Happy Valentine's Day! (pre-dated)

[boywhoisharryjp]

Who: Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley
Where: The Phoenix
When: About 6pm
Rating: Well, beginning around PG...but...it being Valentine's Day, it could go anywhere.
Summary: It's Valentine's Day. Harry has lots of sweet things planned.

Comments

[boywhoisharryjp]

Harry, too, was nervous. What if things didn't go the way he wanted them to go? What if his dinner wasn't what Ginny liked? What if it tasted funny? What if he looked weird? What if he was too formal? What if she was more formal than he? Though what could be more formal than a tuxedo? Harry wondered. He needed to stop questioning himself, or he would start hyperventilating, he thought, and that would be horrible, especially if Ginny arrived during a hyperventilation attack.

Harry took a few deep breaths and decided that sitting down would do him well. He sat on the couch in the living room, careful not to rumple his clothing. He still wanted to look perfect for when Ginny arrived. He had to. It was supposed to be a perfect evening. All of it needed to be absolutely perfect and amazing and wonderful for their first Valentine's Day together, especially since Harry had planned it. He needed it to go off without a hitch, just for his own machismo.

And, Harry knew, he was nervous just because it was Valentine's Day, and Valentine's Day, to a lot of couples, meant...well...yeah. And Harry didn't know what to think about that. Considering the gifts he had gotten for Ginny, he knew what he was thinking, but he didn't expect anything. He would enjoy it, but he didn't expect anything.

But then there was a knock on the door. Harry's heart skipped a beat. It must be Ginny! he thought giddily. He didn't stop to think that she had a key, that she could have simply entered that way if she so desired; his mind was too full of 'what if' thoughts to think about something so trivial as that.

Harry wasn't prepared for what he saw when he opened the door. He blinked twice to make sure that it was actually Ginny that he was seeing, and then he took in a slow breath. "You look breathtakingly beautiful," Harry said, pulling her into a tight embrace, kissing her lips soundly. "Happy Valentine's Day." Once she was inside, Harry shut the door behind them. It was too chilly outside for the door to be open long.

"Are you hungry?"

[fire_n_freckles]

Not even a proper 'hello', and Ginny was being pulled into Harry's home. He muttered something, or actually, quite clearly called her 'breathtakingly beautiful' and then he was kissing her. Not what she would call a gentle kiss either; she didn't have time to catch her breath, but what little left in her was quickly stolen away.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she told him. Her voice wasn't exactly cheery, but it wasn't because she was in a foul mood; she was just too shocked by her welcome... and at seeing Harry in a tuxedo... to act with anything other than the default monotone reserved for normal occasions.

And then the moment she was about to adjust to the circumstances, he offered her food. She thought to herself, yes, of course I'm hungry! After all, she hadn't eaten anything since her lunch break before noon. But she nodded, slowly, like it was barely worth mentioning, or she nodded only to be polite.

She looked around the house and it seemed... different. Cleaner, a bit darker; mood lighting? And there was a smell... She was already informed that there was food waiting for her, but the aroma made her feel more full as it wafted into her nose. She didn't realize her boyfriend could cook.

Well, actually... She had never given it much thought, she realized. Odd how she never wondered by his home-keeping skills.

Suddenly, her wits returned to her and Ginny was very aware of how rude she was being.

"Hello, Harry," she said with her usual swoon-ish voice. "How are you doing then? Gifts now or later?" She kissed his lips again and took off her cloak. Her voice got a bit lower, as if she was suddenly in awe of her boyfriend. "You look amazing, by the way."

[boywhoisharryjp]

"I'm doing well, thank you," Harry said with a smile. He looked Ginny up and down, taking in every detail of her appearance. Her dress accentuated every beautiful curve of her body. She was wearing makeup. Not that it mattered to Harry, but it was just something that he noticed. It brought out the colour in her eyes. She looked so beautiful that words failed him. Harry was sure that Ginny would notice him staring, and he felt awkward, but how could anyone blame him when she looked so amazing?

Harry watched her as she looked around. He just couldn't take his eyes off her, even just as she did something so simple as looking around his home. Every turn of her head gave him a new angle, a new light on her, and she looked even more amazing.

"You're beautiful," Harry commented. "That dress looks amazing on you." He leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose and pulled her in for a tight hug. Feeling the warmth of her body against his, Harry's heart began to beat a little bit faster in his chest. He drew in a slow deep breath through his nose to calm himself down and then kissed Ginny's lips lightly.

