This one's for Peeveskicksass, for being so patient :)
It had been getting ridiculously difficult to try and find time alone with Harry lately.
They'd been ready to take their relationship to the next level for a few weeks now and just could not find the time or place to be with each other for more than twenty minutes. Whether it be Quidditch, homework, friends, or mother nature herself.
Explaining that one to Harry had been embarrassing, for both of them. It would have just been embarrassment on her part if he knew anything whatsoever about what she was talking about. The number of euphemisms she'd had to use before he caught on to her reason why she hadn't been feeling well, and likely wouldn't for a week. It's a wonder he'd made it this far in life. He did get adorably flustered once he finally realized she'd been telling him she had her period.
The stolen moments of heated snogs hadn't been taking the edge off of her raging hormones at all, it only fueled them more.
Yesterday she'd pulled him into a broom closet and demanded, non-verbally, that he take care of her needs. He'd been all too happy to give in, and very grateful that she'd been wearing her skirt at the time. She'd been grateful he'd cum so quickly from their grinding and resorted to using his fingers on her.
Finally she could concentrate. Harry seemed much more relaxed as well.
"Do you have your Ancient Runes textbook?" Hermione asked grabbing her attention.
Without looking up from her parchment she fished a hand into her book bag and pulled it out, handing it over to her.
"You seem very focused today." She sounded amused.
"Shh. We're in the library." Ginny teasingly mocked. Hermione didn't miss much, so she was sure she knew exactly why Ginny was better able to focus.
Once her assignment was finished, she raised her hands over her head, fingers locked, in a stretch and turned her head side to side to work out the kinks. It was nice to have been done with reading through all of the articles of the Prophet and the Quibbler finally and get back to just having her class assignments.
It had been very enlightening, and Hermione had pages and pages of notes on who had been thought to do what and for which side in the last war.
There was no doubt that the girl had already started a rough draft of a book on the last war from the information they'd found. Next she'd probably start interviewing people herself who'd been through it.
"You about ready to head back?" Ginny asked her. They'd been holed up in the library for two hours while the boys did whatever they were doing. Somehow the three of them; Harry, Ron and Neville, never seemed to put in as much effort as she and Hermione in their essays and assignments, granted the girls had one more class than them, but they still managed to get decent marks.
Hermione gave a non-committal answer and Ginny started packing up her things and returning books to their shelves. Her mind wandered to this coming weekend. It was a Hogsmeade weekend and no doubt everyone would be doing their Christmas shopping.
She still had her money she'd been setting aside for buying gifts thanks to Harry putting up the Galleons for the archives, she'd decided that baking up a bunch of Christmas cookies and wrapping them in a goodie bag with a knit scarf would be nice for all of her friends. But she wanted to do something more for Harry.
He could easily buy anything he wanted for himself, but from the state of his belongings, he just didn't. It probably had to do with so many years of conditioning from those awful relatives of his.
Sirius had written him and asked him to join him for the holidays at his house in London, and the two of them had been invited to the Burrow for Christmas day. She was happy he finally had someone who would care about him in a parental manner, and very happy she'd at least get to see him over the holidays. She'd written her parents to see if they'd be okay with him joining them for the holidays so he wasn't stuck by himself in the castle just before Sirius' owl had arrived.
Harry was quite keen on the idea too. He'd been over the journal that Sirius had given him and read all the stories about his parents. Professor Lupin had laughed when Harry mentioned some of the stories and told his own version of the events.
Bill had gotten back to Harry about Gringotts and sent him some pamphlets on how the Goblins handled investments and the basics on how the bank ran. He also recommended a bit of reading material on how to deal with the Goblins as well.
All in all, Harry was doing much better now that he had more information, and everyone was glad they could help him with that.
"Ready." Hermione caught up with her in the stacks.
Walking back to the common room Hermione was talking about how excited she was about the holiday and organizing all her notes on the last war.
"Do you ever wonder who he was?' Ginny asked.
"Who who was?"
"Voldemort." She said simply. "We've read all about the Death Eaters and their back stories and excuses, but there was nothing on who Voldemort really was. He was just some all-powerful demon man that came out of nowhere in the sixties-seventies. But nothing about who he was before that."
Hermione slowed her walk to a stop and Ginny turned back to raise her eyebrows in question at her. She'd just been musing aloud.
