I Caught Myself - Chapter Three
GINNY'S POV:
I sat there, frozen in Harry's lap for God knows how long. There I was, sitting on top of one of the sexiest men I'd ever known, making out with him, nearly getting a little further... and in walks our best friend. I suppose it could've been worse. It could've been one of my parents - or a brother. Either way, being caught making out with Harry Potter was not on my agenda for the day.
"Hermione, I can explain..." Harry started shakily, but Hermione just stood there, wide-eyed and blinking, rooted to the spot.
"'Mione, it's not what it looks like," I told her, more confidently than I felt. I wasn't sure whether she didn't hear me or just didn't believe me, though, as she continued to display no emotion except complete and utter shock. I shuffled, a little uncomfortably in Harry's lap, before gently sliding off and making my way over to the still stunned Hermione.
"Hermione, this wasn't planned. It just kinda...happened," I tried again. Hermione opened her mouth. I though she was about to yell at us, or tell us what we were doing was wrong and insist that we go back to bed; but to my utter surprise, her face split into a wide grin.
"What are you smirking at?" I accused, half relieved, half annoyed.
"What do you think? I come downstairs for a drink of water at 4:30am and I see two of my best friends snogging!" she giggled.
Harry came up behind us silently, and handed Hermione a glass of water, placing his other hand on my waist. "Well, next time bring water to bed with you. The interruption was uncalled for," he said in mock annoyance.
"Sorry," Hermione smiled. "I'll be heading back up to bed then." She turned away and headed back upstairs. Suddenly she paused and turned back to look at us. "Mrs Weasley will be awake soon. Try not to get caught, you two." And with that, she disappeared out of sight.
Tapping my right palm against my upper chest, I let out a breath I had been unaware I was holding. "Merlin that was close!" I said as Harry ran a hand through his tousled hair.
"Tell me about it. I'm just thanking my lucky stars it wasn't a Weasley." He smiled at me. I grinned back at him before taking his hand and leading him into the sitting room. I lit the fire and sat down in front of it, motioning for him to come and do the same. He sat beside me and I rested my head on his shoulder.
"So, back to Hogwarts in two weeks." I murmured softly.
Harry slipped an arm around my waist, his hand resting on my thigh. "It'll be hard," he replied.
I could feel his warm breath tickling my neck. "How's that?"
"Well, who's going to be our DADA teacher? We've only had two decent ones, and one of them was an imposter."
I sighed, remembering that year. Harry's name had been put in the Goblet of Fire, meaning he had was forced to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. At the end of it, Harry and a Hufflepuff boy, Cedric Diggory, had both reached the Triwizard Cup at the same time, so they had decided to honor Hogwarts and win together.
The cup turned out to be a Portkey, which instantly transported Cedric and Harry to a graveyard that was occupied by He Who Must Not Be Named and some of his followers, the Death Eaters. He Who Must Not Be Named immediately ordered Peter Pettigrew, who goes by the name Wormtail, to kill Cedric, leaving Harry as the only good guy there. They had cut Harry's arm and took his blood to make Him stronger, after which He ordered Harry to duel with Him.
Harry told us that a man he didn't recognise appeared out of the Dark Lord's wand, followed by Harry's parents, Lily and James Potter. Cedric had also come out of the wand, before the unknown man. Cedric asked Harry to take his body back to his father at Hogwarts.
Harry managed to reach Cedric's body and get them both back to Hogwarts. Harry started weeping over Cedric's dead body, as did Mr Diggory, Cedric's father, once he'd realized what had happened to his son. Then Harry found out that the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was not in fact Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, but rather Barty Crouch Junior, who was using Polyjuice Potion to pretend to be Mad Eye.
Mad Eye. I shuddered slightly at the memories - the worry and heart-clenching fear I had felt upon first learning what had happened later that night, back at the castle... It had been quite an emotional year for Harry, and Ron - my idiot of a brother - wasn't exactly supportive; but somehow Harry pulled through. He always does.
Harry must have noticed my outward shiver, for he placed his hands on my bare arms and caressed them softly, slowly up and down. "Are you cold, Ginny? What are you thinking about?" he asked me, nuzzling into my neck while gently bringing me out of my pensive wanderings and lightening my spirits.
I smiled and let out a small giggle. "Just stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" he pressed on.
