Author's Note: I own nothing; all belongs to the lovely J.K. Rowling. Thanks for all of your reviews, I really appreciate those of you who are keeping with this story!

Chapter Nine

Ginny didn't know why she was this nervous. She and Harry had partaken in their fair share of intimate embraces, and she felt completely comfortable with him.

Stop lying to yourself. She thought. Of course you know why you're nervous. You're alone, in a bed, with Harry Potter, all night, with no possibility of an interruption, and you're both half naked.

Harry was currently propped up on one elbow, the fingers of his other hand tracing slowly up her sides. He was lightly sucking on her neck, but she was stiff as a board.

"Harry." She whispered. He immediately stopped what he was doing, but didn't move away.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to stop?"

"No…I don't know." She sighed, and he pulled back, looking her straight in they eye. Even though it was dark, she could tell that his brow was furrowing. "I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I don't know where this is going." At this, Harry pulled back even more, grabbed his glasses, and sat up, still gazing at her. She took this moment to observe his naked torso. Even though he was thinner than he'd been the year before, his chest was still surprisingly defined. She mindlessly reached up and gently stroked his abs, watching his muscles contract at the unexpected contact.

"That tickles." He smiled. "I should tell you something."

"This sounds serious." Ginny propped herself up on her elbows. They were struggling to find room to talk effectively in the tiny twin sized bed. Obviously, the Gryffindor dormitory beds weren't meant for two grown people.

"It is." He ran his hand through his hair absentmindedly, and then chuckled to himself.

"What's funny?"

"Oh..nothing. Just…my dad used to mess with his hair. To impress girls. But I just do it when I'm nervous."

Ginny suddenly wished she could run HER hands through his hair. But he was clearly trying to tell her something important, so she refrained. "You can tell me anything." She said in what she hoped was an encouraging tone, wishing that she hadn't ruined the mood.

"Well, I don't want to pressure you into anything, Ginny. But lately I've just been kicking myself for being such a prat and wasting so much time with you. It took me forever to realize how much I really liked you..as more than just a friend. And then I had to end that, and I don't exactly regret it because honestly anything could have happened and I would never, ever want to put you in danger. But now I just feel like we could have had all of these years together, but we're stuck now at the beginning. And as much as I want to make up for lost time, I feel like there's some kind of disconnect between us. Like we're caught in this awkward stage between being in a new relationship and knowing each other forever…"

"Harry, I don't exactly know where you're going with this, but I'm not sure I like it-" she interrupted.

"Ginny, I love you. So much. And I don't know what to do. It's making me crazy. I just want to be with you all of the time, but I'm torn because there are other things going on right now, and I don't know how you're feeling, and I don't want to rush you, and I know how upset you are over Fred, and I've never done ANY of this before so I don't even know if I'll be good at it…and I just feel like a fucking mess." He sighed, as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. Ginny blinked. She had gotten only one thing out of that whole rant.

"You love me?"

His eyes snapped back to hers. She actually felt a sharp intake of breath because they were so expressive. She internally laughed at how cliché this was—his eyes LITERALLY took her breath away.

"Yeah, I really do." He responded almost shyly. Ginny didn't say anything else for a while. She was processing this. Finally, Harry started to look nervous again. "Are you okay over there?"

"I love you too." She moved over to him and wrapped her still-clothed legs around his waist, straddling him. He looked shocked, but ecstatic. "I've loved you since I was eleven. But you already know that." She leaned down and placed a warm kiss below his earlobe. "I've just been terrified, all this time. You always had secrets—with Ron and Hermione. And I never really felt good enough. I mean, you didn't fancy me for SO long…and then you suddenly did, but we all knew that wouldn't last very long, given the circumstances. And then for months I was terrified that you'd turn up dead any day…so I kept telling myself not to get my hopes up, but Harry, as crazy as it sounds, I never gave up on you. And I don't know if this makes me clingy, or insane, but I've pictured our wedding a hundred times in my head. I've pictured our future together, and you're absolutely my favorite person in the world, and I can't imagine not being with you—"

She was interrupted by his soft lips pressing against hers. "How could you ever feel like you're not good enough?" he mumbled through the kiss. "You're perfect."

She pulled back and laughed, leaving her legs and arms wrapped around him. He rubbed her back soothingly, tracing her braline. "But that's not what this is about, Harry. I didn't ask you to stop because I doubt that you care about me. I'm scared because this is…well…it's sex."

Harry blushed furiously. "You thought we were going to have sex tonight?"

"Well…wasn't that the intention?"

"No!" his eyes widened. "I mean, it's not that I don't want to…eventually. But I don't really want to have sex for the first time in Gryffindor tower. And it's too soon, right? I mean, I don't even think I'M ready for that."

Ginny visibly relaxed. "Oh. Okay. Well…in that case then…" she fiercely pressed her lips against his and pushed him back against the headboard. He responded by grabbing her around the waist and pulling her closer to his groin. She inhaled sharply when she felt the bulge there. That was something new. She continued kissing him with an unrestrained passion. She tugged on his bottom lip with her teeth, which he seemed to enjoy immensely. After a few minutes, he flipped her over onto her back and settled himself between her legs. He kissed his way down her neck, over her shoulder, and to the top of her bra, pausing over her breasts. Finally, after a brief moment of contemplation, he placed a chaste kiss on the top of her right breast and looked up at her with a devious grin on his face.

"I think that's enough for tonight."

"What?" she asked, opening her eyes. "Why?"

"Because we just agreed upon not having sex tonight, but if you keep kissing me like that, I may have to change my mind." He slithered up and wrapped his arms around her waist, cradling his head against her chest. "Would you like to put your shirt back on?"

"No, I'm perfect just like this." She replied. Honestly, her jeans were a tad uncomfortable, but she was willing to deal with it if it meant he stayed exactly where he was. After a few minutes, she felt her eyelids drooping.

"Ginny?"

"Mmhm?"

"You know what you said earlier, about it being crazy to think about our future together? Getting married and stuff?"

She was tired enough that she couldn't even find it in herself to be embarrassed about those comments. She merely nodded against his chest.

"I don't think it's crazy at all. And honestly, for the first time in my entire life, I can picture those things happening too. I love you."

She smiled, hugged him a little tighter, and drifted off to sleep.