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Harry Potter and the Cracked Reservoir
Chapter 11: Ginny's Birthday
By Musings of Apathy
Chapter 11: Ginny’s Birthday
Thanks to my Beta’s Donalddeutsch, Cateagle and Sparky40sw.
Harry woke early the next day, took a hot shower before dressing in some exercise clothes and slipping out of the Burrow to complete his morning exercises before the rest of the house got up. He intended to spend the entire day with Ginny, giving her his undivided attention.
Two hours later, Harry reentered the Burrow through the kitchen to find Molly cooking a breakfast fit for a king, or a queen in this case.
"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," Harry greeted the Weasley matriarch.
"Good morning, Harry, dear," she returned. "What gets you up this early?"
"Well, Ginny said that she wants a quiet birthday," Harry answered, "so I got all of my morning exercises done early so she could have as much of my attention as she wants."
"That’s very nice of you, Harry," Mrs. Weasley smiled.
Harry smiled back at her.
"How was your shopping trip yesterday?" she continued.
"It was wonderful," Harry said as he took a seat at the scrubbed wood table. "I got a completely new wardrobe and was able to get Ginny some things as well. You know, once I convinced her to accept that I wanted to buy her presents, she seemed to have a wonderful time shopping."
"Yes, that’s what she said," Mrs. Weasley said, flipping the bacon. "I wanted to thank you for treating her so wonderfully."
"She deserves it."
"Arthur and I have never had much money until recently," Mrs. Weasley lamented, "and so have had to get by with very little. It is nice to see her have the nicer things."
"Mrs. Weasley," Harry started seriously, "yesterday was the first time that I have ever had anything besides ill fitting hand me downs, with the exception of my school uniforms. Ginny and Tonks had to bully me into buying anything but loose, concealing clothing. The point is that I understand what it’s like to not have money, because I never had two coins to rub together before I entered this world. Money’s not important to me. I’ve always envied Ron his family. I would’ve gladly traded all that I had for a tenth of the love that he grew up with."
"Oh, Harry," she soothed as she enveloped him in a teary bear hug, "You’ll always have this entire family’s love in return. Even Percy’s now that he has come to his senses."
Harry hugged her back before they broke apart.
"I just wanted you to understand that I respect you and Mr. Weasley for how you’ve raised such a wonderful group of children," Harry told her. "Ginny’s amazing and I thank Merlin that she’s in my life. I buy her things because I enjoy it; just seeing the look on her face is heaven for me. I don’t do it to buy her love or to belittle what she received in childhood. She has always been well off in my eyes."
"You’ve never had to buy her love," Molly stated. "She gives it freely and I’m glad that you’ve gotten her to accept gifts from you. Sometimes the Weasley pride is a bit strong."
"Yeah, you’re telling me," Harry mumbled.
She smiled at the young man that she considered one of her sons.
"Mrs. Weasley?" Harry started again awkwardly. "While we’re talking…um…about the twin’s joke shop; I’m sure that Ron owled you about where they got the money."
"Yes, Harry," she said with a sigh, "he did owl me and I must say that I wasn’t pleased at first. I just want to hear your reasons."
He looked her in the eye squarely. "I gave them the money immediately after the fourth year, on the train ride home," Harry reminisced. "Just a week before, I witnessed Voldemort returned to life and realized that we’re at war and I figured everyone would need some joy to survive. Maybe with a lighter heart we can win this war, but if we’re all depressed, we wouldn’t last half as long. The Twins contribution, in a large part, will be to provide momentary distraction to the fighters. Although," Harry told the mother, "they did very well in the Defense Association last year and I’m sure that they’ll make good fighters. They have the skill to defend themselves very well, and being Weasleys, I’m sure that they’ll defend others as well."
"I just hate to think that they are wasting their lives, leaving school early," Molly said wanly.
"Mrs. Weasley, many who graduate Hogwarts end up as low level employees or counter help in Diagon Alley," Harry reasoned. "Your sons, although they left early, have taken their education and opened their own shop. They are business owners and they employ others. I’m sure that you’re proud of them."
