A Move in the Right Direction
1997
The shelves of books slid shut behind him, trapping its quarry in the small, enclosed space that marked the back of the library's Legal Section. Harry took a steadying breath before turning to find Ginny sitting on the lone table, her legs crossed. It was well after her final class, and she'd changed out of her robes and into a skirt and tight purple sweater that Harry had admired in the past. Or more specifically, he'd admired its snug fit, but he'd never known she'd even brought it to Hogwarts with her.
He opened and closed his mouth in welcome, suddenly loosing the ability to speak.
The muggle clothes were just another sign of what was coming next, and he couldn't allow it. Not right now. There was simply too much happening in his life for…He took another steadying breath. He'd told all of this to her before, but once Ginny got it in her mind to do something, it was hard to shake her from the idea.
"I knew you'd come," Ginny said, smirking at him as she re-crossed her legs, leaning back onto her arms.
"I heard you'd be here," Harry returned, trying to keep himself in check. "I'm assuming you wanted me to find out that you were headed to Kissing Corner after supper?"
Ginny cocked her head to the side, her messy red braid falling over her shoulder. "You've been ignoring me, Harry. I asked you to meet me yesterday, in the common room, but you avoided me."
He sighed, trying not to notice the way the candle light from the back wall fell across her bare legs, leaving them looking particularly creamy. "I wasn't avoiding you, I just needed some time to…" His voice trailed off, the excuse on the tip of his tongue suddenly replaced by an indignant frown. "Were you really just going to meet up with some random stranger and kiss them? All to play this stupid little game? Why? Because you were bored with me?"
Ginny snorted. "Oh, please, I never planned on any such thing. I knew you wouldn't leave me waiting here. You can't stand the idea of someone else kissing me, so I knew you'd have to show up and play the game as soon as you heard."
Harry took a step closer, his hip resting against her calve. He reached down, gently laying his hand against her thigh, his thumb running a line across her soft skin. "So, you were relying upon my jealousy to get me here?"
Ginny wrapped her fingers around the front of his robe, pulling him close enough for a soft kiss. "It worked, didn't it?"