Chapter 5
"Harry?"
"Hey, Hermione." Harry answered her without even looking up.
"What are you doing out here?"
"Just thinking."
"Mind if I join you?"
"Not a bit." He finally picked his head up and looked at her as she plopped down next to him on the bench.
"Thanks." They sat in silence for a moment. Harry could tell that Hermione wanted to ask him something. He just relished the silence while the wheels turned in her head. Finally she spoke.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"How do you feel about Ginny?"
"Oh, not a good question right now," Harry thought.
"What? Why?"
"It's just…I was wondering if you two know what you're getting yourselves into."
"Uh – What is that supposed to mean?"
"Well, you know how Ginny feels about you, right?"
"Yes, Hermione."
"Are you prepared for that?"
He closed his eyes and said, "How could I ever prepare myself for something like that?"
"Oh, Harry – you're right – I just mean…"
"You think I'm being selfish and putting her in danger."
She paled and looked at the ground. "Well, you know Voldemort would try anything to get to you."
"Hermione, I know you're trying to help, but I feel guilty enough as it is."
"Harry, I am not trying to make you feel guilty. I just want to make sure you are thinking about the consequences of your actions."
"Look, you know that if I had it my way I would lock myself up away from everyone so that you would all be safe."
"Harry, don't be like that," Hermione said sternly.
Harry took a deep breath and tried to remember to stay calm.
"Look, for some unexplained reason she doesn't care about the risk. She loves me – and that…that's worth everything." His voice trailed off and he looked at the ground.
Hermione looked at him for a moment and then said quietly, "We love you too, Harry. Ron and I both do."
"I know that…and you've gone through hell just for being my friends. You mean the world to me. Please don't ever doubt that. I'm trying my hardest to not feel enormously unworthy of all this love…"
She placed a hand on his. "Harry. You changed my life. You helped make me who I am. I don't remember what it was like before you and Ron."
"Yeah, if it wasn't for a mountain troll you might still hate us."
She laughed and then looked out at the sky. "I can't believe all the things we've been through together…Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Do you really think Ron and I could be together without killing each other?"
He laughed. "I don't know. But I think the peace and quiet I might get as a result of you two snogging instead of fighting might be worth it."
"Harry!" She smacked at his arm and turned red.
"When he's ready, you'll find out. Don't try and analyze this, ok."
"Yeah right! I'm Hermione, have we met?"
"I'm serious."
"I know."
"Hey – why aren't you two working?" Ron yelled from the doorway.
"Coming, Ronald!" Hermione smiled at Harry and stood up. "Just be careful with Ginny, Harry."
"I will. I promise."
"Good."
They both walked back to the house. Ron was wiping down the window sill in the kitchen, which Harry suspected was a way to keep an eye on Hermione. Once they walked into the room Ron crossed to meet them.
"Alright, I'm finished in here. All we have left is the parlor. Care to join me, Hermione?"
"Sure."
The two of them walked out and Harry turned as he heard footsteps on the stairs. Mrs. Weasley burst into the kitchen and upon seeing Harry, opened her arms wide and said loudly, "Harry!"
Before he could react she was already transitioning from hugging him to standing in front of him, hands on hips.
"Don't you ever feel like you can't be honest with this family, Harry – no matter what my daughter says. You are like one of my own, and I want you to feel at home here."
"Oh Mrs. Weasley, I do! This is my second home next to Hogwarts!"
"Oh good. Now listen, my daughter is awfully tough on the outside but that doesn't mean she can't get hurt…"
"Mum! That's enough!" Ginny appeared from behind her mother. "Come on, Harry."
She grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the garden.
Harry said, "Ok, was that a good reaction? I'm still trying to figure it out."
Ginny laughed. "Yes, that was good. She was just upset that we didn't tell her right away."
"So what did she say?"
"Well she's happy for me, of course…" She blushed. "…but she did go on about her little girl growing up and all that. I'm very glad you didn't have to witness that part."
Harry laughed and put his arms around her. "So now who's going to tell your dad?"
"Ok, Harry – here's the thing. I don't want to spring it on you, but I really think it should be you."
He took a step back. "Me? I meant 'who' as in you or your mum!"
"Well, I'll be in the vicinity…"
"You mean you'll be in the house?"
"Well, yeah." She laughed. "Harry! Why are you so nervous?"
