Disclaimer: Do you really think it's possible that a world famous, multi millionaire goddess of writing would spend her free time writing at a fan fiction website about her own books? No? Good—so you get the idea, I'm not her. If you answered YES to that question….*no comment*
*****
The setting sun cast orange and purple shadows on the tear-streaked face of the young girl. She sighed and wiped another tear, lost in a raging sea of thoughts and confusion. Everything seemed so calm and beautiful from this spot and yet, at the same time, everything seemed so horribly screwed up.
"Ginny, what's wrong?" Ginny caught her breath as Harry stepped through the trees. He was still in his blue swimming shorts, his t-shirt slung over his shoulder, leaving his incredible chest and stomach bare. His wet hair flopped in his face and she could feel her heart speed up as she noticed the glistening of his moist skin in the sunset. She shook herself; he'd been the last person she expected to find her, much less come looking. What was he doing here, anyway? Why did he insist on doing this to her? She bitterly turned away from him as he approached and wished, for once, that he would leave her alone.
"Please, Ginny," He spoke again, much closer now. She turned back to him to see his emerald eyes full of concern. "You just disappeared when we were all swimming… I…we got worried," he blushed.
"I'm fine." Ginny said, her quavering voice betraying her. He sat next to her and, gently brushing away her tears with his thumb, spoke softly, "You've been crying…is it something I did?"
"Harry, just…please. Leave me alone." Despite her best efforts, her voice cracked and another tear streamed down her cheek. To her surprise, he kept his hand on her face, his fingers in her hair, and stared at her intently, never saying a word. Finally, taking a breath, he said, "I can't leave you alone, Ginny. I don't know what's wrong, but I'm here for you."
Feeling herself begin to melt inside and not wanting to give in, she turned back to her anger and retorted, "Why are you here, Harry? What do you care if I'm upset or hurting? I may just be Ron's little sister to you, but I'm a big girl, Harry, and I can handle my own problems. Not like you would understand them anyway." She fumed, but immediately regretted it. His eyes became dark as hurt flashed across his face. Saying nothing, he stood and began walking away. She couldn't bear to see him leave like this, not when he was the reason she was hurting so much in the first place. He'd come to help like the great guy he was, and she'd pushed him away.
"Harry…please, wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bite your head off..." Her voice trailed off and she looked down at the ground. Sighing, he sat down again, much closer this time, and put his arms around her. She leaned against his bare chest, surprised at how fast his heart was beating. Staring up at the darkening sky, Harry was amazed at the young woman he had in his arms. She was so sweet and loving, yet at the same time, very strong willed and independent. How could he have missed it before? She'd been there the entire time—but he'd been too busy chasing after Cho to notice. Suddenly, here she was…utterly amazing. The stars began appearing one by one as the sun tucked back beneath the horizon, and a gentle breeze began to blow. She shivered and he pulled her closer, covering her bare arms with his shirt.
"Aren't you cold?" She asked, looking up at him.
"Nah…" He smiled. "I'll be alright. What about you, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I think so. Harry?" She spoke softly.
"What?" He replied softly, brushing a hair away from her eyes. She looked so beautiful, especially now, bathed in moonlight. She smelled sweet and her lips looked so soft, so perfect.
"Harry…I…" Her voice faltered and she looked at the ground, searching for the words. He gently stroked her face and, before he lost his nerve, lifted her chin, reaching closer until finally his lips reached hers and they kissed. Ginny's mind raced, OMG, OMG, OMG, Harry's kissing me!!! He's really finally kissing me! OMG I'm just sitting here, I should kiss him back!!" After what seemed like an awkward and uncertain eternity, Harry felt Ginny's arms go around his neck, deepening the kiss. Her lips were sweeter, softer than he'd expected; a delicate tropical smell wafted up to him as he ran his fingers through her long, luscious locks. Ginny's eyes widened in surprise as his tongue deftly slipped into her mouth, sending thousands of delicious sparks through her body. She'd kissed before, but never like this, never with the love of her life. It's perfect, she decided.
Finally, after several minutes and in desperate need of oxygen, the two pulled apart. Ginny closed her eyes and leaned against Harry's chest in an effort to not explode with happiness and ruin the moment by making a fool out of herself.
"Ginny, I've wanted to tell you for so long…" he whispered softly in her ear. Surprised, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. Not willing to make assumptions and risk having her heart broken, she asked, "Tell me what?" He looked down at her lightly freckled face and deep almond eyes. God, he thought, she's so beautiful! I don't deserve her! A gentle breeze played in her hair, the stars twinkling in her eyes.
"I love you." He stated simply, in awe of how deep that love was.
