AN

This took way longer than I thought, and I apologize for that. Two reasons for that really: 1. The chapters are averaging about 5k words now, and that's just LONG to write and edit. 2. I had to re-write a large portion of this because I didn't like the way it turned out.

I know I promised we'd get to see the reason for the title of this fic in this chapter, but it didn't turn out that way. I tried, I really did, but it just got to be too long and I've split this chapter into two different ones. NEXT chapter will be where we get to see it. Coincidentally, those of you starving for action in this fic will get to see a battle of sorts in the next chapter as well.

Now, we get Harry and Ginny's first little spat in this chapter, nothing major I promise. I hate it when they split up for days, weeks, or months because of a fight in other fics.

Thanks once more to my beta/idea man/brother, JC-S, and to my beta Yavinbase, without whom this story would be a wreck.

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Chapter 17

A Kiss, a Fight, and a Date

It was not a passionate kiss. Rather it was slow, and soft. Afterwards, neither one of them could recall much of anything about it other than how wonderful it was. It seemed to last an eternity and a nanosecond all at once.

The world, for them, seemed to be ending and beginning at the same time. Time? Time did not exist. Nothing existed but them.

Without even realizing it, both of them closed their eyes. Ginny's arms slid up around Harry's neck, and his went around her waist, and he drew her almost into his lap.

Harry felt a rush of something throughout his entire body as he pulled back just slightly from her. He paid it no mind, however, too wrapped up in the redhead in his arms. Reluctant to end the moment, he kept his eyes closed and leaned his forehead against hers.

He did not know it, but the strange rushing sensation was caused by his magic. One of the two most powerful emotions had just permeated his entire being, and caused a power surge in his magical signature. The resulting power spike knocked out electricity in every house for fully 100 miles in every direction. Muggle technicians were never able to determine the cause of this phenomenon.

"Harry?" Ginny asked. He opened his eyes to find hers staring at him. She started to say more, but he shushed her. This was no time for words.

He looked around and found it completely dark outside. The stars were out, and there was not a single cloud in the entire sky. He shifted so that she was sitting next to him on the ground, and he had his arm around her. She hesitated for only a moment, then snuggled contentedly into his chest and laid her head on his shoulder.

He rested his own head on top of hers, and they lay that way for quite some time, watching the stars.

After a while, Harry asked, "Gin?"

"Hmm?" she murmured sleepily.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

Her eyes opened wide, but she didn't move. "Yes. Yes, Harry, I will," She whispered.

He grinned, and kissed her once more. Eventually, he separated his lips from hers and lay back contentedly. They fell asleep that way; in each other's arms, out under the summer night sky.

When Ginny awoke the next morning, she was reluctant to get out of bed, thinking the whole thing had just been a dream. The gentle press of a pair of lips on her forehead brought her back to reality, and her eyes snapped open in surprise.

A pair of bright, emerald green eyes greeted her. It wasn't a dream then, and she wasn't in her bed. She had fallen asleep outside with her new boyfriend. Not just any boyfriend either, but the boy she'd had a crush on since she was a little girl; the young man she had fallen in love with. His face was just above her, a sappy smile lighting it up. "Good morning, beautiful," he said.

Though her face flushed at his words, he could tell she didn't think he really meant them. He started to say something more, but stopped himself. He had already told her he thought she was beautiful; the best thing he could do now was just keep on telling her so. Perhaps one day she would finally believe it.

This low self-esteem thing was something he would have to help her with. Being the only girl in a large family that didn't live very near anyone else, Ginny had never been outgoing nor had very many friends. Her best friend for years had been Ron, and he hadn't had any time for her after he came home from his first year at Hogwarts.

After everything that occurred in her own first year, she hadn't had many friends at Hogwarts, either. Luna and Colin were the only people she really hung out with.

Harry knew all of this was true from the many conversations the two had had over the last couple of weeks, and he knew it had made Ginny very shy around other people, and also very insecure about herself. It was true; she wasn't the curviest girl in school, but that mattered very little to Harry.

