The Date:

As they entered the little village, Harry turned to his redheaded girlfriend and asked: "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," she frowned. She was never very good at the going out on dates part-both her previous boyfriends had brought her to Madame Puddifoots-a place neither she nor Harry wanted to go. "Perhaps, we could just stroll around, see what catches our eye," she suggested.

"Sounds good to me," agreed Harry. They wandered up the main road, stopping to enter various shops. They went through Dervish and Banges, Zonkos, the Owl shop, and Honeydukes. Whenever Ginny expressed an interest in certain items, Harry would buy it for her-something she felt a little uncomfortable with.

"Harry," began Ginny. "You don't need to buy all these things for me," she protested.

"Ginny," said Harry firmly. "I want to. You are my date, and I enjoy buying things for you. You deserve the best, you know."

"Still," she tried to argue. "You shouldn't feel obligated-being my boyfriend and all."

"Whoever said that I feel obligated? Ginny, I just told you, I want to."

"I guess…" she finished weakly.

"Come on," said Harry, grabbing her hand. "Let's go to the Three Broomsticks and warm up with a Butterbeer, yeah?"

Together they walked down the street until they came across the friendly bar. Once inside, they let the warmth of the establishment overcome them. They waved to Madame Rosemerta and grabbed a table for two. Harry ordered two butterbeers for himself and Ginny and then turned to his girlfriend.

"So, how has our date been so far?" he asked her. He felt that it had gone spectacularly well so far, but he wanted to hear his girlfriend's thoughts.

Her eyes glowed as she answered the boy-no man, sitting in front of her. "I've loved it, so far!" she declared softly. "I haven't been on too many dates, and they've never been fully enjoyable," she continued.

At Harry's questioning look, she answered with a giggle, "Madame Puddifoot's teashop." Suffice to say, he understood immediately.

Content, they sipped their butterbeers in silence.

"Harry, can I ask you a question," said Ginny.

"Shoot," he replied, wondering what was on his girlfriend's mind.

She glanced around, and asked if they could go somewhere private.

"Sure," agreed Harry, frowning a little. Why was his girlfriend acting so mysterious? He paid for the butterbeers and connecting her hand with his, they left the Three Broomsticks.

"Where to?" asked Harry. Ginny silently led him up the hill into the woods near the Shrieking Shack. Once they found a little secluded area behind a great oak tree, Ginny turned towards Harry.

"Harry, my question to you is," she began hesitantly, as if she didn't want to know the answer but had to ask the question anyways. "Why exactly do you like me? Why me? I'm just Ginny Weasley, the youngest sister of the Weasley brood. You could have anyone in the whole world? So why me?" She looked up at her boyfriend beseechingly. "I have to know."

"Ginny," started Harry. He stopped to clear his throat and to gather the petite girl into his arms. He leaned back against the tree and began. "Ginny, I chose you because you can make me smile when no one else can. You can make the world continue to live if the sun turned off because you shine so bright. You know just what to say and what to do in a horrible time. I chose you because you are just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the out. I chose you because I could have any other woman in the world, but you. I chose you because you are passionate and I have come to learn about every ounce of you down to your very core and I can predict your almost every move and I have come to love every bit of you, even when you flame up with your temper. I chose you because you know how to turn something around and make it all right again. I chose you because no one else could match how much you were measured in my eyes."

Ginny looked up at her boyfriend, with tears in her eyes, loving him so much it hurt. He wiped her tears away and said those three words she had been waiting for, for what seemed like forever.

"Ginny," he began, holding her close and touching their foreheads together. "I love you."

"Oh, Harry. I love you too," she responded, throwing her arms around him and kissing him madly.

Their kiss turned into a full-on snog until a shout and a snowball interrupted them. They spun around and saw Hermione giggling and Ron looking triumphant. At least, until Ginny conjured a snowball of her own and hit him dead in the face. By now, both Harry and Hermione were full on laughing. Ron glared at Harry, which just made him laugh harder.

"Thanks mate. For protecting me from my sister," he said dryly.

"Hey, I'm not about to stop my beautiful girlfriend from taking you down," he explained between laughs, holding his hands out in a truce.

Ron just shrugged and lobbied a snowball at the Boy-Who-Lived. He gasped in surprise, not expecting that to happen. He turned to his girlfriend and she nodded in agreement.

