Disclaimer and Author's Note: I hate to put my author's 
note before the story, but I feel I may reduce the flames if I 
do it this way. Call it fire prevention. This is a follow-up fic 
to "Restless" and "That Corner of the Room". I do assure 
you that eventually there will be resolution, but don't 
expect it yet. Maybe next time. And now, for a spot of 
Harry/Ginny, unsanctioned by J.K. Rowling.
 
The Decisive Moment

Harry was walking down the street in Hogsmeade all alone 
with Ginny Weasley, and Hermione was to blame for it. 

"Please come with us, Ginny. If there's no other girl along, 
I'll have to spend the entire day in Zonko's. You can go 
'round with the other sixth years next Hogsmeade 
weekend." 

So Ginny had joined them, and now Hermione and Ron 
were nowhere to be found. Oh, they had all gotten into 
town together, but about ten minutes after that, they 
completely disappeared. Harry was beginning to suspect a 
plot. Not from Ron, of course- Ron wasn't even aware that 
Harry's feelings for Ginny were more than platonic. 
Hermione, on the other hand, rarely missed anything and 
specialized in organized plans of attack. Consequently, 
Harry was simultaneously devising creative curses to test 
on Hermione and trying to hold a conversation without 
sounding like a complete prat. The strain was beginning to 
tell on him, but Ginny seemed completely oblivious to his 
discomfort. She was happily ambling along, as comfortable 
as if she was in the common room with a dozen-odd 
Gryffindors for a buffer. 

In reality, they were about as far from alone as two people 
could be, as the streets were crowded with other Hogwarts 
students, but as far as Harry was concerned, they might as 
well have been stranded on a desert island for all use they 
were to him. 

"Ooh, look!" Ginny grabbed his arm to catch his attention. 
Across the street, Harry spotted Draco Malfoy arm-in-arm 
with Pansy Parkinson. Pansy was leaning very close to him, 
and whispering in his ear. She was smiling, and clutching 
his arm. Malfoy, on the other hand, looked as if death 
would be a welcome escape. 

He caught Ginny's eye, and they burst into laughter. 
Suddenly, Harry felt as good as he ever had in his entire 
life. This was Ginny, and they were laughing. He ceased to 
care about the rest of it. 

"She's probably planning the guest list for their wedding," 
giggled Ginny. 

"He's probably planning his suicide. God knows I would." 
They laughed even harder. 

Harry was seized by a sudden urge. "Hey, Malfoy!" he 
shouted across the busy street. Draco's head turned in their 
direction. "Nice day for it!"

Ginny collapsed against him in uncontrollable giggles. 
Draco was not as amused, but for once, he simply turned 
away and walked on. "Well," said Harry, surprised. "Fancy 
that. For once Malfoy didn't stay to have the last word. She 
must be a good influence on him."

"Stop it," panted Ginny. Tears were streaming down her 
face, and her cheeks were a brilliant pink. "I 
can't...laugh...anymore." Instantly Harry was aware how 
close they were. Her entire upper body was resting against 
his left arm, which now felt as if it were the only part of his 
body with nerve endings. Her face was inches from his, and 
although he couldn't see what one thing had to do with the 
other, this seemed to be constricting his breathing. 

Harry had no idea what to do.

He did, however, know what he wanted to do. He wanted to 
lean over right now and kiss Ginny Weasley. Here, on the 
busiest street in Hogsmeade, surrounded by nearly 
everyone he knew in the world. If only he had the guts to 
do it, he didn't think he cared who saw him. This is it, he 
thought. This is the decisive moment. 

"Harry?" Ginny was now looking at him with a puzzled 
expression. He realized that he had been standing there, 
staring at her for some time without speaking. He opened 
his mouth- he didn't know quite what he was going to say, 
but it was probably going to change everything. She must 
have sensed this- Harry could well believe that she could 
read his mind- for she suddenly turned and started walking 
again. He followed. It seemed like the logical thing to do.