"Let's go into the dining room, shall we?" Harry said with a grin. "Dinner's all ready. And I think we should do gifts later." Or at least most of his gifts later. One of his gifts could be done now. "Go ahead and sit down in the dining room; I'll bring all of the food in." And I'll summon one of your gifts, too, Harry thought, because I didn't think of it earlier.

[fire_n_freckles]

Ginny looked down at the dress Harry claimed made her look amazing. She wished she could say, "Oh, this old thing?" but truthfully, she had gone out in search of it and only bought it because she it did look nice on her. So instead of false modesty, she graciously accepted once in his arms. "Thank. We match, you know." She kissed him back and then allowed Harry to lead her into the dining room, her gift to him tucked under her arm. She didn't want to leave it laying on the floor and she didn't know where Harry might want her to leave it.

Once seated, Harry disappeared into the kitchen to retrieve the food, and she sat his gift down next to her foot. She had no idea what they would be eating and how much of the table it would take up. Whatever it was, it smelled amazing.

She waited patiently, looking around the room. Once again she noticed how very neat things looked. She thought Harry might have been planning for this day for weeks by how organized he and the house was.

Waiting for his return, Ginny began fiddling with her hands. They sat in her lap, being arranged and rearranged in different ladylike ways. She swallowed hard, tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and looked up, waiting for Harry's return.

[boywhoisharryjp]

Harry enjoyed the element of surprise he was providing. He only hoped that Ginny would enjoy everything that he had prepared.

He brought out the dip and the bread first, setting it in front of Ginny. It was in an ornate silver dish, another thing that had once belonged to Sirius. Harry had polished it the day before, making it shine until he could see his reflection. The bread was on a matching silver plate. Harry was so proud of himself for preparing something so amazing and so ... well, surprising and, honestly, matching. He was generally very impressed with his ability to cook and clean and create something like this.

He brought the wine immediately after the dip, pouring it for Ginny and then for himself. He brought out the salad next, and then finally the steaks. He had slipped one of Ginny's gifts into his pocket, and would give it to her with dessert. The other gifts...well, those would be for later, when they weren't in the dining room.

"Go ahead, eat," Harry said with a grin. After smelling the food all day, he realised he was ravenous, but he didn't want to start eating without Ginny starting first. He thought it would be rude, and he wanted to be polite.

[fire_n_freckles]

How thorough he was impressed her. Though, she shouldn't have expected anything less than perfect, considering his choice of clothes for the evening.

She didn't need much prompting. As soon as he said to eat, she did. She began filling her plate with a little bit of everything, so she wouldn't have to limit her choices. After sampling a few bites of each thing, she complimented Harry. "This is wonderful, Harry. Absolutely amazing."

But then her ideas for conversation quickly ended. What was she supposed to say? This was clearly not a night for discussing Quidditch, as they were in formal wear and trying to be sophisticated. Perhaps discuss theatre she had been to, but, of course, she hadn't been. Not in ages. What else was considered appropriate conversation?

Perhaps just work would do.

"So, Harry, have you found something to do just yet? Career wise, I mean."

[boywhoisharryjp]

"Thanks," Harry said, blushing a little. Considering the amount of work he had put into it, though, he had hoped that it would be good. He tasted the dip and then the steak, and he was then impressed with himself as well. He had never actually created something like this without the help of magic. He had marinated the steak for just long enough, and everything was at the perfect temperature. He was really pleased with his supposed cooking ability.

Sophisticated conversation...hmmm...that might not be quite in Harry's realm of ability. "Not really," Harry said, shaking his head. "I'm still debating between professional Quidditch and trying to get my NEWTs and applying for Auror training. I just don't know who I'd get to teach me." He paused to have a bit of wine. "Remus, for defence; Professor McGonagall for Transfiguration... I guess I'd have to ask Snape for Potions..." Harry made a face. "Who else, I don't know..."

Harry ate in silence for a few moments, watching Ginny eat for awhile. She seemed to be enjoying the food, which pleased Harry immensely. He was glad that she was enjoying herself. He wanted everything to go perfectly tonight. He had planned at least the first part of the night, and he wanted it to be amazing.

"How's your clinic coming along? Is there anything I can do to help you?" Harry asked. The food was disappearing from the table, so he got up to get the dessert from the kitchen. It meant that it was almost time to give her the first of her gifts.

