A/N: Next chapter up. Thank you for reviewing on the last chapter. :)

Ginny stood there waiting with her eyes closed wondering when this kiss was going to happen. It wasn't really that slow, was it? I mean, she just looked at it as a slow-motion kind of thing, but it was really coming quite quickly. But then if that were true, why weren't they kissing yet?

Ginny's eyes opened with a snap when she heard the kitchen door swing shut. She kept staring at the door that was swinging back and forth until it was finally shut all the way with no space to tell her what had happened to Harry. Instead of going to look for him, Ginny sat back down on the couch and let out a long sigh. What the hell was that all about?

Suddenly, Ginny's disappointment turned into amusement. She couldn't help it. Ginny started laughing aloud, thinking if anyone where to walk in just then they would think she was going crazy. She should have been crying (known from her past), not laughing! But she was. The funny thing about all this was the fact that Ginny and Harry were going to kiss. Kiss! They had just met about 20 minutes ago after three years and already they were about to lock lips. It was absolutely unthinkable. Harry was like a brother to her! I mean, of course she thought of him as a potential boyfriend back in school, but that was just a crush. And yes, she did think he was very attractive, but again, that wasn't any reason to assume she should be falling in love with him.

Feeling much better than she expected, Ginny sat up from the couch and began to walk in the kitchen just as Harry walked into the living room.

"Oh. Um, hi, Ginny." Harry sent her a nervous smile.

"Hi, Harry." Hers was calm and genuine. "Where are you go-" Harry cut her off.

"I wanted to apologize for my behavior about 2 seconds ago," Harry blurted out quickly, which caught Ginny by surprise. She had expected that he would pretend none of this had ever happened.

"Okay," she said slowly, not knowing what else to say. Harry immediately looked ashamed of himself.

"I am so sorry, Ginny. I never meant that to happen, that's why I stopped it. I didn't mean for you to think that there was a chance that me and you could...well, you know, and I feel just horrible that you do and if you want to kill me right now you can." Harry was holding out his wand to her, his eyes squinted shut as if he actually thought Ginny would take his wand and kill him right in the middle of her house.

"Harry," she said laughing. "I don't want to kill you."

Her laugh seemed to ease the tension that must have been building in his chest because he opened up his eyes and pocketed his wand, looking much calmer.

"And don't be so conceited," she said with a smile. "I don't think of you as a lover so you don't have to apologize for almost kissing me. We were both just, I don't know, caught up in the moment?" Somehow that seemed like a cliché'.

"Are you sure I didn't hurt you?" Harry asked concerned.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm a big girl, Harry. Don't worry about it," Ginny said as she started to walk towards the door.

"Then where are you going? You're not saying all this just so you can go off somewhere and cry, are you?" Harry looked at her skeptically.

"I'm fine! I promise you that I won't cry. Merlin, how much does being a Quidditch Star go to your head?" Ginny teased, walking out the front door, Harry in tow.

"It doesn't go to my head," he pouted. Ginny let out a sigh.

"Why are we still on this subject? We just met and already we're in a row."

"We didn't just meet-"

"You know what I mean-"

"-and we're not in a row. Neither one of us is yelling," he said matter-of-factly.

"Well we're not talking about anything important either. This is a total waste of breath. I don't care that you almost kissed me, Harry, and I don't care why you almost kissed me," she said, which was, in fact, a lie because she actually did want to know why he almost kissed her.

"Well I want to tell you just so you don't misunderstand anything." Ginny rolled her eyes. "I almost kissed you because, I don't know actually. I think I was just so sick of Cassidy and you were there and I was there and..." Harry's voice faltered.

"And what?" Ginny asked curiously.

Harry looked as if he was going to answer, but thought better of it. His face went up in a smile and Ginny knew what was coming.

"I thought you didn't care why I almost kissed you," he teased.

"I don't, but you said it so you caught my curiosity," Ginny sort of lied.

"Whatever. You're right. Let's change the subject." Harry bent down to tie his shoe and Ginny waited beside him. "Why are we out here anyways?" he asked after he stood up and they continued walking.

