Chapter 41: the honeymoon

Ginny lie awake cuddled next to Harry, her head resting on his bare chest. A light breeze drifted in through the open doors that led off to a small balcony, causing the shear curtains to flutter. The sun was just beginning to rise causing the sky to glow with varying shades of orange and red. Ginny sighed in contentment and snuggled up closer to Harry. They had arrived in Figi the day before by portkey and spent the entire day in their room, slowly exploring each other for the first time as husband and wife. Husband and wife, thought Ginny, still in awe.

"Morning, beautiful," murmured Harry. He wound both his arms around her and inhaled the flowery scent of her shampoo. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmmm. Too well. I think I want to stay like this all day," said Ginny, but her stomach rumbled, betraying her.

"Let's order breakfast," said Harry, chuckling. Ginny sighed and reluctantly got out of bed, wrapping the sheet around herself. Harry pulled on his discarded boxers and ambled over to the telephone. Ginny hadn't been surprised when Harry had brought her to a muggle resort. They both knew it would be the best option if they hoped to avoid the press, which they had been successful at so far.

"I don't understand that thing," said Ginny from over his shoulder after he ordered them room service. "How does it work without magic?"

Harry thought about this for a moment before shrugging. "I don't really know," he said. He stood and wrapped his arms around her and brought his lips down to meet hers for a passionate kiss. She melted into his embrace, all thoughts of telephones forgotten. Without breaking the kiss, Harry led her back to the bed and gently lay her down to continue where they had left off the previous evening.

They both lay, slightly breathless, when their was a light rap on the door. Harry jumped up and searched once again for his discarded boxers, finding them hanging on the shade of the lamp next to the bed. He quickly slid them on and disappeared into the next room, reemerging a moment later with a tray of fresh fruit, toast, scrambled eggs and orange juice. Ginny slipped on a pair of knickers and one of Harry's t-shirts before they settled in out on the balcony to eat and finish watching the sunrise dancing across the clear blue water.

"This is amazing, Harry," said Ginny, gazing out at the ocean. Never in her wildest daydreams would she have imagined she would be here, in Figi, and married to the love of her life.

"Yeah, it is," said Harry, never taking his eyes off her. He now understood why Dumbledore said that love was the greatest kind of magic.

* * * * *

For the next week, Harry and Ginny explored as much of the island paradise as they possibly could, both agreeing that they never wanted to leave. On the last night, Harry had a surprise in store for Ginny. He knew how much she was enjoying doing things the muggle way so he made reservations at the finest restaurant and sent her out shopping for a new dress with all the accessories. She returned, her arms laden down with bags, right when Harry was stepping out of the bathroom, his hair dripping and a towel wrapped loosely around his waist.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" she asked, sitting her bags down inside the door. Harry grinned at her but said nothing. "You know, I really hate it when you do this," she said, smiling at him.

"I know," said Harry. "But I promise you won't be disappointed."

"I never am," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his still damp chest.

"Why don't you get ready?," said Harry. Ginny stood on her tip-toes and gave him a quick kiss before disappearing into the bathroom. Harry quickly dressed and moved into the small sitting room in their suite and flipped through the tv channels idly.

About an hour later, Ginny emerged from the bedroom causing Harry's jaw to drop. The dress she had chosen was floor length, made of black satin and completely backless.

"Do you like it?" she asked, spinning in a circle.

"Are you sure you want to go out?" asked Harry, wrapping his arms around her waist and running his hands along her bare back. Ginny chuckled.

"Of course," she said, playfully swatting his hand away when he attempted to unzip her dress and wriggling out of his embrace.

Harry sighed and glanced down at his watch. "I guess you're right. We don't want to be late," he said.

"Don't worry," said Ginny, winking at him. "I bought something for you for later." Before he had time to process this, she linked her arm in his and he led her out of the room.

* * * * *

"Wow," breathed Ginny, taking in her surroundings. The restaurant Harry brought her to was beautiful. It was lit with the soft glow of candle light and all the tables were draped in white clothes. They were led to a small table in a secluded part of the restaurant. A bottle of champagne sat chilling next to a vase that held a single red rose. Harry pulled out her chair and she sat, still in awe. Never in her life had she been to a restaurant quite like this. Harry moved around the table and poured them both a glass of champagne.

"To us," he said, holding his glass up.

"To us," repeated Ginny, clinking her glass with his.

After dinner, Harry took her by the hand and led her onto the deserted beach. They both removed their shoes and strolled along the beach, hand in hand, as the sun was setting. After a while, Harry pulled out his wand and conjured a blanket on the sand and sat down, pulling Ginny down so that she sat between his legs and wrapped his arms around her. The only sound they heard was the sound of the waves crashing on the shore as they watched the sun set.

"Thank you," said Harry, pulling her closer to him.

"For what?" said Ginny, confused.

"For marrying me and for giving me the life I never thought I would have," said Harry, gazing out across the sea. "You know, at times I still think that this is all a dream and that I'm going to wake up and . . ."

"It's not a dream, Harry," said Ginny. She twisted around so that her face was mere inches from his. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Harry cupped her face in both of his hands and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply. He slowly pulled her down so that she was lying on the blanket next to him. It was almost dark now and completely quiet except for the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach. Harry reached out and lightly ran his forefinger along the side of her check, sending chills down her spine. She slowly began unbuttoning his dress shirt, running her fingers along his bare chest. She felt him shiver at her touch before he pressed his lips to hers. Pure passion overtook them both, and not caring where they were, they made love right there on the beach, taking time to explore each others bodies. With each tender touch, they felt their love for each other build more and more until it threatened to burst from their very core, leaving them lying breathless and wrapped in each others arms. In the soft glow of the full moon, they lie staring into each others eyes, words not necessary. Harry felt as if he loved her more in this moment then he did the day he asked her to be his wife. And he knew that with each passing day, this love would only continue to grow.

* * * * *

"Do we really have to leave?" said Ginny. She stood on the balcony, looking out over the clear blue sea.

"I'm afraid so," said Harry, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. "We can come back someday if you want," he added.

She spun around so she was facing him and wrapped her arms around his neck, beaming up at him. "Really?" she said.

"Really."

"What time does the portkey leave?"

"In about five minutes," said Harry, consulting his watch. "We really should be going."

Ginny sighed and moved back into the room, giving it a cursory glance to make sure she packed everything. Harry pulled out his wand and charmed their luggage so that it was virtually weightless and took Ginny by the hand. He pulled a battered cap off the side table in the room and they each touched it before it started to glow.

A moment later, they collapsed onto the floor of their flat. Harry sat up rubbing his elbow where the luggage had hit him. I should have just shrunk it, he thought, standing and helping Ginny to her feet.

"I think I prefer apparition," said Ginny. "And that's saying something, because I don't really care for that either."

"I couldn't agree more," said Harry, flopping down on the sofa. "It's good to be home though."

Ginny sat down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Yeah. But this means I have to start training again," she said with a sigh.

"We still have two days until it's back to the real world," said Harry, winking at her. "I say we go back to the bedroom and don't leave until then."

"How long do you think it'll take before the family realizes we're home," said Ginny, shifting on the sofa so that she straddled his legs. Before Harry could respond, there was a knock on the door. Harry chuckled and Ginny slumped down and rested her forehead on his shoulder, groaning.

"I guess that answers that question," she said.

* * * * *

A/N: As always, let me know what you think. Review!