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Author: Zelthian Story: The Gryffindor Four Rating: Young Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 2 Words: 31,336
Harry was learning that the one thing he would have to get used to now was patience. Women took their time when getting ready for special events, apparently. Mr. Weasley had warned them to give the girls plenty of time and space. Harry got the impression that Mr. Weasley knew what he was talking about. Harry and Ron were waiting for the girls in the living room. Harry started wondering if they were going to have enough time to do everything he and Ron had planned. Harry had arranged a special table at the Leaky Cauldron and Ron suggested they have an ice cream at Florean Fortescue's for dessert before visiting the twin's shop. Ron had sent an owl ahead to let them know they were coming. Fred and George sent an owl back immediately; they agreed to open the shop for them after hours in honor of the occasion. Harry knew it would be worth the wait, though. He imagined how Ginny felt, waiting for him so long, then giving up hope only to see her wish to be with him granted. It would be unfair for him to expect her to rush things tonight. He decided it didn't matter how long it took for her to get ready; he could wait for her. She had certainly waited long enough for him. Harry heard Hermione's door open, and he stood up quickly. Ron must have heard it too. They stood there together, looking up the stairs anxiously, occasionally glancing at each other nervously. The girls came down together and the only Harry could do was stare. Hermione and Ginny had gone all out, only stopping short of entirely formal attire. They had fixed their hair into attractive styles, applied modest makeup spells, and donned their new robes. They both looked absolutely amazing. Harry studied Hermione first as he wanted to save the experience of seeing Ginny for last. Hermione was just as beautiful as Harry remembered her from their ball in fourth year. Her hair wasn't quite as fancy, but that didn't matter. Ron looked like he would have to be nudged back into reality, but that could wait. Harry didn't think Ginny could look any more beautiful than she did when they first kissed. Boy, had he been wrong. He already thought Ginny was pretty, but the radiant beauty before him was a whole new girl to his eyes. Harry realized he had rarely, if ever, seen Ginny in a dress. The butterflies that had been in his stomach started migrating to his chest, then his arms and legs. He couldn't move. He wondered if Ginny had cast a stunning spell on him or something. He had the sudden urge to run up and snog her senseless, but thought better of it. He didn't want to ruin the way she looked. Besides, her parents were here. Ginny had chosen a pink outfit that accentuated the pale color of her skin. It was cut low off her shoulders, revealing the top of her chest. It was cut snug from there to her midsection, where it flowed down to her feet. Harry found himself enjoying the look of her figure; suddenly embarrassed with his runaway thoughts, he forced himself to look at Ginny's lips. No, that didn't help. He shifted his gaze again, this time concentrating on her freckles. Whew, better. Ginny scrunched her nose again. Unable to restrain the smile, he stood mesmerized by Ginny's eyes. Harry had the feeling that, resistant to dark magic as he was, he had no power over the wiles of the youngest Weasley. Before he knew it, she was standing in front of him, taking his hands. "What's wrong Harry?" she asked, looking concerned. "Absolutely nothing, Ginny," Harry answered, smiling broadly, "You look like a princess." Ginny blushed appropriately and returned Harry's smile. "Do you like my dress?" Nodding enthusiastically, he said, "It's perfect." Harry so badly wanted to kiss her, but he didn't dare with Ginny's parents present, regardless of how they felt about him. Ginny didn't seem to care, though and she leaned in to plant a long kiss directly on Harry's lips. Harry didn't want it to end, but it inevitably did. When he opened his eyes, he noticed Ginny giving him a funny look. He got the impression Ginny was admiring her work or something and all he could manage to do was smile. "Shall we be off, then?" Harry asked and Ginny nodded. They both turned towards Ron and Hermione. They were both still standing there, hand in hand, goggling at each other. Harry waved his hand between them; they blinked and came out of their trance. "All right there, you two?" Harry knew they were, but he had to say something. Ron and Hermione both laughed nervously. Hermione hooked her arm into Ron's and motioned for him to lead the way. Harry and Ginny watched them start off, and then Ginny mimicked Hermione. Harry smiled at his date and led her toward the fireplace. Soon they were standing on the corner by Gringotts, looking down Diagon Alley towards the Leaky Cauldron. Harry suddenly realized he was going to have to walk Ginny down the entire street to get to dinner and that with the public so keen to see Harry, it could easily turn into a parade. The butterflies turned into a lump and Harry swallowed hard in an attempt to dislodge it. "What's wrong Harry?" For the second time tonight Ginny was looking at him, concerned. Harry wanted her to smile again. "Nothing. I'm just... nervous, that's all." "Harry, are you ashamed of me?" Harry was taken off guard. "No way, Ginny. You're the most beautiful girl in the world." Ron snorted but Harry ignored him. "It's just that... well, I've never done this before. Wait, that's not true. There was the ball, but... well, this is different. I care about you. But when I walk out there, I'll be putting my feelings out in public, you know? I'll be letting everyone know how I feel about you." Ginny smiled. "I understand, Harry. Really I do. We'll go when you're ready." Harry looked at Ron. Ron was looking at him with a firm determination, though Harry thought he looked just as nervous as he was. Ron looked back at Hermione, who seemed a bit tense but otherwise unconcerned. She smiled reassuringly at Ron. Harry turned back to look down the street and took a deep breath. "Ready Ron?" "You know it mate," Ron said bravely. With that, the four of them set out on the street. Harry had heard that the first few steps in a new endeavor were the hardest. He believed it now. They came across a few students from school that they recognized. Then a few more. Then it seemed that