Parallel

CHAPTER 3 - RECOLLECTIONS AND UNEXPECTED VISITORS

And they did talk ... but only after another long and lovely lovemaking session. Once the talk began, however, one recollection led to another, until finally they reached the fourth year and what had happened at the Yule Ball. "I know I went with Neville Longbottom that year, but I naturally noticed you in your dress robes. You looked so handsome, Harry; so much so that you nearly took my breath away. I wished more than anything that we had had a chance to dance together. You have no idea how much I envied Parvati!"

Harry could still recall the silly, almost lovesick, look on Neville Longbottom's face when he had come in, much later than Ron or himself--in fact, they had already gone to bed by the time Neville returned from the Ball. Harry knew that Ginny had gone with him, unable to help wondering what she had done to provoke that look. He had never been able to bring himself to ask her (or Neville, for that matter) but he had always wondered, even speculated. Had she simply allowed him to kiss her goodnight, or had it been more?

He knew that Neville was the shy, studious type, rarely going for social events of any kind, particularly those which involved taking a girl. Just the same, there was a first time for everything, and perhaps Ginny had been the catalyst which had prompted Neville's. At the mere thought of them together, however, the monster inside Harry strained against its chains. If he hadn't liked Neville, he wouldn't have hesitated to hex him into the middle of next week for even laying a hand on Ginny, much less kissing her (or anything else physical).

Just the same, Harry was ashamed that he had been too blind at the time to recognise Ginny for the treasure she was; he had, in fact, been too wrapped up in his infatuation with Cho Chang and had scarcely noticed Ginny. But thankfully, time had matured him; matured both of them, really--and in his sixth year (and her fifth), Harry had finally started seriously dating Ginny. He couldn't help laughing as he recalled the gobsmacked look on Ron's face when he had seen Harry kissing Ginny, not only in front of him but about fifty or so other people.

But at the time, Harry had not cared. What mattered was that Ginny was in his arms and that she wanted him. What mattered most, however, was that Ron had eventually come around and gave them his blessing. For most of the time Harry had known Ginny, however, she had seemed little more than a child to him, simply Ron's baby sister, but over time, she had become an extraordinarily lovely woman--and she belonged to him. And if he had any say in the matter, she always would. He was now certain that there was definitely some truth in the adage, "There is nothing more irresistible to a man than a woman who's in love with him."

They were sitting up in bed, the covers up to their waists, although they had not dressed yet.

Ginny's head was on his shoulder and her arms locked around him, as were his around her. But at this thought, Harry's remorse was so great at having kept her at arm's length for so long that he was sure it would take him the rest of his life to make it up to her ... but all that was possible was to take it one day at a time. For now, however, he did the only thing he could do at this point: lifted her head and bent his own down to kiss her with a lingering, tender passion.

"Wow! What was that for?" Ginny asked when he finally, reluctantly, released her, her lips still throbbing pleasurably from his kiss.

"I just felt like it," he said by way of explanation. "After all, we've got a lot of time to make up for."

You can say that again! she thought, still scarcely able to believe that this moment was really happening, that Harry was really here with her, in her arms, in her bed ... and that they had just spent a long, lovely night together. What if Ron and Hermione dropped by and found them like this? How would she ever explain it? Just the same, neither had a right to judge them, considering what they themselves were doing. She and Harry had nothing to be ashamed of.

And as if this thought had literally conjured them up, the next thing they knew, a knock came on the front door of the flat. The couple looked at each other with a mixture of love and apprehension. "Who could that be? Are you expecting anybody, Gin?"

"No," she returned. "Do you think it could actually be Ron and Hermione?"

"If not, maybe just one of them," Harry suggested. "Just the same, I think we better get up and get dressed--especially if it is them."

"And if that's the case, I want to tell them that you proposed to me and get their reaction."

Harry frowned at her. "Don't you think we should tell your parents first? Besides, I have no idea when we'll be able to do it under the present circumstances."

"The point is, that if you could manage to propose, that might just prompt Ron to do the same with Hermione," Ginny pointed out, deftly (albeit unwillingly) extricating herself from Harry's arms and reaching for her wand to summon her nightgown, slippers and dressing-gown. "Just the same, I'd better go out first, to be on the safe side. You can get dressed while you're waiting if you like."

