A/N: The previous chapter had very little Harry and Ginny interaction; I hope this makes up for it.

The blue drink wasn't as big as the others, and Ginny mentioned it to Dam as he steered her carefully through the crowd.

"Small, but mighty," he said. "Kind of like you."

This struck Ginny as rather funny, and she giggled. "That's me," she agreed. A comfy looking purple couch loomed in front of her. "Oohh, I like this one," she said happily, collapsing down on it. Immediately, the noise of the pub dulled.

Dam sat down next to her. "You picked a good spot," he said. "It just needs a few extra wards, don't you think? I like my privacy when I . . . for talking."

"Privacy," echoed Ginny. She leaned into Dam so she could whisper into his ear. "Harry likes his privacy too, did you know that? You must, cause you're his captain."

Dam laughed. "I did know that, yes," he said. He looked out into the pub. "I wish he'd go find some 'privacy' of his own with one of these witches, the poor bloke needs a good shag already."

"Not here, he doesn't," said Ginny knowingly. "Not with a groupie. Not Harry."

Dam looked thoughtful. "I'm beginning to realize that," he said. He shook his head. "Enough about Potter though." He raised his cup. "Cheers!"

"Cheers," said Ginny. She clinked glasses and drank deeply. "Mmmm, this one's the best yet."

Dam had drained his glass completely. "Oh, I think the best is yet to come," he said. He leaned in closer. "What would you say if I added a couple of extra wards to our corner?"

Ginny found herself staring at Dam's lips. They looked soft. She licked her own and saw a gleam on interest in his eyes. "Wards would be good," she said. She watched as Dam picked up his wand and muttered a spell. Immediately, the space around them turned pitch black.

"Shit, wrong one," he said. "Recanto." The light came back. He tried again. "Obscurio," he said firmly, waving his wand in an odd pattern. The air at the edge of their sofa blurred, but Ginny could still see through it to the pub beyond. She frowned. "Is that right?"

Dam was shaking his wand. "It's that blue drink," he said. "Should come with a warning. Hold on, I'll try again."

"It's okay," said Ginny. "We learned these in training." She waved her wand and said a series of spells in succession, until the sight and sound of the pub faded completely away.

Dam gave a low whistle. "Well, thank the Aurors for me, will you?" He shuffled closer on the sofa. "So, finally alone," he said.

"Finally?" said Ginny with a giggle. "I didn't realize you've been waiting."

Dam nodded. "Since the day I met you," he said. He put his hand on the back of her neck and leaned in.

Ginny nodded to herself. She wondered if Dam's lips were as soft as they looked. Shuffling closer, she moved her hand to his shoulder and met him halfway.

HPHPHPHPHP

The knocking was subtle, but it sounded like it was right next to Ginny's ear. She groaned softly and rolled over, pulling her pillow with her. Unfortunately, the knocking followed. She cracked open an eye. Was someone in her flat? She sat up quickly and grabbed her wand, wincing at the way her head pounded and her stomach rolled. "Who's there?" she asked hoarsely.

"Ginny, it's me." Harry.

Ginny looked around. "Where are you?" she whispered into the air. Sunlight was streaming through the window next to her bed and she flicked her wand woozily at the curtains until they swung closed. The darkness was a relief. "Are you here?" she said, a bit more loudly.

"I'm outside your door. Projection spell." His voice was blessedly low. "I wanted to know if you're . . . are you okay?"

"I've been better," Ginny said thickly. She leaned back against her pillows and closed her eyes. It was quiet again, and Ginny wondered if Harry had gone away.

"Can I come in? I mean, if you're alone?"

That got Ginny to sit up again. "Why wouldn't I be alone?" she asked. She pointed her wand at the door and heard the click as it opened. "Come on in. Quietly," she said. She put her hand against her temple and pressed at the throbbing.

A few seconds later she sensed, rather than saw, that Harry was next to her bed. "I'll be fine," she muttered in his direction. "I just need to sleep for about twenty more hours."

Something crinkled nearby. "I brought you a potion; I didn't think you had any."

That got Ginny's attention. She opened her eyes.

