A/N: I just reread Ch. 9, and I wanted to start Ch. 10…It's gonna be really good. Enjoy.

Chapter 10: Trial

I stood in front of a mirror in the common room, dried off completely now and staring at my reflection. I looked all right.

"Hey, Fred. George." I turned to the twins.

They glanced at me awkwardly; perhaps because of the apology I made as soon as the team entered…I gave each member a hug. I couldn't help it; I was too ecstatic from the moment prior to their entrance to even care.

"Yeah, Wood?" they asked in unison.

"What do you think?" I extended my arms. I was wearing a plain button down shirt and a pair of baggy jeans.

"In what sense?" Fred asked.

"I think he wants to know if we think Ginger will like it," George replied, grinning profusely.

"Oh, in that case, it's great." Fred went back to his work. "Have fun."

Katie came in at that precise moment. She whistled when she saw me. "You both look sharp."

I looked at her questioningly. She pointed over her shoulder to the door of the tower.

"I just saw Ginger on the fifth floor. And, to be perfectly honest, she looked quite attractive." She grinned at me. "If you catch my meaning, mate."

I swallowed uncomfortably. "Really? What did she have on?"

Katie's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I'm not telling; you'll have to see for yourself. But, if I were you, I'd put on some cologne or something. That way you'll both be in for…an interesting shock." Then she walked up the steps to her room.

I looked after her. "Cologne? I don't even own any…" I looked around helplessly. "Guys, do you know where I could find some?"

"Oh, yeah, Wood. We've just got it lying around." George rolled his eyes at me. Then he, followed by Fred, walked out of the common room and I was left alone.

"Great!" I mumbled.

I grabbed my denim jacket off the back of a chair and walked out the door. I took the steps two at a time.

"Where am I going to find cologne?" I said to no one in particular.

"What do you need cologne for, Wood?" Marcus Flint sat up on a couch in the sixth floor hallway.

I stopped short. "Nothing," I mumbled.

"Oh, I see. You're going to go see Ginger, right?" Flint smiled at me greasily. "Well, I know where you can get your hands on some."

I eyed him suspiciously. "What do you want in return?"

"Oh, nothing except Ginger's happiness." Flint got right in my face. "You hurt her and I'll break your neck."

I laughed hollowly. "Why so protective, Flint?"

"Let's just say it's brotherly love. After all, Ginger is the only person in this place who can tolerate me." Flint pulled something out of his pocket. "Here. It's her favorite. At least it was." He tossed me a spray bottle full of blue liquid. "Hope it helps."

"Thanks," I said, nodding graciously.

Marcus nodded back and walked down the hall, back to his couch. "Remember," he said, turning back to me before plopping down. "Don't you dare hurt her."

I grinned cockily. "I won't."

I ran down the remaining steps with a high hope and a lightened heart. I was going to meet the most gorgeous creature in the world in Hogsmeade for the afternoon. I was almost too excited to move.

At the door to the castle, I squirted myself a couple times with the rich-smelling, blue liquid. It did smell great. I hid the bottle in a bush near the stairs and ran down the path to the gates. Once there, I momentarily paused to take a deep breath before proceeding into town.

I walked leisurely down the main street of the quaint village, smiling at strangers and speaking to familiar faces. I was turning around from one of these brief interactions when I saw her.

She was standing beside the Three Broomsticks, searching for someone. I grinned cheekily, knowing it was probably me. Then I took her in from head to toe. Katie had been right.

Ginger was wearing a lightweight, cream-colored sweater with a short, corduroy skirt and matching brown boots. She had a corduroy jacket draped over her shoulders. Her hair seemed to have fire-like highlights buzzing magically through it as she turned her head from side to side, sending the auburn strands flying about. She bit one of her painted fingernails in an almost angst way; her glance darted from one end of the street to another.

Then she caught sight of me and my heart almost melted. Her eyes brightened to an intense blue-gray as her gaze caught mine. She smiled and ran up to greet me.

"Hello, mate," she said, smacking me on the cheek when she got to me. "What took so long?"

I pulled her close. "I was getting cleaned up a little." I gently stroked a strand of hair out of her eyes.

Ginger looked at me, then looked around the street in embarrassment. "Wood, knock it off."

"What?" I whispered huskily, leaning closer.

"I don't want people to get the wrong idea about us, all right?" She looked me straight in the eyes.

I pulled back. "What would give them the wrong idea?" I asked heatedly.

"Well, you know, mate," she said quietly. "With all the touchy-feel-y stuff we do, people might think we're a couple." She grinned slightly.

