A/N-

Yes, Yes, I'm horrible, I suck. I haven't updated in much too long. I have been spurred to action by more than one death threat. Funnily enough, they all have come from fanfiction.net reviewers. I guess my Checkmated pals are used to me being such a slow jerk. Thanks for your patience, it is appreciated. I hope this chapter makes you happy, but it really is a stop gap before I can move the plot along more. Be warned, lots of H/G action in this chapter. Well c'mon, they have to catch up to the other two!

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Ginny woke to the sound of arguing. Rolling over languidly, she found the space previously occupied by Harry empty, but still warm. After expelling an enormous yawn, she slowly sat up and looked around, blinking slowly.

It was certainly morning. She was alone in their shelter, her stomach was growing with emptiness, and her mouth felt disgustingly gritty.

Ginny was just debating whether to lie back down or venture forth in search of sustenance. She was saved from making a decision by the sight of a very messy-haired boy entering the shelter with a coconut bowl full of berries in his hands.

Ginny smiled outwardly, but inside, her heart was beating a ridiculous tattoo. Harry was bringing her food. Insanity.

Ginny scooted over to allow him room, and he settled down beside her.

"Morning, Gin." Harry's voice was still gruff and gritty with sleep.

Ginny's face colored as she met his gaze. "Hullo, Harry."

Awkward silence.

"Erm, is that for me?" Ginny gestured to the fruit.

Harry started. "Oh, yes, I- sorry."

Harry held his hands out to Ginny, and she plucked a few berries and munched. Ginny's eye's nearly rolled back in her head, so satisfying was the taste of food in her mouth.

Harry watched, enraptured, as a sound he'd never heard before unfolded from Ginny's throat. It was low, velvety, and.....sensual. Harry gulped, and his gaze went down, from her neck, lower, and lower....oh, God. Harry whipped his head back up, only to find Ginny's amused eyes staring back at him.

"See something you like, Potter?"

He was frozen. Petrified. What to say? "I- I, well, yes. I mean no. No,  yes! I -bloody hell." Ginny giggled, and leaned forward. "My thoughts exactly."

They were only millimeters apart now, so very close to-

"What the hell? Get away from my sister, Potter!"

Ginny leaned back to glare venomously at her now least favorite brother.

"Go away!" Ginny moved back towards Harry, but he chose that moment to jump up guiltily, spilling Ginny's breakfast berries everywhere.

"Oh, uh, Gin, I'll go get you some more." And with that, the brave Harry Potter streaked from the shelter as if his bum was on fire.

Ron's gaze followed Harry's departure with satisfaction before turning to his sister with a chuckle.

 "What'd you think you were up to?" Ginny demanded, her arms now crossed in consternation.

"C'mon Gin, just having a bit of fun with him. He's so easy. Thinks I'll knock him out if I catch him touching you."

"Won't you?"

Ron shrugged, and glanced behind him quickly. "I think I'll leave that to the rest of family. I'm too happy to get mad at the moment." He smiled inwardly, thinking of the pretty girl he'd left outside to finish culling out the rest of the coconut shells.

He'd been helping Hermione scoop out the milk and flesh when he'd flicked some of it onto her neck and chest purposely on accident. She'd complained loudly, so he'd set to clean her up by licking it off. Instead of being immediately turned on and jumping him there as he'd assumed she would, she'd shoved him down face first into the sand and stomped away, muttering about inconsiderate, randy imbeciles.

Women. There was just no telling how contrary they could be.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Ron, you do realize we're stranded on a desert island, right? This is not a bloody vacation! We have no idea who brought us here or for what purpose!

Instead of spending your limited amount of brain capacity trying to get as far as you can with Hermione, why don't you help the rest of us figure out what's going on?"

Ron bit his lip thoughtfully. "Can't I do both?"

With frustrated screech, Ginny stormed outside, leaving Ron to his bafflement of the opposite sex.

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Harry caught up with Ginny as she exited the tent, pulling her quickly towards the trees and the obscuring shadow they provided.

As she opened her mouth to let loose on him for practically abandoning her, Harry covered it with his own. He pushed her back against the base of a tree, leveraging his body against hers. Not being very familiar with this particular activity, Harry didn't do much else besides press his lips to Ginny's. So she took over.

