June 10, 2013
394 words according to Open Office word count.
I've been stuck on this drabble for two years and I think it shows. Oh well. At least it's over. Moving on with the story!
Ginny sighed deep and looked away from the window. It was impossible to see through the rain on the glass, but she hadn't noticed in her deep contemplation.
"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.
"Hm?"
"You've been staring outside for the last twenty minutes. What's wrong?"
"Just writing a letter." Ginny sighed again, this time in frustration. She hadn't heard from her pen friend in weeks, and she was starting to worry. As she considered what to write, she tapped her quill on the parchment, never noticing the ink blots she left behind.
After a moment of silence, Hermione asked, "Do you fancy him?"
"What?"
"Whoever you've been writing to. Are you...courting?"
Laughter erupted from Ginny's mouth, startling both women.
"That's a bit archaic, don't you think?"
Hermione shrugged. "We've all noticed. What you're like when you receive a letter? The relief on your face? It's obvious you care for this person."
"It's not like that! I don't even know his name," Ginny said. "But I suppose I do care. He's helped me through this whole mess."
"Which mess?"
"The war! Everything since the war." Ginny sighed for the third time. "From his last letters, it seems like he's the one suffering now, and I don't know how to help."
Hermione put her hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Just ask him. Ask him what his name is. Ask him how you can help. Are you willing to meet with him in person?"
"Yes," she answered in surprise. "I think I am."
"Well, I wouldn't advise it. What do you really know about him? What are his intentions? Wait a minute, how did this correspondence start?"
While Hermione continued her rant about the dangers of meeting strangers in this new safe-but-not-that-safe world, Ginny dipped her quill into her pot of ink and wrote:
Look, we've been writing letters to each other for over two years. I want to know who you are. I want to thank you, in person, for always being there for me. And most of all, I want to be there for you too.
What do you say?
She sent her owl off into the rain and watched from behind the blurry glass until it disappeared from sight.
She pretended she didn't care about the answer.
And now let me take a moment to announce that the DG Forum! here on FFN is hosting a DG fic exchange! Signups/prompt submissions are open until June 14th. If writing isn't your thing, I hope you'll keep an eye on us in the next few weeks to read and review stories and vote for your favorites!