ACT 4: The Final Countdown
The Burrow,
25 December.
Harry fingered the ring gingerly. It was eleven o' clock, and the Christmas party was still in full swing. He had vowed to himself to tell her today, but somehow he hadn't gotten the chance to get Ginny alone throughout the evening…
He took another sip of mulled mead. Across the table, Remus Lupin was actually grinning and Tonks was giggling madly about some private joke, while Ron and Hermione were sitting next to Harry, whispering sweet nothings into the other's ear.
"You know what, Ron?" he said finally, as Ron came up for air, "you two ought to get married."
Ron turned a delicate shade of puce.
"Great idea," enthused Hermione. "What do you say?" she said, nudging Ron.
Ron turned even whiter, if it was possible, forcibly reminding Harry of Nearly-Headless Nick.
"Er…I…uh…I…"
"Of course not," said Hermione, giggling. "We're way too young, aren't we," she said, giving him a peck on the cheek.
Ron gave Harry a helpless look as Charlie, watching the exchange, dissolved in mirth.
The gardens of the Burrow were festooned with fairy lights – and a roll of Christmas lights Harry had given Mr. Weasley for his Christmas present. It looked somewhat awkward, a fusion of Muggle technology and magical wizardry.
On the dance floor that had been conjured up in the garden, Harry watched as Fred and Angelina danced to a slow Weird Sisters number that played from Mrs. Weasley's magical radio.
Then Harry felt smooth, slim hands slide along his, the fingers at the end of it delicately brushing the backs of his hands all the way to the end, and then intertwining themselves with his.
Hot breath warmed his cheek, as Ginny kissed him softly. "Hey," she said.
"Hey yourself," said Harry.
"You don't look like you're having a good time," she said, sitting down next to him.
"Well I am, actually," he lied. "What's not to love about this?" he asked. "Everyone's safe, the war's over, Voldemort's dead, and we've only to pick up the pieces and live a normal life. Happily ever after. The end."
"Something wrong?" she said, putting a hand on the nape of his neck and squeezing hard. "I can see it in your eyes. Are you hiding something from me?"
Silence. As Ginny's fingers kneaded the back of his neck, Harry watched as Hermione persuaded Ron to dance with her.
"It's them, isn't it?" she said decisively. "Feeling like a third wheel?"
Merlin, she understood him so well, thought Harry. "No," he lied again.
"You can't lie to me, Potter. I know all about you. Every nook and cranny of your dirty, disgusting mind," grinned Ginny. She leaned in close and laid her head on his shoulder.
"You need something to take your mind off, loosen up, occupy yourself," she said.
"Any ideas?" Harry quirked an eyebrow.
"I could think of some…"
"Like what?"
"A passionate tryst in a forbidden broom cupboard…"
"You mean all night?" said Harry loudly.
"Quiet!" hissed Ginny. "Idiot!"
"Sorry," he whispered.
"We could also go for a walk…go sight-seeing…window-shopping…"
"Star-gazing…" murmured Harry dreamily.
He hastily clammed up as Fred passed by, clutching a goblet of mead.
"Wanna help me light off the fireworks?" he asked jovially.
"Nah, no thanks," said Harry.
"Cheers, then," called Fred over his shoulder. His smile vanished as he left the table, and he jerked his wrist upwards to reel in the Disillusioned Extendable Ear.
"You're quite sure you heard that?" asked George.
"That I did, dear brother…" said Fred, slapping his goblet – recently drained of mead – onto the table.
"Then it is our duty…"
"…sworn duty, dear chap…"
"…although painful it is…"
"…too bloody right…" muttered Fred, rubbing the weal where Harry had struck him with a Stinging Hex.
"…that we must ensure…"
"…and safeguard…"
"…uphold and protect…"
"…our dear baby sister's chastity!" they said in unison.
"All night indeed," grumbled George. "And they're not even married!"
