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Category: Alternate Universe, Post-HBP Characters:None Genres: Tragedy Warnings: Dark Fiction, Death, Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 1174 Summary: Harry gets one night that gives him a glimpse into what life could be like with the Dursley's. But events turn for the worse and both Harry and the wizarding world are left wondering what it's consquences mean for the future of the world. Hitcount: Story Total: 501519; Chapter Total: 11121 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: I don't own anything. JK Rowling owns the entire Potter Universe. No copyright infringement is intended. I write fan fic for fun and to take up time between books. |
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Chapter 37: Which to Bury, Us or the Hatchet? (You’re Cute When You Scream) "Thank you,” Ginny replied, feeling very grateful to Dean’s genuine concern for her feelings. “And I might take you up on that sometime,” she added as she put a friendly arm around him and embraced Dean loosely. They stayed locked in the friendly squeeze on the common room couch for a few more seconds, just relishing in the supportiveness of the gesture. It was Dean who broke apart, casting Ginny a small smile of understanding in return. “Well–It’s pretty late–I should be off to bed,” he said quietly as he stretched a bit. “Are you going to be ok here alone?” he added as he stood up slowly. “Yeah…” she breathed as she nodded. “I’m just going to stay down here a bit longer–clear my head--and then head up to bed,” she reassured him. “Ok,” Dean said with an almost reluctant inclination of his head. “But remember–if you need anything–I–” “I know,” she replied with a grateful smile. “Thanks,” she added quietly. Dean took this as he cue to leave and turned away with another understanding nod as he made his way across the empty common room before disappearing into the shadows of the staircase that lead to the boy’s dormitories. Ginny watched his tall, dark form depart from the common room and into the stairwell, very appreciative of his company and his kind words. But as he left, so did those feelings of gratitude and his support. She was still alone with all the worry and the weight of her situation pressing down on her. Though he had offered to be her shoulder to cry on and had volunteered his ear to listen to her worries–there was not way she could ever or would ever tell her completely what was bothering her. Not only because it would be awkward to share things of such a nature with her ex-boyfriend, but because divulging information was a dangerous thing considering what Harry was up to. No, she’d have to deal with her worries on her own as she had been for the past few months. And dealing with them in this manner meant more restless nights spent trying to still her mind enough to get some sleep. So it probably wouldn’t matter if she stayed in the common room a bit longer to gather her thoughts. Turning away from where Dean had disappeared, she turned back towards the fire which was crackling in the hearth, bringing her hands to her face, trying to iron out the stress and tiredness she was sure was evident on it. Maybe she’d skip the trip upstairs and just kip a nap on the couch. It was comfy enough and large enough to accommodate her small frame. In fact it was ideal enough to hold two, snuggling individuals very comfortably. Ginny smiled into her hands as she recalled several occasions where she and Harry and used the couch for just the purpose. She was reminded of the first time she had suggested it and how perfect it had felt to lay against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her and entwined his much longer legs with hers. And even how awkward the action had been seeing as they were still very early in their relationship and every touch or intimate move was new and thrilling, especially for Harry it had seemed. She remembered with a grin how he had squirmed and shifted constantly, trying to hide the quite obvious effect their close proximity was having on him from her. ‘How things have changed,’ she thought to herself as she was reminiscent of just how far their relationship had gone and to what level of intimacy they had experienced. This again caused a smile to come to her face and a chuckle to escape her lips as she removed her hands from her face and leaned back into the folds of the cushions, trying to relax against them. But just as she was about to melt into the sofa’s inviting solace, she was shocked back to reality when she laid eyes on a tall, lanky form sitting in the armchair nearest the fire. “Merlin Harry! You scared me,” she choked out as she tried to regain herself, having jumped up in the air nearly half a foot at seeing him sitting nearly across from her. She hadn’t heard him or anyone for that matter, enter the common room. And she definitely hadn’t sensed anyone sitting that close to her. Harry replied with a slight smile and a nod as he remained seated in the armchair, the invisibility cloak draped across his lap, hiding his lap from view so that his shins and feet seemed to suddenly appear out of thin air. “Sorry,” he managed sheepishly. The small grin that played across his lips implied that he had found a bit of humor in having startled her. But as she watched him sit there, Ginny could tell that he hadn’t really found it all that funny and amusing. The smile did not relay to his eyes; those cold, stone colored eyes that were such a stark contrast to the normal green orbs that met her from within his unusually penetrating gaze. She felt an involuntary shiver crawl up her spine as she looked into them. “What are you doing here?” she questioned quietly as she continued to study him closely. “I figured once you were done–with what you needed to do–you’d retire to the hospital wing and I’d see you in the morning,” she added. Harry took a moment and hesitated slightly before he answered, almost as though he was trying to decide and fighting himself internally as to how to respond. “Just–wanted–to say goodnight,” Harry replied in an airy, hollow tone as he cast Ginny a sideways glance before bringing his attention back to his lap. There was definitely wrong with the manner in which Harry had responded and how he was acting. If he wanted to say goodnight really, he wouldn’t be sitting there, acting as though he had no intention of getting up from his seat to give her a hug, snuggle, or even a good night kiss. No–he seemed quite intent on remaining in the chair and maintaining their current distance. “Oh,” was all Ginny could find herself able to say at the moment. She found herself frozen, watching him, waiting for Harry to jump up and surprise her by wrapping his arms around her. But instead…he did something she hadn’t expected him to. He let out a deep, shaky