Part Three – George's Surprise

"This is insanity," Ginny Weasley muttered to herself as she caught the gaze of one Harry James Potter on her for at least the eighth or ninth time that evening. Every time it happened, she suffered the compulsion to check herself in the mirror and verify that there was nothing on her face. Harry hadn't looked so often or so blatantly at her since their brief dating stint near the end of her fifth year. Hermione told a different story, one where Harry never stopped looking at her, but as she had never seen evidence of that, it was easy for Ginny to disbelieve.

If only Hermione were there now, then she'd at least have someone to vent to about this situation she had found herself in. But no, she'd gone and accepted Ron's impossible, no-win challenge, and she honestly hadn't a clue as to how to get herself out of it. And if she couldn't get out if without backing down, then what was she going to do?

She just refused to let Ron make a fool out of her in this, but frankly she wasn't sure that there was any way to avoid that now. Godric, she had dug a deep one for herself this time. Sighing, she gathered up her purse and just refreshed glass of champagne and headed for the patio to get some fresh air. It was startlingly quieter out there, but considering the party that was raging inside had been primarily planned by George and herself, that was not surprising.

Unfortunately, for her at least, the party hadn't even started yet. George had planned it as a surprise engagement party for Katie, who wasn't expected for a bit more yet. It was definitely going to be a long night, especially if she kept catching those indiscernible looks from Harry.

All of a sudden, he was paying an awful lot of extra attention to her, and she did not know what to make of it. Her best guess, or at least the initial one, was that he felt guilty about Ronald's remarks for some bizarre, Harry-like reason. Goodness knows that it would not have been the first time he took the weight of something undeserved onto his shoulders.

Sighing, she tipped the champagne flute to her lips, draining the glass in one go. The sound of a throat clearing behind her had her whirling around, startled. "Trying to get drunk, Miss Weasley?" Harry asked, a twinkle in his eye as he regarded her thoughtfully.

"You caught me," she laughed breathlessly, trying to regain her sense now that Harry's proximity had managed to easily distract her. "What are you doing out here? My veritable sources tell me the party is inside."

"Ah, but you are out here, so that makes it worth it, yeah?" he grinned, setting her stomach tumbling over inside her in what felt like cartwheels. In her eyes (and mind and heart), he was so devastatingly handsome that a smile like that was like an elbow to her gut. "And what are you doing out here? I think that is the vastly more important question."

She smiled at him, leaning back against the railing while still facing him. "I'm just thinking, I suppose. It's such a nice night for an engagement party, don't you think?"

He nodded, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the rail. Glancing over at her, he grinned again. "So, rumor has it that George will be announcing his choice of best man tonight. Care to make a friendly wager on which of your brothers will get the nod?"

Ginny laughed at that, bumping her shoulder into his, thrilling at the contact. "I don't know that he'll pick any of them, though," she smiled, ignoring the icy clench of a fist around her heart at the automatic thought of the one who should be standing up for George. Harry seemed to notice, covering her hand with his and giving it a gentle squeeze. "It could be Lee, don't you think?"

"Nah," Harry grinned, "It'll be Ron. Maybe Percy, if George wants to spice things up a little bit."

"You are so wrong," she countered, rising to his challenge. Apparently she had not learned this lesson yet. "There is no way he will choose one of our brothers."

He smiled at that. "Care to wager on that then? I'll bet you that he picks Ron or Percy, and you can just bet that he'll choose someone who isn't his brother. We just have to come up with some interesting stakes now."

"I haven't agreed to bet you yet," she pointed out. Lord, she could almost swear that he was flirting with her, but that was preposterous, right? Harry Potter never flirted with anyone! In all the years she had known him, he had never…well, suffice it to say that his flirting was not all that likely now.

"Just a formality," he smirked, giving her hand one last squeeze before drawing his back. He clasped his hands together as he leaned forward on his elbows. "You could set the stakes, if you'd like."

"Oh, how magnanimous of you," she couldn't help but laugh. "Anyway, I couldn't even think of anything to wager."

If anything, his smile only grew wider at that. "The winner gets breakfast in bed, made and served by the loser, every Saturday for a month." Her eyes grew big as she considered the possibilities that could go along with breakfast. In a bed. "How does that sound?"

How did that sound? It sounded wonderful, she supposed. Her, Harry, and a bed was a very long-running star scenario in some of her daydreams, so it sounded pretty bloody amazing. "I hope you've been practicing your fry-up skills, Harry," she teased, beaming a big smile his way. "It's a bet then. Shake?"

"Hug," he insisted instead, catching her by surprise as he moved towards her, wrapping her in his arms. "I like my toast golden brown wi – "

"A thin layer of marmalade, yes," she finished for him. A hot blush crept up her cheeks as she realized how much she was giving away. "I mean, we sat at the same breakfast table for a lot of years. Ron likes honey on his."

