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‘Ginny, people are staring, can you stop trying to strangle your brother?’
Ginny swivelled around on her seat in a flash, sending her mother a look of indignation. Ron, who was struggling to breathe, took the opportunity to switch seats, squeezing in between George and Angelina on the bench across from his sister. He massaged his neck dramatically.
‘Honestly mum, she’s gone mental. Don’t know what her problem is.’
Ginny lunged across the train compartment, trying to grab her brother’s neck again. ‘Don’t know what the problem is? DON’T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS?’ Bill held her back, rolling his eyes. She sat back with a huff and sent daggers at her brother. ‘I know you have them. You’re just too scared to tell Hermione that you lost her Christmas gift already.’
George raised an eyebrow and turned to his little brother. ‘Those eartellys she got you?’
‘Ear phones , George.’ Ginny corrected. ‘But yes. Ron has decided to replace his with mine that I brought with my own hard earned money. Don’t know what the point is either, you lost the radio that goes with them too.’
‘Exactly!’ Ron exclaimed. ‘What use would I have for them?’ He squirmed in his seat, then crossed over his arms and looked out the window. ‘’Sides, I haven’t lost anything, just temporarily misplaced perhaps.’
‘You tell Hermione that.’ Ginny scoffed. ‘You’re lucky she’s in the other compartment.’
‘ You tell Hermione that.’ Ron mocked.
‘Oh real mature-’
‘Stop! Both of you.’ Molly warned, sending her children the evil eye. ‘We are on our way to a nice holiday, I do not want to hear any bickering or mocking or- or- anything!’ she paused for a moment, ‘at least when I’m in earshot.’
Ginny and Ron grumbled something that sounded somewhat like agreement. Ginny however had her eyes trained on her brother, mouthing threats at him. Before she could get into the real nasty stuff however, their train began to slow.
The frosted trees and high peaks that had been whizzing indiscernibly past them for the last few hours became less fuzzy, visible against the grey clouded sky. The weather had seemed to get increasingly volatile as their journey had progressed, but it was still a beautifuk sight. Everyone in the compartment crowded against the window, eager to take in the new surroundings. The station they had pulled into twinkled at them, bright with Christmas lights and garlands.
‘Oh, isn’t it beautiful.’ Molly gasped. She pointed towards some brown dots peppered on the slope of one of the mountains. ‘And I think that’s where we will be.’
‘How d’you reckon the muggles get up there?’ Ron asked.
Before anyone could answer, the door to their compartment slid open, and Mr Weasley poked his head inside. ‘You lot coming? Or would you like to spend the rest of the holiday on the train?’
As if only now realizing that the view is even better outside than inside a cramped train compartment, they all turned from the window and hurriedly picked up their luggage from overhead. A few other passengers were emerging from other compartments and shuffling towards the doors too. Arthur led the group onto the platform, chattering about the trip and the lodges they had booked and the “strange muggle sport, skiing.”
They joined the rest of the family and Harry and Hermione on the platform. Hermione crossed over to Ron and immediately started spouting all the information that she had absorbed from the brochures on the train at him. Harry hung back awkwardly, Ginny noticed. He did that a lot recently. The two of them made eye contact for a brief second, but Harry quickly looked away. Ginny took a deep breath, trying not to let it bother her.
Even though he had basically been living at the Burrow for the past few months, they hadn’t passed more than a few words between each other in all that time. Harry was always at Hogwarts rebuilding, at funerals, at meetings with the press, with Kingsley. If not, he was most likely holed up in his room, or with Ron and Hermione. And Ginny had been busy too, helping around the house. She had spent a large portion of June with Luna, too, helping to put her house back together.
But as the days got better, and it felt less like a punch in the gut to think of Fred, it started to feel like more and more of an ache in her heart to think of Harry. To be around him, yet not even remotely close to him. She wanted to think he felt the same, but the more time went on, the more she wondered if he had just… moved on.
‘Get a move on then, Ginny, you’ll miss the portkey.’
Ginny looked up to see their entourage all holding onto a plank of wood sticking out of the deep snow. Ginny had blindly followed their group a few metres away from the station to a sheltered copse of pines to get their lift. The plank of wood started to shake and Ginny threw herself at it, getting to it at the last moment. She felt a tug at her navel and as soon as she was lifted from the snowy slope, she was deposited, with a thump, into a grand foyer.
‘Never gets old, that,’ Bill said, rubbing his backside. The rest of the family, minus those who had managed to float gracefully to the floor, grumbled their agreement. Molly and Arthur headed for the receptionists desk while the rest of the Weasleys plus extras explored the foyer.