Harry had either stopped much earlier along the rainbow of drinks than she had, or else he'd already dosed himself with some of the small vial he was holding out to her. He was in an Arrows' practice uniform, but he looked too clean to have come from a workout. Bright eyes looked down at her, and Ginny got the strange feeling they were searching her face for something. He held it closer. "Do you want it?"

"Hell yes," said Ginny. She took the bottle and cracked the seal around the cap. Once the warmth had spread almost to her toes, and the pounding in her head dulled to a muffled and occasional thump, she finally felt able to focus on her benefactor.

"Thank you, Harry," she said fervently. "You don't know how much I needed that."

He chuckled. "Actually, I probably do," he said.

Ginny chuckled back. "Touche," she said. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up." She made a face. "Vomited in my dustbin, probably. I'm feeling better now."

"That's good," he said. He rocked on the balls of his feet. "And umm, at least you didn't end up in the paper, right?"

Ginny snorted, relieved that the action didn't hurt her head. "I assume not," she said. "Dam told me that was one of the advantages of that pub; reporters can't get in."

"Ahh, right," said Harry. "I forgot it was warded. I uhh, guess that's a good thing, then, right? That it's warded like that? Cause otherwise you might have . . . umm, you know." He trailed off.

"Been in the paper?" Ginny looked at Harry and noticed a flush creeping up his cheeks. She waved her hand at him. "Go ahead, take the mickey, I'm feeling well enough now to handle it now." She leaned back. "Although, I don't know that the public readership is as interested in whom Damacles Clarke hooks up with as they are with Harry Potter's latest conquest." She gave him a teasing smirk.

Harry didn't smile back. "Hooked . . . hooked up? You and Dam, you hooked up?" His voice was choked, and he suddenly swiveled his head back and forth, looking around the room as if he expected Dam to step out of the kitchen. "I thought you two just . . . at the pub or here?" He took a couple of steps back from the bed.

"At the pub, Harry, you saw us," said Ginny. She wondered if the drinks had messed with her recollection, but she was nearly positive that Harry had practically waved her and Dam into their private purple corner. She frowned. "Didn't you? And then you said you were going to sit with Ron and Hermione." She rubbed at her eyes, trying to figure out what she wasn't remembering. Harry was rocking back and forth again, and his mouth was set in a thin line. Ginny frowned.

"Don't tell me you and Ron still have a problem with seeing me have a snog, Harry." She remembered what Parvati and had said. "I'm not at Hogwarts anymore, you know. Snogging Dean behind a tapestry.

Harry waved his hand impatiently. "Snogging, fine. I suspected you've been wanting to kiss Dam since you met him. But . . . hooking up with him? And drunk?" He shook his head. "I wouldn't have thought . . ."

Ginny stared at Harry. "Wait. What exactly do you think Dam and I did?" she asked slowly.

Harry shrugged. "You said you hooked up. That means, you know . . . sex. Or something close to it." He suddenly seemed very interested in the pattern on the curtain by her bed.

Ginny was horrified. "Holy shit, Harry, Dam and I didn't have sex last night. Or anything close to it." She leaned forward and pushed at his hip until her turned back and looked at her again. "I know I was drunk, but I'd remember that."

Harry seemed to relax a fraction. "But you said . . . you hooked up. I thought that means, I mean, I always heard . . . that's sex."

"Oh." Now it was Ginny's turn to blush. "Right." She shuffled on the bed. "When I was maybe seven or eight, I overheard Bill and Charlie talking about a witch Bill had hooked up with. He'd just graduated from Hogwarts and was training at Gringotts. I asked what he meant – I had a terrible vision that Bill and the witch had been cursed, hauled up into the air on a giant hook or something. I couldn't figure out why he seemed so embarrassed about it, but I thought maybe it was that he wasn't doing a good job in his training class. He finally told me 'hooking up' meant snogging." She gave a little shrug. "So in my mind, that's what it's always meant. I forget that it means a lot more to everyone else."

Harry let out a deep breath. "Oh, that's . . . oh. Okay then. Yeah, right. I can see how you'd think that. If Bill had told you. That's good."

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "It's good that I still talk like a seven year old?"

