Okay, you've all been so patient...
Also -- the site isn't letting me put in a horizontal line between scenes, as I usually do. I've substituted 's, but I'm not entirely happy with it. Hopefully, they'll work. Grrrr.
CQ
Chapter Eighteen: Harry and Ginny
Harry trudged, exhausted, through the corridors. He stopped at the Hospital wing to see Ernie, and was surprised at the crowd around the Hufflepuff's bed.
"Hey, Harry!" Ernie called out. "Fancy seeing you here!"
"Hey, Ernie," Harry smiled as he approached. "How are you?"
"Never better, Harry, never better!" Ernie positively beamed.
"Now, you lot..." Madam Pomfrey bustled in. "Mr MacMillian needs rest. Off you go, now. Mr Potter, you do not look well. Come with me!"
The rather imperious mediwitch indicated an examination table.
"I'm fine!" Harry said. "I just came to check on Ernie and the others..."
"And you look utterly exhausted. Come along..."
"I just need some sleep."
"It's two o'clock in the afternoon, Mr Potter, and while I agree that you need to get some rest, a shot of Pepper-Up potion won't hurt."
"Great," Harry shook his head, sitting down on the chair beside the bed she'd indicated. There was no way in hell he was getting into that bed. He spent too much time in the Hospital Wing as it was.
It was a full hour before Madam Pomfrey would allow him to go and he was able to get away from the group that followed along with him as he walked towards Gryffindor Tower. Entering through the portrait hole, he looked around. Several students were in the room, but no sign of Ron, Hermione, or Ginny.
Sighing, he headed up the stairs to the boys' dorm, only to find it empty. He eyed his bed, and after a moment, gave in to temptation, stripped and crawled in under the duvet. He doubted he would sleep, after Dumbledore's little bombshell, but he could rest.
Heaven.
When he awoke, the dorm was both quiet and dark. Harry sighed and rolled over, looking out into the moonlit night. It must be late. Glancing at his bedside clock, he saw that it was just past midnight. He'd slept for nearly nine hours.
Knowing he wouldn't sleep any longer, he got out of bed and pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and a tshirt. He grabbed a book from his bedside table, not really caring what it was, and headed for the Common Room. He'd read for a while, and maybe he'd get sleepy again.
He'd been reading for several minutes when he heard a soft footfall behind him. Starting, he automatically reached for his wand, which he raised and looked over his shoulder.
"It's just me, Harry," Ginny's soft voice came from the shadows.
"Gin," Harry turned fully to be able to see her. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine. Madam Pomfrey fixed me right up. Thank you for getting me back to the castle."
Harry flushed. He'd carried her all the way from Hogsmeade.
"No problem."
"Hermione says you carried me. Without magic."
Harry mentally kicked himself. He could have used a spell to carry her... why hadn't he thought of that? "I... think I must have been kind of disoriented."
"It must have killed your back, carrying me all that way."
"You don't weigh much," Harry denied, then flushed again.
Ginny came and sat down on the sofa beside him.
"Thank you, all the same," she said.
"It was... thank you for covering my back. I didn't realize you were hurt..."
"Neither did I, really," Ginny smiled. "I mean, I felt it, but I didn't really... I think I must have been going on pure adrenaline at that point."
"Me, too." Harry nodded.
There was a moment of silence, and Ginny pulled her legs up to curl under her.
"Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"About what we were talking about... in Hogsmeade... before the attack..."
Harry was silent.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never really thought of it as lying... I just... I just wanted you to stop feeling so uncomfortable around me... and then, at some point, it became more than that."
"I don't understand," Harry said.
"I didn't... I didn't want you to be uncomfortable around me, but I didn't want you to pity me, either," she admitted. "I just... the deeper I got into it, the deeper I felt I had to go."
"Lies are like that," Harry said. After a moment of silence, he was surprised by his own voice. "How deep?"
"How deep?" Ginny sounded confused.
