Awkward Moments

Ginny and Harry were uncharacteristically quiet at Quidditch practice. The rest of the team noticed, and gave the two many strange looks.

"What's up with you?" Luna asked, cornering Ginny after practice.

"Nothing," Ginny said, a little too quickly.

"Bull," Luna said shortly. "You and Harry barely said three words to each other all day."

"We're having some trouble, okay?" Ginny said.

"You're best friends!" Luna said. "You and Harry have always been best friends! He didn't kill your cat or anything, did he?"

Ginny cracked a reluctant smile. "No, it's nothing like that."

"Well, whatever it is, it's making you both play like crap," Seamus said, coming up behind them. "So either fix it or get over it."

"That's Seamus for you," Luna said, shaking her head. "Always more concerned about Quidditch than anything."

"Hey, I resent that!" Seamus said. "I am concerned about things other than Quidditch."

"Yeah, food," Ginny retorted.

"That's beside the point," Seamus said. "The point is, either confess your mad love for Harry or get over it."

"I am not madly in love with Harry!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Oh, come on," Harry called from the other side of the room. "You know you want me."

Ginny confined herself to making exaggerated gagging noises. But Seamus and Luna's teasing had served it's purpose. She and Harry were joking as easily as if the past two days had never happened.

"Hey, Ginny," Harry called.

"What?"

"I have the new Quidditch Monthly magazine at home, there's a new broom in there I want you to take a look at," Harry said with a smile. Ginny couldn't resist. She needed a new broomstick, was too lazy to subscribe to Quidditch Monthly, and loved to spend time with Harry.

"Sure, Harry," she said. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah," Harry said, shoving a Quaffle into one of the lockers.

They both apparated to Harry's house.

"Wait here," Harry said. "I'll go get the magazine."

"Okay," Ginny said absently. She heard Harry's footsteps walking towards his bedroom. She looked around the living room, thinking to herself that this was a typical bachelor's house.

There were clothes thrown over the couch, as if Harry decided to change in the middle of his living room for no reason. There was dust on the mantel that looked older than Ginny, and long ash trails coming from the fireplace.

Ash trails? She squatted down on her heels get a closer look, and the trails looked too deliberate to be random leftovers from a floo trip.

"Harry?" she called, worry in her voice.

"What?" he asked, walking back into the living room with Quidditch Monthly in hand.

"Have you been lighting fires recently?" she asked.

"Yeah, I flooed to Ron's day before yesterday. I don't like to apparate there. You wouldn't believe what I saw him and Hermione...why?" he asked suddenly, noticing that she was on the floor.

"Did you put it out all the way?" Ginny asked.

"I think so," Harry said, frowning with thought.

"You're not sure?" Ginny said with growing dread.

"No," Harry said. "Come to think of it, I didn't put them out all the way. We apparated straight to your house after I flooed over there."

"Bugger," Ginny said vehemently. "Out of the house."

"Why?"

"Ashwinders," Ginny said shortly.

Comprehension flashed on Harry's face, and he grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the house.

"Harry, you idiot!" Ginny said. "Don't you know that Ashwinders breed in improperly doused wizard fires?!"

"I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking, okay!" Harry looked slightly frantic.

"I'll be right back," Ginny sighed. She apparated to her home and grabbed some floo powder from the pot by her fireplace.

"Ministry of Magic," she said, taking care that her voice was loud and clear. She stepped into the fire and stepped out again at her destination. She hurried over to the main desk.

"I have an Ashwinder problem," Ginny said hurriedly to the girl behind the counter. The girl paled, before pressing a button labeled "Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

"Tris?" the witch said. "We got a Code Seven, get down here quick with a team."

"Will do, Al," came a voice from the approximate region of the button.

"We'll get you fixed as soon as we can," the witch called Al said.

"Thank you," Ginny said, and truly meant it.

A few minutes later, what was undoubtedly the "team" came into the Atrium. They were arrayed with various pieces of equipment, including nets, glass cages, and burn ointment.

"Tristan McDougal," said a tall, blonde, good-looking wizard who was obviously in charge. Ginny could practically hear Al salivating behind her.

"Ginny Weasley," Ginny said, shaking his hand in return.

"Down to business, Miss Weasley," Tristan said, and suddenly he was all professional. "An Ashwinder problem at your residence?"

"No, at Harry Potter's house," Ginny corrected. "I just happened to be there at the time."

"Harry Potter?" Tristan said, looking skeptical. Then his brow cleared. "Oh, you're the Ginny Weasley!"

Ginny was surprised. She had no idea that she was the anything. Apparently, being best friend to the Boy Who Lived has it's perks.

"Yes, I am Ginny Weasley," Ginny said. "But I thought we'd established that. In case you didn't realize it, we have Ashwinders inside Harry's house. That's kind of serious."

"Not technically, Miss Weasley," Tristan corrected. "Ashwinders are only dangerous after they lay their eggs. How long have they been there?"

