Not Today

I opened my eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time. I looked at my watch. 2:14. I sighed exasperated that there were so many things in my head that I couldn't sleep. Horcruxes, Malfoy, Voldemort, Half-Blood Prince's book, Snape's suspicions, and Dumbledore taking me to find a horcrux. The only thing that I didn't have to worry about is quidditch. We won! We won the Quidditch Cup and-

I smiled. I turned around so I could lay on my back. I looked at my watch again. 2:20. One week, four days, thirteen hours, and twenty minutes me and Ginny have been together. Just the thought that finally we got together made me feel relaxed and content. I knew I wasn't going to go to sleep so I got up, grabbed my cloak and wand and headed to the common room. I got to the common room and looked around not expecting to find anybody but to my surprise and delight found Ginny asleep buried under parchment, books, and quills. Another smile came to my lips as I walked over. She looked peaceful and relaxed. I grabbed her cloak from the arm chair and covered her. I bent down and very softly kissed her lips, gently. She smiled but didn't wake.

Very quietly I crept to the portrait hole and before I went through I checked the Marauder's Map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

I saw Filch in the Charms corridor and Mrs. Norris on the fifth floor near the prefects bathroom. I pulled out the invisibility cloak and walked out.

The Fat Lady opened one eye but closed it again and went back to sleep. I walked through the castle unseen and walked until I was outside on the grounds. The fresh air whipped my face. I took a long breath before starting to walk. I didn't stop walking until I was at the big tree near the lake. I went around the tree to where there was a big rock against it. I took out my wand and transfigured the rock into a pillow. I took off the invisibility cloak and laid down. I gazed up at the stars. The moon was so bright it outshined the stars that were near it. I wondered what the centaurs would say to that.

It didn't take long for me to hear footsteps. I grabbed the Marauder's Map and saw who it was. I didn't even need to cast Lumos. The moon was that bright. When I looked at who it was I smiled and pointed my wand at the map and said, "Mischief managed." I leaned back and closed my eyes. I felt her lay down on the grass beside me. I opened my eyes and turned to her. Her eyes were closed, I leaned over and kissed her gently. I pulled away and saw that she was smiling. I laid back down and pulled her with me so that she lay on my chest, our legs intertwined.

"I'll never get used to that," she said.

I looked down at her as I weaved my fingers through her hair.

"Get used to what?" I asked.

"Kissing you," she said as she looked up at me.

"That goes for the both of us," I said to her.

A mischievous glint came to her eyes and she said, "I didn't know you could kiss yourself, Harry."

I stared at her blankly for a moment before I realized what she had said. She laughed at my blank look but laughed even more when I started tickling her.

I tickled her mercilessly. Her hands tried to block my attempts but to no avail. I rolled us over so I was on top of her, tickling her until she pleaded to stop.

"Harry…s-stop…. H-Harry pleas-se st-stop…"

Her laughter was a wonderful sound that I always wanted to hear. After a few pleas to stop I grabbed her hands and locked them on the grass. I looked down at her. She was completely out of breath, her eyes were bright, filled with mirth. She was still smiling.

"You're… a prat… Harry," she said panting, trying to catch her breath.

I smiled down at her. I leaned down, a few inches from her lips.

"Am I?" I said, as I looked into her mirthful eyes.

"Y-yes," she said distracted. Her eyes darted down to my lips and back up repeatedly.

"Well that's really too bad Ginny," I said. I leaned down further and kissed the corner of her mouth. I felt her hands trying to get free from beneath mine.

I kissed her cheek, and then beneath her ear. I moved up to her eyelids, her eyes were closed, then her nose down to her upper lip which I pecked chastely.

Her hands were moving frantically beneath mine, trying to get free. I kissed the other corner of her mouth then I hovered only few inches away from her lips.

"Harry," it took everything I had not to smile as she moaned my name.

"Yes Ginny?" I answered casually.

"Kiss me," she said as her eyes opened.