She could've sworn that his smile had grown even larger at her fumbling explanation. "Well, so long as you have that down, I think these breakfasts in bed will go just fine."

Ginny shook her head, fighting down her blush. "Well, I hope you're ready to get bested by a girl, Potter. There is no way you are winning this bet."

Harry just smiled at her, reaching out to tug on a lock of hair that had escaped her loose bun. "Come on, we should probably go in. I bet Katie will be here any minute, and we don't want to miss the fun." He grinned as he looped his arm around her shoulder. "Ron and Percy helped George implement all the details so I figure it ought to be quite the spectacle. For that alone, he's got cause to choose one of them, yeah?"

"Perhaps," she agreed easily enough, "But didn't they tell you who helped come up with all the plans? You know that Ron doesn't have the patience and Percy certainly doesn't have the imagination."

"You helped him, too?" he asked, a frown marring his handsome features. "No one mentioned that to me."

She tipped her head to the side, cocking an eyebrow at him. "Is that so shocking, really? Honestly, Harry, whose idea did you think it was to use the portable swamp to distract Umbridge your fifth year? I can be just as, shall we say, creatively expressive as the twi – as George."

Impulsively or maybe reflexively, he reached out and dragged her back to him in a tight hug. "I never knew – I guess I just assumed that Fred and George had that up their sleeves all along, and I never really thought about it. I don't even know what to say, Gin. Thanks. Thank you."

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, trying not to react to the ecstasy of being in his arms like this with his face pressed against her neck. "You don't have to thank me, Harry. You have to know that I'll always help you when I can. Being able to cause a little mischief is just an added bonus."

"And that means a lot to me, Gin," he said seriously as he reluctantly pulled back. The way he stared into her eyes had her insides going squirmy and her heart thumping wildly. "So let me thank you."

"O-okay," she agreed, nervously tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "Um, well, like you said, perhaps we should go inside. I really would hate to miss Katie's arrival."

He nodded, stepping back and offering her his arm. He grinned when she set her hand in the crook of his elbow. "I'm really happy for your family, Gin. Obviously George especially, but I am happy for all of you. It's nice to have something going on for a change."

She smiled at that as she fought the urge to lean into his side. "It's nice to have something exciting to focus on for a change in the family. Well, aside from Victoire, of course. But you know I do have a career out there." She tipped her head to the side slightly as she regarded him. "Are you ever going to show up for one of my matches?"

Harry's face flushed a red that would do any Weasley proud. "Erm, see the thing is this," he began nervously, fidgeting as he realized they were on dangerous ground. "I have been to your matches. That is, I've been to all of them."

She stopped, her hand falling off his arm. "Really, Harry? You've been to all of my matches?" He inclined his head once, swallowing convulsively. She nodded to herself, her eyes averting from his face. "I see."

"Ginny, wait!" he called out as she marched off, flinging the patio door open. "Bloody hell," he cursed as she melted into the crowd.

Ginny's mind raced as she pushed her way through the happily chatting groups of people. She could not believe that he had been to any – all! – of her matches. Every time she had reminded him of dates or offered tickets, he had declined. He hadn't even ever let Hermione and Ron cajole him into going with them, so how could he tell her now that he had been to all of them?

She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice her father's approach. "You haven't made much of an appearance tonight," Arthur commented mildly as he watched Charlie pull Percy into a headlock while her other brothers egged him on. "You aren't taking part in tonight's contest?"

"Last time I joined in, Percy hexed me and I ended up with boils that didn't go away for two days," Ginny frowned at the memory. "That doesn't make for pleasant broom-sitting."

"Well, at least one of you finally figured it out," Arthur smiled. "Now, are you going to tell me what is bothering you tonight?"

A little surprised, though she knew shouldn't be, at his intuition, Ginny blushed. "It's just something that Harry said to me," she sighed, giving him a rueful smile. "He told me that he has been to all of my quidditch matches, but that's not true. Hermione told me he always has excuses when they ask. So, why is he telling me that? And if he has, why hasn't he ever said hi to me after one? Why doesn't anyone know? It makes no sense."

"No, it doesn't," Arthur agreed, brushing a hand over her cheek. "The only person who can answer those questions is Harry, dear. Maybe you should ask him."

"I suppose," she grumbled, clearly not thrilled with the idea. "I just don't understand it, Dad."

"I know, pumpkin. But you know how to fix that."

She nodded, smiling up at him. "Well, that aside, this is a nice party, don't you think? Katie is going to love it. George is really in his element."

Arthur nodded, his eyes seeking out the discussed son. "It is certainly a sight for my sore eyes," he admitted with a tired smile. "Katie has really brought him back around."

