Disclaimer I do not own Harry Potter and everything recognisable belongs to J K Rowling.

Sad Ending.x3's request - Harry and Ginny after their flight at the end of Darkness Within.

Dedicated to sad ending .x3. Hope you like it. Enjoy!

Impromptu Date

The fireworks had lit up the night. The bright explosions against the dark sky were mesmerising to watch, but Ginny found her stare darting to Harry every so often. They had left the party thrown by Minister Fudge, hours ago. Riding Harry's broomstick, they flew to the tallest roof they could find, and sat down comfortably next to each other. Harry was staring ahead, but Ginny could see he wasn't watching the fireworks. His mind was elsewhere, eyes glazed as his thoughts, no doubt, wandered to the events that had happened three weeks ago.

Ginny shifted, bringing her knees closer to her chest. The shiver that ran through her had nothing to do with the cold breeze. She tried not to think about that day – that moment she had seen Lord Voldemort hold Harry above the mouth of the black tomb. She had been so sure Voldemort would drop Harry inside and seal the tomb, burying Harry alive. Her eyes slid shut, trying to suppress the memory but it came gliding to the forefront of her mind. Harry – bleeding and broken, tumbling down the stone steps when Voldemort threw him. When Harry had hit the ground, Ginny remembered thinking Harry would never move again. For those torturous few moments, Ginny was sure Harry was gone. But then his green eyes opened and he looked up at Voldemort, watching as his former father threw a fatal curse at him, designed to strip him of his magic and kill him. How Harry had survived, Ginny still wasn't sure she understood. All she knew was that Harry's coming of age had saved his life. It was all she needed. Harry was alive, how and why wasn't important to her.

"Hey?"

His softly spoken word roused her from her thoughts. She looked around to see his emerald gaze on her, brow furrowed in concern.

"You okay?"

Ginny smiled at the familiar words. How long had she spent searching for the mysterious boy that had asked her that? Only to find it was the infamous Dark Prince.

"Yeah," she replied. She rubbed at her arms, warming them. She shivered again, this time because of the cold.

Harry hesitated for a moment before sliding closer. He wrapped an arm around her, his warmth spreading into Ginny. Fighting back her blush, Ginny moved to Harry's side, resting her head on his shoulder.

"We can go if you're cold," Harry offered.

"No, it's okay," Ginny replied. "I like watching the fireworks."

Harry fell silent. They sat like that for a few more minutes, huddled next to one another, watching until the last of the fireworks died away. The faint sound of a crowd singing 'Happy Birthday' reached them, making Ginny smile. Damien always got an impressive firework display on his birthday. Would Harry get it too on his birthdays? Ginny could see Mr Potter being eager to throw Harry an even bigger display but would Harry want it?

The air steadily got colder, so much so that even being next to Harry didn't stop Ginny from shivering.

"We should go," Harry said quietly.

Reluctantly, Ginny moved out of his embrace and straightened up. "I don't want to go home yet," she said honestly.

Harry looked around at her before smiling. "I've got a place in mind," he said. "Come on."

xxx

Ginny glanced around the small café. It was a rather cute shop, with only a handful of tables and chairs. There was a single counter, behind which the muggles were busy preparing customers orders. A small cake stand stood to one side, with an entire assortment of delicious looking treats. Ginny could swear a slice of chocolate truffle cake was calling out to her.

A waitress came over to them with a big smile. "Nice to see you again, Alex," she greeted Harry. "It's been a while."

Harry only nodded. "How are you, Lena?"

"Same old," the waitress – Lena – replied. "What can I get you?"

Harry gestured to Ginny, who ordered a coffee and, giving in, asked for a slice of the truffle cake. Harry asked for a tea. Lena brought their orders and left with a simple, "Enjoy."

Ginny pushed her plate towards Harry, holding out the fork. "You want some?"

Harry smiled with amusement and shook his head. "I know better than to get between a girl and her chocolate cake," he said. "It's all yours. You're practically drooling."

Horrified, Ginny was about to reach up to the corners of her mouth when she realised Harry was teasing. She threw him a look before starting on her cake. Harry sipped at his tea while Ginny unashamedly went through her dessert.

"You want another slice?" Harry asked, as Ginny put down her fork next to the empty plate.

"I'm good," Ginny said, picking up her coffee. "For now."

Harry grinned into his cup but didn't say anything. They sat in silence, drinking their sweetened hot drinks. The chill that had crept inside them by sitting outside in the cold was slowly ebbing away. Ginny looked over the rim of her cup at Harry, to see him looking distant again, green eyes glazed with troubled memories.

Ginny reached out and touched his hand. "You okay?"

Harry pulled his hand out from under hers. "Fine," he muttered, not looking at her.

"You're anything but fine," Ginny said. "You seem...distracted."

Harry shook his head before straightening up. "I'm fine, Ginny."

Ginny heard the note of finality in his voice and didn't push it. She hadn't known Harry that long, but the one thing she did know about him was how private he was. She wasn't going to get anywhere by demanding answers from him. She had to trust that he would talk to her when he felt comfortable enough to do so.

xxx

Harry landed just at the start of the dirt path that led to the Burrow. Ginny slid off the broom and came to stand before him, failing to hide how disappointed she was that their impromptu date had come to an end.

"Thanks for rescuing me from that party," she said.

"Thank you for planning my escape with Damien." Harry grinned.

Ginny smiled and ducked her head. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Damien's a prankster," Harry said, "but there's no way he thought about shrinking a broomstick and smuggling it with him to break me out. I know it wouldn't be goody-two shoes Granger's idea. That leaves you and Ron." Harry tilted his head to the side, staring at Ginny. "I was kinda hoping it was you."

Ginny could feel that damned blush creeping up her cheeks. "Well," she started, "I have to admit, I had selfish reasons."

"Really?" Harry asked. "Like what?"

"I figured if you had an escape from the party, you would take me with you."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "You knew I would ask you to come with me?"

Ginny held his eyes. "I was kinda hoping you would."

Harry didn't say anything. He stepped towards her, standing impossibly close. His hand reached down to cup her face, his thumb softly caressing her cheek. "Since we both were kinda hoping for the same thing." He leaned down, just as Ginny tilted her face up, eyes slipping shut.

The sound of several pops pierced the silence and Harry jumped back. His wand was in his hand, before Ginny even fully opened her eyes. She turned to see her parents, along with Ron, Percy and Bill at the door of the Burrow. They had apparated back from the party. Silently cursing their unfortunate timing, she turned to see Harry pocketing his wand and getting ready to mount his broom.

"Do you...um..." Ginny struggled to get her words out past her dry throat, "...want to come inside for a bit?" she asked. Maybe if he came in and said hello to everyone before heading off, she would get her chance to have a goodbye kiss.

But Harry shook his head. "I should go. If they're back, that means my parents will be back too."

Ginny nodded, crest-fallen. "Okay. I'll...I'll see you soon?"

Harry looked up at her and then smiled. "Yeah," he said. "Real soon."

Ginny turned to walk up the path and get indoors.

"Ginny?"

She stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

Hovering on his broom, Harry came to a stop next to her. He leaned in before Ginny even realised what was happening and kissed her, just at the corner of her mouth. It was a short, sweet kiss and it left Ginny tingling all over. Harry pulled back and smiled before taking off into the night. Ginny stood and watched him, until his form disappeared from sight. Wearing a contented smile, Ginny walked up the path and into her home.

xxx