Harry sighed and didn't argue further; Ginny gave him one last kiss before departing the room after donning her clothes. While waiting, he showered and dressed in fresh clothes, then carefully made his way to the door and listened. He couldn't hear anything, unable to help wishing for a pair of Fred and George's Extendable Ears. What was happening in the living room? If Ginny didn't come back soon, he would have to take a chance and go to find out.

* * * * *

It was as they had surmised; Ron and Hermione were standing at the door expectantly. Ginny's smile was somewhat forced as she beckoned them inside; she had hoped to be able to spend the entire day alone with Harry.

"You all right, Sis? You look like you just got out of bed," Ron commented after kissing his sister on the forehead and closing the door behind them.

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Just wasn't expecting you lot, that's all."

"If you say so," he returned skeptically. "Hermione and I were going out for a bite and thought you might like to come along, so we dropped by."

"I wouldn't mind, except for one thing," she remarked cryptically.

"And what's that one thing?" Hermione put in.

"Me," a new voice interjected. All whirled to find Harry standing a short distance away, having gotten tired of waiting for Ginny to return and deciding to find out what was going on.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "When did you get back? I thought you were still working as an Auror."

"I am ... but I decided to take a vacation. Haven't had one in ages," he explained.

"So you decided to look us up ... among other things?" Hermione looked from Harry to Ginny and back again, giving them a knowing smile.

"Among other things," Harry returned ambiguously, neither confirming or denying their suspicions.

"How long have you been here?" Ron asked.

"Got in yesterday morning," Harry supplied. "Visited your mum. She told me what all had been happening with everyone."

"Why didn't you come to see us first?" Ron wondered. "Surely Mum told you where we live."

"I intended to, I assure you," Harry replied. "It's just that Ginny and I had a lot to talk about, a lot to catch up on first. After all, I haven't seen her for four years."

"I can imagine." Hermione's knowing smile widened. "Did you and Ginny spend the night together?" she asked point-blank.

"Hermione, that's none of our business," Ron admonished her.

"Keep out of this, Ron," she shot back. "Besides, I'm surprised you're not the one asking this. I would think you'd want to know, being that Harry is your best friend and Ginny is your sister." There was a long silence from both young men, so Hermione spoke again. "I'm waiting for an answer, Harry."

"What if I said we had?" he finally returned, an almost defiant note in his voice.

"For Merlin's sake, Harry, we're not judging you. We know how you feel about Ginny. We were just wondering if you'd finally decided to do something about it."

"Do something about it? I already did something about it, back in sixth year, for your information."

"But you also broke up with her a few weeks later, after Dumbledore was killed. Did you finally realise that you can't be afraid to love her, that true love is worth any risk, just as I told you then?"

"When you put it that way, I suppose I have," he confessed quietly, walking over to Ginny and putting a possessive arm around her before kissing her. "In fact, I even--"

"You what?" Hermione interrupted.

"I ... proposed to her," Harry made himself say.

For a long time, no one moved or spoke ... and hardly dared breathe.

Finally Ron broke the silence. "Mate, did you say--what I thought you said?"

"Yes. I asked Ginny to marry me ... and she accepted." Harry's arm tightened around Ginny; she moved closer and looked up at her intended with loving eyes. "But don't worry, Ron. You'll not be losing a best friend; instead, you'll be gaining a brother-in-law. However, I can't say just when we'll be able to do it. I just wanted to make sure that Ginny knew how much I loved her and that I wanted to spend my life with her, whatever the risks."

"That's more like it," Hermione commented approvingly. Now, if I can just get Ron to propose to me, we'll be doing something, she finished in her mind. "Now, do you want to join us for a bite or not?"

"I suppose so. I just need to get dressed," Ginny reluctantly agreed. "Give me a few minutes." With that, she extricated herself from Harry's arm and left the room.

Harry was left alone with his two friends, who had suddenly become his inquisitors, whether they meant to or not. Fortunately, Hermione finally apologized for being nosy.

