AN

Chapter 12 has arrived! Here we see Harry and Ginny spend a little time together. This chapter is dedicated to RealityIntrovert, who's feedback in the matter of them getting to know each other has been invaluable regarding my decision on how much of that to write into the story. You'll notice I made Ginny a human being in this chapter (jealousy). Hope you like it!

Many thanks go to my (almost official) co-writer, JC-S, and my new beta, Yavinbase. They spotted multitudes of mistakes in this chapter that I would've missed.

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Chapter 12

Fight Like a Muggle

When Ginny awoke early the next morning, she found she couldn't see anything, for her face was pressed into Harry's chest. Fortunately for her composure, he was wearing a shirt, but it was still slightly embarrassing.

The events of the previous night returned to her, and she nearly moaned aloud in despair. Just when Harry had finally begun to see her as more than just the little sister of his best friend, she had to go and act like a little girl that ran into her parents' room when she heard thunder.

She lifted her face from his chest and found, to her surprise, that he was already awake, watching her.

"Well good morning, sleeping beauty," he said amusedly.

Ginny stared at him. Had he just.....

Harry blushed as he saw her confusion, and realized what he had said. "Sorry," he muttered, "Muggle thing."

Ginny's heart sank. She silently berated herself for thinking anything else of what he said.

An awkward silence fell for a few minutes, until Ginny finally asked what time it was. Harry glanced at his clock. "Half past nine," he said.

Ginny's eyes widened. "Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. "I thought you could use the rest. Besides, you're really peaceful when you're asleep. I didn't have the heart to wake you."

Typical Harry. Too bloody noble to even wake someone up when they're on his chest. He probably would've lain there all day if she hadn't woken up. Suddenly, she realized that she was still lying practically on top of him, with her arms pressed against his side. Blushing furiously, she scrambled out of the bed and grabbed a pair of jean shorts and a t-shirt out of her suitcase.

"I-I'll just go get changed then," she stammered.

"Alright," he said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. "If anyone bothers you, just yell."

She disappeared down the hall towards the bathroom, and Harry set about getting changed for the day himself.

When Ginny returned, she stood in the doorway for a moment. Harry was moving about the room, trying to put a few things away. She took the opportunity to just study him candidly.

Merlin, why did he have to look so good? It just made it that much harder loving him so much. His shirt (one he'd bought himself most likely, since it actually fit him) showed off his well-defined chest and stomach muscles, and his skin appeared to be tanned from hours spent in the sun, probably in that park he told her about. Then there was his hair. Finally, he had found the answer to it being stuck up in all directions. Make it look like he wanted it to look that way. It was cut very short and spiked straight up, rather like Tonks actually.

Of course, it was a lot more attractive on Harry.

Then there was his earring. The small, gold circlet reminded her strongly of a high-seas pirate from a muggle picture book her father had brought home when she was small. Overall, his new look gave him a rather roguish and perhaps rebellious air. All he needed now was a tattoo.

He turned around and spotted her, and his eyes lit up as he grinned at her. More than all the rest, that was what she loved most about his appearance. His eyes. She felt as if she could get lost in those brilliant, emerald green orbs. It was there, in his eyes, that Harry's guard was let down. He kept the rest of himself carefully distant and emotionless, but in his eyes, you could see the truth.

And now, without his glasses for them to hide behind, she loved those eyes even more. She held back a sob, and her eyes grew bright. It was so hard.

"What's wrong?"

She looked up at the sound of Harry's voice. He was standing in front of her, a concerned expression on his face. Damn him, why did he have to be so wonderful and caring? Why couldn't he be an evil git like Malfoy so that she could just hate him? She shook that thought away. She didn't really want to hate Harry.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she said, not really wanting to talk about what was bothering her with anyone, least of all Harry.

He seemed to sense this, most likely because he often felt the same way, and said nothing more about it.

"Alright, let's go get some breakfast then," he said instead.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Trust a guy to think with his stomach. She followed him down the stairs cautiously, still rather wary of the Dursleys. Her first meeting with them the day before had not been very pleasant. Petunia had looked like she was scared of her, but Vernon seemed to be resisting the urge to murder her and throw her body in the river. The worst, though, was Dudley. The look he gave her made her think she was some sort of piece of meat. It sent a shiver down her spine and had her involuntarily moving so that Harry was between her and the whale of a boy.

