Menace

Chapter Eleven

As it turned out, they both fell asleep again and spent most of the morning in bed, finally waking up at gone eleven. When Harry saw the time he swore, quickly jumping out of bed and slipping on his clothes, aware of the appreciative gaze resting on him as he did so.

"I'm sorry Gin, I should have gotten up sooner, this has ruined our day," he said, staring at her with regret.

"It's okay, it was nice laying with you," she said simply, smiling at him as she stretched. The movement stretched the T-shirt over her breasts and she found him staring at them when she relaxed, giggling at the lustful look.

"Well, I may not be able to touch, but I can't help looking can I?" he asked, sounding disgruntled. "I guess the day's not a complete loss. Come on, get up and shower lazybones, then we can go to Ron's and I can make you my world famous omelette."

"You can cook?"

He planted his hands on his hips and raised his chin arrogantly. "Yes, I can cook. Why shouldn't I be able to?"

"No reason. I just thought that heroes couldn't do anything apart from look sexy and..." she broke off and leapt of the bed as he lunged for her. His eyes narrowed as she stood next to the bed.

"You think you can get in the bathroom before I get to you?" he asked her.

"I think I can try," she said, giving him a cocky smile.

"I think you'd better," he countered, starting to move again and making her squeal as she ran towards the small bathroom. He caught the back of her T-shirt before she got through the doorway and hoisted her around to face him. "Too slow, Gin."

She found herself falling onto the bed a second later and turned onto her stomach whilst he pulled her shirt up. "What are you doing?"

"Teaching you a lesson," he replied, grabbing her knickers and pulling them down just enough to expose her smooth backside.

"Hey!" she shouted, squirming in his easy hold and trying to see what he was up to.

His fingers gently caressed her skin before he lifted one big hand and let it come down with a resounding slap, making her stiffen and yelp. "There, that should do for now," he said, dropping a kiss on one tempting globe before pulling her knickers back up and turning her over, grinning down at her.

"That hurt!" she accused him, reaching a hand down and rubbing at the spot he had smacked.

"Good, now you know what will happen if you keep insulting me. Next time I won't stop at one," he told her, grinning again as she shot him a deadly look.

"Typical big bully," she said, glaring at him in mock anger. "Worrying about hurting me one minute and then slapping me the next!" At her mention of her other aches and pains he went still again and looked guilty, and she smiled at him. "See, now you're feeling bad again and it's all because you slapped me!"

"No, it isn't, I wanted to slap you and I'd do it again!" he said, relaxing and grinning again.

"Bully," she murmured as he put more of his weight on her and leaned in to take her lips in a light kiss.

"That I am," he admitted, smiling and lifting up again so she could get off the bed. "Go shower and we can go make lunch."

She did as he asked and shut herself in the bathroom, trying to be as quick as she could about showering so they could spend more time together. She hadn't realised what fun it would be to be with Harry. She had just wrapped a towel around her when he knocked on the door.

"Come on, my stomach thinks my throat's been cut!" he said through the wood, sounding impatient.

"I'm going as quick as I can!" she said, giggling at his exaggerated groan of hunger. "I can't dry myself at super speed you know!"

The door opened and his head poked around it, a big grin on his face when he saw her. "I can help if you'd like?"

"I think I can manage," she said, holding the towel in front of her and waiting for him to leave, but he eased into the room and closed the door behind him instead, looking wicked.

"I'm not sure that you can cope," he said, advancing on her and flicking at the towel, gently prising it away from her grasping fingers until he could lift one edge. "All those curves need to be treated carefully." He grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows before whipping the towel away from her body and looking her up and down, heaving in a deep breath at the sight. He reached out one hand and smoothed it over her hip, squeezing the flesh gently and chuckling at her red face. "Shy?"

She nodded and went to grab for the towel, but he quickly held it up, out of her reach and shook his head. "Harry," she groaned, wanting to cover herself up again, and he finally relented, dropping the towel around her shoulders and starting to dry her off.

"There, all dry," he said when he had finished and he pulled her against him, kissing the top of her head.

"Let's get you dressed and we can go."

Ginny tried to protest when he started sorting through her underwear drawer, but he ignored her and chose every item of clothing before slowly dressing her. "I'm not a doll," she said, giving him a mock glare that just made him laugh.

"Yes you are," he said, stepping back and surveying his handiwork with a nod of satisfaction. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, waving to Rebecca as they sailed past her and out of the house.

Ginny let herself be led along, grinning as she enjoyed the simplicity of just walking next to him holding his hand. He looked down at her and caught the look, raising an eyebrow.

"Something wrong?"

She shook her head and grinned. "Just enjoying myself."

A slow smile curved his lips and he squeezed her hand. "Me too."

When he led them into Ron's house and went into the kitchen, they found Hermione sitting at the table feeding a grape into Ron's mouth.

