A/N: Hey everyone! First, I would like to thank you all for helping me reach over 500 reviews on this story! I love and thank you all for your support. It tells me that I am, at the very least, a half-decent writer. Now that we've reached that goal, let us now make a new goal of 1,000 reviews for this story! I really have a feeling that we can make it to that. :)

Also, I've been seeing a lot of people on here saying that they accidentally skipped chapter 37 and read chapter 38 instead. So, if you accidentally missed chapter 37, be sure to go back and read it. As there are some rather important things that go on in the chapter. :)

Review questions:

Guest: "I was thinking.. he has lopper through books and stuff, but since he has the Stone - couldn't he Call Merlin.. og cadmus peverell? Just a thought."

I had thought of this as well, but then I wondered if a person could only use the stone to only see the dead people that they knew when they were alive. It makes sense to only be able to call forth those people instantly, because of the connection they had when they were still alive. Thanks for the question! :)

: "Aside from minor spelling and grammatical errors, the only major issue I had was that it tends to drag a bit. I find myself starting to skim paragraphs instead of reading. Perhaps try cutting down on some of the mental dialogue and whatnot? Other than that, I anxiously await your next chapters!"

Really? So strange that we like different things while reading… One of my favorite parts to reading a book is to read the mental dialogue of the characters! Because, then you really get a deeper look at their mindset. Otherwise, why even bother reading when you could just watch a movie? But I respect your viewpoint, though I probably won't be cutting down anything. What can I say? I love writing my inner dialogue. Also, since I'm writing my own book (plus my two jobs) and I mainly only write this fanfic on the side, I don't devote any time to editing this story. Generally, I just write it all out in one go, then post it before moving onto the next writing challenge. So, there will be at least some spelling and grammatical errors as a result. Hope that you guys can look past it…

Dreaming Haven: "Good chapter, I liked the duel. I hope you have more of Harry and Ginny by themselves. It would be really nice to have them have another picnic or him surprise her in her dorm again. It seems like now that they are together they have smaller scenes together. Hope you update soon."

I noticed that some people had somehow accidentally skipped reading chapter 37. Did you accidentally skip it as well? Because most of that chapter is devoted to a long conversation between Harry and Ginny (and yes, they are alone! ;)!) Other than that, of course there is going to be plenty more fluff when it comes to Harry and Ginny! I just figure that since their relationship is so new, it will take a bit of time for them to get used to being all cutesy with each other. But don't worry… I'm sure that Harry will soon work up the nerve to fly up to Ginny's dorm again!

Dobby99: "...I understand why Harry's parents and Sirius don't want him to continue this, when he neglects his studies and all, but why can't he tone it down a little, focus more on his studies, but continue his research slower? He doesn't have to be obsessed with it, but he could at least "potter" at it. (I'm sorry xD)"

Damn you! How did you know that I love a good pun?! :) And as to your question, I figure that he has spent a month slacking on his responsibilities, so he now has to catch up. Also, I think that his parents tend to think that it has become a bit of an unhealthy obsession, so they want him to just let the matter go… making peace that they can only interact with Harry through the stone.

17wilsonh: "Well I just read it all and it was fabulous! I know that Harry and Ginny only just got together, but since they've been having fantasies about each other for much longer they could have a more lemony smut scene soon. Great writing, interesting storyline, and can't wait for more!"

I know that there has been some wondering about whether or not I would add lemon to this story. But no worries, there will be lemon. But it won't be coming all that fast paced, because I really want to explore their sexual relationship realistically. Ginny is only fifteen, and this is Harry's first real relationship. Neither of them would know what to do when it comes to sex. It will be awkward and slow-going… and that's all that I'm going to say. ;)

But this also comes to a warning to those who are squeamish about reading smut. Though, if all of the wanking hasn't offended you, yet, then I suppose that you should be alright with consensual sex.

Guest: "Love your story so so much! Will you make other fanfics? I love your style of writing and after this fic, you should definetly begin other ones!"

