Puffysub fic, "Time Alone"
Title: Time Alone
Author: quiet_discord
Summary: Harry and Ginny attempt to spend time alone together but are continually interrupted.
Author's Note: Written for dragyn-42 in the puffysubmariner exchange. His request asked for Hogwarts and first times, so I hope he likes this little tale!
Ginny Weasley looked over at her boyfriend, Harry Potter, who was seated on the other end of the red velvet sofa in the Gryffindor Common Room. There was a fire burning merrily in the fireplace in front of them, and two feet of empty space filled the sofa cushions between them. Nearby, her brother Ron was slumped in an overstuffed armchair, snoring softly. A few other Gryffindor students sat at study tables around the room, studying or playing gobstones and talking quietly. Outside, a cold rain fell hard, enhancing the warm safety of the Common Room. Ginny was warm and comfortable and very irritated.
When, she wondered, would everyone go upstairs to bed and leave her alone with Harry? He was so close, yet so far away.
Suddenly, Ron let out an enormous snorting snore, and jerked awake. "Wha-huh?" he asked, looking around. "Did you say something, Gin?"
Ginny smiled, amused at her brother, and heard a few giggles from around the room. "You were snoring," she explained patiently.
"Oh," Ron said, rubbing his eyes. "I guess it's time for bed, eh?" He gave Harry a sharp look. "You think, Harry?"
"I still have more studying to do," Harry claimed. He had a book open in his lap that he hadn't looked at for half-an-hour at least, Ginny knew. She smiled, knowing that Harry wanted to stay downstairs for the same reason that she did.
"Alright then," Ron said uneasily. It was obvious that he wasn't comfortable with leaving Harry and Ginny alone in the common room, but felt trapped into it by his own comments declaring it time for bed. "G'night, you two," he said, with another glare in Harry's direction.
As he left, Ginny turned and looked around the room casually. The last few occupants were packing up their books and drifting upstairs as well, inspired by Ron's snores to go to their own beds. She looked over at Harry and met his bright green eyes, which were glowing in the firelight.
Harry smiled and scooted closer to her on the sofa, until their legs were touching. "I thought he'd never leave," he confided.
"Me neither," she laughed as she leaned closer to kiss him.
They snuggled closer together, and Harry wrapped his arms tightly around Ginny as they kissed. She threaded her fingers through his thick black hair and kissed him passionately, feeling at last that the evening was not a total waste. Finally she and Harry had managed to find some time to be alone together.
Harry's hands began to roam, making their way around to her ribcage, then tentatively rubbing across her belly. Slowly he reached for her breasts, squeezing through her uniform blouse and making her moan into his mouth. Ginny felt a thrill deep inside at the thought that this could be the night that they could finally take the step she'd been waiting for in the year and a half since they first kissed in this very common room, at the huge Quidditch victory party.
"Oi, you two!" Ron's voice rang out across the room, startling both of them. Harry and Ginny sprang apart guiltily, both disheveled and breathing hard. "I can't leave you alone for a minute," Ron said. "That's my sister, Potter."
"I can do what I want, Won-Won," Ginny said, jumping to her feet and reminding him of his own exploits. Ron was unapolagetic. "You're still my little sister and I have to look out for you," he insisted.
"Sorry, Ginny," Harry said sheepishly, and followed Ron out of the room toward the boys' staircase.
Ginny glared after their retreating backs. When would she get another chance to be alone with Harry? And how could she find a place that was as far away from her brother as possible?
**********************
"I know the perfect place," Ginny told Harry several days later.
"Place for what?" Harry asked stupidly, but Ginny just raised one ginger eyebrow. "Oh..." he grinned. "Where?"
"Let me show you," she said, and took him by the hand. They walked out the door of the Gryffindor Common Room and past the portrait of the fat lady who guarded the entrance, down two flights of stairs and along a familiar corridor.
"The Prefect's Bath?" Harry asked. "I like the way you think!"