"Oh Merlin, you're not doing the roman emperor theme are you?" Harry asked, shaking his head and laughing when Ron glared at him.

"Go away," the other man said grumpily, turning back to his wife and giving her a soft smile.

"I can't do that, I promised Ginny I'd make her some lunch," Harry said, sitting her down in a chair and keeping one hand possessively on her shoulder.

"Well, I guess that's okay. We're going out to eat and we'll probably be gone for a couple of hours, so you'll have the house to yourself," Ron said, shrugging. "I thought you were going to see Draco today?"

"Yeah, I said I would," Harry replied, looking and feeling reluctant. But Draco was his friend, and he had promised. As Ron and Hermione left the room, he went about getting all the ingredients together and started whipping up the omelette, the muggle way of all things, aware that Ginny was watching his every move with great interest.

"Stop staring," he told her, smiling across at her.

"I can't help it. It looks weird you being all domestic," she murmured, propping her chin in her hand as she watched. "Want any help?"

"Nope, you just sit there and look pretty," he said, pouring the egg mixture into the pan. "I wouldn't want you ruining my cooking, now would I?"

"Looks like you could probably do that all on your own. Just out of curiosity...why are you not using magic when you gave me shite for doing the same?" she shot back.

He turned and looked at her, raising an eyebrow as he pointed the spatula at her. "Watch your mouth, young lady, remember what I said about insults? I like cooking without my wand. I had lots of practise with the Dursleys. They used to make me cook all their meals."

"I never knew that... and you don't scare me by the way," she said, studying her nails and trying to look nonchalant. One look at his face and she knew he was aware she was bluffing.

"That's a big fat lie," he murmured, turning back to his cooking and concentrating on the task instead of her.

Before long he was placing a plate in front of her, a fragrant, soft omelette sitting on it with toast to one side. "There," he said, sitting down opposite her and starting to instantly attack his own plateful. "Go ahead and try it, it won't poison you."

She could tell that he was waiting for her to say something on his cooking ability, so she remained silent throughout the meal, wiping her mouth delicately before looking up at him and smiling at his impatient expression.

"Well?" he asked, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Well what? Oh, the omelette, you mean?" she said, glancing at her plate and twisting her lips thoughtfully. "It was okay, I suppose."

"Only okay? It must have been better than that, you ate it all," he said, looking vaguely disappointed. "Tell me you liked my cooking," he ordered her, looking like a petulant child.

"Okay, I liked your cooking," she said obediently and he glowered at her.

"Don't just tell me because I told you to!"

"I thought you wanted me to say I liked it?"

"I did, but not because....you are so annoying!" he said, folding his arms over his chest and glaring.

"That's because you can't get the better of me, and it's killing you," she shot back, giving him a cheeky grin.

"You think I can't get the better of you?" he asked her, grinning right back at her, his eyes glinting.

"You never have been able to, you always resort to brute strength," she said, watching warily as he pushed his chair back and stood up.

"I guess I do, and since it always works so well, I don't think I'll bother changing my methods yet," he said, and rushed around the table, grabbing her before she could get away and hoisting her over his shoulder.

She gasped and slapped his back. "Harry! You put me down!"

"Nope," he said, sounding cheerful as he strolled down the hall.

"I'll be sick!" she warned him, unable to stop a giggle as he started whistling tunelessly, ignoring her. When she saw that they were headed for the pool she squirmed. "Don't you dare throw me in there!"

"Would I do something like that?"

"Yes! And you did it before! You can't do that!"

"Yes I can."

"You shouldn't!"

"Why not?"

"Because...because....er....you mustn't go swimming straight after a meal. I'll drown!" she squealed as he stood at the edge.

"You do have a point," he murmured, sliding her off his shoulder and slowly down his body, his eyes twinkling as he made her aware of every inch of his physique. "I guess I'm going to have to find another way of getting the better of you, hmm?"

"You could always forgive me instead," she said, putting her arms as far around his waist as she could and tilting her head up to give him a winning smile.

He chuckled and squeezed her to him. "I could...but it's so much more fun if I don't."

She pouted. "That's not fair."

"No, what's not fair is you pouting like that, because you look...adorable," he said, sounding almost dreamy as he gazed down at her. "How am I supposed to get even with you if you look adorable?"

"Well, I guess you won't be able to?" she asked hopefully.

He narrowed his eyes and gave a sigh. "You guessed wrong. But right now I have to get going to see Draco, so you're off the hook for a while."

"Oh," she murmured, frowning. She didn't want him to go anywhere.

"What's this? Are you disappointed because I'm not going to punish you?" he asked, tilting her chin up with one finger.

"No, I just... when will you get back?"

He smiled softly. "A couple of hours, maybe three. I'll definitely be back in time for dinner. Are you going to miss me?" When she nodded he chuckled and hugged her even tighter. "I won't be long, and if it helps, I'll miss you too."