I didn't want to tell him I'd been thinking about that dreadful time in his fourth year. He didn't need a reminder of that. At the end of his fifth year, Harry had lost his godfather, Sirius Black. Sirius was the closest thing Harry ever had to a father, and he had lost him after only having him in his life for a couple of years. Harry was devastated. He hadn't really been the same since. It was another thing that made Harry and Hermione so close. Harry had just lost Sirius, and Hermione had just lost her father.
I took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to answer his question without upsetting him. "School stuff," I replied. I was distracted, however, by a hand that was roaming all over my body. Harry had a pair of extremely talented hands.
"So are you looking forward to your fifth year at Hogwarts?" he asked me, his hand brushing over my collar-bone.
"I guess. It'll be better now that Umbridge has gone."
"Couldn't agree more," he said, pulling me in towards him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and grazed his cheek softly with my lips before having a sudden, horrible realisation: I was in a relationship with Dean Thomas!
HARRY'S POV:
Suddenly, Ginny stopped kissing me. She jumped back from me like I was physically hurting her. I wasn't, though... Was I?
"Gin, what's the matter?" I asked her, my voice full of concern.
"Harry..." she stammered. "I want to, I swear I do, but..." she trailed off - then she burst into tears! I had no idea what to do in this situation. I mean, at the end of last year, after the last DA meeting before Christmas, Cho had broke down crying before kissing me. And now Ginny's broke down into tears after kissing me. Merlin, am I really that bad?
"Ginny, if you're not ready, I completely understand," I said soothingly, rubbing her back.
"I am, Harry, but Dean..." She sobbed into my shoulder. A light suddenly turned on in my head.
"Oh Gin, I forgot about Dean."
"Me too," she lamented, crying even harder.
"Hey, hey, hey. Don't cry. C'mon now, no tears, little Gin," I said, wiping away the droplets trailing down her cheek.
"I'm sorry Harry," she whispered.
"Don't worry about it. No harm done. Plus, it was fun while it lasted," I said, wiggling my eyebrows at her and making her giggle.
"You're the best," she said, wrapping her arms around my waist and snuggling into me.
"Nah, that's definitely you," I said, lying us both down in front of the fire. Ginny pulled some blankets down from the couch and put them over us. Lying behind her, I managed to snake my arm over her waist and hold her hand. We lay there for countless minutes, just in the moment, holding each other and letting our thoughts lead us in and out of consciousness. At some point though, we must have fell asleep.
I dreamed that I was zooming around the Quidditch pitch looking out for the Golden Snitch. It was around here somewhere, I was sure of it. I floated around for several minutes before I saw Malfoy take a dive. I promptly followed him downwards, keeping my eyes opened for the little ball every second. All at once there it was! The Golden Snitch. Malfoy and I both reached the spot at the exact same time, but neither of us reached out for it.
Suddenly, Draco's robes turned red and gold...Gryffindor colours. Then his pale blonde hair turned a startling shade of red and started growing downwards, reaching his waist. His chest suddenly popped out and he became freckled and his eyes had changed to a soft brown. That was no longer Draco Malfoy. It was Ginny Weasley!
We both made a grab for the Snitch, but it zoomed away as fast as it could and left the palms of our hands touching. Ginny gave me a cute little grin and I leaned forward in her direction, as far as I could go without falling off my broom. Ginny then leaned forward to fill the gap between us. Our eyes closed, and then...
"Ginny Weasley! What are you doing out of bed, lying on the floor with a blanket, with Harry?" Mrs Weasley exclaimed. Ginny and I both jumped up with scared expressions.
"Whatshappening?" she mumbled, running her hand through her hair. God, she looked so hot-
"Get up. Both of you!" Mrs Weasley glared at us. Ginny and I both scrambled up, trying not to laugh. Although Molly was a very scary woman at times, it was pretty hard not to burst out in giggles.
Ginny winked at me and followed her mum into the kitchen. I stood there in the middle of the room, totally bewildered. I was wearing nothing but a pair of black boxers. Oh no... I ran my hand through my hair and looked around me.
"Well, well, well. Somebody had a good night," Bill said from the doorway, looking me up and down and taking in my appearance. I blushed crimson.
"It's not what it looks like," I mumbled, not daring to look the oldest of the Weasley brothers in the eye.
"It looks like you had a - well, shall we say, 'hot night' - with my little sister," Bill observed with a smirk.
"We didn't do anything, I swear," I pleaded, still not looking him in the eye.
"It doesn't look that way. Especially not to my mum."
I put my head in my hands. The last thing I needed was for Molly to think that I'd done her daughter. I was expecting Bill to punch me, but instead he burst out laughing!
