Chapter 15

How It's Supposed To Be

            Hermione grabbed Ginny by the arm.  "Rose, stop it.  Hold still, and stop stressing."

            Ginny blinked at Hermione for a moment, then letting out a deep breath, stood still.  Hermione was right.  She was over reacting and she had to calm herself down before she worked herself into a panic.

            "What's the big deal?" Meredith asked, as she got ready for their trip to Hogsmeade.

            Ginny glanced around the room to make sure that Samantha and Marine were not there.  "I'll tell you, but you've got to keep it a secret."

            Meredith nodded, surprised that Ginny would confide in her.  Ginny had ulterior motives though.  If Meredith knew then she could help cover for her.  "Harry and I have a date this afternoon," she said quietly, blushing.

            "A real one?" Meredith asked.  At Ginny's affirmative she grinned.  "That's wonderful, congratulations."

            Ginny looked around the room again.  "But if Samantha or Marine find out, or worse, my brother…" she let the sentence fade.

            Meredith nodded.  "I completely understand.  I can't do much about Ron, but I'll try to keep Sam and Marine off of you at least."

            "Thanks."

            Meredith grinned.  "Though it would be really cool to see Samantha's face if she found out."

            Ginny gave a nervous laugh, before she caught her reflection in the mirror.  "Oh no, my hair!"

            Hermione rolled her eyes and followed after her.  As long as she got Ginny to Hogsmeade in one piece and looking fairly decent without Ron knowing, Hermione would consider her job done.

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            Harry and Liam appeared in front of the restaurant with a small pop.  Liam had actually known exactly where the place was once Harry had told him, and had elected to be the one to take Harry back.

            "She's behind you," Liam whispered.  "Don't worry about everything that they told you.  Just try to be yourself.  Write us and tell us how it went.  Good luck."  With that, he disappeared.

            Harry turned around, and sure enough, Ginny was standing in front of the restaurant to the left of the door.  "Hey," she said, giving him a small wave and an even smaller smile.

            "Hi," he said.  They stood there for a moment, before Harry realized it was cold, and opened the door.  He held it for her.  That was something, at least, that he knew to do.  Holding doors and pulling out chairs was the easy part.

            He'd made the reservation with Kimberly and Patrick a week ago.  Patrick spotted him the moment he walked in and led them directly to a booth tucked away in the very corner. 

            They sat down across from each other, and both stared at their menus.  It was a good excuse to sit in silence for a few minutes.  But after the waiter came and took their orders along with their menus, they were forced to find something else to look at to avoid looking at each other.

            "So," Harry said, attempting to make some kind of conversation.  "I was thinking.  It'd probably be best if Ron, ah, didn't know about, this."

            Ginny nodded in agreement.  She was shredding her paper napkin to avoid looking up at him.

            "Did you have fun with the Catapults?" she asked once the silence became too much again

            "Ah, yeah," Harry answered. 

            They sat again in silence.  Both continuously glanced up at the other, but if they were caught they looked immediately back down.

            Ginny threw down her napkin in frustration.  "Harry, this is stupid."

            Harry looked up right away.  "What is?"

            "This," she answered.  "What we're doing."

            "So, you don't want to date?" he asked, trying not to sound upset.

            "No, I do," she corrected him.  "But, look at us!  We're supposed to be best friends first.  We've hardly talked since December.  I can't take much more of this.  I would rather we didn't date at all if it's got to be this awkward.  This is horrible, I don't like it."

            "I know!" Harry agreed.  "I hate not knowing how I'm supposed to act anymore.  It's like everything is different when I just want it to be the same."

            Ginny let out a relieved sigh.  "Then let's stop.  Not dating," she added quickly before Harry could ask her to clarify.  "I mean, let's just stop being weird about it.  We are still best friends, it's just a little different.  Nothing really has to change if we don't let it."

            He nodded.  "So we act just like we used to?  But we're still, you know, dating?"

            "Yes to both."

            It was Harry's turn to give a relieved sigh.   "So I don't have to do anything different?" he asked, just once more, to be sure.

