The Heart of the Challenge

by scattersoflight

In which Ron sticks his big feet into his even bigger mouth, somehow prompting the reunion of Harry and Ginny. Go figure it would happen that way.

5. Ginny's Best Laid Plan

A/N: Surprise, new chapter already! Shocking to say the least, I know. Anyway, I wanted to thank those of you who took the time to leave your thoughts after part four. I really appreciate it and thank you for your kind words. And yes, I'm trying my hardest to keep plugging away and finish this story in a timely fashion.

Part Five – Ginny's Best Laid Plan

Harry Potter was having the longest week of his life. The recruits he was tasked with training seemed to grow dumber by the hour, Ron was being a nuisance with his suggestions on how to handle things, George had slipped him a long-lasting Berry Bear that turned him into a koala for several hours and to top it all off, he hadn't seen Ginny since Saturday. Of course, when his foul mood lifted a tiny bit, he could admit that his irritation with the other things were certainly compounded by the last of those.

The breakfast they'd shared in – well, fine, on – Ginny's bed was nothing short of heaven, but considering he hadn't heard from her since (aside from a very sweet and very appreciative thank you owl), he was a little worried that she didn't feel the same. It wasn't unusual for them to go awhile without speaking, but of course that was before he'd started his pursuit by finally admitting his feelings to himself. He thought that all was going well and that Ginny was enjoying their time together as well, but maybe he'd misread her thoughts and feelings on the matter.

Groaning in utter frustration, he threw his quill down on his desk as he again cursed the trainees for their ineptitude. They couldn't even write their reports up correctly. Sighing, he rolled his eyes at himself. There really was no cause for him to be acting this way, and the fact of the matter was that he had not contacted Ginny either, even in response to her thank you owl. Some days, he just didn't know what his problem was.

He straightened up in his chair, mentally preparing himself to focus on the work in front of him. He got through a few more reports before a commotion outside his door interrupted his thoughts. Somewhat grateful for the distraction, he got up and opened the door. There he found, surrounded by several trainees and (sadly, in Harry's opinion) several senior aurors, the woman who would not leave his thoughts.

"Harry! Hi," she exclaimed (in relief, maybe?) when she caught sight of him in the door frame. "I've, erm, been meeting your colleagues. Would you believe they're all avid Harpies fans? Anyway, I'm here to see you, if you have a few moments, of course."

"Oi, Potter, if you haven't got the time, I certainly do," Franz MacMillan, a first year trainee, offered up as he eyed Ginny far too lewdly, in Harry's opinion. Harry disliked him as much as he'd disliked his pompous older cousin at Hogwarts.

He shot the younger man a particularly withering look, and they all seemed to take heed as they backed off slightly. Harry was please when Ginny moved to his side, smiling up at him in relief. He rested his hand on her lower back as he guided her into his office. "Thank you all for your assistance in escorting Miss Weasley to my office, but you should probably get back to work now."

All six of them turned to leave, although MacMillan and one of the senior aurors shot glares at him over their shoulders. Harry ignored them as he shut the door to his office to give them some privacy. He glanced at Ginny as she a basket he hadn't noticed she was carrying down on an unused corner of his messy desk. "You alright? I don't know what got into that lot."

"It's as if they'd never seen a woman before," she chuckled while rolling her eyes. "Rather smarmy, the bunch of them." She paused, glancing up at him shyly. "I hope it's alright that I've stopped by without warning. I don't want to cause problems for you, Harry."

"Believe me, you are more than welcome here, at my house, anywhere that I am whenever you want," he assured her fervently. "I'm glad you've stopped by, actually."

She watched him, almost as though she were waiting for him to expound on that, but responded when she realized he wasn't going to add anything. "Well, thanks, I'm glad you feel that way." She paused, gesturing at the basket she had set down. "I brought lunch. You probably have plans which is completely understandable, but if you don't…"

"I don't!" he quickly exclaimed. "That is to say, thanks. This is really nice of you, Gin. As you can imagine, I usually just end up down at one of the pubs to fill up on chips. I'm sure this will be far better."

"It actually comes with a condition," she warned, a mischievous glint in her eye. He cocked up an eyebrow at that. "I need a favor. It's actually, erm, in regards to George's bachelor party."

