Nervous hearts .. (Christmas at the burrow 1998)

[ginny]

At first he had seemed surprised at her lips on his. Her mind told her to pull away while she could if he wasn't comfortable with the whole thing. It would be better to blush and say that she was sorry than push things any farther if he didn't want to. She moved to pull herself away, even if her arm was still around him, when she felt something change in his kiss. His shock seemed to wear off as he pulled her toward him by the waist. His warm arms circled her in a way that was familiar to a time when they did this every day. She replied to him just as eagerly, as if she had been without something too long - which she felt like she had. She hadn't been able to be close to him like this for so long. It was... amazing to be so close to him again.

She felt his hand move into her hair and hold her in place. Following his lead that he had taken after her start, she deepened the kiss with him and moved against him. Despite the rational thought that she was still on her broom some twenty feet in the air, Ginny moved her other arm to meet the other around his neck. She helped pull them together to press against the other and assure them that they were not leaving any time soon.

She didn't notice their slow shift downward. Frankly, she didn't care much. She wasn't paying attention to the broom's actions as she was more than a little distracted by the warm arms around her and lips against hers. With a jerk, he fell from his broom and took her with him. She broke the kiss and pulled her head against his chest as her curled his arms around her to brace them for the slight impact. The snow kept them from hitting the ground very hard. Besides, they had both taken falls harder than that since they were both rather good Quidditch players. It came with the sport. She lifted her head from its place at his chest to look up at his smile. It seemed like perhaps the first real one he gave her since he had arrived. Now that everything was out, for the most part, in the open.

She laughed, even if the joke wasn't hilarious. She was just feeling light-headed and as if she could do anything. "You could say that," she replied smoothly. She sat up and brushed some of the snow off of her sleeves. Well, this Christmas Eve - or Day if it had gotten to that time - was turning out better than she had hoped it might have. She was expecting an awkward Christmas morning of avoiding his eyes. No, now it might be awkward to her parents or her brothers, but she would be sitting right beside him. If they got adventurous and decided to tell her parents, she might even have the nerve to pull herself onto his lap or kiss him under some mistletoe. Christmas could be nice with him around and the feelings out in the open.

Ginny stood and offered a hand out to help pull him up out of the snow. With a brief wave of her wand, the brooms were back on their path to the sled where they were kept. They didn't have much use for them right now. She kept her small hand in his, even if he had stood up and didn't need to help to be up. "Happy Christmas, Harry," she whispered after a moment or so of silence. With a small smile, she pulled herself back up to kiss him.

[headauror]

Harry watched as Ginny sent the brooms off up the path to the shed. His bright eyes following them for only a moment before coming to rest once more on the red head now standing over him. The smile on his lips brightened from the smirk it had formed at his rather lame joke to one of simple joy at seeing her.. Ginny Weasley.. standing there and apparently wanting nothing more at the moment than to spend time with him. Christmas wishes apparently did come true if you wished hard enough. He took her hand as it was offered but rather than allowing Ginny to bear any of his weight, he pushed up with his free hand and used his legs to bring himself upright beside her.

Cupping her smaller hand into his own his smile grew and softened all in the same moment as she wished him a Happy Christmas, though just as he was about to wish her the same Ginny had lifted on her toes to kiss him again. Far from pulling back in surprise this time he instead tilted his head down into the kiss. Wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her slightly off the ground, holding her against his torso for support, he gave into the sweet bliss of the moment. The warmth and tenderness..the intoxicating scent of her... a flowery smell that was all to familiar... all to Ginny. It clashed in a wonderful way with the brisk chill of the winter landscape around them. As beautiful as the white world of glitter was it paled greatly in comparison to the warm breath of spring pressed against him.

Finally he pulled back with a great deal of reluctance. He'd have been just as content to have stayed like that long into the rising of the sun, but of course his grip on her waist was bound to be uncomfortable after awhile. A wry grin was on his mouth and playful twinkle in his emerald gaze as he set her back on her feet. Tilting his forehead down to rest against her own he gave a soft chuckle and in a low and rather thick voice finally managed a return for her comment..

