The Music of Love

A/N: This was a plot idea that popped into my head while I was writing “All I Want for Christmas.” Hopefully this one won't take as long beyond the holiday it's written for to finish. Needless to say, this is a Valentine's fan fic. For the record, this is NOT the sequel to “All I Want for Christmas” (I'm just saying that now to diffuse any questions on that front). I'm grateful to all those who read and reviewed my first attempt as writing fan fiction. This is my second attempt. Hopefully it will turn out as well as the first one did.

I struggled through this chapter a bit, especially as I neared the end, but it came together quicker than the previous chapter did. I'm still a bit disappointed and discouraged by the lack of reviews, but at the same time I realize that not every story is going to get the number of reviews per chapter that “All I Want for Christmas” did. Please read and review!

Lots of side-ships in this one. Let's see if I can remember all of them that will come up…we've got: Ron/Luna, Neville/Ginny, Lupin/Tonks, Bill/Fleur, and references to Lily/James. This story is slightly AU, but only in the sense that I've added some characteristics to some characters.

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies. All I own is the plotline and a song that will appear later on in the story.

The Music of Love

Chapter 3: Ex-tra Perspective

Harry jumped in surprise. He hadn't even realized that somebody had come into the room while he was standing there, looking out the window.

“Hi, Ginny,” Harry said without turning around.

“What's the matter, Harry?”

“Nothing.”

“That's hogwash and you bloody well know it,” Ginny said in frustration, turning Harry around to face her. “Something's been off about you for about a month now, and I want to know what it is.”

Harry remained silent for a couple of minutes, hoping Ginny would go away.

“I'm sure Professor Lupin knows what it is,” Ginny said, “after all, he was up here for quite a while and I passed him on the stairs on my way up. I could go ask him.”

Harry glanced at her and tried to keep a straight face as he replied, “you can't prove that that's what we were talking about.”

Ginny raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Harry figured it'd be best to tell a half-truth to try to get her to back off. “We were talking about my folks.”

“And just what did he tell you about your folks?”

“That's not any of your business.”

“Uh huh…you were probably told something along the lines of how they got together or something about their love life.”

“Why do you say that?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Because you generally aren't so secretive to what you're told about your parents.”

Harry shook his head at her. “You're becoming another Hermione,” he said.

“No, I've just spent enough time with you to know you well enough to catch that.”

Harry smiled grimly.

Ginny smirked. “I was right, wasn't I?”

Harry smiled slyly. “Sort of.”

Ginny raised an eyebrow. “How was I off?”

Harry sighed deeply as he contemplated how much to tell Ginny. “I suppose I could use a woman's perspective on this,” he muttered before casting locking and silencing charms on the room.

Ginny smiled and leaned forward eagerly.

“Ron and Lupin have already drug it out of me, and Luna was Luna and figured it out before Ron drug it out of me, but she didn't offer me any help. So, if you have to talk to somebody about what I'm going to tell you, talk to one of them, but under no circumstances is Hermione to find out what I'm about to divulge.”

Harry glared at Ginny, who nodded.

“I've been trying to keep this a secret because I want to do something without Hermione finding out.”

Ginny gasped and raised her hands to her mouth before squealing. “You mean, you're planning on proposing to Hermione?!”

Harry glared at her. “Good thing I put a silencing charm on the room, because they would have heard you on the far side of the moon if I hadn't.”

Ginny slunk down a bit. “Sorry.”

Harry smiled his acceptance of her apology before continuing, “Yes, I'm planning on proposing. Remus told me how my father was stumped at how to propose to my mum for a while, just like I'm stumped at how to propose to Hermione. That's why I've been so stressed for the last month or so. I've realized that we're more ready to get married than we thought we were when we last discussed it. For the life of me, though, I can't figure out how I should propose to her.”

“You're really thinking hard about this, aren't you?”

“I'm assuming that that's a rhetorical question.”

Ginny chuckled. “I suppose so. Any ideas so far?”

Harry gave her a “you've got to be kidding me” look. “Do you I would be so worked up over it if I had thought of something already?”

Ginny turned a pale shade of red as she smiled in embarrassment. “I suppose not. Ron or Professor Lupin have any ideas?”

