Title: Never
Author: IAmOneOfThem (Meghan)
Rating: K+
Synopsis: The war's just ended. Harry's left the great hall with Ron and Hermione and Ginny's confused. She thought he wanted her.
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its initial plots and characters belong to JK Rowling.
"Oh shit" she thought. "Did I just glare at him?" Her heart gave a learch and sudden pause as she sighed. He'd just saved the Wizarding world and she'd glared at the poor boy. Maybe that's why he was walking away with Ron and Hermione. The Lord, himself, knew she wasn't angry at him. Sure she was scared, she'd admitted it loud and clear when she creamed in his defeat when the world believed Harry Potter to be dead. In that "glare" had she made it clear that she was completely turned off to him. She sure hopped not. Her heart gave another jolt and her mother's body shook in her arms. Grief filled her body as she remembered why her parents were crying beside her. She'd lost her beloved brother. George would forever be a visual reminder of Fred, the twin who'd given his life to save the world. Him along with, new parents, like Tonks and Remus, inspiring artists, like Colin, and many more, were the victims of Lord Voldemort's war. Tears began to fall from her blood shot eyes and she hurriedly whipped them away. She had to stay strong for her parent's sake. She silently thanked herself for Harry's brief mental distraction, which had kept her mind off the sorrow.
"Ginny Weasley" someone spoke softly. The red head looked up into the relieved face of Luna Lovegood. "I'm so happy to see you." Ginny stood up to hug her friend. After pulling away, Luna's happy demeanor dropped a bit, "Have you talked to him yet?" The girl shook her head. "I wanted to thank him personally, but he seems…"
"Busy. I've noticed." Luna shrugged but was inertly happy that her dear friend had finally spoken.
"He gave us all quite a scare, but it was ingenious, wasn't it?" A smile brightened her face.
"Playing dead?" Ginny spoke dryly.
"Ah, yes, but it's over now." She shook Ginny's hand madly before waving and running over to greet Neville Longbottom.
Of course she wanted to talk to him. The whole bloody world wanted to thank him for saving us and being so generous and apologize for not having any faith and ext. ext. Ginny's arms gathered her mother for a moment before being nudged away.
"Why don't you go see your friends, take a break, hm?"
Ginny reeled back a bit, hurt. "But I would like to stay with you and Dad."
"And you don't know how happy it makes me to hear that" She stated with a half smiled. "But you need a break."
She kissed her mom's forehead. "Alright, but I'll be back soon. I'll just go say hello to a few friends and come right back here." She squeezed her father's shoulder as she slowly made her way out of the great hall.
She knew that most of her school friends would be home right now. The second the war ended, and it was safer to travel, trains and carriages and boats, took kids back to their families in varies parts of the world. And truth be told, she didn't really want to talk to any of her school mates, so she made her way up to the girls dormitory. Most of the school was in ruins, but passwords and secrets kept the house common rooms safe and undamaged. She smiled, entering the room, feeling as though she should check the notice board…Nothing since a missing turtle a week ago.
This school year was undeniably dreadful and the common room, notably baron. Ginny thought about changing straight into her comfortable Gryffindor school robes, but as she lifted the shirt of her head, she could smell a sour stink wavering up from under her arms. She blushed, embarrassed, and walked across the hallway, from her bunks, to the showers.
Something about standing naked in the showers began to rub her the wrong way. She felt open, vulnerable and it was a scary feeling. This feeling wasn't like the fear she'd been coping with, or the pain, it was new. And something about this feeling, and it's newness, made her understand that it wouldn't be going away anytime soon.
Scrubbing down quickly, she lathered her hair with shampoo and quickly rinsed. She ran quickly back into the bedroom, draped in a towel, and changed into a pair of jeans and a T shirt. She grinned at the scent and fished around in her hand-me-down trunk for something else. Grabbing it, she threw the gray, tattered, sweatshirt on over her T. A sudden, but brief comfort, filling her.
Glancing around the empty room, she felt the walls coming down on her small frame. She removed herself from the bunks and found her self back in the common room. A dark haired man sat soundlessly on the couch. Ginny paled as she opened her mouth. "Thank you", she forced out.
A ripple shook through his body. "Look, I don't mean to sound rude, bur I'd really.." he turned around to face her, his mouth dropped in surprise. "Gin" he breathed.
"Hey Harry"
They stared at each other for a long while. He shook his head in embarrassment. "What-a-you doing here alone?"
"Oh please, don't try and tell me it's not safe." She crossed her arms, sending him a playful glare.
"I'm not saying anything other than, you know better." Ginny took steps closer to the couch.
She sighed and whispered. "I hate you"
His eye brows shot up and he started at her intensely. "What!?"
The red head moaned. "I threw up" She threw her hands up in the air for affect. "When you 'died', I threw up, all over the place. It really was disgusting."
Harry fingered the arm of the chair and sighed. "I heard you scream."
"You're a real arse, you know that?" He didn't move. "Pulling a stunt like that. What were you thinking?"
"That to live, I had to pretend to be dead" She growled in response. "You look good wearing my clothes." He pointed towards her upper garments.
"Mine were all in the cleaners, which is probably up in smoke."
"And why were my shirts in your trunk?"
Defensibly, "I forgot to give 'em back to you, you prat"
He half laughed his mind thankful for the argument. "Sure you did Gin, sure you did."
"Don't mock me!" She half screamed. Her foot stomped almost out of defeat.
"Ginny" He cringed. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
Tears escaped her eyes for the umpteenth time that day. "But you did, and you once promised me you never would. Why would you do that?"
"Gin"
Her heart crashed and shook as she sobbed. Her legs took off in a wobbling run and cleared the couch. She landed with her legs around Harry's waist and her lips pressed firmly against his. He had one hand at the small of her back, drawing her closer, the other wound its way into her wet hair. He fell onto the couch, so that Ginny was sitting on top of his legs. His dry lips were soon dampened by the tears falling from her closed eyes. His hands gathered her face, and pulled her lips off of his.
"I followed your dot"
"Hm?" She moaned, trying to draw Harry's lips back to her own. He held her still.
"The Marauder's Map" He smiled. "I followed you everywhere; you were never alone while I was gone"
Ginny smiled back at him. "Don't leave me"
"Never again" Harry replied.