"I hadn't even thought of that angle."
"Angle? It was just a question." She paused. "Though, now that you mention it. There should be a section dedicated to where he came from and how he came to power."
"There absolutely should be! And those papers never mentioned anything about it! I know there are some different names in this world, but I highly doubt there was anyone that went to this school actually named Voldemort."
Ginny snickered. "Could you imagine what eleven-year-olds would do making fun of that name?"
Hermione giggled a bit too. "Oh yes. They'd make fun of it for sure. Voldemort. Moldy-wart."
"Think they'd call him Morty for short? Or Voldy-shorts!"
They passed teasing nickname ideas back and forth as they continued back to the tower.
()()()
"And his Eventuality Nibblers!" Ginny's voice came through the portrait hole as she and Hermione came back from the library. She was smiling brightly and wiping a tear of mirth from her eyes. Hermione was in much the same state.
Ron and Harry exchanged a humorous glance over their game of chess as their girlfriends made their way to them. "Hey." Harry pulled Ginny into his lap after she dropped her bag beside his chair. "What's got you two like this?"
"We." Laugh. "She." Hermione pointed to Ginny. "Ha. We were talking about Voldemort." She said loudly and a few heads snapped over in their direction. "And his. His." She started laughing again and took up in the chair by Ron.
"You mean Moldy-wart and his Eventual Nibblers." Ginny was shaking with laughter.
"I think we're missing some context here." Ron said confused.
The two girls just shook their heads, still struggling to breath through their giggles. "You know." Breath. "How children tease?" Ginny managed. "And how stupid the name Voldemort is?"
"So, you guys were just taking the piss out of his name?" Ron asked them.
Ginny buried her head in Harry's neck to try and calm down. He chuckled at their antics and wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the feel of her hot breath on his neck.
The two women calmed down and Hermione took his place to play Ron after Harry had lost miserably. He and Ginny had moved over to the couch and were cuddled up nicely in front of the fire when Neville came in just before curfew looking slightly disheveled and flush.
"Hey." He squeaked and went straight up to the dorms.
The four of them exchanged glances. "Is Neville seeing someone?" Hermione asked.
"He hasn't told us anything." Ron said.
"He mentioned something about tutoring someone in Herbology earlier." Ginny mused. "Did he tell any of you who that someone was?" They all shook their heads 'no'.
"And that was definitely a happy glow, right?" Harry said quietly to Ginny. He wanted assurance that Neville hadn't just had a bad encounter on the way back to Gryffindor and been too embarrassed to tell them he'd been bullied or something.
"Oh no." Ginny smiled. "His hair was nearly as messy as yours. And his lips were a little fuller than usually. He was definitely snogging someone."
"His lips were fuller?" Harry asked incredulously. "You noticed that?"
Ginny shrugged.
"Who do you reckon?" Harry asked her, he didn't want to draw everyone else in the common room into this discussion. Ron and Hermione were too far away to ask for their input without everyone eavesdropping. "Susan Bones might be sweet on him."
"I think I saw Terry Boot giving him a look over the other day."
Harry was taken aback. "But they're both guys." Ginny turned in his arms so she could look at him directly. Her warm brown eyes bore imploringly into his own as the understanding dawned. "You think..."
"I honestly have no idea who Neville likes. But if it is a guy rather than a girl, is that a problem for you?"
He'd never thought about it before. He understood what gay was, he'd just never been around anyone that was. At least so far as he knew. It just wasn't his train of thought when it came to relationships. Harry looked back up towards the stairs Neville had rushed up. "He looked pretty happy about it." Harry smiled recalling his flustered friends face. Turning back to Ginny he saw she was satisfied with that answer.
"As I understand it, that is much more accepted in our world than in the Muggle one."
"What is?"
"Homosexuality."
Harry's brow furrowed. "Is this another one of those things that you just grew up knowing?" He asked in a resigned voice.
She shook slightly and he knew she was laughing under her breath. "Probably." She rubbed his thigh. "It was always man and woman that married in our world, mostly for the purpose of creating heirs, but any same sex partnerships after the children were created was their own business." Ginny told him.
"I couldn't imagine that." Harry nodded his head. "Being forced into a marriage where I had to sleep with my wife, but actually being in love with someone else."