"We're sorry to be so nosy, Harry--but we had to know," she returned apologetically.

"It's all right," he assured them. "As long as you don't make a habit of it."

After fifteen minutes more of small talk, Ginny rejoined them, and the two couples left the flat after Ginny reinstated the Locking Charm on her door, unsure of where they were going but at the same time, not really caring as long as they were with their two closest friends. Now if they could only get Ron to propose to Hermione, everything would be fine ... and there might even be a double wedding!

* * * * *

Even as much in love as they themselves were, Hermione and Ron found themselves acutely embarrassed at the open, unashamed way Harry and Ginny were looking at and touching each other. They felt almost like voyeurs, as if they were watching intimacies they weren't meant to see. It was obvious that their respective friend and sister would much rather have been alone, but since they had been pressured, albeit gently, to join them in a public place, they had to make the best of it.

Just as the waitress was bringing their food, the other two noticed that Harry had brought Ginny's hand to his lips and kissed it passionately; she then reached both her hands up to cradle his face and pulled him down into a lingering kiss. There had been no time to warn the other couple of the waitress's approach; consequently, she gave Ron and Hermione a funny look upon noting the other couple's compromising position. The best they could say was, "Bear with them. They just got engaged."

The waitress gave them another funny look, then smiled indulgently, as though humouring them. "They probably shouldn't be out in public, then." Privately, she couldn't help thinking that the couple in question should be hosed down or something to cool them off, but said nothing out loud.

"Well, we kind of ... twisted their arms. They didn't have much choice," Hermione attempted to explain.

"If it'll help, I suggest that you change your order to take-out, then you could take it home and eat it ... whenever." It seemed that the waitress was fast becoming just as embarrassed and trying to make the best of an awkward situation.

"That might be a good idea," Hermione agreed; one look at Ron told her that he wholeheartedly concurred. "If you would do that, please, then bring us the bill."

"Yes, ma'am," the waitress assented, then left the food on the table to go get some take-out containers. A quick look out of the corner of her eye told Hermione that her friend and his intended were still at it; in fact they hadn't missed a beat. She was unsure how she and Ron were going to get them out of the restaurant, but both intended to give it their best shot.

A short time later the waitress came back with the necessary containers; it took Ron and Hermione several minutes to get the food all ready, close on to twenty, in fact, since they not only had to do their own but the ones for Harry and Ginny as well, because the pair was--shall we say--otherwise engaged and unlikely to stop any time soon.

Hermione had Ron take the food to their car, then return to help her get the other two out of public view. By this time, it was uncertain that they would be able to accomplish their objective, even together; Ginny was now on Harry's lap and had her arms around his neck. His arms were locked around her waist. It didn't seem as if they had even once come up for air once they had begun snogging ... and snogging, big-time!

They finally agreed to have one of them pull while the other pushed in order to get the other, totally oblivious couple out of sight. It took another twenty minutes, but they finally managed to get them on their feet--and with Ron pulling on one side and Hermione the other, out the door and headed for the car. It was fortunate they hadn't Apparated here, because at this point, neither Harry nor Ginny was in any condition to do so, at least not on their own.

"Well, it serves us right for making them come along," Ron muttered as they stuffed the other couple into the back seat of the car. "Blimey! I swear, I've never seen anyone so ... bloody hot for each other!" Not even ourselves, he thought, fighting off a blush at the thought of the many times he and Hermione had gone at it just as hot and heavy. But at least they had had the presence of mind to seek privacy before doing so! And one thing was for sure: it would be a long time before they returned to this restaurant again.

As if Hermione had been a Legilimens herself, she finished what he had stated. "As we told the waitress, Ron, bear with them. They have four years to make up for, and it's going to take longer than overnight for them to do it."

"In which case, let's just get them back to Ginny's flat, get them situated ... say, on the living room sofa or in her bedroom ... then put the food in the fridge and leave them a note."

"I don't think it would make any difference where we put them. They're so engrossed in each other that nothing short of Voldemort himself and his entire squad of Death Eaters could distract them!"

"At this point, I don't think even they could," Ron couldn't help sniggering even as he pulled the car into the parking lot near Ginny's flat. "Hermione, do you think you can get her door open?"

