Disclaimer: Most of the characters mentioned in the following story are borrowed from JK Rowling and are not of my own imagination. Any characters in this story that are not mentioned in any of the Harry Potter books are my own.

A/N: Thanks to all my awesome reviewers! Ok, so the drama queen side of me is finally shown. Those of you who dont like this chapter, as I'm sure some won't, feel free to let me know about it.

Chapter 7

Later that afternoon Harry found his chance. Mrs Weasley was out in the garden and Ron and Hermione were doing the dishes. Ginny was in her room, which apparently she had done a lot lately. Harry climbed the stairs slowly and knocked on her door.

"Come in," she called quietly. Harry opened the door. Ginny was on her bed on the far side of the room. She was looking out the window, not paying him the slightest amount of attention. Harry gulped as he saw how her hair shined in the afternoon sunshine. He closed the door behind him and walked towards her, sitting next to her on the bed. She looked at him in suprise.

"We need to talk," he said gently.

"I suppose you've been talking to Ron then," she said, rolling her eyes. "He keeps going on at me about spending so much time in my room. Seems to think it's going to kill me or something." She gave him a weak smile, her eyes already slightly watery.

"He's just concerned about you, Gin," Harry said quietly, hoping she wouldn't cry. But luck was against him and a tear slid down her cheek. Harry watched her, feeling rather awkward.

"I know, but I can take care of myself. I just needed a bit of time to think."

Harry nodded. "Of course you did." There was a pause and more tears slid down Ginny's cheeks. Harry desperately wanted to hold her in his arms, but he knew he couldn't.

"I don't care, Harry," she finally said, looking him straight in the eye. All she received in reply was a blank look. She wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Remember at the end of last year after… after it happened, when we were in the hospital wing? Tonks was there and she kept saying to Professor Lupin that she didn't care that he's a werewolf. I don't care about the risks involved in being with you. I can't stand being only friends, I want more then that. I know how much danger I will be in, but I don't care. Ron and Hermione have been your best friends for more then six years now and they have been in danger the whole time because of it. The way I see it, this isn't much different at all. I don't care."

The creature in Harry's chest was absolutely roaring. More then anything he wanted to reach out and pull her to him and wipe the tears from her eyes, soothe the ache in her heart. But he couldn't.

"I couldn't stand it if something happened to you, Gin," he told her, a sob catching in his own throat. "I would never be able to forgive myself. I think I would die from the pain."

"Then at least we would be together," Ginny said, staring at him. Tears were once again flowing down her face. "I don't care about the danger, I just want to be with you. I want to be by your side every step of the way until you conquer You-Know-Who and I will continue to stand by you after that. I can't stand to not be with you."

He couldn't bear it any longer. He pulled her into his arms and let her sob. His own tears made a damp patch in her hair. She had won. She knew the dangers of being with him and she was willing to take the risks that came with being his girlfriend. The creature in his chest was still roaring as they sobbed quietly in each other's embrace. Harry didn't know how long they sat like that, but by the time Ginny's sobs died down the sun was sinking. In the fading light he wiped the remaining tears from her face and kissed her, feeling the touch of the soft lips he had missed so badly.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Ron's voice floated through the wood. "Harry? Ginny? Mum says to come down for dinner."

"We'll be there in a minute," Ginny replied, standing up.

They washed their faces, ridding them of the tears streaks and made their way downstairs in silence. For the first time since before Dumbledore's death, Harry felt as close to happy as he could. He knew they would endure a great deal of teasing over the remainder of the holidays, but that was something he could deal with.