Harry looked embarrassed. "No, umm, it's just, I . . . think it's good you didn't mean that 'hooking up' means sex. That you didn't, you know, have it. Sex. With Dam."

The look on Harry's face was unexpectedly sincere, and Ginny found herself matching his tone. "Yeah, well, that's not exactly the way I'd want to lose my virginity, you know? Buzzed, on a couch in a pub, with a bloke I don't really care about." She gave him a small grin. "No matter how hot he might be."

"You haven't . . . oh." Harry shuffled his feet. "I didn't know if. . . not with Dean?"

Ginny snorted. "When I was fifteen?"

Harry laughed too. "Oh, yeah. I guess not. And not since then either . . .? I mean, I'd have heard if you were dating someone. Ron would have told me," he added, rather unnecessarily.

"Ron's always been a little too interested in who I am or am not kissing," she agreed. "Especially considering how nice I've been to him about Hermione, despite the fact that it took him far too long to get his head out of his arse and realize he liked her." She gave Harry a questioning look. "So, the entire time the three of you were off searching for Horcruxes, the two of them never . . .?"

"No," said Harry quickly. His face shuttered suddenly, and Ginny remembered an overheard conversation. Ron left, but then he came back.

"Right," she said. "I guess that wouldn't really have been the time or place." She tried to mask the awkwardness. "In a small tent, I mean."

Harry nodded. "It was bad enough hearing Ron snore," he said, and it was clear he wasn't going to say anything more.

The silence stretched. Harry played with the curtains again.

"Sooooo," Ginny said finally. "Have you?"

Harry looked startled, and Ginny wondered just where his mind had been. "Have I what?"

"Had sex, of course." Ginny looked at him frankly. "I told you, it's only fair that you tell me." She grinned. "But first, you need to sit down and stop trying to rehang my curtains, or whatever it is you've been doing." She pointed at the fabric tie, which was currently undone and twisted around Harry's thumb. He blushed and hastily retied it. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Umm, should I . . . where should I sit?"

Ginny scooted over closer to the wall. "Here's fine, I don't really feel much like getting out of bed yet." She grabbed one of her extra pillows and threw it at him, watching as he plucked it effortlessly out of the air. "Okay," he finally said. He moved to sit down.

Ginny thought of something. "Wait!" she said. Harry froze, looking guarded. "What?"

"Would you go get me a glass of water first? Please? The cups are in the second cupboard in the kitchen."

Harry grinned. "No need," he said. He raised his wand and closed his eyes. Ginny heard the soft creak and then bump of her cabinet opening and closing, and the clink of ice cubes. A few seconds later, a glass floated towards them and hovered in front of Harry. "Auguamenti," he said, handing her the cup of ice-water.

"Show off," she muttered, but she was impressed. "I spill mine half the time."

Harry grinned again. "I get thirsty a lot. And I'm lazy."

Ginny snorted. "You're probably the least lazy person I know, Harry." She kicked the blankets back. "Now sit. You owe me the answer to my question."

"Right," said Harry. "Your question." He made no move to sit down.

"Harry, I'm going to get a crick in my neck if I have to keep looking up at you. There's plenty of room and very little chance that I'm going to get sick, so please, sit down, or else I'll have to make you." Ginny pointed her wand for emphasis. She expected a snarky comment back about how she always relied on the threat of a hex to get what she wanted, but Harry just nodded meekly and sat on the edge of the bed. She gave him an expectant look, and after a minute, he kicked off his shoes and twisted so that he was sitting fully on the bed, facing her.

"Happy now?" he asked.

Ginny shook her head. "Not yet, not until you answer my question." She leaned forward. "Come on, Harry, I know everyone else's status, even Percy's." She whispered conspiratorially. "He's a no, but I'm trying to find him a witch to date. Maybe I can look for one for you too."

For some reason, Harry looked cross. "I don't need you to find me a girlfriend, Ginny," he said.

"Why, because you're doing such a good job finding one yourself?" Ginny teased. "Come on, Harry, I bet I'd be good at figuring out your type. Unless . . . you're not interested in one of those fan-witches outside, are you?"

