"Surprise!" Ginny exclaimed, smiling widely at him.
/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*
"I promise this date will be better," Harry said, with a contrite look that conveyed his regret at how their previous couple of official dates had gone.
"Harry, I already told you that I don't care what we do on dates– I just love spending time with you," Ginny responded, rubbing his arm lightly. "Whatever you have planned, I'm game."
He smiled at her, already perked up. "Then let's go," he said, spinning on his heel and apparating them both to a place Ginny wasn't expecting at all, filled with massive stones stacked oddly in a circle.
"This is a pretty famous place for Muggles. I'd seen pictures of it at school, but I wasn't ever allowed to go on any school trips to see it. It's called Stonehenge."
Ginny looked up at him, smiling slightly. Seeing her look, he continued, "I know it doesn't look like much– it's just a pile of stones really, but what's interesting is nobody knows how they got here. There's never been an explanation for it."
Ginny's smile grew even wider, but she did her best not to laugh. "Harry, I know what Stonehenge is."
"You do? Here I thought I was showing you Muggle stuff you'd never seen before," he bemoaned, and now Ginny couldn't help but laugh. He really didn't know.
"You really never paid attention in History of Magic, did you?" she asked after calming down, feeling a little bad that Harry was so confused.
He shook his head. "Not really." He paused a moment before realisation swept over his face. "Wait… are you saying–"
Ginny laughed once again and nodded. "Yes, I'm saying we learned about this in History of Magic in fourth year."
Harry chuckled and ran a hand through his hair. "In my defence, I was pretty preoccupied with other things in my fourth year."
Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I know. I'm sure you were a model student in that class every other year."
Now he smiled wryly. "Well… I was a little busy my first year with a professor trying to kill me. Then my second year I had the whole Chamber thing. My third year, I thought a deranged murderer was trying to kill me. Then in my fourth year–"
Ginny cut him off, laughing as he dramatically emphasised all the other reasons he had for not paying attention in History of Magic other than just being bored in the class. "I get the picture, Harry. I'm sure you would've been brilliant in the class if not for everything else going on."
"And if Binns hadn't been so boring," he added, chuckling at her reaction. "So, since you're such an expert on magical history, what's the real story behind Stonehenge?"
"I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I did manage to get my O.W.L. in it at least," she began, winking at him.
Harry groaned. "That's a low blow, Gin."
She grinned and continued. "There's not really much of a story, which is why it's so funny. Nobody knows the names of the people who did it, but they were some of the earliest students at Hogwarts. One summer, they found a bunch of these really old stones in Wales, I think, and they just played with them, stacking them randomly here. When they got bored of playing with the stones, they left them here because they thought it'd be funny to see how Muggles would react to it. By the time the Statute of Secrecy was made, so many people in the Muggle world knew about it that nobody in our world could really do anything about it. Besides, the Muggles have sort of come up with explanations for them, even if they don't make much sense."
Harry laughed and shook his head. "I must've missed that part of Binns' lectures. That's really funny though. I had no idea that this was a magical site too."
"You must just have good instincts," Ginny offered, and he shrugged, still smiling.
"I guess we can use that explanation. Well, if you don't want to stay here since you already know about it, we can go do the other thing that I had planned for us since we're going to have to be out until night anyways."
Ginny shook her head. "No. I mean, I do want to find out what else you have planned, but this is really interesting too, and it's not like I've ever been here before."
Visibly emboldened, Harry nodded and took her hand, leading her towards the massive stones. It was late in the afternoon, and although there were a few Muggles around, it felt like they were almost completely alone, staring up in awe at the stones that had been magically erected a thousand years earlier.
"I know it probably sounds stupid, but this feels magical," Harry said quietly, looking from the rocks, illuminated by the setting sun, to her.
Ginny smiled up at him and shook her head. "It doesn't sound stupid at all. This is definitely magical."
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
They spent close to an hour at the monument before deciding that they were ready to continue with their date. They walked hand in hand until they were out of sight of the Muggles still milling about near Stonehenge before he tightly hugged Ginny, apparating them to the next stop on their date.
Feeling the sand under his feet, Harry looked out and saw the sun setting at the horizon, causing the ocean before him to sparkle in a dozen variations of yellow, red, and blue. "That's pretty magical too," Ginny commented, referring back to a brief conversation they'd had when they first arrived at Stonehenge.
Harry smiled and looked down at her, forgetting whatever it was that he was going to say when he saw her. Her hair looked like a fiery inferno, as if it was absorbing the beauty of the sunset and magnifying it. Her pale skin was almost shining, and her freckles seemed to be luring him in, begging to be counted individually. She was still smiling, and he could feel the lacewing flies beating around in his stomach, seeing her smiling like that at him. Finally, he looked at her eyes, physically feeling his knees becoming weak, seeing her gorgeous brown eyes blazing with their usual intensity and the added light of the setting sun.
"You're magical," Harry whispered, thinking that magic was the only thing that could possibly describe the vision in front of him.
She blushed slightly. "What?" she asked, and Harry cleared his throat.
"Just– you're so beautiful, Gin. And you love me and always want to be with me… I've seen so many things in the past seven years that shocked me because I'd grown up not believing in magic. But… you're the most magical thing in my life," he finished, wondering if that made any sense at all.
Ginny was positively beaming as she looked up at him, and he thought it looked like there might have been a tear or two in her eyes, even though none fell. "I fall more in love with you every day," she responded, pulling his head down to meet hers as they engaged in a very passionate kiss that made Harry forget what they were doing on the beach for several moments.
Blinking dumbly, he finally remembered why they were here. "This is called Chesil Beach. We're probably about fifty miles from the Burrow now."
"How did you find out about this place?" Ginny asked, looking around the beach and the town that was in the distance.
Harry shrugged. "Hermione had a bunch of maps out the other day when she was looking at Australia. I borrowed her map of Britain and thought this place looked nice." There was a little more to that story, but Harry wasn't really wanting to reveal that surprise until it was time.
Ginny nodded, even though she didn't look like that answer made complete sense to her. "So what are we doing here, then?"
Harry chuckled and took her hand. "Maybe I just wanted to take a long walk on the beach with my girlfriend."
Ginny giggled slightly. "I still like hearing you call me that."