I was actually thinking that I would maybe write another fanfic after this one... I was thinking that I would write a HP Time-Travel fic, but instead of Harry going back in time and fixing everything, it would be Ginny who goes back in time. She would combine her adult subconscious with her younger self and she would try to steer Harry in the right direction, to prepare him for the war. But, there is also the matter of trying to get Harry to fall in love with Ginny again. Or even just trying to become his friend so that he would trust her opinions on what he should do when the time comes. She would find both of these more difficult than she originally thought.

But it wouldn't be written until after I am done with 'Rejection'... and there are MANY more chapters in this story to come. I also don't even know if I would be up for writing the time-travel fic...

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Please remember to leave me your lovely reviews! I love reading them and they help to encourage me to write faster. :)

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Chapter Thirty-Six

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All day long, Harry had watched Hermione go from class to class in a flurry of excitement.

It was amusing to both him and Ron to watch her get so worked up about Hogwarts Unity Day... Though, Harry had to admit, that the education aspect of the day wasn't as bad as he had thought it would be... in fact, he found that learning what made each Hogwarts house so great to be rather fascinating.

For example, in Charms, they were taught how a former Hufflepuff Professor in the sixteenth century had once defended Hogwarts from bloodthirsty vampires by using only one charm... the sunshine charm. And they had then been taught how to conjure the very charm in question.

And in Potions, Slughorn had told them of an epidemic that had swept through Hogwarts in the fifteenth century, and how a former Slytherin professor had brewed a number of different concoctions for twelve days straight in order to find a cure. Then, they had brewed the very potion the professor had founded.

Needless to say, Harry found it all rather fascinating. But he could also tell that his peers didn't feel quite the same, and they were more looking forward to the Hogwarts Unity Day Ball than anything else... especially all of the girls.

Harry found himself to be excited for the ball, as well. He knew that he and Hermione were bound to have a good time tonight, and that he would at least get to have a few dances with Ginny.

In fact, he and Hermione had practiced dancing during their free period all week - a secret he kept from Ginny, as he wanted to surprise her with his improved dancing skills.

He also had some more free time this week due to Dumbledore's absence, as he had been away on Wizengamont business all week.

A part of Harry would have liked to say that he had used that free time wisely... by challenging himself in perfecting his dueling skills, or perhaps studying ancient magic and spells... But he did neither of those things. Instead, he had grabbed Ginny away from her Transfiguration essay and, together, they found a deserted place to snog in...

Looking back at the memory now, Harry still could say that he didn't regret the way he chose to spend his time, at all…

"Harry…!" Ginny giggled, holding tight to his hand as he dragged her along behind him. "Where are you taking me? Don't you have your training with Dumbledore to get to?"

Harry suddenly stopped, and turned, quickly pecking her on the lips, before tightening his grip on her hand and pulling her along, once again.

"He's gone on Wizengamont business all week." Harry said, looking back at her to flash her a randy grin. "Apparently, the Wizengamont couldn't go without their Chief Warlock. Which means that…"

Harry paused as they turned down an empty corridor… and with a grin, Harry pulled her into a hidden alcove that was casted in dark shadows. "...I have the night off…" Harry finished with a whisper, not wasting any time in pulling Ginny flush against him.

"Really?" Ginny whispered, her voice low and sultry sounding. She pressed closer, bringing her hands up to run over the toned muscles on his chest. She leaned her face upwards, her lips just barely touching his. "And you chose to spend your free time with me?"

Harry could feel the ghost of her smile against his lips. And he found himself intoxicated as they exchanged breaths of air between them… her lips still tasting of the peach cobbler pie that she had eaten earlier at the dinner feast.

"Yes." Harry gasped, finding himself completely under her spell… and enjoying it, no less.

Harry felt her lips stretch wider, her growing grin telling him that he had pleased her.

"Lucky me."

With a miniscule shake of his head, Harry immediately contradicted her. "No. I'm the lucky one."

Ginny slowly stuck the tip of her tongue out, tracing the outline of his bottom lip, causing Harry to shudder. Before, in a bold move that she had never done before, took that very lip between her teeth… only pressing down hard enough to leave indents in his skin.

Harry gasped, feeling his cock quickly fill with the blood that must have been in his brain… as his mind quickly became foggy with want and desire. His hands suddenly couldn't stop wandering over the expanse of her clothed back… wishing more than anything that he could be touching nothing but her bare skin in at moment.

