Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

(Big) A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful, supportive reviews. They really made me happy, since I'm feeling rather gloomy for the past few months.

One thing I want to talk about is that people tend to forget that I started this story before HBP came out (and in case you started reading this story just recently, check up the date I first posted it and see for yourself), so the character of Blaise Zabini in this story isn't the same as the one J.K. Rowling introduced us to in HBP. My Blaise isn't a dark, Italian bloke. He's in fact the complete opposite from JKR's description: He's pretty skinny, I guess, and he has longish, wavy, dark brown hair and even though he's in Slytherin, he's pretty mischievous but yet he's very shy, and he also has relatives in Ireland. So I now hope I made it clearer for you.

Now, for this chapter, there's a lot of H/G and R/Hr in here, fluff mixed with angst. Don't hate me on this one, please. Hope you enjoy.

Also, I've added a poll to my profile. Please go and vote! The results will affect the ending of the story, so it's all up to you. :)

Chapter 17 – Broken Promises:

With a great buzz in his chest and the feeling of his blood rushing faster than ever, Harry let out a long sigh. Reluctant to admit it, he finally whispered, his voice soft and barely audible, "It's getting late." Running his hand lightly up and down her forearm, he also pointed out, "It's already dark outside."

Ginny looked out of the window from their nook on the floor and gazed at the bright stars. She could hear a faint hoot of an owl from afar.

She had been living in the magical world for sixteen years and probably saw everything a person could ever imagine and even more, but this day was nothing compared to charms breaking out from a wand or flying on a broomstick. This day, having spent most of it in Harry's arms, had been the most magical day she had ever experienced in her life.

Earlier, after what seemed like a good ten minutes of snogging, they'd realized they were still standing pressed to the cold window pane in the same vacant classroom they found themselves in after the game. Despite the many chairs and desks in the room, which they could have used, Harry removed his cloak and spread it on the floor like a blanket and cast a quick cushioning charm, so they would have something warm and more comfortable to sit on.

While Ginny's back was pressed tightly to Harry's chest, they were leaning against the teacher's desk and she refused to hold onto the fact that it was time for them to say goodbye for the day.

"Just five more minutes," she murmured and buried her head underneath his chin.

She then felt his chest shaking under her while he chuckled and squeezed her shoulders with a firmer touch. "I'm afraid to say it, but we do need to get back. I'm sure people are starting to wonder where you have gone off to." Yet, after saying that, he remained snuggled with her on the floor. The feeling of her this close to him felt almost unreal and he was afraid that any moment now, with a blink of an eye, it would all disappear. He was glad, though, that even hours later, the scene hadn't changed. On the contrary, it had only got better.

"And you won't be missed by anyone?" she asked innocently, running her fingertips over the back of his hand and causing his skin to give a slight shudder. She smiled when she felt a spot of goosebumps erupt to his skin.

He let out a snort which made her chuckle at the sound of it. "I doubt it."

She pulled her head from the warmth of his neck and looked up to him, a mingled expression of concern and confusion in her brown eyes. "How come?"

"Well, maybe only by Blaise; I don't know. Draco and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment. You know, after last night's fiasco in the entrance hall and my slip-up, I really don't blame him."

Ginny looked stunned at him. "He was as much of a prat as far as I ever remember him being." Harry bowed his head and sighed. He pulled back from her and straightened his clothes. "He deserved that, Harry."

"I don't know if you've realized it yet, Ginny, but he's my best friend," Harry said as he got up on his feet. He extended his hand for her to take and helped her stand up, and with a wave of his wand he cleaned the dust off his cloak and wrapped it back around himself. After a moment of silence between them, he sighed again. "Let's not talk about it anymore, shall we?"

She nodded understandingly, and reluctantly changed the subject. "It's nearly time for dinner. Want to head down to the Great Hall?"

"Sure." He smiled and extended his hand, which she took without hesitation. The small gesture felt nice. She never thought she would be holding hands with him. She smiled when she saw their entwined fingers and felt warmth spread through her arm and all over her body. Everything was going well, but at the moment when they reached the entrance hall, Harry paused suddenly and awkwardly let go of her hand. Ginny immediately missed the feeling of his touch.

"You know, I'm not really that hungry anymore. You go ahead inside. I'll go back to my common room," he said.

Ginny looked at him, confused. Looking from his face to his hands, which he shoved quickly into his pockets, she tried to think what might have caused him to change his mind so abruptly. She settled her gaze back on his face and frowned slightly when she noticed he had backed a couple of steps away from her. "Erm – okay... I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded and flashed a smile, which disappeared a moment later. She was positive she saw the faintest tint of a blush on his cheeks, but he instantly looked down at his feet, so it could have been only her imagination. He meant to turn around, and she stopped him with her Gryffindor courage and slight cheek in her voice. "Don't I at least get a goodnight kiss?" she said.

He chuckled again and looked up at her. Seeing her stick out her bottom lip out and playfully faking a pout, he couldn't resist the temptation growing in the pit on his stomach. With a genuine smile, he walked back to her, leaned down and kissed her lightly on the cheek, his lips barely brushing her skin. "Goodnight, love."

Before Ginny could react to him, he had pulled away, a smile still on his face. "Have – Have sweet dreams," she managed to say as sweetly as she could master as she tried not to sound as shocked as she was.

"Oh, I will," he said and with a wink he turned his back on her and walked towards the dungeons.

Trying all she might to convince herself that his sudden change in attitude was only because of the new change in their relationship was a new and exciting as it was to her, she shook her head and forced herself to focus on the good memories they had created together today.

"And where exactly have you been all day?" Hermione inquired when they climbed through the portrait hole. "Ron and I were worried sick."

Ginny smiled faintly as she remembered what Harry had said earlier about people searching for her.

"Hey, what's that smile for?" Hermione asked again before Ginny could reply to her first question. Her eyes narrowed to slits. "What did you do?"

"What, I can't be happy anymore?" Ginny replied, and a second later Hermione made a loud gasp and her hand went to her cheek. Resembling a fish, she opened and closed her mouth several times and before she could say anything, Ginny had cut her off. "Hey, what's going on there?"

She had pointed out to a gathering of people around the notice board. She walked hurriedly to join the crowd, with Hermione following her every step, and saw a notice of a new Hogsmeade trip set for the next weekend.

Ginny saw Lavender and Parvati backing from the group, giggling as Seamus Finnigan passed by them and was reminded briefly of the time before the Yule Ball. Normally, she would just roll her eyes at a sight just as that, but today's events had made her feel giddy herself. This would be a perfect opportunity to go on her first official date with Harry.

Spinning on her heel, she walked back to the sitting area and took a seat in a large armchair by the fire. Hermione, who was still walking after her, sat in the corner of the couch, the closest to Ginny and continued to gape at her.

"What?" Ginny asked innocently, faking annoyance, although she knew perfectly well why Hermione was gawking at her.

"Tell me everything that happened!" Hermione said in an undertone.

Ginny had made her best imitation of a thinking face. "Well, there's not much to tell... Luna and I went for a stroll with Hagrid around the Forbidden Forest. We saw two unicorns and one Crumple-Horned Snorkack. I was really surprised at first to see one; I thought Luna, bless her, made them up –"

"Ginny! Stop it!" Hermione suddenly barked and Ginny couldn't help herself but to roll around in laughter. "Come on, tell me! You're all... glowing!"

Ginny's eyes widened and she laughed again. "'Glowing?' You're overdoing it, Hermione."

Hermione muttered angrily under her breath and meant to pull out her wand next, and in seeing her doing so, Ginny waved her hands in defense. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you! There's no need to exaggerate!"

Less than five minutes later, after Ginny had finished her story, Hermione had shrieked, jumped from her place on the couch and flung her arms around Ginny in a hug, truly happy for her best friend.

