Summary: Harry and Ginny muse, talk, and make a connection on New Year's Eve. Harry/Ginny angsty fluff.
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe. Though it's more of a PG.
A/N: Inspired by the Death Cab for Cutie song "The New Year". I used some of the lyrics for this fic. But yes. You all should listen to that song, and the rest of DC4C's stuff for that matter, because they are brilliant. Yay.
Oh, and this takes place 6th year, during—you guessed it, New Year's Eve.
Harry swept his eyes across the Weasley's backyard. Everyone was dressed up in their nicest clothes, gowns and suits that one saves for that special event and it is forgotten about a week later. Where all can pretend that they are powerful, wealthy, or worth something in the world. He heard the clanking of crystal and tinkling of laughter. Harry didn't like it.
"So this is the new year?" mused Harry aloud, bitterly swirling his glass of juice. The 'children' were not allowed wine, but he felt as if they were not children anymore. All of them had seen too much.
"And I don't feel any different," added Ginny, whom Harry didn't see. She was hunched over, her chin resting on her hand. Harry sat beside her.
"Cheers," he said, and clanked his glass with hers.
"Cheers!" she agreed, and they both downed their drinks.
"Ah. Sparkling grape juice. Bet the adults are envying us, eh?"
Ginny giggled and Harry smiled as he looked straight on. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were having an argument over the silverware ("Arthur! I told you to set the table with square-shaped spoons, not the regular kind!"); Ron and Hermione were squabbling in a similar manner over the weather (I'm telling you, Hermione, I swear it's going to snow tonight. Just put on your coat, please?" "Ron, I heard that it wasn't, and I will do no such thing!"); and wherever they resided, James and Lily Potter, were, not surprisingly, quarreling ("Sirius, I bet you 10 sickles that it will snow at midnight!" "James Potter! Are you gambling? Without me?").
Ginny turned sideways at him, started to say something, then thought better of it. She turned again.
"Harry, how are—"
"Brilliant, there you are!"
Ginny had never hated the twins more.
"What do you two want?" she said wearily.
George looked somber. "My sister, my dear, dear sister…"
"Apple of our eyes…"
"Sweetest little thing anyone could imagine knowing…"
"May we ask a favor?"
Harry laughed. Ginny cracked a grin.
"What?"
Fred yanked Ginny's hand, opened her palm, put a sweet there, and closed it.
"Slip that in Percy's drink, will you? George and I have to dash, must catch some more glitzy parties…"
"Yes, yes, one with…who's hosting it, Fred?"
"Celestina Warbeck."
"And another with—"
"Myron Wagtail, from the Weird Sisters!"
"We expect them to be—"
"Brilliant. Fun. Full of women who wouldn't mind giving us—"
"Pleasant, squeaky clean conversation! So, please, little sister…just as an initiation back into the family…give that to Percy?"
Ginny smiled. "Yeah, sure. Both of you, have fun! Try not to get caught by Mum!"
"We won't!" they chorused.
After the twins left, Harry caught Ginny's eye and they burst out laughing. Harry stood and helped Ginny up.
"So, tell me…why should we help Fred and George?" he asked, an eyebrow quirked.
She shrugged. "I'm a—whatchamacallit—robot, is it? Besides, Percy deserves it. Coming back here, acting like nothing happened." Her eyes narrowed. "Git."
"Ah. Good enough for me," he said with a sigh.
They edged toward Percy, who beamed at the sight of the duo. Ginny looked at Harry and frowned slightly. She grabbed his hand, startling Harry, and stuffed the candy in the palm. She seemed to communicate 'I'll distract him.'
"All right there, Percy?" she queried rather conversationally.
"I'm absolutely spiffing! Great wine they've got here!" Percy said jovially.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm sure the wine's great, but," she shook her glass at him, "grape juice for us ickle ones, remember?"
Percy cleared his throat. "Oh…erm—right."
During this exchange, Harry had snuck behind Percy, stalking his drink which was sitting on a table. He quietly unwrapped the sweet, but it unfortunately made a large crackling noise.
Percy started to swerve around. "What was—"
"Percy!" cried a panicked Ginny, grabbing his shoulder, "How are you?"
He looked rather shocked for a moment, but eagerly chattered. "Well, see, they kept me as Junior Minister, which is brilliant, really, considering last year's circumstances…"
He continued on, whilst Harry had slipped the mysterious candy into Percy's drink. He gave Ginny a thumbs up.
"Amazing!" she interrupted. "Erm…I gotta go. Bye!"
