Ginny was still toweling her hair as she opened the bathroom door and walked straight into an unsuspecting and still sleepy Harry, knocking everything he was holding out of his arms.
They both leant over trying to save his things before they rolled off the landing and down the stairs. Ginny was apologizing profusely as she worked 'sorry, sorry.'
'It's okay.' Harry said groggily.
Standing up Ginny saw the unkempt mop that was Harry's hair and said warningly "You'll need to take care of that before my mum does."
"Take care of what?"
"Your hair, remember what she did to Bill before his wedding? She'll practically shave you."
Harry smiled as he said "its okay, it'd probably grow back by lunch."
"How do you mean?"
"When I was younger my aunt basically shaved my head leaving the bangs at the front to hide my scar. She was furious when my hair grew back over night."
Ginny laughed a little but her face belied the shock at this kind of treatment, "I guess I'll hope never to run into them then. They sound like awful people."
"They were, but my cousin turned around eventually."
"You'll have to tell me about that," she turned to look up the stairs as they both heard a noise from somewhere above them. She carefully dropped the last of the items she had recovered into his arms and gave him a little squeeze. "But later, you should take your shower before someone else takes all the hot water. After breakfast I can cut your hair for you."
"You could?" He asked as he started backing into the bathroom and placing his things on the counter. There was a slight look of relief on his face as the idea that someone other than Mrs. Weasley could cut his hair became possible.
"Yeah, I'm not bad at it. And unlike mum I won't try to make you prematurely bald." She smiled at that, and Harry smiled back. He slowly swung the door closed, loathe to breaking the contact with her. Just before he lost sight of her behind the door she mouthed something to him.
"What was that?" He poked his head around the door, she smiled, the look on her face telling him that this would be her little mystery for later. She turned and made her way down the stairs.
As Harry got undressed and stepped into the shower he was thinking, at dinner last night Bill and Fleur had announced their plans to leave around noon for Shell Cottage. This, obviously hadn't gone down well with Mrs. Weasley. The funeral had only been a day earlier but they had cited the fact that there really wasn't any room. Harry also suspected that they had ulterior motives for getting back to living on their own but knew that they had a point about the space problem.
Their plans made Harry think of his own plans: last night after dinner he had told Hermione, Ron and Ginny about the auror job offer that Kingsley had made. All three had been in support, but Hermione and Ginny both had their reservations.
He himself still wasn't sure if he wanted to take the job, three weeks ago; when he said that he had had enough trouble to last a lifetime he had meant it. And a job as an auror would definitely be inviting trouble, but in a way Harry felt that this was what he was born to do and couldn't think of any other job that ever make him as happy as being an auror.
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by banging on the door, and Ron's voice yelling "Oi! Harry save some hot water for the rest of us will you!"
Harry started and quickly grabbed the safety bar on the edge of the shower as he nearly slipped out, wrenching his arm in the process.
"Okay, I'm getting out gimme a minute!"
Harry carefully clambered out and started toweling himself dry, when the banging came again "Oi! Gerrout!" Ron wasn't in a good mood this morning.
"Alright, I'm almost done." Finally dressed Harry had everything in his arms as he opened the door and was nearly run over by Ron chased by the rest of the Weasley's all contending for a place at the front of the line. Harry carefully skirted around the kafuffle that was taking place.
Because of yesterday's unpredictable weather everyone ate breakfast inside, and while yesterday the enclosed space had been claustrophobic today it was almost cozy. It certainly helped that he was sitting next to Ginny. This change in the seating arrangement didn't go unnoticed however, Harry felt a prickling on the back of his neck and turned to look down the table and saw Bill staring at him between bites of food. Between the scars and the look that he was giving him it was actually rather unsettling.
After breakfast was finished, Ginny nudged Harry and said "Bring a chair, I'll meet you out in the garden in a few minutes."
"The garden, in this weather?" He said in surprise.
"Afraid of a little cold are you?" She teased.
"No." He said defensively.
She laughed quietly for a moment before saying "Besides it's easier, I don't have to sweep up afterwards."
Harry nodded, a few minutes later he was setting the chair down on the path outside facing away from the house.
Ginny took a deep breath of the cool, damp air; she turned to Harry and grinned a little bit. Harry could tell that she reveled in the words as she said them: "Take your shirt off."
"What?"
"Take your shirt off, you don't want to get any of the loose hair in your shirt do you." She was clearly enjoying herself now; Harry took a seat and slipped the shirt off as she approached him.
As she got closer her smile quickly faded, while she might have looked after him while he slept she had apparently never seen the scars that he now had. The horrified look on her face said it all; as she stepped within arms reach she took her finger and traced the scar over his heart, the one caused by the horcrux.
On Harry's part his entire body was covered in goose bumps, and he didn't think it had anything to do with the cold. She started to speak but her voice wouldn't come, she could only mouth the words incomprehensibly.
She was both entranced and horrified by the myriad of scars. In the back of her mind she was aware of his voice, but it was too far away. 'Ginny, Ginny are you alright?'
He tentatively reached up and grasped her hand, she started. "Are you alright?"
Distracted she tried her hardest to look at his face and not at the scars. "Umm, yeah I'm fine."
