THE ONE WITH THE KISSING
Disclaimer: Anything you see or recognise is not mine….
Despite a very strong desire to take him back to bed, Ginny followed Harry down the stairs, towards the east wing of the house, in search for Hermione.
They were walking down the barely lit hallway on the second floor when, "Are you sure you're not planning on dragging me into one of these rooms or an alcove somewhere to snog me senseless?" Ginny murmured, as Harry checked another empty, dark room with the light from his wand.
Harry smiled and rubbed his thumb across the palm of her hand, which he had been holding. "As great a plan as that sounds, I'm afraid we'll have to postpone that till we find 'Mione or else Ron'll really suspect us."
They were in front of the room that the bride and bridesmaids had used when Ginny heard a loud sniff.
"I think Hermione's inside." She whispered to Harry who nodded in agreemtn, pointing to the light filtering from underneath the room door, indication that someone was inside.
Just before they could open the door and step into the room though, Harry pulled Ginny against him and kissed her slowly. She responded hungrily but he pulled away. "One for the road." He laughed, throatily, and walked into the room. Ginny was right behind him, albeit a little dazed.
Sure enough Hermione was sitting on the bed, looking as if she had been crying her eyes out.
"'Mione! Why are you crying?" Ginny asked concernedly, moving towards the bed.
Hermione shook her head despondently before looking up. "You've had sex!" She cried out, as she glanced up at Harry and Ginny. Ginny gaped at her while Harry held his hands up in surrender.
"No, not you, Harry," Hermione frowned at Harry who looked slighted, "You, Ginny, you've had sex!"
"No! I have not!" Ginny managed in a rather good pretence of being indignant.
"Oh, then, my pregnancy must be making me all whack." Hermione muttered, shrugging and looking distressed all over again.
Ginny pushed aside the pile of tissues and sat beside her best friend. "What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, tell us, Hermione." Harry echoed, making himself comfortable in the chair across from the bed.
Seeing Hermione's hesitation, Ginny added lightheartedly,"I have a strict policy that nobody cries alone in my presence."
Hermione took a deep breath, dabbing at her eyes with a damp tisse, "It's just that…I…I don't know...I was just thinking…. why did I ever marry Ron y'know…. I mean we fight all the time, we're not even right for each other…" She trailed off, miserably.
Harry looked aghast but Ginny gave him a 'let-me-handle-this' look. She patted Hermione's arm and shook her head at the older witch, "I remember why you married him, 'Mione. I'm sure you do too." Hermione nodded, resignedly.
"Your exact words were – 'It's just that I never met anyone I could laugh with, you know?' You told me how even when you bothfought, he always ended up making you laugh in the end and let me tell you, 'Mione, as Mum alwayswould say, laughter through tears is every woman's favorite emotion." Ginny smiled at Hermione, putting her arm around her comfortingly.
Hermione managed a watery smile. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Ron can be a prat sometimes..." She trailed off, thinking deeply for a moment, before brightening up instantly with a smile, "But unfortunately, I still love him." She admitted.
"That's the spirit!" Ginny crowed, smiling one of those rare beautiful smiles that made Harry forget where or who he was.
As they headed out of the house to go back to the reception hall to join the rest, Hermione stopped in mid step and turned to Ginny. "I could have sworn you had sex," she murmured staring at Ginny, "You even have sex hair."
"I do not!" Ginny protested, putting on a show of mock amusement by rolling her eyes and smiling amusedly. However, as soon as Hermione had her back to them, Ginny began running her fingers through her hair desperately trying to straighten it.
Harry who was right behind Ginny could not help asking out of sheer curiosity, "What's sex hair?" He leaned down and whispered in her ear, as they walked down the path leading to the larger gazebo.
Ginny shook her head, grinning, "I'll show you the next time." She threw him a lascivious wink.
Harry reached out to grab her by the waist, or arse - whichever he could get a hold of first - and pull her towards him, but she darted out of his reach and walked briskly towards Hermione. She shot Harry a teasing grin as she walked beside Hermione all the way to the reception hall.
