An unwilling damsel by Joy
A/N: Okay guys I got 2...I repeat 2 reviews for my last chapter. I swear I'm not posting over the weekends anymore. Arggghhh. Anyway. I expect more reviews this go round...okay? Good.
5.
There was an unofficial pool amongst the teachers as to which couple would become 'official' first- Harry & Ginny or Ron & Hermione. They had watched the two couples progress nicely in their attraction and affection. What amused the faculty the most was that it was Harry and Ron's individual denial over their feelings that made them hesitant about taking the next step in each pseudo-relationship. In the four months that had past since 'that night,' as Harry had come to term it in his own mind, things were a bit odd for him even if he didn't realize it.
For her part, Ginny Weasley's life was almost perfect. She was doing well in school, her nightmares were much less frequent (but when she did have them Harry always instinctively met her in the common room for snuggles), her brothers were not running off every boy that showed an interest in her (why did she need them when Harry guarded her so), and Harry Potter was her best chum. Now of course she would have liked nothing better than to be Harry's girlfriend, but for now she content herself with the knowledge he would always be there for her. She even allowed herself the notion that in the four months since 'that night' Harry had become a bit jealous of the young men that looked her way, making her even more his soul focus. Ginny was fairly sure Harry did like her; he just hadn't figured it out yet.
Ginny had given up going to Hogsmeade with other guys entirely. It just wasn't worth the hateful stares Harry gave them followed by the talk. What was in this talk she didn't know but most of the time the guys came up with lame excuses to cancel anyway. She just started to say no to avoid the whole mess. One guy when she turned him down went so far as to say, "Ya know you should consider getting a tattoo that says 'Property of Harry Potter' to avoid any further confusion." She had laughed rather than getting mad.
Yes life was practically perfect. The last perfect thing Ginny wanted was her first kiss...the perfect kiss. She was old enough. She could have had it with other boys, but she didn't want other boys... She knew who she wanted to share it with...she just didn't know how. Harry had a thing with some girl from Ravenclaw for a bit there. Ginny specifically did not want to know the girl's name and therefore did not learn it. But ironically since 'that night' the Ravenclaw girl had slipped to the background and Ginny was now in the spotlight. Ginny idly wondered if Harry had even noticed his shift in attention. She tried not to get her hopes up that it meant more than it did. Sometimes boys were like that...they would like a girl for what seemed like no reason and then stop just as fast.
This particular day Ginny, Harry, Fred, George, Hermione and Ron had trapsed around Hogsmeade in grand style. There had been murmurs amongst the staff about this 'date' between Harry & Ginny, hoping this would push things along. (Snape had his money on that evening on the way home.)
It had been a fun trip full of laughter, silliness and affection (at least between Ron and Hermione). The twins had taken a sidetrack back to Hogwarts, which left the other four progressing nicely down the lane (which was their intension all along). Ron and Hermione were fun to tease, but soon tired of being unable to do the same to Harry and Ginny. The twins did honestly love their little sister and could not think of anyone better to be her first real steady than Harry. He was family. Now if Harry could only get his head in the game things would go swimmingly. (Their money was actually on the following day to give the couple some time to adjust to the change in relationship.)
Ginny walked with Harry behind Hermione and Ron who were walking shoulder to shoulder. She smiled brightly. "So...when's me brother going to ask her out?" Harry looked over at the small red head confusedly. "Oh don't tell me you can't see it." His brow knit together. "Then again you are a boy," she observed.
"You think Ron and Hermione...like each other?" Harry asked uncertain.
"They're adora-cute."
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Adora-cute...what kind of word is that?"
"Adorable and cute combined... See," she pointed at her brother brushing hands with Hermione and then blushing before clearing his throat as they got inside the castle. "Adora-cute."
Harry was quiet a moment or two and looked down. He began to kick a stone in front of them. "What's wrong Harry?" Ginny asked.
"Wondering when I'm gonna be the third wheel... It's not like I've ever had real friends before...Friends that are family."
Ginny gazed at him sweetly. "You have your teammates, housemates, and the teachers...me. You'll never want for someone to spend time with."
"Its not the same," he muttered in pain over this new development.
There was disappointment that flashed in Ginny's eyes a moment as he said the words. Whatever had been there was gone by the time she said, "Trust them... They don't want to lose you...so they won't."
Ginny and Harry let Hermione and Ron get further and further ahead until they had turned the corner in front of them no longer in sight. Ginny stopped Harry touching his arm, "No worries Harry. It will all work out alright."
"I don't know that," he mumbled shuffling his feet. The feeling of being left alone in the world again was swallowing him whole. He still couldn't quite make himself believe that Ginny wanted to be around him. He was just a big brother type. If Hermione and Ron left him he would be alone because Ginny had lots of friends and...growl...dates. She didn't need him the way he needed her and he needed her a lot...although he wouldn't admit it out loud or really even to himself.
