The Date
Thursday, 6:15 pm"Bye Harry!" Hermione called as she rushed out the door followed closely by Angelina and Alicia. "Good luck."
"Thanks." Harry replied as he watched them go. He had no idea what he would have done without them – they had been such a huge help. Closing the door softly, he turned back to observe the changes the girls had made to his dining room.
Brightly burning candles floated magically, casting a dim glow around the room. In the centre, Harry's old kitchen table had been scrubbed, washed and polished until it shone like new. A white lace tablecloth had been gently placed over it and the table had been set for two. More candles stood in the middle and a red rose lay over each plate.
Alicia, who had developed a surprising knack for cooking, had prepared the food. She'd told Harry that all he needed to do was gently tap his wand against his plate when he was ready for the meal and the food would appear. She'd then added that when they were finished, he was to tap his plate three times as Hermione had organised a surprise for him.
Everything was set. All he needed now was Ginny.
Thursday, 6:29 pmHarry held his wand out in front of him. He was standing in his front room, the room where he hoped beyond all hope Ginny would soon appear. He watched the clock get closer and closer to 6:30. The second it did, he waved his wand and whispered the spell to activate the portkey.
It was on.
He sat down in a chair, and waited.
Thursday, 6:58 pmHarry sighed as he put his head in his hands. Two minutes, he told himself. There were still two minutes to go…
Looking back up, he wondered what he would do if she didn't come. He hadn't prepared himself for that possibility, hadn't given thought to the fact that maybe Ginny really was in love with Nick. I mean, what if she was? Who was he to try and their relationship?
6:59:00
6:59:01
6:59:02
No, he told himself firmly. Ginny wasn't in love with Nick, at least not in the way she still loved him. He'd seen in her eyes when he'd first gotten back and he'd seen in her eyes just a few hours ago at the twins shop. Besides Hermione was so sure and didn't women have some sort of intuition with this kind of stuff?
6:59:34
6:59:35
6:59:36
Harry watched the clock tick. 'Come on Ginny!' He urged. 'Come on!' Everything for the night was set, and every fibre in his being was imploring for this evening to be a success. Nervously, he watched the clock tick closer and closer
6:59:57
Oh Dear Merlin, where are you Ginny?
6:59:58
Come on, please Ginny, come on
6:59:59
Oh Ginny, where are you?
7:00:00
There's still a chance…
7:00:01
7:00:02
Harry felt the air rush out of him as if he'd been hit. 'She didn't come.' He thought weakly. How was that possible? Maybe the portkey was broken.
But no, he'd triple checked the portkey and all the other arrangements for tonight. If she wanted to be here, she would.
Putting his head into his hands, he sighed. He'd never thought she wouldn't come. He'd though for sure things would work. Now, all he felt was emptiness inside of him, an emptiness that was widening slowly with each subsequent second that passed.
She didn't come. The fact still amazed him. She was going to marry Nick and probably have a million babies. He wondered if he'd get invited to the wedding. Could he sit through the ceremony and watch the woman he loved marry another man?
Definitely not. On that note, could he even stay in London and watch Ginny live happily with Nick. Maybe he'd been too hasty in buying a house and trying to settle down. After all, what did he have going for him now? Not Ginny, who had before been his meaning, his reason for staying. Maybe he'd have to move to another country and start his life again, a life without the love he'd carried around for so long.
He sighed again and leant against the wall, closing his eyes. He'd give anything to see her again, to hear her speak his name one last time…
"Harry?" A voice, so soft it was barely audible. Soft, but still one he would recognise anywhere.
Harry snapped his head up.
In the doorway, stood Ginny. She looked like an angel, the light from outside highlighting the fiery red in her hair, making her pale skin as smooth as alabaster.
"Ginny," he breathed in surprise. "You're here. You came."
Ginny bit her lip nervously
"I…I wasn't going to." She admitted softly. "I was sitting in my room…watching the brooch, I saw it light up and…I just sat there, staring at it."
Ginny pushed herself off the doorframe and moved forward so that she was standing in front of Harry.
"I was watched the clock get to seven, then pass it and for a second, I didn't feel anything…then all of a sudden I realised what I was throwing away…and I thought it was too late, I was in a panic and I grabbed the brooch and nothing happened. It had been deactivated. I was so upset and I just kept thinking how I wished I'd taken it when I had the chance. Then all of a sudden, I outside your house."
Ginny held out the brooch to Harry who took it into his own hands.
"I…I don't know why it worked, I just know it did."
"Penuria Quaero." Harry whispered in awe.
Ginny looked at him strangely, "What?"
"Penuria Quaero." Harry repeated. "Hermione told me about it. It's a form of ancient magic based around pure love. If your heart wants something because of love, true, deep love, then the heart can pool together enough magic to make it happen. I don't know the specifics of how it works, but the love has to be incredibly strong for it to occur."
Harry looked back up at Ginny who had knelt in front of him. "In fact, the love has to be the type that bonds two people together forever. Love that you only feel for one other person – your soul mate. I know, because that's what I used to defeat Voldemort. I knew he was targeting you. I knew that he would try and use you to get to me, so when I met him, I thought about how much I loved you and how much I wanted you to be safe and the magic just poured out of me."
He turned back to Ginny who was watching him with unshed tears in her eyes. "Oh Harry." She said, letting the tears fall. "You have no idea how scared I was when I thought I'd missed my chance. It's ironic that I realised what I wanted when I thought I'd lost it. I want you Harry. I love you."
Leaning over, she closed the gap between them and kissed him, her hands running through his hair while he wrapped his tightly around her waist. The kiss was passionate, filled with five years worth of pent-up desire.
When they finally broke gently apart, Harry smiled down at Ginny. "Are you hungry?" He asked softly.
Ginny had a huge urge to scream 'NO!' and stay in his arms for the rest of the night, but the mention of food had her stomach growling. She realised she hadn't eaten all day due to her nerves.
Harry laughed at the sound of her stomach and pulled her up. "Come on," he said, indicating towards the dining room.
"Wait," Ginny said, reaching down to Harry's left hand, which still held the brooch. Taking it gently into her own hands, she pinned it securely to her top.
"Now I'm ready." She said with a smile and Harry, beaming, led her into the next room.
The food was absolutely delicious, and Alicia had outdone herself. When they were finished, Harry tapped his wand three times against the plate.
Both Harry and Ginny were suddenly lifted onto their feet and their table vanished. The floor they were standing was suddenly littered with red rose petals and the soft strains of music could be heard.
"Oh Harry!" Ginny gasped, taking in the changes.
"This...uh, this wasn't my doing this is Hermione." Harry admitted sheepishly, but still he extended a hand to Ginny.
"Dance with me?" He whispered.
She nodded and he placed his arms around her waist and pulled her close. She put her arms around his neck and gently rested her head on his shoulder.
Dreamed of you in my solitude
I told myself way back when
That if my prayers
Could get be there
I'd never let you go again
Darlin', I had lost you once
Thought my world had come to an end
Now, in my hands
A second chance
I'll never let you go again
Now and forever more
You can come to me
Baby, run to me
And I'll take you into my arms
I'll never let you go again
Now and forever more
You can come to me
Baby, run to me
And I'll take you into my arms
I'll never let you go again
In my hands
A second chance
And I'll never let you go again
Ginny, resting her head on Harry's shoulder gently closed her eyes as the last strains of the music faded away. For the first time in five years, she felt happy – really, truly, blissfully happy.
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Yay! They're finally together! But don't think Nick has completely disappeared yet…his return will be soon. As will Ginny find out about the conspiring Harry and her family have been up to…Keep reviewing to keep the chapters coming!
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