"hmm.. I dunno if happy's quite the term for it.. though it's a start. "

Reaching forward he brushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear and took in the depths of her warm brown eyes. His own heart floating on a level of contentment he'd not felt in years.. if ever before. It was like finding he was a wizard, his first broom ride, ...every good and uplifting thing all rolled into one to have her here in his arms and know that it was alright. That no one would be out to hurt her because of him, that the most threatening thing they might be up against as a result of their love were a few over protective brothers and a possibly disapproving set of parents.. He'd take that any day. Somehow he'd make them see what his heart was screaming at him with feelings rather that words, Ginny was the one..she had to be.. could he honestly love anyone as much as the girl gazing back at him? Much less love someone more? He very much doubted that to be the case.

Pulling back his head he gently tugged Ginny to him, wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug and resting his chin lightly on the top of her head. He stood that way rather content for a moment before his eye caught on a tree bough a foot or so above them. The moonlight caused the drift of snow layered on its twigs to sparkle and glitter and a rather mischievous idea sparked in Harry's mind. Smirking he spoke softly to Ginny as he freed one hand, the other still wrapped about her, and began to reach slowly up for the tip of the branch.

" Has been a nice one though hasn't it? ..white... beautiful.... cold.... "

Their was a nearly tangible smirk behind the tone of his last word as he grasped the end of the branch and gave it a tug before turning it loose again. The result was the entire mass of snow from the limb falling on top of them both. Dusting their shoulders and heads in the icy fluff and shocking them with a chill that Harry had been ready for but that he was fairly certain would have earned him some form of retaliation from Ginny once it had worked its way into the neck of her jacket and the shock had a chance to wear off. Turning her loose he gave a short shout of laughter before tearing off up the path back to the Weasley's garden. Now he he just had to hope to Merlin she'd take his playful gesture with good grace and that he'd not be finding himself on the receiving end of a bat boggie hex..

[ginny]

She felt herself be lifted off the ground by his arms when he pulled her against him. Ginny laughed against his mouth and threw her arms around his neck for support. If she had known that it would be this easy and this right and this... everything, then she would have told him the moment he walked in the door. It had been worse just waiting. If she had known this, there would have been nothing to be worried about. She should have known, really, but her nerves had gotten the best of her and tried to make everything harder and more impossible than it really was. Now, though, that was behind them, and she had him against her.

Ginny loosened her hold to that she could slide back down to her feet. She had to stay on her toes to keep her hands touching behind his head, but it just kept her closer to him than if she would stand on her own completely. She laughed in response to his comment and felt better than she had all vacation. It was quite sad in her mind that a boy could do this to her, but she couldn't really help it now. She didn't know if she wanted to, even.

His fingers brushed over her face, and she could feel the path of tingles that he left. It really wasn't normal for someone to effect her like this. No one had before and no one would after, she knew. Harry was it, that person everyone talked about, the person who made everyone else pale in comparison. It was really crazy to meet them at seventeen, but stranger things had happened - to her specifically, even. When he was looking down at her like that, why would she even deny it to herself? His parents had fallen in love young, hadn't they? What was wrong with her doing the same. Her own parents had even eloped when they were both young and barely out of Hogwarts.

His arms went around her again, this time in a hug. He was warm against her and in contrast to the chilly wind that was starting to pick up. There was a reason there was still snow on the ground. It was cold. She pillowed her head against his chest and just stayed in his warmth for a moment of contentment.

"What?" she replied distractedly since she had hardly been paying attention to anything outside of her own thoughts. It was hard to think outside of them, really. "Mhm," Ginny answered after a second or so of silence that he probably expected her to fill. She didn't have much to answer him with.