"We'll dog Potter's footsteps," said Fred, pounding his fist into his palm. "HE"S NOT GETTING NEAR MY BABY SISTER!"
"Where is he, by the way?" asked George.
Fred looked around wildly. "Blimey, that berk sure works his magic fast!"
They ran over to where Charlie was having a chat with Lupin and Tonks.
"Where is Harry?" said Fred urgently.
"I don't know, last thing I saw he was heading that way…" said Lupin, gesturing with his thumb.
"Thanks, mate!" said George.
Stoatshead HillThe crest of Stoatshead Hill was quiet at night, with all the little critters keeping clear of the top where an owl or a sharp-eyed eagle could easily spot them and swoop in on the unfortunate creature.
Harry laid his cloak down on the grass and snow, and settled down comfortably on the warm fabric with his back propped up against a beech tree. Ginny snuggled up against him, eyes searching the heavens for tiny winking flashes of light.
"Look," said Ginny. "The North Star." She pointed up at a bright glimmering, shimmering sparkle of light that reminded Harry painfully of the ring that still lay nestled in his pocket.
"Yeah. And there's Sirius!"
"And the Big Dipper!" Ginny said. A moment later she sneezed.
"Snuggle up closer, you might catch cold," said Harry, with a wicked grin.
"Oh, I think I will," laughed Ginny.
It sounded like silvery bells to Harry's ears. He watched her pearly teeth flash in the dark.
"If only your brothers knew that we're up here," he said.
"Then be thankful they don't, else the Big Brother Brigade will have something to say about your chill-prevention methods."
They stayed that way a long time, just talking. Talking about friends, family…each other. It seemed a century ago when Harry would sit with Ginny, and both would be tongue-tied…he not knowing what to say, she struggling with her crush for him.
He fingered the ring in his pocket, feeling the weight of the little velvet box against his thigh. There was a time when Harry would have said, "Wait for later. We're too young. What if she rejects me? No, I'll wait till I know for absolute sure…" And he would not have gotten the courage to do what he would now do.
But their fight with Voldemort and countless close brushes with death had taught both of them one thing. Sometimes, you couldn't wait. When you were sure of your love, then nothing should be allowed to stand in the way. This life is too short to be wasted hemming and hawing, fretting and procrastinating.
"Umm…Ginny?" began Harry.
"Yes?" she said, as she turned her eyes on Harry. Chocolate, dark-brown eyes, full of love, affection…hope.
"Will you…"
They made it there just in time. Wands out, the twins cast bright beams of light on the couple hidden partially by a bush and a winter cloak. Fumbling and jerky movements rustled the bush periodically, sending showers of leaves and twigs down on the cloak.
"We've got you now!" shouted Fred triumphantly.
"What do you think you're doing?" yelled George, his wand pointed at the entertwined bodies on the ground.
A cloak mercifully covered them, but a wisp of red hair peeking out of the top of the cloak clued the twins in immediately on their identities.
"Come out of there, the two of you," warned Fred.
"We don't want to hex you," said George warningly.
"Go away!" came a muffled, masculine voice.
"One…" said Fred, raising his wand.
"Two…" said George, louder.
"All right," said the muffled voice, along with a muffled swear word.
"We're coming out," said the other. "Since that's what you want…"
Two figures rose up out of the cloak, angry expressions on their faces.
The beams of light from the tips of Fred's and George's wands left no doubt as to their identities as the Weasley twins closed in.
"R-Ron?" stammered Fred.
"H-H-Hermione?" squeaked George, his wand-arm trembling.
The bushy haired witch's eyes flashed dangerously. Ron's wand was out, and as Fred glanced nervously at it as red sparks shot out of the tip.
"I have had enough!" declared Hermione furiously. "If it's not Harry sniggering every time I talk to Ron, it's you two interrupting our time together!"
"Sand in our beds, endless ragging, catcalls, wolf whistles…" grumbled Ron.
"…Decoy Detonators, trick items constantly being used on us, Stinging Hexes and Stunners…" rambled Hermione.
