Fluffy Firsts: Tales of Harry and Ginny's First Kiss

The Joys of Astronomy

Professor Sinistra's voice pounded into Harry's brain in monotonic waves. He tried to pay attention to her lecture on globular clusters, but couldn't seem to keep his mind on task. A chill ran up his spine as cool midnight air streamed through the tower windows into the classroom. It was the only thing keeping Harry awake but as he glanced at Ron, he could see that even the cold breeze wasn't enough to keep him conscious as he snored softly into his Astronomy text.

"Let's review one more time class," came the suddenly intelligible words. "Which is the closest cluster to our solar system?"

Surprisingly, Hermione's hand didn't shoot into the air. In fact, no one's hand rose. Harry adjusted his glasses to look around the room. Ron wasn't the only one asleep as several of the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were too busy counting sheep to pay proper attention to the lesson. Apparently, last night's raid on the caretaker's office was too much for some of them.

In an effort to buoy the spirits of the student population, Harry was trying to make his sixth year the 'Return of the Marauders'. Last night had been the first prank of what he hoped would be many - raiding Filch's filing cabinets to secure the means to pull off other pranks later in the term. She would never admit it, but it was all thanks to Hermione. If she hadn't pushed him to start the DA last year, Harry would not have become so friendly with Justin, Susan, Padma, and so many other non-Gryffindors. Their friendship was the main reason that he had been able to convince some Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs to assist him in distracting the elderly squib and his cat. Harry had even been able to convince Hermione that a little subterfuge was good DA practice. It was a brilliant operation and their haul awaited them in an unused hole behind Sir Cadogan's portrait, but he and his cohorts were now too knackered to think straight.

Mental note, Harry said to himself. No pranks on nights before Astronomy.

Professor Sinistra seemed miffed by her nearly-catatonic students and hastily scribbled something on the board. "I want each of you to write two feet of parchment describing the history, importance, and relevance to Astronomical calculations of the nearest globular cluster."

Harry scratched as much as he could down on his almost empty notes and packed his bag. Hermione nudged Ron in the back and he jerked awake. "Five hundred light-years, Professor," he called out loudly. Seamus snickered into his hand and Sinistra scowled at him from over her spectacles.

Dean stood and stretched behind them, saying, "Come on, you lot, let's get to bed."

Following Ron down the stairs, Hermione close behind, they overheard Seamus giving Neville a hard time about his crush on Luna Lovegood. Unfortunately for poor Neville, he had let it slip on the train to Hogwarts that he fancied her, but that he wasn't going to ask her out. Seamus and Dean had taken it upon themselves to needle him ever since.

"What do ya reckon?" Ron asked Harry sleepily. "You gonna go after Cho again this year?"

Hermione snorted. "She's not exactly stable, Ron. Harry needs someone who's going to keep him level-headed, not cry all over him."

"Too right," Harry said as they trudged down the corridor towards the Fat Lady. "You volunteering for the job?"

Ron gave him a critical look that made Harry pause, but then Hermione's laugh pealed out. "No, Harry. I'd probably just smother you with worry."

Harry and Ron continued to watch each other for a moment before they both smiled in understanding. "Yeah," Harry agreed, "you're probably right. I don't think I'm going to worry too much about girls this year."

"Good idea," Ron said with a glance at Hermione. "No offense, Hermione, but most girls are too much trouble to bother with."

Harry could almost feel Hermione bristle at that comment, even though she was still behind them. He let her pass to come level with Ron before she said, "What's that supposed to mean, Ron Weasley?"

True to form, Ron shot back with just as much vehemence. "They're dotty - make you think they're going one way, then change their minds mid-stream and the bloke doesn't know which way to turn."

"If boys weren't so thick, they wouldn't have to work so hard just to recognize that we're girls in the first place."

Harry let them walk even further ahead as they continued to trade barbs. He shook his head at their bantering and resolved then that he would keep clear of girls until he'd got his own feelings sorted out. Love wasn't something you just fell into anyway, right?

*

The following Saturday, Hermione and Ron were in the library working on their Astronomy essay, but Harry opted out, claiming that he needed to get his Potions homework done first. In actuality, the essay had been completed the night it was assigned, but he couldn't think of a better reason to skive off. The simple fact was that he just didn't want to be in the library, especially since he seemed to have developed a nasty block regarding Astronomy. Ever since his O.W.L. practical, when Hagrid had been run out of school and McGonagall Stunned, Harry had been unable to work through the subject at all.

Blocked or not, Harry still had to find a way to pass the class or he wouldn't be able to finish school.

After moping around the castle for most of the afternoon, Harry decided that he had better at least find out what the blasted cluster was named. Then he could start to think about the essay instead of honing his procrastination skills.

With much reluctance, he gave into his more studious half and walked back to the common room.

Several third years were having a boisterous game of Gobstones by the fireplace, so he went up to his dorm to read, becoming more and more irritated about the whole affair. Unfortunately, Seamus and Neville were playing Exploding Snap on Neville's bed, so the prospects of getting any serious studying done became slimmer and slimmer. Nevertheless, Harry closed the curtains on his four-poster, propped his astronomy text up on his feet and covered his ears with his hands.

The last straw came when Seamus started boasting about his exploits with Lavender in the Astronomy Tower in between hands. Even with his ears clamped tight, Harry could hear every word. He threw the curtains open with a flourish and started to pack his books and parchment in his bag.

"That's disgusting!" shouted Neville. "How can you stand doing that?" Neville tried to act appalled, but he leaned in closer when Seamus started to divulge even more details.

"I'm off," said Harry loudly, trying to ignore their conversation. Having a girl as one of his best friends put a serious damper on Harry's ability to enjoy these sort of "bloke's only" conversations that Seamus especially seemed to enjoy.

Seamus grinned and waggled his eyebrows as Harry left, while Neville guffawed at learning something about Lavender that Harry could have lived forever without hearing.

The third years had apparently been chased off as the common room was now deserted. He settled for the most secluded corner and roughly set his bag down into the chair next to him. Pulling his book and essay out, he noticed that it had been wrinkled in his haste to get away from Seamus. Harry gave an involuntary shudder when thoughts of Seamus and Lavender in the Astronomy Tower came unbidden in his mind and he had to fight off the heat he could feel rising in his cheeks.

Thumbing through his book, he looked for anything on globular clusters but after several minutes of fruitless searching, was about to toss the whole thing away. Deciding that he better at least check the index, two entries seemed to appear out of nowhere and he hastily flipped to the first. With a resigned sigh, he began reading:

Globular clusters are gravitationally bound concentrations of approximately ten thousand to one million stars, spread over a volume of several tens to about 200 light years in diameter.

The first globular cluster discovered, but then taken for a nebula, was M22 in Sagittarius, which was probably discovered by Abraham Ihle in 1665. This discovery was followed by that of southern Omega Centauri by Edmond Halley on his 1677 journey to St. Helena.¹

Harry's eyes began to close as the words seemed to swim in front of him. Sunlight beamed through an open window next to him and filled the area with warm, sleepy air. Globular clusters faded from his mind and were replaced with the feeling of his Firebolt, flying happily through the trees. His head was about to hit the table when he heard someone sitting down in the chair opposite him.