Then with a sharp chill, a pile of snow came down on her shoulders and hair. It worked down her back and under her shirt before she had the chance to do anything about it. Harry ripped himself from her grasp and went down the path that lead to her house. Ginny tore after him with a few angry words already on her tongue. "Harry Potter!" she yelled after him. It was a good thing that he had her heart right in his hand, or she would have already hexed him into the next week. Lucky for him, she didn't pull out her wand. She simply relied on her chaser legs to help her catch up to him.

[headauror]

Heading back towards the burrow he turned and ran backwards a few steps smirking at Ginny. A playful comment on the tip of his tongue. That was until he saw how quickly she was closing the distance between them. Merlin! Giving a yelp of surprise he turned to face forward again and had just managed to get inside the gate of the garden when his toe snagged on a stone buried in the ground and he found himself being flung by his own momentum face first into the snow. After a moment of shocked surprise, during which the icy fluff chilled and reddened his skin as he lay there pressed into it, he rolled over on his back laughing. Lifting his arms in a defensive wave to ward off the oncoming assault from Ginny that he knew he so richly deserved, he smirked and managed to get out a few words between chuckles. " ok! ..ok!.. that was wrong of me.. errr.. don't suppose a sorry will save me from paybacks though will it? "

Grinning at her he didn't give her much of a chance to think it over. Scooting back a bit through the snow, out of her reach, he scrambled to his feet one hand coming up to run through the mop of black locks on his head. Casting her a roguish grin he reached out a hand to take her own and pulled her to him. The pale light of the moon filtered down on the snow around them causing the individual tiny ice crystals to sparkle and shimmer. In the silence of the garden harry stared down into Ginny's eyes. His own expression rather wistful and lost in thought. Lifting a hand he rubbed his thumb gently over her cheek before letting out a soft sigh of contentment. His gaze flickered briefly to the garden swing nearby and he jerked his head gently in the direction of it. "Sit with me?.. I've something..well, something I'd like to give you. I missed your birthday when I left.. the gift you gave me.. " His hand went to the back of his neck in a rather bashful gesture.. well, It was better than alright, wasn't it? And...well, I'd like to make up for not being able to get you anything for yours. " Guiding her by gently tugging on her hand Harry made his way over to the swing and sat down. Reaching into his inside jacket pocket he pulled out the small box wrapped in silver with a Rose tied in place across the top in red ribbon. Keeping his eyes on the box he toyed with the ribbon nervously while waiting for Ginny to settle down beside him.

[ginny]

Ginny coaxed herself onward once he passed the gate. She hadn't expected him to find someway to trip, however, so she quickly did the same by stumbling over him and falling into the snow. He lifted his arms against her, but her surprise caught her off guard and made her fall all of her attack. He was laughing should could hear, and it was contagious since she had been somewhat angry a moment before and now couldn't break her smile. As a reply to him came to her, Harry slipped out from under her and backed away a few steps so that he was out of her reach.

She didn't have a chance to answer, but now they were both so completely covered in the cold snow that it hardly seemed to matter. When they went inside she would have to change into warm clothing and sit by the fire until Christmas morning came around or something of the effect to warm her up a bit. Her mother would suspect something in a minute if she came down for the morning with soaked hair and red cheeks. Mum didn't like her midnight flying sessions that seemed to help her out when something was bothering her. Ginny pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked up to see Harry with his hand outstretched toward her. Truce then? Apparently.

Ginny grasped his hand and used it to help her up. Harry pulled her toward him again and just stood there for a few seconds. Ginny didn't say anything as his thumb went across her cheek and only watched him as he gestured toward the swing on the other side of the yard. Ginny had used it since she was little to go out and spend some time on when she was tired of all her brothers or whatever they'd done. Usually they would wait a little while before coming out and making her laugh so that she couldn't be mad anymore. Of course, she would sit with him. Ginny felt her own face flush slightly as he made an embarassed gesture at the memory of his birthday. Before Ron had interrupted they had been on the same train of thought, obviously. Harry answered his own question and tugged her over toward the swing to sit down.

