((Ok. Like I said at the end of chapter 7, this chapter is probably my least favorite so far. The beginning part, anyways. Today is Thursday, October 12, 2005. I finally caught up with what I was typing; the end of this chapter is as far as I've typed. So the next chapter is going to be either really short or won't be posted for (at the most) a week. Okay. Chapter Eight Ahoy!))

Thursday

Turns out the stuff that Mrs. Weasley mentioned was some very late Spring Cleaning.

"Ok, finish the jobs I've assigned you (Hermione, dear, I need your help with lunch, I don't want you to do any damage to my new little niece or nephew) then report back for lunch around one. NO MAGIC!" The twenty or so people sat there, looking around in bewilderment. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

Harry and Ron set off to clean out the shed, Ginny and Fleur to the attic (much to Ginny's horror), the boys to de-gnome the garden, the rest of the girls to different bedrooms and bathrooms, and the children to either help dust or help in the kitchen.

As soon as Harry arrived in the shed, he knew something was wrong. It looked nothing like what he supposed a shed would look like. Instead, there was a chair much like the ones at the ministry (the ones with chains on it), a small table in front of it, and a single, broken light bulb that flashed on and off sporadically hanging from the ceiling.

"Ron? Wha –"

But Ron had muttered a spell, and Harry was magically thrown into the chair, and the chains immediately attached to his arms, legs, and one with what looked like a metal tongs were by the er… crotch area, and Harry looked at it precariously.

"Ron?"

Ron turned to Harry. "Sorry, man. But it must be done."

"What must? What's going on? Lemme go!"

Ron touched a small, green-colored rock that had been in his pocket, and moments later Bill, Percy, and the twins had apparated into the tool shed.

Fred immediately cast privacy and silencing charms around the little room.

George had turned to Harry, an evil grin appearing on his face. "Has Ginny said anything to you?"

"A—about what?" Harry's voice cracked.

"About when we get a hold of you," Bill said.

"Yeah, actually, she did. She said not to crack under the pressure, then wished me good luck." Harry looked extremely nervous, but a small grin appeared on his face, as if he wanted to laugh.

"You'll need it," Ron piped up from the back of the room. He then stepped into the light, joining his older brothers at the table.

"Harry James Potter, if that really is your name –" Fred began.

"It is. Anything having to do with Voldemort has my name in it. Check for yourselves," Harry interrupted, smirking.

"Yeah, shut-the-fuck-up and let me continue with this. Most of her other boyfriends would've pissed their pants by now."

Harry stared to laugh, but quickly turned it into a cough; he didn't want to make this worse than it already was.

"Anyways," Fred continued exasperatedly, "Ginny has an enchantment on her that restricts her from telling anybody about what we do in here. We choose not to place the charm on her boyfriends, but they seem to understand that if they tell anyone they will be hunted down. Kapiche?"

"Yeah, got it." Harry glanced at the contraption he was sitting in. "So… what is this thing?"

"Ah, so glad you asked, Harry," Bill replied, stepping out of the shadows. "Most of the time we explain this after it's been used." A grin slowly spread across his face.

"It's like those muggle polygraphs, essentially a lie detector," Ron explained, "except instead of those stupid little lines, it… well, you can imagine."

"One of my little inventions," George boasted.

"So if you plan on having children, we recommend answering our questions truthfully."

Harry eyed the chair nervously. "Got it."

"We'll start easy, then progressively get harder. We have about half an hour," George said. "We start with the oldest and work our way down. Bill, care to start the interrogation?"

"Of course." He turned to Harry. "Name?"

"Harry James Potter."

Percy was next. "Age?"

"Twenty-seven."

George: "Last girlfriend's name was…?"

"Ginny Weasley."

"Dude, that's extremely sad."

"Yeah, I know." The chain twitched as Harry answered. He grinned sheepishly.

Fred: "Still a virgin?"

"Ye…" the 'tongs' jumped excitedly. "No."

"Very good, we're learning fast."

Ron: "Can I skip my turn? I mean, he is my best mate…"

Fred: "No! Ask him something stupid then."

Ron: "Eurgh… fine… um, parent's names?"

"James and Lily Potter."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Idiot. So, who'd you lose your virginity to?"

"You won't like the answer."

"Mmmm Hmmm. Did we mention that you only have ten seconds to answer before…"

"HOLY FFfahh…" Harry bit his tongue, trying not to yell out in pain. "No, you did not mention that, thankyouverymuch."

Bill: "So, virginity was lost to…"

"Ginny."

The boys all gave an involuntary shudder.

"Needed to know that, thanks."

"Hey, you asked."

Percy: "STDs?"

"What!"

"Clock is ticking…"

Harry sighed. "Nothing red, itchy, puss-y, or puffy to report."

George: "How many girlfriends have you had?"

