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Author: Sherylyn Story: Hearts Afire Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-DH Status: Completed Warning: Some sexual references. Reviews: 19 Words: 48,067
A/N: This chapter relates to chapter 3 of St. Margaret's New Zealand Chronicles, in case you need a reminder of what happened. Harry sighed and rolled over on his stomach, burying his face in his pillow and shoving the book he'd been reading beneath the pillow in the same motion. He and Ron had been out with Hamilton Dow, their new Auror instructor, on an all-day training exercise, and it had been both physically and mentally exhausting. He'd been able to ditch Ron for a short time after work, leaving Ron to order their take-away food and promising to meet back at the twins' flat. Harry'd hurried off to Flourish and Blotts and made his purchase as quickly as he could and then Apparated to the flat, managing to hide the book in his trunk before any of them noticed. Now, having made his excuses and secluded himself in the bedroom, he was faced with a new dilemma: how to manage actually reading what he'd bought without drawing attention from either Ron or the twins. It had been almost a month since Ginny had been released from hospital, and he was expecting Hedwig to return from her delivery to Ginny any time now. Ginny's letter earlier in the week had indicated that she was doing well physically, but she had been completely swamped catching up on the school work she'd missed, and – with her NEWTs fast approaching – she was revising harder than ever. Harry hated to admit it, but – in spite of the worry and fear of her accident – he'd at least been grateful that they'd got to spend some time together in the days she'd spent recovering at St. Mungo's. Now, though… he missed her, plain and simple. Letters were nice, but there was no substitute for holding Ginny in his arms, for talking to her, for kissing her, for touching.… He stopped himself before his mind could go any further in that direction. That book. That book was the reason he couldn't seem to get his mind off of anything but… but that. That blasted, bloody book was going to drive him mad. Not to mention possibly getting him killed by some red-headed brothers if they realized what he was doing. With a groan of frustration, he pulled it out from under his pillow and re-settled himself to read. He pushed the pillows back against the wall at the head of his bed, leaned against them, and attempted to focus on the book. With a little bit of patience, the right partner, and some practice, you too can master the art of pleasing your mate…. Harry's eyes widened at the pictures that accompanied that section of the text. Still, the idea was… intriguing, at least. Well, maybe a bit daunting, too, in some ways.… He sighed, turning the book – first one way and then another – to try to sort out exactly what it was those people were doing. That bloke's got his… no, he's…Oh hell. He stared even more intently at the pictures as the subjects gamely demonstrated their technique repeatedly for him, and he had to fight off his body's natural reactions to the very idea of… doing… that. I dealt with Voldemort, for Merlin's sake… I ought to be able to control – well, control me better than....but still, he's… and she's… He banged his head on the book in frustration, just as Ron opened the door to the bedroom they shared in the twins' flat. Harry hastily shut the book as he shifted positions, not wanting to let Ron have even the remotest idea what he was actually doing. Too late. Ron had apparently seen enough. "That bad?" his best friend and future brother-in-law asked, nodding towards the book. "I thought that list Dow gave us would choke a hippogriff." "Erm…" Harry couldn't make his voice work properly, not to mention his brain, which seemed to have taken up residence in some other, much less helpful, position in his body. Ron flopped down on his own bed. "So, which one are you trying to get through? Good Auror, Bad Auror?" "Uh…no," Harry answered faintly. "Cracking the Case Without Veritaserum?" "No... uh…" "Well, which?" Ron persisted. "Um…" Harry began weakly, trying to decide how he could possibly answer in a way that wouldn't make Ron even more suspicious. Ron turned towards Harry and frowned when he looked at the book that Harry was attempting to hide as much as possible. "I don't remember one with a cover like that…?" he said, his frown deepening. "Which one is it?" "Oh, it's – uh – it's not for Dow," Harry finally managed. "Then what's it for?" "Um… just something I saw at Flourish and Blotts…." Harry muttered, trying his best to shove the book further beneath his pillow without actually looking like he was doing anything of the sort. "Yeah? What on?" Ron rolled onto his side, leaning further towards Harry, who felt as if his blood had frozen in his veins. "Oh, nothing much, just…" Harry took a deep breath, and inspiration suddenly, thankfully, struck at last. "What do you care, anyway? You missing Hermione so much you decided to turn into a bookworm in her absence?" He grinned knowingly as he spoke and Ron scowled predictably. Apparently, sheer panic helped to redirect blood flow somehow. Imagine that. "You know I'm not. I just thought you might've got a book on Quidditch or something fun, seeing as how we have a whole load of rubbish to get through for Dow," Ron grumbled in reply. He abruptly rolled off his bed and tugged off his t-shirt, tossing it in the general direction of the corner of the room where his dirty clothes usually resided. "I'm going to shower before bed," he added, grabbing his toiletries bag and heading out the door again. Harry waited until he heard the bathroom door close before he dared move. He leapt off his bed and buried the book in the bottom of his trunk before changing into his pyjamas and setting one of his assigned books on the table between the beds. Then he padded downstairs in search of some of Molly's biscuits before attempting to go to sleep himself. A short time later, he lay in his bed, listening to Ron's rhythmic snores and thinking back on how he'd managed to come into possession