Chapter 1: Hooked On You
Disclaimer: I own nothing, I bow down to J.K. Rowling in all circumstances.
Ginny Weasley stood amongst the masses of clothes now sprawled across her floor and pondered the question that often plagued young girls.
"How is it possible that I have a closet full of clothes and absolutely nothing to wear?"
To anyone outside the Weasley family, today would simply seem to be another normal day (Or at least as normal as any day was in a wizarding household), but Ginny and her family knew better than to believe that any day would ever be "normal" again. Although most days were marked by exploding snaps or screaming yo-yos, today held more of a sense of mystery than it did pranks. The date was the 30th of July, a day before the famous Harry Potter's 17th birthday. All members of the Weasley family had somehow managed to come together to be there for Harry, when he needed them the most, and had planned a surprise party in honor of him leaving boyhood and turning into the man they all knew must defeat the Dark Lord. The party was originally Hermione's idea, who had taken up with the Weasleys a week after school ended when her parents decided that she was safer around people such as herself, people that could protect her from the worst. Fred and George were due to arrive with Harry in about an hour, and Ginny was out of her mind trying to find something absolutely perfect to wear.
"Hermione!" Ginny wailed, still standing surrounded by the contents of her closest.
"I need your help!"
Ginny stood silent for a moment as she listened to the pattering noise of Hermione's feet carrying her up the stairs and into Ginny's bedroom. Even though they were a year apart, Hermione was the closest friend Ginny had, in or out of Hogwarts.
"What do you need, Gin? I was really starting to get focused on my studying, and I definitely think this year we're going to need to know all the spells we can…" Ginny focused in on Hermione when she began hinting at the things they all knew were to come. This year, it was a now or never time for Harry to finally finish off Lord Voldemort. Everyone in their world knew it now, and with the death of Dumbledore, the pressure to succeed was intense.
"This is going to sound so totally irrelevant after you've brought up certain doom, but whatever. I can't find anything to wear," Ginny saw Hermione smile out of the corner of her eye.
"Thank god someone had something else to discuss except the bloody war." Hermione said, sounding relieved. It wasn't in her nature to curse, but lately it seemed necessary. Ginny understood exactly how she felt and smiled gratefully at her friend.
"I just… want to knock him dead. Okay, okay, bad way of wording that one. I want to make him, I don't know – Miss me," Ginny said cautiously, waiting for the lecture she was certain her friend was going to give her about getting over him.
Hermione walked over to Ginny and hugged her, signaling that it was alright, "He does miss you, Ginny. Believe me, he writes me all the time and asks how you are and what you're up to. I haven't seen him this obsessed with anything since he discovered what Posh Spice looked like in a bathing suit," Ginny laughed as Hermione continued speaking, "he just – doesn't know how to handle it. He thinks that pushing you away is the only way he can keep you safe, but it isn't, it's the one sure-fire way to see that you're injured. That's why I'm actually going to, god-forbid, walk away from the studying and help you pick out the hottest thing you could possibly wear, because you need to make him understand that he needs you and that without you, he's rubbish."
Ginny smiled genuinely and sat down in the mounds of clothing with her eyes closed.
"Up, up! You look like hell, Ginevra Weasley." Hermione was standing in the corner of her bedroom holding up a cream wrap sundress.
"I don't even remember buying that, where did you find it?" Ginny mused, looking utterly confused.
"You didn't buy it – I bought it last summer when I went to Prague. I later found out that it was one of those things that looked better on the hanger than it looked on me, but all the same, it would be gorgeous on you." Ginny sighed and grasped the hanger that held the dress.
"Well, it's worth a shot…"
"I must admit, this is my best work yet," Hermione stated as she looked at Ginny in the mirror. Ginny checked herself over once and even she had to say, she did look rather stunning. Hermione was right, as usual, about the dress. The color worked perfectly with her skin and hugged her curves. Make-up had always been Ginny's downfall, so Hermione volunteered to apply it. Not being aware that Hermione even knew how to put on make-up, Ginny was pleasantly surprised with her peach lips and creamy complexion.
"I'll bet my kidney that Harry will ask you to marry him right then and there after he sees you like this," Hermione boasted, confident.
"Herm, you only need one kidney. That isn't really a big risk."
