(A/N: Hey guys, I know it's been a long time, but I just had this idea in my head and I couln't get it out. This fic is based on the song, "Stay With Me" by Josh Gracin. I think that song rocks, and when I heard it the other day I got this picture in my head, and this is what it is. Hope you enjoy!)
Stay With Me:
The inhabitants of Grimmauld Place had only a slight knowledge of Number Twelve. Those who had lived on the street long enough told stories of how the mansion had burned down long before this section of town became a suburb of London. They remember the construction of their own houses and how purchaser after purchaser had bought the land where the burned out mansion once stood and made many attempts at building their own outward token of their success.
No one had counted on the land being cursed, though. Construction workers either never showed up for work, or would suddenly forget how to do their jobs once they reached the site. The local court systems were tied up for a while with the owners suing the contractors.
After a decade of trying to lay foundation on Number Twelve, it seemed the world had suddenly forsaken that bit of land. Number Eleven and Number Thirteen were quite content with sharing a bare lot between them, and thus Grimmauld Place had gone without a Number Twelve for many, many years.
The Neighborhood has since fallen into a bad state, but was still conceived as a lovely part of London where equally lovely old homes are. But the fact remains that Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place is cursed. Or so its neighbors whisper whenever visitors ask about the empty lot.
A young man could be seen walking down Grimmauld. Anyone who happened to look out their windows at this stranger could see that he had a certain anticipation in his gait. It was quite clear that this boy had business somewhere and was hurrying to get wherever it was he was going. Anyone who looked longer saw that this same boy stopped in front of the empty lot of Number Twelve.
A loud snap! The boy was gone! But wait, what boy? Those who were looking out their windows couldn't remember what had distracted them and they turned away, shaking their heads, and forgetting all about the boy.
The young boy didn't just disappear into thin air, although he was studying how and would soon take his test on disapparating and apparating at will. No, he had entered Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, which wasn't just an empty lot, but a hidden mansion, shielded from the eyes of Muggles and intruders alike.
Harry Potter, the boy who lived. Currently titled The Chosen One. Number Twelve was his place now, left to him in his Godfather's will. He had dreamed of once living here with Sirius, perhaps learning a bit of magic from him he wouldn't have been able to learn at school. All those dreams were gone now, and left in their place was this dingy old house, barely fit to live in.
Oh, Molly Weasley had cleaned it up nice. The whole year the Order had met there she had cleaned, getting rid of dangerous magical objects and rooting out all the unwanted pests. Furniture had been cleaned, and the floors and walls washed. But no amount of cleaning could change the look of what Harry saw. It would always be cold and dark to him.
Sighing deeply and clinching his fists, Harry berated himself for indulging in his sorrow. He had much more important things to do than cry like a baby. Harry passed through the entrance and headed up the stairs. The second door to the right had been Sirius' while he was living here as a teenager. When the Order came here the door had been sealed.
"His Mother did it when he moved out," Molly informed Harry when he asked about it after Sirius' death. "She vowed no one would ever get in."
Too bad for her, Harry thought. The door had been unsealed by Arthur just before the Order left. Harry had never been inside, but ever since he had heard about it he had been dying to enter. He wanted to see what the room looked like, if it would tell him more about Sirius that he didn't already know. Taking a deep breath Harry twisted the doorknob and opened the door.
It was dark and Harry couldn't see anything.
"Lumos!" Harry shouted, and his wand instantly flickered before him and cast most of the contents of the room into light.
All Harry could see at first was a bed, some dressers and a rug on the floor. He stepped further into the room and noticed some lamps running along the wall. Harry lit them with his wand and the whole room shined before him.
The air in the room smelled musty and dead. Everywhere Harry stepped a cloud of dust pushed off the floor and surrounded his ankles. There were cobwebs over everything, but nothing big and harry. Harry didn't notice much of that, though. He was busy looking at the life Sirius had led when he was Harry's age.
There were posters on the wall of a band and some Quidditch teams. On the bed were a pair of trousers and a tie with the Gryffindor Lion emblazoned on it. Harry picked the tie up and rubbed his thumb over the lion. A tear came to his eye as he set it back down and glanced around. The dresser shelves were full of knickknacks that a teenaged wizard would collect. Some quills, products from Zonko's and pictures.
Harry picked up the nearest picture and could see a very young Sirius, about five or six, with another boy a little older. Siriu's face was smiling and he was waving. The other boy looked more grim, but he was also waving. The next picture was Sirius at twelve, standing in front of the Hogwart's Express. There were other students rushing past the camera, trying not to get in the shot, while Sirius looked embarrassed to have this moment of his life immortalized in a picture. The last picture was Sirius much older now with an all too familiar pal hanging on his shoulder.
