Choose Your Own Drarry
(or not Drarry, as it may be in some scenarios)
Okay. I'm going to try something I've been desperately wanting to attempt for quite some time. Do you remember those old Choose Your Own Adventure books? I loved those when I was a kid!
Anyway, here's what Wikipedia has to say about them:
Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's
gamebooks where each story is written from a second-
person point of view, with the reader assuming the role
of the protagonist and making choices that determine
the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. The
series was based on a concept created by Edward
Packard and originally published by Constance Cappel's
and R. A. Montgomery's Vermont Crossroads Press as
the "Adventures of You" series, starting with Packard's
Sugarcane Island in 1976.
Choose Your Own Adventure, as published by Bantam
Books, was one of the most popular children's series
during the 1980s and 1990s, selling more than 250
million copies between 1979 and 1998. When Bantam,
now owned by Random House, allowed the Choose Your
Own Adventure trademark to lapse, the series was
relaunched by Chooseco, which now owns the CYOA
trademark. Notably, Chooseco does not reissue titles by
Packard, who has started his own imprint, U-Ventures.
So. I'm going to try this format. It's not going to be second-person PoV, but each chapter is going to end with the reader—YOU—having to make a choice.
Warning! You will NOT be able to read straight through this, chapter by chapter. If you attempt to do so, you will be VERY confused.
^^ Instructions – will repeat (and be expanded) at the end of this chapter!
Hope you enjoy. *crosses fingers that I'm able to do this*
Chapter One
Harry stood there, right in the middle of his bedroom, staring at Ginny Weasley, his mouth hanging open stupidly in his confusion. He just...couldn't believe she was breaking up with him.
"But...why?" was all he could say.
Ginny snorted. "If you have to ask me that, Harry, then there's more wrong here than even I was aware of."
She'd made her decision that morning, when Harry'd left for work. She'd tried—once again—to engage him in sex before letting him out of bed, but he hadn't been interested. He was never interested and she was tired of it. Not that she was a sex fiend or anything, but...well, it just wasn't normal for a twenty-three year old man to not want sex. Was it?
Harry frowned. "How can I fix what's wrong if you won't even tell me."
Sighing, she went to him and curled her arms around him, then pulled him down into a kiss. He kissed her back instantly, but...there wasn't any passion in it. He just kissed because she did. After a few moments, Ginny backed away and stared up at the man she loved.
"You don't want me Harry," she said plainly as she turned and picked up the one bag of things she'd packed. She could—and would—come back for the rest of her things later.
"What are you talking about, Gin?" he asked. "Of course I want you." His eyes went to her shouldered bag and he frowned. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to Ron and Hermione's, of course. They said I could crash on the sofa for a bit," she said, biting her lip. "Until you figure things out."
"W-what? That's not fair," he said. "You're leaving me and not telling me why...and going to my friends' house, so I can't even go there and talk to them about this."
Ginny looked at the floor. "I'm sorry, Harry, but...I don't really have anywhere else to go. I just can't face my parents right now."
Harry scoffed. "Are you kidding me? You're the one with parents and five brothers to turn to and you choose the one brother that I'm friends with. Nice!" He started pacing. He felt frustrated and alone.
Ginny's eyes welled. "Don't be like that, Harry," she said. "I...I don't know what else to do."
Sighing, Harry ran a hand through his always-disheveled black hair, then nodded. "Fine. I need to know why you're doing this though," he said, almost begging.
"And I need you to figure it out on your own," she responded. "You won't believe me if I tell you. It's just a hunch, mind, but...I think I'm right."
Harry stared at her for a moment, then nodded again. "All right. I'll try."
This caused the tears in Ginny's eyes to streak down her cheeks. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
Reaching out, Harry pulled his girlfriend—ex-girlfriend, he supposed—into his arms and held her. She clung to him as if her heart were breaking. She was breaking up with him, but he felt like the bad guy. "It's...fine, Gin," he said, hoping that he'd figure out what it was he'd done and how it could be fixed.
"You know," he went on, "you could stay here and I could leave."
She shook her head against his chest and held on for dear life. "No. Ron's expecting me."
"Does he know what's going on?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling quite stupid. If his best mate knew what the fuck was going on before he did, then Harry might just... Well, he'd be mortified.
"NO!" Ginny said firmly. "I owled Hermione today and she said it would be okay if I stayed. Ron owled me later, but...I've told them nothing."
Harry sighed, relieved...though he wasn't quite sure why. "All right then," he said, just standing there staring at her.
Backing away, Ginny wiped at her tears. "I'm going to go."
Harry nodded. "You'll check in though, right? I mean, you're not going to disappear on me?"
Smiling sadly, Ginny nodded. "Yeah, I'll check in. And no, I'm not going anywhere, but...I am breaking up with you, Harry. I know you don't understand right now, but you will. And you'll thank me when the time comes. I promise."
Harry snorted. "Don't count on it."
Rushing forward, because she didn't think she'd be able to follow through if she didn't leave now, Ginny Weasley kissed Harry one more time, then rushed to the Floo.
"Take care, Harry," she said. "I'll always love you. No matter what."
And then she was gone.
~oOo~
After Ginny left, Harry collapsed onto their bed—his bed—and tried to think about what he might have done to drive her off. He couldn't think of a single thing. Neither he, nor she, were very demanding, so...it's not like one of them had asked the other for something unreasonable. In fact, everything had been going just great. Or so it seemed—to him. Harry was completely confused.
"I need a drink," he said aloud as he sat up. His first thought was the liquor cabinet downstairs—but then he thought better of it and stood up.
Out! he thought. I need to get out!
Then his eyes went to where he'd thrown his robes. Being winter, it was fairly cold out, but...robes or a coat? That was the question. Should he hit a wizarding drinking establishment or a Muggle pub? Harry Potter loved magic, but sometimes a man just needed time on his own.
Time to choose!
Should Harry Potter go have a drink in a place he's likely to run into people he knows (i.e. a wizarding place)? (go to chapter 2)
OR
Should Harry Potter venture out into the Muggle world to have a drink in "peace"? (go to chapter 3)
Notes/WARNINGS!
1. Do NOT attempt to read this chapter by chapter...that will NOT work!
2. This is my version of a Choose Your Own Adventure book—and, as the title suggests, you are partially in control of the story.
3. At the end of each chapter, you will have to CHOOSE which way to go and go to that chapter only.
4. New chapters will be put up periodically...I currently have six chapters written, one of which has a The End.
5. I will TRY to always complete all end-of-chapter choices before updating. This will be tricky, because, with each chapter, comes more choices...which makes for a lot more writing for me with each update...unless I end a branch, which I've already done once (see number 4).
6. You can think of this like a tree, with MANY branches...with chapter one, there are only two choices...but once chapters two and three are posted, there'll be two more choices for each—which means four more chapters. As I've already said (in number 4), one of them comes to an end.
7. It will be a few days (probably) before I upload chapters two and three. Please be patient.
Questions/comments? Message me or review. Thanks for giving this a go!