Ginny smiled and pulled him inside.
From the door, a tiled corridor led to a large, open room with a steaming pool in the center. To the sides were changing areas, showers, and even a steam room. Even though Ginny had never really wanted to be a Prefect, discovering this room had made her glad she'd been chosen. The luxury of a private shower or a long soak in the steam room after a hard Quidditch practice more than made up for the inconvenience of patrolling and reprimanding the younger students.
As soon as they were through the door, Ginny leaned in and planted a kiss on Harry's mouth.
"Mmf!" he said, surprised. Ginny pulled away and laughed.
"Come and get me," she taunted him.
Harry reached for her eagerly, but she danced away. He chased after her, and they were both laughing by the time that she slowed her steps and let him catch her up against the wall of the main bath area.
He kissed her passionately, just as eager as he had been a few nights before in the common room, but this time they both knew that Ron wouldn't interrupt them here. Unafraid of being caught, Ginny hugged Harry close and kissed him back, running her hands under his shirt, feeling his bare skin warm against her hands.
"Oooh, very nice," a high-pitched voice exclaimed suddenly. "Melvinia, come look at this!"
Harry and Ginny sprang apart once again, but when they looked around the room, they saw no one.
Harry drew his wand and pointed it around, threateningly. "Who's there?" he demanded.
Ginny heard a girlish giggle coming from the corner of the room and looked for it's source. Finally she found it -- hanging on the wall above the bath was a large painting of a Mermaid, who was covering her mouth with one green-tinged hand and watching them unabashedly.
"Don't mind me," she said, encouraging them. "You go right on with what you were doing."
"Not again!" Harry said.
Ginny shook her head and followed her boyfriend out of the room. She had really thought that the bath would be the perfect place.
"Wait, where are you going?" the Mermaid called after them as they left. "Come back!"
**********************
Ginny paced back and forth across the stone floor of the hallway, frowning to herself as she was deep in thought. A couple of second-year Ravenclaws walked by, giving her funny looks and whispering to each other behind their hands. "Bugger off!" Ginny admonished them. Merlin, couldn't a girl even think in this castle without being interrupted? All she wanted was a place she could find some peace and quiet.
She went back to pacing, and then suddenly stopped in her tracks. How could she have been so oblivious -- the solution was obvious!
Harry was seated at a table in the Common Room, in the middle of playing a game of chess with Ginny's brother, Ron. "I need to talk to you for a minute," Ginny interrupted them without even saying hello.
"What is it Ginny?" Ron asked.
"Not you, git," she retorted. "Come on Harry, I need you for a minute." Ginny blushed at the unintentional meaning of her words, but neither boy remarked on it. Harry simply stood up with a concerned look on his face and followed her out the portrait hole.
"I want to show you something," Ginny said, taking him by the hand and leading him away from the busy common room where all their nosy, busybody housemates were.
"What is it Ginny?" Harry asked, echoing Ron's earlier words.
Ginny did not answer, but simply pulled him along by the hand down empty corridors. As they walked, portraits whispered to each other and tapestries rustled along the way, but they did not pass any other students and no one called out to them.
At the end of the corridor, they came to an open atrium filled with moving staircases. Ginny tugged Harry by the hand to a far staircase, and the staircase began to move, swinging smoothly through empty air to connect to the seventh-floor corridor on the right-hand side.
"I think I have an idea of where you're taking me," Harry murmured into Ginny's ear, wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing her gently. Ginny felt a shiver run down her neck at the sound of his voice, and she turned her head and pressed her lips to his.
"Mmmm," she murmured, snuggling closer to him and feeling her stomach swoop as the staircase moved below them.
"Break it up!" a gruff voice called from the wall, and then a chorus of other voices chimed in, some agreeing and some disagreeing. Ginny felt her cheeks grow warm and she stepped away from Harry. "I guess we'd better keep going," she admitted.