of the book that currently resided at the bottom of his trunk. * After years of bawdy comments from virtually every other bloke he'd ever known, Harry had begun to realize that he probably needed some reliable information about certain matters before he got married. The mass of often contradictory information that was bandied around, not to mention the fact that every man seemed to have his own sure-fire method of pleasing a woman, had left him more confused than ever. More than seven years of being around Hermione – something for which he was not sure, right now, if he was more grateful or irritated – meant that he'd felt that his best bet was to actually find a book or two – or ten, if necessary! – to help ensure he wasn't a complete idiot when he and Ginny got married, and especially that their wedding night wasn't a complete disaster. He'd already had the notion vaguely circulating in his brain for a while, but hadn't really given it much consideration, until yesterday. Yesterday, he and Ron had spent over two hours in Flourish and Blotts, trying to find all the books on the reading list that Dow had given them. Ron had moaned and whinged constantly as they looked for the titles. Harry had been having trouble imagining what they might get out of some of the recommended books – the titles didn't exactly inspire his confidence – but he hoped that a few might possibly offer some useful information. If not, given the size of some of them, they would at least come in handy if they ever had to bludgeon a suspect into submission. While they'd wandered through the aisles, though, Harry had caught sight of a section called "Magical Relationships" and had been intrigued by some of the titles he'd seen. He hadn't been able to escape Ron for long enough to really sort out what he might actually want to buy, so he'd finally given up. That is, until today, when he'd managed to get away long enough to return without anyone accompanying him. He'd located that section of the shop again without difficulty, but the sheer number of books there had floored him. Ignoring the books on wedding etiquette and planning, he located the shelves that related to marriage and specifically to sexual relations. Passing over the ones that promised such things as Rekindle Your Relationship: Incendio for Couples (he rather thought that he and Ginny didn't need any help in that department!), he focused instead on the ones with titles like Stirring the Cauldron: Recipes for a Happy Marriage; Magical Mysteries of Marriage, and Cleopatra's Encyclopaedia of Spells: How to Rule Your Wizard, Body, Mind and Soul. They at least seemed to be the sort of thing he was looking for, if the artwork on the covers was any indication. He had riffled through Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Witches (But Didn't Have the Gobstones to Ask!) but was rather put off by the title alone. Bumping into the end of one shelf of books had caused him to discover a large pile of Gilderoy Lockhart's Guide to Sexual Secrets: Turn Her On With a Smile in the bargain bin for only five Sickles each. He'd stifled his laughter at the cover: Lockhart's picture looked decidedly pouty, and when he saw Harry laughing, he'd turned his back to Harry and refused to turn around again, which had only made Harry laugh harder. Amortentia for a Lifetime: Love Without the Potion was largely ignored, but he couldn't resist flipping through the pages of Fly Her To The Moon (Without Ever Leaving the Bedroom). The illustrations contained far more detailed and intimate analysis of the female anatomy than he thought he could stand (That looks like some sort of… alien, he thought distractedly), and he hastily put it back. He picked up a copy of Witches on Top but put it down again after realizing that the illustrations only showed various combinations of witches together. The artwork, at least, was rather…interesting… but it wasn't what he was looking for, either. He had finally chosen a discreet-looking volume titled Wandless Magic and Other Mysteries: An Advanced Guide to Your Partner's Pleasure. A quick flick through the index indicated that it was what he had been looking for, and at least the cover wasn't nearly as lurid as some of the others he'd seen. He'd paid for the book with only a moderate amount of embarrassment, since the shop assistant who served him looked older than Dumbledore and had to have Harry read him the price on the cover, nevermind paying much attention to the identity of his customer or the title of the book. Once outside the shop, Harry'd charmed the cover to be a plain grey colour and covered up the title, hoping to keep it hidden from Ginny's brothers. This was one time when living with his fiancée's family was a right royal pain in the arse. After eating, he'd retreated to his room, supposedly to start on some of the assigned reading. Ron had made his predictable moans over the work they'd been set, but at least it had given Harry a built-in excuse to go read in solitude. He'd considered trying to further disguise the book, but wasn't sure what might be most effective. He couldn't use anything too obvious or it would be even more likely to draw attention from Ginny's brothers. Some of the privacy spells he'd learned in his Auror training might be somewhat helpful, but the problem was that Ron had learned those spells too, and was likely to realise what had been done. Charming the contents of the book itself was an appealing idea – much like his fellow Hogwarts' students had hidden his Quibbler interview from Umbridge back in fifth year – but that wasn't likely to stop Ron for long, either. Not to mention another downside of living with the twins at this point: they'd be almost certain to see right through anything of that sort. * Ron mumbled in his sleep, drawing Harry's attention back to the present. He sighed quietly and rolled over, wishing that he could fall asleep as easily as Ron always did. Tonight, though, at least it was something pleasant that was keeping him awake. He grinned into his pillow as some of the things he'd seen in the book replayed in his mind. As he'd hoped, the book he'd settled on seemed