Ginny snuggled against him contentedly, sliding her hands up over the muscles on his back and pressing closer to him. She felt him laugh again and then he pulled back, bending down to give her a slow kiss that made her head swim.

"Come on, I'll walk you home and then I've got to go," he said reluctantly, leading her out of the house, his larger hand enclosing hers. When they got back to her house he lifted her up and kissed her more thoroughly, groaning as he finally released her lips. "Invite me to dinner."

"Come to dinner," she said immediately, smiling dreamily at him.

"I'd love to," he replied, grinning as he slid her down his body again and then taking her hand and drawing it to his lips to plant a soft kiss on the back of it. "I have to go, but before you know it I'll be back. See you later." With a wink he was walking away, and she watched him go, fiddling with her earring as she did so. She frowned when she felt her other ear and then remembered that her earring had been missing the previous night when she had returned home. She assumed it would be in his truck somewhere and she decided she'd go and have a look later on, maybe get the keys off Ron and Hermione when they got back.

An hour later, after getting some work done, Ginny wandered out of the kitchen door and made her way down the road to Ron's place, hoping he'd returned by now so she could get into Harry's truck and find her earring, if that's where it was. Her cheeks heated as she thought of how it could have come out of her ear.

Walking up past the fence to Ron's place, she smiled when she saw his bike parked up outside. Good, he was back. Her smile widened when Hermione opened the door and waved at her, obviously having seen her coming along.

"Hi, Hermione."

"Hi. Harry's not back yet," the other woman said, wiping her hands on a towel as she ushered Ginny into the house.

"I know, I just wanted to see if I could borrow his keys," Ginny said, walking into the kitchen and laughing when she saw Ron wearing an apron and standing at the sink.

"What's funny?" he asked, giving her an indignant glare.

"Oh, nothing... it suits you," she said, grinning.

He pursed his lips and then looked at what she was holding. "Thirsty?"

"I had a hankering for a milkshake, what's wrong with that?" she said, taking a sip from the enormous chocolate shake she had carried over there.

"Nothing, just that you've got enough there for about ten people!" he shot back, shaking his head. "Shame Harry isn't here to share it, hmm? So, what's all this about his keys?"

"I think I lost my earring in his truck and I wanted to go look for it," she told him, watching Hermione as she started making what appeared to be a cake.

Ron nodded. "I don't see any harm in that, I guess. I think his keys are in his bedroom, help yourself," he said, watching her go and then turning back to his task.

Ginny went up the stairs and found his keys on the bedside table, grabbing them and stopping to stare at his bed for second, a small smile playing around her lips. She wished she had enough confidence to just strip naked and be laying there waiting for him when he got back later that day, but she knew she would never be able to do something like that. Still, it was a pleasant little daydream, and one she was sure she would have in her head for quite a long time.

Making her way back down the stairs she rushed out of the house and went around to the garage, opening it and walking over to the large black truck. She took another sip of her milkshake as she unlocked the door, opening it to look inside, her eyes roaming over the seats and then to the floor, but it was a bit too dark in the garage to see much, so she went in search of a lantern. Once the interior was lit up a bit, she resumed her search, smiling when she saw something small glinting at her from a corner of the truck floor.

So she had lost it in here, she thought, shaking her head and quickly reaching for it.

Unfortunately, the arm holding the milkshake bumped into the steering wheel, and she gave a gasp as the glass tilted, her other hand coming up quickly to try and right it again, but all she managed to do was fumble with the glass and it made the whole thing worse, sending it flying across the cab and landing all over the plush leather seats. She closed her eyes and covered them with her hands, hoping that if she couldn't see it, it would go away, but when she finally plucked up enough courage to look again, she felt like crying.

There was chocolate milkshake all over the seats, dripping onto the floor and also covering the dash, "magical" console and windows. Her mouth fell open and her heart started trying to beat her to death as she stared, wishing it all away. Harry was going to murder her! It didn't matter what had happened between them, this would surely make him forget all of that... he was definitely going to end things between them, and he wouldn't think twice about doing it either. She stepped back and shakily shut the door. She had to fix this, and she had to do it now before he got back... before she managed to ruin the only good thing that had ever happened to her.

Walking quickly back to Ron's house she poked her head around the kitchen door and breathed a sigh of relief that Ron wasn't still in there, only Hermione.

"Hermione, I need your help," she said quietly.

Hermione looked over at her and frowned when she saw how pale the other girl was. "Whatever's the matter?"

"I've had a little...er...accident, with Harry's truck," Ginny told her, really starting to feel panicky now.

Before, when she had done something wrong, she had fair cause to be afraid of Harry's reaction, but she had always managed to bluff it out. Now, though, there was more at stake.

