This Thing Called Love

'George! Come over here!' yelled Katie the next day, or rather, later, sitting down comfortably on the tree swing and fanning herself. 'George! Have any of you seen him? Harry, Ginny, have you seen him? Mum, have you seen George?'

Ginny and I just looked at each other, smiled and then shook our heads.

'George,' yelled Mrs. Weasley. 'Where is that boy?'

'I could look for him---' I offered but George interrupted me.

'I'm here, I'm here, Love,' he said, walking towards her. 'Ginny! It's so good to see you! Harry!'

'Where have you been? Will you be nice enough to give me a massage?' she asked sweetly.

'Oh, all right,' he said, kissing her. 'Anything for my beautiful and dazzling Quaffle. I just got back from my quest for gorgeous blue roses for your birthday, not that these roses matches your beauty, anyway.'

Ginny and I looked at each other again before breaking into a fit of giggles.

'Uh, what is funny?' asked Katie with her left eyebrows raised. 'So, Harry and Ginny---'

'Nothing, nothing,' we said when we felt someone put an arm around our shoulders.

'Harry!' said Hermione gleefully. 'It's so good to see you!' She looked at me teasingly and then winked before looking at Ginny. I rolled my eyes before smiling at her.

'Ginny!' said Angelina and Penelope, Fred and Percy's girlfriends, before winking at me.

'So you've seen his enormous house?' asked Hermione.

'Oh yes,' she replied, nodding her head in agreement. 'It is big. The first morning I woke up, I literally got lost. There were all these doors and passages and it was very tricky.'

'You are exaggerating,' I said jokingly.

'I'm not,' she said to me. 'You weren't there, OK? I was like: Um, which way should I go?'

'Fine,' I said, raising my hand in surrender.

'Plus,' she added, 'some of the pictures in the halls frighten me.'

'Why?' I asked. 'Which ones?'

'The ones that are still,' she finally replied.

I chuckled. 'Those are Muggle pictures and they are not supposed to move.'

'Well, I'm not used to pictures that aren't moving,' she replied. 'But I can't help but say that the house is rather lovely.'

'I agree,' said Hermione before winking at me, together with Penelope and Angelina.

What's with all the winking? Sensing a girl talk, I decided to leave.

'Harry, don't leave me with all the ladies,' said George, unintentionally stopping her massages.

'Darling,' said his wife, 'my massage.'

'Oh, yes,' he said to her, immediately resuming her massages and smiling at me awkwardly.

'Have to help Ron,' I said as I yawned.

'George, Harry,' called Fred. 'Make yourself useful and help me!'

George kissed Katie's cheek and then left. I was about to follow him when Angelina spoke.

'Oh, Harry, you look a bit tired,' she teased.

When it comes to that kind of "humour", we can always count on Fred and Angelina. Since George calmed down after getting married.

'Yes, Angelina, whatever you say,' I said to her, rolling my eyes. 'By the way, Katie, I have to go at twelve.' Suddenly, Ginny yawned, too.

'Why,' asked Katie, looking at Ginny. 'Come sit here beside me, Ginny.'

'Thanks,' she said and then sat beside Katie as she rested her head on her shoulders.

'Tired Ginny?' said "humorous" Angelina again. Bloody hell! Sometimes I just hate her...

'I have to go to Quidditch practice.' I yawned again before taking the opportunity to glare at Angelina.

'Oh, you both look very tired,' continued Angelina, which made Penelope and Hermione break into a fit of giggles.

'Oh, we were up all night,' said Ginny innocently, not getting what Angelina was trying to stress out.

'All night?' they all said as I blushed furiously. 'My, my, my Harry... All night?!'

'Not really all night,' she continued, 'only until 5:00 am---Isn't that right, Harry?'

I winced, feeling cold sweat on my forehead.

'Only until 5:00 am? My, my, my Harry?' said Katie, grinning broadly. '5:00 am? How fascinating...'

'Ohhh,' chorused Hermione and Penelope.

'I know,' said Ginny again, yawning once more.

All the ladies looked at me teasingly. I suddenly felt edgy. I knew I was blushing... Great Merlin! Hermione and Penelope... if only they'd stop giggling...

'I want to know more,' added Penelope, hiding her grin, which made Ginny frown. She still has no clue on what they were talking about.

'Blushing Harry,' said Hermione, smirking.

'Very good observation skills, Hermione,' I said before walking away. 'Oh, look! It's already twelve! Bye everybody! Bye Ginny!'

'Cheater! It's only eleven,' said Angelina before I Apparated.

I went to the National Quidditch Pitch for my training and it was the hardest training that I have ever had. The sun was shining brightly in the sky but my trainer had to make the worst weather ever. He just had to make every single thing in this world difficult for everyone. The weather that he did was a mix of tornado, hurricane, storm, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Sounds impossible but it was true. I had to keep up with the gruesome weather for five straight hours... with only a forty-five minute break! I almost thought that he was a supporter of Voldemort and he wanted to kill me. It was madness.

I didn't even bother to clean myself up once we were done. I was so determined to get out of there as soon as I could. I was so tired and wet when I Apparated back to The Burrow's garden. I said hello to everyone and then asked where Ginny was. George pointed towards the tree.

I winced and silently hoped that it wasn't the topic of conversation any longer, but I was wrong. When I walked closer and closer I noticed that Ginny was blushing.

'Hey,' I said to Ginny. 'How are you?'

'Hey,' she gasped, swallowing hard. 'Allow me to help you clean your face---'

'We were just talking about you,' said Katie when Ginny pulled me away.

'You're not on about that, are---' I asked but she cut me off.