"Absolutely not," said Harry quickly. "Hell no."

Ginny laughed. "I didn't think so. Not even for a snog in a bar, huh?"

Harry shook his head. "What would be the point? It's not like we'd have anything to talk about; they're only interested in being able to say they've snogged Harry Potter and gotten their picture in the paper." He shuddered slightly. "It was bad enough the first time."

Ginny grimaced in sympathy. "Okay then, no fan-witches. Or wizards, for that matter."

"Not those either," Harry agreed. He leaned back against the footboard, frowned, and then took the pillow she had thrown at him and put it behind his back before leaning back again.

Ginny looked at Harry for a moment, considering. He looked back at her. "What?" he asked.

"I'm just trying to figure out your type," she said. "You didn't date at Hogwarts, so I don't have that much to go on. Parvati thought maybe you'd fancied Cho Chang for a while, but were too shy to do anything about it." Ginny poked Harry's foot with her own. "Did you? Fancy Cho Chang? She's smart and pretty, and she must like Quidditch. What about her?"

Harry looked uncomfortable. "I uhh, yeah. I guess I thought she was kind of cute, once. But then she just seemed to ask me all these questions about Cedric and, I dunno." He shook his head. "I don't think she's really my type. I don't know if I really have a type anyway. If I find someone, I think it will be because of who she is as a person, not because she fits into some particular category." He shrugged.

Ginny wasn't deterred. She didn't know if it was the rather resigned look on Harry's face, or the fact that he'd saved her day by bringing her hangover potion, but she wanted to help him if she could. Somehow, she knew that, despite his reticence on the subject, Harry really did want a girlfriend. But she also knew that it had to be the right one, and that he likely had no idea how to go about finding one. She leaned forward.

"Well, we know it's someone who has to like Quidditch a lot, of course. That's probably one of the reasons you never fancied Hermione, right?"

Harry shuddered. "There are a lot of reasons I never fancied Hermione," he said quickly. "Even before I realized that Ron did. She's like a sister to me, you know? A slightly older, somewhat bossy sister who tells me to study all the time." He grinned. "Somehow, when she's bossy to Ron, it's completely different."

"Completely," agreed Ginny. "I think her bossiness is kind of a turn-on to him, you know?"

Harry groaned. "I know. It's almost become like foreplay for them." He face grew serious. "But she's also been super loyal, all the way back to first year. I can't say that about many people."

"Including my brother," said Ginny bluntly. "During the Tri-wizard Tournament." She didn't even bother mentioning Ron's departure during the Horcrux hunt.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not always an easy person to be friends with," he said. And especially for Ron, who's . . ." He sighed. "Let's just say I get it even better now than I used to. And more importantly, he does too. I don't think it's going to be an issue anymore. He's my best friend, he's saved my life on more than once, and he's like a brother. Now more than ever, I don't think I could have . . ." He broke off. "Well, it's been a hard year, as you know. But Ron has really . . . stepped up."

Ginny supposed this wasn't news to her; when she stopped to think about it, she'd noticed the changes in Ron too, although she hadn't put a name to them until now." He's more confident," she said. "But not cocky about it. I think he believes in himself more."

Harry nodded. "Exactly. And being with Hermione has helped a lot too."

Ginny grinned. "So, he's like a brother, she's like a sister. Do either of them come to you for advice?"

Harry groaned again. "Not yet, and I hope not ever. I'm not sure I could handle that. It's hard enough suspecting – and sometimes hearing – what they are getting up to when they're alone." He gave her a rueful grin. "I go running a lot."

"All the more reason we need to find you a witch," she said promptly. "So far, we've got Quidditch. What else? Someone smart, I'd imagine?"

Harry nodded slowly. "Smart's important," he said. "But not necessarily Ravenclaw smart. Someone who . . . knows what's going on in the world."

"Like with the Ministry," said Ginny. "You need to be able to trust her enough to share that kind of thing with her, and know she's not going to be frightened off." She nodded to herself, thinking about what else Harry would want in a witch, and what kind of person would be best for him. "Someone who doesn't care that she's dating Harry Potter, and who understands your need for privacy. It shouldn't be something you have to explain to her; she has to just know. And someone powerful magically," she finished. "Who's not afraid to use her magic."