Harry quickly slipped his shirt on again, trying to act like nothing had happened "If you're sure."
"No, no, I'm fine." As soon as the scars were hidden underneath his shirt she started acting a little bit like she had been before. "So, let's get your hair cut."
For a few minutes she ran her fingers through his hair, playing with it and looking at it from different angles before she pulled a comb and a pair of scissors out of her pocket. Harry tried to relax and ignore the annoying itchiness as the hair got caught in his shirt. As he sat there he was worried, he hadn't seen Ginny like this ever and it scared him.
Eventually she patted his shoulder, he had lost track of time and was startled as he had started to faze out. "You're done, and it's nearly lunch. Sorry about the hair in your shirt though."
Harry smiled as he stood up and picked up the chair, he said "It's not a problem, I'll just take a quick shower, get rid of the loose hair."
She gave him a weak smile, but she quickly scurried away, and into the house. Harry got a quick shower, basically only rinsing himself off as he was already clean.
For Harry lunch was just as bad as breakfast, he still had that feeling that he was being watched and every time he turned to look down the table he would see Bill staring at him between bites with that strange look on his face.
Thankfully lunch went by faster than breakfast had. Mrs. Weasley was still annoyed at Bill and Fleur for their decision but she had decided not to press the issue, at least not in front of the rest of the family.
After lunch was done everyone started saying their goodbyes to Bill and Fleur. Harry noticed that their things weren't anywhere to be seen. Almost as if he was sensing his thoughts Bill turned and said as he extricated himself from the small crowd "Harry, can you give me a hand with our trunks please?"
'Sure,' Harry mumbled as he followed Bill up the stairs.
On the second landing Bill turned, Harry noticed that Bill had intentionally stopped a few steps ahead of him giving him the impression of towering over Harry. "I noticed that you and Ginny are back together." In his tone of voice it almost sounded like an accusation.
Harry averted his gaze but he stayed silent, in his mind he realized that he knew that this might happen. That one of Ginny's brothers seeing all the things that happened around, or were caused by Harry's actions would want to keep her away from him. Before she turned up dead like Fred was, in a way he realized that even now after Voldemort was dead so long as even one of his followers was still at large he wasn't safe. Nor were any of his friends or their family's. In a flash all of these thoughts passed through his mind and the hopeful feeling that he had been experiencing since yesterday was suddenly dead again.
Bill noticed this change in Harry's expression and his own features softened. After a minute or two he said "I'm happy for you."
Harry looked up, a confused expression on his face. "What?"
"I'm happy for you." Bill repeated, "In times like this everyone needs each other. Mum has Dad, Ron has Hermione, George has Angelina, I have Fleur, and you have Ginny. My only concern is that your intentions are honorable."
Harry started to blush a little knowing what he was going to ask he managed to preempt him as he said 'You two haven't already…' "No, no, we haven't." Harry said.
Some of the concern on Bill's face seemed to melt away, along with the blush that he himself had started to develop. The relief at neither one having to directly say anything on the matter was palpable.
"Good," Bill said. Placing a hand on Harry's shoulder he said "Just treat her right, alright. She's our only sister and the youngest too."
Harry nodded, and after a few moments turned back up the stairs saying over his shoulder "Come on, I still need some help with our things."
In a few minutes everything had been bewitched into the trunks and levitated down the stairs. Bill and Fleur said their final goodbyes, Bill hugging everyone and shaking Harry's hand and Fleur give everyone a kiss on each cheek and a hug. They held hand as they passed over the threshold of the garden gate and waved back. A moment later they were gone.
As everyone headed back inside Ginny sidled up next to Harry and gently nudging him in the side said "So, what did you two talk about."
"Oh, nothing." Harry said coyly.
"Oh please." Ginny said with a sigh, "You were up there far too long to have been just packing. Did he try scaring you off?" She said with mock anger in her voice.
Harry smiled back as he wrapped an arm around her waist the incident with Harry's scar already forgotten and said "Naw, just wanted to make sure that I wasn't taking advantage of you."
Ginny giggled as images passed through her mind after a minute she began running a hand from his chest to his stomach and stopped dangerously close saying "I think were going to have to worry more about me taking advantage of you."
Harry looked around self-consciously, worried that Ginny's remaining brothers or her parents were seeing what was taking place. Ginny giggled again, as she lifted her hand away, saying "So, what do we do now?"
Harry shrugged, and after a moment muttered "Wanna go with me to London for the day?"
Ginny looked at him perplexed saying "I thought you couldn't apparate?"
"We can hitch a ride with Ron and Hermione. They told me that they were going to Gringotts today, they need to get some gold for their trip to Australia." Harry said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Ginny gave him a squeeze before heading inside, Harry followed. They both were going to grab some light jackets just in case it started raining again.
After a few minutes both Harry and Ginny were scampering down the path after Ron and Hermione they were nearly out of the gate. Looking at them both strangely Ron said "Whats all this then?"
"Mind if we come with?" Ginny asked.
"Alright then." Ron said, and grabbed his sisters hand. Harry grabbed the other hand as a group they disapparated.
Authors Note: As usual please review, I really want to know how I did with the conversation pieces between Harry and Ginny. I think I might have gotten her right but I'm not sure. REVIEW!