"Hermione!" Ron stood up as soon as he caught sight of Hermione walking towards their table in front. "I was looking all over for you." He told her, anxiously, completely ignoring Harry and Ginny who had sat down side by side at the Weasley table.
"Hey, where were you?" Luna, who was seated on Ginny's other side, asked.
"Oh, I went for a walk." Ginny lied.
Luna frowned, not believing her roommate for one minute, "Are you okay, Ginny? I know how hard this must be for you with Harry around and the whole wedding thing-"
"Lu, I'm fine." Ginny told her, firmly.
On the other side of the table, Hermione and Ron seemed to have completely made up and had taken their seats beside Harry.
"I'm starving. Where's desert?" Hermione asked.
Ron hid a smile as he squeezed his wife's hand, "I love you."
"Ditto." Hermione flashed him a smile.
Luna shrugged. "I wouldn't know about desert. I was with Fred." She looked rather dreamy at this point.
"Where's everyone else?" Ginny asked, realizing that they were the only ones at the Weasley table.
Hermione spoke up, "Oh, Fred and George are at the bar. Charlie and Gail had to go home because Abby got a little sick – she had too much risotti, I think. Bill's dancing with Van – looks like they've made up too." She observed, nodding towards the dance floor, which was littered with couples swaying to the slow music. "That's about it." Hermione concluded.
Everybody gaped at her.
"What?" Hermione asked at the awestruck looks in her direction.
"You were at the house all this while right?" Harry asked, baffled.
Hermione nodded, using her wand to conjure a plate of tiramisu for herself.
"Then how did you know-"
Ron was cut off by Hermione's modest shrug, "It's this pregnancy hormones, I'm telling you, they make me sense all these things and know everything that's going on."
Harry blanched while Ginny choked on Luna's Gillyweed that she was taking a sip of. They exchanged a horrified glance before turning to look back at Hermione who was more absorbed in her tiramisu than anything else.
"I need a drink." Ginny concluded, having drained Luna's Gillyweed.
"Me too, now that Ginny has finished mine." Luna stated, dryly.
"Actually I'd fancy some nice sparkling apple juice." Hermione added.
"Well, then, I shall go get drinks for you ladies," Harry volunteered gallantly and rose from his seat.
Then impulsively, an affectionate smile on his face, he leaned down to kiss Ginny, capturing her mouth in his. As they broke away, Harry tried to keep the horror on his face at bay as he realized that everyone at the table had been watching them, in completely shocked silence.
Turning away from Ginny, he smiled down at Luna who stared at him blankly. "Luna," He murmured before leaning down to kiss her as well. Then he walked towards an utterly puzzled Hermione, somehow managed to lean down precariously so as not to bump her swollen belly and kiss her too. After flashing a smile at all of them, he walked off to the bar.
Suddenly the noise level at the table seemed to rise a few notches as everyone begin to talk all at once.
"What was that all about?" Luna asked, taken aback and slightly mortified.
Ginny shrugged. "Must be some Italian thing he picked up."
"That was not Italian!" Ron exclaimed, looking rather put out.
"Yeah, felt French to me," Hermione agreed, grimacing at the memory of Harry's tongue in her mouth.
When Harry got to the bar, he was immediately greeted by George and Fred who promptly introduced him to their new Italian friend - Christine Madriani's older brother, Paul Madriani. While Harry busied himself with ordering drinks, he could not help overhearing the conversation between the three men.
"I don't need poetry to get women?" George, currently single, was asking, seemingly in doubt about what women wanted.
"No, you need a personality to get women." Fred told him, his recent engagement making him an expert in female matters.
"Try a breath mint and a visa." Paul advised, sensibly. The twins nodded in agreement. They had to agree – after all, Paul was the one who was happily married with a pretty wife and an adorable daughter.
Beside them, Charley Tempesta was an obvious victim of the veela charm that a very much drunk Fluer had turned on full blast.