"Hello," came a bright voice. "Bloody hard to study with noisy kids around."

Harry's head jerked up and he looked at the redhead sitting across from him, forcing his eyes to focus on her face. "Hey, Ginny," he said groggily.

Her face scrunched in concern. "All right, Harry? I didn't mean to wake you."

Harry waved a hand in the air. "It's fine. I was actually trying to read." He yawned heavily and shook his head to clear it.

"Sounds like a real page-turning subject," she said with a small smile. "History of Magic?"

"No," said Harry sardonically. "Astronomy."

"Oh." Ginny brightened up even more. "I'd be happy to help you out if you want."

Harry furrowed his brow. "But you haven't even taken your O.W.L.s."

Ginny huffed. "Well, that doesn't mean I can't understand what your book says, Harry," she said somewhat peevishly.

"That's not what I meant...I mean..." Harry sighed heavily, deciding to head off an argument before it started. "I'd love to have your help, Ginny."

Her smile returned and she nodded her head. "It's all settled then. Essay?"

"Yeah," he said as he sat back in his seat, slouching a little.

Ginny was twirling a piece of her hair with her index finger. "What on?"

"Globular clusters," he said with some disdain, wiping his face with the open palm of his hand.

"Ah," she said knowingly, pulling the twist from the lock of hair she'd been playing with. Then with some thought, looked at Harry directly and declared, "Meet me in the tower tonight just before midnight and we'll see what we can do."

Harry blanched. Meet Ginny in the Astronomy Tower? Boys didn't just meet girls there for anything...innocent. Seamus' ribald comments -- that Harry thought he had successfully ignored -- suddenly came bubbling up from Harry's memory. "But, what about...It's just that..." he spluttered.

Ginny laughed and a light, bell-like noise rang in his ears. "Don't be silly, Harry. I'm not asking you out on a date or anything. We just need to use the telescopes to see the clusters properly."

Heartbeat returning to normal, he let out a breath. "Thanks. I've heard what goes on up there...I just didn't want...."

Her face seemed to fall ever so slightly, but she recovered and forced a smile. "It's no problem, Harry. I'm glad to help you with your Astronomy homework."

She made to get up and Harry felt guilt course through his veins. "Wait...I..." he said, but couldn't find the right words to apologize.

"No, Harry. It's fine. Let's just be two friends helping each other study, okay? I've got some Astronomy homework myself." Her eyes were on her books as she packed them back into her bag.

"Sure, Ginny. I'll see you tonight, then?" he offered, not really understanding what had happened.

She caught his eyes for a moment and nodded her head. "Midnight," she re-affirmed and walked off to the girls' dormitories.

*

The rest of the day was torturous for Harry. He agonized over his conversation with Ginny, wondering what it was that he had said to set her off. The tower was notorious for romantic encounters and although he knew Ginny had given up on him, he didn't want her to assume that he felt that way about her.

Not that she wasn't attractive...but he banished that thought as quickly as it came. He needed to focus on not sticking his foot in his mouth when they had their study session that night. Besides, hadn't he sworn off of girls and the confusions of romance just the other day?

Dinner came and went with Harry catching Ginny's eye several times during the meal. She would always be the first to turn away and he found himself watching her to see if she would look back. When she did, they smiled at each other and went back to their food.

This seemed to lighten Harry's mood considerably because Hermione caught onto it on their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

"All right, there, Harry?" she asked innocently.

A little suspicious, he replied, "Yes...why?"

She grinned and elbowed Ron, who was still working on one of the three rolls he had taken away from dinner. "Nothing. It's just that you're practically skipping."

"Am I?" he asked sincerely. "I hadn't noticed." He looked over to Ron, who shrugged, mouth too full to speak, and kept moving towards the Fat Lady's portrait.

Not willing to let the subject drop, Hermione continued, "Yeah, you are. Did you eat something the rest of us didn't? Or maybe...see a certain person?"

Her smile was disconcerting and made him suddenly self-conscious. Harry looked to Ginny, who was walking slightly behind them with Neville and Dean. "No. I just feel...happier...I guess," he added lamely.

"Hmm," she said and followed Ron to the portrait. "Triskedellian," she pronounced with a grin still plastered on her face and the frame opened.

Scratching his head, Harry struggled to understand their conversation. Dean and Neville followed Ron into the common room and Ginny walked slowly behind them. "Ginny?" he said with a sudden burst of inspiration.

She turned slowly around to face him. "Yes, Harry?"

He fidgeted with his robe pockets and said, "Um...I'm sorry if I said anything that upset you earlier."

"Don't worry about it Harry. I understand how you feel." Light from the torches reflected in her eyes, as if they were dancing.

"No, I don't think you do." He paused, considering his words carefully. "I'm not really great at talking with...girls, and I know I somehow messed up today. The whole Astronomy Tower thing is just a little awkward for me and..."

"Don't worry about, Harry," she said, now looking as happy as he felt. "Like I said, let's just be two friends getting some homework done."

Sighing, he smiled back at her and said, "Meet you there, Ginny."

*

When midnight came, Harry's eyes automatically came open and looked at his clock. He pulled himself wearily from the bed and straightened his robes. After a visit to the loo, he grabbed his book bag and checked the Marauder's Map. Filch was walking along the Charms corridor and Snape, oddly, was nowhere to be seen, so he tucked the map in his bag and walked down to the common room.

The fire was burning low in the grate, its dancing flames sending an ethereal glow throughout the room. Although they had decided to meet in the tower, Harry secretly hoped she would walk up there with him. Forcing down his nerves, he opened the portrait hole and made his way up the stairs.

Harry paused outside the observation room and a slight chill ran up his spine as his ears caught the sounds of someone humming. Ginny was already there, setting up a telescope on its tripod. She adjusted the legs to the right height and secured the instrument with a twist of the knob on its side. Harry took another step forward, hesitantly, as if his body didn't want to enter the room. Ginny had moved over to a stack of books that was perched precariously on a desk in the middle of the room. As she grabbed the stack, the top two books teetered off and fell to the floor with a clatter, skittering off to the wall where the telescope was positioned. As she bent over to pick up the books, Harry was presented with a very different perspective of his flame-haired friend and averted his gaze to the floor just a moment after the mental picture was firmly lodged in his brain.

Almost tripping over the threshold, Harry caught himself on the doorframe and tried to walk nonchalantly into the room. Ginny whirled around at the sound of his stuttering feet and smiled brightly up at him. "Good. Glad you made it." She set the books in her hands on a desk away from the telescope and motioned for him to sit down at the table she had cleared off.

Harry set his bag down and slowly removed his text and essay materials. Ginny watched him calmly, her hands folded on the table, back straight against the chair, waiting for him to signal he was ready. Finally done unloading his things, Harry sat down across from Ginny and said, "All set." His voice broke unexpectedly and he noisily cleared his throat. "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

Ginny grinned with a sparkle in her eyes and said, "So, globular clusters, eh?"

"Yeah," said Harry, a little more composed now that they were beginning to delve into the material.

