You reviewers keep me inspired and I love you.

Kane Richards: I would be furious as well. Harry is especially infuriated with Sirius and has yet to actually speak to him. When he does in this chapter, it is brief and with no warmth. A large blow up that can only be perfected by Harry Potter is in the near future (as well as a meltdown from Ginny) but he's very focused on making the best of the situation. Sirius has raised Harry to be a gentlemanly, but jovial young man who makes the others around him happy.

-Ginny is similar in that that, but more calming. She keeps her feelings and anger concealed. At this point, she's less angry and more hurt, fearful, and sad and is keeping that under control. She too is trying to make the best of the situation, as she has grown to be a gentler sort of girl. This is an alternate universe, so she's been in different situations and isn't the same fiery girl we know in the books, but a cool and collected sweetheart that, like Harry, only wants those around her to be happy.

-This is primarily a romance story, and I am pretty focused on that. I'm sad I didn't make what I said above come across in the story like I was trying to, and I will see if I can show a little bit of that as I keep editing. Thank you for letting me see that and I hope I can make their future reactions to the situation feel a little more realistic. Thank you a ton for reading and commenting, and I hope you'll keep reading the story.

This is a fluffy chapter :) I hope you all enjoy it, because it's one of my favorites

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

"It is two weeks before school starts back up and you haven't taken Ginny to get anything?"

Harry didn't reply. He simply shrugged nonchalantly at his guardian, not particularly caring that Sirius seemed annoyed.

"First you come into the house, soaking wet and covered in mud right as I was about to begin a search party for you, then you tell me you haven't taken the girl you're responsible for shopping for everything she'll need for school?"

Harry yawned and saw the annoyance and anger in Sirius' eyes. "We were planning to go today."

Sirius sat heavily down in a kitchen chair. "You've already taken control of all your inheritance from your parents...so you might as well go on and use that. Also, your mother's vault..."

"Will be Ginny's," Harry nodded shortly. "I know. I made preparations of my lunch break the other day."

"Well I suppose I can't be too mad at you," Sirius sighed.

No shit, Harry thought bitterly. He kept his mouth closed as Sirius eyed him warily, then continued speaking. "Don't lose your watch in Diagon Alley, make sure Ginny has everything...and have fun, son."

"Yes sir," Harry nodded. He left the kitchen, taking the steps upstairs two at a time. When he reached the first floor, he found Ginny ready to go in a white blouse tucked into a navy blue skirt. She wore strappy brown sandals and her hair curled, falling down her back in a way that made Harry a little muddled.

Finding her attractive would not be anything close to difficult.

"Ready to go?" she asked. "I've got a list of books and everything."

"Yeah," he nodded. "Erm, you look lovely by the way."

She blushed in that way that Harry was coming to be quite fond of. "Thank you."

"Anytime," he answered, realizing he meant it. He held out his hand. Ginny hesitated before taking it, linking her fingers in his. She surprised him further when her other hand came up to wrap around his arm, holding herself closer to his body. He cleared his throat at the warmth in his body. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Mmhmm."

He squeezed her hand, made sure his wand was in his empty one, and apparated to Diagon Alley. They ended up just outside of the Leaky Cauldron. Ginny took a moment to recover before nodding that she was ready, but still held on fairly securely to Harry's arm for a minute.

"I forgot how much I missed Diagon Alley," she said as they walked towards Gringotts. "It's better than the modern world, still so much like a real village."

Harry smiled down at her with all the sincerity in the world. At times, she was so splendidly romantic that it gave him those mushy feelings Sirius joked about. He tugged her along with a lopsided grin. She looked beautiful, happy, and after the morning in the woods, free.

Diagon Alley was sunny and clear for the day, making Harry extra bouncy. He led Ginny, still hand in hand, into the magnificent building of Gringotts. Once past the guards, Harry produced two keys and handed them to a goblin behind the counter. "The Potter Vaults, Griphook."

"Of course, Mr. Potter," the goblin grinned creepily. "Your friend will be accompanying you?"

