A/N: There were a few more questions or comments made that I'd like to address:

Emi: I feel like a moron, but what is MAA? *sheepish grin*

Latrisha: LOL. No, I don't want to be responsible for the death of a little German girl, so here you go. I'm glad you liked it so much, thank you!

MoodyIrishBabe: Some of it...

Mitch: Hehehe, I'm glad I got you on the edge of your seat; here's the chapter like I promised. I feel the same way about H/G (CoS started it all).

LilPrincess *insert assorted numbers here*: Thank you! And for the answer about the Fat Lady, see A/N2 of the sixth chapter.

RoseTangle: Thank you for the vote of confidence; it is sincerely appreciated. And about the Cho thing, I mentioned in Chapter 2 how Harry attributes his nervousness around Cho to Cedric's death, rather than amorousness. I know I didn't go into a whole serenade about it, but I figured that's the way things would go about his losing feelings for her, at least in my mind. And I hope you like Ginny's character; it's showcased in this chapter. *grin*

DragonFire: Killed her, eh? Cool. Ginny is crushed, but we'll see what happens with their chances...

And to everyone else (and I'm sorry about not addressing each of you separately, but I'm very sleepy) that reviewed this chapter and the previous ones, thank you! You've all said so many nice things and I TRULY appreciate all of it. And all of you repeat reviewers, I LOVE YOU!!! You guys are doubly cool. Thanks everyone!

Here you are my pretties. I don't own anything. Enjoy and review!



The rain had begun to beat down in merciless, icy torrents as Harry skidded across the wet lawns, searching desperately for a sign of Ginny in the darkness. His black cloak whipped behind him as he desperately called upon all of the skills of keen eyesight he had acquired as a seeker. This was the most important game of his life. A flash of lightning illuminated her rain soaked form, running toward the lake. "Ginny!" he called as the thunder rolled and lightning streaked across the sky. "Go away!" she yelled, her voice nearly muffled by the next boom of thunder. Harry sped up, running as fast as he could. He'd forgotten how quick she was. "Let me explain!" he cried, as he caught up to her. "Explain?" she asked, her voice oddly strained. She whirled around to face him. He felt a stab of pain course through his heart when a flash of lightning illuminated her face. Intermingled with the drops of rain were tears. "You don't need to explain anything. It's all very simple, though you probably think I'm so stupid that you need to explain." she choked out. Harry didn't get out so much as a headshake before she yelled with vehemence. "Well I'm not stupid! I understand your sick little game perfectly well. You thought you'd have a bit of fun with Ron's ickle baby sister, see just how badly you could hurt me. You invite me to meet you, knowing how much I like you, knowing I'd agree. You even spent the last two weeks of summer breaking down my defenses. I've got to hand it to you," she said with a bitter laugh as the tears streaked her pretty face "you really did your homework. And then comes the best part of all, where you time that kiss perfectly, where you make sure I see everything." Harry stood dumbfounded, trying to find his voice. The pain and anger in Ginny's voice overpowered him. "The only thing that needs explaining is how you could be so cruel. What have I ever done to you? Or maybe my songs and that poem embarrassed you, is that it? Do you think it wasn't embarrassing for me? Do you think I wasn't scared to go up there and tell the world what I felt for you? To tell you?" she asked, her voice showing hints of its usual sweet vulnerability. Harry's heart pained. Even if he'd been given the opportunity to speak, he wouldn't have been able to.

The bitterness returned to her quickly. "Well you could've said something. Anything would've been better than what you just did. And everything that I thought we'd shared this summer, all that was a lie too." "Ginny.." Harry said desperately, regaining his voice. Her eyes flashed angrily. "No! Let me talk damn you! I've sat back and said nothing all this time, now it's your turn to listen. For five long years I've loved you, watched you, and waited for you to see me. But never. All you ever saw was Cho. What do you think it was like for me, watching you moon over her for all this time, while I stood in the shadows just waiting for you to look at me, even once?" Harry felt absolutely sick. Why had he never known all the pain she was in? She took his silence as a cue to go on. "And now you've got her. Congrats. Forgive me if I don't jump for joy." she said in a caustic tone, etched with bitter bile. She looked up at his shocked face, scanning it with brown eyes, once so warm, now cold as ice. "I suppose you're loving this, aren't you? Watching Ron's ickle sister cry like a baby. Why don't you just tear out my heart and stomp on it? That's about all you've got left to do!" she cried, the tears flowing faster than the rain. Her true voice emerged once more. "I'm the one that loved you for who you were and not what you've been made out to be. Not because you're the famous Harry Potter that defeated Voldemort, but because you're the Harry that smiled at me at the train station that first time. Because you're the Harry that daydreams like I do, that falls asleep in the common room with his glasses on, that smiles so sweetly while he dreams. But none of it means anything anymore." she said, her voice full of pain and regret. "You're just like Malfoy makes you out to be. All you care about is being famous. I told him he was wrong, that there was more to you than that, but now I know I was wrong."

