Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I do not make any money from this piece of fanfiction.
To those of you who liked Sincerely Your Valentine, I present to you The Unseen Lurker, a short story of five small chapters that will be updated on Saturdays. This may or may not be a prelude itself to something more afterwards. It all depends on your support. This will be categorized as Mature, simply for chapter four's more gruesome description and chapter five's violence.
The understanding pairing is TR/HP, yet there will be no actual confrontations between them in this story. It only provides inspired emotions that might carry over into a post story with the two in each others presence finally.
I want to mention that in this mini series my writing style is to focus on one character to show you everything they're thinking and feeling similar to a point of view. At the same time I give other character's space for their own paragraphs to help the readers get a gleam as to what they too are experiencing, but not as deeply. Each chapter is basically dedicated for one person. This way, you can see all sides of Harry as he deals with the unseen lurker until I reach his chapter at the end.
I implore to those of you who haven't read Sincerely Your Valentine, that this story is a continuation of events and hinted undercurrents of plot that has already started. Though, if you do not wish to read it, here is a quick recap: Tom Riddle, a young student despises Valentine's Day and the weakness of love, crafts a necklace from lesser gifts and attaches it to the a letter in hopes to rid his own needs for such a yearning emotion. This letter is later placed in an underground maze of madness that he creates himself as he ages. Even after death, the letter endures time and is only able to be reached by a single magical person on Valentine's Day. Harry, being a well known Auror and Adventure Enthusiast agrees with Enforcement that he'll be the one to face the strange depths left behind from the late Dark Lord. He survives...
~*Token*~
Ash month began just a few days ago, the time of snow when spring is trying its best to peek through around the corner. The quickening moon is slowly waxing as the nights carry on, fighting back the daylight that is wrestling for a foothold. The Spring Equinox should be here soon enough, bringing with it longer days and a clutch of births.
Births...
Ginny stands in a little mudroom, eyes staring out one of the many crooked windows at the Burrow. Her hands rest just over the damp clothing she's tugging from the ridiculous contraption her father insists on having in the house. A Muggle dryer that's been picked apart and tinkered with, the once junk machine appearing far worse than its original state. Nothing much, other than the circular rotating device, with its glass door, remains suspended by a rubber pulley system attached to a wooden frame. The design is supposed to be helped along by a single forced rotation, and the charmed rubber and hooks use the momentum to keep it twirling. Above that, a sleek metal piece rests on the framework to serve as a place to fold upon. Below is a brick structure that blazes with fire, the heat rising as the dryer tumbles clothes. All that is necessary to dry the Weasley laundry is a simple wave of the wand for fire and a push of ones hand against the wheel, and one is free to do as they please for a bit... or so says her father. Mrs. Weasley only shook her head and pulled the redheaded sons and daughter aside to speak to them about keeping an eye on anything their father creates. They have found themselves with damp or burnt holes in their clothing far too often, but Mr. Weasley wears his clothes proudly, so no one brings it up.
But the faults of her father's inventions and silly objects littered around the home doesn't help pull Ginny from her melancholy.
Her eyes continue to track the group of males as they throw snowballs in the backyard. One boy in particular keeps her attention. Not a boy any longer. Ginny chides herself. A man. A respectable Auror. Her heart picks up beat and she lets out a sigh. Harry Potter, the wild and brave boy she has known since school days has grown into a fine man. She had such expectations too. Plans and dreams to share with the other once peace had settled across the UK. There had been a fierce part of her that waited breathless. Hoping that the scrawny green-eyed male would come to her alone and stoop onto a knee to propose marriage. A small ring, or a simple rock. Merlin curse her, for Ginny will even accept just the four words spoken softly as a stuttering question (if that is all that would be offered to her).
There had been a passing moment shared between them a week ago, before Harry had once again risen to the needs of the Wizarding World and ventured down into a possible trap left behind by the late Dark Lord. It had been the look of promise in his eyes for her... for their future. Then, he delved into the horrible maze he speaks little of, and when the hours went by with her fretting along with loved ones, he emerged battered and completely frazzled. In the midst of that mysterious cave, the spark which hinted to a union between them was snuffed out...
At the time, she didn't think much of it. Ginny did the natural thing and let Harry be with his thoughts. Knowing that when he was ready, he would seek her out. The days pass, like the drifting snow flakes that cling to the earth, leaving a blanket of stillness... a stillness that has gripped Ginny entirely. It may not have been long, but sometime since then, a realization had crept in to her heart as soundless as any hungry predator. That invisible entity collected all her aspirations and soared away on sprouted blackened wings. That exact second, there existed a torturous scream which pierced through her with clarity. That inner shriek had come from herself, for she finally knew the truth: Harry doesn't lover her anymore.