They entered the empty kitchen, and Harry set about making breakfast for the both of them. Ginny watched in amazement as he expertly toasted the bread, scrambled the eggs, and fried the bacon all at once.

"I didn't know you could cook," she said.

Harry shrugged. "I've had to cook for that lot," he jerked his head towards the living room, where the Dursleys were watching television, "ever since I was five. Breakfast is my specialty, but I can make a few other things, too."

A moment later, he set a plate piled high with food in front of where she was sitting, then set an identical plate in front of the chair next to her. "Tea? Orange Juice? Milk?" he asked.

Ginny grinned. "I guess they wouldn't have Pumpkin Juice in this house would they?" Harry shook his head amusedly. "Then tea, please," she added.

The rest of the meal was filled with lighthearted conversation. Harry asked her dozens of questions about her childhood with her brothers, which she was all too happy to answer. Before long, Harry had loads of blackmailing material on each one except for Bill.

As they cleaned up after themselves, he asked why she didn't tell him anything embarrassing about the eldest Weasley child.

She looked down for a moment before she replied. "Bill and I were always really close, ever since I was four." Her face was hard for a moment, but then it disappeared so quickly Harry wasn't sure he hadn't imagined it. She continued, "I tell him all my secrets, and he's always told me all of his. We never tell on each other. To anyone."

Understanding dawned in his eyes. "That's why you all went to visit him in Egypt after your first year, isn't it?"

Ginny nodded. "Bill was always there for me. I don't know if I would have made it through second year if it hadn't been for the talks I had with him then, and the letters we exchanged for the rest of the year."

Harry decided they'd had enough of that subject, so he said, "C'mon, let's get some shoes on. We've got some work to do in the park."

Ginny looked at him warily. He had a mischievous look in his eyes that reminded her far too much of Fred and George for her liking.

"What kind of work?" she asked.

He winked. "I'm going to teach you how to fight like a muggle."

Harry glanced at Ginny as they walked towards the park a few minutes later. Something was bothering her, he could tell. She kept fidgeting nervously, as though she wanted to say something but couldn't work up the courage to do so.

"What is it?" he finally asked.

Ginny gave a start. She looked at him a little worriedly. "It's just...." she trailed off. "Last night." She finally blurted out. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to stay."

Harry waved his hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I was just happy to help. I suppose I know better than most what it's like to have nightmares."

He looked at the ground as they kept walking. "I've always had nightmares, ever since I can remember. When I was younger, they always seemed to be about a lot of green light. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but it was still very scary for a small child. I remember I had a hard time looking myself in the mirror for a long time, because my eyes always reminded me of my nightmares."

His eyes showed the pain those memories caused him. On impulse, Ginny reached out and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

:Good one, kiddo. Distract her with stories of your own nightmares so she isn't embarrassed:

Harry silently agreed with his godfather. For reasons he couldn't quite explain, he wanted to share everything about himself with Ginny. He didn't feel embarrassed about telling her about his childhood, and it had the excellent bonus of making Ginny forget her embarrassment concerning the previous night.

Ginny relaxed her grip, but Harry did not. They walked the rest of the way to the park silently, hand in hand, causing Ginny to stare at Harry in confusion.

When they got there, they found the same two girls from two days before sitting on the bench. They both giggled when they saw Harry, and their eyes shot daggers at Ginny when they noticed their joined hands. Ginny matched them look for look, and Harry pretended to be oblivious.

He led Ginny to the open spot near his favorite tree, then let go of her hand and turned to face her.

Ginny stared at her hand, feeling an annoying sense of loss that she tried desperately to squash. She looked up when Harry asked, "How much did they tell you about why you're here?"

She frowned. "Not much. Just that T-Tom is after me because he thinks he can get to you."

Harry blinked. He'd never heard her call Voldemort Tom before. It was probably good that she was, though. Maybe it would help her nightmares to work through it. It seemed like she had just buried her feelings for the last three years. Calling the Dark Lord by his real name seemed like a step in the right direction.

