12A/N: Ok, so you know how Harry goes to the Burrow the summer before 6th year and he's starting to notice Ginny (it's amazing that it took him this long isn't it?). What if he had started to notice Ginny before, so that by the time he got there… Well, you know… How would that change Half-Blood Prince? Read to find out… also thanks to my beta gibby101 who looked this over for me! Your awesome dude and you write some really good fics (really you guys should read them!).
Disclaimer: Sadly, I still don't own any of this… Soooooo wish I did, but that sole joy belongs to the one and only J. K. Rowling. I also don't own the game Truth. I don't know if Sarah Dessen actually owns it, but all I know is that I don't.
Dumbledore left after the conversation in the broom shed, leaving me to walk the ten meters to the front door of the Burrow and knock. There were sounds inside, which silenced with the rapping on the door. The light that escaped under the doorway was blocked, meaning a person was standing there, presumably with a wand pointed at the door.
"Who is it?" I heard Mrs. Weasley say from the other side of the door.
"It's Harry Potter," I said.
The door swung open. "Harry! We didn't expect you for hours!" she exclaimed, pulling me into a hug.
"Dumbledore needed me for something, so when we were done, he dropped me off here," I said, not mentioning exactly what Dumbledore needed me for.
"Well, Harry dear, that's wonderful! Everyone wanted to wait up, but, as I said, we didn't expect you for hours. Thought you wouldn't be here until breakfast," she told me. "Are you hungry? Looks like you haven't eaten all summer," she said, pulling me into the kitchen. It was only two weeks into the summer holidays, Dumbledore had rescued me early. This didn't mean I wasn't hungry, I'd barely eaten four meals there.
"Food sounds great, Mrs. Weasley," I said, just then noticing who else was in the kitchen.
It was Ginny, she had a cup of tea in front of her. She was in her night clothes, shorts and a tank top, as it was very warm that night, and had her hair pulled back into a loose bun at the back of her head. I'd been thinking a lot about her in the long while I had to think about things at the Dursleys'. I know, she's supposed to be my best friend's sister and she has a boyfriend, but that didn't stop me from thinking about her. We'd never really gotten close, even though Hermione is one of her best friends and Ron one of mine, which is odd when you think about it. We'd also been on the same Quidditch team last year.
I sat down next to her as Mrs. Weasley put down a hot bowl of onion soup in front of me and asked how my summer holiday had been so far.
"Not, bad, seeing as I only had to spend a couple of weeks there," I told her. She and Ginny both knew the truth though; the Dursleys were never decent to me.
Ginny spoke up then, "So how many meals did they give you then?"
I didn't look at Mrs. Weasley or Ginny as I answered, "About four or five." I heard them both gasp in horror.
"Harry, are you serious?" Mrs. Weasley asked me.
"He wouldn't lie about something like that, would you, Harry?" Ginny asked.
"I didn't lie," I said and took a quick sip of soup, which wasn't the best idea, considering it was steaming hot.
"Oh, Harry," I heard Ginny moan, but only I heard, Mrs. Weasley had gone back to the kitchen to get more food, I presumed.
"So, does she know about Dean?" I asked Ginny, figuring we were alone for at least a few minutes while Mrs. Weasley made me something I wouldn't be about to finish.
Ginny didn't answer me. I looked at her, really looked at her face for the first time that night. "Ginny, what's wrong?" I asked. Her eyes were red and she had tear marks running down her face.
"We broke up last week," she said quietly. "I had to tell mum, she noticed there was something wrong. Ron really didn't tell you?"
"No, he didn't. Ginny, I'm so sorry. Did Ron already offer to hurt him?" I asked, smiling.
"Yeah, he did, but I told him that I'd take a rain-check on that," she said, joking with me. "Harry, eat your soup, you must be hungry," she said, nudging the bowl with her elbow closer to me. To make her happy, I took a spoonful out, blew on it, and put it in my mouth.
When I'd finished the bowl (which didn't take very long), Mrs. Weasley came back in with a plate with toast, some fruit, and a purple potion. She and Ginny both insister I eat all the toast and the fruit.
"Here, Harry, I want you to go to bed now, but take this first," she said, handing the potion over to me. "It's a mix of dreamless sleep potion and a sort of nutrition potion. Now off to bed, the both of you," she said, hugging us both. "Oh, and Harry dear, you're sleeping in Percy's room, as he's not here and Ron wont want to be woken up. I'd put you in the twins' room, but it's full of the things they left here and I just don't think it's safe," she said to me and I nodded.
Percy's room was on the fourth floor and Ginny's was on the third, right below Percy's room, I noticed. At the landing, Ginny turned to me and said, "Night, Harry," and gave me a hug. As we pulled away, she kissed my cheek. We were both blushing as she closed her bedroom door.
