Ever since the accident, time had been crawling for Ginny. First it was the two days and one night she and Harry had been trapped in her hotel room, unable to do magic or any kind of strenuous activity. They had fought more in those two days than ever before. Then came what Ginny thought was going to be a blessing: Tonks told them they were being taken back to England to undergo tests at the St. Mungo's. Unfortunately, they were being taken in a muggle air plane. Ginny didn't quite understand the logic behind it, but she and Harry had been on the miserable flight that lasted for hours on end.

Once they had arrived in London, they were taken to the St. Mungo's they were poked and prodded by healers for the rest of the day. Sore and tired, Ginny had collapsed in Harry's bed that night, and had the distinct pleasure of waking up with all of her clothes still on the next morning.

The next day consisted of more tests, and Ginny was starting to understand what it felt like to be Harry. She had complete strangers asking her very personal questions, and she felt like every inch of her body had been examined. The only good news was that she was finally cleared to use magic again.

Harry, on the other hand, was growing increasingly grumpy. The only thing the healers would tell him was that he still couldn't use magic and still couldn't do any real physical activities. Ginny knew he felt guilty for having to leave the team, and that he was frustrated by his slow recovery.

The one thing the healers had been able to determine through everything was that there was no real reason for Ginny's depletion of magical reserves. Even after all of the tests, they couldn't find a single thing wrong with her. It almost made Ginny feel guilty, knowing that she was free to behave normally while Harry couldn't. She was trying to avoid using spells in front of him as much as possible so he wouldn't be reminded of what he couldn't do.

"Miss Weasley?"

Ginny looked up from the magazine she was looking at in the waiting room at St. Mungo's and saw the all too familiar lime green robes of the St. Mungo's healers. "Yes?"

"We're almost done with Mr. Potter, but you two are supposed to go straight to the Ministry from here."

Ginny put the magazine back on the table. "Why?" she asked, frowning. She was trying hard to control her temper. They had been told that this was the last set of testing Harry was being put through and then they'd be free to go home.

"We've recommended to the Ministry that they record your magical energies while sleeping. We're still trying to discover the reason behind the disappearance of your clothing," the healer replied briskly. "Mr. Potter will be joining you shortly, and then you can go down the hall to the third door on the right. There's a fireplace in there you can use to Floo."

Ginny glared at the older woman as she walked away. She couldn't believe that the healers were recommending that their sleeping habits be observed. So far they had been able to keep her father out of it, but she didn't know how much longer her luck would hold out. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle it if her father saw her wake up in the nude with Harry.

Ginny dropped her face in her hands and fought desperately not to start crying. She just wanted everything to be over. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Harry looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Just a bit overwhelmed," Ginny sniffed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

"I assume you heard about what they're making us do now, then."

"Have a bunch of strangers watch us sleep? Yeah, I heard."

"I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this because of me," Harry said quietly.

"I just want it all to be over so we can live our lives," Ginny replied. "So, let's go to the Ministry and see what they have in store for us now."

Harry helped her up, but instead of leading her down the hall to the room with the fireplace, he began to lead her to the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked as they entered a stairwell.

"Taking you away from all of this."

"But they're expecting us at the Ministry," Ginny insisted.

"And they can wait," Harry replied.

"Is it safe?" Ginny asked. "We've not been out without Aurors in a long time…"

Harry shrugged. "Everyone thinks we're still in Tibet since our doubles are still there. We'll just go out in muggle London for a bit, and then we'll go to the Ministry."

"Well, it would be nice to get away for a bit," Ginny said slowly as they left the building and walked into muggle London. "Well, where to?"

"Let's just walk and see if we can find a pub or something," Harry suggested as they started to walk down the street. "It's nice, doing something spontaneous for once."

"I can't think of the last time I did anything without having to run it by an Auror first," Ginny said dramatically. "Although, as long as there is apparently someone trying to kill us, it's probably better that we do check in with Aurors."

Harry chuckled. "We can go back if you'd like."

Ginny took his hand and began to walk faster. "No, I think we need this. I just don't feel completely safe."