"Now Ginny I can't do that," I told her while I kissed her chin and then tenderly kissed the base of her neck.

"A special girl like you shouldn't be kissing prats like me," I said as I teased her.

"Harry…" she said again her hands were still frantically moving trying to get free.

After I kissed her in a tender spot beneath her ear I looked down at her again. I pecked her lips chastely before pulling away. Her eyes were closed again, she opened them slowly. I smiled down at her.

"Well if you insist."

I let go of her hands. They immediately snaked up behind my neck, grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled me down so she could crush her lips to mine.

I let my eyes close and kissed her. I've imagined kissing Ginny. I've imagined how sweet she'll taste, how soft her lips would feel, how my heart would race when I kissed her and I couldn't believe how completely wrong I was.

I kissed her with a passion I didn't know I could feel for someone and she kissed me with a passion I didn't know she had for me. My heart was beating erratically wanting to burst from my chest. I plunged my fingers into her silky hair, loving the texture and its smell. This moment I was happy. With her lips on mine how could I not.

She rolled us over so she was lying on top of me again. Our passionate kisses became less hungry and grew slower and with a much deeper meaning. She pulled away slowly, eyes closed. She sighed happily before she opened them. She smiled down at me before she kissed me again and then settled down on my chest. I combed my fingers through her hair, letting it fall through before I ran through it again.

"I thought you were asleep?" I asked her.

"I was," came her reply. "But in my dream I was gently kissed and thought 'well that won't do, I need a proper kiss,' so I followed you."

"And was that a proper kiss for you?" I said.

"Maybe," she said, I felt her shrug. I aimed to tickle her again but she interlaced our fingers.

"Cheater," I whispered in her ear. She laughed.

"What were you doing up, Harry?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Do you always come out here then?"

"When I can't sleep yes."

"Does it help?" she asked.

"Usually. Seeing the stars and just hearing nothing but the water and little creatures scurry around is relaxing. So I could go to sleep," I told her.

She turned her head a little so she could see the stars. It was silent for a minute. I knew she was listening too. A minute or two later she turned her head back so that it was on my chest.

I heard her yawn and then she said, "You're right. It is relaxing."

I moved my hand to the back of her head so I could scratch behind her neck. That was how she fell asleep easily.

It wasn't five seconds that I started that she said, "Why are you making me fall asleep Harry?"

"Because its three in the morning and you need to rest," I told her but I didn't stop.

"Mmm…. What about you?" she asked, her voice was already drifting off.

"I'm sure I can sleep now."

It didn't take long for me to hear her heavy breathing and not too long after that I too fell asleep.

Living with the Dursleys trained me to not wake up late no matter how late I went to sleep. I opened my eyes slowly. I wondered why I slept so soundly. I tried to sit up but something was on me and when I tried to move and I couldn't I looked down. I relaxed and didn't try to sit up again. The memories of late that night or rather very early morning came back to me. All I could really do was smile as a feeling of contentment washed over me.

The sun made her hair look like fire. There were different shades of red. I could even see reddish-brown mixed in. I craned my neck so I could see her face. Her eyebrows which were usually scrunched up with concentration while she studied were lax. The sun against her skin made every freckle prominent but it made her look even more beautiful no matter how many times she thought other wise. Her jaw which was usually locked in irritation was slack and left her lips slightly parted which gave me the impulse to kiss them.

I looked at my watch. 9.37. I grimaced slightly, Ginny was going to be upset that she missed breakfast. I was about to wake her up to see if there was a chance breakfast wasn't over but as I looked down at her face I couldn't wake her. If only I could-

Wait, I could.

I looked around and said in a low voice, higher then a whisper, "Dobby?"

With a loud crack Dobby appeared.

I didn't even get to say shh as the girl before me stirred. I saw that she opened one eye but like the Fat Lady it closed again. She shifted so that her head was in the crook of my neck and I could smell her flowery hair. She sighed before she fell asleep again. I took in a deep breath and sighed happily. I sat up a bit so she could easily fit under my chin comfortably. I was so focused on Ginny that I forgot about Dobby.