He laughed aloud at the fiery blush gracing her cheeks. "A favor regarding a bachelor party? Now, Gin, I know you've probably never been to one before, but the stripper is usually a lady. So I can't be of much help in that regard."

She joined in with her own laughter, reaching out to smack him on the chest playfully. "You're not quite as funny as you think, Harry James!" She dissolved into giggles as he just grinned unrepentantly at her. "Anyway, I really do need your help. It's just that George wants this part to be absolute insanity with the best of everything including strippers. And I'm supposed to, as best man, pick out the strippers. And Fred would've done all this so easily, so I want to give as much of that to George as possible, and I don't want to wreck this for him!"

His eyes were wide as she finished up her diatribe. "I reckon you should relax just a little bit about all of this. I'm sure George wouldn't expect or want you to freak out because of the bachelor party, right?" She shrugged tiredly. "You're doing fine, Gin, but if you think you need help, I'll do anything you need. Of course I will."

"Thank you," she breathed, beaming a bright smile that held all the gratitude he could ever need. "You don't know how much that means to me." When she threw her arms around him in a tight hug, he whispered his 'you're welcome' in her ear. She pulled back, perching on the arm of the chair reserved for guests. "I need help picking out the strippers."

Maybe it was the matter-of-fact way she said it or perhaps it was just the words themselves, but something in it threw him for a loop. "You want me to help you pick out a stripper? I – Gin, it's just that I don't think I'm the most qualified bloke around for something like that. Couldn't you just floo-call in an order?"

She harrumphed in exasperation. "Well, you'd think so, wouldn't you? But George has been dropping hints the past two weeks that it is the duty of the best man to visually inspect the 'goods' prior to selecting the very best. I can't just walk into a strip club by myself. This is my dad's fault, you know. Always filling our heads with Muggle ideas – go figure that this is one that George would find out about. Any normal wizard would just go to the club when he wanted to see something like this."

Harry snickered at that. "Well, that sounds about right. Couldn't you get Charlie or Bill to go with you? Seems like they'd be well-qualified for something like this."

"Harry! I can't go there with one of my brothers! This whole thing is mortifying enough as it is, and there is no way I'd go into one of those places with any one of my brothers! That's too disturbing to contemplate!"

"And so you came to the conclusion that I'd be a good person to ask to accompany you?" Harry asked, unsure if he should be flattered she'd ask for him or just relieved that she didn't think of him as another brother. "As embarrassing as it is to admit, I'm really not qualified for this, Gin."

She shrugged carelessly, opening the basket to pull out a huge bowl of treacle tart. "Well, you certainly have more qualifications than I do, and I – I just that we could do this and it wouldn't muck up our – things between us."

'Things between them'? Harry stifled the urge to ask her for clarification as to what exactly that meant. "Well, I guess I could go with you. I'd hate to send you off alone, and I can see how it would be awkward to go with one of your brothers."

"And I trust you, Harry," she added earnestly, prompting the beast in his chest to roar to life in a prideful burst. "It'll be weird, but I know you won't make it any weirder than necessary."

He accepted the plate of food that she'd put together for him, smirking at her. "Haven't you heard the rumors? I'm a pretty weird guy, Gin."

Ginny rolled her eyes at that as she brushed her long tresses over her shoulder. "Honestly, Harry. I think that I, as your friend, am in a far better position to judge your level of weirdness. And you are just the right amount of weird for me," she teased, her smile wide and genuine.

"Thanks for that," he chuckled, digging in to the food. "Gin, this is really good!"

"You didn't think my mother let me escape all attempts at domesticity, did you? She's declared me hopeless in the garden, but I still had to learn to cook."

He gave her an indulgent smile. "Well, you aren't bad at anything else, so I guess your lack of skill in the garden can be overlooked."

She quirked an eyebrow up at that. "And just what is your great flaw, Harry Potter?"

Harry almost answered that his greatest flaw was inherent stupidity, as evidenced by ever letting her go, but he did not say that. "I think that I have far too many great flaws to choose from," he shrugged, a chagrined smile on his face. "What would you say it was?"

