Harry Potter and Unexpected Beginnings

Chapter twenty-one

Christmas Eve was a blur of anticipation. The castle was buzzing with happy chatter, songs and eager packing. Harry had packed earlier that morning, trying to find a few minutes of sanity before boarding the train in Hogsmeade. Mrs. Granger owled Harry late yesterday to tell him she had the bracelet for Ginny and was bringing it to King's Cross when she met Hermione. He was so excited about giving it to her, that he could barely sleep. Then this morning he awoke before dawn, packed his trunk and showered before the first rays of light even broke over the horizon. Breakfast was eaten in a hurry as many students awoke late, and the train would leave on time, regardless of who was packed and who wasn't. Harry helped Ron finish his last minute packing, assuring him for the countless time that Hermione was going to love his gift. He had planned to give it to her last night, but they were still arguing when they went to bed, so his plans were now to give it to her on the train, before they arrived in London.

The train eased out of Hogsmeade around ten o'clock, taking with it a load of anxious students. The year had proven less than what everyone had expected it to be, and much calmer. Everyone was eager to go home, yet already talking about coming back. Harry had agreed to start up the D.A. club again, when they returned from holiday, which made the members eager for Christmas to be over with. Dumbledore had agreed to allow the D.A. to continue, but insisted they continue to keep it a secret. The last thing they needed was for the Dark Lord to find out what lessons were being taught. He liked the idea of keeping Voldemort off guard when the time came.

Hermione and Ron had Prefect duties to perform, and were gone during most of the morning, leaving Ginny and Harry alone to talk or just snog. They were making up for lost time, and wasn't all that pleased when Neville asked to join them. He seemed a little less than eager to join in the conversation, making Harry and Ginny feel awkward. Ron and Hermione returned shortly after noon, and just in time for the lunch lady to stop by. They bought nearly everything on the cart, and settled back to eat. Neville ate a little and talked about nonsense things, then fell back into silence.

"What's with Longbottom?" Ron asked Harry quietly, as the girls chatted happily about the upcoming week.

"I don't know. He came in a while ago, and hasn't spoken more than a few sentences since then."

"I tried to ask Luna out," Neville clarified, hearing the boy's talking about him. He looked miserable and his eyes actually clouded up with tears.

"That's great, Neville," Hermione told him, watching the boy look back out the window.

"What did she say?" Ginny asked softly.

"I made a fool of myself, and couldn't get the question out. I stepped on her robe and ribbed the hem, and then I sat on her bag and broke her quill and spilled her ink all over her books. I'm such an idiot. She hates me, and now there's no way she'll ever agree to go out with me."

"Oh, Neville," Ginny said, moving to the seat next to him and placing her arm around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry, but maybe she's not all that upset. What did she say to you?"

"She told me I was a clumsy buffoon and so I left."

"I'm sure she was just upset. She'll calm down."

"No she won't. She'll hate me forever."

"Maybe we could talk to her," Hermione suggested. "Ron and I can stop by and talk to her when we go on our next rounds. I'm sure she's not as upset as you think."

"She said I was a clumsy buffoon," Neville repeated. "That can't be a good thing."

"Hey, don't take it so hard," Ron told him, stuffing a cherry tart in his mouth. "She's a nutter. You're probably better off. I mean if she can't see what a great guy you are, then she's just not worth the time."

"Ronald Weasley," Hermione began, catching the young man off guard, causing him to stare blankly at her. "Every time I think it's impossible for you to say another stupid thing, you prove me wrong. Luna is a wonderful girl, she's attractive and smart and she's very brave. She stayed with us at the Ministry last year, despite the threat to all of us. And what's more, Neville really likes her, so bugger off! I can't believe you sometimes." Hermione stood from her seat, scolding the red head, the turned and stormed out of the compartment.

"What'd I do?" Ron asked, causing Harry to roll his eyes. Those three words were becoming redundant.

"I think now might be a good time to go after her, and give her your present," Harry suggested. "Maybe it will calm her down, and keep your neck under your head."

Ron gathered his discarded robes, pulled the small package from his trunk and hurried out the door, following the girl in the direction she had left. Harry glanced to Ginny who raised her eyebrows.

"He bought her a promise ring," he told the girl and Neville. "He hasn't bothered to ask her if she'd be his girl, and finally realized it."

"I think the twins dropped him once too often on his head," Ginny commented with a slight smile.

"He's a great guy, he's just thick," Harry told her with a warm smile.

"At least he has a girl," Neville said sadly. Ginny couldn't resist, she hugged the boy against her shoulder, patting his back and ignoring the narrowed eyes that stared at her from the other seat.

"Everything will work out, Neville. You'll see. Hermione will talk with Luna and straighten it all out." Neville wrapped his arms around the girl's waist and Harry could have sworn he saw a smile cross his lips briefly.

"Thanks Ginny," he said, still hugging her. "I hope you're right."

"Why don't we go and see if we can help," Harry said abruptly, standing and grabbing Ginny's arm, pulling her out of the other boy's grip. "Let's go find Hermione." Ginny frowned as Harry practically dragged her out of the small compartment and into the passageway, closing the door behind him.

