A/N:I'm sorry! I know you hate me, but hopefully this chapter will redeem me.
Chapter 5- Everybody's Changing
Ginny was released from the hospital wing a day early. Most of her memories had returned. She remembered Hogwarts and the teachers, and everything she had learned, but there were areas of her life that were still fuzzy, like Harry. There were some things about Harry she remembered, like how she trusted him, and that they were close, but she wasn't sure how close.
"Number 12, Grimmauld Place? Why are we going there?"
"You'll see," Harry said. They had taken a portkey from Dumbledore's office to an alleyway near the house.
"It looks like it's falling apart."
"You love that house, you know."
"I do? It's in worse shape than the Burrow."
"Only on the outside. Dobby's done wonders with it."
"Dobby?"
"House elf." Harry opened the door and ushered her in.
"You live here?" She inhaled deeply, hoping the smell would trigger a memory.
"Yeah." A loud noise- something between a squawk and a neigh- made Ginny jump. "It's ok, that was just Buckbeak." He looked at Ginny. She was confused and startled. "The hippogriff."
"You have a hippogriff?"
"Yeah. He belonged to my Godfather, now he's mine."
"Who was your Godfather?"
"Sirius Black."
"That man who everyone thought was a murderer? He was at the ministry that ni- I'm sorry, Harry." She took his hand and rested her head on his shoulder.
"Why don't you take a look around, and I'll fix you the best meal you've ever had."
"You can cook?"
**
"Hey, Gin, supper's ready!" Harry called. Ginny didn't answer. "Ginny?" He wandered through the house and found her sitting on the floor in the library, crying over an old photograph. He sat down beside her and looked at the picture. "Neville."
"Harry, I'm sorry. I was just looking at the books and it was on the shelf. I didn't mean-" She sniffed.
"Don't apologize. Everything in this house is as much yours as it is mine." He tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. Ginny looked at the picture of Neville trying to hold on to Trevor.
"It's the strangest thing… I have no idea who this is, but I remember that he was killed. I remember how I felt when-"
"I remember how you felt," Harry said sincerely. He hated that Ginny had been so upset, but he was the one she came to for comfort, he was the one who held her when she cried, the one who dried her tears.
"He was a close friend, wasn't he?"
"He was. Very close." Harry was trying very hard not to cry himself. He took the picture and placed it back on the bookshelf, behind an empty shot glass. He grabbed two shot glasses and a bottle of scotch, filling all three glasses. "Here." Ginny took the glass. "It's a muggle tradition," he said, "To absent friends."
"To absent friends." Ginny echoed the toast and downed the scotch.
"Come on, let's go eat." He led Ginny down to the kitchen.
"You made all this?" She said, taking a seat.
"With a little help from Dobby." As if he had been listening from around the corner, Dobby appeared with a bottle of butter beer for Ginny and a pint for Harry. Supper was eaten, for the most part, in silence.
"Tell me something, Harry," Ginny said, putting her fork down. "When you said that everything in the house was as much mine as it is yours, what did you mean?"
Harry wasn't sure how to answer this. "Well, I-" He was saved from answering her question by Lupin and Tonks falling out of the fireplace.
"Sorry 'bout that, Harry," Lupin said, dusting himself off. "Didn't mean to interrupt."
"I thought the house was taken off the Floo network," Harry said, waving his wand to repair a vase Tonks had knocked over.
"The Order decided it would be best to have it connected, but there's limited access. Only members of the Order can come and go, and you're only connected to their houses, Hogwarts, and Diagon Alley."
"Right… Tell me again, what are you doing here?"
"We, uh…we-"
"We came to check on Buckbeak," Lupin finished. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here."
"Good point. Well, you obviously don't need us around. We'll just go, then." And they Disapparated without another word. Ginny started giggling.
"What?"
"Isn't it obvious?"
"Obviously not," Harry said, smiling.
"They didn't come to check on Buckbeak, Harry, they came to-" She lapsed into another fit of giggles.