"Did you get? Did you go?"
"You mean...?"
"I mean, I really, really hope that you didn't feel you had to go further than you were comfortable with with any of them just to prove something to me," he managed to choke out. The thought of Ginny...
"Oh..." Ginny flushed. "Not that deep."
Harry was almost shamed by the relief he felt.
"As a matter of fact... nowhere near..." Ginny flushed. "I never even kissed any of them, Harry."
"Oh," He took a breath. "So Ron was right."
"Ron?"
"He told me during the summer that you'd never been kissed."
"Yeah," Ginny sighed. "I was ready to kill him for that."
"I heard," Harry laughed.
"I'm sorry about that," she said quietly.
"About what, exactly?"
"About Ron... suggesting that you should..."
"Oh," Harry flushed. "Don't worry about it."
"I mean, it can't be exactly... comfortable... to have your best friend say something like that to you."
"It didn't bother me," Harry said.
They sat in silence for minutes.
"Harry?" Ginny whispered.
"What?"
"Would you please kiss me?"
Harry looked at her, stunned. She flushed deeply. It was rather pretty in the firelight.
"I mean..." she paused. "I've never... and I know you don't feel that way about me, but... I'd like for you to be the first that..."
She was cut off by his lips, which covered hers almost desperately.
Harry Potter is kissing me! She thought, before all semblance of thought was gone, and she lost herself in it. Harry didn't touch her, beyond one hand that came up to cup her cheek, and the lips that covered her own, parting, forcing hers to part, and taking the kiss beyond anything that Ginny had ever even imagined.
She was kissing Harry Potter. Harry Potter was kissing her.
It was only moments later that he pulled back, staring into her wide eyes.
"I..." he swallowed.
"Wow," Ginny breathed.
"Wow?" He asked, his cheeks red.
"Oh, definitely 'wow'," she nodded.
"Yeah," he whispered. "It was."
And then he was kissing her again, more gently this time, exploring her lips and mouth, then down her jawline, and into the indentation between her ear and neck. Ginny groaned.
"Harry..."
"I'm sorry... did I hurt you?" he pulled back, panicked.
"No," she raised dark eyes to his. "Not at all. Please don't stop."
"Ginny..."
"Please, Harry," she whispered, pulling him back to her and down as she fell back onto the sofa. "Please."
Brief thoughts of what would happen to him if Ron found them here flashed through his mind. Brief thoughts of Ginny's reputation, and Hermione's horror... but the moment that he felt Ginny's small hand gently touch his chest, he was lost. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. He was completely without the ability to deny himself this small part of her.
He gently touched her neck, then her collarbone, his hand running down to the edge of the tank top she was wearing. He followed his hand with kisses. Short, soft butterfly kisses. Ginny's breath caught, and he raised his head, looking at her in the firelight as she arched her back towards his touch.
"You're beautiful, and I've wanted to do that for so long."
"What?"
"Kiss you," he blushed.
"Really?"
"Really," he sighed, laying down beside her, his head on his raised arm, looking deeply into her eyes. "Last spring, when I saw you coming out of that broom closet with Ernie MacMillian..."
Ginny flushed deeply, but didn't turn away.
"I wanted to pound him. I was absolutely livid. Your blouse was undone and... and all I could think about was that Ernie MacMillian had seen you... like that... and I hadn't."
Ginny sighed. "Ernie is a wonderful friend... when I told him I needed his help, he was more than happy to go along with it. He...ummm... he never..."
"No?"
"I think he was quite shocked when I started undoing my blouse while we were in there. I had to explain..."
"Explain what?"
"That I'd seen you coming down the corridor, and..."
"Oh."
"Ernie's not interested in me, Harry."
"I know that... now. Ron explained..."
"Yeah," Ginny agreed. "I'm sorry."
"I just wish you didn't feel that you had to do all that to..."
"I just wanted you to feel you could talk to me, without my... crush on you being an issue. You always bolted..."
