Chapter 4

The next week, I had strange and confusing thoughts swirling in my head. I kept thinking about Harry and I couldn't decide what was happening. I did come to the conclusion that my reaction to him was more than just 'friendly', but I couldn't decide if he was feeling more than just 'friendly' to me. Then I pondered if I wanted to be more than friends. We have such a good relationship with each other now; did I really want that to change that? What if it didn't work out and we couldn't stand each other? I didn't want Harry to be alienated from my family if we didn't get along. Should I say anything to him? I felt irritated that I would have to say something. I think Harry should have to say something, after all he started flirting first.

I couldn't decide what to do. All of this indecision was affecting my painting. I couldn't concentrate; I thought I was going crazy.

The only worthwhile thing I accomplished the next week was finding a building with Colin. It needed a lot a work but it was so inexpensive that Colin and I felt we could use the money we saved and have the whole building redone

After the war, the Ministry really started to clean out certain areas of Knockturn Alley that had been suspected for years of promoting the Dark Arts. There were dozens of raids. Many buildings were confiscated and the owners either disappeared or were arrested. Slowly these buildings are being renovated and the Ministry is trying to reopen parts of Knockturn Alley that have been cleaned up and are now supporting new businesses.

My building is one of those buildings that was confiscated. The Ministry had gone through it and had removed everything, declaring the building 'safe' from Dark magic. Colin and I planned on having Bill, Harry, and Ron go though it again just to be sure.

I was trying to focus on the excitement of the building and the plans that Colin and I were working on, but I was still distracted and it now was starting to show. Colin kept asking me if everything was okay and I was just brushing him off. I wasn't sure if I was ready to voice my turbulent thoughts yet.

I finally decided I wanted to talk it over with Hermione. She knows Harry very well and maybe could throw some enlightenment on what I should do. My opportunity presented itself next weekend.

It was one of those weekends that sometimes come up in your normal life where you don't actually have a million things to do. We decided at the last moment to have everyone come to the Burrow and just spend the day together as a family. So husbands, wives, and children all came together to have a relaxing Saturday with the people they loved. Mum naturally wanted to cook all day and we persuaded her to just keep it simple. Every family just brought a dish. The males congregated outside looking around in my father's shed, admiring and laughing at his collection of Muggle paraphernalia. The witches were inside gossiping, laughing, playing with babies, and telling funny husband stories.

The inevitable happened and a Quidditch game was announced, thus drawing most of my sisters-in-law outside to participate. Hermione, Mum and I stayed inside, minding the babies.

The three of us (or five of us if you include Alex and Ryan who were sleeping) sat at the kitchen table talking about everything and nothing. I decided to bring up the subject of Harry then, so that I could get both Hermione and my Mum's opinion. My Mum knew something was distracting me, but she was patient about approaching me, knowing I would tell her when I was ready.

I told them about the wedding and the strange feeling that I had when he carried me inside. I told them about how odd Harry had acted in my room while looking at my paintings and then about my dragonfly globe (which I had on the center of my dresser). I told them how confused I felt, that I wasn't sure if I should pursue anything because I didn't want to damage my friendship with Harry. I poured my soul out to them and they quietly listened.

After I finished unburdening myself, Hermione started in first. She told me how frightened she was of her feelings for Ron when she finally realized what they were. How she was concerned that she too would change or damage her friendship with Ron. She said that for several weeks she tried to ignore her emotions and in the end she was unhappy and miserable. Despite her fears, she told Ron how she felt and to her great joy he also felt the same way about her. They have had their ups and downs, but that she felt her choice to act on her feelings was one the best decisions she had ever made. She told me that she took a risk and that it did work out. She felt that if you don't take some chances in life you could really miss out on a wonderful thing.

We sat there and discussed her and Ron and what Hermione appreciated about him. Yes, she still gets terribly angry at him, but even in her worst moments she never regretted loving him. Hermione and I have always been close and during her and Ron's courtship, we talked about Ron a lot. Today was like seeing a different side to her and I really appreciated what she had to tell me.

My Mum went next. We always knew that Mum and Dad got together at Hogwarts and then married right after they left. But what I didn't know is that Mum had another beau at school. She was torn between him and my father. She said that they both were wonderful boys but very different and that she was extremely attracted to both. She couldn't decide which one to choose until one day she wrote my Grandmum and she replied 'Which one do you think you could tolerate for the rest of your life?' Right then she made her decision. She ended her relationship with Roger Thornton who was rich, good looking, and Quidditch captain, and chose my father who wasn't rich, wasn't that good looking, and not on the Quidditch team. The reason why she chose my father was because of their friendship. They were friends before they were lovers and she figured when they were older and the 'blossom of young love' was spent they would be friends and have a good time together. She nervously went to my father and told him her feelings and he admitted he returned her affections. The rest was history. Mum told me that she too was frightened of what the future held and didn't want to lose my father's friendship but that she never regretted choosing my father for one moment.

I sat there with Hermione and we listened to my Mum tell her story. I realized that this would be a defining moment in my life. My mum was telling me her story not as a mum to a daughter but as a woman to a woman. My eyes started tearing up with the emotions that were going through my heart, my love for these two wonderful women that I was blessed to know, and the fact that I had made my decision about Harry.

