Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, would I be standing at the kitchen counter with my computer on a book about Ayurvedic Cooking listening to my brother murder "American Patrol"? Umm, no, I would be holed up in my own private library reading book after book and occasionally getting NEW books…therefore, you see, I am not JKR and I do not own it…wow I took a while to say that, but yeah. There it is.
Previously: Ginny and Remus come to—an understanding. They rather enjoy this understanding…on with the story.
Warnings for this Chapter: Some swearing, more kissing, some wicked humor…I think that's it…yeah, should be.
Chapter Fourteen: Christmas Comes But Once Each Year, in which Sirius and Hermione take a walk, and James and Lily meet with a certain plant. From the chapter title, one other event is presumable…
About ten minutes later (after a little bit more kissing) the flushed couple silently made their way back into the ballroom, holding hands a little timidly and talking quietly with each other. Ginny had suddenly dropped her normal, straightforward demeanor and become a bashful, lovesick girl clinging to her sweetheart's hand.
"Where were you?" Hermione appeared in front of them, hands on her hips. "And don't you dare tell me nowhere!"
"We went for a walk," Ginny said immediately. Remus nodded emphatically. Both teens' ears were turning red, however.
"Is that so?" Hermione said dubiously. Ginny blushed magenta. "If you say so. Ginny, I didn't know you could sing!"
"Well," Ginny said sheepishly. "I promised Remus I'd show him how I was on piano. I'm not really that great, 'Mione."
"I didn't know you were so musically inclined, Remus," Hermione commented. "You're really very good."
"Thanks," Remus said bashfully. Hermione's attention suddenly focused straight on the couple's gently clasped hands.
"Ahh!" she squealed happily. "Took you long enough! I must absolutely tell Lily, Remus and Ginny are finally together!" Remus and Ginny rolled their eyes at each other at the scene of Hermione's overzealous behavior.
"Hermione," Ginny tried, but the brunette was still jabbering furiously.
"Hermione," she said again, louder.
"What?"
"Remus and I aren't together," Ginny said softly. Remus's shoulders drooped. "Yet," she added mischievously.
"Oh, right, that's my cue," Remus said suddenly. "Ginny Weasley, would you like to—er, be my girlfriend?" Hermione smiled.
Ginny giggled, quite a switch from her normal frankness. She wasn't being at all normal and straightforward that night. "Of course, Remus!" she squealed happily. The petite redhead stood a little taller to kiss him gently on the cheek. "I was afraid you weren't going to ask," she said, voice returning to its normal tone and becoming wry again. "Just stay away from Ron and let me handle him, all right?" She made a wicked face in the direction of her brother, who remained thankfully oblivious to the couple's actions. Ginny liked it that way, although it was definitely not going to last. She could already picture his reaction.
"Good idea," Hermione said fervently. Remus looked a little scared. "Umm, Gin?" he asked tentatively.
"Hmm?"
"What did I get myself into here?" Ginny decided not to answer and just made another wicked face in Ron's direction.
"Ron's not necessarily good graces," Hermione said dryly, pushing a stray hair out of her eyes. "Just act really nice and decorously around him and you'll be home-free—he doesn't like anyone snogging in public."
"Unless it's him," Ginny said mutinously. "My brother's got all the emotional range of a teaspoon—and the sense of a bird."
"Well, that's nice to know," Remus said lightly. He bowed comically to Ginny. "May I have this dance, fair lady?"
"I was wondering when you would ask, brave knight," she teased him with a smile, as he led her onto the dance floor.
"Did I tell you how lovely you look tonight?" he whispered in her ear, sending slight shivers up the girl's spine as she looked up into his bright blue-gold eyes. They were filled with a depth of love she'd never encountered, and it made her feel warm up to the top.
"I don't believe so," she said, blushing a little, not like the vividly red blush she had become accustomed to around her new boyfriend.
"Well, you look like an angel, my dear Ginny."
She ducked her head in embarrassment.
Hermione sighed and smiled at the new couple.