"Yet another reason I love you." She tilted her head up to kiss him under his chin.
()()()
"Sirius?" Remus called out from the sitting room of Grimmauld Place.
CRACK
"Hello. I am Dobby. Can I be of helps to you?" The House Elf greeted him.
"Err. Hello Dobby." He looked around the sitting room. He had only been there once before, a few days after Sirius had taken possession of it again, but Dobby had been out getting supplies. "You have done a fantastic job here!" The room was clean and freshly painted. He couldn't smell anything but the faint scent of cinnamon.
"Thank you sirs." The green of the elf's cheeks turned slightly darker. "How can I help you?"
"My name is Remus Lupin. I am looking for your master." He asked him kindly.
The sound of a door closing a few levels up alerted them to the location of Sirius, his hurried steps sounding closer and closer. "Remus!" Sirius grinned coming into the room. He was only wearing a bathrobe and sleeping trousers. "Did I know you were coming?"
"Ah. No." Remus told him, amused by how he was dressed mid-morning on a Saturday. "I wanted to talk to you about the holidays."
"Okay." Sirius turned to Dobby. "Would you mind sending some breakfast up to my room please."
Dobby bristled with pride. "Of course, master! You're miss must be hungry." CRACK.
"You're miss?" Remus raised an eyebrow. "You have a miss now?"
Sirius merely grinned at him. "So, what about the holidays? Did you hear that Harry is coming here? You'll join us too, right? Even if it's just for a bit?" He sat back on the couch and gestured for Remus to do the same.
"I was hoping." He told him awkwardly.
Sirius studied his friends demeanor. Remus had skirted certain issues he was having at school. It had always been like he thought himself unworthy of his and James' friendship. Never realizing just how much he and James had come to think of him as a brother.
Something the friendship with Peter had never quite been. Remus would have been a much better choice as Secret Keeper for them. Unfortunately Remus had been vehemently against it due to his condition.
"Where do you usually go for your holidays? Is your dad still around?"
Remus' lips thinned slightly and he shook his head. "He passed on about ten years ago. Left me his house. I usually go there, but there's-" He swallowed. There was no one there, and it was lonely, that's what he didn't want to say.
"Well, you can't do that then. Stay here with Harry and I! He only has a year and a half left at Hogwarts, and I want to make sure he leaves the Marauder impression. I don't even know if he's flirted with Minerva yet." He got a look on his face. "Remember when I made her blush? Good times."
Remus knew he would do that. Try and make it less awkward for him. He was so grateful to have him back in his life. And he was right. Harry should have been getting up to mischief during his Hogwarts career, but thus far he'd been very well behaved. James would be disappointed if they didn't do something about that.
"That sounds great." Remus relaxed. "Now then. Who's the miss?"
Sirius waggled his eyebrows at him. "Keeping that a little hush hush right now. Lets just say that the old charm still hasn't gone. It was a little rusty though." He admitted.
Remus barked a laugh.
Sirius face turned a little concerned. "Say. Does Harry know?" He inclined his head at him. "About you?"
Remus sadly shook his head. "The Pepper-up potion, Glamours and the Wolfsbane potion have been working wonders. I've really only had a few 'sick days' in my four years. But I've been maintaining a professional distance from Harry."
"Anyone else know?"
"Just a few of the staff." He shifted uncomfortably.
"And no miss of your own has ever found out?"
Remus felt his mood drop again. "No." Because there hadn't been a long term 'miss' for him for a very long time. It was just something he had lived with. He didn't want to chance hurting someone, and he didn't want to chance getting hurt.
He had watched his best friend fall in love and get married to the girl of his dreams with a longing that something like that would happen for him one day. But he was a werewolf, that just wouldn't be in the cards for him. His last dalliance had involved seeing the same woman four times over the span of three weeks and then breaking things off with her.
"Not everyone holds a prejudice you know." Sirius pointed out.
"Thanks." Remus deadpanned.
"No other werewolf chicks you know of that are kind of hot either? Have you ever been with one?" He looked a little too interested in that idea. Sirius always had been a bit of a kinky womanizer.
"On that note." Remus stood up. "I'll come by a few days after school lets out."
"Anytime mate. It'll be great to have you here with Harry. I'm hoping we'll get on great but having you here, as someone that he already knows, it might make him more comfortable."