"Oh Merlin, you two are in for it now," he chuckled. "Sorry mate, shouldn't be laughing." I gave him a sheepish grin.
"You were caught by Mrs Weasley, weren't you?" Hermione said, coming up behind Bill and causing him to jump a mile into the air.
"Jesus, Hermione, don't do that!" Bill grumbled.
"Sorry Bill," she said, blushing a little.
" 'S fine."
"Anyway, I told you you were going to get caaau-ght," Hermione sing-songed, giving me a disapproving look.
"It's not as if I meant it," I glared at her angrily. I love her but does she always have to be such a know-it-all?
"Well, next time take my advice," she said smugly.
"Will do, deary," I said, sarcastically. Hermione gave me a sour look and headed for the kitchen, where Mrs Weasley was audibly screaming at Ginny.
"Your mum's going to kill me, isn't she?" I said, turning to Bill.
Bill nodded once, looking down; his shoulders shaking with laughter.
I let out a sigh. If Ron were here, he would probably have strangled me by now. In fact, I'm kinda surprised the twins haven't. Especially Fred. The man has quite the temper.
I trudged guiltily up the stairs to the shower and quickly washed myself, remembering where Ginny's hands and lips had traced my face and body. God, I love that girl...
"Harry?" came an urgent whisper from outside the door.
I quickly turned the shower off and wrapped a towel around my waist before poking my head out the door. "What?" I said, annoyed.
"Mrs Weasley wants to see you," Hermione said, crossing her arms over her tiny chest.
"I'll be out in a minute. Honestly, what does a wizard have to do to take a shower around here?" I grumbled, glaring at her.
"Certainly not Ginny," she said slyly.
This is it then, I thought. This is how Hermione will die...
"Get the fu-" I began to say, but was cut off by thudding footsteps on the stairs.
"Hermione," Ginny panted. Merlin, she looked hot when she was sweaty and panting! I quickly rearranged my towel to hide my "problem." "Mum wants you to come down for breakfast. You too, Harry," she said, giving me a seductive wink.
"I'll be down in a minute," I smiled at her. Hermione gave us both disapproving looks before going downstairs for breakfast, while I scurried back to the room I was staying in and got changed into a black shirt and a pair of jeans. I cast a quick drying spell on my hair, slipped my glasses on and hurried down the stairs, mentally preparing myself for the awkward situation I was about to encounter.
" 'Morning," Ginny said as I came in. I flashed her a quick smile, but it slowly disappeared when I saw the look Mrs Weasley was giving us.
"Harry James Potter, never in my life would I have thought that you of all people would be the one to take Ginny's-" Mrs Weasley started yelling at me. I blushed again, not looking up.
"Mum, they didn't do anything," Bill interjected, trying to calm Molly down.
"William Arthur Weasley, keep your nose out of this!" she glared at him. Bill put his hands up in mock surrender, evidently having realized that things were bad when his mum started resorting to full names.
"Mrs Weasley, I can assure you that Ginny and I are just friends," I told her hurriedly.
"...With benefits," Fred muttered under his breath, causing George to give a watery smile and Bill to crack up laughing.
I just noticed the twins had joined us. But what was worrying me the most was Ginny. At my 'just friends' statement, her face had fell; and she was now trying to hide the redness by pretending to study her breakfast cereal.
Apparently I wasn't the only one who noticed. Hermione was patting her hand, in a gesture of emotional support. I felt horrible. I felt like the bottom had come out of my stomach and I felt sick. I didn't mean to hurt her.
"That was delicious, thanks Mum," Ginny whispered, getting up from the table. "I'm going back to my room," she said softly, and left.
Hermione gave everyone a desperate look. "Thank you, Mrs Weasley," she said quickly and followed Ginny out of the kitchen.
GINNY'S POV:
It stung. It would've hurt less if he'd just came over and punched me in the face. I managed to hold it together in the kitchen but I lost it on the stairs. I nearly tripped over and hit my head on the steps three times because I was so blinded with tears.
It wasn't until I heard Hermione's voice behind me that I just let the tears spill over. I sat down on the stairwell while she sat beside me and wrapped her arms around me, whispering comforting words and telling me that it would all be okay. She gently led me back to the room we were sharing as I continued to cry harder.
"Hermione, it's not just a crush," I sobbed. I was telling her the truth. "I'm in love with Harry."
Hermione gave me a pitying look. "Oh Ginny, I know you feel this way now and I don't doubt you in the slightest; but wouldn't it be better if you just tried to move on?" she suggested timidly.