breath, fiddling with his hands, before speaking into his lap. “Well–good night,” he said breathily as he got up from the chair quickly without making eye contact or waiting for Ginny’s reaction. He had turned his back and swung the cloak over his shoulders before she’d even registered what was happening here. She knew he had been through a lot in the past few hours and he was dealing with so much already…but for him to be giving her such a cold shoulder wasn’t right. She had expected him to want to talk–or at least to want to hold each other in comfort. But what had caused him to react like this? What had happened between the time he left the hospital wing and now? What could have possibly…upset him…? And suddenly a very possible cause to Harry’s standoffishness came to her in one horrible moment of realization. “Wait!” she called after him, getting up from the couch and taking a few steps towards him. Harry stopped at Ginny’s call just before he had reached the portrait hole. He paused as if contemplating whether or not he should stay or if he should continue on his course to leave. He must have made up his mind to stay because he turned to face Ginny who was now standing a few feet away, searching him and trying to come up with something to say. But the look he was giving her made it even harder for her to confront him and get her concerns out in the air. He was scrutinizing her with a look of accusing impatience and it certainly didn’t seem as though he really cared what she had to say. The vibe she was getting from Harry was unnerving and so unlike him. “Yes?” Harry said with much disdain and raised eyebrows as Ginny remained silent. “How–how long were you–were you sitting there?” she stuttered as she continued to put two and two together and try and work out this situation in her mind. “Long enough,” Harry replied simply, his face scarily impassive and deadpan. He paused and raised his brows in what Ginny took to be disgust and disparagement. “Why?” he asked quietly and in a cutting tone, “Are you afraid I stumbled onto something I wasn’t supposed to?” he continued in the same dead, yet accusing tone. “No, I–” Ginny began to respond, trying to press to him that he had the entirely wrong idea about what had gone on. But he cut her off and continued his interrogation. “Or maybe you’re worried I heard something I wasn’t ever meant to?” he questioned quietly, still not looking her in the eye, but only in her general direction. “What? No–” Ginny stammered, wishing he would stop interrupting her so she could explain and set him right. But he didn’t seem to want to let her speak. “Well then–what is it–?” Harry cut through in a very pressing manner. His insistence on not letting her get a word out was grating on her and was about to push her over that ledge of calm serenity and a fiery temper that matched the vividness of her flame colored hair. “If you’d just–shut up–and let me talk–” Ginny finally snapped, finding her words and her emotions starting to snowball. Harry’s stuffy and haughty demeanor of the last few minutes suddenly lessened and he actually looked a bit scared of her outburst. “If you’d let me talk instead of standing there, pointing your finger at me and accusing me of–of–cheating–on you…you’d know exactly what’s going on here instead of assuming the worst.” “Well were you?” Harry questioned intensely, this time making eye contact with her and searching for an answer from within her as well as from her words. Ginny’s draw dropped at the gall he had to ask her that. “I’m not even going to justify that with an answer,” she said coldly as she started unwavering right back at him. “But if you had been sitting in that chair long enough, you wouldn’t need one from me.” “What’s that supposed to mean?” Harry responded, shaking his head and trying to wrap his head around her words. “That if you’d been listening and had actually heard the conversation–you’d know that Dean and I weren’t going behind your back and getting together. Or that what happened was even a regular occurrence,” she answered him angrily, her temper just warming up to a rapid boil. “So I completely imagined that you told Dean that you’d ‘take him up on that sometime’ while you hugged him?” Harry inquired incredulously. “So I’ve imagined all this, have I?” “Yes–No!” Ginny replied as her anger made it hard to put her thoughts into coherent answers. “I–I mean–” Ginny stammered. “What? What exactly do you mean?” Harry shouted at her. “That I’ve got it all wrong or that it’s true?” he asked desperately. Ginny took a moment to compose herself to prevent herself from blowing up even more and at a level of monumental proportions. “No--you’re not wrong--in that Dean offered to be there,” she began slowly. “But not in the way you assume he meant.” Harry only raised his eyebrows as if to challenge that statement, but he did not say anything. “He was in the common room when I got here Harry,” Ginny continued to explain, wanting to force the words deep into his brain somehow so he’d understand and stop giving her that accusing stare. “He saw that I was upset over something and he came over to see if I was alright. He said that if I ever needed someone to talk to or just someone to hang with…he’d be there,” she added. “So to see if you were ok–he had to touch you?” Harry growled quietly. “Why does that bother you so much?” Ginny cried exasperatedly. “He was offering as a friend!” she pressed. “A friend who just happens to be your ex-boyfriend. Who I know–from witnessing it first-hand–has had his arms and hands in more places than just around your shoulders,” Harry hissed. “How do you suppose I’m supposed to be reacting to that Ginny?!” “Gods–you are being so insufferable right now!” Ginny snarled in frustration. She didn’t know what else she could say to make him believe her that her encounter with Dean had been entirely platonic and innocent. “Am I?” Harry replied testily. “I was crying Harry!” she shouted at him. For a second it looked as though this statement may have had some sort of impact on his steely demeanor. But as quick as his gaze had faltered, his accusing aura was back. “I was having a cry over you–over what happened today. And like any normal–considerate–human being, Dean wanted to help and see what was bothering me. So if his human concern translates into me engaging in a torrid love affair with my ex in your eyes–then maybe we–” “So you had to turn to him?” Harry huffed indignantly. “Who was I supposed to turn to?” Ginny shot back. “Me,” Harry answered flatly and decisively, as if there was no question to its validity. Ginny bit back the derisive laugh that had made its way from the back of her throat, but she could not keep the words from spilling out unbridled and uncensored. “I’m sorry but you were a bit–unavailable–at the time when I needed comfort,” Ginny said