"Miss. Weasley is to be the next Mrs. Potter," Harry said firmly. "I trust that while that secret will be kept, she will be properly attended to."

"Your trust is well founded, I assure you, Mr. Potter," Griphook nodded. "If you'll follow me."

"What do you mean, 'properly attended to,' Harry?" Ginny whispered.

"You have your own vault," Harry whispered back. "Your own dowry, jewelry, some paintings. It's all yours. Over the years, your parents have put little by little in it and it's grown. That's what Sirius said. Of course, some of the jewelry and the paintings are my mothers."

"Oh my," she gasped quietly. "That's a bit much."

"Wait until you see the vault we share. I'm excessively uncomfortable with it all."

"Alright," Ginny gulped. "I can do this."

"I'm right here," he nodded. "It's overwhelming, but I'm right here."

The ride to the vaults was deep, as the Potters were an old family. When they arrived, Harry helped Ginny from the cart and noticed how she was clearly nervous, but kept her chin high. He led her into the vault, almost smiling at her gasp of shock. The stacks of money must've thrown her for a loop.

"Let's not stay in here." Harry ushered her towards the entrance to her vault, built into his. She seemed a little more at ease in there. The room was covered in red velvet, with stacks of books and jewelry cases and a pile of money in the corner. She gravitated towards the books and paintings, smiling lightly.

"Your mother was very accomplished," she said.

"Yeah, she was," Harry agreed. "Sirius says she never stopped reading and wanting to learn." There was silence in the room as Ginny examined all that was now hers. "I actually have something I wanted to give to you."

"Oh?"

"There's this amulet that's been in my family for years," he said, grabbing a black box from a display case. He opened it to reveal a dark silver chain, holding a diamond shaped silver charm. The edges of the charm were curled like vines, smattered with tiny black diamonds. In the center was a single ruby that took Ginny's breath away.

"It's always supposed to go to the betrothed of the eldest son," Harry explained. "But it's intended as a gift. So, this is my first gift to you. I hope you like presents. I rather like giving them."

"It's beautiful Harry," she said. Ginny turned and pulled her hair aside. "Put it on for me?"

Putting on the necklace created a sense of intimacy between the two. Harry allowed himself to enjoy being so close to her, loving that he heard an intake of breath when his fingers brushed the back of her neck.

"I'll wear it always," Ginny promised when it clicked into place.

"Good," he whispered. "It'll keep the boys away when they realize who gave it to you."

"I can take care of myself, Mr. Potter."

"But I must say I'll enjoy taking care of you, Miss. Weasley."

She turned, eyes locking with his. They stared for a moment. Harry once again saw the look in her eyes from the morning, of clear desire that faded away. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Ginny seemed shocked at the pet name. "Nothing. I just..."

"Just what?"

"We barely know each other."

"If this betrothal hadn't happened, and we spent as much time as we did together, I would still want to kiss you just as badly."

Ginny closed her eyes.

"Say no if you don't want me to," Harry whispered, continuing to lean in close. "Just...say...no..."

And he pressed his lips to hers.

He felt Ginny stiffen for a moment. She was hesitant, he could tell, so he placed a hand on the side of her face and stroked his thumb across her cheek. She melted then, her hands coming up to grasp Harry's shoulders in a seemingly weak-in-the-knees movement.

The kiss was slow and sweet, Harry recalling every bit of gentlemanly manner he could find. He needed to respect her. Thus, he kept his body a little back and his kiss fairly innocent. She was clearly no stranger to lips, however, and made it difficult to pull away.

Because of this, she ended the kiss after a few tender moments. Her face was the color of tomatoes, but her eyes sparkled and she looked so happy. "You're really wonderful, Harry. As much of an idiot as you are, you're wonderful."

"That's a compliment, right?" Harry retorted. She rolled her eyes, but he snuck a quick kiss before turning to put some gold in a bag for her.

"That's quite a bit," she said.

