The Power of Love

Part Two: It's Strong and It's Sudden

Harry left the common room. He was pissed, angry, mad, incensed, enraged, betrayed. What the hell were they thinking? he silently demanded. How could they do this? Jesus H. Fucking Christ! Right now all I needed was for them to be my friends but they are apparently bound and determined to cut me out of the picture!! Harry continued to berate Ron and Hermione in his mind as he stalked the deserted corridors, until he turned along the infamous second floor corridor of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Someone else had just turned along the same corridor and they both stopped dead.

It was Cho Chang. She seemed to brighten up as she saw Harry. Harry couldn't help but thinking, Dammit, I do not need this right now. Cho started walking along the corridor towards him, startlingly resembling a lioness stalking her prey. She stopped four feet from Harry.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," Harry replied.

"I've been looking for you," she told him, moving closer. Harry raised his eyebrows. "Lately you seem like you need some companionship." She moved closer. "I thought that I could help you with that." Cho moved closer still. "What do you say? For old times' sake?" She leaned in and kissed Harry softly.

Unbeknownst to either Cho or Harry, someone else was looking for him and found him just as Cho kissed him. However, this girl was not at all happy to see the other two together. Without making herself known, the other girl turned and ran. Meanwhile, Harry pushed Cho away.

"What's the matter, sweetheart?" she asked gently.

"That's the problem; I'm not your sweetheart." And with that, he continued on his way. He returned to the abandoned Gryffindor Tower and flopped down in front of the fireplace. He made no move for a half hour before going to bed.

**********

Several hours after Harry went to bed, Ginny Weasley sat dejectedly on a couch in the Gryffindor common room. She stared at the fire, alone in her anger, her sadness, and her love, all for Harry.

How blind, she thought, must I have been to not see that he fancies Cho and not me?! How blissfully ignorant must I have been to ever have thought that--

"Ginny?" The voice that interrupted her thoughts came from the door to the boys dormitories. She whirled around to see Harry standing there, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts and a bathrobe. Damn, does he look good! she thought. "Gin, it's three in the morning, what're you doing up?"

"I should ask you the same question," she replied quietly. Despite the fact of loving him to death, she was miffed at him. Harry shrugged and sat next to her on the couch.

"Good point. I couldn't sleep, and you?" he inquired.

"Same; I had a lot on my mind."

"You want to talk about it?" He sounded hopeful.

"No," Ginny said shortly. They sat in silence for a few moments. Ginny felt and electric surge go through her as Harry laid his hand over hers.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said "I'm sure." She pulled her hand away and they relapsed into silence. Ginny took a deep breath and posed her own question. "What about you? You seem preoccupied lately." He squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. Ginny took a guess at what was the matter. "Is it about Sirius?" He nodded. "Oh, Harry, come here." She opened her arms and pulled him close, holding him tightly.

"I just don't know how to live with myself," Harry sobbed. "I mean, 's'all my fault he's gone."

"No, Harry," she told him soothingly. "Bellatrix killed him, not you. It's not your fault at all." Harry sat up and wiped his eyes.

"But it's my fault that he went there; it's my fault any of us were there. If it weren't for me, Sirius would still be alive."

"Harry, if it weren't for you, Voldemort would have never fallen from power, Hermione would be living as a Muggle, Ron wouldn't have a best friend, I wouldn't be alive, hell, I wouldn't have fallen in love with you--" She stopped as she seemed to realize what she had said. All of a sudden she leapt up and ran towards the girls' staircase, but before she even got a few feet, Harry caught her hand. She looked back and their eyes met.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But could I have that last bit again?" Ginny heaved a deep breath and sat down next to him, still not letting go of his hand. She took a few moments to regain her composure then looked into his bright green eyes.

"I love you," she whispered. "God, I'm so sorry, Harry."

"For what?" he asked, thunderstruck.

"For telling you this!" Ginny cried. "For turning your world upside down, yet again, for everythmmmmmmmmmpppppppppppphhhhhhhhh." She had to stop talking because, suddenly, Harry's lips were in the way. After a moment, they pulled apart. Ginny was speechless.

"Ginny, my love," he said. "Maybe I needed my world to be turned upside down again. And if my topsy-turvy life is going to include this--" He kissed her passionately again. "Then I daresay I will enjoy it." This time, Ginny kissed Harry, and pulled back with an anxious look on her face. "What's wrong," Harry asked, sounding concerned.