quietly. “And I can’t very well talk to you when your off who knows where for weeks at a time,” she finished, her voice sounding all the hurt and frustration she’d been feeling over the past months. “That’s–not–fair,” Harry breathed out darkly and shallowly, as if trying to keep his temper and control under wraps. “Not fair?” Ginny repeated in indignation. “I think what’s not fair here is how you can’t seem to understand and get it through your head that nothing was or is going on between me and Dean. What’s not fair is that you seem to think that it isn’t entirely possible that I might need some sort of human interaction that isn’t snogging or shagging you. I’m scared and I’m stressed and Dean offered a shoulder to cry on. If it bothered you that I said I’d take the comfort–then I’m sorry. But I can’t live on letters alone and correspondence that’s tricky and dangerous.” “You’re fine in our letters,” Harry said quietly, the accusation and tension that had been shading his features suddenly lessening. “We get on as well as we can, with the ways of communication available. We deal with our feelings–” “We don’t deal with our feelings Harry!” Ginny found herself suddenly shouting. “YOU–don’t deal with your feelings,” she added exasperatedly. “You bottle them up–you tell yourself and everyone else that you’re ‘fine’…when you’re anything but…until it’s too late and you’ve become so detached and depressed that it takes a near miracle to reach you and pull you out.” Harry could not respond with words, but he opened his mouth slightly and creased his brow line as he cocked his head to the side in disbelief of Ginny’s statement. “I’m not you Harry,” Ginny said as she shook her head. “I need my friends–and yes–Dean is A FRIEND,” she added, putting extra emphasis on the last two words. Harry continued to survey her, his face a mixture of residual anger and other flickers of emotion that seemed to relay that he was trying to sort everything out in his mind. But instead of giving her a bit of hope that he may be coming around, his silence and contemplation seemed to anger her and she found herself just wanting to leave. “Never mind,” she mumbled irritably. “I’m not going to sit here and spell everything out for you. You obviously don’t believe me,” she added in an irritated and annoyed sounding voice as she turned her back on him as he stood in the middle of the common room and started moving towards the staircase, not wasting anymore time on this argument. But just as she had reached the bottom step of the stairs that led to her dorm, she felt a pressure on her shoulder and she instantly spun on the spot, ready and willing to yell at Harry to ‘just forget about it and to ‘go away’. But before she had a chance to utter a word or a warning, she found herself pinned against the stone wall of the stairwell. At first, a sudden panicked and horrifying thought overwhelmed her and she actually feared that Harry might be attacking her. But as soon as that thought had entered her consciousness, she dismissed it. For as her mind caught up with her body, she realized that, while he had her pinned against the wall, he also had his lips firmly pressed against her, kissing her soundly and wholly. And to her surprise, she was kissing him back while threading her hands through the windswept hair at the back of his neck, pressing just as needily and eagerly against him in response. Her brain was screaming for her to break away and yell at him for thinking he could silence her and make things all better with a kiss. A wonderful, passionate, mind-dumbing– ‘Snap out of it! You’re supposed to be mad at him,’ a voice in her head tried to reason with her. But all reasoning seemed out of reach as her brain was consumed and fogged over by the intense rush of desire and craving. So she continued to kiss him back hard and feverishly, all thought of anger or frustration seemingly melting away with the clash of lips and the tangling of tongues. It seemed like forever had passed before they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily and leaning against one another for support. Harry had his head bowed over Ginny’s so that he was looking down at her, his eyes wide with passion and his warm, moist breath coming in bursts against the skin of her forehead. “Do you know how beautiful you are when you’re screaming at me?” Harry breathed out in almost a low growl as they both tried to regain some sense of composure. Ginny felt a bubble of laughter creep upon her as she took in Harry’s most recent statement. She tried to stifle it because he said it with such seriousness and it sounded really sexy coming from him at that moment, but couldn’t stop it completely and ended up letting out a snort of laughter through her nose. “I’m supposed to be mad at you,” Ginny said through gritted teeth as she tried to keep a straight face. “Yeah…I know,” Harry sighed heavily. “I’d be furious at me.” “I was,” Ginny responded, bringing her head forward and resting it on Harry’s chest, allowing him to place his chin upon the crown of her head as they embraced each other once more. “You ruined it,” she murmured as she relished in their closeness that had seemed so far away just a moment ago. “I’m sorry,” Harry whispered into her hair. “I had no right to accuse you and say what I did,” he added quietly, his voice sounding thoroughly ashamed and near mortified as he thought of what had just gone on between them. “I–” he started again, trying to continue to apologize and right the situation. But Ginny cut him off before he could proceed any further. “Harry–?” she cut in firmly, raising her head to look up at him, causing him to lift his head off of hers and look down at her. “Can I tell you a secret?” she questioned when she had his attention. Harry raised one eyebrow as if signaling that he indeed did want Ginny to tell him what she had on her mind. He also solidified that want by nodding his head slowly up and down. “You’re a guy,” she said simply and matter-of-factly as she cast him a knowing smirk. Harry looked around in confusion as if he’d missed something or bypassed some vital part of the conversation. “I…thought that was…pretty obvious,” Harry said slowly, not quite catching Ginny’s drift and wondering how that was her big secret. She just continued to watch him in an amused sort of way. “I mean…given…that you’ve seen…er…we’ve–” Harry stuttered aimlessly, hoping Ginny would chime in at any moment. Ginny rolled her eyes and tried to hide her amusement. “No–I mean you’re a guy. And guys have a tendency to act first and assess the situation and ask questions after the fact. Usually when everything’s blown up in their face,” Ginny finally clarified for him. “So it’s not your fault you jumped to conclusions and got jealous,” she finished knowingly. “It’s in your nature.” “Oh,” Harry blurted dumbstruck. “Right…I