"Well, you did almost die a few days ago," Harry said.

Ginny reached over and smacked his arm playfully. "Thanks for reminding me."

"I have an idea I think you'll like," Harry said as he let go of her hand and walked over to the curb. Ginny couldn't see exactly what he was doing, but soon a cab had pulled over. Harry opened the door and ushered her in.

"Where are we going?" she hissed.

Harry grinned and leaned forward to tell the cab driver where they wanted to go. "It's a surprise."

"So, you'll tell him but not me?" Ginny pouted.

"Well, it's not a surprise for him," Harry replied cheekily.

Ginny stuck out her tongue before turning her head to watch the scenery out the window. The buildings started to grow farther apart and before too long it looked like they were driving through neighborhoods. Her face broke out in a grin and she turned to Harry.

"I know where we're going!" she exclaimed happily. "Grimmauld Place."

"Yeah. It will be the first time I've been there since I started try outs for the National team."

Ginny frowned. "Don't you own it now? Why don't you live there?"

"It was just too painful to want to live in that big, creepy house by myself. I decided that I'd rather live in the flat with Hermione. I've had Dobby and Winky living there, though, cleaning it in case I ever decided that I did want to live there."

"Are you sure it's okay to go now?" Ginny asked, making a mental note that Harry still didn't know about Dobby's following him to the manor.

"It'll be fine as long as you're with me."

"When did you get to be so charming?" Ginny teased.

"Number 11, Grimmauld Place," the taxi driver said, bringing the car to a stop.

"Thanks, mate," Harry said as he handed the driver a bunch of bills.

Ginny exited the cab and looked around. She didn't understand why she couldn't see Number 12. She knew she had been there before, and she had been told by the secret keeper where it was.

"I'm the secret keeper now," Harry explained, noting her look of confusion. "Hafan Dawel is located at Number 12, Grimmauld Place." Ginny looked at him curiously and he grinned. "It means quiet haven in Welsh."

"Oh." Ginny let out a sigh of relief as the house appeared before her. She headed across the lawn and for the front door. "You do have the key, don't you?"

"Of course," Harry replied, pulling out his wand. "Doesn't require anything but my wand." He quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching before placing the tip of his wand in a notch above the door knob. Ginny heard a soft click and Harry opened the door.

Ginny had not been expecting the complete change in the appearance of the old house. Before it had seemed old and dirty, but now it looked like a place someone actually called home. The walls were a warm crème color, and the picture of Mrs. Black was gone. She peered into the closest room as they walked down the hall and noticed it was void of furniture.

"We're redecorating a bit," Harry said. "If you wouldn't mind lighting the candles as we pass… I wouldn't want to get in trouble for doing magic." Ginny could hear the annoyance in Harry's voice, but she was proud of him for asking for help.

"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby squeaked, appearing before them. "We did not know you'd be coming here today! Almost all of the furniture is gone and we don't have much food! Oh, Dobby is a bad house elf. The house isn't ready for the great Harry Potter!"

"Dobby, calm down, it's okay. You had no idea I was coming today. We'll be perfectly fine sitting on the floor and we don't need much food," Harry assured the frantic house elf. "Maybe if you could just fix a couple of sandwiches or something we'll relax in the sitting room."

"Dobby will make a fire right away!" he exclaimed before disappearing.

"How exactly did Dobby and Winky come into your possession?" Ginny asked with a chuckle.

"When Dobby heard I was leaving Hogwarts he asked if he could come with me. I told him that it was fine as long as he let me pay him," Harry replied with a shrug. "I just figured that someone would need to help me keep this old place up."

"Well, I'm glad you're not just letting it rot," Ginny said as she ran her hand along the bare wall. "It's like an empty canvas; it has so much potential…" She closed her eyes and could picture the house full of furniture and family. She felt the bad memories from the war trying to fight their way to the front of her mind, but she focused all of her energy on pushing them back. As she fought the battle within her mind she felt Harry wrap his arms around her waist and she sighed. Dreams of spending time with Harry alone in the house filled her mind and she was able to smile.