"Oh, right." I let go of Ginger and took a step backward. I felt like a double-decker bus had hit me. I looked around sheepishly, then, smiling, looked Ginger in the eyes. "Well, nice to have seen you. Must be off. Bye."

I noticed Ginger's face lost some of its brightness as I turned away. I walked hastily out of town, back toward Hogwarts. I couldn't believe I was such a fool!

"Wood, wait up!" A very feminine sounding voice begged.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ginger pursuing me. I laughed stonily.

"What now, Ginger?" I stopped and threw my arms out indignantly. I whirled around. "Are you going to get my hopes up again? Let me think I stand a chance, again? I'm done, okay? You want to be best mates with someone, go be best mates with Flint, because I'm through."

Ginger's eyes shone with unshed tears. She stormed up to me…then slapped me square across the face. "How dare you! I've not even once tried to lead you on, not intentionally. I've been honest about this from the start. But I dressed like this," she gestured to her outfit, "because I thought maybe you were right about us dating." She got right into my face, her lips only inches from mine. "I wanted to go on a trial date. If you had waited a millisecond after I told you I didn't want people to think we were dating, I would have discussed it with you. But you threw this little tantrum. Well, congratulations Oliver, you are the proud winner of no best friend, or girlfriend, and a big one of these." That's when she gave me the finger.

I looked at her in shock. She started to storm around me. I followed her up the street.

"I'm so sorry, Gin, really I am," I said soothingly.

Ginger whirled around. "Screw you!" She started her trek again.

I smiled a little. We both had a tendency for drama I was just now discovering.

"Ginger, please-" I began.

"Up yours!" she screamed over her shoulder.

We entered the gates of the castle and were walking across the courtyard.

"But I'm try-" I held my arms out.

"Go. To. Hell. Oliver."

She was near a stone wall when she said this. I grabbed her arm and whirled her around. We crashed into the wall; her back was to it and I was facing her. I pinned her arms to the wall. I was fairly close to her.

"Oy, get off of me! Right now!" She looked beautiful… and livid.

"Why?" I grinned at her.

"You horny moron! You don't stand a chance with me now." She laughed in my face.

"Is that so?" I leaned towards her.

"You try and kiss me, and I will bite you." She glared at me.

"Go ahead then, mate."

I pressed my body close to hers and removed one of my hands from her arm. I cupped the side of her face with my free hand. I pulled her to my lips and…

"Ouch!" I pulled my head back.

"Told you I would." She looked at me smugly.

I stared straight into her eyes. "Tell me you don't want this." I spoke after a long silence. "Tell me it doesn't excite you. Tell me you're not the least bit curious to find out how it would feel." I raised my eyebrows at her silence. "Well, Ginger, love?"

"I don….It doesn't…..I-I'm not…" Ginger stuttered over the words. She looked down anxiously and licked her lips. When she glanced up, her eyes were full of terror. "I'm scared…" she whispered.

I felt all my anger, frustration, pain, hunger die away with those words. I pulled her into my arms.

"Why, Ginger?" I questioned, gently rocking her back and forth in my arms.

"Because I've never wanted something this big before," came her passionate reply. She pulled away and looked into my eyes. "Oliver, I do want this relationship. I want more than that. But I'm afraid it won't last and," she looked down at her feet, "and I'll lose you again."

I placed a finger under her chin and pulled her face up. "You won't lose me. I'm pretty insistent about being in someone's life." I smiled at her small giggle. "Besides," I put my arms around her waist. "We can take this slowly."

Ginger flung her arms around my neck in a huge hug. I grinned blissfully. As she pulled away, I could hear her sniffling.

"Do you have a stuffy nose?" I glanced at her in concern.

She shook her head, sending locks of gorgeous colored hair flinging in every which direction. "I'm smelling you." She wrinkled her nose. "Are you wearing cologne?"

I grinned bashfully as I nodded. Ginger's face broke into a sexy smile. She gently guided a finger along my chest. I started to breathe heavier as I let go of her waist.

"I thought we were taking this slowly," I said anxiously.

"Well, we could." She paused, standing against the wall. "Or we could just mess around. We've got nothing better to do."

Her willing gaze beckoned me toward her. I pressed my lips on top of hers incessantly. Her hands moved down my back, then back up under my shirt. I pulled away almost instantly.

"Ginger," I said between gusts of air. "We can't do this here."

She leaned towards me. "Well, then, where can we do it?"

I grabbed her hand and pulled her across the grounds. I'd pause behind every fourth or fifth tree to look around for faculty. Ginger would get very close behind me and nibble on my ear.