"Anything specific about them? Or are you supposed to write a general essay?" Harry pulled out his notes, the ones with the assignment written on the bottom of the parchment and passed it over to her. Her lips pressed together as she read them. "Seems simple enough, but you don't have any notes here," she said, looking up at him. "Do you remember anything that Professor Sinistra said in class?"

Harry stared at the book in his hands and he slowly turned its pages as a distraction. "Not really," he said with a slightly guilty feeling. He looked up to see her scowling and offered a weak defense. "That was the night after we raided Filch; you remember that, don't you? Most of the class was probably asleep. Besides," he said in a lower voice, "Astronomy is useless."

"Well, that's really mature." Ginny blew at a stray hair that was dangling in front of her face and sat back in her chair.

"I'm just not cut out for charts and...stuff." Harry was whinging now, and he knew it.

Ginny didn't even give him the pleasure of a witty reply, instead, she continued to stare at him with her maddeningly calm face.

"Fine," he said as he let his exasperation get the best of him. "I...uh, sort of have this block against Astronomy."

Ginny's brow furrowed, but he could detect a hint of softening in her eyes. "Go on."

"Did...did Hermione or Ron ever tell you what happened during our Astronomy O.W.L.?" he asked gently.

She shook her head slightly, then her eyes widened and her mouth formed a small 'o'. "You don't mean...Hagrid?"

Nodding his head, he added, "And McGonagall." He let his words sink in before continuing. "Ever since then, I've not been able to study the subject properly. It's like I can't stop thinking about what happened every time I'm up here."

Sitting up in her seat, Ginny reached across to grasp his hand. "I didn't realize...I'm so sorry, Harry. If I had to see that, I'd probably try to block it out too."

"It's kind of funny, really," he said with a stiff laugh. "Hagrid's back teaching and McGonagall's as feisty as ever, but I'm still holding on to that blasted memory and can't concentrate on Astronomy to save my life."

"Too bad it wasn't your Potions O.W.L.," she said, suppressing a grin. "What I wouldn't give to block out the last four-and-a-half years of time in the dungeons with Snape!"

They chuckled together and the mood lightened considerably. The twinkle of mirth in her eyes helped to unclench Harry's feelings and he began to relax. He turned his hand around under hers and they clasped them together. They continued to smile at each other until a noise from the doorway caused them to jerk around.

"Oh!" said Lavender Brown, as she giggled into her hand, staring at the two with a look of suspicion.

"Why'd you stop, love?" came Seamus Finnegan's voice from behind her. His short brown hair appeared over her shoulder and he repeated his girlfriend's exclamation. "Oh!"

"It seems that this spot has been taken," she said with a knowing smile.

Harry flushed red and tried to pull his hand away from Ginny, but she wasn't having any of it and clamped down tightly. "We were just studying!" protested Harry. "Astronomy!"

Lavender's eyes darted back to their entwined hands and she said, "Um-hm. You don't have to act embarrassed, Harry. It's great that you two finally got together." She looked over her shoulder at Seamus and asked, "Right, Seamus?"

The Irish wizard nodded his head and said, "'Bout time, Harry! We'll jus' be leavin' ya then." Without giving Harry a chance to correct him, he turned and pulled on Lavender's arm until she followed him downstairs.

Harry turned back to look at Ginny, who was now decidedly amused. "But...but..." was his inarticulate reply as he looked down at their hands. For some odd reason, he didn't seem to mind the contact; it was the rumors that were sure to fill the Great Hall tomorrow that he was worried about.

"But we're not together!" he finally shouted at the door. Then he turned back to Ginny, who was smiling at him. "You know Lavender...she'll have everyone's tongue wagging before we get to breakfast." Harry groaned and let his head sink to the table.

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Harry."

Harry looked down at their hands and jerked his free. "You did that on purpose!" he accused.

Ginny's eyes were gleaming in the bright light of the tower's sconces. "Of course I did," she declared. "Pulling the wool over Lavender's eyes is a sport in Gryffindor - we have regular bets on who can catch her at gossiping with the worst lie."

Goggling at her, Harry was annoyingly aware of the cool air where his had had been touching Ginny's. "But we're not..."

"No, were not," Ginny replied steadily. Harry thought he detected her battle with something before she continued. "But why should we worry about what other people think? We know the truth and that's good enough for me." Her hands expertly found the page on globular clusters and she started to scan through the section.

Harry's mind was whirring, and it wasn't about Astronomy. "Why?"

She looked up from the page, leaving a finger to mark her place. "Why what?"

"Why don't you care?" Even to Harry, the question sounded too direct and too pointed. But she didn't flinch.

"Harry," she said soothingly. "I learned very early on that other people's opinions rarely make any difference." Her eyes dimmed and her smile fell. "Tom was all I cared about in my first year. His opinion was all that mattered to me and I almost got people - you - killed because of it." Ginny's voice was quiet now, and Harry had to strain to hear her. "Now I understand that the only person that matters is me. I'm never going to give that kind of control to anyone else, Harry. I can't...."

She stopped abruptly and pulled a handkerchief from her backpack, wiping at her eyes with it. "I can't let anyone do that to me again."

Suddenly standing, she grabbed her bag and made for the door. She stopped just before the threshold and turned slightly, catching his eye. "I'm sorry, Harry. I... I promise we'll study some more tomorrow."

Harry made to stand, to reach out to her but she was gone and he felt a weight of loneliness press down upon him. He searched himself, to see if he had somehow driven her away with something he'd said. Finding nothing, he turned back to his still-blank essay and lowered his head onto his folded arms. A cold breeze blew in from the holes in the tower where the telescopes were normally positioned. He shivered, but made no move to get up. For some reason, Ginny's indifference had affected him more than any other encounter he'd ever had and his muddle of emotions continued to whirl around in his head, with no answers in sight.

*

Sleep was an elusive companion that night as Harry went over and over again every detail of his encounter with Ginny. She had seemed so confident about everything until they began to talk about other people's opinions. Realizing that there was no one in the school more qualified to know that the judgments of the Hogwarts masses were fickle, Harry felt a pang of empathy for her. Knowing that she had become so tied-up in Tom Riddle's lies, had her trust betrayed, and her reputation ruined, only added to Harry's growing understanding of the youngest Weasley's life. They had more in common than he had ever thought.

Breakfast the next morning was the single most excruciating event of his year thus far - Dursleys, Malfoy, and Snape included. But what made it so bad wasn't what happened to him, it was what happened to Ginny.

"Ginny Weasley?" a Slytherin girl was overheard saying to her friend as Harry, Ron and Hermione entered the Great Hall. "You've got to be joking! Potter can do better than that."

Harry shot her a nasty look before they scampered away. Another knot of girls were twittering next to the Hufflepuff table as Ron seemed to lean in closer to hear. "And I heard Georgina say that Harry's been pining after her for years..."

"But she's been spurning his advances," said another one knowingly.

"It's so romantic," cried the first one, and then seeing Harry staring a furious hole into their backs, the group quickly moved to their seats.

His face steadily getting redder and redder, Harry sat down as innocuously as he could. Right across from Ginny.

"Hello, Harry," she said vibrantly. "Wonderful day for some Quidditch, don't you think?"

