Ginny came home from Neville�s feeling emotionally worn out, but more honest in her own skin than she had felt in a long time. She was lost in her own thoughts and didn�t see him waiting for her.

�Ginny?�

She froze at her door and turned to see Harry sitting on the stair above. She felt her heart drop down to her toes.

�Harry! You scared me.�

He smiled sheepishly at her. �Sorry. I didn�t know when you�d be home, so... I waited. I was going to see if you wanted to grab a bite to eat or... if I could join you and... Neville for dinner.�

His voice sounded nervous but he met her eyes as he spoke. Again Ginny was struck by how clearly the new glasses brought out the intensity of his eyes.

�Er... well, actually-� Ginny paused, her stomach suddenly grumbling. She hadn�t eaten all day, she realized.

�You�ve probably already eaten, I reckon. My mistake. I�ll owl ahead next time.�

Harry made as though to go down the stairs, and despite the voice in her head that told her to let him, she stopped him.

�No, I haven�t eaten, Harry. I was just about to fix something quick, but you�re more than welcome to join me if you like.�

His face broke out into a grin and Ginny again cursed her easily excitable heart. She let them into her flat and unconsciously shrugged off the robe she�d borrowed from Neville. She didn�t notice the way Harry seemed to freeze as he took in the way she looked, the way his eyes appreciated her form in the soft, cotton dress. If she had, she might not have been able to continue with fixing dinner.

Harry stood at the counter as she pulled down the ingredients she wanted. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she thrust a carrot at him and told him to chop it.

�Well, make yourself useful. This isn�t the Burrow, anyone who eats here, earns their keep.�

Harry grinned again and did as he was told. He grabbed a plate to chop on and a knife from the drawer. They settled into an agreeable silence that was filled with the soft noises of knives cutting and chopping. Ginny grabbed an old cooking cauldron and placed it above an open jar of blue flames. She dropped in the vegetables she had been cutting and looked over to see the progress Harry had made.

�Harry.�

He looked up, startled. �What?�

Ginny giggled. �If Snape saw the way you�d been cutting that carrot, he�d deduct points from Gryffindor before you could say Wolfsbane.�

Harry looked down at the mess he�d created and shook his head. �Sorry, a bit out practice, I reckon. Didn�t have much need to cut carrots or anything else in America while I was there.�

�Here, let me,� Ginny said with a smile and took the carrots off his hands. As she was pulling the plate from him, their hands touched briefly. Ginny pulled away quickly and looked down, embarrassed.

�Er... right. Well, what else can I do to help, then?�

�Um... you can get the bowls down from that cabinet there,� Ginny said with a toss of her head. �And set the table. I have a loaf of bread in the breadbox too, if you�d like some with the stew.�

�As you wish,� Harry said with a grin and she ignored the loudness of her heart in her ears. She couldn�t believe that just a few hours ago she�d been crying in Neville�s arms and now here she was cooking dinner for her and Harry. Her life had taken a turn for the surreal.

She emptied the last of the carrot into the stew and made the flame burn a bit hotter, with her wand. It only needed to boil and it would be ready. A quick stew was her specialty, thankfully. She walked out of the kitchen area to see what Harry had gotten up to and stopped, her mouth hanging open.

Harry had indeed set the table. Complete with lighted candles and a bouquet of flowers he must have conjured up.

�Sorry,� he said as he saw her face, �Reckon it�s terribly presumptuous of me to do that, but I couldn�t resist seeing what you looked like in the candlelight.�

�Harry-�

�I know, Ginny. I have no right. Like I said in my letter. I know you�re with Neville and this is probably breaking some sort of rule, but if I can�t have all of you, I�ll take whatever little bit I can get. I really want to make amends, Ginny.�

Harry walked over to her and looked into her eyes. He looked so earnest and so completely honest in his emotions, that Ginny felt her breath catch. Where was the Harry that blushed when you looked at him? Where was the Harry that had pushed her away? The memory of that brought her crashing down to earth.

�You�re right Harry, it is very presumptuous. I thought we could be friends and have a normal friendly dinner. For all you know, I could have just come back from Neville�s an engaged woman. Yet again you assume the world revolves around you. Do you expect me to just go falling into your arms and breaking the heart of a man who adores me?�

Harry pulled back at the bitterness in her voice and looked down. Shaking his head, he stepped away from her, but he didn�t turn away like she expected him to.

