Disclaimer: Please refrain to previous chapters to know that I do not own this franchise.

Author's Note: A million thanks to all my reviewers who made me get back to this story all the more sooner. It made me so happy to go to the site and see the number of reviews at 40. It completely made my night, and therefore, I am starting this chapter right away. Also, I finally, after nearly 2 months, updated my other fic, Away on a Beach, which had been on my other computer for quite some time. But now it's saved to a disk, as I will to this one as well, for backup. But yeah, anyways, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 6: Christmas Eve Confessions

Harry and Ginny, finally broken apart and lips slightly swollen, made their way back up to Gryffindor Tower. Harry had his arm swung around Ginny's shoulder and she was looking up at him with the most desired emotion on her face.

They both had equally goofy, yet sweet, grins on their faces and seemed to be lost in another world. Their world.

They reached the portrait and entered. Harry dropped his arm off her shoulder, and rested his hand in hers, feeling her pulse through her skin, and smiling to himself as he felt it quicken at his touch. Ginny blushed and smiled up at him, knowing he had felt her pulse beneath his fingertips.

They entered through the portrait hole, after saying the password, of course, and saw Ron and Hermione, also finally with their lips to themselves, cuddling by the fire, looking peaceful and perfectly happy.

"Hey guys." Ron said, looking up from his dreamy gaze at Hermione to see his best friend and his sister walking in together, looking like he and Hermione had only moments before. Being Ron, and given his state of mind, he overlooked their hands and faces, and looked at Hermione.

His clever girlfriend, however, being the brightest witch of their age, immediately noticed the expressions that they wore on their faces and the way they stood so close with their hands held romantically.

Hermione eyed them suspiciously, "Ginny, can I see you upstairs?" she asked the youngest Weasley, who looked disappointed at having to be away from Harry.

"Sure, Hermione." And she squeezed Harry's hand gently, reminding him that Ron wouldn't be as hard as he thought, and that he wasn't doomed for a pounding. She winked at him and he smiled, and Ginny let go of his hand and ascended up the stairs to the girls' dormitory with Hermione.

Harry gulped. Ron followed his eyes up until Hermione was out of sight, then he sighed contentedly and leaned back against the couch, staring dreamily into the fire. Harry took this as an opportunity to ask him about what he had seen before, and his eyes suddenly gleamed with mischief.

"So, Ron," he started, "What happened tonight?"

"Harry, mate. It was incredible." Was all he said. Harry, of course, knew what he meant, but further questioned him.

"What was?"

"The kiss." He reminisced about what had happened, and he only smiled wider, it now reaching his crimson red ears.

"Ron!" Harry snapped him out of his trance, and Ron awoke with a jolt, though he wasn't asleep. Harry could now possibly have a real conversation with him.

"Sorry, I just can't stop thinking about her."

Harry laughed. "It's okay. Tell me what happened."

"Okay, so you know how we were really cold outside?" Ron asked him, recalling memories.

"Yes, snow does tend to be cold…" Harry said, causing himself to laugh a little.

"Yes, well, we went inside and we had to warm up because, well, we were cold. So we went up here, and sat by the fire, and she was just so, incredibly beautiful I couldn't help it. So, I kissed her. And at first, she didn't kiss back. But then suddenly, she kisses me, and then before I know it, we're making out. And it was by far, the greatest moment of my life. Then we spilled all secrets, and I asked her to me my girlfriend. And she said yes." Ron concluded, the dreamy look back on his face.

"Ron, wow, that's great. I'm happy for you. You two took too long in getting together. It was quite annoying, really." Harry said, and Ron only smiled.

"Yeah. I still can't believe she said yes. I'm going out with Hermione." He said, smiling proudly, never being more red in his life.

"Yes, you are. Before long you two will be happily married with many little bushy haired, red-headed Ron and Hermione's. And I shall then be known as The Great Uncle Harry." Harry said, laughing, and Ron threw a pillow at him, now even redder than before.

"Ron?" Harry said, remembering he must tell him about himself and Ginny.

"Yeah?" Ron asked, smiling fully.

"Something happened tonight, also. With me and another girl." Harry said, uneasily, and Ron jumped up and clapped him on the back.

"Harry, that's great! We can double date! Who is she?" He asked, now overjoyed for his friend as well.

Harry mumbled something, but it was inaudible to Ron's ears. "What was that, Harry?"

"I said, Ginny." He said, and stepped back, preparing for an outburst.

Ron gaped at him. "G-G-Ginny? My-My baby sister, Ginny?" He said, his mouth wide open.

"She is the only one we know of." Harry said, and avoided looking his best mate in the eyes.

Ron didn't say anything for awhile, and only swallowed after about 10 minutes or so when Harry waved a hand in front of his face, clearly worried.

"Look, Ron, I really like Ginny. She makes me happy. She's easy to talk to and she listens to what I have to say and understands part of what I go through. She-" Harry was cut off.

"Please spare me the details on my little sister. What exactly did you two do tonight?" Ron asked, some happiness evaporating from his eyes.

"We only kissed! I swear. She's my girlfriend, now, Ron. And I couldn't be happier than you were with Hermione. I know how you feel about Hermione, because it's the same way I feel about Ginny." Harry said, defending himself.

Ron stopped and eased up slightly. "I will allow you to date my sister." He said, and Harry stopped tensing up, but knew Ron wasn't through, "On one condition."