"If you were my girl, I'd make love to you in every room of the house, on every table top, on every rug..." He told her, in an attempt at seduction.
To which Fluer dazedly murmured, "We also have some lovely ancient chandeliers.."
Further down the bar counter, something akin to a riot seemed to be breaking out between the young punk of a bartender and a drunk Italian guy.
"Watch it, bud." The bartender warned.
"Who you calling bud, pal?" The Italian guy sneered.
"Who you calling pal, friend?" The bartender shot back
"Who you calling friend, jackass?"
"Don't call me a jackass." The bartender threatened.
'I just did call you a jackass." The Italian guy smirked.
Before the bartender could sock him in the jaw proper, the head bartender pulled the younger man away and spoke to him quietly. The Italian guy just stared blankly into space before wandering off, completely stoned.
"Wotcher, Harry." Harry turned to see Tonks standing beside him.
"Hullo." Harry smiled, still waiting for his drinks.
"How's it going?" She asked, after placing her order.
"Good, good."
"These Italian men..…" Tonks trailed off as she sighed wistfully. "Pity they're all taken."
"There's this guy – Vincent Cappadora – he's single." Harry remembered then.
"So, is he attractive?" Tonks asked, instantly interested.
"Well," Harry hesitated before continuing, "I'm not supposed to notice these things, but I believe the word is "hot.""
"Really?" Tonks looked really excited. She grabbed her drink and gave Harry a peck on the cheek as a sign of gratitude.
"Wish me luck!" She cried out, as she walked off, not before colliding directly into the man in question himself.
Harry was still laughing softly to himself when he headed back to the table, with no idea what was in store for him. Hermione looked rather grim. She had privately decided to take it upon herself to nip this so-called European custom in the bud.
"Here are your drinks," He said, placing their respective drinks in front of them.
Before he could sit back down in the chair beside Ginny, however, "Hang on, Mr. Kissy face," Hermione said. Harry glanced at Ginny for at least a clue of what was going on. She shrugged.
"I don't know where you got it from but I want you to stop the kissing thing immediately. It makes me really uncomfortable." Hermione told him, honestly. Ron seemed quite pleased.
Harry nodded agreeably, as he sat down in his seat, relieved. For a moment, he thought they had figured out what was going on between him and Ginny.
"I told them it was an Italian thing you picked up." Ginny said, avoiding his eye, trying not to burst out in mirthful giggles.
"Yeah, I was trying to bring some culture to the group." He explained, straight-faced.
"Well, not in my mouth." Luna pointed out.
"Yeah," Ginny added, not wanting anyone to get suspicious, "It makes me feel like throwing up." She said vehemently and filled with disgust. Harry glanced at her, his eyebrow raised. Ginny looked away, biting back a smile.
The seven of them, Bill, Van, Luna, Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny were sitting around and indulging themselves in mindless chatter, when a partially drunk Fred joined them at the table.
"I just heard Mum telling the Bernollis about how you used to run around our lawn naked." Fred told Luna.
"Did I really do that?" She asked, amused.
"Yes, I vaguely remember so. I was seven and you were four."
"Well, that's a pretty big age difference. It's quite pervy really." Luna commented, her eyes sparkling.
"Yes, I'd like to think so." Fred paused, "Fancy a re-enactment?"
At the pointedly loud coughs and snorts from the others seated at the table, Luna simply shook her head, "Let's just dance for now."
Seeing the crestfallen look on Fred's face, "We can save that for some other time." She added.
As Fred led Luna to the dancefloor, Ginny could not help feeling a tad wistful at the fact that she and Harry could not be as open about their relationship. Her eyes flicked towards Harry, greedily devouring the sight. She longed to reach out and touch him. He caught her gaze and held it. The intensity of her desire for him had to be burningly, blatantly obvious. Suddenly embarrassed and afraid one of her brothers'or Hermione might catch her, she looked away, studying the surroundings. Anything to avoid that penetrating gaze. Anything to slow her racing pulse and pounding heart.