            She laughed, but shook her head.  "No you don't.  Now, do you want to tell me what you were really doing this weekend?"

            Harry blinked.  "How'd you know I wasn't practicing?"

            "I didn't at first.  But Ron noticed that you didn't take your broom, or your robes."

            Harry grinned.  "Oops."

            "So what were you doing?"

            "Well," he said, blushing, "the team has kinda been following this since September."

            "This?  Meaning, us?" she asked.

            "Yeah," he said shyly.  "I kinda, confided in them.  They had some really good advice."

            "Like what?" she asked.  She was almost a little jealous that he had a whole group of people helping him.  But on the other hand, she doubted they'd be here if the Catapults hadn't helped him.

            "Well, they had me form a plan.  I was supposed to take you to the Christmas dance, and then, confess."  He was blushing and he knew it, but he and Ginny used to tell each other everything, and he missed that, so he kept going.  "When I found out you were going with Malfoy, I kinda freaked out, and that's why I left that weekend."

            "But I thought you and Sally had a fight," she said, surprised.  She hadn't realized that the dance had meant that much to him.

            "We did," he said, and thinking about it made him feel sick.  "She'd known about my plan since September, and then she'd found out you were going with Malfoy, but she never told me.  I was, well, angry I guess.  I shouldn't have been, but like I said, I kinda freaked out."

            "What happened when you got there?" she asked.

            Harry rolled his eyes.  "I showed up on their doorstep in the middle of the night.  I made an idiot of myself in front of Liam, twice.  Then they told me that the only thing about my "plan" that had changed was when I did it.  I suddenly felt really stupid for getting so upset and I realized I had screwed up big time with Sally and rushed home to make it right."

            "So what were you doing yesterday?"

            Harry grinned.  "Well, since I'd never been on a date before, they wanted to "coach" me."

            Ginny had to laugh.  "How'd that go?"

            Harry shrugged.  "I didn't really learn anything, if that's what you mean.  But I had fun.  I always do."

            "Yeah, but the last time you had fun there you came home glowing."

            Harry laughed.  It was great to be able to laugh with her again.  "That was closer then I'd ever like to get again."

            Ginny's nose wrinkled.  "A bit too close if you ask me.  I mean, I love you and all Harry, but, I'd rather not repeat that experience."

            Harry groaned, flushing red, and hid his face in his hands.  "Please don't make me think about what a fool of myself I made."

            Ginny laughed at him, reaching across the table and patting his shoulder.  "Sorry Harry."

            He parted his fingers and looked at her through them, smiling.  His eyes twinkled and it took Ginny's breath away.  She smiled back, allowing herself this chance to stare into his eyes.  This was how it was supposed to be.

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            Sirius ran back towards their current home as fast as his four paws would carry him.  There was a goofy dog smile on his face, and he couldn't wait to tell Heather it was time to pack again.

            He scratched eagerly at the door, and she had it open within seconds.  He knew she'd be waiting up for him.

            The moment the door shut behind him he transformed and pulled her into a kiss.  She yielded to him instinctively, allowing him to support her.  When he pulled away he was pleased to see she was breathless.  It was good to know that he hadn't lost his touch.

"What was that for?" she asked.

            He grinned at her.  "I've got a lead.  We're moving again."

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            When the twenty sixth came, they all waited with held breath for Ginny to open the daily letter from the Weasleys.  She gave her customary nod, then shook her head.  They all let out sighs of relief and disappointment.  Everybody was okay, but Sandy hadn't had her baby yet.

            Ginny sat the letter down, and went back to her breakfast.  "So, what are the plans for today?"

            "We've got a really difficult Defense class today," Ron said, looked depressed about it already.

            "Ron, you have no idea what we're learning."

            Ron gave Hermione a look.  "She said she doubted even the Advanced Defense class would be able to give us a demonstration.  And she always makes things out to be easier then they really are."  Ron's dislike for Professor Cameron had grown to rival his dislike for Professor Snape. 

            "Anything else happening today?"

            Harry leaned over, whispering into Ginny's ear in Parseltongue.  "Want to meet me by the lake after class?"

