For Your Love

A/N: Welcome back! Thanks for reading. I spent way too much time deciding what to have for Ginny's special birthday breakfast in this one, but I love this chapter. It sets up a lot of things that will happen later. Look for a new chapter next week!

Chapter 3 - Birthday Girl

When Harry and Ron came down to breakfast on Sunday morning, Ginny was already at the table in her pajamas and a light summer robe while Mrs. Weasley was busy at the stove. The windows were open and a warm breeze carried the smell of fresh cut grass into the kitchen. Ron tousled Ginny's hair as he passed and said, "Happy Birthday, Princess."

They sat down across from her and it was then that Harry saw the pink plate sitting in front of Ginny with the words "Princess for a Day" emblazoned around the edge. In the center was a small fairy who danced around, touching her wand to the letters and making them sparkle.

"It's my special birthday plate," explained Ginny, slightly embarrassed. "I've used it every year since I was three."

"And we all have to call her 'princess' at least once on her birthday," Ron added. "It's the rule." He smiled broadly at Ginny, who chuckled and made a funny face back at him. Ron made another back at her, and Mrs. Weasley turned to smile at them.

Harry watched them. He knew that as the youngest of the Weasleys, Ron and Ginny had always been close, but he had never really seen them this way, playful and childish. It struck him once again how different his own childhood had been from theirs.

"What's that for?" Harry asked, pointing next to the plate where a pink wand lay with streamers attached to one end.

"Birthday wand," Ginny said, picking it up. She did a simple swish and flick and a stream of enchanted butterflies burst from the end, fluttering around their heads before popping like bubbles as they settled on the table. "It's just a toy."

Harry was fascinated; he'd never had any experience with wizarding children's playthings. "And you've had that since you were little as well?" Ginny smiled and nodded.

They heard the stairs creak heavily as Arthur Weasley came into view. Ron leaned over to Harry. "Oh, watch this."

"Princess Ginny," Arthur called, "what do you desire on this fine birthday morning? Your wish is my command." He puffed up his chest like a king surveying his castle.

Ron whispered to Harry, "They do this every year."

Ginny giggled and replied, "Waffles with strawberries and cream please."

"She gets dessert for breakfast?" Harry asked Ron.

"Only today," he replied.

Arthur looked at Molly, who stepped away from the stove and nodded. He raised his wand and two perfectly square Belgian waffles danced through the air onto Ginny's plate, followed by fresh strawberries and a pot of cream to drench the top.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," he beamed, taking his own seat.

"Thank you, daddy," Ginny said with a warm smile.

While she tucked in to her breakfast, Mrs. Weasley set out food for everyone else. When she finally sat down, she took Ginny's hand and her eyes crinkled in a smile. "I hope you don't feel you're too old for all this silliness."

Even though Ginny and her mother were sometimes at odds, especially now that she was getting older, it was still comforting to have these little family rituals, to feel like she could be a child again with nothing more to worry about than getting waffles on her birthday. "Never," she said, squeezing her mum's hand. She caught Harry's eye as she ate. He had such a thoughtful look on his face, and she realized that this kind of family display must be very different from what he was used to. She was glad he was here to share it.

When the breakfast dishes were cleared, Harry, Ginny and Ron trooped upstairs to get dressed. After Ron disappeared into the bathroom, Ginny paused on the landing outside her room and turned to Harry.

"Sorry you had to sit through all that," she smiled. "Mum likes to do it every year and, well, it's sort of sweet and fun."

Harry looked at her with a twinkle in his eye. "Oh, no, I liked it...princess."

"Oh," Ginny colored and waved him away, "you don't have to call me that."

"I'm just teasing. Happy Birthday," he said as he reached out and gave her arm a gentle squeeze.

"Thanks." She watched him climb the stairs to his room before opening the door to her own.

After she had showered and dressed, she heard her mother call from the kitchen.

"Ginny! Owl for you!"

"Okay!" she called, finishing the drying spell on her hair and pulling it back into a thick ponytail. She jogged downstairs and saw the envelope lying on the table with her name on it. As she picked it up, she glanced out the window to see the boys setting off up the hill with their broomsticks. Maybe she would join them later. She recognized the handwriting on the envelope and smiled as she opened it.

She unfolded the parchment to reveal a photograph of herself and the other Gryffindors in her year sitting on the grass by the lake at Hogwarts, laughing and relaxed. It was the day they had taken their final O.W.L. exams just a few months before, at the end of their fifth year. There she was, on the left, sitting next to her roommates, Maura McClaren and Anna Naughton. Beside them were Sean Jacobs with his arms wrapped around Abby Howard (Sean and Abby had just become a couple, and Maura and Anna had declared them the cutest thing since sliced bread), and on the far right, a wiry boy with dark hair and glasses named Aiden Thompson and a sandy-haired boy named Graham Hawkins.