"Harry Potter, sir?" he said.

I jumped, surprised but then I held still so Ginny wouldn't wake up.

"Sorry Dobby. Forgot you were there," I said in a low voice.

Dobby caught on that I was trying to keep Ginny asleep said in a low voice, "Sorry sir. Dobby isn't knowing your Wheezy was sleeping sir."

"Its ok Dobby. Can you please do me a favor?"

"Of course Harry Potter sir. Dobby is doing anything Harry Potter says."

I smiled weakly before saying, "Me and Ginny skipped breakfast and I know she'll be hungry when she wakes up. Can you possibly bring us some food for us when she wakes up?"

Dobby's eyes lit up. "Of course Harry Potter sir. We is gladly doing you the favor for you and your Wheezy."

Then with a faint pop he vanished.

Thankful that Dobby didn't make a loud crack I felt less guilty about Ginny missing breakfast. I looked down at the pretty red-head. She was still sleeping soundly. I moved a stray hair and put it behind her ear, then softly caressed her cheek.

As I held her in my arms I couldn't help but feel utterly happy and…right. It felt right holding her in my arms and I knew, at sixteen, this is what I wanted. If I survived Voldemort, if I get the chance to live I wanted this. I wanted to be able to hold Ginny as she slept, kiss her senseless, tease her, play with her, and more then anything be with her unconditionally.

I hugged her a little tighter, kissed the top of her head and whispered very faintly that even I barely heard myself, "I love you Ginny Weasley."

After I said it I knew it was true. In twenty years it'll still be true. I sat there holding her, my head on her head. It was around ten thirty that I felt her stir. I loosened my grip slightly and stopped playing with her hair so she could move. She slid a little lower so her head was right over my heart. Ten minutes later I heard her sigh.

"I love that sound," she said softly.

I looked down at her confused. I was about to ask what sound but she looked up at me and all I could think of was making sure I would always remember her face until my last dying day. Her hair was slightly disheveled because she would move her head slightly when she slept but it made her look adorable. Her eyelids were half closed, opening and then closing again half way. Her eyes though half hidden I could see were still dazed with sleep. She had a soft smile playing on her lips that showed how wonderfully she slept.

The look on her face made me want to kiss her. So I did. I kissed her softly, tenderly. I could've kissed her all day like this if it wasn't for the soft rumbling of our stomachs. We broke apart abruptly and started laughing. We were laughing when Dobby popped in holding a tray.

"Hungry?" I asked her.

"Just a little," she said her stomach rumbled again.

"Uhuh, a little," I said smiling.

Dobby laid before us a buffet of food. It seemed it would feed all the Weasleys instead of just me and Ginny.

"I know you weren't going to wake up for breakfast so I told Dobby if he could prepare us some food so we can eat when you woke up."

She looked from the food to me smiling broadly. She reached up and kissed me soundly on the lips.

"You are the best boyfriend ever," she said. She kissed me again chastely before saying, "Ok lets eat."

When we were done eating at least half of the food was still there. We gave our thanks to Dobby and we still kept to the sanctuary of our tree. My back against the tree and Ginny sat comfortably between my legs, her back to my chest. I wrapped my arms around her stomach and put my head on her shoulder.

"So what sound do you like?" I asked her when I remembered what she had said.

"Your heart beat," she said casually, as though it was everybody's favorite sound.

"My heart beat?" I asked her confused that she would like that sound above all others.

"Yeah Harry. You know that sound your heart makes when you breath," she said. I could feel her smirking.

"Ha ha," I said. "I meant why my heart beat?"

She didn't answer right away. We saw the squid's tentacle come out of the water. It was taking one out then dipping it back in then took out another one then dipping it back in. After the sixth one it was when she answered.

"I really don't know. Its one of those things that you like no matter how strange it may be. Just like there are smells that you like or things you like to touch. Like you love playing with my hair. You're always playing with it," she said. She turned her head so she could look at me.

