Once and for All

Chapter 2

      Harry found Ginny in her room. She turned as the door creaked open, and for a second they both looked at one another. She was sitting by the window, an open book on her lap, with bags under her eyes and her hair slightly tangled. But his heart still gave a familiar leap as he saw her.
     "What're you up to?" Harry asked finally.
     She pushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Nothing. I've been reading this Quidditch book Hermione sent me, but it's getting old. Want to walk outside with me?"
     "A walk sounds great," Harry replied, eager that she was the first to say it. It was about time he got out of the house.
     They passed Percy's room, whose door was shut as he was still at work, and Mrs. Weasley was making dinner. For once she had not asked anyone for help. "We'll be back in a bit, mum," Ginny said, and Harry saw Mrs. Weasley's eyes snap up, darting between Harry and Ginny in surprise. She nodded, giving Harry a stern but affectionate look. "Don't be out too long, supper's almost ready."
      Harry nodded, immensely relieved that she was taking this well, and left the house.
     "She's always liked you," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "I was wondering how that would go."
    "Me too." He hesitated before asking, "Did you tell her about Dean when you were dating him?"
     She shook her head. "They had enough to worry about. Besides, it didn't last that long anyway." She caught his eye and grinned. "You don't like him."
     "No, I do," Harry said quickly. "It's just..."
      "...you wanted to tear him apart every time you saw me and him snogging."
     "Something like that," Harry admitted, grinning with her. "It just took me awhile to work up the nerve. I wasn't sure how Ron would take it."
     "I was pretty surprised he didn't brood over it for a week," Ginny said. "He tends to do that a lot."
      Harry decided not to answer, and instead changed the topic to last year's Quidditch match. Ginny seemed enthusiastic enough about it, but afterwords the only part Harry could remember was the way her eyes shone at him when she was talking about a goal she made, or her laugh at Romilda Vane's tactics, or how she had a flowery smell to her. She told him how she was thinking of trying out for the woman's Holyhead Harpers Quidditch team, and Harry responded that he sincerely thought she should. He believed it, too-she was an amazing Chaser, and her face lit up with the same excitement his did whenever her broom left the ground. Harry himself wouldn't have minded trying out for a team either, just for the fun of it, but the last thing he wanted to do was to become a celebrity again. It was time to settle down.
Not only was she passionate about similar things, but she was fierce-fierce enough to come with him to the Ministry to rescue Sirius, fierce enough to "accidentally" crash into Smith as he rudely commented on a Quidditch match, and fierce enough to ignore her family's order of safety and leap into the fighting at the Battle of Hogwarts. She was brave and strong, and Harry loved her for it.
Still, no one could be strong all the time.
    Eventually the sky began to darken, and with it Ginny grew steadily quieter. "I don't want to go back in," she said softly.
      "Too many memories?" Harry asked, his voice also taking on a softer tone.
      "Not exactly," she countered. "Out here it seems normal-it seems like he's just inside or off at work, and we can still laugh at old memories as if he's still here. But if I go back in..."
     "...the clock's the first thing you see," finished Harry. "You know, if he were here he'd probably tell us to lighten up."
    Ginny quirked a smile. "Remember when they made those snowballs to hit the window?"
     "Or almost killed us with that pot of stew at Sirius' place?" Harry added, grinning now at the memory.
      "They knocked me over trying to enchant their luggage, too," Ginny remembered, smiling fondly. "And their epic firework escape out of Hogwarts."
       "He always cheered people up," Harry remembered. "Well, not always the people he pranked, obviously-"
        "And he was super smart," Ginny said. "All those joke items...they're incredible. Though honestly, I think George is the smarter one-Fred's just louder."
     "I thought they had the same mind," said Harry, genuinely surprised.
      "You'd recognize the difference if you lived with them," Ginny reassured him. Instinctively Harry grabbed her hand, tracing the top of it with his thumb soothingly as Ginny took in a shaky breath. "It's okay to let it out," he said, wishing he could shed a few tears himself to show respect, but he just felt empty. She put her head on his shoulder, and he felt her body shake slightly but no tears reached his shoulder. After a minute or so she took a deep breaths and withdrew her head, turning to stare at him moments before her lips touched his.
     An electrical spark triggered throughout Harry as his lips moved across hers, his hand stroking her hair. Unlike their other kisses, this one was not passionate or powerful, but slow and gentle.
    Harry wasn't sure how long they stood there, but they would have stayed longer if Mrs. Weasley's yells hadn't cut through the air: "GEORGE WEASLEY, FOR THE LAST TIME OUR HOUSE IS NOT A LAB FOR EXPERIMENTS! IF YOU BRING IN ONE MORE CONCOCTION-"
      Ginny broke apart, laughing, and Harry joined her. "Guess that's our cue," Harry said, entwining her hand in his as they walked back inside.
       George, his arms full of bottles,  was still protesting against his mother's yells when they entered the kitchen.
      "-Just for a little bit, mum, I'm renting an apartment and if he hears one more explosion-"
      "Absolutely not, it'll be like Mundungus all over again!" Mrs. Weasley said firmly, her face red from shouting.
       "Come on, mum, I'll just be in the garage. I'll need a partner with to brainstorm with for new ideas, anyway."
       At this he noticed Ginny in the doorway and started to grin at her invitingly until he saw Harry's hand in hers. Harry's face burned red as he half heartedly attempted to let go, but Ginny's hand remained firmly around his. "Sure thing," Ginny said as Harry's hand closed around hers once more. "Of course, I won't be able to actually say the spells until a couple months when I'm seventeen, but I've got a couple ideas."
     "Great, I need some," George agreed, but his gaze was still fixed on Harry, who looked back uncomfortably. "Now look here, I trust you, but I still remember you as the same scrawny git you once were, and I'm not afraid to take extreme measures. If anything happens to her in any way-"
     "-you'll tear me limb from limb," Harry finished, grinning. "Don't worry, I know better than to get on your bad side."
     "Actually I was going to say something more drastic, such as starting a new brand of  'chosen one' merchandise complete with guaranteed one on one meetings," George corrected. "Could advertise them in the Daily Prophet, have that Skeeter woman write an article..."
    "All right, consider me warned," Harry said, shuddering at the thought.
     "When you're all done with the threats, you all need to help me set the table for dinner," Mrs. Weasley announced, sounding slightly irritable as she waved her wand. "Harry, get Ron down here, and George you're helping too, I don't care how old you are."
     Harry obediently moved towards the stairs, but not before Ginny kissed him once more on the lip, the movement sudden and bursting like a firework. Grinning at her, then at George's stricken look, he leapt up the steps two at a time to get Ron.