Harry raised a hand for what seemed the hundredth time and nervously tried to pat down his unruly hair. It was of no use. His hair stubbornly persisted in standing on end. He sighed. Normally he didn't give much thought to how his hair looked -- it was naturally messy, and he could accept that -- but tonight of all nights, he thought he'd like it to lie flat for once.

Ron banged on the door to the tiny bathroom. "Come on, Harry! It's time to go!"

"I'll be out in a moment," Harry called back. One last look in the mirror, one last attempt to smooth his hair (it sprung back up mockingly), one last check of his pockets. Yes, he had everything.

He emerged from the bathroom to find Ron standing in his navy blue dress robes, his arms crossed over his chest. "We're going to be late," he said. "What took you so long?"

"Just keep your shirt on, Ron. Hermione isn't going anywhere. She's still going to be up at school when we get there." Harry took a moment to brush down his own dress robes of deep crimson and grabbed his cloak. "Let's go."

He and Ron had arrived at the Three Broomsticks about an hour earlier to discover the room that Ron's mother had reserved for them was all they'd been expecting: very small with two extremely narrow, slightly rickety single beds. Ron had smirked and raised an eyebrow at Harry when he saw it. Harry had briefly considered asking Madam Rosmerta for another room, but he wasn't sure he wanted to in front of Ron. He'd remembered that Ron preferred to turn a blind eye to the fact that Harry was going to be free to bring Ginny back here for the night.

In any case it had looked as if asking for a different room would be futile. Madam Rosmerta had been in a very good mood, and it had become apparent from her talk that she'd rented out all her rooms for the night due to the ball. "First time I've had them all rented in ages," she'd commented. "Since well before… Well. You were both there."

Harry hadn't really looked at her when they'd first arrived, but as she spoke he'd noticed how much older she looked, as if the image he'd retained of her from the day of the battle had become permanently engraved on her features. Although the Three Broomsticks had been on the opposite end of the village from all the explosions, it had not escaped the battle completely unscathed. She'd had to make repairs, and she'd had to pay for those repairs somehow.

As they went back down the stairs and through the common room, Harry could see it was rather empty of patrons, in direct contrast to his memories of Hogsmeade weekends during his years at Hogwarts. Even on those days when throngs of students hadn't descended on the village, Harry had always supposed Madam Rosmerta did a brisk business. When he'd stopped in last Christmas while looking for Ginny the day she'd been taken by Lucius Malfoy, there had to have been more patrons in the pub than there were tonight.

Harry and Ron stepped out into the frosty evening and began to walk towards Hogwarts. The air was brisk and carried a hint of coming snow with it. The village was silent and dark, too dark to reveal the changes that had taken place since the battle the previous June, but Harry knew that while most of the buildings had been replaced, some still lay in charred ruins, a testament to what had occurred there.

Harry turned his eyes towards the castle. He could see it in the distance overlooking the village, its silhouette rising blacker against the darkened sky, its thousands of windows twinkling with lights. A thrill of anticipation passed through him. In a few minutes he would see Ginny for the first time since Halloween. He quickened his pace.

"Where's the fire?" Ron called after him. "Ginny's still going to be at school when you get there. She won't be going anywhere."

Harry smiled to himself and didn't reply. Ron hurried his own steps to catch up to Harry and didn't voice another complaint.

The entrance hall was brightly lit and filled with students robed in brilliant colours. Harry looked around him for a flash of gold, but it was difficult to see through the crowd. Ron, with his height advantage, had already spotted Hermione and moved off to greet her. Harry could see Hermione hugging Ron across the entrance hall while many of the older students turned to stare at them. Harry knew it probably wouldn't be long before they spotted him, and he wondered what their reaction to him would be.

He soon found out. "Harry!" he heard an excited voice cry out behind him. He turned and found himself standing face to face with Colin Creevey. For one wild moment, he expected Colin to ask for his autograph or try to take his picture -- the younger boy had his camera around his neck -- but Colin merely extended a hand. "How are you, Harry?"

Harry didn't know what to make of Colin's action for a moment, but finally realised he ought to at least shake Colin's hand. "Just great, Colin," he replied mechanically. "How are things going this year?"

"Quite a bit quieter actually… Not that there's anything wrong with that."

"Listen, have you seen Ginny? I was supposed to meet her…"

"Haven't seen her. But you know girls."

"Yeah, well if you'll excuse me, I'll see if I can find her."