to be a fairly straight-forward volume that was giving him some of the useful information that he was looking for. It also had already given him some ideas that he couldn't help but let his imagination dwell on. And his imagination seemed to always go into overdrive at the merest suggestion of what he and Ginny could soon do together. Less than one month to go, and Ginny would be finished with school. He'd be able to see her more often than he had since those few weeks at the end of his sixth year, when they'd spent as much time together as possible, and even then, they'd always had school work to encroach on their time. Now, finally, they'd both be free of the demands of school, and, aside from the time he already knew his Auror training was going to require of him, they'd finally be free to spend most evenings and weekends together. Merely the memory of the contents of the book – both the wizarding illustrations and the images that the words invoked in his own mind – was enough to make more than just his attention perk up. It had been quite some time since he and Ginny had truly had an opportunity to spend much time engaging in any sort of physical pleasures. What knowledge he did have of Ginny, though, was now amplified by what he'd seen, and the ideas and pictures now fuelled his imagination to dizzying heights. He mentally groaned at the fact that he was staying with the twins and Ron during the week, and only going back to The Burrow for a night or two on weekends. At least there, he had a room of his own, and he could allow himself to pay closer attention to the…ah…information in the book. He sighed again, burying his face in the coolness of his pillow. At this rate, it was going to be a long, long week. ~*~ He awoke early the next morning, rather unwillingly, but the dreams he'd been experiencing had reached an intensity that seemed determined to make an impression on his conscious mind as well. He muffled a groan with his pillow as he finally came fully awake. He lay there for several moments, attempting to gather his wits, then turned to squint at the bedside clock. Not even six A.M. He didn't have to be awake for quite some time yet, but there was no use for it now, he knew. He was awake and wouldn't be able to go back to sleep under the circumstances. Muttering under his breath, he grabbed some clothes and headed for the shower to get ready for the day. If I'm lucky, Dow will only half kill us today, he thought sourly as he started the shower running. And if I'm not lucky, well… He chuckled in spite of himself. If he's too horrible, Ginny and Molly will be lining up to have a go at him. I won't have to do a thing! The mental image of him and Ron hiding behind Molly and Ginny's skirts while the two women lashed out at Dow was rather satisfying, really. That is, aside from the fact that he couldn't quite see either himself or Ron hiding behind anyone very easily. Still… I survived six years of Snape's teaching. I ought to be able to handle anything Dow wants to dish out. I just don't have to like it much. As he showered, images from his dreams kept trying to attract his attention again, and he finally decided that the one benefit to being up so early was that he could take as long as he pleased in the shower. That beast in his chest, which he'd thought had disappeared long ago, took a definite interest in his thoughts at that point, and it wasn't long before the beast was in full control of the rest of him as well. ~*~ The next few weeks passed fairly quickly. Dow was working them harder than they'd ever worked previously in Auror training, and Harry and Ron were both struggling to keep up with the assigned reading, nevermind dealing with all the additional work that Dow insisted upon. Harry found little time to read the Book-at-the-Bottom-of-the-Trunk (as he'd taken to calling it mentally), but the hurried snatches of looking at it periodically had only encouraged that part of him that seemed determined to take over his brain at any moment. It hadn't helped matters that some of the other trainees had been passing around a new Sabrina's Secrets catalogue the week before, and the images he'd seen as the other guys talked about their girlfriends and former girlfriends hadn't helped. Of course, being male, most of them couldn't resist adding commentary to the catalogue items and the tales of their experiences with said catalogue items, either. Whether because that catalogue was rather well-circulated, or for other reasons, by the end of the week, Harry wasn't the only one taking noticeably-longer showers at Fred and George's flat. Harry's increased agitation was also due to the fact that Ginny would be returning – for good – from Hogwarts in just a few days. He'd soon be able to see her, to touch her, again on a regular basis, and the idea sent that beastly part of him into frenzy. Every image in his head seemed to always mentally Transfigure into a vision of Ginny. Every illustration he'd seen in the books he'd looked at, every picture he'd ever caught sight of in Playwizard, or in the Sabrina's Secrets catalogues, or any other image his over-active imagination could conjure in his brain – every one of them all seemed to become Ginny. Her hair, her eyes, her slender but strong figure – every beautiful aspect of her ensnared him completely. ~*~ At long last, the day arrived, and Ginny was to return on the Hogwarts Express late in the afternoon. Harry had arranged with Molly and Arthur that he'd be the one to pick her up and escort her back to The Burrow – eventually. Before they went there, he had a few other plans in mind. Harry had decided that this would be a good opportunity to practice some of the Glamour Charm techniques he'd learned, and so he covered his scar, Disillusioned his glasses, and changed his hair to a light, sandy brown, a bit longer than his own. At least this way, he thought as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, my hair will stay where I put it. The Express arrived right on time, thank Merlin. He'd owled Ginny that he was going to disguise himself so she'd know to react accordingly, and also to let her know that they would be