Sudden Attraction

    “Hey, Ginny!” A sandy haired boy called out from the window of the Burrow.

    “What?” Ginny yelled from the garden, her flaming red hair whipping around her face as she turned to look up at the boy.

    “Race you to the lake!” Seamus called back with a boyish grin, and then disappeared from the window, emerging a second later from the front door, pelting toward the lake.

    “You’re on!” Ginny ran after him, laughing.

     She and Seamus had always gotten along very well. They first met when Ginny was seven and Seamus was eight. Ron had the chicken pox (the wizarding world as well still had yet to discover a cure). Ginny had just gotten over them herself and she begged her father to go play in the park, “away from bumpy itchy Ron.” Every summer, she and Seamus continued to meet in the park. When they got older, they hung out occasionally and chatted. Now that they went to Hogwarts together, they didn’t see much of each other. They sat together at lunchtimes along with Dean Thomas, but mostly she hung out with her brother, Hermione, and Harry Potter, who she thought was really cute, but also, who she was over, now. She gave up on Harry and she was just through with chasing that particular dream, anyway.

    Back in the present, it was a swelteringly hot summer day and Seamus Finnigan was staying at the Burrow with the Weasleys. Seamus’s parents were busy with work and Seamus wanted to see Ginny, so the Finnigans asked Molly and Arthur if he could stay with them and they gladly accepted.     

    (I said I was getting back to the present, but I didn’t. I swear I am this time.) Anyway, Ginny and Seamus raced each other to the lake, laughing and having the time of their lives.

    “Eat my dust, Weasley!” Seamus shouted as he ran ahead of her.

    “Never!” she screamed. They were neck and neck. They were almost there - just a little bit more. WHAM!

    Ginny tripped and toppled right onto Seamus. Luckily, they had reached the very edge of the water, and fell into it, instead of crashing onto the hard ground. At first there was an awkward silence, then they both burst out laughing and giggling hysterically.

    “Decided to eat my dust, eh?” Seamus said, smiling, to Ginny, who was laying on his bare chest. She stopped laughing abruptly. She felt - strange. She smiled to cover up her thoughts. **This feels so right. Why am I feeling like this? Where did this come from? When did he get so…cute?** She didn’t move, nor did she want to. She and Seamus just shared a moment of golden silence in the water, gazing sweetly into each other’s eyes, and then -

    “What’s going on here?” asked Ron with Harry and Hermione in tow. Merlin, Ron, I hate you! You…you moment-ruiner! Ginny fumed in her head. She quickly got up and brushed herself off, dripping wet, unabashedly.

    “Nothing. I fell. Must you watch my every move?” Ginny asked with obvious irritation.

    “I don’t watch your every move!” Ron shouted.

    “Ron, I’m not up to arguing with you right now.” Ginny walked (or squelched, rather) back up to the Burrow with Seamus following her.

    They were halfway to the Burrow when Seamus stopped Ginny. “Hey, are you alright?”

    “I’m fine. He’s just overprotective. It gets really annoying,” she added, with a long-suffering sigh. She heaved a sigh, and they continued to walk up to the Burrow.

    As they reached the door, Seamus pulled it open and held it for her. As his wet hands slipped on the latch, she used the moment to sneak a glance at him through her long eyelashes. The sun chose that particular moment to sneak up behind the huge elm tree behind them, illuminating Seamus (from where Ginny stood) with dazzling golden sunlight. The warm breeze caught his hair and the lock of sandy-blonde hair hanging over his forehead lifted away from his eyes…

    She snapped back to reality. He was looking at her expectantly, holding the door wide open. Coloring a little bit, she grinned at him and scooted inside.