The art of reaching out
by tabula rasa


Summary: Harry and Ginny have a rather... animated talk.

Thanks: to Margo, minny, Latech, Female Fred, LaLa, Bridget and Genesis for reviewing
- hope you like this one! :)

Oh, and Margo - what makes you actually think people will love this? *eg*

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are the wonderful creation of JKR. They're not
mine and never will be. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark
infringement is intended.


*** Part 2 ***

She's impossible


Harry found Ginny soon enough. She was violently cutting into the leaves of a peony
bush that Mrs. Weasley had told her to prune this morning. She was obviously still
angry and only noticed him when he cleared his throat, making her whirl around
quickly and find him standing almost directly behind her.

He wasn't sure how to approach her, so he said the most harmless thing. "Hey, Ginny."

He needn't have worried, though - after the initial shock of seeing him standing there,
she replied with an equally tentative "Hey, Harry."

She had quickly composed herself, watching him with a carefully schooled expression on
her face. Only her eyes betrayed that she was still upset. A cold fury was in them, and
Harry was glad he wasn't the cause for this and wouldn't have to bear the brunt of it.
Nevertheless, it irked him that she thought it necessary to be so cautious around him;
to become as distant again as she had been during the past week. How was it his fault
that her brothers teased her so much? It's not like he could control them.

Regarding him silently for a moment, Ginny continued to speak, with a perfectly
steady voice that betrayed none of the anger she had displayed only 15 minutes before.
"Look, I'm sorry for my behaviour - I didn't mean to make such a scene. And I certainly
didn't mean for you to witness any of this or get involved in it."

He shrugged. "It's ok. They were grating on my nerves, too. I'm the one who should
apologize for not intervening earlier." He looked at her concernedly. "Are you ok?"

A small, wry smile flitted across her face. "Yeah. It's nothing I haven't been through
a thousand times before. I actually feel better now." She looked up at him. "Yelling at
them has that effect on me, I guess." she added dryly.

Harry smiled at that, then turned serious again, regarding her with an inquisitive,
careful look. "Ginny... Why did you say we're not friends? Is that what you really
think? That I just tolerate you because of Ron and Hermione?"

Ginny seemed a bit thrown at that question. She frowned and fixed him with an earnest
look that made him squirm a little. "Would you honestly say we're friends, Harry?"

He must have looked somewhat dumbfounded (for that's certainly how he felt), since she
went on to elaborate. "Friends talk. They hang out with each other. They take care of
each other. I don't see either of that happen with us - not at the moment. Do you? For
instance, what do you know about what I think? How I feel? Who my friends are? What do
you know about *me*? And for that matter, I'm not sure I really know you all that much.
I only know what you allow me to see, and that's mostly a tiny glimpse, at best. Does
that really qualify as friendship?" She shook her head, making her hair swing gently
around her shoulders. "I don't want to be rude here, Harry, and I certainly don't mean
to gripe - but... let's not paint a picture that just doesn't comply with the facts."

There was no better word to describe it - Harry gaped at her. He had never heard her
speak that much at once. (not that he had ever given her reason to talk to him at all,
he realized grudgingly). She was usually so still and subdued around him, it was a bit
overwhelming to see that she had so much to say about this specific topic, and in such
a frank and direct way, at that.

She must have realized that she had rendered him completely mute and that no answer would
be coming forth, so she continued. "Look, Harry. I know you're a very compassionate and
chivalrous person, and it's nice of you to try and make me feel better, but you really
don't have to do this, you know? It's ridiculous to hang around somebody just out of a
warped sense of duty."

Now, this irritated Harry - a great deal - and was enough to finally pull him out of his
stupor. "Warped sense of duty? Now wait a minute. Couldn't it just be that I like you?
That I like your company and want to get to know you? That I *want* to be friends
with you?"

Ginny seemed genuinely amazed by that. An incredulous laugh escaped her. "Since *when*?"

She immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. Harry could tell she hadn't meant to say
that out loud, and certainly not in that manner. She shook her head and visibly forced
herself to calm down. With an exasperated sigh she looked up at him. "Look. Let's just
forget about this before either one of us says something they might regret. OK?" With
that she turned away from him.