"Only one problem, though," Ginny said suddenly, after Hermione had settled down, her expression changing into more of a sad grimace. "I think he might be regretting it."

Hermione's eyes went as wide as saucers. "What do you mean?"

Ginny looked uncomfortably at the roaring fire in the hearth. "Maybe I'm just worrying myself... I don't know what happened. Everything went fine and we started talking, but he suddenly went all shy and distant. I don't know what might have caused him to change like that. I don't remember doing anything wrong..." But then she thought back on their wonderful day together. "Although..."

"What?"

Ginny cringed and sighed. "Merlin, I'm so stupid..." Ginny buried her head in her hands and mumbled out, "He completely opened up to me, told me that he loved me and I said nothing back."

"Maybe he understands?" Hermione offered. "Maybe he doesn't want to rush you, wants to give you time. Or maybe he doesn't care; he might have been just tired, you know, after all the snogging you put him through today..." Hermione said cheekily.

Ginny chuckled and shoved her playfully by the shoulder. "Shut up!" she said with a giggle and was glad that Hermione was there to make her feel better. Making herself believe that maybe her best friend was right, yet again, she promised herself to deal with all consequences in the morning.

Somehow, before she went to bed, she managed to ignore the troubling feeling that there was something weird with the way Harry had acted earlier.

As Harry stepped into the common room, the first thing he saw was Blaise sitting alone in one of the high-backed chairs, staring blankly in the fire. As he walked closer to him, he noticed he held a tissue pressed to his nose and it was soaked with blood.

"Merlin, what happened?" Harry asked worriedly as he hurried to his friend, and sat next to him to take a closer look at his face.

"Julia happened," Blaise muttered sullenly and he picked up his wand, tapped the currently red tissue paper and a second later it was a clear white again. He wiped his nose with it as it started to drench with blood again. "The stupid cow hit me with a Trip Jinx and I stumbled and broke my nose, and now the damn thing won't stop bleeding... Needless to say is that we aren't together anymore. But that's a new record, you see. We lasted, what, three whole days? That's more than I ever got to be with anyone..."

"I'm sorry," Harry said honestly. He was suddenly filled with guilt about the wonderful day he had with Ginny.

Blaise waved him off. "No, I'm sorry. I should have listened to you, Harry. Maybe you're right. Maybe I was better off with –"

"You can't know that," Harry cut him. "You followed your heart, you did what you thought would make you happy."

Blaise looked miserably at the fire. "And it didn't and I ended up alone."

Harry looked around the common room and suddenly an idea popped to his mind. "You can still win her back," he said with a crooked smile. "Not Julia, I mean Pansy."

Blaise simply looked at him, a blank expression on his tissue-cloaked face. "Really? How?"

"Take her out on a date," Harry said simply.

Blaise snorted, and that was something he probably shouldn't have done, because a second later he cried out in pain and pinched his nose. "Oww..." he muttered under his breath and wiped at his nose again with his. "Now, that's a great idea, Harry!" he snapped and sniffed deeply once more. He slammed his hand to his knee as he pushed himself up from his chair and started walking about the room. "Why couldn't I think of that before? Oh! Maybe because I already know she won't even think twice to look my way again!"

Harry rolled his eyes and got up from his chair as well so he could match Blaise's eye level. "Fine, do what you think is best! I'm just saying that it's still early and you can still save the situation between you two with the bit of tact you still have!"

"That's rich, Harry, really. To make fun of me like that while I'm feeling down. No, I mean it, because I've just lost my last shred of dignity..."

Harry looked around once again and pointed at the notice board. "Look, there's your chance, another Hogsmeade trip. If you act all mushy and loving around her, she might agree to go out with you next weekend."

Blaise walked closer to the board and read the notice that was pinned to it. "You think so?"

"I know so," Harry said emphatically. "And even if she doesn't, one day when you become rich and successful, she'll come around," he added jokingly.

Blaise smiled. "What will I do that will make me rich?"

Harry considered this for a second. "You'll sell travel books in a small Muggle shop along with an old man with a bad spitting habit."

Blaise chuckled again and wiped his nose once more, finding it had finally stopped bleeding. "And how will that make me rich, exactly?"

Harry tried his best to look serious and not burst out laughing as they sat back on the couch. "Oh, it won't, but then you'll win the lottery and buy your own travel agency."

"And why in the Muggle world?"

"Because a Wizarding travel agency will make you go bankrupt. Why would you wizards and witches pay to travel around the world when they can use a Portkey, Apparate or simply Floo?" Harry couldn't help but chuckle by now and Blaise joined him heartily.

After calming down, they sat in a comfortable silence, each of them with their own thoughts.

"I'll ask her tomorrow," Blaise said finally.

"I would give it at least a day or two before asking. First thing would be apologizing to her. Tomorrow you'll do something nice, you know, like write her how you feel or even send her a flower. I found out girls like that stuff."

"Oh yeah? Like it worked for you?" Blaise asked mockingly.

Avoiding Blaise's gaze, Harry smiled contently despite the comment. "Exactly like it worked for me."

For a moment, Harry thought Blaise hadn't heard him. It took about a whole minute before the words finally sank in him. "Wait, what do you mean?"

Still leaning against the couch, Harry simply tore his gaze from the fire and looked briefly at his shocked friend before turning to look at the fire again, as if finding it more interesting than what he was about to say. "Yeah... I didn't want to say anything before, while you were still sulking over Julia, but I kind of have a new girlfriend now..."

Blaise looked even more stunned if it was possible. "No way! You're telling me you finally managed to catch the Weasley fish?"

Harry's smile faded. "Hey, Ginny's not a fish!" Despite himself, he couldn't help but let the smile grow back on his lips as his mind wandered around to think about her face and how beautiful she was and how sweet she tasted on his lips. "But yes, we're finally together."

Blaise looked impressed. "Good for you. Now, all you have to do is patch things up with Draco and your life couldn't be more perfect."

At the mention of Draco's name, Harry grunted. "Argh, don't remind me. Where is the git now?"

"Dunno. Haven't seen him since the match, but I guess he should come back any time now. Curfew is due soon."

"And what am I suppose to tell him? I still stand by what I said."

"I know, and I agree with you, but you have to accept the fact that this is how he is and that he's having a really hard time right now. We're still his best friends and we need to help him get past it, even if he is being a git in the process."

"Damn, I hate it when you're right," Harry muttered under his breath.

It was ten minutes later when Draco finally walked into the common room with Crabbe and Goyle by his side. Harry immediately stood up and Draco stopped to look at him and Blaise, who remained seated on the couch, but turned his head around to look at him back. His nose had finally stopped bleeding, but he had nasty dark bruises underneath his eyes.

"What do you want?" Draco spat at Harry. "If this is about the game, you know damn well I wasn't the only one who played badly today."

Harry shook his head earnestly. "This isn't about the game. I think we need to talk about last night."

The look Draco gave him next made Harry feel as though Draco was looking at him like some sort of a stranger. "Potter," Draco said quietly and Harry knew he only called him that because he was truly angry. "As far as I'm concerned, after last night, we aren't friends anymore. We are housemates, teammates, classmates, whatever, and that's it. I can't have someone acting for six years like he's my friend and then stab me in the back just because he can't accept me for who I am."

Without saying more, he turned and walked towards the boys' dormitories, not even giving Harry a chance to say a word. Harry watched him walk off angrily with Crabbe and Goyle stomping behind like his two bodyguards. It was quite rare when the two of them had a real argument, even after six years of knowing each other. Harry wasn't familiar with the new stabbing feeling he felt in his chest. It was hard to think about it, but he actually feared that there was no way to fix things between them this time.

After having a restless night, he thought noting would make the next day easier for him, but everything seemed so much brighter when he saw Ginny approach him the next morning as he exited the Great Hall.

"Hi," she said with a smile when she finally reached him. Her hands immediately reached for his and instantly, a rush of warmth spread through his body when he touched her and he felt much better.

