Misunderstandings and Resolutions

I don't own 'Harry Potter'

Warning: genderbent character (Ron)

"Raine …"

"Don't. Just … don't."

Harry looked at his redheaded friend, her back to him and clearly tense even through her thick jacket. Her hair was sopping wet, a dark auburn with the water instead of the usual vibrant orange tone that he loved. She looked … defeated, and that was one word that he never thought he would have associated with Igraine Weasley.

She'd grown up with five older brothers and Ginny the everlasting tomboy as a sister; there was no way that she'd ever be anything other than fire incarnate. Fiery passion for her hobbies, her temper a storm of flames, hair with the colour and and vibrancy of a wave of fire. She might have felt like she was yet another Weasley sometimes, but Raine often forgot that she was the first daughter of her family. She was always going to be a focus of her brothers' overprotectiveness with Ginny.

Harry had admired her since the crazy girl knocked out a troll with a spell she'd struggled with mere hours before. He'd always known that he was fascinated with the ball of energy that was his best friend, was taken in by her energy and stories and her wild temperament. Harry was just one person that had never had friends as a child, and his eleven-year-old self had been completely swept away by the inferno that was Igraine Weasley.

He'd also long since fallen in love with her.

Harry was in love with a woman who was refusing to look in his direction after destroying the locket, killing the evil soul shard inside like the hero Raine had always truly been, despite thinking otherwise. She was staring off into the trees, ignoring her freezing state and clenching her fingers around her wand, clearly seconds away from sprinting off into the forest for the second time.

He stepped forward, making sure she could hear him. "Raine … you do realise that Hermione's like a sister to me, don't you? I mean, she literally called me 'brother' at my party. I don't …"

"Just forget about it, Harry."

Forget about it? How was he supposed to forget about that locket mocking her? Latching onto her deepest insecurities and laughing about them as if they were inconsequential. Not to mention that bizarre – and horrifying – image of him and Hermione and kissing like lovers. He wasn't lying when he said she was his sister. The two of them were only children who'd always wanted siblings, so they'd decided to be brother and sister themselves. She could never be the object of his romantic affection.

Harry cleared his throat, trying to calm his racing heart. There was every chance that he was misreading the situation, but he had to at least try. They were in a war, and he wanted to be a little selfish for once. He didn't want to be constantly wondering about the possibilities of his life just because he couldn't muster up some Gryffindor courage.

"What if … what if I don't want to forget about it?"

Raine snorted and spun around, her blue eyes glaring at him like deadly ice. "Well, if you don't want to forget about if, why don't you bugger off back to the tent so you can snog Hermione's brains out?"

Harry wanted to ram his head against the tree at the misunderstanding. Not what he wanted to think about. And if he didn't clear things up soon, he'd soon be having constant nightmares about kissing his adopted sister. Revolting.

He stepped forward, ignoring Raine's fuming temper with an ease born of years of exposure, and stopped mere inches away, lifting his hands to settle on the woman's shoulders. "That wasn't what I meant, you obstinate Weasley. You aren't the only one whose stomach turns at the thought of me and Hermione locking lips."

Before she could open her mouth and respond – and probably say something scathing that would incite yet another argument – Harry bent down and kissed her gently, leaning in closer when his cold lips tingled from the sudden warmth. She was frozen still, but she hadn't punched him in the face yet, so he counted that as a success.

Harry lifted a hand to rest against her cheek, his thumb stroking her smooth cheek as he tried to get Raine to respond in any way. For once his prayers were answered, and Raine gasped loudly before moaning, pushing closer to lick into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Harry couldn't help the groan that left his mouth, pulling the woman closer so he could feel every inch of her body. This was infinitely better than the disaster kisses he'd had with Cho and Lavender. Igraine was someone he'd probably been in love with for years before actually realising, but pushed aside in his mind to protect his own heart. Considering her own interests had been for physically imposing men oozing with casual confidence, Harry had never wanted to consider the possibility of the two of them together.

Then again, the way Raine was biting his lip said maybe they'd both been blind through the years.

Harry pulled back slowly, breathing heavily, feeling more alive than any time he'd literally been saved from death. This was what he'd wanted in his life. He wanted to be happy, to have a life that he could be proud of. People thought that he meant a successful career and the respect of their society, but all he truly wanted was a family of his own making. Blood family, a wife and children, people he adored … It might be simple, but it was Harry's dream.

"Harry?"

He looked down, rather pleased with himself at the sight of red cheeks and bruised lips. "Raine?" he asked with a small smile.

She flushed even more than he thought possible – he thought it was adorable the way it clashed with her hair – and swallowed heavily. "Did you – I mean, why did you do that? K-kiss me, I mean?"

Harry wanted to sigh in exasperation but he didn't want her to get the wrong impression. This woman'll be the death of me.

"Because I'm in love with you, and I've … er, I've been dreaming of you being my wife since I saw you in that dress at the Yule Ball …" Harry trailed off while staring resolutely at the trees over Raine's shoulder, trying desperately to ignore what was no doubt a deep blush on his face. He hadn't meant to say that last part. It wasn't wrong, but probably not something he should say when they weren't even in a relationship.

Raine snorted and chuckled quietly. "You're an idiot, Harry."

He blinked and looked back at her. She was also blushing, clearly embarrassed at what she was going to say, but refusing to back down. A true lion, this one.

"While I might have been thinking that 'Igraine Potter' sounds good for years now, there's no way I'm going to accept that as an actual proposal. If you want to me to marry you, you'd better get your arse into gear and ask me properly after this bloody war. I'm not getting married when we're on the run."

Harry just gaped at her decisive words, the matter-of-fact tone saying that their lives were a foregone conclusion. He stared at her for a few seconds before laughing loudly – the first time in months, maybe years – and wrapping his arms around Raine's waist, lifting her off the ground and spinning her around while ignoring her shouting at him to stop.

Maybe a post-war world wasn't going to be so dreary, after all.

A/N: Hello!

This was a request from Kevin_Thunder on AO3, and here it is. Even if it took hella long. I actually quite like this couple, and I think they'd fit way more than Harry and Ginny.

This is the last of my mass updates today. I don't know when I'll be getting back to this fic, but I will do eventually. Sometime. In case any of you missed it, I WILL NOT be taking updates for this fic any longer. I was going to suspend it originally, but I'm going to stick to things my own way this time. Hopefully this way I won't be so pissed off that I disappear for a whole year.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapters I posted today, and thanks for reading my fics, I really appreciate it.

Bye!