�You�re right, of course. I reckon it was seeing how lovely you looked in that dress that did it. I was telling myself that this is how it could be for us if we were together. But we�re not. I know it�s wrong but I�m not going apologize for wanting to have a nice romantic meal with you. I�ve dreamt about it for far too long.�

Ginny laughed, something that caused Harry to look up, surprised. �You�ve dreamt about it? Exactly when did you start having these dreams Harry? Was it the day after you left? The week? Or was it the day after you slept with Cho Chang that did it? Was she really that bad?�

Ginny couldn�t believe those words had just come out of her mouth. She hadn�t thought of that incident in a very long time. Indeed, ever since she�d heard that Cho had married Roger Davies three years ago, she�d put the woman out of her mind. A flicker of emotion crossed Harry�s face and she felt gratified to see a flash of anger there.

�Cho? What does Cho have to do with any of this?�

�Plenty. Everything,� Ginny said, and she paced back and forth. �Except you never knew that I knew about your little fling with Chang, did you? You made such a big speech about wanting to be alone and not wanting to love anyone. And yet the first week back to London, you jumped into bed with her, didn�t you Harry? Was I really so unappealing back then that you had to get me out of your mind or was Cho just an easy conquest? No strings attached?�

Harry looked at her, shocked. �Ginny, look... what happened five years ago-�

�What happened five years ago is that you rejected me, Harry Potter. You kissed me and made me feel alive... feel complete even, and then you took it away. You took yourself away. From Hogwarts and from everyone. And then that wasn�t enough, you had to put an ocean between us and you never wrote, did you Harry? Not in five long years. Not to Neville and not to me. Two of your so-called friends. And now here you are, in my dinning room, with lighted candles and pretty flowers and you think that you can just look at me like that and I�ll melt and forget about everything except you. Love doesn�t happen that way Harry. But then, I reckon you never have really known how it works.�

Ginny folded her arms and didn�t look at him. She felt hot and twisted inside, as though she had run up a hill at mid-day. But she wasn�t going to let him see her cry.

Harry sat down in one of the chairs and didn�t say anything for awhile. Ginny snuck a peek at him out of the corner of her eye, but couldn�t read his expression.

�Right again, Ginny,� he said softly and she turned to face him. �I reckon I am being selfish, as always. I�m an idiot. I�m sorry, truly I am. I never meant to cause this much... you hate me and you have a right and I�m a git.�

Ginny expected him to leave then and turned around. He�ll be running away, any second,she thought to herself. When she didn�t hear anything, she turned around and saw him watching her.

�No, Ginny. I�m not leaving. Not this time. Not until you ask me. What I said in my letter is the truth. I want to be with you and I�ll wait until you don�t hate me anymore. Even if it takes the rest of my life.�

Ginny opened up her mouth to tell him to leave, to irrationally tell him to get out of her life, when she remembered what Neville had told her earlier.

...Make yourself happy, someday. That you�ll listen to your heart and do what it says and you won�t take no for answer from him this time. That you�ll fight him if he�s stupid enough to push you away...

But Harry wasn�t pushing her away, was he? He was actively seeking her out and he wanted to be with her... and apparently, he wasn�t taking no for an answer. So what was she doing? Yelling at him and bringing up the past...

Make yourself happy.

Ginny shook her head. No, it wasn�t supposed to be this easy. She was supposed to feel guilty about Neville and she was supposed to make Harry pay for breaking her heart. He didn�t deserve to come in here and look at her as though she was the only woman in the world to him. She didn�t deserve to feel as though it were true.

She heard a crash and loud popping noise from her kitchen and suddenly remembered the stew.

�Oh no! Dinner!�

Ginny quickly went into the kitchen, to find that the cauldron had decided to melt and eject bits of her stew all over the floor. Ginny bent down to pick up a big piece of cauldron bottom that was floating in her ruined dinner.

�Well, I reckon eating is definitely out of the question now,� Harry said from the doorway.

She looked up at him and suddenly the absurdity of the situation, the over-run of emotions she�d had all day, from the grumpiness of Matilda Bowering to the heart ache of breaking up with Neville, finally got to her. Ginny let out a sound that sounded like a half-moan, half-laugh and fell on the floor, her legs giving out beneath her.

