****WARNING****

The content of this chapter is significantly more mature than any of my previous chapters. While it is the wedding night chapter and my story does maintain a Mature rating; be warned. The section that goes into greater detail is marked with a line of asterisks at the beginning and end so anyone who is not comfortable with the subject matter can easily skip over it.

I really struggled to write this chapter. There are two sides to consider…readers who really want me to live up to my M rating and readers who feel that I should maintain the innocent tone of my story and gloss over this part. I can see the validity of both view points. In the end, I knew that I was going to have to write this chapter in the way that would make me happiest and feel truest to my story. While my story has had sort of an innocent vibe about it since the beginning, it has also been very detailed. As this chapter is their wedding night, which, admittedly, I can't just skim over, I wrote about their first time in detail. However, I tried to write it in a way that isn't trashy or overly graphic. I feel like I have succeeded. Hopefully my readers will agree.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Harry apparated them to the steps outside Number 12 Grimmauld Place. With his wand, he unlocked the front door and carried Ginny inside. He closed the door behind them and said, "Welcome home." Per Harry's instructions to Kreacher, there was a fire burning in the sitting room fireplace and all the lights were turned on.

Ginny, still in Harry's arms, looked around the house in astonishment. "You did all this?"

"I had some help," Harry admitted. "This was my surprise for you. I knew you were concerned about us not having a place of our own."

"I forgot that you own this place," Ginny said.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked nervously. "This is our home and you can change anything you want. It's as much your's, now, as mine. I just want you to be happy here."

"I love it," Ginny said touched. "It's beautiful. It doesn't even seem like the same house."

"Thank Merlin for that," Harry said under his breath.

"If you put me down, I could look around a bit," Ginny suggested with a smile.

"Oh, right," Harry said sheepishly, as he lowered her back to the ground. "I guess part of me was rather hoping to carry you right upstairs to our room."

Their eyes connected and, instead of the fierce blazing look he expected to see in her eyes, there was something slightly reserved. "I could use a little time to get my bearings," Ginny said softly. "I've suddenly come over a bit nervous."

"Gin," Harry whispered, as he gathered her into his arms, "I'm not trying to rush you. Take all the time you need."

"Thank you," she whispered back as she hugged him. When she pulled back, she seemed more herself again and asked, "Care to give me the grand tour?"

Harry showed her around the sitting room, kitchen, dining room, and various other rooms on the first floor. As they climbed the stairs, Harry said, "Sirius' bedroom was on the third floor; it was the only room in the house that I couldn't bear to change. Our bedroom is on the second floor; it has an attached bathroom."

"Show me," Ginny said, as she followed him up the stairs.

Harry led her to the end of the second floor hall to an impressive set of mahogany double doors. He opened one of the doors and flicked on the overhead light. There was a fire burning in the fireplace here as well. There were also half a dozen candles lit along the mantle piece and rose petals scattered across the floor and over the bed.

"Did you do this?" Ginny asked with a grin, gesturing to the candles.

"Ah…no. I'm guessing that whoever your Mom sent over here with our things did this," Harry said gesturing to their bags sitting on the floor next to the closet. "We can blow them out if it'd make you more comfortable."

Ginny didn't answer; instead she turned to take in the room. She ran her finger along the sleek mahogany furniture and stroked the luxurious golden hued comforter on the enormous bed. The walls and curtains were a slightly darker shade of the gold. There were pictures of the two of them lined up along the dresser and, near the door that led into the bathroom, there was a vanity table similar to the one she had at home. She smiled as she turned back to Harry and said, "This is perfect."

"I'm glad you like it," Harry said. "Hermione helped me pick colors and stuff."

"I'll be sure to thank her," Ginny said. She pointed her wand at the door, closing it, and turned to Harry, saying, "Care to help me get this tiara off? Its killing me."

"Sure," Harry said as he approached her.

"How about on the bed? It'd be nice to sit," Ginny suggested.

