Chapter Sixty-Six

.

.

.

The morning hour has come and Harry has found that he, once again, hadn't gotten enough sleep from the night before. But he was used to it. Numb to the exhaustion.

Which was how he found himself sitting awake on the common room couch instead of accidentally oversleeping in his bed.

He was waiting for Ginny. Just to try and gauge how she was feeling towards him. Was she still upset? Would she even be willing to talk to him?

Harry did agree with what Sirius had said about how Harry shouldn't give Ginny any reasurrances that he doesn't intend to keep. On top of everything, that would be even more unfair to Ginny.

So that left Harry in a spot where whatever happened next was completely out of his hands.

The choice in this was all up to Ginny.

Time passed as Harry waited patiently. It wasn't long before the rest of the Gryffindors were roused from their sleep and made their way through the common room, heading for breakfast.

Not many paid attention to him. And those who did seemed to sense that he was not in the mood to hold a conversation. When Ron and Hermione came down from the dormitories, they caught his eye and shot him a questioning look. Harry merely waved them off, and they seemed to understand through the bond that the three shared that he would connect with them about it later.

He started to get a tad bit worried the closer it got to classes getting started for the day, but still, he waited.

It wasn't until five minutes before the first classes started when Ginny came rushing down the girl's dormitory stairs.

One look at her could tell anyone that she looked a bit frazzled this morning. There was a lot of colour to her flushed cheeks and she was a bit breathless

Ginny froze in place as soon as she saw him sitting there, staring openly at her.

He had waited all morning for her… just to see how she felt about everything... To see how she felt about him.

But he saw no sign, no clue, on her expressionless face as she stared right back at him.

Then, a moment later, Ginny's face smoothed over, morphing back to the blank look that tore at Harry's insides.

"We'll talk after classes are over." She said in a definitive voice before she continued through the common room and out the portrait door.

And with her absence, Harry's dread grew.

…..

The door to the classroom was already shut when Harry slinked into Slughorn's classroom thirty seconds late.

All eyes were on him as he made his way to his seat, but miraculously, Slughorn didn't call him out on being late in front of the entire class.

Hermione shot him a disapproving look as he took the empty seat in front of her. He ignored it. Instead, he focused his attention on situating himself in his chair before he took out the Half Blood Prince's book. Harry could practically feel Hermione's eyes narrow even more as she noticed the book she distrusted so much.

Again, Harry ignored her. Not in the mood.

He turned to the page that Slughorn had written on the chalkboard and proceeded to stare deeply into space.

With his lack of sleep and his mind split between worry over his parents fight and his own disagreements with Ginny, Harry knew that there was no chance for him to be able to pay attention to Slughorn's lecture. So why even bother to try?

Which was why Harry started when Slughorn called upon him for an answer to his question.

"What?" Harry asked, blank and feeling like an absolute fool. Some of the Slytherins in the class snickered at his lack of awareness.

Professor Slughorn frowned. "I asked if you knew how many times you stir counterclockwise when brewing the Shrinking Potion, Mr. Potter."

Harry let out a long sigh as his hand came up to run down his face.

He didn't answer.

Because suddenly, Harry was exhausted. Overwhelmed.

And it was really no wonder…

Death's bargain.

Voldemort.

Horcruxes.

Bursts of random power from his sudden magical growth spurt.

Snape's knowledge that his parents were alive.

His parent's row.

Ginny…

And on top of it all, he was expected to sleep and manage to get his homework done on time?

For the tiniest moment, Harry felt the overwhelming desire to just give up. To just get up from this chair, trudge his way up to his dorm and crawl under the covers of his plush bed… where he would never again see the light of day.

But the moment was fleeting.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I don't know." His voice was drained. Even he could hear the sound of it in his own ears.

A spark of concern flashed across Slughorn's eyes but that was fleeting as well, before the Professor turned his gaze to one Terry Boot.

"Mr. Boot?"

"Thirteen times."

Slughorn's gaze flickered to Harry momentarily, before he nodded at Terry. "That is correct, Mr. Boot. Take five points."

With one last glance at Harry, Slughorn turned his back to the classroom, facing the board as he wrote the answer in chalk.