            Ginny's heart skipped a beat.  She nodded discretely.

            Hermione glanced at her watch.  "We better go.  You know Cameron subtracts a mandatory five points for every person late."

            Harry squeezed Ginny's hand under the table before getting up and following Hermione and Ron.  The past week and a half had been, perfect. 

            Hermione hung back, allowing Ron to pull in front of her and Harry.  "You're going to have to tell him soon," Hermione whispered.  "If he finds out it will only be worse."

            Harry glanced at her, not responding because he didn't have the gift Hermione did to speak in undertones that Ron couldn't hear.  He knew she was right, even if he wasn't looking forward to doing it.

            They took their usual seats in the front of the class.  Ron had the defeated look of a condemned man.  Harry gave him an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

            "Don't stress so much."

            He sighed.  "You're right.  I should be optimistic." 

            Cameron walked in promptly with the bell.  Despite the fact that she and Remus were supposed to be dating, they were very rarely seen together anymore.  She walked to her desk at the front of the room and turned to face them.  "Today we will be learning the Patronus charm."

            Harry's eyes widened and Ron and Hermione turned to look at him. 

            "Does anybody know what the Patronus charm does?"

            Harry tentatively raised his hand.  "Mr. Potter?"

            "It's most commonly used to ward of dementors.  It's created by a happy thought, and creates a shield that's too powerful and too pure for the dementors to stand."

            Cameron nodded.  "Correct, but only if it is a complete Patronus, which requires a very great witch or wizard, and I have only seen it once."

            Harry looked down at his hands when Hermione looked at him expectantly.  "Harry," she hissed.

            Cameron permitted no talking in her classroom, and caught the noise immediately.  "Is there something you'd like to share, Miss. Granger?"

            Hermione looked up at Cameron.  "Harry's being shy.  He can form a full Patronus, I've seen him do it. Professor Lupin taught him in his third year because the dementors were here that year."

            Cameron raised a skeptical eyebrow.  "You mean a complete Patronus, with an individual shape?"

            Hermione nodded while Harry kept his head down.  "Would you like to demonstrate for us, Mr. Potter, if this is true?"

            Harry looked up.  Was Cameron calling Hermione a liar?  He stood, pulling out his fake wand.  "I haven't done it since third year, and never without a dementor or a boggart."

            "A boggart?" Cameron asked.

            Harry shifted, uncomfortable.  He was always uncomfortable when Cameron focused her attention on him.  "Professor Lupin used to have one for me to practice on because dementors are my biggest fear," he explained.

            He could tell that Cameron was still unconvinced, and for some reason that made him angry.  He and Hermione would never just make something up like that.

            Harry closed his eyes and tried to pick a happy thought.  He had one immediately.  The thought was simply Ginny.  Concentrating hard on that, he shouted the incantation.  "Expecto Patronum!"

            Out of the end of his fake wand burst the stag.  Harry felt it yank a large amount of power away from him.  It was different with this charm though.  He somehow knew that the power the charm was using would return to him as soon as he allowed the stag to fade.

            He grinned, flushing with triumph at the look of complete shock on Professor Cameron's face.  His classmates behind him cheered.  Hermione looked so pleased with herself you would have thought she'd performed the charm.

            The stag, not finding an enemy to charge, turned to face Harry expectantly.  "Hey, Prongs," Harry said, affectionately.

            Cameron, who knew Sirius' secret and had known Lily and James in their school years, suddenly put two and two together as to what the shape meant.

            "How long can you hold it?" she asked.

            Harry shrugged.  "For a while."  It already had the power it needed.  It wasn't pulling power away from him.

            "Well, Mr. Potter, I owe you an apology.  I would have never thought you'd be able to do it."

            "He's Harry Potter," Seamus stressed, as if simply his name should have made it obvious.

            "He's fifteen," Cameron retorted calmly.  Harry had never seen her mad, or even really pleased.  She was always quiet and calm.  He'd mistaken the trait for timid at first, but she had too much of a no-nonsense attitude to be timid.