"Someone not afraid," echoed Harry. "Someone brave." He was quiet for a moment. "So, someone who was in Gryffindor, I guess."

"Gryffindor's a good start," said Ginny. "Although, plenty of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws fought in the Final Battle too. I'd say you could find someone brave there from one of those houses too." She frowned to herself, thinking. "I know Parvati's not your type, but what about Padma? She's a bit more serious."

"Ron took her to the Yule Ball and I don't think she's forgiven either of us yet," said Harry dryly.

"Not Padma, then," said Ginny. "How about Susan Bones? I think she's single."

Harry was looking around. "Do you have any Butterbeer?"

"Umm, sure," said Ginny. "In my icebox." She picked up her wand. "I'll get it."

Once Harry was drinking his butterbeer (which Ginny was pleased to see had not shaken up in transit), and they were both eating cookies her mum had sent over, silence descended. Despite the comfort with which they'd been talking earlier, Ginny struggled to find something to say now. Harry's made it pretty obvious he didn't want to talk about witches anymore, and Ginny wasn't sure if he wanted to hear some of her concerns about the Aurors. She was about to resort to the safe topic of Quidditch - a step backwards, it felt like – when Harry finally spoke.

"So, Dam, huh? I guess I know what your type is then."

Ginny snorted before she stopped to think. "Hardly," she said.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Hardly?"

Ginny backtracked. "I mean, I know he's your captain and all, and he'd probably want . . . it's just . . ." She sighed. "You won't tell him, will you? What I said?"

Harry gave her a gentle smile. "I won't tell," he promised. Ginny believed him. "But," he continued. "If I'm going to keep such a big secret, I think I have the right to know why you are so sure, after a single night of drunken snogging, that the great Damacles Clarke is not your type." Harry leaned back against his pillow and put his hands behind his head. "I've got plenty of time."

For a brief second, Ginny considered the oddness of the situation. Harry was her brother's best mate, someone she'd known since she was ten. She'd spent a lot of those years being rather irritated with him. Granted, they seemed to be getting along better these days, but that hadn't stopped her from putting her foot in her mouth on more than one occasion or his behavior making her want to hex him. That's why it should have felt less comfortable than it did to sit with him and talk about last night, or about anything else having to do with her and what type of man she was interested in. True, she'd interrogated Harry pretty heavily on his own love life, but she'd bugged most of her brothers at one time or another too. But talking with her brothers about her own experiences was something Ginny really didn't do. She'd just expect them to tease, or roll their eyes, or – in Ron's case – get rather apoplectic.

But Harry's expression was earnest, and Ginny didn't get the impression he was waiting to find out what he could so that he could run off to Ron with stories. Indeed, hadn't she told Parvati that Harry likely got rather annoyed having to listen to Ron complaining about it? Ron would probably be the last person Harry would tell. She nodded.

"Do you remember the night Dam brought you here after your hazing night? What you did?"

Harry gave her a questioning look. "You mean, pass out on your sofa and then get sick in your loo? Only partly."

Ginny shook her head. "I mean, before that. It didn't even occur to me at the time that it was unusual." She pointed her wand towards her living room. "I guess the rest of the team was in the hallway when Dam brought you here. You set a silencing charm so we couldn't hear them." She looked at him. "You don't remember?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Not really," he said. "Everything from that night's pretty blurry from about the time I started kissing that witch." He grimaced. "I wish I could block more of that out." He rubbed across his face. "I remember seeing you, here in the flat, and I remember, umm, that you took that bra from me." He flushed and Ginny laughed. "I think I still have it somewhere," she said. "I'll probably find it when I finally give this place a good cleaning."

"So, never," said Harry with a laugh.

"I'd kick you, but you're probably right," sighed Ginny. She sat up. "But that's the thing, you were so drunk you don't even remember what you did, and yet, your silencing charm was perfect." She shook her head. "Dam seemed to have a lot more trouble with simple spells last night. And he wasn't nearly as drunk as you'd been."