Any comment of him not having to make it up to her died at her lips. He just sat down and pulled out a box, and it seemed to mean something to him to be able to give it to her. Ginny pushed his arms aside, took the box, and moved herself onto his lap. He probably was expecting her to sit beside him, but she had the box in her hands. "Happy birthday and Christmas to me," she stage whispered for him to hear as she picked at the knot of the ribbon. She pulled the rose out from the ribbon and tucked it behind her ear. "I'm afraid I hardly got you anything," she mumbled before she ripped at the paper. She looked over at him since they were both around eye level. "I tried shopping, I promise. But I didn't know what was... supposed to get you." She shrugged her shoulders and looked away, back down at her package. Her fingers hovered over the seam and finally decided to start ripping it away.

[headauror]

The surprise he felt was rather great as rather than settling down next to him she'd in fact taken the box from his hands and settled down right in his lap. Mind you disappointment was not present, but a solid knot formed in Harry's throat that he was certain he'd end up choking on. His gaze lifted briefly to the darkened windows of the burrow and the silent and unmoving door.. If one of her family were to wake up... Merlin. Ginny though didn't seem the least bit concerned. So rather than dwell on what might not even come about, he turned his attention back to the box in her hands. Or at least he began to try to. Right.. he'd not seen Ginny in a long while.. they'd just fanned the embers that had been smoldering in his heart for all that time... and now he found the object of his.... err.. affection, right, that fit to.. and it was a safer thought...sitting in his lap.. Harry shivered a bit from feelings that had very little to do with the cold and a great deal to do with being a seventeen year old boy. Closing his eyes for a moment he forced himself to make an effort at calming his thoughts and feelings. That done he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Ginny, pulling her close and hugging her back against his chest, his arms encircling her waist so that he could watch over her shoulder as she ripped at the silver paper.

Dear Godric please don't let her think it a ridiculous gift.. he thought as he watched the paper slide from the box revealing something silvery white resting in a nest of red tissue paper. He watched as Gin reached into the tissue and pulled out the candle from within. It was easy to see the from the blackened wick that the candle had been lit before, and yet the wax showed no sign of having melted.

Right.. this was the hard part then. He'd always been rubbish at getting his words straight. He was really praying this would be the exception to that tried and proven fact. Moving his lips closer to her ear he dropped his voice to a warm whisper as he looked on the candle Ginny held in her hand.

" See... this candle.. its the ever-burning sort.. and well, its like my feelings for you Gin.. " Turning Ginny's waist lose with one hand he reached for his wand and pulled the tip up to rest against the wick. With a look of concentration and a twitch of his lip that might have been the partial forming of a word, a flame sprang to life creating a soft glow that illuminated their faces, made them stand out from the darkness around them. " ..no matter how long it burns it'll never melt down.. never run out.. never stop giving..." his lips brushed against her ear as his voice put effaces on the word. "... the light a place to glow... and no matter what rows we may get into in the future.." he twitched his wand and a puff of wind from its tip extinguished the flame.. only to have Harry relight it a moment later. " ..or what miss understandings we run into.. " dipping his wand a bit over the flame he watched with her as a small dribble of water fell from the tip extinguishing the flame with a faint hissing sound and soaking the wick enough that, were it a normal candle it would likely have been ruined. Harry re-lit it again. " I'd like you to know that just like this candle, the way I feel about you.. my.. my love for you.. will never run low.. will never run out.. there will always be a 'wick' there for you.. it won't ever end...

Harry held his breath as he waited for Ginny's reaction. He'd spoken from the heart, meant every word...but be damned if he hadn't just sounded like the most sentimental sod in the whole of wizarding kind. Ginny had never been the prissy sort.. she'd probably laugh in his face any moment now.. think it some sappy joke on his part.. his stomach did a horrible nervous somersault at thought... Merlin he hoped that wasn't going to be the case...