Harry's mind drifted again after that… for once thinking of absolutely nothing.

His mind completely and blissfully blank.

….

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry's eyes snapped shut and he squeezed them in irritation.

Couldn't people just leave him well enough alone? He was constantly bombarded every day, never having a moment's peace.

Still, Harry forced himself to stop his steps to the door, where Ron and Hermione were waiting for him, and slowly turn until he was facing the portly Professor.

The Professor stared at him with a distinct frown on his lips. Harry didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing any emotion on his face, at all. So, he stared cooly back at Slughorn. Neutral in stance and features.

"A word?" The Professor asked and Harry gave a stiff nod in return.

He stepped forward towards the Professor's desk as the rest of the lingering students vacated the room.

They were quiet. Harry knew for damn sure that he was not going to be the one to break the silence.

Like he thought before, he was not in the mood.

With a flick of his wand, Slughorn shut the door, canceling out the bustling chatter from the outside corridor.

The silence was now deafening.

The incessant tick of the clock on the wall like a bang rattling around in his eardrum.

Still, Harry said nothing. Refusing to be the one to take charge of the situation for once.

Finally, Slughorn let out a heavy sigh. The man's shoulders drooped in what looked to be defeat and his downcast eyes stared down at his hands, almost as though they held the answers he was seeking.

"You have lost respect for me, Mr. Potter." Slughorn spoke, his voice was small, lost. "And I have no one to blame but myself."

Despite himself, Harry found his interest piqued. It was true that he didn't really have respect for the man that stood before him. But what Slughorn didn't know was that Harry has had this opinion of him since Dumbledore had made him aware of Slughorn's intention to 'collect' him. So basically since Harry was even aware this man existed, he held no respect for him.

His opinion would've worsened on Slughorn after Harry had found out that the Professor was actually the one to supply information to Tom Riddle about the Horcruxes… if it hadn't been what Slughorn had told Harry about his mum and how much he respected her. A muggleborn, no less.

That alone is what stopped Harry from looking at Horace Slughorn in absolute scorn.

"Professor?"

"No," Slughorn waved him off as he hastily continued. "A-After I gave you the true memory… Showed you how I willingly helped that monster in creating his H-H-Horcruxes…"

The man broke off with a shuddering sigh. Harry was now boring his gaze at the top of the Professor's bowed head, no longer distracted. Not even remotely.

"What you must think of me…" Slughorn murmured with a shake of his head, before he finally looked up, met Harry's eyes. His own grey irises shone with silent shame.

"Why did you try and hide the memory, Professor?" He couldn't help but ask. This was the most sincere Harry had ever seen the man. Even when he had been vulnerable enough to give Harry the memory, Slughorn had still been quite drunk and not as aware of his actions.

"All my life, I had thought of myself as a certain type of man, Mr. Potter," Slughorn said, forlornly. There was a taste of bitterness in his tone, as though he had just choked down a bad batch of mead. "A man with all of the connections that everyone goes to, relies on. My blanant trust in those who I had deemed worthy, including one Tom Riddle, was what ultimately led to my greatest shame. It shattered my world view - everything that I thought that I believed. So, I didn't want to face it. I didn't want the change. I chose to live in ignorance."

He looked sternly down at Harry. "Learn from my mistakes, Mr. Potter. Be a better man. Be… Be like your mother."

The moisture in Harry's mouth dried.

"It-It's the only way. You are the only one who can correct my mistakes, Mr. Potter. For that, I am in your debt. If ever, you find that you need my assistance in anything - anything at all - all you need to do is ask and it shall be done."

And with that, Slughorn rounded the desk. He paused beside Harry and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, patted it a few times, then continued down the row of desks, opened the door, then left.

Harry stood, stunned as he stared at the chalkboard in front of him.

Professor Slughorn had just offered himself to Harry as an ally… even though he knew the risks. The impossibility of the entire situation… because Slughorn already knew of the Horcruxes.

And despite this, he was still siding himself with Harry anyways.

Harry's eyes stung as he thought over the man's words.

"Learn from my mistakes, Mr. Potter. Be a better man…"

With the echo of these words going round and round in his brain, Harry knew what he had to do.

