Disclaimer: Do I look like the wonderful J.K.Rowling? Well you can't really see me can you? Trust me, I'm not her. Nor am I the Bloomsbury Publishing people, because then I'd have a multiple personality disorder….let's get to the story shall we?
Chapter two: Why Must Weasley's Blush?
Harry Potter stumbled onto his knees as he landed in the burrow. God I hate Floo Powder... Reaching around blindly for his glasses that had fallen off, he heard someone speak.
"Looking for these?" Harry felt his glasses being pressed into his palm.
"Uh, thanks." Standing up, he put his glasses on and shook some of the soot from his shirt.
"Oh, hullo Ginny, are you my welcoming party?" Harry joked, brushing himself off. Ginny's ears tinged pink; her crush on him hadn't gone away, it just lurked evilly in the background whenever she saw him.
"Well Ron's in his room, I'll get him for you, we weren't expecting you until 3."
"Sorry about that, but I couldn't stand another moment at the Dursleys' and well, the fireplace had been connected to the network an hour early, so I thought I'd come now, but if it's too much trouble I can…" Harry went on rambling for another minute before Ginny started to giggle.
"What's so funny?"
"You are! Do you honestly think that anyone in this family is going to mind you coming an hour early? Mum and Dad will be ecstatic…the wonderful Harry Potter here and all, and I daresay Ron will mind after being stuck with me for three weeks."
Ginny was beginning to remind Harry of Ron more and more. She seemed a lot different now that she'd gotten over her crush on him, in that she didn't seem pleased to see him at all.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to sound like that," said Ginny, noticing the look on Harry's face, "I really am glad to see you and all, it's just that I'll be really bored now. Ha, bored at the Burrow, not exactly a common thought is it?"
Grinning to herself, she realised that she was standing with Harry Potter, the guy who had saved her life in her first year at Hogwarts and was dead sexy, alone in her living room. Alone. With Harry Potter. She needed to say something.
"I'll go and get Ron for you."
If it had been anyone else, she would have yelled at Ron to "get his arse down here" from where she was standing, but instead she ran upstairs to Ron's room in the attic.
Knocking on the door, she turned the handle and walked into the bright orange room.
"Ron, Harry's here." Looking up from his comic book (The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle), Ron gave Ginny a puzzled look.
"I didn't think he was coming till 3, oh well!" Grinning to himself, he added, "Why didn't you just call me? Couldn't trust yourself around him?" He started to laugh at Ginny's beetroot face.
"Honestly Ron!" Glaring at him and whirling around, she smacked straight into a hard something. Looking up, she saw Harry smiling awkwardly at her.
"You okay, Ginny?" he queried.
Ginny turned a deeper shade of red, managed a feeble smile, ducked past Harry and ran down the two flights of stairs to her room. Shutting the door behind her, Ginny sank down to the floor and put her head in her hands. What did he hear? Oh Merlin, I'm such an idiot! He probably thinks I'm a complete git now!
Sobering up, Ginny got to her feet and walked over to her desk where her half finished Potions assignment lay waiting for her. Sighing, she sat down and set to work.
"Only three years of this left, then I'm free!" she cried.
"Good for you dear," her mirror mumbled.
* * * * * *
An hour and a half later, Ginny felt hungry, so she headed down stairs to the kitchen for a snack. Finding her mum bustling around the kitchen making dinner, she went to the fridge, grabbed an apple and sat down at the table.
"Why are you making dinner so early, Mum? It's only 3:30," Ginny asked, polishing the apple on her sleeve and inspecting her reflection in it carefully.
"I know dear, but we're having roast beef and I'm cooking the Muggle way to make Harry feel at home." Mrs. Weasley's face was flushed from sticking her head inside the oven.
"But Mum, it still tastes the same," protested Ginny, taking a bite out of her apple. "And they practically starve him, so I doubt this'll jog any memories of life at the Dursleys."
"I know Gin, but it's the principle of the thing," replied Mrs Weasley, ignoring her daughter's last comment.
"Umm, okay, listen, I'm going to go for a walk, I'll be back in about an hour, all right?" Ginny said, getting up from the table.
"Sorry? Oh yes dear, that's fine, don't get lost," Mrs. Weasley said, distracted as she fished her wand out of the pot of gravy.
"I highly doubt that'll happen, bye!" And with that, Ginny headed out into the garden. Looking up at the hot sun, Ginny changed her mind. Running back inside, she called to her mum.