"Harry Potter, that was very rude," Ginny scolded once they were out of earshot. Harry rounded on her, his eyes a dark green as he stared at her, anger etching his features.

"Do you have to hug him every time he whines?" Harry demanded. "I think he did that, just so you would hug him."

"Don't be ridiculous. He was upset, what was I supposed to? Offer him a chocolate frog and tell him everything would be all right tomorrow."

"He smiled Ginny," Harry grumbled. "He was enjoying your sympathy. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he planned the whole thing, just so he could get in your arms. If he does it again, I'm liable to hex him into next year."

"You're jealous," she finally realized. "How very sweet."

"I have a right to be jealous," he snapped. "He enjoyed you hugging him. Damned it Ginny, you're my girl. Can you possibly remember that, the next time you have the urge to hug another guy?"

"I didn't mean anything by it, and I am very much aware that I'm your girlfriend. It's you who seems to have forgotten it the last few weeks. If I didn't know better, I'd swear you would rather make love to your broomstick than me."

"That's absurd. I happen to be in love with you, and it's not my fault I've been busy with extra lessons. If you want someone to blame, then blame Dumbledore. These extra lessons were his idea, not mine. It's not like I asked to be The-Boy-Who-Lived."

"This is ridiculous," Ginny growled. "Let's just see if we can find Hermione and Ron, and straighten things out between Luna and Neville." Harry frowned, but didn't comment, following the girl down the hall. They passed by several compartments, looking in on the students inside. They passed one passageway, after another, before spotting the mystical looking blond, sitting alone. Harry glanced to Ginny, and then opened the door, forcing a smile on his lips.

"Hey Luna," Harry said stepping in the compartment. "Mind if we join you?"

"Not at all," she answered whimsically. Harry and Ginny closed the door, sitting opposite her.

"We just saw Neville," Harry began seeing the slight blush creep up the young girl's cheeks. "He's pretty upset about what happened."

"He should be. Do you know he broke my favorite quill, and ruined three books with ink? He's a clumsy buffoon."

"Yeah, so we've heard," Ginny said softly. "But Luna, Neville really likes you. He's miserable about what happened."

"Good," she answered, returning to her book about Mystical Creatures of The Caribbean. "Besides, he doesn't like me he likes you."

"What?" Ginny croaked, glancing to Harry who gave her that 'I told you so' look. "But that's ridiculous. I mean he's a friend, but that's all."

"Tell him that," Luna said, her eyes focused on the book she was reading. Harry cleared his throat softly.

"What if we can explain things to him," he asked her. "Would you consider giving him another chance? He really does like you Luna, he's just not very good at expressing himself, without stepping on something. He wants to ask you out, but he gets nervous really easily."

"Well, I suppose if he wants to meet me in Diagon Alley during the holidays, I wouldn't object. But he has to promise not to break anything."

"I'll talk to him," Harry said with a smile. Luna looked up as if she wanted to say something to him, but glanced to Ginny and closed her mouth, returning her attention to the book in her hands.

"Maybe I should go talk to him," the red head said, picking up on the idea that the other girl wanted to speak to Harry alone. She stood up, walking cautiously to the door, and opened it. She glanced back to Harry before shutting it and disappearing down the passage.

Harry sat silently for a few moments, sensing the tension bouncing around the walls. He remembered what Dean Thomas told him a few months ago, about her having a crush on him. He felt like he should say something to her, to clear up the fact that he wasn't interested, but at the same time he didn't know how to approach it. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to.

"Are you really in love with her, or is this just a teenage infatuation?" Harry cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice under control.

"I am really in love with her," he replied after a moment. "I can't imagine what my life would be like without her."

"Do you think you could ever love anyone else?" Harry felt a twinge of panic, when she looked at him. The emotion shining in her eyes was as vivid as the book in her hand.

"Ginny is more to me than just a girlfriend. She's my soul mate. She knows what I'm thinking even before I can form the words. She knows my heart. Love is too simple a word to describe what I feel for her. I don't think I started living, until I kissed her." he paused looking at her, and thought he saw a tear in her eye. "I know you fancy me, or at least that's what I've been told. But you need to understand, I think of you as a very good friend, Luna. I don't want to loose that, but I'm with Ginny."

"I know I could never compete with her," Luna said sadly. "But I could try."

"Ginny is the only girl for me, Luna. I'll never want anyone else." Harry thought hard for a moment, trying to figure out what it was he could say to make her understand. "Do you like Neville at all?" Luna blushed softly, making her lower her eyes.

"I suppose so. He is rather attractive, when he's not trying to ripe my robes apart or sitting on my ink."

"Give him a chance Luna. He really likes you, and I can see some great things for the two of you. You're the kind of girl he needs," Harry told her, thinking quickly about his words. "You're level headed, intelligent, very pretty and a sweet girl. Neville needs you to keep in on track. He's a great guy, he's just shy and rather self conscious."

"I do sort of like him. He's not you, but he is rather nice."