"I'll give it a try," she promised--and although it took another good twenty minutes, Hermione's expertise with spells and charms to both do and undo a given thing served her in good stead. It was easiest for them to place the still-heavily-snogging couple on the couch and place the food in the fridge, then Hermione scribbled a quick note on the nearest piece of parchment. Their work done, they took their leave and headed for their own nearby flat to have their meal in peace ... then maybe have a little snogging session of their own!

* * * * *

It was well into the next hour before the aforementioned couple finally came back to earth. After very reluctantly releasing each other, they looked around, surprised to find themselves back in Ginny's flat. "How the bloody hell did we get back here?" Harry wondered. "The last I remember, we were still in the restaurant, waiting for our food to come."

"I have an idea," Ginny remarked ambiguously. "In the meantime, let me check something in the kitchen." She got up and headed for the kitchen; Harry got up and followed her, as if she was metal and he a magnet. "Um-hm, I was right. The food's in the fridge and here's a note from Hermione," Ginny remarked even as she grabbed said note off the table and attempted to read it. However, it wasn't easy for her to do so, for Harry had snaked his arms around her and was pressing passionately against her, hungry lips having found their way to the pounding pulse in her throat. "Harry, please. That makes me crazy! Besides, I'm trying to read this note."

"You make me crazy," he crooned. "And you can read the note later."

However, this was one time when Ginny's hunger for food would win out over her sexual hunger. "Stop it, Harry! I want you as much as you want me, but right now we need to have something to eat."

His lips found her nearest ear and whispered suggestions for her dinner menu that had everything to do with a certain appendage of his which needed her immediate attention before he could concentrate on food for any length of time. Oh Merlin, why am I so godawful weak where Harry is concerned? she lamented. "All right, we'll do it," she finally gave in. "But after that, we eat!" Her tone was so commanding that Harry didn't even think of arguing with her. With that, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the bedroom.

* * * * *

Once they managed to get to the food, one pointing of her wand at the food and the brief order, "Food, re-heat," provided them with basically the same bill of fare as they would have gotten had they been in any condition to stay in the restaurant. She even managed to conjure up some cold butterbeer, which the couple used to wash their somewhat delayed meal down.

"I hate to think how we must have embarrassed Ron and Hermione," Ginny commented, at the same time unable to help giggling at the thought as she looked across the table at Harry.

"We've got to make it up to them at some point," Harry stated just before taking another bite of his individual mince pie, seasoned similarly to meatloaf. "We have got to learn to control ourselves better, that's all."

"I'm fine, as long as I'm not around you," she threw back. "Otherwise my resolve goes totally out the window!"

"In which case, we may have to go with them separately. The only problem with that is that we won't be together."

"We can stand an hour or so apart, can't we?" But even as Ginny said this, she knew that that would be the longest time she could stay away from Harry now that he was back in her life ... barring her time at work, that is--and even then, that was pushing it.

"I suppose so," Harry reluctantly agreed before taking a swallow of butterbeer. "But not on a regular basis. At least not for the foreseeable future ... and not outside of our work."

"Have you been able to track down any more Horcruxes?" she asked conversationally.

"I have a pretty fair idea of where another one is, but haven't had the opportunity to check out my theory yet," he informed her.

"How many are there left, including the one that Voldemort has with him?"

"Four, I think," Harry mused thoughtfully. "But there's no set limit on this ... and even if there were, as I said earlier, I won't be separated from you--or my friends--again, whatever the risks. I learned how wrong I was to do that, but the hard way!"

"When you do decide to go after it, I'm sure you'll let us all know," she returned softly, reaching a hand to cover his after he had momentarily set down his fork.

"Count on it," he assured her. "Meanwhile, let's finish eating ... then we can get back to more important things." He looked up at her, giving her a sly wink, a suggestive twinkle in his sea-green eyes.

"Of course, my love." She returned the sly wink with an answering twinkle in her eyes, then resumed eating in order to satisfy her hunger for food before satisfying her hunger for Harry--at least temporarily. That was a hunger she doubted would ever be satisfied.