Rating:
R
House:
Schnoogle
Characters:
Draco Malfoy
Genres:
General Romance
Era:
Multiple Eras
Spoilers:
Philosopher's Stone Chamber of Secrets Prizoner of Azkaban Goblet of Fire Order of the Phoenix
Stats:
Published: 12/31/2003
Updated: 04/18/2004
Words: 181,191
Chapters: 46
Hits: 99,765

Harry Potter and Unexpected Beginnings

dan's girl62

Story Summary:
The summer after OoTP, Harry discovers he has control of his connection with Voldemort, and uses it to his advantage. With the help of his friends, and an unexpected joining of their team, Harry and the gang return to school for their 6th year and go in search of a way to defeat Voldemort. However, when teenage hormones set in, can Harry find room in his heart to love, or will he reject her based on fear of a prophecy that dictates his future...or lack thereof. Rated R for future chapters.

Chapter 06

Chapter Summary:
The summer after OoTP, Harry discovers he has control of his connection with Voldemort, and uses it to his advantage. With the help of his friends, and an unexpected joining of their team, Harry and the gang return to school for their sixth year and go in search of a way to defeat Voldemort. However, when teenage hormones set in, can Harry find room in his heart to love, or will he reject her based on fear of a prophecy that dictates his future...or lack thereof. Rated R for future chapters.
Posted:
01/08/2004
Hits:
2,160

Chapter six

The door to the room across the hall remained closed, and Harry avoided looking at it, on his way downstairs to find Ginny. He knew he couldn't allow himself to look; it was Sirius's bedroom. It was the only place in this whole house that was strictly Sirius. Harry drew a deep breath, trying to erase the image of his godfather from his mind. He had a mission to accomplish and he had to remain focused, even though right now he would rather take off running again. He still couldn't believe he was doing this, and told himself for about the millionth time that day, that he was totally mental!

The stairs were taken in slow recession, as Harry stepped down one at a time, his eyes focused on the old worn carpet. He hadn't seen her coming up and ran full force into her, bumping her backwards. With the speed of Hogwart's greatest seeker, Harry reached out, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back toward him. For a brief moment, all he could do was stare into the bright green eyes that stared back at him. They were clear, honest and filled with shock. He abruptly let her go, making certain she was steady on her feet.

"I...I'm sorry," Harry said softly, a soft blush tinting his cheeks.

"It was my fault, Harry," Ginny said, her blush creeping up her neck, across her face and over her ears. "I should have been watching where I was going."

"No, really, it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was walking." Ginny chuckled softly, causing Harry to smile.

"I never thought you would try and knock me off my feet, Harry," she smiled, her eyes lowering briefly. Harry chuckled, shaking his head. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you, so to speak. I didn't give you, your birthday present downstairs."

"It's all right, you don't need to give me anything." Harry felt suddenly embarrassed about the idea of accepting more gifts. He leaned against the wall and tucked his hands into his front pockets. He had to stay focused on his mission.

"I know you don't want to celebrate, but I do have something, and I really want to give it to you." Harry drew a deep breath and forced a smile across his lips.

"All right," he told her, waiting patiently. Ginny blushed again, softly clearing her throat as she looked at her feet on the worn carpet.

"Not here," she said, hearing her twin brothers coming out of the kitchen below. "Let's go up to the attic."

"Your mum's up there," Harry told her, seeing the shifting of her eyes down the stairs. He reached out and took her by the elbow, pulling her gently up the stairs. "We can talk in Sirius's den." He lead Ginny into the small room next to Sirius's bedroom and closed the door before Fred and George made their way up the last stair. The two listened to the footsteps that continue up the next flight of stairs, to their bedroom above, before looking back at each other. Harry smiled again, walking to the window and looking out past the dusty panes. The alley behind the house was empty, with several trash bins lying on their sides, empty, indicating the trash collectors had already been there. He could hear Ginny shuffle her feet, and turned to face her.

Harry took notice of the way she was dressed, and a frown creased his forehead. He hadn't really noticed before that the little girl he had once saved from Tom Riddle, had grown up. She was taller than he remembered, reaching the height of his shoulders. Her hair was much longer then it had been, resting just above her hips. Her slender frame had grown and rounded in all the right places, making her look much more like a young lady, rather than a little girl. She wore a pair of Muggle jeans that seemed to hug her waist and hips rather flatteringly. She had pulled on a light tan colored tee shirt that exposed just a glimpse of her flat belly. Her toes were exposed through the sandals she had strapped on and her toenails had been painted a bright pink. Harry glanced up her delicate frame again, noticing that she was watching him. He blushed slightly, leaning against the frame of the window.

