Disclaimer: I don't own this. I only play around with characters in situations that are fun.
Author's Note: I'm incredibly thankful to all my reviewers! I opened my e-mail this morning after two days to see forty new e-mails! That's way more than I ever get! Huge thanks to everyone who reviewed! I smiled for forever this morning, and it's all thanks to you guys! By request, I may follow this one up, but I haven't decided yet. I doubt this will be the last chapter, as I originally planned, but if it's okay with you all, I'd like to continue this one maybe into winter a little bit and see how things fan out. I really hadn't planned it, but I'll see if I can make something work.
To my Away on a Beach readers as well- A lot of you also keep telling me to update, which, I'm really sorry, but it will take a little more time. I'm really going to push for my dad to get the other computer up and working and I promise- as soon as that's working- I'm getting my files and I'm transferring and no matter how much my parents yell, I'm getting it done. I'm on winter break this week and I'm going to really push to update that. Please don't lose faith in me. I love that story as well, and I have high hopes for it. Please look for more notes 'cause I'll post anything I know. Thank you all again, because reviews on that story mean a lot as well.
Now that I've made huge notes to everyone, here's the chapter. Enjoy! Oh and I'm writing this in the midst of a snowfall, which makes the winter atmosphere all the better. D
Chapter 5: All I Want for Christmas is You
Harry and Ginny had retreated up to the castle only about half hour after Ron and Hermione had. It had gotten too cold for them, and in truth, they were almost entirely numb in every inch of their bodies.
So, to save themselves some serious time in the hospital wing, they pelted their opposing teams with a few snowballs, awarded themselves victory, and then headed for the castle together, almost at a sprint, to avoid the grueling wind. It was a battle left almost in defeat, as they paid the price. Their faces were stung red with near frostbite, and their hats had been blown off their heads.
They had gotten them back because they both lifted a hand up the second they felt the fabric leave their heads. So none was lost, and they made it into the castle, winning their second battle of the day.
Once inside the castle, they stopped for a second, allowing the great oak doors to close behind them, leaving all memories and chill, outside in the night.
The sky was still cloudy when they left, and the snow had lessened, so no stars had been visible, and the moon was penetrable from view. The wind whistled outside, and could be heard even faintly in the furthest parts of the castle. It was somewhat eerie, but it paid no remark to the atmosphere that actually withheld.
They let the blood re-circulate through their bodies before they made their way up to Gryffindor tower, chatting merrily the whole way up.
"That was one heck of a snowball fight!" Harry said, ruffling a hand to get snow out of his hair.
"Yeah, we beat them so bad." Ginny said, smiling and taking off her gloves.
"I still can't believe you hit Seamus- you know down there with a snowball pretty much made of ice!" Harry said, shaking his head and laughing, recalling the memory.
"Well, being the youngest Weasley, and a girl no doubt, growing up with six brothers really teaches you about how to defeat a guy." She smiled at him and winked. He gulped uncertainly and she laughed.
"Speaking of younger Weasleys, what do you think Ron and Hermione are up to?" He asked, looking at her as they walked to the portrait hole. "Butterbeer!" he said to the portrait, and the door swung open.
"See for yourself." She whispered, and their eyes averted to the couple on the couch, who were kissing and holding each other as if they were dying tomorrow.
Harry gaped at the sight. His mouth hung low to the floor, and he hadn't blinked for several minutes. His mouth was dry and he swallowed hard to bring any moisture back into his mouth, but he still couldn't speak. At last, he blinked his eyes and turned his eyes back to her.
He was about say something when she nudged him hard in the ribs and pressed a finger to her lips, to silence him from saying anything. She took him by the sleeve and led him out of the portrait hole, and when it swung closed, they spoke again.
"Well," Harry started, and Ginny became a little worried, "It's about time." He said, and his lips twisted up into a smile. Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll say. I mean, three years really is too long." She said, and they shared a smile. "Better late than never, I suppose."
