Chapter 2- Just the Beginning

Ginny's POV

I woke slowly. I stretched my arms above my head and sighed. It felt like I had just woken from one of the best naps of my life. But the grin slid from my face as my eyes opened and I took in my surroundings. I suddenly remembered the events that led to me waking in this bedroom. Harry must have carried me in here after I passed out.

I slowly sat up and pushed my legs out from under the wrinkled burgundy sheets. Taking inventory of my body, I realized nothing was severely wrong, my neck was just a bit sore. I must have just overexerted myself. My bare feet hit the cool floor as the door opened slowly.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked quietly.

"I'm fine!" I snapped, not feeling exactly cordial towards Harry at that moment. I took one step forward and swayed a bit.

Harry shot forward and steadied me with one hand on my waist. "Have you eaten anything today?" He asked curtly.

I thought about that for a while. I had half of a grapefruit for breakfast but had missed out on lunch. I had planned on eating a late lunch, but I was tricked here instead.

"What time is it?" I asked still a bit miffed.

"About six. You were out for quite a while. I was beginning to get worried." Harry replied calmly.

"I should eat something," I muttered to myself as I rolled my shoulders, trying to loosen up the muscles in my neck.

Harry's hand moved from my waist to my neck and rubbed gently. "Does your neck hurt?"

I pulled away, "Just a bit sore. I'm fine." I moved to take a step closer to the door, but Harry moved swiftly in front of me. "I have to go home and eat." And get away from you.

"No you will not." He answered firmly and before I knew what was going on, he swept me from my feet and started walking towards the door.

"What the bloody hell do you think you are doing Harry James Potter!" I yelled straight in his face.

He grinned, "Well, I am going to cook you a meal. And then I'm going to give you a neck rub because your neck is so tight I could bounce a coin off of it. Perhaps after that you will be ready to talk about the letters."

I merely gaped at him as he walked into the kitchen and set me down on a chair.

"Stay." He commanded.

"I am not a dog." I said loudly. He just smiled and went to work banging pots and pans around. I sat quietly in my seat and watched him work. It was useless to get up. The fact was, I hadn't eaten much and would probably pass out sooner than I could get home. Splinching seemed a more likely result than making to my own kitchen.

But staying here had its own dangers. I was in no way ready to talk about those letters. I never would be. I poured out my soul in those letters. I hadn't censored any of my emotions and had just let the truth spill from my quill. No, I would not talk about those letters. And besides, if Harry got his hands on me, even if it was an innocent neck rub, I would more than likely melt into the floor. Nope, that wasn't going to happen either.

Food on the other hand, perhaps I could deal with the food.

"Here," Harry said, placing a plate with carrot sticks in front of me. "You should at least get something in your stomach before you pass out again."

I picked up a carrot and crunched it in my mouth.

"So what have you been doing for the past couple years?" Harry asked casually with his back turned to me as he poured water into a pot and placed it on the range, lighting it with a flick of his wand.

"Well, I didn't really do much." I answered honestly. He might as well know what my life was like when he left. "I trained as a healer and then worked at St. Mungo's since then. Let's see, I dated Dean for a while until he decided to propose to me. I hang out with Ron and Hermione some, but mostly I just worked and slept. Pathetic, huh?"

He turned to look at me, remorse flooded his features. "Ginny," his voice was thick, "I will never be sorrier for anything in my life. I truly wanted what was best for you. I didn't realize it would hurt you so much."

I rolled my eyes. "No big deal." I answered flippantly.

"I'm going to work for your forgiveness," he said as he turned back towards the counter, "Even if it takes the rest of my life."

"What have you been doing lately?" I quickly changed the subject. I didn't want to hear about his persistence. It wasn't going to change anything.

"Well," he seemed to weigh his words carefully, "Draco and I moved in here and he got a job drawing cartoons for a local muggle newspaper. I have been working in a small bookshop down the block. It was nice while I was hiding, but I need to do something more. I got that letter the other day," he motioned to a piece of parchment on the table; I picked it up, "It's an option anyway."

The header on the parchment had the logo for the Puddlemere United.

"Dear Harry," I read aloud, "Welcome back mate! I know I won't be the only captain to contact you now that your back, but I hope I'm the first. We are in desperate need of a seeker, and as you're the best one I've ever seen in action, I would like to invite you to join up on our team. The season starts in a month, I know that isn't a lot of time to get back into shape, but you are a natural. Sincerely, Oliver Wood."

I raised my eyebrows, "Quidditch?"

"It is a possibility." He answered. "I'm not a huge fan of being out in the public, but I've missed playing and it could be fun. I'm not really in a desperate need of money or anything."

I thought about it for a moment. Harry never wanted fame, I knew that. But becoming a quidditch star would definitely force him into the spotlight.

"And you would deal with the fame, how?" I asked a bit sharp.