Because in a way, Sirius was wrong. There was compromise that could be found in anything if you tried hard enough to find it.

And Harry was determined to find it.

…

Harry leaned against the wall by the portrait hole.

He hadn't bothered to go inside.

He didn't want any eyes on him, watching his restlessness as he waited somewhat impatiently.

Ginny's class had ended minutes ago. It wouldn't be long now.

Still, the minutes dragged by like hours. And Harry was certain that if he had to wait hours for her, it would feel like days.

Then, the welcome sight of the Gryffindor fifth years came up from the staircase and around the corner. He saw Ginny's dorm mates as well as Colin, who was walking with his boyfriend.

Then, a step behind him - finally - was Ginny.

She looked more put together than she had been that morning. She had fully tucked in her white button-down shirt into her skirt and had put up her hair sometime during the day so that it was now in a messy ponytail.

His eyes drank in the sight of her.

Despite how angry she was with him, he could never turn her away. He would always crave being in her presence.

She stiffened as soon as she saw him and froze in place several paces away. Harry raised a single dark eyebrow at her and her nostrils flared as her own brows drew together.

If any of the fifth year students noticed their silent exchange, they didn't stick around to watch the rest. They wasted no time in stepping through the portrait hole before closing it behind them, leaving them blissfully alone…

Unless one counted the Fat Lady, that is.

"Hey, Trouble," Harry started, softly. Timidly.

Ginny's expression didn't change and Harry let out a deep sigh before he pushed off the wall he had been leaning against.

"Ready for that chat?" Harry asked, expectation heavy in his voice. He was ready to get this settled. He wanted this all in the past so that he could just be with her. He honestly didn't want to waste a day feeling distant from her again. He'd had enough of that from the few weeks after Christmas when he had stupidly avoided her.

Ginny watched his approach with a boring gaze, staring down at his feet with a slight frown. "Not particularly."

It couldn't be helped, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips at her answer. She could be so stubborn sometimes… in a way that rivaled his own stubbornness.

Harry stepped close until he was right in front of her before he ducked his head so that he was able to catch her downcast gaze. "Come on, Gin, please? You said we could talk after classes ended."

She looked annoyed at being reminded of her own promise but Harry wasn't about to let her back out of keeping it.

Finally, graciously, a heavy sigh escaped her as resignation overcame her features. Harry chose to take this as a sign of acceptance, so he grinned widely at her.

He decided to push his luck by extending his arm and holding out his hand, silently asking her if she would take it.

It took a beat of a moment, but soon the feel of her soft hand clasping his own met the nerve-endings of his skin. The familiar heat spread up his arm, goose flesh bubbled up and caused his arm hair to stand on end.

Erupting happiness burst up from his stomach and he squeezed her fingers within his palm in gratitude before he started tugging on her arm, pulling her down the corridor towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Her voice had a touch of indecision within it still but Harry pretended that he didn't notice.

"The Come and Go room," Harry answered simply without turning his head back to look at her.

They didn't say any words after that. They seemed to be under the unspoken agreement that whatever they had to say, should wait until they were completely alone. Which honestly suited Harry fine. He had a lot that he planned to say.

It wasn't long before they got to the long corridor on the seventh floor and Harry stepped back to let Ginny do the honours of deciding what the room should look like for when they entered.

She paced three times in front of the empty wall and a door appeared.

They entered without wasting a moment or a word to each other.

What surprised him was that Ginny had made the room look like her bedroom back home at the Burrow… but as he spared a moment to think about the reason why, it made sense to him.

Ginny wanted to feel like she was in her own territory. That she was calling the terms that they decided upon.

Upon entering the room, as Harry closed the door, Ginny immediately made her way to sit on the bed. Which left Harry to awkwardly stand in the spot by the doorway before he stepped forward and sat on the floor, facing the bed.

Crossing her arms across her chest, Ginny tucked her legs underneath her bum before looking at him expectantly. The position didn't look at all comfortable to Harry, but he supposed that Ginny did have her guard up, afterall. And it was clear from her demeanor that she was waiting for him to speak first.

Letting out the breath that he had been holding, Harry offered her a shaky smile. "So… how was your day?"

