Chapter ONE;
"Ginerva Molly Weasley, will you be my wife?"
Ginny looked down at the handsome man, kneeling before her. His fingers were trembling on the open jewellery box, the sparkling diamond within blinded her. It froze her. She was unable to speak, unable to move. She briefly contemplated whether or not she was dreaming. This was a dream. A nightmare. By all rights, this should be a happy occasion. But Ginny dreaded the aftermath of what she was about to say, if she could ever untie her tongue and find the words.
"Ginny?" he croaked.
"Dean…" she started, but stopped. She had just regained her awareness of the crowded restaurant, all their eyes on her. Stage fright, now? She shook her head and continued, her eyes filled with tears that glistened like the diamond before her. "..I-I'm so sorry. I can't. I just can't."
She watched as his face changed from that all too familiar smile. All the colour had drained from his face. Before he could say a word in reply, she turned on her heels and ran from the restaurant, not daring to look back although she knew that Dean wouldn't follow. She briefly contemplated what would be going through Dean's mind right now. Would he be furious beyond belief? Or would he be sobbing uncontrollably? Or would poor Dean Thomas just feel completely numb.
"No. Don't think about that." she told herself, firmly. She stopped to wipe her own tears from her face, kicking off her heels, and then kept running as fast as she could.
Ginny knew exactly where she was going. Dean had a muggle mother, so he was accustom to dining in restaurants on special occasions. Tonight was their two-year anniversary, and he had insisted on going out for dinner to celebrate. She and Dean had come here on their first date outside of Hogwarts. She couldn't help but think back to that night. They had finished their meal, fed each other dessert and run off into the bushes in the park nearby, like a couple of giggling school kids. Her fingers wove within his short, curly black hair, her lips found his and they engaged in a passionate kiss.
She stopped dead in the middle of that same park, those same bushes, and fought to regain control of her heart rate.
She took a backwards glance at the restaurant, took a deep breath, and apparated to the only place she had ever called home; to The Burrow.
"OUCH!" Ginny cried.
Apparition had never been one of her strong points, given that she was unusually clumsy in the first place. On this particular instance, she had landed right in front of the chicken coop, gone to take a step forward and tripped over the garden hose. She silently cursed her father, whilst picking herself up off the ground. Why did he feel the need to utilize stupid Muggle inventions when he could just use 'Aguamenti' to muck out the chicken coop? She brushed the leaves off her dress and removed the twigs from her hair.
"Ginny?" an incredulous voice called out from the dark. "Is that you?"
Ginny stopped dead, and pulled her wand out of her back pocket. The figure moved out from the shadows and into the dim light shining from the kitchen out into the backyard. Ginny wished she could die, right then and there rather than let anyone see her in the state she was in.
"What on earth are you doing here?" the person asked, still shocked.
Her lips trembled, remembering for the first time exactly why she had returned home. Her eyes welled up, threatening to overflow with salty tears. "I could ask the same of you, Harry. How did you know I was here?" she replied, her voice quiet.
"I've been staying here for a little while. In your room, actually. I saw you through the window." He admitted sheepishly. "I was living at Sirius' house, but the mere presence Kreacher and Mrs. Black meant I couldn't hear myself think, let alone sleep. Anyway, it's good to see you stop by for a visit, I haven't seen you in a while. Everyone's asleep at the moment, though. Next time you should probably wait until daylight hours before showing up to surprise everyone. You know, for the grand effect."
He walked over to her, embraced her in a tight hug, and kissed her cheek. He pulled back almost immediately.
"Ginny? Why is your face wet? Have you been crying? What's wrong?"
"D-Dean just p-proposed to me and I said n- no." She sobbed quietly, and fell to the ground.
Harry sat down beside her and put his arm around her. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head, and placed it on Harry's shoulder. "Maybe in the morning. Right now, I just want to sit here for a while and then go up to my bed. Oh, shoot. Your bed. I'll – "
Harry had put a finger to her lips, effectively shutting them. "I'll sleep on the couch. You can have your bed back. I apologize in advance for the mess. Would you like me to stay with you?"
Her face twisted. "I'd really like to be alone for a little while. Sorry, Harry. I just need time to collect my thoughts, and then I'll be up to bed." She smiled. "The sooner I can go to bed, the sooner I can surprise everyone tomorrow!"
"Okay. Goodnight, Gin. I love you." He said quietly, kissing her on the cheek.
He got up, walked back inside and left her sitting out in the cold night, feeling more confused than ever.