"With his truck? I don't....oh no," Hermione said, looking at Ginny's T-shirt and seeing the tiny speckles on it. "Please tell me you didn't drop your drink."

"I did, and it went everywhere! I have to go get it cleaned, but I don't have my wand... can you go and try?" she asked, eyes large and pleading.

"Er... sure. Just keep Ron distracted if he comes back in." Hermione quickly rushed away to the garage. Ginny nodded her assent and sat nervously biting the corner of her thumb. She hoped Hermione could do the job because she was sure that Harry was going to have a fit if he knew.

A short time later Hermione returned with a solemn look on her face. "Well?" Ginny asked grimacing.

"Well I managed to get most of the milkshake off the seats and such, but most of the damage is to the muggle electrical circuits and "magical" console. Some of the charms aren't in working order. I'm afraid there's nothing more I can do Gin. This isn't my area of expertise, and Harry will notice."

Ginny buried her face in her hands and let out a small sob. Harry was definitely going to leave her. There was only one thing for it. "Hermione, this means I'm going to have to take it again, and I don't want anyone to know. If Ron knows he'll tell Harry and he'll kill me, I don't want him finding out, I have to do something to fix it....if he knew..." she babbled and Hermione put a comforting hand on her shoulder, stopping the tirade.

"It was an accident, he'll understand that," she said.

"No he won't! You heard Ron when he said how much Harry's truck means to him! No one else is allowed to touch it, and I've just ruined the whole thing!"

"Calm down!"

"I can't....I have to take it into town, I know a place that specializes in this stuff and I can pay to have it done. I can get it back without him even knowing," Ginny said, chewing her lip as she thought of how much it would cost.

"Okay, so how can I help?" Hermione asked.

"Harry's coming to dinner tonight, but what if I'm not back in time? I don't want him to find his truck missing...and he'll want to know where I've gone. If you and Ron come over for dinner as well, maybe you could make some sort of excuse for me?" she asked hopefully.

"I don't know, Ginny, I'm not very good at lying... and Ron would see straight through me."

"Well, what if you just didn't say anything then? Not tell Ron anything either? Just, you know, be there and hopefully he won't notice I'm not," Ginny continued, itching to get the truck into town and get it cleaned up.

"Okay, we'll come, and I'll keep quiet, but Harry will notice you're missing, you know?" Hermione said and Ginny hugged her gratefully.

"Thank you! I'll just go tell Rebecca and Charlie about dinner....and I guess I'll have to tell them about the truck. What about Ron? Will he be able to see me go? Or hear the truck?"

"No, it's okay, I'll...distract him for the next ten minutes okay?"

Ginny nodded and ran out of the house as fast as she could. Hermione shook her head and sighed, hoping no one asked her outright where Ginny was, because if she lied to Ron he would go mad, and she didn't want that. Still, this was only a tiny deception, and Ginny looked scared to death of facing Harry, so....a bit of distraction was definitely needed, she thought, walking towards the gym where Ron would be working out.

Ginny asked Rebecca if it would be okay to have dinner guests, hating giving the other woman any extra work to do what with having to deal with a small baby too, but Rebecca didn't seem to mind at all, especially when she heard what had happened. In fact, she looked happy about it all. Ginny thanked her, then she rushed outside and jumped into Harry's truck, hoping Hermione was distracting him like she'd promised. Now all she had to do was get everything cleaned up and back in place before Harry noticed anything amiss.

Harry got back from seeing Draco later that day and immediately went over to see Ginny, banging briefly on the door before poking his head around it and looking into the kitchen. When he found no one there, he walked through into the hallway, calling out hello. Charlie appeared and grinned at him.

"Hey, mate, have a nice visit?"

"Yeah, Draco's training facility is pretty good," he said, glancing around. "Where's Ginny?"

"She's had to go into town, said it might take some time," Charlie told him, oblivious to the other man's disappointment at that news. "Want some tea?"

"Yeah, thanks. So you don't know what time she'll be back then?"

"Nope, but I understand you're having dinner with us. So are Ron and Hermione."

"They are? Well, that's good. Will Ginny be back by then?" he persisted, wanting to see her. He had missed her over the last few hours and he wanted to have her in his arms again.

Charlie laughed. "I said I didn't know, but she'll probably try her best to get back to see you," he said, shaking his head.

"What did she have to go into town for anyway?" Harry grumbled.

"I don't know, something about shopping and I think she mentioned Hermione's name. Merlin, why don't you use a permanent sticking charm and glue her to your side, then you'll know where she is at all times, won't you?" Charlie said, handing him a cup of tea. "She'll be back when she gets back, so calm down and come and watch this home video I'm editing. You'll get to see Ginny as an awkward teenager again!"

Harry grinned and took the cup, following Charlie down the hall and into the living room. He knew he shouldn't be acting so possessively about Ginny, at least not yet, so he forced his disappointment away and paid attention to Charlie instead.