"Two days at the most," Ginny said.

"Then this will be no problem," Tristan assured her. "My team will get right on it. If you'll just give us the address."

Ginny told them the address. They headed over to the Apparation Point and cut through the lines. Being an emergency team apparently also had it's perks. Ginny had to wait for an opening.

She apparated straight to Harry's house, in time to see Tristan and his team coming out of the house with seven Ashwinders in glass cages.

"Mr. Potter," Tristan said, and Harry turned to him enquiringly. "Mr. Potter, the Ashwinders have already laid their eggs."

Harry sagged. "So what does that mean?"

"It means that you'll have to stay somewhere else tonight, just to make sure we found all the eggs. Your friend here," he added, addressing Ginny, "decided to round all the Ashwinders up in one room. Smart move."

"You always have to play the hero, don't you, Harry?" Ginny said in mock exasperation.

"Of course," Harry said with a grin. "It's what I was born to do."

"Just because you're special and have a prophecy and defeated the Dark Lord and all doesn't make you better than me!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Maybe not," Harry said with a shrug. "Maybe so."

Ginny smacked him on the arm. "You are a pill, Harry Potter."

"Yup," Harry said smugly.

Just then, Ron and Hermione apparated on the front lawn.

"What's going on?" Ron said.

"Stupid here forgot to put out the floo fire," Ginny said, gesturing to Harry.

"Ashwinders?" Hermione said, as if she was commenting on the weather.

"Yeah," Ginny said. "He has to stay with you guys tonight."

"No!" Ron and Hermione said at the same time.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Glad to see you guys love me."

"No, Harry, it's not that," Ron assured him. "It's just that...well...we sent the kids to Mum's for the night, and we're leaving."

"Ah," Ginny and Harry both said, comprehension dawning on their faces.

"Well, Harry, looks like you're staying with me tonight," Ginny said, as the team of Ministry officials went back into the house to search for Ashwinder eggs.

Harry looked less than pleased with the idea. Ginny herself was feeling rather stupid to have offered. Any other time, she wouldn't have thought twice about having Harry over, but the events of the past three days made her cautious.

"There really isn't any other choice," Harry said.

"Yay!" Ginny said, forcing herself to be cheerful. "You can try out the fancy bed built into my sofa! I haven't figured out how to work it yet, though. The things Muggles come up with!"

"I'll fix it for you, mate," Harry said. Ginny understood why he didn't use her nickname. He was reminding himself of their relationship, effectively distancing himself from her. She needed some of that distance herself.

"If that's all settled, we'll go now," Hermione said, glancing between the two of them.

"Yeah," Ginny said. "You two lovebirds have fun!"

"Thanks," Ron said, and without further ado, he and Hermione disappeared.

"C'mon then, Harry," Ginny said. They apparated too.

*

"No, I swear to Merlin that I did not snog Draco Malfoy!" Ginny said, collapsing against the sofa in hysterical laughter.

"That's what I heard!" Harry said.

The two of them, surprisingly, had enjoyed a night of peace. As an unspoken agreement, they kept at least four feet away from each other at all times. Where before they might have sat shoulder-to-shoulder, thigh-to-thigh on the sofa, now Ginny sat on the sofa and Harry sat in an armchair.

Ginny knew what they were doing, just as surely as she knew that Harry knew. They were savoring their last moments together as friends. Both of them realized that this façade couldn't go on much longer. The time would come when they'd have to make a decision. Either they would become mere acquaintances, just people that knew each other, or they would take the next step, and become more than just friends. Ginny was dreading the decision time.

They had spent the night talking of Hogwarts, and recalling all the major events, the little every day things, and the juicy bits of unfounded gossip that had abounded in the castle.

"Yeah, well, I heard you snogged Cho Chang in the Room of Requirement during your fifth year," Ginny said.

"Nope, that one was true," Harry laughed.

Ginny laughed so hard she fell off the sofa.

"It wasn't that funny," Harry said, looking down at her from his chair.

"Yes it was!" Ginny said. "Lavender and Parvati told me, and I told them to go shove it, because you wouldn't do that."

"You did?!" Harry said, and he began to laugh too.

"Oh yeah," Ginny affirmed. "I didn't speak to them for a month!"

Harry was laughing so hard tears were forming in his eyes. "Sorry to disappoint you, Gin," he said between gales of laughter.

"I knew you were a failure, Harry Potter," Ginny said, getting up and plunking back down on the sofa.

"A huge failure," Harry said. "I heard you snogged Theodore Nott."

"That one was true, too," Ginny admitted. "But Lavender Brown snogged Draco Malfoy!"

"Trying to draw the blame away from yourself, I see!" Harry said.

"Fess up, Harry," Ginny said. "Who else did you snog?"

"No one else," Harry said immediately.

"Really?" Ginny asked, scarcely believing it.

