|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Author: St Margarets Story: A Time to Remember Rating: Teens Setting: Post-DH Status: Completed Reviews: 10 Words: 121,765
When Ginny woke up in her bedroom at The Burrow, she felt an unfamiliar stirring of anticipation. Odd, she hadn’t realized just how unhappy mornings had been for her until now, but the contrast in her mood was so great that she couldn’t help but notice. At first glance, there didn’t seem to be anything unusual to cause her good mood. From the dim light coming from the window, she could tell it was going to be a dull gray day. She had scored a personal best yesterday, but that didn’t account for the feeling of anticipation. Then she remembered that Harry was in the house, sleeping in Fred and George’s old bedroom. Today they were going to take Teddy to Blackpool — on the Knight Bus. Teddy loved to ride in the Knight Bus, but Andromeda would never take it because, in her words, it was full of “riff raff”. Even though Andromeda had married a Muggle-born, there was still a hint of Black imperiousness about her. Teddy would be anxiously waiting for his outing, Ginny realized. If she wanted a proper breakfast, she should get going now. Ginny scrambled out of bed and pulled on an old pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. She would dress later. Mum was in the kitchen, frying sausages. “Just in time,” she said to Ginny. “You can take this tray up to Harry.” Ginny stared at the tray and felt a prickle at the back of her head. “What about my breakfast?” “I put two plates on the tray. There’s plenty for both of you.” She thrust the tray into Ginny’s hands with a smile. Ginny was so surprised that Mum was allowing — no, pushing — her to spend time alone in a bedroom with Harry that she didn’t argue. She simply turned and walked up the stairs with the heavy tray. Her stomach rumbled from the smell of the sausages. When she reached the closed door of the bedroom, she hesitated. What if Harry was one of those people who growled when he woke up? Then she raised her chin. She was bringing him breakfast in bed. He’d better be happy to see her. She pushed the door open with her foot, causing the hinges to squeak. Harry sat bolt upright in bed and scrambled for his wand. “It’s okay,” Ginny said quickly. “It’s me.” “Oh, sorry.” Harry lowered his wand and then reached for his glasses. Ginny studied him. He was wearing a faded Cannons t-shirt of Ron’s and his hair was messier and softer-looking than ever. There was something familiar… “Fleur brought you breakfast in bed once, didn’t she?” “What?” Harry put his glasses on and then smiled when he saw her with the tray. “That’s right. She did — a long time ago.” “Back when she was Phlegm.” He laughed. “Your word, not mine.” Ginny giggled. “I was terrible. But then, so was she.” Harry moved so his back was against the headboard. “Is all of that for me?” “No!” Ginny put the tray across his lap and then sat on the edge of the bed, close to his knees. “Mum said she gave us two plates.” “You must be starved.” “I am.” Ginny removed the covers. Mum had made scrambled eggs and sausages and toast and grilled tomatoes. “She’s outdone herself.” She smiled at Harry. “I think she’s spoiling you.” “She always did,” he said, gratitude in his voice. “Did she?” Ginny reached for a slice of toast and began to butter it. “Since when?” “I dunno. Since my first year, I suppose. She made me a green jumper for Christmas.” “She did? You do rate.” Ginny didn’t know whether to be jealous or impressed — or both. Only family got one of Mum’s bulky jumpers. Now she wanted to know more about how Harry fit in. “So that summer Fleur was here — how long did you stay?” “All summer.” Harry was smiling and his eyes looked greener than ever. Green. The orchard. Ginny felt a surge of contentment as memories came flooding back. “We flew in the orchard — all of us.” She grinned. “And we played Quidditch. Hermione played, too — sort of.” “Sort of.” Harry grinned back. “But—” Ginny frowned. “I seem to remember something about de-gnoming the garden — except Hermione wasn’t there.” “That was probably when I stayed here for the first time.” “When was that?” “Before your first year at Hogwarts.” “I’ve known you for that long?” “I don’t know if you knew me back then. You didn’t talk to me very much.” “I was probably jealous,” she said, salting her eggs, “if everyone was paying attention to you and not to me.” Harry raised his eyebrows. “I don’t think that’s