A/N: This was supposed to be the last chapter, but I wrote 1,200 words going in a different direction and didn't like it - it felt too much like scenes I've done in In Case of Emergency and Reversing Course; Harry and Ginny teasing each other at the Burrow when no one else knows they're together. So I scrapped that bit and started the chapter in a different place. I'm happy with where it went, even though it surprised me by going a bit darker than I planned - the story was supposed to be almost completely fluff, but it's hard to write about the end of Harry's 6th year without mentioning what was going on in canon. So here is the result. And as for the teasing at the Burrow scene, it's not abandoned, it's just going to be a bit different. If it ends up very different from what I've already written, I'll post the trashed version as well too, since I hate writing something and then abandoning it.

Ron, Harry and Ginny were leaving for the Burrow in the morning, and before that, Harry told Ginny, he had to talk to her. They were sitting in the common room at the time, ostensibly reviewing a new Chaser formation Harry wanted to implement for the upcoming match against Ravenclaw but really sending each other notes back and forth on the charmed parchment. The topic of whether Ron would ever admit to liking Hermione to her face had occupied an amusing half hour but when Ginny mentioned trying to get him to confess over the Easter holiday in front of the entire family, Harry leaned in.

"We need to talk about that," he muttered under his breath while feigning interest in the moving shapes on the parchment in front of them. "Can you figure out a diversion?"

Ginny gave a tiny nod. "I need to get my broom and equipment from the shed still," she murmured back. "I let it go until now in case we needed an excuse to get away."

"Brilliant," Harry breathed out. "And I need to . . . close up the shed and changing rooms, right? My duty as a captain demands it."

"It does," Ginny agreed solemnly. "We should go right now."

Ron gave Harry a significant look when he and Ginny mentioned going to clean out the broom shed, nodding his head and gesturing so blatantly that Harry would have wanted to hex him if he'd actually still been harboring his secret crush. As it was, he and Ginny barely made it out of the portrait hole before dissolving into laughter.

"I almost asked Ron what spell he was practicing, waving his arm like that," Ginny giggled.

Harry kissed her as they walked down the empty corridor, keeping his eyes out for other students. "I almost wished you had," he said. "I'd have loved to see what he answered. Although actually, that's kind of related to what I wanted to talk to you about." The door leading from the castle to the Quidditch pitch opened ahead of Ginny and she peered outside. "Coast is clear," she announced, reaching back to grab his hand. "What do you want to talk to me about?"

The evening was chilly; it was late March, after all, and Harry put his arm around Ginny as they walked. They'd figured out how to manage their height difference and now moved in easy tandem down the pathway. He waited until the pitch was in view before he answered.

"I want to tell everyone about us. Your family, I mean. They deserve to know." Harry had been thinking about it over the past few days and he knew what he wanted to do, and why. He had a lot more to say, but he also knew to wait for Ginny to respond first.

"This is about more than you not wanting to go an entire week without a snog," she said after a quiet moment. She gave a small laugh. "Because I wouldn't say they deserve to know about that." She twisted to look at Harry, pulling them both to a stop.

He shuffled next to her. "Well, yeah," he said. "Although I also don't want to go a week having to sneak around and lie and worry about getting caught. But it's more than that."

"Something noble and unnecessary, I imagine," Ginny said. She wrapped her arm back around his waist and looked up at him, her expression at once fond and exasperated. "You feel guilty that you might be putting me in danger." She lightly touched two fingers to Harry's lips to quiet his response. "And I know there's nothing I can say to make you believe that your guilt is completely misplaced, so I might as well just go along with your plan."

If Harry had ever needed proof that he and Ginny were meant for each other (which he didn't), her immediate understanding would have been more than enough. He sighed against her hair. "You're right, of course." Now it was his turn to quiet Ginny, which he did by reaching bending down to give her a kiss.

"But this isn't just because of me," he said finally. This was the part he'd been wanting to avoid but knew he couldn't. "I talked to Dumbledore." They began walking again, the looming dusk making their conversation feel more private. Harry took a deep breath.

"At our . . . meetings, he's teaching me things." He knew this wasn't news to her.

Ginny nodded. "Important things, that will hopefully help you survive," she said calmly, repeating what Harry had already told her.

He nodded. "Dumbledore told me I could share, that I should share what I'm learning with Ron and Hermione." He stopped again and turned to face her. The trust on her face was evident and Harry wished he could just stand there and kiss her instead of telling her what he had to. He took a deep breath.

"But when I asked, he told me that I can't tell you." It had been a night he'd come very close to shouting at the Headmaster, who'd continued to insist, calmly - maddeningly calmly - that Harry not share with Ginny what he'd been learning about Horcruxes or Voldemort's connection to them. Even Harry's argument that Ginny knew more about them than most anyone, having been possessed by one, didn't dissuade the man. Only his final explanation, that it could be unaccountably dangerous for Ginny to know anything right now had finally ended Harry's insistence. Unaccountably dangerouswas not something he wanted to think too much about. Now he shook his head.