"Oh, well, that would be telling," she laughed, adding loftily. "Besides, you are perfect in every way, Harry Potter. I couldn't possibly find fault with you."

"Lay it on just a little thicker, yeah?" he grinned. "You could at least peg me as a moody git. I've been called that often enough."

"You were moody, back at Hogwarts, but it's not like you didn't have your reasons, Harry," she excused. "We all knew it was just an unfortunate by-product of the things you were going through and all that you knew was ahead of you."

He shrugged that off. "I was still a berk to those of you I care about more than was right. I didn't do a very good job of handling those pressures sometimes. I'm sorry."

She stood up, moving to wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. "Stop feeling guilty for things that aren't even relevant anymore. Harry, we all understood then, and we all understand now, too. We didn't always like it, and it was hard to deal with sometimes, but we did understand where it was coming from."

"I guess that's good then," he smiled, hugging her just as tight before reluctantly letting her go. "So, when does this – this thing we have to do need to be done?"

"You mean when you escort me to the gentlemen's club so you can tell me which of the strippers you blokes prefer for the party? Well, I was hoping we could do it today when you get off work."

He laughed at that, shaking his head vigorously. "Oh, no, I'm not picking anything. I – I'll just be there as your moral support."

She poked him in the side in mock exasperation. "I don't need moral support; I need a male eye! I need you to pick out the most, I don't know, appealing girls so I know who to hire!"

"Trust me, the most appealing girl there will not be on the stage," he said earnestly, looking at her intently. "Besides, I wasn't kidding when I said that I wasn't the most qualified wizard for this." He glanced down at the ground. "I'm not – well, I haven't – see, the thing is – "

"I understand," she mercifully interrupted. She also managed to not outright laugh at him, which was also greatly appreciated. "But you do have the experience of being male and therefore have at least some experience in gazing at and evaluating the female form. That's all I need you to do in this. Gaze and evaluate."

He groaned, shooting her his best pout. "Come on, Gin, this is a lot of pressure. I'm not really sure if I can handle it!"

Ginny laughed, shaking her head. "You are better at handling pressure than anyone else I know and are certainly the most experienced at it. You'll be brilliant."

Recognizing that there was no chance she'd be letting him out of this, Harry sighed and gave a reluctant nod. Watching other women dance around as they removed their clothing with Ginny at his side did not seem conducive to his plan of winning her love, but if she wanted him there, then there he'd be.

"Well, let's go now, then," he sighed in resignation. "We're going to have to stop for a glass or two of firewhiskey; I need some kind of fortification before doing this."

"Alright," she conceded with a slightly nervous giggle. Good, he was glad that he wasn't the only one who felt the awkwardness of this situation. It was only fair that what they were going to do would be bothersome to her, too. "I'll even buy, Harry."

He grinned at that. "Sounds like a good idea to me!"

~*~

It was not a good idea, she realized an hour – and several glasses of firewhiskey each – later. Not only was the alcohol not removing any of her reservations about having to watch Harry ogle other women while they picked out George's strippers, but it was killing some of her personal space inhibitions as well. She could not seem to keep her grabby hands off of Harry. And that was surely going to be a problem at some point.

"We sou – should get going," Harry pointed out, slurring only a little. "Before it gets crowed in there. I don't want you in there with the drunk after-work crowd. They're rough, and you'd be very tempting to them."

She giggled at that, soaking in his protectiveness of her. "How do you know there is a drunk after-work crowd?" she asked teasingly, her fingers curling around his bicep.

He smiled back, if not a little grimly. "Dudley. He used to talk about that kind of thing all the time. Couldn't avoid hearing about it even if I wanted to."

"I'm sorry you ever had to spend even a single moment with those awful people," she whispered fervently, her fingers now stroking up and down his arm. "You deserve so much better."

"I have so much better now," he assured her, lifting a hand up to cover hers. "Gin, I wanted to tell you – oh, bloody hell!" She swiveled in her seat to see what he was glaring at over her shoulder. "We need to sneak out of here now. See that man in the fedora?" She nodded. "He's a reporter for the Prophet; worse than Skeeter. I really don't want to deal with him today, and he'd drag you into it, too."