"Three."

"Again, that's sad…"

Ron: "Oh, hush-up-your-mouth. You may be a pimp, but the rest of us aren't."

"Thank you."

Fred: "Aaaaanywaaays. Harry. Are you aware that you hurt our little sister nine years ago? Left her heartbroken, crying, and alone in Romania with Charlie? By the way, if he were here, you would not be leaving this shed alive."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

Ron (who seemed to have found his voice): "Then why do it?"

"That's… personal…"

Ron: "Nine… eight… seven…"

"I was scared. I knew that if I came out in the open with my… er… feelings for her, the remaining Death Eaters might come after her and… well, it was too painful to think about."

Fred: "Good answer. Stick to it."

Bill: "So you do care about her, then?"

The light flashed precariously overhead. Sweat trickled down Harry's face.

"Of course."

George: "Hot in here?"

"No… yes."

Fred: "As hot as Ginny?"

"Hell no."

Ron: "Do you promise to never hurt her again?"

"I can't do that."

"What?"

"I can't do that."

"Explain, please."

"Well," Harry began, "every relationship has its problems. You and Hermione, Bill and Fleur, Fred and Alicia, Percy and Penny, even George and Angelina have had their setbacks. There is absolutely nothing I can do to prevent a fight. They're human, they're part of a relationship. It's gonna happen, and I can't stop it."

"Good answer."

"Yes, I agree."

Bill: "My turn. Do you love her?"

"What?"

"Do you love her?"

Harry was reluctant to answer. He considered his options.

"If I say yes, they'd know I wasn't lying, but knowing Ron, he'd run right to Hermione, and she'd run to Mrs. Weasley, and the next thing I know, she and the rest of the family are planning our wedding. On the other hand, if I say no, they'd KNOW that I was lying, and then I would probably be beaten to a pulp, anyways."

Just as he was about to answer, the light above head turned on full blast, temporarily blinding everyone in the room. The door flew open, and the chains around Harry's extremities slackened, then slowly fell to the ground.

Harry peered through his fingers, and was amazed by what he saw; Ginny was standing in the entranceway, hair down around her shoulders (which was rare these days; it was normally up in a bun or something), and she was fuming.

"That's enough. You've had your time. I'm not stupid. When you all disappeared from view simultaneously, I kind of figured it out. Time's up. Let him go."

Ginny crossed the length of the room, waving her wand as she went. The room immediately turned back into a regular muggle tool shed. She grasped Harry's arm and pulled him out of the shed and into the woods just behind them.

"Are you okay?"

"What? Yeah! Nothing I couldn't handle," Harry said airily, putting his arms around her waist.

"Mmm hmm… so will there be a future Potter generation?"

"I didn't lie."

"Good to know. So… what did they ask you?"

"None of your business."

Ginny looked deep into Harry's eyes. "Seriously, are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Harry kissed her, nibbling her lip. She snaked her hands up to his hair, tangling her fingers in his messy black hair. Harry pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Ginny stumbled, landing against the shed. Harry put his hands on either side of her, as if he was trying to stop her from escaping. Ginny's hands slowly slid down to his hips. The longer they stayed in a lip-lock, the harder it became to breathe.

Ginny broke the kiss. "H—Harry. They'll get s—suspicious if we don't get b—ack."

Harry mocked disappointment. "Aw, Gin. They can't be all that smart…."

Ginny threw him a look.

"Oh all right."

The couple slowly made their way back to the house, hand-in-hand.

"So we should be getting the moolah and the Jacuzzi soon, right?" Ron asked his wife.

"No. Even though they're dating, she technically hasn't asked him to the Reunion."

"It's in two days! Why weren't you working on this?"

"Why weren't you!"

Hermione and Ron were lying in bed, tired after a long day.

"This is so not my fault," Ron retorted.

Hermione flipped over in bed, facing away from her husband.

"I'm going to sleep."

"Hermione!"

"What?"

"You have to be just as concerned as I am!"

"It's a cooking class. Why should I care?"

"You also have to clean the pool."

"And your point is…?"

"Ugh. Forget it. I'm going to bed."

"Ohhh. You just don't want to clean the toilets."

"That's not true."

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Admit it!"

"Admit what!"

"GUYS!" Harry's voice roared from outside the door. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up."

They heard Harry's footsteps travel back down the hall to his room, where he shut the door.

"Yes it is," Hermione whispered.

Ginny stumbled down the stairs around eight-thirty on Friday morning. Harry was still swimming, Hermione was at work, and, to Ginny's complete surprise, Ron was sitting at the counter drinking coffee.

"You're up early," Ginny yawned.

"Mmm hmm, yeah. So, are you and Harry going to the Reunion together?" Ron inquired, completely ignoring Ginny's comment.

"Duh."

"Did you ask him?"