going on a surprise outing once she arrived in London, so she would know to dress appropriately as well. He only wanted to stay in disguise until they could get away from the areas with the most witches and wizards around. Once they were safely in Muggle London, he'd be able to give her a proper greeting. As it was, reporters were milling about long before the train was due to arrive, and he'd heard his name mentioned several times in the crowd already. As he watched the students disembark from the train, he kept his distance until he saw a familiar red-gold ponytail. Sliding expertly through the hordes, he reached Ginny just in time to catch her trunk as she pulled it off the bottom step of the train. "Oh, thanks, but I can –" she began, just as he looked up at her and grinned. "OH!" Ginny grinned back as he quickly flicked his wand to shrink her trunk before pocketing it. "Shall we?" he asked, still grinning, and gestured towards the barrier between the platforms. She smiled even more broadly at him. "Yes. Definitely!" A number of reporters recognized Ginny and attempted to stop them, but if Harry had learned anything about the press, it was how to get away from them. He put his head down, gripped Ginny's arm tightly, and propelled them both towards the barrier. "Ms. Weasley! Why isn't your fiancé here?" "Why are you with another man instead of your fiancé?" "Ginny! Where's Harry?" "When are you getting married? Will the Minister be officiating?" "Miss Weasley, is it true that Sabrina's Secrets is designing your wedding attire?" Harry almost – almost! – laughed out loud at the last one, but managed to ignore them all long enough to get himself and Ginny past the crowd of reporters and through the barrier. Once on the other side, though, they faced another group of reporters who were gathered there. More of them recognized Ginny and made an attempt to stop them, but seemed to hesitate at the sight of the intense-looking young man with her. Several of the more brazen ones tried again to question her about her companion and why her fiancé wasn't there to meet her. Harry let them see that his wand was merely hidden by his palm, giving them significant glares, and they backed away – probably more to avoid any incidents with the throngs of Muggles in the vicinity than anything else. At last they were clear of the area, leaving the annoying press behind, and Harry hurriedly led Ginny towards the street, and – for the first time ever – freedom for them both. Once outside, she followed him into a secluded alley that he'd scouted earlier, which seemed to be slightly less populated than others in the area. He'd added a few spells to the area already to keep anyone else – magical or Muggle – from intruding on them. There, at last, he pulled her into his arms and gave her a proper welcome-home kiss. After several moments, Ginny pulled back slightly and murmured, "Can you remove the Glamour? I want to see the real you." Harry chuckled. "Yeah, no problem." He quickly ended the charms, and Ginny's hands came up to gently frame his face, her thumbs stroking his jaw and cheeks as she gazed into his eyes. He had some idea of what she must be thinking, because he felt as if he were literally drinking in the sight of her – he'd been longing to be with her again, and having her in his arms felt as if he were quenching a desperate thirst. "I'm so glad to see you," she murmured as he tightened his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him again. Her hands slid into his hair and down the nape of his neck, sending shivers of sensation trickling down his spine. He leaned forwards, resting his forehead against Ginny's as her hands tightened around his neck. "I'm glad to see you, too. I've missed you," he answered, willing her to understand all that he couldn't express in words just then. "I missed you," she whispered, her lips almost touching his again as she spoke. "So much." And then her lips pressed fully against his, her body melting into his embrace as they kissed again, more deeply, more satisfyingly than before. The beast inside him heartily approved. When they finally parted, both rather breathless, Harry had to swallow a couple of times before he could get his voice to work properly. "Are you ready for your surprise?" he asked, not releasing his hold on her. "Always." Ginny smirked, her eyes dancing as her hands slid from around his neck to rest against his chest. "I'll have to Apparate us, so hold on tight, okay?" Ginny grinned again and tightened her arms around him. He gave a surprised squeak at the contact that manoeuvre created, making Ginny giggle at his reaction. "If you hold on like that, there's no telling where we'll end up," he threatened, chuckling in spite of himself. Ginny giggled again. "Okay, I'll attempt to behave," she said with a theatrical sigh as she shifted to grip his arm instead. "That makes two of us," he muttered before closing his eyes for a moment in concentration. He normally didn't have to think about it quite so hard in order to Apparate, but she was distracting him enough so he knew that he'd best pay special attention to what he was doing. A moment later, they were standing in another alleyway, this one opening up on what was visibly a much nicer area of London. "Ooh, where are we?" Ginny asked as they stepped onto the pavement and she took a look around. "Covent Garden," Harry answered. "I thought we might like to stroll around for a bit before we go to dinner." Ginny's hand slid into his as she looked up at him, beaming. "That sounds perfect." He squeezed her hand and nodded towards the shops around them. "Shall we, then?" he inquired, and she nodded, still smiling at him happily. They wandered through the shops for quite some time, talking at leisure about Ginny's exams, Harry's training with Dow – all that was going on in their lives. Harry couldn't quite get over how much he was enjoying just being with Ginny, laughing together over silly, quite ordinary things, talking more seriously at times about plans and hopes they had for their future. And of course, they simply had to stop periodically just to share some more of those dizzying kisses. The