Title: Settling the youngest

Author: Joy

A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. I have enjoyed them greatly. Point of interest I let Harry be jealous at the beginning here and do something I don't think he really would. However it is my experience that when men feel the need to lay claim to a love they will say and do just about anything. Enjoy!

Chapter 3: I could do it for you

A month had passed since the backrub incident, as Harry called it in his own mind. Ginny and he had neither spoken nor seen each other. Harry wasn't sure what to do. He had gotten over the initial shock and pain by traveling frequently. He made sure not to be associated with any women in his travels...because as much as he hurt he knew eventually he would want to mend things with Ginny. Being without Gin was no life at all. She had been his everything without him even noticing it. Arthur was rooting for him which helped...but he had also warned Harry that Ginny was trying to move on with her life and that he shouldn't take too long before he came wooing.

Harry was puttering round in his flat when he felt a stabbing pain in his chest...the same that he felt that night. Something was very wrong. "Ginny," he whispered to himself before he apparated into her home. Arthur wasn't kidding about her moving on. Ginny was at her door sort of saying goodnight to someone before abruptly inviting the person in. She was inviting a guy in. Harry was livid.

"What's this?" he demanded mainly hidden due to the darkness of the night and the lack of lights in the room.

Ginny startled like anything, drawing her wand. "Harry...what are you doing in my cottage?"

"Your cottage? I think not... My cottage, Gin. My cottage. My name is on the deed. And as for what am I doing here, I want to hear your answer first...what's this about?"

The guy plowed into Gin's living room in a threatening manner, "Hey pal, step off or I will make you step off. The lady doesn't have to tell you..."

.
Harry stepped further into the light causing the nameless guy to pale at the sight of the lighting bolt standing out on Harry's forehead. "Do you know who I am?" he whispered angrily sending a wave of power out from himself to the young man. The idiot nodded quickly. "Then you should know I don't respond well to threats...and as for the lady," Harry said staring down at Ginny, "She is the woman I am in love with and she damn well does owe me an explanation if she is bringing strange men home with her! My home with her!" His eyes glowed with possessiveness.

Something showed in them that began to peek Ginny's interest. She now wondered if he actually believed his own words. Does he really see the cottage as our home? Did he actually pick it out for that reason? Or maybe he just never thought of any other man entering these walls?

The young man quaked in fear. "Sorry Mr. Potter, I had no idea..."

Did he think I would just kiss his feet? Ginny glared at Harry but spoke to the fore mentioned idiot, "We aren't together. He has no right to act this way. You don't have to leave."

The guy tugged Ginny away from Harry, who wisely did not try to stop him. "Gin...he killed Voldemort. I'd face all of your brothers before I would get in the way of that guy. Why didn't you tell me you were involved?"

"Because we're not," she defended. "Harry just doesn't like to share," she murmured glaring at her best friend. "He is my best friend and doesn't like the idea of playing second fiddle."

The idiot turned out to be no idiot. "Or he's a man bidding his time for you and is tired of waiting. I'll see ya. Good luck." With that the young man exiting the front door.

Harry prepared himself for the verbal thrashing he was going to get. Ginny didn't want to take the cottage out of fear of something like this. Harry had violated a sacred rule between them. He had thrown Ginny's poverty in her face. That would not be easily forgiven...but he had to do it to stake his claim on her.

Ginny rounded on Harry in moments, "How dare you! How dare you come into my home, MY HOME...not yours, since you gave it to me, scare off my dates, and have the nerve to act as the injured party."

Harry squared his shoulders, "How dare you Ms. Weasley, decide to end our friendship and budding relationship without...."

"Whatever. Just get out of my house."

"Not on your life...we didn't talk last time. We are going to talk this time...and this time you will listen," Harry ordered.

"Screw you Potter. I'm not one of your groupies you can order about," Ginny growled.

"Could you kindly tell me where this supposed harem is that I run? Cause these unseen masses you keep alluding to are nothing but air as far as I can see."

"I don't need to see them. We both know they exist. Why else would I become your default date?"

Harry snarled, "Because I am an idiot okay! I didn't know how to let myself be with you. Its not like I have had parents to model what a loving couple looks like, have I? My godfather was around for when I was a teen and that's it. My pseudo godfather is a werewolf and therefore refuses to date. The only loving couple I have ever been exposed to is your parents. I don't know this stuff Gin. I don't know how to be with someone I love. I didn't even really know that I could recognize what love was until you and then it was just terrifying. Much simpler to have you close but not too close... I know how to screw up relationships. I don't know how to make them work."

"What the bloody hell, are you blathering on about? You don't love me. If you did I would never have had the chance to invite the guy in because you would have been here on bended knee seeking forgiveness for that 'hump and dump' comment," Ginny yelled.

Harry grit his teeth and huffed a moment before he began to pace. "It was a stupid thing to say okay...I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

"You want proof I love you...well fine- Here's the thing you don't know Gin...that no one knows...well maybe Dumbledore, but that is beside the point."

"How bout you get to the point?" she glowered impatiently.

Harry raised an eyebrow but continued. "It was me and Voldemort while you fought Lucius close by... he was loosing to you and paying no heed to his master. Voldie could tell he was going down too. You collapsed in exhaustion after killing Lucius. I called your name as you crumbled and went for you...but he got there first...or would have. He started projecting images into my head of what he was going to do to you...things I haven't let myself think of in two years." Harry clenched his eyes closed.

Ginny reached out to him on instinct. Her hand was warm on his skin.