[ginny]

His arm around her waist made her feel more secure in her place on his lap. She pushed herself back against him with the small box still in her hands. He didn't seem to mind that she had gone out shopping and didn't know what to buy him. She'd looked through more stores than she wanted to admit and left every single one. What was she allowed to get someone like him? At the time, they weren't dating. They were barely even talking. She really shouldn't have to get him anything, but she had felt like something was warrented for the holidays. Even Hallmark didn't make a card to give an ex-boyfriend that you still had feelings for but were too stupid or nervous or scared or whatever to tell them. Those types of things only happened to her, and there were no proper gifts for it. He rested his head against her shoulder, and her heart did ones of those silly flips it was getting pretty good at. He was either obvious or a prick, perhaps a little bit of both, but she knew that she really didn't mind that much anyway. His arm on her waist kept her from moving better and made her feel safe for one of the first times in a long time. Since her first year and everything that happened then, things had been going crazy and it was starting to go back to a time they could call 'normal'. It was a weird thing to get used to, not worrying about the safety of everyone around her. It would taken longer than she liked to feel safe again after everything they had been through in the past few years.

Now she had happier things to think about. Harry, who was unspokeningly her date again, it seemed, had bought her something for Christmas. She should think abotu Christmas and why it was supposed to be happy, not everything that had happened to her in recent years. Christmas was the time to set all of that aside and forget about it for a little. That was an extra little gift that came with Christmas. She ripped off the rest of the paper and removed the candle from the box. It was certainly a candle, yeah, when she held it in her hand, and she looked up at him slightly questioningly. He probably had a reason for it, but she would be eager to hear what he had to say about it.

Ginny could feel his warm breath by her ear before she could hear him talk. She didn't turn her head, and she just listened to his smooth, quiet whisper at her ear. Sometimes his lips would brush against her while he talked, and she had a bit of a hard time keeping up with what he was saying when he was being so distracting. This, moments like this, when they acted like a silly, young couple were the moments she missed. Wars were no times for love, but now the war was over. So they had reason to celebrate with each other. She leaned against his strong frame and let him speak to her by her ear.

His whispered words went along with the casual lighting, extinguishing, and relighting of the candle. She'd heard of such a thing, obviously. They were used for practical reasons of not having to buy new candles. She'd never thought of them as anything but normal household supplies. But with his voice whispering about love by her ear, the candle in her hand meant more than the one her mother kept by the cookbooks in the kitchen. She let him continue talking without interruption until he finished what seemed to be the bit he had about his intentions with buying her present. She could hear him take a deep breath to prepare himself for whatever she was going to say. He thought she would have something to make fun of him at? Oh, he obviously didn't know how she thought as well as he liked to think he did. She still had a few surprises up her sleeves, it seemed.

Ginny turned from the candle in her hands to face him while she was still on his lap. She lightly smirked up at him, leaning in so that their foreheads touched. "You're such a romantic prat," she teased, smiling all the while at him. She turned entirely to put a knee on each side of him and pull her arms around his neck again. She laughed softly and for what seemed like the dozenth time all night, pressed her lips against his and didn't care if her brothers or parents decided to wake up early. It would be good for them, maybe, to realize that their little Ginny wasn't twelve anymore. She could take care of herself and have her own boyfriend and everything. Even if he was sappy enough for the both of them sometimes.

[headauror]

His gaze having shifted to taken in Ginny's expression and as she turned a bit to smirk up at him, he gave her a small and soft if rather nervous smile.He was fairly certain she was about to thoroughly take the mickey out of him for his corny, if well intended efforts at romance. Of course if she did he'd know she meant no harm in it, that it was simply her own playful nature showing through.. one of the many quality's that had his heart quite completely resting in the palm of the red head seated on his lap's hand. The thing was though that he didn't know how his nerves would handle her having to rich a go at his lame attempt to express himself. He simply so badly wanted to make her understand just how deeply his feelings for her ran. If this came off as a joke to her he'd be at a loss as to any other way to go about it. His fears though turned out to be unfounded. While the smirk was followed by a gentle teasing, it also encompassed the reassuring gesture of Gin's forehead coming to rest against his own. For a moment he felt more calm and content than he had in a very long time.. and then Ginny moved again and the calm part of the equation was put to the test.