Ginny saw her chance to make a move on the pensive Potter...to show him he could have her in his life. "Then maybe you need to find a fourth wheel," she said quietly under long lashes staring at his mouth a moment before looking into his eyes.
"What does that mean?" Harry asked gazing at her, just as Ginny leaned up and kissed him briefly. She looked directly in his eyes for a second before she scurried away without another word. It took him a beat to process that Ginny Weasley had just given her first kiss to him (he knew it was her first kiss because he kept tabs on handholding, kissing, and boys in Ginny's life) so when she was no longer standing there he was disconcerted. She kissed him. She actually kissed him. And now she was gone. Bloody Hell!
"Ginny?" Harry called. She didn't stop. "Ginny," following her to just inside the common room, where Ron looked an awful lot like he was about to kiss Hermione... that is of course until Ginny tugged Hermione away.
"Hermione?" Ron called after her.
Harry and Ron stood in the common room staring up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. "Something happen?" Ron asked Harry suspiciously.
"No... no... nothing. You?"
"What?" Ron's eyes got big. "No...nothing."
"Well then we should go on up, right?"
"Right."
They stood staring at the stairs another five minutes before one of their housemates looked at them confusedly.
Harry shook his head, "So why in the bloody hell are we still standing here?" He felt angry and hurt but couldn't bring himself to admit it might be because he wanted Ginny to mean it and it was obvious she didn't. It was a small bit of comfort...a pity kiss. Nothing more.
Ron sighed letting his shoulders slump. "No reason. Lets go."
............
"Why did you do that?" Hermione asked Ginny on the stairs going up.
"Because I needed to talk to you."
"About what?"
Ginny bit her lip, "I kissed Harry."
"You what?" Hermione mumbled unable to believe her ears.
"I kissed him..." Hermione's eyes were big. "We were going to interrupt you anyway. I figure you would rather have your first kiss with my brother undisturbed."
"Who...who says I was going to kiss your brother... or that I even want to kiss your brother?"
Ginny looked at her like she had gone mad, "Hermione, its pretty obvious that Ron likes you. It seemed by the way you weren't running away that you probably liked the idea of him kissing you."
Hermione worked her jaw a bit. "I...I don't want to talk about that."
She turned the conversation back around, "What did Harry do? Did he kiss you back?"
Ginny began to pout. "It was just a little kiss. He seemed so shocked that I don't think he really knew what was going on." She shrugged, "Then I left. He called after me, but I couldn't bear the 'you're a great girl, Gin' speech... What am I to do? I've had a crush on him since I was eleven, but then...it stopped being a crush."
Hermione considered her friend a moment, "What will you do when you see him next?"
"Don't know."
The brunette smiled softly, "You have a lot of guts...I mean, he's Harry Potter."
............
Ginny had the bunk next to the window because she liked to see the stars when she couldn't sleep. Tonight something had woken her but she wasn't sure what. She looked toward the window to gaze at the moon but something seemed slightly off. Ginny tilted her head sideways for a moment. She could swear she felt Harry. Ginny knew she was loosing her mind when one) she believed she 'felt' Harry Potter's presence and two) she believed he would sneak into her room at night to watch her slumber. She sighed and decided that dreaming Harry snuck in her room for risqué reasons wouldn't be such a bad dream to have before settling back into sleep. Maybe she could give up 'good-girl' dreams for the night.
Once Ginny quit moving Harry removed the hand from his mouth and began to breath normally again. He had been sitting under his father's cloak watching her undisturbed. He didn't even know why he was there. He should be asleep. Ginny Weasley had never caused this great a fascination before, so now should be no different. She didn't mean it. It was just a friendly little kiss...on his lips...that he could still feel burning. A kiss she hadn't given to any of the many guys that had taken her out...the guys he had run off for the most part.
He was lying to himself of course. For four months Ginny Weasley had been of great fascination. It was just now there was some proof that maybe she might feel the same. Whenever Ron would ask if Harry fancied someone he would lie and say no all the while behind his bed curtains he was having dreams of doing just this...being in her room...watching her sleep. But in his dreams he wasn't just staring...far from it. Behind his eyes he saw her welcome him to lie beside her before kissing him...and that was the most innocent part of it. His cheeks burned at the dream that had driven him here tonight. It of course had also driven him to change his nightclothes since he couldn't rightly sleep in them.
After a little while of continued staring he shook his head in self- loathing. The door to Ginny's room mysteriously opened and shut again completely unobserved.
............
A/N: Before anyone yells at me, I will remind you to think back on your first kiss. Almost everybody I know had something go wrong. I just made it a little more full of angst. Next chapter will make it all better...once you get past the beginning of course.
A/N2: I am not above holding a story hostage until people tell me what they think. There is no point in me posting if I don't get feedback.
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