Disclaimer:
Nothing is mine. Harry Potter (the Weasley family and so on) belongs to JKR and those who publish her books. Damien is Kurinoone's and Harry's background is kind of hers, too. I am doing this for fun (and to sleep peacefully) and I earn no money for this story. There are parts of this story that have been written by JKR and parts that have been written by Kurinoone.
Chapter Twenty-Eight – Nothing But The Truth
Ginny took a bottle of water from the bag that was just inside the tent and went outside again, taking a deep breath while opening the bottle. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and it was getting warmer, the first buds showing and the birds were singing.
"I think we need to talk." said Harry, looking at her.
Ginny lowered the bottle that was halfway to her mouth. "Excuse me?" She turned towards him.
"I think we need to talk." He repeated from where he was standing, staring at her.
"Not about the Death Eaters again?" She had never told him that she didn't only dream about what had happened that time. The dreams about Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley were becoming more vivid again as well... just seeing him kill in her dreams gave her flashbacks of old horror scenarios.
"No," Harry shook his head. "About this," he gestured between the two of them.
Ginny stared at him and put down her bottle. He wasn't talking about what she thought he was, was he? She swallowed heavily. "About 'this?" She repeated his gesture.
Harry glared at her. "Don't act more stupid than you are. Of course about that."
"What is there to talk about?" She asked, clenching her teeth. He had said he felt nothing, so there couldn't be anything to talk about and she wouldn't confess her feelings just to make him feel better. She would feel horrible after that and they had to be so close right now... she wouldn't be able to stand it.
He raised an eyebrow. "The way we woke up, for example?"
"I probably was feeling cold." She lied. "It's not like I chose to wake up like that... or sleep like that for the matter."
He looked disappointed. He groaned and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, fine."
Ginny frowned. Who was he to be disappointed about that? He was the one to say there was nothing from his side. How could he dare to be like this now? She crossed her arms. "What do you mean with 'okay, fine'? Maybe you are right and we should talk about 'this'." She repeated his gesture again.
"How does it come that when I want to talk about it, you don't? And when I don't, you do?" He asked, crossing his arms.
"You looked-" she paused. "disappointed."
He frowned and took half a step back. "I did not."
"Did too."
"Did not."
Ginny glared at him but he just met her stare head on. She threw her hands up. "Okay, you wanted to talk about this. About the way we woke up. Fine, we woke up close. We are sleeping in a fucking tent together, it's not like it's avoidable. It was you who said there is nothing between us, so there can't be, right?" She spat the last word out and turned away. Why were there stupid tears in her eyes? She had to face the truth. There was nothing. He had said so.
"When did I say there is nothing between us?" He asked quietly.
She kept silent and took a few steps to get away from him. Maybe she could just go for a walk and when she got back, they could ignore what had happened like they ignored so many things that had happened.
"Ginny, I'm asking you something. Answer me." He said more forcefully and she heard him make his way over to her.
She wanted to escape, just to get away but he grabbed her arm and forced her to turn around. His eyes widened in shock when he saw the tears in her eyes. She freed herself and stepped back, turning away from him again.
"Ginny..."
She shook her head and made her way deeper into the woods.
"Ginny..." He repeated, louder this time.
She shook her head again and fastened her pace. She couldn't do this now. He couldn't force her to talk about everything with those stupid eyes of his and his fucking voice. He couldn't just look at her and she would spill all her secrets. She didn't want the shame and the-
"DON'T GO!" He shouted after her. Some birds nearby flew away. Ginny stopped abruptly. Who was he to tell her she shouldn't go? He ran after her and suddenly he was before her and looked at her. "Please don't cry, Ginny." He looked absolutely helpless.
"Fuck off." She made her way around him, deeper into the woods. He followed her, easily matching her pace.
"Don't go, Ginny."
She sent him a glare but he kept following her. "Why not?"
"Just don't."
Ginny stopped and crossed her arms. "Why shouldn't I? Because you were so nice to me at Hogwarts? Because you never ever played with my feelings? Because you always told me what was going on? Because it was always real? Because you answered all the questions I asked you? Because you never used me? Because you never hurt me or tried to? Because you never hurt my friends? Because you never tried to fucking kill me? Because you always did what was best for me? Because you never shouted at me or were rude?"
With every question she took a step towards him and her voice was laced with more sarcasm. He always stepped one back and stared at her, his eyes widening more and more. When she stopped, her eyes alight with rage, he took a deep breath and said: "We really have to talk about this if that's what you think."