[fire_n_freckles]

She smiled wickedly. "Well, I think you should become a professional at Quidditch. Sod your 'responsibility to the wizarding world'. I think I'd like to date a sexy seeker. Be in the limelight, loads of girls envying because I got the guy..."

It was meant to be silly- all in good fun- but after she realized what she said, she blushed something mad. How could she say that to Harry? She knew he wouldn't think she was a fame chaser, but she still felt embarrassed about saying something so saucy in front of her beau.

Still. The fantasy did linger. And free Quidditch tickets didn't seem like a bad perk, either. Ron would go mental over the whole thing.

Thankfully, she now had the clinic to discuss, which she could converse on expertly in her sleep.

"It's fine. Great, really. I've just put in the walls and such. I'm still adjusting them, trying to make the rooms just the right size. If you ever have some free time on the weekend, feel free to stop in. I could use a big, strong man to help with the lifting spells and things." (This sentiment punctuated by another blush.) "I couldn't, you know, actually pay you or anything for your time, but you're welcome to come work with me if you'd like. Could be fun, working in the same office."

Or dangerous, what with their inability to keep their hands to themselves.

"The offer is good anytime, of course. If not tomorrow, six months from now. Really."

[boywhoisharryjp]

Harry returned Ginny's wicked grin and raised one eyebrow at her. Sod his 'responsibility to the wizarding world' indeed. He could ignore all of those bloody owls from the sodding Minister. He wouldn't have to even deal with the Ministry anymore. He could just be a Quidditch icon. That was sounding better and better, especially with this stupid celebration day stuff coming up.

"No matter what I do," Harry replied, reaching across the table, taking one of Ginny's hands in one of his, "you'll always have 'gotten the guy'." He winked at her and intertwined their fingers briefly. "And what guy won't want to date you when you open your clinic? Loads of them will be envying me because I'll be dating the most beautiful Healer in the wizarding world.

"I'll help you in any way you want me to," Harry said. And she, of course, didn't have to worry about paying him. "And it would be fun working in the same office. We could get a lot done, I bet." Or nothing done at all... he thought wickedly. "I'd love to come by and help."

"Would you like to have some dessert?" Harry was excited to get to the cake. It was amazing. He was really proud of what he had made, and he also wanted to give Ginny the first of her gifts.

[fire_n_freckles]

She smiled at the thought at her having the guy. It was a bit comforting, really, to know that he didn't intend to leave her anytime soon. Ginny gave his hand a squeeze.

"Well, there are other benefits to Quidditch. You'll get to spend the day flying, and I know how much you love to. I bet loads of broom companies will want to send you free products to try out, too, because they'll get so much publicity."

His statement about guys wanting her confused her a bit, and she had no trouble figuring out why. Harry implied that guys would want her for opening her clinic, but... It was a secret. An underground clinic. To be kept hush-hush, no guy would want her.

"I doubt that's true, Harry. For one thing, it's a secret. For another, it's to treat werewolves. You and I might not have a problem with them, but the public is hardly receptive. Which is why they need treatment from me, because they can't get it at St. Mungo's. I don't even have my license yet, if I told the whole world I had a practice... It would be bad, really bad."

Terrible things would happen...

She liked that he accepted her invitation to work by her side. It would keep her from getting lonely, and would make things more convenient; she'd been spending many nights at Harry's lately, and if he was around, she could just go home with him.

At the offer of dessert, Ginny felt bad for having eaten as much as she had. She felt stuffed, more full than she had in a while, and looked down at all the dishes. She wondered... Could she stall for time by...?

"How about we take care of these dishes first? I'll help, of course. And then we can exchange gifts and have some dessert on the couch. Come on, I'll feed you, it'll be adorable."

[boywhoisharryjp]

"It would be nice, you're right," Harry said, nodding. "I do miss flying. I miss playing a lot." It would be nice to play again. Corny as it sounded, he hadn't felt the wind flying through his hair as he sped through the air at speeds unbeknownst to him, looking for the Snitch, adrenaline running high... it was such a great feeling. He really did miss it. But he hadn't taken the opportunity when it had come up...just because he had wanted to think about it. The season was going to be starting again, though, and he really needed to make up his bloody mind. Assuming the Tornadoes still wanted him. He hadn't heard anything from them lately, so he thought that they had probably found another Seeker.