Ron sat next to Harry and was looking between the two of them as if they were a pair of chess pieces during a challenging game.

Ginny buttered some toast and offered the juice to him, her smile never faltering. "Ginny," Harry said under his breath, taking the pitcher from her. "Have you heard what they're saying about us?"

With a mouth full of toast, she waved the butter knife in the air and chewed more vigorously. "I told you last night," she said finally. "I don't care what they think about us."

Harry stared back at her in disbelief, while Ron's teeth began to grind next to him. Last night was one thing, when no one had been gossiping about his love life - and hers. But in the light of day with only one topic of conversation on everyone's lips, Harry had expected her to be a little more reactionary. "Really?" he asked lamely.

"Really," she confirmed with a laugh. "Now, I promised that we'd finish studying for your essay. Is tonight good for you?"

Ignoring the calculating looks Ron was giving them, Harry said, "Same time, same place?"

"I'll be there. This time, no interruptions. I'm going to lock the door." Then Ginny took another bite of toast and proceeded to scan the Daily Prophet.

"Hang on," Ron said, seeming to finally find his voice. "Are you dating Ginny? Is that what everyone's talking about?"

Harry groaned and Ginny sighed. "No," they chorused together, but Ginny offered more explanation. "We were studying Astronomy last night in the tower and Lavender and Seamus barged in on us."

Ron didn't seem to believe her and asked, "So nothing's going on between you?"

Hermione kicked him in the shin from her place next to Ginny and Ron yelped. "What'd you do that for?"

To Harry's surprise, it wasn't Hermione who spoke next, it was Ginny. She was suddenly brandishing her wand, pointing it directly at Ron's face. Her tone was mild, but there was no mistaking the fire behind her words when she spoke. "Let's get one thing straight, Ron. If Harry and I decided to snog passionately in the kitchens with all the house-elves looking on, or elope to Majorca and make babies until the end of time, it would be NONE. OF. YOUR. BUSINESS." Sparks flew out of the tip of her wand with each exaggerated word and Ron flinched uncontrollably.

"But what about..."

"No, Ron. You have nothing to say about this. Harry and I aren't together." Her eyes flicked to Harry's for a second, and something flashed in them, then they went back to Ron's. "But if we were, you would either be happy for us or keep your mouth shut. Am I clear?"

Ron's eyes were glued to the business end of her wand and he managed a shaky nod of his head.

"Good," she declared and grabbed her bag from the floor behind her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get to Potions."

Several pairs of eyes were glued to Ginny as she sauntered towards the hall's exit and a fit of brief applause caused her to duck her head. Hermione had a smug grin on her face and Ron let out a breath. "What's her problem?" asked Ron.

"I think she's tired of being hounded about her love life," Hermione answered.

Ron lost his blank expression and said, "What do you mean, 'hounded'? I've never interfered with her boyfriends - not one time."

"Oh right, Ron," Hermione said with a laugh. "How do you explain the freezing hex on Dean Thomas' underwear? Or the none-too-subtle hints that Charlie would be feeding anyone who got close to Ginny that way to one of his dragons?"

Shrinking back under the steely gaze of their friend, Ron visibly gathered the shreds of his dignity and quietly said, "You can't prove I did any of that."

Hermione threw up her hands. "I give up. Harry? You deal with him." Then she, too, stalked out of the hall.

Ron shook his head and loaded up his plate. "Mental, the lot of them."

Harry found himself agreeing, but for decidedly different reasons.

*

Ginny's outburst with Ron had certainly taken the wind out of his over-protective brother tendencies. However, it also gave fresh grist for the rumor mill. From what Harry had heard in the halls between classes, they had been seen shagging in several different places, Ginny was pregnant with their second child and Hermione was supposedly livid because Ginny had stolen Harry from her.

The next class with Professor Sinistra, she had been so put out with her students' lack of attention that she had added another mid-term examination to the syllabus and that it would be held in two weeks. So now Harry had twice as much to study for in the one class he couldn't concentrate in and had a study partner who was rumored to be his girlfriend - at a time when he had sworn off having a love life.

He didn't see how it could get much worse.

That evening, after dinner, found Harry furiously reading in his Astronomy text as he sat in a chair in the common room. He was determined to make sure that Ginny would be the least inconvenienced as possible, and hoped that by reducing his need of her help, they wouldn't be seen together and the rumors would die down.

"You ready to head up?" Ginny asked, causing Harry to jerk out of his state of semi-consciousness.

"Er - yeah." He gathered his books and notes together and arranged them in his book bag while Ginny looked on.

They walked together in silence; Harry caught in his thoughts of how much Ginny had grown since he had first met her, while Ginny clutched her books close to her chest, and stared at her feet as they approached the tower entrance.

Noticing that her hands were too full to open the door, Harry reached out and grabbed the handle.

"Thanks," she muttered and walked inside.

Latching the door, Harry pointed his wand at the knob and muttered, "Colloportus."

The door squelched shut and he added another locking charm on top of that to make sure a determined interloper wouldn't interrupt them. Making his way over to their table, Harry felt decidedly odd for locking himself in the Astronomy tower with Ginny, as if they were there for some kind of romantic encounter. It was a completely absurd thought.

"You want to start with the essay?" Ginny asked. "We didn't get very far last night."

Harry nodded and produced his notes and essay. Ginny's eyebrow rose as she looked at the stack of papers. "Been busy I see."

"I didn't want to be a bother for you, so I..."

"Harry," Ginny interrupted. "You're not a bother. I thought I made that clear yesterday. You've got to get your essay done and I've got some astronomy homework of my own to get finished."

With a sigh, Harry opened his book and said, "Thanks, Ginny. Still...I know what it's like to be the focus of unwanted public attention. So I know that it's not fun, no matter how much you protest to the contrary."

Ginny caught Harry's eye and smiled. "You're right. I just..." she paused and pulled at a piece of errant hair. "I just hate feeling out of control."

Touching her hand lightly with the tips of his fingers, Harry said, "I know exactly how you feel. I haven't been able to make my own decisions - until I came to Hogwarts - and even then, Dumbledore has been keeping things from me and making me stay at the Dursleys and stopping me from seeing Sirius..."

His voice caught and he fought down a flood of emotions that he'd thought were long dormant.

"Thanks, Harry - for understanding. I really appreciate it." Ginny was still smiling, but he thought he caught a hint of a quiver in her chin.

Suddenly fearful that she was going to start crying, Harry withdrew his hand and pointed at his book. "So, about globular clusters.... I just need to do some research with the telescopes and I'll be just about done. What do you say?"

Her smile gone, Ginny nodded weakly and walked over to the telescopes. "Which one did you need to look at?"

Harry followed her and said, "How about M5?"

Ginny looked up the coordinates in her textbook and then swiveled the scope on its mount and used the spotting tube to aim it at a dim smudge hanging over the forbidden forest. She then looked into the eyepiece and began to twiddle with the focus knob.

"There," she pronounced. "That should be it. It's my favourite.""