I climbed to the fourth floor, wondering why Ginny had kissed me, even if it was only my cheek. She and Dean had only broken up a week ago and she seemed torn-up about it, so why would she kiss me?
Not that I hadn't wanted her to; two weeks ago, I would have been so happy to hear that they broke up, but seeing her like this, it hurt me too.
Maybe the kiss had meant nothing. Maybe she kissed everybody's cheeks after hugging them. That plan was flawed as well. I'd gotten a few hugs from her over the years, but this was the first time she'd kissed me.
I sat down on the bed and then remember the potion in my hands. I quickly changed into a pair of shorts and since it was so warm in the room, took of the one I had on and took the potion. The effect was almost immediate; I felt my whole body beginning to shut down, and then I was asleep.
When I was woken up by the banging of the door on the wall beside it, it was sunrise. I saw Ron's blurry figure in the doorway with Hermione behind him. Then I saw Ginny behind the two of them and heard her say, "Honestly, Ron, the guy only got here six hours ago, he needs his sleep!"
I put my glasses on and they all come into focus. "Sorry," Ron said to me and threw me something. I unrolled it and saw it was a t-shirt. Remembering I didn't have one on, I threw it on and swung my feet onto the floor and stood up.
"Hi, Harry!" Hermione said, still in the doorway. She came closer to me and gave me a bone-crushing hug that only Hermione could give.
"Hermione, when did you get here?" I asked, not knowing she even was here.
"Yesterday morning, you?"
"About midnight, right, Ginny?" I asked.
"Yeah, about then," she said, looking at me and blushing again.
"You knew he was here and you didn't tell us?" Ron said.
"I knew he was here because I was awake and downstairs when he got here. Mum and I were having tea when he knocked on the door," she told him. "Besides, you get a bit bitchy when someone wakes you up in the middle of the night."
"Bitchy? I don't get bitchy!" Ron exclaimed.
"Ronald Weasley! Watch your language!" we heard Mrs. Weasley say from the hallway.
"What? Ginny said it first!" he said.
"Be that as it may, I didn't hear Ginny say it. Now, how about some breakfast?" she asked us all.
We all nodded and followed her out of Percy's room and down the stairs and into the kitchen and sat at the table where Percy was sitting with Mr. Weasley.
"Where are Fred and George staying if they're not staying in the house?" I asked. Usually the pranksters were making noises long into the night, it had been oddly quiet here without them.
"They're staying in the flat over their shop," Ginny said. We all fit at the table nicely, with two Weasleys' gone. Ginny sat to my right, Ron at my left with Hermione across from me and Percy next to her and across from Ginny. Mr. Weasley sat at Ginny's other side and Mrs. Weasley on Ron's right, both at the heads of the table.
Everyone talked while they ate, Mr. Weasley and Percy were carrying on their conversation about the Ministry and Ron and Hermione were talking about something having to do with the gardens outside the Burrow with Mrs. Weasley. This left Ginny and I to talk.
"Hey, Gin, can I ask you something?" I said, quietly. Nobody noticed the exchange as they were all talking in their little groups.
"Sure, Harry, ask anything you like," she said. That was one thing about Ginny, you could ask her anything and she'd tell the truth, most of the time anyway.
"Why did you and Dean break up? You seemed happy," I said. I didn't want to make it sound like I was hitting on her, I just tried to sound interested.
"Ah, yeah, Dean and I. Well, you see, Dean was getting a little too clingy for my liking. It was like, he couldn't even go to the loo without telling me where he was going and when he'd be back and he'd miss me the whole time he was gone. I need a guy with a spine, you know," she said. When she looked at me, she didn't even look embarrassed that she'd told me something that personal.
"I see," I said.
"Ok, Harry, I told you something and now you get to tell me something," she said, smiling. Uh oh.
"Ok, hit me," I said, almost bracing myself for what was coming.
"No, it's not going to be here and now. After breakfast, take a walk with me. We're going to play a game," she said, an almost evil smile spreading across her face.
"Ok," I said.
We all finished breakfast and cleared our plates and went upstairs to get dressed for the day. I watched Ginny practically drag Hermione up the stairs with her.
I went upstairs to put some shorts on. I went through my trunk and found a pair that wasn't too beat-up. They were blue and white and went well with the plain white t-shirt I had on. I laced up my old trainers and went outside to wait for Ginny to come out.
She finally came out ten minutes later with a light blue cami top and short-cut denim shorts and bare feet.
"Why are you wearing shoes, Potter?" she asked me, jokingly.
"How was I supposed to know not to wear them, Weasley? You never told me not to," I said and we both laughed as I unlaced and took off my shoes and socks. "So where are you taking me?" I asked once I was bare-foot like her.
"I already told you, we're going for a walk," she said and reached out and took my left hand in her right. It didn't feel weird, it felt nice, but I wondered what made her do it.