I looked up at them and said that I knew I couldn't deny my feelings, that I needed to take a risk, and what in the world should I do now?

'TELL HIM' came the resounding reply from both women, who looked at each other and laughed.

'Ginny, I have known Harry probably better than any other woman and I can tell you that he is absolutely horrible about talking about feelings. Part of it is his background with his Aunt and Uncle, and part of it is his natural shyness. He used to frustrate me to no end at school when he wouldn't talk about Sirius or when he was upset. I had to force it out of him. I think the way he is acting towards you is his was of trying to communicate to you. But unless you want to wait five years for him to say it out loud, you need to help him along by starting the dialog,' Hermione said.

Now the nervousness started to kick in as I actually thought about how I would start this conversation. I needed time to prepare and well, rehearse. 'Okay, I can do this, I think, but I need time, I can't just run out there now and yell out to Harry "Hey, I like you, so whatdoyouthinkaboutme?"'

Hermione and Mum just laughed and Hermione came up with a perfect solution, 'Tell him next week after his birthday dinner, we will be out at the restaurant and you can grab him and take him outside sometime. I'll help you.'

'Okay, perfect, that just leaves me one week to figure out what to say,' I nervously declared.

The whole next week I pondered over what to say and how to say it. I went over different approaches and discarded the ones that were just ridiculous such as 'Hey Harry, you want to ride the broomstick of love together?' (That sounded not only corny but a bit dirty). 'Do you like me Harry? Huh? Huh? Do you?' Or my personal favorite, 'Is that a wand in your pocket or are you happy to see me?' (Now I knew that was dirty).

My Mum and Hermione really weren't much help in this area. They came up with ideas but for some reason or another their suggestions didn't sound right. I knew that I needed to find something that I felt comfortable with and that didn't make me sound too idiotic.

I decided that it didn't matter anymore, anything that I said would probably come out strange, because no matter how much I planned and prepared, I was nervous and would still be nervous when I spoke to Harry. To keep me from worrying I threw myself into my work and to my great surprise, I got quite a bit accomplished. I had started on my Quidditch series and had finished 'The Seeker' portrait. I decided to give it to Harry as a gift, as he had mentioned wanting to buy the series. I feel odd charging my friends and family for artwork, and this way I could give it to him with out Harry making a fuss and wanting to pay me.

I had also decided that to calm my nerves a bit, it would help if I looked my best. Mum thought that was a good idea and together we treated ourselves to a manicure, pedicure, and hairstyling at Diagon Alley's Witches Emporium. Mum and I had a wonderful time and she laughed and giggled at things I never had seen her laugh at before. I am definitely going to take her back there again; she is a riot when she gets into one of her 'giggly' moods. Sometimes the twins can get her laughing with their jokes and stories, but today she was acting like a silly, teenage girl. The thought crossed my mind that tomorrow she would probably have a lie in and Dad would be whistling in the kitchen when I got up.

The afternoon before the party I took my time getting ready. Normally, I don't spend a lot of time doing my hair or getting dressed, I mean I always try to look nice, but I just can't stand spending my than five minutes on my hair and face. Usually, I wouldn't have that much time in the bathroom either, but now that I am the only child living at home, I have the luxury of the bathroom all to myself. Today, I took advantage of that luxury and spent more time primping in front of the mirror than I think I ever have before.

I think my hard work paid off and if I could say so myself, I looked pretty damn good. Mum and Dad both told me that I looked gorgeous and Dad made some comment about 'beating the men off with a stick.' I know that they are biased towards me but really, 'beating them off with a stick' is a bit much.

I kissed Mum and Dad goodbye and Apparated over to Ron and Hermione's. Everyone was meeting there for drinks and then we were going to the restaurant. Several new restaurants had opened in Diagon Alley and we were going to try an Italian one named 'Cellini.'

I knocked on their door and it was opened by Harry. He stared at me for moment, not saying anything. He realized that I was still standing outside when he stuttered 'Oh Gin, come in, sorry,....I didn't recognize you for a moment....You look great'.

Oh Yes, my hard work did pay off. I made him speechless. Harry you have no idea what you are up against. You are so mine. I paused for a moment when I realized what I had been thinking, mentally slapped myself, and gave Harry a big smile.

We made our way over to the drink table that Hermione had set up and Harry poured me a glass of wine. I accepted it and sipped the wine while watching him over the edge of the glass. If I may say so, he couldn't take his eyes off me. My nervousness was starting to fade away and was being replaced with excitement. I really can do this.

Ron and Hermione walked into the room and both of them stopped and just stared at Harry and me. I looked over at them and wondered if something was wrong when Hermione said 'Gin, you're here, goodness, you look different, and you look wonderful'.

'Yeah Gin,' my brilliant and observant brother said, 'Did you do something with your hair?'

I just giggled, walked over and hugged and kissed them. I still had Harry's present and I decided to give it to him now, that way we could leave it at Ron and Hermione's and not have to carry it around to the restaurant. I handed him the package and told him to open it now.