He looked through the eyepiece and re-focused the lens. In the center of a black circle was a blob of thousands of white specks, each one twinkling and winking as he watched. Suddenly, he became aware of Ginny's body next to him. Her warmth in the chilly tower was radiating across the inch between them and he wondered why it was so distracting. It became impossible to concentrate on the cloud of stars and when he moved the mount to re-position the telescope as they tracked out of its view, he bumped it instead and completely lost his aim.

Harry straightened and made a show of finding the cluster again, but with her so close, it was hopeless. He turned to look at Ginny and found her looking strangely at him. "I, uh...seemed to have lost the cluster."

Ginny laughed, and without being able to properly see her, he focused on the sound. It seemed to take on a musical quality. "Yes," she said. "I see that."

Inexplicably nervous, Harry ran a shaky hand through his hair and backed into the stone wall. He fumbled for his glasses again and put them on, revealing Ginny's smiling face.

"How about you finish up with the clusters essay and I'll get started on my homework?" she offered.

Unable to say anything, Harry simply nodded and watched Ginny walk back to the table. She sat down and sorted her books and papers, then began reading. Harry became enchanted by the way she fought with her hair as she read. Every ten or twenty seconds, a lock of hair would come loose and fall in front of her face. She would invariably tuck it back behind her ear with a graceful turn of her wrist. Then it happened. The flopping sensation in his stomach. The one that used to happen around Cho Chang. The one that had vanished when she went off with Michael Corner - Ginny's old boyfriend. Then she had made a comment to Ron on the train from Hogwarts last year...about Dean Thomas.

"Ginny?" Harry asked suddenly. "Whatever happened with Dean?"

She brought her head up from the book and gave Harry a quizzical glance. "Dean? Thomas?"

Harry swallowed and nodded. "You told Ron you had chosen him last year...on the train home. Whatever happened with him?"

Something flashed on Ginny's face but it passed as quickly as it had come. "Nothing, I'm afraid. I thought he fancied me, but it turned out that he was just using me to get to know Angelica." Angelica, Harry had found out at the beginning of the year, was Ginny's room mate and, among other things, a compulsive liar.

"Oh," Harry replied. "I'm...sorry."

Ginny smiled again - it was a nice smile, Harry found himself thinking. Her mouth turned at the corners just a little bit, but her eyes lit up and a dimple appeared on her left cheek, just above a particularly large freckle.

"Don't be," Ginny said nonchalantly. "He was just a passing fancy of mine anyway."

Harry was perturbed by this news for some reason. "You fall in and out of fancy often then?"

Ginny's smile melted away and was replaced with a frown, as opposite an expression from the previous as Harry thought possible. If her smile was light in a darkened room, then her frown was a sky full of black and turbulent clouds, threatening violence at any moment.

"No," she said heatedly. "I never said I was in love with Dean. Why the sudden interest in my love life anyway?"

Caught completely off guard by the question, Harry found he couldn't possibly answer with any degree of honesty. "Er..."

"Because I've got six brothers that have taken an abnormal interest in it over the last four years and I'd like to think that I could have a friend that would act like a friend and not a brother."

"I..."

"Just because you're best mates with Ron doesn't give you the right to check up on who I'm interested in."

"Well, it's not that..."

"Then what is it?" Ginny's face was flushed red from their exchange and Harry couldn't manage to stop staring at her, nor could he figure out why his legs had suddenly become wobbly.

"You...when you're angry, that is...are completely..." Harry clapped a hand to his mouth in surprise. Had he actually been about to say that out loud?

Ginny's face transformed yet again and Harry was at once pleased and disappointed to see the frown leave it. "What? I'm completely what when I'm angry?"

Thinking quickly, Harry tried to come up with something plausible, but completely not about how pretty she seemed at the moment. "Scary," Harry finally decided on. "Like your mum."

The lines on Ginny's face disappeared as it softened. "You think so?"

"Absolutely," Harry confirmed as he vigorously nodded.

"Well," Ginny said, apparently placated. "That's sweet of you - but don't treat me like a sister, Harry. All right? Because I don't need another overbearing brother in my life."

Harry faltered. "What would you like me to be, then?"

"A friend, for starters," she said without hesitation. "Though you are a bit neglectful in that area."

"I am not," Harry protested.

Ginny replied by raising an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Is that why you spent all of last year biting our heads off?"

Looking down to his feet, Harry kicked at the edge of the carpet. "I'm sorry about that, but I'm not nearly as bad this year. Am I?"

Ginny smiled again, completing the cycle of emotions and Harry felt his own lips tug upwards in response. "No. You're loads better. I guess I'll just have to make you a probationary friend."

Harry's brow furrowed. "A what?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'll give you a chance to prove yourself - to see if you've really changed, or if you're bluffing."

Unexpectedly determined to be Ginny's friend, Harry looked her in the eye and said, "I accept."

"Good," she said brightly. "You can start by letting me finish my homework."

Harry blushed and shoved his hands in his pocket. "Sorry. I'd better finish my research anyway."

Ginny turned back to her book and Harry forced himself to stop looking at her and focus on the telescope. He blew out a breath and racked his brain for the name of another cluster to look at, but the only thing he could see in his mind was Ginny.

*

Much to Harry's consternation, Ginny's face hadn't left his mind as easily as he thought. Barely able to finish his essay for all the time he spent gazing at her while she did her homework, Harry felt that a good night's sleep would wash her from his mind. Instead, Harry found that the images of her biting her lip in concentration, her flushed face when she was telling him off, and the quirky smile that she had flashed all-too-often in his direction, were now indelibly ingrained upon his mind.

A week later, after more nightly study sessions with Ginny to prepare for his upcoming exam, Harry found himself in Potions, forcing himself to make eye contact with Snape - as if doing so was the single best thing to remove Ginny from his mind.

It worked, too.

"Mr. Potter," said the greasy Potions master. "Perhaps you'd be kind enough to explain the properties of the potion we're about to brew?"

Harry blanched and looked to Hermione, who, blissfully, was assigned as his partner since Ron was forced to drop out this year. She began to point to her textbook, but Harry's eyes were drawn back to Snape as their professor slapped the table they shared.

"Without the aid of the insufferable know-it-all, if you please."

Reaching back in his mind, Harry tried to recall what Snape had been saying in class up to that point.

"Perhaps, even the name of the potion, then?" Snape asked venomously. "Surely you heard at least that much?"

A snigger from the direction of Malfoy's desk interrupted Harry's thoughts.

Snape was talking about willow sap and crushed Jarvey fang, then Harry had started to remember a joke Ginny had told him the night before....

Hovering closer, Snape's eyes narrowed as they focused on Harry's notes. Harry made a quick move to cover them up, but Snape was faster. He slipped the parchment out from under his arms and walked back to the front of the class.

Harry's head hit the table.

"Well," said their professor slowly, while Hermione fidgeted beside him.

"Why didn't you just read your notes, Harry?" Hermione asked with a whisper.

Harry peeked at her from under his arm. "Because I didn't write down anything about Potions on them..."

Hermione looked puzzled and said, "But, what did you...."

"Well, it's no wonder, Potter, that you can't recall a thing about this class," Snape said with an air of triumph. "It seems that you've written nothing but the name of a girl on your parchment; let's see...fifty-three times in the last twenty minutes."