guess you’ve got a point there,” he continued to agree hesitantly, bringing a smirk to Ginny’s face as he worked that one out. “Course I do,” Ginny replied. “So I guess on that default…you’re forgiven,” she added as she reached on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his lips, bringing a stupid grin to Harry’s lips. “But I still can’t believe I did that though,” Harry said quietly as he shook his head disbelievingly. “Dean’s lucky actually,” Harry admitted suddenly. “You don’t know how much it took for me not to pounce and beat the crap out of him. I probably would’ve really hurt him,” he continued, sounding really bothered by the fact that he’d had to hold back so much and what the consequence would have been if he hadn’t been able to. “But you didn’t,” Ginny reminded him. She hated it when he dwelled on the possibilities of what could have happened in a situation and put all the guilt and blame on himself. She knew that it bothered him and made him terribly uncomfortable to know how much power he really wielded. Since they had unearthed the fact that Harry had Voldemort type powers, he rarely used them unless absolutely necessary. She also knew that the strength and deadly capabilities his arm added to the mix made him constantly weary of how he used it. Just because Harry had these powers and tools at his disposal, tools that would consequently be a great aid in his quest to defeat Voldemort, didn’t mean Harry wanted them or to even to use them. She knew that he wished he was normal and didn’t have to have to carry around the knowledge that he could be and would have to be, a very powerful wizard and killer. “I was–I guess I was just afraid I’d lost control of the one thing–the only thing–that it seems I have a hold on. With all that’s gone on here and everything else…I couldn’t even bear and fathom the possibility that I’d somehow lost you too,” Harry admitted softly, his eyes filled with an aching and fear she hadn’t seen there before. Despite the cold grayness that enveloped the irises, his eyes were still an open window to the emotions that lay within him. At least that hadn’t changed with him. “I really don’t think I could handle it if I ever did lose you. No matter what way it happened….” He continued, trailing off with his thoughts, getting lost in them and the possibilities. Ginny brought her hand up to his cheek in a comforting gesture and pulled his gaze back towards her after it had drifted away into a lost and glazed over look. He brought his attention back to hers and swallowed slowly and deliberately as he always did when he was confronted with this close, intimate contact. “I’m here…right now,” Ginny whispered to him. “And right now…we can control this,” she assured him, making sure to look him directly in the eyes to drive home her point and ease his fears and anxieties. Harry nodded slowly in agreement and slowly rubbed his left hand up and down her arm slowly in a way that always seemed to make her melt when he did so. His right hand went gently to her waist, careful not to hurt her in any way as he bent his head towards her and engaged her in another gentle and passionate kiss. Just as it was about to turn from gently invigorating to heated, a small noise from just up the stairs caused them to halt and break apart, their lips still inches from each others as they froze, listening for anymore signs or sounds of an unwelcome visitor. But the sound of one of the upstairs dormitory squeaking on its hinges, signaling a late-night trip to the loo by one of the students, let the young couple breath a bit of a sigh of relief. “I better go,” Harry whispered, suddenly aware that it was getting late and they had already risked a lot by being out in the open as they were. “Ron and Hermione are probably waiting in the hospital wing–” “Ron and Hermione are probably too busy to realize you haven’t come back yet,” Ginny corrected him with a mischievous and knowing grin. Harry shot her back his own amused smile, knowing his two best friends would take advantage of any alone, “Harry-free” time they could get. Even if it did mean stealing kisses and caresses under Madam Pomfrey’s watch in an open hospital wing. “I should go back anyways,” Harry said quietly. “I’m tired…it’s been a long day–” “Stay here,” Ginny pressed, holding him close as he tried to create a bit of separation between them so he could make his leave. “What?” Harry replied, sounding confused and reluctant towards the suggestion. “Sleep over,” she reiterated. “Come upstairs and you can bunk with me.” “I–can’t,” Harry stuttered, going over the various reasons in his mind why it would be impossible for him to spend the night in the sixth year girl’s dormitory. First off, he didn’t much like the idea of sneaking into a room where four or five other girls were sleeping. And second…it would be physically impossible for him to go up the stairs. The moment he stepped onto them to head up there, they would revert into a slide and an alarm would sound, alerting everyone within the vicinity that a boy had tried to get into the girl’s dormitory. Apparently boys weren’t to be trusted to behave themselves while within the confines of the girls’ dormitory. This…after finding himself alone with Ginny on many occasions…was probably a fairly true and accurate assumption. Though, Harry still didn’t find it fair to believe that girls could be trusted any more in the boys’ dormitory; as Ginny had proved on a few instances. “It’ll be alright,” Ginny assured him. “Come on…” “No–Gin,” Harry continued to insist as Ginny tugged at his arm. “I can’t go up there. The alarm will go off and we’ll be in trouble. Not to mention I’ll be seen.” “No you won’t,” Ginny replied without a hint of doubt in her tone. Harry continued to study her with unabashed confusion written on his face. “Not if you’re not a boy when you go up the stairs,” Ginny responded smartly, clearing up his bewilderment….well not quite. ‘Not a boy?’ Harry mouthed silently. Ginny put a hand to her face in mock frustration at Harry’s denseness. Wanting and needing to give him another clue, she sighed and stood on her tiptoes so that her mouth was right next to his ear. She had to stifle a laugh as Harry stood stock still, waiting for her to continue. “Sssss,” Ginny hissed quietly in his ear, watching him squirm slightly as the outlet of her breath tickled the side of his neck. She pulled away to gauge his reaction and was pleased to find that her clue had finally caused something to kick into place within Harry’s thought process. “Oh….” Harry said in realization. “The snake.” “The sneaky snake,” Ginny replied with a huge grin, causing Harry to break out into an even bigger one in response. “Will that work?” Harry asked for clarifications sake. “I don’t see why not,” Ginny replied. “Girls bring male pets up into the dorms. I don’t see how you would be any different,” Ginny added with a chuckle. “Oh thanks. It’s nice to know you hold me at the same level of existence as toads and cats,” Harry said in semi-affronted tones. “For your information…I still have my mind in my Animagus forms.” “Yes…and like I said–I don’t think you’ll have any problem getting up the stairs and having them recognize you as an animal,” Ginny cheeked with a grin, earning her a scoff and a mock-angry look from Harry. “Come on…” Ginny urged when he stared at her open mouthed and wide eyed at her last comment. “Chop, chop…I’m tired and you said you were too,” she ordered amusedly. Harry sighed reluctantly and stepped away from Ginny and back towards the common room. He took a look around to make sure that they were truly alone and no one had entered the area while they were busy with one another near the stairs. Once he was satisfied that everything was all clear, he looked back towards Ginny once more before closing his eyes, a calm and concentrated look taking over his features as he focused on the transformation. Ginny watched on as the long limbs and unruly features of her boyfriend before her condensed and shrank, erasing any identifying traits from the form in front of her. After only a few seconds, Ginny had to drop her gaze to inches above the floor, as Harry had disappeared from her previous line of sight. There in his previous place, was the long, sleek, black snake she had become accustomed to over the weeks they had spent at Grimmauld Place before school had started. Harry momentarily uncoiled himself on the floor, as if stretching out his muscles and serpentine body. His small, black head bobbed up and down, taking in his surroundings from his current vantage point, flicking his tongue out as he did so before he turned back to Ginny expectantly. Ginny held out her arm for him to slither around so that she could transport him up the stairs without being seen. But as he began to wrap gently around her wrist so as not to hurt her, she nudged him with her other arm to get his attention. “Go into the jumper and wrap around my waist,” she said quietly to the snake, gesturing the bulky sweater she had put on after the Quidditch match that afternoon. She wasn’t sure if everyone in her dorm would be sleeping and there was no way she’d be able to hide Harry on her arm or shoulder without someone noticing if it did happen that one of her classmates were awake. Harry gave Ginny a bit more notice, signaling that he was a bit questioning of her request. But only moments later, he slithered his way up her arm and wiggled his way under her collar, between the fabric of his t-shirt and her jumper. Ginny felt the strong muscles of his long body wrap around her torso and she had to suppress a shiver as she realized just how close they were and just how awkward this situation really was. His tail finally disappeared under the edge of her collar and out of site and Ginny felt his tail end settle around her ribcage. Just as she was about to take her first steps up onto the staircase to test out whether or not Harry would set off the alarms in this form, she felt stirring from within her sweater and looked down to see a set of dark eyes peering out from the neckline of her sweater, a long tongue flicking the bottom of her neck, causing her to giggle. “Stay put or we will get caught,” Ginny hissed, giving Harry a good natured bop on the snout. The move earned her several more flicks of the tongue from Harry that tickled her exposed skin as he slunk back into the folds of her sweater. She waited for him to again situate around her torso and settle before turning her attention back to the stairs. Ginny lifted one foot tentatively and held it over the first step, nervous and terrified of what might happen when her foot touched down. Deciding that there was only one way to find out if her theory of the Animagus Harry being able to go up the staircase undetected, Ginny slowly lowered her foot onto the stone step, holding her breath as she did so. As the rubber sole of her trainer touched down and met the cold stone stair, Ginny was met by still, calmness and the silence that had enveloped the common room remained. Ginny let out the breath she had been holding and brought her remaining foot to join the other and she found herself confident enough to brave the rest of the stairs and was soon making her way steadily towards the 6th year girl’s dormitory. Ginny thought she had made it to the dorm without a problem or a hitch and was about to push open the door to her dormitory, when she felt Harry squirm again within her jumper. She would have been content to think that he was just adjusting his position around her to make sure he didn’t fall or was more comfortable. But it was when she felt the edge of her underneath t-shirt lift from her jeans where it had been tucked in. Things were made even more interesting when she felt that same flicking tongue against the bare skin of her abdomen and felt the cool coils, that had been previously wrapped around her t-shirt, against her skin, causing her to shiver as Harry made his way farther north. The contact, in a small way, was exhilarating, knowing that it was Harry underneath her shirt, wrapped around her so tightly and now so intimately. But it was also very distracting and she was trying very hard to keep her composure. But the sensations that the smooth scales and powerful nature of Harry’s serpent body was creating were just too much to take. As silently as she could, and perhaps not as gently as she could manage, Ginny slapped at her jumper around her midsection. She felt her hand through all the fabric, connect with Harry’s body and he tensed in response around her middle. This hit seemed to have deterred him from exploring or doing whatever he had been up to inside her shirt and Ginny found herself able to continue and she pushed open the door to her dormitory and stepped in. There was a sliver of moonlight filtering into the room around her, lighting things just enough so she could make out the outlines of the four-poster beds adorning the room. On most of the beds, the curtains were drawn, indicating to Ginny that her roommates had turned in for the night. There was only one bed that had the curtains drawn back besides her own. But as she walked past, she saw that her roommate Eliza was asleep, snoring softly and entangled in her bed coverings. Sighing in relief, Ginny made her way to her own four poster and pulled back the curtains. Her pajamas that she had changed out of that morning were still splayed across her bedspread. She bent over to throw them onto a slowly growing pile of laundry at the foot of her bed, but as she bent over, she felt that same stirring from within her jumper. This time however, the movement and the sensations were much farther north than