"I've never had a talk with any father about dating his daughter, but your dad has let me into his house and treated me like family! I mean, now I'm supposed to say, 'Oh, by the way – could I have your daughter too? Thanks.'"
Ginny laughed and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Harry, my dad loves you. He also loves me – all he wants is for us to be happy. Don't worry about it!"
Harry looked down into Ginny's eyes and the sea of brown that sparkled up at him made him forget what he was worried about.
"Kids! Get in here!" Mrs. Weasley's voice came from the kitchen.
Harry took Ginny's hand and walked back into the house. An owl Harry didn't recognize was sitting in front of Mrs. Weasley who was holding three envelopes in her hands. Ron and Hermione came into the parlor and Ron ran straight into Hermione's back as she stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Oh no…"
"Hermione, what's wrong?" Ron was clearly confused. He craned his neck to see into the kitchen. His eyes rested on the envelopes. "Hermione…"
"Is that…oh…my…it is. OH MY!"
Harry suddenly realized why Hermione was acting this way even as Mrs. Weasley said, "O.W.L results from Hogwarts! Hermione, dear, are you alright?"
Harry looked back over at the doorway to the girl who was now a shade of green. Her eyes were huge and unblinking. Ron put a hand on each shoulder from behind her.
"Hermione?"
All of the sudden she sprang to life, "I CAN'T LOOK!"
She spun around to try and retreat but Ron stopped her. She was still trying to get by so Ron gently shook her with both hands.
"Hermione look at me. Look at me!"
She froze and stared into his face which was screwed up in a look of fierce determination.
She whispered, "I can't do it, Ron. I can't!"
He clenched his jaw and surveyed her face. Finally he looked straight into her eyes.
"Yes you can, 'Mione. You can do it. I will be right here next to you. There is nothing to worry about."
She began to protest but he stopped her.
"Do you trust me?"
Harry saw her face soften and she came out of her semi-catatonic state.
"You know I do, Ron."
"Then you know that you can believe me when I say that you'll be alright. Just reach out and open the letter and it will be fine, ok?"
She nodded and visibly relaxed. Harry glanced at the two usually chatty red-headed women next to him and was utterly amused by the expressions on their faces. Both Mrs. Weasley and Ginny were staring at Ron with their eyes wide and their mouths open. Harry had to admit that he was impressed with his best mate. He had managed to stay unruffled and calm Hermione down.
Harry turned and watched as Hermione slowly turned and set her gaze on the envelopes. She reached out her hand but still didn't take a step. Ron smiled behind her and put a hand on the small of her back to gently ease her forward.
Reluctantly she walked forward and took the letter from Mrs. Weasley. Harry and Ron took their envelopes too.
Hermione looked at the boys, "Together?"
They nodded.
"Ok, go."
The three of them tore open their letters and began reading. Harry read over the results quickly:
O.W.L. Grade
CharmsO
TransfigurationE
HerbologyE
Defense Against the Dark ArtsO
PotionsO
Care of Magical CreaturesO
AstronomyA
DivinationP
History of MagicA
Total O.W.L. Levels passed: 8
-Congratulations, Mr. Potter, on behalf of the Ministry of Magic. You may now choose your N.E.W.T. level courses and return the registration form upon your arrival at Hogwarts on September 1st.
Sincerely,
Griselda Marchbanks
Head of the Wizarding Examinations Authority
P.S. I heard about your Patronus from Tofty. Good show, Potter!
Harry couldn't believe it. He had passed everything except Divination. He had top marks in everything except Astronomy and History of Magic. He got an O in Potions! How had that happened? Snape would be so mad…
"Ha!"
A great exclamation from Hermione made him look up.
"I got 10! I passed everything!"
Harry had a feeling she had more than passed – she probably had gotten all O's.
She frowned and said, "I can't believe they didn't take into account the interruption for our Astronomy exam! I was so distracted, I only got an E!"
Harry shook his head and looked at Ron. He was pale. Uh oh. Hermione turned on Ron.
"How many did you get?"
He hesitated.
"Ron?"
He looked up at her and said, "I got 8."
She almost exploded.
"Really? Ron, that's wonderful!" She launched herself at him as Mrs. Weasley and Ginny both said their congratulations. Ron's color changed from white to red as he wrapped his arms around Hermione. Harry was surprised that she held on so long but she suddenly pulled away and looked embarrassed. Now the pressure was on Harry.
Hermione looked at him and asked, "How many did you get?"