"We all needed a bit of bringing around," Ginny pointed out rightly.

Smiling at his only daughter, Arthur nodded again. "You should remember that no one needed it – needs it still, I imagine – more than Harry."

She frowned in response to that. "Of course I know that! I don't begrudge him that either, if that's what you're thinking. It's just so odd that he'd be so secretive about attending my stupid quidditch matches."

"You'll figure it out," Arthur encouraged her. All of a sudden, the lights dim. "Ah, if I'm not mistaken, I think that means Katie is about to arrive. I'm going to go find your mother, my dear. Would you like to join us?"

She grinned at him as she pulled back from giving him a quick hug. "No thanks, Dad. I think I'm going to give Ron a hard time. I talked George into creating a candy that will have Ron scolding himself – in Hermione's voice, nonetheless – whenever he steps out line."

Arthur chuckled even as he shook his head at the antics of his children. "Don't torture your brother too much, Ginevra. He's already a bit of a wreck with her being gone."

"I'll try to contain myself," she promised, an impish grin gracing her face. "Thanks for the talk, Dad."

"Anytime, sweetheart. Enjoy yourself tonight."

She nodded, giving him a big smile as he stepped away. She stayed where she was, comfortably on the edge of the crowd as Katie arrived, prompting several magical fireworks to simultaneously go off in the large room. They were sweet, heart-shaped and pink, and even from her distance, Ginny could see the tears in Katie's eyes as she beamed at George in surprise.

Harry was standing there on the fringes of the group, and although he clapped and cheered along with the rest of the crowd, she could tell that his smile did not reach his eyes. She wanted to be happy that he was upset, but maybe the festive atmosphere had weakened her will as that was not her reaction at all. Sighing, she admitted to herself that she wanted to hear him out. She might not like what he had to say, but she owed it to them both to hear it anyway.

All of a sudden, he looked up and caught her gaze. To her surprise, his face flushed and he looked down at the ground. That only served to make her feel worse, so when he glanced back up, she shot him a smile. His body relaxed visibly at that, and he returned her smile with one of his own.

She felt better just from that, and smiled to herself as she made her way over to George and Katie. They greeted her with open arms and George boasted to Katie, "Half of this stuff was Gin's idea. The Egyptian pygmy fair lights, the heart-shaped pyrotechnics, the – "

"The table linens, silverware, and the roof, too," Ginny cut in cheekily, laughing with Katie at George's wounded look. "Well, it's true! You'd have just as soon let everyone eat with their fingers out in the drizzle!"

"Well, either way, it's really lovely, Gin. Thank you so much for helping George with all of this," Katie enthused, casting a sly glance George's way. "Goodness knows he couldn't have come close to managing this on his own."

Ginny smiled at both of them. "Well, I really am glad to help my favorite brother in any way I can."

As George preened at the praise, Ron's exclaimed protest drew their attention to his approach, Harry approaching from the other side. "Well, that's just a bloody lie, Gin. We all know that I'm your favorite!"

Of course, Harry rolled his eyes at Ron's outburst, but turned to Ginny with an amused grin on his face. Ginny ignored her brothers, instead focusing on Harry. She took him by the arm, guiding him to a quieter corner of the room. "I'm sorry. So sorry. For just taking off earlier, I mean."

"No, you don't need to apologize for that, Gin. I-it was stupid of me to – well, I guess nearly every part of it was stupid, yeah?" he asked ruefully. "I don't really have a good reason for any of it, either. I could say that I wanted to avoid the press, but it wasn't really that."

"Harry, you don't have to explain," she suddenly realized. "It seems to me that you were there, and that is more than enough. Maybe someday you'll just let us know that you're there."

He blinked at her in surprise before eyeing her suspiciously. "You're letting me off too easily," he complained. "You ought to be angry with me for not being honest with you. I don't deserve a free pass."

"No, you haven't done some horrible, unforgivable thing, Harry. Yes, it would've been nice to know you were there so we could've talked about it, but that's your prerogative. I promise, I'm not angry with you," she smiled at him. "This way too happy of a night to be upset with anyone, especially you."

"Thank you then," he sighed in relief, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "Fancy some food? With both Ron and Charlie here, we should get some before it's all gone. I pity the people who don't know that."

She laughed at that, nodding her agreement. "That sounds like the smart idea. I've had several glasses of champagne already, so getting some food is probably a very good idea."

He laced their fingers together, pulling her along with him. Not that she was really complaining, but the whole thing was a little odd. They'd been friends for a long time (excluding the best few weeks of Ginny's life when they were more than friends), but holding hands had never been a part of their friendship. It wasn't that she disliked holding his hand; that was far from being the case. But it was hard, like a tantalizing tease of something she did not really have, but maybe in another life could have had.