Ginny raised her fingers to his face, angling her mouth to better fit his. Taking his lower lip in her mouth, she suckled it softly before letting it go.

Harry's mouth opened to do the same to her.

Ginny moaned in response, and then slid her tongue against his mouth and inside.

Harry's eye's crossed. He emulated Ginny's motion and they were soon feverishly succumbing to the physical sensations they were arousing in each other.

They fell together against the tree, then slid down until Harry was bending Ginny halfway backwards, ravaging her mouth, neck, and then further down until Harry came into contact with a new portion of Ginny, thus far unexplored. Without thought, he allowed his mouth to touch, then caress, her incredibly rounded softness.

Ginny's cry startled them both, violently unrestrained. Harry immediately stilled, then backed away from her body and its temptation.

Breathing heavily, they stared at each other in stunned silence.

Finally, Ginny broke the silence. "Well." She hesitated, then seemed to be unable to think of anything else to say.

Harry raked shaky hands through his hair, then began to mumble, "Gin, I'm so-" Ginny's sharp tone cut off the rest of his words.

"Don't you dare apologize, Harry. I'd have to wallop you if you did."

Harry barked out a quick chuckle. "Would you really?"

Ginny's face smoothed from a frown to a slightly mischievous grin. "If you need confirmation, just ask Ron."

"You hit him?"

"I didn't hit him, I walloped him. There is a distinct difference."

Harry waited. When she offered no more information, Harry asked, "Well, why?"

Ginny shrugged. Though she was making a valiant effort to be nonchalant, the tell tale Weasley blush indicated her embarrassment.

Harry crept a bit closer, and took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers together.

"I won't laugh," he murmured. "Swear I won't."

Ginny burrowed her face in that wonderful spot between his chest and bicep. "Yes, you will," was her muffled reply.

He brushed some leaf bits out of her hair. "Won't."

Ginny leaned back to look at him. "So, then, not going to let this go?"

Harry shook his head. "I can't, I'm too intrigued."

Ginny huffed loudly, then said, "My stupid brothers found some stupid books of mine and Ron started teasing me about them."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Why would being teased about books bother you? You're not Hermione."

"They were embarrassing kinds of books, at least when a brother sees them. It would've been fine if it was another girl, but my pratty relations don't know anything about..well, anything."

"You're not making any sense, Gin."

Ginny threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, Harry. They were romance books. With hard-bodied men with names like Blake and Devon seducing young, nubile virgins with lots of long, flowing hair.  They all live happily ever after, shagging away."

"Ah." Harry's voice sounded feeble, as if he were trying very hard to control it. "I might be able to see why your brothers found that…..amusing."

Ginny continued, "They said that I had been obviously trying to get ideas on how to deprive you of your virtue. Ron, Fred and George were all just laughing it up. So I said that maybe Ron should be reading them too, if he wanted absolutely any chance with Hermione."

"Ouch," was Harry's response.

"I know, it was a pretty mean thing to say, especially with the twins right there. But he hurt my feelings first."

"So, anyway," Ginny went on, her voice faltering a bit at the next part, "The twins kind of 'oohed', then started in on Ron. He pretty much ignored them, turned to me and said, 'At least I know Hermione's willing to be my friend, which is more than I can say for you'."

"Oh, Ginny."

"I saw red, Harry. I just swung as hard as I could, I don't think I even consciously decided to belt him. I got Ron right on the temple, and he flailed back, and then he went halfway down the stairs before he grabbed hold of the railing. I know I should've been horrified at myself, but I was just so furious at him, partly because, in my heart, I believed what he said. I never thought I stood a chance with you Harry. I can't believe this all isn't some beautiful dream I'll wake up from any minute now."

Harry pulled Ginny closer to him.

"It's not a dream, Gin, believe me."

He leaned towards her again, and the kiss they shared was markedly more tender than their last.

"I don't want you to ever feel like you don't deserve this. If anything, I'm the one who's utterly amazed that you still care for me after all this time."

Ginny smiled in response, snuggling deeper into his embrace.

"And just so you know, I didn't abandon you because I was scared of Ron or anything."

"Why'd you leave, then?"

"Because if your brother had happened to glance down at any time, all three of us would have been really embarrassed."