Ginny joined Ron, Hermione and Harry by the large fireplace, revelling in the warmth.
‘The slopes here are a bit different to France but I think Jean-Luc taught me well enough to handle these. You know the peaks we saw-’
‘Jean-Luc? Who’s this Jean-Luc?’ Ron interrupted Hermione, frowning.
‘Our ski instructor, Ron. Now about the terrain in France-’
‘When were you going to tell me about Jean-Luc?’ Ron interrupted again.
Hermione huffed and threw her arms in the air. ‘Well I’m sure I did tell you, when I was twelve. ’
Ginny snorted as Ron came back with a retort, she caught eyes with Harry again, but this time he rolled his eyes and tilted his head towards the quarreling couple. Ginny laughed, and as if that reminded Harry that he was supposed to be keeping up his sullen appearances with her, he looked away.
‘All right everyone, I’ve got the keys!’ Molly dangled the keys in the air, ushering everyone towards her. She doled out sets to everyone. She took the time to reluctantly hand keys to Ron, George and Percy who had somehow managed to convince their mum to give them rooms with their girlfriends. Ginny took her key eagerly from her mother, inspecting the wooden key chain attached to it.
‘All right, fifteen minutes to get yourselves sorted and then we’re meeting in the lounge for drinks!’
‘Fifteen minutes is enough for a power nap.’ George said, stretching his arms in the air as they collectively moved to the exit. They had to brave the increasingly gale-like winds again, trudging through the snow with their jacket collars turned up. Each cabin stood alone, and the family split off, creating tell-tale paths to their front doors. Ginny shut her cabin door behind her with relief. She pulled a long piece of hair from her mouth, spluttering and fussing with her windswept hair.
Her room was cosy, with a great view of the mountains. She dumped her suitcase on the floor, stuck her head in the bathroom, promising the tub she would be back later, then flopped onto the bed. She could hear the wind howling even from inside. It was right now she wished she had her damn earphones.
She shot up. Sitting on the edge of the bed. Smiling devilishly to herself she checked the time. It had almost been fifteen minutes and she was hatching a great plan in her head. She grabbed her coat and exited her room, locking up quickly. She hesitated on her doorstep, then spotted a bushy brunette, messy black-haired teen and a lanky redhead leaving one of the cabins. She waited a few moments then tried her best to discreetly sneak over to the cabin. She tried the door, and gave a little squeal when it opened for her. She had assumed that it would be a fifty-fifty chance of the door being open, combining Ron’s forgetfulness and Hermione’s neurotics. She still would’ve used her wand to get in regardless, but not having to sneak it in front of the muggles that were milling about their own cabins was a bonus.
Ginny rubbed her hands together and toed into the room. ‘Okay. If I were a pair of stolen earphones, where would I hide?’
Hermione never ceased to impress her. Their suitcases were empty and the cupboards were full. Ginny rifled through Ron’s jumpers and jacket pockets but turned up empty handed. She rummaged through his rucksack, then checked the empty suitcase. Nothing. ‘I know you have them.’ she whispered to herself. She looked around the room, which was considerably larger than hers, most of all the fluffy double bed.
She hopped over to the bedside table, and just as she pulled the drawer out, she heard the front door click open. In a panic she closed the drawer on her arm, swore at the pain, then swore at the fact that she had been caught.
‘I can explain-’ she started, but she paused as she looked up. The person who walked into the room was not Ron or Hermione, but Harry. He stopped in his tracks at the sight of her.
‘Harry,’ Ginny smiled in relief.
‘Um-’
‘I actually can’t explain. And I don’t have to, because you’re not my thief brother.’ She stood up and drew her arm out of the bedside drawer, clasping in her hand the tangled wires of a pair of earphones.
Harry tilted his head in momentary confusion, then sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Should I even ask?’
‘Nope,’ Ginny replied. ‘And I would really appreciate it if you didn’t tell, either.’
A slight smile came over his face and Ginny felt a warm feeling of triumph flourish in her chest. They stared at each other a few moments before Harry looked around the room. ‘Came back for my coat,’ he said lamely, leaning over the bed and picking up the forgotten piece of clothing. Ginny nodded,and another awkward silence fell over them.
‘Well, we should probably get going then…’ Ginny eventually suggested. But before either of them could take more than two steps towards the door, A loud thump echoed across the room. Suddenly, it seemed as if the sounds of the howling wind outside became muffled and it became a lot darker.
