Chapter 3: Be careful with the Quaffle
It was not easy. Harry had no idea of what to do, in order to make Ginny notice that he could be more than her friend. The following morning Harry spent nearly half an hour literally fighting with his hair, but when Ginny saw him the only thing she said was:
"Harry, I barely recognized you with your hair so flat".
And Harry was pretty sure that was not the effect he had expected.
So Harry had to squeeze his brain out, and finally he found other tactics. Every time he ran upon Ginny and saw that she was carrying too many books (sometimes nearly as many as Hermione), he offered his help. The first time it had been a complete failure, though. Harry´s kindness had convinced Ginny that he was planning a joke, and she simply ran away from him, with books and everything. The second time Harry was more careful, and at last Ginny trusted him with her books, but she remained looking at him with suspicion.
Harry found out that Ginny spent much of her free time studying in the library, which turned to be a great place to speak with her (in low voice of course). One afternoon that they were left alone (everybody else were at the Great Hall already), Harry tried a riskier step.
"Ginny"
"What?"
"I´ve been thinking of those evasive movements...I have some ideas... meet me tomorrow after lunch at the Quidditch Pitch".
It had taken him 2 weeks to realize that Quidditch practice was the perfect alibi to spend time with Ginny, three days more to decide what exactly he should tell her, and other four days to find the time and the courage to actually telling it to her. All that, just to hear Ginny say "OK".
The sun was high in the sky when Harry and Ginny met the following day. She looked very pretty with her hair in a pony-tail, as she always had it when she flied. Harry greeted her, and hoped that his face wasn´t showing (at least not completely) how much he was drooling for her. After an hour of fast flights and sudden turns, Harry knew that his hair had returned to its natural mess. He comforted himself thinking that now it only took him 15 minutes to comb his hair (thanks to a lotion called "Motionless hair" he had ordered by owl) .
They were returning to the school, and right in front the entrance, Harry halted. For the last couple of minutes he had been trying to find a way to tell Ginny how pretty she was, but his mouth didn´t seem to remember how to speak. Ginny stopped by his side and looked at him questioningly.
"Your hair..." , said Harry.
Ginny took a hand to her hair.
"I know... it must look horrible after all that wind".
"No!... It looks nice... that way" he said pointing to her pony-tail.
Ginny stared at him, like trying to decide if he had really meant what he said.
"Thanks...Quidditch suits you hair too" she replied, running her fingers through his hair and messing it a bit more (if that was possible).
Harry smiled widely, and decided to throw that hair lotion away.
The match against Slytherin was approaching and the Gryffindor team began to practice almost every day.
That Monday practice finished earlier because Ron has some prefect duties, and Harry remained ordering everything, particularly happy because Ginny was helping him. The rest of the team had left.
"... we are going to win because we have the best team... specially for the red haired chaser and the captain" said Ginny with a wink.
Harry looked at her...she was beaming... and without actually realizing what he was doing, he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.
Ginny stepped back taking a hand to her mouth, and then Harry heard the voice of the last person he was expecting to meet.
"Hey Potter, I hope that you and your pathetic team have finished with the Pitch, for now it´s time for the best ones to play". Harry and Ginny left the dressing room, and saw Malfoy, Crable, Goyle and the rest of the Slytherin Quiddicth team.
"Just you two?... Five years and still with the same girlfriend, Potter? And you, Weasley, for how much is your family renting you?" the others laughed with Malfoy.
Harry felt that his face was turning red with anger, but Ginny was the one who replied: "Come on Malfoy, you could never get yourself a girlfriend... apart from Crable and Goyle".
All the Slytherin players took their wands out, but Harry and Ginny were faster, and they both yelled hexes which were stopped by a blue light coming from behind.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?" shouted a very furious Professor McGonagall. "For Merlin´s beard... what do you think you are doing?! Slytherin and Gryffindor, both have 50 points less. Mr Potter, Ms. Weasley, follow me".
Harry didn´t know if he was feeling furious or disappointed. He had finally kissed Ginny... but then the whole Slytherin Quidditch team had appeared... and now McGonagall was taking them to detention... and he didn´t have one chance to speak to Ginny.
McGonagall made them sit in her office and review a pile of essays written by first years. She forbid them to talk. But when she was not looking, Ginny kicked Harry´s leg down the table, and when he looked at her, she smiled to him in a shy and captivating way that made Harry forget about everything else.
Ginny was the first to leave to her afternoon classes, and Harry after her. McGonagall asked Harry to come back before dinner, to review essays (and miss dinner). So it was a very hungry Harry who arrived to the Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore.
Although Harry had made a huge progress with the lessons, that night he was particularly (and happily) unfocused. Harry was surprised to see the memory of that afternoon, but Dumbledore said nothing.. After an hour, when Harry was about to leave, Dumbledore said with a singular look in his face: "Harry...if you are dating her, it would be better to keep it secret".
Harry went to the kitchen searching for food, and was almost kidnapped by Dobby, who didn´t let him go until he ate almost as much as an elephant. While Harry was walking to the Gryffindor Tower, he tried to analyze Dumbledore´s last words.
Keep it secret? If he would go out with Ginny ...why should no one find it out? But Harry already knew why, he had just been hoping that he was wrong: to protect Ginny. To protect Ginny from facing Sirius´ destiny, to suffer... to die... because of Harry´s faults.
So Harry understood that he could not date Ginny. He had to tell her that it had been a mistake. No matter how painful it would be.