"'If that's what I think? What else should I think after all of this?"
Harry avoided her eyes. "I never thought I would like an Auror interrogation but I would really favour one now." He chuckled.
"I'm so bad, huh?" Ginny turned away. "Fine, we won't talk then." She stalked back to the tent, picked up the bottle and took a gulp of water. She wouldn't waste more tears because of this. He didn't want to talk to her, was damn uncomfortable trying to and it wasn't like she wanted to anyway. They would just spend the rest of this in silence and when he had enough- he would just modify her memory and make her forget and- she tried to take a deep breath, to get it under control. She was not making sense and she was hurting. He was hurting her with all of this. She closed the bottle and threw it to the side. He didn't want to talk and she didn't either- she would just- she fumbled for the necklace protecting her mind and removed it. She turned around and faced Harry.
"Here." She thrust it into his hands. She flicked her wrist and the wand appeared in her hands. She thrust that into his hands as well. He looked at her confused. "Now, you can just erase my memory and be done with it."
He stared at her, shocked.
"That's what you did with the Death Eaters. You said you felt nothing for me, that I was just an innocent girl that needed to be saved and protected. Just erase my memory now and don't wait until later, place me somewhere and be done with it. I won't be a burden for you any longer. I don't know how you will explain this to the others but something will come to your mind. It's not like you don't know how to lie, right?"
"Ginny, of course not!" He said, horrified. "Why should I do that? I told you what happened to me! I won't do that to you."
"But why?"
"Just as you said and I told you before, you are an innocent girl, you-"
"Fuck this innocent shit. You say you could never do that but you would have done it to Ron, to Hermione? You say you would never hurt an innocent person but you broke Ron's nose, you acted like- like-."She searched for the words. "Like a complete arse. So don't you dare to give me this 'innocent girl'- thing again!"
He crossed his arms. "That was different."
"Yes but why?" She asked, her voice laced with desperation.
But he stayed silent and when she looked at him, he looked away.
"Fine." She picked up the bottle again and made her way over to the trees again.
"Where are you going?" asked Harry.
"Away."
He came to walk next to her once again.
"Just. Stop. Following. Me." She hissed.
He stopped and she walked on. "Don't go. You're confused, fine – but don't go."
She wanted to ignore him, to really just leave him standing there but there was something that stopped her and with a pang she realised that it was his voice. He sounded nearly desperate.
"I'm not the one who refuses to give answers, Potter." She said, coming to a halt but not turning around.
"Its answers you want? Fine! Ask away! Ask about every stupid detail you want to know if that's what you truly want." He spit at her, his voice heavy with both sarcasm and anger.
Ginny stalked on and she thought that he finally left her alone but suddenly he came running after her and before she really knew what was happening, he had reached her and grabbed her arms and pulled her around to face him. She wanted to free herself but his next words made her freeze. "I'm sorry."
Ginny blinked and looked up at him. His face was serious. "I'm sorry." He repeated. She couldn't remember him saying that before. "I think we really have to talk- to stop this." His voice was serious and lacked the anger and sarcasm. He seemed nearly calm.
"But once it gets embarrassing or there is something from your past you don't want to talk about- you will just close up- and I don't want you to feed me more lies."
Harry took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eyes. "No lies, no truthful lies, just the truth, nothing but the truth."
"Really?" She asked, her voice nothing but a whisper.
Harry nodded. "Really."
"And I can ask anything and everything I want?"
"Yes but I can pass questions-" Her eyes narrowed. "If I give you a reason. Deal?"
Nothing sounded wrong about that, she thought. "Deal."
Harry let her go, running a hand through his hair. "We should probably sit down; this will take a while, won't it?"
Ginny nodded and pointed at the fallen tree they used to sit on during meals. They made their way over and sat down, facing each other. Ginny reflected on what had happened. He said he would answer everything. But what did she want to ask? About Hogwarts, the letters, feelings... but where should they start? He would want her to be truthful as well, wouldn't he? And if she confessed what she was feeling? What would happen? Would he be angry, arrogant? Stupid? Would he laugh? She pulled her legs to her body and hugged them close, staring at him over them. Ginny cleared her throat nervously. "Why did you save me?"
Harry raised his eyebrow. "Which time do you mean?" He asked dryly.
Ginny couldn't help but smile. "The first time. In Hogsmeade."
