royal
In some universe, Ginny knew they would end up together.
But not in this one.
She was a princess and he was her knight in shining armor—quite literally—and she was in his arms and he was running, running from the battle that raged in the throne room.
"Where are we going?" she whispered, clutching his breastplate.
She couldn't see his face, but she knew it was terse. "To the stables," he muttered. "You're leaving."
The words struck her like a knife in her heart. "Leaving?" she spluttered. "I can't leave—my family's still stuck here!"
"Princess Ginevra—"
"Oh for heaven's sake, call me Ginny."
"With all due respect, Ginny," Harry snapped, "your parents requested I save you first if there was to be an ambush.
All the breath escaped her throat. Her parents had—?
"Why?"
Harry didn't answer.
"Answer me!" Ginny demanded.
"They said I can't tell you why until we safely escape," he said wearily. "So hold onto your bloody questions for one second until we're out of here."
"We?"
"Yes, I'm going with you. To protect you."
pirate
"Hey, Captain, think I could win against you in a swordfight?"
Ginny leaned against the railing and quirked an eyebrow. "Depends if you have a death wish," she teased. "The last time you challenged me, I had you pinned down in a second."
"At least I put up a fight! And besides, I had no incentive besides my pride on the line."
"Think you could take another bruising, then?" Ginny stepped forward, patting her side where her sword hung.
Harry matched her, taking a step forward as well. He was a good five inches taller than her, so he towered over her. However, she had enough spunk to make up the gap between their heights.
"You're on," he said with a cocky grin. "Winner gets…?"
"Anything," she said confidently. "The rules are the usual: no cheating, dirty play, just a good, clean fight. First to corner their opponent wins. Deal?"
"You drive a hard bargain, Weasley," Harry jested, "but I accept your terms and your upcoming defeat."
"In your dreams, Potter," she retorted, an easy grin sliding onto her face. "Ready to lose?"
"In your dreams," he countered.
(In a way, their conversations were much like sword fights. He would strike, she would parry, and the duel would take its own course, with one person never having the upper hand until the very end. She was ordinarily the victor, but he put up a damn good fight.)
Their swords met with a loud clang, and everyone emerged from their cabins with some semblance of excitement to watch the fight between their captain and first mate.
She cut her blade at him, but he blocked it and pushed it back. She stumbled back a few steps but was otherwise undeterred.
His sword swung out at her and she ducked, his blade missing her head by inches. She swept her leg out in an arc and tripped him. His sword fell to the deck with a clatter and she stood, a sword in each hand and pointed at him.
"You lose, Potter," she said, smirking, "again."
He was panting, his eyes were smoldering, and Ginny's breath hitched. He was looking at her with that look, that look that could dismantle her in seconds.
"Harry, I—"
A loud boom echoed through the air and the ship rocked violently, causing Ginny to lose her footing and fall over.
Only to be caught by a pair of arms that held her securely.
"Can't stop falling for me, can you," he teased, but his face was tense.
"Oh shut up," Ginny growled, prying his arms off of her and getting to her feet. "This isn't the time. Right now, we have an enemy to fight."
college/uni
She was drunk off her rocker, he was sober, but somehow along the way, she ended up in his bed, naked and her legs wrapped around his torso.
Ginny woke up with her head pounding, the sheets tangled around her and another man in her bed.
Oh. Oh shit.
She bolted upright. "Fuck," she swore aloud. "Buggering fucking hell."
"For a woman, you have quite the potty mouth," said another voice, coming from the lump of sheets to her left.
She peeled away the sheets from her body and stood. "I'm putting on my clothes. If you look, it's the last thing you'll do."
She was handling this quite calmly for someone who'd woken up with a stranger in bed next to her.
"All right," said the amused voice as Ginny pulled on her discarded bra, knickers, and a shirt. Thank goodness this was her flat, so she had clothes readily available.
"Okay, show yourself," she said, bracing herself.
She was not, however, ready for the piercing emerald eyes of her crush, Harry Potter.
Ginny released a bloodcurdling shriek.
The war was over. She was in the hospital wing when she saw him, his face bloodied and worn, but glowing at the sight of her.
And that's when her wings sprouted another feather. She had no idea where most of them came from, but did it really matter? It would always be Harry.
Her soulmate in all universes.
Written for Romance Awareness Month - Once you meet your soulmate, you grow wings like an angel. You gain one new feather each time something special happens between you two (tweaked a little)
Auction - (song) A Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton
869 words