"I'm going for a swim at the lake instead!"
"All right, and do be careful," her mother called out to her.
Ginny went upstairs and got changed into her new two-piece bikini. She was glad she couldn't receive hand-me-down bathers. It was an orange boob tube with flames painted on, and plain orange bather short shorts. Grabbing a towel, she went back downstairs to find Ron and Harry seated at the kitchen table, Harry's mouth hanging open. Ginny smiled to herself, Gotta love Muggle bathers...
"Where are you going?" Ron said suspiciously.
"Gee, I thought I might go skiing, Ron," said Ginny sarcastically.
"Well hang on, Harry and I'll come with you, wanna go for a swim?" But Harry's jaw was still hanging open. "Earth to Harry, quit perving on my sister!"
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, sure," mumbled Harry turning a nice shade of pink to match Ginny's face. Ron dragged Harry upstairs where they got changed. Appearing downstairs a few minutes later, the three of them walked to the lake. Ron ran ahead and jumped in like a lunatic, with Harry wading in cautiously after him.
Ginny walked over to one of the big flat rocks near the waters edge and put her towel down. Flicking her long wavy hair behind her, she lay down on her towel and shut her eyes, listening to her brother and Harry splash around like a pair of apes.
* * * * * *
Harry waded in after Ron, half wanting to stay with Ginny. Looking up at her, he saw her gently place her towel on a nearby rock, and then her long red hair caught the sunlight as she neatly lay down on the waiting towel. She was so beautiful… Beautiful?! Oh God, I can't think of her like that! Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he got a face full of water from Ron.
"Would you quit staring at her? Or take a picture, it'll last longer!"
Splashing Ron back, Harry defended himself, "I wasn't staring at Ginny; it was, uh, the tree. I've never seen one like it!" Harry mentally smacked himself as soon as the words left his mouth.
"A pine tree? You've got to get out more, try the other one!" Ron splashed Harry again, causing a water fight between the two lads.
After it subsided, Harry and Ron lay back and floated on the surface of the lake, when Ron suddenly sat up, a mischievous look on his face. Tugging on Harry's leg, Ron pulled his friend closer so he could whisper in his ear.
"Ginny's looking peaceful isn't she? A little too peaceful for my liking." Ron snickered.
"Ron, what are you on about?"
Ron simply put a finger to his lips and motioned for Harry to watch. Silently paddling up to Ginny's rock, he turned to Harry and grinned.
Oh no, thought Harry, that man's crazy, does he have a death wish or something?
Ron held up three fingers, put one down, then another, then…
"ARGHHH!!!" Ginny jumped up from her towel as she was drenched in water.
"Gotcha!" Ron hollered, while he swam for his life.
"Ronald Weasley, you'll pay for that!!!" yelled the angry red head at the rapidly retreating figure of her brother. Ginny dived in off the rock and sped through the water, but was so worked up that she breathed in when she should have exhaled and ended up with a mouthful of water.
Harry saw all of this and paddled over to where she was.
By the time Harry got there though, Ginny was perfectly fine and beginning to cool off.
"You okay, Ginny? Sorry, I already asked you that," Ginny looked puzzled. "You know, earlier? In Ron's room?" Ginny remembered all too well.
"Oh," Ginny's cheeks turned pink as she ducked her head under the water to smooth her hair back. By the time she came back up, her face was back to normal. Ginny tried to reply casually. "Fine thanks."
Damn right you are! Harry mentally slapped himself again. "You're quite a swimmer."
Ginny smiled shyly. "Thanks, I get loads of practise chasing Ron." She laughed.
"So you're not mad at him?" Harry asked.
"Nah, not really, I'll just pretend for a couple more minutes. It's quite fun actually."
Harry gave Ginny a smile that'd send any girl crazy.
"Oh, well, um," Ginny was struggling to reply to such a smile, "I'm gonna go get Ron."
"Don't drown!" he called out, half joking, half concerned.
Half an hour later, Ron, Ginny and Harry headed back to the Burrow, Ron, however, was sporting emerald green ears.
* * * * * *
wow I got reviews!!! Thankyou to all (four) of you!
GinnyPotter08: this ok for you?
Mysty: I'm afraid to say I have no plans for Wharayew to come back, but if there's enough demand, who knows! :P
And one last thankyou for my wonderful beta, JamieBell who mad this chapter as cool as it is (if it were cool at least…) and shared with me the wonderful knowledge of bold and italics!
Nessie8