"I saw you as nothing more than an innocent child." He said honestly. "A bystander that had nothing to do with anything and you were falling and probably dying because you were at the wrong place at the wrong time. And I had a broom and could fly- and I just acted."
She felt a pang in her chest. He had seen her as a child. A child. She swallowed heavily. "Why..." She took a deep breath. "Why do you save children? I heard about Madam Pomfrey's children as well and I- because of your upbringing, I-" She made a wide gesture with her hands.
"You wouldn't think that possible?" He asked dryly. She nodded. "I told you how Voldemort and Bella and Lucius took the place of my parents and Sirius and-" He broke off.
"That they weren't very nice to you and you learned to hate the light side." She added from the conversation they previously had.
"Yes, about that... well that's true but a bit of an understatement." He closed his eyes and lowered his head. "They abused me."
"I-"
He held up his hand. "Don't say anything about that. I don't need pity or- whatever. They abused me and I swore to myself that I would never allow a child to feel the way I did back then. I won't allow a child to die or to be hurt and I absolutely won't hurt a child or even worse kill one. They didn't chose a side, they don't fight- they don't do anything wrong and they can't be punished for that."
Ginny nodded, speechless. She didn't know what to say to that anyway. It was... brave of him to say that in his position. It was right. She never had thought about him like that. But it was the right thing to do.
Harry shook his head as if to clear his mind. "I thought you would just forget about me saving you, to be truthful."
"How could I forget about that? You saved my life!"
Harry shrugged. "People are weird like that."
"Yeah, well, I'm not." She paused. "To be truthful, I searched for you." She blushed. "I thought I knew you from somewhere, so I went through yearbooks to find you... I thought you were older you know."
"I guessed that when your brother wouldn't shut up about your mysterious saviour and how you were insane trying to find him – er – me."
Ginny pursed her lips. Stupid Ron! He never knew when it was best to shut up. "Well... I wanted to find you to say thank you."
Harry shrugged. "No need for that."
Ginny pursed her lips. "Of course there is, there was a need for that!" She paused. "Thanks, again." When Harry neither did, nor said anything but only looked away, she continued. "Okay, I didn't find you. You were captured and I saw you shortly in the Headquarters but obviously we didn't talk and I didn't connect my saviour with you at all. Okay, you came to Hogwarts-"
"And we ran into each other in the corridor." He completed.
Ginny nodded. "I didn't think you would still remember that."
Harry smiled. "I don't run into girls that often. Only once or twice a week, you know? You were just lucky-"
Ginny wanted to poke him in the chest, playfully, but she stopped herself. She couldn't really explain how once they began talking, everything seemed to get better. "For a second I thought you were my saviour there in that corridor but your dad came along and I realised you were the Dark Prince... and I thought that was impossible."
"You were really horrible to me after that." He added.
Ginny snorted. "And you were the total sunshine person, I know."
"Of course. I'm always the sunshine person." Harry joked and Ginny smiled before she rolled her eyes at him.
"You broke Ron's nose." She said accusingly.
"Self-defence."
"We were warned not to tell anyone about you if we didn't want to get expelled."
"Not my fault. At all."
"It made hating you easier." She said, shrugging.
Harry lifted an eyebrow. "You needed help to make it easier?"
"True, you were the perfect enemy but- I guess some doubt lingered from the corridor."
Harry nodded. "Ah, okay."
"And I saw the strain your behaviour put on Damy- that made it easier to you hate and forget the gut feeling as well."
"Well, about that-" Harry grimaced.
Ginny shook her head. "It's not me you need to explain that to or apologize for that matter. It's Damien."
Harry sighed. "Yes, I know."
"Your conversation with Malfoy in the library-"
Harry chuckled. "I remember your stupid 'speech' about how you would tell on me."
Ginny groaned. "Please, I want to forget all about that."
"You brought it up." He pointed out.
"Yeah, I just want to go through what happened to avoid forgetting something."
Now it was Harry's turn to groan. "You are really taking this serious, aren't you?"
"Of course! Who knows when I'll ever get the chance to ask you whatever I want?"
Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I'mnot that bad."
"Right. You are worse." Ginny grinned cheekily. "Okay... Quidditch try out and game, letting Slytherin win... thanks for saving me again."
Harry shrugged it off.
"Hogsmeade; Day Walkers." Ginny grimaced. "Thanks for saving me once again."
