Day After Voldemort's Destruction
Hermione watched as Harry lay passed out in his hospital bed clasping his hand in her own. He had done it; he had destroyed Voldemort. It had almost killed him in the process, but he had escaped with his life. So many others weren't as lucky: Kingsley Shacklebolt had died, along with Emmeline Vance and Mad-Eye Moody; Bill Weasley had taken a killing curse meant for Harry to buy him the few final second he needed to finish off Voldemort, and Dumbledore had also sacrificed himself for Harry. The most painful death, however, was that of Molly Weasley, who died protecting her children, biological and otherwise. Hermione knew that Ron and Ginny must be absolutely devastated. She could completely relate to their pain, but she had to stay away. If she didn't, Ron would be able to tell that she still loved him, that she had lied to him. It was her love they kept her away.
Hermione gasped as she felt Harry's finger move within her hand. "Come on, Harry," she urged him. "You're all I have left, I need you." Harry's eyes fluttered open and Hermione embraced him in a tight hug. "Oh, Harry! I've been so worried!"
"Then please let me breath," Harry whispered hoarsely.
"I'm so sorry," Hermione cried as she released her grip on his neck. "I'm just so glad to have my brother back."
"I couldn't leave you behind," Harry assured her.
"I missed you so much!"
Harry could feel his strength starting to return. "I missed you, too."
"I don't know what I would have done if you had died, Harry," Hermione whispered.
"Let's not think about that. I'm here now and that's what is important. I love you, Hermione. I'd be lost without you."
Hermione leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Harry's cheek. "I love you, too."
It was apparent to Ginny that Harry had received a message from Tank similar to her own when he started to leave rooms before they could ever be alone with one another. He avoided her gaze like a curse and she was beginning to doubt what he felt for her. With the Opening Ceremony for the Cup coming soon Ginny found herself engulfed with work. She spent most of her time in her room or running around the Ministry. Thankfully, the entire team was pronounced to have a clean bill of health by the team healer, but that didn't mean Ginny had nothing to worry about. Every time she closed her eyes her mind was filled with the little details that still needed to be sorted out. Her work load was only increased when Mr. Perry informed her that there was going to be a big party for the team before the Opening Ceremony. She was grateful that she was only in charge of overseeing the preparations instead of planning them.
When Ginny realized that a week had passed and it was already time for her trip with Harry, she almost had a nervous breakdown. She had barely spoken two words to Harry since Tank had frightened them so badly after their encounter on the pitch. She wasn't sure if he even still wanted her to go with him to see Hermione. She decided the Tuesday night before they were scheduled to leave the house she had to find a way to hold a real conversation with Harry. She left her room and went downstairs, where she found the entire team sitting in the living room talking.
"Well, well, look who's finally decided to rejoin the world of the living," MJ said when Ginny appeared.
Ginny smiled at him. "I've been swamped in work lately, but if you'd like to take care of some of it for me I'd love to hang out with you guys more."
"No thanks," MJ replied.
"We have missed having you around, though," Tank added. "Do you think things will be calming down anytime soon?"
Ginny sighed. "Not until after you guys really start playing; then I'll just have to worry about keeping track of you lot."
"Not that that's an easy task, either," Wesley commented.
"We'll try not to get ourselves lost or anything since we like you," Jacob added teasingly.
"Well I would appreciate that. Except for you MJ; you can feel free to get lost at any time," Ginny said laughing.
MJ stood up from his chair, pretending to be upset. "Well, I know when I'm not wanted," he said huffily as he walked up the stairs to his room.
"I still need to pack so I'm going up too," Wesley said, following his roommate up the stairs.
"I guess I should, too," Dustin added. He walked upstairs followed by Jeff, Tank, and Jacob. Ginny looked over shyly to where Harry was on the couch.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"Hey," Harry replied.
"Did you still want me to come with you tomorrow?"
Harry frowned. "Do you still want to come tomorrow?"