He grinned. "I like calling you that too," he answered honestly. They began walking along the beach towards the town, not really talking much.
"Look at that house," Ginny blurted out, pointing towards a house that almost appeared out of nowhere– there weren't any other houses near it. It wasn't very big, but it looked cosy, with external stonework that almost reminded Harry of Hogwarts. In a way, it also reminded him of his parents house in Godric's Hollow– at least, the part that hadn't been destroyed. There was a small porch attached to the front, with a swinging bench like the one at the Burrow too.
"That's a really nice house," Harry responded, smiling slightly at her reaction to it.
"That's like a perfect house. Right on the beach and everything!" she exclaimed as they walked past it.
Harry chuckled and put his arm around her as they continued walking. "I didn't take you for being so into houses," he commented.
She shrugged, glancing back once more at the house. "I'm not usually. But it was a nice house," she said simply, making Harry chuckle once more.
"It definitely was," he agreed.
About ten minutes later, they reached their destination, a small seafood restaurant that almost looked like a shack or a hut. It sat right on the beach though, and it wasn't crowded at all, so they got to sit overlooking the water as the sun continued to fall below the horizon.
"So what do you want for your birthday?" Ginny asked after their dinners had been served.
Harry blinked owlishly at her. "I already have everything I want," he answered sincerely, and she shook her head, smiling at him.
"You're sweet. But you're going to get presents on your birthday, so you'd better get ready for it," she warned.
He chuckled and shrugged. "I'm sure any gifts I get will be great, but it's just not something I think about when my birthday comes around."
She frowned at him. "You really never had any birthdays as a kid, did you?" she asked quietly. Harry shook his head, not really wanting to elaborate any further and ruin the great day they'd been having.
Instead of asking anything else, Ginny did something infinitely more attractive. She placed her hand on top of his and looked deeply into his eyes, causing his breaths to come a little more shallowly. "I promise to give you fifteen years of great birthdays to make up for it," she stated, eyes blazing once more.
"Fifteen?" Harry asked, and she nodded.
"One for each year before you started spending your birthdays with us. But for the record, I'm planning on giving you way more than fifteen good birthdays."
His heart was pounding incredibly fast with affection for her. She was incredible. "You really want to spend your life with me?" Harry whispered, unsure if he'd actually said something audible. She'd told him as much before, but he still found it hard to believe, and hearing her quantify it like that made it all feel a little more real. He didn't think he'd ever fully understand why she wanted to be with him, but he knew he'd never stop being grateful for it.
She wrapped his hand with both of hers. "Without a doubt. Isn't that what forever means?" Ginny asked, having clearly heard his previous question.
He nodded, still amazed by her. "That's the only birthday gift I'll ever want," he responded, and she smiled at him.
"Once again, that's very sweet, but that's not a birthday gift. Don't worry though, you'll love what I'm giving you," she promised.
Harry grinned widely. "I don't think it'll be able to top last year's gift," he said, and she giggled, obviously remembering the fiery kiss they'd shared on his birthday a year ago.
"Maybe not, but the good news is I can give you kisses like that all the time now, without needing your birthday as an excuse," she responded, smiling suggestively at him as she leaned over the table to prove her point with a soft kiss that still made Harry's heart beat a little faster every time. He knew that wouldn't ever change.
The sun had completely set by the time they left the restaurant, but the moon hadn't yet risen, so they wandered aimlessly around the town they were in– Weymouth. It was a charming coastal town, with architectural styles ranging across several centuries. They walked around the harbour, which was glowing with electric lights, savouring the salty smell of the air and the cosiness of the town.
"It's beautiful here," Ginny commented as they continued walking around the harbour. Harry nodded his agreement, now looking at the different boats that were docked nearby. For a moment, he remembered playing with broken toy boats of Dudley's when he was younger. He was so distracted by it that he was surprised when Ginny pulled him away from the harbour towards a building she saw.
"Look– a cinema!" Ginny exclaimed, beginning to look at all the advertisements for the films being shown inside.
"Do you want to watch something?" Harry asked a little hesitantly, wary of repeating their date to see Titanic.
Ginny nodded eagerly. "I can't really tell what any of these films are about though."
"Maybe we can ask if the ticket clerk knows which ones are good," he suggested, opening the door so they could step inside.
"How can I help you?" a brunette girl sitting behind a desk asked once they'd walked in.
"We're wanting to go to a film, but we're not sure which one to see," Harry began, and the girl nodded.
"We didn't like Titanic," Ginny chimed in, and the girl laughed.
"I didn't either. It was too sad for me." Both Harry and Ginny nodded, fully agreeing with that assessment.
"How do you two feel about danger?" the girl asked. Ginny chuckled and Harry smiled wryly.
"We're pretty familiar with it," he answered.
The girl raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any questions. "Well if that's something you like, you should watch Godzilla. It's about as far from Titanic as you can get, and we've got a showing starting in ten minutes."
Harry turned to look at Ginny, cocking his head to see what she thought. She nodded. "Sounds interesting to me," she answered, and Harry grinned.
"We'll take two tickets for it, then."
The clerk was right. It really was about as different as possible from Titanic. Throughout the film, Harry kept glancing over at Ginny, pleased to see that she was clearly enthralled with everything on the screen. She actually cheered when they killed the monster, causing the few other people in the cinema to look curiously at them, but Ginny didn't notice. She was still watching what was on the screen, completely enraptured. Harry just smiled and pulled her closer to him, thinking that this was pretty much a perfect date.
Once the credits began to roll and the lights came back on, Harry asked, "So, what'd you think?"
Ginny was grinning as widely as possible. "That was awesome!" she responded enthusiastically.
Harry pulled her close and kissed the top of her head. "Now I'm sure you're the right girl for me. It'll definitely be easier going on dates to see things like that rather than sad romantic films."
She nodded. "We've already got all the romance we need. We don't have giant lizard monsters though," she commented, and Harry laughed out loud with her.
"Thankfully that's true," he said, standing up in the now empty cinema.
"Are you ready to go now?" he asked.
"One more thing," she said, standing up on the seat so she was taller than him. She leaned down and kissed him softly. "That's for a great date. I love you."
Harry smiled widely. "I love you too, but the fun's not quite over yet, remember?" he asked, and she nodded, wrapping her arms tightly around him as he disapparated with her.
