He might have been a little happier if he'd had a little more time alone with Ginny. But it really had been a good thing they'd met that morning, because her mother didn't leave any of them alone for the rest of the day. The conversation about her and Mr. Weasley's ideas went on for some time, and left them decided on nothing. Then they went back to the park, and back to the cathedral in the afternoon, and the evening included dinner at a place that served them probably too much barbecue that it took them a very long time to eat. After which Mrs. Weasley and Hermione decided together they wanted to see a bit more of the city by night.
Harry would've thought that after all those months wandering around with him, Hermione would realize that a place at night was just dark. But she seemed determined to not see Brisbane that way. She and Mrs. Weasley walked along, Harry, Ron and Ginny following behind, Ron keeping too close to his sister for her and Harry to talk the way he really wanted them to, Hermione pointing out the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere, which had of course been among the things she'd read about before they'd flown here. While wizards and Muggles shared most constellations in the Northern Hemisphere, here they actually had different ones, and she'd studied both sets.
"The Muggles have their own Phoenix," she said, pointing, "though they don't have any particular mythology attached to it; it's just the shape of a phoenix to them. Not even a silly story about the bird going into the sky to watch over the children of a village."
"That's not a silly story," said Mrs. Weasley. "It's one my mother told me, and I told all my children, and I would expect my grandchildren to grow up with it as well."
"Oh." That was enough to make Ron turn red. Then he hastily asked, "Are there going to be any soon? I mean, have Bill and Fleur..."
And to everyone's surprise, Mrs. Weasley paused for a moment, and said, "I actually think she might be pregnant. They accompanied us to the airport, so I got a good look at her, and I've developed a bit of an ability to tell these things. I don't think Bill even suspects it yet, though Fleur might."
"Really?" Hermione asked, and Ginny chimed in, and the subject of conversation quickly became Bill and Fleur, and what Mrs. Weasley had observed of the latter. Harry watched Ron relax, and felt himself do so, at least a little.
Still it dragged on. Even more so when multiple times, Harry found himself catching Ginny's eyes, and recognized the look in them. She was dealing with it really well, but she wanted to be alone with him as much as he wanted to be alone with her.
Harry wasn't sure, afterwards, when Ron first caught them exchanging what probably did qualify as longing looks. It shouldn't have been surprising. He had to have gotten pretty bored by the conversation, too, especially as it moved to the longer history of Brisbane, and also both Queensland and Australia in general, because by now Hermione had read everything about all of that. But all Harry knew was that as they were finally heading back to the hotel, Ron pulled him a little bit behind the others, and asked, very quietly but very fiercely, "Harry, would you mind telling me what exactly you're doing with my sister now?"
Several thoughts of how to respond went through Harry's head, but before he could, Ginny was somehow right there, demanding in her lowest, most dangerous voice, "And do you really still feel as if you get a say in that? Have you not noticed that you've been with Hermione for nearly a month now and I've never once gone after her like this. Although if I did, honestly, I'd mostly ask her if she'd completely lost her mind."
"Hey," Harry said, feeling surprisingly angry at her words. "Ron isn't all that bad. And Hermione really missed very much when he was gone-"
"What?" Ginny whirled on him. "You seriously think that's an argument for him?!"
"All right," sighed Harry, "you've got a point there. But seriously, Ginny, don't be like that. It hurts him. I've seen it hurt him."
He stopped there, realizing maybe he shouldn't say too much about that. Ron actually didn't look angry anymore, but that might've been because he was frantically looking back and forth between the two of them.
Ginny, meanwhile, seemed completely caught off guard. She even stopped walking for a moment, though everyone still walking around her got her to start again quickly enough. For several moments after that, she just stared at her brother, who was walking mechanically, still dumbfounded.
Their mother noticed, of course. When she asked, "Ron, Ginny, is something wrong? What were you just talking about?" neither looked ready to answer her.
