"Birthday?" Ginny asked.

"Yep," Harry shrugged. "There are things you just can't avoid."

"Then I wish you all the best." Ginny smiled at him. "How about a drink on your birthday? A butterbeer? Or do you rather want a Firewhiskey?"

"Merlin, no." Harry raised his hands. "Thanks, but I already caused you enough trouble."

"Last time I checked, it was me who stunned and bound you." Ginny chuckled. "I could have just given you your trunk back when you showed up here. So much for who caused the trouble." She paused briefly before she snorted, "Let's just hope my family won't find out."

"Why?" Harry asked concerned, wondering if she'd get into trouble with her family because of him.

"Oh, believe me, they will be thrilled when they find out that their little sister and only daughter has stunned and bound Harry Potter and passed a gang of criminals to the Aurors. The first thing they'll do is telling me that I'd be much safer at home with my parents. They never liked the idea of me living out here all alone. You can't imagine how much I'd love that." Ginny rolled her eyes.

Harry laughed. "Life in a big family seems to be very exciting."

"If you only knew," Ginny grumbled and pointed to the garden bench. "But let's sit down or we're wearing holes in the lawn." A grin spread over her face when she added, "Since you didn't want to have a drink with me on your birthday, I'll spend a round on our victory."

"Oh, I didn't mean to..." Harry replied indignantly but was interrupted by Ginny.

"You said it was trouble to have a drink with me," she returned.

"I didn't..." he began when he noticed the grin on her face. "Oh, you're so evil. I just want to let you know that I wanted to have a coffee or tea with you all day, but I never got a chance to ask you." Harry couldn't help but laugh about her antics.

"I'm honoured to hear that you do want to have a drink with me," Ginny smirked. "Do you want a butterbeer or a tea with a dash of Firewhiskey?"

"Tea with Firewhisky?" Harry asked, tilting his head. He'd never tried tea with Firewisky.

"Yeah, I always have a tea with Firewhiskey when I'm out here in the fresh air at night," Ginny replied.

"Okay," Harry said. ""I'd never have thought of pouring the good old Ogdens into my tea, but I'll try that, too."

"Ogdens?" Ginny raised an eyebrow. "I'm afraid I can't afford the expensive stuff. I work for Gringott, but I don't own it. But I can offer you a fine Firewhiskey you can't buy anywhere. Make yourself comfortable. I'll be right back," she called, pointing to the garden bench and disappeared through the back door.

Harry sat down on the garden bench and leaned back, relieved that the strong wind of the afternoon had given way to a pleasant, mild breeze. With folded arms, he was looking about, taking in the nightly scenery, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks somewhere deep beneath the cliffs. The crescent moon and the stars were peeking through the gaps between the clouds, illuminating the sea, which could be seen as a silver stripe over the edge of the cliffs. He let his eyes wander over to the lighthouse, whose beam of light seemed to be steadily searching the landscape for suspicious things.

Taking a deep breath of the sea air, Harry sighed contentedly.

"It's lovely out here," he said when Ginny came back, levitating a tray in front of her. He helped her put the cups and the teapot on the table and eyed the label-less bottle Ginny had placed on the table with interest.

"It's homemade," she said. "Do you want a drammie or just a dash in your tea?"

When Harry hesitated, she laughed and said, "Don't be like this. The Firewhiskey is really good. It's an old family recipe, perfected by my twin brothers."

"I think I'll take a dash in the tea," Harry replied.

"Unfortunately, Goyle ruined the Treacle Tart. I don't want to offer you anything this idiot has bitten off from. But I could offer some exquisite homemade biscuits instead," said Ginny.

"Aw, that's a pity. Treacle Tart is my favourite," Harry replied, moving over to make room for her. "Er...why don't you sit down? You'll get into trouble with the lady of the house if you're wearing holes in the lawn."

"Prat!" Ginny snorted.

Harry reached for the bottle and sniffed it.

"Hey, it's not poisoned," complained Ginny.

"The recipe is from the same brothers who invented this grit?" he asked suspiciously.