"You'll need some for the school year," he explained. "And everything you need for Hogwarts isn't going to be cheap. Plus, you need a pet."

She thought to the companionship she'd seen between Harry and his owl, Hedwig, and raised an eyebrow. "I doubt I'll be able to form such a connection as the one you share with Hedwig."

"It'll be special," he chirped. "Because it'll be from me. So you'll have to love it."

"You are so presumptuous."

"Do you not know who I was raised by?"

Ginny started to argue, but she couldn't find one, so closed her mouth. Harry winked and handed her the money to put into her little brown purse. She rolled her eyes. Accepting defeat, she let Harry lead her from the vault and back to the cart.

After Gringotts, they spent an awful large amount of money on books and school supplies. They stopped in at Fred and George's joke shop, enjoying the atmosphere. Ginny was shocked at the amount of people in there and marveled at how it hadn't lessened since she'd been to the grand opening. It really was spectacular.

Once Ginny and Harry both had a few uniforms, they went back to Flourish and Blotts for a specific novel Ginny wanted. As they walked in, Ginny bumped into someone who wasn't looking. Granted, her eyesight was trained on Harry and his magnificent green eyes, but she was still slightly miffed.

"Watch where you're walking," a deep voice drawled in a bored voice. Grey eyes trained on her, however, and instantly the perfect carved face of Draco Malfoy lit up just a bit. "Oh. My apologies, miss."

"It's alright," she said, moving on. Harry held out his hand for her, but his eyes were hard. He looked like he was ready to go further into the store.

"Now, now, now," Malfoy smirked. "How did Four Eyes get a girl like this?"

"Walk away, Malfoy," Harry practically growled. "Leave her alone."

"No," he grinned. "I want to know why this pretty lady is slumming it."

"I'm not slumming it," Ginny fired back. She didn't tolerate bullies. "I'm living far beyond what I deserve."

"Don't say that," Harry told her fiercely. "Don't you ever say that, Ginny." He turned back to the white haired boy. "Malfoy, walk away now. Nobody wants a scene."

"Maybe I do," he grinned. "So...Ginny? Where've I heard that name? Oh, yes, from Weasleby! Are you related to that clumsy oaf? I heard he had a little accident at the ministry! Was that horridly embarrassing for you?"

Ginny stepped forward, anger rising in her. She didn't tolerate bullies, yes, but more than that she didn't tolerate her family being picked on. "Don't say another word about my brother."

"And your frumpy mother?"

Ginny lurched forward, but Harry's hand on her waist calm her down. He pulled her away, eyes threatening Malfoy with unsaid curses.

"Oh I know!" Malfoy called as they walked away. "We can talk about your father who can't support your unfortunately large family. I bet he didn't even father most of you. That oaf of a brother you have is a bastard, right?"

Ginny must've been having a bad day, so naturally, she whipped out her wand and fired the first hex she could think of—a bat-bogey hex. A great amount of satisfaction filled her as Malfoy ran from the bookshop with screams of terror (and something about his father's hearing). She nervously pocketed her wand and dove deeper into the store, Harry hot on her heels.

"I am so sorry," she whispered when they ducked behind a book shelf. "I shouldn't have lost control like that, I don't know what's wrong with me today."

"Both times, you've had every right to act up," Harry assured her. "Malfoy's a complete arsehole, though, and you shouldn't listen to him. He isn't satisfied unless he makes a scene, and it always better to not engage."

She sighed, eyeing Harry. "Did Sirius teach you that?"

"Of course not," he rolled his eyes. "Sirius tells me to hex him into oblivion."

"And why don't you?"

"My mother hated violence," he shrugged. "She wrote me letters, from the year we were in hiding in Godric's Hollow. One tells me how she has quite the temper, but she hates violence. I always try to veer away from that, but sometimes..."

"He just pokes too far," Ginny told him, eyes flashing. "Why does he not like you?"