He said a brief hello to Ralph Chapman and Kevin Graham, who had been on the Quidditch team with him and Ron, before finally spotting Ginny. She was carefully descending the marble staircase, one hand on the banister, and the other holding her skirt so she wouldn't trip over it. She looked as stunning as he remembered in her dress robes, perhaps even more so now with her hair in an intricate pile on top of her head and a few tendrils left loose and curling about her face.

Harry's heart swelled as he watched her. She hadn't seen him yet; she was too busy concentrating on her feet. He had to force himself to remain calm and not shout out to her, not run over to her. He made his way towards the foot of the stairs, his heart racing and his mouth completely dry. His palms were unaccountably sweaty, and he found himself wiping them surreptitiously on his robes, staring at her all the while, and mentally willing her to look up.

She didn't until she'd reached the bottom of the stairs and found herself face to face with him. He only had a chance at the briefest of glances at her before he'd caught her in a tight embrace. His hands touched bare skin, sending a tingle through him; he'd forgotten that this dress had no back to it. Ginny's arms had encircled his waist and she'd laid her head against his shoulder. Somewhere behind him, he heard a catcall, and he released her reluctantly.

Ginny took his hand. "Come on."

And then she was leading him off into a more secluded corner underneath the staircase itself. "I've missed you," she whispered, putting her hands on his cheeks, and pulling him down to her so that all he could see were her eyes. They were full of promise. "I've missed you so much," she said against his lips.

Harry took her by the waist and pulled her against him, kissing her thoroughly. At the moment actions seemed to suffice for the words he was unable to find. After a few minutes he pulled back, but found himself unwilling to let her go so soon. It had been so long since they'd been able to have any sort of time together. They had the rest of the night, and he knew it -- he was trembling with anticipation of what was to come -- but right now all he wanted was her. He drew her into another long kiss, and when they broke apart, Ginny's breath was coming in shallow gasps.

He stared down at her again, memorising her face, tracing her cheekbone and jaw line with a finger. She'd put on makeup for tonight. He'd never known her to wear it in the past, but it had been applied with a light hand, enhancing her features. But then he noticed something else. There were faint traces of circles under her eyes. She'd tried to conceal them, but standing this close he could still see them. It also looked to him as if she had lost weight now that he thought about it. He was sure this dress had fit more tightly last August.

He didn't have a chance to comment on this, however, for Ginny was leaning in again, her arms tightening about his waist, and making him wish the ball was over already. An evil cackle forced them apart several minutes later. Harry looked up in horror to find Peeves leering at the two of them. Before either one of them could say a word, Peeves began to recite:

"Go away, Peeves," Ginny seethed.

Harry's cheeks had gone red at being caught. "Let's just go into dinner," he advised, taking her hand and starting to lead her out towards the Great Hall. He blushed even further when he realised everyone else had already gone in for the meal.

Peeves thumbed his nose at them both. "Yes, that's it. Just run away. Better fix your make-up first, though, dearie. It's got Potter marks all over it! And put some clothes on!"

Ginny continued towards the Great Hall. "Maybe you'd better listen to him, Ginny," Harry ventured.

"What do you mean? You're the one who sent me this dress."

"Not the dress. Your lipstick." He reached up and rubbed his thumb across the corner of her mouth. He thought she shuddered at the touch. "It's smudged."

By the time they got into the Great Hall, everyone was seated and had food on their plates. It was a good thing the lights had been dimmed so that the hall was lit by the starlight from the enchanted ceiling and the candles that adorned the smaller tables that had replaced the usual house tables, for Harry felt his face heat even more when everyone turned to stare at the latecomers.

They found Ron and Hermione at a table with several other Gryffindors, who made room for Harry and Ginny at the table. "Took you long enough," said Ron with a smirk. "Did you take the scenic route? Ooh…" He stopped and glared at Hermione who had just elbowed him. His smile faded even further, and his eyes bugged out a bit, as he looked his sister up and down. He looked decidedly disgruntled now, but it seemed he didn't dare make another comment at the moment with Hermione's elbow poised at the ready.

Harry picked the menu up off his golden plate and furrowed his brow as he looked over the choices. They all looked to him as if they were in French. Chicken cordon bleu, that looked safe, as well as vaguely pronounceable.

Beside him he heard Ginny stumbling over one of the other choices. Some sort of fish and seafood platter over vegetables appeared on her plate. Harry leaned towards her. "Is that what you ordered?"

"I think so," she replied.

"I didn't get what I ordered," Ron grumbled.