He smiled shyly. "Actually, I got 8 too."
Hermione clapped her hands with glee and Ginny reached up to kiss him on the cheek. Mrs. Weasley dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief.
"I am so proud of you three."
Hermione was beaming. She walked over to Harry.
"Can I see your scores?"
"Sure."
He handed her the letter. She surveyed it quickly then looked up at him, "Harry you did very well. I can't believe you got an O in Potions!"
"Gee, thanks…"
"No! I just mean there's no way Snape won't take you into his N.E.W.T. level course."
She looked down again.
"Well, you both failed Divination. At least you don't have to take it anymore."
Ron raised his arms in celebration and said, "THANK GOODNESS!"
Hermione swiped at him and said, "Honestly, Ron. You could have at least tried to do well on the exam."
He looked at her like she had two heads.
"Hermione, I was trying. He gave me a D because he got his feelings hurt. How was I supposed to know that big ugly nose in the crystal ball was his reflection?"
"You could have looked at your examiner upon arriving to take the test."
"Oh please, Hermione. I can't be bothered with details like that!"
"Figures. It's no surprise that the subtleties of life are lost on you."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"You figure it out."
They continued back and forth and Ginny looked at Harry, shaking her head.
"It's amazing. They can go from being each other's support system to that in a matter on minutes."
"It's part of their charm." Harry said, sarcastically.
"STOP, you two!" Mrs. Weasley shouted at Ron and Hermione
She was in her familiar stance, a hand on each hip.
"Honestly, I would think by now you two might realize how useless it is to argue."
Ron and Hermione had both turned to look on her and Ron looked a bit panicked.
"Mum…"
She continued.
"When all you do is bicker it's no wonder you don't see what's right in front of you."
Now Hermione's eyes were huge.
"Mum! Don't you think we should celebrate the good scores this afternoon with an impromptu trip to Diagon Alley?" Ginny piped up.
Mrs. Weasley rounded on her daughter.
"Ginny! You really think we could just go out in public willy-nilly at a time like this? You-know-who had no trouble getting into the Ministry, and Diagon Alley isn't protected half as well!"
She now had now turned her full attention to her youngest child.
Ginny bristled and now had her hands on her hips.
"Well, you think we should let Voldemort ruin everything we want to do?"
"GINEVRA WEASLEY! Saying his name like it's nothing! Sometimes I think your daring is going to get you into more trouble than Fred and George ever have been…"
She trailed off as she turned to the stove and began fiddling with the empty pots and pans.
Harry watched as Hermione caught Ginny's eye and mouthed, "Thank you!"
Mrs. Weasley suddenly spoke up again as if she had never stopped.
"Oh – what are you all standing here for? Take the afternoon off! I'll make you a nice picnic lunch."
Ron and Hermione didn't need coaxing. They both turned tail and walked out of the kitchen, into the living room. Ginny took Harry's hand and followed them out. They all settled themselves into the comfortable furniture and Harry broke the silence first.
"Ron, can I see your scores?"
"Oh, sure."
He reached across Hermione and handed the letter to Harry. Their results were very similar, which was no surprise to Harry. He always considered himself on equal footing with Ron in lessons. Harry looked up an congratulated his friend. He turned to Hermione.
"Do I need to bother looking at yours?"
She looked down at her hands.
"I suppose not. Astronomy was my only E."
"You mean you got A's in everything else?" Ron smirked at her.
"Ha – Ha, Ron. Honestly, I am very proud of you two. This just goes to show how smart you are."
"Oh no. If doing well on my O.W.L.s means you think I'm going to become the model student, you better think again."
"Oh Ron, why don't you just apply this kind of effort to every assignment?"
"Because then I would be exactly like you, and I think Hogwarts only has room for one Hermione."
Harry and Ginny both laughed and Hermione swatted at Ron playfully.
"I just hope Snape lets all three of us into Potions. I don't think I could bear it alone." Harry said.
Ron shook his head, "I can't believe we want to be in his class. I was always thinking we'd end up dropping it. Too bad we picked careers where you need top grades."
Hermione's head snapped around and she looked at Ron, intrigued.
"So you've picked a career then?"
Ron immediately blushed.
"Well, since my O.W.L.s are good enough, I was thinking of becoming an Auror. Then Harry and I could stay together after Hogwarts."
Harry smiled.
"That would be brilliant."
Ginny looked up at Harry.
"You want to become an Auror?"
