Finding the Courage

Harry scratched his quill against his parchment in a subdued way, trying to force himself to finish his potions essay. He squinted through the dim light of the dying fire and copied a few paragraphs out of his notes, too tired to try to be original. With a sigh of relief from finishing, he dropped his parchment on the table and settled more deeply into the comfort of the chair. He had just closed his eyes when he felt a pair of small hands covering over his eyes. His body tensed as he swiftly grasped his wand and blindly pointed it at the hands.

"Guess who," a familiar voice said, and he felt his body relax.

"Ginny, don't scare me like that," he said, smiling slightly as the mischievous face of his 'attacker' was revealed.

"Constant vigilance, Harry, constant vigilance," she laughed, jumping over the back of the couch and plopping herself down next to him. Harry felt himself shivering at the close proximity of her, and he could still feel a slight tingle where her hands had left his face moments before.

Harry couldn't quite pinpoint the time when he had started liking Ginny Weasley... perhaps it had just barely started when she had snapped at him that "he wasn't the only one" who had been possessed by Voldemort, and he had felt something, a feeling that he wasn't quite as alone as he had thought. He had been too infatuated with Cho back then to actually think of her as any more than another member of the D.A. or just Ron's little sister, but nevertheless there was something different between them which he couldn't quite place. A sort of bond, which had slowly turned into friendship over the summer. Now there was no question about it. He wanted to be more than friends.

"What are you doing up anyway?" he asked, more to pull himself out of his dazed musings than anything.

"I dunno, couldn't sleep I guess," she said. "What about you?" she added, craning her neck to look at his paper.

"Potions. Don't know how Ron finished his, probably found some way to copy off Hermione's... I bet she'd let him copy anything if he begged her enough."

"Speaking of those two, has either of them made a move yet?" Ginny asked, eyes laughing. Most of Gryffindor had noticed their attraction towards each other, and some, like Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, had even began making bets about who would finally admit it first.

"Yes, actually, Ron's planning on asking her to Hogsmeade."

Ginny nodded, trying to keep a straight face, but finally burst into giggles.

"Never... thought he'd be the one," she said, gasping for breath. "But I suppose he couldn't have watched her with those puppy dog eyes forever without doing something."

Harry nodded, not wanting her to know that he had been among the last to notice they liked each other. He didn't need to build on his reputation of being an "insensitive, self-centered git" which he had started developing last year after the incident at the Ministry of Magic.

"Who are you planning on going with? Dean?" Harry couldn't help but ask, feeling a small twinge of jealousy in his stomach.

"Dean? What gave you that idea?" Ginny asked, looking incredulous.

"Last year, on the train... didn't you say you were going out?"

"You didn't actually think I meant it did you?" Ginny said, grinning as she twirled a piece of flaming hair around her forefinger.

"Well, yes, but why..."

"I just like seeing the look Ron always gets when he thinks I'm dating someone. Unless it's you, of course; he's been throwing these massively obvious hints all summer. 'You know, Ginny, Harry's not always that grouchy.' 'Did you know, Ginny, that Harry can beat Dean at chess?' 'Maybe, Ginny, you need someone in your life who has the same talents as you, like Quidditch.'" Ginny rolled her eyes. "It's starting to get a bit old."

Harry couldn't help the look of amazement that crossed his face. "Ron wants you to date me?" he asked. He had always thought Ron would be insanely angry if he ever caught him dating his little sister.

"Apparently so."

"Oh, well that's... goo--weir--fine--interesting."

An awkward silence filled the room as Harry tried to think of a way to ask her without sounding like a complete idiot.

"We could, you know, go together as friends if you wanted," he tried. "It would make Ron happy, you know," he added for good measure.

Ginny gave him a thoughtful look. "Much as I hate to do anything that would make my idiot brother pleased, I'd probably have more fun with you than walking around Hogsmeade alone."

Harry let out the breath that was hitched in his throat. "Great, I'll meet you outside the castle after Quidditch practice then?"

"Fine by me."

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes until Ginny felt Harry's head loll gently onto her shoulder. She carefully reached over with her free hand and touched the hair she'd wanted to touch since her first year in Hogwarts. It was as satisfying as she'd always imagined. Smiling as he began to snore softly, she carefully brushed her lips against the top of his forehead, looking around nervously to make sure nobody had seen her.

"See you tomorrow, then."