"Of course! I just wasn't sure if you'd changed your mind after not really talking to me all week," Ginny said quickly.
Harry blushed. "I didn't trust myself to be around you and I didn't want to get either one of us in trouble," Harry explained. He got off the couch and slowly walked towards Ginny, casting a nervous glance towards the stairs. "Because all I've wanted to do all week was this." He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.
When he pulled away Ginny was grinning. "Not me." Harry looked completely offended. Ginny smiled at him reassuringly. "I wanted to do this." She wrapped her armed around his neck and pulled him into a much deeper, much more passionate kiss. When she finally pulled away in fear of getting caught, Harry's grin matched her own.
"Now I really can't wait to leave tomorrow," Harry said. "We can be together out of the house, with no worries about someone watching. We could pretend that this world doesn't exist for a day or so…"
"Now I like the sound of that," Ginny replied coyly. "I should probably go pack because if I'm in this room with you by myself any longer I won't be held accountable for my actions."
"I agree," Harry said. "But just to be clear, we do still have things to talk about."
"I don't think I could forget that if I wanted to," Ginny sighed.
"Well then, I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, Harry."
"Good night."
The next morning Harry and Ginny were the last two to leave the house so no one would see them leaving together. When the last person left, Ginny looked to Harry for instructions on how to get to his flat.
"So how are we getting there?" she asked.
Harry grinned. "Well, it's not too far from here. It's actually in a muggle neighborhood; less people who know me that way."
"That's nice and all, but it doesn't answer my question as to how we're getting there," Ginny replied smiling.
"Well, have you ever ridden on a motorbike?" Harry asked innocently.
Ginny's grin broadened. "Do you mean you plan to take me out on that illegal, flying motorbike of yours?" she asked.
"Well, we can't exactly fly it in broad daylight, but if you play your cards right we may be able to fly a bit tonight," Harry replied.
Ginny stepped closer to Harry. "Well then, I'll just have to behave then, won't I?"
Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny's waist. "Well I wouldn't get too carried away, some misbehaving is always good." He leaned over and kissed her. "Now let's get out of this house before we both go crazy from paranoia."
"You lead the way." Harry took Ginny's hand and pulled her out the front entrance of the house. He pulled something small out of his pocket and set it on the ground. He enlarged the item and the motorbike was in front of them. Harry handed Ginny the helmet before getting on the bike.
"Hop on," he urged her, grinning. Ginny looked at him hesitantly. "What kind of a Gryffindor are you?" That was all of the encouragement Ginny needed. She got on the bike behind Harry and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Let's go!"
Thirty minutes later Harry pulled into a parking lot outside of a tall building. Ginny reluctantly released her grip on Harry's waist and pulled the helmet off of her head. She got off the bike, and Harry grabbed her hand and began to lead her towards the building. Ginny practically had to run to keep up with Harry's pace. He held open the door for her and ushered her into the building.
"It's three floors up," Harry explained as he walked over to the stairs.
"Don't you get tired of doing all of this the muggle way?" Ginny asked.
"Well, Hermione and I were both raised as muggles, so it really wasn't that much of an adjustment for us," Harry explained. "The anonymity is worth it. See, we're here already." Harry pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door. "This is it."
Ginny walked inside and found herself standing in a very modestly decorated living room. She noticed a small kitchen to her left and a hallway on the right. She looked over at Harry and smiled. "It's lovely."
Harry blushed. "It's not much. Neither one of us is here very much, so there's no need for a big, lavish flat. Hermione should be here around lunch time. I didn't tell her that you were coming. She said she had a surprise for me, so I just said I had one for her, too."
Ginny looked at him and grinned. "Well won't she be surprised." She looked at Harry. "Aren't you going to give me the grand tour?"
"This is the living room," Harry said gesturing to the room they were in. "That's the kitchen, and the bedrooms are down that hall."
"Exactly how many bedrooms are there?" Ginny asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Two, which was why I was planning on sleeping on the couch," Harry explained nervously.