"The moon's out now," Ginny commented when they arrived at the gates of Hogwarts.
Harry nodded. "Good thing. That's pretty important for what we're doing."
Unfortunately, the gates were closed, so they had to levitate each other over, which surprisingly worked. Harry almost would've expected there to have been some sort of enchantments in place or something when the gates were closed, but they both made it over and onto the grounds safely.
"Professor Sprout said we could take whatever fluxweed we needed from Greenhouse Three," he said once they started walking to the greenhouses. They reached the greenhouse they were searching for without incident, and, as promised, it was unlocked.
"We'll need nine ounces of fluxweed," Ginny recalled when they found the plant in a corner of the greenhouse. Harry pointed to a full pot, which must have had about fifteen or twenty sprigs poking out of the soil.
"Is that enough?" he asked, and Ginny nodded.
"Probably more than enough, but it's better to be safe than sorry. We'd have to wait another month before trying again if we didn't have enough."
She took a knife from a utility drawer in the greenhouse and cut all the plants from the soil. "So there's our fluxweed, picked at the full moon. We'll start adding this and the boomslang skin tomorrow for the next nine days, and then after that, it'll be just about ready."
After taking the fluxweed to the Room of Requirement where the rest of the ingredients were located, they walked back onto the grounds and towards the gates. Unfortunately, when Harry tried to levitate Ginny over the gates, she hit some sort of invisible barrier. He set her back down, and they looked at each other with confused expressions.
"So the gates aren't there to keep people out…" Harry began, and Ginny finished his thought.
"They're to keep students in. That's messed up," she commented, and Harry nodded, agreeing with that.
"Well, I guess we can go to the dorm," he offered.
"Mum's gonna kill us," Ginny groaned, and Harry grimaced.
"I'll send a Patronus so everyone knows where we are, and we'll just leave first thing tomorrow," he suggested.
Ginny sighed and nodded, clearly not seeing another alternative. "Expecto Patronum!" Harry cast, thinking about Ginny's recent reminder that she wanted to spend her life with him. His stag burst out of his wand and bounded over the gate, flying into the air until it winked out of sight.
He and Ginny communicated wordlessly, both reaching for the other's hand as they walked back up to the castle. They reached the Fat Lady's portrait, annoying her greatly when they woke her up. "I can't let you in without a password," she said sleepily.
"But there's nobody else in there, and you know we're both Gryffindors," Harry responded, feeling annoyed as well now.
"Rules are rules," she said dismissively, yawning and closing her eyes.
"Bloody hell," he grumbled, turning away from the useless portrait and shaking his head. Ginny put an arm around his back and began leading him away from her.
"Let's just go to the Room of Requirement and you can conjure a bed for us," she suggested.
Harry nodded, thinking that he should've thought of that sooner. It was quite late at night when they finally did get into the room and conjure a bed that was much larger than the bed they slept in at the Burrow. Interestingly enough though, they didn't make use of any of that additional space. They remained as closely wrapped together in this bed as they always did. There wasn't a better way to sleep, in Harry's opinion.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
As magical as their date was, Ginny knew her mum wouldn't be happy that they spent the night away from home without warning. Sure enough, after they added the first batch of boomslang skin and fluxweed and left the castle grounds, apparating back to the Burrow, she was standing on the porch, waiting for them.
"We planned on coming back last night," Ginny began, trying to preempt her mother's reaction.
"Why were you two even at Hogwarts last night?" she asked. She still didn't seem happy, but at least she wasn't yelling yet.
"We've been fixing the Room of Requirement. It got really messed up during the battle. One of the things we had to do for it had to be done at the full moon. After we did it, we tried to leave, but we couldn't," Harry explained. Ginny didn't miss that her mother's gaze visibly softened when looking at him. Lucky.
"Well what did you think the gates were for?" she asked incredulously.
"To… keep people out," Ginny answered truthfully, and her mum chuckled dryly, shaking her head.
"Hogwarts cares much more about keeping students from running off than somebody trying to break in."
"Well we know that now," Ginny responded, still thinking that sounded a little ridiculous. It couldn't have created a very tall magical barrier– in her fourth year, they'd been able to ride off the grounds on thestrals even though the gates were closed.
Her mum sighed. "I know the two of you are practically adults. But a mother's job is to worry, and when two of my kids go missing, I worry. I know you're both capable of taking care of yourselves– you've proven that in spades this year. But still, just try and let me know beforehand if you're not coming home when we expect you."
Ginny and Harry both nodded, and Ginny did her best not to let her relief show on her face. Her mum wasn't that upset– thankfully they'd already talked at length about Ginny spending nights with Harry, and Ginny could handle her mum saying they needed to let her know where they were, even if it wasn't their fault that they couldn't get back.
Mercifully, her mum didn't say anything more. Instead, she just walked back into the house, and Ginny and Harry followed. Ron stopped Harry to talk about another conversation that he'd had with Barnaby Trumble, and, as interested as Ginny genuinely was in that, she needed to talk to Hermione, so she pulled her friend out of the living room and up to her room.
"What is it?" Hermione asked once Ginny had shut the door behind them.
"You and Ron did actually get something for Harry for his birthday, right?" she asked in response.
Hermione nodded. "Of course we did."
Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. What'd you get him?"
Hermione crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I guess you'll find out in two days," she said, and Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Fine. You don't have to tell me. But is it good, and is it something I might give him too?" Ginny asked.
Hermione raised both eyebrows now, seeming a little offended. "I think it's a great present. Ron and I have been working on it for almost a month now, and it's almost done. We were actually about to go and finish it before you got back. But no, I don't think there's any chance your gift to Harry will be anything like our gift."
Ginny nodded, now feeling a little worried that their gift to Harry would be better than hers. Not that it really mattered; she wanted him to be happy regardless, but she did personally hope that her gift was the best.
"You've been working on it for a month?" she settled on asking, thinking that sounded a little crazy to her.
Hermione shrugged. "Well, we've been working on it off and on for a month. We probably could've done it in a day or two if we just sat down and focused only on that, but we've been taking it slow because we had time. But now our time's running out, so we're going to be leaving soon."
"Leaving?" Ginny asked yet another question, and Hermione nodded.