Ginny released his lip, and pulled back slightly to look into his eyes. "Let us agree to disagree on that one, yeah?"

Harry chose not to answer. Instead, he dramatically pulled her lips to his, by clutching the sides of her face and latching on to those soft and pliable lips…

They immediately started to snog. And Merlin, was it magical. It got better every time that they did it, and Harry didn't know whether that was because they were improving their technique together, or that he merely forgot each time how amazing kissing Ginny Weasley was… He sure didn't mind reeducating himself, if that was the case…

Harry grinned as he looked back at the memory… It was the last time that they had been able to spend time alone this week - due to the Professors giving their weekend homework to them early, so that they would be free to enjoy the ball without worries. And the memory of their shared night together had gotten Harry so worked up, that afterwards, he had to exploded as soon as he had gotten back to his dorm and touched his throbbing dick.

For the rest of the week, he had used that memory for ammunition to his fantasies… when he was in bed, late at night… He used that, along with images of a soaked Ginny in nothing but her white knickers that day at the Weasley pond…

Harry shuddered just at the thought. That memory was a sure-fire way to get him to spurt his load, if he ever found himself turned on, but in a hurry.

"Where's your mind at, mate?" Ron asked him suddenly, effectively drawing Harry out from his own thoughts as though he had a bucket of cold water dumped over his head…

Harry tried to stifle the redness that wanted to overcome his cheeks, as he answered, "Oh, you know. Just wondering if all these dancing lessons actually paid off so that I won't embarrass Hermione, tonight…"

It was easy enough for Harry to get Ron to believe his lie. Seeing as all that he had to do was bring up Hermione, and Ron would suddenly go silent and get lost in thought.

They were both sitting in their dorm room, on their respective beds, throwing a quaffle back and forth to each other. Harry looked down, and realized that he had been holding on to the quaffle in his hand for quite a bit of time… Shaking his head at his wandering mind, Harry proceeded to throw the quaffle back over to Ron - who was startled out of his own thoughts at the unexpected return of it.

Ron frowned slightly, his eyebrows puckered, and a perplexed expression on his face. "Why is it that girls need so long to get ready for a bloody ball, anyways?"

Ron threw the quaffle to Harry, who effectively caught it. Harry held onto it as he thought over his answer… In truth, he didn't quite understand why it took girls so long to get ready, either. The very minute that classes ended for the day, it seemed that all of the girls - at least that ones who were allowed to attend the ball - had up and disappeared to their dorms to "get ready, as there was only so much time that we have left to do so!"

That had been three hours earlier. Three bloody hours! Harry, especially, had been disappointed. Because as soon as classes had ended, he had rushed off to find Ginny to spend time with her before the ball, but she had told him that she hadn't the time! Then Hermione had come along and bloody well dragged Ginny away from him up the stairs to the Girl's Dormitory. He hadn't even been able to sneak in a kiss before she had been effectively stolen away from him!

"I don't know, mate." Harry confided to Ron, just as confused as he was. "It doesn't make any bloody sense to me…" Before he threw the quaffle back to Ron.

Ron caught it just as Neville opened their door and walked into their shared dorm. "Hiya, Harry. Ron."

"Hey, Nev." Harry greeted, while Ron merely grunted in acknowledgement, clearly still bothered by his thoughts of Hermione.

Neville went and sat on his own bed, as he asked. "What are you guys up to?"

"Just tossing a quaffle around and wondering why it is that girls take so long to bloody get ready for a ruddy ball." Ron stated, before holding up the quaffle to Neville in offering. "You want in?"

Neville snickered at their topic of choice, before getting up from his bed and pulling out the desk chair and positioning it between Harry and Ron's beds. "Sure."

Ron tossed the quaffle to Neville who, in turn, tossed it to Harry.

"You know that I asked Luna the very same question." Neville confided to them. "Asked her why she needed so long to get ready…"

Ron and Harry both perked up in interest, wondering what sort of quirky answer Luna was bound to come up with. "Yeah? And what did she say?" Harry asked.

"That when girls are finished doing their hair and make-up the first time, they see all sorts of flaws with their work and feel that they need to fix every detail that they don't like…" Neville said, as Ron caught the quaffle tossed from Harry.

