Disclaimer: You're a nugger nut if you think I own any of this…
A/N: Major props to my beta, Lamia Lupus. She helped a lot with this chapter! And now a response to a few of my reviews…
IceSugarHigh: He certainly has been…
0ExpectoPatronum0: Thank you so much! I was worried I would make him too girly or something…
NatalieJ: I'm honored…
Darcy16: Don't scare me like that!!!
MuGgLeNeT27: Oh I have much eviler things in mind…
Padfootz and Lizzie5555555: I was rather fond of that bit myself…
The rest of you: I'm so glad you all enjoyed it! I hope you like this one just as much!
And now, without further adieu….
The Perfect FitRandy Rendezvous
He was an idiot.
That was the conclusion Harry had come to over the past two weeks. How was it humanly possible Ginny had never come to his attention before? She was a goddess.
They had decided, due to Harry's tendency to be in the public eye, to keep their relationship hidden. Ginny had told him she wanted to "revel in the beauty of a new relationship" before the press "sucks all the magic out of it." When Harry asked if they should at least tell her family, she refused. Although Harry protested, (he didn't want her to think he was ashamed of her, after all…), he was actually quite relieved. He, for one, did not fancy telling Ginny's six older brothers that he was lusting after their little sister.
And so his days were filled with midnight meetings and stolen kisses. Ginny found it romantic, instead of frustrating, much to Harry's relief. She said once they were like a modern day Romeo and Juliet, only without the death bit.
When Harry asked her how she knew about a muggle writer, Ginny gave him an odd look.
"You thought Shakespeare was a muggle?"
Harry quickly relieved Ginny of her smart aleck grin with a kiss, and Ginny was happy to oblige….
It was on a particularly warm day in August that Mrs.Weasley told the Hogwarts four they would be going to Diagon Alley for their school things.
"By ourselves?" Ron asked eagerly.
"Of course not, Ronald," Mrs. Weasley chided. "It's much too dangerous. I wanted to fetch all your school things myself, but Dumbledore insisted you lot get to have some sort of adventure this summer. Tonks and Remus will be accompanying you."
The older woman then went out to fuss in the kitchen, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "batty old codger."
After his mum left, Ron looked at Harry and Ginny tentatively, then at Hermione, as if for encouragement. The bushy haired girl nodded at him, and he said in a rush, "askedermykneeferdateadiagonally."
"Sorry, mate," Harry said, trying to decipher Ron's jumble of words. "Didn't quite catch that."
Ginny looked equally puzzled, and Hermione sighed in exasperation.
"Don't hurt yourself, Ronald. I'll do it…. Ron and I are going to go on a date when we go to Diagon Alley. Is that alright with you guys?"
Ginny squealed in excitement and threw herself on Hermione in a ferocious hug. Watching her do this, Harry wished she'd jump on him with such ferocity. Maybe later…
"Well, obviously Gin's okay with it!" Hermione giggled. "How about you Harry?"
Harry pulled himself from his lustful thoughts reluctantly and put on a bright smile.
"I'm glad Ron here's finally gotten a clue. Do you think you'll be able to go off on your own? You know, minus the authority figures and what not?"
Ron began rambling on about permission and plans and Harry found himself tuning him out. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts. If he was to be honest with himself, he was a bit jealous. Harry wanted so much to go and have a proper date with Ginny but it was impossible because of who he is. It was a frustrating thing.
"…so you'll just be with Ginny alone for awhile, is that alright?"
"Er, yeah…" Harry mumbled vaguely, not really hearing a word his best friend had just said. He wondered why Ginny suddenly looked so bright eyed. Sure, it was great that Ron was no longer being an idiot, but…
"Harry, can I have a word?"
He shot Ginny a strange look, wondering what was so wonderful to leave so suspiciously in front of public enemy number one, Ron Weasley.
"Er, sure…"
'I'm not being particularly articulate today, am I…?'
"We're just gonna make plans for tomorrow when you guys are off falling in love," Ginny told Ron and Hermione in a sing-song voice. She then grabbed Harry's hand, pulling him out of the room. He glanced back at his friends and shrugged in a "What can I do?" sort of way.