"Professor Dumbledore said it would be safer for you not to know right now," he finished, easing his explanation a bit. He wasn't ready to let his mind go as far as the Headmaster's obviously had. He brushed his hand down Ginny's cheek. "I want to tell you, I swear. But I can't."

Harry knew he didn't have to apologize, and that Ginny would understand and accept. Now she nodded briskly. "I'm a year younger than you lot," she said. "You'll be of age this summer and Ron and Hermione already are. I expect that makes a difference."

Harry sighed. "This would be a lot easier if I was just trying to find an excuse to snog you in front of your family," he said glumly.

Ginny laughed. "If I can believe you'll actually do it once you tell them we're together, then I fully support you making the announcement over Easter dinner. But do you want to tell Ron and Hermione first?" They'd reached the broom shed and Harry pulled Ginny inside.

"Actually, I kind of like the idea of trying to sneak around the Burrow for a day or two first before we tell everyone." Harry left the door cracked open just enough to dimly light the space and the racks of school and personal brooms stored there. There were a couple of wooden boxes on the ground that held the balls used in matches and Harry sat down on one that wasn't shaking. "Come here," he said roughly, reaching out.

Ginny silently straddled Harry's lap, rising up so he could slip his hands under her bum and wiggle her into place. Her sharp intake of breath would have let him know he'd found the right spot, even if his own surge of pleasure had not. They rocked together silently, trailing hands up and down each other's backs. The air smelled of Quidditch and Ginny and the only sounds were the soft panting of her breath against his neck and the faint creaking of the crate beneath them. Then Ginny reached down and slipped her hands into the back of Harry's trousers and Harry was so surprised he cried out. Ginny hadn't yet touched a lot of his bare skin, below the waist at least. Now her hands cupped his backside and Harry wasn't sure if he wanted to return the favor or just revel in the sensation of skin against skin. Everything he'd been worrying about - what kind of danger Dumbledore thought Ginny might be in, what her family would think about Harry putting her in that danger - melted away for that moment when he felt Ginny's hands on him. He let his head fall against her chest, feeling the soft fabric of her winter cloak on his cheek. He spread his legs wider on the crate and thrust up, nearly standing for a moment as he held Ginny against him. Neither of them spoke.

And Harry thought about what it might be like, someday, to be with Ginny without any of those worries. It was a place he rarely allowed his thoughts to go, lest he get his hopes up too high and lose the focus of what needed to be done first. But he knew he wanted it - wanted Ginny without any distractions. It was too big to think about living his entire life without the specter of Voldemort; Harry couldn't even begin to imagine what that might be like. But having moments like this with Ginny, having more of her, or all of her, without fear or worry or interruption - Harry could somehow imagine that. He pushed against her again and thought of lying with her in a bed, cuddled together against a cold winter's day and nowhere to go except to each other. She dropped a kiss to his neck.

The box they were sitting on gave a sudden thump, startling Harry out of the moment. Ginny pulled her head back and stared at him before her shock eased and her face relaxed. They both laughed and Harry wrapped his arms tightly around Ginny again. "That feels . . . interesting, that vibrating," he said. "I can feel it in my bits."

Ginny laughed again and moved in Harry's lap and he groaned. "I can feel that in my bits too," he said.

"I hope it feels better than the Bludger," she said dryly.

"You've been hit with a Bludger," Harry pointed out. "What do you think?"

Ginny wiggled again. "I think I like the way it feels in my bits too. I definitely didn't like the Bludger." She lay her head against Harry's shoulder and snuggled into him. "Although I liked it afterwards, on the training table."

"Me too," said Harry. "I hadn't realized until then how sexy your back is. I'd always been much more interested in your front." He tickled his hands underneath Ginny's shirt. "It's so smooth and soft."

Ginny moaned. "Keep doing that, Harry," she said. "It feels so good."

Harry moved his hands again. "I want to do this lying in a bed with you," he said. "So I can reach all your parts." It was a fantasy that had been fueling his showers ever since he'd healed Ginny from the Bludger hit the week before, Ginny lying on her stomach while Harry sat straddled across the back of her thighs. Eventually she'd roll over, but what they did next Harry wasn't sure; so far he'd always climaxed before his daydream got that far. "When we get back from Easter break I'll sneak you up to my dormitory," he promised. "And set about a millions wards."

Ginny was rocking intently against Harry and didn't answer. He forced himself to sit still and let her move the way she wanted, slightly fascinated to discover what exactly felt the best to her. Usually when he and Ginny were pressed together like this, there was quite a bit of thrusting, but now Ginny's movements were tighter and more controlled. She wrapped her legs around Harry's back and squeezed herself against him, breathing heavily. Harry touched her chin and she looked up at him; he bent his head and kissed her deeply. She made a small sound low in her throat and suddenly, waiting a week to lie with Ginny in a bed seemed an interminably long time.