Ron held the quaffle in his hands, his eyes bugging out in disbelief. "Bloody mad, witches are. They look fine any other day, and they don't spend hours in the morning to get ready then."

"But isn't that the point?" Neville asked. "They want to look more than just fine tonight, Ron. It is a special occasion."

This seemed to render Ron speechless and Harry couldn't help but snicker slightly at the befuddled expression that Ron had adopted. When suddenly, Neville laughed as he seemed to remember something else. "Luna had also said that spending hours getting ready was also a ritual to keep the Beltzurts away from ruining a perfectly good evening."

Harry looked confused. "Beltzurts?"

Neville laughed even harder. "She described them as Cupid's mortal enemy. That they try and ruin any potentially romantic atmosphere, and spending time getting ready keeps them away!"

Ron and Harry laughed outright at this as Ron asked, "How would that keep them away?"

Tears started coming out of Neville's eyes, he was laughing so hard. "She-She-She said that when the Beltzurts see the girls done up so nicely, that-that they get discouraged by their beauty and don't even bother to try and ruin the evening!"

Ron and Harry both fell over with laughter, both wheezing for breath as they thought over Luna's hilarious theory.

But the loud clearing of a throat interrupted their laughter, and they all turned to find Dean, standing in the doorway with a sour look on his face. And the laughter in the room suddenly died.

Dean glared at Harry for a particularly long time, and Harry didn't even hesitate in glaring right back at him.

After a long beat, it was Ron who had suddenly broken the silence. "Bloody hell, Thomas. Would you just give it a bloody rest already and move on with your life? Harry won. Ginny is happy with him. End of story."

Dean turned his icy glare over to Ron and sneered at the comment. While Harry found himself vindictively bemused by what Ron had said. "Keep your business to yourself, Weasley. This isn't about you."

Ron merely rolled his eyes. "Yeah, it's not as though Ginny is my sister, or anything like that…"

"You should learn to take your own advice," Harry chimed in, keeping his voice purposefully distant and light. "Learn to keep your nose out of my relationship with Ginny. Ginny is done with you, Dean, or did you not realize that after the humiliating defeat you had against her in the duel?"

Dean whipped his glare back to Harry, his fists now clenching with barely-contained anger from Harry's words and the reminder of the duel. "We'll just see who she is done with before the end of the night, Potter. Ginny'll see soon enough who is the better wizard for her, in the end…"

Neville groaned out loud in exasperation, before he stood with the pent up energy he felt from this ongoing feud. "Honestly, Dean. Give it a rest, would you? You aren't respecting Ginny's choices or opinions at all. She obviously sees Harry as the better bloke for her. Maybe you will find someone who will think the same about you, one day. But that obviously isn't going to be Ginny. So bloody well allow yourself to move on, would you?!"

The three other boys in the room stared in shock at Neville, not used to seeing the timid Gryffindor speak so forcefully about anything.

Once the shock melted off of Dean's face, he scoffed and turned to leave the dorm, slamming the door on his way out.

"Bloody hell, Neville…" Ron breathed, awe and appreciation thick in his voice and eyes as he appraised him. "I think that Luna may be rubbing off on you… you spoke without a filter just as she always does."

Neville froze at Ron's words, before he looked down at the floor with a contemplative look on his face. "You don't think that I was too harsh, did you?"

"You kidding?" Harry said, with a beaming smile. "That was brilliant!"
Ron nodded enthusiastically in agreement and Neville positively beamed at the praise that he got from the two of them… And Harry couldn't help but think that Neville somehow looked taller with he stood with the confidence that he had then.

…..

Ginny sat stiffly in the hard, wooden chair. She had been sitting in it for the last hour and it was starting to get rather uncomfortable. Especially with the tugging and pulling that was currently being inflicted on her hair as a section would be magically curled before being pinned up on her head.

She still couldn't believe that she was trusting Luna with her hairstyle for the evening. It was sure a great leap of faith that she was taking with her normally-bizarrely dressed friend.