Harry stopped to take off his shoes and his robes, beneath which he was wearing black pants and a white button down shirt. Ginny also slid off her shoes before climbing onto the bed. With Ginny seated, Harry knelt behind her and began pulling out the bobby pins that would release the heavy tiara from Ginny's head. She held out a hand and he dropped the bobby pins into it. When he was finished, he took the tiara, veil, and collection of bobby pins from Ginny, and set them on the dresser. He climbed back onto the bed and lay down. He badly wanted to touch her, but was waiting for her to indicate that she was ready. He didn't want to rush her. She turned on the bed so she was facing him. She moved closer and ran a hand over his cheek. She leaned down to kiss him, but when he moved to deepen it, she pulled away and said, "I'll be right back." He watched as she climbed off the bed, picked up her bag from by the closet and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

In the bathroom, Ginny studied herself in the mirror. She'd been the aggressor ever since they'd gotten back together and now, on their wedding night, when there was no longer anything holding them back, she was nervous. She unzipped her dress and carefully stepped out of it before laying it over the laundry hamper in the corner of the bathroom. In her bra and panties, she washed her face, brushed her teeth, and combed her hair. Feeling refreshed and more like herself, she pulled the long ivory satin nightgown and robe out of her bag that she'd decided upon for tonight. She removed her bra and panties before pulling the nightgown over her head. Before leaving the bathroom, she took off the jewelry she was wearing, besides her wedding rings, and left them on the counter. She scooped up the dress and the robe and opened the door. Harry did not move when she returned, but his eyes followed her as she rummaged in the closet for a hanger. After hanging up her dress and closing the closet door, she flipped off the lights and, in the glow cast from the candles and the fire, walked around to Harry's side of the bed. She bent to kiss him and then said, "Now, I'm ready."

Harry sat up and studied her in the candlelight. "You are so beautiful," he breathed.

She grasped his hand and pulled him up off the bed. She fit her body against his and tilted her face up to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. She felt the familiar desire and longing building in her as his hands slid down her back and skimmed over her hips, coming to rest on her bottom. His hand passed over this area several times in quick succession, before Harry pulled back and asked huskily, "No knickers?" Ginny chuckled and shook her head no. "The first time I'm allowed to take them off you and you already went ahead and removed them?"

"Do you want me to go put them back on?" Ginny offered coyly.

Harry practically growled at her, "No. What else aren't you wearing?'

"It would be faster to list the things I am wearing," Ginny said teasingly, and with her fingers she ticked off. "This nightgown, my wedding rings, and a smile."

Harry sighed happily as his mouth returned to hers and he slid a hand up from her bottom to cup a naked breast through the smooth satin. A jolt of desire coursed through her at this action and she moved her hands to the buttons of his shirt. She made quick work of the shirt; casting it to the floor when she'd succeeded in removing it from his body. "Anxious now, are we?" Harry asked with a smirk, as he took matters into his own hands and pulled the remaining undershirt over his head and casting it also to the floor. Their lips reconnected as they drew back together and Ginny's hands explored Harry's chest. His mouth strayed from hers to move down her neck and across her collar bone to her cleavage. With a finger, he pulled on the neckline of the nightgown and exposed her left breast. As his mouth moved ever closer, he cupped her in his hand and touched her experimentally. Finally, his mouth kissed its way across the smooth skin and, when he reached her nipple, he sucked it into his mouth, eliciting a moan of pleasure from Ginny like he'd never heard before.

She could feel his grin against her breast when she moaned. In retaliation, despite the haze his attentions were causing in her brain, she moved her hands to the button of his pants and opened it. She unzipped them as well and pushed them down his hips. Impressively, without removing his mouth from her breast, he shimmied the pants the rest of the way down and stepped out of them. With his pants out of the way, she tugged on the waistband of his boxers with one hand while the other slipped inside. As her hand wrapped around him, she extracted the moan she was seeking. For the next several minutes, they continued their ministrations, enjoying the reactions they were earning from one another. As Harry shifted to move his attention to her other breast, his feet tangled in his discarded pants and he stumbled a bit.

Ginny giggled and asked, "Perhaps we should move this to the bed? It might be safer."

"Only if you lose the nightgown," Harry said.

"I'll lose the nightgown if you lose the boxers," Ginny bargained.

"Deal," Harry said quickly as he removed first his socks and then his boxers.

For the first time, Harry stood naked before her and Ginny's brain felt fuzzy. Her eyes feasted on the beauty that was Harry's Auror toned body. He was long and lean and muscular in all the right places. "You're beautiful," Ginny breathed.

Harry blushed under her scrutiny, but said, "Hey, that's my line. You gonna lose the nightgown or what?"

"Oh," Ginny said. "You distracted me." She drew closer to him and requested, "Help me?" Harry grasped the hem and swiftly pulled it over her head when she raised her arms. He let the nightgown slip out of his hands and flutter to the floor as he took her in. He admired the soft curves that graced her tight toned body, obviously a product of Quidditch training.