Harry stepped in. "Just talking a little bit about a few things that happened last year." That wasn't a lie, not really. Then, remembering how Mrs. Weasley felt about all that, he said, "Maybe we did run off on our own a little, and I don't know if it was the best idea-but," and he raised his voice on that word because he saw she was ready to interrupt, "I don't know if we would've won if we hadn't done it. I can't be sorry we won."
He said it pretty forcefully, and maybe she saw his point. She just said, "And you're at least willing to talk about it?"
It was Hermione who answered there. "I think we've all been finding it's hard to talk about sometimes. Honestly, there are things that happened that I want very badly to never think about again."
Mrs. Weasley didn't respond to this immediately. But after a few moments more of walking, she said, "Back during the last time, I actually did have some days, here and there, that I've never wanted to talk about. And Arthur had some more. So I do understand that a little. But on the other hand, I've seen enough from some of our other friends to think that if you can talk about it, it might help. I'm not saying any of you need to talk about anything right now, but...maybe think about it?"
This newly revealed information flew hard enough in the face of most of what Harry had thought about Molly Weasley that now it was his turn to be left stunned. He didn't even react when Ginny gently took hold of his arm to keep him walking. She now looked vaguely annoyed at him.
It did make sense, he realized within a few more minutes. There had been plenty of parents in the Order, after all, including both his own and Neville's, who had gone out and risked their lives, and more recently Remus and Tonks had gotten killed. They hadn't been able to stay with their son. Of course they'd all had just one kid, and maybe Mrs. Weasley hadn't gone on as many missions. But no, she wouldn't have stayed home all the time, during that war.
Maybe Ron had thought of all this already, and Hermione almost certainly had, because neither of them looked at all surprised. As they continued, Hermione asked, "Is there anything you do want to tell us about?"
"Oh, I'm like you; I don't want to tonight. But perhaps ones of these days I may tell you about some of it."
By now Harry was hoping that Ron would have forgotten how the whole conversation had started. And for most of the rest of the walk back, it seemed that he might have, because he was quiet until they got back to the hotel.
But as they passed through to the lobby, Ron quietly asked him, "Harry, would you mind coming up with me and Hermione, just for a bit?"
Ginny replied before Harry could, "I'm coming with him," in that tone that was very hard to argue with. Noone did, at least once she added to her mother, "It'll probably be half an hour at most."
She took Harry's hand in the lift, which nobody commented on. As the four of them got off on Ron and Hermione's floor, Mrs. Weasley did look like she wanted to say something, but she didn't. This part she maybe couldn't understand, Harry thought, and he felt very sad for it, especially since he knew that if they allowed it, he was going to bring up the thoughts he'd had the morning after Fred's funeral.
It was Ginny who started the conversation, almost as soon as the door was shut behind them. "You know," she said, "I do know very well that Harry makes very stupid decisions sometimes. You don't need to warn me about anything there, Ron. I suppose I may be risking a lot of pain, trying to work things out with him. But you know perfectly well he's not even the only one of us for whom that's true."
"But you're fine now, aren't you?" Ron asked, now looking more anxious.
"Well, as fine as any of us are right now, right?" Hermione added.
Ginny shrugged. "Mostly?"
"And that's just my point," said Ron, looking pointedly about at both of them. "Neither of you know how you are or what you're doing right now, do you?"
"Who does, at our age?" Ginny countered. "But I do know this, Ron. From the time Harry and I first started dating last year, I've been happier when I've been with him, and I'm pretty sure he's been, too. I'd hope that hearing that, you might stop demanding we win your approval."
That did seem to hit Ron pretty hard. For a moment he even just stood there with his mouth dumbly shut. Then they watched him take a deep breath, "I do want you be happy. I want you both to be happy. That's the biggest reason I didn't argue with Harry about his dating you, at least until he went and broke up with you and then I found the two of you kissing again, and I think I had the right to ask questions, then."
"You assumed I didn't start that-which I did," sighed Ginny. "That I didn't know what I was doing-which I very much did, and trust me, you don't want to hear any more about that."
Except Ron actually wasn't as much of an idiot as Hermione occasionally claimed, and it only took a second for him to turn very red, as he figured the rest out. At least he looked more mortified than angry.
