You and I... collide.�

Chapter Twenty-Six:

Ginny closed the outer door of her office and tried to get her breathing under control. She�d had it to the hair with people asking her why nothing had been done so far and she was about ready to tell them where they could all stick it. Her Department wasn�t responsible for missing persons. Why was it her fault that Dex hadn�t been forwarding the owls to her?

Throwing the folder Amelia Bones had given her down on the desk, Ginny sat in her chair and took her stone out of its pouch. Her breathing had just returned to normal when she was interrupted by Dex.

�Merlin! People act like it�s the Second Coming of-� he paused when he saw her, �oh sorry. Didn�t know you were meditating. Want me to leave and give you some room?�

Ginny frowned and shook her head. �No, I don�t have time to do anything else. Amelia wants me to report on these two new girls and have it up to her office in an hour. As if I�ll even be able to talk to the parents in that time. Honestly. This has really been a bad week... what with Hermione and... other things.�

She looked up at Dex and scowled. �You didn�t help much, you know?�

Dex looked flustered. �Well, I�m sorry, Weasley... but I just wanted to talk to him-�

Ginny frowned in confusion. �What? Talk to who?�

Dex swallowed. �Er... no one. Never mind. Um.. yeah. What were you saying?�

Ginny narrowed her eyes at her partner. �I�m sorry, but we�re in the middle of a crisis and you�re... were you just talking about your little chat with Harry?�

Dex turned a color that would have made any Weasley proud. �Er... well, yeah. I thought that�s what you meant. It was all innocent. Just bought the bloke a couple of drinks, we had a few laughs, I didn�t know-�

Ginny sighed. �Look, would you get it through your head that I don�t give a rat�s arse about some little chat you had with Harry? If it�s all the same to you, feel free to fight amongst yourselves and give each other black eyes. Then maybe while you�re off doing that I�ll have some peace,� Ginny paused, shaking her head. �No Dex, what I was saying about you not being any help was ABOUT THE LETTERS you never sent me! Why didn�t you let me know the Eaton�s had a missing daughter?�

�Er... well, to be fair... well, I never actually read them.�

�What?�

�I never read the letters. If I had, I swear I would have sent them on to you and made you come in. But I kept expecting you to show up at least one day this week-�

�Perfect. Just bloody, fantastically perfect,� Ginny ran her hand through her hair.

�Look, I�ll take the blame for this one. I just thought they were bothering about some misplaced thing. I had no idea. I feel like a git,� Dex paused and glanced at her. �Besides... you ah... seemed like you had your hands full, what with Harry and Neville.�

Ginny raised her eyebrow at him. �What do you know about Neville?�

Dex folded his arms. �I ran into to Susan Bones. She told me you�d split up with Longbottom. Also another one of the reasons I didn�t want to add to your workload. I reckoned you had... some things to sort through.�

Ginny frowned and thought of Susan running off to tell everyone she�d broken up with Neville. Merlin... she hadn�t even had a chance to tell her Mum yet...

Ginny lowered her head onto her desk and scowled.

�Dex, for future reference, please, if a family sends more than one owl in a weeks time, contact me,� she shook her head at him. �You have no idea what you�ve done.�

�Well, I have some idea...judging by all the commotion this has caused, but I still don�t understand exactly what the issue is.�

Ginny just stared at him in disbelief. �Amelia is livid, Dex! There�s a story going in the Daily Prophet tomorrow about the ineptitude of the Ministry. My father is going to get lambasted for having hired his daughter to do such an important job. Not that finding people is my job, mind you, but it�ll look that way by the time they�re through. Not in six long years have we had something like this happen and the first time that it does, well, guess what? We�ve loused it up. I�m surprised Amelia hasn�t sent someone down here to take over.�

�Look, maybe the girls all went on holiday or something-�

�Dex, really. I mean, I know you were in America during Voldemort�s time, but wake up. Disappearing people were his specialty. How am I supposed to do this...� Ginny rested her head in her hand and closed her eyes.

�But surely they don�t expect that it has something to do with Voldemort, do they? I mean... it can�t. He�s gone.�

�It can still be something bad though. And you know what? I think it is something bad. I�ve been having this feeling that change was coming for awhile now. I thought it had something to do with Hermione getting ill... but... it�s more than that. This cold certainty hasn�t left me all day. I�ve been sick and dizzy, and not just because I was up all night worrying about my brother. Nothing good is going to come out of this. I can feel it... well, I can feel it everywhere.�

Dex looked at her and frowned. �I am truly sorry, Ginny. I never in a million years meant to cause you anxiety.�

Ginny closed her eyes and shook her head. What she wouldn�t do for a hot bath and a long sleep. She looked up at her partner and offered him a brief smile.