Harry's eyes widened a bit in surprise and a shock that was part worry and part thrill flashed through him. Ginny had turned, shifting her position to straddle his lap, he had opened his mouth to comment, return..err.. some wry comment of rubbish or what not, and suggest that it might not be best to be found in such a position if any in her family were to wake early, but as he opened his mouth to do so she was leaning into him, pressing her lips to his own. As her warm mouth met his own he felt his resolve slacken a bit.... ok, so maybe it had a bit of a cave in. Turning his head a bit, molding his lips to fit more securely against her own, he let his back relax into the curve of the swing and shifted his arms which were still wrapped about her. One hand moved gently to her lower back caressing the curve of it there while the other moved up to her neck where his fingers gently grazed the sensitive skin of her nape and tangled themselves lightly in the soft hair that grew at the base of her scalp. How it was humanly possible to feel this warm (was that even the right word for the flush of temperature he felt building within him?) when it was so bloody cold all around them he couldn't say. Nor could he fight down the hyped tempo of his heart rate as it tripped into a higher gear, rushing blood in a hot and pleasant flood to his head and ...other places. Finally pulling his lips back from her own, forehead left to rest again against hers, he flashed a rather wanton grin, his eyes bright with restrained desire. The creature within his chest, the one that made its self know in anything dealing with Ginny and heightened emotions, was feeling rather content and bloated with satisfaction. A soft, deep and rather brazen chuckle came from his chest which was rising and falling a good deal faster than usual. " hmm.. I'm glad you approve.. as for your not having given me anything..." His lips tucked in to peck hers again between words.. " I don't know.. seems to me... that I've been given quite a share of 'gifts' from you tonight.." He grinned wryly. " Seems to be becoming rather a trademark of yours doesn't it?..Not that I'm complaining mind you.. as long as I'm the only recipient. " Smirking he dipped his head in again to resume their kiss, pulling her more securely to him, pressing their bodies as close as their position on the swing would allow. His breathing had picked up again and the hand on her back had just begun to rove slightly, finding its way beneath the edge of her jacket and top, pushing up and under the fabric to rub lightly the smooth skin of her back, when his eyes opened slightly and caught a movmnet by the door, his heart lurched.

Opening them wider he saw that it was merely a garden gnome skittering across the grass. But the spell had been broken and the guilt behind his nervous start reared its unwelcome, and yet he knew necessary, head. The reason his heart had jumped so badly was because that house was full of people he had a great deal of respect for. Though not as great as the respect he had for the girl currently driving him both mentally and physically to be a great daft idiot in his actions.. they'd not appreciate this.. and if it went any farther Gin wouldn't later either.. even though her body language seem to be claiming otherwise. Any farther and he'd regret it. He knew he would.. his plans for himself and the beauty sitting in his lap, making him mental in a very pleasant way..knowing she was doing as much, would be ruined. He'd risk losing not only the respect of her parents and brothers but respect for himself as well.. see that was the thing. His last name might be Potter.. He may have 'lived' at Privet Drive under the thumb of the Dursleys in his youth, but he'd not had the respect for them that he held for Arthur and Molly.. his morals were ingrained with a Weasley base to them, and he knew to go farther than he currently was would be testing his resolve to stop short of something that it would be wrong to have happen. ..Or have happen yet anyway. Somehow, someday.. Ginny Weasley was going to be his wife.. that or his heart was going to shrivel up and blow away from pining after the girl he so longed to have as his own. Sighing lightly in a frustration he tried his best to cover up with a grin. He pulled back from Ginny and dropped both hands to rest lightly on her hips. Resting his forehead against hers again for a moment, willing his heart to calm, the feelings of desire to flee. When he finally felt himself to be under control his grin widened, more real now even if it didn't match the shadow of disappointment in his eyes. Patting Ginny's hips, which must have gotten wet from the snow, as he could feel the dampness with his fingers.. funny he hadn't noticed before..she was on his lap after all, but then his were likely just as wet and this to he'd failed to take note of. Damned if she couldn't make him fail to notice most anything when she was around.. and this close... Harry blinked roughly.. no, don't fall into that way of thought again, knock it off Potter and do what's right. Flashing Ginny a crooked smile he raised a brow.. " You... " He grasped her hips and lifted her in his arms, her legs wrapped about him as he stood, before pecking her once more quickly on the lips and shifting her around to carry her bride style into the house. " ..are, soaked.. your going to catch your death out here Gin.. lets get you back inside so you can find something dry to put on alright? " That said he headed for the door.