"You look positively stunning tonight, Hermione," a voice said directly behind her. The startled teenaged girl must have jumped a foot and a half before she spun quickly around and recognized Sirius.
"Oh, er, thanks, Sirius." She blushed. Suddenly, her thoughts clamored for her to wake up. What's happening? I don't blush—I never blush, that's Ginny! Why am I acting like a silly, lovesick girl?
Sirius smiled. "You want to go for a walk?"
"Er, sure." Because I am.
Sirius led her out to the same place where Ginny and Remus had kissed earlier. Hermione picked a mask up off the bench.
"This is Ginny's," she commented, looking at it with a tiny smile, thinking about what probably had happened in this grove. "I'll give it back to her later."
"Hermione," Sirius interrupted. "Look, Hermione, I think I like you," he said bluntly, not beating around the bush at all. So much for tact, Sirius, he thought, studying the rather shocked brunette. Now she's going to think you're trying to get her, and she's going to get completely upset. I've been watching her long enough though, he decided, the tone of his thoughts becoming suddenly resolute. I've got to ask her out sometime. He was still decidedly nervous, not sure how his crush was going to respond to his outright declaration.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, dropping the mask in surprise. She picked it up slowly, thinking of what to say to the young man beside her. She then straightened, her eyes cold, her back ramrod straight as she said the words that were going to send the young man before her into a sort of grim despair. "You don't really mean it," she said softly. "I've heard about you. It's a different girl every week, Sirius. If you came out here to try to get me to be your girl for the week, you can think again. Sorry, I have to leave." Iron control could be heard in her voice. Sirius's head dropped into his hands as she stormed off.
"Well, you blew that one, Padfoot," he told himself. "Total disaster. Try to tell the girl you love her, and she storms off." He sat there a moment longer. He wished, just for a moment, that he had a father who cared for and understood him. Mr. Potter was nice, but he had James to worry over. Sometimes, Sirius wondered if there was really a place for him. Sirius Orion Black's head dropped further into his hands. Hogwarts couldn't come back soon enough for him. So much for a romantic evening.
BREAK
The next day, Ginny was in a difficulty. She'd have to talk to Ron about everything, not to mention that she'd forgotten to wrap her Christmas presents. She chanced a quick look in a spell-book she found on the shelf in her bedroom and found a wrapping charm, which she thankfully used on all the presents just sitting innocently on her bed, grateful for the magic that she could use in secrecy in the Mansion. She glared at them, muttering, "Bloody things. Bane of my existence."
She still didn't know what to say to Ron. She could go with, "Hey, Ron, look, I'm going out with Remus. Please don't murder him, he's a nice guy."
Or, how about, "Look, Ron, me and Remus got together, I really like him and he likes life"?
Or, maybe, "Hey, Ron, I've got a boyfriend, his name's Remus Lupin and I'll hex you into oblivion if you hurt him in any way, shape, or form. Understand?" She just sighed and carried her presents downstairs to the small living room where they were holding Christmas celebration.
It was only nine o'clock, so most of the occupants of the house were still asleep after the ball ended at midnight. Lily and James had somehow formed a compromise and now would "often hold civilized conversations"—or so they said, anyhow.
Ginny smiled mischievously and conjured a piece of mistletoe. She floated it to a spot over the door and hung it up. It was invisible unless you were already in the room, so she knew some couples were going to get caught.
Remus was the only other person in the room. He smiled at her antics and pulled her into the room, embracing her a little timidly. She smiled at him, hugging back tightly, and put the gifts under the smaller tree in this room.
"How'd you sleep?" she asked conversationally.
"Quite well," he replied, sitting down next to her on a small couch in the room. "You?"
"Great," she smiled. "This morning, however, I was plagued with thoughts of how to tell Ron that I would appreciate it if he left my love life to me."
"Oh," Remus said lamely. "Tell him that it's his business if he wants to talk to me," he said a little nervously.
"I was thinking something more along the lines of, 'Look, Ron, accept fate or I'll hex you,' but that works too."