"Well, I've thought about it…I may end up changing my mind someday. Who knows."
Ron looked at Hermione.
"Have you thought about a career yet?"
"Well, I've considered a few things, but nothing has really caught my eye yet. I've thought about continuing my work with S.P.E.W…"
Ron rolled his eyes, "I thought you'd forgotten about that!"
"Well, I haven't. I was thinking maybe I could work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures and change how things are run."
Ron sighed and looked at Harry, knowingly. She was one determined girl.
"Well, whatever you do you, I'm sure you'll be wonderful at it."
Hermione blinked.
"Thanks, Ron."
They looked at each other uncomfortably. Once again it was Ginny to the rescue.
"Hermione, let's go see if Mum needs our help packing our lunch."
"Good idea…"
Hermione hopped up and followed Ginny to the kitchen. Harry chuckled at the blush now covering Ron's face. Ron looked up at Harry and glared.
"Stop laughing! This is torture!"
"Tell me about it. You two are making everyone else uncomfortable with your near declarations."
"I know. I have to tell her."
"Please, for my sake, do it today."
"TODAY?"
"Yes! We're going to have a nice picnic lunch. Ginny and I will leave you two alone. It will be the perfect opportunity."
"Just as long as you keep your hands to yourself when you go off with my sister."
"Ron, you don't have to worry about that."
"I know. I'm just nervous as hell."
"It will be fine, as long as you don't pick a fight."
"Bloody hell, Harry – I have no idea how to talk to her if we're not fighting."
"That's not true. I saw you in the kitchen calming her down. That worked really well. You should just be honest. I'm sure she's not eager to fight when she just wants you to shut up and kiss her!"
"Harry!"
Harry laughed and Ron threw a pillow at his head. Just then the two girls entered the room.
"Ready to go? I thought we'd just sit by the lake while we eat." Ginny said.
Hermione was carrying two big blankets and Ginny was weighted down with an enormous basket of food.
"Here, I'll take that."
Harry swooped down and relieved Ginny of the burden. She beamed up at him.
"Thanks!"
He stuck out his arm and she took it. Harry was trying his hardest to be chivalrous in the desperate hopes that Ron would follow his lead. As Harry and Ginny walked out into the sunshine, he looked back and saw Ron fumbling with asking Hermione if she needed help. She opened her mouth as if she were about to retort, but then her face softened and she merely nodded. She gave him the blankets and Ron stuck out his arm. She smiled and took it.
Harry looked forward, feeling successful. Ginny looked up at him.
"What are you smiling about?"
"You are I are going to put those two out of their misery today."
"Really? Brilliant!"
"But that means we will have to go off by ourselves for a while."
"Mr. Potter, I'm not sure that would be appropriate at this stage in our relationship."
He looked down at her playful expression and smirked.
"I'm not sure I'm all that interested in being appropriate."
"Harry!"
She squeezed his arm and laughed; music to Harry's ears.
"I love making you laugh."
"I love that I can be myself around you."
He looked at her and felt a swell in his chest.
"I love that too. Why was it so hard for you before?"
"I don't know. I was a little kid! At first it was because I was so mesmerized by you that I couldn't bring myself to even open my mouth. Then, of course, I was trying my hardest to pretend I didn't care about you. I think I finally realized that I was hopelessly flawed and you would find out eventually…"
Harry couldn't believe she thought she was flawed.
"Ginny, you are not hopelessly flawed."
"Ha! Harry you are sweet, but yes I am. You have seen my temper! What about how stubborn I can be?"
"You are also passionate, insightful and caring. You are just stubborn enough to not let me get away with anything, and your temper is sometimes needed when I'm being a prat."
She threw back her head and laughed.
"Oh, Harry. You are wonderful."
"No, you are wonderful. I can't for the life of me figure out why you would want someone as messed up as me."
He looked at the ground as they walked. He felt Ginny looking at him.
"Harry," she said, softly. "Look at me."
Reluctantly, he complied. She studied his face for a moment then looked back at Ron and Hermione.
"Hey guys – you go ahead to the lake. We'll catch up. Ron, take the food will you?"
Ron walked over and took the basket and Ginny took one of the blankets from his arms. Ron looked at Harry with a look of sheer terror on his face.
"See you soon, mate." Harry said.
