MetaFic

Ginny sat quietly on her bed with the curtains drawn, re-reading the chapter with the pertinent information for the fourth time. She wanted to be certain she understood the chapter completely. With a scholarly drive that would have made Hermione proud, Ginny careful dissected the text and the associated spell word for word, making sure she missed nothing and left nothing to chance.

It had taken her some work to get Katie to part with the book. She was sure Katie didn't believe that it was academic interest that made Ginny so desirous of the slim volume, but in the end, with a stern look and admonishment to not let anyone else know she had the book, Katie had allowed Ginny to borrow it for the week. As an afterthought, Katie asked Ginny how she even knew about the book in the first place. The wide-eyed look on Katie's face when Ginny told her how concerned George had been when he'd seen her reading it was priceless.

Ginny was sure she could get the result she desired. All that was left was the opportunity. Ginny had been working diligently on that part of the plan, also.

Over the previous summer she and Harry had finally made a connection. It started simply enough. Harry was having reoccurring nightmares. Ginny, unlike the rest of her family, was a light sleeper. She would hear him as he walked down the creaky steps to the kitchen. After three nights of listening to him walk past her door, she gathered up her courage and followed him. What she found was an absolute wreck of a young man sitting at the kitchen table, staring blankly out the window. That first night they hardly spoke. She made cocoa for them both and sat quietly by his side until he was ready to return to bed.

The next night, she made them both tea and in a quiet whisper told him about the nightmares and fears she had experienced after the incident with Tom in her first year. When he seemed surprised at this revelation, she simply smiled sadly at him and confessed that she'd never told anyone before because she didn't think they'd understand. Harry had gone back to bed looking thoughtful and a bit troubled.

On the third night he made them both cocoa and after nearly a half an hour of silence took her by the hand. They left the kitchen and sat on the couch. Over the course of the next five hours, Harry told Ginny everything, including things he still hadn't told Ron or Hermione. During the conversation Ginny had curled up with Harry, her head on his shoulder, and at some point both of them had fallen asleep.

Molly Weasley’s bustling around in the kitchen woke them the next morning. Before they could spring apart and get away, Mrs. Weasley had stuck her head into the family room, given them a cheery good morning, and told them breakfast would be ready soon. The second surprise of the morning came when Ron stopped in the act of stuffing a piece of bacon into his mouth, looked from his best friend to his sister and back again, and then said, quite causally, "So, do you two have things sorted out, then?" Harry had been flabbergasted, and Ginny had fallen out of her chair.

That set the tone for the remainder of the summer. Anytime Harry couldn't sleep and wandered downstairs, it was almost assured that Ginny would appear moments later. The Weasley males found this amusing, and the young couple suffered much good-natured teasing from the twins. For her part, Mrs. Weasley thought it quite sweet, as did Hermione, who joined them for the last week of summer.

Upon returning to Hogwarts, it seemed that Ginny and Harry developed a sixth sense about each other. Anytime one would be plagued with nightmares or sleeplessness, the other would know and they would meet in the common room. Harry took to bringing his invisibility cloak with him, and the two would sometimes lie on the couch in the far corner under the cloak and hold each other, though they were always careful to return to their own beds well before dawn.

Since the attack at Hogsmeade and the death of the Dursleys, both Ginny and Harry had been having nightmares with increased frequency. Almost nightly they would come together and curl up in each other's arms for comfort and support. It was during these times that Ginny set the stage for the culmination of her plan. The physical part of their relationship had been increasing ever so slowly since the summer. From holding each other, they went to light kissing and cuddling. From there, they moved to light petting and heavier kissing.

After the attack Ginny had become more aggressive, moving toward more and heavier petting and deeper, more passionate kissing. She could tell that, while he was enjoying their explorations of each other, Harry was also getting nervous at the seriousness of it. For the last week she had backed off, returning to shy caresses and light kisses. For some reason this had emboldened Harry, who seemed to feel that now he needed to take the lead. Which was exactly what Ginny wanted.

Tonight she was ready. She had already told Harry to meet her downstairs after midnight and to bring his invisibility cloak. She nervously changed into the most revealing nightgown she owned and then, after making sure her dormmates were sleeping soundly, quietly slipped from the bed. She went into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She realized her mouth was dry, and she had trouble holding her wand steady as she cast the required spell on herself. She took a deep breath and reminded herself that she loved him and that they would have done this eventually anyway. Someday. Years from now.

Making no more noise than a mouse, she moved downstairs to the common room. Harry was waiting for her on the far couch, watching her approach. She almost giggled; he looked so cute and clueless. As she stepped up to him she took out her wand and cast a silencing charm around the couch. Harry watched her intently. She could tell that he sensed something was different tonight. With one quick motion she removed her dressing gown and cast it behind the couch. Harry looked at her with suddenly wide eyes and started to open his mouth to speak, but Ginny had anticipated this. She covered his mouth with hers in a fierce kiss as she gently pushed him down on his back and pulled the invisibility cloak over them both.

Her last coherent thought before giving in to the heat of the moment was, Harry Potter, you don't stand a chance.

*****

Later that morning Ginny stood under the hot running water and cleaned herself off. Her mind kept racing, replaying what had just happened. She had made love to Harry Potter, her Harry Potter, in the Gryffindor common room. Twice. The second time, with Harry taking the lead, had been much better than the first. She needed to wipe the silly smile off her face before breakfast lest she give herself and Harry away.

Ginny stepped out of the shower and toweled herself dry. She walked up to the mirror again and raised her wand. The book said the spell would tell her instantly if she was or wasn't. And even if it came up negative the first time, she was to cast the spell on herself every day for the next three weeks. Swallowing, she muttered the incantation and pointed the wand at her belly. Her whole body glowed a bright blue. She smiled. It had worked. Harry would have the blood relative needed to work the charm to protect him. She had done it.

She was pregnant.