why you were quiet.” Ginny tried to keep the sharpness out of her voice. “Since I can’t remember it at all, I’ll have to take your word that you knew my motivations better than I did.” Harry frowned. “Ginny, I didn’t mean—” She put down her fork and took a deep breath. “Sorry. I know you’re probably right. And really, what does it matter what I was like when I was eleven? We’re both here now and we have a nice day planned.” His shoulders dropped. “Right. You’re right. I’d rather we stay in the present, too.” “So tell me about this goblin princess,” she prompted. Harry smiled and nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want to hear Ron’s version? He can imitate her cooing over her pot-bellied dragon. Of all the phrases to learn in Gobbledygook, ‘precious treasure’ is the one Ron picked up.” “He can use it on Hermione when he’s trying to be suave.” Harry laughed. “I don’t think anyone can be suave whilst speaking Gobbledygook.” “Especially Ron.” Ginny smiled. “So if this princess is such a spoiled airhead, why are the goblins letting her out?” “She’s not an airhead — at least when it comes to numbers. I went with her to Gringotts in Madrid and you should have seen her count those Euro Bars. I mean — with one glance, she could size up a vault. Then, when she started calculating interest rates in her head, well, I couldn’t keep up.” “Euro Bars? Oh, right. The new currency.” “The goblins are pushing for England to use them, too.” “No more Galleons?” “Right. The goblins have managed to talk most of Europe into having a single currency, but the Ministry is fighting it here.” “But…?” Ginny tried to remember what Bill had said about this. “Doesn’t Gringotts make money exchanging Galleons? Wouldn’t they would lose those fees if they tried it?” “That’s what I thought — but what I didn’t know was that the goblins in other countries are making a lot of money minting these new Euro Bars.” “What are they made of? I saw some in your wallet last night. They’re silver?” “Or platinum. Or nickel. No one knows. Ron thinks they’re using something from the sea in making them — which is why the princess was with the Merpeople when we picked her up.” “I see. No wonder our goblins don’t want any part of it if they’re not the ones making the Bars.” Harry sighed. “As long as the goblins control the money supply, we’re always going to be at their mercy, but at least if we keep British Galleons, they’re our goblins who are minting them and guarding them.” “That doesn’t sound very — er — diplomatic.” “Good thing I’m not a diplomat.” He grinned. “Hermione wants a new treaty with the goblins. The last one was in the 1600’s and hasn’t kept up with the new technology. Now, it’s easy to Apparate all over Europe and I suppose it’s a good thing you can use the same Bars in France as you can in Germany.” “Do you think she’ll get the treaty?” “If she’s nice to the pot-bellied dragon, maybe.” Ginny shook her head and went back to her breakfast. It seemed so familiar to be talking about goblins. Because of Bill? Or because she had helped Harry learn Gobbledygook? “Harry, is rork rat, twenty-three in Gobbledygook?” His eyes widened. “It is. Do you remember?” “I don’t know.” She sighed. “I’m just guessing, I suppose. Although, for some reason twenty-three sticks in my mind.” He grinned and his eyes looked greener than ever. “We were counting freckles once and stopped at twenty-three.” “Freckles? Whose?” Harry laughed, and gleam appeared in his eyes like he was remembering something quite pleasant. “Not Ron’s.” “Oh, you mean...” Ginny stopped and clamped her lips shut. She had freckles. And from the goofy grin on Harry’s face, he hadn’t been counting the ones on her arm. To her chagrin, she could feel the heat rise in her face. Harry noticed her blush — or at least, she thought he did. He stopped smiling and went back to his breakfast. But mercifully, he didn’t say anything more. What was that like to have someone so interested in you he would count each freckle on — your chest? stomach? — in Gobbledygook? Ginny could almost feel the sensation of warm breath on her skin as a finger traced a dot-to-dot line from one freckle to the next until… Merlin, that sounded sexy — especially stopping the count at twenty-three when something else got started. She sighed and almost put her elbow in the jam pot. Then she happened to catch Harry’s eye. Oh. Now she remembered. Harry had been watching her that first time he came to The Burrow. She had been so tongue-tied