Title: It Started At A Quidditch Match
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that is JKR's. In other words, the characters in this little thing.
Summary: Oneshot; set after 5th year. Ginny is with Harry, and Harry and Neville are good friends. The three go to a Quidditch game - what feelings will be revealed? Fluff, barely any angst, and just more fluff. HPGW, then NLGW. Harry is somewhat Slytherin; awww...
Warnings: Fluffy.
Pairing: Hint of RW/HG, more evident HP/GW, but later NL/GW.
Neville was great friends with Harry, especially after the Ministry fight in 5th year. He comforted his friend when Ron and Hermione went off together (which was now most of the time), and they created a stable relationship.
The problem was, this year, with Harry and Ginny together now, he felt uncomfortable. A third wheel, at most, since they were very nice and included him in for nearly everything. But that wasn't the main thing.
He liked Ginny. A lot. More than a friend. And that was the problem – he couldn't act that way since his friend was going out with his crush! It would be so weird!
And it was. So, he made his way out of the group, slowly. They didn't notice, much. Sometimes, Harry gave him a strange look, as if questioning what he was doing. He quickly moved on though. He still felt Harry's stare, even as his dorm-mate continued to look on.
Once, Harry invited Ginny and him to watch the Slytherin-Ravenclaw Quidditch match. He accepted the invitation without hesitation, to his amazement later. He might have been dreaming, but when he got there, it definitely was no dream.
"Gin, Nev, I'm going to the washroom." That was Harry, getting up from his seat.
"Alright, 'Ry. Be back soon." Ginny replied, taking a look at her boyfriend before returning to the game as he left.
Neville quivered slightly, nervous to the bone. Ginny didn't notice. But…he was alone! Well, not really. But considering Harry left, he was alone with Ginny! He shuddered again.
This time, Ginny turned. "Do you have a fever, Neville? Do you need to leave?"
He shook his head vehemently, before stuttering: "I think I need to go to the washroom as well."
Ginny blinked, before raising an eyebrow. "Go ahead, then. I'll wait for the two of you."
He got up quickly and left. Entering the washroom, he saw Harry washing his hands in the sink. "Harry…"
"What, already? I'm gone for less than five minutes and leave you with her, and you're already here? Good grief, Nev, I'm tired of this. Do you honestly like her that way or not?"
Neville stared. "H-how'd –" He noticed unconsciously that the washroom was empty of other people.
Harry chuckled. "It was obvious to me after awhile…well, at least after I stopped liking her that way. No, don't think it's your fault – I actually now prefer her as a sister than a lover."
Neville continued to stare. He was in shock. "Y-you don't like her anymore? Why? And then…why haven't you told her?"
Harry looked away, before replying. "I don't. I don't know how it came to this, but I don't like her anymore. I can't really imagine marrying her in the future and have kids and whatnot. It doesn't feel right. She's too much of a sister to me.
And…I haven't told her because she looked so…happy, every time. I was actually planning to break it to her today…Too much of a coward…" He looked up. "Let's go back out. Unless you were really going to use the washroom." He chuckled again, and walked out of the washroom.
Neville followed, thinking, 'No way…'
After the Quidditch match, they returned to the school. After dinner, Harry sent Ginny a note with Hedwig. Meet me in the Common Room at midnight or so. Until everyone is asleep, at least.
Ginny was curious for the whole night, but waited. When it was time, she quickly went down the stairs, careful not to wake any of her dorm-mates.
"Harry!" She whispered. The boy in question was on the couch, eyes closed. They opened slowly, and the green orbs turned to her.
"Ginny." Harry said. He closed his eyes again. "Can I ask?"
She sat down next to him. "Ask what?"
"For you not to throw a Weasley temper. For you not to run off crying and not moving on, or act like a clingy…well, vindictive biatch."
She stared. This all sounded too much like…like… "Are you going to break up with me?"
Harry sighed, and forced a bitter smile onto his face. "You were always smart."
She looked at him, contemplating. "Are you really?"
He nodded imperceptibly. Her eyes began to sting, and her heart began to slow down from the suspense, but it hurt, still. "Why?"
"I love you, I do. But more like a sister than anything else. It doesn't feel right to treat you as if you were my girlfriend when I don't feel that way anymore…it wouldn't have been fair to you."
"I'm…I'm like a sister to you?" She was calm. It didn't hurt that much anymore. Even though she nearly lost her head…err, mind, when he said that he did love her.
"Yeah. It felt like incest at one point, you know? Right after I found out that I didn't like you that way anymore."
She looked incredulous. "You have something against incest? I'll have you know, Fred and Geor–"
"I know that. Too early for my taste, but yes, I know of that. I don't have anything against it as a person; I just don't like being…part of it."
She nodded her head in agreement, but was not completely listening. "So…we're not together, then? Anymore?"
"No, we're not together anymore. I'm sorry, Ginny." He turned to look at her properly.
It was then that she began to cry, silently. He shifted over a bit, and hugged her, gently.
They stayed there for most of the night, before going separate ways.
Neville knew it had happened the next morning. Ginny was slightly more quiet than usual, and Harry had this aged look on his face, as if he finally realized that he had been through a lot. He comforted both of them, but at a distance. Especially from Ginny.
Ginny didn't boy-fast after hers' and Harry's break-up. They were both declared single a day after, and she had gone with Dean. None of her connections lasted long though; she always broke down at one point, the boys she dated eventually came to realize that she was still in a somewhat shocked mode – or still missing Harry. No one spoke up about it though. Neville saw all this through sad eyes.
It was once, during one of his few breaks, that he was taking a walk outside, and hearing the soft whimpers. It had taken only a few seconds for him to conclude that it was Ginny.
His Gryffindor side cheered him on. Go, comfort her! This is your chance to gain what you've been longing for the whole time! It won't hurt; you understand it all now.
But his other side, the one that had no name to it, said differently. You should wait. The chance will come – it's just not now.
In the future, he would come to realize that had he agreed with his other side, he would have never gotten another chance. As you can now imagine, his Gryffindor side finally won.
"Ginny!" He cried, horrified. She was in a kneeling position, hidden in a crevice in the castle wall. She was also crying a little, and held a little knife near her bare arm. She had yet to cut though – that probably was why she was crying and shaking. "Accio knife!"
"Never, ever do that again, Gin. You know better." He had lowered his voice to a whisper. She nodded, barely, and hugged him tightly. He sat down quickly, shocked.
"M'sorry…" came the soft reply. He began to blush at their closeness.
"I –"
"Will – "
They both paused. "You go first." Both of them said simultaneously. They laughed, and then Neville saw tears of mirth instead of tears of sorrow.
"You first." He managed to say. She blushed.
"I don't know if I should say this anymore. It comes too easily to my lips…" His direction focus zoomed in on the said lips. Ginny continued talking, but he didn't hear a thing.
Suddenly, the mouth stopped moving, and turned into a smirk. He looked up in surprise, simply to meet the lips he had been staring at the whole time.
"I like you, you know." She said into his slightly open mouth. He kissed her lightly, and leaned back.
"I like you, too. For some time, actually." He blushed further, the embarrassment catching up. Oops. He lost his bravery then.
Ginny grinned. "Good. Now, would you like to continue?" Before he could reply, they were kissing again.
Harry watched, smiling. Ah, so it did work out. Hands into his robe pockets, he walked off, back inside the castle. Mission complete.
A/N: Enjoy it? I actually did Harry and Ginny! But they broke it off...I sneaked on to post this, so don't expect anything soon...
