Ginny walked back out of her room after tossing her book onto her bed and headed towards the bathroom. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized the door was already shut. Aw, man! Really? Stepping closer, she leaned her ear towards the door to try and hear who was in there. She could hear a low, half-mumbled song (if you could call it that) coming from inside with a background track of running water. You've got to be kidding me! Finally make it through 4 hours of Celestina Warbeck and now I can't even get ready for bed because Ron's decided to take a shower? He'll be in there for the next hour, at least! Ginny grumbled to herself (something about a stinky creature finding its way into Ron's bed) and turned to go back downstairs. She might as well have a cup of hot chocolate while she waits on Ron…again. He's worse than a girl when it comes to time in the loo.

Ginny was almost to the ground floor when she froze at hearing her name being spoken from the kitchen.

"Harry, why don't you just talk to her?"

"You know why, Hermione."

Harry and Hermione were sitting in the kitchen talking (no doubt waiting for Ron as well) and were unaware of the added ears to their conversation. Thanking Merlin's saggiest Y-fronts that she had long ago trained herself to avoid all the squeaky stairs, Ginny sunk down to listen.

Hermione continued, "I'm not so sure that he would mind, Harry. I rather think that he would be more accepting of you dating Ginny than anyone else."

"What if he's not though, Hermione? What if he's not and I mess our friendship up for something that I don't even know will work out? I mean, I like Ginny…a lot, but I don't even know if she likes me that way or that we'll work out even if we ever get together." Harry sighed in frustration.

In the stairwell, Ginny quietly gasped. What? Harry likes me? But…I…he…what?

Hermione gave Harry a stern look. "Harry." When he looked at her, she raised an eyebrow at him.

"What, Hermione? I don't. I have no first-hand experience that tells me that she's into me. I only have what other people have told me. I can't embark on what could be a suicide mission if I'm not sure that she won't just laugh in my face." Harry lowered his face into his hands while resting his elbows on the table to either side of his mug. Hermione just watched and waited as he thought this out.

Meanwhile, back on the stairs, Ginny waited with bated breath for them to continue talking. She almost screamed and fell down the stairs when someone suddenly whispered, "Hey!" directly into her ear. Spinning around to see who was trying to give her heart failure, Ginny found Fred grinning at her like the Cheshire Cat.

"What are you doing?" She mouthed at him.

"Listening. Same as you." He mouthed back. "Why aren't you down there telling him how you feel?"

Ginny balked. "Are you kidding me? I would have to admit to eavesdropping on them this whole time! I'm not going to do that!"

A wickedly mischievous grin crossed Fred's face. "Are you sure about that?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes at her brother, suspicious of his meaning. Abruptly, she felt a strong push on her lower back and she was sliding down the last 8 steps of the staircase like they were a playground slide. Curse these fuzzy socks for being so slippery!

When Ginny finally sat up from lying flat on the floor at the bottom of the staircase, Harry and Hermione were just staring at her with wide-eyed looks of shock. Ginny immediately blushed crimson and began to stand up. Without warning, Harry was there helping her up. The two stood there staring at each other, green versus brown; both were still too shocked to say anything. Hermione, sensing that now was the time to disappear, mumbled something about checking on Ron and began to rush up the stairs, shooing Fred when she found him squatting.

After they had climbed to Fred's bedroom landing, Hermione turned to him and demanded, "What happened?"

"Ron was still in the shower, so I went downstairs to get something to eat and found Ginny sitting there listening to you and Harry talk about her. She wasn't going to do anything about it—even though she's been in love with him since the train station your first year—so I…assisted them both by pushing her down the stairs and the big, fat, pink elephant out the door."

Hermione just stared at Fred for a few, long seconds, and then grinned like she had just been handed a first edition copy of Hogwarts, A History. "You are an absolute genius, Fred Weasley!"

Fred smiled in return. "Yeah, I know that."

Harry finally broke the silence that pervaded the room after Hermione (and Fred) left.

"Are you okay?" He asked, softly.

Not trusting herself to speak, Ginny just nodded. Though her mouth was silent, her mind was not. He's still holding my hand! He's still holding my HAND! What, what do I do? I need to say something. Yeah! I need to say something, anything!

"You're still holding my hand."

Really? REALLY? That's the BEST that you could come up with, Ginny? Bloody hell, he's going to think you don't like him!

Harry looked down at their hands and blushed. "Oh…sorry." He mumbled, and started to pull away.

Ginny tightened her hold in his hand. "I didn't say I didn't like it." She reproved him softly. She took hold of his other hand to comfort him, moving slowly so she didn't spook him. He really did look like he could bolt for the door at any second. After she took his hand, Harry seemed to visibly relax. There you go, Ginny. Much better. Now you just need to TELL HIM!

"How much did you hear?" Harry beat her to the punch line.

Slightly startled to be jumping right in, it took her a second to form words, "Er…most of it?"

"Most of it?" He repeated. Harry's voice was quiet, without much inflection, and he was still staring at her.

A little scared, Ginny, again, just nodded.

"And do you have anything to say in response?" He was so quiet that Ginny almost didn't hear him over the thumping of her racing heart.

For the third time, Ginny just nodded.

Harry stood like a statue, waiting for her to say something.

Speak! Ginny, freaking say SOMETHING! No, don't say anything, DO something!

Watching her, Harry saw her blink and her eyebrows lower in resolve. Slowly, Ginny moved her right hand from Harry's to his face. Harry blinked and his eyebrows rose in surprise, but still he did not move. Ginny began to raise herself up on to her toes to bring herself closer to Harry. After what felt like an eternity, she brushed her lips against Harry's in a soft, caring and delicate kiss.

Pulling away enough to make eye contact with him, she smirked, "How's this for first-hand experience?"

Finally, Harry chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Pretty nice." He said, before taking her lips in a firm, but loving kiss that portrayed the extent of Harry's feelings for her.