"Where'd you go?" Harry whispered in her ear.

"No where," she replied softly. She opened her eyes and turned around in his arms. "Let's go see what Dobby set up for us."

She led Harry into the sitting room where the fire was roaring and a picnic basket was sitting on a shag rug. The room was devoid of any furniture and there were candles lining the walls. Ginny let out a low whistle.

"Dobby sure knows how to do a lot with a little," she said in awe. "Very romantic."

"I told him what to do," Harry teased as he took a seat on the rug.

Ginny laughed and sat down beside him. "I'm sure." She opened the lid to the picnic basket and pulled out two sandwiches and two bottles of Butterbeer. She took a bite into the sandwich and realized exactly how hungry she was. She finished her sandwich in several bites, and noticed that Harry had already finished as well.

"I was hungrier than I thought," Harry said sheepishly.

"I guess that's what happens when you've been put through hundreds of tests in a day," Ginny said with a giggle. "I think you're their new favorite test subject."

"Well then, you must be number two on their list," Harry teased.

"I don't think so… I think you've got the first ten or so spots occupied. Famous Harry Potter and all that, you know." Harry scowled before grabbing her waist and tickling her. Ginny squealed and struggled to get out of his reach, but he held her firmly to the ground.

Before she realized what was happening he had stopped tickling her and had started kissing her. Ginny felt goose bumps cover her skin as she lost herself in Harry for the first time in what felt like weeks. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that they weren't supposed to be doing this, but with the way Harry's lips felt on her neck, she didn't care. She tangled her hands in Harry's hair and pulled him closer.

His hands traveled up her stomach, brushing underneath her shirt. They stopped hesitantly at her ribs, taking the time to memorize every inch of her trim stomach. She ran her hands from his hair down his back, and then back up his chest. As she brushed across his rib cage she couldn't help but notice that he winced in pain. She pulled away from him, fighting to catch her breath.

"Healers," she panted.

Harry collapsed on the ground beside her with a sigh. "The healers can sod off."

"You winced; I hurt you," Ginny said, rolling over on her side to look at him. "We weren't supposed to be doing that."

He rolled over on his side to mirror her position. "But I wanted to." He reached over and ran his hand along her cheek. "I've missed you."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh. "You've done nothing but spend time with me lately! How could you miss me?"

Letting out a long sigh, Harry rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. "Things have just been so tense lately. I miss just being with you. Even during the free time we got in Tibet we were followed by Aurors."

Ginny scooted over on the floor so she could wrap her arm across Harry's chest. "I know. When the World Cup is over things will start to go back to normal."

"We hope," Harry added reluctantly. "You know that this could all be over right now, don't you? All the person who is threatening us wants is me off the team, apparently. I have an out now."

"No!" Ginny exclaimed. "You've worked so hard! The team's worked so hard! If they clear you to play, you have to play."

"The odds are good that they won't clear me," Harry said resignedly. "If I can't even do this," he paused and pointed between them, "then I don't know how I'm going to play Quidditch. Besides, Caleb is a good Seeker."

"You still have time, and Caleb is rubbish compared to you."

Harry kissed the top of her head. "You're just saying that because I'm your boyfriend."

"Nope. In my completely unbiased opinion you are the best Seeker in the world," Ginny concluded firmly.

Harry laughed and Ginny could feel the vibrations in his chest. "Well then it's decided." He wrapped his arm around her possessively. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied softly. They laid in silence for several minutes. Ginny was soaking in the scent of Harry, trying to memorize everything about the moment in her mind. The next time her inner demons came after her, she wanted to have the perfect memory to counterbalance them. When she felt confident that the moment would never leave her mind, she decided that their time playing hooky was over.

"We need to go to the Ministry," she said sadly.

"Do we have to?" Harry whined.

Ginny chuckled. "Yes. They've probably already sent a search party out after us." She sat up and pulled herself from the floor. "Come on, lazy. Let's get this over with."

Harry stood up, stretching out his sore muscles. "Let me get the Floo powder."