"Yes, but I'm not telling you where we're going, so you can stop trying to bait me into revealing our gift."
Ginny sighed, disappointed but not surprised that Hermione had seen through her. "You are going to help on Friday, right?"
"Yes, I'll help you the whole day if that's what it takes. Ron and the rest of the boys know what they're supposed to be doing, so we'll be able to get everything ready. But… are you sure this is what–"
"Yes, Hermione. This is definitely what we should be doing," Ginny responded, cutting her friend off.
"I'm just saying, Harry doesn't like to be the centre of attention."
Ginny sighed yet again. "I know. But that's almost entirely with the press and people looking up to him. He'll like this, I promise."
Hermione still looked a little doubtful, but she finally nodded. "Okay. I trust you. It's just– Harry's like a brother to me. And my best friend. I just want him to be happy."
Ginny smiled, feeling the small bit of tension leaving the room. She fully understood where Hermione was coming from. They all just wanted what was best for Harry. "And Harry's the love of my life. Neither of us are going to do anything for Harry that he wouldn't like."
The corners of Hermione's mouth twitched as she raised an eyebrow at Ginny for what felt like the ninth time in the conversation. "The love of your life?" she asked curiously.
Ginny just nodded. It wasn't a secret. "Yeah, of course he is."
Hermione smiled widely now. "You two are going to get married," she said. It wasn't a question, just a statement of fact.
Ginny chuckled. "Hopefully one day, but not anytime soon," she answered.
"And I'll be your maid of honour," Hermione continued. Once again, it wasn't a question, just a statement.
Ginny laughed now. "We'll see how much help you are on Friday and how good that gift is before I make any promises."
Hermione laughed too, and Ginny gave her friend a quick hug before she left the room, presumably to get Ron and take him wherever they were going to work on Harry's gift. It may have been a little childish, but Ginny still hoped he liked her gift the best. He certainly had last year.
This was the fifth day Harry had been at the Burrow. They'd held hands the night he came back, but Ginny wasn't stupid enough to think that he'd want to get back together based on that. He hadn't broken up with her a month ago because he'd stopped caring for her– he obviously still cared deeply for her, and she felt the same for him. Holding hands was just instinct. They both needed comfort and reassurance, and it was easier to find that in each other than anywhere else.
Most of his stay had been incredibly awkward though. He spent the majority of his time with Ron and Hermione, when her mum wasn't putting them to work. Ginny suspected that she knew what they were talking about, even if she knew absolutely no details. She wanted so badly to eavesdrop, but Harry had broken up with her so she wouldn't know about everything. Somehow he thought that would put her in less danger, and for some reason, she didn't want to ruin that for him.
Her suspicions were pretty much confirmed when Harry let it slip that they were planning on trying to kill Voldemort. The silent moments that had passed between them after that– their first moments alone since they'd broken up– were almost charged with tension and fear and longing. She wanted so badly to comfort him. He did his best to seem confident or assured, but she could see inside of him better than almost anyone. He was scared; he didn't know what was happening. Of course, her dad, Kingsley, and Bill had all walked in at that moment, and she was resigned to sitting so close to Harry that it took everything in her not to touch him.
The next day had been a return to more of the same. Awkward glances or trying to ignore each other altogether when they were in the same room. Ginny knew they both did it because they both wanted so badly to be together, but Harry was far too noble and stuck in his ideas of what was best to entertain that thought.
But today was Harry's birthday, and not just any birthday. It was his seventeenth birthday, and even though they weren't together anymore, Ginny wanted to give him a gift. The problem was that she didn't have anything to give him that she thought would be useful. Because if she was going to give him something, she wanted it to be able to help him. She'd do anything she could to make sure he came back from this dangerous mission that the three of them seemed ready to go on.
Because what she wanted more than anything was something Harry couldn't ever give her. He couldn't promise that he'd come back to her. Sometimes, she wondered if he expected that he wouldn't come back, and that's really why he broke up with her. To make things easier for her. It wouldn't work though. She'd already decided that she'd wait as long as it took for him to come back. The only thing that she could think of to give him was a reminder of what he had to come back to, when it was all over.
As luck would have it, she heard the three of them walking up the stairs at that moment. There wasn't any more time to think things over, so without hesitation, she opened up her door. "Harry, will you come in here a moment?"
He looked surprised, like she'd broken some sort of secret promise they'd made about not interacting with each other anymore. Ron looked more than a little concerned, and she silently thanked Hermione for dragging her annoyingly intrusive brother up the stairs as Harry nervously walked through the open door, which she closed behind him. She didn't want any interruptions.
Harry looked around her room, and Ginny was dimly aware that she'd never had a boy from outside her family in her room before. He finally looked down at her, and she found that all she could say was "Happy seventeenth."
"Yeah… thanks," Harry responded. His eyes were shifting across her face, as if he was either trying to memorise it or just couldn't stand to look her in the eyes. She didn't waver. She wanted to savour every second she had left to look into his brilliant eyes, shining like emeralds.
"Nice view," he commented, looking out the window, apparently unsure how to talk to her now. He was so cute, and she wasn't afraid to take initiative, especially when it came to Harry.
"I couldn't think what to get you," she said.
"You didn't have to get me anything," he automatically responded, still looking out the window. He probably wasn't expecting anything from his ex-girlfriend, but she could see a spark in his eyes, even though they weren't directed at her. They weren't broken up, really. At least not to her. And he was just used to not receiving presents. Far too humble and selfless for his own good. He was amazing.
"I didn't know what would be useful. Nothing too big, because you wouldn't be able to take it with you." Harry finally looked down at her, and she took her chance to step closer to him. He didn't back away. They were alone, and she could tell he missed her too.
"So then I thought, I'd like you to have something to remember me by, you know, if you meet some veela when you're off doing whatever you're doing." That was a bit braver of a line than she'd planned on saying. She wanted him to remember her, of course, but not because she really thought he'd find someone else. She just wanted him to remember that she'd be waiting for him whenever he was done.
"I think dating opportunities are going to be pretty thin on the ground, to be honest," he responded. Another amazing thing about Harry– he had a brilliant sense of humour that so many people didn't appreciate. She wanted to laugh or smile, but she was done waiting. This had to happen now.