Soon enough, they approached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, surrounded by muscular, scaly trolls weilding clubs and wearing pink tutus. Harry and Ginny did not even look at the memorable tapestry.
Instead, hand in hand they walked past the tapestry and looked only at the blank stone wall on the opposite side of the hall. In her mind, Ginny thought about the feel of Harry's lips against her own, and the way his arms wrapped around her body, and just how wonderful it would be for them to finally have some time alone, without nosy housemates or prying portraits to interrupt them.
Halfway down the hall, they stopped without a word and turned back. Even though the wall was nothing special, just solid gray stone like every other hallway in the castle, Harry could not take his eyes off it. His mind, though, was on very different matters. Like the smattering of freckles on Ginny's pale skin, and the way those freckles disappeared beneath the neck of her uniform top. He wanted more than anything to learn whether those freckles continued across the skin that he could not see during the day.
After they passed the tapestry again without looking at it, Harry and Ginny turned back for a third time. Ginny held Harry's damp and sweaty hand tightly in her own, her face flamed with a bright pink flush, and she bit her lip and looked away from his face.
Suddenly, the plain stone wall they were walking past seemed to blister and buckle, and a door shimmered into view before their eyes. Right away, Ginny reached for the door's ornate brass knob and pulled it open.
Inside, a large brass bed sat in the middle of a small, cozy room. It was surrounded by dozens of glowing candles which cast a soft romantic light on the scene. Best of all, there were no windows or portraits to watch.
Shyly, Ginny looked up at Harry and met his bright green eyes. As eager as she had been before, she was unsure. "Should we...?"
Instead of answering, Harry leaned close and pressed a soft kiss to Ginny's lips, teasing her mouth open with his tongue. He pulled her close and traced his palms across her shoulders, down her back, and over her bum. Ginny felt her nervousness disappear with every touch, and slowly, without breaking the kiss, she pulled Harry inside the room and kicked the door shut with one foot.
They had finally found their place to be alone together.
Author: quiet_discord
Summary: Harry and Ginny attempt to spend time alone together but are continually interrupted.
Author's Note: Written for dragyn-42 in the puffysubmariner exchange. His request asked for Hogwarts and first times, so I hope he likes this little tale!
Ginny Weasley looked over at her boyfriend, Harry Potter, who was seated on the other end of the red velvet sofa in the Gryffindor Common Room. There was a fire burning merrily in the fireplace in front of them, and two feet of empty space filled the sofa cushions between them. Nearby, her brother Ron was slumped in an overstuffed armchair, snoring softly. A few other Gryffindor students sat at study tables around the room, studying or playing gobstones and talking quietly. Outside, a cold rain fell hard, enhancing the warm safety of the Common Room. Ginny was warm and comfortable and very irritated.
When, she wondered, would everyone go upstairs to bed and leave her alone with Harry? He was so close, yet so far away.
Suddenly, Ron let out an enormous snorting snore, and jerked awake. "Wha-huh?" he asked, looking around. "Did you say something, Gin?"
Ginny smiled, amused at her brother, and heard a few giggles from around the room. "You were snoring," she explained patiently.
"Oh," Ron said, rubbing his eyes. "I guess it's time for bed, eh?" He gave Harry a sharp look. "You think, Harry?"
"I still have more studying to do," Harry claimed. He had a book open in his lap that he hadn't looked at for half-an-hour at least, Ginny knew. She smiled, knowing that Harry wanted to stay downstairs for the same reason that she did.
"Alright then," Ron said uneasily. It was obvious that he wasn't comfortable with leaving Harry and Ginny alone in the common room, but felt trapped into it by his own comments declaring it time for bed. "G'night, you two," he said, with another glare in Harry's direction.
As he left, Ginny turned and looked around the room casually. The last few occupants were packing up their books and drifting upstairs as well, inspired by Ron's snores to go to their own beds. She looked over at Harry and met his bright green eyes, which were glowing in the firelight.