Remus gave him a one armed hug before heading back out through the Floo and Sirius turned to head back upstairs.
"Everything alright downstairs?" Amelia asked from the bed. She had the pillows against the large ornate headboard behind her and was comfortably situated in the middle of the bed with a tray of breakfast goods in front of her.
Sirius grinned at the sight. He'd orchestrated a run in with her a few times over the last month and had finally worn her down until she agreed to go with him to dinner a few day ago. Wednesday had been their first date, then Thursday was their second, finally last night was their third. He'd taken her around to all of the places he'd missed most while he'd been locked away.
They went down to Brighton Beach for a stroll along the pebble beach and the pier, the next night they went out to Torquey to ride an old rail car from there to Plymouth and had street food, again by the seaside. She'd wondered aloud to him about how she found it rather odd that his two favorite places were by the seaside after being locked away in a sea-surrounded fortress. But it wasn't so much the sea aspect, but the life that was all along it. Kids were running and squealing, couples were having romantic liaisons, and the food to be found there was all the more appetizing.
Last night they had stayed in London and seen a play at the Shakespeare Globe. It wasn't a particularly good play, he couldn't even remember the name and for only 5 quid a person it didn't really matter, but the drinks after had been enjoyable and they wound up back at Grimmauld Place.
Waking up beside her had been quite a thrill. He hadn't slept with a woman for fifteen years and had been bound and determined to give her an excellent time in bed. Sirius was rather proud to have shown her an excellent time five times over until she nearly begged him to stop. He himself managed two excellent times.
Now here she was in all her glory, looking wonderfully ravished and famished.
"Everything is great. My friend Remus just stopped by to ask about holiday plans." He stripped off his bath robe and slid into the bed beside her, picking up the second coffee cup from her tray.
"That's nice. So it will be you, he and Harry for Christmas?"
"And we will be going to the Weasleys for dinner." He was very much looking forward to it. Molly and Arthur had been wonderful. After discovering that he'd been using them as a safe house for three years he really expected them to want him to stay away from them and their children forever, but instead they'd been understanding welcoming. They had been his family for so long that it would have been a knife to the heart if they'd cast him aside. Molly had already been over a few times to check on him and give suggestions for what to do with the place.
Molly was actually his first cousin through her mother, who was his fathers sister. He had never socialized with her though. Once his aunt married into the Prewitt line she'd been blasted off the family tree. He remembered seeing she and Arthur in Hogwarts, in the Gryffindor common room even, but hadn't thought much about them. His family had been so large that it hadn't really registered to him that the familial connection meant anything, let alone that they should be friends. Especially when he was a mere second year that was constantly getting into trouble and she was a seventh year who's priority seemed to be sneaking around with her boyfriend.
He was so looking forward to being surrounded by all the Weasley children again, and this time with Harry, whom he'd been writing to regularly and was writing back with an eagerness showing in the chicken scratch scrawl he wrote with. Harry seemed to be as excited for the holidays as he was.
"The look on your face." Amelia smiled and shook her head. "You are like an excited boy on Christmas morning already."
He felt it, and was unashamed. "How many presents do you think is too many? I'm currently leaning towards one for every year I missed." He asked honestly. There had been twelve missed birthdays that he'd tried to make up for with a Firebolt in Harry's third year, but now he was wanting to make up for Christmases as well.
"Maybe don't overwhelm him." Amelia suggested. "From what I hear from my niece he's quite down to earth. Perhaps get him something practical."
"So, not a motorbike?" He only half joked. He'd had one at sixteen and loved it.
Amelia choked slightly on her toast at that suggestion. "No" *cough* "Nothing that his parents would have murdered you over."
"Hey! James thought my motorbike was amazing."
"He wouldn't think that about his son getting one though." She exasperated. "I'm getting my niece a spa gift card. Can't you do something more along those lines?"
"But he isn't my nephew, he's... my Godson. My. My world right now really. It has to be more meaningful and important than that. I have so much to make up for." He said seriously. He'd felt truly selfish to have spent so long with the Weasley's while Harry was stuck with Lily's awful sister, acting as a veritable slave during his summers. But Harry was also spending the bulk of the year at Hogwarts with his friends and staying out of trouble, meanwhile Sirius felt that he would not have been capable of caring for Harry in the state he was in.