Hermione, herself, was working with her own mess of hair. Sleekeazy's Hair Potion was working wonders on her bushy locks, causing sleek, beautiful ringlets

"Hermione, you are going to be the most beautiful witch there tonight," Ginny felt the need to inform her. "My brother won't know what hit him."

Hermione blushed heavily at that but immediately brushed off her compliment. "Oh that's nonsense, Ginny. But thanks for saying so, anyways. We all know that you are going to be the most beautiful tonight. Along with Luna, who I have to say, looks really pretty in that yellow dress."

"Thank you, Hermione," Luna said airily. "But it is not quite yellow. The color shade is 'Sunshine', but I can see how you would think that it is yellow."

Hermione turned a brief, quizzical glance over to Luna before she turned back to the mirror; choosing not to comment.

They all fell into silence after that, each deep in their own thoughts.

Ginny thought back to Harry, and how bad she felt for not being able to spend time with him after classes were over. His face, as she had been dragged away by Hermione, had been so disappointed… but also resigned.

Ginny couldn't blame him. They had barely been able to spend much alone time together this week at all, due to the homework the professors had assigned early, so that they could all enjoy the ball. She was certainly feeling the effects of their separation… and it didn't help that they weren't able to spend any time in classes together at all, because he was a year older than her.

The only time that they had to spend time together was earlier in the week… when Harry had dragged her off to snog in a hidden alcove in the deserted hallway…

Ginny flushed as she recalled the memory… Merlin, Harry had been so passionate as he clutched her close to his body. His lips were so soft as the clung desperately against hers. His kisses always managed to leave her breathless, and she didn't think that she would ever get used to them.

But there was something else… as she had been kissing Harry, she had started having… thoughts.

One such thought was how much she had wanted to get Harry out from his sweater vest and shirt… She wanted to loosen his tie with her teeth… She wanted to quell her curiosity on whether he wore boxers or briefs, after shoving his pants down from his lean, muscular legs…

And all these thoughts had managed to fuel both the desire and fear within her.

She hadn't been able to think of much since they had crept into her mind. In truth, even now as she thought of them, panic started to swell from deep within her abdomen.

She was still so young… so inexperienced. And her and Harry hadn't even been dating all that long. Hell, it still shocked her as she thought about how Harry now fancied her! To add sex to the mix seemed… too soon.

But she couldn't shake any of the thoughts away, no matter how hard she tried.

It was her damn curiosity… that was the real problem. She hadn't the slightest clue of what sex really was made up of except for the basic knowledge… As in, a man's penis goes into a woman's vagina, or that sometimes, partners would put their mouths on each other… She had heard some older girls years ago call that oral sex.

Merlin, it all sounded so complicated to her. They should really have classes to educated younger people about these sort of things…

Ginny sighed. All that she really knew was that she needed to find out answers… And who better than her good friend who just might be educated on the matter?

Ginny looked up at the witch in question, and swallowed her nerves to get the girl's attention.

"Hermione...?" Ginny started, her voice sounding as hesitant as she felt.

"Yes?" Hermione asked back, distractedly, as she put a pin her her hair.

"I, well... I was wondering if I could talk to you about something? It's just that, I don't know who else to talk to. Talking to my mum about it would be horrifying, and I don't know any other witches to really turn to..."

Hermione stopped focusing on her hair and turned away from the mirror to look at Ginny, curiously. "Well, you know that you can talk to me about anything, Ginny."

Ginny bit her lip, trying to figure out the most delicate way to broach the subject.

"I've, uh, well… I've been h-having thoughts lately…"

Hermione's eyebrows puckered in mild confusion, before stepping closer to Ginny until she was right in front of her. "What sort of thoughts?"

Ginny swallowed heavily before gathering her Gryffindor courage and trudged onward - knowing that there was never going to be a time where she would feel comfortable enough to have this conversation.

"T-Thoughts about Harry… and I… together… in that way."

"O-Oh!" Understanding overcame Hermione's features as she suddenly caught on to what Ginny was implying. Hermione rested a comforting hand on Ginny's knee, kneeling before her. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Ginny… It's perfectly natural to fantasize about such things. Especially about your own boyfriend."

"I know…" Ginny said quietly, quite relieved that Hermione had managed to catch on so quickly. "It's just, well, odd to think about when I know that Harry probably doesn't feel the same way…"

Hermione snorted at that. "You're kidding right?"

