Fluffy First Kisses and Puppy Love--Harry and Ginny

It was the perfect setting. The air was crisp and warm, exams were over, the birds were twittering in the trees, and there was a light laughter filling the air. Well, it could have been perfect except for one thing. Ginny was soaked to the bone and the laughter was especially for her. Ron, the idiot, had apparently thought it would be hilarious to have a bucket of water float above her head all day without her noticing and then dumping it on her head the second she was in an overly crowded space. How could she be so dumb not to notice a bucket on her head!. That's what everybody's faces were saying as they stared at her soaked from head to toe.

After successfully stomping on Ron's feet Ginny rushed towards the lake as far as she could get from the laughing crowd that had formed around her.

She was not crying. No, Ginny had six older brothers. She was used to their pranks and knew that crying made them feel like they had done their job.

She was dead upset though. She had spent an hour trying to find a way her flaming hair could be positioned without her head looking like it was on fire from the frizz. She had finally gotten her hair into the perfect set of braids. They had fallen gently down her shoulders not a hair out of place. She was sure Harry would love it. Then Ron did his stupid prank and every hair she had so carefully placed went into disarray.

She didn't here the approaching feet or the soft "Ginny?". She wasn't paying attention. Then she felt a firm hand on her shoulders, turned around, and drowned into a pair of deep green eyes.

"Ginny?" he repeated, concern on his face. "Are you okay?"

She was about to yell at him in frustration that she was not okay and he should leave her alone, but that was far from what she wanted to say.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Ron's just a dunderhead." She tried to put on a small smile. He returned it. She kept reminding myself not to look back into those eyes. She would drown again. "Why can't I have good brothers who don't play stupid pranks on you and actually care!" she ranted. "No one cares."

"I care," Harry said softly. Ginny shook her head.

"Sure you do, Harry. Just go away." she walked over to a large tree and leaned against it, staring at the lake. She stood there for a few minutes contemplating the people in her life. Besides for her parents did anyone actually care? She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Harry looking at her solemnly.

"Do you really believe that, Ginny?" he asked.

Before she could answer he took her chin in his hand and looked into her eyes. Oh, bugger. Those eyes were staring right into her. She felt herself go wobbly in the knees and was pretty sure that if he let go of her chin, she would crumple to the ground.

He took a step closer to her, slowly closing the space between their lips until there was about a half an inch left. Then he kissed her. Right then, right there. With Ron and half of Gryffindor still staring at her from the water incident that Ginny had long forgotten by now.

All she could focus on was Harry. Harry and his lips. They were so soft so gentle yet at the same time filling her with a strong emotion. It was not exactly love, but it was no longer a crush. It reminded her that he didn't think she was just his best friend's little sister anymore. The emotion was puppy love. It sounds small, but right then it meant more to Ginny then anything in the entire world.