"You're violent," he said.
"I know, hopelessly so," she said shamelessly. "It comes of growing up with five older brothers, dear sir. Everyone else is still asleep, then?"
"Far as I know," he shrugged. He shook his head "No, I spoke too soon. Look, here come James and Lily. Don't tell me…" His eyes flicked up to the mistletoe. Ginny nodded impishly, sticking her tongue out at the oblivious couple.
Ginny smiled mischievously. They stopped short in the doorway when they saw her devilish face, a little worried in spite of themselves.
"That look makes me nervous," James commented.
"What's so funny?" Lily asked anxiously, seeming as nervous as James. Remus pointed above the couple's heads. Lily looked up and sighed a little resignedly. James looked up and gasped in mysterious shock. Remus just looked questioningly at him. It was mistletoe; it was Christmas. It was nothing new.
"You pranked a Marauder!" he said in amazement. "Ginny, you never cease to amaze the unassuming. You're too small to be so devious!"
"I know, isn't it great?" Ginny agreed, tossing her curls.
"That was a strange comment," Remus observed.
"Well, you can't come out of there until you kiss," Ginny said, voice businesslike. "You know the rules." James rolled his eyes and looked at Lily.
"But I risk getting slapped," he whined.
"James," Lily said suddenly, "kiss me." He started and looked at Lily, as if to say, Someone smack me, I'm having a very good dream here.
"Fine," he said dubiously, leaning down and kissing the girl he'd loved for about four years now. He waited for the slap that never came. He pulled away quickly so he could protect himself, trying to ignore the shivers racing up and down his spine.
"James, I'm not going to slap you," Lily said in exasperation. "Just because you used to be an egotistical prat doesn't mean I really feel that I should slap you."
"You're kidding. So you don't think I'm an egotistical prat anymore?" James asked. "In that case, Lily Evans, would you like to be my girlfriend?"
"Of course!" Lily answered, smiling. James looked dumbstruck. "If you had tried to get me to be your friend earlier rather than just try to get me to be your girlfriend, things would have gone a lot smoother, James Andrew Potter."
"I didn't know that," he said sheepishly. "I was still young and stupid, Lily, don't hold it against me. I wasn't serious then."
"You never were; he's not here. I'm not holding it against you," Lily told him matter-of-factly. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently on the mouth. "I love you because of it."
"Took you long enough," Remus commented. "If all I'd've had to do to get James together with you and stopped from whining about his undeniable love for Lily was stick a piece of mistletoe over their heads, I would have done it ages ago."
"Gee, thanks, Moony. It's not like we've all been waiting for you and Ginny to get together, is it?" James said sarcastically. "Whoops, did I say that out loud?"
"Yes," Remus said with a smile. "Wish granted, Prongs. Happy Christmas, Ginny and I are dating." Lily squealed and hugged both of them. Remus shook his head.
"If I'd known that was going to happen, I wouldn't have said anything," he joked. Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "Aren't we mature?"
"Finally!" James exclaimed. "How long have we been waiting now?"
"Almost three months," Lily and Ginny said together.
"You counted?" James asked, bewildered.
"Yes. Kind of like Alice and Frank," Ginny observed. One hand clenched into a fist as she thought about the Alice she'd seen at St. Mungo's versus the pretty blonde she knew now. Voldemort was going down—even if she had to kill him herself.
She pressed down hard on Remus's hand reflexively. He looked up at her quizzically. "Voldemort," she mouthed. He nodded, understanding.
"It's a bit early to be up," Harry commented as he entered the room, stretching.
"You're just one of those crazy people who never does what he says are the rules," Ginny countered.
"Oh well," Harry said nonchalantly. "What's going on?"
"Well, it would appear that your parents finally got together," Ginny told the boy hero matter-of-factly.
"Really?" Harry had dropped the cup of hot chocolate he was holding. Using the quick reflexes any born Quidditch player had, Ginny caught the cup quickly before it shattered on the floor.
