Open Your Soul
by: Serena-chan
A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. My attempt at finishing this continues!
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The next few days passed in a blurr of homework for Ginny Weasley, when, at last, the weekend came. She flopped down in a big red couch beside the fire and watched some of her fellow Gryffindors enjoying what was left of the snow outside. The rest were at Hogsmead. Ginny had decided to stay at the castle and recover from her busy week. She sighed contentedly, staring at the fire.
The sound of someone noisily turning a page near her, startled her. She had thought she was the only one in the common room. Turning, she found Harry sitting in a chair near her. To her surprise he was writing in the journal she had given him. From the looks of things he'd written a lot in the few days that he'd had it.
Ginny gazed at him, taking in every feature. She noted happily that some of the haunted guilt had been erased from his face. Perhaps her gift was helping him after all!
Harry wrote on, oblivious to her stares. He completed the page he was working on and closed the journal. Standing up, he finaly noticed her. Ginny could feel the color rising in her cheeks as she pretended to be very interested with something outside.
In the haze of humiliation she felt at being caught staring, she didn't hear him approach, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt him sit down next to her.
"Sorry." said Harry, "I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's alright. I was just...distracted." Ginny felt herself go even redder and hated herself for it.
"I just wanted to thank you again for this journal." Harry said, setting the small notebook down on a nearby table, "You're right. It really does help a lot."
"So, you are feeling better then?" she asked hopefully.
"A bit," he admitted.
They sat in silence for awhile, Harry trying to think of the best was to get out what he wanted to say. Ginny had been too busy the past few days, so he never got his chance to talk to her...until now. In that time, he had done a lot of thinking about her and the things she had told him.
"Ginny," he started hesitantly, "are people still afraid of you?"
"What?" Said Ginny, who had been lost in thoughts of her own.
"When you were talking to me the other day, you said that all the kids either hated you or were scared of you. Are they still that way?"
"Well," she began, "it's gotten a bit better now. Some of them have even begun to treat me like a friend."
"But do you have any real friends?" Harry asked.
Ginny sat in a sad silence for a long time before finally whispering, "No, I suppose I don't. Well, Hermione is my friend, I suppose, but she's always off with Ron or studying. She doesn't have much time for me."
Ginny chanced a look up into Harry's eyes and was startled to see that they were shining with concern. "It doesn't matter really." She said quickly, "I don't mind. They don't mean to forget about me, they just do. It's not their fault. Sometimes I think it's better to be left alone."
"But you need friends!" Harry persisted, "Who do you talk to when your lonely?"
"I write in my diary." She said, very close to tears at this point, "That's enough, I suppose."
"No it isn't!"
"Harry, there's nothing you can do about it at this point!" Ginny said, not quite shouting, "So, just...lay off, okay? This is only upsetting me!" She let the tears spill down her cheeks.
Harry sighed and stared off into space for awhile, contemplating. At last he let out a shaky laugh. "Look at us. We both need someone to talk to, and here we are arguing with each other."
Ginny smiled slightly and tried to brush away her tears. Harry reached out hesitantly and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry for making you cry, Ginny." Harry said at last, "I was worried about you, this time. Well, you will talk to me, won't you? When ever you feel lonely?"
"Of course I will." she said, looking him in the eye, "and you'll talk to me whenever you feel depressed, won't you?"
"Sure." he said warmly, standing up. He turned around and offered his hand to her. "Friends?" He asked.
Ginny smiled and took his hand, "Friends."
Harry pulled her up into another warm hug.
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A/N: Sorry this is such a short chapter, but my mom's making me get off so I can do some "family thing." (Hey, don't get me wrong. I like my family, but this involves out-of-town relatives. Which means I get to stand around for 3 hours listening to "Look how much you've grown!") *depressed sigh* r/r! I need suggestions for what course this story is gonna take!
by: Serena-chan
A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. My attempt at finishing this continues!
______________________________________________________________
The next few days passed in a blurr of homework for Ginny Weasley, when, at last, the weekend came. She flopped down in a big red couch beside the fire and watched some of her fellow Gryffindors enjoying what was left of the snow outside. The rest were at Hogsmead. Ginny had decided to stay at the castle and recover from her busy week. She sighed contentedly, staring at the fire.
The sound of someone noisily turning a page near her, startled her. She had thought she was the only one in the common room. Turning, she found Harry sitting in a chair near her. To her surprise he was writing in the journal she had given him. From the looks of things he'd written a lot in the few days that he'd had it.
Ginny gazed at him, taking in every feature. She noted happily that some of the haunted guilt had been erased from his face. Perhaps her gift was helping him after all!
Harry wrote on, oblivious to her stares. He completed the page he was working on and closed the journal. Standing up, he finaly noticed her. Ginny could feel the color rising in her cheeks as she pretended to be very interested with something outside.
In the haze of humiliation she felt at being caught staring, she didn't hear him approach, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt him sit down next to her.
"Sorry." said Harry, "I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's alright. I was just...distracted." Ginny felt herself go even redder and hated herself for it.
"I just wanted to thank you again for this journal." Harry said, setting the small notebook down on a nearby table, "You're right. It really does help a lot."
"So, you are feeling better then?" she asked hopefully.
"A bit," he admitted.
They sat in silence for awhile, Harry trying to think of the best was to get out what he wanted to say. Ginny had been too busy the past few days, so he never got his chance to talk to her...until now. In that time, he had done a lot of thinking about her and the things she had told him.
"Ginny," he started hesitantly, "are people still afraid of you?"
"What?" Said Ginny, who had been lost in thoughts of her own.
"When you were talking to me the other day, you said that all the kids either hated you or were scared of you. Are they still that way?"
"Well," she began, "it's gotten a bit better now. Some of them have even begun to treat me like a friend."
"But do you have any real friends?" Harry asked.
Ginny sat in a sad silence for a long time before finally whispering, "No, I suppose I don't. Well, Hermione is my friend, I suppose, but she's always off with Ron or studying. She doesn't have much time for me."
Ginny chanced a look up into Harry's eyes and was startled to see that they were shining with concern. "It doesn't matter really." She said quickly, "I don't mind. They don't mean to forget about me, they just do. It's not their fault. Sometimes I think it's better to be left alone."
"But you need friends!" Harry persisted, "Who do you talk to when your lonely?"
"I write in my diary." She said, very close to tears at this point, "That's enough, I suppose."
"No it isn't!"
"Harry, there's nothing you can do about it at this point!" Ginny said, not quite shouting, "So, just...lay off, okay? This is only upsetting me!" She let the tears spill down her cheeks.
Harry sighed and stared off into space for awhile, contemplating. At last he let out a shaky laugh. "Look at us. We both need someone to talk to, and here we are arguing with each other."
Ginny smiled slightly and tried to brush away her tears. Harry reached out hesitantly and put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry for making you cry, Ginny." Harry said at last, "I was worried about you, this time. Well, you will talk to me, won't you? When ever you feel lonely?"
"Of course I will." she said, looking him in the eye, "and you'll talk to me whenever you feel depressed, won't you?"
"Sure." he said warmly, standing up. He turned around and offered his hand to her. "Friends?" He asked.
Ginny smiled and took his hand, "Friends."
Harry pulled her up into another warm hug.
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A/N: Sorry this is such a short chapter, but my mom's making me get off so I can do some "family thing." (Hey, don't get me wrong. I like my family, but this involves out-of-town relatives. Which means I get to stand around for 3 hours listening to "Look how much you've grown!") *depressed sigh* r/r! I need suggestions for what course this story is gonna take!
