The Family Jewels

Chapter 56
Paper Dreams


Ginny Weasley was a strong young woman, but attempting to hold her more than slightly drunk boyfriend up and trying to get him to walk to their room was harder than she had anticipated. Charlie and Bill had Side-Alonged them to the hallway just outside their room, and Harry had seemed mostly coherent before they had left.

“Harry. Harry, please don’t do this. We’re almost there, and you’re getting heavy.” Ginny was starting to think she’d have to lean him against the wall and go get Draco or Blaise to help her.

It seemed like he had finally heard her, though. He straightened himself up a bit and took several steps until they were right in front of their door. Unfortunately, that’s when things got complicated. She took the hotel keycard out of his back pocket and didn’t resist the temptation for a quick grope. Harry responded by pushing her against the wall and practically falling on her. She made sure his arms were supporting himself against the wall then ducked out from under his elbow.

She had watched Harry and Hermione both use the keycard and knew that the little light was supposed to turn green and then the door would open. Why wasn’t it working? She was starting to feel desperate when Harry’s hand began to caress the back of her neck. Shite, they were going to get in trouble!

The twins had smuggled several drinks to her as well, then had distracted her parents so that they were unaware of the state of their daughter and her erstwhile boyfriend. Ginny was still underage and using magic in a Muggle hotel was decidedly frowned upon. She took Harry’s wand out of the front pocket of his trousers, no grope this time, and “Alohomora” and the damn light was finally green.

“Harry, let’s get you into bed,” Ginny said into his ear. Since there had been no Blue Devils served at the engagement party, she was sure that he would be asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

Harry fumbled with the doorknob, got it open and then pulled her after him into their room. As far as her mother was concerned, it was the room she was sharing with Pansy, but there’s no need to split hairs, is there? She heard Harry mumble, “Soberus Minima,” and one side of her mouth twisted into a smile.

“Do you know how beautiful you are?” A decidedly less drunk sounding voice asked, arms enfolding her against a strong chest.

A stubborn imp refused to ignore the words and she turned in the arms. “Maybe you should tell me,” Ginny whispered leadingly.

Harry shook his head, his green eyes dancing behind his spectacles. “Maybe I should show you.” His hands held her hips and encouraged her to step out of the heels she was wearing.

Ginny knew that Harry was not actually sober; he was just not falling down drunk anymore. An interesting choice of spells. She knew that Harry had played a role at the party; it was not that he wasn’t genuinely happy for Ron and Pansy; it was just that they had their families all around them while they celebrated. People always want what they have never had. “All right, love?” she asked him quietly, not willing to gloss over his hurt in favour of enjoying her presence in his arms.

Harry laughed rather shortly then sighed, “Course I’m all right, Gin. I’m alone in a hotel room with the woman I love. What could be wrong?”

“You tell me, Mister Potter?” Ginny asked with an arch expression.

“I think it’s just the reaction finally hitting me. I’ve had this hellish task in front of me for so long that the fact that I’m now just a 17 year old boy with average grades is a little hard to grasp.” Harry settled Ginny close against his body, rubbing his cheek against her soft red hair. Ginny buried her nose in his throat and breathed deeply. He smelled clean and not like fear at all. It was wonderful.

“Let’s go to bed. It’s late and we should get back to Hogwarts tomorrow,” Ginny said, looking up into Harry’s brilliant green eyes. She wondered if their children would have her red hair and his green eyes. They’d look like little Leprechauns, wouldn’t they? They’d be Potters though. All the Potters seemed to have jet black hair, just as all the Weasleys had red hair. Now those were the kinds of worries she wanted to have! Not homicidal megalomaniacs after her boyfriend and her family, just wondering how many children she’d have and what they would look like. At least Harry was aware that her family ran to twins. It amused her that so many people didn’t realize that twins can only run to the female line. The boys gave their all, but unless there were two eggs there or had a tendency to split early in their gestation, it made no difference.

Harry nuzzled a few kisses below her left ear. A wave of possessiveness washed over him. Ron had put a ring on Pansy’s hand at the party tonight. He knew that it was from Pansy’s family and that Ron didn’t have the money to buy it, but the fact that it was a family heirloom resonated even more with Harry. He had so few possessions that belonged to his family, that something as precious as an engagement ring that had been in her family for decades made him bitterly jealous.

He resolved to spend more time going through his Gringotts vault. His parents had known that they were being targeted by Voldemort; maybe they had left some things other than the Invisibility Cloak in a safe place. He knew that Ginny was only a Sixth Year and that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would be out for his blood if they knew he had taken their precious daughter’s virginity. Perhaps a ring, even just a promise ring until Ginny finished school, would solidify his position in Ginny’s life?

Harry’s hands slid into her hair almost of their own volition as his mouth moved up to kiss her. He backed her toward the bed and followed her down as she lay against the sheets. It took him a minute to realize that while Ginny was smiling, she had succumbed to the alcohol in her system and was asleep. He almost laughed, but realized that they still had the morning. He quickly shed his clothes and slid under the covers, throwing an arm around Ginny’s waist. He hoped that she wasn’t going to be too hung-over.