Judging by the distinct frown on her lips, Harry knew instantly that was the wrong thing to say.

He closed his eyes and ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Sorry. Stupid question, I know."

Looking back up at her, there was the slight pursing of her lips that looked to be in agreement of his awknowledgment of how stupid the question was.

"Look, I'll start by saying this," Harry said before he closed his eyes once again, "I'm sorry."

He heard the rush of breath escape her but he didn't look up, nor did he let it deter him.

"I can only imagine how frustrating all of this… secrecy is to you. And I know that you are trying to understand but I can see how you would think that I am still trying to shut you out. But I want to explain why that isn't the case…"

He still didn't look up at her as he fought for his courage for what his next words would be.

"I just realised that I don't have to keep everything from you. Sure, there are some things that are confidential that Dumbledore has told me, but there are things that I found that I actually want to confide with you on…"

He let his words trail off, his tongue felt stiff and heavy all of a sudden. He realised that he was afraid, this entire time, that once he opened the floodgates of his secrets to Ginny, that they would all just start pouring out. That he wouldn't be able to stop himself. But he knew that the fear was irrational. Quite silly, actually.

"Like what?" Ginny breathed, desire for wanting to know the truth seeping out in her tone.

Harry finally looked up at her and saw that she was staring openly at him, her face perfectly matching the longing that he heard in her voice.

It was then that he was reminded of what she had said after they had first kissed in the astronomy tower… that she thought that he was too mysterious for his own good. He hated the thought that she most-likely still saw that in him when all he wanted was to be able to be an open book with her. To have a normal relationship where they had no worries or concerns to burden them.

That dream would have to wait until long after the war… that is, if Harry managed to survive it.

"Like Snape, for example," Harry began, a seep of hatred tinged his tone as he thought of the greasy snake. "I found out that he knows about my parents' resurrection."

Her mouth dropped open in shock, a touch of fear sparked in her wide, brown eyes. Fear for Harry. For his family. Her concern touched Harry deeply. It felt good to include her in on this knowledge, at least.

"What?!" She hissed, complete disbelief and despair colouring her tone. "How?"

Harry swallowed as he thought over the reason. It was still impossible for him to believe.

"My mum," He stated, uncomfortably as he leaned back against the wall. "She confronted him about his treatment of me, apparently."

Ginny swallowed as she leaned forward, subconsciously. "Was that wise?"

"No," Harry shook his head, "Not at all."

"What are you going to do?"

Harry bowed his head tiredly and lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I don't know…"

They were both quiet for a long moment. It was clear that neither really knew what to say.

"What's strange," Harry finally spoke up, confusion ebbing away at the hard edge to his tone, "Is that Snape has known for a while now actually… I only just found out about it last night. I'm not sure what he's planning, but-"

"Are you sure that he is planning something?" Ginny suddenly interjected and Harry's eyes shot up and locked with hers. She gave a shrug. "I mean, you told me before that Snape is in love with your mum. Maybe he took her threats against him seriously?"

Harry thought about it for a moment before he waved it off. "I can't take any chances. Snape hates my dad. In fact, it was that very night before my mum confronted him, where he was taunting me about the fact that my dad was 'dead'. The snake practically got off on the idea."

Ginny shivered, discomforted by the thought.

"Well… I suppose all that you can do is keep an eye on him."

Harry nodded, his gaze fierce as he stared hard at the floorboards below him. "I plan to do just that."

Snape was a slimy bugger, but… he for some unfathomable reason, he also had Dumbledore's trust. That fact alone told Harry that he needed to tread carefully when dealing with this particular situation. But make no mistake, if Snape made one move against his family, if he even flinched against them, Harry would strike. And it would be without mercy.

A slight movement from her caught his eye and his gaze shot up. Ginny was fiddling her fingers with a thread on the bed's comforter… and he realised with a jolt that she seemed rather nervous by the idea of him keeping tabs on Snape, though she didn't voice her concerns out loud at all, probably thinking that trying to deter him would cause Harry to put up more walls around her.

What she didn't quite grasp yet was that Harry was tired of constructing those walls… and he was trying his damn hardest in tearing down as many as he could allow for her.