freedom to just meander through the streets and shops, not having to be constantly on guard for someone out to cause harm, or to avoid the press, or to have to hurry back to school… they both revelled in the novelty of it all. Checking his watch, Harry realized that it was later than he'd thought, and he tugged on Ginny's hand to direct her towards their next destination. "Are we going some where in particular now?" she asked as he set off at a more determined pace than they'd done before. Harry grinned. "You'll see," he answered cryptically, then added, "Are you hungry?" "Starved," Ginny answered. "I think those pastries we had have completely worn off." Harry laughed with her. "Yeah, I'm a bit famished, myself." "So we're going to eat, then?" Ginny asked, rather hopefully. He chuckled. "What sort of fiancé do you think I am, to let you go hungry for long?" She giggled and paused to pull him around for a kiss. "The very best sort," she smiled, as she wrapped her arm around his waist again. She repeated the movement that she'd mastered a bit earlier in the afternoon: sliding the tips of her fingers into the back pocket of his jeans, her thumb hooked in his belt loop, and he couldn't quite get over the sensation of her fingers being there, even though it seemed quite a natural thing to do, in spite of the slight jolt he felt each time she did it. As they set off again down towards the Embankment, he wrapped his arm comfortably around her as well, more content than he'd have imagined possible, as he led her towards their goal. "Oh, Harry!" Ginny gasped when he showed her where they were going to be eating. "I've never – how did you find this?" He grinned again, pleased that he'd succeeded in surprising her. "I have learned a few things over the years, you know. I've picked up a bit about how to search out what I'm looking for." She squeezed his waist, reaching up to peck him on the cheek. "It looks brilliant. Lead the way, my dear." Instead, Harry took her hand and guided her onboard. This is going to be great…. The T.S. Queen Mary was everything he'd hoped it would be. The food was delicious, the view spectacular, but mostly – it was Ginny's company that made the evening so memorable. They laughed and talked, lingering over their meal, trading bites of food occasionally. As they sat sipping tea, Ginny rested her head against his shoulder, his arm lying across the back of her chair, his fingers moving idly along her shoulder. "So what made you decide to bring me here?" she asked, looking up at him. "Mostly, I just wanted to spend time with you away from everything. I saw this place once when we were doing some training, and it just made me think of you." He turned slightly so he could look at her more fully, not certain he could coherently explain what he'd been thinking. "We'll be going to New Zealand on a ship, and I just thought… well, today's rather a beginning for us in some ways – we're both left school, we're completely away from everyone else for the first time in – well, the first time ever, in some ways. I thought the boat would be something different, something new, just for us, you know?" Ginny's looked down at their clasped hands as he absent-mindedly rubbed his thumb across her engagement ring. When she looked up a moment later, meeting his gaze, her eyes were shining with emotion. "I understand," she whispered. "Thank you, Harry. This is – this entire day that you've given me – it's been perfect. I know you have to go away in a few weeks, but otherwise… I don't want us to ever be apart like we have been." Harry nodded as he leaned in to kiss her gently. He pulled back slightly a few moments later, his hand cupping her cheek. "I want that, too, Ginny. I can't tell you how much I've missed you. Being with you… this is the best thing that's ever happened to me, and sometimes I still can't quite believe that you – that you're really not just a dream." Ginny smiled as her eyes filled, and Harry had a moment of panic that she was about to cry there in the restaurant. Apparently sensing his distress, Ginny chuckled and wiped quickly at her eyes. "Don't worry, Harry, I'm not going to fall apart on you here." She paused and wiped her eyes again, then smiled up at him. "You're just too sweet." She kissed him then, much too briefly, in his opinion. She settled in against his shoulder again, then prompted, "So, tell me more about what you've found out about the course in New Zealand." He grinned and signalled the waiter for more tea. This was going to take a while…. * It was several hours later when they Apparated to the road just beyond The Burrow. Hand-in-hand, they strolled in the moonlight towards the back door – stopping periodically for a few more kisses – and then into the darkened house. Harry forced himself to leave Ginny long enough to go upstairs and deliver her trunk to her bedroom, returning to find her in the living room. She'd lit a small fire in the fireplace, so that the room was still mostly dark, and she was waiting for him on the sofa. Harry was still rather amazed that Molly and Arthur had gone on to bed, although they'd told him that they wouldn't wait up, once they'd learned of his plans for a special evening for Ginny. So now he sat, holding the most beautiful woman in the world in his arms, in a dark room with moonlight streaming through the windows. They'd talked all evening, and were both more than ready for some other sort of communication. Their kisses were slow and deep, lingering and evolving, their hands wandering carelessly. They both knew that they intended to keep their physical explorations at a certain, controllable level, but after so long apart, it wasn't exactly an easy goal to keep in mind. Eventually, they separated, both panting slightly, and Harry wondered if he looked quite as dazed as Ginny did. He stroked her hair with one hand, marvelling at the way she looked with her hair messed up and her lips swollen from his kisses. He smiled at her in wonder, struck again by how unbelievably gorgeous his fiancée was. My fiancée… he repeated to himself, still not quite accustomed to the concept. We're going to be married. Soon, we