But Harry wouldn't have it. "No."

She whirled back around, baffled. "What?"

"I said no. We should clear this up once and for all - this has been going on for a week
now. There's obviously an issue, and we should work through it before it develops into
something more."

She could only stare at him, a reluctant look on her face. Irritation was coming off her
in waves. It made her expression turn darker, until her eyes were glittery, steely slits,
and her chin was jutting out defiantly. "There's nothing to talk about."

Harry felt a curious, untypical urge to throttle her. Nothing to talk about? How could
she say that? And for that matter, why did he care so much? He knew he should have let
it go, but he just couldn't.

He crossed his arms. "Oh yes, there is. And ignoring it won't make it go away."

She crossed her arms in the same manner as he, mimicking his posture. "You didn't have
problems ignoring it so far. In fact, you didn't have problems ignoring *me* so far. I
don't see why that should suddenly change."

"Ignoring you?" he spluttered.

"Is there an echo somewhere? Yes, ignoring me. Why this sudden interest? As I said, I'm
sorry about that little scene in the kitchen, but it was never directed at you. It's a
thing between my brothers and I."

"Well, seeing as I was the subject of this--"

"You were *not* the subject. Their constant and annoying teasing me was the subject."

"They teased you because of *me*, therefore I was the subject."

"Do you have any idea how arrogant and egotistical that sounded just now?"

"Ego-- Ginny, what is going on here? Why are you suddenly so hostile? Did I do
something? Did I insult you or hurt you? What?"

"*Nothing* is going on! Not everything is about you, you know? I'm just fed up with
always being the nice little girl that takes everything in stride without complaint.
It's your bad luck that you happen to be around when I decide to let off some steam."
She shrugged nonchalantly.

Harry frowned. Something was very, very wrong here. This wasn't simply letting off
steam - it went much deeper than that. "No, I don't believe that. Something happened,
and I want to know what."

Her eyes flared, and through clenched teeth, she hissed. "I don't have to justify
myself to you, Harry James Potter. You have absolutely *no* right to demand any
explanations from me."

He was about to reply just as heatedly, when they heard someone clear their throat.
They both whipped around to see Ron standing there, looking perplexed and extremely
uncomfortable. Harry could tell that he wished he hadn't been there to interrupt their
quarrel.

"Er... Mum sends me. Dinner'll be ready soon, and you're both to come in." His look
wandered from Harry to Ginny and back. "Is everything alright?" he ventured cautiously.

Harry and Ginny just glared at each other, with equal fervor in their eyes. Ginny put
on a very fake smile and answered. "Yup. Everything is just *dandy*." Shooting Harry
another dark look, she turned to go inside, leaving the two boys behind in tense
silence.

Harry watched her go, with flaming eyes. He felt extremely unsettled and upset. He'd
never seen that side of her, never seen her act that way, and not only didn't he like
it, it actually bothered him a great deal to have her animosity directed at him. It
was something completely unexpected and it just wasn't... right.

Ron had regarded him the whole while, a scrutinizing look on his face. "Harry, what's
happened just here?"

Harry was still staring after Ginny when he answered. "Ron, your sister is absolutely
impossible."

Ron let out a laugh. "Tell me something I don't know!"

Harry now glared at Ron. "Ron, she shouted at me! Whatever did I do wrong to make her
*hate* me so much?"

Ron frowned. "Hate you? I don't think she hates you - quite the opposite, if you ask me.
Ginny's just being Ginny - she'll settle down soon, don't worry about it." But he didn't
sound that convinced, and Harry was sure Ron was aware of that.

When the two boys turned to head back to the Burrow, something occurred to Harry: Ginny
had referred to herself as 'stupid little Ginny' during her outburst in the kitchen - and
with a pang Harry realized where he'd heard those words before. Tom Riddle had called her
that when Harry had faced him in the Chamber of Secrets...

Harry felt a cold, clammy feeling of dread come over him - did Riddle have something to do
with Ginny's current behaviour? He fervently prayed it wasn't so - the thought alone made
him sick. But what else could be behind this? He decided to pay some really close attention
to Ginny during the next few days.


End Part Two


So - you made it so far? Good. Now tell me what you think... ;)