Harry jumped over the stew and was at her side, concerned. �It�s alright Ginny, I�ll repair the cauldron, I�m sure there is something you can salvage...�

�No that�s not it. It�s just... Oh, Harry,� Ginny said as she shook her head at him. �We really are two of the most stubborn people, ever.�

Harry frowned in confusion but blinked when she reached up and pulled him down towards her. Ginny pulled him in close to her, her lips inches away from his.

Harry didn�t pull away and she watched as he swallowed, nervous. �Er... Ginny... did you hit your head somehow, because you�re-�

He never got to finish the thought because suddenly Ginny didn�t want to hear his voice any longer. She only wanted to feel his lips on hers. She wanted to feel what making herself happy really felt like.

Sometime later, a slightly shocked Harry pulled away from Ginny and smiled as he looked at her. Her eyes were closed and she had a tender smile on her face, as though she were dreaming a wonderful dream. She opened her eyes and looked at him, questioning.

�Er... well, as much as I�d like to continue kissing you, I do have to admit, the position and the circumstances do leave a bit to be desired.�

Harry looked downward and Ginny followed with her eyes. A second later she was laughing at him. Harry felt the warmth of it travel over his skin and he was almost sorry he hadn�t made her laugh sooner.

�Oh well! You mean you don�t fancy having a snog on your knees in the middle of the kitchen with hot stew everywhere? Really, Harry. Where�s your sense of romance?�

Ginny grinned at him and she pushed off the floor, trying to stand up. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked down at him. Harry felt his heart skip a beat.

�Scourgify!� Ginny produced her wand from her pocket and the stew that had been leaking into his robe disappeared.

Harry stood up. He felt rather dizzy, actually. He ran his hand over his robe.

�Thanks for that. It�s good as new now.�

Ginny smiled sweetly and then turned her wand towards the cauldron. �Reparo!� she said as bits of cauldron went flying together. She looked down into the cauldron after it was reassembled. �Well, there�s not much left, but there�s enough for a bowl or two. Are you still hungry?�

Harry decided to be daring and pulled her closer to him. He kissed her again. �That answer your question?�

Ginny blushed, and grinned madly at him. She placed a hand on his face and looked deep into his eyes. Harry felt as though the entire world had stopped just for them.

�Actually, I think we really should eat something. Before you make me mad again and I burn down the flat.�

Harry raised an eyebrow and Ginny laughed, shaking her head. He reached out and rubbed his thumb tenderly across her cheek. She pulled away from him, smiling.

�None of that, Mr. Potter. Food first and then we talk.�

�I thought we�d already done that?�

Ginny cast him a sobering look and shook her head. �No, I�m afraid not. There�s the issue of Neville, first of all and some other things I think we need to clear up.�

Harry had forgotten about Neville, to be truthful. A flash of guilt wormed its way inside of him. He�d completely forgotten that he had no right to be touching Ginny, let alone kissing her. But her kiss before had taken him by surprise and he didn�t think... no he didn�t want to go back to how it had been before.

Ginny smiled gently as she saw the expression on his face. �It�s not that bad, Harry,� she said softly. �Go bring the cauldron over to the table. We�ll eat and talk.�

Except as soon as they sat down and started eating, they didn�t talk because they both realized how utterly famished they were. Ginny�s stew was good and hearty. It reminded Harry of snow and coming in from the cold, even though outside it was the start of summer. It reminded him a bit of something they�d have at Hogwarts at Christmas time. After he�d scraped the last bit out of the cauldron and had an ample supply of bread, he looked at the woman across from him and watched the way she moved her spoon around the bowl, the way she licked every last bit away.

I could watch her do the most simplest things for the rest of my life and be perfectly happy with that, he thought to himself. He wondered if this was how his dad had felt about his mum.

Ginny caught him watching her and she blushed. �What is it? Did I get a bit on my face?� She rubbed at her chin with her napkin and Harry laughed.