Ginny resolved to take what she could get and just revel in it for as long as she had it. Getting over Harry Potter was a day-to-day ordeal for her, so what was yet another setback in the grand scheme of things? Even seeing Harry in passing at the Burrow was a setback, so this was just another day, just another day of unrequited love for one Harry James Potter. She figured she could handle it, at least semi-well.

They walked through the crowd together, getting stopped a few times by old schoolmates who wanted to say hello. Ginny blushed furiously at the appraising looks they received as a result of the hand-holding, but Harry did not even seem to notice. They were stopped just before the food table by Luna Lovegood and Dean Thomas, an on and off couple since the final battle two years ago.

"Ah, Harry, I see that you've taken my advice," Luna smiled as Dean and Harry shook hands. Since her right hand was occupied by Harry's left, Ginny gave their friends a smile and a wave with her left as she puzzled over Luna's comments.

"What advice did you get from Luna?" she asked curiously as Luna and Dean headed off to mingle.

Again, he flushed lightly, raising her interest even higher. Harry rarely flushed and when he did, it certainly wasn't with the frequency of tonight. "It was nothing," Harry mumbled, pulling her towards the food a little more quickly.

She laughed in surprise at his attempted evasion. "Why won't you tell me? Is it so awful then?"

He mock glared at her as he released her hand so they could pick up plates. "It's not that it was so awful, really; it's just that it was very Luna-ish. I'm not sure I even fully understood what she said. You know how thick I can be, right?"

"Yes, of course I do," she agreed with a smile as she served herself. "And I also know how Luna can be. That's why it's so odd that you don't want to tell me. I can always use a good laugh."

"Erm, well, you know me, I like to keep that mysterious, Boy-Who-Lived air about me," he grinned, again trying to deflect her curiosity. "A bloke needs to have a few secrets, right?"

Smiling indulgently, she patted him on the arm. "Whatever you say, Harry."

"I say that I see your family has a table over there with two seats left. You are probably expected to fill one of them, Miss Weasley."

"I'd imagine that both of us are expected over there," she corrected him. She knew there wasn't a single member of the family that didn't automatically include Harry in all things Weasley. "Come on, you'll take the one next to Charlie, and I'll sit beside Ron. I'll keep my wand handy, just in case he has anything rude to say."

Harry laughed, following her to the table with a small smile on his face. He sat down, Ginny on one side and Charlie on the other. He let the conversation flow around him, more focused on how Ginny's leg would brush against his when she shifted to look at someone on her left. Every tiny, incidental touch from her sent his body into overdrive.

Shaking his head slightly, he couldn't help but think he was the luckiest bloke in the world considering that Ginny was still sitting beside him. Glancing her way, he couldn't help but smile hugely when she caught his gaze on her. She smiled back immediately, and the pink-tinged flush on her cheeks only accentuated her loveliness.

"George must be planning something," Ginny whispered, leaning into Harry's side. "He's practically bouncing in his seat, and he's got his mischief look on his face."

Harry, insanely distracted by the smell of her hair and the warmth and feel of her body, could barely focus his mind enough to respond. "Oh, y-yes, mischief. I mean, that seems a likely scenario, yes," he agreed ham-handedly, knowing she must think him an idiot.

Her face didn't betray any disgust, though, and he was willing to take that as a good sign. "Hopefully it's not anything too crazy. I'd hate for him to finally scare Katie away so close to the big day." Harry sighed deeply, prompting her to poke him in the ribs and chide, "Harry! That was a joke, laugh!"

He willed himself to relax enough to chuckle weakly which earned (gratifyingly enough) a huge, beaming smile from Ginny. "I do laugh once in awhile, you know," he pointed out in a low voice.

"Yes, I know," she agreed, laying a hand over his where it rested on his knee. "It's just that you ought to laugh more. You deserve to laugh more, Harry."

"Thanks," he whispered, unconsciously leaning towards her. Just when he was close enough that her eyelids were fluttering closed, the cacophonous sound of an entire table of silverware tapping on glasses and plates ruined the moment and startled them apart.

"If I may have your attention, please," Percy began as he stood up, giving George a reproachful look until the silverware ceased its tapping. "Yes, as I was saying," Percy continued once George finally settled down, "Congratulations to George and Katie. George, I know that you're aware of how lucky you are, so I won't say more on that. And Katie, well. What can I say except thank you! For taking George off our hands, that is."

It took a moment for the family to recognize Percy's joke as just that, but once they did, the entire table laughed heartily. Ginny, Harry was pleased to find, was giggling so hard she had to lean into his side for support. Without letting himself think about it, he slid his arm around her waist, his hand resting lightly on her hip. She glanced up at him questioningly, but just smiled tentatively when he met her gaze. He knew that he wasn't really playing fair, but since his intentions were good, he tried to ignore the slight pangs of guilt he felt. Besides, touching her felt too good stop, unless she told him to, of course.