"Yeah." Harry said, as they turned a corner, heading for nowhere, "They were driving me mad! Whenever the other wasn't around it was 'Harry, I really don't think she likes me. I know she doesn't like me. If I say anything, I'll ruin the friendship." He imitated Ron in a slightly deeper voice than his own.
"And then there was, 'Harry, Ron hates me. He just drives me so mad sometimes. Why do we fight like this? Harry, why?" He imitated Hermione this time in a high voice that sounded nothing like hers.
Ginny laughed heartily. "That often, eh?"
"You have no idea." He rolled his eyes thinking off all they had put him through for the past few years, and laughed to himself. Those two really were a handful sometimes. Now, they might finally give him the silence he deserved.
They walked down stairs to several different landings and wandered the castle aimlessly. They were engrossed in healthy conversation and didn't see time pass them by.
"My brother never spoke to me about his feelings for Hermione, but he certainly made them obviously enough. He would always blush the deepest red ever when Hermione came near him or said something to him. And the fact that she had no idea just made it funnier." She laughed again, and proceeded to tell him her side of their story.
"Hermione would always pull me away at some point everyday and tell me anything Ron said that made her laugh, or gave her butterflies. She would always tell me how much she wanted to kiss him, or tell me all dreams that had him in it, or related to him in some way. I must say, I never knew Hermione would ever admit to half of it." And she smiled again.
"She never told me any of that." Harry said, holding his chest in mock hurt.
"That's the beauty of girl talk, Harry." And they laughed.
"Yeah, tell me Ginny. Is it true that girls talk about everything?" he put particular emphasis on his last word, making his point clear.
She smiled mischievously. "You're so daft."
"Am I?" Harry said, his eyes widening.
"Yes." She said simply, and playfully shoved him. They stopped in the middle of the hall, and just stood there, catching their breath. They had not run, nor walked briskly, but they had laughed a lot in the past few minutes, and their air seemed to have escaped them.
Harry looked up, but he didn't look down. His eyes locked on the object floating above their heads, as it seemed to have followed them from somewhere.
After a minute of silence, Ginny looked up to see what he was staring at, and she sighed. She smiled to herself, but didn't keep it long enough for him to see. She lowered her eyes, and he followed his with hers.
"Mistletoe." She said, and kept glancing back up it, then back to him, and traced circles with her foot on the ground beneath them shyly, and looking down at the floor, following her foot.
"So it seems." He sighed, but in his mind, was jumping with joy. He also looked down at the ground, avoiding her eyes, knowing if he looked into them, he wouldn't be able to fight the urge to kiss her.
They both stood in awkward silence and blushed whenever their eyes met. After a second of weighing his options, Harry made up his mind.
"Gin, come here a sec." He said, and went over to a window ledge where they could see the snow outside. He took her hand in his, and led her over there and they sat down, the enchanted mistletoe following them.
"I figure this is better sitting down." He said, blushing deeply and looking into her eyes.
"What is?" She asked uncertainly, though, in the back of her mind, had a feeling about what he was about to do.
He didn't answer. Instead, he only kissed her, lightly, gently, on her lips. Somewhat expecting it, she kissed him back, repeating his action, and he pulled away.
"I've wanted to do that for so long." He breathed, smiling down at her tiny form he was towering over at the moment.
"I've waited longer." She said, and smiled at him.
"Why didn't you speak up?" He asked her, his eyes widening.
"Me? What about you!" She said, looking him directly in the eyes.
"Both equally guilty?" he offered, a hopeful look on his face.
"Surely." She said, "And I think the Ron/Hermione property applies here."
"Property?" he asked, puzzled.
"Better late then never." She said, and cast him a knowing look.
"Ahh, yes, that property." He said, and looked away from her, "Well, I suppose it did take us pretty long, but that only depends on how long we've liked each other. So, spill it, Gin!" she laughed.
"Only if you do."
"Promise I will once you do." He said, and held up his hands to show that no fingers were crossed.