They walked in silence for a few minutes. 

"Draco Malfoy is a jerk." Ginny tossed this over her 
shoulder. 

Harry was startled. He had almost entirely forgotten they 
had even seen Malfoy. "You'll get no argument from me," 
he said in a tone that very nearly approximated his normal 
one.

"Why do people do that? I mean, pretend that they have 
feelings for other people when they don't? He needn't go 
anywhere with Pansy if he doesn't want to- it makes me 
angry. It's unkind."

Harry was confused. She didn't think...did she? "Who 
knows why Draco Malfoy does anything?" he ventured, 
noncommittally. He was going to hang on and see where 
this was going. 

"Maybe he doesn't mean to hurt Pansy's feelings. Maybe 
he even thinks he's being kind. But he's not. If he doesn't 
really like her, he shouldn't act like he does. It will just 
confuse her, and she'll end up hurting more in the end than 
if he'd just been honest with her." Ginny was looking 
straight ahead, and walking so fast that Harry had to take 
several large bounds to catch up with her again. 

He didn't need to be hit over the head with a brick. Draco 
Malfoy, my ass, he thought admiringly. His heart had leapt 
up into his throat, and he knew the stakes had never been 
higher, but he couldn't help but be amused at her ingenuity. 

"Maybe he doesn't know if she really likes him." He was 
beginning to hope, though.

"Well, then, he's an idiot." Ginny was now walking so 
quickly it was difficult to maintain the conversation. 

"Again, you'll get no argument from me. Ginny! Stop!" 
said Harry. She didn't even pause.

There was only one thing for it. He reached out and 
grabbed Ginny's hand. "Stop, Ginny." His heart was 
beating at about twice its normal rate, and he looked down 
at their clasped hands. For a few moments, neither of them 
made a sound. Harry tightened his grip on her hand, and he 
heard a little hitch in her breath. He had no idea what to say 
now, but he thought it should sound important, and sincere. 
He felt both those things, but he was certain the moment he 
opened his mouth he would blow it. 

He looked back up into her face, and found that her eyes 
were shut, and it looked like she was fighting something. 

"Harry, really. Just let me go. I should get back to the 
castle, anyway. I have loads of Transfiguration to do, and I 
don't think Ron and Hermione are coming back."

"Well, that's where you're wrong." Harry heard Ron's 
unmistakable voice from behind him. He quickly dropped 
Ginny's hand and stepped back. "Although how Hermione 
managed to get us that lost in Hogsmeade, I'll never 
know." He glared over at Hermione. "Remind me never to 
follow you anywhere ever again."

"Oh, Ron. It wasn't that bad. We saw a lot of nice shops, 
didn't we? And I daresay Harry and Ginny didn't miss us 
too much." She spoke lightly, but she was looking quite 
intently at them both. 

"No," said Ginny. "It was fine. I'm heading back to the 
castle now, though, so I'll see you at dinner, all right?" She 
had spoken in a firm, clear tone that left no room for 
argument. 

"But we haven't even been to the Three Broomsticks, yet," 
Hermione protested. 

"I'll see you at dinner," she repeated. 

"Ginny, don't go. Come with us and have a butterbeer," 
said Harry, rather desperately. "Or- do you want some 
company on your way back?" He barely registered the 
pleased expression on Hermione's face and the dawning 
comprehension on Ron's. 

"Hey, what's going on here? Did we miss something?" 
inquired Ron, suspiciously.

"No," said Harry, crossly. Why couldn't he just go away 
again so he could talk to Ginny?

Ginny's resolve seemed to stiffen. "No, I just need to get 
back early. I told you that before we left, Hermione." Ginny 
shot her a significant look. "It's no big deal. I've got a lot 
of work to do- and it's better that I go alone." 

"Okay..." Hermione drew out the two syllables doubtfully. 
"If you're sure."

"I am," she said simply, and headed down the street.