"There's the silver lining I've been looking for," she whispered, standing on her toes to kiss him. It shocked her like their first kiss– he was running a hand through her hair and pulling her closer to him while their tongues danced together. Ginny wove her fingers into his hair, messing it up even further, which only made him more attractive. Nothing existed beyond Harry. She didn't think either of them would ever forget this kiss.
It was magical– other than it ending far too soon when the door banged open with Ron standing there and Hermione apologetically looking over his shoulder, slightly out of breath like she'd chased him down the stairs. Ginny didn't even hear what they said. Her lips were on fire, and her ears were ringing. They couldn't kiss again now, and she didn't know if they'd ever get a chance to kiss again. If, Merlin forbid, that was the last one, they could've done far worse than that.
She noticed everything had been awkwardly silent for a moment, so she decided to make things even more uncomfortable, saying flatly, "Well, happy birthday anyway, Harry."
He wasn't looking at her, and she glanced at him one last time before turning away and looking out the window. She didn't want Harry to see her cry, but she couldn't keep the tears from falling any longer. All she could think now was that might actually have been the last time she ever kissed him. It all became incredibly real, and even though she wanted to believe he'd win and everything would be okay, none of them knew for sure what would happen.
When she turned back around, they were all gone, and she was alone once again in her room. She tried not to imagine it, but she couldn't help but picture Harry coming back into her room, one day after this was all over, and kissing her without the weight of the world hanging over him. That was the birthday present she wished she could've given him.
She blinked, realising that she was looking at the exact spot, in front of the window, where they'd shared that magical kiss. Then without warning, she found herself falling into another memory related to that kiss.
"Sorry it's been so long. We've had to go underground for a while, but I've been wanting to tell you. Remus said they were okay. He can't say where they are, but they're okay." Ginny was sitting on her bed, doing her best not to cry as Tonks stood in front of her, trying to reassure her.
"It's been almost a month, Tonks. I leave for Hogwarts in less than a week. I don't know what I'm going to do without them. I'm so scared," Ginny finished in a whisper, hating that she had to admit that. Tonks sat on the bed next to her, placing an arm gently around her shoulders and pulling Ginny into a tight hug.
"They're going to come back, Ginny. I pro–"
Ginny cut Tonks off. "You don't know that. None of us know that. Remus knows where they are now, but if they leave, they could all be killed any second and we wouldn't know. The Ministry's fallen. Snape's going to be running Hogwarts. I– I don't see how we get out of this, Tonks," she said despairingly, hoping against hope that there was a way out.
"I know. But they've got a knack for staying alive. Especially Harry. Remus has told me several times that he thinks they can do it… he just wishes they'd let him or someone help."
"They're being hunted by the entire Ministry and all the Death Eaters," Ginny responded, still not feeling reassured.
"But they haven't been caught yet. I know it's hard, Ginny, but all we can do is hope and fight where we can."
"No offence, Tonks, but I don't think you know what it's like to have your brother, one of your best friends, and your– Harry on the run, not knowing where they are, if they're alive, and when they're coming back," Ginny fired back, probably more venomously than she intended. She did appreciate that Tonks was trying to help, and it was easier to talk to her about things than pretty much anyone else, but that didn't make this any easier.
"You're right. I don't know what it's like to not know where the people I love are. Instead, I know every day that myself and my husband are putting our lives at risk with what we're doing to try and win this war. The three of them are far more capable than most fully-trained wizards and witches. They're all going to come back– even Harry," Tonks said, looking at Ginny out of the side of her eye.
Ginny sighed, blinking back a tear that was threatening to cascade down her cheek. "We dated last year," she admitted. Tonks turned to look at her fully. Ginny hadn't ever told her about this. "We got together in the middle of May, but he broke up with me after Dumbledore died. He didn't want me to be in danger by being his girlfriend."
Tonks smiled kindly at her. "I thought it seemed like things were different between the two of you before they left. Harry couldn't take his eyes off of you at the wedding."
Ginny blushed slightly. "Really?" she asked.
Tonks nodded. "I was worried he was going to ruin his disguise. The way he was looking at you was practically illegal if he really was your cousin." Ginny laughed out loud for what may have been the first time in weeks, and Tonks gladly joined her.
Several minutes later, Ginny wiped her eyes, relieved that these were much happier tears than the ones she'd been shedding recently. "We kissed on his birthday," she confessed, and Tonks grinned widely.
"That's the Ginny I know! This is what we talked about last summer– not giving up! Good for you," Tonks exclaimed, holding a hand up for a high five, which Ginny weakly returned.
"We didn't get back together. He still left, and I'm still here. Nothing's gonna happen until the war's over."
"Trust me, Ginny. The two of you are about the least broken up couple of exes I've ever seen. He won't be forgetting about you, and he'll be right back with you as soon as he can."
"Assuming he wins," Ginny whispered, hating that that was the most terrifying condition of the whole thing.
Tonks hugged her once more. "He will. We will. We all have to do our part to help, and the war will be over that much quicker."
"Well, I'll be at Hogwarts. I dunno how much help I'll be there," Ginny responded dubiously.
Tonks quirked an eyebrow. "You're a fighter, Ginny. You don't give up– not on Harry and not on the fight. I'm not sure what you'll be able to do at Hogwarts yet, but opportunities will present themselves. You're strong enough to do everything you can to help us win. I know it."
Ginny nodded, still feeling unsure about how much help she could be, but she knew she'd do whatever she could if it meant the war would be over soon. If it meant she could see Harry again.
HGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHG
Harry woke groggily, rubbing his eyes and blinking. It took his eyes a moment to fully adjust before he saw what was right in front of him– a fiery mane of red hair, beautiful brown eyes, and the wide grin of his girlfriend.
"Happy Birthday!" she exclaimed, pulling him into a deep kiss.
He chuckled when they separated. "Can we just stay in bed all day for my birthday? I can't imagine anything will top that."
She giggled and kissed the tip of his nose. "You're adorable, but I think everyone else would be rather upset if you didn't go downstairs."
"Everyone else?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Better get dressed," she said without further explanation. Harry sighed and quickly kissed her once more before standing, changing into a red Gryffindor t-shirt and jeans. Ginny was happily staring at him when he turned back around.
"I love you," she said simply, and he laughed.