"Exactly the same," laughed Ginny. "They are pretty good with their inventions. They work for Zonko's in Hogsmeade."

"Those two red-headed chaps at Zonko's are your brothers?" Harry asked, surprised.

"You know them?" Ginny looked at him, curiosity written in her face.

"Merlin, no," said Harry. "But I've been at Zonko's a couple of times. Let's put it this way; they left a lasting impression."

"Yes, that sounds like them," Ginny chuckled. "They always wanted to open their own shop, but never had the money to actually do it."

"Once, they talked me into buying a whoopee cushion." Harry laughed. "I placed it on Sirius' chair the first time Amelia Bones had visited his house at Grimmauld Place. It was hilarious." His eyes moist with laughter, he lifted his cup to Ginny. "Well then, to the lady of the house."

"To the birthday boy," replied Ginny, clinking cups with him. "And I'm sorry I attacked you without warning. It's usually not my way."

"You were lucky I was distracted," Harry replied with a cheeky grin.

"Distracted? What got you distracted?" Ginny looked at him, her head cocked.

"The adorable looking redhead who lives here," Harry replied. "I should have listened to my godfather. He has always told me to be cautious around beautiful women."

"He couldn't have meant me," said Ginny, pouting. "I am neither beautiful nor dangerous."

"You are either clueless or fishing for compliments, Miss Weasley." Harry chuckled, amazed that it was so easy to joke with her - and make her laugh. Inwardly shaking his head, he wondered why he had been so awkward when he'd met her at the Portkey Station.

"Prat," replied Ginny, nudging him. "Stop making fun of me. There's no need for flattery. Rest assured that you will get your trunk back, Mr Potter."

"Oh, I'm not making fun of you. I really mean it." Harry said and turned to face Ginny, admiring the sparkling of her hair in the light of the torch. Her braid had loosened somewhat in the heat of the earlier action, and Harry felt tempted to brush the loose strands behind her ears. As she slowly turned her head and looked into his eyes, he said in a soft voice, "Why should I lie?"

With a grin, she replied, "I'm not sure. Either to get on my good side or just to get into my knickers..."

Harry glanced pensively at Ginny, remembering what she'd said earlier. He took the glasses off his nose and rubbed his eyes. Had the contents of his trunk really troubled her so much? With a sigh, he put the glasses back on and looked at Ginny. "The first impression I made on you must have been terrible as you said earlier that you're not interested in me."

"I didn't say that," said Ginny hastily, blushing slightly when she looked up. "I'm not interested in spending the night with a girl who's disguised as Harry Potter."

"Oh, that ... I see your point." Harry smiled when their eyes met. "Somehow I'm glad that we swapped our trunks."

"Yeah, we would have missed an evening filled with fun." Ginny snorted and took a sip of her tea.

"No, " said Harry. "because it's the reason I met you again. I was really crushed when you disappeared. As opposed to me, you made an exceptionally good first impression on me."

"I never said my first impression of you was bad," Ginny replied. "On the contrary. I was just confused about that bloody trunk. And sorry, I really was in a bit in a hurry. I was hoping to surprise my family, and when the official...Oh!" She sniggered. "Please tell, how did the customs control go?"

"Oh, don't remind me!" Harry called and started laughing. "It was ... hilarious. You should have seen the face of the officer."

"Imagine his face if we hadn't swapped our trunks." Ginny's bright laugh joined his.

"Ouch! I think it's better the way it was." Harry called out with tears of merriment. Listening to her cheerful laughter, he glanced over at Ginny, suppressing the urge to put his arms around her shoulders and pull her close to him. It was probably a bit early for that considering that only one hour ago, she had thought he was a dangerous crook. It was surely not wise to rush things and spoil the good mood.

"Why did you believe me?" The question escaped his lips without further thinking.

Ginny furrowed her brow as if considering her answer. "Well, as I said earlier, I really wanted to believe you. But your story sounded so harebrained. I dunno..." She slowly shook her head. "Everything felt a bit irrational."

"That it does." Harry chuckled.

"Then I remembered this article about Gwenog Jones, and I thought that maybe there was really something to it."