It was then, inspired by a combination of lust and champagne, Ginny had a fantastic idea. She nudged Harry's foot, her action concealed by the floor length table cloth. Upon catching his eye, she shot him a pointed look before titling her chin subtly in the direction of the powder room. Wonderful, brilliant, intelligent Harry instantly got the hint. His eyes shone with mirth as he gave an unnoticeable, quick nod.
He rose from his seat, murmuring a polite "Excuse me."
"You aren't going to the bar, are you?" Ron asked hopefully, ignoring the admonishing looks his wife was giving him.
"No, Ron, I'm going to the loo." He told him, before walking off and heading towards the unisex washroom.
After what seemed like a century of pacing up and down and possibly wearing off the marble flooring of the powder room, the gilded door opened and Ginny appeared.
"What took you so long?" Harry asked, anxious with anticipation.
Ginny looked mildly miffed herself as stepped inside, closing the door behind her, "Some Italian guy stopped me to ask if I could give him my address in case anything happened to his wife."
"What!" Harry looked alarmed; "You didn't give it to him, did you?"
Ginny shot Harry an intent look, "Do you know anything about women?"
Harry hesitated then, "Not really," He admitted, honestly.
Ginny could not help grinning in amusement, "That's okay then." She assured him.
His confidence and male ego respectfully restored, "Come here, you." Harry wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Ginny giggled, walking towards him.
He reached out and pulled her towards him, and she came, so that her face was against his shoulder. She inhaled deeply into his dressrobes. "I can smell you," She sighed, before looking up.
"Y'know, Harry, I was thinking," Ginny fingered with his top most collar button, as she spoke hesitantly, "Can't I at least tell Hermione about us?"
Seeing the raised eyebrows on Harry's face as he opened his mouth to protest, she quickly continued speaking, "She won't tell Ron if I tell her not to. She's my best friend, Harry. It's just that ever since Hogwarts, Hermione's the one person I told everything to." She looked rather desolate.
Harry almost gave in but he rubbed her back soothingly, "We're not ready to deal with all that. Isn't that what we agreed on?"
Ginny nodded, sighing.
"I'm sorry." Harry murmured.
"It's not your fault." Ginny said, smiling at him but with a look of uncertainty in her eyes. Harry could sense the doubts blatantly surfacing in Ginny's mind regarding his feelings for her and his intentions about their relationship.
He thought about the first time he saw Ginny, when she was not more than twelve. He thought of the way her red hair gleamed in the sunlight in the mornings, as she stumbled down for breakfast at The Burrow. He realised that Giny smelt delicious, her aroma much sweeter than roses or even honeysuckle in the night air, as if she washed her skin with chocolate or granules of sugar. Oh, how he wished he was able to put to words what he felt for her.
He put his hand at the side of her chin, held her face steady and kissed her with everything he felt. He could feel her give. A loosening around her spine. All her worries and doubts were shoved to the back of her mind, wanting to enjoy this exquisite moment. He kissed her with increasing passion and an almost despicably, sinful hunger.
"Wait a minute," Ginny broke away, breathing hard, "Nice boys don't kiss like that." There was a teasing hint to her tone that made Harry want her even more.
Oh yes, they fucking do." He murmured throatily before leaning down to continue kissing her.
Harry slid his arms down to her waist, pressing her tightly against him. The excitingly familiar yet foreign taste of his mouth, that feeling of his tongue in her mouth, his fingers knotted in her hair, fingering each strand, his other hand trailing a torturously tantalizing path down her back - all added to the erotic moment.
She felt him growing hard against her belly causing a primal hunger of plain lust to rip right through her body. She tipped her head back as he nuzzled her neck so that he could kiss the dimpled place in her throat where her pulse beat furiously. She sighed, and with one swift movement he slipped her robes off her shoulders.
Ginny arched up as he brushed his mouth against the beginning of her cleavage, drawing deep on the sweet scent of cinnamon that always swirled around her. Harry thought for certain the top of his head would implode. He had never felt so out of control before, like a fourteen year old in perpetual heat. Only Ginny could do this to him.