"Of course you did," said Hermione. "Bouillabaisse."

"I wasn't ordering, I was sneezing," Ron insisted. "So, Colin, where's your date?"

"Ron…" Hermione hissed under her breath.

Colin was sitting at the same table with them, obviously by himself. "It's okay. Parvati couldn't make it."

Ron's jaw dropped. "Parvati Patil?" Harry couldn't help smiling as he remembered how Colin had wanted to borrow his Dr Zog book for advice last year, but Harry hadn't been able to find it at the time. It looked as if Colin had worked things out on his own.

Colin nodded. "We started owling each other over the summer. She had to work today, so she couldn't attend. I volunteered to come and take pictures for anyone who wants them," he added patting his camera. "Sort of as souvenirs. Anyway, it's better this way. I can dance with all the other girls." That shut Ron up for a few minutes.

Ginny, meanwhile, was devouring her meal, as if she hadn't eaten in days. "Hungry there, Gin?" Ron commented. When she didn't bother to reply, he added, "Isn't surprising. You look like you've lost weight."

"Since when do you pay attention to things like that?" asked Ginny.

"Well I might not have noticed except for those robes you're barely wearing. Where the hell did you get those?"

"Shut it, Ron."

"Ron," Hermione tried to intercede, "her robes are very nice."

"Nice? They're downright indecent! Wait till Mum sees them! She'll have kittens. Harry, you're not saying a word. What do you think of them?"

Harry wasn't about to tell Ron the truth. "Er…" he began, but Ginny cut him off. "He likes them, Ron. He bought them for me."

Ron turned on Harry, who slumped down in his seat just a bit further. "You bought them for her? What were you thinking?"

"Ron," said Hermione between clenched teeth, "why don't you come with me and say hello to Professor McGonagall?"

"I'm not done with Harry yet. And I'm not done eating!"

"You're never done eating. Come on."

She didn't give him any choice in the matter, for she grasped him by the upper arm in what looked to Harry like a vice grip and marched him off towards the table where the heads of houses and Headmistress were all seated. Hermione managed to keep Ron occupied at that table for the rest of the meal, leaving Harry and Ginny to enjoy their chocolate mousse in peace while they chatted with the other Gryffindors at their table.

As they were finishing their dessert, Professor McGonagall stood up, bidding everyone else do so as well, reminding Harry of the Yule Ball in his fourth year when the Weird Sisters had provided the music for the evening. He wondered who Professor McGonagall had managed to book, as she waved her wand pushing the tables back and creating a dance floor. Harry turned towards the door of the Great Hall, expecting to see the band members come in, but no one appeared there.

Instead, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped, and turning, Harry saw that a large number of ghosts had materialised on the dais where the staff table normally stood. They all seemed to have ghostly instruments, and Harry shivered, remembering the horrible sound of the musical saws at Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party. Upon closer inspection, however, Harry saw a large number of brass instruments: trumpets, trombones, saxophones. Someone had a clarinet, while a piano and a drum set had also appeared out of nowhere. There also seemed to be several other ghosts who had no instruments with them, and Harry supposed they were the singers.

He exchanged a look with Ginny, who shrugged. Evidently she hadn't been expecting this either. When the ghosts had set themselves up, Professor McGonagall announced them as The Legends, rattling off several names that Harry thought were vaguely familiar. He knew he'd heard the names Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller before, but he wasn't quite sure where. Frank Sinatra definitely rang a bell, but it conjured up images of his Aunt Petunia in her frilly dresses. He shuddered.

Just then Ginny touched his arm, driving the image from his mind. The band was tuning up, and from the sound of things, this wasn't going to sound like either the Weird Sisters or musical saws. The other students seemed to be looking at each other, perplexed at the choice of music, as if they had no idea how they were going to manage to dance to it. Harry didn't much care. He didn't consider himself any more of a dancer now than he had in his fourth year, and as long as he could enjoy a few slow numbers with Ginny, he'd be happy to sit the rest out.

The orchestra began its first tune, and Ginny grabbed at his hand, ready to lead him out onto the dance floor. But at the same time, Professor McGonagall appeared, striding towards them purposefully.

"Miss Weasley…" She had to raise her voice to be heard over the music. "Don't you think you ought to cover up?" Harry wondered if Ron has called Ginny's robes to the headmistress' attention.

Ginny stood her ground. "I don't see anything wrong with what I've got on."

"I suggest you put on a wrap. You know you're lucky to be here in the first place."