"Harry! You might want to be a little bit more careful in your dear young grandparents' house!" James teased.
"Oh, shut up, James," he muttered, "I didn't think you two would ever get to it."
"Well, surprise!" James conjured confetti to fall over Harry's head. Harry glared at James.
"He doesn't like your confetti, James," Lily said flatly.
"Big surprise there," Harry said sarcastically.
"Harry," Lily warned.
"Shutting up." His gaze transferred to Ginny and Remus. Ginny had handed him his drink and sat back down on the couch—or, well, Remus's lap. "Don't tell me," Harry said slowly, covering his eyes.
"Oh, yes, right, you don't know," Ginny blustered. "Remus and I are dating—well, sort of anyway," she blushed.
"Good, it took you long enough," Harry said fervently.
"Why is everyone saying that?"
"Because it did take a long time. You and Moony tiptoed around it ever since the Ron incident," James said seriously.
"Right," Harry agreed emphatically. "Uh-oh, man of the moment, here comes Ron now." Ginny sighed gustily, head dropping into her hands. She was the complete picture of a dejected younger sister. Lily giggled at the look of Ginny compared to her boyfriend's resigned but slightly scared expression. Then her head jerked up with good-natured dismay. She looked suddenly toward Ron and back at the other occupants of the room.
"Dammit," Ginny said suddenly, snapping her fingers. "I didn't have time to think of a decent biting speech."
"Ginny, language," Remus, Lily, and Harry said together.
"Shut up," she waved them off.
Ron walked into the room and immediately saw her sister on Remus's lap.
"What the hell is going on?" he yelled. "What is my sister doing in your lap, Remus? What happened yesterday that no one bothered to tell me about?"
"Well," Ginny began, torturously slow. "There's not a lot to tell. You see, Remus and I—er, talked last night. We found we had a lot in common, and we liked each other. In short, we're dating each other, all right? Don't even draw your wand, Ronald Arthur Weasley. And I am not joking. Not at all. Put it away." Ron sputtered an excuse. "No, Ronald, I am not going to take this. Remus is not Dean or anyone else, and you're going to leave him alone. You can't argue here," she interrupted when he opened his mouth again.
"I don't even want to know if they've had this conversation before," James whispered to Harry.
"Hmm, probably twice. There was Michael Corner—and then there was Dean Thomas, but those were just flings, I guess," Harry returned.
"Oh, okay," Remus whispered back, even though he hadn't been part of the original conversation. "She sounds awfully practiced. I'm sure this conversation has been used for more than just that one thing, though."
"Well, whatever I do must immediately be relayed to Ron," Ginny said sarcastically, throwing a dirty look at her brother. "We've had the 'put away your wooden stick that blasts colored light when it actually works' conversation at least fifteen times in my present—sorry, future memory. Although it seems more like fifteen hundred times."
"Ginny," Ron whined.
"Shut up," she said without batting an eyelash. "Remus and I deserve this, Mr. Won-Won. Don't think I didn't notice you and 'Lav-Lav' last year. I can see as well as the next person." Ron blushed and stowed his wand in his back pocket.
"Don't do that!" Harry and Ginny exclaimed in mock horror. "Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, you know. Constant vigilance!"
"Who let Moody in?" Hermione joked as she entered the room, followed closely by a depressed-looking Sirius.
"I know, that man," Ginny laughed.
"Well, to quote a great wizard, 'He sounds exactly like Moody. "Constant vigilance!" You'd think I walk around with my eyes shut, banging off the walls…'" Hermione teased. "He seemed upset about something when he told me that."
"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. "That was right before the damned Yule Ball that I took Parvati to. I was on tenterhooks—you know how I can't dance."
"Could've fooled me," Hermione muttered. "You and Lynn were getting on right well, if I read the signs in the right way."
Harry flushed. "She's a good dancer—she led me."
"Sure," Hermione said knowingly. Ginny winked at him.
"You're not suggesting that Harry has a crush on Lynn?" Ron asked, a little incredulous—as always.