And Harry found he very much now wanted to talk about something else, anything else, so he said, "Actually, there was something I wanted to talk with all three of you about, and it is about my plans, and what I think should be our plans for some time in the future, and maybe not right away, especially if we all go back to school, but next summer at the latest. I think we should find a place of our own to live. Maybe together, if we want to save money, or maybe....maybe if we just wanted to..."
It was kind of strange, how badly he wanted to still live with, or at least near, his two best friends, even when he wanted to be with Ginny, too.
Ron and Hermione exchanged looks, looking all too uncertain. But Ginny said, "You know what? I think you're kind of right. Though living near each other might be a good idea, too."
That, Harry thought, could work; that could be enough. But his two friends still both looked pensive.
"You've already stayed with Bill and Fleur," Hermione said to Ron. "This might not be that different, if the four of us live together for a while."
"That is true, I suppose," said Ron. Harry watched as he took a step back, and very slowly sat down on the bed, Hermione sitting down next to him. "Maybe you're right. Maybe it is a good idea. And we're not doing it next week anyway, right?"
"No, we're not," Harry said, and the realization that the conversation was ending for the moment was deeply relieving.
Although Ron then asked, "I'm not sure I want to go back to school, even. I'm afraid I'd feel silly, being there. Do you really want to go back, Harry? Of course I know you do, Hermione..."
"Well, you'll have to decide that one earlier, I'm afraid," said Hermione. "But we've still got a little time, and it's late, so perhaps we've talked enough tonight."
Ron looked very grateful for that, and Harry felt it, too. Though as they all said their good nights, he did say to Ginny, "Just...well, I know you do have a brain, so keep using it, all right?"
"I will," she said. "Good night."
Ginny and Harry walked together to the lift, their hands finding each other and holding each other tight. She kissed him while they were waiting for it, and then they kind of just kept kissing, and things had gotten pretty intense when the sound of the lift door opening startled them apart. "We need to pay attention when it arrives on our floors," Ginny said hastily, and Harry didn't think he was the only one who regretted that. Their hands remained linked until he stepped out of the lift, and finally had to let go.
That next half hour or so actually turned out to be the most relaxing bit of time the four of them had spent together in probably well over a year. All the important things had now been more or less talked over, and it was too soon to talk again about them, so they were free of them. Instead they talked about easier things, like the upcoming World Cup, what they had most enjoyed eating in Brisbane's restaurants, and how the temperature was now dropping in Brisbane, and how strange it felt for that to happening at this time of year. Things got a little more somber when Ginny went into more details of how things had been in the Burrow since they left, but there was still nothing alarming in her news.
When Mrs. Weasley arrived, she visibly looked from Ron and Hermione sitting very close together on one side of their dining booth, and Harry and Ginny sitting similarly in the other, but didn't say anything about it. Instead, as she sat down, she said to Hermione, "I just talked with Arthur. He's told me about provisions under which your parents can actually gain access to wizarding methods of transportation and communication, which would allow them to remain in better contact with you. Not that Muggle transportation seems all that inadequate, honestly, but surely we should at least offer them the opportunity."
Hermione hadn't looked pleased at the start of that, but at the end of it, she said, "I suppose you're right. I don't know exactly how long we want to wait before talking to them, though."
"Well, he's sending over the paperwork, and he's even paid for it to go by wizard messengers, who can travel faster than owls. It'll still take at least a few days to arrive, though. When it does, we can take it to them. I would like to come with you, then. I think for this sort of thing, they would be more likely to listen to an adult."
Harry understood what she meant by that, of course. But he found himself thinking, maybe for the first time, that he and Ron and Hermione kind of were adults, now, and more so than most people their age.
If the same thought hit Hermione, she didn't say it out loud either. But she did say, "Would you mind if I help you dress for it? There's a certain kind of Muggle clothing that will make you much more likely to get them to listen. I can pay for your outfit."