Ginny nodded her immediate agreement, placing her hand (and trust) in his. He tugged her to him, and a second later she felt the tight squeeze of apparation. "How often do you have to do something like that? Just up and leave a place, I mean," she asked curiously.

He sighed, glancing down at the ground. "More than I care to. Most of the others aren't too bad. If I tell them that I have nothing to say, they usually leave it at that. This guy doesn't. He's one of the worst, actually."

She nodded absently, glancing around the room. "Where are – oh, is this…your bedroom?"

Harry flushed a deep red as he nodded. "Sorry, it was the first place that came to mind. We can go downstairs now. That'd probably be a good idea."

She arched a brow up at that. "You got a fairly good look around my room; shouldn't I get to look around in here? Fair is fair, Harry," she reminded him prettily.

"Oh, well, of course," he nodded, looking around hastily. She stifled a giggle as he kicked a pair of pants under the bed. "Erm, it's not really that exciting of a room. It doesn't look nice, like yours does."

Ginny laughed at that, hoping to set him more at ease. "Mine doesn't look nice – it looks girly. My mum picked most of the things out, and she was so upset that I wasn't going to stay at the Burrow that I didn't have the heart to argue with her. But I suppose it isn't so bad."

Harry watched her intently as she sat down on the edge of his bed. "You're a good daughter, Ginevra Weasley."

"Well, I try," she smiled, feeling far more sober with the knowledge that she was in Harry's room, on his bed. "It's, um, a nice bed. Squishy."

She knew her face was dangerously hot as he stared at her with barely concealed hunger. She remembered how she had felt seeing him in her bed and she wondered if he felt that same rightness she had felt. Not completely sure if she was taking the right tact, she scooted further back onto the bed and flopped backwards when she hit the middle of it.

Keeping her eyes focused on him, she got to see him swallow hard and briefly close his eyes as he tried to gather himself. She knew it wasn't fair, but if this gave Harry the push he needed to finally tell her how he felt, the it would be worth it.

"We, ah, should go – go do that thing we were going to do," Harry nervously reminded her. "Or at least have another drink, yeah?"

Ginny blinked up at him in surprise. "I don't know that I care that much anymore about the quality of the entertainment," she admitted, trying not to stare too longingly up at him. "I wouldn't mind something to eat, though. We left the picnic basket at your office, and I didn't have anything out of it."

Harry nodded slowly, his eyes widening comically when Ginny lifted her arms above her head and stretched languorously. "Why don't we go down and get something then?"

Oh, how she wanted to suggest he just summon some biscuits so they could stay there on his bed, but she didn't want to completely scare him off. So, she nodded her agreement and held a hand out. Chuckling at her mock helpless look, he nonetheless clasped her tiny hand in his and pulled her up and to the edge of the bed. She had to crane her neck back to look up at him, and she was close enough to wrap her arms around his middle and…well, do many naughty, naughty things, but she wasn't quite that brave.

"Harry? Why do you stay here at Grimmauld Place? You don't seem to like it much, and if you'd be happier elsewhere, then you should go. Sirius would want you to be happy, not miserable in a place that he hated."

"Yeah, I know," he agreed, smiling at her as she stood and wrapped her fingers around his arm. He was more than happy to escort her down to the kitchen like this. "I don't know why I keep it, honestly. I suppose a part of it is this is the last bit of Sirius that I have, but I think more of it is that I want to fix it. I want to get rid of all the things that he hated about this place and fill it with light and sunshine and objects that are safe for children. It should be a home, not a prison. Maybe that's how I can honor Sirius."

"You are an amazing godson," Ginny smiled brightly up at him. "That's a wonderful thing, Harry. I think it is a brilliant idea, and if you ever need help, I am happy to do whatever you need." She refrained from specifying that she'd provide him with the children, if he'd like. "Have you done much work yet?"

"No, not much yet," he sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I'm not sure what to do, you know? So I don't want to start, make a big mess, and then realize I've gone about it all wrong."

"You'll do fine," she smiled. "I've known you a long time now, and there is almost nothing that you don't have great instincts about. There is no reason why this would be any different."