As everyone's laughter died down – and a pleased looking Percy found his seat – Ginny leaned up and whispered, "George looks a little dazed, doesn't he? It's still very disconcerting when Percy makes a joke."

"I dunno, I think he looks impressed," Harry teased her, ignoring the curious looks they were drawing from the family. "Maybe I'm onto something and he's chosen Percy as his best man, huh?"

She rolled her eyes at his gentle goading, not taking the bait. "Well, I can't deny it is possible, but I still think that you are quite wrong. And for the record, my favorite breakfast items are – "

"Porridge with fruit and a sprinkling of brown sugar, half a banger that you usually have to wrestle away from Ron – I won't make you wrestle me, unless you want to – black tea, and half a piece of toast, crusts set to the side." Ginny blinked up at him in surprise. "What? I pay attention to the people that I care about!"

"Right, I know you do," she agreed faintly, pulling away from him slightly as Bill stood to say a few words to the happy couple. She half listened for a moment before turning back to Harry. "Harry? How does Hermione take her tea? What's Ron's favorite pudding?"

"Erm, what difference does that make?" Harry stammered out, his cheeks heating up in embarrassment. "Oh, we'll have to talk later; George is standing up."

She almost laughed aloud at his discomfort, but settled for rolling her eyes and easing up on him. They both knew that she'd just file the conversation away for later to ask again when he least expected it, but she was sure he appreciated the reprieve nonetheless. Sighing, she reached over and patted him on the thigh, just above his knee. It was a little touch compared to his arm being wrapped around her waist, but she figured she would take what she could get.

As George waited to get everyone's attention, Harry let his gaze linger on Ginny. It wasn't that he didn't want her to know that there was no one he paid more attention, but he wasn't sure that he was ready yet. And he was quite sure that Ginny wasn't ready yet. He needed to ease her into this, not just drop it on her head and shock her into hiding. He just needed more time to show her how he felt so she would believe it when he said it. Right now, he wasn't sure she'd trust his words and he needed – for both of their sake, for her to trust him and his feelings.

"Alright everyone," George grins, winking at Katie. "What my brothers have said is completely true. I am one very lucky man, and I know it. I know that winning Katie's heart was a miracle, and I am grateful for it every day." He paused to let everyone 'aw' and laugh at the sentiment. "Right, then. There is one other important piece of business that needs to be resolved. The best man business.

"As all of you know, that's something of a tough situation. While I have no shortage of brothers and friends who could and deserve to fill the role, it is a position that I think we all naturally assumed Fred would be here to fill. Since that wasn't meant to be, I guess that I got stuck with a tough decision. I could go on and on about the merits of my brothers and Lee, but they all have big enough heads, so I'll save some oxygen for the rest of us.

"The thing is, I didn't know what to do, so I talked to Katie and my dad and then Katie again. See, both Katie and Dad told me to think about what Fred would do, and….well, it was so obvious then. Luckily, Katie agreed to my somewhat unorthodox plan. Anyway, Fred always joked that we had a third, younger, and far, far prettier twin, and that's who he would've picked if he were in this position."

Beside Harry, Ginny gasped quietly. He reached out, blindly searching for her hand under the table. When their fingers met, she immediately laced them together.

George cleared his throat, grinning sheepishly at his younger sister. "So, will ya, Gin? Will you be my best man?"

Ginny faltered a little, her surprise at being asked still evident on her face. Harry squeezed her hand, giving it a little tug to get her moving out her seat. "I – yes, of course, George," she agreed with a little laugh. "Oh, I'd be honored." She frowned, thinking of the possibilities. "But you cannot use this as an excuse to dress me up in something that clashes horridly with my hair. Or in men's robes!"

"Don't worry," Katie promised with a wide smile of her own, "I've already extracted that promise from him. I'm so glad you said yes, Ginny!"

"Me, too," George grinned, looking a little misty eyed.

"There was no other answer," Ginny smiled, reluctantly letting go of Harry's hand long enough to move around the table to hug her brother and soon to be sister-in-law. "Thank you, George. I know it's not the same, but I'll do my best."

George straightened up, winking at her. "Of course," he announced loudly, "This means you'll have to plan the bachelor party. I want strippers, lots and lots of debauchery and strippers!"

Katie and Ginny rolled their eyes at one another as the room erupted in laughter, catcalls, and scolding (mostly from Molly). "Okay, really, though, thank you, Gin," George called, wrapping an arm around his tiny sister's shoulder. "I'm really glad to have you stand up with me."