Ginny didn't stop towing Harry until they were well past the vegetable patch, in a nice little cove of trees. She pushed him up against an old oak, then threw herself on him with such passion he was grateful for the tree's support. Her lips ground into his, rendering Harry quite incapable of logical thought. Harry quickly recovered from his shock, though, and gathered her to him. He snaked on hand through her hair, while the other went to explore the contours of her back. He played with the hem of her tank top and he had just gathered the courage to slip his fingers underneath when Ginny pulled back.
"Do you know what this means Harry?!" Ginny squealed, beaming like Dobby in a sock shop.
Harry blinked, staring at Ginny's slightly swollen lips. He was too far-gone to make any sort of coherent response. That she had pulled away and asked him a question was having difficulty registering in Harry's lust-clouded mind.
"Huh?" he managed to grunt.
"Harry," Ginny admonished. "You mean you've been snogging me senseless and you don't even know why?"
A cheeky grin was her answer. "Gin, when my beautiful girlfriend throws herself on me, I am not inclined to wonder why. I just enjoy the moment."
Ginny blushed and focused on her pinky toe.
"I'm your girlfriend, then?"
"Well, erm…" Harry cursed his lack of vocabulary, and made a mental note to read the dictionary. "Were you interested?"
"Yes, you big idiot!" Ginny laughed, throwing her arms about Harry once more. "And tomorrow can be our first date."
"As much as I would like that, Remus and Tonks don't exactly put me in a romantic mood…"
"You didn't listen to a thing Ron said, did you?"
Harry gave her a look that clearly said "And you do?"
"If you would have listened, you would have found out that Tonks and Remus are going to disappear for a while. That's when Ron and Hermione are going to have their date. Incidentally, that leaves a perfect opening for us!"
"Brilliant," Harry grinned, then proceeded to snog Ginny senseless once more. This time for a reason…
………………………………………………………………………………………..
The next morning dawned hot and humid and Harry was grateful to be leaving the stifling conditions of the Burrow. In weather such as this, Ron's room especially resembled more of an oven than a house.
Delicious smells greeted Harry's nose as he entered the kitchen, and he wondered at Mrs. Weasley's ability to stand anywhere near a stove in this heat.
Harry found Ginny, Ron, and Hermione already seated around the table happily munching scrambled eggs and chatting about plans for the day. He took his seat between Ron and Ginny, and tipped some sausages onto his plate, listening to the conversations around him.
All conversations ceased, though, when Tonks and Remus walked into the kitchen.
They all stared open mouthed and Harry finally said, "Wow, Tonks, you look…normal."
And she did. Gone were the lurid locks and the bulbous noses. Standing before the four teens was a young looking witch with chestnut brown hair falling to her shoulders in waves. Twinkling aqua blue eyes looked at them from under exceptionally long lashes.
"Take a long look kiddies, cuz it's the first and last time you'll ever see me like this. Remus here thought it would be best if we just looked like a normal couple out for a days shopping. Unfortunately for me, clown red hair doesn't exactly say "inconspicuous."
"Is that what you actually look like, then?" Ginny asked.
Tonks nodded, scrunching up her average sized nose in disgust.
"All right, you lot, ready to go?" Remus put in before Tonks began to complain.
"How are we getting there? Harry said, rising from the table with the rest of his friends.
Not Floo Powder, not Floo Powder…Please, don't say Floo Powder…"Floo Powder," Remus answered.
Harry gave an audible grown. His apparation test wasn't until next week, but maybe he could just…
"Couldn't I just apparate? I know how to do it and everything—"
"Harry James Potter! You will do no such thing! You haven't taken your test yet, and you'll end up splinching yourself! Understood?"
"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley…"
"Now," she continued. "Have you all got your school lists? All your pocket money? Off you go then."
They all disappeared from the fireplace one by one with a yell of "Diagon Alley," Tonks leading the way and Remus taking the rear.
"Shall we get all of your school things first?" Tonks suggested once they all emerged from the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron.
