By: Chinese Fireball
Author's Note: This story takes place during the last two weeks of summer holiday before the trio's seventh year. Although I confess to be a fanatic Ron/Hermione shipper I'm not entirely convinced of Harry/Ginny getting together, though I'm not opposed to. I gather you can call me a reluctant H/G shipper in both reading and writing them, but this plot bunny would not leave me alone and begged me to write it and so I indulged and nourished it. This piece of fiction would be nine or ten chapters long (eight chapters, a prologue, and maybe an epilogue). Finally, I don't consider myself much of an astronomer, but research tells me that the best time to see the constellation Canis Major is in February and I'm not sure if it's visible in the month of August in Great Britain. I thought it is a nice way to introduce Sirius into the story, so please forgive me for the inaccuracy. . Be gentle fair readers, because this is my first multi-chaptered story and my first H/G. As always reviews would be most appreciated. Enjoy!
Courage is doing what you're afraid to do.
There can be no courage unless you're scared.
Prologue
There are a few things that Harry Potter loved to do more than playing Quidditch and that's a considerably short list indeed. He would like to see Draco Malfoy getting what's due, flying on his trusty Firebolt at insane speeds, spending time with his surrogate family -- the Weasleys, or going on adventures with his best mates, but all those things pale in comparison to his most favourite activity: kissing Ginny Weasley.
Harry Potter had been successfully courting the youngest Weasley for eight and a half months and he couldn't be any happier. It was the sort of love that Fate dropped in his lap; he wasn't searching for it or expecting it, but glad that it came to him in the form of a feisty, fiery redhead. He couldn't believe that it took him so long to see what was right under his nose. He was happy -- ecstatic, happier than he ever imagined or dreamed. Remus Lupin had teasingly told him in a letter that he had the same taste in woman as his dearly departed father, which he took as a compliment.
It had been six whole weeks since he had last seen his girlfriend at King's Cross station in London and he didn't think that he could miss anyone more than he did her. He looked forward to her correspondences, but they were a very poor substitute for the genuine article and his dreams just a temporary solution and a quick fix.
After six whole weeks of virtual Hell with the Dursleys he was glad to receive an invitation to stay at The Burrow from his best mate, Ron Weasley. Albus Dumbledore in his great wisdom had finally given his permission for him to spend the rest of the summer with his favourite wizarding family. So it wasn't a surprise that he had to suppress the urge to run and snog Ginny senseless when she and Ron picked him up with their father. Kissing Ginny Weasley then would have been grossly inappropriate, especially in front of the Mr Weasley, his best mate Ron, and the Dursleys that were watching by the kitchen windows, making sure that the neighbours don't witness anything suspicious.
He tried to find some alone time with Ginny, but it proved virtually impossible especially with the whole Weasley clan staying over, plus his other best mate Hermione Granger in close quarters. Right after a bone-crushing embrace from Mrs Weasley she insisted that he eat up, muttering curses to his Muggle relatives for not feeding him properly under her breath. After the feast that was lunch, Ron had insisted that they play a pickup game of Quidditch, which he couldn't refuse, especially when all his older brothers insisted with him. After a quick shower, he had dinner and played a few games of chess with Ron, which he ceremoniously lost every time. So they were forced to sneak out of the house in the middle of the night to give each other a proper greeting fitting their six-week absence.
So that's where Harry was at this precise moment, catching up with his girlfriend. He was snogging his best friend's baby sister in the middle of the woods near The Burrow under a blanket of glistening stars. Everything in his life was perfect, except for one thing, well two, if you count the most powerful dark wizard in recent memory trying to kill him, but he is of little consequence in this story. The preverbal thorn that was sticking into his side was that no one, sans Remus Lupin, knew about their relationship -- especially Ron and he was feeling slightly guilty in keeping this secret from him, that is when he wasn't otherwise occupied with his baby sister's mouth.
It's not that he deliberately hid his relationship from Ron; he tried to tell him a million times in a thousand different ways, but the longer he held his tongue the more difficult it was to tell him. He would be the first to admit that he feared Ron blowing his top off and beating the daylight out of him and truth be told, he feared Ron finding out more than Voldemort trying to kill him, which was saying something. Yet through his fears, he felt obligated to tell him, all he had to do was to muster enough courage, he was put in Gryffindor after all. However, every time he tried to tell him, something would come up and his confidence would ebb. So a day turned into a week, which melded into a month, then in a blink of an eye half a year had passed and now, eight and half months later, Ron was still in the dark about their relationship and he felt extremely guilty.
"Harry... we have to... stop." Ginny said, breaking from the intense kiss, gasping for breath.
"Why... am I moving... too quickly?" Harry replied in-between gasps. "Because if I am, I'm sorry it's just that it's been six whole weeks since I last saw you and I missed you so much," said Harry hoarsely, while kissing the nape of her neck every three words or so.
"No, it's not that." Ginny moaned slightly, enjoying the sensations of tingles on her neck. "And I missed you too... desperately, but it's not that." She replied longingly, returning her mouth onto his.
"Then what is it?" Harry panted after the long sensual kiss.
"It's about Ron," mumbled Ginny, nibbling on his earlobe.
Harry bolted up with a vengeance, picturing his best mate nibbling on his ear was a particularly scarring image, his heart beating faster than a fluttering Snitch with fright. "Well, that's a mood killer if I ever heard one." Harry mumbled irritably, while he took off his glasses to clean the fog off with the sleeve of his shirt.
"I'm sorry Harry," replied Ginny apologetically, while nuzzling his neck, "but we have to tell him -- all of them."
"They'll kill me."
"No, they won't."