"…constant and incessant harrassment…" continued Ron.
"But…but…but…" blubbered Fred, but the furious couple silenced him.
"No buts! We have had enough!" yelled Ron.
"Twenty four hours a day of this, that and the other!" raged Hermione.
As Fred and George turned and bolted, Ron and Hermione raised their wands as one.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The Burrow"The fireworks are ready to be set off," muttered Tonks. "And the stars are not here. Where are Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny?" Her bubblegum-pink hair was turning violet, then orange, red, green, then pink again as she chewed nervously on a Pumpkin pastie.
"Oh, that's simple," said Lupin. "Fred and George are being hexed to blazes, Ron and Hermione are pissed off, and Harry is snogging Ginny on Stoatshead Hill."
"And just how did you know all this, my clever werewolf?" smiled Tonks, leaning in to kiss his cheek, stumbling over a chair leg and ending up with her lips firmly glued to Lupin's ear.
"Elementary, my foxy little minx. I deduced it all from the facts that were laid out before me."
"Really?"
Lupin sighed. "No. Harry got me to misdirect the twins while he had a quiet moment with Ginny. So I told them to look in the front lawn."
"Knowing Ron and Hermione were snogging there," said Tonks.
"Guilty as charged," said Lupin, inclining his head.
"Gather round, everybody!" shouted Bill from one end of the garden.
"Because this lot's going UP!" yelled Charlie.
Hand in hand, the werewolf and the Metamorphmagus headed to the center of the garden.
Stoatshead HillAs the first Weasleys' Wild-fire Whiz-Bang soared into the air and exploded in a multi-coloured conflagration of fire, Harry knelt down before Ginny in the snowy grass of Stoatshead Hill. For a moment he had a fleeting burst of nerves, then quelled it forcefully, looking up at the fiery-haired girl standing in front of him.
Not now, not when all this is done…"Gin…all through our Hogwarts days, we've had loads of fun together," he began awkwardly, but his voice grew louder as he spoke. "We've been through so much together. Our days when we were dating…when we were together…it was sheer heaven for me."
Ginny stood, bewildered at this sudden torrent.
"I've been searching my soul these past few weeks, and what I find there is a revelation. I love you. I love you more than life itself. And…and I've realized that I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
He stood up, deftly extracting the ring from his robe pocket. He held Ginny's hand, and gazed into her eyes. He could lose himself in their depths forever.
"Ginny Weasley…will you marry me?" he whispered.
Harry waited for her reply with tremulous heart. He could count his own heartbeats. Ginny's face was devoid of all signs, except perhaps a faint smile, which could mean anything…
Thud…thud…thud…thud…thud…thud…thud…thud…thud…thud…"Yes, Harry Potter. I love you too," she whispered, tears of joy sliding down her cheeks. "I love you I love you I love you I love you I…"
Harry pulled her close, kissing her on her lips, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and entered into the most passionate, fiery kiss that had ever graced their relationship.
After what seemed like hours of the most blissful, heavenly, wonderful, divine period of time Harry had ever experienced, he drew back, leaving a lingering warmth upon his lips.
As his senses rushed back to him, Harry could hear the blasts of the fireworks display.
"Pluck a hair from your head," he said.
She did so, handing him the longest, most beautiful strand of hair ever. He picked one from his own scalp, unruly, windswept and jet-black. Holding the two fibres in one hand and the ring in the other, Harry touched their ends to the surface of the gold band.
The two rings glowed crimson and greenish-black, twining around each other and the golden ring, weaving and interlacing, until the last of the hair wrapped around the setting that held the two jewels in place, side by side. The ring glowed red and green-black for a moment, shivered, then lay motionless in Harry's palm.
As he slid the ring onto Ginny's finger, the Weasley rockets sent a shower of sparkling hearts all over Stoatshead Hill.
"I love you, Gin."
"I love you too, Harry."
The End Mischief Managed!