"Should we tell Dobby we're leaving?"

"Right." Harry stepped out of the room and into the hall. "Dobby! Winky! We're leaving!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Real mature, Harry," she said as Dobby appeared in the room.

"It worked, didn't it?" he smirked. "Thanks for the sandwiches, Dobby. We're heading to the Ministry, but we may be back sometime soon."

Dobby hopped around in an excited circle. "Dobby will start the preparations right away!"

"Don't go to any trouble, Dobby. We don't know whether or not we'll be back for sure yet."

"It is not a problem, sir. Dobby only wishes Harry Potter would come to his house more."

"Right. Well, bye, Dobby!" Harry walked over to the fireplace and pulled down the flower pot sitting on the mantle. "After you, Gin."

The next morning Ginny woke up with a sore body and an aching head. The bed she and Harry had slept on at the Ministry was comfortable enough, but she couldn't seem to relax while she knew they were being watched. Her headache had begun when they first arrived at the Ministry and proceeded to be yelled at for thirty minutes about their irresponsibility. The only good thing that had happened was she was still wearing all of her clothes when she woke up.

She glanced over at the mirror she knew was really glass, wondering who was watching them at the moment, and how shocked they'd be if she decided to snog Harry. The thought tempted her, just to take out some kind of retaliation on the situation she hated, but the reality of someone she knew watching her snog Harry was enough to push the thought out of her mind.

Rubbing Harry's back gently, Ginny leaned over to whisper in his ear. "It's time to get up, love."

Harry's eyes were still closed, but he shifted to move closer to her. "Am I still wearing all of my clothes?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," Ginny replied laughing.

"Are you?"

"It's safe, I promise." Harry's eyes cracked open and he smiled in relief as he saw her clothes. Ginny laughed again. "Did you think I'd lie to you?"

"Well, you can be quite convincing when you want something," Harry teased.

"We might as well go ahead and face our audience," Ginny sighed.

"If we must," Harry sighed dramatically.

They both got out of bed and put on their dressing gowns before walking to the door to the conference room. They walked through the door and found Minister Bones, Chloe, Tonks, and Healer Brown sitting around a long table.

"Minister! I didn't know you'd be here today," Harry said awkwardly.

Ginny had to fight a groan at the thought that the Minister had been watching them sleep. "Thank you all for wanting to help us, you just have to understand this situation is a bit awkward for us still."

"Of course, dear," Minister Bones replied smiling. "I can't say I'd switch places with you."

"Oh, Jacob would just die of embarrassment if it was us," Chloe added with a grin. "But I am glad to see that you're both doing better. That fall was nasty business for everyone involved."

"We're been trying to keep the details out of the press," Minister Bones explained. "We're having a hard time explaining to them why the box fell without letting them know that it was sabotaged."

"Do you have any idea who was behind it?" Harry asked.

"We're still working on it," Tonks spoke up. "We might have been able to fill you in last night if you two hadn't disappeared on us."

Harry rolled his eyes and Ginny took his hand to try and keep him calm. "We needed a break," he said firmly. "This has been hard on us."

"We understand," Minister Bones interrupted. "Just tell us next time."

"We will," Ginny replied automatically, not leaving Harry an opportunity to argue.

"Well, getting down to business," Healer Brown spoke up, "I'm afraid nothing out of the ordinary happened last night. There were no magical outbursts, no unusual magical readings, nothing."

"I think I might know why," Harry began awkwardly. "My magical outbursts are normally the result of me reacting to what I'm dreaming. Being with Ginny stopped my nightmares, and well, replaced them with dreams of more… pleasant things. Last night, I hardly slept well, much less relaxed enough to have a… pleasant… dream about Ginny."

Ginny knew she was blushing, and she couldn't make eye contact with anyone in the room. Silence filled the room as everyone tried to figure out how to handle the situation without embarrassing anyone further.

"Well, do you think another night in this situation would provide similar results?" Healer Brown asked.

"I don't think I'll ever be relaxed knowing people are watching me sleep," Harry replied honestly.

"So this is useless," Tonks concluded.