and clumsy around him that she had put her elbow in the butter dish. He hadn’t said a thing then, hadn’t given any indication to her brothers that she had done something so silly. At the time, she had been grateful from the bottom of her young girl’s heart. She looked at the top of Harry’s dark head as he bent over his plate and felt a surge of gratitude and affection. “You know,” she blurted, “I think you’re rather nice.” Harry’s face was a study. He looked both confused and pleased and a little wary. “Where did that come from?” She shook her head. “We’re supposed to be in the present, remember?” He opened his mouth to say more, but at that moment, the door burst open. It was Teddy. He was dressed in Muggle jeans and a red jacket. “I’m here!” he said gleefully, his hazel eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. “Granny brought me over because I was driving her up a wall.” Then he stopped short. “You’re still eating breakfast?” “We’re just finishing,” Harry said. Then he rubbed his face. “I’ll have to shave and then we can go.” “On, no.” Ginny scrambled off the bed, effectively blocking Harry in with the tray. “I need to get ready, too. I’ll nip in now and—” She stopped. Harry wasn’t leaping in front her to get to the bathroom. Obviously, he was much more gallant than her brothers. “You go ahead.” Harry said with a side-ways smile at Teddy. “Teddy and I will have a talk.” Teddy’s little chest swelled as he climbed on to the bed. He obviously was looking forward to spending time with Harry. “Harry, can I have some special tea?” he asked. “With sugar and lashings of milk?” Harry looked over Teddy’s head at Ginny. She automatically shook her head. With fizzy drinks and the sugar he was likely to have at Blackpool, it probably wasn’t a good idea. “Tell you what. How about plain milk now and something bad for you later?” “Tea is bad for you?” Teddy asked. “Why do all the grownups drink it?” Harry caught her eye again and Ginny smiled. That question would keep Harry busy while she had a shower. * Harry sniffed the salt air and listened to the sound of the pounding waves that were piling up under the wooden pier. They were in magical Blackpool, just a stone’s throw from Muggle Blackpool but separated by the same magic that kept Diagon Alley a secret in the heart of London. Teddy and Ginny were standing in a queue to “fly” the kiddie brooms that circled above this pier. Harry was too heavy for the brooms, so it had always been Ginny who took Teddy when he wanted to ride this particular ride. Ginny had never minded, even though she spent most of her time on a broom. She had told Harry once that she had got her first taste of flying on kiddie brooms when she was younger than Teddy, and from that day forward she had made it her mission to learn. She wanted Teddy to have the same opportunity. Ginny might not remember telling him that, but she still obviously felt the same way about Teddy and flying. He turned away from the railing to see if he could spot them in the queue. He saw Ginny’s bright hair, pulled back into a ponytail, and Teddy’s red jacket. They were by the rope at the head of the line. It looked like they would be next. Teddy was fairly dancing in anticipation. Harry smiled and felt a sense of contentment steal over him. Ginny had been nothing but fun and enthusiastic this entire day. She had ridden the Knight Bus, with Teddy wedged between them, laughing as Teddy squealed every time the bus Apparated with a bang. She had even caught his eye and shared a glance of amusement when a hag (with a string bag full of weeping onions that were dripping all over the floor) had argued with the conductor about the fare. Once they arrived at Blackpool, they had walked along the pier and had enjoyed the posters advertising such attractions as the maze, the musical variety show featuring Stubby Boardman, and the freak gallery, ‘full of wonders both magical and Muggle.’ The yeti in the freak show must be enjoying this weather, Ginny had said. It was that cold. Harry watched the brooms take off. Teddy clutched his in a death grip. Ginny was next, perched on a tiny broom behind him, sitting with her arms wrapped around her knees. She had such good balance that she didn’t need to hang on to anything. They both looked happy to be up in the air. “Harry!” Teddy shrieked. “Up here!” Teddy and Ginny were both waving at him madly. Harry waved back, feeling amazingly warm on such a cold, gray day. He had Ginny back — at least the friendly, carefree part of her. Now that he had a chance to think about it, it seemed her memories were coming back in some kind of association with her emotions. This morning she had remembered when they were friends, long before they went out at Hogwarts. And Ginny was treating him that way today — like a friend. As much as he wanted more, he was glad that she finally had some good memories of him. And if he had anything to do with it, she would have more good memories of him by the end of the day. After Harry took Teddy through the maze, where they dodged fire, flood and swarms of killer bees, they looked in vain for a café that wasn’t too crowded. Everyone wanted to linger indoors on such a cold day. To Teddy’s delight, they went to the Quick Cauldron, a new chain of fast food restaurants that had just opened in Britain. He had heard the adverts so many times on the wireless that he could sing the whole theme song. Calling all witches, wizards and cooks. Teddy sang it three times while they were waiting for the food to appear at their table, and then he realized he was hungry. “Where’s my sausage roll?” Teddy stared at the table as if he could will the food there on his own. “I’m hungry.” “They have to cook it first,” Harry said. “Think about something else.” “I can’t think about something else.” Teddy crossed his arms in front of his chest. “What about a wish?” Ginny extracted a wand from her sleeve. “Is that a Wishing Wand?” Teddy asked excitedly. “It is. I bought it for you the other day at the WWN shop.” “Thank you!” Teddy reached for it eagerly and then stopped. “What about Harry? You always buy Harry a Wishing Wand.” Harry shifted on the seat next to Ginny. She wouldn’t have remembered to buy him anything. “Oh, but I did.” Her brown eyes sparkled at Teddy. Then she turned and handed Harry a wand with a smile. “It’s the child-rated version.” Touched, Harry took the wand from her. He didn’t know what had prompted her to buy him a Wishing Wand. Hopefully, it was because she remembered that she always bought two little gifts for “her boys” whenever they visited Teddy, and not because she felt sorry for him. Teddy wasn’t worried about Ginny’s motivations, however. He was too busy deciding what to wish for. Harry watched him screw up his face in concentration, scrunching his nose. Then his complexion turned bright orange, then turquoise and then back to his normal flesh tone once he had made up his mind. “Okay, I know what I want to wish for.” Teddy waved his wand and then, with a puff of smoke, they could clearly see a dish of ice cream with whipped cream and bits of chocolate shavings all over it. Ginny laughed. “I think you might just get your wish today.” She gave Harry a sidelong glance. “What’s your wish? Do you want ice cream?” He froze. Was she flirting with him? “Um.” “Harry always wants a kiss,” Teddy said, interrupting Harry’s thoughts. “He wished for that the last time he had a Wishing Wand.” “Oh?” Ginny blushed a little as she looked at him, but there was a challenge in her eyes and the tilt of her chin. “Are you going to wish for something else this time, Harry?” Teddy asked hopefully. Harry cleared his throat. “Er. No, I think I’ll stick with tradition.” He waved the novelty wand, and the smoky image of man kissing a witch with long hair appeared above the table. Since it was a child-rated wand, the kiss was not the kind of kiss he really wanted, but at least he had managed to conjure a kiss on the lips. Ginny blushed harder as she looked at the image, but her eyes glittered with a challenge. “So that’s what you want.” Harry’s heart pounded. She was going to let him kiss her — right now. In a way, this was going to be their first kiss. What if he messed it up? Ginny had taken the initiative back at Hogwarts and it had been wonderful, but then, they had both wanted it— Ginny lips twitched as she watched him. He must look like a shy schoolboy mustering up enough courage to kiss a girl, but Harry didn’t give her a chance to tease him. He draped his arm on the back of her chair and leaned in. She smelled like fresh air and flowers. Ginny. His mind jammed at that overwhelming thought. Ginny. He kissed her. Oh God, finally. This is where he should be. Her lips moved under his and he reigned in his desire to claim her mouth. Stop. He had to stop or he was going to make a fool of himself. He pulled away slightly and looked into her upturned face. She opened her eyes. They were dark with some emotion. Was she remembering? “Food’s