Ginny watched them all waving and smiling at her from the picture. After a few seconds, the head of a thin, blonde boy appeared briefly in the frame next to Ginny, waving quickly before disappearing again. Ginny chuckled when she saw him. It was so like him, always taking great pictures of everyone else, but never really in them himself. She set the picture aside and turned to the letter that came with it.

Hi Ginny,

Happy Birthday! Hope you are having a wonderful day. I thought this picture of all of us turned out great. Thinking of you. See you soon.

Colin

She sighed and smiled. What a sweetheart, she thought, to remember her birthday. Colin Creevey had become a valued friend to Ginny during their time at Hogwarts. They had shared an unhealthy hero worship of Harry in their younger days, though they showed it in very different ways. Ginny had become tongue-tied and clumsy around Harry, whereas Colin had talked about, photographed, and generally chatted him up at every turn. She remembered being somewhat envious of Colin's good-natured self-confidence, even though she knew Harry was less than flattered by all the attention.

But as they had grown older, and came to know Harry as a real person rather than The Boy Who Lived, Ginny and Colin had formed a friendship of their own. She enjoyed chatting with him or doing revision together with their other classmates. He could always make her laugh with his outgoing personality, and when she had dumped Michael Corner, Colin had stayed up late with her in the common room, telling her jokes and doing impersonations of Michael until she was clutching her stomach in laughter.

She ran upstairs to put the picture on her bookshelf, tucking the letter into her desk, and headed back outside to join the boys. Rummaging through the shed, she found Percy's old broom that he had given her when he left home. It was nothing to Harry's Firebolt, but it kept up well enough for pick-up games of Quidditch at the Burrow.

When she reached the top of the small hill behind the house, she entered the large paddock that the Weasley brothers had used for Quidditch ever since she could remember. It was surrounded by tall trees, shielding the flyers from the Muggle village below as long as they were careful not to fly above the tree line.

Ginny shielded her eyes and watched Ron and Harry flying lazily around in circles. The sun was warm and there was a slight breeze. Harry looped up into the air and she marveled at how graceful he was. She loved to watch him fly. Six years of playing Quidditch for Gryffindor had made flying second nature to him, and he could control his powerful broom with the slightest touch. She shook herself mentally. "Get a hold of yourself," she thought.

The boys noticed her and waved, and she wiggled her fingers back at them. Harry said something to Ron that Ginny couldn't hear and then turned toward her, leaning into his broom. He zoomed straight at her from across the field, gaining speed as he came steadily closer. Ginny knew she should be alarmed, but she had seen him perform this move plenty of times during Quidditch matches. She was sure he would swoop down towards her, getting ever closer to the ground, before pulling up at the last second in a perfect Wronski Feint.

As he hurtled through the air, her heart beat faster. "Calm down," she thought, "he's just trying to scare you." She stood her ground and tightened her grip on her broom. He was almost there, surely he would pull up. She held her breath; she could see his face now, smiling at her, daring her. He reached his hand out, as if reaching for the Snitch. Ginny's eyes widened and then, expertly, he pulled hard and whooshed up in front of her, soaring above her head. She shut her eyes tight as the wind whipped her ponytail around her face and didn't exhale until she heard him land in front of her.

"Did I scare you?" he asked with a note of challenge in his voice.

She tossed the hair out of her face and tried to quiet her breathing before answering in the calmest voice she could muster. "No."

"Oh c'mon, did so."

The grin on his face was so wide, she couldn't help the smile pulling at her lips. "Maybe a little."

He laughed and lowered his eyes. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"You couldn't resist me? Well surely, that's an improvement," she said wryly.

Harry snapped his head up to meet her eyes. His cheeks flushed. "Oh, I didn't mean..."

"Coming?" she asked as she mounted her broom and kicked off before he could finish his thought, a devilish glint in her eye. If Harry thought he was going to waltz in here and flirt with her after six years of nothing, she was at least going to make him work for it.

* * *

That afternoon, Harry lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The Weasleys were planning a family party for Ginny that evening; most of her brothers would be there, except for Charlie who couldn't get away from his work in Romania. Percy would also be absent. Although he had reconciled with the family somewhat in the past year, he still tended to avoid large Weasley gatherings, especially those that included Harry. Hermione would be arriving soon as well.