A couple of hours later Harry sat back and patted his stomach happily, loving the feeling after having a big meal like that. He loved his food and the meal had been really good, the only thing missing had been Ginny, and he regretted having left her to go and see Draco. Had he stayed, she wouldn't have been out of his sight and he wouldn't be missing her now. Rebecca walked into the room with little Leander in her arms, the small baby gurgling happily after having been fed, and Charlie laughed when he looked from his child to Harry and back again.

"What's funny?" Harry asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Nothing. Just that you remind me of a baby. I'm only surprised that no one burps you after you've eaten!" Charlie eyed him with pursed lips. "Want me to get Gin to pat you on the back? I bet she'd be really gentle."

Harry ignored Ron's sudden laugh and Hermione's small giggle, and glared at Charlie. "I can pretty much manage that all by myself thanks. Speaking of which," he said, looking around the room, his worry surfacing again, "where is Ginny? I thought you said she'd be back? Do you know where she went? Is she safe?"

"I'm not sure exactly where she went, but she did say she may take some time, so I'm not going to worry just yet," Charlie answered, grinning as his wife sat next to him and he could coo over his first child. "She said something about going shopping, but I thought she meant with Hermione. Since Hermione's here, I don't know where she's got to."

"And you're not worried?" Harry asked, frowning slightly.

The other man shook his head. "She's an adult, she probably went shopping by herself."

"And you're telling me that you're not worried when Edwin Blackweed is still out there somewhere? Anything could have happened to her and no one seems to be even the tiniest bit concerned? What's wrong with that?" he asked, looking from one person to the other, wondering what was wrong with everyone.

Ron grinned at his friend and shifted Hermione on his lap. "Seems to me that you're the one who's worried, Harry. Why would that be?"

"I'm not worried about her," he snapped, irritated that everyone was seeing him panicking, and he took a breath and crushed down the spark of anger that had almost ignited. "I'm just worried about what trouble she could be causing."

"Hmm," Ron murmured, smiling at his wife. "Lame excuse."

Harry's eyes blazed as he stared at Ron. "I am not worried about her! Well... maybe a little."

"Sure," Ron replied easily, leaning in and nuzzling Hermione's neck, knowing he was pissing his friend off and enjoying every second of it. It was obvious to everyone that there were strong feelings between Ginny and Harry, it's just that the other man wouldn't fully admit it to himself... not yet. He turned his eyes back to his wife and noticed that Hermione was chewing her lip and he frowned.

"What's wrong Ninny?"

"Er...nothing," she said quietly, fixing an innocent expression to her face and shrugging.

"Don't give me that," Ron said, narrowing his eyes in a way that told her he knew she was hiding something. "You always chew your lip when something's wrong. Might as well tell me now, save yourself a whole heap of trouble," he murmured, raising one eyebrow at her guilty flush.

Seeing the obvious interest in his eyes, Hermione looked quickly at Harry and then just as quickly away. "It's nothing."

"It's about Ginny isn't it?" Harry asked, sitting forward.

"No," she said, her voice getting even smaller.

"You're lying," Ron said, lifting her chin with one finger so she had no choice but to look at him. "What are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not hiding anything from you," she said indignantly, hating the fact they were all staring at her, and she gnawed on her lip again, making him frown.

"No? Then you must be hiding something from someone else, Harry for instance?" he asked her, gripping her chin to keep her from turning her head away, his hold gentle but insistent.

"You're keeping something from me? Why?" Harry asked, moving to sit in the chair next to them so he could see Hermione's face better.

Hermione looked at Harry once and then at her husband, her eyes pleading with him to get her out of there. "Ron," she moaned, trying to pull her face away from his hand.

Ron studied her for a few seconds and then smiled slightly. "What's Ginny got herself into this time?"

The suffusion of colour that flooded her face told him he had hit the nail right on the head, and his smile widened. Harry's jaw tightened and he leaned forward. "Since you're hiding something about Ginny, I have to assume this has something to do with me, am I right?"

"She asked me... I can't say..." Hermione stammered and then frowned at Ron. "Why can't you ever stay out of things?"

"I just can't, love. Why would you even attempt to hide something from me? You know I'll always get it out of you, one way or another," he said, giving her a sultry look that made her gulp. "Now, be a good little witch and tell me what's wrong."

"I can't do that Ron," she whispered, darting another glance at an increasingly impatient Harry Potter. "You shouldn't worry though... she's okay, she's not in any kind of trouble," she said quickly.

"Yeah, but she's done something and you're not telling us what. Did you promise, is that it?" Ron asked her, knowing she didn't break a promise, although she had bent one on occasion. His arms soothed her as he held her close to his chest, resolutely ignoring the sighs if frustration coming from the other chair.

"No, but..." Hermione started, but Harry cut her off.