won't have to stop, we won't have to go to separate rooms – or separate houses – to sleep. We can wake up together every day, and I won't ever have to let her go again. "Knut for your thoughts?" Ginny murmured, cuddling in close to him, her head on his shoulder, as he wrapped his arms around her. Somehow, they'd ended up stretched out on the sofa, lying together quite cosily. "Hmm? Oh, not much… just thinking about when I won't have to let you go every night," he murmured. Ginny tightened her arm around him. "That sounds heavenly," she replied as he lightly kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, it does," he answered, just as softly, snuggling down beside her on the sofa, just enjoying the closeness of being with her. It was well after midnight when a loudly popping log in the fire startled Harry, and he realized that Ginny was asleep in his arms. He must've been dozing himself, given how he'd reacted to the noise from the fireplace. Tempting though it was to nestle back in to Ginny's embrace, he knew the more intelligent choice was for them both to go to bed. Separate beds, he thought wryly. He nudged Ginny, waking her gently with kisses, and then followed her up the stairs to the rooms he knew Molly had left prepared for them both. They shared another good-night kiss outside the door to Ginny's bedroom, and then Harry made his way to the room he'd slept in at The Burrow since before his sixth year at Hogwarts. He was barely conscious of removing his shoes and jeans before crawling between the covers and falling into a blissful sleep, full of dreams of his time with Ginny. ~*~ Harry woke early the next morning as the sun peeking through the curtains managed to take direct aim at his eyes. He groaned quietly and turned over, burying his face to try to go back to sleep. Sleep. He suddenly sat bolt upright at the realization that he had promised to meet Ron at the Ministry to go over some drills that Dow was going to test them over the next day. If they didn't do well on the exams, they'd be certain to be running more laps and doing all sorts of other physical activity as "inspiration" than they could possibly stand. He leapt out of bed and hurriedly pulled his jeans and trainers back on. A quick stop in the bathroom, and then he hurried downstairs. "Good morning, Harry dear," Molly Weasley greeted him. "I've just started cooking breakfast, but there's toast ready for you." "Thanks, Molly, but I've got to hurry. Ron's going to be waiting, and…" "Nonsense, dear. Sit down. I'll take care of things," Molly answered, taking his arm and steering him towards the table. "But – Ron – I've –" Harry tried again. "Sit down, Harry. Neither of you can do your best on those drills if you don't have anything in your body for fuel." Molly handed him a plate of toast and pushed the jam towards him. "Now, you start on that, and I'll take care of the rest," she ordered, pouring him a cup of tea as well. Before he could protest further, she'd turned to the kitchen fireplace and thrown in some Floo powder. A moment later, he heard her calling, "Ron! Ronald Weasley! Are you awake yet?" Harry heard a clattering noise and turned to look, just in time to see Ron half-fall, half-kneel in front of the fire at the twins' flat. "Mum! What's wrong?" Ron gasped. At the sight of his best friend, Harry almost choked on his toast and had to take a gulp of his tea to keep from coughing it all out. Molly had obviously caught Ron as he was trying to get dressed, because he was wearing a t-shirt and had a towel around his waist. "Harry's just having some breakfast. Why don't you come join him once you finish dressing?" Molly offered, otherwise ignoring her youngest son's state. "Um… yeah, sure, Mum. Give me a minute, though." "Of course, dear. Breakfast will be ready by the time you get here." With that, Molly pulled away from the fireplace and turned back to the cooker, resuming her tasks with preparing breakfast for her family. "Is there something I can help you do, Mrs – Molly?" Harry asked, looking up from his toast and tea. Molly chuckled at his near slip, but merely answered, "Not a thing, dear. It's almost done." With that, she flicked her wand and landed several pans on the table in front of Harry. "Just help yourself. I'll go see if Ginny's awake yet." "No, don't!" Harry said hastily, stopping her before she could leave. "I – erm – I kind of promised her she could have a lie-in this morning, if that's okay with you?" he added. Molly smiled warmly at him. "Of course that's all right, Harry. Did you two have a late night?" Her eyes were twinkling merrily at him, and he had a feeling she knew quite well what time they'd come in to the house, and probably, what time they'd actually gone up to bed, as well. "Yes, a bit." He grinned rather sheepishly at Molly. "Thanks for letting me…" "Oh tosh, Harry. There's no need to thank us. We were quite happy for the two of you to get to spend such a nice time together. All young couples should have that sort of opportunity. Goodness knows the two of you have had more than your share of unpleasant times. You've both earned the chance to make some happy memories." While she talked, Molly was busily adding more bacon, eggs, and sausage to Harry's plate, even as he tried to avoid her giving him too much. "Molly, I can't—" he finally attempted, but she wouldn't hear of it. "You'll burn it off this morning, just like Ron," she stated knowingly, just as a pop behind them let them know said son had arrived. "'Just like Ron' – what?" Ron asked, sitting down and beginning to fill his plate all in one motion. "Harry was protesting me giving him more food, and I was saying that you'd both burn it all off in your drills this morning," Molly repeated, as Ron began eating heartily. "You're having a laugh, aren't you, Harry? Given what we eat for breakfast most mornings, you're trying to hold back when Mum's cooking?" he asked around chewing an almost-whole sausage. He shook his head disbelievingly. "Some people don't know they're born." "Think of it this way, Ron," replied Harry as he tucked in to his own breakfast, "I'd just rather keep my breakfast in my stomach, thank you very much, unlike some people who stuff themselves silly and then can't figure out why they're turning green around the gills after the first round of target practice!" Ron waved his fork dismissively. "That happened once, and it was because of George's cooking." Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head, knowing he'd never win this argument. He caught Molly's gaze as he did so, and could see the smirk she was trying to hide from Ron. Grinning to himself, he dropped the subject and concentrated on eating. Ron was right about one thing: it made no sense to neglect Molly Weasley's cooking. ~*~ The next few weeks flew by. Harry's days were spent training hard, physically, mentally and magically. He'd learned loads while he'd been training with Moody, Kingsley, Tonks and others, but what he was learning now with Dow's new system took things to a whole new level. The more laid-back situation that he and Ron had enjoyed with the Aurors with whom they were already friendly had given them plenty of practical experience, but Dow's course seemed intent on wringing every last bit of energy from the bodies of the new group of Auror recruits that he'd inducted upon his arrival. Although it was more interesting in some ways, Harry was even more convinced that he'd done the right thing in choosing to go to New Zealand with Ginny. It was a chance for them to both start with something brand new, some place where things could be different, where he didn't have to deal with the press every moment, and they could just be – like they'd been on the day Ginny had come home from school. It had been just the two of them, away from the pressures of the Wizarding world, and even though Harry knew he didn't ever want to live as a Muggle again, being able to just be a normal couple had been one of the best aspects of that day. He hoped their life in New Zealand would include more of those times. In the evenings, he and Ginny spent most of their time swimming. She was determined that he practice enough to ensure that he'd pass his exam for the course when it came, and her attitude was contagious. He found that the physical training he'd been doing for his Auror training was helping with the swimming as well, and he actually liked swimming, now that he had the chance to learn properly. Not to mention… all that practice meant he got to see an awful lot of Ginny, in more ways than one. Since he was spending almost every evening at The Burrow for swimming, Molly had insisted that he eat his evening meal there, of course. He would show up after he finished at the Ministry, they'd change into their swimming costumes and then spend a couple of hours swimming before heading back to eat dinner. The first evening that Ginny had walked out of her bedroom in her swimming costume, Harry's jaw had almost hit the floor. He'd seen plenty of girls in those sorts of outfits, of course – or at least, he'd seen some periodically when he'd lived with the Dursleys, and he'd definitely seen pictures – but seeing Ginny like that was enough to make his eyes pop out of his head. Ginny had laughed at his gobsmacked expression, pushing his chin up with one finger, and it was only then that he'd realized his mouth had literally been hanging open. "Come on, Harry… the water will feel good, as hot as it is today." Her eyes had been dancing mischievously, and he'd later realized that she'd known full well what sort of effect she was having on him, and was doing her best not to laugh in his face. Somehow – he wasn't quite sure, later, how he'd managed it – they made it to the River Otter, where it adjoined the Weasleys' land, and they'd sat on the wooden seat by the riverbank to remove their shoes. They'd left their towels and Harry's glasses on the bench as well, while Ginny had talked, explaining different strokes and giving him plenty of instructions. Harry had no memory of anything she'd said. Instead, his brain had been completely occupied with memorizing the freckles on her shoulders, and across the front of her throat, and down her… Merlin! Was there no end to that creamy skin with those tiny, mesmerizing little dots that looked like they just needed to be touched and kissed and… SPLASH! He'd surfaced, sputtering water, while Ginny had collapsed in helpless giggles on the riverbank from where she'd pushed him in. Somehow, he'd managed to get himself out of the water and make his way towards her. Luckily for him, she'd been laughing too hard to mount a proper defence for the moment. Unluckily for her, his fascination with her freckles hadn't stopped him from picking her up and dumping her – quite unceremoniously – into the same spot she'd pushed him. Unluckily for him, he hadn't quite accounted for her grip on his neck, and she managed to take him down with her. When she'd surfaced, though, Ginny had lost no time in swimming swiftly away from him. At least the cool water had helped clear his head a bit. He'd finally acknowledged her obviously superior swimming skills, and she'd laughingly conceded to give him proper instruction "if you'll actually pay attention this time." Her eyes had had that wicked gleam in them again, though, and he knew she'd known exactly why he hadn't been listening before. Now, three weeks into their swimming lessons, he was quite an acceptable swimmer. He wasn't stellar yet by any means, but he was progressing nicely. He and Ginny had been talking about the wedding. It was just about a month away now, and that seemed to be having an effect on Molly as well as Ginny. He didn't know how many times he'd heard Ginny complain about that tiara, but Molly seemed almost as intent on having Ginny wear it as Ginny was intent on not wearing it. He was rather hoping that Ginny would win the argument, largely because he couldn't imagine her being shirty about the thing on the day they got married. "We could always elope," he suggested, rather hopefully. "That seems as strong a Weasley tradition as that tiara." Mostly, though, he didn't so much want to elope as he just wanted for Ginny to not be unhappy about having to argue for what she wanted in the wedding. "You should have brought that up