"Hi," he greeted back, as cheerfully as he could despite the circumstances.

"I didn't see you at breakfast, is everything all right?" she asked with slight concern to her voice.

Harry shook his head and watched as her eyes changed into a more serious expression. "But it is now that you're here," he tried to light up the somber mood.

Ginny's eyes bore into his, searching for some answer. "Oh. Do you want to talk about it, maybe?"

He shook his head again and looked down at their joined hands. "Not really."

Ginny felt him starting to get away from her again. She looked at him closely, waiting for him to look back at her. "Why are you avoiding me?" she asked quietly.

His head immediately snapped up and his green eyes met her brown ones. "What? I'm not."

Her gaze only intensified. "Yes, you are, ever since last night when we left for dinner. I don't know why you're doing this, but I wish you wouldn't. If you're regretting us getting together, then just say so!"

A moment later, she realized that she might have said it a little too briskly, but it was too late to take it back.

His grip on her hands loosened and he dropped her hands suddenly, but she wasn't sure if it was because she was too harsh towards him, or because she was right about him avoiding her. The look on his face only told her that she was completely wrong with her suspicions, as it simply reflected a total shock.

Harry's mouth dropped slightly and he wondered why she would think that. "I don't!"

Her voice intensified by the second and she couldn't stop herself. "So it's because I didn't say that I loved you back, isn't it? Or maybe it's because you're ashamed to be with me, that you don't want people to see us together?"

"What the hell are you on about? That's not true at all, Ginny!" he protested, matching her tones. "I don't know where did you come up with all of this, but I'm really not in the mood for all these false accusations, okay? I've had enough of fighting with people this week and the last thing I want to do is to fight you too."

The look of surprise mixed with guilt showed evidently on Ginny's face. She felt incredibly stupid and selfish. Of course this was about him, how could she ever think differently? Not everything was supposed to involve her.

"Harry..." she said quietly once again. "I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Well, now you do," he said, his voice strained, but softening a bit. "And like I already said, I don't want to talk about it, so let's just drop it, okay?" He ran his hand through his thick, messy hair. "And what was this all about, anyway? Why would you even think that I regretted being with you?"

She looked down and shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "I'm sorry, but I didn't know what to think. Everything was going great until we went to dinner and then I felt like you changed your mind and searched for a reason to back out. I guessed that I panicked and jumped to the wrong conclusions and thought about myself only. I'm so stupid."

"No you're not," Harry said clearly. He wrapped his arms around her securely and pulled her into a warm embrace, right there, in the middle of the hall. He didn't care if the whole school saw. For him, they were there alone and this was their private moment together. "And don't ever let me hear you say it again about yourself. You, Ginny Weasley, are the most brilliant," he said with a kiss to her forehead, "– sweet," another kiss, this time to her closed eyes, "– beautiful," the tip of her nose was next, "– caring," and finally a longer one on her lips, "– and the strongest witch I've ever met. I don't care if anyone hears this, because I'm not ashamed of anything that is concerning you. I will scream it from the rooftops if that's what I need to do in order to convince you." She leaned her forehead on his chest, feeling his heart drum fast and chuckled lightly, and he smiled at the sweet sound. "I just love you so much."

She suddenly stiffened in his arms and she hoped he didn't sense it. Hearing him say that was still so surreal to her. "Harry... about that..." she started hesitantly, and her voice trailed off, not sure how she should put it so he won't take offense by it.

"What?" he promoted her gently.

She took a deep breath and let it all out. "It's just that... You say you love me so easily and I know you mean it, but I haven't even said it back yet. I'm not sure that I... You're too good for me."

"Ginny, I don't want you to feel that you are obligated to say it just because I did. You have to mean it and I want you to take your time until you do. You'll say it when you're ready. Believe me, it took me awhile to admit it to myself. It didn't come right away."

She couldn't believe how lucky she was to have him. She simply couldn't believe it was all real. How she had ever mistaken him for being any different? He was so good to her and here she thought that he deserved better, that she wasn't enough. She didn't know what she did to have him, but she was more than glad for it. "Thank you. I should've realized how wonderful you are from the start."

He chuckled and ran his hands up and down her back and she loved the soothing feeling this small gesture had brought on her. She buried her face in his shoulder and sighed contently, savoring every feeling, every touch, every moment of it. "I wouldn't say that. I was a prat at the start, don't you remember? I couldn't even stand you and you couldn't stand me either. Well, that was until I kissed you..."

"I kissed you back," she said, somewhat shyly and Harry couldn't help but chuckle again and she joined him, realizing what was so funny.

"Yeah, now you admit it," he said amusedly. Then he turned serious again. "You know I meant every word that night? Well, only the good ones," he added once he remembered how they screamed their lungs at each other that night, when they served that detention together.

"You did not!"

He smiled. "I did. And when I told Snape that you put a spell on me, well, that was kind of true, too. It was you, your spell, and I'm still under it."

"Why, Potter, are you trying to sweet talk me?" she asked and raised her head to look up at him. His eyes shone brightly when he looked back at her.

"It depends. Is it working?" he asked cheekily, a grin on his lips.

"Umm... no."

He nodded and his smile only widened when he caught her lie. "Umm, yes," he mimicked. He leaned down and caught her lips in his with another kiss.

Just when he thought that things can progress into something a bit more than a quick kiss, she gently pushed him away and backed half a step from him. He realized that he let out a protesting moan once she tore her lips from his and he fought the horrible blush that threatened to appear on his cheeks.

"I need to ask you to do something for me," she said at once, and when he saw the serious look in her eyes, all thoughts of protesting and continuing the kiss had fled away.

"What is it?"

She reached her hands to his robes and played with the button holes while she talked. "I hadn't had the chance to tell my brother about us yet."

Harry immediately caught on and nodded understandably. "Oh, and you're worried he's going to freak out if he catches us together."

"'Freak out' would be an understatement, I'd say," she said. "He just doesn't know that you changed and how good you are like I do, and I thought that... that you might want..." she trailed off, wishing desperately for him to get the message, only this time, when she looked at him, he had a frown on his face.

"That I might want... what?" he asked.

She gulped rather obviously and looked over his shoulder, trying to avoid his eyes while she finished her sentence. "Might want to go and ask him for his permission to date me," she said rather quickly.

Harry's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "What? Why would I do it? Why can't you do it? He's your brother!"

She shifted on her feet again and bit her lip nervously. "Yes, but if it comes from you, he'll see that you're serious about us and he might change his mind!"

"Or hex me into a million bits of tiny pieces!" Harry offered.

Ginny waved him off. "Oh, he won't do such thing."

"Ginny!" he growled in protest.

"Harry!" she called and then she did the most adorable thing which he couldn't believe that this cheap trick was actually working on him: Puppy-dog eyes. "Please?" She batted her eyelashes at him. "For me?"

"Why do we even need his permission, anyway?"

"Because this is the only way we can go out without me feeling guilty about it."

He groaned. "Oh, all right." Even though he felt extremely nervous about it, he knew there was nothing else in the world that was worthier than the smile she just flashed at him.

"Oh! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she called cheerfully and threw her arms around his neck, nearly toppling them both over, and she peppered his face with small kisses, until he caught her lips again and drew her into a passionate kiss, much more passionate than the one she had stopped a minute ago.

A sudden wolf-whistle had ruined the moment and they broke apart, looking around for the source of such rude behavior. When they saw who it was, Harry's palms began to sweat and Ginny felt a large lump rise in her throat at what happened next.

"So, Ron, the Hufflepuff game is coming in two weeks. Worried much?" Dean had asked when the four roommates had made their way out from the Great Hall.

Ron simply snorted in mockery. "Worried? Should I be? The Hufflepuffs are wimps, nothing but a piece of cake," he said proudly.

"Ah, so you're must be more worried about Ravenclaw, then?"

