Harry could not remember a better summer. Even with all the bad stuff going on in the wizarding world, he was happier than he ever had been. Friends surrounded him and he had a beautiful girlfriend. He had even put on a little weight thanks to Molly’s great cooking.
The best part to him was spending time with Ginny. The afternoon of his birthday she had made good on her word to test the wards of the property. They discovered that if either of them touched bare skin other than an arm or on a face, a bell started ringing. It started off quiet and got louder as things progressed. It seemed to give fair warning before becoming too loud and drawing the attention of everyone at the burrow.
They did discover what happened when the alarm was ignored. It was not, however, them that set it off. They had just returned from a walk through the countryside, when they heard the bells going off. They walked into the kitchen to a sharp look from Molly.
“Don’t look at us, Mom.” Ginny said quickly. “All we have done today is hold hands.”
Molly narrowed her eyes and then pulled out her wand and let it rest on her open palm. She muttered a spell under her breath, and the wand spun a couple of times, then pointed out in back of the Burrow. Molly shook her head and then started out back.
Harry could hear her saying, “I knew I should have warned them as well.”
Harry looked at Ginny with a puzzled look. She grinned back at him with laughter in her eyes. She pulled on his hand as she walked out the back door after her Mom.
They saw Molly walk to the tool shed and open the door. Seconds later, they saw a disheveled Ron and Hermione exit the shed quickly. They were both blushing a deep shade of red. Molly was right behind them with a scowl on her face. Harry might have been mistaken, but he could swear he saw a hint of humor in her eyes, though.
He turned to look at Ginny and could see that she was barely able to keep from laughing. She had her fist stuffed in her mouth in an attempt to keep quiet. She quickly dragged him around behind the shed and they both fell to the ground holding onto their sides with laughter. It took several minutes to regain their composure.
“What do you suppose they were doing that made the alarms go off that loudly?” Harry asked, still chuckling.
“I’m not sure, but knowing how loud it gets when we…um…yeah. They must have gone quite a bit farther.” Ginny’s eyes were dancing as she said this.
Harry looked puzzled for a second, and then said, “How did I miss that they were together? As far as I knew, they were still dancing around each other.”
“I’m not sure. They must have been hiding it pretty well. Either that, or we were just too preoccupied.”
“Well, I know that I have been delightfully distracted,” he said with a smirk.
“Why, Mr. Potter, I do believe you are trying to flatter me,” she said as she put her arms around his neck. “And flattery will get you anywhere.”
He leaned in and captured her lips with his, and, after a few minutes, pulled back slowly. “I think we better save ‘anywhere’ for a time when we are not surrounded by your mom’s wards.”
“Spoilsport,” she pouted.
With that, they walked back to the house fully prepared to take the mickey out of the newest couple in the house.
Two mornings later, Harry woke in a panic. In four days it would be Ginny’s birthday, and he had no idea what to get her. He had never bought a gift for a girlfriend before, and did not know what was appropriate. He would need help.
Even though it was early, he got up, got dressed and headed down to the kitchen. As usual, Molly was already there. To his surprise, Hermione was there as well. She was reading through an Ancient Runes book and jotting down notes.
“You’re up early, Harry,” Hermione said as she glanced up from her book.
“What, can’t I get up early?”
“You hadn’t yet this summer. I saw no reason for a change now,” she quipped back.
“Oh, ha, ha. If you must know, I have a problem I could use help from both of you on.”
Molly walked over and sat a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of him. “What can we help you with, dear?”
“Ginny’s birthday is coming up, and I haven’t a clue what to get her. I’m afraid to get her something she may not like. Is it too soon for jewelry? How much should I spend? How will I know if it is something she would like? What’s appropriate? How do I buy it without her knowing about it? What…”
“Harry!” He looked up sharply as Hermione cut him off. “Calm down or you will explode.”
Molly was trying to not laugh, and was failing miserably. “Harry, whatever you get her she will like, just let it come from the heart. Don’t make it anything expensive. Think about what she likes and buy appropriately.”
He buried his head in the crook of his arm on the table. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
Hermione was laughing now. “You didn’t think we would just tell you what to get her and let it go at that did you?”
“I was hoping,” he replied with a pout.
“Oh, no. We will help you figure it out, but we will not decide for you,” she said sternly. Molly nodded in agreement.
“Think about it. What does Ginny like?” Molly asked.
“Well, she likes flying.”
“Okay, what can you get her that has to do with flying and says ‘girlfriend’?” Hermione asked.
He thought for a minute, but nothing came to mind. “I guess nothing.”
“Okay, what else does she like?”
“She likes reading poetry.”
Molly smiled, “Good. Now what could you get her that would tell her how you feel.”