He couldn't help but hope for a day when there would be nothing between them. No walls. No barriers. Just them.

The anger seeped out of him and he physically softened, smiling slightly at her. He wanted to erase every bad thought from her head. He wanted her to only think of happy memories after what felt like weeks of both of them dwelling on the negative. But mostly, he didn't want to spend the entire evening with her talking about bloody Snape, of all people. "There's something else."

She quirked a curious eyebrow, silently urging him to continue.

"You know how my dad and Sirius are illegal animaguses?"

Ginny nodded, confused for a moment on why he was bringing this up before she gasped and she stared at him wide-eyed as the weight of what he was implying caught up with her. "What, really?-"

Harry nodded, beaming at her before he stuck out his tongue and lifted it in order to show her the mandrake leaf that was glued there by a sticking charm.

Another gasp escaped her as her shocked gaze bore at the leaf.

Harry released the hold on his tongue and laughed at her gob-smacked expression. It felt good to tell her exciting news for once. It made him wonder why he hadn't told her about it before... when he remembered that it was because of the distance he had created between them for those few weeks after Christmas…

"Do you know yet what you're going to be?" Awe and excitement touched at her tone, but it was clear that she was mostly just curious.

Harry shook his head. "No. But I'll find out soon. It may take me a long time before I'll be able to actually transform, though."

Snorting, Ginny shifted a little so that she was sitting flat on her bum now as she rolled her eyes at him. She was finally getting more comfortable instead of staying posed in her stiff position. "I doubt it. Not with your magical core now unblocked…"

He had thought of this too, but he didn't want to get his hopes up just in case he wasn't able to manage it. Yes, he was powerful now, but his newfound power was too new. Which meant that it was unpredictable and difficult for him to control. Ron had suggested to him the other day that Harry start meditating to better focus on his magical core and Harry was starting to think that his best mate was onto something there. "I'm serious. It took my dad and Sirius two years to be able to manage it. Judging by that rate, it won't even be helpful for me during the war-"

He cut himself off too late. He said too much. He was such a bloody idiot. Frustration mounted within his chest at himself. He promised himself before meeting with her that he wouldn't mention anything about the war in front of her. With mounting dread, he realised he had been right in his assumption before about him starting to tell his secrets to her. They had started to spill out of their own accord now that he had removed a part of the filter.

Her gaze was sharp as she watched him. She'd noticed his slip. Fuck.

"The war?" She asked, deliberately keeping her tone light and innocent.

Clenching his fists, Harry glared hard at his shoes. "We're not talking about that."

There was a beat. The tension was so thick, Harry could feel it in the air.

"And why not?"

Harry tried his hardest not to flinch at her tone. She had every right to be frustrated but she didn't understand. She didn't know of the danger… the pure evil.

'But she would never get the chance to comprehend, right?' His traitorous thoughts argued with him against his will. 'Because you refuse to even explain it to her.'

Harry looked at her dead in the eye and stated in a flat tone, "I know you, Gin. You'll want to become involved."

Ginny scowled at him. The look was becoming more and more frequent these days. "So what if I do? Is that a crime?"

Harry bit his bottom lip and looked down, weighing his next words carefully in his mind before he spoke them. "No. Not necessarily. But you will have the trace on you for another year and a half."

He waited for her to say something but she didn't. He looked up at her to see that the colour had drained from her face. She obviously hadn't thought of that before.

But rather this emboldening him, Harry suddenly felt defeated, drained. He felt like a cad. Like he was making her feel 'lesser than' with his arguments… when all he ever really wanted to do was give her the world if she asked for it.

He swallowed at the forming lump that was constricting his throat before he continued talking, saying just the bare minimum so that it would quell both her anger and a bit of her curiosity. "Gin, the war is going to start sooner than you think. I just know it. Voldemort is just biding his time but it won't be long now. He'll soon get impatient enough to attack in due time. I sort of suspect that he's already attacked some muggles…"

Harry broke off with a shiver, suddenly feeling cold as he remembered the nightmare of Voldemort killing all of those children at the muggle orphanage. He pushed the dreadful thought out of his mind, still clinging to the hope that what he dreamed was all just a nightmare made up from his mind and not a memory sent from Voldemort from their shared connection.