"Oh, you don't have to pay for it," said Mrs. Weasley. "George...George gave us some money for this trip, and we've still got a lot of it." They heard the crack in her voice, the grief she had to be feeling more than anyone in the world besides George, but she pushed through it. "Will I want one of those clip boards as well? Arthur once told me Muggles who do the Muggle version of some Ministry tasks often have them."
Hermione actually had to think about it for a moment, before saying, "Maybe a certain kind of case for the forms would work better for this...honestly, this may feel a bit like us playing dress-up for me, too."
They spent most of the rest of breakfast discussing further details. Including who would come with the two of them. Ron said he would, which made sense, but then Ginny said, "I think it should just be the three of you. We don't want to overwhelm them."
"You're probably right," Mrs. Weasley agreed, but Harry saw Hermione catch Ginny's eye, as if she had a guess as to why she'd made that suggestion. He himself only dared look at her briefly, but her smile definitely suggested something.
He couldn't tell if her mother had noticed. She was continuing on, "After that, I think Ginny and I will probably go home, and it might be a good idea if you come with us. Arthur also told me preparation for the trials is now well underway, and officials are likely to want to talk to all three of you, Harry especially."
Harry had managed to largely forget about the trials for much of the trip, and the reminder did not feel pleasant. Still, he reminded himself, it had to be done. He was even willing to tell the world everything about Umbridge at this point, because he suspected it hadn't noticed what she'd done while she'd been at Hogwarts.
Hermione was in agreement with that, obviously, so she said, "We'll come with you, then. It might even be better, if we can have at least a few quiet days between our adventures here and dealing with that."
"Arthur should see what he can do; he said something like that as well," said Mrs. Weasley, and that made Harry feel a little better. He tried not to feel too guilty about what the four of them probably weren't ready to tell her yet.
Ginny sat down next to the fireplace out of which the messenger wizards typically emerged. It was hot enough everyone else was keeping their distance from it, so Harry went to sit with her.
They quickly both got covered with sweat, both their hands covered in it when they found each other. Still she squeezed his. It made his heart run much, much faster than it normally would.
"And here it is," they heard the young man say, and he handed Mrs. Weasley a folder with some papers in it. She thanked him as she handed the folder to Hermione, who flipped through it. "We were advised to keep those Muggle-friendly," the young man told her, "though honestly, Australian rules are ridiculous when it comes to that; we had to keep those by themselves in a warded drawer and everything."
"That does seem a little purposeless," said Hermione, maybe a little distractedly, "but I think I'm grateful for it all the same."
They returned to the hotel together, and Harry, Ron, and Ginny ended up waiting downstairs while Hermione took Mrs. Weasley upstairs to change into her new Muggle business suit. With her brother there, of course, there was a limit to Harry could say to her, but he wasn't sure what he wanted to say anyway. He mostly just sat there while Ron and Ginny talked largely about the World Cup and an interview someone had done with the English team, and tried to hide his growing excitement and anxiety.
Mrs. Weasley came down, and in the suit she looked respectable enough. They all wished her luck, especially since she looked surprisingly nervous, but Harry barely heard his own words. Then Harry and Ginny were left standing there, watching as their companions walked out of the hotel and left them alone.
"Your room," said Ginny, and Harry no longer had any doubt of just what she intended.
They took each others' hands on their way to the lift, and held them all the way up. Harry wondered if he should start kissing her. He hadn't seen all all that much TV depicting these kinds of scenes, but he had the impression that was what young couples did at this point in events. Yes, last time, she'd said they needed to pay attention to floors, but the lift's ding when the doors opened might be loud enough. But surely, he thought, she would start kissing him, if that was really what was supposed to happen.
Neither of them had moved when the lift doors opened on their floor. Harry's stomach was starting to twist, and not in a good way. What if he did this all wrong? What if Ginny didn't like it as much with him as she had with one of the other boys? He still didn't know anything about the two of them who weren't Neville; they might have been far better than he would be. Even Neville might have been.
He saw her look down at their joined hands. Hers was feeling a little clammy, too.
"I love you," she said, the first time either of them had said that, and it dispelled a lot of Harry's nervousness. It also made a warmth bloom in his heart, one he'd felt for her before, but much richer and deeper than it had felt before.
