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Chapter 42--LAST CHAPTER

Ginny and Harry realized that Ron, Dean, and Draco were almost finished with their project presentation, so they went back to the tables to find Mr. Weasley clapping and Snape looking grim as usual.

"Genius! That's year seven level work! I couldn't have done a better job at your age!" Mr. Weasley praised. "Severus, didn't you think it was brilliant?"

"Decent job on your painted macaroni diagram, Mr. Malfoy," said Snape. "Though you will be graded at the start of term when you present it to your class."

The three glowered, though Draco looked pleased with the compliment.

"Severus, don't you think you should give them an initial grade so they will know whether to improve their project or not--even though I don't think it needs any improvement," Mr. Weasley suggested.

"Fine, I will just jot some notes down," Snape said irately. Mr. Weasley handed him some leftover wrapping paper and a bent quill. Snape took it and was about to write on it when he paused and stared at it for a few seconds.

Ginny noticed that Snape was observing the paper from the gift she gave to Harry, and then she remembered the note. The silly poem Ginny wrote for Harry and slipped in his gift. Harry must have not noticed it.

"Well, what is this?" Snape asked with interest. Ginny was a brave girl and would have told him to give it back, but she was in shock and words couldn't escape her mouth.

"What are you talking about, Severus?" Mr. Weasley asked with a different tone of interest.

Ginny knew Snape was going to read it aloud. Stop him! Stop him, now!, she thought. "It's mine! Give it back!" she yelled. No, I shouldn't have told him that!

"Oh, it seems as if it came from you, but you addressed to some one else. Who then?" Snape answered coolly. Ginny came closer and tried to snatch it but he held it high so she couldn't get to it. She gave him a glare that read, You know who, now please just let go.

"Severus, if it belongs to my daughter then--" Mr. Weasley started, but got cut off.

"Roses are red, potions are dumb--I didn't know you felt that way, Miss Weasley," Snape began to recite.

"I wrote it for my cat Lola!" Ginny tried to convince him but Snape just laugh. Draco smirked and wanted to hear more. The rest looked confused.

"Oh, so I should believe that you like to express your feelings toward your pet by writing poems?" Snape asked rhetorically, and continued the poem, "You should know, you're my only one, love Ginny."

Mr. Weasley wanted to know as much of the rest of them what the meaning of the poem was, but his daughter's feelings came first. "Severus, if you are going to act that way towards MY family in MY house, then I am going to ask you to leave--NO! Order you to leave! All you've shown since you arrived has been displeasure!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "Now go!"

Snape shrugged and tried to hide any guilt he may have had. "Very well, then," he said. "I will have to take Mr. Malfoy as his mother trusted me to care for him." He departed from the scene, and Ginny was sure she wouldn't have to see his sour face until the start of term. The fact that Draco was leaving was the icing on the cake.

"If you would excuse me, I need to get some rest," said Mr. Weasley, still shaken with fury. He went into the house and left Ginny alone with Harry, Ron, and Dean.

Though things got better with Snape and Draco Malfoy leaving, she was sure she embarrassed Harry, and worse was that, Dean and Ron would find out about them.

"What was that all about, Gin?" Dean asked. "You did write it for your cat, didn't you? I know you really like furry things."

Ginny didn't answer. She looked at Harry who obviously knew who the note was for. He looked awkward and embarrassed and didn't know what to say either.

Ron's mind suddenly clicked. "It wasn't for Lola! Ginny, you're not five! It was, it was for Harry! He wouldn't love a traitor! Would you, Harry?"

Harry put brushed his hand over the back of his head. "Well, let's see, I--"

"But Ginny is my girlfriend!" Dean asserted. "You don't have to write stupid poems to get me to say, 'I love you' back, Ginny."

Harry seemed angered by that statement. "It wasn't a stupid poem, and she didn't write for you!"

"Harry, what are you saying?" Ron demanded heatedly. "Are you taking her seriously?"

"Who was the poem for, Ginny?" Dean demanded with more significance in his voice.

"It was," Ginny answered, looking at her feet, "for Harry."

The expression on Ron's face read, I knew it, but he seemed very aggravated. Dean's jaw dropped and started to pull off a red woven bracelet from his wrist.