Ginny let out a giggle. "We can share, Harry. It's not like we haven't before."
"Yes, but that was before I knew how you feel about me and before I admitted how I feel about you. After our talk it was like this giant weight was lifted off my chest, and I just want to tell the world how I'm feeling. But I couldn't because of our situation, and now that I don't have any restrictions I'm scared I won't be able to restrain myself," Harry said quickly.
Ginny laughed again. "I know what you mean." She sat down on the couch and motioned for Harry to sit down with her. "So before either one of us gets too carried away acting on our feelings, would you like to talk?"
Harry nodded and sat down beside her. "I guess I should start by apologizing for not trusting you."
Ginny stared at Harry with wide eyes and fought to keep her jaw from dropping. "I don't think I've ever expected you to apologize nearly as much as you have."
Harry looked at her defensively. "I've grown up, I can admit when I'm wrong."
"Well, you were right in not trusting me. After all, I didn't trust in you," Ginny admitted quietly.
Harry sighed. "I've come to realize that right after Voldemort was destroyed, we all made decisions that changed our lives and none of us were really in a state to do so. If I don't want to be held responsible for all of my actions during that time, I have to be able to forgive other people for theirs. Plus, knowing that you never knew about the letters changes a lot; it just took some time for that information to really sink in.
Ginny looked at Harry, too stunned to speak. She had never heard him sound so astute, so, well, she couldn't quite place what or who he sounded like. But in that moment she knew that there was still so much that had happened to Harry that she didn't know about. It was just a matter of whether or not she would ever find out what it was, and how long she could stay in a relationship with Harry without knowing.
She was finally able to regain control of her voice. "I'm sorry, too, for what it's worth."
"It's not the forgiving that's really an issue with me," Harry said slowly. "It's the forgetting. It's hard to forget that the people who meant the world to you so easily believed the worst about you. I know that the evidence appeared to be stacked against me, but it was a real dagger to the heart to see how so many people believed that I stole Hermione away from Ron."
Ginny wasn't sure how to respond so she changed the subject. "Why are there so many threats on your life?"
Harry was quiet for a moment, as if he were trying to determine exactly how much he should tell her. Right as Ginny was about to retract her question Harry answered her. "Because they believe that I'm the most powerful wizard in the world and that I'm wasting my life playing Quidditch, for one thing. They blame me for the rogue Death Eaters that just won't seem to go away. They think that I can just round them all up with a wave of my wand. They just don't understand that things aren't that simple…"
"So they write into the Ministry to threaten you?" Ginny asked in disbelief.
"Well, some of them are asking the Ministry to use force to make me become an Auror," Harry explained. "Others are threatening my life if I don't help them do something."
"Like what?"
"Well, I think I read one once from someone who wanted me to help them bring peace to their town. I think there was another that actually threatened me if I didn't marry their daughter. Most of the people who want me to do something specifically for them sound like they should be checked into the permanent ward at St. Mungo's."
"That doesn't sound too dangerous," Ginny said, looking for a silver lining.
"Well, the worst ones are from old, pure blood families. They claim that I ruined their reputations, or that I was responsible for the end of their family line, or some other rubbish like that. They normally call for the Ministry to punish me for my actions before they decide to take action themselves."
"How long has this been going on?" Ginny asked.
Harry scrunched his brow in thought. "Actually, I don't know. I was a drunken mess for so long after graduation that I didn't really find out about any of this for a while. I'm not sure when it actually started, but Tonks likes to keep track of it for me. I think it's some sort of running joke for her. Death may just be the next great adventure, but it's definitely not a joke."
"I'm sorry to bring up such a depressing subject when we could be doing so many other much more pleasant things," Ginny said, forcing a smile.
"Like what?" Harry asked with a grin.
"Snogging."
"You know, I like the way your mind works," Harry said softly as he leaned in to kiss her. Ginny responded to the kiss for a moment before pulling back. "Is something wrong?" Harry asked.