"I love you, too," he said, glad he was able to say it without a bit of doubt in his mind that it was true.
"Good," Ginny said, and there was something about her smile that sent certain parts of Harry, both physical and otherwise, stirring up a little. "Come on."
They nearly ran to his room. It took him two tries to get the door unlocked. As they stepped inside, he thought about maybe slamming her against the door and kissing her there, but he was suddenly scared that would make her mad.
She grabbed him and kissed him instead, without bothering to slam him against anything first. It was like it had been in her room that previous summer, except now there was no doubt at all, and anticipation strong enough Harry felt like he needed to tremble.
He didn't even realize Ginny was pulling at his shirt until it was going up to his head. His arms went up before he thought about it, a moment before the cool air around his bare chest shocked him. A moment later Ginny's mouth was on his neck, then further down, and she let out a little hungry moan that both made Harry feel like his whole body was catching fire and made him freeze up, caught between panic and his wanting this so much he couldn't even think.
Ginny stopped and pulled back. "Are you all right? Do you not want to do this? I'm sorry if I assumed..."
"I do want this!" he cried out in response. "Believe me, I really, really, really want to do this. But..." He didn't even know what to say. None of what he was feeling right then even made sense, at least besides the love and the want. "I don't know what to do," he finally offered.
"Then maybe it's a good thing I do," said Ginny. "It's all right. I'm not expecting you to be crazy good at this, Harry. I know what this is like, the first time. I was kind of scared, too. So were the other boys-and I'm pretty sure one of them had done it already. In fact, you're probably not going to last pretty long. Neville sure didn't, and the boy who I think hadn't done it didn't either. That's all right. I'm prepared for that. Maybe if we're lucky you'll then be able to get it up again."
To hear that kind of disappointed Harry. On those occasions he had thought about this, that hasn't been the way he'd dreamed about it going. “But I want...” he started. “I was hoping...” He was turning red now. “It would be better. I mean, I would be better.”
"I know," Ginny said, and her smile was so, so warm. "But I think you'll be good enough, Harry. I really want to do this with you, you know. With the other boys, I did it with them because I wanted to do it with someone-well, someone I trusted and liked in the general way. But I want to do it with you to do it with you."
And that made Harry feel so warm inside, and then so, so hot. He’d already been fully aroused, but those words made it ache. He wanted to say something nice, something sweet, but his head wouldn’t come up with anything. All he could do was kiss her again.
It wasn't like a thing from some storybook. It started with their knees awkwardly knocking together, and as Ginny had predicted, he didn't last very long. But Ginny showed him what he could do with his hands until he did indeed get it up again, and then even when that was over and he had to use those hands to get her to come. And in the moments in between the mishaps, when they were tangled up together and it felt so good and he could tell it felt good for her, too, it was, in the end, still all Harry could have wanted and hoped for.
He was feeling absolutely wiped by the time they were done. That was hardly surprising. He'd never had two orgasms in a row before. Really, most of the times he'd jacked off, especially in the last year, obviously, he'd been trying to just get it done as quickly as possible. Most of the time in his life he'd engaged in this kind of vigourous activity off of a broomstick, it hadn't been pleasant at all.
All he could do, in the moments after, was just lay there. He was aware he probably needed a shower, but that felt like it would take way too much energy.
Ginny clearly wasn't as tired, climbing out of bed with a, "I have to go pee. Girls have to do that after sex." But she looked at Harry as if she'd expected he'd be worn out. Obviously the other boys must have been, too. She leaned down to kiss him before going, which was very nice.
He hoped she would come back soon, though, maybe after a quick shower. Probably she wouldn't stay much longer, but would make sure she was back in her and her mother's hotel room when she returned. And he himself would probably end up taking a nap for an hour or so once she was gone. Honestly, he wasn't sure he wouldn't drop off before she left, in his current state. But even tired as he was, he still wanted just a little more time, a few more moments just to share another smile with her.
There would be time for that, he reminded himself. Maybe, if he was lucky, there really would be the rest of their lives.