Wait a minute, she thought, This is almost too perfect… "What about Kalea?" she asked, looking away.
"What about her?" he questioned, stunned at her response.
"I don't know, it's just…today…it seemed…" her voice faltered. She'd been so stupid to assume—Harry's not like that! she thought, fiercely avoiding Harry's penetrating gaze. Finally, he put his hand gently on one cheek and turned her face back towards his.
"Ginny, there is nothing between Kalea and I; you know that. We only just met. Besides, my heart has long belonged to another." He gazed deeply into her eyes.
"Oh, Harry, I knew there couldn't be anything between you two, but when I saw you today, I was just so afraid…" her voice trailed off as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly.
"Afraid of what?"
"Afraid…you didn't feel the same about me as I do about you." She responded quietly. "Harry, I've loved you ever since I met you at the train station in your first year." She gently reached up and brushed a strand of black hair out of his face and traced his scar lightly with her finger. "Never because of this, Harry. If you were some normal nobody, I'd still love you. Hell, I'd love you even if you were a Slytherin!"
"Let's not go that far," he grinned, interrupting her. She smiled and, seeing his soft, sexy lips, she leaned up. Do I dare? She wondered, but before she could answer herself, Harry caught her up in another amazing kiss. Suddenly a voice pierced through the cool night air. "Kids!! It's time for supper!"
Ginny looked up at Harry and sighed. "I guess we should get back before they send a search party after us." He smiled and touched her soft hair, kissing her one more time. They stood and began walking back to the house, listening to the wind softly whisper though the trees. Ginny smiled…her dream had finally come true, things were finally working out! She wanted to scream it from the rooftops, tell everyone she knew that the man she loved, loved her back. A tug on her hand pulled her out of her thoughts and she turned. Harry was looking from her to the house with an air of… fear?
"Ginny…I think we should keep this a secret…" His voice trailed off. Her heart froze. He didn't want anyone to know? Was he ashamed of her, was she not good enough for him? Unable to say much else, she whispered a quiet "Ok." Before turning away.
"Wait…" he called after her. Tears stung in her eyes.
"Don't get me wrong, Ginny, I love you, and I want to be with you…but in secret, just for now…" He pleaded. God, she thought, he has the sweetest puppy eyes!! Shaking herself, she said, "There's no reason…" She stopped. He did have a reason to not want to tell the whole world; six red-headed reasons, to be exact. Suddenly, she burst out laughing. Harry Potter, defeater of the Dark Lord himself, is afraid of MY BROTHERS!!! She thought, ignoring Harry's look of complete and utter confusion.
"Alright, Harry," she said as she calmed. "We'll keep it a secret—but you really shouldn't worry…my brothers like you."
Harry turned red when he realized what she thought. He just wanted to protect her—anyone involved with him was at risk, she should know that. And, well, after all, she DID have six strong brothers. Deciding to say nothing, he smiled at her and, taking her hand, continued toward the house.
*****
Two hours later, Fred, Kalea, Ginny and Ron sat in the living room watching the fire. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had decided it had been too long since they'd spent quality time with each other, and had gone out on a date just before dinner, leaving a steaming hot meal prepared for the rest of the family.
"I'm bo-ored," Kalea whined, twisting a strand of blonde hair around her finger.
"Well do something, then." Fred smiled, raising his eyebrows.
"If I could think of something to do, I would!" she retorted, rolling her eyes.
"Here, do this, then…" With that, Fred took a massive pillow from the couch and smacked her with it. She, in turn, grabbed another pillow and took a whack at him. The two began viciously assaulting each other with pillows, hiding behind the couches for protection. Finally, Fred roared and took a flying leap, landing on Kalea with all his might and all his pillows, successfully tackling her. At that moment, Hermione and George walked in.
"What on EARTH?" Hermione gasped as she saw the mess. Glancing down, she realized Fred was sitting triumphantly on a large pile of pillows. Suddenly he jolted and rolled down on to the floor as Kalea heaved herself out of the pile.
"My, my, my…Mum leaves for one minute, and look what happens. Twin, I'm ashamed of you. You should have at least waited for me!!" He grinned.
Fred grinned and, almost imperceptibly, blushed. "You gotta take it when it comes, dear brother. And where, may I ask, have you two been?" he questioned, looking pointedly from his brother to Hermione and back again. She blushed scarlet and opened and shut her mouth, unsure of what to say. George put his arm around her and, pulling her close, replied, "Somewhere you'll never be, Gred!" Hermione's eyes widened in shock. She looked desperately at Ron, then Ginny, both of whom were laughing hysterically.