"Dad." Harry touched his finger to his Father's image. He quickly put the picture back down before he almost made himself cry once more. He had work to do.
"Hello?" Ginny Weasley called into empty house. "Hello, Harry?"
Ginny closed the door after her and walked further into Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. She had a basket in her hands with a savory aroma issuing from beneath the red and white checkered cloth, causing Ginny's stomach to grumble.
"Harry, are you here?" Ginny called again, but this time there was anxiety in her voice. She quickly took her wand out of her pocket and held it in front of her.
A noise was coming from somewhere up above and then the sound of feet on the stairs. Ginny's grip on her wand tightened as a pair of legs came into view. The legs were followed by the rest of Harry and relieved, Ginny put her wand back.
"Ginny, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, surprised at this visit.
"Mum said you'd be here." Ginny smiled. "She had me bring some food for you. She was worried you'd starve."
Harry smiled faintly. He had been in Sirius' room all day cleaning it and his hair and cloths were covered in dust. He somehow didn't want Ginny to see him in this state.
"Great, take it to the kitchen and I'll just clean up." Harry left Ginny and climbed back up the stairs.
Ginny sighed, then went down to the kitchen. Things between Harry and her had been a little awkward since the end of last term. They were fine when others were around, but when it was just them there seemed to be this empty silence between them filled with things unsaid. The only things she could think to talk about was the weather.
"Stupid Ginny, just be normal." Ginny said to herself as she made the table and set the food out.
Harry came in presently. Though his hair was still unruly, it was no longer covered in dust and he had on new clothes. He looked at the table and smiled.
"Excellent." Harry said, sitting down. Then he looked confused. "There's only one setting."
"Yeah, about that," Ginny tried to laugh a little. "I told Mum I'd drop off the food for her, she's busy, you know, what with the wedding. I promised I'd be back to help out."
"Bill and Fleur tying the knot then?"
Ginny nodded. After a long pause Ginny began to head out the door.
"Wait, Gin!" Harry called before she left the room. "Eat with me?" Harry could see she was about to protest, but he interrupted her. "It'll only be ten minutes. I'm sure your Mum can spare you."
Ginny looked apprehensive, but just to prove to herself that she could have a civilized conversation with Harry, she sat down. She pulled her wand out and brought a plate, cup and silverware over to herself.
"Shall we dig in then?"
Thirty minutes later, after the pumpkin juice was emptied and the roast was eaten, both Ginny and Harry were full. At the beginning of the meal things started off as usual, very awkward. But then, as things progressed, they began to talk of the last few years and laughed about jokes they shared. It wasn't until the clock struck 9:00 that Ginny realized how much time she had spent there.
"Oh my, Mum's going to go ballistic!" Ginny began piling the empty food trays into the basket and covered it with the clock. She charmed the dishes to clean themselves and put them away. As she walked to the door she said, "Can't believe time flew by so fast. You know what they say! Mum must be worried, though I'm still safe and not in any danger. Wonder what she'll say when I get..."
Ginny had been about to open the door when Harry stepped in front of her.
"Ginny, your Mum's not going to worry, you're with me." Harry smiled.
Ginny was quite sure that that is what her Mum would be worried about.
"Harry, I have to help with the wedding. It's this weekend, and..."
Again Harry cut her off, "Please—stay just a little bit longer? I'll show you what I've done so far with Sirius' room."
Reluctant to stay, but even more reluctant to leave, Ginny nodded her head. Harry took the basket from her hand and placed it on the floor in front of the entrance. He led her up the stairs and into Sirius' room.
The room was no longer covered in dust and cobwebs. Ginny was surprised to see that it was even cleaner than her room at home. She wondered how long Harry had been up here, cleaning, something no normal boy would do willingly.
"Wow, Harry, it looks great." Ginny looked around at the posters and the things atop the dressers.
"Wait till you see this."
Harry went to a wardrobe that was hidden in an alcove. He opened it up and inside were a few pieces of clothing hanging up, but Harry didn't go for the clothes. At the bottom was a drawer and Harry pulled it open. He looked up at Ginny and motioned for her to join him down on the floor. Ginny knelt down beside him and watched as he pulled out different pieces of papers.
"These," He said holding a stack of small square papers. "Are notices from school. Either they were intrusted to him to give to his parents, or he intercepted the owls. Look."