Harry handed his cloak, which he'd left draped over the back of his chair, to Ginny. "If she puts that on, will it be all right?"

"Yes, that would be fine."

When Professor McGonagall had gone again, Harry turned back to Ginny, who was slipping his cloak over her shoulders and didn't look as if she wanted to meet his eye. "What did she mean, you're lucky to be here in the first place?"

"It's nothing, Harry. Come on. Let's dance."

"Not until you tell me what that was about."

"I got into trouble, all right? And I almost wasn't able to attend because of it."

"Wait a minute. Is this over the Zonko's thing? No, it can't be, can it, because you would have told me before now if there was any chance of you not being allowed to attend."

Ginny bit her lip and then said something too low for Harry to hear.

"What was that?"

"I got behind in my work," Ginny said more loudly. "Enough behind that Professor McGonagall called me into her office and told me off for it. She gave me until the end of term to make it all up, and if I didn't she wasn't going to let me come tonight. But I finished it all."

Harry looked sharply at her. She must have been very behind indeed for the headmistress to intervene so drastically. Then he remembered something Hermione had mentioned in a letter. "Just how did you manage to get that far behind, Ginny?"

"Don't you remember how much work you had to do last year? If you let one thing slip it tends to all pile up, doesn't it?"

"Yes, but since early October?"

Ginny's jaw dropped, and she seemed to go white. "How did you know?"

"Hermione mentioned something about you neglecting your school work. It had to be when you were planning that prank on your brothers. And it's taken you this long to get caught up?"

"That took a lot of planning, but I am caught up now. That's what's important."

"Is that why you've lost weight?" He didn't think she wanted to hear she looked tired as well.

"It's been a stressful few months."

"It must have been a lot of work."

Ginny smiled slyly. "I did have help, you know."

"Hermione?"

"No, she thought I deserved everything I got for letting things slide. Professor Dumbledore gave me a hand here and there."

"What? How is that possible?"

"There's a portrait of him up in his old office now. The others are all asleep, but he's still awake. McGonagall made me do my work up there where she could keep an eye on me, but she wasn't there the entire time I was. So whenever she left, he helped me out."

Harry hardly knew what to say. It seemed incredible to him that the old headmaster's spirit might still be within these walls. But it also seemed fitting.

Ginny was watching him for a reaction. "He told me he'll go to sleep eventually, like the others. But for now he's awake, and it's still like he's watching over the school while he is, isn't it?"

Harry took Ginny's hand and squeezed it. There was something comforting in her words. "Yeah… yeah it is. Dance with me?"

Ginny smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."

She let him lead her out onto the floor among the other couples, sending a glare at some younger girls Harry didn't know. They'd been staring at him and giggling, he realised, a lot like many of the Hogwarts girls had done over Viktor Krum.

The band was playing a slow tune now, for which Harry was grateful. He didn't think he was up to trying to dance to anything fast, and he realised he wasn't alone. The dance floor was much less crowded than it had been during the Yule Ball in his fourth year. Many of the students were sitting at tables, and those that were dancing didn't look as if they knew what to make of the choice of music.

Harry pulled Ginny into his arms, and began to circle with her to the strains, which filled the Great Hall. He heard one of the ghostly band members begin to sing something about spending the night in a secret rendezvous, and Harry couldn't help but pull her closer at the thought. It wouldn't be long now… He could feel the soft skin of her back, where he'd slipped his hands beneath his cloak, and he imagined touching her the way he had last summer.

As song succeeded song, the world seemed to close in on them. Ginny had slipped completely into his arms now and laid her head against his shoulder. He could feel the warmth of her breath against his neck. He had a vague notion of time passing, as the band leader introduced different song titles. "Moonlight Serenade" had played, followed by "Sentimental Journey", "Green Eyes", "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now", and others.

At the end of one song, Ginny lifted her head from his shoulder, and he looked down into her eyes. He couldn't resist the temptation to give her a kiss, and he yielded to it. A camera flash reminded him that Colin was taking pictures. Harry pulled back and grinned down at Ginny. "Ask him for that one for me, will you?" he said, even as the camera flashed again.

"Enough!" Professor Snape was suddenly standing next to them. "None of that on the dance floor! Twenty points from Gryffindor! And if you don't stop dancing so close, I'll make it more! Potter, keep your hands where I can see them."

Ginny shot a glare at the potions master before stepping back out of Harry's arms and removing his cloak from her shoulders. "There, you'll be able to see them now," she said defiantly.