Ginny frowned. "No. I'm serious. We only just started dating, so he probably hasn't even thought about it."

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

Ginny shrugged. "I just always have figured that Harry is always too busy to be concerned about it."

Hermione bit her lip as she contemplated something, before seeming to come to a decision. "Ginny… What I am about to tell you is something I know that Harry would kill me for if he ever found out that I told you… But last summer - on his first day at the Burrow - Harry saw you for the first time for the summer. Did you notice how quiet he was that day? It was because he couldn't stop staring at you. Then, you had left the room, and Harry immediately kicked both Ron and I out and-"

"He already told me this, Hermione. He told me that he kicked you guys out so that he could get ready for the day because he wanted to ask me out. But then you came back and you two had a row."

Hermione stared at her in a moment of brief confusion before she burst out laughing. "Of course he would omit telling you what actually happened that day…"

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Ginny… Harry kicked Ron and I out for other reasons… meaning the, er, sexual reasons."

Ginny's eyes widened as she took in Hermione's meaning.

"She means that Harry was wanking." Luna informed positively.

Ginny felt her face engulf with flames of red."I-I know what she means, Luna." Ginny muttered.

"Then you must know that Harry definitely is interested in sex." Hermione pointed out. "And you know what else? He was thinking of you as he was doing it."

Ginny gaped at Hermione. "H-How could you possibly know that?!"

"He told me." Hermione said matter-of-factly. "He thought that he should be ashamed of the fact… I think it had something to do with his muggle relatives of why he thought he should feel shame over it. But I told him that it was perfectly natural thing to do, just as I'm telling you now. Then he told me that he was thinking of you as he did it and that he fancied you."

Ginny could only gape at Hermione as she processed this information… but she couldn't deny the wave of heat that overcame her at the idea of Harry masturbating to thoughts of her… If she were being honest with herself, she would say that the mental image pleased her greatly, as well as turned her on. But then a disturbing thought came to her...

"You… You didn't see his, uh, thing, did you?" Ginny asked Hermione, hoping against hope that her best friend hadn't seen her boyfriend's penis… especially before Ginny had.
"No." Hermione said immediately, looking mighty grateful for the fact that she hadn't, either. "I only caught him with his hand down his trousers. He was so embarrassed that he sort of lashed out at me about learning to knock… but I think that he was just grateful that I wasn't Ron or your mum… or even you."

Ginny couldn't keep the suppressed smile from her face as she thought over the scenario that had happened last summer. Poor Harry… all that the poor bloke had wanted to do was to wank in peace. Heat flooded her as she thought about it. She imagined what she would have done if it had been her to interrupt Harry instead of Hermione.

Harry would have probably have been mortified. Especially since he had been thinking about her as he had been wanking. But then would he have gone on with his plan to admit his fancy for her that day if Hermione hadn't told him about Dean? And if he had, what would she have done then? Obviously admit to liking him back. But would she then have wanted to finish what he had started? Would she had been bold enough to snake her hand down into his trousers and touch his length? Probably not back then she wouldn't have, but is that what she wanted now?

"Is all that you needed?" Hermione asked her. "Reassurance that Harry feels the same?"

Ginny bit her lip briefly before shaking her head. "Er… Not quite. I was also wondering if you, uh, had any advice for me…? I'm not sure what you got up to with Krum when he was here, but surely you've read a detailed book about sex that gives witches good advice on how to, uh, you know…"

Hermione blushed heavily at the mention of Krum and the implication of doing anything sexual with him. "Eh, no… I-I hadn't done anything like that with Victor…" Hermione managed to get out through an embarrassed stutter. "And as for the advice, I had read a book on teenaged adolescence and sexual behaviors. It was a muggle book, and it mostly talks about abstinence and contraceptives."

"But what does it say about pleasing a wizard? I don't want to look like a dolt in front of Harry when the time comes…"

Hermione looked back at her, seeming to be at a loss for a proper answer for once - a fact that seemed to deeply bother her bushy-haired friend.

"Do you plan on pleasing Harry orally?" Luna suddenly asked behind her, still going about curling and pinning Ginny's hair.