"Oh," Ginny replied in a small voice.

"I couldn't take how you looked."

"How did I look?"  She was doing the sexy voice again, God help him.

Harry stared into her eyes, then down at the ground. "Tempting," he replied in a choked voice.

Ginny wisely decided at that moment it would be best to end that particular line of questioning, before it got them both in trouble. But it didn't stop a smug, feminine smile from appearing on her face.  It was certainly soothing to know he felt the same urges she so often did.

After a time, Harry inquired, "So what happened after you punched Ron?"

"Oh, he got Mum to heal him before she found out what he'd done to deserve it. She told him he was lucky to only get a black eye."

Harry chuckled. "That sounds like Mrs. Weasley, all right."

"Ron actually came to my room later and apologized. Apparently, he and Hermione had another fight via owl post. He'd received a rather nasty parchment from her right before our argument."

"Oh yeah, I remember that one," Harry agreed. "Hermione actually sent him a parchment disavowing their friendship. It was pretty bad."

"I have to say, I think part of the reason they're together now is because I told him what he needed to hear. And then he finally grew a pair and wrote her a nice, long letter, saying how sorry he was and that the argument was all his fault, which of course, is the best way to deal with Hermione, or any woman for that matter."

Harry pecked Ginny on the cheek. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

Ginny quirked an eyebrow. "See that you do."

"She graciously forgave him, of course," Ginny continued.

"Of course," Harry mocked with a smile.

Ginny shoved him with her elbow, before leaning against him once more.

They laid together in contented silence.

Ginny hesitated, then murmured, "Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Not that what just happened wasn't wonderful, because it was, but…I don't think we should be making a habit of it."

Harry sighed. "I know we got pretty carried away. I'm sorry Gin, I've never done anything like that before."

"I know," she assured him. "Neither have I. And because we're, you know, inexperienced, it would be really bad for us to get carried away. We might not know when to stop."

Harry met her eyes quickly, and said in a firm voice, "Ginny, I swear I would never, ever not listen if you told me to stop."

Ginny smiled. "The problem, Harry, is that I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to stop myself."

Harry groaned, letting his forehead fall down to Ginny's shoulder.

"You really shouldn't have told me that."

Ginny smiled, disentangled herself from his arms, and stood up.

"I know," she murmured, and walked off with a languid, utterly feminine stride.

Not for the first time, Harry James Potter wondered just what he'd gotten himself into.

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When Ginny returned to the campsite, Ron was pacing back and forth, kicking sand everywhere in his fervor. Ginny could see Hermione about a half-kilometer away, staring out at the ocean.

Catching sight of his sister, Ron stormed up to her, and grabbed Ginny's hands in desperation.

"Talk to her, please!" Ron begged. "Find out what I'm doing wrong that's turning her so bloody crazy."

Ginny sighed. "I'll see what I can do."

She trudged off dutifully in the direction Hermione had stomped off in.

Ron flopped down in the sand, suddenly disgusted with the world. At least, until he realized he was all alone with a huge basketful of berries.

He grinned, glanced around quickly then began shoving handfuls into his mouth at an alarming speed.

Ron supposed things weren't that bad, after all.

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"They suffer." The woman sighed in sympathy.

"They will suffer still more before it is done," replied the male warrior to his counterpart.

Beseechingly, she took his hand in hers. "Is there nothing we can do for them?"

The man looked once more through the revealing mist to the four mortals. His lips curled into a soft smile before bringing her fingers to his lips.

"Perhaps," he allowed. "We shall see."

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Elsewhere, Shadow moved, shifting slightly closer to the island. It stilled soon after, then settled down like a looming sickness, coating the area around it with evil malevolence. Waiting.

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Next-

Why is Hermione so upset?

Can Harry keep his hands off of Ginny?

More importantly, can Ginny keep her hands off of Harry?

Will Ron make it to second base with Hermione, or have to console himself with more berries?

And what in the world was that last part about?

Next chapter within a week, I've got a cookin' plot, time to write (thank god) and more inspiration (Thanks Teddy!) for some slightly (PG-13) amorous behavior. The next chapter will be followed immediately thereafter with an R rated outtake, so you know I mean it will be ……interesting.


Here's a hint- Those berries are gonna do more than fill their bellies. Hehee.