"Ahhh, right," said Harry. He looked down at his hands. "It's something I've noticed too," he said. "But I'd appreciate it if you don't say anything to anyone else." He looked up at her. "I'm not sure who else might think so, and really, it's none of their business."

Ginny nodded. "Dam's not a terribly powerful wizard," she said. It wasn't a question.

Harry gave a slight nod of agreement. "He's not, although I think he's learned how to hide it fairly well, unless you're really paying attention. "He didn't go to Hogwarts, or anywhere else. His parents taught him a bit at home and he played a lot of Quidditch. I think it's the only thing he ever wanted to do. And he's really, really good."

"He is," Ginny agreed. "And he's still very good looking, of course."

"Of course," Harry agreed. "You'd have to be blind not to notice that." He smirked. "But 'abs you can climb like a ladder' aren't enough for you?"

Ginny laughed. "Where did you ever hear that? I mean, I can confirm now that it's true, but that sounds like something Witch Weekly would write."

Harry grinned. "It is. We keep a subscription in the training rooms for the purpose of finding gems like that." He sighed. "Although I don't usually tease him, considering what the magazine usually has to say about me."

"I've seen some of it," Ginny admitted. "I'm taking all the papers now, to help look for patterns that might be important for the Aurors." She gave him a teasing look. "Do you really add a coloring charm to your eyes to make them more emerald?"

Harry groaned. "I'm never going to live that down, am I? George and Fred told me they were considering marketing a "Harry Potter's eyes" set of lenses, and I'm not sure if they were completely joking." He pursed his lips. "What else do you have on me? I might as well be prepared before I see you again at the Burrow."

Ginny put her hands on her hips, which was admittedly less dramatic from her position on the bed. "Me? What about you? I'm sure I'll barely get through the door before you tell my entire family I got drunk and kissed Dam. Remember the Newts?

"That was Fred and George," Harry protested.

"But you got them extend the spell with your comment," she said. "If I remember correctly, you said that they would make it 'hard for me to get close enough to snog anyone.' Then you and Ron went outside to play Quidditch and I had to sit there for another two hours waiting for the things to leave me alone." She shook her head.

"Fred and George are one thing, Harry, but Ron used to be on my side. We had each other's backs, especially against Fred and George. But then it became you and him instead, to tease me, or treat me like I'm still a little kid? I'm only sixteen months younger that he is, and only a year younger than you." Ginny tried very hard to keep the bitterness out of her voice. Harry had gone very still. When he finally spoke, his words were careful and measured.

"That first morning, when Fred and George brought me to the Burrow, I didn't know what to expect. I guess I just followed everyone else's lead. They were joking about you going to Hogwarts, and it was a lot like the way Fred and George had treated Ron the year before." He shrugged. "I figured that was how close families acted toward each other." He sat forward. "But that was a long time ago. And you always seemed to give as good as you got, to me as much as the rest of them. Has it really bothered you all this time? You never said anything."

Ginny felt herself flush. Put the way Harry said it, her complaint sounded more petty than she'd always thought. But she knew it wasn't completely imagined. She gathered her thoughts for a moment, wanting to be as deliberate as Harry.

"If I'd asked you to stop teasing me, do you think you would have listened? Or just followed whatever Ron did instead?"

Harry shuffled on the bed, and she knew he was considering her question. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I probably would have done whatever Ron did. Especially, umm, after the Chamber. I didn't quite know what to do."

Ginny watched as Harry shuffled on the bed again. It was like this during every one of the few times the topic had come up between them, Harry seemed uncomfortable and Ginny had never quite been able to say what she wanted. But now the words spilled out of her more easily.

"I figured, after the Chamber, that Ron and I would be close again. I mean, I knew you were his best friend, and Hermione, but I really thought . . . I mean, he'd just saved me, you know? And you too. And while everyone else was lecturing me, and worrying, and Fred and George were even teasing me, Ron was quiet about it. And you were there in Dumbledore's office, remember? Telling us all what happened? I thought things were going to change. But they didn't."

The look on Harry's face made her stop. If anything, her words had made him even more uncomfortable, and Ginny wondered if she sounded petty again, complaining about something that had happened so long ago. But Harry had mentioned the Chamber first; she wasn't completely out of line talking about it.