Ginny almost choked at the abruptly personal question. But Hermione looked at her with wide eyes, imploring her to answer… and Ginny suddenly found herself put on the spot. "Er… Maybe? I-I mean, yes. I mean, eh…"

"Blokes really like it when you use your mouth to please them." Luna continued on. "I know that Neville really enjoys it. I would imagine that Harry would feel the same… Oh, Ginny! Is it alright if I do your make-up as well? Can't risk the evening being ruined, now can we?"

Ginny saw Hermione gaping up at Luna with a look of pure shock on her face. Ginny knew that if she could turn her head, she would be giving Luna the same exact expression.

"Er… Sure, Luna. You can do my make-up. Merlin knows that I don't know how… But, what was it that you said about Neville?"

"Oh that? Yeah… Neville enjoys the blowjobs that I give him. I would even argue that he likes them more than actual sex… either that, or they are both tied… depending on his mood, really."

"So, you're experienced in sex, Luna?" Hermione asked, no longer shocked, or embarrassed, as the opportunity to learn something new presented itself to her.

"Oh, of course." Luna said. "I find that I'm naturally quite a sexual creature… and Neville was more than willing."

Hermione abruptly scrambled to her feet, and ran to her knapsack at the end of her bed, before grabbing a piece of parchment paper and a quill and ink. Then she ran back, excitement overtaken over her face. She sat in front of Ginny once again and encouraged Luna to continue.

"Let's start with the blowjobs." Hermione stated, in an informative voice, even though she was the one that was about to learn new things. "What sort of advice do you have for us to make it good for a wizard?"

Ginny gaped at Hermione at her blatant way of learning something so… personal.

But Luna seemed unbothered by the questioning. In fact, she seemed pleased by the attention. "Well, the first thing that you should know is that an inexperienced wizard won't last very long. So, don't be alarmed or disappointed that it will be over quickly. But all that will change the more that you practice."

Hermione nodded as she quickly jotted down notes… mouthing the words 'inexperienced' and 'practice' as she wrote them.

"A-Any tips?" Ginny asked, hesitantly joining in on the conversation as her curiosity overtook her.

"Oh, I have plenty…" Luna said, dreamily. "I always like to start by teasing him a bit. You can do this by tracing his length with the tip of your tongue. It really works wizards up in a good way. Then after you get him all bothered by your teasing, is when you finally take him into your mouth. Make sure to start off slow, and also cover your teeth with your lips. Oh, and you could fondle his testicles with your hand."

The scratching sound of Hermione's quill was going at a furious pace.

"You'll want to try hollowing your cheeks and to caress him with your tongue while you have him in your mouth. That'll make it even better for him. Then, build your pace up a bit as you go, make it feel as though you are chasing his orgasm along with him. Also, don't be afraid to switch it up a bit by popping him out of your mouth to lick at his slit… It gives your jaw a bit of a break and it drives them mad… knowing that they can't predict your next move. But also because the head of the penis is the most sensitive part."

Luna paused and waited as Hermione finished jotting down the notes that she had been taking. When Hermione finished, she looked up at Luna again and asked, "Any more advice?"

Luna thought this over, her hands finally pausing in Ginny's hair as she thought about her answer. "Make sure that you don't think of it as a favor just for him. It should be satisfying for the both of you, and you should see it as such. If he thinks that you are enjoying yourself, then he will enjoy it even more."

Hermione jotted this down, saying the words, "Be enthusiastic" as she wrote it on the page.

Then she looked up again.

"What about when he finishes?" Hermione asked, in an intellectual manner. "Do you recommend swallowing?"

Luna nodded, enthusiastically. "I do. But you don't have to if you don't want to. I know that Neville enjoys it more when I do."

Ginny still couldn't believe that Neville, of all the sixth-year blokes, was the first to lose his virginity. Back before she really got to know him, she would have thought that Harry would have been the first to have sex… considering that he was the Boy-Who-Lived and any girl in the castle would immediately throw themselves at him if he even gave them a lingering glance… He could have easily sacked as many witches as he had wanted, but he hadn't. And it really showed Ginny a lot about his character.