"Ah, Quidditch." Harry nodded. "Do you still play Quidditch?"

"No. Sadly I have barely a chance to play anymore," Ginny replied. "But during my time at Hogwarts, it was all about Quidditch. We Weasleys all played in the Gryffindor team. Well, everyone but Percy."

"As a teenager, I would have loved to play in a team," said Harry. "I love to fly. Sirius took me twice to a Quidditch summer camp in Spain. It was a lot of fun."

Ginny moved a bit closer to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath of the floral scent of her hair, he put his arm around her. "I almost tried to play professionally," she said.

"That's great. There was a time I thought about that myself," said Harry. "What stopped you from doing it?"

"I applied for the Holyhead Harpies, and I even received an invitation letter from Gwenog Jones personally. But in the end, I decided to become a curse-breaker."

"Why?" Ginny's response sparked Harry's interest.

"I happened to meet my old Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. Do you know Oliver Wood?" Ginny looked up at him.

"The keeper of Puddlemere?" Harry asked.

"The very one," Ginny confirmed. "We met at one of these annual Gryffindor reunions and talked about the good old Quidditch times. He told me a bit about the life of a professional Quidditch player." Ginny chuckled. "A couple of reporters had apparently got wind of our get-together and turned up there. The next day there was a picture of Olliver and me in the newspaper announcing that I was his new flame."

"Have you been with Wood?" Harry asked.

"Merlin, no," replied Ginny. "We are good friends and old teammates. Anyway, that day I realised that all these restrictions and the life in the gossip columns didn't seem alluring to me. Not for all the money in the world." She snorted. "I love my private life."

"I like to watch Quidditch games," said Harry. "Unfortunately, I rarely have the time."

"My friend Demelza, Demelza Robins, plays chaser for Pride of Portree. I want to meet with her in the next days and hope to get tickets for her next game," said Ginny, smiling. "It's been ages since I've seen her play a game."

"Seems, it's you who know a lot of famous people, and not me," Harry chuckled, remembering Ginny's remark when she'd questioned him earlier.

"Nah," replied Ginny. "They're just school friends. When you went to school at Hogwarts, you can't avoid knowing famous people because almost everyone goes to school there." Ginny eyed him thoughtfully. "Why didn't you go to Hogwarts?"

"Oh, I would have loved to go," Harry replied. "But at that time there were rumours that Voldemort wasn't really dead, and a few of his followers were spotted at Hogwarts. Sirius thought it would be safer for me to have private lessons."

"Your godfather seems to be very protective," said Ginny.

"Yes, absolutely," Harry chuckled. "Almost like six older brothers. He always tried to be like a father to me, but somehow he often was more like a big brother."

"And what was it like getting private lessons," asked Ginny. "Sounds lonely to me."

"Oh, it wasn't that bad. Mostly. But yeah, often a little lonely," said Harry, wistfully pondering what his life would be like now - with as many friends as Ginny apparently had. "I figure my life would probably be a bit more public now, like that of your friend Oliver Wood."

"And what happens when Zabini blabs whom he met here?" asked Ginny. "Your private life would be over."

"I'm more worried about you," Harry replied. When Ginny gave him a bewildered look, he said. "They'll associate you with me."

"And that makes you feel uncomfortable?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Of course," Harry said. "...Merlin, no. That's not what I meant. I'd feel miserable if you'll lose your private life because of me."

"Then I apply for the next assignment abroad and everything is forgotten by the time I get back," Ginny said matter-of-factly.

"Just disappearing for a while sounds like a good idea," snorted Harry. "Maybe I'll apply for a position as a security officer for your expedition."

"Then you have to tell the Goblins who you are," said Ginny.

"Oh, that's not a problem," Harry waved off. "The Goblins know perfectly well who I am and where I live. After all, they do all of my banking. Where will Gringotts send you next?"

"Honestly, I don't know," said Ginny. "I was hoping to spend a few months in England to meet friends I haven't seen in a long time. And in autumn, when the weather gets worse here, I hope for a place on an expedition. As far as I know, Gringotts plans excavations in South America and Mexico."