here,” Teddy said happily. Harry drew back, but his eyes never left Ginny’s. What was she thinking? Perhaps he should have been less forceful — less passionate. “Hungry?” she asked, a husky note in her voice. Hungry? Was that the name of the straining, throbbing surge of energy that was spurring him on him to storm her mouth and caress her body in the middle of this crowded, brightly lit café? If it was, he was hungry all right. “Er — yeah,” he finally said. She smiled at him uncertainly. Harry took a deep breath and moved his arm away from the back of her chair. He must have had the fiercest look on his face, but he couldn’t school his features any other way. It was how he felt. Fierce — like how much he loved her and wanted her back and how he had to fight his own desires, and worst of all, how he had to fight to hide what he was feeling so he wouldn’t scare off Ginny. His rational mind knew it wasn’t Ginny’s fault, but he had never had to hold back from her before and part of him resented it. Surprisingly, after he took a few moments to cool down, Harry enjoyed their lunch together. Teddy happily ate his sausage roll and Ginny told them stories about going to Blackpool when she was small and how she refused to have her fortune told because it was ‘her story’ and she didn’t want anyone else to tell her what it was. Harry wasn’t surprised. Ginny seemed to have the same attitude toward discovering her past. They strolled around the shops after lunch so Teddy could work up an appetite for his ice cream. Teddy asked to go to the pinball machine at an arcade on the Muggle side of Blackpool and Harry agreed to take him there without thinking. As soon as he said it, he realized his mistake. Ginny had avoided the Muggle part of Blackpool ever since three-year-old Teddy had run out into the road and the oncoming car had slammed on its brakes rather than fly over him like it “should have.” Harry glanced at her set face as they waited for Teddy to pet the Puffskeins at the pet shop. Her lips were clamped tight, but she didn’t say anything. “Sorry,” he said in a low voice, so Teddy wouldn’t hear. “I forgot.” Her brown eyes were big and accusing when she looked up at him. “You forgot I don’t like Muggle Blackpool?” “Sorry. Really. I was just thinking about Teddy and—” Guilt overwhelmed him. How could he resent Ginny’s forgetting him now? “I don’t have an excuse.” She stared at him for so long that he knew she was remembering something. “Lucky you,” she murmured bitterly. “Ginny, I’m really sorry.” Her expression cleared and she shook her head slightly. “It’s okay, Harry.” She put her hand in his. “I suppose I should be glad I’m not the only one who forgets things.” Ginny was always so good about sensing what he was feeling. Did she understand how guilty he felt? He took a deep breath and squeezed her hand. “Ginny—” “It’s okay,” she said quietly. “We can talk after we take Teddy home.” His shoulders dropped for an instant and then he tensed again. Maybe Ginny was going to break up with him, after that kiss. Or maybe— He felt her hand squeeze his. Teddy was coming toward them with a Puffskein in his cupped hands, one on each shoulder and one on top of his head. His hair had turned pink from excitement. Harry didn’t have to fake a smile. Teddy always gave his feelings away. “We can’t take a Puffskein home, Teddy. You know your granny is allergic to them.” “I know,” he said, rubbing the one in his hands on his chin. “But aren’t they nice? Can you hear them cooing? I can. I think they like me.” “They like you because they know a gentle boy when they see one,” Ginny said. “But if we stay here too long, you won’t have a chance at that needleball thingy you want to try.” Teddy giggled. “It’s pinball.” Ginny smiled and glanced at Harry. She had been teasing Teddy. “Pinball, then.” The rest of the afternoon went better than Harry expected. He decided he was truly forgiven because Ginny held his hand all the way to the Muggle arcade. And although he was twenty-two years old, he still found it as innocently exciting as those walks around the lake at Hogwarts. Teddy played pinball and then Harry played and then, surprisingly, Ginny demanded a turn. She must have forgotten that she had tried it once and didn’t like it. This time she did like it, and she threw herself into learning how to pull the levers with the same intensity she brought to everything else she did. He felt a surge of love for her as he watched her, the lights from the