"Not necessarily the public," Harry said with a grin, "but the male werewolves that you've treated...who can resist someone as beautiful as you? Especially someone who's willing to risk everything, because she doesn't have her Healer's license yet, to treat werewolves?" Harry winked at her and squeezed her hand. "It's not just your amazing beauty. It's your caring and compassionate nature that will attract people to you, and that's what will bring people in by word of mouth." Harry nodded seriously.

There was no way Harry would decline an offer to work with Ginny, no matter what he'd be doing. As long as he was with her, it didn't matter to him.

"Oh, let's just leave the dishes until later," Harry said. "We can have tea, and then exchange gifts, and then have dessert. Does that sound good?" He really didn't feel like doing the dishes, not after cooking all day, and he didn't want Ginny to do any of it; he was the one doing all of the work today. He had planned everything; he would do all of the work. "Go ahead and sit in the living room and I'll bring you tea and a piece of dessert, and we'll get things started." Harry grinned.

He stood and went into the kitchen. Harry put the kettle on and then removed the cake from the fridge. It had chilled nicely, and he pulled two nice plates down from the cabinet. He sliced the cake and then placed two pieces on two plates, topping each off with a dollop of whipped cream. Harry put a fork on each plate, and then waited for the kettle to whistle. When it did, he grabbed two mugs from the cabinet and poured hot water into each. He fixed his tea the way he liked it, and Ginny's the way he thought he remembered she liked it. He hoped he was right... if he was wrong, he would feel really horrible.

Somehow, he would have to carry all of these into the living room. He decided to balance the mugs on the plates with the cake. Carefully, Harry walked into the living room holding everything, Ginny's gift still in his pocket.

"Here you go," Harry said, bending at the knee to set both plates on the table. He picked up his mug and drank a bit of tea. He realised that he, too, was pretty full and probably couldn't eat much dessert at the moment. Ginny's idea to exchange gifts was a wise one. He sat down beside her and kissed her on the cheek.

"You go first," Harry said. He wanted his to be really special. And he hadn't thought of how he was going to do it, either.

[fire_n_freckles]

She frowned a bit at the idea of having coffee immediately- and a little that Harry wouldn't allow her to help with the cleanup. It was a very sweet thing he was doing for her, but she'd grown up in a house where everyone helped all the time. And really, it was a simple charm to clean the plates; she barely had to lift a finger.

Still, like a good girl, Ginny headed into the living room and made herself comfortable on the couch, sitting at an angle so she slightly faced Harry. She tucked her legs under her, not wanting to deal with the dress potentially revealing anything more than she might want to.

When he returned, she smiled at him and how very sweet he was being. He was really looking out for her this evening, and she felt something like a princess. Corny, but there it was. Being the baby sister of seven, she always felt protected but hardly ever like a princess. Ginny decided she liked the change of pace, even more considering her prince.

At first, she ignored the dessert and tea; she really wasn't hungry and didn't feel like bursting at the moment. They would exchange gifts, gush about them, and then snog for a bit (most likely) before getting to the cake. It did look scrumptious; who knew Harry was a chef? Another marketable skill for him to consider.

He asked her to go first, and she felt far too lazy to go fetch the parcel. Reaching for her wand she muttered, "Accio gift!". When it flew into her map, she handed it to Harry.

"Here," she said. "I hope you like it. I'm sorry, I didn't have much money, but I thought you might like it."

Inside the box contained a vintage leather bag, inscribed with the initials HJP. It lay wrapped in the blanket she had crocheted herself- and not very well, mind you. But the idea of him sitting at home, being kept warm by the thought of her. Ok, it wouldn't be the thought of her. But it was something.

"I figured you could use it for... whatever you decide to do. To carry things. I'm not sure what I thought. It just seemed nice." She blushed, bashful about her inability to find him the perfect gift. No doubt he had done better.

[boywhoisharryjp]

Harry opened Ginny's gift and grinned at her.

"Thank you," he said. "It's wonderful." He ran his hand over his initials on the bag and looked at the leather. It was really beautiful. He would love to put all of his things in it. Every time he spent the night at Ginny's, he would carry his things in it. It was such a thoughtful gift. He then turned his attention to the blanket. It was so soft. "Your gift is so thoughtful," he said with a smile. "I love it." He hugged her tightly and gave her a soft kiss. "It's absolutely amazing."