Ron's eyes didn't blink, but he nodded. Then Hermione joined him and he came back to life. He stuck out his arm and the two of them kept walking. Ginny grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him off the path, through a row of hedges, and into a small clearing. She laid the blanket down on the ground and then pulled Harry down onto it. He sat looking out towards the path, so she positioned herself in his line of vision.
"Harry. Do you really want to know why I want you?"
He looked at her and realized that he was a bit afraid. He couldn't manage an answer so he just nodded. She looked into his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I know that you have a horrible temper. I am perfectly aware that sometimes you can throw yourself an amazing pity party, and now I know all about your future considering Voldemort."
"Does this get better?" Harry asked, because right now it was a list of things he hated about himself.
Ginny laughed and said, "I just want you to understand that I know all about your flaws. I'm not disillusioned or in love with the 'Harry Potter' that people write about."
"Ok, I know that, Gin." Harry said quietly.
"Good. So now we come to the reasons I want to be with you."
He nodded and felt the fear creep back in.
"You may have a temper, but that only shows how deeply passionate you are about how you feel. Plus, I seem to be the only one who can rein it in."
"True." Harry recalled her comments regarding Voldemort last year and knew she had diffused his anger.
"As far as the brooding goes, I simply will not let that continue. You are without a doubt the bravest person I know. You are absolutely selfless when it comes to a crisis. You are always concerned with keeping people safe, and although Voldemort tried to manipulate that, I want you to know that you can't let him change that about you. If it wasn't for that characteristic of yours, I would not be here right now. Harry, you saved my life."
"That's not why you love me, is it?"
"No! But I just want you to understand that you can't stop being who you are just because Voldemort tricked you with that vision of Sirius. Good things come out of you following that instinct. I am proof of that."
Harry felt emotion welling up. How did she know he was worried about all this?
"Thank you, Ginny."
"No problem, I'm not done."
He laughed a little and took her hand.
"Harry, I love you because you are so brave and you think of others first, but mostly I love you because of all the things I see deep down in your heart that nobody else sees."
Here came the fear again. What was he so afraid of?
"Like what?" He dared to ask.
"Like your intense hope and the amount of love and joy that bubbles right underneath the surface. I know it's there, Harry."
"How?" He breathed. "How do you know that?"
"It shows in your eyes when you are with Ron & Hermione. It's there when you play Quidditch, and when you talk about your parents or Sirius…and now…it's there when you look at me."
Harry looked into her brown eyes, sparkling with tears unshed, and hoped beyond hope that she could see in his eyes how he felt about her. He suddenly knew what he was afraid of. There was no denying it anymore. He loved this girl.
"Ginny?" His voice came out as a sort of croak.
"Yes?"
He knew emotion was causing him to want to express himself to her, but he didn't care.
"I'm…I'm in love with you."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"You are?"
He nodded. "It feels really good to say it, too." He meant it.
She laughed and the tears fell down her cheeks. He reached up and wiped one away and looked into her eyes again.
"I know we are young and we have no way of knowing what will happen in the future. I won't make any promises that I can't keep. Right now I just want you to know that I love you. I will keep loving you – maybe forever – but, right now I just want you to know how I feel sitting here with you."
"Harry, just make me one promise. If things get too hard and you feel like you need out, just tell me. If you end up trying to push me away or something then we wouldn't even be able to be around each other. I couldn't handle that."
Harry had a hard time envisioning Ginny allowing him to do something like push her away, but he wanted to make her feel better.
"Ok, Gin. I will try and always be honest with you about how I feel."
She smiled.
"Thank you."
She moved her hands up his chest and behind his neck.
"And tell me again how you feel right now?"
He looked into her eyes and said, "I love you."
He was amazed how easily the words rolled off his tongue. He wondered vaguely if this was how his father had felt when he finally got together with his mother. He looked at Ginny and watched as she closed her eyes at his declaration, taking it in. She sighed. Harry admired the softness of her features, the smooth look of her skin, the spattering of freckles across her nose. He decided to take the opportunity and leaned down and put his lips to hers.
She responded immediately and began moving her lips slowly against his. Harry felt like he would fly away if she didn't have her arms around him. He was determined though, to feel every moment of kissing her. He didn't want this to fade into a fuzzy headed moment of passion. Not this time. He wanted to remember this kiss forever.
He moved his hands around to her back and pulled her closer. She put her hands in his hair and let out a tiny moan.
Suddenly, "I have to make her do that again" was the only thought in Harry's head.
