Chapter Text
Ginny woke up to the buzz of activity - she could hear her roommates walking around, throwing their belongings into their trunks, packing for their time away during Christmas. But the thought took about ten seconds to sink in. And when it did, Ginny shot up from bed at great speed. She hadn’t packed either, and they were leaving from Hogwarts in - she checked the watch - an hour.
Ginny groaned, deciding that bathing was a higher priority. She made her way to the shower and got ready in record time. Only then did she begin to gather some of the clothes and personal belongings she wanted to take back home for Christmas. When she finally grabbed Arnold’s cage, she saw that she only had ten minutes to gather in the Common Room with the rest of the Gryffindors headed home.
“Ginny, are you ready?” Willow, her roommate, asked. She was leaning over her bed to catch a glimpse of Ginny. “You came back pretty late last night. How did the party go?”
Ginny forced herself to smile and act casual.
“It was good fun.”
“And? Are things official with Dean yet? Did he grab you and take you under a Mistletoe?”
There had certainly been some grabbing, but Ginny wasn’t ready to reveal who with.
“Right, I didn’t get a chance to tell you,” she said. “I didn’t take Dean to the party after all. I just wasn’t feeling it with him, you know?”
“Oh.” Willow looked taken aback for a bit - not many girls would throw away the opportunity to date the most good-looking boy in Gryffindor after all. But then she shook it off and shrugged. “Does that mean I can hit on him then?”
Ginny smiled.
“Oh, absolutely.”
“How come you were back so late then?”
“Oh, I was just hanging out with friends.”
“Does that happen to include Harry Potter?”
Ginny hoped that the colour of her cheeks didn’t change at the mention of his name. She tried to sound as nonchalant as she could manage.
“Yeah, of course, he was there.”
“Right, and is that why you’re not with Thomas anymore?”
Ginny laughed.
“Do you hear yourself? Harry Potter and me? There’s no way.” Ginny made a show of checking the clock. “You know, we should head down. I think Hermione is waiting for me. I won’t see her during the holidays, you know.”
And then she waved at Willow and left the dorm.
Ginny was still reeling from the events of the previous night. And she wasn’t ready to talk about Harry with people yet.
Her relationship with Harry had grown so gradually that she hadn’t seen it coming at all - one day, he was proclaiming loudly at the Yule Ball that he would never date Ginny Weasley and two years later, here they were, dating. But that transition had been slow - they’d become friends first, shared their vulnerabilities, and relied on each other for comfort. And only then had Ginny begun to allow herself to feel those long-buried feelings again.
While she didn’t exactly know how it had been for Harry - they hadn’t necessarily talked about how his feelings came to be, not amid all the snogging last night - he had been plenty obvious about what he felt about Ginny. Most everyone had noticed how he stared after her, how he held onto every word she said, or how he laughed the loudest when she cracked a joke. So she wasn’t surprised when Willow asked about Harry.
Not yet confident about whether her face would betray her feelings on the matter, Ginny hurriedly made her way to the Common Room, where most of the students had already gathered.
Ginny found Hermione sitting with Harry and Ron, their trunks piled together in one spot. Ginny made her way towards them, trying to keep a straight face when Harry’s eyes darted towards her. The smirk that lit up Harry’s face was so subtle that she was confident that it was only meant for her.
Merlin, she thought. She wasn’t yet ready for a confident, teasing Harry.
“Took you long enough,” Ron said. “We’re leaving soon. McGonagall’s letting us use the Floo in her office, so we don’t have to take the Knight Bus this year.”
“That’s great,” Ginny said, half-heartedly. She turned to Hermione. “Do you have a minute?”
Hermione threw a quick look towards Harry and Ron, who were engaged in their own conversation, before turning back to Ginny and leading her away towards a more private spot. It might have been a figment of her imagination, but it seemed like Ron had a slightly panicked look as he watched them go.
“I have something to tell you.”
“I have something to tell you.”
A pause, and then both Hermione and Ginny laughed.
“Okay, you first,” Hermione said.