"Then you'll give him another chance?" Luna smiled, her cheeks turning a shade darker as she nodded. "Great. I'll go get him. But you may want to try and hide everything he can break, before he gets here. Just in case." Luna smiled again, and Harry stood up, reaching for her hand. He squeezed it gently, looking into her misty eyes. "We're still friends, right?" Again Luna nodded, causing Harry to smile brightly.

"I'll always be your friend, Harry. Even if you don't want me as anything else."

"I'm glad we got that cleared up," he told her heading toward the door. He opened it and glanced back to her. "You won't regret this. Neville is really a great guy. Just be patient and give him a chance to get to know you." He left the compartment, closing the door behind him and sighing deeply. He couldn't believe he just had to practically beg a girl to go out with his friend. Being a teenager was much more complicated than he ever thought possible.

Harry was nearly back to the compartment he was sharing with Ginny, when he caught sight of Ron and Hermione. They didn't notice him walking toward them, and probably wouldn't have given much thought even if they had. Ron had the bushy haired girl wrapped in his arms, their lips locked tightly together, as he leaned against her, pushing her into the wall. Harry felt extremely uncomfortable, but there was no other way out of the corridor. He was about to try and squeeze past them, when Ron's hand reached up capturing one of Hermione's round, firm breasts. Harry was so embarrassed; he didn't know what to do. He even thought about turning around and gong back to Luna's compartment, when the two broke apart smiling at each other. Harry cleared his throat, gaining the attention he wasn't too eager to have in the first place.

"You two made up then, I guess?" he teased them, watching the blush creep up both of his best friends.

"You could say that," Hermione said with a smile.

"Then, would you mind if I come through? I'd like to find Ginny."

"No problem," Ron told him, leaning against Hermione tighter, pushing her harder against the wall. Harry smiled as he squeezed past, glancing back to his friends once again locked in a deep snog.

Harry found Ginny alone in their compartment, her legs folded up beneath her, her head leaning against the windowpane. She had her eyes closed and looked almost angelic, as she dozed in the warmth and silence. Harry stepped into the small confines, smiling as he sat down next to her. She was just as beautiful asleep as she was awake. He couldn't resist the urge to reach out and touch her cheek, causing her to open her eyes slowly. She smiled back at him, a yawn escaping her delicate lips.

"You get everything with Luna straightened out?" she asked.

"I hope so," he answered, reaching out and pulling her into his embrace. "How about you? Neville all right?"

"Yeah, I think so. I told him that you and I were in love, and that he couldn't keep whining every time he wanted a hug. I guess you were right about that, I'm sorry." Harry smiled at her, kissing the top of her red head. "Did you tell Luna that you're mine?"

"Sort of. But I promised to give her a chance, once I got tired of you." Ginny rose up out of his arms, looking at the smirking grin on his face before slugging him hard in the arm. "Ouch," he said, chuckling at the expression on her face.

"I should really hurt you for that," she told him, falling back into his arms.

"But it's more fun to kiss and make up."

"That could be true. How would you suggest we go about this making up bit?" Harry chuckled against her ear as he kissed the delicate skin beneath it.

"Well, I've sort of been thinking about that for a while. Are you still interested in taking things to a higher level?" Ginny pulled out of his embrace, looking at the expression on his face.

"Are you talking about shagging?" she asked him, a hopeful tone in her voice.

"I prefer the term love making. It doesn't sound so cheap."

"Whatever you want to call it, if you're asking me if I still want to do it, the answer is yes."

"Even after knowing how it's going to feel the first time? You do remember what we heard between Ron and Hermione." Ginny blushed, lowering her eyes briefly before looking into his bright green eyes.

"I know what to expect, and I know it won't be easy at first, but the second time will be great. When do you want to do it? Tonight?" Harry smiled at the eager expression on the girl's face.

"Give me a little more time, all right? I want our first time to be really great. Once I have everything planned, I'll let you know."

"I hope so. I'd hate to think you'd start without me." Harry smiled wickedly, pulling her into his embrace, kissing her soundly. A few minutes later, he pulled back from her, his breathing short and in the form of pants, his tone deep and husky with emotion.

"You realize, if you want out of this relationship, you'd better go now. Because once I've made you mine, there's no chance I'll ever let you go." Ginny stood abruptly, walking toward the door and looking back at the astonished expression on Harry's face. She pulled the blind down across the door's glass, whispering a locking charm, and then went back to him, straddling his knees like a horse.

"I will never leave you, and I will never regret having you as mine. I love you and you'd better get used to the idea, that you're stuck with me." Harry reached up around her waist, easing her closer to the main part of his desire, feeling the warmth radiating from her.

"I will never regret loving you, and I will never let you go." Harry leaned forward and kissed her neck before trailing his mouth across her jumper to her breast. The warmth of his mouth caused the flesh to tingle across her slender frame, as his hands made contact with the skin beneath her jumper. Ginny sighed deeply, her head falling back as he continued his assault on her. She wanted nothing more than to pull her clothes off, and allow him to explore her freely, but his hands restrained her when she tried. He wasn't ready to go all the way yet, but he promised her with his lips, the time would come. She wouldn't have to wait much longer, before he made her, his. And when that time came, there would be no power in the world that would ever separate him. In this life and the next, he would always love her.