‘What the-’ Harry sprang to an alert stance, reaching for his wand. Ginny copied him. They waited, seeing if the noise would return, but it didn’t. Ginny felt her arms brush against Harry’s and they simultaneously realized how close they were standing. They sprang apart and Harry rubbed his neck nervously. ‘Sorry.’
‘No! Don’t be- I mean- I’m sorry.’ Ginny stuttered. ‘You don’t suppose-’
‘I actually do,’ Harry interrupted her. He walked up the front door, turned the knob, and tried to push it open. It didn’t budge one inch. Ginny went to the windows, but they were completely blank, like white canvas. There was no way-
‘I think we’re snowed in.’ Harry said with a grimace. Ginny closed her eyes and cursed merlin. What were the chances? Seriously, what did she do to deserve this?
‘Surely mum and dad will be along soon to get us out.’ Ginny tried to reassure both herself and Harry.
‘Don’t know if that’ll help, they couldn’t use magic to clear all this snow with all the muggles around.’
‘And muggles? Don’t they have ways to deal with this?’
Harry shrugged his shoulders. ‘It’s a lot of snow… and seems the blizzard is just picking up. Don’t know if they’ll be sending anyone out in this weather.’ he sat at the edge of the bed, twirling his wand in his fingers. Ginny sat across from him in a chair. She chuckled to herself and Harry looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.
‘I mean, it is kind of funny. Great first day of holiday right?’
‘Definitely exactly how I imagined it all going,’ Harry laughed.
They sat in relative silence for a long time, and the room progressively darkened as they waited. A patronus from Mr Weasley crept into their room, panicking about where they were. Harry sent a patronus back telling them not to worry. It was when it became so dark that Ginny had to get up and switch on all the lights that they resigned themselves to the fact that they were probably spending the night together, and they had to sort out the question that they had both been thinking about for the past hour.
Ginny broke the silence after the fifth time that Harry tried to stifle a yawn.
‘All right. Let’s talk about bed.’
‘What?’ Harry perked up considerably.
‘Harry we’re going to end up sleeping in here, I can see how tired you are. Let’s go to bed.’
‘Ginny I’m fine, really.’
Ginny fixed Harry with a stern glare. ‘No, you’re not. Come on, this bed is big enough for both of us with plenty of space in between.’
Harry leapt off the covers as if they had become lit with fire. ‘No, Ginny. I’ll sleep on the floor.’
Ginny scoffed. ‘Harry, we are literally inside a giant ice box. And there’s zero extra bedding. You’ll freeze to death.’
Harry shook his head. He pulled the thin blanket decorating the double bed and laid it on the floor, then added one of the decorative pillows to the top of his arrangement. He pointed towards it as if it helped his case. ‘See? I’ll be fine. Really comfortable actually.’
‘Harry no-’
‘It’s great.’ He laid down on the floor and pulled the blanket over him. ‘Seriously don’t worry about me.’
‘I don’t think-’
‘Ginny-’
‘Why are you being like this?’ Ginny snapped suddenly. Harry’s eyes shot open and he gripped his blanket tightly.
‘I don’t see the problem-’
‘I don’t see how the idea of sharing a bed with me is so awful that you’ll suffer on the cold floor all night!’ Ginny shouted. Harry didn’t budge. She huffed, grabbed a pair of pyjamas out Hermione’s cupboard and stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. She pulled her clothes off, then tried to calm herself to put on Hermione’s very expensive-looking silk set. She stared at herself in the mirror. A tidal wave of emotions seemed to crash over her, and she had to swallow hard to stop the tidal wave from spilling over. She splashed her face with some water, took one more deep breath, then exited the bathroom.
Harry was pretending to be asleep already. She could tell he was intensely alert to the noises she was making. She climbed into bed. It was frustratingly comfortable. She punched a hole in the pillow a few times, leaned over the bedside table and flicked the light off, drenching them in darkness. Then she turned on her side and tried to fall asleep.
Which didn’t work very well.
Her watch read a little past 12:00 AM when she finally gave up on trying to fall asleep. She lay on her back and stared at the ceiling.
‘Ginny?’
She wasn’t sure if she had imagined it.
‘Ginny?’ came another hesitant whisper.
‘Yeah?’ she replied softly.
‘I’m sorry.’
She smiled softly to herself. A while passed before she replied.
‘I’m sorry too.’
‘Hm? What are you sorry for?’
‘I kind of exploded on you,’ she said sheepishly. ‘And it’s not like… it’s not like I’ve really been there for you recently.’
She heard Harry take a deep breath. She was suddenly incredibly happy for the intense silence around them. The intense darkness. The feeling that what they said here would not leave this room at all, that they could say what they needed to.