�No. You�re safe and clean. I was just, well... thinking how absolutely perfect you are.�

Ginny�s eyes widened and when she saw that he was deadly serious, she turned pink again. After a moment she cleared her throat, nervously. �Yes, well... Harry... I�m far from perfect. Please don�t lay that at my feet. All I�ll do is ruin it when I stomp over it, making mistakes left and right. I don�t want to be perfect to anyone.�

�Then what do you want?�

Ginny sighed and nodded towards the living room. �Let�s go sit down in there and get comfortable.�

�Fine by me.�

Ginny sat back and made a face at him. �You�re far too comfortable with everything Harry. We have real problems to sort out.�

�I can�t help it. I don�t feel like myself. I�m feeling incredibly...�

�Incredibly pleased with yourself?�

Harry frowned. �I know I should be worrying about Neville and what it says about me that I didn�t think of him until you mentioned him, but I can�t. All I do is look at you, sitting there and I�m... happy.�

�I�m sorry, but what have you done with the Harry who told me he could never love me? This behavior is very odd. I don�t quite know what to do about it.�

�Maybe I�ve wised up and maybe... you bring it out of me.�

Ginny threw a doubtful look at him. �Yeah, right. Are you sure you haven�t been drinking with my brother all afternoon?�

�I had one Ogden�s and one-�

�Ah-ha! I should have known when you were stubbornly refusing to run away earlier, like any other sane person would have done, I might add. Your motivations are alcoholically induced-�

�Ginny.�

�What?�

�I didn�t run away because I didn�t want to run away. I�m done running away. Even after tonight and we talk and you decide you don�t care for me, I�ll still be here the morning after. And the morning after that. And for the rest of your life.�

Ginny looked at him and rested her head in her hands. �How do I know that Harry?�

�Because I�m giving you my word. I know it probably doesn�t mean much to you at this point, but...� Harry paused and reached across the table and took her hand into his. �I want to be there for you. Even if it�s just as a friend. I want to be around for you like I wasn�t around before. There are only a handful of people that really matter to me in this world and you�re one of them, Ginny. I�m sorry it took me so long to figure out. I�m sorry I couldn�t be there for you... like Neville, has been.�

Ginny pulled her hand slowly away and looked down into her empty bowl. Pushing it away, she sighed. She stood up and moved into the living room and Harry, unsure of what to do, stayed at the table. He heard her voice, softly murmuring something in the next room and he got up to check on her.

Ginny turned as he entered and held out a frame for him to look at. It was

a photograph of her and Neville, standing on a train platform. Neville was off to the side and while he wasn�t sad, his photographic self wasn�t exactly happy either. Ginny was at the other end of the shot and staring off at something Harry couldn�t see. He could just make out the tiniest tears in her eyes. He looked up at her.

�That used to be a very happy shot of me and Neville at King�s Cross before I left for Italy. Now it seems to have caught up to the times.�

Ginny took the picture from him and placed it back on the shelf, face down. Ginny went to the couch and sat down. She looked at the seat next to her and Harry followed her lead.

Ginny sighed. �I broke up with Neville today. That�s why I was late getting home and why I�d hadn�t had anything to eat. Crying does that to one�s appetite, it seems.�

Harry looked at her, stunned. �I�m so sorry, Ginny. I... I didn�t know... you didn�t say...�

�I know. I wasn�t prepared to see you here, waiting around for me. I don�t think I�ve even processed it all.�

�And I took advantage of you. Making you feel guilty. Telling you all these things. I�m sorry, Ginny. Once again, you were right. I do think the world revolves around me.�

Harry slumped against the couch. He didn�t know much about the depth of Ginny�s feelings for Neville, but breaking up with anyone couldn�t be loads of fun, no matter what state the relationship was in. He realized that Ginny was laughing quietly to herself.

�Ginny?�

Ginny shook her head and looked away from him. �You think I feel guilty, don�t you Harry? Of course a normal girl would feel bad about snogging someone right after breaking up with the kindest, most gentlest man ever, wouldn�t she? Wouldn�t a normal girl have been able to love him the way he wanted to be loved? Wouldn�t she have been able to put the ghost of you away?�

Ginny bowed her head and Harry didn�t know what to say.

�You tell me you�ll be there for me and that I matter to you and here I am, not knowing if I should trust you or not,� Ginny raised her head and looked at him. Harry was surprised to see that she wasn�t crying. �But I don�t feel guilty, Harry. I don�t. Maybe that makes me a bad person. But all I want is to kiss you again and have you tell me all the beautiful lies. I don�t want to think about Neville or how much I hurt him tonight. I just want this.�

Ginny turned towards him and she was in his arms before he could breathe. The softness of her dress felt magical to his fingers and he found himself responding to the urgency of her kisses before he could even think. But the voice in Harry�s head, the one that was sounding more and more like Hermione, screamed out for him to stop and he pulled back, looking down at her. She whimpered when he took his mouth away and tried to pull him closer again.