“Harry kissed me.”
Hermione inhaled loudly, a look of pure happiness crossing her face.
“Ginny, I’m so happy for you. Does this mean you two are together now?”
“Yes, but of course, there’s lots more to talk about. We’re not telling anyone at home yet so please don’t say anything to Ron.”
“As if I would ever.”
Ginny nudged Hermione in the ribs playfully.
“Now you.”
“It seems romance was in the air,” Hermione said, cryptically and blushed deeply. “I kissed Ron last night.”
Ginny felt the need to squeal, which wasn’t her usual style, but unique situations called for unique reactions. She held herself back though. Harry and Ron were not too far away.
“Are you serious?” Hermione nodded. “How, when?”
“We were leaving the party together since you and Harry had disappeared. I think we were both a bit tipsy from the drinks. And I don’t know, maybe it was the lighting, or the fact that we’d danced and spent a positively amazing evening together, I had this surge of confidence and I kissed him!”
At these words, Hermione looked more embarrassed than Ginny had ever seen her.
“How was it?”
“Very chaste. He was a bit taken aback so he didn’t necessarily kiss me back. But he also didn’t move away or anything.” Hermione bit her lip, unsure. “I don’t know if it was a good idea though. He was so red afterwards and hasn’t spoken two words to me since then.”
“Trust my brother to overcomplicate things with a girl he’s liked all his life,” Ginny said. She squeezed Hermione’s shoulders with her hands, hoping to offer some comfort. “Listen, give him some time to stew on it. After the holidays, confess how you feel. And then let him take the lead. He might be thick, but he’s still a Weasley. He can’t stay away from things he wants. We are not known for our self-control.”
It was crass, but Hermione laughed.
“I can’t believe we both kissed our lifelong crushes last night.”
“Hmm yeah, a good day for us.”
The crowd was moving now - McGonagall was leading the crowd to her office to use the Floo. Hermione gave Ginny a quick farewell hug.
“I’ll send your present by owl post,” Hermione said quickly. “I have to take the Knight Bus still. My parents haven’t gotten the permit to hook their fireplace to the Floo network yet.”
“Right, I’ll see you after the holidays then.”
Hermione parted ways with them outside in the corridor as she made her way outside the castle to catch the Knight Bus. The rest of the students filed into McGonagall’s office, where they called out their homes one by one, disappearing into green flames. Ron, Harry, and Ginny were standing off to the side, expecting their names to be called out last. Weasley wasn’t usually at the top of alphabetical lists.
Finally, when their names were called, Ron was the first to jump forward, clearly eager to head home. He took the Floo powder from McGonagall and disappeared into the Floo. Ginny threw a smile towards Harry. Even a second without Ron seemed like an opportunity to appreciate the fact that they were now, in fact, together.
Harry’s fingers brushed against hers, deliberately, as he took some Floo powder as well. Within seconds, he disappeared, but not before he’d winked in her direction as he was engulfed in green flames.
“Here you go, Miss Weasley.”
Ginny turned to McGonagall.
“Have a good Christmas, Professor.”
The lady nodded stiffly, her eyes kind.
And then in a rush of flames, Ginny saw the last of Hogwarts for a while.
HGHGHGHG
Ginny barely got any time alone with Harry at the Burrow. Their house was packed with people since the twins were back for the holidays and Fleur seemed to be in every room that Ginny stepped into.
“We do Christmas very differently in France,” Fleur was remarking that morning, much like other mornings as she assisted Ginny’s mother in the kitchen. “My maman makes delicious foie gras, none of zeese ‘orrible mince pies.”
As soon as Ginny heard Fleur’s proclamation, she swerved clear of the kitchen - the last thing she wanted was to be forced to help in the kitchen so that her mum didn’t have to be alone with Fleur. Ginny quickly changed paths and went back up towards Ron’s bedroom, determined to find more Christmas decorations in the attic, although she was sure she’d put up enough already. A few more decorations couldn’t hurt, and if she couldn’t spend time with Harry, she might as well save herself from having to spend time with Fleur.