Ginny started to move, but Harry held her tighter and said, "It's early yet, let's stay out here a while."

She had no problem with that, so she lay back down beside him and snuggled into his chest. She still half-expected to wake up at any moment, and was therefore determined to enjoy this as long as possible.

That afternoon, the two of them went for a walk. They spotted an older woman that was one of Tonks' favorite disguises. She gave them a cheeky wink and a thumbs up, which they took to mean she somehow knew they had gotten together.

They walked over to her, and she stared pointedly at their joined hands the whole way. Before she could say anything, Harry asked, "How are things with Remus?"

That was enough to distract her, and she blushed furiously, muttering that it was none of his business.

"That well?" Harry continued cheekily. "I didn't expect him to come around so soon. You must have done an excellent job on him."

She blushed even harder, so Harry relented and instead asked her about the Order. Remus had filled him in the day before, so she knew nothing that he didn't, and the young couple bid Tonks good-bye and continued on their way.

Tonks watched them go with a little bit of envy. She had been watching the two of them for the last few weeks, and she had seen them sleeping outdoors that morning. The closeness they had come to in such a short time simply astonished her. She wished it could be that way for herself and Remus.

She knew without a doubt that Harry and Ginny had found their soul mates in each other. Finding your soul mate was rare. Most people went through their entire lives without ever meeting their exact match, and even those that did didn't always know it or act on it. It was slightly more common in the magical world than the muggle one, for the magic within wizards seemed somehow to make them more attuned to such things (particularly among the women), but it was still quite rare.

She didn't delude herself into thinking Remus was her soul mate. They were compatible, but they didn't fit together like two pieces of one whole. They were quite happy, however, and she shook the brief feeling of envy away forcefully, just glad that both Harry and Ginny had finally found a little happiness together in this dark time.

"Harry?" Ginny asked. He looked at her expectantly, so she continued, "Aren't you afraid of what Ron might say? About, you know, us?" She started her use of the word. Were they an 'us' now? He had only asked her to be his girlfriend the night before, yet it seemed as if they had been together far longer. The more she thought about it, the more she realized they had practically acted like a couple for weeks before they got officially together. The only difference now was that they were 'official' and they had kissed.

Looking back now with a clear head, she realized she should have seen that Harry liked her. It was as plain as day, practically written all over his actions in bright red letters. She had just refused to see it, refused to hope; so convinced was she that he would never like her like that.

Harry had been thinking along much the same line as her when her voice interrupted him. He gave a start, and thought about what she said for a moment. Finally he said, "Nah, of course not. Actually, I think he wants us to get together. He gave me a funny look on the train when he said next time you should choose someone 'better.' I didn't realize at the time, but I'm pretty sure he meant me. Even if he didn't, though, I wouldn't care. He's too protective of you anyway."

"No argument there," she said angrily. "You'd think I was still eleven or something. He hasn't left me alone since the Chamber."

Harry snorted in agreement and they walked in silence for some time. Eventually, Ginny said, "Harry, there's something I don't understand. What about Tom? Don't take this the wrong way, but you do have this thing about protecting people. I would've thought you'd try to stay away from me because of some crazy idea that it would keep me safe."

"Do you want me to?" he asked.

"NO!" she almost shouted; then went on more quietly, "I don't think I could stand it if you did that, I'm just curious."

He blushed a little and muttered something she couldn't hear. When she asked him to repeat himself, he said again more loudly, "I haven't been completely honest with you." Her eyes narrowed, so he went on as fast as he could, thinking it was best to get it over with. "He didn't see the memory of the Chamber that night, he saw the memory of me going to see you at the Burrow a few weeks ago. He knew how I really felt about you before even I did." He paused and shivered in the bright sunlight. "That's actually pretty creepy. Anyway, I guess you could say it's too late. He already knows that it would take an army to keep me from you; you not being my girlfriend won't change that. At least this way I can protect you."

She dropped his hand and stopped short, causing him to walk a pace ahead and turn back to her in surprise. "What is it?" he asked.