"I guess that I am," Molly agreed. "Now get upstairs and get changed for my daughter’s birthday breakfast while I finish making it."
Breakfast that morning was a happy affair with the entire family in attendance. All of the adult members of the family had taken their mornings off to dote over the first female Weasley born in several generations. Harry looked around and realized that Ginny seemed to be the center of the family, with all others trying to help her to have a good time.
"Ok," started Harry when all of the family had finished their meals, "When, traditionally, does Ginny get to open presents? Now or does she have to wait until after dinner?"
"Oh, I think that she can do it now," Mr. Weasley said. "Wouldn’t want her to have to suffer through waiting."
Harry pulled Ginny’s chair closer next to his and put his arm around her and she promptly put her head on his shoulder.
"In that case," Harry said, "allow me."
Harry let build a bit of power before removing his wand and saying the magic words.
"Accio Presents."
Harry concentrated on all of the presents leaving their respective hiding places and floating down the stairs and gently landing in a heap on the table. He treated them all gently in case anything was breakable. The Weasley family just looked on in awe.
"Harry," Mrs. Weasley chided, "You shouldn’t perform underage magic."
"Madame Bones," said Mr. Weasley, "has granted him a provisional waiver until a hearing next week at the ministry."
"Hearing?" started Harry, "Oh well, not right now. This is for Ginny. Let’s start on the presents," Harry said as he gave her a squeeze.
Ginny ripped and tore with the gusto Harry always associated with Ron on Christmas mornings. I guess that it runs in the family.
She received all manner of books and baubles from her family and happily examined each one before thanking the giver.
At the last, as he had planned, lay a colorfully wrapped round, flat package from Harry.
"Oh, Harry," Ginny said. "You got me enough yesterday. You didn’t need to get me more."
"Ginny," Harry reasoned, "I thought we established yesterday that I get you things out of want not need. Now don’t you think that you should unwrap that?"
She shot him a dazzling smile before tearing into the wrapping. Revealed was a flat box with hinges on one side and a latch on the other.
"Well, go ahead," Harry said. "The box will only ever open for you. No one else can open it and the entire thing has an unbreakable charm on it so that it can’t even be bashed open."
The sight was quite funny as she opened the latch quite gingerly. She opened the lid with the box tilted toward her so that she and Harry were the only ones able to see inside. She fairly squealed, dropping the box onto the table, where it closed, and hugged the stuffing out of her boyfriend.
"Ginny," asked Charley, "What is it?"
She released Harry and opened the box. She stuck her entire arm into the box to the other’s amazement. The box was less than an inch in depth and still enveloped her entire arm. She withdrew a beautiful ebony handled broom with sleek and strong mahogany tail twigs.
"The Banshee," Harry narrated. "I’m told that it is the best Quidditch Chaser’s broom in the world."
With the new charms on the Burrow, the children of Arthur and Molly Weasley had more freedom in one important area of life. Well, Important to them.
The new wards placed on the Weasley property by Bill, just the previous day, left them protected, magically, from the view of muggles; allowing them to enjoy Quidditch without their previous height restrictions. They could fly to any altitude that they wished to justify to their mother.
They all knew that if they flew too high, their mum would have a fit for them being dangerous and reckless. She just worried.
Ginevra Molly Weasley, fifteen-year-old witch, was making the most of her birthday and the recently expanded wards over her home by stretching her new broom to its limits. She was flying maneuvers that would have previously left her unconscious on the ground just for the effort and failure of trying them. She was doing loop-the-loops and dives. She was doing barrel rolls and chicanes. She was doing speed runs and sudden stops. Simply, she was having the time of her life.
The only thing that could make the experience better would be to have her new boyfriend close to help.
Harry tried to stay close and give her tips. He tried, but he soon discovered that the new broom he had procured for his girlfriend was truly the best as she pulled away from him and out stripped him at every turn. The only thing that the broom didn’t perform as well at was the sudden adjustments necessary for seeking. It had smoother handling that would make her job as a chaser easier.
