To Hate the One She Loved
As Ginny Weasley sat cross-legged on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean, she reflected on the memories that she and Harry had shared: those few minutes in the Chamber of Secrets, fighting Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, Harry spending the summers at the Burrow, fighting Death Eaters again in her sixth year, playing Quidditch alongside each other, the long kiss after winning the Quidditch cup for the fourth year running. Even the small things were demonstrative of how much they'd loved each other. But if Harry had loved Ginny, then why had he left her?
Why did he have to leave her in the cold, with an empty heart? The Death Eaters had lost, Voldemort was dead, and the wizarding world was peaceful. What in the name of Merlin would Harry be doing, if he wasn't playing hero? Had he found a long lost sibling, or some other family member? That possibility made Ginny smile; she knew how much Harry wished he had a true family. But when Ginny thought of something worse, her smile faded. What if Harry had found another girl? Had he betrayed Ginny for someone new?
Suddenly she found herself despising him, hating his very soul for making her love him. Why even bother, if he was just going to break her heart? Bitter resentment flowed through her, now toward herself for falling for Harry. She felt . . . she felt . . . she didn't know what to feel. Was it right to hate the one she had loved so dearly? No, she decided. It was my own fault for letting myself love him . . .
And why had she loved him? Because he had saved her life; no doubt she'd thought that the great Harry Potter would be her knight in shining armor, her Prince Charming. But now that she knew better, she could see that that wasn't what Harry had had in mind.
Ginny sighed. She stood up, shook back her long mane of fiery red hair, and went to find an empty place to Disapparate. But when she looked around, her worst fear was confirmed–– Harry was sitting on top of a short wall not too far away from her, holding hands with Luna Lovegood.
Sighing again, Ginny looked away and turned on the spot, disappearing and reappearing again at her brother George's house. It was time to start over.