He pulled her closer until she was almost on his lap. Her mouth opened and Harry pushed his tongue in. He felt her moan against his mouth. The sound created an immediate reaction in between his legs and he realized that they were moving pretty fast. This was more snogging that he'd done in his entire life!
He reluctantly pulled away, and Ginny furrowed her brow and said, "Why'd you stop?"
"Because if we keep on like that, I won't want to stop at all." He said quickly, hoping she would understand his meaning.
"Oh. OH!" She had looked down at his lap.
He put a hand to cover himself and even though Ginny was a brilliant shade of red she said, "I don't want you to be embarrassed about that in front of me. I know it's only natural."
"You do?"
Harry wondered rapidly how much farther she had gone with other boys…damn that Michael Corner!
"Of course. I lived in a house full of men until Hogwarts, Harry."
"Oh! Right."
He moved his hand and tried not to be embarrassed as she looked at him thoughtfully. He felt her look him up and down and suddenly she launched herself at him.
He caught her but was forced into a horizontal position with her directly on top of him. She was kissing him passionately and he was in fuzzy-headed heaven.
Wait! They were lying down!
"Ginny!" He said, in between kisses.
"What?"
"Isn't this inappropriate?"
She stopped kissing him and looked into his eyes. They were filled with a fire Harry had never seen before. She raised one eyebrow and said,
"I thought you didn't care about being appropriate?"
"Ginny, I love you. I would adore being inappropriate with you – but, we just started dating. I don't expect this from you."
"I know that. I'm sorry. I've just waited so long. I was sitting here thinking about all the times I daydreamed about kissing you, watching you in DA meetings…and now you're here, in front of me. I couldn't help myself."
He chuckled and she began to get off of him. He liked her weight on him and suddenly didn't want her to move.
"Wait," he said. "Kiss me one more time?"
She slid back down and wrapped her arms around him.
"If you want me to…I'll never stop."
She slowly lowered her lips to his and this time Harry couldn't think straight even if he wanted to. The entire world was fuzzy and the only thing he could feel were his hands on her back. He began moving them up and down and then his finger brushed an inch of exposed skin where her shirt ended and her pants began.
His brain was fixed on that feeling of bare flesh. He ran his finger across it and when a rush of desire to feel nothing but bare skin hit him, he stopped kissing her and sat up quickly. He lifted her off of him and set her neatly beside him. His hands went into his hair and he pulled his knees up to his chest. He tried to calm down.
"Harry, what is it? Is it your scar?"
He smiled at her through his arms.
"No, it's just…you drive me crazy, Ginny!"
She blushed and said, "Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?"
"Oh trust me, it is. I'm not sure any other girl could make me feel this way."
"Not even Cho Chang?"
He dropped his hands and looked at her. She looked a bit sheepish.
"I'm sorry. I just always hated how you looked at her."
"Is it the same way I look at you?"
"No."
"Exactly. I did not love her. We just kissed once, and it was awful."
"Really?"
"Yeah, really. I thought maybe it was my fault."
"Well, obviously it wasn't. You are a wonderful kisser."
"I think it helps that you are the only girl I could ever see a future with."
"What?"
Harry's mind suddenly caught up with his mouth. Why did he let that slip? He slid his hand over his face and into his hair.
"I'm sorry. We shouldn't talk about that."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm 15 and you are 14."
"Harry! Your birthday is in three days, you dolt! Mine's 11 days after that. We're growing up. You only have two years left at Hogwarts. You've been told to start thinking about a career. It's not too soon to think about who you want to make a life with."
"But Ginny, there's a huge obstacle in front of all that named Voldemort."
"Oh, bugger Voldemort! I don't give a hippogriff's arse that TOM RIDDLE wants to stand in the way of everything. He is nothing but a coward, and you are a hero. You're a Gryffindor! He doesn't stand a chance."
He reached over and pulled her onto his lap and kissed her with all his might. Her defiant spirit made him believe in the possibility of a real future, and he loved her for it. When he broke away they were both breathless.
"You are the only girl for me, Ginevra Weasley. If I have a future at all, it will be with you. You are a part of my heart, and I will do anything to protect that."
Her bottom lip trembled and a tear ran down her cheek.
"I love you, Harry."
"I love you too, Ginny."
He wiped her face with his hand and smiled at her.
"I'm starving. Want to go see what Ron and Hermione are up to?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her.
Her eyes grew wide and she giggled.
"Oh, yeah! Let's go!"