they had previously been. Ginny tried to ignore the movement and to stop imagining what Harry was doing in there, but she found it impossible to keep a growl of frustration from escaping her lips as she felt his tongue flick across her ribcage. “Hello?” came a sleep voice from across the room. “Who’s there?” the voice asked. Ginny composed herself as much as she possibly could and turned on the spot towards the sound of the voice. It had come from the bed with the curtains pulled back that had housed her previously slumbering roommate, Eliza. But as Ginny squinted through the darkness, she found her dark-haired friend squinting back, looking very sleepy but interested in what was going on. “Ginny? Is that you?” she questioned again hoarsely. “Er–yeah,” Ginny replied quietly, straightening up to face her roommate. “Sorry if I woke you…” “That’s ok,” Eliza assured her. “I just nodded off a bit ago…it’s no big deal,” she brushed it off. “Oh ok…I’m just…gonna…tuck in,” Ginny stuttered, as she felt Harry wriggle again within her sweater and she couldn’t help but squirm and react to the touch. She saw Eliza give her a questioning gaze as she watched the scene before her. “Are you ok Ginny?” Eliza questioned sleepily. “Yeah,” Ginny replied a bit too enthusiastically, trying to make up for and cover up her reaction. She could see Eliza cock a worried eyebrow in her direction. “Yeah–I’m just–I’m still a bit up from the match I guess. That’s all–” Ginny invented wildly. Thankfully, Eliza must have believed it because she sank back onto her pillows. “It was pretty exciting. You played a great game,” Eliza replied happily. Ginny could only smile back gratefully in return. “Ok…well goodnight then,” she added as she relaxed back into bed and pulled at the curtains around her bed, partially obscuring her from outside view. “Goodnight,” Ginny replied back and then turned back to her bed and hopped in after slipping her shoes off and closing the curtains around her, hiding the room from her view. As soon as she flopped onto the mattress, Harry slithered out from within her shirt and curled up on her bedspread. Ginny held out her hand to pause him from changing back or moving. He seemed to take a moment to interpret this signal, but stayed put, allowing Ginny to turn her attention back to the curtains. She withdrew her wand from her jeans pocket and waved it all around the inside of her four-poster, murmuring quietly, a soft light igniting at the tip of her wand. There was a faint crackle of magic in the air within the area that seemed to encompass both of them. She turned to see Harry’s head following her wand movements, bobbing comically with each flick of her wrist. When she as satisfied with her spell work, she replaced her wand and turned towards Harry who seemed to be watching her expectantly. “Ok…you can change back,” she told him as she slipped out of her jumper so that she was back down to her undershirt. Almost instantaneously, what had been a curled up black viper on her bedspread grew into the slightly gangly form of her boyfriend. Harry’s limbs seemed to be having a bit of trouble catching up with the transformation because as he sprawled out he tumbled across the bed, his legs landing across Ginny’s midsection, having thrown her flat to the bed in the process. “That was graceful,” Ginny laughed as she lifted Harry’s legs off of her as he lay face down on the mattress, his glasses splayed on the pillow in front of him. He reached out after gaining his bearings and shoved them on his nose, sitting up and back against the pillows. He looked around at the inside of the four poster, observing his surroundings before brining his attention to Ginny, who was watching him intently. “How come your beds are bigger than ours?” Harry whispered conspiratorially as if it were Ginny’s fault. “You don’t have to whisper,” Ginny answered instead. Harry shot her a confused look. “If you hadn’t noticed…I cast a silencing and an imperturbable charm on the bed. No one can come in and no one can hear us,” she replied smartly. “And our beds are bigger because the staff must like us more,” she added in response to Harry’s question. Harry opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it and instead looked at her with a face that clearly said he was impressed with her ingenuity and spell work. “Nice,” he replied a bit louder than a whisper. “So…what now?” “Well for that little bout of exploration from within my shirt I should make you sleep under the bed,” Ginny replied with a teasing smile. “But…since I didn’t mind it too terribly much after all…I guess you can sleep here still.” Harry smiled sheepishly and looked a bit relieved that his little foray hadn’t landed him in any serious trouble. “I’m just going to go change into my pajamas and get ready for bed,” Ginny continued. “You can make yourself…comfortable I guess,” Ginny added, realizing she didn’t have anything for Harry to sleep in and he was still dressed in his cloak, jeans and a t-shirt. Harry nodded and began to peel out of his cloak and trainers as Ginny slowly opened the curtains and stepped back out into the dormitory, making sure that he wasn’t visible from within. After grabbing a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt and padding to the bathroom to change, brush her teeth and hair and take care of any other pressing needs, Ginny returned to her bed, looking around first to make sure that she wasn’t being watched. The first thing she noticed was that Harry had removed the majority of his clothes and had folded them neatly on the end of her bed. As she slid into the bed through the curtains, he was smiling softly at her, dressed only in his boxers. “I see you’ve made yourself plenty comfortable,” Ginny said slyly as she scooted over next to him and he in turn wrapped an arm around her, bringing them closer together. She laid her head on his chest instinctively on his chest, her red hair splaying across his skin. But she pulled back as he hissed slightly in pain and took in a deep breath. She looked up to find him trying to conceal his discomfort, but he could not hide it completely. And Ginny put two and two together when she looked from his face to his chest. Her head had been lying completely over the v-shaped bruise and the slightly raw skin that the locket had left. “Sorry,” she apologized quickly. “I didn’t realize–” “It’s ok,” Harry interrupted her continued apology. “It just twinges a bit.” “It looks like it twinges a whole hell of a lot,” Ginny blurted out as she brushed a finger gingerly across the damaged area, watching Harry cringe slightly at the contact. “It looks awful.” “Thanks,” Harry replied sarcastically. “But I reckon it’s just one more beauty mark I get to add to my extensive collection,” Harry added, waving a hand at the scars marking and marring his torso and