            That was all she said to Harry on the subject, and switched right back to her teaching.  She used his Patronus to explain the charm and when she was done with his example she just asked him to sit down.

            Harry couldn't help but feel like he really hadn't made his point, but remained silent the rest of the class.

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            "I don't like her," Ron said for nearly the hundredth time.

            "I don't see why not.  She's a great teacher."

            "It wasn't her teaching skills I was referring to, Booky, it was her.  I don't like her."

            "I know what you mean," Harry interjected before Hermione could argue back.  "Something's odd about her.  She's just, off.  Like something is missing on a personal level, you know?  She's a great teacher, but something's still just not right."

            "Exactly," Ron said.  "It's not even that she's mean, because she's not!  But I really don't like her and I don't even have a specific reason as to why.  She just," he stopped, unable to find the word.  "I don't know.  I just don't like her."

            "I think we have gathered that much, Ron," Hermione said with a small laugh.  "We had better hurry if we are gonna be on time for Charms.  Are you coming with us Harry?"

            "I don't know," he answered.

            Harry caught Hermione's eye and glanced meaningfully at Ron.  She knew immediately what he meant and nodded behind the red head's back.  Harry slowed down and allowed them to pull farther and farther ahead of him, before taking a turn and heading out to the lake.

            Ginny had a free period at the same time Harry used to have Charms, which left them both open.  He'd met her last week at this time, and figured it was a perfect opportunity to meet without arousing suspicion.

            It had only been a little over a week and the whole "secret" deal was starting to get to Harry.  It wasn't that they didn't want people to know, it was that they didn't want Ron to know.

            He made it outside in just a few minutes, rubbing his arms against the February chill.  It was already starting to warm up, but there was still a bite on the wind that went straight through his clothes.

            The fact that spring was on its way made Harry nervous and excited at the same time.  He was nervous that there was going to be an attack on the school, but he was confident it wouldn't be anything they couldn't handle.  Hogwarts was the safest place in the wizarding world.  He was excited that they may finally be able to clear Sirius' name.

            He saw Ginny standing by the lake, staring down into the water.  She turned as he approached, smiling brightly at him.  He wasn't sure if it was because she'd heard him coming or if her necklace had alerted her.

            He took a moment to admire how beautiful she was.  She was in her school robes, her winter cloak draped around her shoulder as a barrier to the wind.  Her hair was in it's normal pony tail, which even tied back still reached her shoulder blades.  A small lock had escaped by her right ear and was caught in the wind.

            "Hey Rose," he said, once he was close enough.

            She smiled, pulling her cloak around her.  "I realize you want to meet, but did it have to be outside?"

            He placed a hand against her chest, and from his fingertips warmth spread through her body.  She shivered instinctively as the temperature changed, but then was quite comfortable.  "I'm supposed to use this time to do things like practice with my sword," Harry said, removing his hand.  "Which I haven't done in months.  I wanted to know if you'd like to come keep me company."

            "Of course I do," she said giggling.  "I love watching you with that thing."

            He took her hand as they walked toward the clearing.  The trees provided cover from the wind, though Ginny was already warm enough.  Harry was still chilled, but he knew that would fade as soon as he started using the sword.

            He had to really try to call the sword to him.  It was hard to call when he was as happy as he was now.  He pulled it out of the sheath and stared at it a moment.  "God, I'm so out of practice."

            "Well Teddy, you were an invalid for several months.  Try not to be so hard on yourself."

            Harry grinned at the nickname.  She never used it in front of anybody else, except for Sally.  "There just aren't enough hours in the day," he said, going through some warm up moves.  "The last time I was here was the day you were attacked."

            "Let's not talk about it," Ginny said, not wanting to spoil the time they got alone together.  "So how did Ron do in Defense today?"

            Harry laughed.  "The lesson he was so worried about actually turned out to be the Patronus charm, and I'm the only one who even had to attempt it.  He was worried over nothing."

            Harry stopped his warm ups and turned to her.  "We have to tell him soon you know."

            "No, no we don't."

            Harry sat the sword down and moved to sit on the stump by Ginny.  "I don't want to have to meet in secret.  But until Ron knows, nobody can know."