"Yeah but I have a reason. Your hair is so soft and its like silk. And its smell is so intoxicating," I said, I held a stand of hair and felt it with my fingers. She turned forward again.

"Well it's the same with me. I mean before you fall asleep its faster and then it slows down until its soothing. I heard it in my dream. I knew you were still there. And…" she trailed off.

When she didn't finish I said, "And what Ginny?"

"Well…. It makes this real. Like I'm not dreaming that you're here with me, holding me, kissing me, and being the sweetest boyfriend ever. I could feel you and hear you and its not just in my head," she said softly.

After she said that I pinched her arm.

"Ow! Harry!" she yelled and then she punched me which was the reaction I had hoped.

"Ow! Ginny!" I said.

"Why did you pinch me Harry?" she said clearly irritated and confused.

I chuckled which didn't help her mood. "Muggles say 'pinch me' so they can know whether they're awake or not."

She looked at me. "Why?"

"I don't know, they just do."

"That's really…"

"Weird? I know but now you know you're awake," I said as I smiled at her.

She laughed. I put my head to the back of her neck, kissed her tenderly before letting the intoxicating smell overwhelm me.

We sat there in silence together. We watched the lake and everyone else. Since it was a Saturday a lot of students were outside enjoying the sun. It wasn't long when I heard voices approaching. I strained to hear and knew who they belonged to.

"I wondered when they'd come looking for us," I told Ginny.

She didn't say anything but sat and listened too. When she let out a sigh I knew that she knew who was coming.

I didn't want our time together to end. Not spending time with Ginny was becoming more often as her O.W.L.s approached. Acting on a whim I told her, "Get under her and shh."

She looked confused but obeyed. We got under the invisibility cloak and waited.

A few seconds later we could hear Ron's voice.

"…not anywhere else. Where else could they be Hermione?"

"How do you even know they're together Ron? Ginny is suppose to be studying for her O.W.L.s. "

"O.W.L.s? Hermione he's alone with my sister! I didn't care about her O.W.L.s right now!"

We both looked at each other and rolled our eyes.

"How can you say that Ron? This decides her future…see they're not there."

They came to the tree. As they looked around they couldn't see us. We both laughed at the fact.

"Then where are they?"

"Ginny is probably in the library studying for her O.W.L.s and Harry on the Quidditch Pitch. Since he couldn't play he just wants to fly."

Typical Hermione, I thought.

They left. We didn't take the cloak off until we couldn't hear their footsteps.

As we took off the cloak I heard her saying, "She is right Harry. I should be studying."

"You don't have to, you just should study. There's a difference."

I felt her smile. She unlocked my right arm from her stomach and put it in front of her. She held my palm flat against hers. My hand was bigger then hers. My hand I knew was rough from Quidditch and so many adventures but hers were soft and warm. She then interlaced our fingers, so neatly and perfectly it was like they were meant to be together. I heard her sigh.

"I should go study Harry."

"I suppose you should. Your O.W.L.s are just a few weeks away."

But she didn't stand up. She just continued to play with my hand.

"I study everyday I should take a break," she said.

"Hermione will hex you if you did that," I told her as I laughed.

She laughed too. "Yeah she would. I should go then."

She still didn't move. She was folding and unfolding our fingers. After the third time it was when I felt her weight lift from my chest. She was sitting up, just about to stand up. She let go of my hand and got up.

"I'll be in the library ok."

I nodded but as she turned to leave I grabbed her hand and pulled her down for a kiss. She didn't resist. I knew she didn't want to leave and I didn't want her to leave so I didn't see the point in her leaving. As I kissed her I sat up on my knees and pulled her down so she was sitting between my legs again.

When we broke apart I felt her smiling.

"You make it really hard to go study, Harry."

I smiled. "Good maybe then you won't go."

She laughed. "I have to Harry. This decides my future," she said the last part in the best imitation of Hermione.

A started kissing her neck. "No you don't have to."

