A/N: I haven't had much time to write at all but luckily 90% of this chapter was already written and the next one is also mostly done, so I will probably be able to update again over the weekend if you want.

FYI, I made a spreadsheet with all my fics, also the smaller one-shots that are only on Tumblr. It's pinned on the top of my page ( .com)

He turned the heat of the pan down when he felt Ginny's arms wrap around his waist and a waft of floral shampoo hit his nose.

"Did you shower or did you actually fall into a flower shop?" He glanced down to find she had indeed showered; her hair was still damp.

"What?" she said plainly. "It smells nice, doesn't it?"

"It does," he agreed, putting his free arm around him. "Food is almost ready," he informed her. She had a sudden craving for black pudding so he had run to the store to get it for her.

"Is Neville in?" she asked, releasing him.

"No." He shook his head. "He had an experiment to finish so he is eating there."

Ginny nodded and walked to the cupboard and took out plates and cutlery. She placed it on the table.

"By the way," he started. "I have a little gift for you."

"Is there an occasion I missed?" Ginny frowned.

Harry smiled. "No, it was just because."

"One-month anniversary?" she asked, cocking her head.

"That's not until next week and I don't know if that's worth a gift?" he asked. He went into the pocket of his pants and took out the gift. "Come here and hold out your hand."

"I guess it isn't." She walked up to him and held out her hand.

He took the necklace and placed it in her hand and closed her fingers around it so she couldn't see immediately. She looked intrigued. He nodded that she could open her hand. She unfolded her fingers and looked more closely at the necklace and the little charm. It was a little silver ornament that seemed filled with a glittery powder.

"It's supposed to repel vampires," he told her with a grin.

She looked up with an equally big grin. "Yes, I am in dire need of that."

He nodded. "Thought so."

"This isn't because of the black pudding, right?" Ginny asked, eyeing the pan.

He looked at it too and back up at her. "No. Fun coincidence, I guess. I bought that last weekend."

Ginny held it up to inspect it closer. She handed it to Harry. "Put it on me."

He smiled softly. She turned around and he carefully put it around her neck, closing it at the back. "There you go." He turned off the stove and put the food on the table.

Ginny sat down across from him. "Are you nervous about dinner with my family tomorrow?" she asked as she scooped some vegetables onto her plate.

"I wasn't until you asked just now!" he replied.

She paused to offer him a judging look.

"Ron already knows. I was on the football team with Fred and George... I like to think your parents like me enough and Percy is well... Percy. The only ones I have never met, won't be there. I think I should be okay. You know, once they get over the initial surprise." He pointed his fork at her. "Because you haven't told them it's me."

She shrugged. "Look, me bringing home a boyfriend is already a happy occasion in my parents' eyes. The fact that it is you will just be an added bonus for them."

"Then stop stressing me about it!" he argued. He shook his head. "How is the black pudding?"

"Really good," she said with a nod. She looked up at him, leaning on her hand. "I love you."

"Just because you say that now, doesn't mean you can just throw it out for any occasion."

She smiled widely. "Oh, come on. You love it."

"No, I feel bribed for food!" he said in mock upset, pointing at the table.

She pretended to ignore him as she happily continued to eat.

"Hey, Gin?" he said.

"Hmm?" she said, mouth full of food.

"I love you," he said softly, locking eyes with her.

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled wider.

"See, that's how you say it unconditionally," he said, raising an eyebrow.

She swallowed her food. "I am still practising."

Ginny drove to her parents' house. It was on the countryside, Harry used to live just a few streets further before he and his family moved to the city centre. She parked in front of the house and jumped out. She let herself in, Harry following silently.

"Hi, I'm here!" she called into the house. They were the first to arrive. Noises could be heard in the kitchen.

"Hi, Ginny! Let me meet that boyfriend of yours, come over here!" her mum's voice came from the room.

Ginny walked to the kitchen with Harry in tow.

"Nice to see you, Mrs Weasley," Harry greeted.

Her head whipped around in surprise when she recognised his voice. Her eyes widened, a smile forming instantly.

"Harry's your boyfriend?" Mrs Weasley asked in surprise as she neared the both of them.

Ginny nodded with a wide smile.

"Well, why didn't you say so!" Mrs Weasley told her off. Then she went to hug Harry. "So good to see you, Harry."

"Likewise," Harry said.

Mrs Weasley turned to her daughter and hugged her too.

"So he's approved, right?" Ginny poked, already knowing the answer.

Her father's voice came from behind them. "Pre-approved if you had told us."

Ginny turned around and hugged her dad.

"Hi dad!" she said.

His arms wrapped around his daughter. Harry turned to him too. Mr Weasley shook his hand.

"It's been a while. I assume she thought it would be funny not to tell us?" Mr Weasley said, shaking his head warily.