Harry felt restful. He'd been at the Burrow for a week and a half and it was finally sinking in that his life as a fully-fledged wizard was really beginning. This was his home - for now at least. The Weasleys were his family; he was loved and accepted here. He didn't want to think about Voldemort or prophecies or what he would do once school was finished next year. Those things seemed a world away.

His thoughts wandered to Ginny. Was she really going to be sixteen? But she couldn't be, she was just a little girl, a tag-along. He remembered how small and nervous she had looked the first time he'd visited the Burrow and, years later, the way she had commiserated with him over chocolate eggs in the library. He remembered her fighting with the DA and her almost annoying insistence at going with them to the Department of Mysteries. And that day by the lake last year; he had been feeling that it was time for a change, time to start living again, and she had been there. Despite her early fumbling around him, which he found embarrassingly sweet, she did seem to have a knack for knowing how to make him feel better when things got to be too much for him.

He pictured her in his mind. She was pretty, there was no doubt about that. Her body was pleasantly curvy and when she smiled her eyes lit up and he couldn't help but smile back. And her hair. Most guys would give their right arms to wrap themselves in that hair. But he dismissed all that from his mind for the moment. If he wanted a girl to lust over, there were much less risky targets out there than Ginny Weasley.

But there was something about her; he wanted to know her better. Was he attracted to her? Maybe a little. Could he seriously consider dating her even? He shook his head at that thought. She'd had such strong feelings for him in the past that he wasn't about to stir up that cauldron again.

There were too many what-ifs. What if he was only attracted to her because they were living in the same house, or because she was Ron's sister, or because he'd known her forever and she was comfortable? What if they dated and then broke up and then he had to come live at the Burrow with her next summer? Harry frowned at the questions chasing each other inside his head. Couldn't they get to know each other and still have a solid friendship even if they didn't end up together?

That was it, he thought. Being a friend with a girl was something he knew how to do. He'd been friends with Hermione for years. Being a boyfriend, on the other hand, left an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. No, having romantic feelings for someone was just too much work. Besides, Hermione had told him ages ago that Ginny had gotten over her crush on him, but that she still liked him as a friend.

He wanted to get to know her, just for her, not as Ron's little sister. He was going to be there for the rest of the summer. What could it hurt?

His thoughts were interrupted by a squeal coming from downstairs. He heard Ron's footsteps coming down from his room, and when his head popped around the door, he wore a wide grin. "I think Hermione's here."

They made their way down the stairs, Ron taking them a bit faster than Harry. When they emerged into the living room, Hermione was chatting energetically about her holiday in France while Ginny exclaimed over a new pair of earrings she was wearing. They didn't even notice the boys enter, much to Ron's amusement. He turned to Harry and started waving his arms in a girly fashion.

"Harry, have you seen my new Chudley Cannons t-shirt? I got it in France you know."

"Oh yes," mimicked Harry in a high voice, "it's smashing. And I just love how it clashes with your hair."

The girls stopped and turned, arms folded and lips pursed. Hermione broke into a smile.

"If I weren't Head Girl, I'd put a permanent Babbling Curse on you two, and then we'd see who would be laughing at whom," she grinned.

"You'd never put a hex on us," Ron said. "If you got rid of us, who would you nag about homework all the time?"

"Ha ha," she said, rolling her eyes as he swept her up into a hug.

But Harry stared at her in surprise. "You're Head Girl?"

Hermione's looked at him and her eyes went wide. She turned to Ron and swatted him on the arm.

"Ow!"

"You didn't tell him?" she scolded.

"You knew?" Harry said to Ron.

"I owled him last week when I found out. I told him to tell you since I knew you'd be here," Hermione said, facing Ron with a reproachful look.

"I guess I forgot," Ron shrugged sheepishly.

"Oh, Harry, I'm sorry." She walked over to him with a look that said don't-mind-him-he's-an-idiot and hugged him in a quick hello.

"No, it's alright, I just didn't know," he smiled. "Congratulations!"

"Yes, well done!" Ginny agreed.

"Thanks," she beamed.

"C'mon," said Ginny, "I'll show you your room. You're staying in Percy's, it's closest to mine." She turned to Ron. "I assume you boys can handle the bags?" She strode past them, pausing to swat Ron's other arm and whisper "stupid git" as she passed.

Ron rubbed his arm and scowled after them. "Sorry mate, I thought I told you."

Harry waved him off. "No worries," he said, though he felt just a little put out that Hermione hadn't owled him directly. He knew that finding out she'd been made Head Girl would have been the highlight of her summer; he would have expected her to owl him straight away. But she had thought Ron would pass it along. He shrugged it off.