Harry's face was burning as he tried to slink down lower behind the desk. A burst of laughter from the Slytherins and even a few of the other students filtered into the room.

"Who is it?" Malfoy loudly asked. "Who does Potter fancy?"

Snape paused and seemed to consider the writing on the paper. Then with a sickening grin, said, "Ginny Weasley."

Another uproar from the class, this time louder, was followed by a furious bout of whispering. Had it been any other student, Snape would have crumpled the parchment and been done with it - but because it was Harry's...

"And it seems that Miss Weasley is so ingrained in Mr. Potter's mind," Snape continued, "that she is soon to become Mrs. Ginevra Potter, according to the last dozen or so of his scribblings."

Had they been in need of some light, Harry wagered that his face, neck, and back would have provided a dull glowing red about then, but he refused to give in to his urge to bolt from the room.

Snape circled the front of the class like a simpering hen and proceeded to fold the parchment into several squares before pocketing it. "Detention, Mr. Potter. See me after class to make arrangements."

With the punishment assigned, Harry hoped that the worst of it was over, but when he turned to Hermione for help catching up with the lesson, he saw a smirk on her face that would have rivaled Ron's, had he been given a signed Firebolt from Dai Llewellyn himself.

"Not one word, Hermione," Harry said, defeated.

Hermione folded her hands on the desk and straightened in her seat. "I wouldn't dream of it," she consoled, but Harry had a sneaking suspicion by the dancing lights in her eyes that she couldn't wait to rub it in after class.

*

Herbology was a nightmare for Ginny and today was no exception. Professor Sprout usually took pity on the black-thumbed Gryffindor, but today, she seemed pre-occupied and had left Ginny to her own devices. The result was that she had overfed the Venomous Tentacula, knocked down three potted plants she couldn't identify to save her life, and in her haste to get away from the broken ceramic, knocked Colin Creevey into a pile of Dragon Dung.

By the end of the day, she had served a detention with Professor Sprout by cleaning all the pots they had been transplanting from, re-stocking the potions cabinet, and moving all the plants into greenhouse three for the next day's classes. When she had made it back to her dormitory, she was filthy, tired, and sore and wanted nothing more than a hot bath, and then to curl up in her bed.

"Ginny!" a familiar voice called as she came out of the loo in nothing but her dressing gown.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny acknowledged and collapsed on her four poster.

"You all right?" Hermione asked sincerely. "Rough day in Herbology?"

Ginny chuckled. "You could say that." Thinking about her cold sheets, Ginny wondered if she could sneak an extra heating stone from the house-elves for her feet and head.

Hermione sat next to Ginny "Well, I've got some news that will cheer you up," she sing-songed.

"Draco Malfoy fell into a Manticore pit?"

Giggling into her hand, Hermione poked Ginny in the ribs. "No. Even better."

"Ron fell into a Manticore pit."

"Ha, ha," Hermione deadpanned. "Actually, it has to do with Mr. Potter."

Hearing his name, Ginny sat up a little and gave Hermione a questioning look. "What about him?"

"Oh, nothing," Hermione teased. "Just that he's been given detention for writing 'Mrs. Ginevra Potter' on his Potions notes."

Ginny lurched onto her feet, not even mindful of her gown, and promptly sat down again. "If you're joking with me, Hermione, so help me..."

Hermione's smile grew wider and she produced a folded slip of parchment. "I nicked this from Professor Snape when he wasn't looking."

Ginny lunged at the paper and snatched it from Hermione's hand. Unfolding it, she saw her name scribbled over and over again in Harry's familiar writing. At the bottom, was a name she hadn't seen since her third year, when she was still fantasizing about being Harry's wife.

But the bubble of hope that had welled up inside her, as it had when she caught Harry looking at her in the Astronomy tower the other night, left as soon as it came. "So what?" Ginny said, handing the parchment back. "It doesn't mean anything."

Hermione gaped at Ginny even as the latter walked over to her chest of drawers and began to gather her pajamas, knickers, and socks together. "What do you mean, it doesn't mean anything?" the older witch exclaimed. "It means he's been thinking about you - that he knows you're a girl - and that he likes you, Ginny. This is huge!"

Ginny shed her dressing gown and put on her clothes. "Maybe. Or maybe he thinks this is all some sort of sick joke."

Walking over to her mirror, Ginny began to pull a brush through her still-damp hair. "Ginny!" Hermione said, coming over to her. "If you can't see what's right in front of you, then...then I don't know what to do with you."

With a mournful sigh, Ginny looked at her friend. "Hermione, I've already told you - I've given up on him, and unless he comes right out and tells me that he likes me, or pins me against the castle wall and snogs the breath out of me..." A wistful smile appeared on Ginny's face as she said this, but then she deliberately shook the mental image clear. "Until he confronts me, I can't waste my time worrying about who he fancies any more. I've got a life to live, and I can't wait around for him to sort out his hormones."

Hermione's face softened and Ginny put her brush into her drawer. "Well," Hermione said with a sad smile, "just think about it, all right? From where I stand, he's changing, and I think you'll be surprised at how far he's come in the last year. Just don't push him away. Okay?"

Ginny chewed on her lip for a second before nodding. "Okay."

"Good," Hermione said, putting the parchment back in her pocket. "I'm going to deliver this to Harry and make sure he knows I'm on to him."

"Don't you dare!" Ginny called, but Hermione had already left. "Brilliant," Ginny said and decided that the chilly stone floor warranted an extra pair of socks.

*

With the incident in Potions fresh on his mind, Harry decided that he had better take the matter into his own hands. Determined to not have a girlfriend, despite his growing fascination with Ginny, he set about distancing himself from her in all possible situations.

It required him to face Ginny at least one more time, however, and she proved an elusive quarry. Finally finding her in the library just before they were to study for his upcoming test, Harry set his jaw and walked over to her.

"Hey, Ginny," Harry said slowly, standing behind her instead of taking a seat.

"Hi, Harry," she said brightly. "You're a little early for our study session, but I was getting sick of Transfiguration anyway."

Clearing his throat a little, Harry tried not to look nervous. "Actually...I sort of...um, thought that maybe we didn't need to carry on with the study time anymore."

A flicker of disappointment washed across her face, but was instantly replaced with a blank expression. "Oh...well, I thought you might need some more help on star formation theory..."

Harry grimaced and tried to distract himself by looking at his shoes. "It makes sense now," he lied. "So you don't need to waste any more time on me."

"It's not a waste, Harry," she said firmly. "I was glad to help you and hope that you'll always be able to come to me if you need anything."

Unable to keep his eyes from her face, Harry saw determination and a little bit of anger swimming in the depths of her eyes. It made the guilt in his stomach burn like acid and he stuttered out another half-apology before rushing out of the library. Avoiding Ginny was the right thing to do, but the pain in his heart made him wonder if it was worth it.

*

The next week passed by slowly for Harry, as he desperately tried to figure out the intricacies of Doppler shifting, nebulae-formation, and the main sequence. His long hours in the common room, surrounded by books and notes, did not go unnoticed by Ginny, and the small pool of acid in his stomach threatened to burn through his esophagus every time she looked mournfully in his direction.