earlier," she answered, lazily backstroking towards him. "The wedding ball is rolling and there's no stopping it. Food has been ordered, cloth is being woven, gardens are being dug." She came closer to him. "Harry! You're not treading water – you're standing on the bottom." He laughed at her indignant expression. "I'm tall enough so I don't need to tread water." "You're supposed to be practicing," she scolded, swimming even closer. Even without his glasses, he loved the sight of her pale skin in the water. Her hair was much darker when wet, of course, and in the evening light, her ponytail looked like molten strands of copper in the water. Everything was blurry, of course, but he could see well enough to see something that important. In another month, I can kiss every one of those freckles if I want to… even the ones I haven't seen yet. He was dragged out of his musings as she reached him, wrapping her legs around his waist, holding on to his neck to steady herself. He could feel the slight current pulling at them both, but his focus was on the wet body he now held in his arms. Swallowing with difficulty, he managed to ask, "What am I supposed to be practicing again?" He leaned in, kissing her open mouth and holding her in place with his hands on her hips. Once he moved away from her mouth, she finally answered, "Treading water," with her lips pressed against his forehead as he kissed his way down her neck. God, she feels so good… He was scarcely even aware of exactly where his hands wandered as they slid over her cool, wet skin, clutching her to him, intensely conscious instead of every inch of her that was pressed so deliciously against him. They'd kissed and touched while they'd been swimming at other times, but this was just so… so.... "Harry." Her voice penetrated the haze of his brain, the parts of him that only wanted to keep doing what he'd been doing, and more. He was suddenly, keenly aware that he'd managed to slide the straps of her swimming costume down her shoulders, exposing more of her chest than he'd ever done – or at least, not like this. "Muggles swim in this spot, too, you know." Ginny didn't sound like she really wanted him to stop, either. He lifted his face from where he'd been pressing kisses over that exposed skin, but he couldn't bring himself to cover her up just yet. Instead, he tightened his arms around her, pressing her against his bare chest. "You started it," he murmured huskily. Merlin, how she feels against me.... Bare chest to bare chest… he didn't think he could bear the idea of letting her go again. "I know," she said, her arms around his neck, her voice as husky as his felt. "And there's no finishing – for today at least." "Tell me about it." He groaned as she shifted against him. "I've never seen a witch so well-chaperoned." Not to mention one who drives me mad like you do…. "I know. Mum and Dad here. Ron and Fred and George in London." He knew she didn't like having so many people around all the time, either. "And don't forget the newspaper reporters," Harry said, thankful that at least they'd managed to remain undetected here at the river. Their day in London had seemed unimaginably far away at times, with all the press and other insanity-inducing people they'd had to deal with so far. "No one is here right now," he added, running his hand up her side to cup the swell of her breast, and suppressing a shudder as he touched her. He stared into her eyes as he brushed his thumb in a rhythmic pattern against the softest, silkiest skin he'd ever felt…over and over again…a steady, smooth rhythm that seemed to match his heartbeat, pounding in his ears. Even though it was he who was touching her, he could feel shockwaves through his entire body with every tiny movement of his hand. Ginny gasped, whispering, "Enough," as she clung to him, tightening her arms and legs around him. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He grabbed her hips in both hands and pulled her firmly against him, helpless to do anything else as the beast in his chest seemed to howl at the intensity of the sensations swirling through him as he shuddered with pleasure. "God, Ginny." Slowly, his grip on her loosened as he fought to regain control of his breathing, but he held her in place, lingering in the bliss of her embrace. After a few moments, she kissed his forehead tenderly, brushing her lips against his cheek as she murmured, "We should start walking back. It must be –" A twig snapped. Harry looked up quickly, squinting, and could make out a cloaked figure running in the distance. "Harry, was that –?" "A photographer?" he answered grimly. "Yes, it was." ~*~ A/N: Many, many thanks – as always – to St. Margaret's. Not only does she *let* me play in the world she's created, but she's my biggest cheerleader and helper. She's a truly great lady. And many, many more thanks to Allie Kiwi, who is not only an amazing beta and author herself, but she goes far "above and beyond" the call of duty (or friendship!) in regard to helping out. Her internet is having fits lately, but yet she still quite cheerfully worked on my fic during the few minutes of internet access that she had. Thanks also to Malkin, who so sweetly agreed to have a go at this as well, with all the other issues that were going on with my "usual" betas (AKA those who I bug relentlessly when a chapter is nearing completion), and was also immensely helpful. Thanks also to Parakletos for all his help in figuring out where Harry and Ginny could go for their day out, and tons more help in all things British (I included links to the sites that I used to help decide what they were going to do, if anyone's interested in seeing that). Also, GryffindorDragon stepped in this time as well and helped out in so many ways by asking questions and helping me figure out certain things much more clearly. Thanks for that! (Any remaining mistakes you find are mine alone; I tried to make the best of everyone's suggestions, but if I missed something, it's not the fault of any of my betas!) Thanks also to all of you who have reviewed. I truly appreciate every one of them! :-)
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