Well, at least she had stuck around long enough to absorb the lessons that he had for her on controlling a sport competition broom before she left him goggling.
"Harry…Harry!"
Harry looked to his left from his spot on the grass where he was looking at the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen; a happy woman that he just might love.
Amazing how emotions could change your perspective.
Perhaps one’s hate could also prevent them from seeing the obvious differences between people related to one another. Harry shook himself from the sudden and unwelcome ponderings on the Potions Master.
"Harry, that is truly a fantastic broom!" Ron exclaimed, "Where did you find it? I haven’t seen it in any of my magazines."
"Well, I was talking to the Headmaster about what I wanted to get Ginny for her birthday," Harry said, "and he offered to help in getting what I wanted. That broom is a beta release prototype just out of in-company testing from the number one broom maker in south-east Asia, from Hong Kong."
"Hong Kong!" Ron yelled. "Only you could get the Headmaster of the best school in Europe to buy a broom for you from the other side of the world that’s not even in production yet. You never cease to amaze me."
"Um…Thanks?" Harry answered unsure.
"Hey, when can I ride it?" Ron asked excitedly.
"Not my permission to give," Harry said. "You’ll have to ask your sister. Course, I’m not even sure that she’ll let me ride it."
"Oh, great," Ron seemed crestfallen suddenly, "she’ll never let anyone use it. She’s awfully possessive and protective of what is hers."
"Oh well," Harry said, "I guess that I can understand getting like that when you’re the youngest of seven."
"Yeah, well," Ron said with a smirk, "just so that you’re prepared. After all, you are hers now and therefore she’ll be protective and possessive with you once we’re back at Hogwarts. All those girls drooling over you and she’ll be hexing them left and right till they stay away from you."
"Yeah, fine with me," Harry smiled. "I’ve found what I want and don’t want the attention anyway."
Ginny ended the day by thanking everyone for their gifts and then launching herself on Harry for another enthusiastic ‘thank you’.
Harry wondered how many times you could be choked in a day before the lightheadedness would refuse to wear-off.
"Ginny," Harry said to get his girlfriend’s attention the next day. "Hey, Ginny!" he repeated. She was busy with Harry’s broom care kit, sitting in the living room tending to ‘the Banshee’.
"Yeah?" she answered without raising her head from her work.
"Gin," he called again. When she didn’t respond, Harry lifted the bristly end of the broom and sat beside her on the couch. He waited for her attention, but she was still too distracted with her new toy. Harry could tell that more drastic measures would be necessary. In one fluid motion, Harry cradled the back of Ginny’s neck and tilted her mouth to where he could kiss her properly. He bent over her and planted a solid kiss on her lips, sending all previous thought from Ginny’s mind. She dropped the broom to her lap and polishing rag to the floor. It took her more than half of her available breath to react with more than her own lips and move her hands to Harry’s shoulders to pull him in tighter.
They broke to regain their breath after some truly inspired work on both their parts.
"Not that I mind, Harry," Ginny said, "but, what was that for?"
"I had tried to get you attention with a more conventional method first," Harry smirked, "but it seems that I have been replaced by a stick of wood with a feminine name."
"Nonsense," Ginny claimed, "I said ‘yeah’. What did you need? Or were you actually just after some snogs?"
"Snogs aren’t bad," Harry said, "but I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to the muggle cinema in town?"
Ginny didn’t have to consider it for a moment. "Fabulous," Ginny said. "I’d love to. The girls in my year told me about them, but I’ve never gone. What’re we going to see? Are we allowed to even go out? What about protection?"
"Well," Harry said, reviewing all of the questions in his mind. "I don’t know what’s playing, just that there is a cinema with a few screens at the far side of town. I asked your mum and she said we can go out as long as we have at least one Order member with us, and we just go to Ottery St. Catchpole, but she said she wouldn’t be able to go. So I floo’d Tonks and she’s available in about an hour if we wanted to go to the matinee."