"Snowball Fight!" she roared, conjuring and then throwing a snowball at Hermione. The bushy-haired Head Girl ducked and quickly created one of her own and threw it at Harry, missing by a foot.

"Ha! Missed me!" Harry said, ecstatically. He returned the favour to both Ron and Hermione, successfully pelting them with cold snowballs.

Half an hour later….

"Man, that was so much fun!" gasped Ron, as all four friends collapsed on the grass.

Harry put his arm around Ginny as they all stared up at the sky.

"I know," agreed Ginny happily. "I can't remember the last time I was in a snowball fight."

"The day of the Yule ball for me, I believe," said Harry, thinking back. He tightened his grip on Ginny instinctively.

"Well," said Hermione briskly, breaking the silence. "I think it would be prudent if we all head inside so we don't catch colds," she said, standing up with Ron's help.

"Right you are, love," agreed Ron. He nodded to Harry, who indicating to the redhead that they'd catch up at the castle. Ron wrapped his arm around Hermione as the couple made their way towards the old castle.

"Don't be long," called out Hermione overtop her shoulder.

"We won't," Harry and Ginny chorused together. Once they were alone, Harry dragged Ginny into his embrace, holding her tightly, trying to warm her up a bit.

"I love you," he murmured into her fragrant hair. She smiled faintly, "I love you to," she replied softly, holding him close. They held each other for a long moment, just letting it all soak in.

"I can't believe we had a snowball fight in October," she giggled.

Harry nodded in agreement. "But then, when have we ever done the expected," he asked rhetorically. "Come on, let's get you inside," he suggested. Ginny nodded and wrapped her arm around his waist.

It was a little awkward getting down hill attached as they were, but they made it. Harry stopped her for a brief kiss and they continued on.

At the gate…

After a long goodbye kiss with Harry, she waved as he disapparated back to the flat he shared with Ron and Neville. She sighed happily and headed up to the castle.

After supper, Hermione dragged Ginny upstairs to the dorms in order to discuss their dates.

"So? How did the date go?" Hermione demanded to know once they were on Ginny's bed with the hangings around them.

"It was wonderful," Ginny gushed, which was a little unlike her, but she decided to indulge in being girly and gushy. The redhead continued on to explain the incident involving Brian White and how Harry had arrived.

"The best part about having Harry as a boyfriend is that he understands that I can take care of myself-he even told White that-but that he still cares enough to want to protect me," Ginny said softly.

Hermione smiled at this. "So what about the rest of your date?" she asked.

Ginny told her about the shops they visited and the trip they made to the Shrieking Shack. Leaving out the more personal details, Ginny outlined her question to Harry and gave Hermione a basic idea of Harry's rather romantic answer.

"Who knew that Harry Potter could be so sweet and romantic," said Hermione, a little surprised.

"No one, I guess," answered Ginny with a dreamy face. "But I like it." The girls giggled. They spent the next couple of hours talking about Hermione's date with Ron and just boys and life in general.

"Well, it's getting late," said Hermione, glancing at Ginny's clock. "I suppose I'll get ready for bed," said Hermione, yawning.

"Me too," agreed Ginny, masking a small yawn.

After closing her hangings, and getting all snuggled into her bed, she indulged in thinking about Harry and his answer. "I chose you because no one else could match how much you were measured in my eyes." She would never ever admit it, but it was just what she needed to hear. After all, even Ginny Weasley had insecurities about a relationship. She fell asleep thinking of bright green eyes and messy black hair.

Later, at the boys' flat…

"So? How did your first 'official' date with Ginny go?" asked Ron, a little curious.

"It was fantastic, Ron," said Harry, his eyes glazing over as he thought about his beautiful, intelligent, and feisty girlfriend.

"I told her that I loved her," he said eventually.

"Really! That's great Harry," congratulated Ron, a smile on his face. No one, he thought, deserves love more than Harry. "I'm assuming that she reciprocates the sentiment?"

Harry nodded. Ron yawned and said, "Well, I'm heading to bed. Night, mate."

"Night, Ron," said Harry, heading to his room and climbing into his bed. He crossed his arms behind his head as he lay down, once again thinking of one Ginny Weasley. He too fell asleep, thinking of thick, fragrant red hair, and beautiful brown eyes.

All in all, agreed both Harry and Ginny silently, it had been a wonderful first 'official' date.

The End.