Harry held up the first one which read: To Mr. and Mrs. Black. Your child has caused much disruption in my class. He has even gone so far as to claim ignorance on how his Transfiguration partner was turned into a snail. We do not tolerate such behavior at school and advice you punish him, as we have already taken away his privileges here at school. Thank you, Minerva McGonagall.
Ginny laughed, and went through the other notices and laughed at each one.
"I'm surprised he wasn't suspended." Ginny said after the last one was read.
Harry scoffed. "You think Hogwart's would suspend the son of a wealthy and prominent figure in the Wizarding World? I'm sure Dumbledore thought about it, but the School Board would never."
Harry showed her some other papers, mostly letters. There was even a love letter which was signed Sylvie S.
"Wonder who she is." Ginny said when she was finished. "Sounds like she really loved him."
"Don't know," Harry put the rest of the papers back. "I've never heard of a Sylvie. She may not even have been a Hogwart's student."
The moment of silence between them was thick, thicker than usual. Ginny didn't know what words to say that would break this awful spell between them. After a few moments reflection she realized that no amount of words would do it. She leaned towards Harry, keeping her eyes on his. Her face was reflected in the emerald green pools and she noticed that she never looked as beautiful when reflected in a mirror, as she did just now. She leaned in closer, her breath getting deeper, lips parting slightly, and...
"Well, I suppose you'd best be going." Harry quickly got up and walked over to the door.
Angered at what Harry had just done, Ginny got up just as quickly, though she had no intention of leaving just yet. She stood still, staring at Harry. Harry looked wildly around the room, resting his eyes on anything except Ginny. Finally, Ginny couldn't stand it any more.
"What is your problem?" Ginny almost yelled.
"I—I don't under..."
"Of course you understand, Harry." Ginny walked over to the bed and sat down. "I'm not leaving until the air is cleared."
"But your Mum—the wedding plans..." Harry didn't know what else would induce Ginny to leave.
"Harry, we need to talk."
Harry ran his hand through his untidy hair and looked at his feet. "Gin, please..."
"No. How long are we going to go on like this?" Ginny's voice calmed slightly. "Things aren't the same between us. I don't know if we're friends, more than friends...less than friends." Ginny tried to keep her voice even, now that her emotions were coming through. "Whenever I see you I get this fluttery feeling inside me and my heart beats faster. I always want to be near you, to help you and be there when you need someone. When you're not around, you're in my thoughts and I can't stop thinking about you." She paused now, "Harry, my heart's always be faster for you."
Harry had known about Ginny's crush on him ever since he first went to the Weasley's house. He had sense that it had died down as they got older, but only to be replaced with something else last year.
"Ginny, I don't know what to say. I just...I can't think right now."
"Why won't you let me get near you." Ginny saw that Harry's head bounced up and he looked her straight in the eyes. "You keep me away, but why?"
Harry shook his head as memories came flooding in. His Mum and Dad's screams, watching Cedric as his life was taken, watching Sirius as he fell into the unknown. He couldn't take it any more. There were more emotions inside of him than he could handle. He needed to let them go, to get them out somehow.
"Harry?" Ginny could see the turmoil he was going through. "You always want me to stay, but you never want me near..."
Harry rushed to Ginny, grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her slightly frightened eyes. He saw himself in those eyes. He saw who he had been, who he was now and who he wanted to be. Without another moment lost Harry pressed his lips against Ginny's. Each moment against her body was like a moment of new life to Harry. Ginny reached up to to wrap her hands around his neck. Their kiss was broken for a second. Trying to read Harry's thoughts, Ginny looked into his eyes. Harry stared back.
"Harry, I--"
"Shh," Harry put his fingers to her lips, then slowly let them slide away, down her chin, throat and to her blouse.
Ginny bit her bottom lip, her heart beating much faster now. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins at an amazing speed as Harry touched her. Her hands were still around his neck and to keep from falling she held on tight to his broad shoulders.
Harry looked into Ginny's eyes for any sign of apprehension, anything that would tell him this was not what she wanted. He wanted Ginny more than anything, needed her more than air, but above all else he did not want to make her do anything she was not ready for. Understanding his thoughts, Ginny smiled, and nodded her head slightly. Harry smiled again, gently laid her against the pillows, and was mystified by how beautiful Ginny was with the flames and shadows dancing across her face and hair. Keeping his eyes on Ginny's, he leaned in and began to kiss her, this time more passionately, relishing each second.
The End? We'll see...