Harry gave her a dark glare. "It was nothing."
"For you maybe – I had a few nightmares after that." She grimaced again.
"You don't still have them, do you?"
She shook her head. "No, there are other things to dream about now."
"I-"
But she interrupted him. She didn't want him to ask or to talk about them. "Being nicer to me, Astronomy Tower, Patronus Charm." They were silent and Ginny fiddled with a piece of bark from the tree, wondering how she could ask what she wanted. "Why- why did you- was there-" She sighed and broke off. "Why did you start this 'thing' with me?" There, now she had asked. She didn't dare to look at him.
Harry took a deep breath. "I was bored."
Ginny clenched her hands. That was not what she wanted to hear. "You-" Her voice was so high, she cleared her throat before continuing. "You were bored?"
Harry sighed. "That's not exactly what I wanted to say."
"What did you want to say then?" Some of her hope returned slowly to her.
"Pass."
Ginny stared at him. "That's not fair! Reason?"
"It would only hurt you."
She crossed her arms. "Not good enough. Not even close to good enough." She felt her heart sink, a lump building in her throat. She swallowed heavily. She had to deal with it. Better knowing than guessing. "Tell me, please."
Harry sighed again and when she risked a glance at him, he was rubbing the bridge of his nose. She looked down again, fiddling with the bark some more. "Okay, you wanted to hear this, remember that." He paused. "A part of me was really bored, the coursework wasn't challenging me at all, and I wanted to go 'home'" He spat out the word. "I wanted to do something, just anything besides being the idiot who got caught. I thought it would help the Dark side to get your father... or at least I was trying to pretend that was the reason. The main reason was probably that I-" He broke off.
"The main reason?" She asked tonelessly, clenching her teeth and trying to stop herself from yelling at him. A game. It had been a game.
"I was curious about you."
She looked up at him, not understanding. "You were curious?"
Harry nodded, looking into the distance. "I wanted to know about the girl that admired me one moment and hated me the next; that could be scared easily and somehow not at all. You said a few things I thought were very interesting." He shrugged. "And you were cute." He flashed her a grin.
Ginny spluttered. "Excuse me?"
"The way you tried to threaten me, for example, you were so naive it was nearly sweet."
Ginny felt confused. A game on one hand but on the other hand... there was more; cute. She nearly felt like giggling.
"And I was curious to see how far you would go."
Ginny gaped at him. "How do you mean that?" She asked, glaring at him.
"Guy's mind." Harry smirked. "You wanted to know the whole truth."
Ginny made a face. "Please refrain from telling me about your... 'fantasies'." She paused. "And just so that you know, I wouldn't have gone any farer with you than we did." She said, trying to remain as serious as she could.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever - just tell yourself that." Ginny opened her mouth, ready to protest but he cut her off. "Next question?"
Ginny smiled. "First you don't want to answer anything and now you are eager for another one already?" Harry shrugged. "Okay... let's see..." She trailed off, thinking about the last months. "You escaped." She stated and he nodded. "Why didn't you warn me? You knew what was happening. You could have said goodbye." She remembered the confusion, the anger, the sadness. And then the letter.
Harry's face darkened. Was he at the moment thinking about what had happened on that day as well? How he tried to kill his father? "I couldn't risk you telling someone."
"I wouldn't have." She said, crossing her arms.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, right, you wouldn't have told someone that there would be an attack on the school."
The way he said it... she probably would have told someone, wouldn't she? But it meant that he hadn't trusted her. She sighed inaudible.
"And I left you a letter. You got it, right?"
She nodded. "Yes, I did. Even though it hurt more than anything else after what happened to the Randhawas." She swallowed heavily.
"About that: it was by chance that a situation arouse where it was possible to kill them. I told no one about our conversation."
Ginny nodded. "I guessed that when I learned that they had moved." She looked down and drew her knees nearer to her. Should she ask him if he had been there? If he had been the one who said the curse? Did she really want to know?
But she didn't need to even ask because Harry answered her unspoken question: "I wasn't there. I know they wrote some rubbish in the paper about it – but you can practically always claim that a Muggle witness saw something. There is never a way to prove it afterwards seeing as every Muggle gets oblivated."
Ginny, sighed and nodded, feeling relieved. It hadn't been him. All the worry and nightmares she had had and all the guilt she had felt had been unfounded.
But there was something else that appeared in the paper whenever there was something about him as the Dark Prince in the news. She bit her lip, trying to find the right words for her question. "What about Neville's parents? Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom?"