Harry moved to kissing Ginny's neck. "Or at the Burrow," he mumbled, his mind still on beds.

Ginny pushed against him a little harder. "What's at the Burrow?" she asked.

"A bed," Harry said. "I bet I could set enough wards on your door."

Ginny barked a laugh. "Bill's coming home," she said. "If you can set a ward he can't break, I'd like to see it." She eased the grip of her legs around Harry's waist and tilted her head back and Harry obliged by moving his lips down her skin. Ginny seemed perfectly content to let him kiss her, even though just moments before she'd been pushing herself into his erection. He was pretty sure she hadn't climaxed; that was something he'd had yet to see, although the thought of how he might get her there had been occupying more of his thoughts lately.

He pushed Ginny's hair away from her shoulder and bent his head. "Isn't Fleur coming home with him?" he asked. "I expect she'll keep him fairly distracted."

Ginny sighed. "I forgot about that," she said. "I wonder what old Pflegmis going to think of our Easter dinner; I'm sure it's nowhere near as 'elegante' as they have in France."

Harry knew better than to argue that Fleur actually wasn't that bad. "If she keeps Bill from breaking into your room, it'll be worth having her there," he said instead.

Ginny leaned back and looked at him. "You're really serious?" she asked. "About snogging me in my childhood bedroom?"

"I hope so," answered Harry. "Otherwise it's going to be a very long week." He knew it was getting late; he carefully lifted Ginny off his lap and slowly stood up after her, rubbing his legs where they'd gone a bit numb. "But I suppose we should see exactly how your family reacts when we tell them we're together." He didn't add that he wanted to wait to see if her parents seemed at all concerned about their only daughter taking up with someone who'd been chased by a dark wizard his entire life. "If they all seem intent on hexing me, then maybe your bedroom will have to wait."

Ginny had straightened her clothes and now she was looking critically at Harry's middle. "That's not the only thing that has to wait," she said, gesturing. She bit her lip. "Is it terribly uncomfortable? Usually you . . . finish."

Harry shrugged and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay," he said. He grinned wryly down at her. "I mean, it's not the first time I've had to manage that myself. I fancied you for a long time before you knew."

"Oh, right," said Ginny. "Ohhhh." She looked at him. "Are you going to . . . tonight?" A faint blushed climbed her cheeks.

Harry was feeling bold. "Probably, yes," he said. In his arms, Ginny made a small sound and he tilted back to look at her. "Does that bother you?" He wasn't sure what he'd do if she said it bothered her.

Ginny shook her head. "Not at all no," she said.

There was an odd timbre in her voice and when Harry looked, it seemed Ginny's blush had deepened. He felt a new throb between his legs. "Do you . . . umm . . . think about me?" That was all he could bring himself to ask; he assumed she'd understand.

In response, Ginny buried her face in the front of Harry's shirt. "Yes," she mumbled. "Sometimes." She looked shyly up at him. "After the Bludger hit me."

That made Harry feel like he'd been hit by a Bludger too. He swallowed hard and kind of wished Ginny was still sitting across his lap. It was one thing for a bloke to do that, but he'd never really considered that girls - Ginny - might. And while she was thinking about him? This was an issue that would need more exploring.

"I think this is something that needs more discussion," he said to her. "When we have more time."

"Like alone in my warded room after you've told my family that we're together," nodded Ginny. There was a glint of humor in her eye. "I think that will be the perfect time."

Harry played along. "Sounds good to me," he said, leaning down to kiss her. "I wish we didn't have to go back to the castle right now." He wasn't sure exactly what he wanted instead - to be alone more with Ginny, yes, but not necessarily to continue their snog. He just wanted to be with her and not have it feel rare and fleeting. He didn't want to have to look at his watch or worry about making sure they finished their conversation because they knew another one would be coming whenever they wanted. He wanted the comfort of monotony, not that he thought a single moment with Ginny would ever be monotonous. But right now he felt like these moments with Ginny would never be enough, and yet they had to be.

Slowly, the gathered themselves together and put their cloaks back on. Ginny remembered that they needed to return with their brooms and Harry made sure the door to the shed was firmly sealed behind them.

They didn't speak for the first part of the walk back. Harry's thoughts were swirling around thoughts of how to tell family about the two of them without anyone asking about what that might mean to Voldemort. Interspersed with that worry was Ginny's voice, muffled by his shirt, as she admitted that she thought about him. The contrast between the two topics was nearly dizzying. Harry didn't know what kept Ginny silent, but by the pensive look on her face he thought he could imagine. Only when the castle loomed before them did Harry stop and turn towards Ginny. "It's going to be okay," he said simply. "We're going to be okay."

Ginny smiled at him, and if it didn't quite reach her eyes, Harry couldn't blame her. "I know," she said.