She stood on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek before retaking her seat next to Harry. He grinned hugely at her as she sank down into her chair. "You just won the Weasley brothers Best Man sweepstakes. What will you do next?"

"Oh, well, obviously I'll have to celebrate with a glass of champagne," she smiled. "And of course, begin the endless mocking of the rest of this lot who were clearly not up to snuff. Beat out by an ickle girl. Shameful, really."

"Just a glass of champagne, Gin?" Charlie teased, arching an eyebrow at her as Harry chuckled. "You sure you aren't already at nine or ten?"

George mimed wiping a tear from his eye as Ginny mimed a rude gesture at Charlie – without letting Molly catch her. "That's why I chose, Gin," he sniffled dramatically.

"Just how many drinks have you had, Ginevra?" Molly put in sharply, her eyes focused on her daughter's face.

"Honestly, Mum, only a couple. Well, not counting the firewhiskey, of course," Ginny said with a completely straight face. Harry admired that ability of hers fiercely. "Really, Mum, I'm not the person at this table most likely to make a drunken scene at an inappropriate family event."

"Hey!" Ron protested loudly around a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "That was one time, and don't drag me into this!"

To defuse the no doubt heated retort forming on Ginny's lips, Harry leaned into her side and noted, "His manners are far worse when Hermione isn't around."

Luckily everyone, Ron excluded as he and Harry had not spoken since the debacle at training, laughed at Harry's observation and Ginny gave him such a bright smile that it was all worth it. He was pretty sure that smile would make a week under the Cruciatus worth it. As everyone went back to eating, Mr. Weasley dragged Harry into a conversation about some new Muggle items he had come across while Ginny fell into a quiet conversation with Fleur.

Once dinner was over, the tables were whisked out of the way forming a large dance floor and people began dancing to the music that filled the air. Before Harry could even begin to gather his courage in order to ask Ginny for a dance, Charlie had grabbed her and was twirling the laughing young woman around the floor. It was more than a little irrational to be jealous of her brother, but rationality was one of the reasons Hermione was such a valuable friend. Harry frequently forgot his.

"Well, how long then?" Bill's amused voice broke into Harry's thoughts. At the younger man's blank stare, Bill clarified, "How long have you been in love with Ginny?"

"Oh, I – see, it's like – " Harry tried to explain (but failed miserably) until Bill cut him off with a chuckle and a raised hand.

"It's obvious, Harry. Anyone who knows you can tell, I'd wager. Except my sister, I'm guessing."

Not seeing an easy way out of this conversation, Harry simply nodded. "Is that okay?"

He was more curious than anything. Frankly, he was to the point where all that mattered to him was having Ginny in his life, and that was likely to be more easily accomplished if her family was on their side. Bill clapped him on the back as he grinned at him. "It's great, Harry. You know that you are a part of the family anyway, and believe me, everyone is going to be glad that you two have finally wised up."

"I was wise all along," Harry muttered, wrenching his gaze off of Ginny to stare down at his shoes in embarrassment. "It was – there were other things going on, and I – I just couldn't act on it."

Bill groaned loudly. "Please don't tell me that Ron's stupid, rude fight with Ginny is what has prompted this, Harry. That's bollocks, you know. You have to do it because you mean it."

Harry immediately nodded, trying not to get defensive. "It's not about Ron. Maybe what he said made me realize I had to do something or risk losing her, and I couldn't – can't – I don't want to lose her again."

"What are you going to do about it?" Bill asked, plainly curious.

"I – make her fall in love with me, I hope," Harry sighed, blushing at the soppiness of his words. "Since I was sixteen, she's the only thing I've wanted and needed, aside from defeating Voldemort. I'll probably just mess everything up again, but I have to try. Gin, she's – she's the best thing that ever happened to me, and I can't lose her."

Bill tried not to smile too knowingly. "Then if that's how you feel, you ought to do something about it, Harry. Who is that bloke she's dancing with now? O'Flaherty? Finnegan?"

Sure enough, Seamus Finnegan was twirling Ginny across the dance floor in a series of complicated-looking steps that may or may not have been part of an actual dance. Harry frowned at them, and outright scowled when Ginny blushed at something Seamus said. To Harry's relief, the music came to a stop after a final flourish, and he ignored Bill's laughter as he pushed his way through the crowd to Ginny's side.

"Hey," he said in a low voice as his fingers brushed against hers. "Dance with me?" He spared a nod for his former classmate. "Seamus."

"Hi Harry," Seamus nodded in return. "Well, thanks for that dance, Gin. I ought to go get that drink I promised Alicia."

"Sure, anytime, Seamus," Ginny smiled easily at Seamus. Once he was gone, she turned to Harry with a slightly confused look. "Everything alright? You know, you aren't obligated to dance with me? I know it isn't your favorite thing in the world."