‘That’s really-’ Harry paused. ‘Gin, you really don’t need to say that. I think we both know that this… situation,’ he said the word experimentally, ‘we’re in, is my fault.’
‘Harry it’s not your fault. It’s not like any of this is easy. Maybe we both had different expectations… but when do those things ever go to plan?’
Harry laughed softly. ‘Well when they concern me…’
‘Exactly,’ Ginny said. She thought for a moment. Deciding there would probably be no better time than now, she spoke again. ‘I just want to know if you’re okay. Which, I mean you’re probably not, but even then, I want you to feel like you can talk to me.’
Harry didn’t reply for a while and she wondered if he had fallen asleep. She shifted under the covers feeling a sinking in her stomach.
‘I know.’ she stilled. ‘I want to talk to you. Every day that I’ve come home to the Burrow and I see you I want to talk to you, but for some reason I won’t let myself. I feel like I’m still on the run. Like nothing’s really over yet.’ He paused for a moment. ‘And I- I don’t really know what’s going to happen when it does all come down on me.’
Ginny wanted nothing more than to be near to him, to give him a hug. ‘Harry you know we’ll all be here for you. No matter what. I’ll be here for you- as a friend, as… well, as anything.’
‘Gin-’ Harry paused for a long time. ‘I don’t feel any different about you from that day by the lake. I really know it may not seem like it and I really understand if you think I’m the world’s biggest prat.’ he laughed at himself. ‘But that- the feelings I have for you- they’re one of the few things that haven’t changed in the past year.’
Ginny felt all those emotions from earlier rise again, though this time they felt lighter, better. She couldn’t contain it any longer. She threw the covers off her legs and padded over to Harry on the floor. She held her hand out to him, and even though it was pitch dark, she knew he was looking right at her. Her fingertips burned when she felt his hand in hers. And the fire travelled up and ignited her whole body.
She led them back to the bed and ushered Harry in first. She climbed in after him and pulled the covers over them. She turned on her side to face Harry. ‘That’s the one thing that hasn’t changed for me either,’ she whispered. ‘It’s nice. To have one constant in the middle of all this.’
She felt Harry shift imperceptibly closer to her. ‘It is,’ he agreed. ‘I just… need some time.’
‘Lucky for you I’ve got some time.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. Just maybe let’s try and say more than two words to each other every day?’
‘I don’t know, Gin. That’s a big step.’
Ginny chuckled. ‘I believe in you.’
‘Ok, I’ll suffer through.’
‘I know its torture to speak to me.’
‘Let alone share a bed.’
Ginny slapped some part of Harry blindly, probably his shoulder, and he gave a dramatic cry. She rolled her eyes but couldn’t help herself smiling. Suddenly, in one night, everything felt right with them. She turned over to her other side and closed her eyes.
‘Night, Harry.’
‘Goodnight, Gin.’
And strangely, in a matter of seconds, she fell asleep.
She was so warm. That was the first thing she realised. She relished in the feeling, then noticed she was also impossibly comfortable. The next thing she noticed however was a weight over her waist. Her eyes shot open and everything came rushing back to her. Ending with the fact that she was in bed with Harry. Even when they had been dating they hadn’t shared a bed.
Yet in this snowed-in log cabin, they had managed it. Harry was snuggled close to her side, arm slung over her waist. She could feel his every breath and he was still steadily asleep. She decided she could revel in this feeling a bit longer. She let her eyes flutter shut again. A few minutes passed. Ginny furrowed her eyebrows.
There was a strange picking noise coming from somewhere. A sharp tack-tack periodically sounding out. She opened her eyes, trying to spot the culprit, but from her position she couldn’t see anything. She listened harder. It sounded like it was coming from the door-
She cringed as a scraping sound broke the morning’s bliss. Harry woke up in a daze and light streamed in from the entrance. Ginny squinted, watching as two figures walked into the room.
‘Told you we had to be the first ones in, look at these two. All cosy. In our bed.’
‘Ron! You should be happy that they’re okay. And it seems more than okay.’
Hermione was positively beaming at the two of them. Ginny had no doubt Harry was blushing as hard as her and she quickly jumped out of bed, followed promptly by Harry.
‘Nothing happened,’ Harry blurted.
‘-conserving warmth,’ Ginny explained.
Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. Ron crossed his arms over his chest. ‘Well you’re lucky mum and dad weren’t the first ones through this door.’
‘Don’t be so hard on them- wait. Ginny, are those my pyjamas?’