ron. I've got him covered. Just don't take anything I say to him too seriously." Ginny looked at him, confused.
"What does that mean?" she asked. Harry smirked
"You'll see, Gin. I've got a plan, that's all."
After a few more minutes, they both went up to their own bedrooms, and, after a very long goodnight kiss, they went to sleep.
The next morning, Mrs. Weasly woke Harry up early. Ron stayed in bed for a long time, but Harry was up quickly. He went down to the kitchen, where Ginny was sitting, and greeted her with a kiss, even though her mum was watching. Mrs. Weasly burst into tears,
"Oh Harry. I was hoping you'd notice her soon. Oh it's so wonderful," and she pulled him into a hug, that nearly suffocated him. Ginny, bright red, managed to save him.
"Mum, get off him or you'll kill him before I can even go out with him." Mrs. Weasly seemed to come to her senses and apologised to Harry before busying herself with making breakfast. Ginny seemed to be dying of embarrassment. Harry pulled her into his arms,
"I was kind of expecting something like that Gin, just relax." Mrs Weasly put her hands over her heart, as if it had melted, fresh tears forming in her eyes.
After a few more minutes, Harry and Ginny were holding hands under the table when Fred and George came in. Instinctively, they dropped the hand they were holding, but Fred and George cracked identical, evil grins.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?" said Fred, still grinning. Harry and Ginny went crimson, but didn't say anything.
"Ickle Harry and Ickle Ginny are making ickle babies,"
"GEORGE!" shouted Mrs. Weasly, from the kitchen. The twins both walked up to Harry, and held out their hands
"Glad it's you, mate, or should I say brother?" Ginny blushed even darker, but Harry laughed,
"Cheers, guys," he said, shaking both their hands, but getting a small electric shock when he touched George's.
"Latest product, Harry. I suppose that, as our benefactor, we shouldn't test them on you,"
"I don't know. Family members are usually our guinea-pigs." Bill and Charlie entered the room, and George's evil grin hadn't left his face,
"So guys, when's the wedding?" he asked. Bill and Charlie looked up, interested,
"What's all this?" Bill asked
"Harry and Ginny have 'tied the knot',"
"Well not quite. But we are going out," Harry said quietly. Bill and Charlie both walked over and shook Harry's hand,
"Excellent," said Charlie, "Knew it'd happen in the end." Bill stepped in
"Superb. But Harry, even though you're our favourite choice for Ginny, all this comes with the usual older brother threat, you know." Harry raised an eyebrow
"What? If I hurt her you'll kill me?" They all nodded and Harry carried on, "Goes without saying. And don't worry. You'll have nothing to get angry about."
"Good, good. You know, that means no sex before marriage and all that stuff," said Fred, smirking wickedly.
"Well, Fred. If the rumours are true, you and Angelina were at it like rabbits during your seventh year." Fred blushed, and quickly changed the subject.
Harry and Ginny left the table, holding hands. Halfway up the stairs, they met Ron. He looked at them suspiciously, and then noticed their hands. He looked like he was about to explode.
When Ginny awoke the next morning, the memories of the previous night flooded back to her. Harry, caring about her, holding her, Ron. Even thinking Ron's name made her boil with anger. What right did he have to say who she or Harry could or couldn't date? If it was up to Ron, she knew she would end up a virgin spinster. What was his problem? But she didn't care anymore. The only person who mattered at the moment was Harry. He had to know how she felt. He probably already knew, but he needed to know how deeply she cared for him. He needed to know that she didn't care what Ron thought. Little did she know, Harry was thinking exactly the same thing.
Ginny went down to breakfast. She was a little surprised to see that Harry was going downstairs as well, and he was just a floor below her. She ran after him. When she caught up with Harry, she whispered in his ear,
"Harry, can I talk to you in the hall?" He nodded and followed her out. He turned to face her, and looked at her expectantly. Telling him suddenly seemed a lot harder now that he was in front of her. It was a little different from how she had been practising. She made a small squeak, but no words came out.
"What's up, Gin?" he asked
"I wanted to tell you something," she said, but it was barely audible. He took her hand, and squeezed it encouragingly. She found her voice
"Harry, I needed to let you know that I don't care what Ron thinks. I really, really li-,"
"Hey Ginny, and Harry," came Ron's voice from the top of the stairs, followed by Hermione. Ginny paled. Ron looked suspiciously at Harry
"What was all that about?"
"Nothing," they both said very quickly, although Harry had a fairly good idea about what she was about to say. Breakfast was tense. Harry and Ginny were sitting very close to each other, and he was whispering things into her ear, making her giggle uncontrollably. Ron was throwing malicious glares at them, not paying any attention to what Hermione was saying. Eventually, Hermione got very angry with him, and stormed out of the room. Ordinarily, Ron would have gone after her, but he decided not to leave Harry and Ginny alone in the room together.
This policy of not leaving Harry and Ginny alone in the room together stayed with Ron for the rest of the holiday, so Ginny never got the chance to tell him about her feelings for him.
Before she knew it, it was their last night at the Burrow before going back to Hogwarts. She prayed that Ron would let his guard down, but instead he raised it even further, making sure Ginny wasn't even within a couple of metres of Harry. Miserably, she went up to bed. When she had gone, Ron seemed to want to celebrate a job well done. After several butterbeers, Charlie carried him up to his room, and soon after, Harry went to his bed. He had intended on going straight to sleep, but he couldn't resist one more look at the stars, and maybe one more conversation with Ginny.