Aloud he said, "Yes, that's pretty much true. He managed to break into my mind the other night, and he went searching through a few of my memories. He saw some things that convinced him you'd be the one I was most likely to come after."

Ginny's brow furrowed in confusion. What could possibly convince him of that? Sure Harry would come after her. Hell, he'd probably come to save Snape if the Dark Lord threatened to kill him - that was just the way Harry was. What had convinced the old snake that she was the one Harry would be most likely to come after?

"What memories did he see?" she asked.

Harry blushed. He didn't want to tell her about this, not yet at any rate. He knew he cared for her, but could it be more than that? He didn't know. He hadn't even really had a chance to get to know her that well; he needed to spend some time with her. And he still wasn't sure how she felt about him anyway.

"Um...er...he...er...saw the Chamber incident." he lied.

Ginny nodded, apparently satisfied with that answer. After all, Harry had risked his life to save her back then, even though he hardly knew her.

"Did I ever thank you for that?" she asked.

"You don't have to-" Harry started to say, but Ginny interrupted him.

"I know I don't have to, you bloody idiot," she said. "Is it so bad that I want to thank you for saving my life?"

It was amazing. She could thank him for saving her life and yet make him feel really low at the same time. 'Have to find out how she does that,' he thought. Roaring laughter came from Sirius in the back of his mind.

"And the same goes for yesterday," she continued, though he was still pinned by her fierce glare. "Thank you," she said more quietly, and her gaze softened. Then, surprising both herself and Harry with her daring, she gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.

Sirius cheered.

Both of their faces were burning when she pulled back. Ginny tried desperately to regain her composure and fight down the redness in her face by asking, "So what's this about fighting like a muggle?"

Harry grinned in that way that sent warning bells off in her head again. "Well, Miss Weasley, I mean fighting with your hands and fists. You never know when you may lose your wand."

Ginny almost jumped up and down in excitement. This would be fun; she could even threaten Ron if he started pulling the overprotective act.

Harry watched her growing excited in amusement. She wouldn't be feeling that way once she found out what sort of grueling routine this was going to be.

"Fred and George taught me how to punch already," she said.

"Will you show me?" he asked.

In answer, she pulled back her fist, as though she was going to knock his lights out.

"Whoa, whoa!" he cried, causing her to falter. "You can't punch like that! You might as well say 'Hey, I'm going to punch you. Be sure and move out of the way!' "

She crossed her arms and glared at him for daring to criticize her punch, but he just moved beside her and pretended not to notice.

"If you use your arm to power your punch," he said. "You only use your arms and it's slow. The real power behind punching lies in using your hips to drive it, because your body stores a lot of its energy in your hips."

"My what, exactly?" she asked.

Harry blushed, and concentrated on keeping his eyes aimed at her head and nowhere lower. "Your, um....your hips...." he trailed off. "Oh sod it. Here, like this." He demonstrated by taking a step forward and simultaneously snapping a punch from his side, using his hips to drive it towards the chest of an unseen enemy, then retracting it once it had reached full extension.

Ginny gulped. Harry's speed was incredible, and it certainly looked like that punch would've done a lot more damage than anything Fred and George had taught her.

"Alright then, you've made your point. Hips are the key to power."

Harry gave her a smug look. "That's right, and I'm the teacher; so don't forget it or else."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, oh great and powerful teacher. Please, impart to me your wisdom."

"Patience, grasshopper," he said sagely. Upon seeing her blank look, he added, "Uh, sorry. Another muggle thing."

Ginny just shook her head. Muggles, and consequently sometimes Harry, were an odd bunch.

"Well," said Harry brightly. "Let's get back to it shall we?"

They took a break for lunch in mid-afternoon. Ginny sank gratefully into the seat across from Harry in the small diner they'd walked to.

Harry laughed. "Tired?" he asked cheekily.

Ginny did not answer, but if looks could kill, Voldemort would never have had to worry about Harry Potter again.

Harry, apparently sensing that it was in his best interest to shut up, ceased teasing her and buried his head in the menu. "Order whatever you like," he said from behind it.