            "We don't have to meet in secret," Ginny said, pleading with her eyes.  "We don't do anything different then we used to anyway.  Nobody will know that anything's changed.  Not yet, Teddy, please."

            He was such a sucker for her eyes.  They were a warm, soft brown that had the power to get whatever they wanted from him.  "Okay, we won't yet."

            When she hugged him, Harry knew he'd keep it a secret for eternity if she asked him to.

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            There was a very rude tapping sound coming from somewhere near Marine's bed.  Ginny knew it had to be much to early to be awake.  And she'd been having such a nice dream about Harry and her alone on the tower.

            "Will somebody please let that bird in?" came Samantha's harsh, sleep colored voice.

            Marine must have gotten up, because Ginny could hear the window open.  She heard the owl fly in and wondered which one of them it was for.  It flew over the top of her curtains and landed on her headboard.  Ginny sat up, her mind trying to wrap around what could possibly be this important this early.

            There was a small strip of paper attached to the owl's leg.

            It's a girl.

            Ginny squealed, sleep forgotten, jumping out of her bed.  She took a moment to note that the sun hadn't even fully risen yet, but that didn't stop her.  She bolted out of her dorm and across to the boy's stairway.  Running up one flight she knocked twice and, receive no immediate answer, burst in.

            "Ron!" she called.  "Ron wake up!"

            Her brother bolted up, looking around, confused.  "What?  What is it?  Ginny, what are you doing in here?"

            "It's a girl, Ron!  Sandy had a girl!"

            "Oh," he said, blinking twice before falling back onto his pillow.

            She heard chuckling coming from Harry's closed curtains.  Pushing them aside, she jumped onto his bed.  A glance at Ron's bed confirmed that he'd already fallen back asleep.

            "Congratulations," he said, pulling her down to lay beside him.

            She squealed into his pillow.  "Charlie is a daddy!  I can't believe it!  Oh, Sandy wanted her oldest to be a boy, but Charlie wanted a girl.  He said he wanted her to be just like me."

            Harry wrapped an arm around her.  He still didn't have his glasses on, but he wasn't really awake enough yet to keep his eyes open anyway.  She snuggled against him.  He was very warm from sleeping. 

            "It's early, Petal."

            "Hmm," she responded, already intoxicated by his warmth and the smell of fire and sky.  "I still have to tell Hermione."

            Harry pulled her closer.  "It'll wait," he managed before sleep took over again.  But as Ginny was already asleep, Harry had won the argument.

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            "No, seriously Dean, look!"

            Harry blinked awake.  His arm was asleep.

            "Merlin's beard, Seamus, I thought you were making it up."

            "No!  Why the hell didn't he tell us?"

            Oh.  His arm was asleep because Ginny was laying on it.  Well, it would be a shame to wake her.

            "Do you think Ron knows?"

            Harry's eyes flew back open.  'Oh no.'  He sat up, still careful not to disturb Ginny.  Dean and Seamus were staring at him through the gap in his curtains that Ginny had left when she'd busted in.

            "Well, good morning Harry."

            "Guys," he said.  "Please don't.  You know this isn't what it looks like."

            "Oh but it is," Seamus said with a grin.  "This is Ron's little sister asleep in your bed.  It is exactly what it looks like."

            Harry looked down at her, and began to slide his trapped arm out from under her.  "Rose, wake up."  She made a noncommittal noise, but otherwise didn't respond.  Harry switched to Parseltongue.  "Petal, you've got to get up before Ron wakes up.  You're in my bed."

            She opened her eyes and blinked a few times.  Then her memory seemed to come back.  "It's a girl!" she exclaimed, and Harry laughed.

            "Yes, I know.  Alyson Weasley, your newest niece."

            Ginny rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.  "I can't believe I fell back asleep."  She noticed Dean and Seamus watching her.  "Oh.  Right.  I'm in the wrong dorm."

            "You're in the wrong bed," Seamus said, winking.  "Wait until Ron sees."