"I'll do anything that lets me keep seeing Ginny." Harry said.

"You have to swear to me, on your life, that you won't hurt her. And by hurt, I mean both physically and emotionally." Ron glared at him, staring him down to intimidate him. And it was working.

Harry gulped, but regained his composure, and answered honestly, "Yes, Ron, I swear on my life, and I promise, from the bottom of my heart, that she means too much to me to ever let her go. I will never, ever hurt her. Trust me, Ron. We've been friends for too long and you know me well enough to know what I would never do such an awful, selfish thing. I really, really care about her. And I mean that." Harry said, hoping his honesty was what Ron wanted to hear.

"That sounds about right, coming from you. Alright, Harry, I won't beat you to a pulp." Harry smiled. "Just please, please, don't be all- romantic and stuff in front of me, because I'm tolerating this, but I don't know how much I'll be able to tolerate." Ron said, ending with a shiver, imagining his best friend and little sister together.

Harry laughed, "I won't, Ron."

Ron smiled, "Then good for you, mate. You need a girl. Because I really didn't like Cho. But, I love my sister."

"Aww, Ron, you're such a sap." Harry said, and Ron chuckled.

"I'm not the only one. You're the one practically in love with my baby sister." Ron said, and threw another pillow at him, which Harry caught.

"And you're pretty much in love with Hermione." Harry said, and both guys dreamt off about their girls, who safely had the title of theirs.

Meanwhile…

"Ginny, why are we rushing?" Hermione asked, still being pulled up the staircase to her dormitory.

"Because we have to talk." Ginny said, in a serious tone that caused Hermione to laugh.

Once they reached the sixth year girls' dormitory, Ginny checked to make sure no one else was in the room. Once she saw that the room was completely empty, she closed the door and locked it. Then she turned back to Hermione and smiled.

"I kissed Harry." She said, as her face broke out into an even wider grin. Hermione gaped at her, open-mouthed, and then it, too, turned into a smile.

"Ginny, that's fantastic!" Hermione said, and hugged her red-headed friend tight. "It's about time. So, not to sound like Parvati, but tell me everything."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at her. "Hermione Granger, a gossip! I thought I'd never live to see the day." And she laughed.

"I'm not a gossip! I just want to know about two of my best friends!" She pleaded, defending herself.

"Whatever you say, Hermione." Ginny said, and then went to telling her story.

"So we're walking up to the castle, pretty much frozen, and we decide to take a walk-" she left out the part about them seeing Ron and Hermione so that Hermione could tell her on her own accord when she felt the time was right- "and we were just walking casually and having conversation, when we stopped. And we saw mistletoe above our heads. I thought we were going to ignore it. But he pulled me aside, saw us down, and kissed me. I kissed back, naturally, and then we broke apart, and admitted everything." She looked off in a dreamy state.

Hermione smiled, "That's cute, Gin."

Ginny grinned widely, "He's just, the best guy there is. Oh- and he asked me to be his girlfriend."

"…To which you said…?" Hermione looked anxious and Ginny raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, of course." Ginny smiled and Hermione laughed.

"I'd have hoped so." Hermione gulped and started on something different, "Gin?"

"Yeah?"

"I-er- have some news, too." She said, and blushed beet red.

"Really? Do tell. After all, I did share my bit of information." Ginny looked at her, ready to congratulate, already knowing.

"Ron and I are together now." She said, and smiled.

Ginny sprung up from her seat and hugged Hermione, and she laughed. "Hermione, this is fantastic!" she said enthusiastically.

"I'm really excited!" Hermione said, smiling much more than she ever had in her life.

"I need details, woman!" She said, and grabbed a bag of chips near her and began snacking.

"Well, we came up here, cold, as you and Harry were and we were just sitting by the fire, and I realized how much I liked him. I studied him for the longest time, and then he spoke up, and he was speaking very softly. He was going to ask me something, but then didn't, and instead, kissed me. It took me a second to realize this so I didn't have time to kiss him back-" Ginny looked a little upset by this, "-so when he asked me to reject him nicely, I kissed him. And then we admitted each other everything about how much we were crazy about one another and how much we really felt for each other."

Ginny chorused a loud 'Awwww!' and Hermione blushed. "I'm just crazy for your brother, Gin."

Ginny hugged her yet again. "And I assume he asked you out, you said yes, and the two of you began making out on the couch like the world was going to end."

"How'd you know..?" Hermione asked, very confused.

"Because Harry and I stopped by the common room before we walked around the castle and we saw you two at it on the couch." Hermione blushed and Ginny smirked, "I figured you'd tell me when you were ready."

"Ginerva, very sneaky." Hermione laughed and the two stared off into space, thinking of the man they had chosen, and what was to lie ahead.

Oh, what a night.

Author's Note: finished with that chapter! I'm really sorry because I had originally planned to include Christmas morning with it, but I didn't know how to fade into that and I have to leave for the weekend and I didn't want to delay this update any longer. So I'm really sorry if this wasn't the best or longest chapter- but it's here anyways. Thanks to all reviewers who are awesome! And please review, as always! Also, look for this story to have an update by next week or so, before my midterms, and an update for 'Away on a Beach' by Wednesday or so. That's what I hope anyways—so yes, bye for now! And leave me some nice reviews to read when I get back!