"Really," Harry said. "I was too busy hanging out with you, Ron and Hermione."

"Although they were a tad preoccupied with the whole snogging thing," Ginny added.

"Yeah," Harry agreed. They lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"Well," Ginny said a few minutes later. "I'm going to bed."

"Okay," Harry said. "I'll fix up the sofa and go to bed, too."

"See you tomorrow, Harry," Ginny said. As she walked by his stack of clothes, she picked up a worn tee shirt. "I'm borrowing this."

"What if I want to use it?" Harry asked indignantly.

"Tough luck," Ginny said, and walked down the hall to her room. She heard Harry chuckling behind her.

In the safety of her bedroom, she allowed the smile to slip off of her face. She quickly took off her pajama top and pulled Harry's shirt on, before climbing into bed.

She lay there, all alone, holding a pillow for dear life. She could smell Harry's scent on her tee-shirt. A mix of cologne, grass, and a musky, boyish smell. It was very comforting. Or at least, it would have been, but Ginny's mind was running around in circles because of Harry.

She loved him, that much she knew. But did she love him enough? Did they share the same type of love that Hermione and Ron had for each other? If they did, Ginny knew that they would be fine. She loved Harry like that, she was almost sure. But did Harry love her like that? Was it just his libido rearing it's ugly head? Would these feelings he seemed to have for her be gone in the morning?

Ginny kept asking herself these questions, questions that she didn't know the answer to. She fell into a fitful slumber.

"No, Tom! I don't want to!"

"Come on, Ginny-girl," said a smooth, persuading voice.

"This isn't right, Tom!" came Ginny's terrified eleven year old self.

"Ginny, there is no such thing as right and wrong," Tom said. "There is only what makes us happy. This would make me very happy. Just do as I say, Virginia!"

"There is too such thing as right and wrong!" Ginny said.

"Prove it!" Tom roared.

"Harry Potter is right," Ginny said. "He's brave, and wonderful, and all the things you aren't, Tom!"

"Be quiet, foolish girl! Harry Potter is nothing more than a suck up! He plays to whatever people want him to be! He's a mere puppet!"

"He is not! He's kind, and caring, and brave!"

"There is no such person as Harry Potter, Virginia," Tom said. "There is only you and me. What I say is right. Do as I say!"

"No, Tom...no..."

"You're fading, Ginny," Tom said. "Where's Harry Potter now?"

"Leave me alone, Tom!"

"Leave me alone, Tom!"

Harry heard Ginny screaming. Leaping from the sofa, he ran into her bedroom. She was thrashing around on her bed like a madwoman.

"Ginny!" Harry exclaimed worriedly. He ran over to her and took her shoulders, shaking her hard.

She bolted awake and started fighting him.

"Ginny, Ginny!" Harry said. "Gin, it's me! Harry!"

"Oh, Harry," Ginny said weakly, ceasing her movements.

"You had a bad dream, Ginny," Harry said softly. He sat on her bed and took her in his arms, cradling her as he would a child. Boundaries be damned, his best friend was in trouble. He felt wetness on his neck, and realized that she was crying softly.

"It's okay, Gin," Harry said.

"I...he was here...it was awful..." Ginny choked.

"I know, Gin," Harry said, rocking her slightly back and forth. "I know."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sound was the bedsprings creaking as Harry continued to rock softly.

"I'm okay now," Ginny said, sitting up in his lap. "Thanks, Harry."

"Don't mention it," Harry said with a smile. Ginny laid back down on her bed, rubbing her forehead absently. Harry thought that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, with the moonlight illuminating her face, and her eyes drugged with sleep.

It was definitely time to get out of there.

"Goodnight, Gin," Harry said, laying his hand briefly on hers. He stood up to leave, every fiber in his body urging him to stay right where he was.

Ginny's hand caught his, and he turned to look at her. Her eyes were still sleepy, although now there was a trace of fear behind them. He wondered whether it was fear of the dream, or fear of him.

"Don't leave, Harry," Ginny pleaded. "I don't want to have another nightmare."

Harry relented. His chances had disappeared the moment he walked in the door, it was useless to resist.

"Okay, I'll stay."

Ginny patted the bed beside her, and he climbed over and took her in his arms. She turned over so that her back was in his chest, and they were spooned together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Goodnight, Harry," she said contentedly.

"Goodnight, Gin," he said, his voice slightly muffled, because he had buried his face in her hair.

He heard her sigh, and a few minutes later her deep, regular breathing indicated that she was fast asleep. Harry briefly entertained the notion of going back to his sofa, but quickly dismissed the idea.

He wanted to savor this last night. His last chance to just be Ginny's best friend. Tomorrow, his entire life would be flipped upside down.

But not just now. Now, he was going to sleep for one night with Ginny in his arms. He held her like a precious treasure, for she was worth more to him than all the gold in Gringotts.

So he drifted off to sleep, his dearest friend and dearest love wrapped tightly in his arms.