"Dancing with you isn't exactly an awful prospect," he shrugged ruefully as he held out his hand.

She placed her much smaller one in his. "You only say that because you have never danced with me before," she teased. "I'm far better on a broom!"

Harry smiled down at her as they started revolving slowly to the music. "Well, that's only to be expected considering how good you look on your broom. Nothing's better than that."

"Oh! I mean, thank you, Harry. I – I don't – well, maybe that's the sweetest thing you have ever said to me. Thank you, Harry. That's…sweet."

He stopped dancing, nearly toppling her in the process. Surely that couldn't have been the nicest, sweetest thing he had ever said to her. Surely he must have paid her far better compliments than that. "That can't possibly be the nicest thing I've ever said to you!" he blurted out unthinkingly. "Gin, you surely know that…that…"

Great, how was he going to finish that? He couldn't very well just exclaim that he adored, loved, wanted, and needed her, but even he knew enough to know that he had to say something.

"You're wonderful, Gin, better than that even. I think that everything about you is amazing," he said in a rush as he held eye contact with her. "I hope you know that."

She flushed a delicate pink, but stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his neck again. As they began to sway to again in time with the music, she turned her face up towards his. "Thanks, Harry. For the record, I think that you are pretty amazing, too. Far more so than you give yourself credit for."

He shrugged noncommittally, never truly comfortable with praise. It was even more acute now when he knew that he did not deserve it from her. "I just did what any child of prophecy would have done."

"You did so much more than that, but that wasn't what I meant."

"What did you mean, then?"

She grinned up at him. "Why Harry James Potter, are you fishing for compliments?"

He laughed, relaxing a little. "Not fishing, but I'm certainly not opposed to receiving any compliments that you might want to give me, Gin. So if you must, feel free to compliment away."

Ginny laughed, too, delighted by his playfulness. It wasn't a side that came out very often, but when it did, she always found it completely charming. "Alright, you want compliments, you got them. You're smart and funny and your capacity to just care never ceases to amaze me. You are a wonderful friend, and we're all so lucky to have you in our lives. You even manage to be one of the most charming people I know, when you forget to be broody and dark."

"Thanks," he murmured, new hope coursing through his veins at her words. "That is definitely the nicest things that any has ever said to me. About me."

"Well, I find that hard to believe," she retorted gently, remembering some of the more effusive articles in the Prophet just after Voldemort's defeat. "I happen to have it on good authority that you are a very popular member of our community. I think I even overheard a pretty young witch composing a sonnet in your honor the other day."

He rolled his eyes, only partially able to discount that as mere teasing. "None of that means anything to me. Those people, their silly opinions don't matter to me at all, and anyway, they're just stupidly giving me unnecessary credit. They don't know anything that really happened."

Ginny stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. "They know that you did extraordinary things to make our world safe, and they appreciate you for it. You're right that don't know you, but Harry, if they did, they'd still feel the same way. Maybe even stronger." Her eyes widen as she spots something over his right shoulder. "Crap, Harry, hide me!"

"What?" he blurted out, confused. "Hide you from….?"

She didn't let him finish the question as she grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the hall, yanking open the first door they came to before pulling him inside with her. "Bloody hell, I didn't know he'd be here!"

Harry found himself scowling in the dark, cramped room at that. That's what she dragged him into a dusty broom closet for? To hide from some – some him? "Erm, who are we hiding from, Gin? A slightly crazy date? If he can't take no for an answer, I'd be happy to set him straight."

Laughing mirthlessly at that, she poked him in the ribs. "Right, a crazy date. I'd have to actually go on a date to find a crazy one, I suspect."

"You haven't been dating at all? I thought Ron was exaggerating because, well, he does that sometimes," he asked with some incredulity. He'd just assumed that of course she was dating because who wouldn't want to date her? But then again, he'd never heard any talk of it, and he'd certainly never been able to bring himself to ask.

"I haven't since yo – well, I haven't dated since my fifth year," she sighed quietly, puffing out a breath of air that ruffled her fringe. "But that's neither here nor there at the moment. I don't want Oliver finding me tonight."

"Oliver? Wait, Wood? What the hell does he want with you?" Harry practically growled, suddenly grateful for the darkness of the closet. Surely his possessiveness would be written all over his face. "Gin, if he's bothering you, you should have told me sooner!"

He felt rather than saw her shift closer to him. "It's not like that at all," she giggled, laying a hand on his arm. "He knows that the Harpies only signed me to a year long contract, and he's been pestering me to leave them and sign with Puddlemere in the off season. He's rather incorrigible about it, and he has yet to take my repeated 'no' as an answer."