When Ginny knocked on her brother’s bedroom door, there wasn’t any response, so she knocked louder. She heard a low shuffling inside the room and then the door was thrown open, and a very dishevelled Harry stood behind the door. He was sans glasses, clearly just having woken up, his hair sticking up in ways that made her heart flutter. His eyes widened at her.
“Well, you’re certainly sleeping in today,” Ginny said, pushing through the door and stepping into the room. Harry scrambled to find his glasses and then put them on, clearing his throat hastily.
“Yeah, I think Mrs Weasley may have instructed Ron not to wake me up,” Harry said, his voice sounding more gruff than usual. “I thought that I might as well use the time to catch up on sleep.”
“Right, and where’s Ron?”
“I think he’s de-gnoming the garden with Fred and George.” Harry cleared his throat again. “Ginny, you shouldn’t be here.” And then he nervously glanced towards the door, which was closed almost all the way, leaving a sliver of parting through which someone could spy on them.
“I’m not here for you, Harry,” Ginny said, rather quickly. Harry deflated at her words, which she found adorable but didn’t comment on. “I was hoping Ron would accompany me into the attic. I want to see if there’s any more Christmas decorations in there and I don’t fancy seeing the ghoul on my own.”
“Oh, well alright.” And then Harry held up his hand and pointed towards the door. “Er, I could go with you?”
Ginny was the first to exit the room, Harry following her gingerly, barefoot and in his loose pyjamas. She reached up for the hatch, but being as short as she was, her fingers could barely scrape the handle.
“Don’t you think I should do that?” Harry asked. “You know, since you’re so short.”
“No, I’ve got it.”
Ginny had this petty streak which made her want to do anything that someone else thought she couldn’t do. And so she jumped, trying to catch a hold of the hatch. She failed, so she jumped again, and then once more.
“Erm, not that I mind the view Gin, but your shirt rides up every time you jump,” Harry said, with a partly shy, partly smug smile. Ginny stopped at once. “I thought I should let you know, for decency’s sake.”
“I didn’t know you were a dirty peep, Harry.”
“I’m not,” Harry said, moving her aside by grabbing her shoulders. He then reached up without any struggle and pulled the hatch open. The ladder descended right in front of where Ginny stood. “I’ve been nothing but a gentleman with you.”
“Sure,” Ginny snorted. “Our first date was in an abandoned bathroom, Harry. I wonder with what intentions a gentleman takes a girl to an abandoned bathroom.” At that, Harry’s cheeks burned red and Ginny laughed in triumph. “Follow me.”
Ginny climbed the ladder first, Harry following behind. The musty smell of the attic and the haunting groans of the ghoul hit her at the same time. She looked around, trying to spot where the ghoul was, but she couldn’t see it anywhere. She wondered if he was hiding behind boxes and spare dressers, which he often liked to do. She had only interacted with the ghoul a handful of times, but she knew that he was harmless, unless he found something to chuck at people who entered the attic.
Ginny stood to the side as Harry climbed in next to her.
“Right, let’s look in these boxes right here,” Ginny pointed to a pile on their right. As Harry and Ginny rummaged through the box, she kept pulling out bits and baubles that they could add to the three. She also found more paper to make chains with and a couple of old wreaths that her mother could surely restore with a wave of her wand.
“I think that should be enough,” Ginny said, pushing the box back towards the other pile. She and Harry got back up, brushing the dust off their knees. It was only now that the task at hand was done that Ginny became aware of how close and alone they were, with none of her pestering brothers interrupting this moment with Harry.
So, before she could overthink, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss on Harry, who stepped back in surprise but regained his composure in seconds, his hand coming to rest on her waist almost immediately after. She felt Harry kiss her back, his lips moving with conviction, his hands roaming on her back. They had only been together for a few days and had kissed only in the shadow of the Chamber of Secrets, so it still felt new and alien, having Harry’s lips on hers. But it was new in a good way, which made her stomach flip furiously.