"Please! Are you serious? We eat Ravenclaw with ketchup!" Ron answered. "The Cup is ours. I have nothing to worry about."

"But they did beat Slytherin," Seamus pointed out. Neville sniggered at that and Seamus smiled widely.

Ron lowered his head before replying. "Anyone beats Slytherin."

"Our team didn't," Neville said matter-of-factly.

Ron blushed scarlet, whether that was from embarrassment or from anger, neither of them knew. "Yeah, well... That was supposed to be our victory. Snape must have said something to Dumbledore to pick his house."

"Okay, forget that," Seamus tried to lighten the mood. "Ravenclaw got a new Seeker, remember? What are you going to do about him?"

"He's a temp, he's playing until Cho Chang is out of the hospital wing," Ron explained.

Dean shook his head. "That's not what I heard. Chang's out for good."

Ron stopped abruptly in place and looked back at Dean as though he just told him the most mortifying story ever. "What?" he asked quietly. "Who told you?"

"Never mind who told me," Dean quickly replied. "What are you going to do about that Hastings bloke? He's way too good –"

"Ginny's better," Ron said firmly. "I trust her."

They walked into the entrance hall and meant to cross it to go outside for awhile. It was a cool morning and the weather finally settled down for the moment.

"Oh, you do, do you?" Seamus said with an amused tone. "And do you trust her frenching random guys in the castle's hallways?"

Before Ron could even register what his friend just told him, Seamus let out a loud whistle. The rest of the three of them stopped at the sound and Ron span around to see what was happening. "What?" he whispered in disbelief.

There, in the middle of the corridor, stood a close couple, embraced in a heated kiss. No doubt the identity of the girl was Ginny, his own sister. Her long red hair could be spotted from miles away. Ron could feel his eyes sting at the sight. She stood there, carefree and willingly snogging some bloke, whose face was hidden behind her ginger head.

When the couple heard Seamus call at Ginny, they both broke apart quickly and looked around wildly like two deer caught in the headlights. Ginny's face was evidently red from anger, while the boy who had kissed her was red from embarrassment. When Ron saw who that guy was, a large lump in his throat quickly formed and it ached so much he wanted to start screaming, but surprisingly enough he didn't.

"Holy Merlin! That's Potter!" Seamus called out loud once again, a wide grin plastered to his face. He nudged Dean at the ribs with his elbow. Dean simply stared at the scene with cold indifference in his eyes and turned to walk away. Neville was a little pink in the ears as well. He lowered his head and went to follow Dean outside. "Your sister frenching Potter, Weasley!" Seamus went on. "Now you're defiantly going to lose the cup, and to Slytherin, no less!"

Ron merely stood frozen in place and stared at their faces. Ginny's face quickly changed from anger to something more on the line of guilt and the rosy blush that colored her cheeks quickly spread all over her neck and ears.

Harry felt uncomfortable under his gaze. He knew that any moment now, he would suffer the great outcome of a really awful hex. He realized he was still holding one hand around Ginny's waist and he quickly drew it back and rubbed the back of his neck.

Neither he nor Ginny knew what to say. They had only agreed to tell him about them a minute ago. They hadn't prepared what to say exactly.

Preparing himself to receive the worst hex or punch he had ever got, Harry swallowed thickly and closed his eyes shut. Suddenly, he felt Ginny's hand sneak into his and their fingers entwined together bravely. He opened his eyes and looked down at her, but she was not looking back, she was staring directly at her brother across the room, as if silently challenging him to do or say something.

What Ron did next was a great shock to all of them. He pinched his nose with his fingers and shut his eyes, then shook his head silently in disbelief and went out of the double doors to the grounds, with Seamus still taunting him from behind.

"Well," Harry said slowly once they were gone and after it all sank in. "That must be good. He didn't kill me..."

But Ginny thought differently. She shook her head slowly as the horrible feeling of disappointment tightened around her heart. "No," she said quietly and she dared not to look at his eyes as hers were brimming with tears. "Ron's not saying anything is not good. It's not good at all."

Ron was so furious he wanted to kick something. He thought that the cool, fresh air would do him some good and make him relax a bit, but instead Seamus couldn't stop blabbing about what they saw that he had to go back to the common room and talk to Hermione.

"Flubberworm," he shot the password at the Fat Lady before she even asked and once the portrait swung open, he climbed inside and strode angrily to the couch in front of the fire. The couch, however, was already occupied by a quite enthusiastic snogging pair. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at them for a moment and cleared his throat loudly until they broke apart. "Do you mind?" he asked hotly, and the young couple quickly stood and disappeared, leaving the large couch only to the House prefect to mull things over. He didn't care that other students around the room began to stare.

He stared at the fire for what seemed like hours, until he felt a familiar and gentle touch around his neck as his girlfriend's hands snuck around him from behind. She kissed his cheek and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Is everything all right? You look angr –"

"I am," he said at once, his voice rough.

Hermione frowned slightly at the tone of his voice and drew her hands away from him. He felt her pull back and he sighed, quickly reaching for her again. He didn't want to take this out on her; it wasn't her fault that his sister was such a fool. "I'm sorry," he said quietly to her. "I didn't mean to take this out on you."

She rounded the couch and sat next to him. She looked him in the eyes and quickly asked, "What happened?"

"It's Ginny," he said shortly. "Did you know she has a new boyfriend?"

"Ah," Hermione said. She knew this would be a long talk, so she changed her position on the couch into a more comfortable one, tucking her legs under her and reaching out to take his hand in hers. "Well, yes, in fact I did."

Ron's head spun to look at her. "And you didn't think that I might need to know about it?" he asked angrily.

Hermione simply shrugged. "First of all, it just happened, so I really didn't have the time to register it myself. Secondly, it's her life; she should be the one to tell you if she wants to. It's not my job to tell you who she dates."

"Hermione, I just made a complete fool out of myself in front of everyone! How could you not tell me something like that?"

"Ron, I think you're taking this a bit too hard..."

"'Too hard?' 'Too hard?'" Ron called. "I had to see her snogging him in the hallways; I nearly puked!"

"So what? It's not the first time you saw her kissing someone," Hermione said. "Besides, I think they look good together. They're cute." She smiled fondly, and that only made Ron feel angrier.

"'Cute?'" Ron's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Hermione, I don't think we're talking about the same guy here. I'm talking about –"

"Harry Potter," she finished for him, nodding. "I know."

Ron pushed himself from the couch and turned to face her, his face redder than ever, he threw his arms out and started shouting.

"You knew that my sister is going out with my worst enemy and yet you didn't say a word! How could you do this to me, Hermione? You know how I feel about that guy! I could've prevented this from happening!"

Hermione huffed exasperatedly and tried all her might not to yell back at him. "Ron, you're not listening to me," she said patiently. "It just happened! I found out last night –"

"And since last night you've met me in breakfast, you had plenty of time –"

"It's not my secret to tell!" she repeated, her voice now rising to match his. "And what do you mean you could have prevented this? How can you take you sister's happiness away? That's really cruel, Ron!"

At the start of their raised voices, a quick rush of feet and murmurs were heard, as the people in the room fled away, clearing the common room in no time and giving the two of them more privacy. However, the wizards and witches in the framed portraits hanged on the walls stayed to see the quarrel and started chatting excitedly among themselves as their eyes darted between Ron to Hermione.

"She promised she would stay away from him, Hermione, and now she broke that promise –"

"Do you even listen to yourself?" Hermione asked, slightly mortified by his words. "She's happy, Ron! And if she's happy with Harry, then you should be happy for her! Besides, how can you be the one to talk; you promised her you'd stay out of her love life!"

"We're not talking about me here, Hermione!" At that, Hermione rolled her eyes. "How can you defend him like that? What about all the times when he called you 'Mudblood'? When he used to make our lives miserable? Is that all forgotten, you're telling me, just like that?" Ron asked, incredulously.