Finally, after the test was over, Harry felt as if a load had been taken off his shoulders and he was able to enjoy some free time away from the subject that had been his plague all year. Even so, Ginny's distance from him hadn't worked. Instead of getting her out of his mind, she had taken up even more of his thoughts. Her absence had only made it more painful to think about her.

Sitting at his desk in the privacy of his dormitory one evening, Harry decided that enough was enough. It was stupid for him to be away from her when there wasn't even anything going on between them in the first place. She had given up on him, so the least he could do is apologize for blowing her off and try to mend the friendship they had once had.

He pulled out a piece of fresh parchment, a quill, and ink bottle, then began to write.

Ginny,

It's been two weeks since our last study session together and I've been feeling guilty about stopping them ever since. It wasn't right for me to use you for help and then turn you away when I was through with you. I'm sorry. Please forgive me for treating you so horribly and consider being my friend again. I miss you, Ginny. I look across the common room every night and see you there, with your friends, and it pains me to know that I'm not one of them.

I haven't ever told anyone this, but I've developed a sort of crush for you this year. It's funny, really, that after you've given up on me, I would start to return those same feelings. When we started studying together, just you and me alone, I realized that you were more than Ginny Weasley, Ron's sister, or that girl that spilled her porridge when I was around. You had your own convictions, goals, and strengths. I came to value our time together and soon, I couldn't get you out of my head. You were always there, laughing, or telling Ron off, or...I don't know. It's silly for me to be telling you this in a letter, but I'm too much of a coward to face you properly - especially since you'll never feel the same way about me that I feel about you.

Please forgive me.

With Love,

Harry

Harry read over the letter once more and decided that he'd let himself ramble on quite a bit too much - it really wasn't the kind of thing to be said in a letter. Deciding he would just have to apologize in person, without the embarrassing admissions, he folded up the letter and shoved it into the first book he could find.

Then, standing and pushing his pride aside, Harry walked downstairs to find Ginny.

*

Another Herbology fiasco had occurred and Ginny found herself terribly behind in this one class. It didn't help that Harry had been distant with her since he broke off their study sessions, especially because she would catch him looking at her in the common room, in the Great Hall, and between classes. She was certain that, given enough time, it would all blow over and Harry would be her friend again. Even if Hermione was right, and Harry liked her, Ginny rationalized that it was a momentary infatuation, and that his feelings would melt away like a spring frost.

So she found herself in the common room, yet again, desperately searching for a way to make up some points in Herbology and to keep Harry out of her head. Professor Sprout had offered anyone in the class with less than a passing average to do one research paper to take the place of an exam. Ginny knew that if she could do one killer essay, she could squeeze out an Acceptable by the end of the term. The problem was she didn't have any time to do proper research.

Ginny twirled her quill between her fingers, letting the feather brush against her cheek as she stared blankly at the fire.

"Ginny?" Harry asked timidly as he walked over to her.

"Hey, Harry," Ginny replied.

There was an awkward pause as Ginny looked expectantly at Harry while he fidgeted with his glasses. He cleared his throat and shoved the round spectacles back on his face. "Yes, well," he began. "I, uh...wanted to apologize to you, Ginny. For the whole Astronomy studying thing."

Ginny stared at Harry and guessed that he had more to say, so she didn't interrupt.

"You see," he started again. "It's not that I didn't like studying with you - far from it actually. What it really is.... No...." He muttered something under his breath, then finally caught her eye. "I just thought it would be better for us to stop. Besides," he said, holding up a piece of paper, "I passed."

Giving the paper a quick glance, she nodded and handed it back. "I'm glad you passed, Harry, and I'm not upset about the study sessions."

"Oh. Well...." Harry stood there and didn't quite seem to know what to do with himself.

"Look," Ginny said at length. "I really need to get this Herbology homework done."

Harry nodded. "Right, I'll just let you to it, then." He walked back to the boys' dormitories and Ginny returned to her dilemma with Herbology. Too bad Harry's stricken face was now firmly planted in her mind.

*

An hour later, Harry walked back down to the common room, unable to sleep and in need of a change of scenery. The problem was that the cause of his restlessness was still seated in a chair by the fire and looked absolutely frantic.

"Ginny? What are you still doing up?" he asked tentatively, taking a seat on the sofa opposite her.

The sleepy-eyed girl stared blankly up at him, then returned to scribbling on a piece of parchment. "Hi, Harry. I'm just trying to get this stupid Herbology essay done." Ginny threw down her quill and gave an exasperated sigh. "It's just that I can't find anything on the systemic effects of Alihotsy in humans. I need to use that to argue why Healers need to have an understanding of Herbology."

Harry crooked an eyebrow. "Are you thinking of becoming a Healer?"

She nodded and began flipping through her Herbology text. "That or I'll just check myself into St. Mungo's nutter ward and get a very personal internship," she remarked wryly.

With a small grin, Harry took Ginny's book and closed it. "There's nothing on Alihotsy in the fifth year text, Ginny. But my book has a whole chapter on mind-altering plants...."

Ginny's face lit up so brightly that Harry vowed to do something every day to see her look so happy. "Oh, Harry! That's perfect. Could I borrow it? Please?"

"You know you can," Harry answered. "It's not like I don't owe you or anything.... Besides, I haven't got Herbology until Friday, anyway."

Then, without any warning at all, Ginny threw herself onto Harry and gave him a crushing hug. The book in his hands went clattering onto the stone and he found his arms wrapping around her small body to return the hug. Then as soon as it began, it ended and Harry was surprised to discover himself feeling bereft.

"I-I'll just go get it, then," he stammered out. An uncomfortable silence stretched between them and Ginny drew back to her place amidst the books and parchment.

After handing her his book, Harry spent the rest of the night staring at the top of his four poster bed. His restlessness was still caused by Ginny, but instead of trying to get her face out of his head, he was asking himself over and over if his decision to not have a girlfriend had really been that bright after all.

*

Thursday morning came with a brisk wind sweeping across the grounds. Harry was feeling strangely rested after his mental battle with his feelings for Ginny the night before, and he looked intently for her in the common room and on the way to breakfast with Ron.

"Looking for someone?" Ron asked in a rare moment of observational skill.

Not caring that his growing fascination with Ginny was obvious, Harry said, "Yeah. You haven't seen Ginny, have you? Or Hermione, for that matter?"

"Nah," Ron replied smoothly. "They're probably gossiping or something."

Harry goggled at his friend as they took their customary seat in the middle of the Gryffindor tables. "Ginny and Hermione? Gossiping? Ron, have you been eating Billywig stings?"

"No!" Ron said with a chuckle and motioned towards the entrance. "But there's Ginny and Hermione now, so we can call off the search."

The girls were whispering to each other in a way that looked very much like they actually were sharing a bit of gossip. Ginny caught Harry's eye and, for a moment, it seemed like she blushed, then it was gone. She folded a piece of parchment that she'd been carrying in one hand and shoved it into her robe pocket. Hermione winked at her and they both took their seats opposite the boys.

"Hermione?" Ron asked as he filled his plate. "Did you just wink at my sister?"