“So this is why you brought me here,” Harry whispered, his breath tickling her ear as he kissed his way up her jaw. “No,” Ginny replied, holding Harry closer with her hands around his waist. “I mostly just wanted protection from the ghoul, but he doesn’t seem to be in a playful mood. So why waste a solitary moment which we might never get again, seeing as my brother refuses to leave you alone?”
Harry pulled back, keeping his hands around her still, but far away enough that he could look at her seriously for a moment.
“He’s being weird. I’m worried.”
“Weird how?” Ginny asked.
“I don’t know. He clams up every time I ask him about the Christmas Party. I’m worried that he maybe found out about us somehow, and is now plotting ways to kill me,” Harry said with a fully straight face, but Ginny laughed at the notion anyway. “Seriously, he might sell me off to Voldemort if he realised that I’m messing around with you behind his back.”
Ginny laughed even louder.
“Harry, first of all, Ron has no clue that you and I are together, okay? No one knows. No one saw us, and we’ve told no one.” Ginny paused for a minute, unsure whether telling Harry about Hermione was the best idea. She went ahead anyway. “Well, except Hermione.” Harry gasped audibly. “And I told her right before we left Hogwarts, so unless she’s sent Ron a letter, she had no opportunity to tell him anything. Not that she would.”
Harry relaxed a bit.
“Right,” Harry said, nodding a bit, one of his hands now playing with the stray strands of hair that fell on Ginny’s shoulder.
“And secondly, Ron has basically been trying to push us together since I broke up with Michael. Why would he mind at all that you and I are together?” Harry looked genuinely confused. “Don’t you remember how he told me to find someone better next time and then pointedly looked at you last year?”
“That’s what he meant?”
“Of course. Who would he rather I date, you or anyone else?”
Harry shrugged his shoulders.
“I just thought he’d rather you turn into an old maid with no guys ever allowed within fifty feet of you.” Harry scratched his chin thoughtfully. “On second thoughts, he might allow you to date Joey Jenkins if you asked him.”
Ginny snorted.
“Right, as if I would be caught dead with a Chudley Cannons player.” She held up her hands. “No, thanks.” Harry chuckled a bit but looked worried again. “Look, we’ll tell him once we’re back at the castle, okay? Stop being so worried. Oh, and try not to stare so much during dinner. I don’t know about Ron, but Mum can sniff budding romances from a mile away. She’s been watching Bill and Fleur like a hawk.”
Harry smiled, placing a chaste but tender kiss on her nose.
“I can’t help it. You look so cute when you’re stuffing your face like a Weasley.”
“Careful, Potter,” Ginny said, pushing herself closer to Harry. “If that’s what you’re into, you’ll soon be in love with Ron over me.”
“Not very likely. He doesn’t have your talent at kissing.”
“That’s it!” Ginny suddenly exclaimed, stepping back from Harry a bit. “That’s why he’s being so weird with you.”
“Because he’s not as good at kissing as you?” Harry seemed genuinely puzzled. One of his eyebrows shot up so high that it disappeared behind his messy fringe.
Ginny couldn’t help but laugh a bit, before she explained, “No, not that. Kissing is why he’s being weird.” Ginny wasn’t entirely sure whether this was her secret to share, but they were talking about it anyway, so she added, “Hermione kissed him. After the Christmas Party.”
“What?” Harry looked halfway between shocked and delighted. “She did? Really?”
“Yeah, she told me. Just when I told her about us.”
“Right.” Harry was evidently not yet comfortable with the idea that Hermione knew about them, and probably even less comfortable with what he knew about her and Ron. “That’s just- I mean, I don’t know what to say.”
“What’s there to say?” Ginny shrugged. “Be happy for them.”
“Are they together now?” Harry’s eyes widened in alarm.
“Not that I know of. I think Hermione said that Ron is being weird towards her and they haven’t talked about it yet.” Harry’s facial expression changed, to what Ginny would have guessed as relief. “I know my brother is an idiot, but he’ll figure out that this is the best thing that will ever happen to him in his miserable life. And then, all will be well.”