"Believe me, it was not my idea," Harry told him. He appeared to want to make that perfectly clear.

Mr Weasley gave him a warm smile. "Since you're the first one here, I could use some help putting our table out on the terrace. It's the first day it's warm enough to eat outside."

"I'm happy to help," Harry offered.

The two men stepped out of the back door into the garden. Ginny went up to her mum to ask her honest opinion as soon as Harry was out of earshot. Mrs Weasley put the dish in the oven and joined her by the window, where they had a view of the garden.

"So…?" Ginny tried carefully.

Her mum eyed her."Well, you were always hanging around that boy… I always thought… but then nothing ever happened," her mum said. "What changed?"

Ginny wondered how many details to give, she wasn't sure if her mum found 7 Minutes in Heaven a good foundation for a relationship. "Well… we were on vacation, and he kissed me and I sort of realised that maybe I had a thing for him all along."

"Well, he's a good guy, don't break his heart," Mrs Weasley said.

The men were placing the table on the terrace and seemed to be chatting amicably.

Ginny was a bit taken aback by her comment. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, all of your boyfriends had a rather short shelf life, two or three months and then they're gone," her mum said, absent-mindedly wiping down the kitchen counter.

Ginny could only defend herself. "Because I didn't know them that well and after a month or two you start realising, they're… not that great when you get to know them. I already know him."

"So you meant it when you said it was serious?" Mrs Weasley asked, looking at her.

Ginny knew she meant it. She glanced outside to look at him as they were placing the chairs around the table. She found herself wondering once again exactly how serious. Could this be it?

"Well, is it?" Her mum called her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, I think so," she replied, walking to the fridge to get a drink to have something to do.

Harry and her dad came back inside.

"Is Percy coming?" Ginny asked to make it seem they had not just been talking about Harry.

"I think so," her mum replied.

Harry kissed Ginny's cheek on the way to the sink to wash his hands. Ginny didn't miss the small smile appearing on her mum's face as she caught it.

"Hello," Ron greeted as he stepped into the kitchen.

Mrs Weasley came up to him to engulf him in a hug. "You're preparing well for the exams, right, Ron?" she asked.

Ron shot a knowing look at his sister. "Of course, mum."

"Now," she started. "I assume you already knew about them two?" She pointed at Ginny and Harry, who paused in the middle of drying his hands.

Ron nodded. "Yes, our friend group banded together so they finally got together. We put them—"

"—I fucking dare you, Ron—"

"Language, Ginny!" her mum interrupted.

"—in a closet together," he completed casually. "Clearly worked."

Ginny met eyes with Harry, who put the towel back on the rack. He offered an uncomfortable smile back. Her mother looked a little amused.

"You don't know what happened, Ron. And I will never tell you," Ginny retorted.

Ron sighed loudly. "Will you let that go already?"

"No!"

"God, you're so petty," Ron bit back.

"Well, let's move into the garden now that the chairs are out. Ron, you're helping me with drinks," her dad came in between.

Ron didn't look too happy about that but remained in the kitchen as Harry and Ginny walked out.

Fred came to stand beside Harry on the terrace. Harry offered him a smile in greeting.

"Ah, Harry. It's been a while. So… did she bring the boyfriend?" he asked, nodding to Ginny who was over at the table putting plates.

Harry cleared his throat. "That would be me."

Fred turned to look at him, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise before he recomposed himself. "Oh. Well, that's no fun."

"You were going to try and roast the poor new boyfriend and make him uncomfortable?" Harry mused, carefully looking at Fred.

He shrugged. "Well, evidently. I can't play tricks on you though. How boring."

"Sorry to disappoint." Harry smiled. "We could still play a trick on George, though."

Fred looked excited. "I'm listening intently."

"Well, we'll just pretend the boyfriend has yet to arrive, see how long it takes him to catch on."

George came around the corner.

"Oh, there's George now, your call," Harry challenged him.

Fred offered him a grin, indicating he was in.

"Hey, Harry, how have you been?" George asked.

Harry shook his hand.

"We were just talking about Ginny's boyfriend. Topic of the day…" Fred said with a quick glance at Harry.

"Have you met him?" George asked curiously.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I've known him for quite some time."

Ron came over with drinks and handed them out.

"Ron, care to join us while we await the boyfriend?" Fred shot a wink at his youngest brother, out of view for George.

"Yes, Ron, please join us, it'll be fun," Harry added.

Ron looked a little confused and then it seemed to register. "Sure thing."

Ginny came to join them for a moment and touched Harry's arm. "Harry, my mum is asking if you still don't like baby carrots, apparently she noted that down somewhere."

Harry chuckled. "No, I got over my fear of them, it's fine," she reassured her.

"I thought so, but mum insisted I asked." Ginny smiled and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Everyone subtly glanced at George to see if he had caught on yet.