Harry smiled and scooted closer to her on the sofa, until their legs were touching. "I thought he'd never leave," he confided.
"Me neither," she laughed as she leaned closer to kiss him.
They snuggled closer together, and Harry wrapped his arms tightly around Ginny as they kissed. She threaded her fingers through his thick black hair and kissed him passionately, feeling at last that the evening was not a total waste. Finally she and Harry had managed to find some time to be alone together.
Harry's hands began to roam, making their way around to her ribcage, then tentatively rubbing across her belly. Slowly he reached for her breasts, squeezing through her uniform blouse and making her moan into his mouth. Ginny felt a thrill deep inside at the thought that this could be the night that they could finally take the step she'd been waiting for in the year and a half since they first kissed in this very common room, at the huge Quidditch victory party.
"Oi, you two!" Ron's voice rang out across the room, startling both of them. Harry and Ginny sprang apart guiltily, both disheveled and breathing hard. "I can't leave you alone for a minute," Ron said. "That's my sister, Potter."
"I can do what I want, Won-Won," Ginny said, jumping to her feet and reminding him of his own exploits. Ron was unapolagetic. "You're still my little sister and I have to look out for you," he insisted.
"Sorry, Ginny," Harry said sheepishly, and followed Ron out of the room toward the boys' staircase.
Ginny glared after their retreating backs. When would she get another chance to be alone with Harry? And how could she find a place that was as far away from her brother as possible?
**********************
"I know the perfect place," Ginny told Harry several days later.
"Place for what?" Harry asked stupidly, but Ginny just raised one ginger eyebrow. "Oh..." he grinned. "Where?"
"Let me show you," she said, and took him by the hand. They walked out the door of the Gryffindor Common Room and past the portrait of the fat lady who guarded the entrance, down two flights of stairs and along a familiar corridor.
"The Prefect's Bath?" Harry asked. "I like the way you think!"
Ginny smiled and pulled him inside.
From the door, a tiled corridor led to a large, open room with a steaming pool in the center. To the sides were changing areas, showers, and even a steam room. Even though Ginny had never really wanted to be a Prefect, discovering this room had made her glad she'd been chosen. The luxury of a private shower or a long soak in the steam room after a hard Quidditch practice more than made up for the inconvenience of patrolling and reprimanding the younger students.
As soon as they were through the door, Ginny leaned in and planted a kiss on Harry's mouth.
"Mmf!" he said, surprised. Ginny pulled away and laughed.
"Come and get me," she taunted him.
Harry reached for her eagerly, but she danced away. He chased after her, and they were both laughing by the time that she slowed her steps and let him catch her up against the wall of the main bath area.
He kissed her passionately, just as eager as he had been a few nights before in the common room, but this time they both knew that Ron wouldn't interrupt them here. Unafraid of being caught, Ginny hugged Harry close and kissed him back, running her hands under his shirt, feeling his bare skin warm against her hands.
"Oooh, very nice," a high-pitched voice exclaimed suddenly. "Melvinia, come look at this!"
Harry and Ginny sprang apart once again, but when they looked around the room, they saw no one.
Harry drew his wand and pointed it around, threateningly. "Who's there?" he demanded.
Ginny heard a girlish giggle coming from the corner of the room and looked for it's source. Finally she found it -- hanging on the wall above the bath was a large painting of a Mermaid, who was covering her mouth with one green-tinged hand and watching them unabashedly.
"Don't mind me," she said, encouraging them. "You go right on with what you were doing."
"Not again!" Harry said.
Ginny shook her head and followed her boyfriend out of the room. She had really thought that the bath would be the perfect place.
"Wait, where are you going?" the Mermaid called after them as they left. "Come back!"