"Thank you for saying that," he chuckled as they walked into the kitchen. "Maybe you could help me with ideas. Or choosing colors and such. I'm rubbish at those things, and I – I'd like your opinions."

She beamed at that, a teasing glint in her eyes. "Yes, that's quite true. It's always marvelous when you make it out of the house in colors that actually correspond to one another. Honestly, Harry; no matter what Ron says, it isn't appropriate to wear a Cannons hat with a green jumper." She scrunched her nose up as she thought further on that. "For that matter, it really is never appropriate to wear a Cannons hat. Now, the Harpies…"

Harry grinned at her, guiding her to a chair. "Sit, I'll get you a glass of water and some biscuits."

"Could I be a bother and get some tea instead?" she asked as she pulled her legs up to her chest. "I think that may better combat the firewhiskey."

"Of course you can," he nodded, exchanging the water glass for tea cups and moving towards the cupboard where he kept his tea supply. She smiled at his back as he quickly and efficiently set the water to boiling. "Are you hungry? I can fix us something to eat. More substantial than biscuits, I mean."

She dropped her feet to the ground, standing up. "Why don't you let me fix something? You can sit back and tell me what you were thinking of doing around here. Maybe we could brainstorm a bit, make a list of ideas."

"Are you sure? I'd really appreciate that, Gin," Harry grinned. He made his way over to where she stood, stopping to press a lingering kiss to her cheek, nearly brushing the corner of his mouth with hers. "Let me run and grab a quill and some parchment so I can write things down. You can use absolutely anything you can find in here." He kisses her cheek again, and this time the corners of their mouths do brush. "Thank you, Ginevra."

"For what?" she asked breathlessly, her eyes wide and entranced.

"For cooking for me, for helping me think up ideas…for not dragging me to a seedy club to watch dancers with you." She laughed at that, always delighted by Harry's sense of humor. "For being wonderful and you and being here, with me."

Her face lit up in a smile as she looked up at him. "I love being here with you," she said, comfortable with complete honesty. The smile he gave her as he slowly backed out of the kitchen was so bright and awed that it hurt her heart just a little. She returned it with one of her own, but once he was out of sight, she allowed a few tears to slide down her cheeks.

She hated how infrequently he smiled like that and how he always seemed shocked when he had cause for one. She hated his relatives, who contributed so greatly to his low sense of self-worth and his difficulties in letting himself be happy. But she loved that those people and those circumstances did not completely take that away from him. He still had that in him, and she vowed to do her best to bring it out whenever possible.

Hastily she brushed away the tears and busied herself rummaging through his refrigerator and pantry thinking that it would do no good to let him see her upset. She pulled out what she needed and was beginning to get things started when Harry returned. "Look at you," he teased as he took a seat at the table. "I should hire you as my own personal chef. Or instead of writing down ideas for the house, have you give me a lesson."

"You know, I'd been thinking of hiring you to be my personal chef," she smiled over her shoulder at him. "That breakfast you made was absolutely delectable, Harry. And don't worry about it, I'll teach you some other time. We'll just brainstorm today."

"Yeah, it was pretty good, wasn't it?" he agreed, laughing when she threw a hand towel at him. "Hey! I'm a genius with breakfast foods. Don't get snippy because I'm far superior to you in that realm."

Ginny just smiled as she set a pot of water on the stove to boil for pasta. "So, what kinds of changes did you have in mind so far?"

Harry grinned up at her when she set a cup of tea in front of him, stopping to squeeze a drizzle of honey into it. "As I've emptied the house of all dark artifacts, including that blasted portrait, I guess the first thing that would need to be done is the repairs. There are quite a few things that just plain need fixing and several others that I would like to have updated."

"Like what?" she prodded, throwing out suggestions as he explained what need repairs and what he'd like to see improved upon. As they talked, he wrote everything down and by the time dinner was ready, he had a good list of ideas and possible solutions.

"That looks amazing," he complimented as she set a plate down in front of him. "I may have to keep you here with me forever if everything you make is this good."

"Maybe I'd let you," she flirted back to his surprise, winking as she uncorked the bottle of wine she'd found. Once that was taken care of, she grabbed her own plate and sat down in the seat adjacent to his. She was close enough that her right leg now brushed against his left whenever one of them moved.