chest. Ginny smiled softly at his admission, but couldn’t help but find a bit of sadness in his statement because there was still a bit of discomfort and embarrassment in his tone as he spoke of the results of the accident. “It’s not so bad,” Ginny said quietly, deciding it might help to make him feel a bit better about himself. “You know what would make it feel a whole lot better?” Harry asked airily as he placed a soft kiss in her hair. Ginny pulled away slightly to give him a questioning look in response. “Huh?” Ginny asked playfully when he didn’t go on. “If you…kissed me,” Harry said slowly, “Right…here,” he continued, pointing to the spot in the middle of his chest where the bruise came together, his voice growing lower and huskier with each syllable. “Is that so?” Ginny replied playfully, waggling her eyebrows at him. He could only manage a nod in response. With a grin and a glint in her eye, she positioned herself on top of him and bent over him, brushing her lips across the warm skin of his chest, right where he had been pointing to. She felt his breath catch in his chest as her lips touched and she left them there to linger, tickling at his skin with her tongue just for good measure. She got the desired response when he groaned softly at the tension she was creating with her teasing manner. “Better?” she asked with a grin as she looked up to find him watching her with a serene look on his face. “Mmmhh,” Harry sounded unsurely and playfully. “No..nope…I think…maybe…right…here,” he added with a grin, sliding his finger up to the base of his neck. Ginny was all but happy to oblige and play this little game with Harry. She suddenly felt very excited and giddy, knowing that he was here, in her bed, alive and well and currently under her mercy. It felt like all those weeks apart had been just a dream and all the worry and fear a distant memory, like they had somehow been together all along. None of the love or spark between them had lessened one bit and Ginny couldn't help but feel elated and grateful at that. But she also couldn't fail to remember that she had a boyfriend to devour before her and that was a very important task at hand indeed. Gently touching her lips to his throat, she kissed and caressed the area Harry had been pointing to. She decided to skip ahead a few rounds and get ahead of the game before Harry could initate things and ventured farther up his long neck, kissing and torturing him at the same time as her mouth trailed along his hot skin. Harry let out a soft whimper and Ginny felt his real hand brush against the skin in the place where her night shirt separated from her pajama bottoms as he pulled her closer to him. She felt his slightly calloused hand scrabble at the bare skin in delight and his right hand was resting gently on her hip for support, carefully placed as to not cause her any undue pain with its power. This move was so endearing to her for some reason...but in some small way, she wished he'd be able to forget about being careful about his arm and let go completely. She was brought back from that thought when she reached her favorite dimple near his chin. She took extra care in this area and kissed along his jaw line, bringing a finger of her own to trail along after her mouth just for good measure. She could tell he was getting impatient with this game because his hand had moved to her hair and he was slowly trying to steer her towards his mouth. While she truly did want to explore that area and it was her eventual destination, she was having to much fun doing this and causing Harry to do everything but lose complete control. But after only a few more seconds, she started to feel a bit bad that she was driving him that crazy (or maybe it was that she herself wanted to kiss him hard and taste his lips against hers?) and she brought her attention to his mouth, cupping his face with her hands as he held her close. And then they were both lost in one of those glorious moments they shared, where the only thing that was comprehendible to either of them was the feel of flesh against flesh and the burning traces their kisses left each time they pulled away slightly to change the angle of the kiss or to come up for a round of much needed air. Hands grasped and grappled and tongues clashed and explored, and the feeling that they were together in each other's arms and where they were supposed to be, overwhelmed both of them. After an undetermined, but lenghthy time nonetheless, Ginny pulled away with Harry still holding her tightly to him, studying his face with a grin. "Better?" she mangaged to gasp, still slightly winded from the previous activity. "M-much," Harry breathed out contently, meeting her gaze with a silly and a hormone dazed smile of his own. Ginny continued to smile down at him, taking in every detail of his face and noticing that somehow in the fray, he'd lost his glasses. This gave her an impeded view of his eyes as they stared back at her lovingly, seemingly etching and studying her face in the same manner. As she was searching them, she couldn't help get pulled into them. And she definetly could not escape or put aside the sudden pang she got as she looked into the orbs now devoid of color. She couldn't help it and she really didn't want to stare or take too much notice... But as that thought crossed her mind, she got a reaction she hadn't anticipated from Harry. He blinked furiously all of the sudden as of he had been ripped from a trance and pulled his gaze away from her, breaking all eye contact as he moved his eyes to the side and surveyed the closed curtains surrounding them instead. "Don't," Ginny heard herself choke out in a strangled voice. She felt Harry flinch underneath her and saw his jaw tense visibly at her words. But he remained staring resolutely away from her, his face working and wrestling with a numerous amount of unseen emotions just beneath his surface. "Harry look at me," she pleaded softly, bringing a hand to his cheek and trying to move his face in her direction. But he turned away from her hand with a strangled sigh of frustration. "Harry...please," she murmered softly, stroking his jawline with the back of her hand. "I--I don't--" he whispered brokenly. "You don't what?" Ginny questioned. "You don't want me to look at you?" "Ginny...just--please--stop," Harry pleaded quietly. As Harry had spoken, he had turned his head slightly towards her. Ginny took this opportunity to make sure they weren't going to leave this conversation at that and grabbed the sides of his face with her hands, forcing him to look at her or in her general direction. He didn't struggle to get away from her hold, but even as she had him, he looked to the side and maneuvered his eyes so that he was looking anywhere but directly at her. "Harry I want you to look at me," Ginny replied with a bit more force. Harry