"If you don't tell me, I'll find her and get it out of her hide. And I won't be gentle!"

"Hey, that's our sister remember?" Charlie protested, briefly pulling his attention away from his family to glare at Harry. "I'm not going to let you hurt her!"

"You don't know what she's done," Hermione muttered, feeling sorry for Ginny when Harry found out. She bit her lip hard when his head swung in her direction, and she realised she'd spoken too loudly.

"So she has done something then? And it has something to do with me? What?"

Hermione squirmed in Ron's lap, wishing she was anywhere but there, and Rebecca gave a small sympathetic smile. "Come on, let's take the baby upstairs," she said to Charlie, and the two of them left the room, closing the door with a quiet click.

"Right, now you'd better tell us what she's done, or things are going to get unpleasant," Ron said, his eyelids coming down so he was staring at her through slits. She recognised the look and gave a slight shudder. If she didn't tell him she would find herself in the midst of a huge fight, and she didn't want that to happen again, ever.

"Please don't make me tell you," she whispered, dropping her head into the crook of his neck so she didn't have to look at either of them.

"Nuh-uh, Ninny, you know me better than that. Tell me now, and I won't have to force it out of you will I?" he said, rubbing a hand up and down her back with a smile at Harry.

"She was looking in his truck for something and she had that drink in her hand and..." she mumbled, hoping Harry wouldn't hear her, but when he stood up abruptly she knew her hope was futile.

"My truck? She was in my truck? But she knows not to touch that... For fuck sake, I knew I should have sorted her out after the first time!" he bellowed, running his hand through his hair as all his feelings of worry became concentrated and turned abruptly into anger. He froze for a second. "I suppose she thinks that now we're... that I won't... she had a drink?"

Hermione risked a look at him. "Yes, but she only took your truck to go and get it..."

"She took it? Again? Merlin! What..." he broke off and swallowed, thinking of his immaculate truck. "What sort of drink and what happened to it?"

"A chocolate shake, and it... well... it was an accident," she said, biting her lip again.

"Oh sweet Merlin," Harry said, almost struck dumb. No one messed with his truck and taking food anywhere near it could prove fatal to the person involved. His teeth gritted as he pictured Ginny, unable to decide what he wanted to do to her - kiss her or slap her. "Where is she?"

"I... I don't know," she said, then yelped when he moved closer and suddenly dropped down so his face was level with hers, making her press closer against Ron's chest, her legs curling up on his lap.

"Tell me!"

"I don't know, I promise, I... Ron!" she said, almost climbing over him to get away from Harry.

"Calm down, mate, she doesn't know," Ron told him with a hard glare, cuddling his wife's small body protectively.

"She was going to have it fixed, I don't know where," Hermione offered, not looking at the other man, but breathing a sigh of relief when she heard him slam out of the room. "He's scarier than you," she said to her husband in amazement.

"Think so?" Ron asked her, cocking one eyebrow and giving a grim smile. "Let's go home and have a little talk about hiding things from me, shall we?"

Hermione stared at him in consternation and then let her shoulders slump. She was going to have to be really honest and convincing, otherwise she knew there would be a lot of animosity in her household for some time to come. She spared a brief thought for Ginny as Ron led her back towards their home.

Ginny sat in the truck and looked it over minutely, a sheen of sweat breaking out on her face as she thought of Harry's reaction if he noticed anything amiss. The garage had done a good job by the looks of things, but it had cost her virtually all the gold she had to get the wiring and charms fixed, as well as the interior cleaned to this standard. Still, it was worth it just so she didn't get hanged from the nearest tree, or worse end up with Harry as her enemy again... things had been so good between them. She started the engine and drove it carefully back to Ron's house, hoping Harry would be still either be out or at her house having dinner. Hermione and the others should be able to keep him from getting too curious as to her whereabouts.

When she made it back without any other mishap, she breathed a sigh of relief, especially when she didn't see anyone around. Checking to make sure it was parked exactly in the spot where he had originally left it in Ron's garage, she leapt out and locked it up before rushing into the house and setting about returning his keys. She gave a knock at Harry's bedroom door, holding her breath and waiting. What if he was in there? What on earth would she say? she thought, but no one answered and she closed her eyes thankfully, edging silently into the room and placing the keys back, grateful that at least she had got this far without being caught. The sound of the door slamming behind her made her jump and she spun around, one hand on her throat in shock and her eyes widening when she saw Harry standing there with his arms folded over his chest, leaning back against the door.

"What are you doing in my room?" he asked her, his voice silky, his eyes holding a light that she recognised and she knew that something was wrong, that he knew she had done something wrong.

Ginny wracked her brains for something to say, but she only stood there with her mouth hanging open, wondering how to get out of the door with him standing in front of it. No matter how close they were becoming, she knew that she would still be able to piss him off...and she knew he would still want to get hold of her when she did.