�No. Ginny, I think we should talk like you wanted us to.�

Ginny started making a trail of kisses along his neck and moving against him in a more than pleasing way. Despite every part of his body screaming in protest, Harry disentangled himself further.

�Ginny-�

�What? Isn�t this what you want? I know I do. Harry, I�m old enough now, you don�t have to worry-�

�Ginny, this has never been about that. Now please, let�s just back off for a moment.�

Ginny sat back and blinked at him. A flash of hurt showed in her eyes. �Oh... oh, well. I... reckon I misjudged the... I thought you wanted me too... oh I�ve done it again, haven�t I?�

Ginny stood up and before Harry could stop her, ran out of the room and headed back to her bedroom.

Rubbing his hands over his face, Harry willed his body to calm down enough to go after her. After a moment filled with deep breaths, he made his way down her hallway and stopped at her door.

�Ginny, come on. Open up. I didn�t mean I don�t want you. Believe me... I just... I don�t want to hurt you.�

Harry heard something break inside and he cursed. He banged on the door. �Come on, Ginny, open up. I just want to talk to you.�

When no noise came from inside, he found his wand and pointed it at the door.

�Alohamora.�

The door, surprisingly enough, opened on the first try and he watched as it slowly let him him. Ginny was laying face down on the bed, a broken glass on the floor beside her.

�Go away, Harry,� Ginny said, her voice muffled by the pillows and the hair in her face.

�No.�

�You said you would go when I asked you to, so I�m asking you to go now. Go.�

Harry used his wand to repair the glass and moved it out of the way. He sat down towards the edge of the bed, on the floor.

�I don�t think you really want me to go. Otherwise you�d have put a better locking spell on that door.�

Ginny looked up at him then and scowled. �I left my wand on the table.�

�Lucky me.�

Ginny narrowed her eyes at him and then put her head back down. �Fine then. Sit there all night. I�m going to go to sleep.�

�In your clothes?�

Ginny thought about it a bit and then she sat up. �No, I reckon you�re right, I�ll be taking them off. Since no one here is very interested in what�s underneath them-�

�Dammit, Ginny. Stop acting like a two-year-old and listen to me.�

Ginny, whose hands had started unbuttoning the top of her dress, paused and gave him a baleful stare. Harry was struck by the resemblance to Mrs. Weasley when she was angry with the twins for something. Ginny stopped what she was doing and crossed her legs in front of her. Folding her arms, she glowered down at him and just sat there.

�Great. Well, as long as I have your attention,� Harry said as he got up off the floor. He sat down on the bed in front of her.

�You have five minutes,� she said, suddenly, her voice rough.

�Oh? Reckon that�s enough time for this.�

When Harry didn�t continue, Ginny twitched and sighed loudly.

�Time enough for what, then?�

Harry looked at her. �Time enough to tell you again that I care for you. And I stopped what was happening in there because I want the first time we�re together to be special and not something we did just to forget about the hurt or anything else. That�s what I did with Cho all those years ago and I don�t fancy doing it again. Especially not with you. You mean more to me than that.�

�Oh, very good Harry. Your rejections have gotten smarter.�

�It�s not a rejection, it�s the truth and if you can�t tell that from looking into my eyes, then I reckon maybe I should go. Except of course, I won�t.�

Ginny looked at him then and she stared at him for a long time. He watched as her hand strayed unconsciously to the tiny pouch that lay around her neck.

�I�m an idiot,� she said after a moment and her voice was matter of fact.

Harry suppressed a smile. �Well, I wouldn�t be that rough on you, but you were acting sort of nutty.�

Ginny shook her head. �I always do that. I just want to block everything out and just give in to whatever it is I want. Tom knew that about me... he exploited it and so did another person. But I never wanted to be with Neville, no matter how guilty I felt about it,� she added in afterthought.

�You mean you and Neville-?�

�I�m not a virgin if that�s what you�re asking, Harry. But no, I have never been with Neville. I reckon that�s one thing I did right, in retrospect.�

Harry knew it wasn�t really the time and place to ask her this, but he couldn�t help it. Before he could speak though, Ginny beat him to it.