"So," Hermione whispered when she and Ginny entered the room, "how's Harry getting on?" She peeked out the door to make sure the boys were out of earshot.

"Pretty well. He seems to be settling in."

"How's his mood been?"

"Mmm... steady, I'd say. It was a little touch-and-go when the Prophet article came out, but he got over it."

"Oh good," Hermione breathed. "I was so worried when I saw it, I thought for sure he'd brood about it for ages." She smiled at Ginny. "I'm glad he was here. You're so good at handling him."

Ginny was about to respond that she didn't think Harry needed to be "handled" when Hermione's bags came floating into the room, followed by Ron and Harry.

"So, Miss Head Girl," Ginny said as she and Harry sat on the bed and Ron leaned against the desk, "who's Head Boy?"

Hermione took a deep breath and paused, preparing for the onslaught. "Malfoy."

Ginny gasped. Harry's mouth dropped open in shock. Ron's head looked as though it were about to explode.

"Oh, Hermione..." said Ginny. "I'm so sorry."

"Malfoy?!" Ron burst out. "I knew he'd worm his way into Head Boy. What was Dumbledore thinking? The sodding..." Even though he had fantasized about it, Ron had never seriously believed that the honor of Head Boy would go to him. But he had hoped that it might fall to someone less objectionable than Draco Malfoy.

"Ron, there's steam coming out of your ears. You should really have that looked at," said Hermione, crossing her arms and waiting for the storm to subside.

"But..."

She held up her hand. "I know, I was shocked too. But I've been thinking about it, and I can handle Malfoy. The committee did choose him - why, I can't imagine - but I trust Dumbledore and anyway, I can't change it so there's no use in getting upset. It's you two who've always let him get under your skin, not me. Besides, I think it may actually be to my advantage."

Harry was speechless. He had ceased trying to figure out why Dumbledore did the things he did. He and Ron would just have to look out for Hermione as best they could, and when they couldn't, he knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

Ron looked incredulous. "You're mental."

"Well look, who better to keep the Slytherins in line than one of their own, and a Malfoy at that? They're all terrified of him down there, and they're certainly not going to listen to anything I tell them, Head Girl or not. Malfoy wants power, and he has it absolutely in those dungeons. And he thinks the Slytherins are so far above everyone else, I'm willing to bet that he'll be happy to leave the rest of it to me. Now I just have to figure out a way to make it seem like it's his idea."

"But you'll still have to work with him all year," Ron complained. "I could hardly stomach sitting through prefect meetings with him for the past two years, I don't think I can take him lording Head Boy over me, too. I might just crack."

"Oh Ron, really," Hermione smiled patronizingly. "Do you think I'd ever let him mess with my favorite boy?"

Harry sat up and pretended to take offense. "I thought I was your favorite boy."

Hermione glanced sideways at Harry. "Of course you are, but don't tell Ron."

Ginny laughed at the confused look on her brother's face.

"Listen, no more talk about Malfoy. You'll ruin Ginny's birthday." Hermione patted Ron's arm soothingly and turned to unpack her bags.

Ginny looked back and forth between Hermione and her brother. "Harry," she said casually, "would you come outside with me? Mum needs some help setting up for the party."

Harry frowned. "What about Ron?"

"He'll be along soon," she said, casting a meaningful glance at Ron while pulling Harry to his feet.

Harry paused to touch Hermione's arm. "See you later," he said. She nodded and smiled.

Ron crossed the room and closed the door behind them. He turned and leaned against it, folding his arms across his chest. "Are you really okay with this?"

Hermione straightened up with a handful of shirts and looked at him. "I really am. I can handle him, Ron." But she could see that he was still fuming, so she dropped her clothes on the bed and went to stand in front of him. "Please don't make this into a big deal. Please just trust me."

"I hate him, Hermione. After all he's done to you..."

She stood on tiptoe and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug. "I know," she said as they stood there quietly. "Thank you."

"For what?"

Hermione smiled. "For being my favorite boy."

His face relaxed and he allowed himself a small smile. "I missed you."

She pulled away and looked up into his face. Her fingers played with the fringe on his forehead. "Your hair's longer," she said.

"Yeah, it needs a cut," he said, brushing it away.

"No, I like it," she smiled.

"Yeah?"

Hermione nodded, relieved that he seemed to be off the topic of Malfoy for the moment. "Why don't you go downstairs and help Harry. I'll be out in a bit."

Ron nodded and opened the door behind him. He started down the stairs, turning back once to look at Hermione, who was standing in the doorway, watching him go.