Harry cocked an eyebrow at her silence and pulled himself away from the door, stalking slowly towards her with his eyes glittering demonically. "No answer? Want me to say why I think you're in here?"

She watched him come towards her and saw the anger in his face, her heart going mad inside her chest the closer he got. "No."

"Tough. I think you're in here to return the keys to my truck. The truck you stole and messed up. Am I right?"

Her mouth fell open again. How had he known? "How... Hermione wouldn't..." she stammered, stopping abruptly when she realised what she was giving away. Her eyes measured the distance between him and the door, hoping she could maybe get past him and make it out of the room.

"Don't even think about it. I can get hold of you before you even touch the handle," he warned her, smirking grimly down at her as he reached her position. "Hermione is in deep trouble right now for keeping secrets from Ron, and that's thanks to you. It's about time someone taught you a lesson, and I think that someone should be me!" he said, reaching for her.

The sight of his big hand about to grab her arm spurned her into action and she ducked away from him, dodging around his tall body and rushing towards the door before he had moved. She was going to make it, she told herself with relief as she reached out for the door handle, she was going to... the long arm that wrapped around her waist told her differently and she was picked up effortlessly and carried over to the bed, kicking and struggling all the while.

"Be still, or I'll make you be still," he warned her gruffly, squeezing the arm around her waist tightly, waiting for her to stop.

"Let me down!" Ginny shouted, squealing when his grip tightened painfully. She thrashed wildly about trying to make him drop her, but his hold on her was unbreakable. "You big animal, let me go!" She tried hitting him, her fists bashing at whatever she could reach.

A few of her blows landed and he winced, unable to believe she was going overboard like this, and he started getting really pissed off. "Not until we've discussed this!" he snarled at her, dropping down on the bed and placing her over his long legs.

Eyes wide at his words, Ginny went mad. No way was he going to spank her, she thought, scared at what she had unwittingly released. One big hand stopped her from getting up, but she attacked him with her fists again, thumping his legs as hard as she could and ignoring the fact it was probably hurting her hands more than it was hurting him.

"Ow!" he yelled when she gave up hitting him and bit his leg instead. His hand came down and swatted her backside hard, making her yelp in pain, but it didn't stop her and she attacked him with renewed vigour, biting him again harder. This time he couldn't ignore the pain quite as much as she almost drew blood, and he pushed her off his lap so he could grab his leg, rubbing it hard to make the sting go away. Before he had a chance to figure out what she was doing she bolted again, wrenching the door open and fleeing as if her life depended on it. Which, thought Harry with a furious smile, it did. He got up and gave chase, determined that she wouldn't escape his wrath, not this time

Ginny knew her time was limited, he was far bigger and far faster than her and he was really pissed this time, so she had to find somewhere to hide. She looked frantically around the doors lining the upper floor and settled on one around the corner from the staircase, knowing it was a closet and he was unlikely to look in there.

After she had closed herself into the small, dark space, she tried to calm her breathing, worried he'd be able to hear her if she didn't try and be a little quieter. She was in high panic now, though, and her heart was currently trying to beat it's way through her ribcage, especially when she heard his pounding footsteps go past on his way down the stairs. Why couldn't I, just for once, not be such a klutz? His voice floated to her through the wood as he asked Ron and Hermione where she was, and they said they hadn't seen her, but then his footsteps came back! She couldn't believe he had come straight back upstairs, but he must know that if Ron hadn't seen her, then she hadn't run past the room he was in.

She cursed herself for not leaving the house while she had the chance. Well, what was stopping her now? she thought, hearing him walk past on his way back to the bedrooms. If he found her here she would be no better off, so she may as well make a break for it. Closing her eyes she prayed for luck, and waited until she heard a door at the far end of the landing open, then she burst out of her hiding place and made a dash for the stairs, surprised that she was fairly quiet about it. She risked a glance back and gave a small sigh of relief when she saw that Harry wasn't following her, continuing her flight until she reached the hallway.

Ron looked up from his seat just inside the living room, and he grinned, nudging Hermione who was sitting on his lap. "Bye Ginny!" he shouted and Hermione slapped him, her mouth open in shock that he had given the other girl away.

Ginny stared at him in horror for a second until she heard the heavy footsteps move to the top of the stairs and she glanced up, nearly fainting when Harry growled down at her like a wolf and started moving like lightning down towards her. A shriek escaped her and she rushed out of the house and ran as fast as she could towards her own house, aware that he wasn't far behind. He was going to kill her, and then dump her she thought, and her eyes filled with tears as she tried to make her shorter legs try and go faster. All the progress they had made was for nothing. She'd ruined it all, and Ginny didn't want to face the consequences. She didn't want to hear him say the words she knew she were about to hear.