Harry suddenly tensed, all his previous playfulness and calm gone. "Pass."
Ginny frowned. "Why?" she asked carefully.
"Answering that would be dangerous for some people I know."
Ginny was confused. Who could he be talking about? Some Death Eaters? But it was an open secret who had been there that night. She shuddered to even think about what she had read and heard about it. The Longbottoms burning alive, screaming for help. At his mercy and he had walked away.
"Look, Ginny: I can understand that you want to know about that but I can't-" He began carefully.
"Who is it you want to protect?"
"I-Ginny- Oh Merlin." He messed his hair up and groaned. "I never thought I would have to talk about it ever again."
"I promise I will tell no one about it if that's what you are afraid of."
Harry shook his head. "If we are ever caught and someone asks you under torture or with Veritaserium-"
She interrupted him. "Firstly: I don't think we will be caught, secondly: why would someone ever ask me that?"
Harry stared at her before he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Is this really important to you?"
Ginny nodded slowly. It really was important. To know what he had done and what he hadn't. He sighed and kept silent. Ginny neither said nor did anything. If he decided he could tell her, he should think about if first.
"Okay, I will tell you. But whatever happens you have to swear you will never ever tell anyone. Do you understand? No one is allowed to know. Not your brothers or your parents, not Damien or Granger or my parents or anyone."
"Okay." Ginny nodded and looked right at him. "I promise to never tell anyone about it."
Harry took a deep breath before he looked down at his hands. Ginny followed his eyes and watched him fiddling with his black ring. "It's a pensieve." He explained quietly. "And the memory of the night is in here. I could show you."
Ginny stared at the ring in shock. Never would she have guessed that the ring was something more than just a ring. "I- Would it be okay if you just gave me a brief summery?" She didn't know what awaited her there... and she had enough nightmares as it was.
Harry nodded but he fiddled with the ring anyway as he took another deep breath. "It was my first important assignment or at least I thought it was because there were Order members and Aurors involved. While five Death Eaters tortured Frank and Alice inside, I was to wait outside. I heard their screams." Harry shuddered slightly. "I went inside to tell them to stop, that it had been long enough and the Death Eaters left the house. I was to remain inside alone. I removed my mask as I was told beforehand. Voldemort wanted them to know who killed them as a last terrible memory." Harry had a faraway look on his face, obviously reliving that night. "I offered them the last possibility to live: to join Voldemort. They declined, of course. I tried to kill Alice but- but-" He swallowed heavily and closed his eyes. Carefully Ginny reached towards him, covering his hands with hers. "She was pregnant. I couldn't do it because with killing her, I would have killed a child. Lucius threatened to come in, to see what was taking me so long. I panicked, opened a portal and sent them through it. When Lucius came in, they were already away. I asked him if he knew about Alice being pregnant. He did. I was furious. I oblivated him, set the house on fire and conjured an illusion that made it look like they screamed when in reality the house was deserted. I never told anyone."
Harry closed his eyes as Ginny gaped at him. "But- but surly they would have come back to Neville-"
"They couldn't. I changed their memories as well. They don't remember him. They don't remember ever being Frank and Alice Longbottom. Their new names are John and Fiona and they have a little son called Nigel. They don't even know about magic."
Ginny didn't know what to say or even what to think. He never murdered them. Even more they weren't even dead. She thought about Neville and his grief about his parents. A lump formed in her throat. "And why- why can no one know?"
"Ginny, think about it! What do you think would happen if Voldemort learned about what happened? He will not only hunt me, hunt us, down more forcefully than ever before but he will look for Alice and Frank and sweet, little Nigel. No, they are safe and that is what matters. Nothing else does."
"But Neville-"
Harry crossed his arms. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you."
"No, I'm sorry. I will keep my mouth shut about it." She said quickly. She didn't want him to regret telling her. He hadn't killed them. Someone else he had saved, he protected. It wasn't only her. But she was the one with her memory intact... She took a deep breath. "Maybe we should make a break or something so you can calm down-"
"No." Harry said forcefully. "If we stop it now, I'll probably never tell you anything else."
"Okay, that's not something I want to risk." Ginny paused. "Thank you for telling me, Harry. It means a lot to me."
He looked at her and nodded. "I wouldn't have it done otherwise."