"Merlin, Ginny. If I'm beautiful, then you're magnificently gorgeous," Harry said. He reached out a hand to her and pulled her toward the bed. He pulled back the covers and with his wand cast a warming charm on the sheets. "Get in," he instructed, as he pulled open the top drawer of the nightstand on his side of the bed and pulled out a vial of clear liquid. Carefully, he opened it and quickly gulped down the contents. He made a disgusted face before dropping the vial onto the nightstand and climbing into the bed after Ginny. He pulled the covers up around them as she snuggled into his chest.

The feeling of having his skin pressed intimately against her own was electrifying and excited her in ways like she'd never experienced before. There was something more though, being with Harry like this felt like home; nothing had ever felt more right. He kissed her as fiercely as she'd ever known as her hands moved back to the erect member between them. He alternately sighed and groaned into her mouth as her hands explored. His hands had moved back to her chest, but seemed to be frozen as he struggled to focus on anything outside of what her hands were doing.

Finally reaching a point where her touches were going to soon push him over the edge, he trapped her hands and moved them up to his chest. "Your turn," he said with some effort as he moved his hand down her taut belly. Her breathing hitched as his fingertips made contact and carefully delved further. At first, the sensation was so amazingly intense and foreign that it made her squirm in panic. When she finally relaxed against his hand, the things he was doing felt indescribably amazing. It wasn't long until her breathing was ragged and she panted, "Harry, now, I'm ready, please."

That was all the invitation Harry needed. Swiftly, he shifted their bodies so she lie flat on her back and he was positioned above her, bracing his weight on his knees and forearms. Gently, he stroked her face looking deep into her eyes, looking for confirmation that she meant what she'd said. She nodded and he bent to kiss her softly on the lips. She let her knees fall open and he moved to position himself between them. With her hands, she guided him to her. He pushed a little way inside, reveling in the sensation before pausing to check on Ginny. Her eyes were closed and she was biting down on her lower lip. She did not appear to be in pain so he pushed further. Her eyes flew open and locked with his. She nodded slightly but he could see the tears welling in the corners of her eyes. He hated to hurt her and wasn't sure how to proceed. "Harry," she said shakily. "Even if it hurts for a minute, I'm ready." She leaned up to kiss him and added, "I trust you." Steeling his nerve, he gently pushed the rest of the way inside with a bit of resistance. He grew still again as Ginny adjusted. When she nodded, he started to move. At first, it was hard to enjoy the rapturous feelings his body was experiencing, as he watched tears trickle from Ginny's eyes. But after a few minutes she uttered, "Oh," and he watched as her face shifted from pain to something like awe. They stared into each other's eyes as his body convulsed and he finished. He started to pull out and roll off of her but she wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him closer and said, "No, stay." She had never felt so close to him.

"I love you," he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers.

"I love you too," she whispered back when he'd finally disengaged and rolled onto his side next to her.

He pulled her closer into his embrace and within mere minutes, exhausted from both the day and their exertions, they were asleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Several hours later, Harry woke to Ginny's hands running suggestively along his thighs. He was unsure if the action was instinctive or deliberate. For the moment, he feigned sleep to see what she'd do next. Her left hand remained on his thigh but her right hand trailed over his hip and came to rest on his bottom. After a light caress, her hand made the return journey and, instead of stopping back at his thigh, shifted up to take him in her hand. He felt himself harden instantly in her hand and knew that he could no longer pretend to be asleep.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he opened his eyes to look down at her.

"Trying to wake you up," Ginny confessed with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"Why?" Harry asked laughing. "Couldn't sleep?"

"I slept," Ginny explained. "I was hoping we could do it again."

With a wide smile, he replied, "Of course we can do it again. Are you sure you're ready?"

"Hermione told me the second time is better," Ginny said simply.

"You didn't enjoy the first time?" Harry asked, sounding slightly wounded.

"Near the end I did, but the first time for girls is painful," Ginny explained. "Which is why the second time is better. Do you need to drink more of the potion?" she asked glancing toward the night stand.

"No. One dose will last for twenty-four hours," Harry said as he bent his head closer to hers and brushed his lips across hers.

This time, less inhibited Ginny took the aggressive role she normally favored. She kissed Harry hard on the mouth before pushing him back and covering his body with her own. As they continued to kiss, she grew more aroused as she could feel him throbbing against her thigh. Finally, she planted a knee on either side of him and raised herself up a bit so she could slide herself onto him.