"Ok. Well, you obviously know I liked you in my first year-your second-" She said, until she was interrupted.
"Since then!" he interjected, his brow furrowed in confusion. Had he really been so daft not to do anything then?
"Let me finish." She shot at him.
"Okay, okay." He said, surrendering.
"As I was saying, I liked you in my first year. But then, figuring you had enough to deal with to even take a glance my way, I gave up on you and began focusing on other guys. That lasted me a few years until I ended my fourth year- your fifth- and I had broken things off with Dean and Michael that year, seeing as they couldn't compare to the person I knew you were." She said, ending with a blush.
"So since last year?" He said, clearing things up.
"Yes. Around Valentine's Day if you want to be more specific." She blushed further red.
"Well, as you know, there was the whole "Cho incident" last year, which still confuses me to this day. I liked her a little bit and you know we kissed-" Ginny made a grossed-out face and Harry chuckled, then continued, "Yes, it grosses me out to, because seeing how much better there is out there." And he winked at her.
"But it took that one messed up day with Cho to make me realize, she was nothing. She cried nonstop and I could never deal with that. The day I left Madam Puddifoot's and had time to clear my head, I saw you. You were walking with your friends in Hogsmeade and I had never seen a sight so beautiful. It was at that moment that I left my past behind to start my future fancy on you." He said, and he, too blushed.
"Harry, that's so sweet." She said, and put a hand to her chest.
"Well, it comes with a territory." He said, and winked at her again.
"And what would that be?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her.
"In time, my dear, you shall see." He said, and he kissed her forehead.
"So, where does this leave us now?" she asked timidly, afraid of a wrong answer on his part.
"Well, considering my options…" He said, and put a hand to his chin to initiate a thinking process, "I could either- ask you to be girlfriend, have countless kisses with you that I would adore, and start the possibility that we could have a future together, and everything that goes with it. Also with that comes the possibility of your brothers beating me to a pulp, and letting you in on my inner circle, which makes you a target for Voldemort, and I don't know if I could put you in such danger at my expense." He said, and she cringed at Voldemort's name and frowned slightly at his last sentence.
"And then there's the other possibility where we put aside our feelings for no set purpose whatsoever, even if we say we want to value our friendship, even though after today, nothing will ever quite be the same. I would get no more kisses and have the possibility of possibly getting together with you later enough, but frankly, I hate waiting. I'm very impatient, and now that I know what I need to hear, I'm not waiting. I refuse.
"Ginny, Will you go out with me, be my girlfriend, and have all the possibilities of everything I listed before?" He let out a breath, having said all of that fairly quickly, and now making eye contact with hers.
She processed the information, and the question he had finally asked her reached her ears, "Harry Potter, Of course I will go out with you, because all I want for Christmas, is you." She said, and they smiled.
"That's good," he started, smiling bigger than he ever had in his life, "Because now I can do this again." And he bent down to make his face level with hers, and he kissed her again, this time deeper and with more passion than the little mistletoe kiss from before.
Ginny Weasley, finally having what she had always wanted, kissed back her new boyfriend, and the two sat there just kissing for a few minutes, a little deeper each time, and understanding a little more each time.
The makings of a perfect Christmas blossomed, and the enchanted mistletoe left their heads and went off in search of another promising couple to bring together.
Author's Notes: And… Done! Not with the story, No, because the next chapter is going to be Christmas morning and some confessions on everyone's parts, and many secrets and stories will be shared. Look for it, maybe in a couple days because my friends are sleeping over tomorrow night and we're all spending the day together. So, yeah. Then on Thursday I'm heading down to Pennsylvania to visit my cousins for the New Year and celebrate down there. As the creative one in the family, it is my duty to come up with creative hats for everyone to wear and enjoy. I have for the past 4 years- personalized and everything. Last year's were freakin awesome, I gotta beat my old creative record. I must be off! Bye everyone for now, and I hope you all really enjoyed this chapter! As always, please review!
(I have really long notes in this chapter- and I'm really sorry for that.)