"So, how have you been, Ginny?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest. A stupid question, he thought, but at least it broke the uncomfortable silence in the room.

"All right I guess," she answered, as she stepped toward him, leaning against the opposite side of the window. "I'm sorry for the way I acted at lunch," she told him, raising her chin and looking him in the eye, waiting for him to start yelling at her. Instead he smiled, chuckling softly.

"Ron thinks you've been hanging around Hermione too long," he told her.

"What do you think?"

"I think you're turning into your mum." Ginny tilted her head gently, inspecting his features.

"Is that a bad thing?" she asked him.

"Absolutely not," he clarified honestly. "I happen to think your mum is about the greatest lady I've ever known."

"Then I suppose I'll thank you." Harry laughed again.

"Just so long as you don't yell at me." Ginny couldn't help but smile this time, as silence again fell between them. After a few moments, she looked up and saw him staring at her.

"Can I ask you something, Harry?" She locked her eyes with his green ones briefly, and then glanced down again.

"Sure, what is it?" Harry hoped she didn't want to discuss his premonitions. He was getting tired thinking about them.

"Did you get married over the summer?" Harry gasped, looking at her with wide eyes.

"What?" he frowned. "Why would you ask me something like that? I don't even have a girlfriend."

"So you and Cho are really finished?"

"I think we were finished, even before we got started," he told her, shuffling slightly in his stance, leaning his hands against the windowsill. They were silent for a few moments, before Harry turned back to her. "Why did you think I was married?" Ginny reached down and lifted his hand, exposing the wedding band he wore. He took the ring off, then reached in his pocket and pulled out the shoelace he had tied to his mother's rings.

"They belonged to my parents," he told her, showing them to her. "My aunt had them all these years, and never gave them to me until this summer, when I found out about Misty, and her having my mother's wand."

"She had your mother's wand?" Ginny asked, holding the rings he handed her in her hand, feeling the warmth of Harry's body lingering on the metal objects. "Did she know how to use it?"

"Only to a point. She knew of a spell my mother used to make dinner, and she's been using it since. She claimed she only used it when it was necessary, but after I demanded its return, she sort of had a difficult time boiling water." Ginny giggled, picking up his mother's ring and staring at it. It was simple, but very beautiful. A single solitaire diamond set in a band of gold, and attached to a matching slim, plain band. She looked at it closer and saw the writing inside.

"What's this say?" she asked Harry, showing him the writing. Harry took it and looked closer. He hadn't seen the inscription before, and carefully read it.

"It says, in this life and the next, we will always be one," Harry read, he throat suddenly felt tight and mouth went dry. Ginny looked at his father's wedding band, reading the inscription on it.

"It says the same on this one, too." She handed him the ring back and watched as he replaced it on his finger, pulling the shoelace towards his head. "Wait," Ginny interrupted his actions, taking the string and laying it flat on the dusty desk. She reached inside Harry's shirt and pulled out his wand, glancing up to his face, seeing the shock of her actions shining in his eyes. She raised the wand above the string and whispered, "mutare fascia" and watched as the dirty old shoelace transformed into a golden chain. She picked it up, handing him back his wand and reaching up and slipping the chain across his head. For a brief moment, she allowed her hands to linger on his shoulders, staring into the bright eyes that shinned back at her.

"Thank you," he whispered, seeing the soft blush creep across her cheeks. He noticed for the first time, that Ginny had made her face up, but just a little. Her eyes were dusted lightly with a pink powder, and her lips were softy shimmering with something that looked like liquid glass. Harry wasn't exactly sure what had happened, but within the span of a few brief moments, he was no longer seeing her as Ron's little sister, but as an attractive young lady. Reluctantly Ginny pushed way from him, leaning back against the windowsill. She felt her knees shaking and her palms sweating. Harry cleared his throat, glancing back toward her.

"What did you want to give me?" he asked, his voice thicker than he had intended it to be. Ginny looked up at him, blushing profusely. He couldn't help but wonder what it was that made her do that, or why she felt it necessary to keep blushing. Clearing her throat softly, she turned to face him.