“Well, I could get her…”
Ten minutes later, he had a plan in place and he could pick it up in town the next day while Ginny was helping the twins. Both Molly and Hermione agreed that it was a thoughtful gift.
The morning of Ginny’s birthday started like every other birthday started at the Burrow, with a bang. The twins had woken Harry and Ron up early so they could get the jump on their little sister. One of them floated a bucket of water over her bed, while the other readied the fireworks. At the count of three, the fireworks went off. Ginny sat straight up in bed just as the water cascaded over her. She started sputtering and reaching for her wand at the same time, so her brothers decided it was time to vacate the room.
Harry, on the other hand, was more than a little distracted. The water had soaked not only her hair, but the t-shirt she had slept in as well. The wet cotton clung to her body like it was vacuum-sealed and the water made it almost transparent as well. Harry was getting a look at something that he had only imagined before. He was frozen in place with his mouth open.
Hermione started giggling from the cot she had been sleeping in before the commotion. She stood up and walked over to Harry. She placed a finger on his chin and gently pushed it up and closed his mouth. She then covered his eyes, turned him around, and gave him a gentle push out the door.
As she closed the door behind him, Harry heard her ask Ginny, “Don’t you know better than to do that? He may never work the same way again.”
Harry was in a daze as he made his way down the stairs. He was so preoccupied that he almost lost his footing twice. His mouth was still gaping as he sat down at the table.
“Oy, Harry. What’s up with you?” Ron asked him from across the table.
“Huh? What?” was all he could manage to say.
“Oh, dear. Did Ickle Harrikins see something…” Fred started.
“…That maybe he shouldn’t have?” George finished.
“I…um…I don’t know what…you m-m-mean,” Harry stammered as he looked everywhere but at the brothers of his girlfriend.
Ron looked lost. “What are you guys talking…? Oh.” Realization sank on him. He looked at Harry then at the stairs, then back at Harry. He had a truly mortified look on his face. “Harry? You didn’t see anything…er…did you?”
Harry tried to regain his composure. “Ron, your sister was fully dressed. What could I have seen?” He tried to fend off the question.
This seemed to mollify Ron, as he looked somewhat relieved. The twins, however, had identical smirks on their faces. They caught Harry’s eye and George mouthed the words, “Wet t-shirt” to him. Harry blushed a bright crimson. The twins both started laughing at this.
Hermione was the next one down the stairs. She sat down next to Ron and gave him a peck on the cheek. The twins looked at each other, then back to where Ron and Hermione were sitting.
“Oy! When did this happen?” Fred asked.
Hermione looked up at then, a little surprised, “When did what happen?”
“You. Kissing our Ickle Ronnikins,” George replied.
“Yes, yes, little brother. When did this start, and…” Fred
“…More importantly, is our Hermione as precise in everything…” George.
“…As she is in her essay writing?” They finished together.
Ron blushed Weasley red and started to sputter and Hermione was glaring at them hard enough to drill holes through them.
Molly chose this moment to intercede. “BOYS! You will not suggest any such thing in this house. Remember the wards? The ones you have each set off more than once? You will apologize now!”
“Sorry.” Although their eyes were dancing in a way that could only mean they were not finished with this topic.
Ginny entered the kitchen a few minutes later. Her hair and clothes were now dry. After glaring daggers at all of her brothers, her eyes found Harry. She smiled shyly and looked down at the floor, glancing up, and then looking back down. She sat down next to him, and he leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek.
“Happy Birthday, Ginny,” he whispered in her ear. She smiled warmly at him as a blush crept her cheeks.
Molly walked over and levitated Ginny’s birthday presents to the bench beside her. “Happy Birthday, Dear”, she said as she wrapped the tiny redhead up in one of her famous hugs.
Everyone else at the table chorused birthday greetings and well wishes as breakfast was brought to the table. Ginny began unwrapping her presents between bites of food. Arthur and Molly had gotten her a new set of dress robes. The twins gave her an assortment of product from their shop, but also gave her a card that said they had set up an account for her at Madam Maulkin’s. Ron surprised no one when he gave her a box of chocolates. From Hermione, she received a fancy box of personalized parchment meant for letter writing.
Harry’s gift was the last one she opened. Inside was a muggle book. It was a book of poetry by various authors. The title of the book was "Love’s Promises". On the cover was a picture of a red haired girl sitting under a tree while a young man stood off to the side with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Ginny’s eyes shone brightly as she looked at the book.
When she opened the cover she saw an inscription on the inside. “I saw this book and I thought about you, I saw just about everything and thought about you. Love, Harry” Tears formed in her eyes as she read this. She leaned over and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips, paying no attention to the fact that her family and Hermione were watching.
