Chapter 1 – Home for Christmas
The Burrow was covered in decorations when the teenagers arrived later that day, a huge 10 foot fir tree stood in the living covered in little twinkling fairy lights and stockings hung up by the fire, one with everyone's name on it including one for Harry and Hermione. The Burrow was so warm and inviting and Harry loved the time he spent here, after everyone had taken their trunks to their respected rooms and unpacked everyone returned to the heart of the ramshackled house, the kitchen.
As Harry entered the kitchen his eyes were drawn to Ginny standing helping her mother and Hermione prepare a tea of roast chicken and vegetables. She then moved towards another bench across the room and his eyes never left her as her hair flowed like a blanket behind her, she reached for a treacle tart that had been cooling. She dipped a slender finger at the edge of the tart and checked the heat, she then withdrew and inserted her finger into her mouth and tasted the treacle. Harry was drawn to her lips as they surrounded her finger; she then removed it and carried the tart to the large worn kitchen table.
The heat had travelled up his cheeks and butterflies swirled in his stomach, how he longed to touch her! To run his hands through her red silky locks and down her body, and to squeeze her......
No...... stop it! Harry thought, trying to calm himself down and hide is current excitement.
"Harry dear are you not hungry?" Mrs Weasley looked at him with concerned eyes.
He then realized that everyone had sat down for their meal, Ron had already piled a mountain of food onto his plate and began shovelling mash potato into his mouth.
"No I'm fine, sorry just sort of daydreaming!" he muttered in reply.
Mrs Weasley was totally aware of what had just taken place in her kitchen; she'd noticed it through the summer holidays before all her children returned to Hogwarts and was quite surprised there hadn't been any developments. She could see the way Harry's eyes followed her only daughter and had watched the friendship grow and grow.
However her daughter and Harry's friendship had changed over the last couple of months, she noticed and had heard from Ron and Hermione that her daughter and Harry shared a unique bond and supported each other immensely.
They almost shared an intimate friendship if that's what you called it, she noticed how Harry had helped her load their trunks onto the Hogwarts express and hug and kiss her cheek or forehead when saying goodbye to each other.
Which was unusually in a way, but for some reason it wasn't for them, Harry had suffered a terrible childhood and Ginny was trying to make up for it.
After tea Harry decided to venture into the snow outside to visit his favourite oak tree where he had spend many hours alone and on some occasions sharing moments with Ginny just thinking or talking. The tree was hundreds of years old and held many Weasley memories, this had been the place Harry had always disappeared to in times of comfort or to organise his thoughts. Everytime he began to feel vulnerable or unsure, Ginny had always turned up and helped him through his dilemmas.
Harry put on his thick cloak and started walking through the crunchy snow that was left over from the day before, the sun was beginning to set and the clouds looked heavy like it was going to snow again. He reached the tree and looked towards the thick branch he enjoyed sitting on, he thought back to last Christmas with Sirius and felt his heart ache for his loss. As he began to climb for his resting place, he tried to shake the feeling as he knew Sirius would be cursing him for feeling this way, but he had always longed for a father figure in his life and now he only had Remus left to help and guide him.
Back at the Burrow Ginny moved to the kitchen window and saw Harry's retreating figure, she knew exactly where he was going and knew she would be joining him soon.
After the kitchen was clean and back to normal Ginny reached for her coat and scarf, she then followed Harry's fresh foot prints to the old oak. She jumped for the first branch and swung her legs onto it and pulled her body up, she cleared the next few, until she was sitting on Harry's branch with legs either side and she shimmied her body closer to his.
"Knew you'd come soon!" Harry said smugly over his shoulder.
Ginny smirked, "Become a habit, hasn't it?"
"Yeah it has, but I wouldn't have it any other way." He said as he leaned back onto her chest.
Ginny wrapped her arms around him and nestled her cheek on top of his unruly black mop of hair, she felt the tenseness in his shoulders and back lessen and relax.
"I wish you'd stop this and you know you should too!" she whispered.
Her hot breath swept past his ear and made him shiver with pleasure, god how could this girl have this effect on him?
"I know it's just hard, but I don't think you realise how much you have helped me, are helping me." He replied.
"We're there for each other, god how soppy do we sound Harry!" she whispered again, repeating the shivers down his spine.
He laughed, "Well this is going to sound worse."
"What is?"
He took a deep breath and held it for a moment before he continued.
"Never leave me, I don't think I could go on without my best mate!" he said as he looked round to face her.
"Never, you soppy bugger!" she grinned at him and kissed his cheek.
The sun had completely set and the first of fresh snow flake floated from the sky, they remained together in the tree silently until the snow started to become heavy and Harry broke the silence.
"Come on then, or we'll have a search party looking for us!"
"Yeah I suppose so." Ginny grumped and released him from her arms.
Soon as her arms and body had released him his body shivered from the cold and he hated not having her close anymore, they both started slowly climbing down to the awaiting ground. Harry landed with a loud thump onto the ground and lifted his arms up for Ginny to jump into.
"Come on Gin, I'll catch you!" he smirked.
She chuckled at him "I'm sure you will Mr Potter." As she leapt from the last branch and landed straight on top of Harry knocking him onto his back with an almighty thump, both burst into fits of giggles as their chests heaved up and down until eventually they both calmed down.
They then realised Ginny was straddling his hips and chests were moulded together, Harry reached his hand up to her cheek and started caressing it, into the palm of his hand. She leaned into his warm hand and let her eyes drift shut revelling in his touch.
Harry couldn't take his eyes from her, and started reaching forward to capture her lips. He edged closer feeling her hot breath caressing his skin until he briefly brushed her lips, soon as he connected with her he panicked.
"Sorry, I dunno what came over me," Harry explained jumping to his feet knocking Ginny off balance.
Control yourself you stupid git he thought, you need to protect her you fool! What were you thinking, but truth was he wasn't thinking especially when he spent time with Ginny. She was like a drug to him, addicted to her fragrance, her touch and the glow that encircled her.
"Erm, me to I guess! I don't know what happened!" she replied getting to her feet taking Harry's outstretched hand for support.
"Let's get back, it's getting late!" Harry said hurriedly as they ran back to the Burrows porch outside the kitchen.