"It's a gift I've wanted to give you for quite awhile, but I've never really had the courage," she told him softly. "I mean, what if you didn't' like it, or laughed at me, or something. I'd be horrified. Especially if you didn't like it and told Ron."

"I would never laugh at you Ginny, you should know that. And I'd never tell Ron if you didn't want me to."

"I know you wouldn't laugh on purpose, but that doesn't stop me from being scared. I mean, what if you don't like it, and you don't want it once I've given it to you?"

"Why don't you just give it to me, and let me decide if I like it?" Harry smiled sweetly, as he stared into her bright eyes. Ginny visibly drew a deep breath to stead her nerves, her tongue nervously wetting her lips and she slowly reached up to him, placing her hand around his neck and leaning into him, capturing his lips with her own. The action was slow and the touch was as gentle as a butterfly kiss. Harry couldn't believe what was happening. At first he just stood there, unable to breath, much less move. But as the kiss began to register to him, he began to realize what was happening inside him. His heart was pounding violently, his hands were sweating and breathing was in the form of short pants. He could feel the softness of her lips against his, and taste the sweet strawberry of her lip-gloss. It wasn't until she began to pull away from him, that he realized he didn't want the kiss to end.

Ginny moved away slowly, her heart feeling as though it were breaking. Harry hadn't closed his eyes, he hadn't held her, and he hadn't even kissed her back. He'd just stood there like a statue. The only clue she had that he was still alive was the sound of his breath and the warmth of his lips on hers. She felt horrified. She had dreamed of this moment for so many years, but in her dreams, he had at least kissed her back. She felt the sudden stab of pain, the thought that he didn't want her, or feel the same for her as she always had for him, echoed in her mind. As she removed her hand from his neck, the tears began to prick her eyes. She couldn't look at him, she couldn't barely breath. Instead she leaned against the windowsill again, hoping to get control of her emotions, before speaking. She had to get her nerves under control and stop her knees from shaking in order to leave the room. Harry looked at her, wide eyed and mouth a gap.

"Wow," he whispered softly, causing Ginny to look at him with misty eyes. "When did you grow up?" he asked her gently, reaching forward and wiping a single tear from her cheek. Ginny tried to smile, but felt too miserable.

"I've been doing it a little every day, for the past four years," she whispered, appalled that her voice revealed how she felt inside. Harry leaned forward, leaning his forehead against hers, his hands resting on her shoulders. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, then leaned down and kissed her cheek.

"I guess I've just never noticed," he whispered. "You've always been Ron's little sister."

"But I'm not yours, Harry," Ginny whispered in return, the tears escaping her eyes without her permission.

"No, you're not," he told her, kissing her eyes and wiping the tears away. He leaned back just a little and looked into her beautiful face.

"I don't want you as a brother," she told him, her voice barely audible in the silent room. Harry smiled, his eyes focusing on her soft lips.

"I don't want to be your brother," he told her, leaning in and placing his lips gently against hers. At first Ginny could hardly think, but after a few moments she could feel the pressure of his lips on hers, and she reached up, slipping her arms around his neck. Within barely three minutes time, she had gone from her heart breaking, to it soaring freely. He was actually kissing her, just as he always had in her dreams. It wasn't until she felt his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her away from the windowsill and into his warm embrace that she realized this was real. He was kissing her!

Ginny wanted to scream her excitement, but at the moment, her mouth was preoccupied. She felt the pressure of his kiss increase, causing a slight alarm to ring in mind, but then relaxed, allowing him to kiss her deeper. It seemed natural to feel his lips against hers, and when she felt the tip of his tongue caress her bottom lip, she gasped, but allowed him to deepen his kiss even further. The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs above them brought them abruptly from their moment of euphoria, and back to reality. Harry heard the soft moan escape her throat as he pulled his lips from hers, and couldn't help but smile. He didn't release her at once, instead he pulled her into a secure embrace, feeling as though his entire world had just turned from winter's cold to summer's warmth. He felt alive and happy, and had an urge to keep it that way. Within just a few short minutes, she had saved him, and brought him into a world he had so long denied himself. He felt loved, and wanted to return that feeling to this wonderful girl in his arms. How could he ever have considered her like a little sister?