"It looks that way," Minister Bones said with a sigh. "We'll have to figure out a way to record the magical surges in the room without having anyone watching. It's just not a priority right now."

"So, are we free to go?" Harry asked hopefully.

"I need to have a final examination with you, but then you're free as far as I'm concerned," Healer Brown said.

"You're both free as far as I'm concerned," Minister Bones added. "I've got a meeting in about ten minutes, so if you'll all excuse me." Everyone stood up at the table as the Minister and Chloe left the room.

"Ginny, why don't we go for a walk while Harry gets checked out," Tonks suggested.

"Sure." Ginny leaned over and kissed Harry's cheek before leaving the room with Tonks. "Where do you want to go?"

"Why don't we venture down to your office?"

"Haven't been there in awhile," Ginny said with a chuckle. "How's Ginny doing in Tibet?"

"Your double loves being you. I think she has a crush on MJ. She's going to be right heart broken when you show back up."

"Just wait," Ginny said laughing, "It'll get out to Ron that I'm cheating on Harry with MJ!"

Tonks laughed. "It has been hard for her to keep up your personality around the team. Her time with them has definitely been limited because of that."

"Well, she better not get too comfortable being me. I happen to like my life most of the time and I'm not quite ready to part with it yet. How does Susan like her new assignment?"

"She's adjusting pretty well. We decided to keep her in Tibet with your double as she gets settled… Don't want to risk the real thing," Tonks said chuckling.

"How's Michael?" Ginny asked quietly. She was still feeling guilty that no one had remembered her body guard. She couldn't help but feel like his injuries were all her fault.

"He's still out," Tonks replied solemnly. "We think he must have gotten knocked out in the initial few seconds on the fall, otherwise he would have taken off the cloak or at the very least called for help."

Ginny was about to reply when she saw a familiar blonde walking towards them.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Draco asked, blocking their way down the narrow hall.

"We're the ones who work here, Malfoy," Ginny spat. "What are you doing here?"

"Business," he smirked. "I'm sure you'll find out in good time."

"I'll look forward to it," Ginny replied sarcastically. She was itching to pull out her wand and hex the slimy git, but she felt Tonks grab hold of her arm, almost as if she knew what she wanted to do.

"You should," Draco said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend with the Commissioner of the Professional Quidditch League."

As soon as he was out of their sight Ginny groaned. "I hate him!"

"Just don't let him get to you," Tonks said.

"Impossible! I'm worried about what he's up to with the Quidditch Commissioner. I don't like seeing him strut around the Ministry like he owns the place."

"The days of Malfoys controlling the Ministry are over," Tonks assured her.

"I just have a very bad feeling," Ginny sighed. She couldn't shake from her mind the smirk on Draco's face. It was like he knew something bad was going to happen to her. She had developed a slight case of paranoia lately, but she just had a feeling that she shouldn't dismiss Draco.

"Ginny!" She turned around and saw Harry running down the hall with a smile plastered on his face. She couldn't help but smile when she saw how happy he looked.

"What?" she asked when he reached them.

"I've been cleared to play!" he exclaimed happily. "Well, I have to hide out here for two more days, taking things easy, but after that I can play!"

"Brilliant!" Ginny said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'd kiss you if we weren't in public," she whispered in his ear.

"I know," he replied.

"Well, it sounds like a celebration is in order," Tonks declared. "How about a shopping trip?"

"Sounds good to me," Ginny said happily.

"Whatever you want to do is fine," Harry added.

"Then let me go make the arrangements!"

Ginny looked in the mirror and scrunched her face in disgust. She understood that she was using glamour charms for her own protection, but she didn't think it was necessary for Tonks to make her look as ugly as possible. Her hair was chin length and a very mousy brown. Her nose was long and pointed and her lips were thin. The only good thing was that her freckles were gone.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked, peering into the bathroom she was currently occupying.

"I don't think I can go out in public looking like this," Ginny groaned, frowning at her appearance.

"Why not?"

"Because I look hideous," she pouted.

