Author: Domino.

Title: Love is in the Air.

Email: zahfat@yahoo.com

Summary: There’s a Valentine’s Ball coming. H/G, R/H. AU set after OotP.

Disclaimer: Not Mine….

Chapter 1

The door swung open, and automatically Harry looked up to see who had entered. He smiled slightly when he saw the two people walking in. Their expressions were typical of both of them. Ron was looking slightly mutinous, and Ginny was smiling broadly, and rather smugly Harry couldn’t help thinking.

Harry exchanged an amused look with Hermione as the two siblings looked around, almost automatically before beginning in their direction. Even without seeing it, Harry already knew they would be arguing, and as they got closer he could hear from Ginny’s tone, and Ron's rather abrupt replies that Ginny was winning.

Both siblings quieted down as they got closer, by some mutual agreement. Ron collapsed into the seat next to Hermione, and she arched an elegant eyebrow in question at his expression. Ron glared at Ginny in response and tightened his mouth stubbornly.

Harry was now extremely curious. Ginny was still standing, a little awkwardly, but showed no signs of moving. She looked expectantly at Ron, and folded her arms, in a waiting stance. Ron glared again.

“Well?” Hermione cracked first.

Ginny smiled, a smug smile. And then she looked at Harry and winked. Harry’s mouth fell open in surprise. That wasn’t like the Ginny he knew. And then he rethought that statement. Actually he didn’t really know Ginny at all. Despite the last year – despite her part in it all. Harry looked at the red-haired girl standing there again, really looked. She was wearing basic black robes, over what looked like Muggle jeans, and, he looked closer - through the tiny gap held open of her robe, he recognised what looked like a blue tank top.

Harry felt someone’s eyes on him, and he looked up hurriedly to see Fred and George staring rather intently at him. Harry blushed, as the thought of what they has caught him doing occurred to him. The twins didn’t look their normal selves as they gave Harry a quelling look. There was no sign of the usual mischievous twinkle that they normally sported. Harry swallowed hard, and looked away, directly into Ginny’s eyes. They were the colour of chocolate, delicious milk chocolate, Harry thought, and without warning his stomach felt as if it were filled with butterflies.

All thoughts of the twins, and the rather threatening look they had just sent him disappeared. He felt like he was drowning in the sea of her eyes. A waving hand cut of his view of the deep pools of swirling brown he was lost in, and he suddenly realised it was her hand that was moving in front of him, and her soft voice, calling his name worriedly.

Harry blushed. And looked down, embarrassed. He wasn't sure what was happening to him, but he could hear Fred and George snickering in the background, and a quick glance up confirmed his suspicions that whatever it was, they knew. And they found it highly amusing. The seriousness that had been in their eyes, only minutes ago, had disappeared, and in its place was their usual mischievous looks, combined with rather smug smiles, not unlike Ginny's look when she walked in with Ron.

Ginny. Harry panicked and looked back at her. She was watching him with a questioning look in her eyes. He smiled weakly at her, and, whatever it was, it seemed to reassure. She smiled back and turned her attention back to Ron and Hermione, who were arguing, as usual.

Harry didn't notice any of that. The memory of the smile, made his breathe catch, and suddenly Harry was sure he must be ill. He had never felt like this before in his life. His stomach felt slightly queasy, and breathing was an effort.

With immense will he pulled himself together, and took in a deep breathe, avoiding looking in Ginny's direction, somehow instinctively knowing that she was the cause of his sudden disorientation. Almost as if from far away, voices began to sound to him, and he recognised them as those of his best friends, obviously in great discussion over the reason for the siblings earlier argument.

"No, not going to tell you. You'll find out soon enough anyway," Ron sounded petulant, and he glared at Ginny who was laughing softly at him. Harry decided he loved the sound of Ginny laughing. That thought was moved out quickly as Hermione, as she was wont to do, suddenly changed tactics, and instead focused on Ginny, pleading with the laughing girl to tell her whatever it was that had Ron up in arms.

Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but a rush of words from Ron interrupted her.

“Dumbledore decided that we all need cheering up…” he paused for dramatic effect.

“ And?” Hermione’s impatient voice cut in.

“And he’s decided to hold a Valentine Ball this year. He’s going to announce it at the feast. Ginny and I overheard the MacGonogall and Snape discussing the announcement in the kitchen,” he continued, in a tone of resignation.

There was a silence for a second, as they all took this news in. Harry found himself looking at Ginny. A hundred thoughts flooded his mind, but for once none of them had to do with Sirius, Voldemort or the war that fast approaching the Wizarding World. He was distracted by Hermione clapping her hands in excitement, in a rather un-Hermione like manner.

She hugged Ginny before twirling. Obviously someone was happy about the news. “A Valentine Ball,” Hermione said gleefully, before her face fell slightly. And Harry knew she was remembering the year before’s Yule Ball, or more accurately what had happened afterwards.