She was already waiting for him. She could barely contain her delight when she saw he was there, and he sat down beside her.
"Last night, already," he said, almost disbelievingly. She smiled "I know, it's gone so fast,"
"Which do you prefer? Here or Hogwarts?" he asked her. She thought for a minute before replying
"Probably here. I don't get homework. You prefer Hogwarts?"
"Yeah, but I take the best bits of here with me,"
"Which are?"
"You, Ron and Hermione," he said casually. She looked at him, clearly surprised.
"It's true. But I love coming here just before Hogwarts. It's like a medium between the muggle and the wizarding worlds. When I'm here I just want to forget the Dursleys and play some Quidditch, or go to Diagon Alley or just relax with you guys."
"Well, it looks like you've done everything you wanted to do here," she said,
"Well, not quite everything," he looked straight down at her and continued, "there is one more thing I was meaning to do before I left." He fixed her gaze
"What was that?" she whispered
"This," he whispered back. Very slowly, giving her every chance to pull away, he lowered his mouth towards hers. It took her a couple of seconds to realise what Harry was doing, but she certainly wasn't about to stop him. She closed her eyes, and their lips met, and the fireworks began. It was the most amazing feeling she had ever felt. Better than flying, better than Christmas, better than anything. She had shared kisses with Dean and Michael before, but she had never enjoyed anything as much as this. Harry was so gentle, but still passionate. She eagerly kissed him back, and they stayed there for a few minutes, wrapped up in each other. They broke apart but their foreheads were still touching. Harry broke the silence,
"I thought you were over me," he whispered into her lips, smiling,
"I was never over you,"
"I know," and with that, he closed the gap between them again, for another breath-taking kiss. Eventually, Harry asked
"What was it you wanted to talk to me about earlier?"
"Oh nothing, Harry. I think I just explained it to you better than I could say it." She paused for a few seconds before asking, "Harry, what about Ron?"
"What about him?"
"I mean, he isn't exactly going to be very supportive about this,"
"Don't worry about Ron. I've got him covered. Just don't take anything I say to him too seriously." Ginny looked at him, confused.
"What does that mean?" she asked. Harry smirked
"You'll see, Gin. I've got a plan, that's all."
After a few more minutes, they both went up to their own bedrooms, and, after a very long goodnight kiss, they went to sleep.
The next morning, Mrs. Weasly woke Harry up early. Ron stayed in bed for a long time, but Harry was up quickly. He went down to the kitchen, where Ginny was sitting, and greeted her with a kiss, even though her mum was watching. Mrs. Weasly burst into tears,
"Oh Harry. I was hoping you'd notice her soon. Oh it's so wonderful," and she pulled him into a hug, that nearly suffocated him. Ginny, bright red, managed to save him.
"Mum, get off him or you'll kill him before I can even go out with him." Mrs. Weasly seemed to come to her senses and apologised to Harry before busying herself with making breakfast. Ginny seemed to be dying of embarrassment. Harry pulled her into his arms,
"I was kind of expecting something like that Gin, just relax." Mrs Weasly put her hands over her heart, as if it had melted, fresh tears forming in her eyes.
After a few more minutes, Harry and Ginny were holding hands under the table when Fred and George came in. Instinctively, they dropped the hand they were holding, but Fred and George cracked identical, evil grins.
"Well, well, well. What have we here?" said Fred, still grinning. Harry and Ginny went crimson, but didn't say anything.
"Ickle Harry and Ickle Ginny are making ickle babies,"
"GEORGE!" shouted Mrs. Weasly, from the kitchen. The twins both walked up to Harry, and held out their hands
"Glad it's you, mate, or should I say brother?" Ginny blushed even darker, but Harry laughed,
"Cheers, guys," he said, shaking both their hands, but getting a small electric shock when he touched George's.
"Latest product, Harry. I suppose that, as our benefactor, we shouldn't test them on you,"
"I don't know. Family members are usually our guinea-pigs." Bill and Charlie entered the room, and George's evil grin hadn't left his face,
"So guys, when's the wedding?" he asked. Bill and Charlie looked up, interested,
"What's all this?" Bill asked
"Harry and Ginny have 'tied the knot',"
"Well not quite. But we are going out," Harry said quietly. Bill and Charlie both walked over and shook Harry's hand,
"Excellent," said Charlie, "Knew it'd happen in the end." Bill stepped in
"Superb. But Harry, even though you're our favourite choice for Ginny, all this comes with the usual older brother threat, you know." Harry raised an eyebrow
"What? If I hurt her you'll kill me?" They all nodded and Harry carried on, "Goes without saying. And don't worry. You'll have nothing to get angry about."
"Good, good. You know, that means no sex before marriage and all that stuff," said Fred, smirking wickedly.
"Well, Fred. If the rumours are true, you and Angelina were at it like rabbits during your seventh year." Fred blushed, and quickly changed the subject.
Harry and Ginny left the table, holding hands. Halfway up the stairs, they met Ron. He looked at them suspiciously, and then noticed their hands. He looked like he was about to explode.