"Yes, Ron," she said in the voice she reserved for very dim Slytherins. "Believe it or not, I can wink from time to time."

Ron shoved a forkful of eggs into his mouth and swallowed after two large chews. "That's not what I meant. You and Ginny weren't...gossiping were you?"

Hermione rolled her eyes so that they traversed the entirety of their sockets. "Really, Ron. I don't gossip, and neither does Ginny for that matter." The girls caught each other's eye again and they both covered their mouths to stifle a spate of giggles.

"If you want to share the joke, that'd go a long way to making us feel included, you know," said a clearly-perturbed Ron.

"Oh, please, Ron," Hermione placated. "It's not like you and Harry never shared a private joke between you. Besides, it's not really a laughing matter."

This only proved to pique Ron's interest even more. "Then what is it about? Have I got a 'Kick Me' sign on my back or something?"

"Honestly," Hermione said with a sigh. "Just forget about it. Did you finish your Potions homework?"

This put Ron on the defensive and they continued to banter back and forth while Ginny pushed her food around her plate, not really eating any of it. Harry tried to catch her eye, to engage her in conversation, but Ginny never gave him an opening.

Soon, the warning bell rang; they gathered up their bags, and headed off to their respective classes. Somewhere in the pit of Harry's stomach, he had a bad feeling that something big was going to happen that day, and that it had everything to do with Ginny.

*

That evening at dinner, Harry received an owl. It was one of the school owls, so Harry knew that it was from someone at school, but had no idea exactly who it was from. The writing was unfamiliar and there was no signature.

Meet me in the Astronomy Tower at midnight. Come alone.

A small feeling of panic set in as Harry glanced up and down the table. No one seemed to notice that he'd received the owl, nor did anyone so much as glance in his direction. Harry briefly wondered if he should tell Professor Dumbledore, but immediately quashed that idea as ludicrous. If someone wanted to do Harry in, it wouldn't be in snog-central.

Harry folded the half-sheet of parchment and vaguely noticed that the design looked familiar.

*

At eleven-thirty, Harry couldn't wait any longer. He had been pacing in front of his bed for the last hour, trying to decide what he was going to do about the meeting with the mystery note-writer.

"Oi, Harry," came Ron's voice from a slit in his bed hangings. "You gonna go to sleep, or what?"

"Sorry," Harry muttered in reply. He stood in place for a moment, then decided he wanted to tell Ron. "It's just that...I got this note at dinner."

Harry walked over to Ron and handed it to him. Ron lit his wand and stifled a yawn as he read the note. "Blimey. You've got a secret admirer."

Disbelievingly, Harry snatched the note back and shoved it in his pocket. "That's rubbish. Who'd want to be with me?"

Ron got out of bed and walked over to Harry's trunk. "Loads of girls, Harry. Haven't you noticed the looks you get in the hallways? A bloke'd pay good money to have that many good-looking girls throwing themselves at his feet."

Harry sat onto his bed and watched as Ron extracted a familiar piece of worn parchment. "Do you really think it's a girl and that she wants to...you know?"

Ron smirked in the dim light of his wand. "There's only one way to find out. Aside from actually going there, that is."

Deliberating whether or not Harry wanted to know who it was, and secretly hoping it was who he wanted it to be, he said, "You look. Don't tell me unless it's a Slytherin. There's no way I'm going to meet Pansy or Millicent in the bloody Astronomy Tower."

Ron unfolded the map and tapped it with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

He studied the map for what seemed like an age before glancing up at Harry with a curious... closed expression. "It's safe and yes, it's a girl."

Harry was about to ask who it was when Ron cleared the map and placed it back in Harry's trunk. "No, I'm not going to tell you who it is, except...." Ron paused and shivered, and quickly hopped back into his bed, muttering about ruddy freezing castle floors.

"Except what?" Harry prodded.

"Nothing, mate," Ron replied pulling his bed curtains closed. His voice continued, strangely muffled by the curtains. "Go on, take a chance."

"Thanks," Harry said, seeing the glow from Ron's bed go out as his friend extinguished his wand. Harry paused for a long moment and mustered his courage. Then, throwing on his father's Invisibility Cloak, he headed up to meet his future.

*

The door to the Astronomy tower creaked open and, after a beat, closed -- seemingly of its own accord. Ginny let out a breath as she realized that the person was invisible. "Get in here, Harry and take off that silly cloak."

A swish of material sounded in the quiet room and Harry appeared before her. She gulped as his messy hair and bright eyes captured her attention. "Ginny? You sent that note?"

"Of course I did," Ginny said exasperatedly. "Didn't you check the map?"

"Well," Harry began, seeming a little embarrassed, "I had Ron check, but he wouldn't tell me who was up here."

"Twit." She took out a well-read letter from her pocket and thrust it at him. "Did you write this?"

Harry glanced at the parchment and his eyes bugged out. He snatched the letter from her hand and quickly read through it, his mouth hanging open further and further with each passing second. "Where did...? How did you...?"

"It was in your Herbology book," Ginny explained with a wave of her hand. "It had my name on it..." Suddenly, she was in his face, poking her finger into his chest. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

Harry's mouth was opening and closing, soundless words forming as he looked between the letter and Ginny, completely gobsmacked. "No!" he finally managed to say.

"'Cause if it is...," she started to answer, then said, "No?" Her anger left her as soon as it came.

Harry watched her for a second then took a step towards the door. "Maybe I should just go...."

Not willing to let him go so easily, Ginny reached out, took him by his shirt collar, and pressed her lips to his. "I forgive you, Harry."

Dazed but still shocked, Harry looked down at her and said, "You...do?"

"Yes. Why didn't you tell me, you git?" Ginny said, taking the letter from his hand. She folded it again and put it in her pocket.

"Hermione said you didn't like me," Harry protested weakly.

"That was then, this is now," Ginny replied. "Besides, you didn't like me then, either, did you?" Harry was about to say something, but Ginny just couldn't stop herself from kissing him again.

"Mwff," was all he could say before he relaxed in her arms.

They broke apart and Ginny smirked at the blissful expression on his face. "Did you really write my name on your Potions notes?"

The dazed look was replaced by a wash of red on his cheeks. "Um...yes?"

"You dork," Ginny said and kissed him again. "That's four weeks of kissing you made us miss out on." She punctuated each word with a poke in his side.

Harry grabbed her hand to stop the poking and pinned them to her sides with his arms. "You know you're dead sexy when you get angry?" he asked and proceeded to kiss her back.

Ginny managed to push him away for a second and, with a flash of mischief, said, "Don't go spoiling my anger with compliments."

Just as she predicted, he lowered his head back to hers and they stood there kissing until what seemed like an hour later they heard the door clang open.

"Oh!" exclaimed Lavender Brown, who was immediately followed by Seamus Finnegan. "We need to stop meeting like this," she said.

They backed out of the tower and as Seamus was closing the door, he whispered, "Go back to what you were doing. It's not like you haven't wanted to do it for years, now."

The door clicked shut and Harry shot three different locking spells at it. "Now," he said, replacing the wand in his pocket. "Where were we?"

Ginny took him back into her arms and brushed her lips against his. "Right about here," she whispered, and they lost themselves in each other once more.