"You know, I think I could have gone a lifetime without knowing that." He cleared the table and disappeared to the wine cellar. He came back up with a bottle of his best fire whiskey.
"Harry, you know I'm not old enough to drink."
"I won't tell if you don't. Come with me." Harry led her up to the spare room. Ginny stopped in the doorway and stared at the bed. "Oh, it's nothing like that, Ginny." He pushed the wall aside. "Are you coming or not?" Ginny climbed through the passage behind him.
"Where are we?"
"It's our secret room, remember? Somewhere only we know?"
"Doesn't ring a bell, sorry." She wandered around the room, looking at the pictures. "What's all this?"
"Those are all photographs of us and our family and friends, and Quidditch posters. Most of them are yours."
"What happened to your nose?" Ginny took a picture of Harry with a swollen nose off the wall.
"That was after our first kiss. Ron punched me, and you thought it would be fun to have a picture of me like that to remember that day."
"First kiss? When was that?"
"July. A week or so before my birthday."
"Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you love me?"
"Of course I do."
"And, do I love you?"
"I, uh, well-"
"I mean, did I ever say that to you?"
"All the time."
"I thought so."
"Why do you ask?"
"How else am I going to remember everything?" She sat on the couch. "Tell me everything, Harry."
"Everything?"
"Everything about us, how we met, when we met, everything."
"Okay." Harry sat beside her and told her everything, meeting at the burrow before second year, the Chamber of Secrets incident, falling in love with her, Neville's death, their relationship, everything up until the accident.
"Was it good?"
"Was what good?"
"The sex."
"Excuse me?" Harry stared at her.
"Well, you said that after Neville died, we slept together. Was it good?"
"I didn't mean that. We slept in the same bed, that's it."
"So, you never tried anything?"
"Ginny, I'm going to tell you what I told you many times before. You're welcome in my bed anytime, no questions asked, but I'm not going to do anything to pressure you." Harry passed her a glass of wine.
"You sound so dull. Did we ever have any fun?"
"I am not dull! And of course we had fun."
"Oh, really? And what did we do that was so fun?"
"Snog." Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Hey, you enjoyed it."
"Prove it."
"Alright," Harry sighed. He leaned forward on the couch and kissed her passionately. It didn't take long for them to become horizontal. Ginny let out a soft moan that sent shivers down his back. "I told you so."
**
Ginny stared at the ceiling of her bedroom. How she got there, she didn't know, but the bed sure was comfortable. She noticed the note Harry had left on the pillow.
I have to show you something. Come to my room when you wake up.
Where is his room, she thought. She put her feet on the floor and shivered. She dressed and wandered around upstairs, looking for Harry.
"I was wondering when you'd get up." Harry held out a mug of hot chocolate.
"Thanks. So, what do you have to show me?"
"This." He indicated the room. "Go through everything if you have to. There are a lot of memories in here."
"I don't think I have to…"
"What?"
"I have an idea." Ginny handed Harry her mug and kissed him. She could smell him, a mix of clean laundry and Quidditch leather. It was a scent that could only be described as Harry. "Wow," She said breathlessly, "I honestly didn't think that would work."
"Did it?"
Ginny thought for a moment. "I think so."
"What do you remember?" Harry asked eagerly.
"I'm not really sure… The only way I can think to explain it is you. I remember you. I guess it isn't really fair to say I remember everything you told me last night, but I remember how it felt. And, just so you know, you left out a lot of details about the summer."
Harry spun her around and kissed her. "Do me a favour, don't tell Dumbledore yet. I like being here with you."
"Me, too. He probably already knows."
"Yeah… but I haven't had a date with my girlfriend in weeks. We'll just go back tomorrow. It's a Hogsmeade weekend, anyway."
"So, what do we do today?"
"We could go to Diagon Alley, then do some shopping in Muggle London," Harry suggested, wrapping his arms around Ginny's waist. "Or, we could stay in."
"They're both so tempting." She kissed Harry and said, "I vote for shopping."
"I knew you would."
**
Their first stop, after Gringotts, was Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. Fred and George were arguing with Percy over a display in the front window when Harry and Ginny walked in.