Harry watched, fascinated, as she took the lead and set the tempo. He lay absolutely still for the moment, just enjoying the sensation and letting her do what felt right. Her eyes were squeezed shut in concentration as she ground against him and arched her body to achieve just the right angle. She gasped and moaned a bit as she moved and, when it seemed that she'd reached a plateau, he rocked his hips gently against her. This proved to be the right move; a shudder rippled through her body and she frantically whispered, "Do that again." He complied, shifting his legs a bit so he could drive upward more easily. A few thrusts later and he felt her contracting around him, causing them to finish together. Ginny collapsed on top of him and, after raining kisses on his face, said, "Merlin, Harry. That was bloody amazing."

Harry chuckled appreciatively against her neck as he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm glad," he said. "That was how I felt after the first time." He held her as her breathing became regular again and eventually became the slow even breathing of someone fast asleep. He rolled her off of him and studied her peaceful face as she slept beside him. "My wife," he thought happily, as he too shut his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

When they woke again, it was to bright sunlight spilling in around the curtains edges at the windows. Ginny stretched luxuriantly in the bed and sighed happily. Harry yawned loudly beside her and grinned at her.

"Good morning," Ginny said.

"Great morning," Harry retorted as his grin widened. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Ginny said. "Do we have anything to eat?"

"Of course," Harry said. "The kitchen is stocked and Kreacher has probably made us something delicious. I'll run down and bring breakfast up on a tray; we can eat in bed."

Harry kissed her and hopped out of bed. As he bent to retrieve his boxers and undershirt from the floor, Ginny appreciated the view of his naked backside and grinned. When he'd left the room, shutting the door behind him, she slipped out of bed. Immediately, she could feel the soreness that was a product of last night's activities. She stiffly bent to retrieve her nightgown and robe from the floor before heading into the bathroom. There, she redressed before combing her hair and remembering the potion her mother had given her to pack in her bag. "It will help with the soreness in the morning," she'd said. Ginny gulped down the foul tasting liquid quickly and, almost immediately, felt the soreness ease.

When she emerged from the bathroom, Harry was just returning with a tray of breakfast food. She scrambled back into the bed so she could take the tray from Harry and he could get back in too. He settled beside her and revealed pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and pumpkin juice.

"Mmmmmmm," Ginny said as she dug into her breakfast.

"So, how early do we have to go back to your parent's today?" Harry asked.

"I only promised that we'd make it there in time for dinner this evening," Ginny said.

"Good," Harry said.

"Why? What did you have in mind?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing in particular," Harry said with raised eyebrows. "Just more time to be alone before going home to your family."

"You're nervous about all the teasing too?" Ginny asked.

"If I know your brothers like I think I do, its going to be unbearable," Harry said.

"They're just jealous," Ginny said.

Harry chuckled and said, "I dare you to suggest that to them."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Many hours later, most of which were spent in their bed, they apparated into the garden at The Burrow. Dinner was due to start any minute; they had waited as long as possible to join everyone. Harry trudged through the snow behind Ginny carrying their bags. She turned to kiss him quickly, before opening the door and said, "It'll be fine. Just grin and bear it."

Ginny opened the door and Molly called, "Ah, here's the newly weds."

"About time," Charlie's voice called. "We were starting to think that maybe you were too busy shagging to come to Christmas Eve dinner."

"Charlie," Molly scolded.

"Yeah, Charlie, don't be gross," George said. "You've got to be more subtle with that sort of humor. Like this; Harry, we made a sign for you to hang on Ginny's bedroom door tonight. It says, Do Not Disturb!" George paused for long enough that Harry thought he was finished. Then he continued, "The shagging taking place behind this door."

"That was as bad as Charlie's," Ron said, as he burst into the kitchen from the sitting room. "Try this; Harry, you two manage break that new bed yet?"

Harry and Ginny just grinned at one another as her brothers tried to outdo one another's bad jokes at their expense. It was good to be home amongst their family, even if this was what they'd have to put up with for a while.

Author's Note: Thank you for reading and extra thanks to those who were brave enough not to skip over the more graphic parts. I hope you enjoyed it and I also hope you'll send me a review to let me know how I did. I am happy with how it turned out. It was both fun and challenging to write.

HUGE thanks to my beta Terra Ferme for taking on the daunting task of editing this tricky chapter. You are awesome! Thank you.

I'm starting to think about where this story should stop – that isn't to say that I won't do a sequel continuing on with their life during that 19-year gap. End of the school year, first year of marriage…thoughts?

Thanks!

Tinkerbell