Harry laughed softly. “You could say Ron had an idea deflated.”

“How so?”

“Apparently he was thinking about proposing after shagging Luna at some point, but I told him he should think of something a bit more original.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Count on my brother with the emotional range of a teaspoon to think about doing something like that. What about Professor Lupin?”

Harry paused for a moment. “I didn't really ask him for ideas, though he did tell me how he proposed to Tonks.”

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. “They haven't told anybody that story! How did he propose?”

Harry hesitated for a moment. “You have to promise not to tell anybody this, because they've been trying to keep it a secret for a reason.”

“Sure thing, but why would they want to keep it so secretive?”

“Probably not to give any of us any ideas. He proposed after the first time that they slept together.”

Ginny laughed so hard she ended up rolling around on the floor. “Professor Lupin seriously proposed in the same way that Ron was considering?!”

Harry rolled his eyes at Ginny. “Not really. Considering that your brother and Luna go at it like a couple of bunnies, Ron won't be able to propose after the first time they shag.”

Ginny covered her ears and winced. “I seriously did not need to hear that about my brother!”

Harry smirked. “Just like he doesn't like to hear anything about your and Neville's sex life.”

Ginny glared at him. “I suppose it's safe to assume that you won't be proposing the same way Professor Lupin did.”

“Yep. Hermione and I talked it over and we want our wedding gifts to each other to be our virginity,” Harry said with a dreamy smile on his face.

“That's so sweet! As dense as you may be at times, you can still do the sweetest things on occasion.”

Harry's face turned as red as Ginny's hair. “You still haven't really offered your two Knuts about my struggle.”

“Well, Harry…as a girl I can tell you that being sappy can be a good thing when you propose, as long as you don't go overboard with it.”

“Sappiness is good?” Harry asked in bewilderment.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “You boys can be so bloody dense at times it's sad. It may not provide a great story to tell your single mates, but sappiness isn't as bad as you boys make it sound like at times.”

“I wasn't exactly very sappy with you, was I?”

“We weren't together long enough for you to have the chance to do any sappy things for me.”

“True. Besides, we were a bit…distracted when we did get some time together.”

“We sure made good use of the broom closets around the school, didn't we?” Ginny said winking at him.

Harry's face turned bright red again.

Ginny laughed at Harry. “Oh, Harry,” she said, “you look positively adorable when you're embarrassed.

Harry grimaced momentarily. “I still have no bloody idea how to propose.”

Ginny put a hand on his shoulder and looked in his eyes. “Harry, you should do something for her that you wouldn't do for anybody else.”

Harry thought about it for a minute, then smiled at her. “Thanks,” he told her.

She shrugged. “I'm just glad I could help one of my friends out.”

“I'm glad you're as mature as you have been about our relationship.”

It was Ginny's turn to grimace. “I know I was an immature prat about it at first, but that was before I realized that we wouldn't have worked anyway. Now I get to be glad that you're going to end up with one of my best friends, so we'll be able to stay close. I may get to serve as a Maid of Honor in the near future too.”

Harry chuckled. “Once I figure out a way to propose, you can take that idea up with Hermione…assuming she accepts.”

Ginny raised an eyebrow at Harry. “Why do you think she could possible refuse you? She's clearly mad for you, always has been.”

Harry smiled grimly. “One thing I've learned over the years is to never assume anything is a forgone conclusion, because life is too unpredictable to assume anything.”

Ginny nodded. “That's a good point.”

“They're probably wondering where I am and why I've been gone for so long,” Harry said. “I should probably get back downstairs now.”

“I'll pass along any ideas that I think of that might help you,” Ginny told him.

“Thanks,” Harry responded, wrapping her up in a hug before removing the silencing and locking charms.

He followed Ginny down the stairs. As they walked into the living room, they were greeted by catcalls from the twins and anxious glances from Neville.

“What were you doing?” Neville demanded, the fear evident in his voice.

Ginny walked up to him with a smirk on her face. “Oh, I just went upstairs, seduced Harry, and then shagged him senseless,” she said sarcastically.

Neville's face went pure white as the twins busted up laughing.

Everybody else in the room turned a curious eye towards Harry.

He shrugged and said, “we talked, nothing more.”

