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Warnings for this chapter: I own nothing.




Disclaimer: I own nothing.




Chapter Sixteen




Therest of the week passed by quickly after Ginny's first session with Healer Seacrest. Friday afternoon found Ginny lying on the sofa in the common room, her head in Harry's lap while he played Ron in agame of chess. Hermione was doing her best to help Harry, but it was no use. Ron's chess skills were far greater than either of theirs.




Ginny thought her first session with Healer Seacrest went very well. It was hard for her to talk about these things, after going so long in silence. Harry's presence was very soothing to her and gave her the strength she needed to speak out. Seacrest had surprised her by some of the things she said. It was almost like she knew how Ginny felt. But she couldn't, could she?




Ron's voice broke Ginny out of her reverie. “I'm surprised you didn't schedule Quidditch practice for tomorrow, Harry.”




Harry glanced up from the chess board.“Well, it is a Hogsmeade weekend. I would rather spend it in Hogsmeade, with my girlfriend, than ordering a bunch of Gryffindors around out on the pitch.”




“Really? You'd pick me over Quidditch?” Ginny raised her head up off of Harry's lap.




“Of course. I love Quidditch, but not nearly as much as I love you.” Harry took her hand and placed a tender kiss on her palm.




Ginny beamed. “I love you too. It’s just a shame I won't be going to Hogsmeade.”




Harry looked taken aback. “Why not?”




“No one's asked me.” Ginny smiled slyly.




Harry laughed. “Would you go with me to Hogsmeade?”




Ginny sat up and kissed him. “I would love to.”




Ron made a gagging sound. Hermione swatted at him.




“Oh, stop it. They're cute.” Hermione beamed at the happy couple.




“We think so too.” Ginny kissed Harry again, ignoring her brother's remarks.




“Can't you do that elsewhere?” Ron muttered.




“I suppose we can take it up to the dormitory.” Harry moved to stand up. Ron held out his arm to stop him.




“That's okay. Just . . . tone it down a bit. That is my baby sister you're snogging.” Ron repressed a shudder.




“They weren't doing anything, Ronald.” Hermione scolded. She turned to Harry and Ginny and smiled. “Just ignore him. I do.”




“Hey!” Ron protested loudly.




“Are we going to play, or not?” Harry finally asked.




Ron looked at the board and moved his queen in front of Harry's king. “Checkmate.”




Harry scowled. “I swear you cheat.”




“Nope. I'm just better than you, mate.” Ron started to put up his chess pieces.




“We'll see about that.” Ginny plopped down in Harry's lap and moved the chess pieces back to their starting positions. Ron grinned, moving his own pieces back on the board.




H/G




“Ican't believe she beat me!” Ron repeated for the umpteenth time.




Harry followed him up the stairs to their dormitory. “Get over it, mate. Ginny beat you fair and square.”




“The only person who's ever beat me is Bill.” Ron turned the door knob to the dormitory. Once inside he threw himself down on his bed.




“Maybe you're too cocky. I'm sure you'll get her next time,” Harry lied. The truth was Ginny was very good at chess. As a little girl, she often played with Bill when he came home from Egypt.




“But I never lose! Even Grandfather Weasley couldn't beat me, and he was a wizard's chess champion!” Ron moaned.




“Stop sulking. Tomorrow's Hogsmeade weekend. Cheer up.” Harry stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed.




Ron continued to mutter as he got ready for bed. Harry ignored him, pulling the hangings around his four-poster shut. He fell asleep thinking of what tomorrow would bring, and hoping Ginny would like the surprise he had arranged.




H/G




The[**]next morning, Harry waited patiently with Ron in the common room for the girls to come down for breakfast. Ron, of course, was not nearly as patient as Harry.




“What's taking them so long?” Ron groaned as his stomach rumbled.




“They'll be down shortly.” Harry tried to assure him. But a hungry Ron could never be reassured.




Finally, five minutes later, the girls descended the staircase. Harry grinned when he saw Ginny. She was already ready for their date to Hogsmeade. She wore a green and white short-sleeve knit top with a swoop neck and a pair of jeans.




“You look beautiful.” Harry took Ginny's hand and kissed her cheek.




“Thank you.” Ginny blushed. “You don't look so bad yourself.”




Harry and Ron both wore their Weasley sweaters with a pair of jeans. They had both decided to prepare for the biting cold air in Hogsmeade.




“Let's go eat.” Ron took Hermione's hand and dragged her out the portrait hole. Hermione looked back at Harry and Ginny and shook her head, laughing.




H/G




Thevillage of Hogsmeade was crowded with Hogwarts students. The quartet knew Order members were around somewhere, keeping an eye on them, but they were keeping out of eyesight. Harry appreciated that. He hated knowing people were following him around, but to see them would be much worse.




Ron went with Hermione to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, while Ginny and Harry went to visit the Weasley twins at their Hogsmeade location. They agreed to meet at the Three Broomsticks at noon. As it got closer to time to meet Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ginny bid Fred and George goodbye and headed down the lane to the Three Broomsticks.




As they opened the door, warm air rushed at them. Ginny sighed happily and took off her sweatshirt, tying it around her waist. Harry rolled up his sleeves, and went to get butterbeers for Ginny and himself. Not long after Harry sat down, Ron and Hermione came through the door.




“Find a quill, Hermione?” Harry asked.




Hermione dug through her bag and extracted a handsome eagle feather quill. “I needed a new one. I decided to get something that would be much more durable than apheasant feather quill.”




“Well, an eagle feather will certainly last you longer.” Ginny sipped her butterbeer.




“How are the twins? Business booming, I expect?” Ron asked.




“Yeah. They were really busy. They gave us loads of free samples though.” Harry emptied his pockets and showed Ron the assortment of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes items Fred and George had supplied Harry and Ginny with.




“They never give me free samples.” Ron scowled unhappily.




“I'm sure if you were nicer to them they would,” Hermione told him.




Ron muttered something under his breath about no-good twin brothers before taking a large gulp of butterbeer.




The couples chatted for a long time, happy to be in out of the cold. People drifted past their table to greet them. Seamus Finnigan showed up with a happy Lavender Brown on his arm. Dean Thomas, holding hands with Parvati Patil, interrupted his own double date with Terry Boot and Padma Patil to discuss the upcoming Quidditch match: Gryffindor versus Slytherin.




A long time had passed by when Hermione looked up at the clock on the wall. “Goodness, Harry, it's getting late.”




Harry looked up and turned to Ginny.“We should be heading back.”




“Don't be ridiculous, it's only three o'clock,” Ginny protested as Harry pulled her to her feet.




Harry ignored her. “We'll see you back at the castle.”




Ginny grumpily followed Harry out of the Three Broomsticks and up the road to Hogwarts.




“What was that all about?” she asked after several minutes of silence.




“Nothing. It was just time for us to start heading back.” Harry squeezed Ginny's hand reassuringly.




“I don't believe you.” Ginny shook her head.




“I have some homework to finish,” Harry replied weakly.




Ginny scowled at him but didn't speak the rest of the way up to the castle.




“I still don't see why we had to leave,” Ginny said as they climbed the stairs to the seventh floor.




“You will in a minute,” Harry told her. He stopped at the Fat Lady's portrait. “Dumbledore's Army!”




The portrait swung open. Ginny entered the Common Room first, followed by Harry.




Her eyes widened as she caught sight of someone sitting in a chair by the fire, facing the portrait hole; someone who wasn't a student.




“Bill!”