"I chose Ron over him," Harry mumbled. "When I first came to Hogwarts, with my fame over killing Voldemort, Malfoy extended an offer of friendship, but he said it in a way that degraded your brother for being a Weasley. Ever since I turned it down and joined Gryffindor, he's hated me."

"Because he felt shunned?" Ginny gaped.

"It probably also has something to do with him being Slytherin, and his father being a Pureblood prat. His dad looks down on me because my Mum was a muggleborn. In general, his dad just hates me, really."

"Well that's stupid," Ginny rolled her eyes. "But he can't ruin our day. Come on."

They got the book Ginny desired, leaving the shop quickly. As they made to leave, Harry reminded her that she needed to get a pet. She groaned, but eventually gave into his pleading look. Harry was simply too persistent to refuse. So, they made their way to the animal emporium, where Ginny was almost taken aback by the amount of animals in the room.

"I don't know what to pick," she said breathlessly. "There's so many."

"Would you like an owl?" he prompted. "I know you and Gabrielle will be frequently writing this year."

"Her owl, Belle, will work fine for that," she shook her head. She looked at the lady behind the counter. "Excuse me, do you have any well-mannered cats?"

The lady nodded. "Duchess. She's a white Persian with blue eyes, and should be around here somewhere..."

No sooner had she spoken then a white flurry was dashing from behind the counter in hot pursuit of another tabby cat, who seemed to be chasing something itself. The white cat leaped elegantly over the tabby and pounced on the little object that was running from them. Ginny expected to be horrified as it ate something, but instead it removed its paws and turned, hovering over it.

She looked down and saw a tiny pink puffball. Within moments, she realized it was one of those little animals Fred and George were selling in the joke shop. The white cat hissed and swatted at the tabby cat, protecting the puffball. Her heart warmed.

"She does that often," the lady said. "She's always protecting the smaller animals from the other cats."

"I hate to take her away," Ginny frowned. "But I would like her."

"The others will be fine," the lady assured her. "Duchess will be well cared for with you, I believe."

"She will," Ginny promised.

"Just be warned, she only eats fish. Other meats make her sick. If she's hungry though and you have nothing else, she'll have chicken or lamb."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Ginny smiled. Harry handed over the money as she bent down, clicking her tongue.

"Here, Duchess," she cooed. "Come here, darling."

As the tabby cat had moved on, Duchess made her way over to Ginny. The cat's beautiful white fur was incredibly soft and thick, and she purred the second Ginny began petting her.

"I think we'll get along just fine."

With her cat in her arms, Ginny left the animal emporium with Harry. Duchess clung to Ginny's shirt and seemed to hide in the girl's neck, not liking the sounds of the street.

"Since I've already sent our things home, maybe we should leave through the Leaky Cauldron," Harry noticed the cat's discomfort. "Duchess doesn't seem to like this, and I doubt she'll like the Floo. We can walk home, it won't be far."

So the two left by way of Leaky Cauldron. Once back to the rainy streets of London, Harry hailed a cab to take them to Grimmauld Place to keep out of the rain. The cat acted like it knew Harry was the one responsible and pranced to him, licking his hand before curling into Ginny's lap.

"I love this cat," she beamed. "Thank you, Harry."

They shared a brief kiss before settling into silence, enjoying a quiet ride back. The man up front grinned. "How long have you two been together?"

Ginny smiled, thinking of the right answer. Technically, it would be that very day, but it seemed odd that he would buy her a cat, so she settled with, "A long time. I've known I was going to marry him since I was seven years old."

"Married?" the driver asked. "You look a bit young for that."

"There are...certain circumstances that have pushed it closer," Harry explained. He and Ginny shared a secret smile. "We're set for next June."

"Lovely time of the year," the cab driver nodded. When they pulled in front of Grimmauld Place, Harry paid with his muggle money and helped Ginny out of the cab. As they rushed into the townhouse, they held hands and stayed close, as if the rain pushed them together.

And once inside, Harry couldn't help himself. He just had to sneak one more kiss.

Not that Ginny was complaining, of course.