"See, I don't need anything other than that. I love you too," he said, kissing her as she stood off the bed, already dressed. Apparently she'd woken up and got ready before he did. He glanced in the mirror before they walked out, running a hand through his hair as if that would help with the mess.
Ginny chuckled. "That's not going to do anything. But I think you look positively sexy," she commented proudly, but she dodged out of the way when Harry moved to kiss her again.
"Don't look at me like that," she giggled. "I was supposed to wake you up, not keep you upstairs all day. I promise, there'll be plenty of time for that later."
Harry sighed. "There better be," he grumbled, and she laughed once more, mercifully kissing him on the cheek before leading him downstairs. He was surprised that nobody was in the kitchen, but he realised why when he saw the crowd gathered around a long table in the yard.
He'd expected to see Arthur, Molly, Charlie, George, Ron, and Hermione. He was a little surprised that Bill and Fleur were there considering Bill had a job. He was also a little surprised and happy to see Andromeda, Teddy, and Hagrid. But he was most shocked by the people he certainly hadn't expected to see. Emily was there, talking to Ron and Hermione. And at the far end of the table, Kingsley and McGonagall were talking with Arthur and Molly, while Percy stood close by.
"Surprise!" Ginny exclaimed, smiling widely at him.
He stared at her in shock. "How did you– when– wow," he said, unable to put his thoughts into words.
She shrugged. "You're rather popular. It wasn't nearly as hard as you'd expect to get everyone to take some time off work for a birthday breakfast with you."
"You're incredible," he whispered, and she kissed him quickly before leading him outside. He was met with cheers from several people around the table, and within seconds, he was enveloped into a large group hug with almost everyone, although he suspected Percy and McGonagall hadn't joined to remain dignified, even if that didn't stop Kingsley. Laughing as he made his way over to the table, he sat down at the head of it, with Ginny and Emily on one side and Ron and Hermione on the other.
"I had no idea you'd all be here–" he began.
George scoffed. "Kind of the point of a surprise," he commented, and Harry chuckled.
"I just wanna say thanks for coming. I don't really know how you were all able to take time away from work, especially you, Kingsley, but I really appreciate it."
Kingsley smiled. "One of the perks of being the Minister for Magic is getting to make my own schedule. I was just happy to receive an invite." Harry shook his head in disbelief, thinking it insane that the Minister had taken time off to come to a birthday celebration for him.
Molly stood up and waved her wand, and their plates were suddenly filled with full English breakfasts– one of Harry's favourite meals. His plate was piled high with eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, and toast. His goblet was also filled with pumpkin juice, completing his perfect breakfast, and he eagerly dug into the meal, along with everyone else.
The food was so good that there wasn't much conversation during it, but Harry was a little surprised when the meal ended and Ginny stood up to talk to everyone. "Okay, now it's time for presents!"
He was even more surprised when literally everyone, including McGonagall, stood and placed something in front of him. He stared with an open mouth at all the gifts as everyone returned to their seats.
"I think you're allowed to open them now," Emily commented, and Harry blinked, still finding it hard to believe all these presents were for him. He nodded though.
"Which one is yours?" he asked, and she pointed at a thin rectangular parcel, which he picked up and unwrapped.
"Emily, this is amazing!" he exclaimed, seeing what was inside. It was a painting of him in his Gryffindor Quidditch uniform, chasing a Snitch in front of him.
Emily blushed. "I'm still learning, but… well, I've got a lot of free time and thought you'd like it."
"I love it," Harry responded sincerely, passing the painting around so more people could look at it.
The next package he opened was from Hagrid, and he couldn't help but laugh when he opened it. Inside was a chocolate cake with the words 'Happy Birthday Harry' written in green icing on top.
"Hagrid, this is– that brings back memories," he worked out, feeling slightly choked up.
Hagrid chuckled. "Hopefully good ones. I'll do my bes' not ter try any transfiguration this time though," he responded cheerfully, apparently not noticing the reproachful look from McGonagall. Harry grinned, remembering how funny it'd been when Hagrid had given Dudley a pig's tail. The last time he'd seen a cake like this, his life had changed forever.
He opened an impeccably wrapped package next, finding a set of incredibly fancy quills that Percy assured him were the best he could find– self-inking and spell-checking. The next gift was from McGonagall– surprisingly, it was a large package of sweets from Honeydukes, including Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and Chocolate Frogs.
"Albus told me those were some of your favourites," she mentioned, and Harry grinned, remembering when Dumbledore had eaten an earwax-flavoured bean in his first year.
George surprised him with a set of magenta Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes robes. Harry looked at him curiously, and George grinned. "Fr– Fred and I always wanted to get a picture of you wearing those. We thought it'd be hilarious."
Harry laughed. "Whenever you get the store reopened, the picture's yours," he promised.
The next gift wasn't wrapped well at all, but he was incredibly surprised to find fingerless red Seeker's gloves with a gold trim. Embroidered just above the cuff, also in gold, was 'Potter'. He looked down the table and realised that this gift came from Charlie.
"Thanks," Harry said gratefully, still admiring his gift, and Charlie nodded like it wasn't a big deal. They didn't need more than that.
He opened a very large box next, which contained an ornate, empty gold frame. "We should explain," Bill said once Harry saw it. "Before you go back to school, Fleur and I are going to pay to have a portrait made of all of us, and it'll go in that frame. You're part of the family, so you need a family portrait," he explained.
Harry swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded his thanks at both of them. Bill smiled thinly and nodded back. Bill knew Harry well enough to know a perfect gift for him, and even though it wasn't easy for him to express it, this gift meant a ton to him.
He set the frame down and opened a much smaller box, which contained what looked like a large gold coin, but it wasn't a Galleon. He picked it up and realised it was a medal, with a red ribbon attached to it. He examined the medal, and although he didn't know exactly what an Order of Merlin medal looked like, he imagined it was something like this.
Kingsley cleared his throat and Harry looked up at him. "The Ministry Gala is in two days, and you'll all be receiving your O.M.s then. What you're holding isn't an O.M. As Minister, I have the ability to give awards beyond those the Wizengamot gives if I choose. Most Ministers don't exercise this power, but then again, most Ministers haven't led in times like these either.