"Why would I?"

"Well, you know…"

"No, actually, I don't."

"Well, to be all… you know… formal and stuff…"

"Are you high?"

"W—what! No!"

"Are you sure? I caught you once before, and you were all weird like this then, too," Ginny asked.

Ron shot her a look. "I'm not high. Just ask him."

"So that I can 'be all formal and stuff'? You're loosing it, Ronnie-kins. But you may be on to something. I'll ask him."

"Good."

"Seriously, though. What are you on?"

"Nothing!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Suuure."

Ron stalked out of the room and back to bed.

Ginny watched him go, then made two cups of hot cocoa and put M&Ms in them. ((A/N That's the only way I'll drink hot chocolate. It's really, really good.))

She then magicked herself into a black bikini with a skimpy little black sundress cover-up and walked down to the pool.

She set the tray of drinks down on one of the petite tables between two sun chairs, took one of the mugs and sat on the chair on the right. She sat sipping her cocoa, watching her beau and waiting for him to notice her. She dug to the bottom of the mug with a spoon, trying to grab the little chocolate candies at the bottom. She was halfway through the hot chocolate when Harry finally came out of the pool.

"Aren't you concerned about getting sunburned?" he asked. "What with the big get-together tomorrow and everything."

"Ehh. I'm a witch. All I wanted was a natural tan, now I have it, and I can do what I want."

The two sat in silence, sipping their hot chocolate. They subconsciously began a slurping contest, seeing who could be louder. It wasn't until Harry nearly choked on his that they realized what they were doing.

"Are you okay!" Ginny laughed.

"Yeah. Burning hot liquid got caught in my lungs. I'm just fine," Harry replied indignantly.

Ginny finished her cocoa before Harry did, and made up her mind to go swimming. She glanced at Harry, who was still trying to breathe correctly again, and decided to toy with him.

She walked over to the deep end, the opposite side from where they had been sitting, purposely avoiding Harry's gaze.

She reached up, pulling the clip out of her long red hair and tossing it aside. She then slowly unbuttoned the top button of her dress, undoing each one just as gradually. She could almost hear Harry's ragged breathing from where she was.

When she got to the final button, she slowly shimmied the sundress off of her shoulders and threw in on a chair. She stepped out of her flip-flops, walking closer to the diving board. She stepped up and dived off, performing a perfect flip before landing, hardly making a splash.

Ginny swam the length of the pool, pushed off when she got to the end and swam back, turning once more to finish back by Harry. She leaned on the edge of the pool, exposing her cleavage to her boyfriend.

"Okay," Harry thought. "Just… don't get up any time soon. That's all."

"You coming in?"

Harry's voice cracked. "Uh… no."

"Aw, come on! Nice and warm…"

"That's all right. I swam already."

"You won't die if you go swimming for more than an hour!" Ginny exclaimed, knowing very well why he wouldn't join her in the pool.

"Really, it's fine here! I'll, er… get a tan."

"Because you don't have one from playing Quidditch…" Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Exactly."

Ginny swam a few more laps in the pool, and after the fourth or fifth, Harry got in as well. She slowly sidled up to him.

"So… wanna go to the Reunion with me?"

Harry chuckled. "I guess you talked to Ron then?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" Ginny questioned.

"I'll tell you Saturday night."

"Harry!"

"Saturday! I promise."

The two swam in peace for a while before Ginny asked: "So… is that a yes, then?"

"Of course."

Harry brought his lips down upon Ginny's, slowly kissing his way along her jaw line and down to her neck, one of her own personal spots of weakness. She gasped, and he made his way back to her mouth, nibbling on her lower lip, requesting entrance. She opened her mouth, and he delved in, tentatively touching her tongue. She closed her eyes in ecstasy and boldly entered his mouth. Her mouth opened more, as did his. Harry ran his hands over her hips and down her thighs.

"H—Harry… you—you have p—practice," Ginny panted.

"I can skip it."

"Harry."

"Five more minutes."

"You have to g—go."

Harry unglued himself from Ginny's mouth. They stood, looking at each other for a while, then Harry spoke up.

"Ahh, fine. I'll see you tonight?"

"Nope. Hermione and I are having a girl's night out and then are staying at a hotel. We won't see you two until tomorrow at the Reunion."

"But you'll be home when we get back from practice, right?"

"We're leaving as soon as Hermione gets home."

"Oh." Harry looked extremely disappointed. "So… I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah."

The two shared a final kiss, then Harry climbed out of the pool. Ginny watched contentedly as the love of her life walked slowly up to the house.

((Like I said, I really don't like this chapter; poorly written. But I wanted to get it out to you guys. I promise, though, that the next chapter will be a million times better. Definitely my longest chapter so far. Ok. So it's gonna be a while before I post again. R and R, please!))