Ginny gave him a bright smile, her heart beating loudly in her chest. And then she remembered what she had to ask next and the smile faded from her face. She had thought about it often enough in the past and that day had given her terrible nightmares. "Diagon Alley." She said tonelessly.
Harry watched her carefully. "Diagon Alley." He repeated.
"Anything you have to say to that one?" She asked quietly.
"I already told you that I didn't want to-" He broke off.
"That you didn't want to kill me, yes, I remember." She said dryly. "Sorry about hitting you by the way." Harry shrugged. "But you have to admit that it was a damn risky move-" She balled her hands to fists, trying to focus on the trees around her and not to drift into the memory once more.
Harry kept silent for a very long time before he sighed loudly. She jumped when he suddenly touched her face, turning it towards him. He looked her deep into the eyes, his hands still holding onto her face while he slowly explained: "Ginny, I didn't want to do what I did-"
"Why did you make your way over to me then?" She asked sharply.
Harry raised his eyebrows surprised. "You noticed that?" She nodded. "You weren't hard to spot in all the confusion and my task was only to create havoc, nothing else. But I know how Death Eaters think and they would have hurt you or worse killed you if they had the chance. I wanted to get you away from it. I knew which byways were safe and I wanted to point one out to you. No one would have even noticed us if it wasn't for your damn father-"
Ginny narrowed her eyes, trying to calm her quickly beating heart. He wanted to bring her to safety? "What has my father to do with that?"
"Don't you remember? You were afraid of me, you tripped and he screamed your name and suddenly everyone was watching us. Voldemort gave his command and I had no choice but to listen to him. It would have been hell if I had refused-"
"But- but I could be-" But she couldn't even finish that sentence. How near she had been that day to death.
"Ginny I gave you the hint were to go and you did."
"But if I hadn't-" She began, her voice getting hysterical.
"Do you know how the killing curse works?" Ginny shook her head. What a stupid question. How should she know? "It's all about intention. I could point a wand at you, right here and speak the words and you wouldn't even feel a tingle, let alone be dead."
"But-but-"
"If the curse had hit you, nothing would have happened, Ginny. You would still be living because everything in me screamed that I didn't want you dead. But you rolled to the side which was better because so no one knew that it wouldn't have worked. It was the best thing that could have happened to us." He let go of her face as if only now noticing that he was still holding on to her.
Ginny's cheeks tingled from where his hands had been. Her heart was beating so loudly in her chest that she thought it would burst. It seemed like slowly everything she had thought and believed was falling away and everything that had made her life a living nightmare appeared to be false. It felt like it was easier to breathe after all these months of confusion and suddenly she realised that it was easier to like him now as well. The voice that constantly told her that she couldn't feel anything for him because of everything that had happened got quieter with every question he answered but the voice asking for his reason got louder and louder. But she knew that there were still some questions left she had to ask first. "I- I don't know what to say to that." She finally confessed.
"Don't say anything then." He said quietly. "Just ask your next question."
"I- okay." She shook her head, trying to clear it again. The attack on the Lovegood's house... "When you run after me in that field- you tried to keep me away from the Death Eaters as well?"
"Yes." He confirmed.
"The letters..."
"It was Dumbledore who told you to write them, wasn't it?" He asked, voicing his first question.
Ginny nodded slowly and watched his face darken. "I would have never done it on my own... after all I thought that had happened."
"Did he give you a reason?" He asked quietly but she saw how his eyes darkened with anger.
"He said that the Order needed to reach you, to communicate with you, to make you see the truth about what had happened and- he thought they wouldn't have a chance and so he asked me to write to you. I didn't want to, not really- but your mother... she asked me and I couldn't say no to her. She just wanted you to know the truth. She just wanted you back."
Harry said nothing.
"But I wrote them. They never told me what to write or even forced me to do it... and yours? I- you have to have told them-"
Harry laughed harshly. "I never had the choice. You know how I got your first letter?"
Ginny shook her head. "I guessed Malfoy gave it to you-"
"Believe me, he didn't. He gave it his father and Lucius gave it Voldemort. I got the letter from him and read it while he was there. He was really curious. Of course, I couldn't not tell him."
Ginny gaped at him. "He- you-"
"Yes, I even convinced him to let me answer."
"You did? Why?" She asked surprised. If she had gotten a letter from him... she probably wouldn't have answered it.
"It was-" He paused. "It was nice to hear from you." He continued without giving her a chance to ponder about that. "Voldemort only wanted to see how far you would go. We thought that it was Dumbledore behind everything and he wanted to see what he had planned."