Instead, he continued on when Ginny still hasn't said anything.

"And since the war is starting soon, you won't be able to use magic if you become involved because of the trace. And not only that, I would constantly be worried about you. Afraid that death eaters would suddenly curse you just because you were standing by my side. It would be a…"

"Distraction," Ginny interjected quietly. "I would be a distraction."

Though he hated to do it, Harry nodded in agreement to her words.

There seemed to be dawning clarity that was shadowing her features, her face saying that she understood even though she didn't like it.

Then her lips pursed and she looked away from him, her expression now pondering. "W-What if I promise not to get involved in the war? Would you tell me everything then?"

His head snapped up and Harry gaped at her. "What good would that do? Wouldn't that just cause you to worry even more?"

Ginny shook her head. "No. I'll worry more without knowing the details. Because my imagination would be much worse than the actual truth, I'm sure."

Harry grimaced. "I highly doubt that…"

The truth was much more horrific than she even realised. All of the murder that Voldemort has inflicted just to obtain power and immortality. It made Harry feel sick.

Not to mention his own deal with Death… how would Ginny be able to handle the truth that her boyfriend was planning preemptive murder, himself? That it would darken his soul and that he was accepting of that fact in order to save his family?

Would she ever be able to grow to love him with a darkened soul?

"I don't care how bad it is," Ginny said suddenly, so fiercely that her tone caused Harry to stumble back against the wall a bit. "I want to be able to be here for you in some capacity, at least. If I can't be involved in the war then at the very least I want to be the one person that you know you can confide in."

She took a shuddering breath that Harry realised that he subconsciously copied. After she let it out, she seemed a lot calmer. She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

All of the air whooshed out of his lungs as he was caught in that gaze.

"I want you to be able to lean on me, Harry. To unload all your burdens onto me so that we can share the weight of it all. Because I can see the toll all of this is taking on you. You can't face this alone. At least, not without some moral support."

He was stunned. At a complete loss for words.

Was it really that simple?

Harry had no doubts in trusting Ginny's word. If she swore to him that she would stay out of the war, he had no reason to doubt her.

Hesitating for a moment, Harry bit his bottom lip and contemplated everything. The pros and cons… when he realised that wasn't the actual debate he should be having here.

In the end, it all boiled down to this: Ginny had every faith in him. Maybe it was time for Harry to show his faith in her, as well.

Besides, at the end of the day, Ginny was the one person that had all of the power over him. In retrospect, it was a fruitless effort on his part to even try to go against her wishes… she was always bound to wear down his resistance eventually.

"You're right…" He finally said, and the words felt right coming off from his tongue. I was almost as though he were fighting against an unrelenting wind all this time before he suddenly realised that it was just easier to let go and let the wind push him wherever it intended him to go.

Ginny froze. Her wide gaze staring so intently at him, Harry had to resist the urge to squirm under the weight of it.

"Wh-What?" She finally asked and for some reason, Harry flushed at the awe-struck tone in her voice.

Was he really so stubborn to the point where it was unbelievable for him to admit that he was wrong?

He let out a heavy sigh. He sure had a lot of work to do when it came to building trust again with Ginny. But this was going to be the first step. A fresh start.

"I said that you're right," He swallowed heavily, then continued, "I promise that I will tell you everything soon… But first, I guess I just need some time to cope with it all. To try and make sense of it all before I can even begin to talk about any of this."

There was a slight pause before Ginny nodded. "I can give you that. Time…"

Harry looked at her, relieved beyond belief that she had enough faith and trust in him still to manage to believe his word on this. Then again, if Harry goes back on his word, he was sure that there was hell to be paid.

"Now," Ginny said in a firm tone of voice. "Is this all settled? Are we finally on the same page?"

It took Harry a moment to reflect on the fact that they truly were on the same page. A burden had been lifted from his shoulders now that he acknowledged the truth in that.

A small smile tickled at the corners of his lips before he looked up at Ginny and nodded.