"Gin..." Harry sighed. "It wasn't because of your crush on me."
"What?"
"The reason I was so uncomfortable... it wasn't because of your crush. I'd figured you were over that ages ago. Long before the Department of Mysteries, at any rate. You'd been seeing Michael Corner... and..."
"Well, then why?" Ginny looked confused. Then, her eyes hardening, she made to sit up. "Because you really didn't..."
"No, Ginny!" Harry grabbed her arm and pulled her back down to lay against him. "Because I was terrified that if you found out how I felt about you, you'd..."
"What?"
"Not feel the same way. Ginny, I really like you. You're beautiful, you're funny... you make me feel... well, you're just you. I could handle your feeling something for me... I couldn't handle your not feeling something for me!"
"Not...!" she looked at him, shocked. "Harry Potter, you must be blind!"
Harry flushed. Ginny rolled over him, laying against him and looking down into his eyes, her bright red hair forming a curtain around them, blocking out everything. "I feel for you, Harry. I've felt for you since... since I was a little girl. That hasn't changed. At least, not the how. Maybe the why."
"What do you mean?"
"When I was ten, I had a crush on you. You were Harry Potter, and you were my brother's best friend. Now... now you're just Harry. And I care more about 'just Harry'."
Harry ran a hand up around her neck and gently pulled her down to him. He kissed her gently, then pulled her against him so that she was curled into his side, her head on his chest, his arms holding her close.
"Thank you," he said quietly, as they stared into the fire, together.
"Harry," Harry surfaced, then started. This wasn't his room. And that definitely wasn't his pillow...
"Gin?" He reached to the end of the sofa, groping on the table there for his glasses.
"Good morning," she smiled down at him. He'd been sleeping with his head cushioned on her breast.
"Sorry... did I hurt you?"
"I'd be interested in the answer to that, as well," came a voice, and the two of them turned horrified gazes up to meet the blue eyes of Ginny's brother, and Harry's best friend.
Ron was leaning over the back of the sofa, both elbows resting there, and staring down at them with a rather... feral... look in his eyes.
"Ron..."
"No, Harry wasn't hurting me, Ron. He didn't hurt me, and he won't hurt me. We were just talking down here last night and... we fell asleep in front of the fire."
"Hmmm," Ron nodded, apparently accepting of this explanation, but Harry wasn't fooled. His eyes were hard.
"So, my sister spends the night on the Common Room couch with Harry Potter, and I'm to believe that nothing happened?"
"Ron," Harry sat up, pulling Ginny with him as he did. "Trust me, nothing..."
"Oh, I trust you, Harry..." Ron turned his eyes on his little sister. "It's her I wonder about at times."
"Ron," Harry said dangerously, standing and facing his friend. "Don't."
Ron looked at Harry for a moment, then grinned. "Fair enough, mate. If you can defend her after everything she's put you through, that's enough for me."
And he turned and headed for the portrait hole. "You two might want to go and get dressed. Half the House has been through here, but the other half... the male half... hasn't. And I'd kind of like to not have to explain to my mother why my sister has the worst reputation in Gryffindor."
Ginny threw a pillow at him, but the portrait hole closed before it could make contact with his head.
Harry turned to her, holding out a hand to her. He was nervous. Would she feel the same this morning?
"Harry?" Ginny stood, taking his hand, seeing the doubt in his eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah... that was..."
"I know. I expected Ron to throw a fit."
"He knows that when I say nothing happened, that nothing happened," Harry said.
"Did nothing happen, Harry?" she looked at him, her own doubt apparent.
"Nothing like what he was thinking," Harry said. "But yeah... I think... Gin..."
"Yes," she said quickly, then flushed. "At least... if you were going to ask..."
"I was," he confirmed. "I don't want to lose you now."
"You won't," she said, stepping closer to him and, wrapping an arm around his neck, pulled him down for her kiss.