The question if the letters had been real burned on Ginny's tongue but she couldn't bring herself to ask. What if they had been some kind of game for him as well? But he had said You-Know-Who had wanted to know... not them. She swallowed heavily.
"Our meeting..." Harry said absent-minded. "If it had only been you..." He trailed off.
"Yes?" She asked curiously but he just shrugged and kept silent. When it was clear that he wouldn't answer, she let her eyes wander and thought about the capture and what had followed. And suddenly she realised something. "Kidnapping me… When I knew that the letters weren't real, I think that was the moment where the tiny part that was still left, realised that I indeed was over the crush on you. But now-" She broke off, pressing her mouth shut, not believing what she had nearly told him. To avoid him catching on, she quickly said: "Helping me there, faking my death, escape. Your need to help me, huh?"
"Yes, I just have this incredible urge to protect you." He said softly.
"I have it as well." She confessed quickly, looking down.
"There is no need to protect me." He said, startled.
Ginny shrugged. "Whoever said there is a need to protect me?"
She looked up to see his reaction but he was suddenly so close and before she could really grasped what was happening his lips were on hers and he was kissing her. The kiss was different from every single one she remembered them sharing. In comparison the other kisses, which she had enjoyed, were half-hearted and insignificant. There was nothing else but them as their lips crashed together. Desperate and broken and full of hope and full of pain and comfort, trying to take it all away. They came together like two drowning people, clinging to each other for their lives. His hands were in her hair, pulling her closer and closer until she was sitting on his lap and they were pressed so closely together that she thought she could feel his heartbeat.
Ginny was panting by the time they separated. "What was that?" She asked, staring at him with wide eyes.
"If you can't tell, I probably should repeat it." He tried to joke but she saw something like nervousness in his eyes and a deep uncertainty. This time it was she who leant in and kissed him with everything she had. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled on his hairs and he grabbed her even tighter, his arms now wrapping around her waist. And suddenly they lost their balance, or more precisely Harry did because her feet were long gone from the ground and they crashed to the forest floor, a mess of tangled limps.
"Sorry.", muttered Harry before he kissed her yet again. She laughed into his mouth and when they separated again, she couldn't help but comment. "Never saw you losing your balance like that."
"Didn't concentrate." He muttered, trailing her face with his fingers. She smiled.
"So..." She began softly.
Harry shook his head. "No talking." And he kissed her again.
She let him but finally pushed him away. "So... you like me?"
Harry nodded and grinning teasingly he asked: "And you like me as well?"
She nodded and gave him a brilliant smile. He smiled back and they kissed again. "You have no idea how long I wanted to do that." He admitted during another kiss-break.
"You said you didn't like me when I asked you about the letters." She said softly, not being able to get rid of the accusation in her voice.
Harry shrugged and interlocked their fingers. "I lied."
"Why?" She asked. "Maybe we could have had this sooner."
"You said you were over me."
"Oh." Ginny paused. "I am over the stupid crush I had where I just liked your eyes and the fact that you saved me." He watched her carefully. "It's more than that now." Harry grinned and kissed her again. It was a short, sweet kiss. "Now I find your hair acceptable as well." She joked. He glared at her teasingly and rolled her around so that he was hovering over her. She tried to raise her hand to brush a lock aside that had fallen into his face but he grabbed her hands and pinned them down on the ground. He kissed her again, this time lingering longer.
"Harry?" She asked softly when he let her lips go. He looked questioning at her. "I'm not just another Amy, am I?"
He blinked at let her hands go, straightening up. "Why do you ask?"
She shrugged and searched his eyes, straightening up as well. "Am I?"
"You are not. I barely knew her." He helped her stand up and she allowed herself a relieved smile. "And you are not lying now?"
"What did I promise?" He asked shortly.
"Nothing but the truth?" She asked her voice filled with doubt.
"Nothing but the truth." He confirmed.
Ginny smiled even more brightly at him and he pulled her close. "What about something to eat?" She suggested.
"Oh, yeah, I'm really hungry." He smirked and kissed her deeply again. She could really get used to that.
xxx
AN: The End. Okay, no, I'm joking. I'm not one of those authors who ends her story once they are together...
I hope you all enjoyed it. I know you have been waiting a long time for this. I hope you aren't too disappointed (if at all). Let me know what you think.