"And what if I were to tell you, Forge, that I've been there?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'd BEG you to teach me all your secrets! he retorted. "Without you, I have no power over women!" He faked an overly dramatic sob and collapsed in a heap at his brothers feet.
"Come on now, George, tell us the truth…"
"Hey!! That's a good idea—let's play truth or dare!" Kalea suggested, her eyes lighting up at this; finally, something interesting!
"Alright," Ginny smiled, moving the coffee table out of the middle of the room and arranging the pillows in a circle.
"But how are we gonna know for sure that everyone's telling the truth?" Ron asked, hoping there would be no answer. He had some things he didn't want anyone—especially his brothers—to find out about.
"Aw, does Ickle Ronnikins have something to hide?" George asked, pinching his little brother's cheek. His ears turned bright red, and he muttered, "No…just want to make sure you don't lie…"
"Alright, how about this? From this minute on, if any of you so much thinks about lying to us in the game or running out when you're dared, you'll become our joke shop guinea pig for the entire rest of the holiday." Fred declared.
"If you make it that long…" snorted his twin.
"HONESTLY, have none of you read anything other than Quidditch Illustrated? If you even call that reading…" Hermione rolled her eyes, exasperated. "All we have to do is perform a truth charm on the room and we'll all be bound to tell the truth, whether we like it or not." she continued. Everyone nodded in agreement, except Harry who had turned quite pale. What's with him? she wondered.
"So what do we have to do?" Kalea asked impatiently, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts.
"Hmm…sit in a circle on the floor, I'll be right back." She replied. Her friends complied, and she ran upstairs and grabbed her wand. Standing directly outside of the living room, she pointed it at the door and muttered, "Veridias Verdad".
*****
"Alright, I'll go first then. Ginny, truth or dare?" Kalea asked after Hermione returned and sat down.
"Truth," she replied, hoping Kalea wouldn't be too mean.
"You got it…What did you dream about last night?" she asked, an evil glint in her eye. Ginny froze—she couldn't lie, but talk about a dream like that in front of her brothers?
"I…"she swallowed. "I dreamed that I was up at the astronomy tower, looking out at the stars—there was a meteor shower, or something, so our class was watching it. I was looking through the telescope and when I turned around, everyone had left, locking the door behind them. None of us had taken our wands, so I couldn't unlock it. I was starting to get nervous when all the sudden Harry—" she blushed scarlet at this, "appeared on his broomstick and got me down. We went riding around the school, then to the Forbidden Forest. We landed at this small clearing in which a candlelight picnic dinner had been set up. We sat down and…"
"Right, right, that's all we need to hear about that one, now, Ginny." Fred interrupted, clearing his throat. Ron shuddered…it just wasn't right for his baby sister and his best mate to be getting it on out under the stars somewhere, and he didn't particularly want to think about it.
"I'll ask then." Ginny replied, relieved. "George, truth or dare?"
"Dare." He smiled, triumphantly. They weren't going to get into his head that easily.
"I dare you to take a picture of yourself wearing only a pair of Kalea's knickers and owl it to the person you were most in love with when you were at Hogwarts." She grinned triumphantly. Kalea laughed and ran upstairs to pick the wildest pair of panties out of her trunk. Ten minutes later, they were taking a picture of a fiercely blushing George wearing naught but a bright pink tiger-striped thong with a lacy finish. Pigwidgeon appeared and, excited by all the hysterical laughter, flew frantically around the room, making it nearly impossible for Ron to catch him. Finally, after much laughing, cursing and a few bruises, they succeeded in sending the picture and a short explanation to his old flame, Angelina Johnson.
"Now that that's over with, it's my turn to ask. Hermione," he began, turning towards her, "if you had the chance to hex any celebrity, who would it be? And you can't say he-who-must-not-be-named or any of his death eaters…it has to be a film or music celebrity. Oh, and why?" Hermione sat quietly for a moment, then brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, fire flashing from her eyes as she thought of the answer to the question.
"I would hex Brittany Spears, because she's teaching 13 and 14 year old girls that they have to be anorexic and fake to be considered of any worth. She's instilling immoral values into the minds of people, making them believe that if you get enough plastic surgery and poke enough pieces of metal through your skin, you will succeed. She and people like her are taking all the value out of education and learning, taking all the value out of women's minds—but after all, we're just pieces of meat, right?" She took a deep breath and before she could continue, Ron, thoroughly confused, asked,
"Who IS Brittany Spears?"
Seeing the look on her face, Kalea jumped in. "A muggle music celebrity—go on Hermione, ask the next person."
"Fine," she stated forcefully. She turned to Harry, "Truth or dare?"