�It was just a boy at Hogwarts, Harry. I don�t even think you knew him. It just... happened. And afterwards I wished it hadn�t, because he was an utter bastard about it, but Neville helped me through it.�

Harry didn�t know what to say to that. He took her hand in his. �I�m sorry I wasn�t there for you. I�m sorry you... had to turn to someone else.�

Ginny smiled briefly but then shook her head. �I was such a mess back then, so needy... although judging by tonight�s little example, I still am a bit-�

�You�ve been forced to deal with me and my problems and you�ve just broken up with your boyfriend and-�

�I felt good though, after talking with Neville. As though a lot of things were finally in the open. I felt like I was able to be honest with myself for the first time in a long time. I care a great deal for Neville, I love him, even. But I�m not in love with him and he knew it, somehow. I reckon you can�t fake some things,� she paused seeing the expression on his face. �But you�re not to blame for me and Neville, Harry. I had these thoughts before you came back. Seeing you just... sped things up.�

After Ginny finished talking, silence settled down between them, each thinking their thoughts. Ginny tried to hide a yawn, but failed miserably.

�Oh I�m sorry, Harry. It�s just been... a very long day, in more ways then one.�

Harry nodded. He suddenly felt tired too. But he needed to make sure she understood something first. �Do you at least know now that I wasn�t rejecting you really and just rejecting the... situation?�

Ginny frowned and looked down at the way their hands were still intertwined. �The grown up part of me can. The little girl that you always seem to bring out still wants... well... she still wants you, Harry.�

Harry smiled and he brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing it gently. Ginny smiled.

�I�m quite sure no one has ever done that to me before.�

Harry looked up at her. �Well, that should count for something, then. So are we calling a truce for now?�

Ginny nodded her head and her skin was flushed and she pulled her hand away, nervous. Harry smiled at her.

�What I�m about to suggest may seem a bit mad, but would it be okay if I slept here? I don�t feel like leaving you just yet.�

�There�s only the one bed, Harry and the sofa isn�t terribly comfortable, you�d-�

Ginny was interrupted by Harry reaching in and giving her a quick kiss.

�What was that for?�

�Do I need a reason? Actually, I was hoping you�d let me sleep right here.�

�Right where, exactly?�

�Here,� Harry said as he nodded towards the bed. �Everything will be perfectly gentlemanly, I assure you. Nothing will happen.�

Ginny looked at him, doubtful.

Harry laughed. �I solemnly swear that I am up to good, Miss Weasley.�

Ginny looked at him with a smirk. �Yes, Harry. I know you�re intentions are honorable. But what about mine?�

Harry blushed at this and didn�t say anything.

�Yes, Harry. It can work both ways, you know. Us women can sometimes lose control of our senses. And I�m not sure if I�ll be able to control myself, sleeping so close to you-�

Harry laughed and playfully hit her leg. �You�re having a go at me, aren�t you?�

�You deserved it.�

�Okay, okay... how about I promise not to get carried away and you promise not to get carried away and we�ll keep our clothes on and we�ll just have a nice pleasant... sleeping experience?�

Ginny looked as though she were thinking about it and then smiled. She lay back on to the bed. �Well, get over here then. Let�s see what it feels like to be in bed with the world famous Harry Potter.�

Harry blushed a deeper red but he stood up and took off his robe. Taking off his shoes, he climbed into bed and lay down beside her. Propping his head up on her pillow, he looked over at her expectantly.

�Well?�

Ginny laughed as she looked at him. �You�re honestly going to sleep in your clothes?�

�Well, seeing as how I don�t have any pajamas here...�

�Oh! Wait!�

Ginny giggled and jumped out of bed. She went to her closest and pulled out what looked like a dark maroon nightshirt. She held it out to him, excited.

�This was going to be a gift for Ron, but I gave him something else instead. I think it�ll fit in the shoulders okay. It�ll just be long on you.�

Harry looked at the nightshirt with a skeptical eye.

�Oh go on, Harry. You can�t sleep in your clothes all night. If you change, I will.�

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. �I think that dress is suggestive enough, Ginny.�

Ginny blushed and Harry was exhilarated to find that he enjoyed making her do that.

�Yes, well... be that as it may. Go into the loo and change. Now, please.�

�A request?�

Ginny shook her head. �No, an order. There�ll be no getting into bed with me, if you�re wearing those clothes.�

Harry begrudgingly got out of bed and cast her what he hoped was a dark look, but her back was turned, already looking through her closet for something else.