“Thank you,” was all she could manage to say after pulling back a little.
“Uh, hem,” came a sound from across the table. Harry looked up to see everyone looking at them.
“Hey, Potter. I think we may need to have a little talk later,” said George. His eyes were full of mischief, though, not malice.
“Too right, we do, my fine looking brother,” Fred intoned with an identical look in his eyes.
Ginny lowered her head slightly and tilted it to the side, looking at the twins from under her eyebrows. “You will do no such thing, or you will find out exactly how many different body parts a Bat-Bogey Hex can be performed on,” she said with no small amount of threat in her voice.
Harry looked at the twins and nodded once sharply with a cheeky grin on his face.
“Consider yourself lucky that we are afraid of our sister, Potter!” Fred said in a sullen voice. His face quickly changed back to normal indicated he was not really upset.
A few minutes later, the twins left for their shop, followed closely by Ron. Hermione gave her apologies to Ginny for going with them on her birthday, but said she wanted to keep an eye on the twins to stop them from picking on Ron too much.
Harry and Ginny spent the rest of the morning together. They did the usual chores, and picked some vegetables for dinner. Ginny’s favorites were parsnips and carrots sautéed in butter and herbs, so they picked plenty of those. The rest of the morning they spent wandering around the property.
Eventually they found themselves sitting on a low branch in the orchard. Harry was straddling the branch and leaning against the trunk. Ginny was leaning up against him. He had his arms around her waist and he rested his chin on her head.
He still felt a little guilty about staring at her that morning. He just hadn’t been able to look away. He had never seen anything like that before, and he found that he liked it. He took a breath as if to say something then stopped and let it out. He started again, but found he didn’t know what to say.
“Something on your mind, Harry?”
“Um…no…well…um…yeah,” he stammered.
“Well?”
“I…um…wanted to say I was sorry,” he said meekly.
She turned around to look at him with a question in her eye. “What do you have to be sorry for?”
“For staring at your…I mean…you this morning,” he said. As he said it he could not resist glancing down at her chest.
When he looked back up, he saw a look of pure humor on her face. She looked like she was trying to keep from laughing. After getting herself under control she took his hands in hers and looked him square in the eye.
“Harry, you really don’t have a clue, do you?”
“What do you mean?” he was more puzzled than ever.
“You didn’t see anything more than I wanted you to.” His jaw fell to his chest.
“What?!?”
“Harry, do you really think I didn’t know the twins had something planned? I’ve only lived with them for fifteen years. I was wearing a white t-shirt. Did you see me try to cover up? You saw exactly what I wanted you to.”
“It’s no wonder I love you,” he said shaking his head. Ginny’s head snapped up and she looked at him wide-eyed and in shock.
“Ginny, what’s wrong?” he asked, puzzled at her expression.
“Did you mean that, Harry?”
He thought about what he had said and realized that was the first time he had said that to her. “Yes, I do,” he said looking her right in the eye.
Tears welled up in her eyes and she lunged forward to capture his lips with hers. She was crying as she kissed him for all she was worth.
When she finally pulled back, she looked him straight back in the eye. “I love you, too. I have since I met you. I never thought I would hear you say that to me. That was the best birthday present you could have given me. Thank you, Harry.”
They spent the rest of the day testing Molly’s wards.
* * *
That night, as Harry lay in bed, he replayed the day over and over in his mind. As he thought about it, his heart filled with joy. He knew that if he were to use this memory, he would conjure a Patronus that would see no equal. He knew that it was the love he felt for Ginny combined with the love he felt for the rest of his family.
That love made him feel strong. It made him feel like he could do anything. It made him want to win this war and live through it so he could protect these people and have a happy life with them after ward.
He now understood the power the Dark Lord knows not. He now understood that the greatest power he had, the greatest power anyone had, was the ability to love. This was the greatest magic of all.
Fin.
His Greatest Power by deej
Chapter Notes: Anything you recognize is probably the work and ideas of JK Rowling. Anything that you don’t recognize is my own take. I would like to thank Mrs. Rowling for inventing such rich and full characters. I hope if she were to ever read this that she won’t be too mad at me for taking them for a test drive. After all, I am not making any money from this. It is just for fun.
A huge thank you to Ginny Guerra for all of her work as the Beta for this story. You rock, Girl.
Chapter Endnotes: The line that Harry wrote inside the cover of the book was from the tv show, "Good Morning, Miami".
Now that this story is complete, I can say it was a very fun ride. I do not know if another idea will strike me and move me to write more fan fics, but after this experience, I would not shy away from it. My only hope would be that Ginny Guerra would beta for me again.
Thanks for reading, and God Bless.