�It�s not okay, but it�ll have to do. We need each other in this, if we�re going to come through it. Amelia wants me to handle it especially. She seems to think my gift will be the thing that saves everyone. I don�t know how to tell her I�m so messed up right now I couldn�t seer my own name in a pile of leaves. But there�s nothing for-�

There was a small knock on the door and Ginny stopped talking. Nodding her head, she watched as Dex got up to answer it. She couldn�t see who it was, but it didn�t appear as though Dex liked who he saw.

�Oh... it�s you. Yeah, she�s here.�

Ginny watched as he let Harry in. She cursed under her breath. Now what?

�Look Harry, I�ve got my hands full and I�m sorry if you think I�m ignoring you or whatever but-�

�Ginny, I�m not here for personal reasons.�

Ginny stopped and looked at him. She noticed he was wearing his Auror robes. She frowned.

�Then what are you here for?�

�Amelia seems to think you two need some help-�

�Oh no. No, she didn�t. She told you to come in and help?�

Harry simply nodded.

Rolling her eyes upward, Ginny started laughing. Harry frowned at her.

�Oh, I am sorry Harry... but... well, it�s just slightly humorous to me that now I will not only have Dex working under me, but you as well. We�re all going to have such a swell time.�

Harry frowned at her. �Well see, Ginny... the thing is... I�m not here to just help, really. I�m here to... well, Amelia wants me to take over. Your Department is now mine.�

Ginny felt surprise, even though she herself had just wondered out loud why Amelia hadn�t tried to put someone with more experience in charge of everything. The thing that surprised her was Harry himself. He doesn�t even look apologetic about it, the git, Ginny thought to herself. She shook her head. Her frustration turned into anger and it went twisting through her. She spoke without thinking.

�Oh, but of course. Brilliant Harry Potter to the rescue. How fortunate we are that you were on this side of the ocean to help us.�

Ginny didn�t like the sound of her own voice. It sounded spiteful and angry. It made her want to slap herself, but she couldn�t seem to help it. It was as though she were watching herself from a great distance.

She saw Harry�s eyes flash, and she knew that she had probably hit a nerve. She watched as he took a deep breath.

�Look, I�m not necessarily happy about this either, I did have time off coming to me-�

Ginny felt something snap inside of her. �Oh well, so sorry again. Next time I�ll tell people to disappear when you can fit it into your timetable. Please. Maybe one day Harry, you�ll learn that people don�t do things when you want them to,� Ginny paused and sat back from her desk and stuck her chin out at him. �Like disappear or fall in love.�

Harry maintained an even voice, but she could tell it was an effort. �I don�t expect people to do anything except live their lives. All I am worried about right now is helping those girls be found-�

�Oh, that�s rich! What was the first thought that popped into your head when Amelia gave you the news? Was it wow, I can really help someone or was it, gee, I had time off?�

Ginny felt ugly inside but she couldn�t stop now that she had started and some small part of her loved the fact that what she had just said to him had indeed been correct. She heard herself laughing and ignored the voice in her head that willed her to shut up.

�I�m right aren�t I? That was your first thought! Selfish as always. Oh, how well I know-�

Harry cursed and walked over to her desk, picking her up roughly, he held her in front of him.

�Look, I know you�re upset and I know you had a rough night but do not make this personal. This is not about you or me. It�s about getting the job done and finding those girls. Now are you willing to even try helping or should I tell Amelia Bones to get me another seer because you�re too messed up?�

Ginny looked deep into his eyes and she saw his anger but she also saw something else there. His eyes were blazing and for some reason her mind strayed to how happy she had been waking up in his arms just one day ago and she couldn�t believe how everything had gone so wrong, so fast.

�Let me go Harry.�

Harry relaxed his grip but kept holding her, as though he were unable to make himself stopping holding her. Ginny felt the tension that had flared as soon as he�d touched her, travel between them. It seemed to wash over her in a dizzying wave. He didn�t say anything but he met her eyes, unblinking. Ginny knew then that he had felt it too. Suddenly Ginny felt as though fighting were the last thing she wanted to do with Harry.

From behind them, Dex cleared his throat. �I think the lady just asked you to do something, Harry.�

Ginny spoke and did not take her eyes from Harry�s. �Leave us alone for a second, Dex.�

�Yeah, I think not. He�s not good for-�

�I think the lady just asked you to do something, Dex and I definitely suggest you do it,� Harry said, his eyes never leaving Ginny�s.

After a moment, they both heard the door close.

Ginny sucked in her breath and exhaled. She was shaking inside and out and she had a funny feeling that the only thing holding her up was Harry�s arms.

He spoke, his voice surprisingly tender. �Are you okay?�

Ginny swallowed, trying to find her breath. �I think your arms are the only thing holding me up, actually.�

A brief smile flickered on Harry�s face and he pulled her closer to him.