[ginny]

She hadn't expected him to push her away, but Ginny wasn't sure that she was expecting his reaction. He would kiss her back, yes, but she hadn't expected him to react so eagerly. She wouldn't have been surprised if she got a scolding from him for kissing too near the house where her mother could see them. This was hardly in his character when her parents were only a few feet and a wall or so away. That wasn't to say she objected, not in the least. Ginny pushed herself upward and ran her fingers through his hair to the base of neck. She couldn't remember kissing him like this before. Usually there was some kind of fragile wall between them, something that kept them from getting like this. Somehow it had come down tonight, and Ginny didn't mind in any way.

Ginny kissed him just as greedily until her pulled himself away to rest their foreheads together. She returned his grin and stuck her tongue out playfully. Outside it was probably quiet in the early hours of Christmas Day. She couldn't tell, though. There was a buzzing in her ears while his voice washed over her. She half paid attention and was half caught in her thoughts of how everything had changed in a matter of an hour or two. When she had gone to bed, she had been miserable and looking forward to an awkward holiday of trying to convince her parents that nothing was wrong. Now it seemed as if Christmas vacation would never be long enough to see her brothers and Harry, of course. She would have to go back to school and finish the year off without seeing him again. Maybe that was enough to dampen Christmas. But she wouldn't think about that now. She had ever reason to be happy.

She couldn't help the laugh that came from his words. She felt so carefree and silly, something that had happened since the Battle and Fred and everything in between. Since the end of the past school year she hadn't talked much and stayed in her dorm and got her homework done on time and sometimes skipped a Quidditch practice. She hadn't been herself since this vacation, not really, and everyone had noticed. "That saves me the worry of buying you anything from now on," she answered teasingly as she kissed the end of his nose and settled back with their foreheads touching.

"You're not regifting, I hope," she mumbled before he kissed her again. Godric, how did she do without him? It seemed like part of her had finally come back to complete her in a way that she didn't remember. They shifted together on the swing as his hand slipped up the back of her jacket. She would have thought that she would feel cold, but his warm hand against her kept the chill out. Ginny was content to keep kissing him until something snapped him out of whatever he had been under.

She wasn't sure that had brought it about right then, but she knew what it was about. He had a set of morals that no one would probably believe, and they were coming out now. His hands dropped to her hips, and she didn't say anything as he seemed to calm himself down. He grinned at her to show that he was fine again, and she sighed a little louder than she had intended. Poor bloke. He didn't know that it was impossible to make her parents and her happy at the same time, and he was trying to do just that. It took another few seconds before he decided that he could speak to her properly. Poor Harry, really.

Without much warning, she was lifted up into the air as her stood. Auror training made him strong, if it did nothing else. She clung onto him as he turned her in his arms and carried her with an arm under her legs and shoulders. He kissed her lightly and headed for the front door of the house. "All right, all right," she answered. He would probably buddle her up in everything he could find and stick her in front of the fire for hours if she let him. poor, overprotective bloke. Ginny kissed his shoulder despite the jacket over it and worked her head into the space at his shoulder. She yawned widely. Getting up to fly in the middle of the night didn't do wonders for her sleep. "Wonder if they're all up yet," she mumbled sleepily into his shoulder.