Apparently, Harry only fantasized about one witch… and that was her.

The thought caused a secret smile to twitch at the corners of her lips. She imagined what sex with Harry would be like. Just from the way that they snogged, she knew that it would be passionate.

But what about their first time? Nerves shot through her just at the thought.

"Any other advice for sex, in general?" She asked, needing to know anything that could potentially help her in the future.

"It will hurt your first time, but it wasn't as bad as I originally thought it was going to be…" Luna began. "As for the advice, make sure that you move together and find a rhythm. If he's on top, don't just lay there and take it like a frozen statue. Tilt your hips up to meet his. Also, don't be afraid to run your hands over him as you do it. You could reach down and grasp his arse-cheeks in your hands… You could play with his nipples a bit… they are pretty sensitive. You can even stick a finger into his bum-"

"Luna!"

"What?" Luna asked, nonplussed. "I heard that most wizards like that."

Hermione looked enthusiastic with all of the notes she had already taken. "This is all brilliant!"

But as Ginny thought over everything that Luna had described, and pictured her and Harry in those exact situations… She found herself overcome with doubt and fear.

"I-I don't know, guys… how to you even get to that point? It all seems so fast."

Hermione stopped her writing and looked up at Ginny with a soft expression on her face. She set down her quill and reached up and grasped Ginny's hand in hers. "Ginny… Don't worry. You're allowed to take everything as slow as you want to take them. Remember that Harry is just as inexperienced as you are, and you can both learn and figure out a pace together."

At those words, Ginny found herself feeling infinitely better and she found herself nodding at her friend.

Suddenly, a tempus alarm sounded from Hermione's wand, startling Hermione and Ginny.

"Merlin!" Hermione exclaimed, standing to her feet once again and running to the mirror. "That means that we only have an hour left before the ball! We better get moving!"

"I'm done with your hair." Luna stated, a hint of pride in her dreamy voice. "Time to do your make-up."

Luna walked around Ginny and started in on putting all sorts of flesh-colored goo and powder over her face, as well as black eyeliner and mascara around her eyes.

From all of the meticulous touch-ups that Luna did to her face, Ginny imagined that she was bound to end up looking like a clown at the end of this experiment…

It was forty minutes later when Luna finally proclaimed that she was finished. And Ginny found herself afraid to look at the result of what her face looked like in the mirror. Instead, she sat, unmoving, in her chair until Luna coaxed her out of it and in front of the full-length mirror…

What Ginny saw shocked her. That couldn't be her reflection, could it? There was no sign of little Ginny Weasley to be seen… instead, stood a grown witch. With intricately curled, red hair that was braided in some places, and pinned up into a delicate updo on the top of her head. Her skin looked creamy in its paleness, and her eyes looked even wider than usual with the black eyeliner and mascara accentuating them. Her lips were painted a dusty, pink color, looking plush but natural from the chosen shade. Her cheeks were accented by a subtle, pink blush which contrasted nicely with the dark blue of her gown.

The gown had been a belated birthday gift from Harry. He had given her the galleons to buy a gown one day, completely surprising her. At first, she had refused… Almost getting angry at him as he insisted. Until he had reminded her that he had neglected to give her a birthday gift last summer. But it was really only after he had pouted at her, did she finally relent.

Ginny had then snuck off to Hogsmead through the secret tunnel Harry had shown her and went and bought her gown. It was the most beautiful clothing that she had ever owned. The sleeves were short but thick, and rested on the side of her shoulders. The entire dress was a solid color of dark blue, and had a heart-shaped design on the top, then flowed down in layers of light fabric down from her waist.

Altogether, Ginny couldn't deny that she looked stunning.

"L-Luna…" Ginny said, shocked as she stared at herself in the long mirror. "Y-You made me beautiful."

"I had to." Luna said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Had to keep the Beltzurts from ruining the evening."

Then Luna turned and started pinning her own curls on the top of her head.

From across the room, Hermione smiled at Ginny. Ginny thought that her friend looked beautiful, with her own make-up now done. Hermione came up next to Ginny and laced her arm within hers, both now facing the mirror together. "What did I say? It's Harry who won't know what hit him tonight..."

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A/N: Please leave a review! :)