She couldn't believe it. When Sirius had fallen backwards through the archway, her heart had almost stopped beating. Oh, the pain – and Harry felt it too, of course. But she couldn't tell a living soul what she hade felt for Harry's godfather, and at least, Harry could grieve when everyone else was looking. She hadn't told anybody. Why should she? They would just look at her as though she was turning mad, and then what? What could they say or do, nothing could give her - or Harry - Sirius back.
She turned around in her armchair and looked at Harry. He sat by the fireplace in the living room at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London. He suddenly looked up and met her eyes with his own green. She could see the fire reflected in his glasses. The black untidy hair was even more untidy now that before. It rained outside, and they could hear it pouring down the windows.
"How are you?" she asked, and regretted what she had said immediately. Those eyes made her shiver when they pierced her against the wall.
"I'm sorry, Harry," she said regretfully, "I shouldn't have asked... Oh, I'm so sorry." Harry turned away, a tear searching its way down his cheek. He leaned backwards in his armchair and cried silently. Ginny leapt up and fell to her knees in front of him.
"Harry," she said, lifting up his face so that he was forced to look at her. "Don't cry, please don't." Harry pulled her into a tight hug, still crying.
"Ginny, you're the only one who knows how I feel!" he cried out. She hugged him back before forcing him to let her go. She felt so embarrassed. This wasn't the way he wanted him to be. She wanted the happy and unconcerned Harry back.
"Harry," she started, "we all know how you feel. We all lost a friend out there." Harry made a strange noise through his nose, and she became angry.
"We did!" she said loudly. "Remus lost one of his oldest friends – imagine how he must have felt, Harry, first loosing your father, then Wormtail, and now Sirius! He's the last of the four Marauders now!" Harry gasped.
"And what about my parents? And Dumbledore? And all the rest in the Order, Harry?" She stopped for breathing a short second, and then she went on.
"Don't think that you're the only one grieving, Mr Harry Potter!" she spat out. "We all loved him, just like you did. And do you think that Sirius had wanted you to sit her on your royal bottom and cry all day long? Do you know what he did when You – know- who killed your father?" She didn't hesitate one single second to tell Harry this; he needed to hear this – even if it hurt her to see him crying like this.
"Ginny..." Harry began, his voice so low that she almost couldn't hear him, "don't..."
"Do you know what he did, Harry?" Ginny shouted, she too nearly crying. "Sirius Black took revenge!" Suddenly Harry stood up, his face white.
"And what am I doing, Ginny? Am I not fighting against him? Against Lord Voldemort, the man who killed my parents, Sirius, Cedric Diggory and almost your own father?" Ginny sank down in her armchair again, her face hidden in her hands.
"Harry..." she whispered, "I didn't mean to accuse you. I loved Sirius, just like you did." His face still white, but his green eyes now normal and not wet with tears, Harry sank down before her and looked at her. The fire gave his face a healthy look, and the face seemed so mild and generous. She noticed that his lower lip was trembling a bit. His eyes seemed to come closer and closer, she could feel his breath against her face. She was shivering.
"Ginny..." Harry started, and then looked away hastily before looking direct at her. "I think that I'm in love with you." Ginny's chin fell down slightly, but she picked it up again.
"Harry... I don't... I don't know what to say..." Harry noticed the startled look upon her face, and started to explain, a clumsy try to explain what he really felt.
"Every time I look at you, Ginny, I see the young woman you have become, and not the young girl you were when you started at Hogwarts. I mean, you fought the Death eaters this year and... "
"I'm only one year younger than you!" she protested, but he carried on.
"You are not Ron's little sister anymore. Suddenly, you're a whole new person, and... well... my heart is racing now. Your smile... I can hardly look at you!"
"Harry... I... "But Harry leaned forwards and kissed her softly. The incredible feeling of his lips against her own, his taste, they made her feel as though she was flying. He kissed her again, and again, and Ginny did nothing to stop him. Suddenly someone opened the door behind him.
"Are you all right, guys? I heard you shout and I thought.... Ginny!" Ginny almost jumped into the air, and Harry bit his lip.
"What are you doing?!" Ron's voice went up and down, as it did nowadays, and suddenly Ginny found herself smiling. She cast a quick glance at Harry, and saw that he was smiling too. He looked at her, before leaning backwards against her, looking up at her elder brother. He ran his hand through the black, untidy hair.
"Hello, Ron," he said calmly, with a glitter in his green eyes. "How are you?"