Everything Your Heart Desires
By: EvelynRose
Chapter 6
Parseltounge
After ridding themselves of their purchases, the five of them went downstairs for dinner.
The Weasley's were already seated in the Great Hall when they arrived. Every redhead in the room turned to see who had entered. Several jaws dropped.
"Ron, close your mouth, you're catching flies!" Hermione snapped. Ron promptly pulled his jaw off the floor.
"I think I'll let the three of them explain," Dumbledore told the group.
Harry and Hermione sat down at the Gryffindor Table, Hermione next to Ron, and Harry next to Ginny.
"Harry," Ginny whispered urgently, "Can you meet me in the Room of Requirement after the meeting? I need to talk to you."
"Sure. I'll be there," Harry replied.
Ron leaned over towards Harry and whispered, "Are those your p-parents? And Sirius?"
"Just listen to their explanation Ron," Harry told his impatient best mate.
Harry sat there quietly as his parents and Sirius explained their presence.
The second they sat down, they were bombarded with questions. Soon, Fred and George were deeply immersed in a conversation with two of their idols, Padfoot and Prongs. Meanwhile, Lily was thanking Molly for all that she'd done for Harry while she'd been gone, as well as answering random questions from Ginny and Hermione.
"Wow mate, I can't believe they're really your parents. You've finally got a Mum and Dad. That's so cool. And if you hadn't had that vision last year, and we hadn't gone off to London, then they wouldn't be here right now," Ron pointed out.
"Yeah, I know," Harry replied.
After dinner, members of the Order started arriving.
Once the meeting started, Lily, James, and Sirius had to tell their story once again.
All in all, Harry thought the whole affair pretty boring. The learned that Voldemort had enlarged his forces, by now having most of the Dementors on his side. Several members threw out ideas on how to get more people fighting actively for the light side, as well as ways to convert current Death Eaters. Nothing sounded very promising.
Then they started figuring out how to eavesdrop on Death Eater meetings. Again, no ideas sounded very intriguing. "Why couldn't we just use the Extendable Ears to eavesdrop on Death Eater meetings? I don't think old Voldie is really going to notice them. Especially if we use the chameleon extendables, they blend in to their surroundings perfectly," Ginny asked.
Her suggestion was met with mummers of "Ok" and "That could work." Tonks wondered why she hadn't thought of it before.
After the meeting, Harry hurried off to the Room of Requirement to meet with Ginny.
He entered a warm, cozy room. There were two armchairs placed in front of a fire, one of which was occupied by a mischievous redhead.
"Ginny?" he said, closing the door.
"Oh, Harry, you're here," she greeted.
He settled himself in the vacant chair, opposite her. "So, what did you need to talk about?" he asked.
"I can speak Parseltounge," she hissed.
"H-How?" Harry asked.
"Well, when Tom possessed me back in my first year, I guess he gave me that power. I didn't realize it until yesterday. Mum had told me to de-gnome the garden, so I was. While I was flinging the little buggers around, I saw a snake. Something inside me told me to talk to it. So I did," Ginny replied, pulling up her sleeve, revealing a pitch black snake wrapped protectively around her wrist.
"Hello," Harry hissed.
"Hi. You're Harry Potter. My name is Artemis. Nice to meet you," the snake replied.
"So now you have a pet snake," Harry said.
"Yeah, actually I have two. Artemis and her brother Apollo," she said, moving her other sleeve up revealing an albino snake, "You can have Apollo if you want. I told him I had a nice friend who could talk to snakes too."
"Thanks Ginny, I've always kinda wanted a pet snake," he replied enthusiastically.
"Go with Harry, Apollo. He'll take care of you," Ginny hissed.
Apollo slithered off of Ginny's arm and wound himself around Harry's wrist.
"Hi, I'm Harry," he hissed to his snake.
"Hello. I'm Apollo. Artemis is my sister. Ginny found us in her garden," the snake told him.
Harry liked his pet snake. He was glad that Ginny had given him Apollo. He also had something to give her in return.
"G-Ginny, I, uh. Well, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. See, I, Bloody Hell, this is hard. Well, last year Hermione told me how you had 'given up on me.' Well I was kind of hoping that you still sort of liked me," he told her, suddenly finding large amounts of courage, "Because I've never felt this way about anyone before. I-I really like you Ginevra Weasley. I think I might even love you."
Her eyes widened in shock. Harry loved her. The Great Harry Potter loved her of all people. And she loved him back.
"Oh, Harry. I never stopped liking you. I had just given up on you, that's all. I thought that you'd never like me that way. But all last year, I think that my silly little crush went away. No, I don't like you Harry." His face fell. "I love you," she finished, leaning forward and pressing her lips to his.
Filibuster's Fireworks exploded around them. That was the best kiss that either of them had ever had. Harry pulled away ruculently, breathless.
"So, are we together now, a couple?" he asked uncertainly.
"Only if you want to be," she replied.
"How could I not?" he whispered, capturing her lips in a passionate, heartfelt embrace.