Ginny blushed slightly. "It's just that, well, I haven't seen Hermione in over a year, and I'd hate for this to be the first thing she sees of me..." Harry looked at her questioningly. "She might not like to walk in on us going at it on her couch," Ginny explained.
"Good point," Harry said dejectedly, pulling away from her.
"Which is why I thought we should go to your bedroom," Ginny added.
Harry's eyes widened and he jumped up from the couch. "You want to go into my bedroom?"
"Well, I think we can control ourselves enough to be in the same room as a bed," Ginny said nonchalantly.
"Right," Harry said quickly, extending a hand to her. She took it and he led her down the hall to his bedroom. Ginny couldn't help but gasp when she saw his room. It looked almost identical to his room in the manor, but now knowing the reason behind it made it that much more depressing. "I'm sorry, we don't have to be in here," Harry said quietly, dropping her hand.
Ginny shook her head and walked over to him, putting her arms around his neck. "I just hate that you have to go through this," she whispered before meeting his lips with her own. Harry quickly responded to her kiss, and before she realized what had happened they fell together onto Harry's bed, never breaking their contact.
Ginny wasn't aware of the amount of time she and Harry had been in his room, nor did she care. She was, however, very aware of how even the slightest touch from Harry sent sparks coursing through her body, and that if they kept at their current pace uninterrupted for much longer things would be getting much more intimate. As soon as the thought crossed her mostly otherwise occupied mind Ginny heard a noise coming from the living room. She reluctantly pulled away from Harry, knowing that their time alone was over.
"Harry?" she heard Hermione's voice call. Ginny hadn't realized until that moment exactly how much she had missed her friend; her heart began to race at the mere sound of her voice.
"I'm in here," Harry called, separating himself from Ginny on the bed. "I'll be out in a minute." Ginny couldn't help but smirk as she saw how much she had affected Harry. "She's got a bad habit of talking to me from the other side of the flat through closed doors," Harry whispered to Ginny.
"That's fine. I'm just so excited I had to come home early, I couldn't stand it a minute longer," Hermione's voice continued. "Ever since I got back from my last trip to Greece something had been bothering me and I couldn't figure out what it was. And then last week I was eating lunch and it finally hit me. Even after all this time I had never really thought about the fact that there are probably so many children like us, who had their families destroyed in the war. I felt like I needed to know what happened to them, so I began to do some research and I found out that most of them are in orphanages!" Hermione was talking so quickly that even if Harry had been in a condition to leave the room and greet her he couldn't have gotten a word in edgewise. Ginny was savoring the moment of being able to listen to Hermione speak freely and was absorbing all of the information she could. "So I started to think about it, and after much deliberation and research I've decided that I'm going to adopt one of them. I feel like I should give a home to someone who lost their family to the same people that took away my ability to have one." Ginny's jaw dropped and Harry's face paled.
"Oh shit," Harry whispered, standing up from the bed.
"Harry, are you all right? You're being awfully quiet," Hermione's voice called, getting closer by the second.
"Hermione, I have to tell you something," Harry said, opening the door and stepping out into the hall.
"Well, aren't you going to react to my news at all first?" she asked huffily.
"Do you remember when I mentioned a surprise?" Harry continued, ignoring her comment.
"Well, yes, but what does that have to do with my adopting a child whose family was killed by Voldemort?" Hermione inquired.
"I brought Ginny home with me," Harry said quickly.
Hermione seemed to notice Harry's mussed appearance for the first time. "Would I be correct in assuming that means she's here right now?" she asked warily. Harry nodded feebly and Ginny figured that was her cue to make an appearance.
She walked out into the hallway where Hermione stood, glaring at Harry. "Hi, Hermione," she said quietly. "It's been too long, far too long."
Hermione looked at her guardedly before finally responding. "Indeed it has. I'm assuming you just heard everything I just said?"
"I did," Ginny replied quietly.