Harry entered the Common Room and saw a lonely figure sitting in a couch by the fire. Ginny had been waiting for him. Harry sat in the couch, as far from her as it was possible.
"Hi" she said.
"Ginny, I have to tell you that ... that I didn´t...", he sighed and without looking at her said "It was a mistake".
She stood in silence staring at the fire, as if she had not heard a word. Harry looked at her face, and he found that her eyes were red. Had she been crying?
Finally she said: "McGonagall told me... when I was leaving her class... she said that no one should know that I was dating you".
Harry jumped in his place. Dumbledore had seen his memory, but how did McGonagall find it out? May be that their dialogue of smiles in her office had not been as unseen as they had thought.
Ginny was still looking at the fire, so she didn´t notice his reaction and continued talking.
"And I wondered why... why nobody should know it... and then I understood it...it would be so dangerous for you" Ginny was speaking in such a low voice that Harry had to come closer to her in order to hear her. "If he finds it out... he´ll try to use me...like before... to hurt you".
Harry felt that a huge hole was growing in his heart. Ginny thought that he would be in danger, and it was precisely the other way round. He had to seize the couch to hold the growing need to hug her. He had to tell her the truth.
"Dumbledore saw my memory in the Occlumency lesson... and he told me to keep it secret... if I was dating you...and I realized that it was necessary to protect you...so you would not end like" he swallowed before saying it "Sirius".
Ginny was staring at him. Her face was sad, but her eyes were shinning. Harry was so close to her that he could see himself reflected in her eyes. A second later he was kissing her very tenderly, his heart jumping madly in his chest. Ginny kissed him back, and Harry forgot about Voldemort, Dumbledore and the entire Earth population. There were just Ginny and him. He felt deeply sad when she separated her face.
"We still can be friends" he said.
"Of course", she replied, blushing."Best friends".
The very moment she looked at him again, almost automatically Harry kissed her once more. And this time he hugged her, and she hugged him back.. Harry couldn´t remember anything more delightful. He could have conjured the best ever Patronous. The mental image of his Patronous reminded him of Sirius. This time it was Harry who turned his face away.
"Please forgive me" he said.
Ginny stood up. "I´m sorry, Harry. I´m terribly sorry". And she ran to the Girls Dormitories.
The following days Harry was feeling so miserable that even Ron noticed it.
"Are you feeling OK, Harry?" Ron asked him during lunch. "You have been eating almost nothing lately".
?It´s natural that YOU think that someone is eating too little... you have three servings of everything!" said Hermione.
"Just with dessert" replied Ron looking offended.
Harry smiled and he felt a little bit better.
"May be you are ill" Hermione told him when they were heading to their next class. "I think that there is some kind of virus in our Tower. Ginny is also looking a bit sick lately".
Harry was lucky that no one of his friends saw his reaction, because Ron was arguing with Hermione about "that myth" that muggles called virus.
Despite all his effort, perhaps because Harry was weak after a week of almost not eating, Dumbledore saw that night memory.
"I´m under the impression that I might have not expressed myself correctly. It´s a wonderful thing to care for a girl, and even more if she cares about you too. Believe me when I tell you, both things do not often happen at the same time". Dumbledore smiled, and continued: "But I do believe that it´s sensible not to draw too much attention on you. And that´s why I told you to keep it secret. But I beg you, please do not miss one of the most beautiful experiences of life, for fear of what might come".
Harry felt an explosive sensation in his stomach (apart from an overwhelming hunger): he had to speak with Ginny. He left Dumbledore´s office trying to stay calm, but then he began to run, and only stopped when he reached the Fat Lady´s Portrait.
The Common Room was full with groups of girls and boys, some chatting and others studying. Ginny was sitting with a group of girls from her year, doing homework.
Harry decided to use his captain privileges, and approached the group of girls.
"Ginny, we need to talk about tomorrow´s practice."
Ginny walked to Harry´s side, and he guided her to an empty corner.
"I need to talk with you...in private.. could we meet here at midnight?".
"I don´t think that´s a good idea" she said without looking at him.
"It´s important".
After some hesitation, she nodded.
Harry smiled widely, and looking around, he noticed that many curious eyes were watching them.
"And for tomorrow´s practice remember to... bring you rain coat" he said loudly.
So Harry called each one of his players, and told them that the next day they were going to conjure a small storm and play under the rain. Ron even thought it was a great idea, because he was sure that the Slytherins would conjure a storm during the match next Sunday, and use the low visibility to play fouler than ever.
A minute before midnight Harry went to the Common Room, hidden under his Invisibility Cloak. He found Ginny sitting next to the fire, reading. Harry checked that nobody was coming down the stairs, and sat near Ginny, covering her with his cloak.
She hardly suppressed a scream.
"I think that my heart has left my chest!"
Harry told her Dumbledore´s words, and Ginny looked at him with her eyes widened by the surprise.
"What do you think?" Harry asked her, not worried at all about his eager voice.
She remained silently thoughtful, while Harry was fighting with the desire of kissing her.
At last she said "I don´t want him (Harry knew that she was not referring to Dumbledore) to decide how I should live my life". And to further explanation, she gave him a quick kiss on his nose. Harry realized that it was the very first time he received a kiss on his nose...or at least it was the first time that he was aware of it.
------------------Thank you for reading!
I won´t be home for a couple of days, so next chapter will delay at least a week. I´ll try to update as soon I as can.