They talked and laughed as they ate; Ginny recounting the success of the new chaser formation the Harpies were practicing and Harry relating his Sunday with Teddy in Diagon Alley. Ginny spent a lot of her own time with the little boy, but she was still caught off-guard when Harry suggested they visit him together soon.

"Are you sure, Harry?" she asked somewhat anxiously. "I know how important those visits are to both of you, and I don't want to get in the way."

"Gin, you would never be in my way," Harry began earnestly, "And Teddy adores you. He thinks you are the best thing ever, and I think he'd get a kick out of spending time with both of us. Don't you?"

She nodded, relaxing a little under his hopeful smile. "It does sound like a lot of fun. Maybe we could take him to a Muggle zoo or something like that."

"That would be brilliant," Harry agreed enthusiastically. "He would have so much fun with that. We could stop for lunch, too."

Ginny smiled, delighted by his pleasure in the plans they were making. "You'll have to bring your camera so that we could take lots of pictures of him. Oh, and maybe the gift shop at the zoo will have books that I can buy him. That's sort of our thing – I bring him books, and then we read them together."

Harry nodded, reaching out and brushing a strand of hair off her cheek. "I know. He talks about you whenever I suggest read. You've made quite an impression on him, Gin."

"Well, that's very mutual as he's made just as much of one on me," she demurred, leaning slightly into his touch. She wanted to purr with contentment when his fingers trailed along her cheek. "At first I was just visiting out of loyalty and friendship to Remus and mostly Tonks, but now it's because he's so wonderful."

"I know what you mean," Harry agreed, watching her carefully, for what she did not know. "Do you want to see some things that I found in my family vault?" The question was sudden, but he kept one finger tracing over her cheekbone. "It's just a bunch of old family things, so it isn't anything important – "

"I'd love to," she interrupted, knowing that if he asked it must be important to him. "Please show me; I'd be honored."

He nodded, dropping his fingers from her face. "If you want to wait in the living room, I'll go get the box," he told her. To her surprise, he took her hand and walked her to the living room before disappearing to find the box.

She waited patiently, sitting comfortably on the couch with her legs folded under her. He came back into the room a few moments later, a large box levitating in front of him. In his free hand he held their topped off wine glasses.

"When did you find these things?" she asked, smiling as she accepted her glass of dark red wine.

"A few months ago. I probably should have gone through the family vault as soon as I realized I had one, but it was just…hard for me to bring myself to do it," he sighed, settling on the couch next to her before moving to lift the lid off the box. "It was just a very easy thing to put off."

"There's nothing wrong with that, Harry," she said quietly, reaching out to set her hand on top of his. "You did it in your own time, and that's perfectly fine. Besides, I know how busy Ron and Hermione are these days, so it was probably hard to get them together to go through the box with you when you were done."

He glanced up at her, looking adorably confused. "Ron and Hermione haven't seen anything in this box, Gin. You're – you are the only person I've even discussed having a family vault. Why would you assume that I'd shown Ron and Hermione?"

Ginny blinked in surprised, feeling slightly chastised. "I – well, to be honest, Harry, there has never been much that you didn't share with Ron and Hermione first. I'm not saying that's a bad thing because it isn't and I would never presume to think such a thing, but I guess it's just a little surprising to me. I – I apologize." He wrenched his gaze away from her, and she could tell by the way he stiffened up that her words hit something sensitive. She sighed, moving closer. "Harry, I am sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Aw, bloody hell, Gin, you didn't upset me. It's just – was it really that bad? Am I really that, I don't know, exclusionary towards everyone but them?"

She bit her lip, trying to figure out how to answer that. A part of her – a large part, actually – wanted to blurt out that yes, that's exactly how it is. But another part of her could not bear to hurt him, and somehow she knew that would. "They're your best friends, Harry; the people you are closest, too. It's only natural and to be expected that they would have first dibs on all the important things in your life. I suppose everyone understands that by now."