Their first stop was Gringotts, and Harry picked up a bit more money than usual, thinking vaguely of buying Ginny a gift. Next they made their way to Flourish and Blotts, where Hermione squealed over a new release called 3,572,399 Ways To Motivate the Homework Challenged, as the rest turned a bit green. The apothecary ("I can't believe we're still taking ruddy potions…" Ron sighed) and Madame Malkins Robes for All Occasions followed. Then a stop at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, where Ron was the victim of their newest product "Llama Lemon Drops." (George insisted Dumbledore loved them when Ron turned cross with them over their "useless inventions.")
Before Harry knew it, Remus and Tonks were bidding farewell.
"Be at the Leaky Cauldron at exactly two thirty, understood?" Remus told them in a firm voice. "If anything happens to you four, it's my head, so be careful." The werewolf then took Tonks's hand and began leading her down the alley when he turned over his shoulder and called in a much lighter voice, "And you better show her a good time, Ronald!" With a wink he continued on his way.
Normally, Ron would have won a blushing contest wands down, but this time Hermione was giving him a run for his galleons.
"Well, shall we go then?" Ron finally asked, holding out a freckled hand to his date.
Turning yet another shade of scarlet Hermione took his hand, smiling shyly, and the two set off down the cobbled alley.
Ginny turned to Harry after the pink eared couple disappeared form sight.
"So, what do you want to do then?"
Harry looked at Ginny in a way she could only describe as a leer.
"Other than that!" Ginny giggled. "It's too hot our here anyway. Besides, we're supposed to be having a date, Mr. Potter, not a snog fest."
"Right you are, Ms.Weasley!" Harry gave Ginny a mock bow. "Allow me to escort you to Florean Fortesque's, where we shall dine on only the finest ice cream to relieve the midday heat."
Laughing, Ginny took Harry's offered elbow and they made their way to the shop.
"I'll have a strawberry cone and she'll have…" Harry shot a questioning look at his girlfriend.
Girlfriend…I like the sound of that…"Triple nut fudge with sprinkles please," Ginny said, reaching into her coin purse. She felt a warm, calloused hand on her's and looked up to see Harry staring down at her.
"I beg your pardon, but this is suppose to be a date." He reached up with his free hand and deposited some gold into the clerks hand.
To his surprise, Ginny didn't protest, and as he handed her the chocolate cone he was proud in that old fashioned, male chauvinistic way.
The young couple strolled down the street, chatting merrily about everything from the Ministry to Dumbledore's socks, and licking away at their hastily melting ice cream.
"And what, may I ask, are you finding so amusing Mr. Potter?" asked a smiling Ginny.
"Well, it's just that you've got a bit of ice cream on your nose."
"And that's funny, is it?"
Harry nodded, now outright laughing at the spot of chocolate on her nose.
"Let's see if it looks as good on you then!"
With that Ginny quickly reached up her cone and dabbed Harry's nose in it.
"Oh, you're gunna pay for that, Weasley!"
Harry dropped his remaining ice cream and pulled Ginny into the crevice between Eeylop's Owl Emporium and The Cauldron Connection. He backed Ginny into a wall, staring sternly down at her.
"And what's to be my punishment, sir?" Ginny looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.
"Well first, I must confine you, so I know you can't get away..." he said pinning her wrist above her head with one of his hands. "I also feel that this hair could be a threat. I will have properly inspect it." At this he leaned down upon her and took in a deep breath smelling her delicious scent of strawberry and nilla wafers, running his free hand through the silky strands. "And these lips...I think they must be properly kissed..."
"I can think of worse things…" Ginny said as she wrapped her arms about Harry's neck and losing herself in his lips.
Somewhere near them Harry heard a faint clicking noise, and a flash of light shone through his closed eyelids.
'Damn lightning bugs…' thought Harry, swatting them away with an irritated gesture of his hand. He then focused himself entirely on the task at hand, quickly forgetting about the strange bugs.
…………………………………………………………………
The next morning Harry awoke at a sound that reminded him strongly of a banshee. Noticing that Ron was not in the bed across from him, he raced out of the room and down the stairs to find all of the Weasleys huddled around what appeared to be the latest copy of Witch Weekly magazine, a look of horror sharp upon Mrs. Weasley's face.
A/N: Duh duh duh….Who's on the cover? Why does Mrs. Weasley look like she just ate a kneezle? Did Harry just wet himself? Burning questions all…R&R!!
