100 percentfluff.

I'll do a happy dance if you find this scene funny or touching because I was going for a mix of these two.

Next chapter will lead you to a darker thread in the story.


Chapter 7

The no-nonsense usefulness of a broom cupboard

Darkness was thick at first, but soon Harry could distinguish the fine golden dust that lazily floated in the air. He coughed and his hand brushed against a warm arm as he was sneezing. The broom cupboard was narrow and shallow. Through the ill-adjusted planks of the squeaking door, a crescent of light was glowing on Ginny's face.

Harry felt too close to her for comfort: he flattened himself against the wall, shoving his hands in his pockets. After not being able to move closer to her in the last days, Harry was dizzy to be in front of Ginny at forearm length, all of the sudden.

But here he was, almost nose to nose with her and deeply inhaling a faint scent of her peppermint soap and something else, something flowery that was going right to his brains and blocking the passage to any rational thought he could have had. It did not help that he could feel warmth emanate from her as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Harry squinted a bit and realized, with rising flurry, that she was looking quite pleased with herself.

Harry felt on the verge of dying from speech inadequacy as he whispered, «Well…hi.» Ginny whispered back, smiling in a friendly way, «Hi, Harry. What's up?»

Harry took a second to think, «Ahem…I've been talking to Hermione and-» He realized that he was not going into the right direction. He shot back, « What are you doing here?» Ginny shrugged, and Harry could see in her face a glimpse of teasing.

I'm a loser.

«Same as you are - coughing and sneezing. Seriously, » she said, showing an Extendable Ear that she shoved in the back pocket of her trousers, «I was eavesdropping. You seem to have a very close relationship with Hermione.» Harry tilted his head towards her and stared at her ruthlessly cheerful face.

Harry mumbled, «Yeah, she's a friend.» He saw her eyes goggling at the ceiling and she shook her head with an abashed expression, «A friend, Harry? She's like your sister. I knew you had such strong feelings for her but you were quite blunt. You really ticked her off by accusing her of not being a trusty friend.»

You heard that? I'm a looooooser.

Harry licked his lips, and decided that the best defence was to attack, «Do you often listen to private conversations?» Ginny's expression stiffened a bit but her tone was still light as she answered, «Who are you, one of my brothers or something? I listen to doors only when I feel shut out.»

Harry did not understand this: he had seen her with Hermione, infuriatingly attached to her shoulder for the last week. He slowly said, «She did not shut you out, Ginny. You knew about her condition, didn't you?»

Ginny crossed her arms and she defiantly looked at him, «I'm not being shut out by her. You're shutting me out. Are you trying to avoid me, Harry Potter? » He could see the determination in her brown eyes and a small hint of green powder on her eyelids. Warmth went from his heart to his face.

Harry Potter.

He pondered how strange his name could sound like a whip in some mouths and like silk in others.

He crossed his arms too, starting to feel defensive, «I'm not avoiding you, Ginny…or anybody else, for that matter.» She tilted her head to the side and said, « Well, you're not talking to me. I feel like I'm scorching your tongue every time I ask you something and you're looking at me in a very creepy way at dinner. » Harry's mouth was wide open. His mind was trying to fixate on something that could express his outrage.

Well, you kissed me and then you ignored me. What am I suppose to do, with all your family around? With Ron around?

This was a new and very disturbing thought.

Ginny, as she was reading his mind, asked, «It has to do with you kissing me, isn't it?» Harry was Stupefixed by her boldness: he could only say in a croaked voice, « Technically, you kissed me.»

That is very important. It's about you Ginny, you're the one who's supposed to be fancying me. I'm the one being fancied on, here.

Ginny leaned her back against the wall and studied him with intensity, «Oh, I understand now. You're embarrassed and you don't know how to react. I should have thought about this.» They let the silence infiltrate the broom closet and he could not find anything clever to say.

Ginny rubbed her nose and said softly, «Are you not talking to me because you regret we kissed?» Harry felt his palms becoming very sweaty and he vehemently repeated, «You kissed me!» Ginny gave him a slight push on the forearm, «You're not answering the question.»

Her fingers had left a nice tingle on his arm and he whispered, «No.» Ginny did notlook satisfied with this answer, «No what?» And then, as his heart was sinking down to his feet, he saw the mischief glistening in her eyes.

She's playing with me.

Harry was trying to get a hold of himself.

Gone, the nice resolutions, the lines that he had prepared. It could not qualify as a declaration, isn't it? Harry had wished so much to be really cool about this,

I'm flattered Ginny

self-assured and completely in control

that you feel this way,

and, Merlin, why not, to act like a ladies' man.

why don't you give me back that kiss you stole from me?

It was not going near to what he was expecting, aka Ginny looking at him with adoring eyes and blushing her way through him. It was going directly to the throes of hell. He had imagined himself being the heroic man, showing off those newfound muscles a little, trying to convey the Potter charm into a soulful look, but he felt like an inexperienced child.

Another frightful thought raced to his mind: he was the inexperienced one in that closet.

To his uttermost confusion, he remembered that Ginny looked like she was mastering the love thing last year. As he pushed away Cho Chang's tear-soaked face from his mind, Harry tried to regain his dignity by raising slightly his chin and went for a manly attitude as he affirmed, « I'm not one to regret, Ginny.»

Ginny gravely nodded, the mischief menacing to take over her lips, «So you don't regret kissing me.» Harry quickly replied back, now more at ease, «No, I don't regret you kissed me.»

Ginny squinted her eyes and slowly said, her hands in the air as she was giving support to her words, «Okay, we're not getting anywhere with this. Do you think you could want…– ah, let's say, in the near future – to…eventually…continue to not regret being kissed…by me

Harry looked her in the eye and he could not stifle the laughter that was growing in him. He bowed his head forward and he heard her amused giggle. Their eyes locked again and Harry felt something rise in his chest, a strong and overpowering wave when he saw her face.

She's blushing.

Ginny's voice was softer than ever when she said, «I like when you laugh, Harry. The thing is, I like you a lot.»

They gazed at each other and Harry found the courage to speak, «I thought you were going out with other guys-» he hastily swallowed as she opened huge eyes, half shocked half laughing, «I mean, with a guy. Michael What's-his-name, no, Dean…» Ginny's fine eyebrows arched and her smile turned to sly,« It is over. With Michael and Dean. I've got loads of spare time now.»

Ginny was not leaning against the wall anymore and she stepped forward as he nervously added, « What about Ron?» Ginny shrugged, «Who?»

He finally indulged in bringing his hand to her flamboyant hair and he stroke the lock that was brushing against her cheek. When she threw her arms around his neck and he shyly smiled before kissing her, this time really kissing her, he could only think that the loveliest things in life, after all, could be found in a broom cupboard.


Now, will you find the time to look in your own cupboard to see if you have a review for me: ) ?