"What do you think I'm trying to do! I don't want to feel this way about him. B-But I c-c-can't help it," I stammered, trying to wipe the tears away.
Hermione took a deep breath. She opened her mouth, as if she wanted to tell me something, but closed it a second later, thinking better of it.
"Ginny, what about Dean?" she whispered.
"Nobody gives a damn about him!" I screamed. "I want Harry," I cried, flinging myself onto the bed.
Hermione rubbed my back and fidgeted, looking torn. "I'll be back in a minute..." She got up and silently opened the door, slipping out so quietly I barely noticed. I heard the door click shut behind her; and for the first time since I was twelve (and had learned what Tom Riddle's Diary actually was), I let myself cry until the tears were no more.
HERMIONE'S POV:
I went down the stairs as quickly as I could without drawing too much attention to myself. When I got to the bottom I peered into the kitchen and saw that Mrs Weasley was making strawberry mousse. It smelled amazing. I peered into the living room and saw Mr Weasley reading the Daily Prophet, while Bill was filling out papers for his divorce and Harry was reading Quidditch Through the Ages.
I gave a small cough to make myself noticed and Harry looked up, giving me a guilty look. I nodded towards the stairwell, where Harry and I could talk in private. He got up and silently followed me to the stairs.
"Is she okay?" Harry asked me, not daring to meet my steely gaze.
"What do you think? You told everyone that you were only friends - and she loves you, Harry! It's no longer just a crush. She loves you," I said, getting softer with each phrase.
Harry looked up so sharply I heard his neck crack. "She loves me?" he asked, bewildered.
I nodded once. "She's crying. Ginny doesn't cry. Ever."
Harry looked as if he were about to faint.
"Harry, you need to tell her how you feel about her," I said, looking into his eyes.
"Hermione, what about Dean?"
"Who cares! Dean will survive, Harry. I don't think he and Ginny were all that serious about each other, anyway. Right now, Ginny needs you," I explained. I could faintly hear her crying upstairs. Harry took in a deep, shaky breath.
"And you're sure she feels the same way about me?"
"Of course I'm sure, you idiot! Go on. Just tell her," I said, giving him a slight push upwards.
Harry's feet carried him forward towards Ginny's room. When we reached the landing, Harry straightened his shirt and took a deep breath before gently knocking on her door and sliding in. Turning back to close the door, Harry gave me a "Wish-Me-Luck" sort of look, which I happily returned with an encouraging one.
HARRY'S POV:
The scene before me was hard to comprehend. Ginny was sitting on her bed, hair tousled, eyes red and puffy, clothes crumpled, yet still incredibly gorgeous.
"Ginny," I said softly, sitting down beside her. I took one of her tiny, pale hands in mine and looked into her gentle, brown eyes. "What's bothering you?"
Ginny just shook her head and kept her gaze firmly on her lap. "Nothing," she mumbled.
"Talk to me," I begged her. But there was still nothing. She continued to stare down and cry quietly. "Ginny, I'm not going to judge you, but I can't make it better if you don't tell me the problem," I explained, gently pushing her head up so she had to look at me.
"It's stupid, Harry, it doesn't matter."
I sighed. What did I have to do to get through to her? "Of course it's not stupid, Gin. C'mon, talk to me," I coaxed her.
Ginny took a deep breath and looked up. "My family doesn't care about me. Nobody does. Mum and Dad love the boys more than me; and the boys don't have time for their silly little sister. I think Dean wants me to, you know, um, go to the next level; and I'm not ready for that. At least, not with him," she added, giving me a tiny glance and blushing.
"I don't have close friends," she continued. "You, Luna and Hermione are only nice to me because you're friends with Ron. Nobody cares for me and it hurts!" she cried. "And on top of all that, I don't have romantic feelings for Dean. I'm in love with someone else... And - and that someone doesn't like me that way," she added hurriedly.
I pulled her closer to me, so she was sitting on my lap and my arm was supporting her back. "Who do you love, Ginny?" I asked her quietly. She just shook her head. "Tell me, Ginny. I want to help you," I pleaded.
"I love...well...I love...you..." she trailed off. A grin spread widely across my face. Ginny loves me! And I love Ginny!
She gave me a nervous glance when she felt my arms stiffen around her. "There's no need to laugh at me," she said, huffily, "But I am sorry, Harry."
"I wasn't laughing! Ginny, please don't apologise, there is absolutely nothing to apologise for," I assured her.