clenched his eyes tight and shook his head slightly from side to side in a weary sort of defiance. She could tell it tearing him apart to have to feel as he was. But he still couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes. “Harry–” She said quietly, bringing her face only inches from his. “It’s alright.” “No,” he breathed out painfully. “It’s not,” he added, sounding just as wrenched as he continued. “Harry–look at–” Ginny repeated firmly. But Harry opened his eyes and this time did look at her. But they were wide and fear-filled. “I don’t want you to have to look at them!” he half shouted as he shook her hands from his face and struggled again to avert his eyes. “Harry–” was all Ginny found herself able to manage as she still lay atop him. “I don’t want to have to look in your eyes and see–and see–the sadness there,” Harry choked out. “I won’t–” Ginny began to cry softly at his statement, but he shook his head slightly to stop her. “You love my eyes,” Harry whimpered softly as though it pained him to say it. “And I don’t want to watch you longing for them to be the same…” he trailed off, his voice choking off oddly at the end. “I love YOU,” Ginny said fiercely, bringing her face to within an inch of Harry’s so that she could feel his ragged breath against her face. “Gin–” “I love you,” she stated again simply, catching his eyes for the first time and holding him in a locked battle of gazes and wills as he fought to let his nobility complex take hold and break contact. “I’m sorry,” Harry croaked dejectedly, but his eyes remained on her. “Your eyes–the color–was beautiful. Sometimes I wondered if they were really real and if it was possible for anyone’s eyes to be so clear and vivid,” Ginny whispered quickly and breathlessly. She watched tears come to the corner of Harry’s eyes as she said this and she felt a stab of sadness hit her as she reminisced about what he had lost. “But I didn’t love the color–I love the way you look at me with them,” she continued bravely, feeling the words coming to her as her jumbled mind tried to make sense of everything. “The way it feels when you look at me and it makes my breath catch and my knees turn to jelly so I have to grab something to stand up,” she whispered intensely as she brushed aside a chunk of hair that was falling across his forehead. “I love how when I catch eyes with you, I feel like I’m the only person within them and the only person who matters to you,” she said softly, caressing his face gently with that same hand she had used to brush away his fringe. “Like we’re the only two people who exist in the world and that’s just fine with you.” “I’m in love with what I see inside them Harry,” she breathed as she watched Harry as he continued to try and control the emotions behind his heavy lidded eyes. He let out a very shaky and choked sounding breath and Ginny knew he was very close to breaking. She didn’t necessarily want him to crack, but she wanted him to know exactly how she felt. “And I still love what I see,” she said softly, bringing her nose to touch his as she once again took his face in her hands. “I still see you,” she breathed even quieter still. “I know–” Harry managed in a half-strangled whisper. “I love you,” he cried quietly as he brought his hand up from Ginny’s side and brushed away a tear that was sliding unbeknownst down her cheek with the pad of his thumb. They stayed like that for a few moments, gazing into the depths of each others eyes and trying to come to grips with this moment. Ginny was trying to silently will Harry to be comfortable and not shy away from her. Harry was trying not to cringe away and trying to find the truth and strength in her words. They eased the moment by stealing a few soft kisses and brushes of lips. But neither could rip their eyes from the others gaze and they remained locked in that moment. “I still see my man,” Ginny finally smiled, not knowing entirely why she had suddenly said that. “Your–your man?” Harry repeated for clarification, a small and pondering smile, but a smile nonetheless, creeping upon his lips. “Yes,” Ginny replied definitively. “You are my man.” “Getting rather possessive there aren’t you?” Harry teased, pulling Ginny to his chest and wrapping his arms around her in his own possessive manner as she settled into place. “I don’t know if you realized it–” Ginny murmured softly into his bare chest. “But there’s no way I’m giving you up now. You couldn’t escape even if you wanted too,” she said with a smile as she closed her eyes tightly and relished in their close proximity and the warm weight of Harry’s body surrounding her. “Good,” Harry breathed out contently, relaxing back into the pillows as he held onto the girl in his arms. He closed his own eyes, not relinquishing his hold on Ginny one bit. They both lay there for a bit, neither one moving or talking, but soaking up everything about this moment. Without realizing it, Ginny felt her lids begin to droop and the first vestiges of sleep creeping up on her. But a slight change in the rise and fall of Harry’s chest kept her awake a bit longer. “Gin?” Harry murmured, the sound of his voice vibrating against her ear. “Hmmm?” Ginny responded quietly, not shifting from her position. “Promise me something?” Harry continued, his voice airy and sleepy sounding as though he too had been on the verge of succumbing, but also pensive and pondering as though he had been thinking. Ginny nodded her head slightly against his ribcage in response. “Promise you won’t ever let go of me?” he asked simply. “I won’t,” Ginny responded loud enough for him to hear without moving. “I promise,” she breathed out as she clenched her eyes shut to prevent the tears from spilling down her face onto Harry’s skin. He had asked something so simple and her answer had been so easy to determine. Yet, what he had asked and what she had promised held such gravity for both of them, that it was impossible for it to create such a reaction from her. She wanted so much to be able to hold onto him forever like this and never let go, never give him up. But the way things were–for him–for both of them–she knew it wasn’t going to be easy or maybe even possible. But he was here–with her now–holding her--and that was what she focused on and let take over her mind as she lay there in his arms as sleep overcame both of them and took them into the safety of their dreams. A/N: I’ve been gone way too long!!! And I’m sorry. It wasn’t writers block this time. Just school and finals getting in the way. Plus…I turned 21 a week ago and I’ve been living up my nights! Hehe. I hope you like this chapter. It’s not got much to do with the entire storyline and where we’re going from here. But I needed to continue the whole Dean/Ginny/Harry confrontation thing. I hope you enjoyed! |
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