Hermione sighed. "Well then, I guess we have a lot to talk about." Hermione walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Ginny looked at Harry, trying to find some hint as to what she should say or do, but Harry only shrugged and walked towards the kitchen. Ginny took a claming breath and followed him. Together they sat down at the kitchen table while Hermione wordlessly prepared a pot of tea. Ginny felt like it was the longest few minutes of her life. Finally, Hermione sat down at the table with the tea kettle and cups. Unfortunately, no one seemed to know quite what to say so the silence continued. Ginny found it humorous that for the first time in over a year she was sitting at a table with her best friend and the man she loved, yet she couldn't think of one thing to say.
"You look good," Hermione said finally.
"Thanks, so do you," Ginny replied honestly. It was obvious that work and travel agreed with Hermione.
"Although I bet you look even better when you don't look quite so ruffled," Hermione added. Ginny looked at her in horror, but when she saw the cheeky grin on Hermione's face she couldn't help but smile.
"Too true," she replied, laughing.
"So Harry finally got his act together?" Hermione asked, completely ignoring Harry's presence in the room.
"Well, it's not quite that simple, but yes, more or less," Ginny said, grinning at Harry.
"Okay, I am sitting right here," Harry spoke up. "And I have a feeling both of you would rather talk about something other than me."
"I think you underestimate your conversational value," Hermione teased. "I could just talk about you all day long, of course, depending on who I was talking to."
"Me too," Ginny added. "Every time Harry isn't in a room he's all we talk about back at the manor."
"Ha ha," Harry said sarcastically. "Don't use me as a scapegoat to avoid something."
Hermione shot Harry a dirty look before starting to talk again. "I guess you want to talk about what you heard." Ginny nodded. "Well, during the battle at Hogsmeade I was hit with a curse that took away my ability to have children. I've spent countless hours researching the curse, but it was developed by Death Eaters for that one purpose, and there is no counter curse. I know that right now probably isn't the best time in my life to start a family, but I'm going to transfer out of the Department of Mysteries and into something that will keep me at home more. I'm thinking about Magical Creatures, but I don't know, I could really go into just about anything…"
"Hermione," Harry interrupted, "You're rambling and straying off topic."
Hermione looked startled but recovered quickly. "Right, sorry. But there are so many children who lost their families like Harry and me, and I want to help make their lives better. At least I was of age when my parents were killed; so many of these children will never even remember their faces. I figure that I'll take one in to start with, and then when I'm settled and more financially secure I'll look into taking in more." She let out a long sigh. "This is just something that I have to do… for me as much as for them."
"I think it's very noble of you," Ginny said quietly. "Not many people would take in children with the state of the world as it is right now, much less children who probably have psychological issues."
Hermione beamed at her. "You really think so?"
Ginny nodded. "I do."
"I do, too," Harry added. "Does this mean you'll be moving out of our flat?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry Harry, but I'll have to! This place is great for us since we're never here, but it isn't right for raising a child. But I'm not leaving right away, and I'll help you pay the rent until you figure out what you want to do."
Harry waved his hand in the air dismissively. "You know the money's not an issue for me. I just want you to be happy." Harry gave Hermione a very forced smile. "Plus, you know having a child live with me isn't the safest thing in the world."
"Harry, that's not the reason I'm moving out. Any child would be lucky to have you as a guardian," Hermione insisted.
"It may not be the reason why, but it's still true," Harry said quietly.
Ginny was observing their exchange carefully. She didn't want to step on any toes, but at the same time she was dying of curiosity. When silence filled the room again she decided to take advantage of it.
"Is this why you broke up with Ron?"
"What?" Hermione asked, looking very nervous.
"Well," Ginny continued, "it's just about the only thing that would make sense. You didn't leave him for Harry, and as far as I know you're not seeing anyone else right now, either. The day after you were hit with the curse you broke things off with Ron, saying you didn't love him anymore."
Hermione looked down at the table, tears in her eyes. "I loved Ron very much. All I ever wanted was for him to be happy."
"I hate to tell you this, but he's pretty miserable," Ginny said softly.