"I truly don't know of anyone who has done more for the wizarding community than you, not just in the past year but the past seven. You've never received any award from the Ministry, so consider this an award for everything that you've done. I would've presented it to you at the Gala if I'd thought you wouldn't walk off the stage, so instead, I'm presenting this award here in front of your closest family and friends."
Kingsley stood and walked over to Harry, beckoning for him to stand up as well. Kingsley took the medal in his hands and looked at both Harry and everyone else at the table, who was watching with undivided interest.
"I, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic, present this award to you, Harry Potter, on this, the thirty-first day of July, nineteen ninety-eight. For your bravery, selflessness, and outright heroism, I congratulate you on becoming the first and only member of the Order of Dumbledore," he said solemnly, placing the medal around Harry's neck.
Harry felt his mouth open involuntarily as he stared at the Minister. "It's official, by the way– registered with the Ministry and everything. It's now technically the most prestigious award a witch or wizard can be given, but I've buried it deep in the records, so we're really the only people who will ever know about it."
Harry nodded and shook Kingsley's hand, patting him on the back when Kingsley pulled him in for a brief hug. He cleared his throat once Kingsley had returned to his seat. "Er– thanks, Kingsley. That– it means a lot," he said, glancing around the table and seeing everyone, but mostly Ginny, beaming at him. He took a moment and then returned to the few things that remained on the table in front of him.
He opened a box that was slightly smaller than the box Emily's present had come in, seeing a leather book that was debossed with gold lettering that spelled out his name. He looked up from the book towards Ron and Hermione, who were both smiling expectantly. Hermione nodded eagerly, and Harry opened the cover, surprised to find a meticulously folded piece of parchment.
He slowly began unfolding it– Ron and Ginny helped since the parchment was rather large when unfolded. Once it was flat on the table, his jaw dropped for what must've been the twentieth time today. On the parchment was a family tree. Not just any family tree– his family tree, and every single person on it was illustrated brilliantly.
At the top was Ignotus Peverell, who, according to the parchment, lived from 1170 to 1314 and married a woman named Eirwen. Harry traced the line down what must've been forty generations before he found his parents and himself, with room underneath for more additions to be made. He tried clearing his throat and quickly wiped his eyes, afraid that tears would begin falling on the parchment if he didn't.
"My grandparents' names were Fleamont and Euphemia?" he asked after a moment, cracking a smile. Several people laughed at that.
"Trust me, there's more crazy names in there. I would know, I had to find them all," Ron commented a little sarcastically.
Harry looked up at his two best friends. "I don't know how you did this… but thank you," he whispered. They both smiled widely and nodded, obviously proud of what they'd done. And they deserved to be– it was brilliant.
After folding the parchment back up, knowing he'd look at it later, he picked up a sealed envelope. Opening it, he found an adorable picture of Teddy and another sealed envelope with his name on it. He looked at Andromeda with raised eyebrows.
"You should probably read that later," she said. "I was going through some of Remus and Nymphadora's things a couple weeks ago and found this letter. I haven't opened it, but I'm assuming Remus intended to give it to you." Harry nodded, glancing at Ginny who was staring at the letter.
"Thanks, Andi," Harry said, somehow feeling a little anxious about what could possibly be in that letter, but he put it aside for now. He wanted to read that in a much more private setting, maybe with Ginny later.
The final package on the table was a long, thin box. Harry glanced at Ginny who shook her head, and he looked further down the table, realising that this came from Molly and Arthur. "It sort of goes with what Bill and Fleur gave you," Arthur mentioned as Harry opened the box.
He stared inside at it for several seconds before looking back up at them with wide eyes. They were both smiling, and Molly was obviously crying. With slightly shaking hands, Harry lifted the gift out of the box, holding a long, golden clock arm with his name engraved on it.
He saw that all the Weasleys were now smiling very enthusiastically at him, and Ginny seemed like she might be holding back a tear or two. Harry wasn't as successful, and he felt a tear rolling down his cheek, but he found that he just didn't care.
"Thank you," he said quietly, and they nodded.
"We thought this was the best way to prove you were part of the family," Molly replied, sniffling slightly.
"And before we forget, we didn't want to wait another two months for this, so happy early birthday, Hermione," Arthur added, levitating an identical box to Harry's across the table to Hermione, who took it gratefully. Tears were already falling down her face before she'd even opened the box, revealing another golden arm, this one engraved with her name.
Harry took a deep breath and set the box down, picking up the last envelope. Inside was a small strip of parchment that had two words written on it: Look up.
He followed instructions, looking up and almost jumping when Ginny whistled loudly. A moment later, a small shape appeared in the distance, gradually growing larger as it drew closer. Harry's eyes widened, unable to believe what he was seeing because surely it couldn't really be…
A small snowy owl landed on the table in front of him, carrying a small, wrapped parcel. He stared at the owl, almost in shock, but he couldn't resist reaching a hand out to stroke its feathers. The bird nipped his finger affectionately, and he felt his heart skip a beat. It was like he was looking at an only slightly different version of Hedwig.
He finally glanced over at Ginny, who was looking at him hopefully, although it seemed like she was slightly nervous too. "I wanted to get you an owl, and I wasn't sure if it would be wrong to get you one that looked like Hedwig or not. I thought you'd like this one, but if it's too much, we can get another one. I just–" she began to ramble and Harry put a hand on top of hers.
"This one is perfect. I can't believe you got me an owl," he said, smiling now as he looked back at the owl that was blinking curiously at him.
"She's beautiful," Ginny commented, and Harry nodded. A moment later, he remembered that the owl had brought another parcel. He looked down at it and back to Ginny.
"Is this from you too?" he asked, and she nodded, eagerly watching for his reaction to the gift. He opened the package and furrowed his brow. Inside was a book that looked identical to his parents' photo album that he'd shown Ginny a few days earlier. But when he opened it, he saw that it was completely empty. He looked back at Ginny, who was once again looking at him with a lot of hope in her eyes.
"I know how much the album of your parents' pictures means to you, and I loved looking at it too. So I thought maybe you'd want to start an album of pictures… with me?" Harry stared at her for a moment before pulling her into a kiss, completely ignoring that her entire family and several other important adults in his life were all watching.