He turned and looked at me calmly. "I've talked to Minister Kingsley about a place with high security. He has a few charms and wards that would help immensely. Things I never thought would be possible. Plus, I don't much want a social life outside of you, Ron and Hermione and Draco and Saranna."

"Reclusive Quidditch star." I mumbled to myself.

"Something like that." He answered as he spooned pasta into two plates and placed them on the table. "Anyway, a plus about the past few years was that I had to learn how to cook. You don't even want to know what we ate for the first few months."

We ate our meal in a tense silence. Harry didn't seem to mind it; I was beginning to get restless. But there wasn't a safe topic anymore, everything we talked about would inevitably end up at the same place. I was planning on leaving as soon as I finished, but Harry seemed to have other plans.

"Would you like a drink?" He asked as he cleared the plates away.

"I don't think that would be a good idea with the potions I'm still taking." I replied carefully. Or for my ability to say no to him.

He grinned, "I was thinking more along the lines of coffee."

"Oh, that would be fine." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could think twice.

"You go sit in the living room, it's more comfortable. I'll bring the coffee out in a bit."

I wandered from the kitchen to the living room and plopped down on the large arm chair. I didn't want to run the risk of him sitting next to me on the couch. I wondered how fast I could drink the coffee without burning myself. I could always cast a cooling charm on it, but Harry would certainly notice that. I might not want to get close to him, but I did not want to hurt him, and that would probably hurt his feelings.

I sighed, this was going to be interesting. I wondered if even being friends was going to be possible. It didn't help that we had all the same friends and he was basically part of my family.

A few minutes later Harry walked into the room carrying a silver tray with two coffee cups filled to the brim.

"These are my special lattes. Draco insisted on having an espresso machine when we moved in, so we both learned how to make killer coffee." Harry said as he handed me my drink. I took a sip, it was good.

"Hmm… this is good." I answered, taking a tentative sip.

"Glad you like it." Harry answered with a smile as he sat down on the couch with his cup. "So…"

I closed my eyes and took another sip of my coffee.

"I don't really want to talk about the letters Harry. They were my way of coping after you left. They were never meant to be read by anyone, let alone you. I was completely daft to have ever sent them. Just forget them." I answered quickly, avoiding his eyes.

"You said you would always love me, Ginny." He said suddenly.

My eyes flashed up to his face. It was void of any emotion. He sat comfortably on the couch just gazing back at me. I swallowed hard and shook my head silently.

"You did say that Gin, and even if your mad at me or think you can't trust me, you know that I still love you. " He held up his hand and dangling from the chain was the locket. "I'm going to hold onto this. If you want it back, just let me know. But Gin, I'm not going anywhere. "

I stood suddenly, not being able to take much more. Coffee slopped out of my cup and down the front of my shirt. I didn't notice the burning coffee. All I knew what that I had to get out of this flat before he said anything else.

"You…I...we can't… No!" I spluttered.

He stood and moved towards me. I grabbed my wand and pointed it at his face.

"Don't take on step closer Harry, I mean it!" I warned.

And he did, so I hexed him and ran out the door.

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Harry's POV

"Harry?" Saranna looked confused to see my head in the fire.

"Yeah, could uh Draco come home now. I need a bit of help." I answered.

"Did she hex you?!?!" Saranna asked with a wicked glint in her eyes.

"No," I answered sarcastically, "I decided to give myself bat wings all over my face."

She rolled her eyes, "Funny Harry. He'll be home in a sec."

I pulled my head out of the fire and settled back in my seat to wait for Draco. He arrived a moment later.

"So, what did you do this time?" He asked dryly.

"Took another step when she told me not to." I answered honestly. "Would you mind fixing this before I go crazy?"

A few moments later we sat in the living room with a bottle of fire whiskey and two glasses.

"Well, what are you going to do now?" Draco asked.

I shrugged, "I guess I'll keep trying. She wasn't exactly happy that I got her letters. I don't know, perhaps I'll just keep being myself." I didn't really have a plan of attack besides being with her as much as possible. She loved me at one point, and for some reason I was sure she still did, I just had to be patient.

"Hmm… well if you do join up with Puddlemere you won't have a ton of extra time. But I suppose you will have to do something to take up your time." Draco thought out loud.

I nodded. "I have a plan with that too, you know."

Draco raised his eyebrows.

"Oh yeah. I fully plan on joining the team. And I know how much the Weasley's love quidditch. So, giving them season passes is really just me being nice."

"And it insures that she will see you." Draco grinned.

"I suppose it will." I answered with a grin on my own face.

A/N So I got sooooo many reviews, author alerts and story alerts in the past week! It made me soooooooooooo happy!! Keep it up! I feel so loved, perhaps I should threaten with swine flu more often! ;-) But soooo sorry it took an entire week! :-( It just wouldn't flow and I'm still not exactly happy but oh well. What do you think? Will Harry's plan work? What will Ginny do? Please Review... or... I'll steal your tickets to the HPHBP premere! btw... went and got my ticket today! WOOOT! so excited. -Sarah