Hermione sighed and looked into his eyes, now almost black with anger instead of their normal cool blue color. "Yes, because I found it in me to forgive him, just like you should do. He's changed. He's a better person now and he's sorry."

"And how exactly would you know that?" Ron challenged.

"Because he told me!" Hermione burst out, exasperated.

Ron looked ay her for a moment, confused, trying to understand what she was telling him. "Since when do you talk to him?"

She never took her gaze off him; she wanted him to know she was serious, and that she's not sorry for that. "About the time that I found out that he likes Ginny. We started talking and I realized that he's actually a good guy, that he's different now. It's because of Ginny that he's different, he really cares for her. I saw that and I promised him I would help him get together with her."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause between them. Ron looked confused and shocked; opening and closing his mouth while searching what he wanted to say, until he finally settled for, "You – did – WHAT?"

Hermione got up from the couch to match his level. "I couldn't tell you because I knew you will take it badly. Ginny's my friend, she deserves to be happy with someone who cares for her."

Ron's hands flew around his head and he looked like he was about to explode. Hermione gulped, wishing the outcome would not be as bad as she imagined it to be. "But why him, Hermione? From all the guys who wish to date my sister, you had to go and help that slimy git! What, he had enough fooling around with all the girls in Slytherin, so he had to go and pick my sister next, as what, to get back at me for something? Or is he that lousy at asking girls out that he needed your help with that? And to think you had to go do it behind my back? To hide this from me, because I would 'take it badly?'"

"You're taking it badly right now!" Hermione called, pointing to him. "I did it for him as a favor and he did it for himself, not because he wanted to get back at you for something! You had nothing to do with it!"

Ron lowered his head and looked at his feet quietly. He walked slowly to the couch and slumped back down on it, staring blankly at the roaring flames in the grate. She sighed again and sat down next to his, wishing he would look up at her.

"Ron..." she said gently.

He didn't say a word to her for a few, long minutes, and she knew he was trying to gather his thoughts. She knew she should give him time to register everything.

Finally, he spoke up in a hoarse voice, which surprised Hermione. When she looked at his face, she could see his eyes were brimming with tears and she gasp silently. She had never seen him cry before. "You... You betrayed me."

Hermione's eyes went wide at his words and her throat ached from her own chocked tears. "No, Ron..." she whispered, reaching for his hand, but he pushed it away.

"I can't believe you did this. You went behind my back, you helped the guy I hate the most in the world to get together with my sister, and you're saying I have nothing to do with it? What's left, Hermione?"

Her lips quivered. "What... what do you mean?"

He turned his head slowly at her. His eyes ached by looking at her. "I don't think I can be with someone that does things against me, someone that lies to me."

All the painted witches from the portraits let out a great sad "Aww!", dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs while the wizards simply shook their heads.

"Ron, don't!" she whimpered, knowing the ending of this conversation, and silently pleading she was wrong.

"Go, Hermione."

She grabbed him by the forearm; her grip was so strong and clingy, but not as painful as the ache in his heart. "Ron, please don't do this! I'm sorry! I promise I would never –"

"Hermione!" he yelled suddenly, cutting her off. He turned his gaze back to fire, releasing her grasp from him with his other hand and moving to the far end of the couch. "You did this, not me. And don't tell me you're sorry, because we both know you're not. I had enough with your lies."

"Ron, you don't mean it!" she sobbed, the tears are rolling freely on her face now. "You're being irrational. Please, just take as long as you need and relax, just please don't do this to us!"

"I mean it," he said strictly. "Go away, Hermione. I don't want to see you or hear another one of your lies!"

She stood up shakily and sobbed quietly, her face red and her eyes wet and swollen. She half-ran to the door to the girls' dormitories, but stopped on the first step. "And what about your promise to me, Ron? You promised you would always love me! So don't tell me I'm the only one who lied! It's not okay for Ginny to break her promises, but for you it is? She's right, you know! You are such a hypocrite!" And with that, she disappeared up the stairs.

Ron simply sat on the couch limply and did nothing but to stare into space, wiping the tears from his face with the back of his hand when they escaped his eyes and ignoring the comments the witches in the portraits had yelled at him.

Harry and Ginny walked together, swinging their joined hands back and forth as they paced quietly.

Ginny couldn't believe that one person could hold inside them so many different emotions at once. She felt content and happy and at the same time depressed and guilty. She was happy that she had Harry now, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she let Ron down.

This was not how it was supposed to go. They had agreed that she would tell Ron some time later today about them, and that Harry would act all gentlemanly and ask for his permission to date her. Ron would eventually have to agree, or else she would Bat-Bogey hex him.

"I'll walk you to your common room. You find him and talk," Harry suggested, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Ginny then smiled crookedly. "But I can't let you find out where my common room is," she said rather playfully.

He smirked as well. "Oh, you mean behind the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor?" When she looked surprised at him, he chuckled lightly. "Don't look so shocked, everyone knows where it is."

They walked together in a comfortable silence, simply enjoying being with each other. Harry had wrapped his hand around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She couldn't believe that only a few moments ago she accused him for avoiding her and being embarrassed of being seen with her. She was glad she was wrong.

She could get used to this, she thought to herself. She could stay together with him like this, wrapped inside his arms securely for eternity. She wished she could have him alone for an hour or so, somewhere private where no one could interrupt them to kiss, or talk, or kiss...

She smiled at the thought and she lightly touched with her fingers on the back of his hand he had wrapped around her. She knew that there was still time and that maybe right now wouldn't be the right moment to mention it, but she couldn't wait any longer to tell him about Hogsmeade.

Anxious to finally let it out, she started, "Say, Harry..." she said softly.

"Hmm?"

"I don't know if you noticed, but there was a sign for another Hogs –"

"Oh, no," he said suddenly, cutting on her words. "Let's not go down this way..."

Ginny stopped in place, looking at him bewilderedly. "I'm sorry?" Had Harry knew what she was about to say? Did he not want to take her out to Hogsmeade? He said he wanted to go out with her, so what was more perfect than going together to the village for their first date? Well, of course, there weren't many choices of locations to choose from if you're stuck inside a castle for ten months, so that was pretty much the only thing she could look forward to.

Then Harry motioned with his head to the direction they were heading. She slowly looked that way and saw Malfoy walking towards them with Zabini, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Do you know any shortcuts?" Harry asked rather coldly, his eyes focused on the group of four Slytherins ahead of them.

Ginny felt relief when she realized what he meant. He only wanted to change their path. "Er, yeah. Let's go this way," she said, leading him through a narrow hallway to their left. "It's a bit longer, though."

"That's okay, I just didn't want to face him," Harry said dejectedly. He sighed and forced on a smile. "Besides, that way I get to spend more time with you." His tone of voice was now more cheery, but yet it was unnaturally cheery, as Ginny could tell.

Ginny looked up at him. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

He nodded firmly. "I'm sure, because if I do talk about it, I'll get upset and you'll get depressed, and right now I don't want either of us to feel that way."

"Okay," she said rather sweetly, rubbing her fingers soothingly on the back of his hand. "But if you do want to talk about it, I'm here."

Harry chuckled and looked down at her. "You're cute." He leaned down and brushed his lips on hers slowly, the taste and texture of her kiss were making him feel slightly giddy and it was just what he needed to cure him for this recent dejection that had fallen upon him because of Draco. She was the air that he was breathing, the solution to his problems; she was what made it all worth fighting for.

"Am I?" she asked when they broke apart, currently amused.

He nodded slightly. "You are."

They reached the Fat Lady portrait a few minutes later, and they parted with another long kiss, which made the Fat Lady call at them angrily to take it somewhere else.