"I like to take walks out to the lake. Kind of reminds me of Hogwarts." Harry smiled.

"I loved that lake," he reminisced, going into some sort of trance until Ginny broke him out of it.

"Bring all your girlfriends there I suppose," she said with a laugh as he looked over at her.

"Absolutely, all the time, because I had so many love interests on my free time off from Voldemort," Harry said sarcastically.

"Whoops. Never thought about it that way."

"Eh, I don't blame you. Everybody else always talked about me and all theses girls, but nobody seemed to realize that I didn't have that many attached to my arm. There were only a couple." Ginny snorted.

"When you say a couple it means two. You know that, right?"

"Well...duh!" Harry said it like she was stupid. She gave him a look that told him she wasn't. "Fine. A few," he said through a huffed out breath.

"A few means three..." she chimed in.

"Fine! Five! Is that better?"

"Much," she laughed.

"Well, I don't see why any of this matters anyways," he said defensively.

"It doesn't, Harry, never mind," she sighed.

"You had more anyways," Harry said childishly.

"I never had six boyfriends," she said back.

"I don't know how many, but I know you had more than me," he countered.

"Okay, than if I didn't have six and I had more than you than that means if you had five I would have to have-"

"Five and a half!" Harry said gleefully. Ginny laughed at his stupid answer.

"And how did you manage to pass school?" she teased, making him push her lightly.

"You have a boyfriend now?" Harry asked curiously when they stopped talking and silence was around.

"Um, no, actually. I-we-we split up not too long ago," she responded with a touch of sadness in her voice.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. Were you two serious?"

"I would say so, yes." Again she tried to make him stop talking about it by the tone of her voice which now changed to depressed.

"Did he ever come to the Burrow to meet your parents and brothers?" Clearly Harry didn't get the hint.

"Yes, but he only met my parents." Ginny had abandoned the gloomy act because it obviously wasn't working. "I don't think he was quite ready to meet the rest of my family," she said with a laugh.

"Did you love him?" Harry asked, this time he looked the most interested in what she had to say.

"Tell me, Harry. Why the sudden interest in all of this?" Ginny asked, changing the subject.

"Well, I was just wondering how you know if you love someone or not." Harry looked serious. Ginny truly felt sorry for the guy.

"You'll know," she said simply. "I can't really explain it, you just know."

Harry looked over at her.

"So I guess that answered other question."

"Yeah, I did love him, but..." Ginny's voice faltered as she stopped in her stride.

"But what?" Harry asked when he noticed she had stopped.

"I didn't love him," Ginny said, realizing something for the very first time.

"You loved him but...you didn't...love...him?" Harry asked slowly and very confused.

"Yes, I mean no. I didn't love him. I thought I loved him. I fell in love with the idea of loving him but that's only because I thought he was it."

"Was it of what?" The look on Harry's face was priceless.

"The it of my life. He was perfect, seemed perfect and that was it. I burned the fact in my mind that I loved him." Ginny went on to explain. "When I was a little girl I made a list of the perfect guy and then James came along one day and he hit everything on my list. Except one..." she whispered, but Harry heard her.

"What was the one he didn't hit?"

"That doesn't matter," she waved off. "The point is, I thought that was the man I needed to marry because he was the perfect guy I had always wanted...well almost. I seemed to have forgotten that he wasn't at all what I needed. I guess I mistook what I wanted for what I really needed..." Ginny looked contemplative and Harry looked understanding. "Do you get it now?" she asked, looking over at him.

"Yeah, I think I do."

"But sometimes," she started up again. "What you need is something you've wanted all along. A different sort of wanted."

"A better sort of wanted," Harry added quietly and Ginny shook her head.

It was quiet as they both stood in their words. She didn't know why she had just realized all this but was very grateful. She could finally get over James completely now that she understood all this. Ever since she started talking to Harry today she seemed to realize more and more what a complete waste of time James had really been.

A/N: Keep letting me know how it's going. I'll try to get the next chapter up before the end of the week but I can't promise you anything. HP 6 comes out Saturday! Yay:D