He began again after a few deep breathes, "Once he threatened you he didn't have a prayer. I just killed him. I didn't curse him. I didn't raise my wand. I didn't say anything out loud even. I just concentrated on him being dead and he was dead. It was like I sent a stream of my magic directly into him and his body overloaded."

Ginny stared wide-eyed at him. She always suspected that Harry had killed Tom with wandless magic but she never knew why.

Harry's gaze was soft on her face, "See Gin, when I was fighting for the world we were pretty evenly matched...neither drawing more power than the other because the desire was the same. But when Voldemort attacked you...beating him...killing him was about you...protecting you...finishing it for you. I wasn't going to let him touch one hair on your head."

"What...What are you saying Harry?"

"I have always been uncomfortable with people saying I saved the world or what not right?" Gin nodded. He sighed, "Well...that's because I didn't save the world. The world had nothing to do with it, except that you are in the world. The destruction of Voldemort.... the extermination of Tom Riddle forever was solely about my love for you and my need to protect you. I didn't do it for the world. I couldn't do it for the world...but I could do it for you."

Ginny's eyes were welled with tears as they flit over Harry's face.

"I love you Ginny. I always have. I always will." Ginny closed her eyes as Harry whispered, "Please stop pushing me away because I have trouble recognizing my emotions."

"Oh Harry," she whispered and threw her arms around his neck letting tears fall steadily.

"Come on Gin. Help a guy out. You know I have no skills with crying females," Harry murmured.

Ginny pulled away and looked Harry in the eye, "Point of reference Potter: Don't bring up old girlfriends during emotionally taxing times. Especially if it is someone your girlfriend has insecurity issues over."

Harry blinked once and then again. "Did you say girlfriend?"

"Caught that did you?"

"Yes... And why would you be insecure?" he asked.

Gin shrugged her shoulders, "She's very beautiful...and was the girl you liked almost the entire time I liked you when we were in school."

Harry cupped her cheek with his hand; "Cho's got nothing on you Ginny. You are my match... not some overly emotional female that is snobby and self centered."

"But she..."

He held her face in both of his hands, "That was a crush...like you had on me when you were younger. You wouldn't go back to that crush for anything would you?"

"No."

"I maybe slow on the uptake, slightly if not severally emotionally stunted, but once my heart is set on something true and pure I am ruthless in pursuing it."

"Then why didn't you call?"

Harry sighed, "I had this moment of bliss Ginny. I had this moment where everything was perfect... where I understood that you made time for me, sometimes at the expense of your family... where I was the real reason you didn't date... where our relationship was the reason your mother settled down about marrying you off because your dad knew that I would come around and take you as my own... where you were kissing me back and I knew what it felt like to be in love for the first time."

Harry shook his head, "But then you pulled away and started accusing me of using you and I just couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle that you saw me as that selfish of a bastard. It broke my heart... you broke my heart."

By now Ginny was crying again silently. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you. I was just so scared. I was scared to believe it was real. I didn't want my heart trampled again so I ran."

Harry pulled her into a hug and held her close, "I have missed you so much. I have missed holding you, and petting your hair. I've missed listening to you complain about the hospital and your brothers or my lack of good eating habits." They both laughed a little at that. He turned her face up to him stroking her cheek. "I have missed seeing this face in all states of blush or lack there of. And I have really missed kissing these lips."

"Good," Ginny whispered before pressing her lips to his.

Harry was in heaven again. Ginny's mouth was warm and inviting. They had been waiting for each other for so long that their individual lack of experience showed in clicking teeth, bumping noses, and glasses intentions on each face.

Gin leaned away and chuckled, "I think we are in need of practice."

Harry smiled at the easy manner she was dealing in. "We did okay last time."

"We were acting on instinct," she observed.

"Okay then...my instinct says I should tilt my head this way and kiss your neck," he whispered bestowing little pecks along her very sensitive skin.

"Well my instinct says we're in the wrong venue," Ginny panted and apparated them elsewhere in the cottage... their cottage.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Harry was breathing heavily on Ginny's bare chest. "I now know why Ron does that with Hermione at every opportunity," Harry murmured in utter amazement while planting little kisses on her chest.

"I agree," Gin murmured squirming at the way their bodies rubbed together, "but I also think us Weasley's are just horny buggers."

Harry chuckled a bit looking up at his love before pivoting a bit reaching for his pants. "I like you that way."

"Of course you do." She stared at his exposed backside while he leaned over the edge of the bed.

"Harry, please don't tell me there is something more interesting than my naked self in your pants," Ginny commented.

"You were quite interested in the contents of my pants not long ago," he said from below.

"Yes of course I was. You were in the bloody things...hiding a lovely package that felt so damn good," she complimented earning her a sincere blush.

Harry leaned up with something in hand, "Well it still had a lovely package in it, but I don't think you will find it to feel that 'damn good' by comparison."

Ginny let her hand be taken and kissed before Harry slipped a ring on her finger. "What's this?" she whispered in almost no voice.
He smiled softly at her timid expression. "A very important gift. It was my mother's. I want you to wear it until I can put a proper ring on your finger." He rubbed her left ring finger.

"A proper ring?" she asked very softly with tears in her eyes.

"Yeah...one that tells the world that you are mine...forever."

"Forever?"

"Forever," he said purposely before interlacing their hands together.

Harry lay over Ginny's naked form kissing her again, resuming their lovemaking, much to her enjoyment.

TBC...

A/N2: All right, one last chapter. Can we say family time? I knew you could. Now repeat after me. I will REVIEW Joy's story so she will finish before she goes to California for Christmas. I will REVIEW Joy's story and all that rot she wrote after that point. Good. Thanks for your support.