machine dancing over her face. “Whoo-hoo!” she exclaimed after the game ended. “Only forty-thousand more points and I’ll be a good as—” She squinted at the top player’s name. “—Coldplaysucks99.” Harry laughed. “Forget that Chaser Award, be a pinball wizard — or witch.” Her face fell. “Oh, right. We should be getting back. The team has an early curfew tonight since we have two matches next week.” “We have to go?” Teddy wailed. “One more game,” Harry said, “and then we’ll go.” As Teddy pulled one lever with Ginny watching and cheering him on, Harry realized what he had been doing wrong. Tiptoeing around Ginny was making him resentful and was sending all the wrong signals. It wasn’t fair to her if he was holding back or trying to protect her from his less-than-impressive feelings and failings. Somehow, he felt closer to her after making the mistake of dragging her to Muggle Blackpool and being forgiven for it. “We’ll have another day out, Teddy,” Ginny said later as she knelt in front of him in Andromeda’s living room. “But it’s so far away,” he said. “I know.” She hugged him tenderly. “Listen for my name on the wireless during the next match. When I make my first goal, I’ll think of you. And I’ll know you’re thinking of me.” “Okay.” Teddy tried to smile. Harry ruffled Teddy’s hair (now brown again) and took Ginny’s arm to Disapparate. It was convenient to go together, but part of him still couldn’t believe she was letting him Side-Along Apparate her everywhere. It was rather unnerving. “I can find the Harpies’ pitch on my own,” said Ginny as soon as they arrived at their first Apparition stop. Harry smiled at her sharp tone. “I was wondering when you would say something.” Then he dropped her arm so she could Apparate by herself. * Harry appeared next to the Harpies’ broom shed within seconds of her. Ginny looked at her watch. Even though curfew was two hours off, it was almost dark. The days were getting shorter. Ginny shivered in the chill breeze and pulled her cloak around her. “Harry, why did you wonder when I was going to say something about Side-Along Apparition?” In the dim light, she saw Harry push up his glasses. “You never liked to be Side-Along Apparated. And I don’t like to be Side-Along Apparated. So we agreed that we would always Apparate separately unless one of us was hurt or something.” “And?” “And—” He laughed. “I don’t know how Fleur got wind of it, but she thought that was very… unfeminine of you.” Ginny gasped. “Now I remember! She said she thought the wizard—” She attempted her imitation of Fleur’s accent. “—‘The wizard — he likes to sweep the witch off of her feet — do you follow? Apparating iz like the dance. The wizard leads.’” Harry laughed. “That’s it.” “I’m glad we cleared that up,” Ginny said with relief. “Now I know why Side-Along Apparating you to St. Mungo’s was never an option,” she said. “I must have known that instinctively when I called the Knight Bus.” Harry moved so that he was standing right in front of her. “I don’t think I thanked you for taking me to St. Mungo’s.” “I didn’t take you, I dragged you there under protest.” He laughed. “Thanks for putting up with me — and…” He paused for a moment. “Ginny, I had a good time today,” he said all in a rush — like he had rehearsed it. “I’m glad you came to Blackpool like we had planned. It was fun.” His stammer was oddly endearing — just like that panicked look on his face had been endearing before he kissed her at the Quick Cauldron. “I think Teddy had a good time,” she said. “He did. And he’s always pleased when you buy him a Wishing Wand.” “You seemed to like yours.” She bit her lip. It sounded like she was flirting. Well, maybe she was. She wanted to see what he would do now — if he would repeat the kind of kiss he had given her in the café. It wasn’t the duration of the kiss or even how familiar his lips felt on hers that intrigued her. His kiss had been so intense, yet so controlled — not at all like the shy schoolboy kiss she was expecting. “Harry?” she asked after a long silence. ”I did like my Wishing Wand — although it only grants one wish.” “Maybe I can grant you another,” she said boldly, thinking she might as well go the distance. “I am a witch.” “Ginny?” He touched her hair. When she didn’t pull away, he stepped closer to her and pulled on the tie holding her hair back into a ponytail. Then he fanned her hair out across her shoulders. “Ginny.” “What?” Her voice sounded raspy to her own ears. “I’ve missed you.” “You have?” “Yeah.” He was