An unwilling damsel by Joy
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE BEGINNING THIS STORY:
Notes: I haven't read all the books (I know- the horror) so my cannon might be fuzzy. You can correct me but please don't be so snippy about it. Basically this is Harry's year 6 but I don't really know what happens after year 4 and that one I'm a bit hazy on. Goblet of Fire has enough twists and turns that I am sure I missed parts. (In my version of the world there are no sliding staircases in the dorms and Sirius is still dead.) This is a romance with a bunch of angst. This will not be a Voldemort story. All of Harry's trials and tribulations will be of the personal variety. I always go for the happy ending so don't panic. I don't really take plot points from reviews...seeing how the whole thing is already written. Lots of reviews mean I get the chapters out faster. I welcome suggestions especially about grammar and structure because I think that's what I need to work on most. Though praise is always awesome. Please give me reviews so I can alter chapters as I go.
Warning: For those of you that can't take stories with even the suggestion of abuse then stop now. At one point there are memories revealed but it is not severe because there is someone there to help and you are separated enough to know it's a memory. I have a psych background so this story is mainly the progression of a relationship between Harry and Ginny after a potentially awful event occurs.
1.
The Gryffindor common room had served Harry well these last few years as refuge during sleepless night. This night however was just odd. All of the Weasleys' were missing. Not in the 'Voldemort has captured them. I must save them' kind of way, but more the 'Something is up and no matter how close to family I am, I'm still not blood' sort of way. Ron had been roused from bed a bit before midnight by Professor McGonagall and had come back in silently around 1:30 with the twins all serious and whispering. Even Fred and George seemed serious...angry like. Harry opened his eyes a little and realized someone was in Ron's bed. Barely awake Harry made note that whom ever it was clung to Ron while they slept. For some reason, he didn't think it was Hermione.
Now three in the morning, the stranger from Ron's bed, who was making their get away, disturbed Harry. They were far enough ahead that he couldn't tell the identity of the person until they reached the common room. Ginny had crawled into one of the overstuffed chairs by the fire. She was weeping.
Harry reached for her shoulder, startling the poor girl to death, causing a whole new batch of tears. "Oh Ginny, I'm sorry," he murmured. She was too upset to be self-conscious. Her face was open with fear and hurt and pain. "Oh God Gin...what's wrong?"
Her chin quivered and she shut her eyes letting two huge tears stream down her face. "Scared."
"Of what?"
"Bad nightmare Harry...that's all," she tried to pawn it off as. At fifteen, Ginny was a much better liar than she had been.
Ginny had turned fifteen a week or so before... Old enough to date a bit in her parents' minds. Harry had noticed the boys beginning to buzz round the youngest Weasley more actively and he missed the days when she would blush at his presence. Not that he liked her in that manner it was just... he didn't know what. However right now all he wanted was to destroy the nightmare that bothered her.
Harry brushed back some of her hair behind her ears touching her almost reverently. Ginny's big eyes met his. He moved next to her in the chair before she climbed in his lap ducking her head under his chin. Harry situated himself in the seat taking all of her weight...hoping to take all of her pain as well. Ginny clung to Harry around the chest as she did all those years ago in the chamber of secrets.
She shook a bit in his arms as she continued to cry. Harry kissed the top of her head. "What was your nightmare Gin? What's shaken you so bad?"
"You know...nightmare about being trapped alone in a room with a Slytherin boy."
Harry rocked her gently in his lap kissing her temple this time. "Its over. He's not coming back."
"You don't know that," Ginny said harshly much to Harry's confusion. She moved off his lap quickly, "I'm gonna head back up to bed." She pointed toward the boys' dorms.
"You can lay with me if you like?" Harry offered. She looked at him queerly so he quickly said, "Ron's always is thrashing about muttering about spiders."
Ginny smiled for the first time since they began to talk. "Okay, but you keep your cold toes to yourself."
"Promise."
Harry realized too late how profoundly stupid this was. He not only could get in a lot of trouble with the school, but any one of Ginny's brothers, including Ron, could pummel him to death, or it could destroy Ginny's good name if one of the other guys saw them. But there she went slipping under his covers so there he went after her. What guy in his right mind wouldn't follow Ginevra Weasley into his bed? Harry wrapped his arms around her bringing her close.
Ginny turned in his arms to face him. They were nose to nose. "I'll make you a deal, Harry," she whispered. "You protect me from my nightmare and I will keep you warm and close."
He smiled, "I could really use that about now." He closed the bed curtains to give them a measure of privacy.
"Good," she murmured and rubbed their noses together before settling her head on his chest. At that moment Harry knew nothing could feel as good as Ginny Weasley in his arms.
Just before sunrise Harry felt himself being shaken slightly. He opened his eyes to the beautiful face of Ginny sitting on the side of the bed. "Thanks Harry. That was the best nights' sleep I could have hoped for...you make me feel safe," she whispered sweetly. "I'm going over to my side. Please tell Ron so he doesn't worry.""Okay," he muttered pushing up on an elbow to see her more clearly.
Harry blinked a few times sleepily, "Ginny?""Hmm?"
He dropped back to his former position looking over at the redheaded siren. "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you need beauty sleep...You will never need beauty sleep because you are so beautiful to begin with," he murmured with a sleepy yawn before slumbering once again.
Ginny stared hard at Mr. Potter's prone body unknowing what to think of his sleepy confession. He thought she was beautiful. She idly wondered if she were the first girl to sleep next to him...to share his bed. Ginny was sure she would have heard some rumor of any serious relationship that Harry had...at least the way the rumor mill worked around these parts. She wondered when everyone would 'know' about last night. She didn't mind anyone knowing that Harry Potter had invited her to sleep next to him in his bed where anyone could see. It was the earlier portion on the evening, the part that made her skin crawl that she didn't want to be public knowledge.
Ginny was lost in these thoughts until her brother started fussing, "Aragog...not Aragog."
All she could do was chuckle. "You do know how to call it Harry."
And so it began the path to Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter becoming good friends. Harry didn't find out from any of the Weasleys' what had transpired that had caused Ginny's relapse into fear but he was there to protect her so it was all right. He didn't have to know... for now.
A/N: Well what do you think? PLEASE REVIEW!