Once Harry left, Ginny said the password and climbed through the portrait hall and into the common room. Her eyes immediately found her brother. He was the only one there after all, and she found him seating on the couch in front of the fire, his head buried in his hands. She sighed, guessing that seeing her and Harry kiss was kind of hard on him. She walked over warily, dreading some sort of an unexpected reaction from him that will startle her. When he did not even bother to look at her, she sat down next to him, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence at least. "Ron..." she said weakly.

After a silent pause, he finally said something. "You promised me, Ginny," he said, his voice muffled through his hands. He raised his head and she was stricken to see his eyes were red and a bit swollen. He was crying, she quickly realized. She couldn't remember the last time she saw him cry was. Ron had always been tougher than her. She didn't know he would take this so hard. "You promised it would be anyone, just not him!"

"That's not what I promised, Ron," she said. "I promised I wouldn't date him if he was a Death Eater, which he's not, and you promised you would accept who I date."

Ron chuckled softly, shaking his head in disbelief. "I knew you'd get out of this somehow... You just couldn't have stayed away from him, could you?"

Ginny looked him deep in the eyes. "Guess not. It was bound to happen sometime, anyway. I planned on telling you about him later, you know." When she noticed he was barely listening to her, she grabbed his face and made him look at her. "Ron, things are different now than they were since the start of first term. He's not who you think he is. He loves me –"

Ron chuckled again, only this time his laugh sounded rather harshly. "HA! The hell he does! Do you really believe that pathetic, cheating bastard? Do I really have to remind you what you went through so far because of him, Ginny? Have you already forgotten how he treated you? How cruel he used to be towards us?"

"That's right! He used to be! And how can you say even that? Can't you just be happy for me? He'd changed and became a new person, a good person, and you can't ever see it or hear a word about it!" she added once he started shaking his head dismissively. "If I forgave him, why can't you? I'm happy when I'm with him! Why is that that you are allowed to be happy with whom you love and the same thing can't happen for me?"

Ron bowed his head and suddenly looked mournfully at the floor. "You know what I feel right now?" he asked and she did not answer, for she knew he had not searched a reply. "I'm just..." his voice trailed off. He swallowed hard and looked up at her, his voice dropped to almost a whisper now, "...disappointed in you," he finished.

The words had pierced Ginny's heart like an arrow, and for a minute, her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe her own brother had just told her that he was disappointed in her. Just when she thought that things had gotten bad, it had only got worse when he went on. "But you know, because I promised I would not interfere in your love life, I'll keep my mouth shut, but that doesn't mean I'm accepting it, because I don't think I will ever be able to. Unlike you, Ginny, I stand by my promises."

He stood up from the couch and paced slowly around the room. Ginny couldn't even raise her head to look at him; his earlier words too fresh and hurtful to make her want to see him. She focused on her nails instead while she sensed him rounding the couch. "One more thing, Ginny," he said. She started, but still did not turn to look at him. "If this is your final decision, then say it now."

She swallowed thickly. "It is," she said boldly, her voice a little throaty.

"Then don't come crying to me when he hurts you. Whatever involves him, I want nothing to do with it. I just hope he won't have a bad influence on you and change you completely. One day you see that I was right about him."

Ginny let out some sort of a sigh mixed with a sob. For a moment, she just wanted him to go, to stop saying all those things, to stop making her feel bad about it all. She had to remind herself that she was doing nothing wrong and that she should have expected Ron's reaction to be like this. She guessed she hadn't prepared herself enough for this.

"Oh, and if you want some consult, you can go to Hermione. After all, she's the one who set this all up."

Then, there was nothing but silence left. Ginny wiped her face with the back of her hand, sniffed the last remnants of her tears and went up to look for Hermione.

When she entered the sixth years' girls dormitory, she found Hermione's bed curtains closed. She walked over and picked inside, finding Hermione crying as well.

"Hermione..." she said quietly as she opened to curtains fully and sat on the bed. The other girl looked up at her with swollen red eyes. "What is it?" she asked gently.

Hermione sobbed quietly and tried to talk between hiccups. "Ron... and I... I... b...bro...broke... up!"

Ginny's heart swelled with sorrow for her friend and with rage for her git of a brother. What was with him today? she thought angrily. "Why? What has he done?"

"No...nothing," Hermione said while trying to calm down. Ginny knew she hated to be seen like this. "It was my fault."

Then Hermione started pouring out everything before Ginny even asked her to. And Ginny listened carefully to everything her friend had said, of how she became friends with Harry, how she figured out the note was his and how she suggested she would help him, that it was her idea from the very beginning, and finally how she told him what to do and how to act.

"And then today Ron came by and told me he saw you with Harry," she said. Ginny looked at her intently, but Hermione never looked back at her while she told her story. "And I couldn't hide it from him anymore, so I told him, and he totally lost it. He said I betrayed him and that he can't be with someone that lies to him."

"That git!" Ginny hissed. "I can't believe he did this to you! You should have hexed him!"

Hermione shook her head. "He was right. It's my fault."

"No, it's not, Hermione!" Ginny insisted.

Hermione then looked up at her after a long time. Her eyes were still a little red, but not swollen anymore. "I'm so sorry, Ginny. Please don't hate me. I did it for you. All I wanted for you is to be happy."

"I could never hate you," Ginny said quietly with a smile. "Don't be sorry for anything because I am happy."

Hermione sniffed. "You are?"

Ginny smile widened and she reached for her friend's hand and started drawing soothing circles with her thumb. "Thanks to you I am. Hermione, without you, this whole thing with Harry might never have happened. I should thank you. And Ron's an idiot for not realizing what he had. You'll see that eventually he'll see what he lost and he'll come round. You two are made for each other."

"I'm not so sure about that anymore. He said some really hurtful things to me that I don't think I can ever forget."

"Like I already said, he's a git. Besides, I kind of think he was hurt, too. For not good reason at all, mind you, but still, you both have some things to talk about. Heck, he just made me feel completely guilty about myself that I want to go there and hang him by his tie, but I won't do that because he's my brother and I could get detention for it," Ginny finished half-amusedly and the two girls chuckled.

"Yes," Hermione sighed. "I guess we all have things to talk about..."

One evening, later that week, Harry knocked softly on Lupin's office door. The professor had approached him that day at lunch and asked him to come since he has some matters he wished to discuss with him.

"Come in," Lupin's husky voice answered. Harry pushed the wooden door open and walked inside the small office, finding Lupin sitting at his desk, checking students' essays. He raised his head and smiled slightly when he saw Harry there. He pushed himself from his chair and flicked his wand at the mess on his desk. A second later all the parchments and books were rearranged and stacked in a neat pile.

"Hey, Remus," Harry greeted and went to sit down in one of the dusty, patched armchairs that Lupin held in the room. A clutter of class came from behind as Harry waited for Lupin to join him. A little curious as to what took him so long, Harry turned to peek around his shoulder and saw Remus crouching down and picking out something from a lower cabinet behind his desk. "Feeling any better?" Harry tried to engage a small talk between them, to break the silence, referring to the latest full moon.

"Oh, much better, thank you." Remus finally came to join Harry and settled on the round coffee table two goblets and a bottle of mead. As he started pouring down the golden liquor, he noticed the look of surprise on Harry's face and gave him a slight grin. "Don't tell your mother I let you drink this. Got it for Christmas from Dumbledore and it'd be a waste to drink it alone."

Harry nodded and held a crooked smile on his lips. Lupin finally sat down in the other chair, leaned forward over the table and handed Harry a goblet full of the liquor. Harry took it, thanking him. He wondered what it tasted like. He never drank any other alcoholic beverage beside Butterbeer (which didn't even count as alcoholic, anyway) before, and he and Lupin both knew well that his mum would have a fit if she found out he had some. He took a sniff at the content of the goblet and sensed the sweet smell of honey. Pressing the goblet to his lips, he took a small sip of the drink, expecting some sort of a sugary taste, but instead finding his throat burning slightly, the taste of honey was barely noticeable. He coughed lightly and Lupin chuckled at the scene. "All right there?" he asked amusedly, taking a swig off his own goblet.