"Trust me, I think they are," Remus said dryly. "We men are always the last to see it, you know."
"Finally figured it out?" Ginny said cheekily.
"Watch it, Miss Weasley," Lily teased.
"Shut up, Lily." She sat on the couch, steepled her fingers before her, and said, "So who's up for presents? Or is it food?"
"You know," James said hesitantly, "that's not an easy question."
"Yeah, it's presents," Sirius said, pained. "Or food," he added longingly. He looked up at the ceiling as if waiting for divine intervention.
"The two greatest loves of Sirius's life," Remus said dryly.
"Well, since we're here, why don't we open presents?" Ginny said practically. "Then we can go find something to eat."
"Sounds good," the noncommittal comments came from the rest of the group. Ginny clapped her hands and said, "To business, then."
"Everyone open mine first," Lily insisted.
"Fine," the room muttered. "No problem," James added with a smile. Lily just smiled back. Ginny passed around everyone's presents from Lily.
Ron ripped off his paper first (surprise, surprise) to find a poster of a Muggle soccer team. Lily had obviously charmed the poster's occupants into movement.
"Wow, Lily! Thanks!" he exclaimed. "Maybe now I'll understand all this soccer nonsense Dean yattered about for years."
"I've been meaning to ask you about that," Remus interrupted. "Is this Dean Thomas character related to our Mike at all?"
"Most likely—he's a black 'Muggle-born' kid at school in our time," Ginny confirmed. "He's a little odd, if I do say so myself."
"Well, who was going out with him?" Harry asked. "Definitely not me," he added with a smile.
"Ugh, Harry, shut your mouth before you put your foot in it any more than you already have," Hermione said with a disgusted look on her face.
"Hermione! Nice to know no one supports me."
"Live with it," Hermione said carelessly. She next tore off the wrapping paper on her present to reveal a book—what else?
"Ohh! Lily, I don't know how—where'd you find something like this?" Hermione squealed, showing them all the book, entitled Befuddling Magic: The Ultimate Book for Tricky Magical Questions, by Jenny Arthurs.
"Flourish and Blott's—in Hogsmeade."
"I've got to check out their selection sometime," Hermione said, already opening the book and reading like mad.
"Hermione, wait, I'm sure there are other books there," Ginny teased.
But Ginny was soon distracted when James opened his present. He pulled out—wait for it—another book! This one read, Saucy Tricks for Tricky Sorts. James gasped and hugged it to his chest.
"What is it, Prongs?" Sirius asked casually from a chair across the room.
"Saucy Tricks, Padfoot!" he squealed, sounding uncannily like a girl. "Lily, you are the Marauders' new best friend," James stated officiously. "We'll have to give you a name as soon as possible."
"And Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I don't get one?" Ginny asked in mock-offense.
"Why would we give you nicknames?" Sirius sniffed disdainfully.
"Because," Ginny said, as if it explained everything.
"Later, maybe," James said carelessly. "Hey, Harry, open yours and see what Mum gave you for Christmas," he teased, bringing Lily's hand into contact with his head. "Oww! Lily, what was that for?"
"That comment was unnecessary," Lily said stiffly. Harry shrugged and opened his Christmas present from—well, his mum.
It was—a book.
"What did you do, Lily, go crazy at Flourish and Blott's?" Hermione laughed. Ginny looked exasperated, having remembered Hermione's interminable trips to the bookstore.
"Well, I suppose," Lily floundered.
"Powers You Never Knew You Had and What to Do with Them Now You've Wised Up?" Harry asked.
"Wasn't that one of the books you had out during the second task?" Hermione asked. "Before Ron was so interesting and such a hero," she added in an irritated tone of voice. "For getting put underwater by flipper-prone people—in an enchanted lake. I think it was a book you had out."
"You have a photographic memory," Ron muttered. "And I wasn't that bad. So the girls thought I was a hero."