"We can not tell Ron," she said.

"Any particular reasons? Or is it because he's an over-protective git who would wring my neck if he ever got wind that we got involved together?" Ginny laughed at his particular way of putting that.

"That about nails it," she giggled.

"Now, where were we?" he grinned as he leaned nearer.

"Right about here."

**********

The next morning, Ron and Hermione entered the Great Hall together in hopes of reconciling with Harry. They spotted him sitting alone at the Gryffindor Table eating his breakfast. The two lovers glanced at each other and walked over to try and make peace with their best friend. When they reached him, the sat down next to each other, facing Harry. Ron took a deep breath and began.

"Harry, mate, we, er want to talk to you." Harry grunted to show that he was aware of their presence and listening.

"We, uh, we, er, want to apologize to you," Hermione told him. Harry grunted again and continued with his meal.

"Yeah, mate, we're really sorry," Ron said sincerely. Harry looked up.

"For what?" he asked. The other two looked at glanced at each other.

"For what happened yesterday," Ron said incredulously. Harry cocked an eyebrow.

"What happened yesterday was that you were snogging your girlfriend. Are you really going to tell me that you're sorry that you were making out with a woman that you have loved for years?" Harry demanded of him. Ron looked surprised that Harry could tell that he loved Hermione, and then realized he shouldn't be. "Don't bullshit me now."

"No," Ron answered meekly.

"Are you sorry that I found out?" Ron shook his head. Harry was about to ask another question but Ron broke in.

"We're sorry that we kept it from you." Silence came down upon the Famous Trio. Harry took a deep breath.

"Good. Do you really mean that? Or do you want me stop the interrogation?"

"We really mean it, Harry," Hermione assured him. "We should have never tried to hide this from you. We should have been there for you, what with," she faltered. "What with Sirius." Harry nodded.

"Well, normally after a fight, people kiss and make up." Ron and Hermione looked at him. "However, I'm going to have to take a rain check. So go on. Kiss. Make up." Ron looked over at Hermione. She leaned in and kissed him. They held each other for a long moment. "Ahem. Now it's time for another clichéd instruction: get a room." Harry's two best friends grinned and excused themselves.

Just as they were leaving the Great Hall, Ginny walked in with some of her fifth-year girlfriends. Harry, not expecting her to parade her status as the most famous wizard's new girlfriend, did not expect for Ginny to lead all of her companions to sit with him and her. Nonetheless, that's exactly what she did. As Ginny and her fifth-year girlfriends were getting seated, Harry slowly looked around at them all, and then across the table at Ginny.

"My, don't I feel a bit out of place," he commented wryly. Ginny smiled at him.

"Well, you see, they convinced me that I should sit with you," she told him.

"No objection here," Harry said. "But, ah, them?"

"Well, they wanted to see what we're like together." Harry pondered this.

"Do they know something?" he inquired of Ginny.

"Yeah," she said casually. "They know about us."

"Oh." Ginny looked up at him.

"Is that okay? I mean, I know we wanted to keep it secret from Ron."

"No, no, it's fine," he said. "In fact, I think we should tell Ron and Hermione soon. They have 'come out' as it were, and been honest about their relationship." Harry paused and took Ginny's hand. "And I think it's only fair that we return the favor." By now, all of Ginny's friends were watching them, but Harry didn't care. To Harry and Ginny, there was nobody else in the world.

"You know, I think you're quite right," she told him. "Hell, why not just tell everybody?" Harry stared blankly at his girlfriend. Ginny's friends stared just as blankly. Ginny sighed and shook her head. "Dumbledore thinks that the school needs to be more laid back. So, he's organized a school dance. You know, like they have at Muggle schools."

Harry gazed at her for a moment. And then it clicked: "Would you like to go to the dance with me?" Ginny smiled.

"As if there was anyone else," she said. "Of course, you sexy beast."

"Oh, I like that," Harry laughed. He glanced around at Ginny's friends, who all abruptly looked at something else. "How about we get out of here?" Harry suggested slowly.

"Okay then." And with that, they both got up and walked out of the Great Hall. But before they got to the door, Ginny stopped him. "Wait." Harry did. "Ron isn't ready to know. When we get out of here, we still have to keep 'us' under wraps. Okay?" Harry nodded.