Harry's mind began to frantically go over his options…have to tell the truth and admit his love for Ginny in front of three of her brothers, or humiliate himself in front of everyone? Finally, he drew a breath and stated simply, "Dare."
"I dare you to…" Hermione's voice trailed off as she thought of a dare. It couldn't be something involving a camera because there wasn't any film left… and she had no desire to see him do a lap dance on anyone. Her eyes wandered, searching for something, anything, that could lead to a dare. Finally, they rested on the refrigerator. Well, she thought, lame is better than nothing. "I dare you to eat what Fred, George and I make for you."
"Alright," Fred nodded appreciatively, elbowing his brother. The three stood, leaving Harry to himself for a few minutes. Finally they returned with a glass full of a steaming bluish-green liquid. He closed his emerald eyes and put the glass to his lips. The putrid smell rose to his face, almost causing him to drop the glass in disgust. Regaining his composure, he screwed up his face and threw the contents down his throat. It burned and tingled like a mild acid, and he was quite disturbed to feel something jelly-like rolling down his tongue. "AUGH," he sputtered. Finally, after a few minutes of reckoning with his stomach and the burning in his throat, he opened his eyes and turned to the group. "Fred—truth," he coughed, "or dare?"
Without hesitation, Fred replied, "Truth."
"Truth? What's with you, twin, are you feeling ok?" George turned to his brother in surprise.
"Ok—if you could only shag one person the rest of your life, who would it be?" Harry questioned pointedly, overcoming his nausea from the pungent mystery drink.
Fred turned a shade pinker than usual, his face clashing with his fiery orange hair. Finally, taking a breath and casting a sidelong glance at his American friend, he muttered an indistinct reply.
"Sorry, didn't understand you, ol' chap… WHO would you want to shag forever?" George grinned, not noticing Kalea's sudden silence.
Fred turned towards her, color fading, confidence returning. "Kalea," he whispered. With that, he gently caressed her face and pulled her towards him, secretly thanking God he'd showered and shaved before dinner. To the shock of all, they kissed—slowly at first, but quickly progressed into an all-out snog.
"Well there goes that game, then…" George snorted, his eyes lit up with amusement. Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up, motioning for the others to do the same. Ginny's mouth hung open in surprise and Ron seemed to be unable to move. His hands were fisted so tightly, his knuckles were white and his face had turned a livid scarlet almost comparable to his worst blush. Hermione was shocked to notice that even his freckles seemed to glow. Well, she thought, I guess we know how he feels now… she sighed, resigned to loneliness—er, to a difficult, long distance relationship.
On their way upstairs, the group stopped in kitchen for a quick snack. Harry's stomach gave a jolt as he saw several onion peels, garlic heads and dirt from a potted plant littering Mrs. Weasley's counter. As he looked closer at the plant, he realized it was crawling with Jelly Slugs—genetically enhanced garden slugs which serve as excellent soil aerators packed full of nutrients and two different types of fertilizer.
Hermione laughed to herself as she watched Harry discover the Jelly slugs. His eyes widened and he tore upstairs—probably to the loo, she thought. As if I would have really let the guys put Jelly Slugs into that drink—does no one around here read enough to know that the chemicals in those are poisonous to people? It was a brilliant idea to sprinkle the dirt around though—and the look on his face when he drank that clump of expired raspberry jam…she cracked up. Suddenly she heard a quiet Tap, Tap, Tap coming from the window. She turned and saw Athena hovering outside, a letter in her claws. Seeing the owl, Ginny quickly ran to the door and let her in. She removed the letter and, handing it to Hermione, gave the tired messenger a treat before letting her fly upstairs to her cage.
A reply from Viktor, a reply from Viktor! Hermione danced with joy as she tore open the parchment. She scanned the contents of the paper and gasped, the letter fluttering to the floor.
*****
A/N: OH MY LORD!!!!! I'm finally done with that chapter!!! I'm sorry it took so long to get out to you guys—it was the hardest chapter for me to write so far. But can you believe how long it is? I hope that makes up for the delay, to some extent. What with school starting and all, it's a little hard to stay as on top of this as I'd like…especially since I started failing math because of it! But I don't think you guys minded too much, since only a couple of you reviewed…(*hint, hint—the more reviews, the faster the updates…)
New Rule: Ok, so about Hermione charming the room… there are some charms and spells that the Ministry of Magic considers obsolete or completely harmless, and so does not track them. This particular truth charm, as well as many of the pranks, falls under that category. That's why none of them are getting in trouble for using magic outside of Hogwarts… =)
Virtual chocolate chip cookies to everyone! Double portions to Muddles who made me laugh—haha, thanks! =)