Harry probably couldn't eat any cake right now if he tried, either, so he pulled Ginny's gift out of his pocket. It was in a red suede jewellery box, and he hoped that Ginny wasn't getting the wrong idea from it as he pulled it out.

"Before you open it," Harry started, "I have something I need to say." He paused. "Every day I count myself so lucky that I'm dating you again. I was such a jerk earlier that I don't know what I've done to deserve you. Thank you." He paused yet again to think of how he was going to phrase the next bit. "I guess what I'm trying to say ... and in such an inarticulate way.. is.. that... well... I love you, Ginny. I've loved you since my sixth year, ever since we started dating, and I never stopped loving you." He bit the inside of his lip, feeling a little bit nervous, wondering how she was going to take this.

Realising he hadn't given her the gift, he handed her the jewellery box.

[fire_n_freckles]

"I, er, made that blanket myself. More or less," she added, admitting that she had outside help from her mum. Ginny would never be quite as talented with needles as her mum was. It just wasn't in the cards for her.

Alright, really, because she had other talents. Healing and all that useless intellect.

But she was satisfied with herself. Harry seemed pleased with the gift, and that was all she needed to know.

Then he began to present his gift.

The box he pulled out was little, and she hesitated to open it at first. The assumptions the size of the thing lead to intimidate her a bit. For instance, could this be a ring? Could he be asking her to marry her? They'd only been together a few months, and besides that, he hadn't even told her he loved her yet.

That realization tossed the ring idea right out the window.

But it became a more and more likely possibility as she listened to his words. Her face must have looked confused, because, well, she was confused. And he wasn't helping to make things clear, with what he was saying. Though it was sweet.

Until she heard him confess something she didn't think she would ever hear. He loved her. Harry loved her. Harry Sodding Potter loved her.

Ginny threw her arms around Harry and started kissing him, moving from his lips to his cheek to his forehead to his lips and cheeks, and this pattern repeated for a full minute and forty three seconds.

"Oh Harry," she said between kisses. "I love you, too. I've loved you for as long as I can remember, and I never... I didn't stop. Not just because you told me to. I've been waiting so long to hear you say that."

The jewelry box, clutched in her hand, remained unopened while she continued to attack him with affection.

[boywhoisharryjp]

Harry flushed a bright red when Ginny began kissing him. He hadn't expected her to react like this. Well, he guessed that it was much, much more important for girls to hear that a guy loved them than it was for a guy to hear it from a girl. And then she told him she loved him, too. Then Harry understood how she felt...or at least he thought he did. He felt overwhelmed. He couldn't even describe how he felt. He was overjoyed, ecstatic...he felt like he was going to explode with emotions.

Harry held Ginny close and kissed her soundly. "I love you," he said. It was going to take a little while to get used to saying that, and to get used to hearing the words come out of his mouth, but he liked the feel of them in his mouth. He liked them. He liked hearing them coming out of her mouth, directed at him.

Then he noticed she hadn't opened his gift! "Open your gift!" he said with a grin. "You haven't opened it yet!" And we still have more to go, he thought. And those are even more exciting...I can't wait for those... Harry looked at Ginny expectantly, waiting for her to open her gift.

[fire_n_freckles]

Whatever could go with those three glorious words he had just said to her, she didn't even know. She felt certain that even with the declaration he wasn't proposing at the moment; who proposed the first night they were able to say 'I love you'? Perhaps drunk and in a sudden elopement, but not in a relationship like they were.

So Ginny slowly opened the little velvet box which intimidated her so. And there inside was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. It glistened, even without the sun. Perhaps it was charmed to look magnificent and bright and to glitter that way, because the silver shined and the diamonds could almost audibly ping from how perfect this necklace was. It was gorgeous, and she was torn between wanting to put the exquisite piece of jewelry on her neck immediately and wanting to keep it safely tucked away in the box for all eternity.

"Oh, Harry... This is just... It's so beautiful. Thank you, Harry." She plopped herself into his lap and held his head as she kissed him fiercely. Her fingers tangled in his hair, which felt soft like always but was strangely more gratifying to her skin cells at the moment. She opened her mouth to him, urged him to do the same, and began tongue-kissing him the best she could, with an alternating pace of slow and fast strokes and occasional pauses to nip at his lips. Between kisses, she muttered, "this is perfect... you're perfect..."