Before he closed the door to the lavatory, Ginny called out something that made him pause.

�There�s an extra toothbrush under the sink.�

Harry frowned and looked under the sink. Sure enough, there were two, brand new, Flosser�s Incredible Squeaky Clean! Toothbrushes just sitting there, waiting for him.

�Er... Ginny, why do you have extra toothbrushes?�

Ginny walked over to the door and looked in. �Because I like clean teeth, that�s why. What a nosy question. Now, change. And yes, I�ve already brushed mine.�

Ginny closed the door on him and Harry found himself face to face with a mirror that hung on the back side of it.

�Oh dear, don�t worry. She just bought some extras because they were on sale,� the mirror wheezed at him.

�I wasn�t worried, it was just...� Harry stopped. Why was he justifying his curiosity to a mirror?

Shaking his head, he pulled off the shirt he�d worn under his robe. Getting rid of his pants next, he poked his head into the neck of the nightshirt and threw it over him. The length was too long, but it did fit in the shoulder area, just like she�d said it would. Feeling somewhat proud that he and Ron were now almost the same size in the chest area, Harry quickly brushed his teeth and then paused, listening at the door. He jumped back when Ginny knocked from the other side.

�Alright in there? You can come out when you�re ready.�

Harry ran a hand nervously through his hair first and then opened the door. Bringing his clothes with him, he placed them over a chair by the door. He placed his wand on the table beside the bed.

Ginny whistled. �Oh very sexy, Harry.�

Harry turned in surprise and saw that she was already under the covers and he couldn�t see what she was wearing.

�Oh, you think? The length not too off-putting is it?�

�No, it�s perfect,� Ginny giggled. �I love seeing men in dresses. Must be why I like robes so much. And kilts.�

Harry scowled and then looked at her expectantly. �Well, you�ve seen me, don�t I get to see you?�

�I thought you said nothing was going to happen tonight?�

Harry shrugged. �Nothing is, however, I don�t see why I can�t at least see-�

Harry stopped as Ginny pulled back the blankets and stood up.

�Cute Ginny. Really cute. Aren�t you going to be hot in that?�

Ginny had wrapped herself from head to toe in an old flannel nightgown. At least, Harry thought it was a nightgown. It could have been a robe too. It went from her neck down to her feet and was very bulky.

Ginny giggled. �Well, I reckon it�s better to be on the safe than sorry.�

Harry smiled wickedly at her. �Actually, I think it�s the sexiest thing you could have chosen. I love imagining what�s underneath all that.�

Ginny turned scarlet and then stuck her tongue out at him when she saw him smile again. �Now who�s being cute? Get into bed, then. I�m exhausted.�

Adopting a look of innocence, Harry did as he was told and climbed back into bed. He rolled over onto his side so that he could look at her. Ginny looked self-consciously back at him.

�Now what?�

�Now we sleep, I reckon. That is what people usually do when in pajamas and in bed.�

Ginny rolled her eyes. �Yes, but I can�t just sleep. I feel as though I�m sixteen and I�m having a friend stay over... except of course-�

�You never had that because we were all busy fighting Voldemort when you were sixteen.�

Ginny nodded and sank down lower into her pillow. �Well, that, plus the fact that Mum would have never let me have a boy sleep over.�

She turned to face him and Harry felt his heart catch. She�s so lovely, he thought to himself.

�Tell me a story about America, Harry. Tell me what the most beautiful thing you saw there was. Let�s not worry about dark times.�

Harry smiled. �Well, actually, one of the most beautiful things I saw was this beautiful old group of trees they had at the Academy. They were Weeping Willows, I think. And they had these beautiful long vines that some of the younger students would swing on. They were always green, it seemed. Even in winter. I think one of the professors charmed them to stay that way. They called it Ever Green Grove, actually. And one of my favorite activities was to just go walking through the trees and think about things. I made up my mind about a-�

Harry paused and looked at Ginny, whose eyes had closed. The steadiness of her breathing made him smile.

�Ginny?� he whispered. She didn�t stir.

Brushing the hair off of her face, Harry leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. �Sweet dreams,� he whispered. Picking his wand up from the bedside table, he extinguished the lights in the bedroom. He removed his glasses and put them with his wand. He smiled to himself as he settled back down into the bed.

He reached out and found Ginny�s hand and joined it with his own.

He was home.