He looked at her aghast, and she knew that she somehow managed to say the wrong thing which is the last thing she wanted. "It – it isn't like that as much now," he fumbled out, looking as though he couldn't figure out how this all went so wrong. "When I was younger, yeah, I really relied on those two to the point where no one else was really included. They were the first friends I could trust, you know? And that stuck with me, and I – I never meant to hurt anyone because of it. Oh, Gin, I never, ever meant to hurt you especially."

"I know," she agreed immediately, her eyes watering as she tried to laugh it. "I know that. And I've always understood. Really, Harry. I could never begrudge you your relationships with them, and to be honest, you deserve them. You deserve to have friends like them, and they deserve a friend like you."

He didn't know what to say, and she knew that. Oh, how terrible she felt for putting him on the spot like this, about this. Honestly, who was she to call out his greatest and frequently only source of comfort? When he didn't say anything, she pressed on nervously, "Harry, I know that they're your best friends, your confidantes, your comfort. Of course you tell them everything. That's perfectly natural."

"They aren't, though," he countered, sounding surprised. "They aren't – I mean, they are my best friends, yes, but they aren't my comfort. They aren't my only or best source of comfort, Gin. I – that's been you."

"Me?" she squeaked, undeniably shocked.

He laughed at the reaction, relaxing a small bit. "Yes, you. You know how you said you trusted me earlier? Well, I trust you, too. You are the only one who knows what I need better than I know. Hell, Gin, neither Ron nor Hermione could help me my fifth year, but you did. A lot. Probably more than I even know." He paused, looking her directly in the eye as he fumbled for the right words. "You are so many things to me that they could never be, and I've probably never told you how much that means to me. So, thank you – it means a lot more than I could ever say."

Ginny stood up at that, moving close and wrapping her arms around his back. She buried her face in his chest and reveled in being close to him as he reciprocated the embrace by holding her tight. She felt so safe in his arms, and even though it was stupid and childish, she wished he would never let her go. Reluctantly she broke their embrace, slowly pulling away from him and moving back to the couch. He sat down next to her and she, unable to help herself, scooted closer.

"Show me what you found, Harry," she softly encouraged him, her eyes fluttering closed when he brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek.

He nodded, leaning forward to pick the box up. He sat facing forward on the couch, and she sat with her knees drawn up facing him. As interested as she was in the contents of the box, she was really so much more interested in watching him as he told her about the treasures he had discovered in his family vault.

As he lifted the lid off the box, he glanced her way with a tentative, shy smile. He looked back into the box and pulled the first item out. It was an older photo album, bound in chocolate brown leather embossed with gold lettering titling the album 'The Potters' in fancy script.

"My grandparents are in here," he smiled, gazing down at the album as he slowly opened. "There are a ton of pictures of them, and even more of my father."

"Oh, that's so wonderful," Ginny beamed, as happy for him to have this as she had ever been to have something for herself. "They're such a handsome couple. I can see where you and your father get your good looks from."

Harry nodded, his eyes focused on the pages of the album. "Yeah, maybe that's a Potter male trait, huh? We all look like duplicates."

Ginny laughed with him, squeezing his arm as he turned the page. "Your grandmother was beautiful. She must have been very popular with the boys in school."

"Just like someone else I know," Harry teased, shooting a sly glance her way. She blushed, but ignored the gentle teasing as he turned another page to show his grandparents in their wedding robes, waving to the camera. She exclaimed over the pictures and took care to explain all the various wizarding customs he was seeing and spice them up with anecdotes that she knew he'd find amusing. "I can't believe they left the reception on a broom!"

"I absolutely believe it considering I can picture you doing the same thing," she smiled knowingly, laughing when his cheeks flushed tellingly.

"Like you're one to talk, youngest league all-star in a decade player," he shot right back. She just grinned unapologetically at him. "You might do the same thing, yeah?"

She just shrugged, the smile never leaving her face. "I guess someone would have to ask me to marry him before I can give you a definite answer on that, hmm?"

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye before nodding. "The next pictures have my dad as a baby. I didn't know I'd ever get the opportunity to see something like that when I was growing up."

Ginny nodded her understanding. "Someone should have given these things to you a lot sooner, Harry. It really makes me angry that no one did."