"But you're beautiful to me as long as you're Ginny," Harry replied. "At least you get to use the charms. For some reason they think it'll be better now if people think I'm here and not in Tibet. You can't appear here because you still have a body double in Tibet."

"I know." Ginny sighed resignedly and walked out of the bathroom. "It'll just be a lot harder to shop knowing I look like this. I won't like anything that I try on."

"Is that all you want to do today, try on clothes? I had rather hoped we wouldn't spend all day clothes shopping."

"Well, no, but I just…"

"Don't worry about it, Gin," Harry interrupted her. "We don't want people to know we're together so we have to do this kind of stuff."

"You're right, I'm being silly," Ginny replied, feeling petty and childish. "Is Tonks ready to go?"

"Yep." Harry offered her his hand. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I am." Ginny picked up her clock off the bed and took Harry's hand. "How are we getting to Diagon Alley?"

"Floo," Harry explained as they walked down the stairs of Grimmauld Place. The Ministry had decided that the former order headquarters would be the safest place for them to stay while Harry finished his recovery. They reached the bottom of the stairs and Tonks was waiting for them, looking like her Alexa Mallory persona.

"We've only got two hours at most before the Ministry wants us back here, so let's get this show on the road," Tonks said, ushering them to the fireplace. "I'll be right behind you."

An hour later, Ginny had forgotten all about her new appearance. She was really enjoying spending the day doing something normal with Harry and Tonks. They had browsed in Quality Quidditch Supplies, made a quick stop in Flourish and Blotts, and Ginny was now sitting by herself at a table outside of Florean's waiting on Harry to bring her an ice cream sundae. They'd luckily had brilliant weather, and if anyone had recognized Harry they'd been polite enough to leave him alone.

"Here you go," Harry said, setting a sundae in front of her and taking a seat.

Ginny picked up her spoon and took a bite of her ice cream. "Thanks. Where's Tonks?"

"She ran into a bloke she went to school with. She'll be out in a minute," Harry explained with his mouth full.

"Today's been good," Ginny commented as she abandoned her ice cream to watch Harry eat. He looked like a small child the way he devoured the food before him. Watching him enjoy himself was better than eating the ice cream in front her.

"What?" Harry asked self-consciously as he realized Ginny was watching him. "Have I got it on my face?"

Ginny grinned and leaned over so their faces were almost touching. "Yes, right here," she whispered as she kissed the corner of his mouth. "I got it, though." She pulled away and noticed that Harry's face was pink.

"Thanks," he said, a smile forming on his face. "I think you have some on your face, too."

"Oh really?"

"Yep," Harry said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I got it though."

"Interesting since I've only taken about one bite," Ginny commented, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You must be a very messy eater then," Harry replied as he took another bite.

"Must be," Ginny said with a chuckle as she started eating her ice cream again.

"You two haven't been doing anything, have you?" Tonks asked as she sat down at the table.

"Not really. Why?" Harry asked, concern filling his face.

"I just spotted a photographer taking pictures of you," Tonks explained with a sigh.

Ginny's face paled. "Then he probably has pictures of us kissing."

"Well, expect to see your face in all the papers tomorrow, Harry. You're going to be making headlines again," Tonks replied.

Harry put down his spoon and pushed his ice cream away. "Well, I've just lost my appetite."

Ginny mimicked his actions. "Me too. Can we just go home? I don't want to think about photographers anymore."

"Yeah, that's fine," Tonks said, standing up. "We'll just walk back to the Leaky Cauldron and use the Floo there."

"I'm sorry about this," Harry whispered to Ginny as they started their walk.

"It's not your fault," Ginny replied.

"I know, but it's because of me. I know you didn't want to have to deal with things like this."

"You didn't either."

"True."

Ginny took his hand and leaned into him. "I'll put up with this stuff as long as I get to be with you. That's all that's important."

A/N Well, this chapter tried it's hardest to drive me insane, but it came out okay. I'm done with my exams now, and trying to catch up on the writing I couldn't do while studying. Thanks as always for your reviews, they mean the world to me! We're almost there!