Almost Doesn't Count, a harry potter fanfic

Another random one-shot from me, Aideen. Little rather depressing one-shot about Ginny and Harry following their break up.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!!! The song is "Almost Doesn't Count" by Mark Wills and everything in the Harry Potter world belongs to the great and powerful (LOL) J.K. Rowling.

Dedicated to Christina. RIP, luv.

Almost Doesn't Count

Almost made you love me
Almost made you cry
Almost made you happy, baby
Didn't I, didn't I
You almost had me thinkin'
You were turned around
Everybody knows
Almost doesn't count

"I thought he loved me," Ginny whispered. Hermione patted her back gently.

"He does love you, Gin," she said soothingly, trying to find the words to comfort her friend. "He's just being…overprotective. You know how Harry is, Ginny. He thinks if he pushes you away you'll be safe from Voldemort. It's nothing against you."

"I thought he was happy," Ginny mumbled through her tears, apparently ignoring Hermione.

"He was happy," Hermione insisted. "He was almost….euphoric."

Ginny looked at her. "Almost doesn't count."

Almost heard you saying
You were finally free
What was always missing for you, baby
You'd found it in me
But you can't get to heaven
Half off the ground
Everybody know
Almost doesn't count

Hermione shook her head. "He told me that with you, he felt free. He wasn't the "Boy Who Lived, Savior of the Wizarding World;" he was just Harry Potter, boyfriend."

Ginny sighed. "I know he always feels like something's missing. I thought maybe he could find it with me, but I guess it's true what my great-aunt once said: You can't get to heaven when you're only half off the ground."

Hermione was at a loss for words. "Harry is just…he's…well it's almost like…"

Ginny looked at her again. "Almost doesn't count."

I can't keep lovin' you
One foot outside the door
I hear a funny hesitation
Of a heart that's never really sure
Can't keep on tryin'
If you're looking for more
Than all that I could give you
Than what you came here for

"I can't keep loving him when he has one foot outside the door," Ginny whispered. "Whenever he said that he loved me, I could hear a funny hesitation in his voice, like he wasn't really sure. I can't keep trying if he thinks he needs more, if he thinks that I'm not good enough."

"Gin, it's not that he doesn't think you're good enough, and it's not that he doesn't love you," Hermione said, fighting the urge to slap some sense into her friend. "It's just that he's afraid to love you. He's afraid that Voldemort will try to use you against him, which is also why he broke up with you. When Voldemort is defeated, you two will straighten everything out. I promise."

Gotta find somebody
Not afraid to let go
Want a no-doubt to be-there kind of girl (a/n: In our case, guy)
You came real close
But every time you built me up
You only let me down
And everybody knows
Almost doesn't count

Ginny shook her head vehemently. "No. I need to find somebody who isn't afraid to let go, a guy I have no doubt will be there when I need him. Harry came close, but every time I thought he built up my confidence in him, he just let me down."

"Ginny, you're being almost petty."

"Almost doesn't count, Hermione."

Almost two months later, Ginny just couldn't help herself. On Harry's birthday, she couldn't keep herself from kissing him. He looked shocked but smiled. Before anything else could be done or said, Ron interrupted them.

"Ginny, be careful," Ron cautioned her later. "I know Harry won't purposely hurt you, but I know how broken up you were a couple months ago about it. I just don't want to see you hurt so much again." Ginny sighed.

"It's alright, Ron. I know I can't keep loving him when he's got one foot outside the door, ready to run, and when there's a weird hesitation in his voice when he says he loves me, like he's not really sure. I can't keep trying to make it work if he's looking for something more, or if he's concentrating on Voldemort, or whatever he's doing. I know we almost worked, Ron, but I also know that almost doesn't count." Ginny turned and walked away.

Maybe you'll be sorry
Maybe you'll be cold
Maybe you'll come runnin' back
From the cruel, cruel world
Almost convince me
You're gonna stick around
But everybody knows
Almost doesn't count

Ginny stared out the window of the Gryffindor Common Room. She was the only one there, staring up at the moon, the same one she knew, somewhere, Harry was looking at too. "Maybe he'll be sorry," she whispered. "When he comes back, maybe he'll be cold. Maybe he'll come running back to me from the cruel world. Maybe he'll try to convince be he'll stick around. Maybe I'll believe him." Ginny sighed and turned away, only turn to back moments later.

Maybe I'll be there
Maybe I'll see ya 'round
That's the way it goes
Almost doesn't count

"Maybe I'll be there for him," she whispered. "Maybe I'll see him around. That's the way it goes, right?" She was trying to convince herself more than anything, she knew. In heart of hearts, she knew that she'd take him back if he asked. She knew Hermione was right. She'd almost gotten over him, but… "Almost doesn't count."

Okay, not exactly where I wanted to go with that…but it works. Anyways, let me know what you think!!!!