The state he was in for the first year at least he really wasn't capable of much of anything. As time went by the guilt weighted on him in regards to Harry more and more as he became stronger. Stronger physically and mentally, which meant capable. It seemed that Harry forgave him though. Ginny on the other hand... that may take a little more grovelling. He was up for that challenge as well.
"I'll figure something out later." He dismissed. "There's too beautiful of a woman in my bed right now."
Amelia rolled her eyes in response, but a slight blush came to her face. He loved that he was able to do that to her when she was so obviously skilled at schooling her physical responses.
()()()
"Hey." Ginny stepped out of the bathroom in her dorm to find Hermione spread out reading on her own bed .
"Hey. Did you mind if we exchanged Ancient Runes assignments?" Hermione asked her. She'd given Ginny a lot of helpful pointers when it came to writing out her homework assignments and they'd found that each of them had different views on approaching the topic assigned that really enhanced their own papers. They regularly shared their work.
"Yeah. No problem." Ginny had just stepped out of the shower and went to her bag to hand over the assignment before pulling on her pajama's. It was only nine, but she'd had a hard Quidditch practice and the short shower in the changerooms hadn't done much besides making her smell slightly better. Her muscles demanded more time under the hot water followed by sleep.
Hermione passed her her assignment after she'd changed and she stretched out on her bed.
"Um, Ginny?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah?" She answered distractedly.
"Have you and Harry... you know?"
Ginny looked up at her and blinked a few times. "Have we had sex?" Hermione was blushing from the question but nodded. But Ginny didn't find it at all embarrassing. "Not yet. But I'm on the potion just in case we get too carried away." She shrugged. "Why? Not that I'm overly eager to find out what you're getting up to with my brother." She smiled.
"Oh. Well. I just. I mean we've been going out for a few months. And he's been really sweet, and I just don't know if I'm moving too fast, or holding him back." Hermione bit her lip. "When we. I mean, when he... How far have you gone with Harry?" She finally asked.
Ginny screwed up her eyebrows, confused by the question. It sounded like Hermione was worried about being properly intimate with Ron. Not that Ginny and she talked about their relationships together, with her boyfriend being Hermione's best friend and Hermione's boyfriend being her brother, those discussions would be a little full of information they weren't very keen to know.
"We haven't had proper sex. But we've gotten rather carried away a few times. We've seen each other almost naked, and we're sort of... building up to it." Ginny admitted honestly.
Hermione sighed. "I just. I was raised in a rather stern household. I've only dated one person before and the most I did was kiss him chastely a few times. Now, with Ron, he makes me want to do more, but I keep pulling away when we get too carried away."
"What do you consider 'getting carried away'?" Ginny asked. "And please, not specifics. This is my brother you're talking about."
Hermione swallowed and blushed again. "Some heavy snogging. He um. He put his hand under my.."
"Skirt?" Ginny offered.
"No! My shirt." Hermione corrected quickly.
"That's it?" Ginny made a disbelieving face. She and Harry had passed that milestone almost immediately. The only thing that was keeping her from ripping off both of their clothes every time they were alone was the time constraints. Hell, if they could have booked a room in Hogsmeade the last visit she would have so they could finally consummate. But on the other hand they were still having an amazing time just being with each other.
Ginny's brow furrowed. "Is it because you were raised to wait for marriage or something, or are you just not feeling comfortable enough to take another step in the relationship?"
"My parents did teach me that you should wait until marriage." Hermione told her, though there wasn't the conviction behind the comment saying she quite believed in what she'd been taught. "But... I don't know." She pouted and pulled a pillow closer to her head to bury her face in.
She seemed to really be struggling with what was the right way to go about stepping forwards or backwards with her relationship. "Do you love him?"
Hermione raised her head from the pillow to meet Ginny's eye and Ginny saw the conflicting emotions there. She opened her mouth a few times to answer but was very hesitant about the correct reply.
"Look. Forget the fact that he's my brother." Ginny sat up and crossed her legs. "I won't tell anyone what you say. I promise. Now. Has he told you he loves you?"
Hermione shook her head no and sat up on her bed as well. "When we're together we mostly snog or join in on other conversations around us. I'm attracted to him, that is rather obvious. But he is mostly interested in food and Quidditch. He doesn't really care about the Muggle world I grew up in, nor is he as focused on his studies as I am. He just can't be bothered to put in the effort to do better. But I still like him a lot."