"Fear of baby carrots?" he asked.

"I almost died choking on one as a kid. Didn't eat it for years. Not to worry, I've learned how to chew in the meantime." He took a sip from his drink. "Ron, you must share your opinion of Ginny's boyfriend, you've met him too," Harry tried.

Ron shot him an annoyed look but played along. "I suppose he's alright."

"Coming from Ron, that's a glowing review," George commented.

"Must be a good dude, too bad he's running late," Fred said, glancing at his watch.

Ginny returned. "Food is ready in five," she said, coming to stand beside Harry.

Everyone waited with bated breath as Ginny took Harry's hand.

"So," George spoke. "Where's the boyf—" George's eyes flickered to their hands and back up. "Wait a minute!"

The group broke out in laughter at his realisation. Ginny looked a little confused.

"These people tricked me!" George said.

Ginny let out a laugh. "I thought you were trying to get on their good side?" she said to Harry.

He shrugged. "I got on Fred's good side," he argued.

George shook his head. "Unbelievable."

Percy arrived, in the middle of what seemed to be a heated phone call. They all watched as he walked up to them.

"No! I said sell if it drops under 500! Are you trying to make me go grey early?" He ended the call. "The boyfriend?" he asked absent-mindedly, glancing at his phone. There was no sign of recognition on his face.

George and Ron sniggered.

"Yes," Harry replied.

Percy looked straight at him. "What's your name?"

"Harry…" he replied, amused that not even his name rang a bell.

Percy's phone buzzed again. He glanced at it. "Well, nice to meet you, Harry," he said as he shook Harry's hand. "Sorry, got to take this—Patrick! No, go ahead, tell me."

They all watched as Percy stepped away to take the next phone call.

"Please tell me why we haven't disowned him yet?" Ron asked, not worried if Percy was out of earshot.

"Ron!" Mrs Weasley told him off as she stepped outside.

He shrugged and they all walked to the table for dinner.

"You know, I think I have been missing out," Harry said, staring up at the ceiling while on his bed. It was almost time to sleep.

Ginny turned on her stomach to look at him, pulling her long hair out of her face. "What do you mean?"

"On the whole girlfriend thing." He glanced at her. "Is it always like this?"

"No," she said without much hesitation, her eyes soft. "You know it's not."

"But why not?" he asked her, turning his head to look at her.

Ginny looked away for a moment, considering her words. "Well, there's a lot to unpack when it comes to why relationships work…"

"Aha, mankind's greatest mystery." He grinned at her.

"My mum was asking about you today, obviously. It made me think… because I usually can tell by the first month or two if the person is the one or not."

"Yes, Mr Right. I recall you said that. Should I be alarmed?" Harry asked, "Because the answer has always been no."

Ginny scooted a little closer to him. "Depends on what you want the answer to be."

Harry remained silent as he looked at her.

"Look, I have more experience than you in the love department. All of them have been pretty much the same. My feelings have been the same. I could tell if it wasn't going well. Yet sometimes you still try… because they're a good guy and maybe it can work out." She played with her hair. "I know what it feels like and this is distinctly different from all the others. It isn't always this good."

Harry processed her words, aware she was studying his face. He knew what level of commitment he was willing to go to, but this was Ginny, who tended to second guess her relationships all the time. "The one?"

"Well, I can't look into the future, Harry," Ginny replied.

"Because that is a big title to uphold," Harry said, raising his eyebrows. He was just poking around to see her reaction, hope growing in his chest.

She shook her head with a slight frown. "No, it isn't meant to be upheld. That is the point. Someone shouldn't have to work at it to be the one. They are or they aren't."

Harry's gaze returned to the ceiling. "Here I was, afraid to say things, because I think you are not ready. I am walking on eggshells but..." He shook his head furiously as if this was terrible news. When his eyes landed on her again, she was laughing.

"But, but—" she started to defend herself.

"No!" Harry said quite dramatically. "I shall hear none of it!"

She let her head drop against his shoulder as she laughed.

His eyes landed on her, laughing too. "Really."

She reached out and put her arm around his waist and looked at him more seriously. "So, you're not alarmed, then?"

His arm came to cover hers that was on his waist. He'd marry her right now. "I think a lifetime spent with a best friend is time well spent."

"A lifetime?" she asked curiously.

"I see, you're confused," Harry started. Ginny crawled on top of him, sitting on his stomach. "The purpose of the one is that you stay with them for the rest of your life—"

Ginny's face appeared above his. "Harry."

His hands reached up to hold her face. "I'd be so lucky," he said honestly. He watched the blush spread across her cheeks as she smiled.

A/N: If it isn't the last chapter before it all goes south... or two fools in love not knowing what's looming over their heads. Oh boy.