"Cutting class, are we?" Fred said.
"No," Ginny said, "Dumbledore gave us a couple days off so Harry could help me remember everything."
"What a gentleman," George said sarcastically.
"Well, he is a Gryffindor, they are supposed to be chivalrous."
"Yeah, but at 17 when they're more preoccupied with anatomy than anything else?"
"Oh, shut up." Harry smiled. "Besides, it's me you should worry about. She couldn’t' keep her hands off me."
"That's not true!" Ginny said, turning red.
"Yes it is."
"Take that back, Harry James Potter!"
"Or what?"
"I can tell them and all their customers some pretty nasty secrets about you."
"Like what?"
"Like that one time last summer when you-" Harry put his hand over Ginny's mouth, afraid she had come up with something truly embarrassing.
"When you what, Harry?"
"Nothing, nothing." He pulled a laughing Ginny out of the store. "What were going to tell them?"
"Oh, nothing you don't already know. Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron, it's freezing out here."
Harry held the door open for Ginny and they sat at the table nearest the fire. Unfortunately, that wasn't too near, as witches and wizards were falling out of it every five minutes. They drank butter beers and talked about everything from school to Quidditch to the weather.
"I can't wait to get back on the pitch," Ginny said dreamily, watching the flames dance.
"Are you kidding? Ginny, you can't play anymore. You'd just be putting yourself in more danger."
"Harry, leave your feelings for me out of it. Am I a good Chaser?"
"One of the best."
"Then why can't I play? I've been hurt before, and I always pulled through."
"I'd be risking the life of one of the best Quidditch players Hogwarts has ever seen! It has nothing to do with how I feel about you."
"I'm playing in the next match. That's final."
"No you are not, Ginevra. I'm the captain and I get the last word." Ginny stared at him, shocked. Harry had never used her full name, she wasn't even sure if he knew it.
"Fine. I won't play in the next match, but if you don't find another Chaser by next Saturday, you'll have to forfeit. And Slytherin would win by default. Do you really want Malfoy strutting around, proud as a peacock all year because he finally beat you?"
"Ginny, don't be angry with me," Harry said calmly. "As your captain, I can't allow you to play, and, I hate to say this, but Madam Pomfrey will probably back me up. You know what a hard time she gave Ron last year because of those brain things." Ginny shrugged in agreement. "And, as your boyfriend, I don't want to see you get hurt again."
She opened her mouth to speak, but Harry continued with his speech. "I would love to have you back on the team, and you will be, I promise, just not right away, okay?"
"I guess."
"Still want to go into Muggle London?"
"Of course." They finished their drinks and left the bar. "Is it warmer out here?" Ginny asked as they emerged on to the street, right in the middle of a market. They spent their afternoon walking in and out of stores, sometimes buying nothing, sometimes spending a hundred pounds.
When they returned to number 12, Grimmauld place, laughing and smiling, Dobby had supper laid out in the dining room because "master and his Wheezy is going back to Hogwarts in the morning."
"Thanks Dobby." Harry pulled out a chair for Ginny. "Wine?"
"No thanks. Ah, I think my cheeks have fallen off," she said, rubbing her frozen face.
"I can't feel my toes," Harry said, pouring himself a glass of wine. "Which means we've had a fairly successful day."
"Successful? How am I supposed to explain to my mother how I could afford all that stuff you bought me?"
"Just tell her your boyfriend spoils you rotten."
**
Harry and Ginny spent the evening in the library, snogging like there was no tomorrow. It was their favourite pastime and a perfect cure for boredom. The clock chimed midnight.
"I guess we should go to bed," Ginny said sadly.
"Yeah, we probably should…" Harry ran his hands through her hair and continued to kiss her. "Or not…" they continued making out until their lips were numb. "Maybe we should get some sleep, after all, we do have to go back to school in the morning." He walked Ginny to her room and kissed her goodnight. "See you at breakfast."