She got up grudgingly. She kissed me again chastely before she left. I let my head lean against the tree as I heard her footsteps. I sighed.

1.… 2.… 3.… 4.… 5.… I got up and ran after her. She wasn't far. I ran ahead of her and picked her up, put her over my shoulder and carried her back.

"Harry, what are you doing?" she said clearly trying to sound mad but I could hear her laughter.

"Well I once heard that if you study too hard for a long period of time is really bad for you so I think you deserve a break. No studying for today."

"Hermione would've said that's the stupidest thing she has ever heard. I should go study," she said the last part without enthusiasm.

"Right now to me it's very smart advice. No studying. Not today."

I heard her laugh. I put her down beside the tree and I laid down with my head on her lap. She started playing with my hair.

"You do know Hermione is going to kill you."

"That's if her and Ron ever stop arguing."

"I don't know how you put up with that."

"I've learned to ignore it but until recently I've had a better way to not hear them."

"Oh really?" she said. "What's way?"

"Distract you," I said while I reached up and kissed her.

I pulled away slightly. "Mmm…. Lucky you," she said.

She kissed me again. Soft and tender was the kiss and I could've lasted the whole day like that. I would've lasted all day if it wasn't for the wave of water hitting us.

"Oi!" said an angry voice.

We looked around and saw Ron standing there with his wand pointed at us and Hermione looking shocked beside him.

"Ron! Why did you do that?" yelled Hermione and Ginny at the same time.

"Because you two are always snogging!"

"So? Its what couples do Ron!" Ginny yelled at him and before Ron could even come up with something to say Ginny hexed him. Ron swung his arms around trying to get rid of the bats but couldn't, they still attacked his face.

"Ugh! Take them off Ginny!"

"No! Maybe then you'll learn to sod off!"

After she said that he ran off towards the castle. It was a minute or so until Hermione ran after him although she didn't seem in a hurry.

I couldn't hold it anymore, I started laughing. Ginny didn't join me, she was still fuming.

"How dare he? Maybe then he'll learn to bugger off and leave us alone."

"Come on Ginny he was just being Ron."

"So? He didn't have to wet us!"

"Its just water. Its not going to hurt us."

"Yeah but if I want to get wet it wouldn't be in my robes."

"You've never gotten wet in your clothes before?" I asked while as inconspicuously as I could I sneaked my hand into her robes and grabbed her wand. I put it under the invisibility cloak.

"Yeah but not soaked. I look like I went into the lake."

"No you don't," I said. Then I got up fast and carried her over to the lake. I stopped with my feet in the water, shoes and all. I held her up over the water.

"Harry don't!" she threatened. She was digging in her robes looking for her wand.

I let her go.

"Now you look like you went into the lake."

When she surfaced she pulled me into the water too. We played in the water and with the giant squid. We threw water balls at each other, kept pushing each other under water, and the squid would grab us and lift us up then drop us like a giant water slide without the slide. Ginny pushed me into the water and she scrambled to shore. She was out of the lake and headed to the tree where she knew her wand was. I grabbed her from behind and lifted her up all the while tickling her.

"Still angry?" I asked.

"N-no."

"You sure?"

"Yes H-Harry now st-stop!" she said laughing.

We were on the ground now. I locked her hands on the sides of her head like before as I hung over her completely wet. Drops of water fell from my hair onto her hair and face. She closed her eyes so the water wouldn't go in. I shook my head vigorously.

"Harry!" she complained she tried to cover her face but her hands were locked beneath mine. I laughed.

She was panting, she still hadn't caught her breath from when I was tickling her. She opened her eyes and as I looked down at her fully I froze. With her hair wet and her eyes shining with laughter she looked beautiful. I couldn't tease her, I just bent my head and kissed her, it was soft and caressing filled our deep love for each other.

My hands which locked her wrists in place went up to her palms and intertwined our fingers perfectly. Love was the power Voldemort knew not. As I kissed Ginny Weasley senseless I knew that if Voldemort was to come right then, he wouldn't win.