Exhaling softly, he nodded to himself. "He's pretty, erm, enthusiastic about quidditch. I reckon that's why he's such a good captain. I could've warned you about that, though." He cleared his throat quietly, covering her hand with his own. "Really, though, Gin. If you ever need anything – I – you can ask me. Please, ask me."

"You do know that you don't have to, right?" She peered up at him intently despite the dark of the closet. "I have more than a few older brothers; I don't expect that I'd need another one, Harry."

"No! I wasn't trying – that's not what I meant, Gin!" Harry exclaimed, inadvertently raising his voice. "I don't want to be your brother – "

Before he could finish his thought, the closet door is flung open and there stood Oliver Wood, a triumphantly smug grin plastered across his face. "Not nice to hide, Ginny. You know that my determination far outweighs yours." He turned to Harry with a grin. "Hello, Harry! How have you been lately?"

Harry blinked a few times before wrenching his gaze off of Ginny's. "Oh, yes, I've been fine, yeah. How about you?"

"Great, great, although I'll be even better when Ginny here agrees to leave the Harpies and come play for a real team for a change," Oliver grinned, winking at Ginny.

"Wood," Ginny growled in warning, "I've told you a thousand times, no, thank you! You ought to go out and find players who actually want to play for Puddlemere!"

"Any position you want!" Oliver offered, completely ignoring the implicit threat in Ginny's voice. "It doesn't just have to be seeker, we could find a chaser position, too! Maybe you could even split time between the two, depending on the opponent!"

Harry glanced at Ginny in surprise. "Seeker, Gin? Oliver, I don't know if you noticed, but Ginny is about the finest chaser in the league. Why would you want to play her at seeker?"

Oliver glared at Ginny before throwing his hands up and turning towards Harry. "Didn't you see her play at all during her seventh year at Hogwarts? Her seeker was knocked out the practice before the first match, and she was the only one capable of filling in, and when the cowardly little runt refused to return, she had to keep it all year. She made some spectacular catches, you know. None with her mouth, but she was still just as reckless as you in her attempts to get the snitch."

"Just how reckless were you?" Harry directed Ginny's way. He'd missed all her seventh year games while he'd spent that year hiding out away from the prying eyes of the public. Or, as Ron said, all the best and easiest to feel sorry for himself. Ginny just rolled her eyes to show her exasperation with the question. "Right, anyway, well, I know Gin is a great seeker, but she's truly an exceptional chaser."

She smiled at him, her cheeks flushing with delight at the compliment. "Thanks, Harry, that means a lot to me." She gave him another wide smile before turning back to Oliver. "Look, I appreciate the offer, but I am happy with the Harpies. I'll see you around."

Oliver frowned at the dismissal. "At least take my card. It's got my floo address on it, along with all the important team contacts. You should at least talk to the office about possible contracts."

Without a word, she took the card as Oliver and Harry said their farewells and Oliver left them alone again, the door swinging shut and plunging the little closet back into darkness. "I suppose I don't need to hide in here any longer," she giggled, reaching out for the door handle. "Thanks for helping me hide."

"It's like I said before, I'm here for whatever you need, Gin. I wish that I'd seen those games at Hogwarts. I only saw you play seeker once, my fifth year."

"Of course, you caught the one game that I failed to catch it," she laughed, a little breathless thinking of just how much Harry has missed out on. "Well, I'm a back-up seeker for the Harpies now, so maybe you'll see me in action someday."

He nodding, leaning back against the wall. "Yeah, I hope so. Or well, maybe we could get a pick-up game going someday. Obviously, we'd have to play you at seeker so you didn't have too unfair of an advantage, Madame All-Star."

She laughed lightly, wishing the closet wasn't so dark. Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, she pulled out her wand and murmured, "Lumos. There, that's better." He smiled back at her, looking surprisingly relaxed. "You're the youngest seeker in a century, Harry. Why are you challenging little, old me?"

He rolled his eyes at that. "And I've barely sat a broom the last two and a half years. It seems likely that you would be able to take me out there."

"You ought to fly more often, Harry," she encouraged gently. "It always showed on your face how much you loved it. You deserve to have those moments where you're just enjoying the things you love."

He glanced down at his shoes, scuffing them in the dust on the floor. "I guess that's just hard for me," he admitted with a sheepish shrug. "There never seemed to be time for me to go after the things I wanted, or I knew I couldn't have them because of…well, other things. Maybe now I don't know how."

Ginny is quiet for a beat, letting her anger at all the injustices he has suffered wash over her yet again. "You have time now, and you have a lot of people who love you dearly and will help you in any way that they can. You have a lot of people who consider you family. You should go after what you want, Harry. I bet you'll get everything."

"I'm already trying," he insisted quietly, as much to himself as to her. "I really am trying, and I hope that you are right."