Harry had always made her nervous, and it only made her innate clumsiness worse when he was around, hence the high amount of mishaps, but she had never seen him so angry... so filled with hate. She had thought they'd become closer, and she had really been looking forward to him getting back today, and then the milkshake had to happen... she had ruined everything, just like she knew she would. The anger that emanated from him in waves was far worse than any emotion he had ever demonstrated before. It was definitely over between them.

"Where the hell...do you think...you're going?" Harry shouted at her as he grabbed her around the waist and threw them both on the ground, pinning her struggling body underneath his much larger one and glaring at her. He was shocked to see that, rather than the mutinous expression he had expected, she was crying and shaking, her face as white as a sheet. The very real fear in her wet eyes made the anger leave him in a rush, and the heaving gasps she gave froze him. "Ginny..." he started, unsure of how to react.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have," she said, her voice shaking almost as much as her body was. She gulped and tried to squirm away from him again, not taking her huge eyes from his for one moment. "Please don't hate me," she finished lamely, starting to cry in earnest now.

Harry gave a gasp of shock at her words and rolled over onto his back, taking her with him and cradling her head against his chest. In all the years he had known Ginny, he had only seen her vulnerable twice - once in the Chamber of Secrets when she was twelve, and the other when Edwin Blackweed had attacked her, but now he could see that what he could do to her was far worse. He supposed it shouldn't surprise him so much. After all, Charlie had said she had deep feelings for him.

"I couldn't hate you, Firefly, calm down," he said gently, stroking her soft hair and closing his eyes as he realised what he must have seemed like to someone as small as she was. He sat up, still cuddling her, and bent over her head. "Hush now, pumpkin, it's okay."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she mumbled over and over into his shirtfront, letting her fear drain out of her with the tears.

"It's okay, it doesn't matter," he whispered, looking down at the way she was curled against him, her small hands clutching his shirt and her face hidden against him.

"It was an accident, I swear," she mumbled into his warm shirt, sniffing and closing her eyes as she waited for him to start yelling again. That thought made a fresh bout of tears flood her eyes and she felt him sigh beneath her wet face.

"You seem to have a lot of those," he said, smiling wryly as his fingers tangled in her incredibly long crimson hair. He let the silky strands slip through his fingers as he frowned, his other arm tightening around her in comfort. "You okay now?" he asked her when the sniffling sounds stopped.

Ginny nodded and took a shaky breath, easing a fraction away from him but not looking up. "I didn't mean to steal your truck, I was just looking for my earring... and....and I had a milkshake..." she broke off and bit her trembling lip between her teeth, taking another breath. "It just tipped over and I tried to stop it and I knew you'd be mad..." she stopped again and slumped in his hold, realising how useless it really was trying to explain her actions to him.

Harry found a small smile tilting his lips up at the corners at her posture. "And what sort of mess is my truck in?" he asked softly.

"I had it fixed and cleaned. You wouldn't even know..."

"And you intended to keep it from me?" At her nod he sighed. "Haven't you learned yet that you can't keep anything from me?"

She lifted one shoulder and studied the grass nearby. "I guess."

"Didn't you think I might be worried about you?"

"About me?"

"Yes. You were supposed to be here when I got back, and instead I end up having dinner with the others and you're nowhere to be found," he said, brushing his hand down her cheek. "I didn't know if you were okay or not."

"I didn't... didn't think about that," she murmured.

"And you didn't think that it might be better to just explain to me what had happened with the milkshake?"

"I thought you'd get mad, and you did, and I didn't want you to be angry with me," she mumbled.

"I only got that mad because you tried to deceive me, and I don't like that. I was worrying about you all afternoon, missing you... and then I found out about my truck and I guess it all turned into anger." He pursed his lips and then sighed, stroking her face gently. "I never meant to scare you, Ginny," he said softly, then smiled. "I guess this is our first real lover's argument huh?"

Ginny risked raising her eyes to his, surprised that he was looking amused now. "It is?"

"Mmm-hmm. And when lovers argue, they have to make up again," he continued, raising his eyebrows.

"They do?"

"Yeah, they do, and that's the best thing about arguing."

"You're not...not mad at me anymore?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "I am, but not so much that I want to scare you or hurt you. We'll have a little talk about this tomorrow when we've both calmed down a bit, but for now I want to forget about it. I don't want us arguing or fighting for the rest of the time I'm here, do you?"

"No," she whispered, biting her lips again. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay, at least you tried to do the right thing, but if you ever do it again, if I feel I can't trust you... there will be no point in continuing." he told her, raising an eyebrow and then smiling when she nodded. He stood them both up and turned her around, dusting her off and then getting her to do the same for him. "There. Now, let's get back and do some making up, hmm?"

Ginny gave a relieved smile when he took her hand in his and started walking them back to her house, wondering what else the next few days would have in store for them. Her mind still refused to contemplate what it would be like when he left.