Snape scowled at her, but Ginny held her ground. Harry decided it was probably a good time for a break.

"Come on," he said, taking her arm. "Let's get a Butterbeer."

As they moved off the dance floor, Harry noticed a good many of the other boys seemed to find Ginny quite attractive, judging by their stares. He suddenly didn't feel like leaving her at a table while he went for the Butterbeer, but he really didn't have much choice in the matter now that he'd offered. He steered her towards the table where Ron and Hermione were sitting, causing Harry to wonder if they'd danced at all yet this evening. He couldn't remember having seen them on the dance floor, but he also hadn't been paying much attention to the couples around him.

"Where did they dig up this music?" Ron was saying, as Ginny took a seat at their table.

"Professor McGonagall chose the band," Hermione explained. "I suppose she must think this is the sort of thing teenagers like."

"Oh, come on, she can't be that dense. Even Dumbledore knew enough to book the Weird Sisters."

"Well, maybe this is the sort of thing she liked when she was younger," Hermione ventured.

"Does anyone else want any Butterbeer?" Harry asked. "I'm off to get some."

"No thanks," said Hermione. Ron shook his head no, as well.

"Two it is, then."

When he got back with the Butterbeer, Hermione and Ron seemed to be having a bit of a dispute. "Go on, dance with your sister," Hermione was saying.

"No!" Ron insisted, looking at Ginny, as if he was a bit scared of her. "That's Harry's job."

Hermione looked disgruntled, but she didn't pursue the matter any further. "You'll just have to cave in and dance with me, then I suppose," she said resignedly.

"But… but… I don't know how to dance to this stuff. Fred is good at this sort of dancing, not me," Ron protested. The band had just changed to an up-tempo tune that the leader had introduced as "Sing, Sing, Sing".

"You've barely danced all night. Come on, it'll be fun!"

Hermione grabbed his hand and practically dragged him to the dance floor, while Ron rolled his eyes at her and looked petulant. Harry and Ginny watched the other couple for a while, laughing when Ron finally forgot about how he must look and got into the spirit of the dance. He wasn't half as bad as he thought, apparently, and Hermione was fairly glowing at him.

Next to him, Ginny shivered, cold now that she no longer had Harry's cloak on. Harry put an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her close to him, kissing the top of her head. "You sure you don't want to put my cloak back on?" he asked in her ear.

"No, this is nicer," Ginny replied. "Besides, what if Snape comes back? He wants to be able to see your hands at all times," she added with a giggle.

"Yeah, but McGonagall wants you covered up…"

Almost as he said the words, he spotted the headmistress heading in their direction. But she came to a stop as the music changed once again. There were some female ghosts among the singers who stepped forward and began to sing something about bluebirds and the white cliffs of Dover. As Harry watched, Professor McGonagall turned aside, and he was sure he'd seen her brush at the corner of her eye.

"Is she going to be okay with you leaving this evening?" Harry asked.

"McGonagall? Oh yes, it's all worked out. I'm not the only one leaving straight from the ball. There's a whole list of people going home by Portkey. It's apparently one of the reasons they planned for this to occur before Christmas day: so students could attend and still spend the holidays with their families. I told Professor McGonagall I'd arranged to go back to the Burrow with you."

"So everything's ready then."

"Oh yes. I'm definitely ready." She was looking straight into his eyes as she said the words, and the emphasis she placed on the last word told Harry she wasn't talking about travel arrangements.

He swallowed nervously, feeling strangely shy all of a sudden.

She moved closer to him, and a tingle passed through him when he felt a rush of warm breath in his ear. "It's all arranged," she whispered. "Hermione sent me to Madam Pomfrey for some potion…"

The hand Harry had placed on her bare shoulder flexed of its own accord, and he turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were very close to his. "Do you think anyone will say anything if we left early?"

"I don't think anyone will notice. It's got to be nearly over in any case."

"Let's go then."

They both got to their feet at the same time and left the Great Hall without anyone seeing them. The entrance hall was thankfully empty. It only took a moment for Ginny to Summon her cloak and the bag packed with everything she'd need over the holidays from Gryffindor Tower, and then the two of them were walking back towards Hogsmeade through softly falling snow.

A chill wind blew down from the surrounding hills, causing the white flakes to swirl about them. Harry took Ginny's hand as they walked and found it was cold.

"Are you warm enough?" he asked.

"I'll be all right. We haven't got far to go."