**********************
Ginny paced back and forth across the stone floor of the hallway, frowning to herself as she was deep in thought. A couple of second-year Ravenclaws walked by, giving her funny looks and whispering to each other behind their hands. "Bugger off!" Ginny admonished them. Merlin, couldn't a girl even think in this castle without being interrupted? All she wanted was a place she could find some peace and quiet.
She went back to pacing, and then suddenly stopped in her tracks. How could she have been so oblivious -- the solution was obvious!
Harry was seated at a table in the Common Room, in the middle of playing a game of chess with Ginny's brother, Ron. "I need to talk to you for a minute," Ginny interrupted them without even saying hello.
"What is it Ginny?" Ron asked.
"Not you, git," she retorted. "Come on Harry, I need you for a minute." Ginny blushed at the unintentional meaning of her words, but neither boy remarked on it. Harry simply stood up with a concerned look on his face and followed her out the portrait hole.
"I want to show you something," Ginny said, taking him by the hand and leading him away from the busy common room where all their nosy, busybody housemates were.
"What is it Ginny?" Harry asked, echoing Ron's earlier words.
Ginny did not answer, but simply pulled him along by the hand down empty corridors. As they walked, portraits whispered to each other and tapestries rustled along the way, but they did not pass any other students and no one called out to them.
At the end of the corridor, they came to an open atrium filled with moving staircases. Ginny tugged Harry by the hand to a far staircase, and the staircase began to move, swinging smoothly through empty air to connect to the seventh-floor corridor on the right-hand side.
"I think I have an idea of where you're taking me," Harry murmured into Ginny's ear, wrapping his arms around her waist and squeezing her gently. Ginny felt a shiver run down her neck at the sound of his voice, and she turned her head and pressed her lips to his.
"Mmmm," she murmured, snuggling closer to him and feeling her stomach swoop as the staircase moved below them.
"Break it up!" a gruff voice called from the wall, and then a chorus of other voices chimed in, some agreeing and some disagreeing. Ginny felt her cheeks grow warm and she stepped away from Harry. "I guess we'd better keep going," she admitted.
Soon enough, they approached the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, surrounded by muscular, scaly trolls weilding clubs and wearing pink tutus. Harry and Ginny did not even look at the memorable tapestry.
Instead, hand in hand they walked past the tapestry and looked only at the blank stone wall on the opposite side of the hall. In her mind, Ginny thought about the feel of Harry's lips against her own, and the way his arms wrapped around her body, and just how wonderful it would be for them to finally have some time alone, without nosy housemates or prying portraits to interrupt them.
Halfway down the hall, they stopped without a word and turned back. Even though the wall was nothing special, just solid gray stone like every other hallway in the castle, Harry could not take his eyes off it. His mind, though, was on very different matters. Like the smattering of freckles on Ginny's pale skin, and the way those freckles disappeared beneath the neck of her uniform top. He wanted more than anything to learn whether those freckles continued across the skin that he could not see during the day.
After they passed the tapestry again without looking at it, Harry and Ginny turned back for a third time. Ginny held Harry's damp and sweaty hand tightly in her own, her face flamed with a bright pink flush, and she bit her lip and looked away from his face.
Suddenly, the plain stone wall they were walking past seemed to blister and buckle, and a door shimmered into view before their eyes. Right away, Ginny reached for the door's ornate brass knob and pulled it open.
Inside, a large brass bed sat in the middle of a small, cozy room. It was surrounded by dozens of glowing candles which cast a soft romantic light on the scene. Best of all, there were no windows or portraits to watch.
Shyly, Ginny looked up at Harry and met his bright green eyes. As eager as she had been before, she was unsure. "Should we...?"
Instead of answering, Harry leaned close and pressed a soft kiss to Ginny's lips, teasing her mouth open with his tongue. He pulled her close and traced his palms across her shoulders, down her back, and over her bum. Ginny felt her nervousness disappear with every touch, and slowly, without breaking the kiss, she pulled Harry inside the room and kicked the door shut with one foot.
They had finally found their place to be alone together.