He lifted her and her eyes widened with anticipation as he positioned her on the dressing table. She kissed him, her embrace hot and greedy, then lifted her head and licked her lips. She was beautiful – all tossled and eager. She leaned down again, touching her tongue to his, beginning another kiss, which led to another and another, and a never-ending stretch of lusty kisses.
"OH! OH! OH! OH, MY EYES!"
Ginny and Harry broke apart, startled by the farmiliar voice and loud exclamation. The sight that met them was one that would go down in wizarding history.
The usually unfazed Luna Lovegood was covering her eyes with one hand, yelling, loudly "My eyes! My eyes!" as she hopped from one foot to another, in what looked to be a fit of hysteria.
"Lu! It's fine! Stop shouting!" Ginny assuaged Luna as she got off the dressing table, removing her arms from around Harry's neck.
Luna cautiously peered through the gaps between her fingers and saw that Ginny and Harry were standing a considerable distance apart. Luna sighed with palpable relief. She was still in complete disbelief at the scene she had just walked into upon entering the powder room - Ginny's legs wrapped around Harry's hips, her arms locked around his neck and his hands cupping her face as he ravished her.
"You two are…" Luna trailed off, looking at the both of them inquiringly.
Ginny spoke up hesitantly, "Eh-"
"Yes, we're together." Harry cut her off, upon seeing the unsure look on Ginny's face as to what exactly they were.
"But this is wonderful! It's great." Luna crowed, looking thrilled. "Good for Harry, I mean. You, Ginny, you could do better." She added, much to Harry's chagrin.
"You really think so?" Ginny asked, referring to Luna's initial comment.
"You bet." Luna stated, sincerely.
Ginny glanced at Harry, looking exceptionally pleased. Harry smiled, that delicious, contented, handsome grin as he took a step towards Ginny. He coiled an arm around her hips, before leaning down to kiss her with an unmistakable tenderness.
They were interrupted almost instantly though by a loud exclamation of protest from Luna. "OH NO! STOP! Just because I think it's great doesn't mean I want to see that!" She was covering her eyes with her hands, her lips twisted in a grimace.
"That's a bit rich coming from you, Miss. Luna – 'Public Display of Affection is the only way' – Lovegood." Ginny commented with a sardonic hint of humor that made Harry want her all over again.
Luna looked mildly indignant, "You mean Fred and I look that disgusting?" She asked with a shudder.
Neither Harry nor Ginny could decide whether to feel insulted or not. Brushing Luna's question aside, Harry addressed the matter at hand, "The thing is, we, Ginny and I, don't want to tell anyone else just yet."
"What! Why?" Luna asked, frowning in consternation already.
"We don't want to deal with my family, specifically my brothers." Ginny explained.
"But- But…" Luna was not happy in the least.
"We don't want to deal with the added pressure from everyone else to make this relationship work. It's really important to us." Ginny reasoned. Harry nodded.
Seeing the pleading look on Ginny's face, Luna nodded in agreement, "Fine, fine. If that's what you want." She shrugged, placating.
"Thank you so much!" Ginny burst out in relief, moving forward to embrace Luna in a hug.
"Well, we'd better head back to the table before anyone gets suspicious," Harry reminded Ginny.
"You go on first, Harry, I need a minute to freshen up." Ginny told him.
As Harry departed, Ginny pulled out her wand and proceeded to touch up her make-up. Beside her, Luna was doing the same.
"So how did it happen?" Luna asked.
Ginny mused about it for a moment before replying, "Have you ever let a romantic moment make you do something that you knew was stupid?"
"You slept with Harry." Luna concluded. She shot Ginny a look of reverence, "Wow."
"I know. I don't regret it though. The sex itself was 'WOW'." Ginny gloated, glad to be able to share this big moment in her life with someone.
Luna looked at Ginny with veneration in her eyes, "You're my hero."
Ginny laughed.
"I knew I should have shagged Fred first, before anything else."