"Yeah," he shrugged, "It would have been nice to have them, to know that I'd had a real family, a loving family once upon a time. But maybe things worked out how they were supposed to, right? Maybe not getting what I wanted until now lets me appreciate it that much more."

"That's a nice way of looking at it," she admitted with a small smile. "You are a surprisingly well-adjusted man, Harry Potter."

He laughed at that, resting his right arm on her drawn up knees. "How could I be anything but?" he asked rhetorically. "You would've handed me my arse on a platter if I got too mopey. Couldn't have that, now could we?"

"At least you recognize my abilities," she said primly before dissolving into laughter. "Turn the page, I want to see more pictures of your father."

"Bossy," he chided, ruining the effect by being unable to stop smiling at her. He also gave in right away, flipping the page. "Thanks for looking at these with me. I hope you know how much I mean it when I say that you are the only one I'd even consider sharing these with. I mean that, Gin."

"Thank you," she murmured, reaching up to twist her hair back away from her face. Almost absently, his hand dropped off her knee to caress her thigh. She sighed quietly, marveling at the ever-increasing level of physical comfort between them. She was pretty sure it ranked high on a list of best things ever.

They looked through the rest of the album that featured not only moving shots of James at every age and engaged in nearly every activity imaginable, but also included shots of the young man with his friends at Hogwarts. Ginny laughed particularly hard at a few shots of Sirius hamming it up for the camera. Harry thought she might pass out from her laughter when they came across the one where Sirius walked into a door because he was too busy mugging.

When they finished with that album, Harry set it down and pulled a smaller, wooden box out of the larger box. "There isn't an album of just my parents or of them with me, but there is this box of loose pictures. I – these are the ones I really love."

He handed the box to her, and she lifted the lid off at his encouraging nod. Almost reverently, she gently lifted the photographs out. Harry smiled at her carefully deliberate actions as he waited patiently for her to get to the photos. As she looked through them, tears formed in her eyes at the sight of the happy, young couple who barely even got to start their lives together before everything was taken away. When she got to the pictures of his parents cuddling a tiny Harry in their arms, a few tears spilled over.

They looked at the pictures in unbroken silence, and when she flipped to the last one, Ginny placed them back in the box and closed the lid. She brushed away her tears before turning her gaze on him. Harry smiled at her warmly, grabbing her hand and lifting it to his mouth to press a kiss to her fingers.

She didn't think after that; she just leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his, kissing him with all the love and adoration and need she had for him. Harry responded immediately, grasping her hips in his hands and dragging her onto his lap. He kissed her back just as fiercely as she kissed him, and when she lay back on the couch and tried to pull him with her, he went quite willingly.

"Ginny – Gin, if we don't stop now, I don't know if I'll be able to," he gasped out breathlessly after several heated moments had passed. She had divested him of all clothing save his boxer shorts, and he had removed everything except her bra and panties.

"Oh, please, don't stop. Don't stop, Harry," she moaned out as she tightened her legs around his waist. "Please, Harry, I want to feel you. I need you."

He had been lost in her well before that, but hearing her express the same longing and need that he felt sealed the deal for him. He stood up, ignoring her keening cry at the loss of contact. "Not here, Gin," he explained as he pulled her to her feet. "My bed, I want you in my bed."

"Yes," she breathed out as she pulled him down and fused her mouth to his. His hands were all over her, but she still felt as though she would never get enough of him. "I just want to feel you, Harry. Around me and on me and in me; and I want to do the same for you."

"God, Gin," he ground out, his beautiful eyes focused solely on her face. "You are so beautiful, so amazing. I need you, I need to be with you."

He lifted her against him as he guided them towards the stairs. She ran her hands through his hair, playing with the slightly too long ends. Harry paused at the top of the stairs and set her down on her feet. She wasn't sure why he was stopping, but when she tried to protest he placed a finger over her lips. "You're sure, Gin?" he asked again. "I need to know that you really want this, that you truly want this."

She took a step backwards toward the bedroom, reaching back to unclasp her bra. "Harry. I really, truly want this. I want you."

Harry swallowed hard as she dropped the bra to the floor, but did not hesitate in following her into his bedroom. Neither of them paused again to question their decision in this. Neither bothered again to consider the potential consequences, either.