He dropped her hand and put an arm about her shoulders, noticing that she trembled slightly, but he wasn't sure whether it was caused by the thought of what they were going to do or the weather. He could practically feel her bare skin through the thin fabric of her cloak, and his hand tightened reflexively, moulding itself to her shoulder. She moved closer to him, and suddenly he found his arms about her, drawing her into the warmth of his embrace and feeling her shudder and burrow closer to him.

He pulled away slightly after a moment, but only enough so that he could tip her chin up for a kiss. For a long while they stood in the middle of the path to the village, drinking each other in, until Ginny shivered against him once more. Now, however, there was a different quality to her trembling, and Harry didn't think it had been caused by the cold this time. As one, they broke apart, and continued along the path as quickly as they could.

Harry's fingers shook slightly as he tried to unlock the door to the room at the Three Broomsticks. He wasn't sure if the shakiness was due to anticipation or the small twinge of nervousness he felt in his stomach. The other times they'd come close to making love hadn't been planned, but this occasion had, down to ensuring that Ginny wouldn't become pregnant.

While she'd told him she'd taken a potion, he remembered what Mr Weasley had said to him, and he wasn't about to take chances. He'd ventured out into Muggle London the previous week, where he'd found a chemist's and bought what he needed. The choice had been bewildering, and he hadn't dared ask for help, but he'd managed in the end. As a result, he wasn't so much worried about a pregnancy as he was about doing things properly. That definitely wasn't a subject he wanted to bring up in front of Mr Weasley.

Harry finally got the door open and picked up Ginny's bag. He hung back, letting her precede him into the room. Light flared as she lit candles with her wand, and then she laughed. "Harry, are you sure this is the right room?"

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry…"

"But there are two single beds here. You'd think Mum made the reservation."

"She did, actually."

"And what's Ron's stuff doing here?" She'd spied his bag on the floor.

"He'll be back for it in the morning. He's staying up at the castle with Hermione tonight, but we told your mum he'd be staying here with me. Listen…"

"Well, this isn't going to do."

Before Harry could say anything else, Ginny had taken off her cloak and was pushing at one of the beds. It creaked ominously but didn't budge.

"Ginny, let me give you a hand there."

With an extra effort, they got the two beds pushed together. Then Ginny pulled out her wand with a flourish and performed a tricky bit of Transfiguration, and what was once two beds transformed into one large one, complete with canopy and hangings.

Ginny surveyed her work and nodded once. "There, much better. Now…" She turned back to Harry. "Now I only need to change, and…"

"Don't change."

"But I brought something special…"

"Don't change, please?" Harry took a step closer and put his hands on her waist. "You're perfect in that dress."

He couldn't help but look over her entire body, appreciating the way her dress moulded itself to her curves. His mouth went dry, and his hands flexed at her waist, while his heart began to beat faster. He brought his eyes back up to her face and noticed the shadows under her eyes once more. He'd intended to kiss her, but now he hesitated.

"We don't have to do anything, Ginny. If you're too tired…"

She put two fingers over his mouth to silence him, and he fought the urge to kiss them. "I'm not too tired."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I want to make love with you."

She ran her fingers across his lower lip and down to his neck and from there gently began to pull her towards her, kissing him softly, first his upper lip and then the lower. Harry tightened his grip on her waist, taking a step closer, at the same time opening his mouth and tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue. She granted him entry, and she drew him into ever-deepening kisses, while he held her closely against him.

He pulled away after several minutes, his heart pounding and his breathing shallow, and turned to lay his glasses on the night table. Then he moved to sit down on the mattress, holding Ginny in front of him by the waist. He looked up at her, taking in her flushed face and darkened eyes.

"I love you, Ginny, and I've missed you so much," he whispered, reaching up to play idly with one of the tendrils of hair she'd left loose. "I want this to be right."

"It is right, Harry."

"You have to tell me if there's something you don't like. Or if you want to stop."

"I told you before, I want to do this. I'm not going to ask you to stop."

Her stomach was at about the same level as his face, and he pulled her against him, placing his lips against her midriff, while he ran his hands over her bare back. A tremor seemed to pass through her. He could feel the fullness of her curves against his forehead, and he longed to bury his face there and nuzzle, but not yet. Something inside him wanted to move slowly. He raised his face and kissed the bare skin at the lowest point of her neckline instead.

The next thing Harry knew, Ginny had leaned down, pulling his face up to hers, and was kissing him with all the passion she possessed. Somehow she'd pushed him back onto the bed without disengaging her lips from his until she was lying fully on top of him. He ran his hands over her back again and down over her hips, pressing her as close to him as he could.