Ginny's laughter died down in her lips at the disgusting image Luna had just forced into her head. "Lu, please, I really don't need to know what you did with Fred first."
Just then Chris burst into the powder room, all flustered and looking out of sorts.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.
"One word – Sirius." She muttered, through gritted teeth.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Luna began, a superior knowing look on her face, "I hate being serious as well."
Ginny choked back a laugh as she shook her head violently at Luna, motioning for her to shut up. "What'd he do now?" She asked Chris who had plopped herself onto the cushioned bench beside the dressing table.
"He cornered me at the bar and asked me if I was attracted to him."
"What did you say?" Luna asked, finally getting the drift and obviously intrigued.
"Well, I told him that wasn't the issue."
Ginny nodded encouragingly, "Good way to sidestep the question. What did he say to that?" She asked.
"He said 'let's make it the issue.'"
Ginny bit back a smug grin, silently thanking the stars and the powers that be that Harry was nothing like his godfather. "What did you do?"
"I told him to leave me alone and I walked off."
"That's okay." Ginny reassured her.
"No, it's not." Chris said mournful, "I sounded pathetic."
"It's fine." Luna tried to console the older witch.
"Well, anyway, I'm sure Sirius has got some fatal flaw." Chris concluded, rising from the seat, to freshen her own makeup.
"How's that?" Luna asked, curiously.
"I'm attracted to him, aren't I?" She glanced at herself in the mirror, her own words sinking in.
As Ginny and Luna exchanged amused glances at this recent revelation, Chris slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand, "I don't believe it. I'm attracted to Sirius-bloody-Black."
TBCA/N NOTE :- (impt points in bold)
Me reading too many romance novels is a good thing or a bad thing?
I take all your comments and feedback personally. That's just who I am. It doesn't mean you have to apologise for your comments. I valued it in fact. Thanks for explaining anyway.
Well, real life is not like movies or books and I just felt it would be more real for Harry and Ginny to ACT on their desires rather than suddenly kiss and profess their love like characters in a clichéd fairytale - that's just my opinion. And anyway that leads us to the next question – are they in love? Will they ever get around to telling each other so?
Everyone seems to like the Ron and Harry bit while Ginny was in bed. In fact I never thought of that scene until recently and then it just came to me, right off the top of my head. It was inspired by the scene from 'Friends' when Ross barges into Chandler's hotel suite to yell that he's getting married and Monica's hiding under the covers in Chandler's bed.
Harry did not tell Ron he liked Ginny, he only told Sirius and Remus. Ron just suspects it and also he's kinda dense and thinks his sister doesn't like Harry in that way anymore.
Fred's proposal is from Runaway Bride…no it didn't split the twins up – it was quite funny actually because George was trying to find a way to break it off with Luna without hurting her feelings since he didn't really feel attracted to her, then miracle of all miracles, he found out Fred had the hots for her….
Um..I think I mean MANY people review this story, rather than ONE person send MANY reviews at one go...lol..thanks tons anyway..it meant a lot to me..
The quote about 'you wouldn't know love if it bit you in the armpit' came from either Runaway Bride or Two Weeks Notice or Miss. Congeniality..I'm quite sure it's one of them…I have three words for Miss Congeniality: Armed and Fabulous – No Benjamin Bratt. 'Nuff said.
Why does EVERYONE think Hermione's going to go into labour? Well, we'll just have to wait and see how I feel about putting that in, won't we? I'll name the child Nicole if I do though..that's a promise…lol
A thousand apologies about the numerous false updates – I was re-posting the edited versions of chapter 11.
Once again sorry about the errors..you're right..it would be great if I have a good beta reader..I did have a great one but she's kinda busy at the moment..
Aniwai, it just seemed I'm getting less and less reviews for each chapter I update..i wonder if you guys could help explain to me this phenomenon…. is it my story? Is something lacking?
REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW! GIVE ME FOUR HUNDRED REVIEWS FOR THE NEXT UPDATE!