After about the third time, I turned to her. "Ginger, love, you've got to stop that."

She looked at me innocently. "Why? Don't you like it?" Then she formed a flirtatious pout.

I nodded. "Of course, but I'm trying to sneak us to a place where no one will see us and you're making it very hard to focus."

Ginger grinned and kissed my feverishly. When she pulled away, she whispered very close to my lips, "Follow me."

Ginger led us quickly and quietly into the now abandoned Quidditch pitch. She glanced around, then headed straight for the locker room.

I pulled back. "Why in there?"

"Because it's quiet, no one's in there, and no one will look in there," she answered, clearly annoyed. "Come on, you git. Let's go."

Ginger entered the room. I glanced around guiltily, then followed her in. Once inside, Ginger grabbed me and commenced to kiss me, practically tearing my jacket from my arms. I slid her jacket off in record time and guided her toward a small bench. I started to sit down, but she pulled away.

"No, not here." She put her hands on her hips.

"Where then?" I raised my eyebrows in question.

"There." She pointed to the scene where the whole heated day started…the showers.

I grinned wickedly. "Your wish is my command." I stood and bowed to her.

I followed Ginger's beautiful figure into the small room. She walked around to every faucet and turned each one on. Soon the room was full of steam. I couldn't see anything. Then the vapor cleared and Ginger was next to me again.

"There you are," I mumbled.

She covered my mouth with a small finger. Then that same finger trailed down my face and neck to the first button of my shirt. With nimble hands, Ginger quickly undid all the buttons and slid the shirt from my arms, leaving my torso bare. She eyed me coyly, then slid her sweater off. To my disappointment, she had on a thin, silk cami underneath.

Ginger soon made up for it by kissing my collarbone softly, tenderly. It felt like she was lighting a fire across my body. I felt her fingers slide gracefully to my pants. She worked the fly quickly and pulled away so I could take them off.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" I asked, somewhat jealous of whomever else she'd touched in this way. I threw my pants out of the sauna and into the main chamber the little area, standing in the moisture in only my boxers.

"No," she said heavily, pulling her skirt off to reveal a pair of bikini panties, matching her camisole exactly.

She walked backwards from me, toward the sound of water. I followed her. The water cascaded down my back as I felt my way along the wall. I soon felt her soft skin. I traced the contours of it until I found her face. I kissed her lips yet again. She moaned as I slid my hand delicately down her back to take off her top…But it wasn't there.

"What happened to your shirt, love?" I asked.

"See for yourself."

Then the minx pulled me close to her. I felt her smooth soft torso rub slightly against mine. It caused a huge, burning sensation inside me. My fingers traced the curve of her body. I found her breast and rubbed her nipples softly. Ginger moaned again.

"Oliver, I'm all set whenever you are," she whimpered.

I didn't need to be told twice. I slid out of my boxers, flinging them out of the way. I slipped my fingers around the elastic of her bikinis and pulled them down. I threw those away, too. I slid Ginger to the ground beside me. We were out of the spray of the water now. Her skin was deliciously wet. I climbed on top of her. Her face had an angelic glow about it, but there was a devilish desire in her eyes.

My fingers traced down slowly to her warmth. I watched her eyes grow wide in awe and close in ecstasy. Ginger tried to suppress a moan.

My lips roamed over her perfect body. I whispered huskily into her skin, "Let it out, darling. Let it out."

She moaned a few times. But I wasn't satisfied. What about what I wanted to do?

As if she were reading my mind, Ginger said, "It's okay. You can."

I glanced at her. Her deep, mystifying eyes stared back. I obliged. Ginger arched into me, welcoming me. I moved with her body, slowly at first, then moving faster. She grabbed a hold of my back, urging me to go farther, faster. We moved in perfect synchronization. I could feel Ginger's enjoyment; mine was coming quickly. I went to exit before that happened.

"Don't!" Ginger screamed. "Just let it go. Please don't!"

"Ginger, I can't…There are too many risks." I tried to remove myself again.

Ginger flipped me onto my back; the two of us still one. "I got to show my enjoyment…Now's your turn."

Ginger moved up and down. Her tongue traced hot circles on my skin. I moaned. I'd never been so excited or charged up in my entire life.

Soon, too soon, I was exhausted. Ginger collapsed beside me, gasping for air. She placed her head on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her. As we fell asleep, naked in the Gryffindor locker room, I decided sex was great, but just knowing she'd be beside me when I woke up was even better.

A/N: I held her out as long as I could…who could honestly keep saying no to Ollie? R/R, please. Nellie