Ginny heard what she was saying. Hermione and Ron were pretty different people. He was hands on, and though he'd gotten better over the years, he was more of the shoot first ask questions later type. Hermione was very studious and loved a good conversation. They had quite the different interests. Sometimes those relationships worked, sometimes they didn't. As Hermione had come to mean a lot to Ginny, she'd hoped that Hermione and Ron's relationship would work out.
Ginny moved over to sit on Hermione's bed beside her. "You know, if you and Ron don't work out it isn't going to affect our friendship. I don't think it will stop you and Ron from being friends either."
Hermione's eyes glistened just a little bit. "Really? I mean. I haven't decided anything. It's just that there is this voice in the back of my head saying that I'm not comfortable going any further with him."
"And that's fair. You shouldn't feel obligated to do something more with him just because of how long you've been together." Ginny told her and wrapped an arm around her because she looked like she could do with a hug. "I say think on it. Make a pro's and con's list, envision what your relationship is going to look like down the line. Just, please don't break his heart. If you get nasty with him I will have to hurt you a little bit." She teased.
Hermione giggled. "Right. I break his heart, you break my face. I remember." She smiled.
"Feel better now you've talked it out?" Ginny asked.
"A lot." Hermione sighed. "It had been weighing on me a lot. And honestly, you're reaction to it was one of the things that was worrying me."
Ginny shrugged. "Ron is a big boy. You are his first girlfriend. It would be crazy to think that you would be his only."
Hermione turned her head to study Ginny's face properly. "What about you and Harry though? Neither of you have had any previous relationships." She pointed out. "You still seem like you're going pretty strong."
"We are." She said almost wistfully. "I certainly have no plans of ending things with him." She assured her. "But we also have a lot more of the same interests that you and Ron don't. Plus, there's this animalistic attraction that makes me want to rip his clothes of and have my way with him." She bit her lip and stared off, smiling into the middle distance.
Hermione snickered at that. "Yeah. I've seen the way you two look at each other. I want that, but maybe I'm too reserved of a person to get that goofy love-sick look you two sport." She lay down again. "Do you think Ron is seriously invested in this relationship? He hasn't dragged me off into a broom cupboard in a while."
Ginny shook her head. "He hasn't said anything to me. Maybe you two should have a serious talk if you're not comfortable with how things are going."
Hermione didn't say anything. She just hugged her pillow and looked off pensively. Ginny squeezed her arm and moved over to sit back on her bed and keep reading through Hermione's translation of their assignment.
She and Harry had been getting on wonderfully. From her perspective anyways, but it felt like he was on the same page as she. They kept sneaking off for some alone time here and there, but when they were in a group they always managed to find something to carry on about conversation wise. He was funny, and insightful, and damn sexy. There is no way she was going to give up on their relationship without a fight, even if he wasn't as invested as she was.
Which brought her back to a problem she'd been having.
"Er, Hermione? Just to pull you out of your brooding for a minute." Hermione looked over at her with her eyes clearing to focus on her. "I don't know what to get Harry for Christmas."
It took the girl a minute to process what she'd just been told before she grinned. "He's a hard one to buy for isn't he?"
Ginny groaned. "I don't want to do something basic, like sugar quills and some chocolate frogs. That's what you get for friends. I want something more meaningful than that, but how do I do that on a budget?"
"Harry won't care about how much you spend." Hermione dismissed.
Ginny knew that much from what he'd told her of how he grew up. He'd probably be completely happy if she got him a treat from Honeydukes, but it wasn't good enough from her perspective.
"I think the best present he ever got, according to him, was a photo album from Hagrid that he received in his first year. He would probably be over the moon about anything you'd give him but be really touched if it was from the heart."
Ginny had seen the photo album he had. His parents had looked very happy in the photo's there. After being deprived of hearing anything about his parents for his whole life, of course that would mean a lot to him. He'd probably love anything that had to do with his parents.
"Oh!" Ginny exclaimed. A light bulb had gone off in her head. Something that would be possibly quite difficult to procure for him, but Harry would be bound to love it.
()()()
The holidays came upon them quickly.