"Yes, they will."
"Henry James Potter," chastised Ginny hotly, stopping her advances instantly. Her smouldering brown eyes were burning hotly with fiery anger and righteous fury. Harry knew that he was in trouble, especially when Ginny used his birth name in tandem with his middle name and in the company of that particular tone of voice. "My brothers won't lay a finger on you." She scolded to her particular frightened boyfriend. "Well, not much any way," replied Ginny, grinning mischievously, a grin that rivalled the twins' trademarked smirks.
"Then that's settles it. We won't tell them," pouted Harry, crossing his arms like a child.
"Harry," whispered Ginny seductively, while nibbling on his earlobe, which Harry quickly shrugged her off with his shoulder. "Fine," pouted Ginny, sitting next to him crossing her arms, if he wanted to be stubborn so can she, she is a Weasley after all. "It's just that I hate having to sneak away so we could be alone together, sure it was fun for the first few weeks, but it's been eight and a half months and I'm tired of sneaking around like we're doing something wrong, which we're not." She replied with a laborious sigh, while looking up at the stars for answers.
"I know." Harry sighed. "I hate it too, it's not like I haven't tried -- I did."
"Me too." Ginny sighed. "It's just so hard to tell them."
"I just wish I knew how to tell them, especially Ron."
"What we need is a plan."
"That we do."
"I know the perfect person that could help us," replied Ginny, smiling triumphantly and with absolute clarity twinkling in her eyes. Harry could have sworn that he saw the proverbial light bulb turned on over her red hair.
"Who Percy?"
"No, of course not. Percy wouldn't help us unless it pertains to matters of the Ministry; he would most likely look down on our problem more than anything else," chided Ginny, rolling her eyes in disbelief, while cursing the density of the male gender inwardly. "If we want a plan to infiltrate the Weasleys, we need a Weasley or someone who knows and understands us very well," hinted Ginny.
"Like an honorary one," added Harry, smirking as his thinking process was syncing with hers.
"Right, we'll tell Hermione first and then ask her for some help on how we should tell the rest of the family." Ginny pointed out. "She of all people knows how to handle Ron when he's angry; she is after all used to it." She added with a smirk of her own across her face.
"I don't know," replied Harry, sighing laboriously, playing the Devil's Advocate. "I have a feeling that Hermione might not be too thrilled with helping us out, especially if it means that Ron would be angry with her and would probably kill both his best mates in the process for conspiring against him," replied Harry, swallowing hard. "I'm starting to have second thoughts on this." He groaned morosely.
"Well, maybe if I give you an incentive," replied Ginny suggestively.
"Oh?" Harry raised an eyebrow as his eyes dilated to the size of Quaffles. "W-w-what do you have in mind?" He stuttered nervously.
"This," whispered Ginny seductively, while leaning toward his lips. She kissed him passionately, which quickly fogged up Harry's spectacles again. Instantly, Harry ascended into Heaven, while divine dazzling light encompassed his soul. He was soaring so high that he swore he heard the angelic trumpets and harps blaring in his ears and ecstasy rupturing and exploding throughout every pore of his adolescent body. Just as his body was getting used to Heaven, he was sent violently back to earth, because Ginny broke the kiss prematurely.
"Wow," exclaimed Harry, wishing for more.
"I'm glad you liked it Harry Potter," replied Ginny, smiling mischievously. Harry leaned in for another kiss, but she pressed her fingers to stop his approaching lips. "Because that's the last kiss you'll get from me until my entire family knows about our relationship -- including Ron," declared Ginny victoriously.
"What?" Harry gasped; he was still processing what was happening due to the lack of oxygen in his brain and his body was still recovering from the euphoric sensations that still lingered within him. "You can't do that!" He gasped, his face turning white. It was a nightmare personified, he had dreamed for six weeks to be with his girlfriend and now that he was so close to her she was withholding her womanly charms, until he achieve the seemingly impossible.
"I just think I did Mr Potter." She smirked, while tapping his nose with her index finger. "Good night Harry." She whispered with a grin as she got up and took several steps towards The Burrow when she suddenly stopped and looked over her shoulder with a teasing smile. "Or at least try to have one," replied Ginny tauntingly, she winked and continued the rest of the way home giggling along the way, leaving a very sexually frustrated Harry Potter alone.
"Argh!" He groaned, releasing all his sexual frustration. "She's going to be the death of me." He lamented, looking towards the heavens and saw Canis Major Alpha twinkling at him as it was smiling. "Preferably before her older brothers kills me," mumbled Harry, telling the ever-watching star his hopes. For a split second he was tempted to withhold his manly charms from his girlfriend, but he knew that in the battle of wits, he would irrevocably lose. "Look after your godson as you did in life, as you are probably doing in death and perhaps, just perhaps, I will survive the Weasleys." He whispered a prayer to the star as a small grin appeared on his face.
He stayed there for several moments wanting to commune with his godfather for a while, but the heat from the passionate embrace from his girlfriend quickly ebbed from his body as the coldness of the night overwhelmed him. Shivering slightly from the cold, he got up and headed towards The Burrow where a warm bed was calling his name. However, he doubted he could fall asleep after being all riled up like that. "Good night indeed." He sighed, nervously raking his hand through his perpetual chaotic raven hair. He sighed laboriously again, already dreading what the morning would bring.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Disclaimer: (1) Harry Potter, characters, names, and all related indicia are not my invention, but trademarks of J.K. Rowling, various publishers including, but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books, and Raincoast Books, and Warner Brothers -- no profit is gained from the writing of this story. (2) This is a fan fiction and as such names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination that is, those not mentioned in the previous clause and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.