She was glaring at him. "Protect me? Protect me? That's what this is? I don't need you to be my boyfriend so you can protect me, Harry Potter. I can take care of myself."

She stalked off, and he ran after her calling for her to wait. "Stay away from me!" she cried.

He stopped and forlornly watched her head back to the house. Dear Merlin he was an idiot. They hadn't even been together 24 hours and he'd already made a mess of things. What was he going to do now?

After wandering aimlessly around for a while, Harry decided to head back and talk things over with Ginny. Sirius' advice on the subject was to not let an argument stand between them for too long. It was best to work through it as soon as possible, or they would regret it later.

Slightly reassured by the knowledge that his parents had had little arguments like this all the time, Harry peeked cautiously into his room. She was nowhere in sight, but the curtains around her bed were drawn.

He walked slowly over to it and paused, unsure of just what to say.

"Ginny?" he finally managed to ask.

There came no answer, and he deflated rapidly. But, after a moment, he gathered his courage and went on, "I'm sorry. That was a really stupid thing to say. I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

Still, she said nothing, so he said, "I only want to protect you because I care about you; not because I don't think you can't take care of yourself."

The hangings finally parted, and her head poked out. She stood up and came over to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Do you really mean that?" she asked.

"Of course I do," he said, taking her into his arms for a long kiss. When they came up for air, he added, "Don't ever doubt that."

"I'm so sorry, Harry," she said, "I don't like fighting with you, but I just had this stupid idea that you only wanted to be with me to protect me; not because you really fancied me."

It was stupid, she knew. Stupid and irrational; the whole reason he even felt he needed to protect her was because he cared for her. Yet, she just didn't seem to be able to shake the idea that Harry could ever love someone as plain and ordinary as her.

"You're right," Harry said.

"What?"

"I said, 'you're right,' " he repeated. "It was a stupid idea."

She giggled and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him again; wrapping her arms around his neck as his arms went around her waist.

A sudden thought occurred to him as they broke the kiss, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket he'd bought several days earlier. It was in a black velvet box, and he fiddled with it nervously as he said, "Um, this is for you. When I got it I didn't know if you still liked me so . . . er . . . here. Happy Birthday."

He handed it to her, flushing with embarrassment. She giggled at him, also flushing. "Oh, Harry, you didn't have to buy me anything."

"I wanted to!" he protested, as she opened it. She stared at the locket for a long moment, and he asked nervously, "Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful," she pronounced. She read the inscription and put a hand on her chest. "Oh, that's so sweet. Thank you, Harry." She kissed him again, and then whispered in his ear, "You'll always hold a piece of my heart."

The feeling of her hot breath in his ear made him shiver, and he stared at her.

"Hey," he said suddenly, "Let's get out of here. It's your birthday; I'm gonna take you on a real first date. How's that sound?"

"A date with Harry Potter?" she asked. "Sounds like a dream come true."

Within moments, Harry had Flamed them to a side street in Diagon Alley, and they were walking down the magical main street hand in hand. Fortunately, there was not much of a crowd, though Ginny noticed more than one teenage girl shooting her envious or hostile glances.

She groaned aloud and said, "Now I'm going to have to put a block on my mail."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Ginny motioned to a nearby group of girls who would most likely be in fourth or fifth year at Hogwarts. "I'm going to get a load of hate mail now. By tomorrow there'll be newspaper reports on us holding hands in public. Everyone will know we're together."

He shrugged. "So? People thought I was dating Hermione in fourth year, but her hate mail only lasted a week or so before they forgot about the whole thing."

She stared at him openmouthed, and he asked defensively, "What?"

"You really don't know?" He shook his head. "Harry," she said exasperatedly, "Things have changed since the media attention you got last year. You were put in Witch Weekly last month as the most eligible teen bachelor in all of England; after it was found out you inherited the Black fortune. Half the girls in Hogwarts have been watching you grow up for the last two years, and are just waiting to make their move. And that was before your whole new look from this summer. I can't imagine what it will be like this year."