Time seemed to blur while they continued to explore each other until Harry found himself reaching up and finding the tiny buttons that held her bodice in place, but he was having trouble getting his fingers to work properly. At last one button came free. He began on the other one.

"Finite incantatem!"

An instant later the beds sprang apart, and Harry tumbled sharply to the floor. "What the…"

Ginny's voice cracked angrily across him. "Ron! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Coming back to the room. What does it look like?"

Harry raised his head and squinted but he couldn't get Ron's face to come into focus. From his tone, however, Harry concluded that he wasn't very pleased. "Do you think you could have knocked first?" he asked, unable to keep the edge out of his voice.

"I did knock! Several times, in fact! Do you think I wanted to just walk in on you?"

Ginny was on her feet now, and Harry was very thankful he'd never managed to get that second button undone. "Get out, Ron! Now!"

"Nope, not going anywhere."

She strode across the room towards her brother, gesturing furiously towards the door. "You're sure as hell not staying here! Find yourself another room!"

"Can't. Bloody inn is booked solid."

"What happened? Hermione kick you out?"

"No, Hermione did not kick me out. Filch did."

Harry, in spite of his annoyance at having been interrupted, had to fight very hard not to laugh. "How'd you manage that, Ron?" he asked. He'd got his robes back in order while Ginny and Ron had been sniping at each other, and now he heaved himself off the floor and reached over one of the beds for his glasses.

Ron mumbled several choice words under his breath before bursting out, "You'd think after seven years I'd know my way around the place."

"You got lost?" Harry asked, incredulous. There was a distinct edge to his voice.

"Yes," Ron mumbled. "And Filch caught me and asked me what I was doing skulking about. Then the git kicked me out on my arse!"

"You idiot!" Ginny shouted. "What made you think you could find the staff rooms yourself? I've seen where Hermione's rooms are, and there's just no way you could hope to find them on your own. Plus there are passwords! Why the hell didn't you just let Hermione show you the way?"

"Because I thought I'd surprise her, all right?" Ron snapped.

"Yeah, some surprise! She'll be expecting you to turn up and you won't."

Ron's ears turned decidedly red at that. "She knows," he said quietly. "She found me when Filch was telling me off."

Harry did burst out laughing then, rather harshly, earning himself glares from both Ron and Ginny. "It isn't funny," Ron said.

"No, it isn't," Ginny agreed. "It's just plain stupid! I suppose you thought you'd show her what a clever Auror you are by finding your way yourself!" Ron turned even redder and looked away. "Well you can find yourself another place to sleep!" Ginny said, giving her brother a shove towards the door.

"Where?"

She gave him another shove. "You can go down to Zonko's and see if the twins will take you in. I'm sure they'll love the explanation!"

"Come on, Ginny," Ron pleaded. She looked daggers at him. "You're going to let me stay here, or I'll tell Mum what I walked in on just now."

"Oh, now there's a mature idea! They teach you that tactic in Auror training?"

"I'll tell her," Ron persisted.

"Just perfect! You ruin your evening, so you think it's perfectly all right to ruin ours as well!" And then she used Mrs Mutt's favourite word to describe Gervaise St John. Harry wanted to laugh but at the same time he told himself he probably shouldn't teach her any more of Mrs Mutt's vocabulary.

"Language, Ginny!"

"Turning into Malfoy now, are you?"

Ron rounded on Harry now. "God, Harry, what, do you tell her everything?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Harry asked, astonished at the question. "She's my girlfriend. We share everything."

"Yeah, a room and everything."

"This was your idea, Ron! You knew very well what was going to happen. Even if you didn't want me to say it out loud in front of you, you knew. You didn't have to come back here. You knew very well what you'd be walking in on!"

Ron let out a long breath, and the fight seemed to drain out of him. "Listen, I'm sorry, all right? I just didn't know where to go. Do you think I wanted to spend the night here? Yeah, I knew what was going on here, it's just that… Well, some things take some getting used to. Just let me stay here, and I'll cover for you with Mum over Christmas. All right?"

Ginny looked hard at her brother for a moment, but she must have known she'd have to admit defeat. "Oh, all right," she snapped, "but you're sleeping on the floor! And if I were you I wouldn't sleep too soundly while I'm home over Christmas!" Then she strode over to her bag, grabbed it and retreated into the loo, slamming the door behind her.