[headauror]

A warm smile lit his face as Ginny seemed to reluctantly give in to his decision to go inside. As she kissed his shoulder and snuggled her head into the bend of it he watched her mouth open in a yawn and chuckled softly. Cute.. Bracing Ginny against his chest and arm by leaning back a bit he reached forward with the tips of his fingers to open the door and then quickly returned his full grasp to her shoulders. His shoulders shrugged lightly so as not to upset her resting head. " It's a bit early.. think we may have while yet.. but we can wait in the living room can't we?..won't mind spending just a bit more time alone with me I hope?" Flashing her a lopsided grin he headed in through the door, shutting it behind him with a foot before setting off towards the stairs. The house was dark yet as it was still while before dawn. Harry paused at the foot of the darkened stair well to set Ginny on her feet for a moment and draw his wand. His lips formed the beginning of the word lumos though they fell silent before ever completing it and a bright tip of light shown at the end of his wand. Scooping Ginny back up into his arms he held the wand in the hand beneath her knees and stated up the stairs. Mrs. Weasley had finished the job the previous afternoon of wrapping the garland around the banister, and it twinkled and shimmered merrily as they passed in the light cast by his wand.

Once he'd reached the door to her room he slowly lowered her feet to the ground. Grinning as he held on to her waist to be sure she was steady. "Get something dry on alright? I'll do the same and meet you in the living room." Placing a gentle and slow kiss on her lips he then watched until Ginny's door shut behind her and then made his way up to Ron's room. His happy grin turned into an all out silent chuckle as the loud rumbles and grunts of his best mates snoring sounded off the moment he'd opened the door. Simple things.. like his affection for the rumpled mass of limbs piled in a snoring heap on the bed.. and the stolen moments with the beautiful red head now changing down the hall, reminded him of how lucky he was to be here.. how easily things could have taken a different twist..had a different fate.. and it made him very grateful for every moment he was now able to spend with these people he cared for so much.

Shrugging off his jacket and tugging off his damp jeans and shirt, he instead dawned a tee shirt which he covered with a thick maroon sweat shirt and a pair of sweat pants to match. He might be out of school now, but house pride was something he'd found hard to relinquish. That done he spared another glance from beneath his mop of black hair to take in the ginger head with a decent spot of drool on the pillow beneath it, and he stifled a laugh. Merlin he'd like to take the Mickey out of Ron for that sight.. but seeing as he was obviously still deeply asleep Harry instead crept quietly back out the way he'd come. On reaching Ginnys door again he'd been about to pass when he'd heard a noise from inside. So she hadn't left to head down to the living room yet, right. His hand hesitated over the door knob.. he'd love to slips in, wrap his arms around her should she be turned away and surprise her with some well placed affection. But she might not be dressed just yet.. that in and of its self was enough of a reason to stay his hand.. adding to it the reaction he'd cause if one of the other Weaslys were to find him in there. But beyond that a rather pressing and excited feeling in his chest that had risen at the idea of Ginny being..err...no quite ready, warred with his common sense that maybe turning that handle wouldn't be the smartest of moves. Right, his brain won the battle.

Pulling his hand back he headed down the stairs and into the living room. it was still dark and quite. He picked up a log from the small stack kept for the purpose and added it to the barely smoldering embers in the grate. Drawing his wand he murmured a few words and it flared to life at the tip as he shot an unspoken spell of fire at the base of the log and it erupted into a bright and happy fire. Flames dancing in a bright hue of colors beyond the spectrum of typical fire. Grinning and the subtle blues, greens, and purples that flickered along with the reds, yellows, and oranges he turned and made his way across the festively decorated living room, snagging a hand knit throw blanket off one of the chairs before settling on the couch to wait for Gin to come down.