"But there is! I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable and that's exactly what I've just done," she wailed.
I carefully placed my hands on either side of her face, and with my thumbs, wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Ginny. I love you too," I admitted. Then I put my lips slowly to hers, and we shared the most passionate kiss I've ever had.
MRS WEASLEY'S POV:
The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Hermione was doing homework, Arthur went to work, Bill filled out divorce papers; and Harry and Ginny were out of sight. I was finishing making my beef stew when Arthur came in through the back door.
"Good evening," he'd muttered, wiping his feet on the mat. I didn't even bother to reply. Arthur and I had been going through a rough patch lately. He had no time for any of us anymore. I'm sure he's seeing someone from the Ministry. I always trusted him and he always seemed so happy with me; but ever since we joined the Order... Well, let's just say that he and Tonks have been really close; although admittedly Tonks has been really subdued since the murder of her cousin Sirius.
"Kids... Dinner's ready!" I called out to them. Within two and a half minutes, everyone was seated around the table - even Fred and George! I missed my boys so much and it hurts to see them in so much pain. Especially when I can't fix it. I watched as my family sat around me, laughing and joking and sharing news about work and school and Quidditch. They tucked into their stew, hopefully enjoying it and ate heartily until they had finished the whole pot.
"That was great, Mrs Weasley, thank you," Harry complimented me, clearly trying to get back on my good side. I believed them this morning when they said they hadn't done anything; but it was still an odd scene to walk into.
"Thank you, Harry dear," I said, trying to make it clear that he was forgiven. He gave me a dashing smile and leaned back, stretching. When putting his arm down, he gently stroked the hair out of Ginny's face, although it did not go unnoticed by Arthur, Bill or me. I could see Bill's smirk - meaning he was going to say something sarcastic and cause an argument - so I gave him a sharp warning glare and the smirk disappeared.
"That was really great, Molly, thank you," Arthur commented.
I accepted the compliment with great difficulty before consulting the whole table again. "Who wants dessert?" I asked. Everyone laughed and raised their hands, making me laugh at their child-like behavior. I walked over to the fridge and took out the strawberry mousse I had prepared earlier as a surprise to lift the mood for my family. I could hear the chatter of the boys talking about Quidditch and Ginny and Hermione talking about learning to become Animagi. I couldn't imagine my little Ginny suddenly turning into an animal. If anyone, I'd expect it from one of the twins - if not both. I turned back to the group and handed the glasses with mousse in them around the table, so everyone got one.
"I got an owl from Victoire today," Bill said quietly to me. I turned to him with a shocked expression. Victoire was very mature for her age and picked things up quicker than the average child. I suspect it's the Veela in her.
"How is she doing?" I asked, spooning up some of my mousse. Bill's eyes suddenly filled with tears.
"She told me she misses me and she wants me to come home," he said gruffly. I reached over and patted him fondly on the arm.
"Why don't you have her over for the day tomorrow? You can spend the day with her and then she can stay the night," I suggested, trying to make him feel a bit better.
"Are you sure that's okay?" he said, considerably lighter.
"Of course! I love Victoire," I said fondly. She was absolutely perfect, in my eyes. "Go on then, write back to her. You can use Errol, he should be in Charlie's room," I said, finishing off my dessert and going to wash the dishes.
Bill set off at lightning speed and arrived a minute later with Errol beside him and a piece of parchment and a quill in his hand. I looked over his shoulder as he wrote:
Dear Princess Victoire,
I would like to invite you to come and stay with King Daddy tomorrow night. If you want to come and it's okay with Mummy, I will take you out for the day and then you can stay overnight with me. Please answer as soon as you can, Darling.
With lots of loves, hugs and kisses,
from Daddy xoxoxo
He sealed the envelope and tied it to Errol's leg before setting him outside of the window. A second later, Bill let out a large gasp.
"What's up?" Ginny called over from the table.
"Mum, I think you need to see this," Bill muttered.
I hurried over and looked into the distance, to where Bill was pointing. I could see a tall figure in the distance, making its way over to the Burrow. Then I saw a tangle of ginger hair on top of his head. I recognised him instantly; and let out a gasp.
"Arthur, come quickly!" I ordered. He got up and joined us at the window. Ginny, Harry, Fred, Hermione and George all looked at each other with bewildered expressions.
"Is that really who I think it is?" Arthur questioned.
I nodded nervously.
"Kids," I announced, "Percy's here..."