Harry was shocked speechless for a couple minutes, but he finally managed to say, weakly, "Can I take that as a roundabout way of you telling your boyfriend you think he's pretty cute?"

She slapped his arm lightly. "Yes," she whispered in his ear, then more loudly, "I'm just glad you're my boyfriend now. You have no idea what it was like to listen to every girl in my year and above go on and on about how hot you are, when I'm madly in love with you."

Saying that to him felt strange. She'd been hiding it for so long, it was a different experience to admit it; particularly to him.

"Well of course you are," he said arrogantly, "I am completely irresistible after all." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Ginny decided to tease him back just a bit. "You keep right on thinking that, dear," she said, patting him on the arm indulgently, as if he were a small child. "But I know the truth; you're only desirable because you're rich." She winked.

Harry scowled and muttered something under his breath, but Ginny just giggled at him.

After a few minutes, they reached Fred and George's new shop. The outside was covered in horribly bright colors and flashing neon signs they'd gotten from their father that displayed ridiculous slogans and products. Laughing, the young couple decided to stop in and say hello.

The door made a very loud, very rude sound when they entered the empty shop, causing George – who was at the counter – to look up from the newspaper he was reading. His face lit up when he saw who had entered, and he immediately shouted, "FRED! WE HAVE IMPORTANT GUESTS! I'M CLOSING UP!"

He gleefully slammed his hand down on a huge, red button next to the till. Sirens immediately wailed and bright red emergency lights flashed. Bars slammed down behind the windows at the front, and a thin metal wall fell right behind them.

Almost as an afterthought, a small neon sign proclaiming, 'BUGGER OFF! WE'RE CLOSED!' winked on outside.

Startled by all of this, Ginny pressed closer to Harry and gripped his arm, a fact that did not go unnoticed by her elder brother. George was about to comment when his identical twin came rushing into the room.

"Who is it?" Fred demanded excitedly, panting heavily with exertion. He spotted Harry and Ginny standing by the door and clapped his hands together gleefully. "Well if it isn't our illustrious investor. What brings you – and our darling baby sister – here on this fine day?"

Before Harry had time to reply, or Ginny had time to lash out for being called a baby once more, George interrupted. "By the looks of it, I'd say our baby sister is our on a date with her dearest." He came and stood next to his twin, a positively evil smile on his face.

Fred's face soon matched George's smirk for smirk, and he said mock-thoughtfully, "Indeed, I must say I agree, my esteemed colleague. I can see the signs now."

George nodded sagely. "Yes, you can see the way they're pressed closely together,"

"With their hands clasped," added Fred.

"And their cheeks flaming," concluded George. "Yes, the only question is; how long has this been going on?"

Both of the younger teens were indeed blushing furiously, Ginny managing to scowl at her brothers and blush at the same time.

"Since last night," Harry finally managed, then braced himself for a big brother talk from the two of them.

To his surprise, they took aside not him, but Ginny.

"We're very happy for you, Ginny," Fred was saying.

"But, if you hurt him," George added, "We'll never forgive you."

Harry was dumbfounded, and Ginny looked much the same. He said confusedly, "I thought I was the one you would be giving that speech to."

Fred waved a hand dismissively. "Please, Harry. If you really hurt Ginny, we'll be lucky to get to pick up the tiny, charred pieces of you left over after she's finished with you. Threatening you is pointless."

Harry gulped, looking at the beautiful, fiery redhead standing next to her brothers. That may be true, but she was certainly worth it.

"Harry is a strong person, Ginny," Fred whispered in her ear, so Harry couldn't hear. "But I doubt he'll love more than once in his life. If he truly comes to love you, and you do anything to hurt him; it will destroy him more effectively than anything Voldemort could do."

She stared at him in disbelief, and he asked, "What? We're not just a couple of pranksters you know. George and I discussed this recently, and this is the conclusion we came to. We have serious sides, believe it or not. And Harry's inspired us to say the name now, by the way."

The twins showed both of them around the shop, explaining various items. Harry was amazed at the sheer amount of stock they had on hand, and with the brilliance of some of their items. His Galleons certainly hadn't been wasted on Fred and George.

