Chapter 5: When You're In Love

The clock struck nine downstairs. The boys were sitting in silence drinking, smoking, cleaning their guns, witling and stringing musical instruments.

"Shouldn't you boys be turning in?" Harry asks softly. "Big day of ploughing tomorrow." The boys don't move, they carry on with their tasks instead.

Draco says, "Shouldn't you be too?" Harry sits up, "I'm getting a mite sleepily at that." He stands up and heads up stairs. The boys make no noise and stay rooted on the spot, waiting to know what happens.

Harry knocks on the door. "Who is it?" A voice from inside asks softly. "It's Harry, your husband," He says confidently. "Come in, Harry."

Harry smiles over the railings, "Goodnight guys."

Upon entering the room his smile falters. Ginny is sitting in the old rocking chair, rocking backwards and forwards slowly. Harry closes the door. He stands by the side of the chair, "I though you'd be in bed."

She doesn't look at him but answer's "Did you?"

"It's been a busy day," Harry comments, "You must be tired."

"That's right."

Harry asks hesitantly, "Shall I turn down the covers?"

"You can if you like," Ginny said. "But I'm not going to bed." She lets that comment hang in the sir before continuing. "You don't want a wife, Harry. You want a cook, a washerwoman. A hired girl. Well, a hired girl's got a right to a sleeping place of her own."

"I reckon that's so, Ginn…"

"All the way up here in the wagon, you let me talk, make a fool of myself, talking about you and me. You should have stopped me." Ginny stands up and leans against the dresser.

Harry nods, "Maybe I should have but it sounded really pretty. Besides if I'd told you before hand you might not have married me. And I wanted to marry you, Ginny. I wanted real bad."

"Sure, you did," Ginny said angrily, "Because you knew I was young and strong, and there was lots of work in me."

"That's partly true," admits Harry. "It's a hard life here in the forest and wilderness. There's trees waiting to be felled, land waiting to be ploughed and fenced, stock to be fed. A man wants a wife who can work alongside him." He moves so he's standing behind her. "Of course, if she's got eyes that are bluer than forget-me-nots and hair the colour of sunset he counts himself real fortunate."

Ginny softens slightly. "I'll work alongside you, Harry…" He starts to undo his shirt buttons. "…But I won't sleep alongside you."

Harry leaves the room and comes face to face with the guys. Blaise raises any eyebrow. "She wants a drink of water," Harry states. He hurries down stairs and fills a cup with water. When he gets back to his room the boys are still outside.

Harry pushes past them and barges into the room. Ginny gasps and attempts to cover herself with her shawl. Inside she was seething, how dare he walk in on her while she was in her petticoats. He places the cup on the dresser and climbs out the window.

Ginny moves to follow him. She throws her shawl across her shoulders. "What are you doing?" She leans on the window ledge and looks out as he settles down.

"Bedding down for the night," He looks around, "I know what the birds see in it."

"Somehow it just don't seem fitting for a bridegroom to spend his wedding night in a tree," Ginny says gently.

Harry stares out at the stars, "Your idea, not mine." Ginny looks down at her hands, guiltily. "I guess I was pretty mad, Harry. I built up such dreams. Dreams about love and marriage and such."

Harry turns to face her. She begins singing:

"When you're in love, when you're in love
There is no way on earth to hide it
When you're in love, really in love
You simply let your heart decide it

With every sigh, with every glance
With every heartbeat you confide it
You'll want the world to know it too
When you're in love as I'm in love with you."

They look at each for a moment, before Ginny breaks away. "I know how it is with your friends," She says, "You being head of the house and all. I wouldn't want you to lose face. All things considered maybe you'd better come back in."

Harry smiled and moved towards the window as Ginny backed away. As he climbed back in he lost his footing and went crashing onto the bed, breaking it.

The boys heard the crash and looked at each other. They mistook the bed breaking for something else. As they looked at each other they were all wearing identical grins.

Thanks to all my reviewers! Sorry this update is a little late but I've been enjoying my week by catching up with my reading. I had no time to read books I liked during my exams (I had to re-read 'Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry' and 'An Inspector Calls' over and over), so I've read 'The Da Vinci Code', 'Checkmate', and re-read an old favourite 'The Hobbit'.

I'll probably update again on the weekend as it is my birthday tomorrow and I'm going out with my friends on Friday to see 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'! Well actually Johnny Depp!