"So, what game are we playing?" I asked.
"It's called Truth," she said.
"How do you play?" I asked and she smiled devilishly again.
"That's easy. We ask each other questions and we answer them. You have to tell the truth though, no lying. And the questions get hard. Whoever refuses to answer a question first and the other person can answer it, the person who can answer it wins," she explained.
"What are the questions about?" I asked. The game sounded easy enough to understand.
"Anything," she said. "Also, whatever we say is in complete confidence. Nothing we say is ever told to anybody else. Agreed?" she said.
"Agreed," I said.
"Well, it's my turn, you got your question in at breakfast," she said. I wasn't so worried about the game now. I don't know Ginny very well, but I know she means that she's not going to tell anybody.
"Ok, I have a question," she said.
"Hit me," I said.
"What was up with you and Cho last year?" she asked.
"You count that as hard? Well, not much, to be honest. For some reason, I fancied her and then at Christmas last year, we got caught under the mistletoe. We kissed and we went out on one date. She got jealous after that because during the date I said that I had to meet Hermione and I guess that she was jealous of Hermione. I don't know why though, the two of us are only friends," I said.
"Wow, that's it?" Ginny said.
"Hey, it's not your turn," I said jokingly. "Ok, here's my question: What's your favorite color and why?" I said.
"No, no ask me something harder!" she said.
"No, I want to get to know you at least a little on the outside before I get too personal with you," I said. "Now answer the question, unless you forfeit this early," I said. I did know that she was very competitive, she would answer it.
"Ok, my favorite color is red and for two reasons. One is because it's a Gryffindor color. The other is because me favorite Quidditch team of all time is the Holyhead Harpies and they wear red," she said. "Ok, why were your aunt and uncle so mean to you as a child and now? I never understood that," she said.
"My aunt and uncle were and are like that with me because I'm a wizard, I'm a freak in their eyes. My aunt is my mother's sister and I think she's jealous of my mother and that jealousy was passed onto me. When I was really young, though, and they didn't know if I was a wizard or not, they were a bit nicer. Once my powers started coming in, though, their attitude changed," I told her.
"Harry, I'm so sorry," Ginny whispered. She was still holding my hand and I felt her squeeze it a little tighter. I returned the pressure.
"Ginny, it's fine, really, I got over it a long time ago. That and your mother treats me like I'm one of her own," I said. "Alright, my turn. What do you do to get yourself relaxed for bed? What I mean is, what do you do to calm down for the night?"
"Oh, this one's too easy. When are the questions going to get harder?" she asked.
"Next time, I promise," I said and she smiled.
"Ok, well usually I read a bit more of whatever book I happen to be reading or I have a cup of tea with mum. Some times I write in my diary. When Hermione's here over the summer, we some times stay up late talking and laughing," she said. "Here's yours: why did you save me from the Chamber?" she asked, almost in a whisper. Almost as if she didn't want to know, but I know she did.
"I saved you because you were my best friend's little sister. In case you didn't already know, Ron really does care about you, that's why he worries about you. I was helping Ron, but then there was an avalanche and he got stuck on the other side. And I wasn't about to let you die. I had to try to save you. I wasn't even sure if I could, but if you got out alive, it would mean much more than if I did. You have a family and friends who care about you. I didn't have a quarter as many people who cared about me," I said. When I looked over at her, she had tears in her eyes. "Ginny? What did I say?" I asked.
"Is that your question?" she asked. I smiled a bit and nodded. "Harry, you may not realize it, but lots of people care about you. My whole family would give their lives to keep you safe. Your friends, and yes you have lots of them, would help you without giving it a second thought if u asked them. The whole world depends on you and you have more supporters than you think. My death would mean nothing compared to yours," she said and let a few tears escape.
Without thinking, I closed the tiny space between us and cupped her face in both my hands. With my thumbs, I whipped away the tears that had escaped her eyes. "You're wrong," I said. "If you died, I don't know what I'd do. Your parents and brothers care so much about you, I care about you, Hermione cares, Neville, Luna, Colin, and countless other would be so greatly impacted by your death, we might all sink into a depression," I told her. "It's your turn, when you're ready."
"Ok, I have one. Would you kiss me right now, if I asked you to?" she said.
"Yes," I said simply. "Would you kiss me, if I asked you to?" I shot back at her.
"Yes," she said. She came closer and she kissed me.
A/N: Alright, guys, you know the drill! Review now! Just tell me what you thought of it! I really, really want to know what you thought of it! It only takes a few second and it makes my day every time a read a review! Thanks guys!
A/N 2: Yeah, ok, so the end went a little fast, I know, I know… I was going to have the game go on a bit longer, bit I figured this was long enough and I wanted to get it posted quickly. And sorry, this isn't going to be any longer, but I have lots more ideas coming! Watch out for new stuff and thanks again!