The tears began to fall freely down Hermione's cheeks. "I knew he would never end things with me because I was barren, but it was for the best. We spent many late nights talking about how we wanted a big family; a full house. He deserves to be with someone that can give that to him."
"But all he really ever wanted was you, Hermione," Ginny said. "Imagine how he felt, believing that you didn't love him anymore… It destroyed him." Harry placed a comforting arm around Hermione's shoulder as she cried against him. The small gesture touched Ginny, and it was obvious how many nights the pair had spent in a similar fashion.
"I made my choice, Ginny," Hermione said firmly, pulling out of Harry's grasp. "I saw what it did to him, and I didn't change my mind. The only way he could move on with his life was if he thought I didn't love him, and one day he'll meet someone else who can give him everything I can't."
"It's not like we haven't been through this before, Gin," Harry added tenderly. "I actually came really close to telling him myself, but when the letters were sent back I just didn't think he'd ever be able to talk to me again."
"You can't tell him, Ginny. You have to swear to me that you won't," Hermione said forcefully. "It's not your place, and if we've all survived this long I think we'll be fine."
"I hate this," Ginny said.
"This is what you asked for when you wanted to know what was going on in my life," Harry said honestly.
Ginny took a deep breath. "I'll keep your secret."
Hermione looked into her eyes. "If you ever considered yourself to be my friend you'll swear to me."
"I swear, Hermione. It's going to kill me to keep all of this from Ron, but I'll respect your decision."
"Thank you," Hermione said quietly. "I'm in no mood to cook now so I'm going to go pick us up something to eat."
"Thanks," Harry said gratefully. Hermione had gotten up from the table and turned to leave the flat when Ginny couldn't hold her tongue any longer.
"Hermione," she called, following her out of the kitchen.
"Yes?"
"Is always being right this important?"
Hermione looked startled. "What do you mean?"
"Is being right so important to you that you can't recognize that you made a mistake? Neither one of you is as happy now as you were together, and it's in your power to fix it all."
"I just…" Hermione's voice trailed off. "I should go." She left the flat, slamming the door behind her.
Ginny walked back into the kitchen and sat down with Harry. "I still won't tell, but I just couldn't let her go on believing that she made the right decision. She's living in denial."
"You're not telling me anything I don't already know," Harry said with a sigh. "Or anything I haven't told her before, actually."
"You two are both just stubborn people," Ginny teased, trying to lighten the mood.
"And you Weasleys aren't?"
"Point taken," Ginny replied laughing.
"I think that's our biggest problem. We're all too stubborn to admit our mistakes so we all just stay miserable."
"I don't know," Ginny mused. "You and I seem to be admitting a lot of mistakes lately."
"That's true… So Ron and Hermione are the stubborn ones?"
"Yep. There's nothing wrong with the two of us," Ginny proclaimed.
Harry burst out laughing. "Oh yeah, there's nothing wrong with us."
"Okay, maybe there is something wrong with you, just nothing wrong with me," Ginny corrected.
"Well there's no doubt in my mind that there's something wrong with me, but I don't think you're quite as perfect as you'd like to think," Harry said, still laughing.
"Oh yeah? What's so wrong with me?" Ginny asked.
"Well, you have a terrible temper for one thing," Harry said.
"No worse than yours," Ginny pointed out.
"Okay, well you're stubborn."
"We already decided that Ron and Hermione were the stubborn ones," Ginny reminded him. Harry rolled his eyes. "What's wrong; can't think of any more of my flaws?" Ginny teased.
Harry's eyes lit up. "I just remembered your biggest flaw of all."
"And what's that?"
Harry leaned over and whispered into her ear. "You fell in love with me."
Ginny smiled at him warmly and leaned forward so their noses were almost touching.. "You're right; that was pretty stupid of me." She closed the space between them and kissed him softly. "But you're guilty of the same crime."
"I fell in love with myself?" Harry asked innocently.
