Summary: It's short, yes. It sucks, yes. But whatever. I can't really summarise it, so just read it and find out what happens.

Rating: R for suicidal stuff

A/N: Since the chapters are so short, I'm posting them all up at once. Enjoy. Or don't, whichever you choose.

His Collar, His Love by Apricot-chan

Chapter One - I Have Never Seen

From the day he got it, Tyler's collar was like a security blanket to him. It was a plain blue dog's collar, a blue bone-shaped tag saying his name attached to it, around his neck. Symbolising everything he was. Everything he loved. Animals. His collar. The only thing he ever really called his own was that collar. He got it from an anonymous friend, and he immediately grew attached to it. He never took it off, not even to sleep. It was his love. His love before her.

Her who? Ginny Weasley, that was who. He was Sorted in Hogwarts (as a Muggle-born) into Gryffindor, the same year she was. He found himself thinking of her all the time. He watched her through her infatuation with Harry Potter, watched her get over him, watched her and Michael Corner. Just watched, never spoke, never touched. He didn't believe himself worthy of such a girl. She was far from beautiful, but to him, yes, she was very beautiful. She was the most beautiful. And one day, finally. Finally it happened. She noticed him. She saw him, spoke to him, touched him. He remembered that day clearly, that first real meeting, that first conversation. It was the day she (and he) returned to Hogwarts for her fifth year.

He found himself, very suddenly, thrown into a compartment alone with the beautiful redhead, and since Ginevra Weasley was never one for silence, she extended her hand to him. "I'm Ginny Weasley." He stared at her for a few seconds. Ginny Weasley was giving him the chance to come into contact with her. He still did not believe himself worthy of her presence, much less her touch. "I'm Tyler Louis," he finally said, shaking her hand. She smiled at him - at him. She was so much more beautiful when she smiled. "I know. We have classes together, don't we?" "Some," he replied, then mentally kicked himself. She is offering you a chance, Tyler. Talk to her. Do not seem so distant. Ginny, not at all pleased with his short answer, sighed inwardly and tried not to appear disappointed. "Yes... I er... I play on the Gryffindor Quidditch team." "Do you really?" he said, showing a bit more interest and conveying it through his words. Note to self: Try out for a position in Quidditch. "Yeah, I was Seeker when Harry got banned but I'm going to try out for Chaser this year. There's two open spots for Chaser." Another note: Try out for Chaser.

"I might try out, too. I was thinking about it earlier this summer." Ginny smiled; this was more the response she wanted from him. "Are you good?" "I'm not great, but I'm okay. I mean... I think I'm okay... I could be horrible and not even realise it."

"Oh, I bet you're good," Ginny said; she was still smiling, and he wished she'd stop. She was so beautiful when she smiled it was nearly painful. Thankfully, he was spared coming up with something else to say when the compartment door slid open and three people entered: Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Draco was first to speak. "Oh, I see it's the Weasel's little sister... you seem to be very..." his eyes swept mockingly over Tyler, "Alone." Tyler glared at Draco. He'd never liked Malfoy, and this just put the icing on the cake, now, didn't it? Or the poison on it...

"Leave." Tyler said simply. Malfoy looked rather taken aback that this... this Mudblood would dare to tell him to do anything. "What did you say to me, Louis?" "I said, leave. If you have trouble understanding plain English, I suggest taking a few Muggle courses to help you learn better," Tyler said. Malfoy glared at him, but swept out of the compartment. It was a moment before Tyler's calm rage subsided and he noticed Ginny was looking at him admiringly.

"I have never," she said, "seen Draco Malfoy take orders from anyone." Then she smiled. "I think you and I could be great friends." Tyler smiled, too. I think so too, Ginny... I have thought so since the second I laid eyes on you...

Chapter Two - Just Why You Like The Rain

Throughout the remainder of the train ride, Tyler and Ginny maintained a comfortable silence for the most part. Ginny, for one, was wondering how someone like herself could have ended up sitting with such a boy; he was good-looking, brave, and he actually stood up for her. Malfoy hadn't been there to tease or taunt or torment Tyler; he'd been there for Ginny, and Tyler had stood up and put a stop to it before it even had a real beginning. She felt she could really begin to like Tyler if she got to know him better. Maybe even love him.