'Yes,' she said, smiling at them as she began wiping my face softly. 'It didn't even occur to me.'

'Yes, they thought we were up all night doing something---else.' I looked away.

'I know, but I couldn't tell them that we didn't. I didn't even know what to say to them.'

'What have they been asking you?' I asked when Penelope suddenly appeared and pulled Ginny away from me again.

'Mind if we take her away?' she asked.

'No, no,' I said, equally startled to Ginny. She looked at me pleadingly while I stayed behind the tree as she got interrogated, mouthing, 'Sorry---'

'So what is The Great Harry Potter like?' I heard Katie ask.

'He's really nice,' she responded chokingly.

'We all know that he is nice,' said Angelina, grinning and her eyes dancing. 'There's no need for you to be shy to us Ginny. We are like your big sisters. And oh Harry, if you wish to join us, you are more than welcome.'

'Right,' I mumbled to myself.

'I know,' she said softly.

'Was it fast?' asked Hermione. 'Slow?'

Good Merlin! I can't believe Hermione just asked that... Oh dear...

'Slow?' she said uncertainly.

'Slow...'

She probably thought that she said the wrong thing. So she said, 'No, no, no, I mean fast!'

Hermione looked at me with disbelief before turning to her. 'Good heavens! He was fast? Didn't he know that---'

'No, no, no, it was slow---' she said again, correcting herself.

'Make up your mind, Ginny,' said Penelope.

'Oh, come on,' interrupted Angelina. 'It was from night until dawn. He was probably slow at first... and then fast... and then slow again...' She grinned.

I almost fainted. Oh no....

'That's what I thought,' said Penelope, looking at Angelina and Hermione.

'But I always thought that he's well, you know, slow,' said Angelina. 'Harry looks like he is slow in bed. I always thought that he's the gentle type...'

Bloody hell... they are talking about my... Me! But wait... is being slow bad?

I winced. I couldn't handle it anymore, just looking at her and hearing what they were talking about. I decided to join in when I saw her nearly having a heart attack because of the questions.

'Was it romantic, Ginny?' asked Katie, the "sensible" one.

'Oh, you know what?' she said quickly. 'Harry's very good. He's really sweet and romantic and he didn't hurt me one bit.'

I couldn't help but be impressed with her answer. She handled the situation quite well.

'Hello,' I said, sitting down beside Ginny and putting my arm around her. 'Hermione, I think that Ron is having a hard---'

'So, what did you wear?' said Angelina to Ginny, smirking at me before looking at Ginny.

'Last night?' I said. 'Let me answer that. Ginny wore her baby pink nightdress and she looked really beautiful in it. I wouldn't really like her to wear anything else, just that. That made us go from night until dawn.'

Boy... was I embarrassed...

Ginny forced a laugh and then drank her glass of pumpkin juice in one gulp. 'Oh, you sweet little thing.'

Did I just say that? They all looked at me. I could tell that they were all impressed and at the same time surprised. I forced a smile, even though I was really tired and I wasn't feeling well, before looking at Ginny, who was eyeing at me strangely. The way she looked at me made me really uncomfortable.

'Missed me?' I said to Ginny jokingly.

'Did I rub your face too much?' she asked me.

'No,' I said, forcing my eyes not to close. 'Why?'

'Your face is flushed, Harry,' she said, placing a hand over my forehead.

I was really feeling ill but I said, 'I'm fine,' as I stretched my neck a little and forced a smile. 'See? I'm just tired---'

'No, Harry, you are not fine,' she said, this time placing her hand on my neck. 'Let's go inside, Harry.'

'OK.'

She assisted me to their living room and let me lie on the couch. 'Stay here,' she said.

I just lay there and forced myself to relax, despite the headache and dizziness that I was feeling. It even scared me more when she came back and asked me to sit up, but I couldn't. I wasn't well at all. I was very sick indeed.

'Here, let me help you,' she said. 'What did you do? How on earth did you get your robes that dirty and wet when---'

'Bloody training,' I mumbled. 'The witless slimeball looks like a supporter of Voldemort to me and wants to see me dead. He created fancy storms and hurricanes and tsunamis and what else? Did I mention earthquakes and volcanic eruptions? Where are we going?'

'To my bedroom,' she said. 'So you could relax there more.'

'What's that?' I asked, referring to the bag.

'Your clothes so you can change. Whoever told you that it is fine to Apparate with wet and muddy clothes? Didn't you know that you'll get sick if you let wet clothes dry on your body?'

'I wanted to get out of there as soon as I can.'

'Well, look what happened to you now,' she said as she opened the door, helped me to a chair and then fixed the bed.

'I don't want you to get sick too, Ginny. Maybe it would be a better idea if you stay here for awhile and then just come back when I'm fine.' I do not know why but it was distressing to ask her to leave me.

Seeing how frail I was at that moment, she said, 'Do you think that I'll approve of that idea?' as she helped me to the bed. 'You don't have to worry about me. With all the medications that I am taking I'll be immune to all that weak stuffs. Open your mouth and take this.' She handed me a glass of water.

I smiled, gratefully, when she said that and by the way she treated me. I was kind of glad that someone's there for me this time, not because of obligations but voluntarily. I was not alone and I really loved the feeling of someone looking after me and looking after that someone in return.

I swallowed my medicine. 'Are you sure?' I was about to lie down when she stopped me. I crossed my fingers, hoping that she'd say the same answer.

'Change your clothes first,' she said softly. 'And yes, I'm sure. You can change your clothes, right?'

'Don't worry,' I said. 'I'm not that weak yet.'

She smiled at me but just before the door was completely closed, I called her.

'Hmm?'

'Thank you.'