Harry was very much looking forward to spending his holidays with Sirius and Remus, as he was instructed to call him when they weren't in a professional setting. He'd spent all of his school breaks, save for the summers, at Hogwarts. It had been nice to have his dorm to himself, the food was always excellent, and really anything was better than going back to Privet Drive. But this was the first time he felt like he was actually going to have a Christmas.
Hermione and Neville had told him off for not sharing his home life with them when they'd found out. Otherwise they claim they would have invited him home with them for the breaks, not that the Dursley's would have granted him permission to leave and actually enjoy himself elsewhere on his time off, but their sentiment was nice, if reprimanding.
He was especially happy that he was going to be at the Weasley's for Christmas dinner. Sirius had spoken of it like it was Valhalla, and Ron had gone on about playing Quidditch at their paddock. Ginny wanted to show him around the property and take him down into the village of Ottery , which she claimed was a winter wonderland in the snow. It was shaping up to be the best Christmas ever and he was basically vibrating with excitement.
"You alright there?" Ginny smiled beside him.
"Great. Why?" He beamed. They were at breakfast, this morning the bulk of the students would be leaving on the train, but he and Ginny and Ron would be heading down to Hogsmeade and using Floo to get to the Burrow where he'd meet up with Sirius and continue on to Grimmauld Place. He'd wondered why he couldn't just use the Floo in Remus' office that was tapped into Sirius' grate, but didn't question it because it meant more time with Ginny and his friend. And he was just eager to see the Burrow as well.
"You are all fidgety."
"Oh." He hadn't realized. But supposed it was true. "I'm just really excited." He told her in confidence, lowering his voice.
She squeezed his hand in understanding and gave him a soft kiss. "I'm sure Sirius is just as eager as you are." She assured him. "He always was quite an excitable pup around the holidays."
Harry laughed loudly, causing a few heads to turn his direction. He then reeled in his amusement to a chuckle and shook his head. He was in too good a mood to be embarrassed about his outburst.
"Are you all packed up? Any last minute business to attend to before we go?" Ginny asked him.
"I've been packed for days save for my toiletries." He admitted. "Ready to go whenever you are." He turned over to Ron who was across the table. "You nearly ready?" Except Ron had a mouth full of food and half a plate of breakfast still in front of him. He also indicated over to Hermione, who looked to be waiting for him to finish up so they could say goodbye before she took the train to London.
"Great!" Ginny pushed Harry to get up. "We'll just meet up with you at the tower when you're finished up."
It was nice to see that Ginny was as excited to head home for the holidays as he was. Except that half way back to the tower she pulled him into an alcove behind a tapestry and pushed him back against the wall with a feral grin on her face. Apparently she was in a rush for a different reason.
"Mmm, should have pulled you into somewhere with a door." She whispered a few minutes later. His hand was under her shirt and bra, kneading her breast while he trailed kisses down her neck.
They'd been trying not to make any noise, which had become a sort of hot challenge for them over the past few weeks. But when her hand went down to his trousers to rub her hand up and down him there he was wishing they'd wound up in a more private location as well.
"Think the guys will be in my dorm?" He asked, knowing the answer was yes.
She moved her hand around to his hip and pulled him closer so they could grind up together. "Mmm, not enough time to go to the Prefects Bathroom or the Change rooms either."
Harry sighed through his nose and pushed her hips back against the wall, pulling his body away from hers regretfully. "We really should get up there."
"I know." Her eyes opened and she ran her hands through his hair, something she knew would make him melt and do whatever she wanted.
He'd been warned on their first meeting that she was someone who got her way, and she hadn't been manipulative or petulant about it but he did notice that if he initially suggested they do something, she would sometimes gently suggest another option. He had no objection to her methods whatsoever.
"I know we're not going to get much time together over the holiday. Certainly not alone time together." She sounded like she was pouting.
"I'm going to miss you too." He teased.
Ginny grinned. "I love you." She pulled him back down for a kiss.
Ten minutes later they made it to Gryffindor Tower, each still worked up, but without ample time to rectify that problem. Harry was silently praying that they'd manage to steal away out of prying eyes over the break. They hadn't been together, like 'been together', for weeks now. Something was always interfering, and now that he knew what it could be like his wank sessions were less satisfying. Still good, just not as amazing as even snogging her was.