They separated slightly but then he hugged her, whispering in her ear now. "I love you so much. We're gonna have a whole library full of these books in our house one day. I mean, there'll be pictures all over the house too, but if our kids are ever interested in seeing more…" Harry trailed off, realising that he'd just spoken very fast about some very important things, and he definitely didn't want to overwhelm Ginny.
He pulled back and looked searchingly into her eyes, but she was just grinning up at him, even as he could see happy tears swimming in her eyes– they were in his eyes too. "That sounds perfect," she whispered back to him, kissing him once more.
Harry wiped his eyes once more and smiled at everyone around the table. Even after that display, everyone was smiling at him too– except McGonagall and Charlie, who both wore similar feigned expressions of disapproval, but he could see the affection in their eyes. Things had certainly changed a lot since his last birthday, and he was sure things would be different by his next birthday too. But for now, he couldn't imagine being any happier than he was right now, surrounded by all the people he loved.
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A/N: A very happy start to the birthday to Harry! This is such an important day for both him and Ginny that I had to break it up over two chapters, so there is still obviously a lot to come from 31 July! This also serves as a reorientation for exactly where we are in the summer. There is exactly one month before the end of the story, and there's a lot of very great things left to come, but first, we've got this chapter to dive into!
I had to finally give Harry a well-planned out date after how disappointed he was with both Titanic and Romeo and Juliet. I feel like Stonehenge makes complete sense as a wizarding historic site, just because it's still absolutely crazy to imagine how it was built based on the Muggle story. But it would also certainly be something taught in History of Magic, which Harry definitely wouldn't have remembered or ever paid attention to. For the other part of the date, Godzilla was the top grossing movie in the UK in mid-July 1998, and when I saw that, it felt much more Harry and especially Ginny's speed than the tragic romance.
I've never been to Weymouth (or anywhere in the UK for that matter, unfortunately), but it seems like a lovely town that sort of fit perfectly with what I was looking for. I just had an image in my head of them spending a date on a beach and wandering around this coastal town until they found a cinema, and then it was really just a matter of finding one. As a side note, I've done so much research on British geography over the past year in writing these books, and I've been doing even more in beginning to write Book 3, so it's very interesting to me to get into that more.
If I'm being honest, them being stuck at Hogwarts was a scene I very much wanted to write, and I needed a way to justify it. Between Hogwarts' continuous security issues and the fact that I think a lot of schools would prioritise keeping students from sneaking out, I don't think it's insane to suggest that they would create a security system specifically designed to keep students from leaving. I'll also throw out that there's a possibility that they just got there before the barrier went up for the night and that the barrier could possibly not be that high, but Harry and Ginny weren't willing to test it. I leave that fully up to your interpretation because there really isn't a right answer.
I was very excited to include Ginny's perspective of their kiss in DH because it's one of the two best Hinny moments in the book, in my opinion. I am aware that there's a belief that Ginny was planning on seducing Harry until Ron burst in; I don't know how widely held that belief is, but I've definitely seen it before. Based on how I've written her character, both in the present and in her memories, it just doesn't make sense to me. I think that, as committed as they were to each other by that point, Ginny would recognise that having sex with Harry wouldn't motivate him as much as make him feel conflicted about staying. I also think, personally, it comes across as manipulative, especially considering that he did break up with her, if she's planning that. My personal take is that my interpretation of her intentions is much more authentic to her character, so that's exactly what I wrote.
It was a lot of fun to land on what everyone would give Harry as a gift. I only have a couple random notes on them. Hagrid did spell 'Happy Birthday Harry' correctly in the books and it drives me nuts when people act like he didn't. The film got it wrong! Ginny was a little unsure about giving Harry a new snowy owl, but, knowing what losing pets feels like, I don't think he would feel like this new owl would replace Hedwig in any way. I think Harry feels like this owl honours her memory while also filling a desire he has to still have an owl. And the photo album was an idea I've had for a very long time, and I do promise that I keep close track of every new photo that goes in it moving forward. Like Harry said, he is very excited to fill a lot of albums with her in the future!
With that, we've reached the end of Magical Days, and we've got even more birthday fun to look forward to next chapter (with a very apt title)! As always, thank you all so much for continuing to read this story I've loved writing and for all the comments and encouragement!
Coming Tuesday: Birthday Quidditch- "It's time for a Weasley family tradition."
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TheRiflesSpiral: That's another really great point about why it makes sense for Hermione to not feel a need to go back to Hogwarts. I completely agree with you that Hermione would certainly have resources to continue learning beyond Hogwarts anyways as well. I will say that receiving the role she did has three main reasons. First and most importantly, the Ministry is still missing so many people that it's necessary to fill leadership positions. Second, she's only helping lead a small division in the department, and there are still a couple people there with her that are leading things as well, it just hasn't really been explored yet. And third, she's a rather famous witch who's been noted in public hearings for her intelligence, so there's definitely something to be said for the importance of that too.
The Frozen Flame: I'm glad that you feel similarly to me about changing the conventional story. There's a lot that I've changed from that story as it relates to most characters, so I'm excited to continue sharing that. Writing Hermione and Ron's relationship is a unique challenge because everything is from Harry and Ginny's perspective. I think it's taking Hermione, more than any of them, a while to really open up with her feelings and publicly showing how much she cares about Ron, and her actions are the way she shows those feelings. And I really appreciate you enjoying my characterisation of Hagrid! He's such a great character that I really enjoy writing!
Zjy: Haha I did warn you all about me diverting quite a bit from Pottermore's version of canon. I will say though that I do definitely still consider that story in my writing and don't just change things for the sake of changing them. Right now, Percy being with Penelope is an important part of his arc, but I will say that there's no guarantee that they'll stay together long term, or that any couple really will aside from the married couples, Ron and Hermione, and Harry and Ginny.
Luna Lion: I'm glad you're liking it! Because of the nature of this summer, there just hasn't been a lot of opportunity to introduce new characters or bring in existing characters, so it's been more about focussing on developing the characters of Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley family more. But them going to Hogwarts presents a lot of opportunities for some existing characters to be more fully fleshed out and new characters to be created. I will say that there are a couple original characters that we'll meet at Hogwarts that are some of my favourite characters in the story, and for Book 3, I just finished creating character documents/guidelines for close to a dozen new or barely existing canon characters and started writing them, so there are going to be plenty of new characters coming into the story soon!