He almost looked ready to climb off the bed, and for a moment, Ginny thought he might. But then he took a deep breath. He was looking down at hands when he answered. "I just . . . followed Ron's lead again, like you said." Harry looked at her, finally, but Ginny sensed it was difficult for him to meet her gaze. He swallowed. "Ron, after he . . . rescued you, he starting teasing you again, and I figured that it was better that way. To treat you like normal and not mention everything that had happened. So that's what I did, I guess."

It made a lot more sense to Ginny now. Back in her second year, she'd only thought of her own hurt. She nodded, half to herself. "You were thirteen," she said. "And thought you had a crazed murderer after you. I suppose you weren't thinking much about me."

Harry gave a small nod of agreement. "I had a lot on my mind, for sure," he said. "But . . . yeah. Eventually I should have recognized that you were not just . . . well, I mean, I knew you were more than . . . because of the DA, and the Ministry. And the night Dumbledore died. And everything while we were gone. But I guess I didn't treat you that way, did I?"

Ginny understood something. "You treated me the way I expected you to treat me. I was jealous," she said flatly. "Jealous of you and Ron and Hermione, although I was more tolerant of Hermione because I knew she kind of drove Ron crazy too." Ginny grinned for a moment. "And after I figured out why, it was even easier." She shook her head. "But yeah, at the Quidditch World Cup, Bill told me I needed to get the chip off my shoulder about feeling like everyone treated me like a little kid, because I was asking for it." She grimaced. "At the time, I was. And I was looking for it, to be treated like 'little Ginny,' at least with my family."

"And with me," said Harry. He quirked his head at her. "Because, that's how you feel right? That I'm like another one of your brothers?" He had an odd expression on his face as he asked.

Ginny thought about it. "Well, yes," she said, watching Harry give a small nod of understanding, ". . . and no," she finished. "Not exactly, not really." She realized she'd gained a lot more clarity, just in the past hour they'd been talking. "I never really got as annoyed with my brothers as I did with you." It felt strangely good to admit that. "Of course, they were going to tease me. And I was going to tease them back. But like I said, it had always kind of been me and Ron against them. Not all the time," she amended hastily. "The older we got, the more he wanted to be treated like the rest of them. But usually, he and I hung out. Especially after Fred and George left for Hogwarts." She looked at Harry, wondering how to say it. Finally, she decided that honestly was the best.

"And then, Ron goes off to school and pretty soon we hear he's got a new best friend, but it's not any best friend, it's Harry Potter. And I thought that was pretty great of Ron, to become best friends with you." Ginny shook her head for a second. "But not because, you know, who you were. Kind of the opposite actually."

"How so?" asked Harry. He sat forward.

"I figured, that if you were friends with Ron, you must be okay," Ginny said. "Ron can be a prat sometimes, but he's a pretty good judge of character."

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

Ginny didn't smile back. "But when you came to the Burrow for the first time, you and Ron . . . you both treated me like a little kid." She looked at Harry earnestly. "You didn't even know me yet, but you acted like you did, like you were just another one of my brothers, and treated me like they did, like you automatically had the right." She shook her head. "I didn't like it."

Harry opened his mouth as if to speak, but Ginny rushed on.

"And then, instead of Ron including me, he wanted you all to himself. We didn't even have a chance to become friends or anything." She looked right at Harry. "So no, it wasn't like I thought of you as one of my brothers. But you acted like thought you were, or you wanted to be." She gave a little shrug. "That's all, I guess."

Harry rubbed his hand over his face. "Ginny, I'm so sorry," he said. He looked up at her and made a convulsive movement with his arm. For a wild moment, Ginny thought he was going to grab her hand. But he just brushed at the blankets for a second and then pulled back.

"You were a kid, I get that now," Ginny said. "And I was upset that I'd lost Ron, but it likely was going to happen anyway when he left for school."

"I had no idea how to act around any of you," said Harry quietly. He looked up at her. "Copying Ron was the best I could do; I'd never seen a proper family."