The back room was full of interesting (and perhaps often illegal) items they were using for testing and producing of their products.

The twins started to promise that they would refrain from telling Mrs. Weasley about the little 'outing,' until Ginny pointed out that she and Harry had already been photographed walking together before they reached the shop. If the whole Order didn't already know, they would know the next day when the Prophet was published.

Thought this worried her greatly, Ginny noticed that Harry seemed to show no concern over it whatsoever.

"How can you be so calm about this?" she asked, somewhat irked, as they bid Fred and George good-bye.

He blinked. "About what?"

"Tomorrow my parents are going to know we left your house without permission, and so will Professor Dumbledore."

He shrugged unconcernedly. "I'm not worried about Dumbledore. He's not my teacher – as it's summer, – he's not my parent, and he's not my legal guardian. He has no say in what I do or do not do. Hell, I'm not even really in the Order, so he can't give me orders from that standpoint. As for your parents; well, I asked them if they trusted me to take care of you, and they told me that they do."

He put an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "As long as you're near me, you're safe. Voldemort won't be trying to attack me any time soon, because he's not sure he can kill me. He'll wait until he thinks he's found a way before he gives it another attempt. If your parents don't realize this, then I have only to tell them. I'm sure they'd believe me." He winked. "Besides, they already gave me permission to date you; I hardly think they can find fault with me for actually taking you out!"

She gaped at him. "You asked them for permission to date me? When?"

"After that Order meeting following the attack in Diagon Alley," he said. He laughed at the expression on her face, and said, "I told you, I've liked you for a while now. Longer even then I realized."

They stopped for a sundae (to share) at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Fortescue gave Harry a mischievous wink when they ordered this, and Harry flushed and winked back.

They were only halfway through their cold, sweet dessert when a most unwelcome voice came from behind them.

"Ah, Potter, taken in the Weaslette I see. How much did you have to pay for her? Not much, I imagine, Weasleys have always settled for very little."

Harry nearly groaned aloud in frustration. Did Malfoy ever come up with new material?

Outwardly keeping his cool, he sprang from his seat and whirled to face the blond, teenage Slytherin.

He pasted a fake, pleased expression on his face, and rushed over to take Malfoy's hand firmly into his for a handshake. Flanked as usual by his two cronies, Malfoy blinked in surprise, then winced in pain as Harry flexed his relatively new muscles; crushing the hand in his.

"Draco!" he called out with fake pleasure, "So lovely to see you! How's the family? Mum's well I hope?" He smirked. "How's your father? Oh wait." He pretended to look sorrowful. "I'm sorry. I forgot, he's in Azkaban, isn't he?"

Malfoy wrenched his hand out of Harry's grip, scowling in mingled pain and anger. "Just you wait, Potter," he spat, "soon my father will be freed, and the Dark Lord will have his way. All of you mudbloods and blood traitors will be killed." His eyes wandered over to where Ginny was now standing just behind Harry, and he looked her up and down. "Eventually."

Ginny growled angrily, and would've taken a step forward to do something rash, but Harry put a hand out to stop her. He leaned in close to Malfoy, and whispered so only the boy could hear him, "Be thankful that you haven't taken the Mark yet, Malfoy, or you would regret that statement. I warn you; if you harm my girlfriend in any way, there is no force in existence on earth that can keep me from killing you." He stared straight into those gray eyes with his own emerald green ones, willing Malfoy to know that it was true. "I swear it."

Malfoy turned even paler than normal and took a step back in fright. He looked in vain to his two bodyguards, but he could not risk having them do anything. They were in a public place, and many of the Parlor's patrons were already staring at the scene being made.

He squeaked out a 'let's go,' to Crabbe and Goyle, and the three of them hurried back out to the street.

Harry sighed and turned back to his girlfriend, who was glaring at him. "Why did you stop me?" she demanded. "I can take care of my own problems."

Harry sighed again and plopped back into his seat. "Look, it's not that I don't agree with you, but there are three of them and only one of you. I had to warn him to leave you alone so that when I'm not around, he reconsiders trying something."