"Yeah," Harry said, clearing his throat. Putting down his goblet on the table, he leaned back in his chair. "So, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"I do," Lupin confirmed, and his light mood had changed into a more somber one. "It's more like something your parents asked me to talk to you about."

Harry remained silent, waiting for Lupin to continue. He didn't want to guess what this was about. His mind often took him to the wrong places, so he listened carefully.

"Remember at Christmas when there was a Death Eaters attack at Malfoy Manor? Well, back then the Aurors thought that they'd captured every escaped Death Eater, but apparently they were mistaken."

Harry frowned. "There are still Death Eaters out there?"

Lupin nodded. "I'm afraid so. There had been a sighting of the Dark Mark last night, just out west of London, close to Surrey. No one has been reported missing or hurt, but the Ministry and the Order are still searching for who had conjured it."

"So you don't know who it was or how many were they?"

"Unfortunately no. Yet, the Aurors are still working on how they have missed someone in their files. Every person held in Azkaban has a record, of course, but so far, no one had been found missing. The Ministry thinks it was an inside job. The files must be accurate at all times, you see."

Harry contemplated this. "How come there wasn't anything in the Prophet?"

Lupin sighed. "The Minister thought it would be best to keep this quiet for now, seeing there was no real harm done, so there isn't a reason to frighten the entire Wizarding population that they might be in danger."

"But they can warn them to be more careful!" Harry protested angrily. "People should be aware! Luckily, this time no one got hurt, but next time could be different!"

"And the Aurors hope that there won't be a next time. They're hoping to catch whoever is still missing soon," Lupin explain rather calmly. This peaceful manner of his professor had made Harry feel furious. While there could be people out there missing, hurt or dying, everyone seemed calm about this, like they have everything under control when they clearly didn't.

"So why are you telling me this, if the Ministry wants to keep this quiet?" Harry asked.

Lupin was quiet for a moment, contemplating his words carefully. "Because it seems to concern your family, Harry. You're still the target. The Death Eaters are looking for your parents and Sirius. Don't worry; they have gone into a safer place, protected by a Fidelius Charm. The Death Eaters don't know where they are. Our speculation for the last night's events is that whoever they were, they were looking for your parents, probably searching at Surrey, maybe for your mother's sister's house. They must have thought they were hiding with them. Aurors have been sent there to protect them, as well."

Harry gazed into space, taking a moment to think about this. He pushed his bangs irritably from his forehead. When will this ever end? he thought to himself. He looked up at Lupin again. "Do you know where they are?" he finally asked.

Lupin shook his head. "No. Only the Secret Keeper does."

"And who is this Secret Keeper?"

Lupin gave half a shrug and another shake of the head. "I don't know, Harry."

"So, what about me? Won't the Death Eaters be looking for me as well? Shouldn't I go into hiding with them?"

"You don't have to. You're very heavily protected here at Hogwarts, under Dumbledore's watch. As long as you stay in the castle, you're safe." After a moment when Harry seemed to ponder all this, Lupin went on, "Do you know what this also means, Harry?"

Harry knew fairly well, but it was such a small issue, that it almost didn't matter at all. "No Hogsmeade weekends." He had meant to go with Ginny, only the matter hadn't come up yet and he forgot to mention it to her. He guessed that now he shouldn't even bother with it, since he wouldn't be able to go, anyway.

"I'm sorry," Lupin said sincerely. "But your parents and Dumbledore fear that if you go into Hogsmeade, the Death Eaters will track you down. There are a lot of dark wizards staying in that town; every one of them can be linked to a Death Eater. We can't risk that. You understand?"

Harry nodded. "I do, but what about all the other students? If there are alerts of another Death Eater attack in Hogsmeade, won't it be better to cancel it for everyone's safety and not just my own?"

"Dumbledore has his reasons. Don't worry, though, the town will still be guarded by Aurors."

"But this is stupid!" Harry exclaimed. "And there's nothing you could do to make Dumbledore change his mind?"

Lupin shook his head quietly. "You should know, Harry, that Dumbledore is always prepared for the worst; he would never endanger his students." Harry didn't know what else to say to this. He had no other choice but to agree to this plan, and of course, Lupin had made him swear that he would not say anything about it to anyone else, either.

He left his professor's office with a heavy feeling in his chest that he could not shake off. On the following morning, as the day of the Hogsmeade trip came closer, he felt even worse.

Everyone around him was buzzing with excitement about the weekend, making plans on where to go and what to do. He wished he could say or do something, even if not directly, but anything to make this trip get cancelled. He didn't want anyone's harm to be his fault just because he didn't warn them.

He was sitting alone, yet again, at the Slytherin table over breakfast. His plate of food remained untouched and had already gotten cold. He never noticed Ginny approaching him from her own House table, until he was startled to feel her warm hands sneak around him.

"A Knut for your thoughts," she said playfully, leaning down to whisper softly in his ear.

"Hi," was his reply. He touched her hands and turned his face to kiss her cheek.

"You looked miles away. What were you thinking about?" she asked.

Harry hesitated. "Um... you?" he said tentatively.

She smiled brightly and the sight of her beaming like that had already made his day better. "I hope only good things..." She leaned over his shoulder and met his lips in a quick kiss. He was then surprised when she slapped lightly on his shoulder. "Now, what were you really thinking?"

Harry looked at her, simply amazed with her wisdom. She should have been sorted into Ravenclaw, just for that, the thought absently crossed his mind. He couldn't believe how well she already got to know him over the mere few days they had been together.

She looked at him intensely, waiting for his reply and he sighed. The promise he had made for Lupin never left his mind, but still, he knew he had to tell her something. "I was actually thinking about this Hogsmeade trip that's coming up next weekend," he finally said, and wondered how he can go on from here without revealing too much to her. He hated the fact that they had to start their relationship with him lying to her already.

"Oh, really?" she said rather excitedly. "I was actually going to talk to you about it, as well!"

Harry blinked. "You were?" he asked, confused.

"Yeah, you know, I was thinking we should meet in the entrance hall and we start from Honeydukes, then we head down to – What's that look on your face?" she suddenly asked, all the excitement she had had suddenly vanished.

Harry was more than surprised, to say the least. She had already made plans, he thought. He didn't know where he could bury himself. He was going to ruin it for her, and she would be crushed. He had to break it to her gently...

"Look, Ginny," he started, taking her hands in his and guiding her to a vacant chair next to him. She looked around with slight concern in her eyes, as if not sure how his Housemates, or even her Housemates, would react to a Gryffindor sitting at the Slytherin House table. Luckily, it appeared to be that nobody even looked their way, so she seemed more relaxed and more focused on him.

"Is something the matter? I hope I'm not dropping this out on you just like that. You did ask me out, after all, remember? You even chased me around the school so I would agree. I mean, I know you hadn't said anything, but that's okay, because I –"

"Ginny," he said again, more firmly this time. That had got her attention. "I didn't say anything because I wasn't planning on going."

She didn't say anything for what it seemed like a whole two, very slow and awkward minutes. The deadly silence between them was fiercer to his ears than if she would have started screaming at him. She didn't even blink; she simply stared at him, wide-eyed and her mouth agape.

"Say something, please? So I know that you're okay," he said, his eyebrows close to each other with confusion at her reaction.

She closed her eyes briefly, pressing the heels of her palms to them and then she started shaking. For a moment, he was sure she had started to cry, and he had no idea what he can do to comfort her, he wasn't good at this stuff. The only idea he had in mind was to get as far away from her as he could, before she would pull out her wand and hex him.

Only then, she emitted one of her soft chuckles and she looked up, her eyes completely dry. The look on his face must have been pure bewilderment, for she started laughing a bit harder when she saw it.

"What's so funny? Why are you laughing?" he asked, his eyes checking her closely. She looked as if she was under some sort of a cheering charm.