nuzzling her neck and touching her back and running his hands to her waist. Goosebumps broke out all over her body as she felt his mouth on the sensitive skin of her neck and his warm hands roamed up the side of her torso to touch the outside curve of her breasts. She didn’t know what shocked her more — that he was so bold, or that it felt so right that someone she hardly knew — hardly remembered — was touching her in such an intimate way and she liked it. She put her hands on his shoulders, but found she didn’t really want to push him away, especially after he covered her mouth with his and swept her into a deep, arousing kiss. Finally she came to her senses and pulled away. “Harry — wait.” His hands loosened around her waist, but he didn’t let her go. “Too soon?” At least he acknowledged what she was wrestling with. “Um. Yeah. I think so. We’ve only gone out twice — er — that I remember and—” Her confusion must have shown on her face because he caressed her cheek and then took out his wand. “Why don’t we sit down?” With a puff of orange magic, he conjured a squishy armchair that was big enough for two people. Regan once said that you could tell a lot about a wizard by his conjuring magic. It showed his energy and his force of mind and his creativity. This was no run-of-the-mill bit of conjuring. When Ginny sank against the velvety cushions, she felt like the chair had been just made for her — like she was in a warm embrace — supported and comfortable. “Nice.” He sat next to her, with one arm along the top of the chair. “I’m guessing you don’t remember how long it took for me to get it right.” “No.” She leaned her head back and looked up into the sky. There was a new moon and about a million stars in the clear night sky. “I don’t remember, so I’ll just stay impressed.” They sat together in silence for a moment. There was no breeze and even though there were lights coming from the windows of The Heap, no sound escaped. “I’m going to be on guard duty at Azkaban for the next two days, so I won’t be able to send you Tweeter Scrolls.” “Two days in a row?” Ginny turned to him, but all she could see clearly was the weak flash of starlight on his glasses. “I thought they rotated the guards everyday. Ron said—” “I’ve done two days in a row before,” Harry said. “It’s not that bad — and I get more time off because of it.” “Harry.” She didn’t know what else to say. It didn’t seem right that he had to endure the crushing depression of being around Dementors just so he could have more time off to see her. “Is that really a good idea?” “I’ll be at your match on Wednesday,” he said, ignoring her concern. “I’ll pop over on my dinner break. If it goes long, I can—” “You really do go to all of my matches, don’t you?” “Yes.” He sounded annoyed again. “I wasn’t just saying that.” “I know — it’s just...” She squirmed uncomfortably. “It just seems like a big sacrifice for you and I don’t know if—” “It’s not a sacrifice.” He scowled at her. “I like to see you play. I look forward to it.” “Fine.” She crossed her arms in front of herself and matched his vehement tone. “I’ll look forward to seeing you, then. I like to see a familiar face at an away match — especially at Ellis Moor. It’s so far from Wales that we don’t get a lot of fans there.” “I’m glad I’ve been upgraded from stranger to familiar face. Maybe, eventually, I can be a friend.” “Not fair, Harry.” Ginny turned to him so they were practically nose-to-nose. “We were friends today.” “Don’t forget the kissing, too, Ginny. Don’t pretend we didn’t.” “I’m not pretending anything. Yes, we kissed and it was nice, but I don’t like to be rushed, okay?” “And I don’t like waiting.” Her mouth dropped open and she pulled back. “Is that what this is about — you’re frustrated about kissing or something? George said—” “George?” He loomed over her. “Since when do you talk to George about me?” She pushed him on the shoulder. “Merlin, Harry. If you know George at all, you know that he decides on his own topics of conversation. I could no more stop him from saying that he thought you were going to polish your prefect badge down to nothing in the next few weeks than I could stop him from talking about his latest version of U-No-Poo in front of Great-Aunt Muriel. That’s just George.” “Prefect’s badge? I was never a pre—” Then, to Ginny’s surprise, Harry stopped mid-sentence and laughed. “Now I remember. Fred and George never let up on the badge polishing — especially after Ron became a prefect.” He laughed