"Right, still not going to tell them." He smiled and they left the Hall.

**********

Just as Harry and Ginny left the Great Hall, Ron and Hermione were walking across the Entrance Hall. Without warning, Hermione grabbed Ron and dragged him behind a suit of armor and covered his mouth.

"SHH!" she instructed. Hermione released Ron and pointed up towards the doors of the Great Hall, where Harry and Ginny were walking out together. "Look." Ron did so. His ears turned red and he started forward, but Hermione grabbed the back of his robes. He whirled around.

"What?!" he demanded, his eyes wild.

"Jesus, look at them!" she whispered frantically. "He's got the hots for her!"

"I know!" Ron whispered back. "I'm going to go and beat the shit out of him!" He turned around again but Hermione turned him back towards her, rolling her eyes.

"This is a good thing," Hermione told him. "It's about damned time Harry stopped seeing Ginny as just your sister. And it's about damned time Ginny started going steady with him; she's had a crush on him for years. And it's about damned time you stopped being such an overprotective git who would wring the neck of anyone who gets involved with your sister." Ron, who had been watching Harry and Ginny go, looked back at his own girlfriend.

"I am not an overprotective--" he started. "Yes, I am."

"Well, at least you have the courage to admit it," Hermione told him. "Now, since it's going to happen anyway, why not get them together in time the school dance?"

"Wait, you mean set them up?" Hermione sighed. "How am I going to get him to go out with her?! If I say anything, he won't do it."

"Well, tell him it's a blind date." Ron still looked doubtful about it.

"I don't know about this, Hermione," he said. All of a sudden, Hermione grabbed him and kissed him. When they pulled away from each other, Ron was singing a new tune. "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"

**********

As Harry and Ron headed to lunch, Ron steeled himself to ask Harry a somewhat awkward question. "Hey, Harry, mate, the school dance is coming up and you being famous and all, you should have a date and I could set you up with this really nice girl--" Harry cut him off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait." Ron did so. "Are you trying to set me up on a blind date?"

**********

"No," Hermione denied Ginny's accusation but cracked under the other girl's piercing stare. "Yes, I am trying to set you up on a blind date." Ginny continued on her way.

"I see," she said. "It wouldn't happen to be with Harry, would it?"

**********

"How did you know I was trying to set you up with Ginny?" Ron demanded, dropping his books. Harry turned around and helped Ron with his books.

"Come on," Harry said. "You keep saying that she needs to be a normal teenager and get herself a boyfriend and I'm the only one you would trust with your baby sister."

**********

"I guess your right," Hermione said. "He does need companionship and you have been madly in love with him ever since you laid eyes on him." She paused. "So how 'bout it?"

"No," Ginny said flatly.

**********

"NO?!" Ron bellowed. "Why the bloody hell not?!"

"'Cause I already got a date," Harry smirked.

**********

"Who did you get a date with?" Hermione cried. Despite the fact that she was furious that her intricate plan was foiled, she was curious as to who Ginny's new [funny term for boyfriend] was.

"A friend of mine," Ginny replied with a smile.

**********

"Can't you cancel?" Ron pleaded.

"Sorry, mate, no can do," Harry said apologetically.

By now, both Harry and Ron, and Hermione and Ginny were heading towards the Gryffindor Table in the Great Hall, all of them lost in there bickering. Finally, Harry was standing next to Ginny, both of them facing across the table and at the same time yelled:

"You are NOT setting me up with her!"

"You are NOT setting me up with him!"

Then they caught sight of each other. In the next instant, Harry dropped a wink, which was a predetermined signal that meant: Let's tell 'em now.

"Hi, Harry," Ginny said, then pulled him close and kissed him passionately. Ron and Hermione watched in shocked silence as the other two made out in front of them. Eventually, Harry and Ginny broke apart.

"Hi, Ginny," Harry replied. They sat down together and began their lunch, catching up on how each others' day had been. After a couple of minutes, Harry looked up at Ron and Hermione. "Yyyyyyyyyyyeeeessssssssssss?" he asked slowly and deliberately. Hermione mouthed wordlessly as Ron struggled to articulate words.

"But, you, she, her, but...WHAT?!" he finally managed. Hermione was still speechless. Harry and Ginny set down their forks and knives to look up at the other two.