The other Weasleys all relaxed noticeably while Hermione smiled slyly, as if she knew that was what had happened upstairs all along.

Neville looked at Ginny with raised eyebrows, and she winked at him to promise she'd make it up to him later.

Ron paled upon noticing the exchange. “Don't you two get started now! At least wait until you get home before doing that stuff. Or better yet, don't do it at all.”

“Now, Ron,” Hermione interrupted, “Ginny's of age now and can take care of herself.”

“I'd warn you too, Hermione,” Ron countered, “except I know that you and Harry are at least courteous enough to wait until you're married before shagging each other's brains out.”

Harry draped his arm around Ron's shoulders. “You should talk,” he said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Even if we were shagging, we'd at least have the courtesy of putting up silencing charms so you wouldn't have to hear us from across the hall…or next door,” he added looking at Hermione.

Ginny covered her ears while the twins started catcalling at Ron and Luna, who sat there with a dreamy smile on her face.

“Fred, you know what Luna's smile means, don't you?” asked George.

“It must mean that our ickle Ronniekins is a real Gryffindor lion in the sack,” Fred responded.

Ron turned bright red at the twins' remarks.

Mrs. Weasley's face paled. “Ronald Bilius Weasley,” she chastised him, “if that's true, when are you going to find your Gryffindor courage and marry Luna?”

Ron looked down at his lap and mumbled something incomprehensible.

Harry smirked at Ron before winking at Ron when he finally looked up.

Hermione stood up and looked at Harry. “We should be making our way back to the castle now,” she stated in a tone that implied that she had work to do.

Harry stared at the ground for a moment as he thought, then said, “yeah, I've got work to do too.”

Ron rolled his eyes. “She's really got you whipped, mate,” he said softly to Harry to try to avoid Hermione overhearing him.

Unfortunately for Ron, he forgot to consider the twins, who started doing a whip cracking imitation.

Hermione glared at Ron, having pieced together what happened. “Ronald Bilius Weasley!” she reprimanded him, “I do not have Harry whipped!”

Hermione turned away, allowing Harry to whisper cheekily to Ron, “and I enjoy every minute of it.”

“Happy Christmas!” Mrs. Weasley said to Hermione and Harry as she wrapped them up in one of her big hugs.

“Happy Christmas!” they responded together.

Harry and Hermione went around hugging or shaking everybody's hands and wishing them a Happy Christmas before departing. Ron, Lupin and Ginny all gave Harry significant looks as they exchanged farewells with him. Hermione was too wrapped up in her own farewells to notice though, much to Harry's relief.

Having said their farewells, Harry and Hermione walked outside before apparating to just outside the gates of Hogwarts. They then proceeded to walk into the castle and Harry escorted Hermione through the quiet corridors to her office, where he kissed her cheek and told her that he'd see her at home.

Harry then proceeded to his office to try and get some work done. It wasn't as easy as he figured it would be. His thoughts kept drifting to the beautiful bushy, brown-haired witch in her office…or likely the library by that time, he thought to himself with a smile.

After trying to work for a couple of hours, without having accomplished much, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small object, tapped it with his wand, and watched his guitar return to its typical size.

Harry smiled as he softly began to play. His guitar was proving to be his release from the tension of figuring out how to propose to Hermione, as he would think of her and how much he loved her while he played. It kept his thoughts from drifting to his problems, as he had to focus on his playing. He could tell that he had clearly gotten better in the past month, as he had played his guitar a little bit every day.

“Somebody's been practicing,” came a very familiar voice that he would never grow tired of hearing.

Harry turned around to face the door with a big smile on his face. “Get much work done?”

“Not as much as I would have liked, but I got some done,” Hermione told him.

“Same here. I eventually gave up on getting any work done and decided to play for a bit to see if it would help me focus better.”

“I was on my way back to my office from the library when I heard you playing, and I know that you're the only person in the castle plays the guitar.”

“Ready to go home?”

“I was just about to ask you the same question.”

“You know what they say,” Harry replied. “Great minds think alike.”

Hermione smiled as Harry reshrunk his guitar and put it in his pocket.

He then put on his coat and offered Hermione his arm and together they walked to the gates so they could apparate home.

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