She scowled. "I already told you I don't need you to protect me, Harry Potter."

Harry glared right back at her, and hissed, "Dammit, Ginny! This is not a game where you have score more points than your brothers to prove you're as good as them! Your life, or worse considering the way he was looking at you, could be at stake here. I know you can take care of yourself. Can't you let me take care of you too? I-I care about you, Gin."

When he first started speaking, her eyes widened at his tone of voice. Harry had never spoken to her that way before. When he said the last bit, her eyes softened and she almost cried.

She plopped down in the seat beside him. "I'm sorry, you're right. I'm just so tired of being smothered by my mum and my brothers. Even dad's always considered me to be a little girl. They never let me try to just be myself."

He pulled her into his arms for a hug. "I know," he said, "I promise I won't be that way. Your problems are my problems, and vice versa."

"Now that's not entirely true," she accused him, pulling back from his embrace. "You're going to face Tom all by yourself. I know there's no way you're going to allow me to help you with that."

He shook his head. "You just don't understand, do you?" She blinked, not comprehending. He went on, "I'll never be able to face him without you. Knowing you love me is the only way I'll ever be able to stand right in front of him and finish it all. My emotions are my strength, and the ones concerning you are the strongest of all. You do help, even if you don't know it."

He lowered his head to hers for a gentle kiss, and the world around them fell away. They no longer knew the other patrons around them pretending not to watch. They no longer knew the sunlight streaming through the windows of the shop. All they knew was each other.

Two blissful weeks passed, and before they knew it, it was the day before their trip to Hogwarts. Looking back, Ginny knew it had been the most wonderful two weeks of her life, and she didn't want it to be over. All good things come to an end, however, and soon she and Harry were heading over to the Stevenson's for a last visit with Emily.

The little girl was absolutely ecstatic to see them, and she took special delight in giving them her own tour of her house. Her favorite part was her room, and she seemed to be determined to show them every detail of it.

After that, the three of them sat down for tea with Emily's parents.

"So where do the two of you go to school?" Mrs. Stevenson asked.

Ginny and Harry gave each other panicked glances, before Harry said quickly, "We go to a private boarding school in Scotland."

Inwardly wondering what a 'boarding school' was supposed to be, Ginny nodded emphatically in agreement.

"Oh really?" Mr. Stevenson put in interestedly. "I have a co-worker that sends his kids to a school up that way. What's your school called?"

"Er," Harry said, "I don't think it'll be the same one. Ours is kind of . . . reclusive. Not a lot of people have heard of it."

Mr. Stevenson started to reply, but a loud crash interrupted whatever he was going to say.

Emily had been attempting to get a hold of the plate of candy on the table for the last couple minutes, but her mother kept pushing it away and telling her 'no,' under her breath.

Growing redder and redder in the face by the second, little Emily was on the edge if throwing a temper tantrum when the plate in her mother's hand suddenly shattered into several pieces, startling all those present, and cutting off her father in mid-conversation.

Embarrassed, Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson tried to apologize and explain what had happened.

"It's quite alright," Harry said immediately. "Does that sort of thing happen often?"

Their panicked looks told him all he needed to know, and Harry said, "Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson, one day about six years from now, a very strange man or woman will show up at your door and tell you some even more strange things that you won't want to believe. When that happens, remember us."

They bid the family good-bye a short time later, and Emily gave hugs to both Harry and Ginny. "Will I ever get to see you again?" she wanted to know.

Harry winked at her. "Stranger things have happened to me. We'll see." And with that, they waved a final farewell and left.

AN

TA-DA!