They split up to head off to their own dorms and get their bags. Ron was in their dorm but looking a little glum.
"Alright mate?" Harry asked him.
"Yeah. Fine." He replied unconvincingly. "You ready?" He pulled on his coat and slung his bag over his shoulder.
Harry grabbed his own things. He didn't want to pry into Ron's mood, he'd seemed fine at breakfast a half hour ago. It could have to do with not seeing Hermione for three weeks. "Ready. Gin will meet us in the common room."
"Yeah. I'm going to head on to Fred and Georges ahead of you guys. I just. I'll see you there." He headed out at a brisk pace down the stairs.
Harry was close enough behind him to watch him head out the portrait hole. He sat in one of the chairs to wait for Ginny, hoping she'd have a little more insight into what had happened.
"Sorry. I thought I was all set, but very nearly forgot something important for a certain someone that he'll need Christmas morning." She grinned, insinuating it was for him.
"Really? What was that? A box of Zonko's best products perhaps?" She'd been alluding to this gift she had for him for two weeks at least, and he'd told her time and time again that he'd love it no matter what, but she seemed especially proud of it.
"Nope, but it will bring you all kinds of amusement. It did for me!" She grinned and then looked around. "Did Ron not come back yet?"
"He headed out ahead of us. Something was up with him. He was all mopey." There was a glint in her eye. She did know what was going on with Ron. "What?"
Her expression turned concerned and a little sad. "I have an idea of what happened. No confirmation so I don't really want to jinx it by saying anything."
"You can't even tell me?" Harry tried batting his eyelashes at her.
They started for the portrait hole. "If I tell you I don't need other people listening in." She whispered. He nodded and took her hand.
Once they were out of the grounds and Filch let them out past the gates he cast her a sideways glance. Inside he was still bouncing up and down in excitement, but if there was something he could do to make his mate's Yule better he wanted the information on how to try. Ron had become a really good friend.
Ginny hesitated at his imploring eyes but gave in. "Hermione may have mentioned to me a bit ago about how she and Ron are just two very different people. And it is my understanding that she would be the type of person to want to use this time apart from each other to decide whether they should continue their relationship, or end it and try to be just friends."
That was news to Harry. Had he been so wrapped up in his own world to not notice that his best friend was unhappy in her relationship? He still hadn't managed to pry from Neville who he'd been snogging, and he had most certainly been snogging someone and not telling. He had hickeys on his neck one time he'd come back to the dorm.
He stopped in his tracks. "Do my friends just not want to confide in me?" He worried.
Ginny stopped too and looked up at him in surprise. "Harry. I don't think they don't want to confide in you. Hermione just needed some girl talk one night, I happen to be a girl as you well know."
"Okay. I can understand that, but what about Neville? The two of them were really my only friends until a few months ago and neither of them are talking to me about this stuff. Shouldn't they?"
"Well." Ginny thought on it. "Are you sharing with them? Have you and Neville had any guy talk where you tell him a story of what we get up to in the prefects bathroom, and he tells you what he's actually doing in the greenhouse." She hypothesized.
Harry shook his head. "I wouldn't spread around stories of what you and I get up to together."
"It isn't spreading stories." Ginny smiled and stepped closer to him. "It's called 'sharing' or 'confiding'." She reached up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Babe, you have to give a little to get a little."
It didn't take him long to think that through and realize that he hadn't been talking to his friends about his relationship either. "Yeah, okay." He said begrudgingly and gave her a chaste kiss before they continued down to the village.
"Wait. Does that mean that you've told Hermione about what we've gotten up to?" He asked in alarm.
Ginny giggled a bit. "Not in detail I promise." She placated. "She just knows that I'm on the potion, and we haven't had sex yet. But that we're rather open to the possibility of changing that fact soon."
"If we ever get a suitable amount of time alone together." He pouted. Every time it looked like they would be able to slip away unnoticed for an afternoon or something, they'd get interrupted.
"It's those freaking adoring fans." She joked. "We are just obviously too beloved. We should really work on that. Get caught kicking a puppy or something."
"Hey! This isn't a joking matter!" He laughed. "And you are the one that hauled me into the broom closet all demanding and whatnot."
"You're right. I'm sorry, I'll never do that again."
"Well, lets not go that far." He kissed her cheek.
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