"Yeah, I think so anyway," Harry said carelessly, effectively cutting off any argument between the two. "Maybe there's a section in here—How to Get Rid of a Psychotic Dark Lord Who's Been Trying to Kill You Since Birth. Hmm." He opened the book and scanned the table of contents, exaggerated faces of shock or surprise written all over his face.
"Nope. Nothing on love, either, and that's all Dumbledore would say I had." Harry sighed and sat down with the huge book on his lap.
"Wait, wait," Sirius said as he peeled back one edge of his paper. "I know—it's a Transfiguration text."
"Charms, actually," Lily deadpanned. "Go on, keep unwrapping," she ordered.
"Fine, fine! Didn't mean to upset the Great Mistress," Sirius muttered. He finished, and looked at it. "A bloody book. Merlin, Lily! You really did go crazy at Flourish and Blott's!"
Sirius opened various presents at a rather alarming speed, his last choice being a book from Hermione on Transfiguration.
"Well, I figured since you're an Ani—good at Transfiguration," she interrupted herself with a blush.
"Nice one, Hermione," Ginny smiled. Hermione blushed brighter and picked up another present with her name on it from under it.
"Who's this from?" she asked no one in particular. No one answered. She shrugged and pulled away the paper. It revealed a box. She opened the box carefully and gasped in surprise.
She pulled out a shirt, a beautiful deep blue, with transfigureable words. Right now, they read, "SORRY" in soft yellow. There was a red heart and a small dog following it. Hermione's eyes found Sirius's blue ones and she mouthed, "Thank you," at him. He looked down in embarrassment, then looked back into Hermione's chocolate-brown orbs.
"Okay, so what happened last night?" Remus whispered to Ginny. Ginny just shrugged noncommittally.
"I don't know," she said, perplexed.
"Well, looks like it's fixed now," James said diplomatically. Hermione and Sirius still hadn't dropped each other's gazes.
"Well," Ginny said loudly. She saw a familiar lumpy package under the tree. "Oh no," she heard Ron mutter as he saw it. She pulled the package from under the tree. There was a card there. She pulled it off and opened it.
"Dear Ginny-the-Fourth-Cousin," she read aloud with a slight smile, "This was the best I could do on such short notice. I heard your brother Ron was also here, so I covered him as well. Best Regards, Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charlie, and Percy Weasley." She smiled at Ron, a little sardonically. "Oh, look! Mum sent us both lovely Weasley jumpers! And what do you want to bet that yours is maroon and mine's blue?"
"No betting. She'll even like that horrid color now," Ron said, covering his eyes. Ginny ripped open the paper. Sure enough, there was a maroon sweater with a big letter "R" on the front in gold. Underneath was a blue sweater with a "G" on it. Ginny smiled mischievously and yanked the sweater over Ron's head. Then she pulled hers on over her long-sleeved shirt. She prodded the "G" with her wand. Ron looked at her like she was crazy before the "G" disappeared into a patch of the same blue wool.
"Can I change the color?" he asked in awe.
"Try," she suggested. He easily changed the color to burgundy-red, half a shade lighter.
"And that's different because?" Hermione asked.
"Hey, that was an accident!" Ron exclaimed.
Later, after breakfast and the rest of the presents, the eight teens returned to the living room. Ginny, still wearing her mother's sweater with a flower she'd received from Remus in her hair, told stories about all the times Ron had gotten a maroon sweater before, having them all in stitches of laughter before much later.
BREAK
A/N: Wow am I getting constant! Second day in a row!
As before, this romance sucks, but oh well, live with it, cuz it's the best I can do. In case you were wondering why there are a lot of secondary characters, it's because GINNY and REMUS are the main characters so much that they overshadow everyone else and they get little story space…I'm sorry. If you want more main characters, read my other stories. This one is old and I'm still working on refining my style—obviously, I'm only thirteen…LOL.
I'm hoping for any constructive criticism possible on this story, so if anyone has anything to add that I may have missed out (and not that Ginny has brown eyes, I know but I don't care. I needed her eyes to be that color in this story), PLEASE tell me.
Lotsa love from your friendly Aussieland writer,
LysPotter