A pain and rage unlike Harry had ever felt before surged through him. "That's enough!" he yelled with a fierce fury born aloft by sorrow. Ginny looked up at him angrily through her tears and opened her mouth as if to retort. "Let me say something." he said quickly as to stop the rush of vile words that would surely come streaming from her lips. He wasn't sure he could bear anymore of that. The change in her, and the knowledge that he had caused it, was heartbreaking. She crossed her arms defiantly and looked at the ground. Harry closed his eyes, wondering just what he could say to make everything right. He settled for what was in his heart. "You're wrong about me, in every way. I was waiting for you in the entryway, but then Cho came in and she kissed me. That's all there was to it. I didn't plan anything." Ginny scoffed and turned her back to him, but Harry continued, oblivious to her disbelief. This needed to be said. "I would never do anything to purposely hurt you. Ever since the Chamber of Secrets I've known there was something between us and everything we shared this summer only served to strengthen that belief, but I told myself that I just wanted to protect you, to be your friend. That's true too, but there's more to it than that. I realized tonight how very much you mean to me. I love you Ginny." he said sincerely. She stood silently her back still turned to him. He went on, unable to stop himself. "I love everything about you. The way you close your eyes when you play your guitar, the way your hair is a million different colors in the sunlight, the way you're so honest and funny and sweet and smart. I love the way you can make me forget everything that's bad in the world simply by smiling at me."

Harry could feel himself reddening at these revelations, and was surprised by his own honesty. He continued, the anger building. "And if you're going to take that slimy git Malfoy's word over mine, then fine. That's your decision and I'd never tell you what to do. But even if you think everything I'm saying is a lie, I have to keep talking to you. You mean too much to me not to. Everything about you exudes this light and puts me at peace. And it seems I've dimmed that light and I'm horribly sorry for that injustice to the world. That was never my intention. I know I should've paid more attention to you and I'm sorry that you've been in so much pain; I never knew. And it doesn't justify that pain to say that I've only just realized what you truly mean to me, but it's the truth. If I knew what to say to make things right, I would. But I don't." he said, his voice full of hopelessness. Her back remained to him as she stood still as stone. A horrible aching was building in his chest as he began to speak again, not even realizing that he was speaking aloud. "Maybe it's better this way. At least Voldemort won't come after you again now that you hate me." That was his one comfort, and a sorry one at that. Tears leaked silently down from his emerald eyes, eyes that seemed to have lost their sheen. His head hung as his glasses fell without heed to the ground, his eyes closed.

Because of this, he didn't see Ginny turn toward him, looking at him searchingly. She felt her anger ebbing away and cursed herself silently for it. What if it was all lies? But what if it wasn't? she asked herself silently. She bit her lip again, eyes closed, as she tried to make sense of it all. What should she believe? The words of Draco Malfoy, son of a Death Eater, or those of Harry Potter, the boy she'd loved for five years? All of the reasons she'd fallen in love with him in the first place flooded back to her. Because he was good, smart, honest, kind, everything she'd ever dreamed of. She let another few tears fall, realizing her mistake. What had she done to him, to her first and only love? How could she have ever thought those things could be true of him, one so honest and good? He stood there as the rain poured down mercilessly, head hanging in defeat. Pain surged through her and she fought back more tears as she wiped her face free of the old ones, the rain still falling. Happiness, like a dim light, suddenly dawned before her. He loves me. She felt the smallest of smiles reach her face. The old warmth and light filled her eyes. She only hoped she wasn't too late. She pushed her wet hair back from her face and put her shaking hand beneath Harry's chin, lifting his face to hers. Harry jolted at the feel of her hand beneath his chin and waited for her other hand to come zooming toward his face in a stinging slap, but it never came. "I could never hate you. I could never do less than love you with all my heart, like I always have. Let Voldemort do his worst. I'd rather be dead with the memory of loving you than alive with the misery of being without you." she said, her face suddenly serious, her voice strong. "You saved my life Harry, but without you, I'd be as good as dead inside." she said softly, her eyes locked with Harry's.

Joy filled Harry as he stared into those deep brown eyes, eyes that danced once more. "I'll always be with you, no matter what happens." he whispered. Their eyes locked and Harry caught the hand she had placed under his chin in his own. "I love you." he said, locking forever in his memory the happiness on her beautiful, rain-wet face. "I love you too." she whispered back, tears in her eyes again, but this time caused by happiness. Harry smiled and felt all awkwardness slip away. This was Ginny, his Ginny, and that was all that mattered Still holding her hand, eyes locked, he leaned in to kiss her, both closing their eyes in the same instant. Their lips met and Harry felt all of the warmth and love that had been missing in Cho's kiss. This was what was meant to be, whom he was destined for. He wrapped his arms and cloak about Ginny's shivering form as her arms strayed up around his neck, neither heeding the rain that continued to fall steadily about them.



A/N: Did you like it? Despite what you may think, there is another chapter coming, so bear with me. I think you'll be glad you did. *grin* Now please oh please oh please review! All you have to do is click that little box, write a review, and you'll make a stressed out eighteen-year-old's life just a bit happier! Chapter 8 coming soon.

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