The train slowed to a complete stop and the compartment doors magically slid open. Ginny and Tyler got up, and ended up sharing a carriage to the school with Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, neither of which Tyler knew very well but both of which Ginny knew fairly well. She struck up a conversation with Luna and Neville, and Tyler couldn't help but notice how often she tried to get his opinion. She would present her veiws on whatever they were discussing, then turn and say, "What do you think Tyler?" By the end of the carriage ride, she was considering him a friend.

After dinner, Tyler's walk back to his dorm was a mostly lonely one. Ginny had been swept into a conversation with her brothers Fred and George, and some guy named Lee that Tyler didn't know much about. He sighed and kept his eyes on the ground all the way back to the dorm.

He dressed for bed but did not lie down; instead, he waited until he was sure the common room was empty, and then went back down and sat down in front of the fire, letting the warmth from the flickering flames wash over him. He was startled by footsteps coming down from the girls' dorms, and turned to see Ginny making her way down the stairs. She looked slightly surprised to find him there, but neither spoke until she was settled beside him. "I couldn't sleep," she said finally.

"Neither could I," he admitted, and did not add because I was thinking about you. Both of them lapsed into silence, and eventually they both did fall asleep, leaned against each other on the sofa.

The next morning, Ginny was woken up by the soft patter of raindrops on the windows and the distant rumble of thunder. Her eyes immediately opened and she was completely awake; Ginny loved the rain. She jumped up, forgetting Tyler was practically laying on her, and ran to the window. She watched the rain hit the windowpanes forcefully, with an almost crazed grin on her face. Tyler soon joined her, and she was nearly shocked when he pulled the window open. The raindrops splattered on his face and on the floor. The grin on his face nearly matched hers.

He stood there, watching the rain fall and feeling it hit his face, and in the middle of it all he felt a cold, wet hand creep into his own, and felt Ginny leaning against him. In that one instant, all his dreams were coming true.

Chapter Three - Right There Beside Her

Ginny's life was slowly falling apart. For reasons no one, not even she, knew, she had broken up with Tyler earlier that month. The second war was upon them and she found herself in the hospital wing nearly every other day, whether it be for something a Slytherin did or for the cuts slowly appearing on her wrists. The thing that hurt the most about that was that Tyler was always the first to come see her, ask how she was doing, and for God's sake she didn't think she could bear to see that lost look in his eyes again. It had been there ever since the night she told him she didn't think it would work out between them, not with the war coming faster every day. The attacks on the castle were daily, the attacks on Diagon Alley hourly, and the attacks on Muggles? Forget it. Ron had been killed in the first week, and while it was hard for Harry to get over it, being Ron's best friend, Ginny had been Ron's sister.

Tyler's life was also slowly careening headfirst into nothingness. He fought against the Death Eaters as best he could, but it wasn't very good while he was spending every waking hour worrying about Ginny. He missed her horribly. He couldn't even try to stay friends with her; being near her and knowing she could never, would never be his hurt far too much. And then, one day...

"Mr. Louis!" Professor McGonagall called him into her office. He was running late for Divination, and he told her so, but she merely said, "You have been excused." and gestured him again into her office. He followed her inside. "Mr. Louis, Ginevra Weasley was a friend of yours, wasn't she?" Tyler looked down. "Yes." Professor McGonagall sighed and said, "She killed herself."

That was it. Short. To the point. Far from sweet. God. No, no no no no no. Not Ginny, not dead, not now. "Where is she?" "She is still up in her dorm... Madame Pomfrey cannot move her right now and will let no one else do it." Tyler was immediately on his feet and out of the office. Seconds later he arrived in the girls' dorms and found Ginny, her wrists cut and still bleeding, laying there on the floor. He darted forward and ended up sitting down there, her head in his lap, sobbing over her. But then he realised... the skin he was touching...

"She's still warm," he whispered, but he did not know any healing charms, nor would he leave her here, and moving her may reopen the wounds. He cried. He could not save her. Even as he held her he could feel the warmth left in her slip away. And as Ginny Weasley lost consciousness, Tyler removed his life and love from around his neck and placed it around hers. His collar. With shaking fingers, he lifted her switchbladed knife from the floor and, without hesitation, drove it deeply into his own wrist. It punctured the skin all the way through to the other side of his wrist. Nothing could save him. Nothing. And he laid down next to Ginny on the floor and died right there beside her.

A/N: That's it. I never think my stories are any good, and this one's no exception, but I think it's at least better than any of the ones I've done before this. And shock of shocks, it isn't slash.

Apricot-chan