Hermione looked expectantly at Ron. Ginny gave him a waiting expression, and from behind the girls, Fred and George, who were shamelessly eavesdropping, appeared and also stared at Ron.

Ron sent Harry a helpless look, and despite the sympathy he felt for his friend, Harry couldn’t help smirking at his predicament. Seeing as Harry was no help, Ron moved his nervous look to Ginny, who smiled reassuringly at him, that is until Ron shook his head madly in denial, trying to avoid Hermione’s eyes at the same time. At that point, Ginny’s smile disappeared and was replaced by something Harry interpreted to mean, “Do it now or something really bad is going to happen.”

The threat seemed to work. Harry grinned at Ginny, when Ron swallowed hard and opened his mouth to speak, “Hermione,” he squeaked, and a small giggle escaped Ginny. Ron cleared his throat, noticeably, and started again, looking only at Hermione, who watched him silently, and expression of expectation and anticipation on her face.

“I was wondering if you would do me the honour of…of attending the Valentine’s Ball with me,” Ron said formally in clear, precise tones. He looked hopefully at her, but Hermione seemed to be in shock, speechless.

The nervousness returned to Ron’s face,” You’re my best friend. I know its early, and we haven't even gone back to Hogwarts yet, but I can’t imagine having fun with anyone else…” he added, and was going to continue when Hermione rushed forward suddenly and threw her arms around Ron.

“Yes, yes I’ll go to the ball with you,” she said, her voice muffled into his shoulder. It was Ron’s turn to look shocked. He didn’t appear to believe that she had said yes, or that she was hugging him. Awkwardly he folded his arms around her, and hugged her back, smiling happily at Ginny. Harry saw him mouth over Hermione’s long hair a ‘Thank you’ at the girl.

Fred and George smirked at their brother, but before they could say anything that would ruin the moment, Ginny had them both by the arms, and had dragged them away.

Harry looked at his best friends, who were still wrapped in each other’s arms, and unable to restrain himself, muttered a quiet, “About bloody time,” before he too left, following Ginny and the twins.

Seeing the young girl, standing slightly to the side, grinning happily as she threatened her brothers with bodily harm if they did anything to spoil the first bit of happiness in ages. Harry went to stand next to her.

“How did you convince him to ask her?” he said quietly, and it occurred to him that this was possibly the second conversation he had ever had with her. She smirked.

“How do you know I did anything at all? She replied, and Harry noticed, again that there was no sign of the blush that had dominated most of their previous encounters before last year. Then again, that had been missing for a while now – he just now realised how much he missed it.

“Please!” Harry scoffed, “This is Ron we’re talking about,” he said.

Ginny smiled again, and Harry felt the queasiness return – he was definitely coming down with something, he thought.

“Okay, I may have given him some pointers,” she replied.

“And?” Harry asked, knowing there was more.

“And threatened to turn all his clothes pink if he didn't start acting like a Gryffindor,” Ginny finished and turned to face him.

Harry stared at her in shock, before, without warning, he started to laugh. Then Ginny did as well, and suddenly both of them couldn’t stop. Everyone turned to stare at the two of them, who were now hanging onto each other. They collapsed onto the nearest couch, and not even the stern looks that had returned to Fred and George’s eyes was enough to stop Harry. Just looking at Ginny got him started again, as visions of Ron dressed entirely in pink floated through his head. It was the first time in a long time that he felt this free, that he felt happy.

“Absolutely barking mad,” he heard Ron say, and both he and Ginny looked up to see Ron and Hermione standing with the twins. Harry stared at Ron, and then looked at Ginny, and a new wave of laughter went through both of them.

“What do you suppose is so funny?” Hermione asked the twins.

“Beats me,” Fred replied, but the stern look faded as he watched his sister giggle infectiously and Harry laughing, sounds they hadn’t heard in a long time.

Suddenly Ron began to laugh as well, then Hermione…and soon the twins joined in. Bill and Charlie rushed in at that moment , hearing the sounds of hilarity. They stared at their siblings for a second, before also succumbing to amusement. And for the first time since the Department of Mysteries, there was laughter in the Grimmauld Place, even if most of them were laughing uproariously, at a joke they didn’t get, for a reason no one could comprehend.

It was the best night, anyone of them had felt in a long time…after all everyone does say ‘Laughter is the best medicine.’ That night, the doom and gloom, and the fear and grief that had covered the headquarters since the previous year, since death had become a reality in their lives faded, and instead it was replaced by laughing boys and girls, visions of red-heads dressed in pink, and steps…into the future, into new friendships, into new relationships…yes, Valentine’s Day was coming to Hogwarts and for that almost fleeting, yet lasting forever moment, there was something new in the air. Love. And laughter. Something Voldemort couldn’t touch.

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