He ripped open the wrapping and held the painting out in front of him while the rest of us stood behind him, looking at the painting.

'Gin, I love it, its better than I imagined, I just can't thank you enough', Harry gushed out. I could tell he was really touched by the gift. He set the painting down, turned around and gathered me up in a big hug and then kissed me on the forehead.

Damn, aim a bit lower next time Potter. Again, I had to mentally shake myself and told Harry that I was glad he liked it.

We sat around visiting while the rest of the guests arrived. Hermione had invited Harry's closest friends, including Fred, George, Alicia and Angelina. Seamus and Lavender Apparated in from Edinburgh, and lastly Dean Thomas Flooed over from his flat. Neville and Luna were going to meet us at the restaurant.

I hadn't seen Seamus, Lavender or Dean since school and it was nice to catch up with them. They all seemed to be prospering and quite happy with their lives after Hogwarts and the War. Ron declared if we didn't leave to eat now, he was going to leave without us. So off we went to have a dinner to celebrate Harry's birthday.

The dinner was wonderful, the food was fantastic,and the atmosphere of the restaurant was ......magical. The restaurant had decided to decorate with an Antique Venician elegance. When you walked in the restaurant you just felt comfortable, elegant, and relaxed. We had our own private area and the staff was courteous and anticipated our every need. The wine and laughter flowed like a river. I looked over at Hermione and smiled at her. The evening was definitely a success.

Somehow, I ended up sitting next to Harry which I was quite happy about. He really surprised me with his charm. It was obvious that he was flirting with me and he kept touching my hand, my arm, or even once, my leg. Sometimes you can know someone so well and yet they can surprise you. Harry was always so shy and reserved at school. It really took him a long time to warm up to me and really talk to me. As we became friends, I really only saw one side of him, as I never saw how he acted with women he was interested in. The way he was acting tonight excited me and surprised me. I realized that tonight would be a perfect time to speak with him as I think we were both feeling happy and a little reckless.

The dinner continued on and whether it was the wine or just that I felt so right about this I wasn't nervous about speaking with Harry. Every time I caught Hermione's eye she would smile at me and nod. She too recognized that this was my night.

After dessert and a final coffee everyone started to make their goodbyes and left. It was time to act, I glanced at Hermione, she nodded at me, and I walked over to Harry.

'Harry, I was wondering if you could come out to the courtyard with me?' I asked, 'I wanted to ask you something.' I asked.

'Sure Gin' he responded and he placed his hand on the small of my back and guided me outside.

We walked outside and went to the back wall. I looked up to the sky and took a deep breath. Trying to sound natural, I asked him if he had fun tonight.

'It was great, definitely one of the best birthdays yet; I really can't thank you and Hermione enough.' Harry replied.

'Well, Hermione did most of it, and I am so glad that you had a great time.' I smiled at him and paused, still trying to catch my breath.

'Gin, was that all you wanted to ask me?' Harry moved closer to me.

I looked up at him, 'No, there is more, First I want to say that, I am so glad you are back, I have just loved being around you and just ..... having you here.....but lately I have felt..'

Aack! An owl has just landed on my head. I couldn't believe this was happening, I am trying to tell someone that I am falling in love with him and a freakin' owl is digging it's talons into my head.

Harry moved into action and deftly helped untangle the owl from my hair, thus ruining my carefully done hairstyle. Once the owl was free and was sitting on Harry's arm, he asked if I was okay.

I really wanted to shout 'NO' because at that moment I was not okay. I had fretted about this moment all week and now it was ruined by a stupid owl that had to gall to give ME the evil eye as it sat on Harry's arm. However, I assured Harry that no harm was done and that freed him to take the parchment that was attached to the owl's leg. Once relieved of its burden, the stupid owl gave me a dirtier look and flew off.

I watched Harry unroll the parchment and read it. I hoped that everything was okay and that nothing horrible had happened.

Harry finished reading and looked at me, 'Gin, I have to get Ron.'

'Is everything okay?' Now I was really starting to get worried.

'Yeah, Ron and I have been working together, to catch an old Death Eater, and we just got confirmation of where he is, we have to go now......I am so sorry Gin, can we continue this later?,' Harry said all this as he grabbed my hand and was pulling us towards the inside of the restaurant.

'Sure, fine Harry later is good' I sort of mumbled out as I was being dragged along.

Harry walked up to Ron and whispered in his ear. Ron nodded, said something to Hermione, and together they started to gather their cloaks to leave. Hermione looked over at me with a questioning look and I shook my head. She sighed and smiled at me with this sort of sad, pitiful look on her face.

We followed Ron and Harry out of the front doors of the restaurant. Harry turned around and hugged Hermione and thanked her for tonight and he walked over hugged me, kissed me on the forehead and whispered in my ear 'Later Gin, I promise.'

I felt a little thrill at that moment and before he turned away I grasped his hand and looked him in the eye 'Later Harry, ... please be careful, and send me a note to say you're okay.'

'I will Sweet Gin, don't worry, please, sleep tight,' and with those last words, Ron and Harry Apparated away. Hermione and I decided to go back to her place and get drunk.