everywhere they looked, they were surrounded by familiar faces. Then when Harry saw the twins, he knew they had put the word out that Harry and the gang were going out on the town. Harry would have been really upset had it not been for the fact that every one of the acquaintances he recognized gave him a hearty thumbs up. Even better was when they realized Ron and Hermione were together, they actually cheered! (Go Ron! Go Ron!) Harry took particular pleasure in watching Hermione blush through a smile that just wouldn't go away. He'd have to thank the twins later. Dinner was a very structured affair. Harry suspected that people had come early to try to get the scoop on the goings on; the Leaky Cauldron was packed, but Harry had planned ahead. The owner himself escorted them to a private back room which was much better decorated than the rest of the place. It was warm, cozy, and comfortable. There were dozens of floating candles in the room, just like the Great Hall, thought Harry though these look much more romantic. The special gold tableware was laid out on an ornately sewn white tablecloth. Harry wasn't sure how well versed Ron was in date etiquette, so he took the lead, pulling out Ginny's chair for her. Ron quickly followed suit. Once they were all seated, they settled in and began looking at the menu. "Kinda funny, these menus don't have any prices on them," Ron said. "Mr. Weasley said someone else was picking up the tab," Harry replied. "He said they wished to remain anonymous." This was Harry and Mr. Weasley's cover story, of course. *CRACK* Ginny nearly spilled her water as she recovered herself. They all turned around to see who had just Apparated into the room. "Evening, Ladies. Gentlemen." "Professor Lupin!" They all said at the same time. "Please, please, sit down; I don't want to ruin the night. I've been assigned to you for the evening, just in case. I'll be, uh, over... well, out of you hair, I promise." He raised his arm. "Oh, and please, call me Remus." And with a *CRACK* he was gone. "Whew, glad that's over," Ron said. "Couldn't agree more," Hermione added. They continued to look at the menu in guarded confusion until Hermione finally gave in and helped explain what the various dishes were. Soon they had all ordered and were enjoying their salads. Ron ate like he hadn't been fed in a week, a sight which didn't escape Hermione's notice. Harry braced for another one of their now infamous arguments. Uncharacteristically, Hermione remained extremely calm and talked very slowly. "Ron?" Ron stopped eating, suddenly very self conscious. "Yes Hermione?" Hermione smiled. "You know you are allowed to take your time and enjoy that, right?" Ron had the presence of mind to swallow before he started laughing. Harry and Ginny couldn't contain themselves and laughed right along with him. Ron recovered quickly and gave Hermione a peck on the cheek. Once he had recovered and resumed eating, Harry marveled at the way Hermione had restrained herself, taking a humorous approach to her criticism. She had gotten her point across without upsetting Ron, and Ron, for his part, seemed to have not only noticed her efforts, but appreciated it as well. Harry couldn't help but smile. The rest of dinner was without incident. The Leaky Cauldron was still packed when they left for Fortescue's, and Harry could tell the patrons were looking at them. Harry could care less. At Fortescue's, each couple sat at a different table. Harry and Ginny ordered a milkshake with two straws; Ron and Hermione ordered a banana split. Harry couldn't take his eyes off Ginny. They spent their time at Fortescue's looking into each other's eyes, playing silly games like "blink when I blink" and "who can make the silliest face". Harry felt giddy and completely happy at the same time. "I don't want this night to end, Ginny." Ginny smiled sweetly. "There's always tomorrow night, Mr. Potter. And the night after that, and... the night after that..." Harry smiled back. "Too true, Miss Weasley, too true." "Well, then. Shall we go and parade ourselves in front of my brothers, the gits?" Harry nodded. They got up and turned to get Ron and Hermione. Ginny open her mouth to speak, but Harry held up his hand to stop her. They stood there watching the scene in front of them. Ron and Hermione were on their second banana split, and there were feeding each other. Fortunately, they were on their last bites. Ginny put her arm around Harry's waist and hugged him. "It's so nice to see Ron having a good time," She whispered in his ear. "No doubt," Harry replied back. "But we have a curfew, time to break up this little scene," Ginny finished. "Oh Ronald! Ronald! We're late for an appointment." Ron started. "Do you mind!" "Not at all." Ginny replied. "She's right, we'd better get going. It's getting late already," Hermione added. "Oh all right." Both couples locked arms again and headed for the twin's shop. By now Diagon Alley was practically empty. Most of the shops had closed for the day. Ron found the door to the shop open. They all walked in. Harry was amazed at the shop. It was small, but every shelf was covered with gizmos and gadgets and whatnot. Harry recognized many of the inventions and smiled widely. His investment was obviously paying off. It was then they he noticed that the twins weren't there. "Where is everybody?" Harry asked. Ginny, Ron and Hermione all shrugged. "SURPRISE!" People came out of everywhere. In front were the twins, followed by most of the Gryffindors, then the members of the D.A. There were some that Harry didn't recognize, but apparently Ginny did. They came out and shook hands with Harry and crew. "Fred, George, what is this?" Ron demanded. It was Neville who spoke up. "We just had to be sure it was true. Is it? Harry, you and Ginny? Hermione, you and Ron?" As if on cue, they paired off, hugged close, and snogged unapologetically. The store erupted in cheers. The twins feigned wiping away a tear. "Oh, stop, please, you're going to make me sick," a voice sneered. The voice had come from the direction of the door. The couples split instantly as the whole store turned to see who it was. A lone figure stood just inside the doorway with a look of feigned disgust on his face. He was looking back right at Harry. "Well, well, well. Potty, Granger, a gaggle of weasels and their gang of insignificants. I must have thrown out my invitation by mistake." Harry's face skewed in anger. "Malfoy."
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