Harry seemed a bit distracted, looking off in the direction of the decaying dresser, where scratches could now be heard. No doubt, the ghoul was hiding behind it. Ginny nudged Harry with her hand.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, it’s stupid,” Harry said, giving his head the tiniest of shakes.
“Tell me,” Ginny insisted.
Harry heaved a big sigh.
“I don’t know. I’ve always been afraid that Ron and Hermione will get together. I know it’s a bit selfish of me to think like this, but what if they didn’t work out? Then they’d be like me and Cho - we can’t even be in the same room with each other. Ron and Hermione, if they break up, I’ll lose the only two friends I’ve ever had.”
“Harry,” Ginny said carefully, trying to be as calm and kind as she could be, even though what she’d just heard almost made her want to fly off the handle. “I’m sorry, but you’re being such a wanker.” Taken aback by her words, but perhaps not entirely disagreeing with them, Harry looked sheepish. “Ron and Hermione would never leave you, no matter how their relationship turns out.” Harry didn’t look too sure, so she continued.
“Plus, you’re taking your chance with me, aren’t you? Despite knowing that we could also break up and then maybe couldn’t stand the sight of each other. So how can you not let Ron and Hermione take that chance? They’ve been crazy about each other for years. They deserve to give it a shot!”
Harry sighed again.
“You’re right, of course, I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright,” Ginny said, taking his hand, hoping that he wouldn’t push her away for being too harsh on him. “Given what your life has been like, I sometimes forget that you’re just a moron after all.”
“Hey!”
Ginny laughed and pulled Harry in for a soft and chaste kiss. Before either of them could deepen the kiss, they heard Ron scream from below, “Harry? Ginny? Are you guys in the attic?”
“Yes,” Ginny shouted back, still wrapped up in Harry’s arms, who seemed surprisingly relaxed, given that her brother could basically walk in on them any second. Perhaps because Harry had full confidence that Ron was too lazy to climb up the attic ladder.
“What are you both doing up there?”
Harry was right, Ron was not even attempting to climb the ladder and instead chose to scream at them through the hole in the floor.
“Chatting up the ghoul,” Ginny replied, trying not to giggle as Harry put his lips right against her neck. Merlin, the cheek on this boy. Ginny wondered if anyone apart from her had seen this side of Harry. “What do you think, thickhead? I was getting more Christmas decorations. Harry was helping me out.”
“Oh well, hurry up! Breakfast is ready. I’m starving. And I reckon mum won’t give us a single bite until Harry shows his precious mug at the table.”
At this, Harry laughed against Ginny’s mouth, but only after he gave her what she could only describe as the most earth-shattering kiss she had ever received. He was getting more confident and bold, she gathered. She was both loving and hating it at the same time.
“Right, we should go, before he decides to come drag us down.”
Harry ignored her and kissed her again, deeply.
“I think I could kiss you forever.”
“Me too,” she agreed. Right on cue, her stomach grumbled, reminding her of the breakfast waiting for them downstairs. “Except, food takes priority.”
“Ah well, serves me right for dating a Weasley.”
The two of them shared one last tender smile and made their way downstairs to join the rest of the Weasleys. While Ginny might not be getting as much private time with her new boyfriend - it still thrilled her to think of Harry as her boyfriend - as she would have wanted, she was happy enough to steal these moments when they could.
She had never imagined it to be easy, dating Harry Potter, but seeing as this was what she’d dreamed of for years, she was open to the challenge. After all, it couldn’t be easy for Harry either.
Ginny went down the ladder first, unaware of the way Harry stared at her, his thoughts a complete opposite of what Ginny was thinking. Harry’s life had been so full of hardships that being with Ginny felt like the easiest thing he’d ever done. He felt lighter than he had in years and for the first time in his life, he could see a future for himself that didn’t just include the death and darkness promised by Voldemort.
Harry was overwhelmed by this feeling - the feeling that great things could now happen to him, all because he was dating Ginny Weasley.