Well waddya think? Please let me know, I LOVE reviews, particularly long ones. Now, don't get me wrong, I love reviews that say 'great chapter, loved it,' or something like that, but reviews where there's some even more extensive feedback/constructive criticism are even better, because I get a better idea of what you like and don't like. it helps me write the next chapters.

ok, this chapter was still pretty light and fluffy, but next chapter we get into the controversial stuff where I may just lose some readers. I hope not, but you never know. I can't please everyone all the time after all.

review responses:

firebirdgs: thanks! 1). I shall certainly try, though I can't guarantee I will. If I can't make him believable, I'll omit him rather than him be stupid. 2) Maybe a little in later chapters, I think she got a pretty good comeuppance in book 5, but the fact that she's not in prison irks me. 3) His mind will wander in classes since he knows most everything, but he has to attend so that no one knows he's going to America to train in secret. 4) Can't tell ya that ;) 5) hmmm, maybe I will, I don't know. My dad does some work in Mexico, but I've never been. I haven't decided where in the US Harry will go yet, so I guess we'll see. Maybe he'll end up close to the border. 6) I don't know yet. Like I said, the timeline for the fic is long enough that I could, but that doesn't mean I will. If I do, it won't be a huge piece of the plot, just something you would expect from two people who are of age and love each other very much.

Recently, I've come to enjoy a little bit of L/J shipping fics, so I am expanding my horizons just a bit, but I'll keep your suggestion in mind. thank you. I have read Maxfic's Gift from the Past, Promise for the Future, which I think is one of my favorite stories. I don't thinkI've read any of his other stuff, though I probably should.

pranks rock, therefore they shall be prevalent. everyone seems to love them, and personally, F and G are my favorite characters period.

I do enjoy what I am doing, and it's certainly a good thing, or you lot would be left hanging where you are. It's a lot of work to write, but immensely enjoyable and satisfying at the same time.

voided: thanks, glad you do. Emily isn't his sister, as his sister is Ginny's age.

HeWhoComesWithTheDawn: ah, now that's a big secret. can't tell ya. You'll find out eventually.

Silver Warrior: lol. Thanks, and I agree. No real big argument, but a lover's spat or two eh?

bree: Don't worry, it wasn't a big fight, and the rest was pretty fluffy. this is the end of the completely lighthearted chapters though, I'm afraid. After this, it gets darker, though there is love on the road to war! my trip was quite boring, but thank you for asking!

SlytherinRulesDracoIsMyGu: Sirius is one of my favorite characters as well, which is why in both my longer stories he's a character that's alive and well...or sort of anyway. Glad you like it, I promise to keep him in the fic.

David M. Potter: I know, I picked it right up from where I left off with this next chapter. Like it?

Briea: ah, this is pretty much the end of the summer bit. We have a long way to go with this story yet. Jeremy Camp (the singer) does indeed rule. His latest album Restored, is one of the best I have ever heard.

SeekerTLK: yep, I think it was a good trade-off. I don't like being wet unless I'm in my swim trunks ;) thanks for your reviewing, I was hoping I could capture that, as it would bring them so much closer to each other.

Taint of Taia: It is truly rewarding for a ff writer to get a reader that doesn't like his ship, but reads it anyway because the story is good. thank you SO much for your review. I too find that despite the fact that I do like the H/G pairing, most often it is not done very well. You have no idea how close you've hit to the mark saying that he'll be apart from her in America, and if you weren't someone who doesn't like H/G fluff too much, I'd say be careful what you wish for. Rest assured that they only have been together so much because they are living in the same house for the summer, and there will be much less quality time and more reality soon.

pazed: thanks very much for the encouragement and the con. criticism. I'll certainly give those books a shot if I get the chance

Dumbledore: Will do.

Jazna: does this chapter answer your question? I like to think Harry knows his best mate pretty well.

Darkepyon: It slipped Harry's mind,but he plans to discuss it with McGonagall since she's his head of house, when he gets back to school.

Rhysel Ash: Yep, it is. I love the rain.

wvchemteach: does your name mean you're a chemistry teacher? that was random but anyway...

was their fight believable enough? However much I joked, I honestly did not intend to have them fight just for the sake of fighting. When I first planned their get-together a couple months ago, it struck me that what I had them fight over in this chapter would be an immediate concern, and thus I have always planned to make it that way. Do you think I did it right?

thanks for your review, I quite enjoyed it.