"Harry!" sounded a feminine voice nearby.

Harry's head came up from the menu and he smiled at the teenage girl in the waitress uniform standing next to their booth. She looked to be a couple of years older than Ginny, and had long brown hair and hazel eyes.

"Marie!" he cried happily. "In on a Saturday?"

"Yep, trying to make a little extra before term starts, you know," she replied. She shook her finger at him. "You never came in yesterday; I wondered where you'd got off to."

"Ah yes, sorry about that. I had business to attend to in London, I'm afraid." He motioned to Ginny with his hand. "This is Ginny Weasley, a friend of mine."

Marie's smile dropped when she turned to Ginny, and she gave a brief, curt nod to her before returning her attention to Harry. "Are you ready to order?" she asked sweetly.

"Um...sure. Fish and chips and a cola for me, and whatever Ginny wants."

Ginny glanced down at her menu, unsure of what she was supposed to do exactly. She decided to take the easy way out. "I'll have the same."

Marie scribbled on a small notepad as they ordered and then with a last smile for Harry and a dark look at Ginny, she disappeared into the kitchen.

Ginny watched her go. "Come here often?" she asked Harry.

Harry started slightly from where he'd been looking intently out the window. "Wha- oh, yeah. Pretty much every day I suppose, why do you ask?"

Ginny jerked her head in the general direction of the kitchen. "She seemed pretty friendly with you."

Harry looked where she'd indicated. "Who? Marie? Yeah, I suppose so. She's in here on Fridays and. . ." his eyes screwed up in thought. ". . .Mondays I think. Saturdays must be a new thing. Tuesdays through Thursdays I get Mrs. Mackenzie. Saturdays and Sundays were always Jose." He squinted around the restaurant for a moment. "There," he said, pointing to the back.

Ginny twisted around in her seat to see another teenage waiter, this one a guy, taking an elderly couple's order. He appeared to have black hair and rather bronzed skin - Spanish ancestry of some sort most likely, if the name was any indication. As she watched, he turned around and spotted them. He grinned and headed straight for their table.

"Hey there, Harry!" he said when he'd reached their table. "Hope you don't mind, Marie specifically asked to serve your table." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Harry rolled his eyes. Jose then turned to Ginny. "Well, what have we here? Who might this be, Harry? You've never brought a girl in with you before, let alone one as pretty as this."

Ginny blushed, and Harry roared with laughter. "Always the charmer, aren't you Jose? This is Ginny Weasley. You might want to watch it though; she's got six older brothers, all bigger than you."

Jose blanched, but he shook Ginny's hand anyway. "Pleased to meet you, Ginny. I am Jose Gonzales."

Ginny, still embarrassed (and more than a little angry at the mere thought of her brothers' overprotectiveness) just smiled.

"Well, I have to put a few orders in. I'll see you around." With that, he headed for the kitchen.

Harry shook his head at the young man's retreating back. "He's a bit of a ladies' man, that Jose," he said. "He flirts with all the girls that come in here. He never does more than get their phone numbers though. He's got his sights set on Marie, but she won't give him the time of day." He shook his head again. "I think he thinks he can make her jealous."

Ginny chuckled with him, before she spotted something peeking out from under the sleeve of Harry's shirt. She pointed to it. "What's that?"

Harry looked at his own arm. "Oh, that's Sirius' fault. He made me get a tattoo." He pulled up his sleeve to reveal a crimson dragon with its claws extended and it's mouth spouting, oddly enough, emerald green flames.

"I wanted to get a black one, like my animagus form, but he said this one looked better."

"I like it," Ginny said. "I think Sirius is right, this one looks great."

"Well that makes one of us," Harry muttered, though his blush showed how pleased he really was.

Ginny watched for the rest of the meal as Marie made periodic visits to their table, often openly flirting with Harry. Harry, for his part, did not flirt back, but that didn't stop Marie from trying. By the time they were ready to leave, Ginny was feeling both annoyed and depressed.

After a brief argument over paying for the meal, which Harry won, they started on their way back to Privet Drive to meet Remus.