            "What?" Ron asked, sitting up. Ginny froze as he looked over at her.  His mind seemed to take a moment to wrap around who she was.  "Ginny, get out of Harry's bed, it's weird."  He fell back onto his pillow again.

            "Ron, it's a girl!  Sandy and Charlie had a girl!"

            "Lovely," Ron said, putting the pillow over his face.  "Don't you have your own dorm?"

            She humphed and looked to Harry for backup but he held his hands up in defense.  "Don't look at me."  Ron snored again, and Ginny rolled her eyes.  "Just be thankful that he didn't freak out."

            "Why, is there a reason he should?" Dean asked anxiously.

            "I mean, you two were cuddled up pretty close there."

            Realizing they were caught, Ginny blushed.  "Just don't tell him," she said, pointing at Ron's sleeping figure.

            "Harry you dog!"

            "Your best friend's baby sister!"

            Harry turned over and hid his face in the pillow.  Out of all the people, Dean and Seamus had to find out first.

            "I'm gonna go tell Hermione.  See you at breakfast?" she asked Harry.

            He removed his face from the pillow.  "Before if I can manage it."

            She rewarded him with her best smile.  "Kay."  She ran from the room before Dean and Seamus could get another comment in.  Harry found himself wishing he had the same opportunity.

            By the time Ron woke for the third time Harry had managed to get Dean and Seamus to agree to keep their mouths shut. 

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            Ginny jerked awake to find herself restrained.  She fought it at first, before she realized that the restraint was just a pair of arms, and that they belonged to Harry.

            As soon as her mind had identified him as not being a threat, her heart identified him as being the closest source of comfort.  She collapsed against him, and he held her firmly.  "I couldn't get you to wake up."

            Once she'd calmed back down he helped her lay back.  "It was Heather," she said before he could ask.  "Peter killed her."

            Harry didn't know if he should be worried or relieved that most of her dreams seemed to involve other people now, rather then him.  The dreams were becoming more general too.  There was a lot less of people being killed and more of people just dying.

            She hid her face in his neck as the last of her sniffles passed.  He rested his face on the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo.  He wished there was something that he could do to take protect her from this.  But in her dreams was the one place he was no help.

            "I'm here, Petal," he whispered in Parseltongue.  For some reason she always seemed to calm faster when he used Parseltongue.

            She moved closer to him and he responded by wrapping her tighter in his arms.  "Go back to sleep, Petal."

            She took a last shuddering deep breath before she fell silent.  He made no move to get up.  He always waited until she fell asleep.  "How long do you usually stay?" she asked after a moment of silence.  He was always here when she fell asleep, but never when she woke up.

            She could hear him smile.  "Until I start to get tired.  I stay as long as I can, but I'm afraid I'll fall asleep and we both know there's no way that would end well."

            She chuckled because she knew that's what he wanted.  He was trying to cheer her up.  They fell silent again, and Ginny let her breathing slow.  Even as her body started to fall back asleep, she tried to keep her mind awake to enjoy Harry laying with her.

            "I'm sorry Pet," she could hear him say, though she couldn't get her body to respond to him.  He thought she was already asleep.  "I'm to tired to stay any longer."  She could feel him brush her hair back and place a kiss on her forehead.

            She had a moment to be thrilled before her mind followed her body into sleep and by morning she wasn't sure if it had even really happened or if it had been a dream.

(Me:gags on the sickening sweetness

Draco: gags on principle

Me: All of you pretty little HG shippers ought to be pretty happy now.  It doesn't get any more… disgusting.

Draco: I think I need to go hurl and drown myself in mud.

Me: If you're like me, and you're not really into the, "we dated and all was pretty and romantic and sweet" stuff don't worry.  There will be some spice next year to add to this sugar.  But they're sorta in their "honeymoon" period and we all know that for a while it seems perfect.

Draco: crawls in drawer and slams it shut

Me: Poor baby.  He's not accustom to fluff.  He's a citrus and angst boi. That's okay though.  He'll get his citrus next year and his angst in the spinoff    Be ready for cavity causing doses of fluff.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy laughing at it. Thanks for reading!)