Ron went to his own bag, and rifled through it, avoiding Harry's eye. "You know, Ron," Harry began at last, "I reckon you're not all right about me and Ginny being together after all."

Ron looked up in surprise. "Of course I am. I just said I still needed to get used to the idea. Why would you say that?"

"Because of what you just did," Harry shot back. He was hurt, but he didn't really want to tell Ron that, so he concentrated on feeling angry. "And really, you've been a prat about Ginny and me ever since we got together. If the situation had been reversed and I knew you and Hermione were in here, I would never have just burst in on you. And I can't believe you'd tell your mum!"

Ron looked abashed at that statement. "I… I… I wouldn't really tell her, you know. And what was I supposed to do? If I'd gone back home, Mum would have known something was up. I didn't have anywhere else to sleep. It's snowing out," he finished lamely as he spread his cloak out on the floor between the two beds.

"You could have worked something out. You could have slept in the bar. So you must have wanted to interrupt us. It's the only thing that makes sense!"

Ron's mouth was opening and closing but no sound was coming out, as if he'd forgotten how to work it properly. "But…"

He didn't get any further, because the door to the loo burst open at that point, and Ginny emerged wearing what looked to Harry like a very clingy green slip cut fairly low in the front. Her eyes were flashing dangerously, and she was looking straight at her brother, as if she was daring him to say something.

Ron's eyes bugged out of his head, and he seemed to have forgotten how to use his voice again. "What's the matter, Ron?" Ginny said airily. "You're not going to comment? You had enough to say about my dress earlier, after all. Or are you remembering what happened when Hermione wore this for you?"

Harry felt his face heating up. The night dress -- if it could be called that -- that Ginny was wearing now had to be what she'd been referring to earlier when she'd mentioned having brought something special. He thought she looked almost as good in it as she had in her dress robes, and he felt a pang of regret at not letting her put it on sooner. The fabric looked silky, and he couldn't help but think about how it would slide under his hands.

"Hermione's is red!" Ron blurted, the back of his neck going scarlet.

Ginny smiled knowingly and looked down at Ron's cloak on the floor. "You might want to move that."

"Why? I was going to sleep on it."

"You were planning on sleeping under the bed, then?" She was moving over to one of the single beds, leaning forward so she could push at it. Harry saw Ron look pointedly away and realised the low cut of Ginny's night dress was revealing more of her than her brother wanted to see. He made a deliberate effort not to look himself. There was no point in torturing himself with what he'd be missing, after all. He moved to help her push the beds together, while Ron stared, dumbfounded.

"You're not just going to… With me in the room… Are you?"

"Don't be stupid, Ron," Ginny snapped. "Are you going to get your cloak out of there, or will I have to do worse to you than I did to Fred and George?"

Ron grabbed up his cloak then, swearing under his breath. Ginny took out her wand and Transfigured the two beds into one large one again. "Why don't you get undressed and join me, Harry?" she purred deliberately, as she pulled the covers back and climbed in.

"You are not getting in there with her, while she's wearing that… that…"

"That what, Ron?" Harry asked. "A night dress that Hermione apparently owns in a different colour?"

Ron glared at Harry before disappearing into the loo. Ginny immediately reached for her wand, which she'd laid on the night table. She pointed it at the door.

"What are you going to do?" Harry asked, as he undid the clasps on his dress robes.

"It would serve him right if I locked him in there, wouldn't it?"

"It's tempting, but aren't we going to need to go in there at some point?"

"You're right…" She paused and seemed to consider for a moment, and then she pointed her wand towards the floor beside their bed. "Refrigesco!" The wooden planks glowed an icy blue for a moment before returning to their natural colour.

Harry laughed to himself knowing Ron would probably spend a fairly rough night on the floor now, a fact that was confirmed when Harry emerged from his turn in the loo to find the room dark and Ron tossing about uncomfortably. There was a clicking noise that sounded suspiciously like teeth chattering.

Ginny was already asleep in the centre wide bed, curled up on one side, her hair spread out on the pillow. Harry looked down on her a moment, brushing several silken strands out of her face before climbing in beside her. She had to have been every bit as exhausted as she'd looked, and he had to ask himself if this was merely a result of her having to catch up in her studies. He leaned over, kissed the side of her neck and then wrapped an arm around her waist, feeling the slide of slippery fabric beneath his fingers as she turned into his embrace and draped a leg over his. It made him wonder how he was ever going to manage to get to sleep.

To Be Continued…