Secrets Among Us

CHAPTER ONE

With cold, flushed cheeks, a young Gryffindor climbed through the portrait hole, trying to be quiet. At this hour, it was doubtful anyone would be up, but she didn't want to take any chances. Loosening the clasp on her robes, she welcomed the warmth of the fire that someone had left going in the Common Room. Running a hand through her hair, she headed toward the girls' dorms, but stopped when she heard a voice.

"Where have you been?"

Spinning on her heel, the young girl placed a hand on her hip and arched her eyebrow.

"I really don't think that's any business of yours."

"That's where you're wrong," the boy said, standing up from the comfortable chair. "You've been sneaking in and out for the past two weeks. I'm worried about you!"

"I can take care of myself," the girl said calmly and evenly, not showing the frustration she was currently feeling. She felt a slight satisfaction in knowing that her brother was angry; Ron never could keep his emotions in check.

"Where have you been?" Ron asked again, running a hand through his wild red hair. He folded his arms and waited for an explanation. It never came.

"Ron, why can't you just butt out of my business?" Ginny shot back, irritated that she was caught.

"I'm just trying to look out for you," he replied in a pleading tone. "You're too young to be running around at this hour."

"I'm too young? For your information, I am only fourteen months younger than you and I probably have twice the maturity," she said icily. "Besides, I'm not a little girl anymore. Please stop treating me like one."

"Gin, I know you're not a little girl," Ron said, becoming more exasperated. As close as he and his sister were, they seemed to be the only ones in their family who got into the most fights. "It's just that - "

Before he could finish, the portrait hole opened up to reveal another Gryffindor coming into the Common Room.

"Am I interrupting something?" Harry Potter asked, closing the entrance up as he surveyed the scene. It looked like the Weasley siblings were fighting again and he had learned a long time ago it was best to just let them have it out and then sort out the mess. He gave a huge yawn and ran a hand through his messy, black hair, wondering how much longer he'd have to listen to the bickering.

"No," Ginny said crisply. "I was just leaving." She spun on her heel and left an irritated Ron and a sleepy Harry in the Common Room. Harry sighed and shook his head.

"What happened this time?"

"I honestly don't know what's gotten into her," Ron began to rave as his best friend plopped into a squashy chair by the dimming fireplace. "This is the fifth time in two weeks I've caught her sneaking in. I wasn't worried the first couple of times, but what if she's in danger?"

"First of all, you worry too much," Harry observed, leaning his head back. "Secondly, Ginny can handle herself. I think deep down, you know that."

"Yeah I guess, as much as I don't want to admit it," Ron agreed, sighing. But then, realization dawned on him. "Hey wait a minute! What are you doing up so late? You said you'd only be gone for an hour."

"I fell asleep in the library while I was studying," Harry replied. "You know how boring Charms study can be."

"Definitely," Ron agreed. "Can I borrow your notes?"

"Hermione said no?"

"She started in on how I would never learn for myself if I always copied off her, blah, blah, blah. I began to tune her out after awhile. I honestly think in her spare time, she thinks of new ways on how to say no when I ask for her notes."

"Well, she's your girlfriend," Harry pointed out, getting out of the chair.

"Yeah, you'd think she give me a break once in awhile," Ron grumbled as he followed Harry up to the boys' dorms. When they were both in the pajamas and settled into bed, Harry heard the familiar voice of his best friend.

"So where do you think Ginny runs off to every night?"

"I don't know. Go to sleep."

"Wouldn't it be great if she had a new boyfriend? Think of all the stuff we could do to torture him, like the last one."

Pretending to have heard him, Harry rolled over and didn't reply. It wasn't until he heard Ron's steady breathing, that he himself was able to sleep.

* * *

"I'm glad we didn't go to Hogsmeade," Ginny whispered into Harry's ear, as they walked along the paths of Hogwarts. He squeezed her gloved hand in his own in response and both continued to walk in silence, in awe of the winter wonderland the snow had created overnight. The place was pretty much deserted, since it was a Hogsmeade weekend. Pretty much all of their friends had gone to the wizarding town, leaving the two of them some quality time together.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. He paused for a moment. "Do you think we're doing the right thing?"

"About not going to Hogsmeade?" Ginny asked, confused. "If you had wanted to go, we could've gone with everyone..." They found a snow-covered bench in the garden they were talking in and sat down to rest their feet.

"No, I mean about all the sneaking around and stuff," Harry clarified. "I just feel like sooner or later, we're going to get caught."

"We're not going to get caught," Ginny said firmly. "And yes, I think we're doing the right thing. I know it's hard to understand why this is important to me, but if you'd grown up in a family as big as mine, you'd realize that you don't get too many things to yourself."

"I guess," Harry replied, giving her words some thought. "I'm just worried about some stuff, that's all."

"Like what? You can tell me anything," she said honestly. Harry didn't want to spill out his feelings, but when he saw that she seemed concerned, he felt like he couldn't stop himself.

"Like Ron for instance. Or that you're a year younger. Or that I'll be leaving when June rolls around. Just...stuff."

"Sounds like you have a lot on your mind."

"Yes...no...I don't know," he confessed. "I guess my main concern is Ron bashing my head in."

"Well, he's got a horrible right hook. Your best bet is just to sucker-punch him and run like hell before the rest of my brothers catch you," Ginny said semi-seriously.

"Well, that's reassuring," Harry said, rolling his eyes. She laughed as she tucked her left leg under her right one.

"I can handle Ron," Ginny told him, brushing snow out of his shaggy bangs. "You know I've got a better handle on that boy than even Hermione, despite how fast she's learning. But let's just keep this a secret for a little while longer. Isn't it a lot more fun this way, sneaking around, having something just for ourselves?"

"Not when I'm trying to sneak back into the Common Room to find you and Ron having another fight," Harry pointed out.

"If he hadn't been waiting up - "

"Gin, he's worried about you," he reminded her. "And he's keeping me awake at night reminding me of this."

"You guys need something better to talk about then," Ginny advised, making him smile slightly. Standing up, she stood over Harry and gave him a wide grin. "C'mon, I'll race you back to the Common Room!"

Before Harry even had a chance to reply, she was off like a shot, weaving her way through the snow and icy paths of Hogwarts fields. It didn't take long for him to get going and once he did, Ginny squealed when she realized he was gaining on her. Over the years, she had grown considerably taller due to Weasley genetics, but Harry had always had a couple of inches on her.

Soon, Ginny could almost see the entrance into the magnificent castle. However, she could hear Harry's footsteps getting closer and closer.

"You're mine, Weasley!" Harry yelled out and when he was close enough, he lunged and landed on her, taking both of them down into the freezing snow. He wrestled with her, both of them laughing as their breath came out of their mouths like fog; eventually, it was Ginny who pinned Harry down.

"Ha," she said simply and rolled off of him so she was lying on her back too. "I win."

"I let you win," Harry grumbled, not letting her see the grin on his face. He sat up and crossed his legs and watched as she began to catch her breath. She too, sat up after a moment and looked into his brilliantly green eyes.

"I'm sure that's what you'll tell people," Ginny replied, brushing snow out of his hair. One gloved finger traced the side of his face, causing him to feel an incredible warmness in his stomach. Lightly grabbing her hand, he brought his face closer to hers and let their lips melt together in a soft, tender kiss. When they parted, he gently kissed her cheek and pressed his forehead against hers, both of them feeling complete bliss as they sat together.

Click! The sound of the camera taking photographs was unheard to the cozy couple only a few feet away.