"No, you prat!" Ginny exclaimed, slapping him playfully on the arm. "You fell in love with me."
"I guess I did," Harry replied, smiling. "Although I can't for the life of me seem to remember why."
"I think I know," Ginny said. She put her hand behind Harry's neck and pulled him towards her. His lips met hers eagerly, and she lost herself in the moment. The sound of someone clearing their throat loudly brought Ginny back into reality.
"So I guess that answers any lingering questions on where the two of you stand," Hermione said with a smirk.
"Well, not really," Ginny said sheepishly. "We've admitted how we feel about each other, but our timing is pretty sour."
"Why? Haven't you both wasted enough time already?" Hermione asked.
"Of course we've wasted enough time already," Ginny snapped, her frustration showing.
"It's just that it's against the rules for us to be together," Harry explained. "If someone found out that we were involved, Ginny and I could both lose our jobs."
"So this is really the first time we've been able to be together at all," Ginny finished for him. "Although Tank thinks it's more likely that if someone were to find out they'd use it for their own personal gain instead of getting us fired."
"But Harry, in your letters it sounded like you think the world of everyone on the team. Do you really think anyone could be that devious?" Hermione questioned.
"Honestly, no. The thought never would have even crossed my mind if Tank hadn't said something to me," Harry replied.
"I couldn't even begin to think of who I'd suspect," Ginny added.
"Well, I'd have a guess," Harry said slowly.
"Who?" Hermione asked.
"Dustin."
"Why? He's never done anything that would raise my suspicions," Ginny asked.
"Well, he was a Slytherin," Harry answered.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh, come off it, Harry. Don't let some silly schoolboy rivalry cloud your judgment."
"That's not what I mean," Harry said defensively. "The kind of person Tank was warning us about is someone who'd be overly ambitious; someone who'd do anything to achieve their goals. Isn't that the very definition of a Slytherin?"
"It is," Hermione agreed. "If no one is acting at all suspicious, then that's as good of a place to start as any."
"Then we have a huge problem," Harry said, dropping his head on the table.
"Why?" Hermione asked.
"Because he saw me having one of my terrors," Harry explained. "He's already got something to hold over me if he ever decides I can do something help his career."
"I'm not ready to go around accusing anyone of anything," Ginny spoke up. "All of this is just us being cautious; we wouldn't even be thinking like this if Tank hadn't warned us."
'That's just it, though," Harry said. "I don't think Tank would have said anything if he didn't suspect someone was looking for an easy way to further his career. He's not the type to go around saying things without a reason."
"I hate to be the one to bring this up," Hermione said cautiously, "but maybe he's the one who's looking to further his career. Maybe his warning was actually a hint that he was going to want you to do something for him. Maybe he was threatening you instead of warning you. I know you've confided in him, Harry. He's probably got a lot that he could hold over your head."
"I've been confiding in him, too," Ginny said quietly.
"No!" Harry exclaimed. "Tank is our friend; he's not trying to threaten us. Besides, he's retiring; he's not even going to be a Quidditch player anymore."
"And who better to help him start out a new career than the Boy-Who-Lived?" Hermione asked.
"I would help him do anything if he just asked," Harry said quietly. Ginny could tell that it was tearing Harry up inside to consider Tank as anything but a friend and confidant.
Ginny shook her head. "That just wasn't the feeling I got from him when he was warning me."
"And you're probably right," Hermione said with a shrug, "but can you afford not to be?"
Ginny spent the rest of the day talking with Harry and Hermione. They told her stories from the past year; the mishaps that occurred when they first moved in together, Hermione's anxious application process into the Department of Mysteries, the places they had traveled, Harry's drunken proclamations… the stories went on and on. Ginny was made aware of exactly how much she had missed during her last year at Hogwarts. She told them stories from her year spent as Head Girl, but she honestly didn't know how much they enjoyed hearing them since she didn't particularly enjoy living them. It became completely apparent to Ginny that although Harry and Hermione hadn't been their happiest the past year, they had still been living. She and the rest of her family, on the other hand, had practically stopped living; they had simply existed.