Ginny thought about it, trying to find any holes Harry had missed so that their afternoon wouldn’t be cut short. "What about Ron and Hermione?" Ginny asked.
"I asked them," Harry said, "but, apparently Hermione is teaching Ron a lesson about procrastination. Until Ron finishes his homework, there will be no leaving the property and she said she’s limiting other things slightly as well."
Ginny’s attempt to raise an eyebrow in a stoic inquiry that was ruined by her giggles. Finally she asked, "Do we even want to know what ‘other things’ she is limiting?"
"No," Harry said with a smile, "and she did say ‘limiting’, not completely stopping, so a definite ‘No!’"
By half past one in the afternoon, Harry and Ginny were waiting patiently for Tonks while they reviewed the booklet that came with Ginny’s new broom. Without a home telephone, they had no chance of finding what movies were playing, not that they would know anything about the movies from the titles.
Ginny was fascinated by the content of the booklet that described the unique features and gave advice on the care and use of the broom, along with an owl address for comments on the pre-release broom and instructions to send the reports owl collect so that she wouldn’t have to pay the owl-post office for an international owl to Hong Kong.
Harry, on the other hand, found the poorly translated technical manual comical. The mixing up of verbs and especially adjectives made him wonder if it was translated from the original language with a defective translation charm or if someone from the company could explain what they meant by the instruction, ‘When in a constricted bend, rotate into the revolution and sink your contour for the paramount competence.’
They were startled out of their reading and talking when the fire flared green, as Tonks tumbled out of the floo. She nearly made it look both purposeful and elegant when she managed a complete roll and sprung to her feet, only to spoil it by over-rotating and catching her toe on the living room rug. Before they could muster a greeting or a ‘thank you’ for taking them to town, Tonks’ trip took her straight at Harry on the couch. She ended up on top of a forcefully reclined Harry, with her lower half across Ginny’s lap.
Harry blushed and fumbled the fully mature witch on his lap causing Ginny to burst into laughter. After several failed attempts to right herself, Tonks finally found the floor in a direct fashion with a solid landing on her back side.
Harry quickly found his feet and helped the errant Auror from the floor while Ginny decided to stop laughing and offer some verbal encouragement. "You know Tonks," Ginny said as she stood next to Harry and started to play with the soft hairs at the back of his neck, "if you wanted to join us on the couch, you could have asked first. Although, I’m really not sure that Harry could handle the both of us. Not that I would share."
Harry tried to bat Ginny’s teasing fingers away as he blushed a tomato red. Ginny batted his hand back and latched onto his arm with a smile at Tonks, who fought off the blush from her performance with metamorphic efficiency.
"Whether he could handle us or not," Tonks teased back, "we would have a lot of fun finding out," she said boldly. "If you ever figured out how to share that is."
Harry groaned, "I’m doomed."
The couple and their escort managed to slip the house without much more teasing and with a good amount of mirth. They made it along the roads to the Ottery St. Catchpole, a town small enough to brag of a three-screen multiplex, the most modern in the area, as the local grocer would tell you. They made it to the theater just in time to see an American action movie that had been playing for more than a month, although neither teen had heard of it nor the television show that it was derived from in the first place, Harry because he had not been allowed to watch much telly and Ginny because any telly’s her father brought home were not in working order long enough to watch.
They left the theater happy after finding the movie entertaining but confusing. Harry liked when Ginny used him for comfort every time she spooked at an explosion on-screen. Ginny enjoyed the whole idea of the movies. Tonks, however, just enjoyed watching the teens use any excuse to cuddle in the darkened theater while she diligently kept watch for any persons entering the building or approaching the couple. The walk back was taken up with Ginny’s questions about the muggle technology that she had witnessed in the movie. Harry answered as many as he could, but had to admit a bit of ignorance as well, owing to his leaving the muggle world when he was eleven after an isolated childhood.
Overall, a good day for all involved.