Ginny's shoulders sagged in relief. "Good. I didn't think I could take much more of the constant brooding. Not to say that it isn't a good look on you, Harry, but you seem awfully stuck in your own mind when you get in those moods…"

Harry snorted. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Gin…"

She grinned widely at the shift of the mood in the air. "Hey, I did say it was a good look on you. You, uh, you have that same deep stare that you got when…"

Her voice died as it trailed off.

"When?" Harry urged.

Ginny swallowed and looked down, her fingers picking at the fabric beneath her. Her cheeks were flushed an attractive scarlet. "When we were in your bed on Christmas Eve…"

Heat coiled deep in his abdomen at the sudden reminder of what they got up to in that aforementioned bed. They hadn't done anything like it since, though they got close last night before everything had gone to hell.

But still, just at the thought of Ginny in his bed caused a certain reaction to start to rise up in him.

"Oh, yeah?" Harry asked as he stared at her with heat in his gaze.

He swore that he physically saw her pupils dilate as she nodded. "Yeah."

A grin tugged at the corners of his lips. "You know what I really liked about that night?"

Ginny shook her head, the redness spreading down her neck.

Harry looked down sheepishly as a hand came up to tug at the roots of his hair, before he answered boldly, "I, uh, finally got to see how far your blush went."

Harry looked up. Both of their faces were positively flaming at this point but to their credit, neither looked away

"W-Would you like to see how far it's going now?" She asked, her volume barely above a whisper.

His cock twitched and he wasted no time in stating a firm, "Yes."

At the earnest longing in his answer, some of the shyness melted away from her immediately as she smiled at him expectantly.

"Get your sexy arse over here," Ginny ordered, her voice coy.

A crooked grin sprang upon his face before he shot up to his feet from off the floor. He paused a moment before he reached down to grab the hem of both his sweater vest and button-down shirt before he whipped both over his head, almost knocking his glasses askew.

His torso was now naked as he threw both of the garments away from him to the corner of the room before straightening his glasses.

He faced Ginny to see that there was desire in her gorgeous brown eyes as she took him in. But her eyebrow was also raised and an amused smirk graced her lips. "Eager, are we?"

Harry laughed as he strode the small distance across the room towards her. "Always."

Then, he grabbed her face in both of his hands and leaned down to kiss her.

The pace was immediately quick. Their snog from last night already felt like ages ago.

Harry wasted no time in crawling on top of her, his hips settled comfortably between her thighs.

Then, they were working together on getting her shirt off, though it was difficult when they refused to separate their lips until the moment they had to.

She wore a green bra today. It looked stunning compared to her red hair, Harry almost felt bad that he wanted to get rid of it so desperately.

Almost.

Judging by how fast she unclasped the hooks that held it together, Ginny held no emotional connection to the garment at all.

They pulled down the straps together before Harry threw the small piece of fabric and wires across the room.

And then, finally, her breasts were bare before him.

Time passed strangely after that. It felt like hours passed as Harry loved each mound with his mouth… his tongue… his hands.

They paused to make comments to each other every once in a while. Some of the comments she said made him snicker, others made him glare playfully as her eyes glittered deviously down at him.

Eventually, hours did pass and they settled down in that tiny bed together, just on the cusp of sleep. Harry was laying on his back with Ginny encased firmly in his arms.

"Anything else I should know?" Ginny mumbled, her voice sounded tired yet also oddly satisfied. Her face was tucked snugly against his chest. The skin on skin contact felt heavenly.

Harry hesitated a moment before he let out a shuddering sigh and a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Uh… Just that I'm more scared than I let people believe."

Ginny placed a lingering kiss on his bare shoulder. A warm feeling immediately spread throughout his entire body at the contact. His arms tightened around her. "I feel as though you don't hear this enough, but it's alright to be scared. It doesn't make you any less brave."

They were the words that he needed to hear to make him feel better. And that was when he realised with a jolt how much of a mistake keeping everything from Ginny had been Because if he hadn't admitted to his secret fear just now, then he would've never heard her reassuring words.

He kissed the top of her head as his hands ran along the length of her arms, promising himself that he would find a way to tell her everything soon.

And with that, he fell asleep with a beautiful angel in his arms.

.

.

.

A/N: Please leave me a review and I may be generous enough to make lemonade. ;)