Ginny was currently in Harry's bedroom, getting ready for bed. Hermione had shooed her out of the kitchen after their late dinner, insisting that she and Harry could clean up. While Ginny had immensely enjoyed renewing her friendship with Hermione, she had to admit she was exhausted. After changing into her nightgown, she sat down on the edge of Harry's bed and waited for him to return. She wasn't sure what exactly she had committed herself to when she said they could sleep together in Harry's room; the words had seemed to leave her lips before she really had time to think about what she was saying. She only hoped that Harry wouldn't expect anything from her she wasn't ready to do. She jumped a foot into the air when she heard a knock on the door.
"Are you decent?" Harry called.
"Yes, you can come in," Ginny replied, unable to keep a delirious smile off of her face.
Harry walked into the room and cast a nervous glance in Ginny's direction. "I can still sleep on the couch if you'd prefer."
Ginny shook her head. "We'll be fine." Ginny looked at Harry who was still dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. "Do you need me to leave so you can change clothes?"
"No, I'll just go change in the bathroom," Harry said. He walked over to his trunk and pulled out a pair of flannel pants. He walked into the bathroom that was adjoining his bedroom, leaving Ginny alone once again. She saw something attached on the inside of the top of his open trunk. She curiously walked over and knelt before it. There were two pictures taped to the trunk. The first was of Harry and Hermione, sometime during their sixth year at Hogwarts, waving at the camera and laughing. The second picture contained Harry, Hermione, and herself. It was taken during Christmas of Harry's seventh year. Harry had his arm around Hermione's shoulder while Ginny sat a few feet away, watching them as if she were unsure whether or not she should join them.
"You used to be sitting right beside me in that picture." Harry's voice startled her, and Ginny turned around, feeling guilty for having been caught going through his things.
"I remember when Colin took it," she said quietly.
"You moved away from me and Hermione after the attack on Hogsmeade, and then left the picture completely after my fight with Ron," Harry explained. He walked over and knelt down beside her, and pulled off the picture the picture they were discussing. "Ron used to be in both of these pictures too, but he left after our fight. You only showed back up in this one when we moved into the manor."
"Oh." Again Ginny found herself in a situation where she wasn't sure exactly how to respond, so she decided to change the subject. "I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely exhausted."
"Me, too," Harry admitted. "I guess all of the long days of Quidditch and lack of sleep have finally caught up with me." Harry walked over to the bed and sat down. Ginny followed his example, walking to the other side. Harry lay down and Ginny again followed his example. Ginny felt awkward, lying beside Harry. There was a foot of space between them and Ginny could tell that Harry had his arms crossed over his chest. Deciding that she wasn't going to get any sleep this way, Ginny decided to be bold.
"Harry?" Ginny said softly.
"Yeah?"
"You are allowed to touch me, you know," she said. When Harry made no move, Ginny rolled onto her side and slipped her arm over Harry's chest. She found Harry's hand and took it in her own.
They stayed like that for a few moments until Harry pushed Ginny's arm off of his chest. "I'll never be able to sleep like that," he declared. Feeling offended, Ginny rolled over so her back was to Harry. She was surprised, then, when she felt Harry wrap an arm around her waist and pull her body close to his. "This is much better," he whispered into her ear. Ginny couldn't help but shiver as she felt his hot breath against her neck. She tried to turn around so she could kiss him but Harry tightened his grip on her waist to restrain her.
"Harry…" Ginny whined.
"Sleep now, Gin," Harry whispered. "They'll be plenty of time for all of the other stuff later."
As if to prove Harry's point, Ginny yawned. "Alright," she said sleepily.
"Good night, Gin."
"Good night."
A/N Well, I hope you enjoy this extra long, fluffy chapter. You're finally getting the answers you all wanted! School starts tomorrow morning, so I'm off to bed. As always, thanks for your reviews, and let me know what you think!