Now it was Ginny who felt an odd urge to grab Harry's hand. She didn't, but hoped her soft ohh of understanding conveyed something to him. "We were both very young," she said. "And I know that I, at least, was very self-absorbed. She gave a self-derisive snort. "No wonder it was so easy for Tom to get into my head."

"It was easy for Tom to get in your head because he was evil," said Harry firmly. "I know you've heard that dozens of times, but it's true. I know better than anyone, remember?"

Ginny snorted again. "You forgot that winter at Grimmauld Place," she said. Almost immediately, she regretted her words. But Harry didn't close up like he had the last time she'd said something thoughtless. He grimaced, and then nodded. "You were furious with me, and rightly so," he said.

Furious was an understatement. All the worry Ginny had been feeling about her father had bubbled over and she'd called Harry a number of choice words and then hexed him with one of her strongest Bat Bogey's ever. He'd snorted bats for nearly thirty minutes, refusing pleas from nearly everyone to reverse the spell. Finally, she'd given into Sirius, when he told her that all the bats were making the house itself nervous, and he couldn't be certain that it wouldn't unleash even more trouble. She hadn't spoken to Harry for the entire rest of the Christmas holiday.

"You tried to apologize; I wouldn't let you," she remembered. "I don't even remember when I finally started talking to you again."

"It was on the train back to school; you asked for help with your bags," Harry said immediately. He gave her a sheepish smile. "I was relieved the silent treatment was over."

"I still don't think I was very nice to you for a while though," said Ginny. "Until after Umbridge caught the DA at least. And then . . . the Ministry." Her ire at Harry had melted away completely in the face of the seriousness of that year.

"I'd still like the chance to apologize, though." This time, Harry did put his hand out, and touched her leg. "It was inexcusable of me to forget what you'd been through, and you had every right to be angry. Maybe not . . . quite as angry as you got, but still, I deserved it."

"Apology accepted," said Ginny promptly. "And for what it's worth, I don't think you'd ever forget now."

Harry nodded. "Like you, I was also rather self-absorbed back then."

"I think most teens are," said Ginny. She gave an enormous yawn.

Harry jumped up and off the bed. "You must be exhausted. The potion is sleep-inducing. I should go; I really just meant to come by to make sure you were . . . okay. I didn't mean to intrude for so long on your day off."

Another wave of drowsiness hit and Ginny yawned again. "It's okay, Harry. It's a long weekend, remember? I'll have plenty of time to rest." She leaned forward and grabbed his hand. "Thank you," she said, and she hoped he could hear the sincerity in her voice. "And not just for the potion."

Harry nodded. "Me too," he said. "Do you need more water before I go?"

Ginny shook her head and burrowed a little deeper into her covers. "I think I have enough," she said. "Or else I'll try that spell myself."

"The trick to not spilling is to keep your wand in the final position until the cup has gotten all the way to you," Harry said. "If you drop your arm too early, you'll spill."

"I'll remember that," said Ginny sleepily. Out of the corner of her half-closed eyes, she saw Harry turn away and look at her door.

"I'll just let myself out then," he said. "I'm expected for a run with the team soon anyway, although I don't know what shape most will be in." He cocked his head. "Should I . . . umm . . . should I tell Dam anything for you?"

"Just that I'm still recovering," said Ginny. "I'll have to talk to him later, I suppose."

"Sounds good," said Harry. "Have a good nap."

"Mmmmhmmm," murmured Ginny.

Harry was almost at her door when a last thought popped into Ginny's head, pushing away a few sleepy cobwebs. She opened her eyes. "Harry?"

He stopped. "Yes?"

"This conversation isn't over. You still owe me the answer to my question."

Sleepy as she was, Ginny could hear the smile in Harry's voice when he answered. "I promise to tell you absolutely everything, Ginny. Next time."

"Next time," she agreed. She rolled over and closed her eyes again as the door closed behind Harry.

A/N2: Harry and Ginny will definitely talk again; there are a couple of other topics I couldn't work into this chapter. But the next chapter should have more action. I tend to rely heavily on dialogue in my stories, and I do like writing it, but this was a challenge, since we've yet to see Harry's POV. That may change soon.