again. “Harry? What are you talking about?” She was still annoyed with him, but she couldn’t help smiling at his laughter. “You’re practically giggling.” “Yeah. I suppose I am.” He sighed. Then she saw the dark outline of his head as he settled against the back of the armchair. He was looking at the stars. “We were always friends, Ginny,” he said in a sober voice. “And then we were lovers. I miss both.” Her breath hitched. “Lovers?” “You don’t remember?” “No.” He sighed again. Ginny didn’t know why she should feel like apologizing when she had nothing to feel sorry for. It wasn’t her fault she couldn’t remember having sex. Harry was just going to have to live with the frustration. Although, to hear blokes talk, all of his dangly bits were going to fall off if he didn’t get relief. It was beyond ridiculous. “This isn’t just about sex, Ginny.” “Were you reading my mind?” “Yes.” She laughed. “You were not. No one — not the authorized biography, not Hermione, not Ron, not even Mum — has said you can read minds.” “All right, maybe I can’t. But what I’m missing isn’t what you think. I miss you — all the parts of you.” Ginny thought about how she had looked in those little black robes — robes she had worn for Harry three years ago. There was a part of her that was missing because she had forgotten her relationship with Harry. She put her hand on his arm. “I understand what you’re saying. I’ve—” She frowned, not sure how to describe it. “—I’ve felt… blanks.” “Yeah.” They were silent again. Ginny realized that the time was running away from them and soon it would be curfew. Her stomach dropped and she felt a familiar since of loss. She had parted reluctantly from Harry many times in the past. There wasn’t just one memory there. “So, if we’re friends — or kissing friends —I should have a kiss before I go,” Harry said briskly. “What?” “How am I going to conjure a Patronus to control the Dementors if I don’t have a happy memory to rely on?” “I’m the one who lost her memory, not you.” She smiled at his teasing tone. “Then I’d best give you a happy memory. Dementors have been known to gravitate toward Ellis Moor during the matches — especially if one side is losing badly. I want you to be able to conjure a Patronus, too.” “So this is a public service?” She liked that he was teasing her, rather than being so serious about kissing. He didn’t answer. Instead he kissed her gently on the mouth. This time, she kissed him back and this time, she put her arms around his neck, even though she might be sending him the wrong signals. It wasn’t very fair of her, but Harry was a good kisser and it was cold night and he smelled good and she did like to spend time with him. How she ended up on her knees with his hands on her breasts and their mouths fused together, she never knew, but it seemed the best moment to call a halt. “Curfew?” he asked in a thick voice. “Hmm.” She kissed that very nice mouth one last time and then pulled his hands away from her chest. He didn’t protest her decision. He didn’t whine or beg for more or say she was leading him on. He didn’t say anything and for that she was grateful. Ginny stood up and straightened her robes and vainly tried to finger-comb her hair. She had lost her hair tie, but she shouldn’t go into the lounge of The Heap looking so thoroughly kissed. “Here.” Harry handed her the elastic for her hair. “Thanks.” She took it from him with shaking fingers. What had she been thinking? He had been aroused. She had been aroused and now — she took a deep breath. Harry must hate her for doing that to him. “Expecto Patronum!” Ginny looked up in a surprise. A silvery stag was leaping towards the pitch. She smiled in relief and raised her wand. Maybe she hadn’t done anything wrong by having a little session, even though she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about Harry. “Expecto Patronum.” Her mare, with the fast, slender legs and a pretty mane, trotted toward the pitch. “I’ve always liked that Patronus.” “Your Patronus seems to like her, too.” The two silvery animals were nuzzling each other’s necks in the middle of the dark pitch. Harry looked at the bright animals for a moment and then swiftly bent down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll see you at the match. Bye.” Before Ginny could say a word in reply, he had Disapparated. Ginny looked around her in bemusement. The conjured squishy armchair was gone. The stag Patronus was gone. Harry was gone. Harry was gone. Now that seemed familiar.
|