It started small, what happened next. The kiss. Just a peck, really. A small taste of his lips on hers. The power that had been between them swept over them and Ginny knew nothing except the feel of Harry. She was moving against him and her hands were roaming over as much of him as she could touch. She wanted to kiss every single part of him and she never wanted to stop. It was though her mind had left and her body had taken over. She couldn�t think of anything other than satisfying the need inside of her. Harry pulled her closer and she felt his hands in her hair and she wanted more... more... she wanted everything he could give her. She wanted to feel as though nothing else mattered and it was then that she realized nothing else did. It was like Ron had said, it was simple really, when you got right down to it. All that mattered was never feeling anything other than this, right now. Passion. Lust. Love... whatever you wanted to call it. She had loved him since she was eleven and she would love him until she was a hundred and twelve.

�We have to stop.�

Ginny frowned. When had his mouth disconnected from hers? She reached up again and captured his lips into another kiss. She ran her hands through his hair and loved the silky feel of it. It was still wet from something... maybe a shower. She didn�t know, she didn�t care.

�Ginny... my love. Please,� Harry�s voice was ragged and thick with need. Ginny opened her eyes and looked at him. Harry lifted her up and sat her on the edge of the desk.

�What did you just call me?�

�Your name.�

�No, that�s not all you said-�

�I said my love.�

Harry�s face was flushed and his eyes stood out, their color bleeding from green to dark, almost black. How strange. She reached out and touched his hair, pushing it off his face.

�Am I your love, Harry?�

Harry mumbled something and fell forward, embracing her again. She breathed in the scent of him and thought of snowstorms and wood burning in a fireplace. She felt Harry�s hands on her hips and cursed the fact that she had worn so many clothes today. But Harry looked up at her then and surely that was her heart that was catching in her chest... surely that was it stopping?

�Yes. You are. And even though I may not have known it at times, I think you always have been.�

Ginny smiled and closed her eyes. She felt a spring of indescribable joy well up inside her. Her laugh was surprising to both of them. Harry looked at her, with a question in his eyes.

�Oh, if only you would have said that years ago, Harry. Think of all the fun we could have been having?�

To Ginny�s surprise, Harry did not blush but kissed her again. He pulled away and Ginny knew suddenly that the darkness of Harry�s eyes had everything to do with how much he wanted her.

�I know. I have thought of it. But we can�t do... anything about it here. Not now. Not with him out there.�

Ginny glanced at the door. She hadn�t thought of Dex at all. She took a deep breath. She tried to smirk at him, to lighten the mood.

�That plus the fact that you don�t want to do anything on an uncomfortable desk, right?�

Ginny expected him to smile but he didn�t and for the first time she understood the true depth of his wanting. That if it weren�t for the world waiting for them out there behind that small door, this conversation wouldn�t be taking place and her position on the desk would be merely functional and not conversational. Ginny felt her skin flush with the knowledge and she was amazed that he could want her that badly. For some inexplicable reason, it suddenly made her nervous.

�Smile, Harry. You�re frightening me.�

Harry closed his eyes and he took two deep breaths. He bent his head into hers and opened his eyes. She felt herself begin to drown... she felt as though she had always been drowning where Harry was concerned. The truth that she realized now was that she never wanted to come up for air.

�We�re going to finish what we started, Ginny. Not now, but soon. Very soon.�

Ginny eased the tiny flicker of anxiety in her chest by holding him closer. He lowered his head until he was resting it on her shoulder. Their breathing matched and calmed. Ginny felt as though every inch of her body was on fire. Her lips felt bruised and sore but she welcomed it.

After a moment, Harry pulled his head up and used his hands to smooth her hair.

�You never answered my question, you know,� he whispered.

�What question?�

�Do I need to tell Amelia Bones to get me another seer?�

Ginny shook her head. She smiled. �Don�t even think about getting another anything. You�re stuck with me. Forever, if you want it that long.�

Harry looked back at her, his thumb moving over her lips. �I�ll want you forever. I�ll want you for always.�

�But only if I keep that temper of mine in check, right?� she asked him playfully, taking his hand into hers.

�No. You can let that temper go anytime you want to. I think I love you angry most of all.�

Ginny looked at him sideways. �The Weasley temper? Are you kidding me? You�re very odd, do you know that?�

Harry nodded and finally moved away so that she could jump down from the desk.

�Well, there may be one or two other looks I�ll enjoy more on you... but I haven�t had the pleasure... yet.�

Ginny frowned as she was straightening her robe, but she snapped her head up when his meaning became clear to her. She felt her skin go hot again.

�There. That�s the other look I enjoy. I love making you... blush.�

Ginny laughed, her voice shaky. �Well, lucky for you I do it so often then...�

Harry finally laughed and Ginny felt her heart pound in her chest. Before she could say anything, the door opened and Dex stuck his head in.

�Well, if you two are quite finished... talking, I have Amelia Bones, your father and Winifred Eaton�s parents out here waiting for you. They�re not a happy bunch.�

Harry made sure his robe was back in place and turned to walk out the door. He stopped and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze.

Suddenly Ginny didn�t care what the world threw at her... she could handle anything. Anything at all.