PROTECTION ♞ h.p.

4. Under Pressure

Harry and Ginny made their way down Diagon Alley with a few Aurors following them at a distance. Scanning the crowd as they walked, Harry reached out and took Ginny's hand. Linking his fingers through hers, he pulled her closer as they weaved in and out of people.

Ginny felt her skin tingling at his touch and looked down at their hands, noticing how small and pale hers was compared to his.

Smiling slightly, she thought back to their earlier conversation.

"Ginny, I said no and I meant it."

"Then what are we going to eat?" Ginny demanded, flicking her wand and causing the cabinets to fly open, revealing their empty shelves. "You're out of almost everything, and not just in the kitchen."

"We still don't need to go out," Harry argued, barely glancing up from his paper at her display. "I'll just have someone send..."

"That's not the point," Ginny interrupted, crossing to the kitchen table where he sat. Hopping up on the table next to him, she snatched the paper from his hands. "Just because you can have someone else bring us supplies, doesn't mean..."

"Ginny," he huffed irritably, "I said no..."

"Well I want to get out of this flat," Ginny said, holding the paper out of reach as he moved to grab it back. "It's Saturday and besides, you can't just keep me here indefinitely."

"I know that," Harry glared.

Grabbing her wrist suddenly, he pulled her down until their faces were close. He pulled the paper out of her grasp with his free hand, but didn't release her.

"It's an unnecessary risk," he told her firmly.

Ginny considered him for a second before moving her hand to his where he held her. He tensed under her caress, his eyes suddenly wary as she broke into a sweet smile.

"Please?" she asked, watching his gaze drift down to her mouth as she spoke...

Lost in thought, Ginny ran right into a large wizard. The man had been striding in the other direction, looking in a shop window instead of where he was going. They collided with a thud and Ginny's hand slipped out of Harry's as she stumbled backwards.

Harry spun when he felt Ginny tugged away and heard her give a startled cry. Grabbing her arm, he yanked her back and behind him. His wand was up and pointed at the man's startled face an instant later, cutting off his stammered apology.

"Put that away!" Ginny ordered. "Honestly, I just ran into him," she insisted when he didn't move. "I'm fine."

Ginny looked around, feeling the Aurors begin to move in.

"Harry, stop it!" she urged, grabbing his arm. "People are staring."

Harry hesitated, narrowing his eyes as he held the man's gaze. After another second he dropped his wand. He nodded to the nearest Auror and they immediately began to blend back into the crowd. With that, Harry took Ginny's hand and continued walking.

Ginny shook her head. "You're a jumpy lot, aren't you," she muttered.

"You never know when something could happen," he replied curtly, looking down at her.

"Harry, we're in public, surrounded by people. Who would be stupid enough to try something now?"

Harry simply ignored her, scanning the crowd as they made their way to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes so Ginny could see her brothers. It was their last stop of the day and Harry was more than ready to get out of Diagon Alley.

She'd dragged him to all sorts of shops. Harry was pretty sure that if she hadn't been trying to stay out as long as possible, she'd never have wanted to go to most of them.