"Well, in the unlikely case that he doesn't propose, I don't want to suffer for it. Jeez, Gin, think about others occasionally," Hermione giggled while she curled the last part of Ginny's hair. As much as Ginny hated to admit it, she had been really anxious to see Harry. True, he did break up with her at the end of their last school year but that didn't make her love him any less than she had since she first met him. There was something about those brilliant green eyes that made everything forgivable.
"Ginny! Hermione! Come downstairs, Fred and George should be back with Harry any minute!" The familiar voice of her mother startled her out of her reverie and she was drawn back into what was about to happen.
"Alright, Gin. Let's head downstairs, heaven knows Molly will strangle us if we aren't there to greet Harry," Hermione said as she walked into the hallway.
"Tell mum I'll be there in a second, I've just got to freshen up." Hermione nodded and started descending down the stairs.
"Just breathe…" Ginny told herself as she took one last glance in the mirror. She knew it was childish, but she crossed her fingers and prayed that Harry would love her. They needed each other, if only he would just see it.
"Ginny, dear, you look lovely," her mother said as she fussed with her hair.
"Mum, they're here!" Ron said from his spot on the windowsill. Ginny leaned over to peak through the window and saw a glimpse of the raven-haired boy she had fallen in love with. The door creaked open and Ginny looked expectantly at it.
"We're here!" Fred yelled after swinging open the door. Molly rushed past the twins to Harry, where she pulled him into a motherly hug and patted down his hair. Harry looked up at Ginny and the look of shock of his face was incredible. She could tell the work Hermione had done really paid off.
"So glad you're here, dear. Are you staying until school begins?" Mrs. Weasley inquired, while traveling back into the kitchen.
"Well, no… I was meaning to talk to you lot about this later, but I suppose now is as good of time as any," Harry said, looking around slightly nervous. Hermione and Ron stood up next to Harry and smiled encouragingly at him. Ginny was beginning to feel like she had been left out of the loop for far too long, and by the look on the faces of the remaining Weasley's, she was not alone.
"Before Dumbledore passed away, he told me that Voldemort created horcruxes – seven of them – that would prevent him from being killed if they were still around. Luckily, Dumbledore managed to track down and destroy a few of them, but I'm afraid the rest of it is up to me." The Weasley's glanced around, not sure whether to be fearful or proud. The shock had been so intense that they all briefly forgot to shudder at the mention of the Dark Lord's name.
"I'm sorry, but I can't go back to Hogwarts next year." Harry said slowly, as though it was going to soften the blow. Mrs. Weasley looked frantic and then for the first time realized that Harry was not alone. Ron and Hermione were standing up there next to him.
"Mum, I'm going with Harry." Ron said, standing tall.
Hermione followed suit, "I am too."
"But… no… I mean, you can't go… you're too young, far too young…" Mrs. Weasley started to say as she sat down at the kitchen table. Suddenly Ginny became very angry. Harry dumped her because he said he wanted to protect her but he's allowing Ron and Hermione to risk their lives to find a couple fucking horcruxes! And Hermione, the girl who was supposed to be her very best friend had known the whole summer and just failed to mention to her that Harry would rather spend time with his friends than go out with a stupid little girl. Oh no, this would certainly not do.
"Harry – can I talk to you? In private?" Ginny asked in what was supposed to be a sweet voice, but it just sounded bitter.
"Sure, Gin…" Harry looked as if he would rather kiss Mr. Weasley than follow Ginny, but he walked behind her up the stairs anyways.
Ginny paced the room before Harry arrived, carefully considering what to say and what not to say. Saying she loved him and begging for him to take her with him was definitely out of the question, no matter how appealing it looked. Yelling and throwing a fit, however, looked like a nice idea.
"Harry, what's the matter with you!" she yelled, praying that she wouldn't cry, "You tell me we have to break up because you're too concerned I'll get hurt but you let your friends tag along so you can track down parts of Voldemort! Excuse me if I'm wrong, but I consider finding parts of the Dark Lord to be a dangerous job!"
"Ginny, let me explain…"
"Explain what exactly? That you only dated me because you needed a distraction and that it meant absolutely nothing to you! Thanks for your consideration, Harry, but I really don't need an explanation," Ginny screamed before turning to walk out the door. She stopped suddenly and faced him again, the anger from her eyes gone and replaced with something he couldn't identify. Almost sadness, it looked like. Ginny walked back up to him and whispered something in her quietest voice before turning away and walking back through the door.
Ginny assumed she spoke too softly to hear what she had told him, little did her know that he heard her perfectly.
"I could have loved you my whole life."