That startling understanding was so much like a physical blow. She regressed inside, searching within herself to find a sanctuary to heal, but the faceless thing had stolen everything. In the place of happiness is nothing but a hollow aching well of depression.
What is to blame? This malevolent entity... invisible foe... faceless thing?
A hungry and merciless predator has wormed its way between them, stealing, tainting, and leaving a splitting chasm that engulfs her every time she tries to reach out to Harry. Even the theoretical shadows turn into claws and rend her guts every moment she thinks about it. A monster has devoured her hope.
Where is the happy future she had envisioned? A marriage that hangs on unspoken words of fantasy, and children that will never be born -is all that is left.
Ginny's fingers curl into a pale gray sweater; one of Harry's that is still damp from her father's dryer. Absentmindedly, she raises it to her nose, trying to catch a fleeting scent. Something slips out from a crease in a sleeve. The sound of a clang against the metal surface catchers her attention. The female gazes at the long silver chain with a handsome red stone attached. Her eyebrows crinkle in confusion. She's never known Harry to own any sort of jewelry, certainly she would have noticed it over the years? Carefully, she picks it up for a brief examination. Where did he get this? Did he find it ? Did someone.... Her mind fumbles as emotions begin to well up from a darker place inside. Did someone give it to him?
Body stilling, her other hand drops away from the shirt and drags her wand from a pocket with liquid grace. She knows a spell. One that would show the details of an object to her. If it was purchased at a store, or if someone gave it to him as a gift, a trinket, a... promise... it would tell her. Ginny's jaw clenches and the wand spasms in her hands. A painful little twist of jealousy and anger stabs at her. Do I really want to know? Again her hand drops and the wand is perched upon the counter. The ruby shimmers from the outside sunlight as it turns in circles, dangling at the chain's center. Mocking her.
"Ginny."
Her head snaps to the side. Large eyes are captured by luminous green orbs. He must have entered through the kitchen... Those unique irises, finally open to the world after undergoing a surgery funded by the Auror Program two year before, stare back. It takes Ginny everything not to seize the other in a hug. What do you see with those wondrous eyes? Do you see me, Harry?
"Oh good! You found it!" The exuberant male holds out his palm expectantly, a flush to his face and wind swept hair in disarray.
Ginny swallows against the thickness blocking her throat as her eyes shift to those strong hands. The deep lines, callouses, and heat make her yearn to wrap her own fingers against them. "So this is yours?"
With a smile, Harry receives the chain and lifts it over his head. The ruby travels down across the silver links to stop at the soft flesh betwixt his collarbones. "Yep."
"I didn't think you liked jewelry." She teases, trying to shake off the negative whispering that points out the fact he isn't offering any more information. A red flag of sorts blaring to her sensitive intuition.
"Well, normally I don't. This is special though." His fingertips stroke across the blood hued pendant as the tension in his shoulders evaporates significantly.
"How so?" Keep that tremble from your voice. You're a Weasley for Merlin's sake! Yet her intonation goes unnoticed and possibly even her question. She steadies herself and tries again. "Where did you get it?"
"It's a token I received." His voice lowers into a quieter murmur and a familiar heat smolders in green eyes.
For a second Ginny pretends she doesn't see how his touch seems longing or voice worshipping. She tries instead to grab at explanations that hurt less. Surely it must be from the new Adventurer's Club he had been training to be accept into? Maybe he got in and is waiting for the right moment to tell everyone and celebrate with a round of drinks tonight? "From the club you joined? Did you get in already?"
He frowns at her in confusion. What could the witch possibly mean? Then his face alights with understanding. No, he's still waiting to hear back from the club's founder who is outing in the South Americas at the moment. The necklace actually came from the secreted maze he survived a week prior. He is opening his mouth to tell her these things, when suddenly Ron's voice carries through the walls of the Burrow, summoning his presence. With a look of shy apology, he heads off in his friend's direction, leaving Ginny to the chores Mrs. Weasley tasked out.
In the fading light, Ginny stands in the mudroom with her hand resting on her wand, wondering if she should have cast that 'reveal' spell. She can't help feel that she is loosing Harry every day. To the giver of the necklace. To the unseen lurker.
~*w*~
Here we are, Ginny's ideals are shattered into little fragments that stab her depressed heart. I am a very cruel person, and I enjoy it fully. Hopefully, piteously, you enjoyed it as well. Until next Saturday...