"Then what's this about, Ginny?" he said as he pulled it off. Ginny made it for him when they started going out. She also made one for Michael Corner when she started to see him.

"A friendship bracelet," she said matter-of-factly.

"I don't know what your problem is, Ginny, but you're wasting your time," said Ron.

"She didn't waste her time, it was a good poem!" said Harry. "Ginny, I love you too!"

Dean was shocked by that comment as well, but not half as much then before. He didn't seem as angry as Ron did.

"Harry, you can't love her! Do you remember what she did? She tricked us! She spied on us! She's a disgrace to the name Weasley!" Ron exclaimed with much rage.

"Ron, I'm not!" said Ginny with a choke.

"Shut-up, Ginny! You have no excuse for what you did!" said Ron.

"Ron, listen to her! You haven't listened to anyone but yourself! How can you assume something if you don't know the facts or explanation?" said Harry. "She's not Percy! I know she would never turn her back on the family! Now get over yourself!"

"But she betrayed you. She betrayed me," Ron said weakly, almost giving in.

"Ron, I didn't mean any harm. I never meant to turn anything against you or screw you over. Plus you would have done the same thing if you were in my situation. If you had an ugly pimple on your nose, and Hermione came over, and the only way you could see her without embarrassing yourself was to spy on her," Ginny reasoned, pulling herself together as Ron went pink when she mentioned Hermione. "Now, as Harry said, I'm not Percy. I love my family and you're my brother. I wouldn't betray you for all the gold at Gringotts." It almost seemed like an hour before she could get a reply back from Ron.

"You're right," Ron said so quietly, almost like a whisper. "I overreacted the whole time. I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm sorry, Harry. Sorry, too Dean."

"It's cool. I guess I can understand. You're all good friends," said Dean, not as bitterly as before, and he put emphasis on the word 'friends'.

Ginny smiled. If Hermione had been there, she'd be in tears.

Ron smiled as well, and obviously trying not let the subject of Hermione come up, he asked, "Now, when did all this happen?"

"Oh, it's a long story," said Ginny. She then heard her mother call from a window.

"You children are being too loud! It's late, and you have a lot of packing to do tomorrow!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked. Ginny would be leaving the next night with Ron and Harry to go with Hermione and visit her house in Muggle London.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning," she said to Harry, and kissed him on the cheek, yet near his lips. She then turned to Dean and said the same, but no kiss. And she was going to repeat it to Ron, but she gave him a big hug. "I'm so glad to have my brother back."

Ginny went to her room, and found Hermione sprawled there on her bed with her mouth open and drooling slightly. Ginny laughed and decided to tell her everything tomorrow. She then remembered the Auralily that Harry preserved for her and thought she misplaced until she checked her back pocket. I'm so glad I didn't sit anywhere! She took it and placed it in a special box in her top drawer. I'll look at it again on my birthday. She didn't want to spoil the magic.

Ginny yawned and was about to go to sleep--though on the floor since Hermione stole her bed again, but she heard a knock on the door. She opened it and was so glad to see for at least one final time that night. "Hi, what's up--" she began to say but Harry didn't let her finish when he grabbed her waist and kissed her deeply on the lips.

"My birthday didn't seem complete, but now I'm satisfied," he said when he pulled away slowly. "See you in the morning."

"Don't leave!" she said. Ginny wanted to say something romantic that told him that she longed till that moment to see him again as if it came from Shakespeare or something, but all she could say was, "Thanks!"

"Your poem; I feel the same way. I mean potions are dumb," Harry said with a grin.

Ginny smiled slightly, still embarrassed by what she wrote. "Yeah, I know."

"But even more so, I love you," he said for the second time.

How do you compete with that? Ginny wanted to say, 'I love you more!' but that seemed annoying and childish. Still embraced in his arms, she went with, "I love you, too, and that's an understatement."

Harry kissed her again, but softly. "It's past midnight. The Auralillies would have gone away by now."

"Yeah, so?" Ginny asked quietly. She would whip out the one she had in her drawer just for him.

"Well, I feel like I'm cheating, just holding you right now."

The End.

A/N: Stay tuned for new stories and a possible sequel--told in Hermione's point of view when they go to her Muggle neighborhood!