"We better get up to the attic, before your mum takes out a search party," he teased, feeling her laugh as she laid her head against his shoulder, holding onto him tightly. She couldn't believe that she was actually in Harry Potter's arms, but then again, he was never really Harry Potter to her, never The Boy Who Lived, just Harry, and she liked it better that way.

Reluctantly they pulled away from each other, blushing as they looked into the other's eyes. Harry couldn't resist the urge, and leaned down, placing a soft, but all too brief kiss on her lips again. When they parted he smiled at her, warmly.

"I don't think I want to exchange this gift," he told her softly. "It's the one birthday present, I'll always treasure." Ginny smiled with a soft glow to her already pink cheeks.

"I could arrange a similar Christmas gift, you liked your birthday present that well." Harry chuckled gently, looking at her with mischief eyes.

"I hope I don't have to wait that long, to hold my present again." Ginny blushed profusely, turning to walk out the door, her hand securely tucked inside Harry's.

"If you're a very good boy, Mr. Potter, and you don't cause any further arguments with Professor Snape, I suppose I could arrange a few visitation privileges." Harry felt happier than he ever had, and pulled her back into his arms, as she opened the door, hugging her closely to him.

"I promise to be a very good boy, so long as I know what the reward will be." He leaned down and kissed her briefly again, hearing a soft cough from the doorway. They parted slowly, looking into the eyes of Lupin, who had been alerted to his and Ginny's absence. He smiled brightly at the two, watching as they literally jumped away from each other.

"Take it easy, you two," Lupin said in a low tone. "We were just worried about you. I'm glad to see everything is all right. It is, isn't it?" Harry and Ginny blushed deeply, turning to each other. Harry couldn't help but smile, as he saw the corners of her mouth turn upwards.

"Ginny was just giving me my birthday present," he told Lupin, watching her color glow deeper, all the way up into her hair, and feeling his own face burning like it was on fire.

"Really?" the older man said, softly scratching his chin. "My birthday's coming up soon. I'll have to discuss gift options with Tonks." With that said, the three left the room laughing, as they headed up the stairs.

"Harry, Ginny," Hermione shouted, coming out of the attic, her bushy hair covered in cobwebs. Ron stood shortly behind, his face ashen, a terrified look on his face. "We were so worried. Where did you disappear to?" Harry glanced to Ginny, who lowered her eyes.

"Ginny and I were talking," he told her, watching some color return to Ron's face, as he stepped up behind Hermione. His eyes were suddenly bright and shinning, questions lingering in their green depths. Harry turned back to Ginny, taking her hand and pulling it slightly behind them, so nobody could see him holding it. "Ron and I were talking about taking a trip to Diagon Alley soon," he began, watching the curious look cross her face. "Would go with me? As my date, I mean?" Ginny turned a bright red, as Hermione stared opened mouth at the two of them.

"I'd love to," Ginny answered, and was totally amazed when he leaned down and kissed her cheek softly, his lips lingering a few seconds longer than he should have. "Maybe Ron and Hermione would care to join us," Ginny added, picking up on the look from her brother's face. "We could make it a double date." Harry turned to Hermione, who instantly turned as red as Ginny had been.

"What do you two say?" Harry asked. "Care to join us in Diagon Alley?" Ron looked at Hermione, who glanced at him and shrugged. He stepped up behind her and nodded. "Great. Then let's get to work, so your mum won't have anything to complain about when we ask her." Ginny and Hermione stepped into the attic, whispering, as Ron grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him back gently. A look of confusion across his face.

"What was that kiss for?" he asked his friend, who smiled brightly. "I told you to ask her out, not snog her on the stairs."

"We weren't snogging on the stairs, and remember, this was your idea."

"You don't have to act as if you enjoy the idea so much. She's my kid sister, Harry, just remember that."

"How could I forget? She blushes about as well as you do. Besides, she's your sister, not mine."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that she is growing up, Ron, and sooner or later, she's going to want a real boyfriend. Would you prefer me or Malfoy?"

"That's not funny, Potter." Harry chuckled as he passed Ron, looking to the cobwebs in his hair and across his shoulders, noting the little black object crawling from behind his left ear.

"By the way Ron," he smiled brightly. "You have a spider on you." Harry chuckled as he left Ron screeching and brushing at his hair and clothes frantically.


Author notes: Thank you all so very much for R/R. Please keep reading and reviewing.