Harry continued up the stairs to his room. He shut the door quietly, muttered "Silencio" and started yelling at himself for his own stupidity. Ginny wouldn't have stopped him, and he certainly wouldn't have stopped her.
"You shouldn't bottle up your anger like that," the mirror said.
"SHUT UP!" Harry screamed, throwing his shoe and breaking the mirror. He took a deep breath and fell back onto his bed.
"Er, Harry?" Ginny opened the door. "Are you okay?"
"What? Oh, uh, yeah. Smart ass mirror…"
"I know, aren't they annoying? The one in my room kept telling me I was stupid."
"That one tells me to- well…" he trailed off, not really wanting to repeat what the mirror had said to him that morning. "What's up?"
"Nothing, I just couldn't sleep." Her face turned red at the obvious lie. "Mind if I sleep here tonight?"
"No, not at all." Of course you don't mind, a voice in his head told him, she'll be right there, not two inches from you, and you're not going to be able to control yourself- you love this. He watched as Ginny climbed into his bed. After a second's hesitation, he got into bed with her and turned out the lights. As usual, Ginny nestled herself into Harry's chest and Harry wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes, trying to force himself to sleep, but Ginny was tracing his muscles with her index finger. It was no use.
Harry slid down on the pillows and kissed her as passionately as he could. To be honest, he wasn't exactly capable of thinking. Ginny pulled Harry on top of her and ripped off his t-shirt. They were undressing each other as fast as they could. Harry cursed his satin sheets- they were too slippery for this.
**
"Good morning," Ginny said, smiling from ear to ear. She was wearing a very short, blue silk bathrobe, and nothing else.
"Morning." Harry was wearing his traditional flannel tartan pants and no shirt. "Did you sleep well?"
"Very well indeed." She helped herself to bacon and eggs. "Do we have to go back to Hogwarts today?"
"Unfortunately," Harry said. He had never been as happy as he was last night, and now, after two days, they had to rejoin civilization. "I wish we could just stay here, you know, and not tell anyone where we were. And we both know that's not going to happen." He grimaced and finished his breakfast.
They Flooed back to Dumbledore's office with just enough time to get down to the Great Hall to leave with everyone.
"Harry! Ginny!" Hermione squealed, hugging them both. "I didn't expect you back so soon! How'd you get your memory back? Was it-"
"Hermione, let them breathe," Ron said. "Good to have you back, mate." He clapped Harry on the back.
"Tell me," Hermione continued, "how'd you get your memory back?"
"I kissed Harry."
"That's it? You kissed Harry and you remembered everything?" Ron said doubtfully. "Was that what really happened?" He asked Harry, evidently thinking it took a little more than a kiss.
"Yes."
"Honestly, Ron, why would I lie about that?" She grabbed Hermione's arm and walked off with her.
"I think we've got a problem," Harry said with a sigh.
"Oh?"
"Ginny's not ready to get back on the pitch. We need a new Chaser."
"Oh," Ron repeated, relieved. They passed through the gates of the castle.
"Any ideas?"
"Do you still have the notes on the students who tried out?"
"Ginny has them. I'll go over them tonight. We need to start training our new player as soon as possible, we've got that match against Slytherin next week."
"Don't worry about Slytherin. McGonnagall's got the pitch booked four nights next week."
"I like her more and more every year," Harry said.
"You know, I really am glad you're back. Everybody's changing around here. Hermione has given up on SPEW, finally, and she hasn't read Hogwarts: A History since the summer. Snape's gone mental, not that he wasn't before, but he's crazier."
"I was only gone two days. What happened?"
"Potion gone wrong, Lavender says. I say it was something Fred and George invented that expired."
"This could be fun."
"Fun? Are you crazy? Hermione's not herself, Harry. Crookshanks doesn't even like her."
"Can we just worry about one thing at a time? Focus on Quidditch, will you."
"You and your one-track mind. All you think about is Quidditch."
"That's a laugh," Harry muttered to himself. Up ahead, Ginny and Hermione turned and waved.
A/N:See? All's good in the Potterverse. *sings* Harry and Ginny sitting in a tree...