"That sounds fantastic," said Harry dreamily. "Now I'm almost a bit jealous. Maybe I should really apply for a security job at Gringotts." Glancing at his watch, Harry gasped, "Merlin, how time flies. It's almost half four. I keep you from your well-deserved sleep."

"Poppycock," Ginny said. "It's just early evening in Peru. I'm not tired yet. But you ought to be fit for your party tonight. So we better call it a day now."

"Yeah, I better go home now," Harry agreed. "But I'd be grateful if you'd gave me my trunk back before I leave."

"What trunk?" Ginny looked at him with wide eyes.

"Hey," Harry yelped and chuckled when Ginny burst out laughing.

"Okay, okay, I'll go and get it," Ginny said, still giggling. "I'll be right back." She got up and walked to the back door.

*** Ginny & Harry ***

"Wait, I'm coming with you." Ginny heard Harry calling as she entered the house.

"Don't worry. I won't switch our trunks." She laughed. "Your trunk is here in my box room. But don't look about, it's not very tidy." She opened the closet door and knelt down to push a stack of towels aside.

"Hey, Potter. What are you doing here?"

"What?" Ginny looked up at Harry questioningly. Following his gaze, she noticed her old, battered Harry Potter doll sitting on a shelf.

"Oh no," she called mortified. How could she forget about that damn doll? Giving Harry a challenging glance, she groaned, "Don't say a word!"

"Oh. That's a shame," he replied with a lopsided grin. "I just wanted to invite you to my birthday party. How am I supposed to do that without saying a word?"

Ginny eyed Harry thoughtfully as he stood there, his irresistible smile on his lips, nervously running his hands through his black mop of hair which apparently couldn't be tamed by a comb. The small crooked smile on his lips almost took her breath away.

Unconsciously, she was about to take a step closer when she looked up in his eyes.

What a mistake!

She felt as if his eyes, whose unfathomable green was intensified by his glasses, could look deep down into her soul. A slight shiver ran down her back, and her heartbeat pounded in her ears. The intense fragrance of his aftershave made her aware of how close they were to each other. Her eyes wandered back to his lips, which irresistibly attracted her. Mesmerized, she held her breath as his tongue licked his lips, unable to avert her eyes.

As she took a step closer, his arms closed around her, and she felt the warmth of his body. No longer trusting her legs, she threw herself around his neck to hold on. Closing her eyes, she reached up to him, instinctively knowing that he was thinking the same thing. A satisfied groan escaped her when she felt his lips gently on hers. The first gentle, somewhat reserved touches quickly became more passionate, and she pressed her body closer to him. The sensation of his chest grinding against her breasts send a shudder down her spine. As his tongue gently licked across her lips to ask for entry, she willingly opened her mouth and stopped thinking, surrendering to the dance of her tongues.

Later - much later, when the lack of oxygen took its toll, she smiled at Harry, gasping for air.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"It took you twelve hours to finally kiss me." She beamed, caressing his cheek. "But it was worth the wait."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I disappointed you." Harry chuckled. "Most of the time, I was busy avoiding your stunners."

"Idiot!" Ginny said good-humoured, resting her head on his chest. "Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean the invitation to your birthday party." Somehow, she wasn't sure if she was ready to meet Harry's family. They hardly knew each other. "It's probably a big party tonight, and I hardly know anybody."

"Merlin, no." Harry laughed and stroked her hair. "Fortunately not. Only the closest friends. Only people who know that I am Harry Potter. And that's just another reason for you to come..."

"I don't know. It feels a bit..."

"You would make me the happiest birthday boy in the world when you come," Harry interrupted her.

"Okay," she whispered. "Then I have no other choice." With a solemn look, she added, "But a single word about the doll, and you're a dead man."

"Never," Harry promised. "But think I'll buy a fiery red-haired doll, so I don't sit on the shelf so alone."

"Now that I know Harry Potter really exists, I could find a nice place for him and his girl in the living room." Ginny smiled and pulled Harry closer again. She had no intention of letting him go home soon.

*** The end ***