Ginny hung her head as they walked, thinking back to Marie. The entire incident had done murder on her self-esteem. She had never seen herself as a very pretty girl. Her freckles and red hair seemed to be a permanent curse, and even though she was nearly fifteen, she seemed destined to retain the figure of a 10-year-old boy. Sure, Jose had called her pretty, but he was just trying to make the pretty waitress jealous. He didn't really mean it.

Now, though, after seeing perfect, curvy Marie, she felt more horribly plain than ever before. No wonder Harry had never seen her that way, when he had girls like Marie throwing themselves at his feet all the time.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Nothing!" she snapped, before she could stop herself. She immediately regretted it when Harry shrunk back slightly, hurt. "I'm sorry, Harry. I'm just a little frustrated right now."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked warily.

She sighed. "No, not really."

He nodded. "Alright. I'm here if you ever need to talk about anything, though."

Ginny, used to her mother insisting that she tell her what was bothering her immediately, was pleasantly surprised by his quick acceptance of her unwillingness to talk.

She really needed to control her temper. He had only been trying to help, after all. And now he was watching her warily as they walked, as though he expected her to blow up at him again.

She wished he'd hold her hand again, like he had that morning. He didn't though, and a few minutes later, they reached Privet Drive.

AN

Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please Review!

Just a let-know, when I'm feeling blocked up with this story, I write another fic that I haven't named. It helps me work of some steam with this one. I'm going to release the first chapter of that one sometime in the next week, I think, but don't worry, this one is still my main priority. Those of you who are looking for originality may like that other one better.

Thanks once more to all my reviewers! I'd thank you individually, but then when would I write the next chapter? If you're not mentioned in the following review responses, it's because I have nothing specific to say to you. I want you to know that you have my deepest, heartfelt gratitude for reviewing my story though.

CRose: Less italics huh? I'll keep that in mind, though I don't think it'll present much of a problem since I only use it in dreams and letters, and there isn't much more of that coming up.

john: thanks! I didn't want to put any more arguments into the chapter than were already there, so that's why I skipped over the Dursley part. But I'm certain there will be more arguments with Vernon in the future to make up for it!

JLHERC: Put it in this chapter, just for you. Hope you like it! More later perhaps from others.....with a little more shock perhaps.

George: While I did ask for opinions, I had hoped they would be phrased politely. Calling mystory crap is not good feedback. It's just rude.

B-A-HPlova22: Believe it or not, I actually checked out your story back when it first came out. I remember because it was published only one day after mine. I can't remember much about it though, I'll have to check it out again. I'm going to have a more original story out soon! Can't wait.

athenakitty: Dursleys? Behave? That'll be the day. I don't think even the Weasley twins pull pranks in Order meetings, though Snape might've ended up with pink hair or something at one point...

Nutty Al: I don't plan on writing any "shagging" into this fic, I'm afraid. Perhaps if it continues long enough that they get married I may allude to it casually, but nothing more.

everpresent: When I drafted my original outline for this fic, it was more than a one-time thing. However, I then found a fantastic fic (The Power of Emotion, by Melindaleo) of which this was a big part (and quite brilliantly so I might add). I decided to only include it once, in rememberence of my original idea, and no more. I hope that satisfies all you who didn't like the idea (no sarcasm intended). Good guess about the stone. You're right, but not in the way you might think. More about that in chapter 13.

RealityIntrovert: Indeed. Most of what I write about their little romance will come from what I have read (myself being an extremely avid reader). While this isn't the greatest source for this sort of thing, it can be somewhat helpful. Look for a more original fic from me soon. I'm thinking of calling it "Stockholm Syndrome"

bree: I can't promise they won't get married and have kids, but I will promise that it won't be because they had sex and Ginny got pregnant while they were still in school. Remember, I said this story will cover many years instead of just one, so they'll be adults by the time I am finished.

Treck: I felt that another argument (this time with Snape) was out of place in the last chapter, so I just decided to save it for a later chapter. Snape only didn't say anything because he was rather shocked. Don't worry though, that little confrontation is on the way, probably in the next few chapters.

HermioneGreen: They won't be going to Hogwarts. Most likely they'll stay at Privet Drive.