Motioning Harry over, they sat on some nearby tree roots and laughed.
"Can't believe I just did that!" Harry gushed.
Ginny grinned at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She was proud of herself and glad…glad that she, Ginevra Molly Weasley, managed to get Harry's mind off his sorrow.
Suddenly, she felt a wetness on her hair. Then her nose. Then her eyelashes. She looked up and saw that it was snowing.
"Hah! Told you, Hermione!" shouted a triumphant Ron.
"Oh, bugger off, Ron," sourly muttered Hermione.
And somewhere, whether behind the veil or up in heaven…wherever they were, Sirius Black owed James Potter 10 sickles.
Ginny grinned at Harry.
"Harry," she said gently, "how are you doing?"
He sobered up and stared into her eyes. "To be honest, not well. I remember last year when Sirius was—alive, and he was cheerful. You could tell that he loved the holidays." Harry paused thoughtfully.
"And last summer…I mean, I told you about…about the prophecy, and it so hard to live another year, knowing about the war. That there will be casualties, and they will ultimately be my fault." Ginny started to protest, but Harry shushed her. "While the same people…their families, everyone…they look up to me to be their savior. Their knight in shining armor, ready to defeat Voldemort and save the day. I'm not sure if I can be that. What if, according to the prophecy, I am the one who dies?"
"But, see, here's the thing…today, especially today, I was tired, tired of all of this"—Harry used a word that would have made Hermione gasp—"and I was, well, annoyingly angsty. Until, well…err…you came along. I mean, you always seem to get me, y'know? And you manage to make my day better, by just being there, and you made tonight tolerable…more than tolerable, enjoyable. You have that gift with…with, well…me. And I just wanted to—to thank you, Ginny." He blushed slightly and smiled the most bittersweet smile she had ever seen on his face.
"Oh…oh, Harry…"
She started to wrap her arms around him when she heard a loud belch. Surely…surely that couldn't have been…
"Was that…Percy?" asked Harry, voicing her thoughts.
Ginny glanced in his direction with awe. "I think it was."
Jaws dropping, they poked their heads around the tree and looked at the sight before them—Percy, belching things that sounded vaguely like words, waving his arms wildly before everyone.
"So that was the charm…"
"The candy makes him burp anything he has to say!"
Harry and Ginny looked at each other, their eyes crinkling. Ginny stuffed her fist in her mouth and it took quite a lot of strength for Harry not to giggle.
"So immature…how fantastic!"
"Trademark Weasley Wheezes, that is!"
They stopped laughing, though still grinning, and took a drink from their respective glasses.
"Harry…have you made any resolutions?" she asked, nudging his arm with her elbow.
He smirked bitterly. "All these problems that people sweat over for a bloody day, they're so…shallow. I reckon New Year's resolutions are for problems with easy solutions, y'know?"
She paused, tilting her head at him. "That's kind of deep."
Harry smiled a bit. "Thanks. Though I admit, I do have one. To beat Malfoy at everything possible."
Ginny grinned, and for the second time that night, clanked her glass to his. "Here, here!"
Hermione, once again, interrupted Harry and Ginny's musings.
"Everyone!" she tried, but couldn't grab the attention of everyone there. Ron stood on a table while Hermione hissed, "Ron!"
"Everyone," he shouted, then he exaggeratedly swaggered his arm toward Hermione, "listen to the girl!"
Hermione blushed, looking up at Ron as though he was bread and she was someone on the Atkin's diet.
"Erm…thank you, Ron. The countdown to midnight is going to start…" she checked and yelped, "now!"
"10, 9, 8…"
Harry grasped Ginny's hand and she was surprised, looking down at their intertwined hands. It seemed as if electricity had passed through them during the contact.
"7, 6, 5…"
Ginny looked up into Harry's eyes and smiled. He grinned back.
"4, 3, 2…"
Harry and Ginny braced themselves.
"1!"
Ginny started to look around at everyone else, when a most surprising event took place. Harry grabbed Ginny's shoulder, leaned in, and gave her the softest kiss on her lips that she had ever experienced. While the kiss was gentle, there was passion and affection behind it. Disappointedly, the kiss ended almost as soon as it started.
"Ginny, I—I'm so sorry…"
She looked at him sternly. "No apologies, Potter."
No apologies indeed, especially when she swung her arm around his neck and, figuratively, snogged his brains out.
"So this is the new year…" Harry breathed.
"Feel any different?" said a smiling Ginny, leaning in to kiss him again.
end