"I... Wha... I... I don't know what to say... You're pulling my leg here, aren't you?" she asked, her voice light and expectant.

"No, Ginny, I'm not." He looked at her closely, his eyes willing her to understand.

She stilled again and started opening and closing her mouth several times. "But... I don't... What's the point in asking me out if you're not going to take me out?"

Harry gulped thickly. Her voice had gotten stronger and angrier. He couldn't help but wonder why Weasleys had such hot temper. Is it something to do with the hair? he asked himself.

"I'm sorry, but it's not like I planned it –"

"Oh, you hadn't planned it, then? It just... came up!" she said hotly.

Harry sighed, wiping his now sweating forehead. "I really wish you would let me explain."

"But what's there to explain, Harry? You obviously already made up your mind, or else you wouldn't have said you aren't going! You asked me out on a date and now when we can go out on that date, you're ditching me!"

"I'm not ditching you!" Harry said defensively. "I just... I can't go."

Ginny's eyes suddenly narrowed dangerously. "You can't go or you don't want to go?"

Harry bowed his head down and looked at his lap as he said the next words, afraid looking her in the eyes while he said them. "A little bit of both, actually."

Ginny huffed angrily. "Argh! I can not believe you, Harry Potter!" she said, and for Harry's taste, rather loudly. He hoped no one was watching them. The last thing that he wanted was to be the center of attention right now, and he wished they could have taken this somewhere more private, if he only knew it will get to this...

Harry looked up at her guiltily.

"I guess this is my fault," she went on. "I shouldn't have just assumed things. I should have waited for you to do it yourself. I expected too much."

Harry tried to reach out for her hands, but she shoved him away rather cruelly. "Listen, Gin," he said softly. "We can stay in the castle. Think about it, we'll have much more privacy when everyone's out –"

"When everyone is out in Hogsmeade having fun, you mean," she said, her voice slightly cracking now. "No, it's okay, I get it. You don't want to be seen with me, you don't want to go out with me; you never did –"

"It's not like that, Ginny! For the last week, the whole school had seen us together probably tens of times already, so don't think that I don't want to be seen with you. I do want to go out with you, but not to Hogsmeade."

"Will a broom cupboard take your fancy, then? Or perhaps the Forbidden Forest?" she snapped. "I don't know, maybe you find dark creatures to be really romantic? Or maybe your definition of "romantic" is different from the way I, and other normal people for that matter, see it." She bowed her head, shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, obviously fighting back tears. Finally, she took a large intake of breath and looked up at him again. "If you don't want to go out with me then just say so, I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

"I already told you that I do want to. Please don't take this so hard, it matters to me too, you matter me."

"If I matter to you, then why haven't you spoken to my brother yet, like I asked you to? Don't you care that it's important to me? You do realize that the only reason that I'm not talking to him is because of you. I chose you, Harry. My brother isn't speaking to me because I'm dating you. Then again, if we aren't dating, then this whole fight between us is completely pointless."

Harry's eyes widened and he suddenly felt his heart shrink at her words. "No, don't say that. I'm sorry, I've been preoccupied and I forgot –"

"Because you don't care!" Ginny retorted angrily.

"I do care!"

She went quiet again, no doubt gathering her thoughts and trying not to let all her steam out. "Fine," she said shortly and she stood up abruptly from her chair. Harry's eyes followed her. She looked up ahead, refusing to meet his gaze. "If you think that I'm going to sit back in the castle while all my friends are going to have fun, then you are very much mistaken. If you don't want to talk to my brother, then don't, and if you don't want to go to Hogsmeade, then stay in. I, on the other hand, am going, with or without you, Harry Potter. If you do care, like you say you do, then come and find me." With that, she strode out of the Great Hall.

"Ginny, come on!" Harry called after her, but she didn't turn back. She nearly bumped into Blaise on her way out, as he came to the Slytherin table. He stopped abruptly to look after her angry figure walking away, and after she was finally gone, he came to sit next to Harry in the chair she had just vacated.

Harry sat back in his chair and stared blankly into his space, picking up his fork and spinning it absently on the wooden surface of the table. Merlin, he wished this was all just a bad dream that he will soon wake up from. He even tried to pinch himself, just to make sure; it hurt like hell, so he swore under his breath.

"Broken up already?" Blaise suddenly asked as he reached for a scone and started buttering it.

Harry turned his face and shot him a deadly glare. "No!" he said firmly. "We just had a fight," he clarified.

Blaise started laughing at that. "Already? What did you do?"

"Shut up, you're not helping," Harry snapped. He eyed Blaise suspiciously at the grin on his friend's face. "You would like that, won't you? See us breaking up?"

"Me? No. Nott, on the other hand, is already raising bets on how long it will take you to split. And I know that, not because I'm in on it, but because I saw him in the common room yesterday, collecting money from people."

"Great..." Harry muttered darkly, shoving his untouched plate away and tossing his fork on it.

"Yeah, I just think that one week of relationship is pretty poor, even for you."

"Right," Harry said slowly. "And you're the one to talk. The longest relationship you ever had lasted three days."

Blaise's smile disappeared and he let out a long whistle. "Point taken."

"Thought so," Harry smirked. "What are you doing here, anyway? Where's What's-his-face?"

"Who, Draco? He's off to do some of his own self-pitying."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really? What's wrong with him now?"

Blaise shrugged. "Dunno. Family stuff as usual, I guess. I didn't bother asking. He wouldn't have told me anyways, as you know..."

"Unfortunately I do."

Blaise took a large bite off his scone and with a mouthful, he said, "Oh, so you know, about that Hogsmeade weekend..."

Harry suddenly let out a whiney moan and banged his head against the table. "Don't. Remind. Me," he said each word with a hit.

"Ooh," Blaise said excitedly. "So that's what got your girlfriend's knickers tied in a knot!"

Harry slowly raised his head from the table and looked at Blaise with heavy-lidded eyes. "If you speak of my girlfriend's knickers one more time – you're dead!" he said warningly.

"Yeah, so anyway," Blaise said quickly, as if not taking Harry seriously. "I asked Pansy to go with me."

"You did as I said?" Harry questioned, getting more interested with the new subject.

"I did. Wrote her a letter and even sent her a rose."

"Where did you get –" Harry started to ask.

"Greenhouses," Blaise simply replied and Harry nodded, quite impressed.

"And how did it go?"

"Well, she turned me down," Blaise said half-heartedly.

"Oh," Harry said stupidly.

Blaise waved him off. "She said that I'm not decisive and when I'll make up my mind, I let her know."

"Sorry, mate. Girls can be like that."

"That's okay. I decided I'm going to do exactly what you did. I'm not going to give up."

"That's good. You should do that," Harry agreed, clapping on Blaise's back.

Blaise got up from his seat and adjusted his book back strap on his shoulder. Harry looked up to find the Great Hall nearly empty by now, since everyone had gotten up for the first class of the day.

"Yeah. I mean, it worked for you, how hard can it be, right?"

"Exactly," Harry said, also getting up. Then something clicked. "Wait... what?"

Blaise simply laughed. He was already a few feet ahead of Harry, as they started to leave the Great Hall. "Oh, by the way, they're blue."

"What's blue?" Harry asked, not following.

"Your girlfriend's knickers," he replied amusedly.

Harry's face had quickly reddened up. "YOU'RE DEAD!" he yelled as Blaise broke into a run, laughing just like Peeves, and Harry chased him all the way to class.

Later that day, just before lunch, Blaise had to stop at the infirmary and asked Madam Pomfrey to fix his twisted arm.

A/N: Okay, so that's it for this chapter. I really, really planned to go on, but that's for the next one, I'm afraid, because then it would be way too long.
Anyways, there's more to come: more fluffy scenes and more angsty stuff. So I hope you liked this chapter. If you did, please let me know what you think. ;)