After a moment, she pulled away, and smiled up at him.
"Ten minutes to shower and dress? I'll meet you back here?"
"Done," Harry said, watching as she turned and ran up the stairs to the girls dorm.
He'd spent the night on the Common Room couch with Ginny Weasley, and her brother hadn't even killed him for it.
Amazing.
Happy now? They're together... finally. Took them long enough, I know.
Larna Mandrea: Funny enough, no one flamed me... well, not about that, at any rate.
Sabine Strohem-Moss: Yes, they are indeed intriguing... we'll see what new issues that brings to the table, shall we?
Kordolin: Resolved!
Rdprice29: There, H/G action for you... Also, thanks for your reviews on my other stories – I'm no longer posting to them, but I wanted to let you know that I was glad you enjoyed them – and thanks for the compliments. You have no idea of how good it makes me feel to know that people are enjoying my efforts!
Daufahnder: Thanks! I'm not sure I'd call it "normal", but hey...
MrsSakuraPotter: I figured I've been torturing you long enough... as for the Marauder's Map question... the same reason he didn't whip out the mirror to talk to Sirius at the end of Book Five.
PCB: Thanks! I'm really not much on writing the battle scenes... I tend to get a little confused with who is doing what, and they seldom sound plausible, but this one I'm quite fond of!
Teazer: Thanks! I enjoy sib-ff's work, too. You ought to check out James Milamber, and Melindaleo's stuff... oh, and Whimsical Firefly... and Saerry Snape... man, the list goes on. Check out James Milamber's C2 Community, Only the Best... there are some wonderful fics on there.
Shotgunn: Yes, Halo and Halo 2 are favorites around here, as well – DH just finished Ninja Gaidan (sp??) to second level, apparently that is something to be quite proud of... personally, I'd rather be writing fan fiction. And there is no need to prod Ginny now, is there?
Gee-Unit: Well, I do tend to update quickly, so I don't think you need worry.
Anonymoos: I'm glad!
SexyGod: The reason it was being repeated was because the muggle was repeating it... and I only gave you a small taste of that. Julie Spinnet had to listen to it for about four hours straight. As for Ron, when has he EVER asked or said something straight out when it takes a trust in his own self-worth to do so? He would NEVER come right out and say something like that to Harry, or anyone for that matter. Ginny had to drag it out of him. I know it's frustrating, but JKR uses this regularly in canon as a plot element. Ron is Ron. We can be comforted by the fact that he generally gets it right in the end.
Kitties Rule 878: Thanks – some were getting rather restless as the suspense, I think!
Azn-anime-freak11: Glad you're enjoying it...
Tanydwr: Mwwaaaahhhahahah... But you're not going to find THAT out anytime soon, you know that, right?
Bob: I'm not quite sure why you feel the need to enlighten me on the bathing rituals of the British male... but I assure you, I'm married to one who I knew when he was that age, and he bathed daily... as do all my British relatives (at least when they're here, or I'm there). As for the swearing thing, I think you'll find that my version of canon characters may be more voluble than JKR's version, but far less than some on this site... at least what I've read. Again, I'm not JKR, and I'm not writing canon, it's how the muse is dictating it to me, and I am merely the channel. Trust is an emotion, honesty is not. Trust is affected by the level of honesty in a relationship, and that "level" is different for everyone. Harry's tolerance level for lack of honesty is very low, which is funny, because he has more need to trust in those around him than most.
Merlindamage: Voldemort is a nasty guy... of course the Dark creatures are going to side with him, he'll have promised them the moon (pardon the pun)...
Potatomaker: Wow – that's the most reviews I've gotten from a single reader at one time... ever! Thanks! You're right – he IS a teenage boy, a unique one, but nothing he has learned has prepared him for the emotions he feels around Ginny – and I think he tends to lump it all together. And Hermione ALWAYS thinks that she can "help" -- funny, as she has accused Harry in past of having a "saving people" thing.
CQ