Author's Note: Hi! I've finally got up the second chapter, and it would
mean so much if I got some reviews, because I don't know if I should go on
or not. What do you think?
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Harry walked down the thin wooden stairs, running his fingers down the sleek strong railing. He shivered as his pale slender feet brushed onto the rugged warmth of the maroon colored rug in the living room. His emerald eyes glittered as he willingly approached the blazing firelight, falling back onto the comfortable couch, his thoughts whirling.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Harry looked up, startled. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Oh no. Er. That's all right. And no, I couldn't sleep either." Harry watched as Ginny smiled a bit at him, blushing as well. His heart warmed at once, and he could feel his low spirits lifting with that simple gesture she had given him. Ginny shivered as a cold draft blew through the window behind her chair. Harry suddenly noticed she only wore one of her older brothers shirts and a pair of checkered shorts.
Blushing furiously he asked, "Do you. Want to come sit here? I mean if you're cold or something. You don't have too."
"Of course," Ginny answered, and rose from the chair she had been occupying. Harry gulped despite this simple act as the girl he loved for so long sat down next to him on the creaking couch. She smiled warmly at him, and then stared back at the fire. Harry watched her eyes without thinking, and noticed how sad and vulnerable they looked.
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Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Every day I'm loving you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change winter to spring
But I love you, until the end of time
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Their eyes met in that moment, and both held the gaze with great difficulty. Harry couldn't tell what she was thinking. But the pain to let her know what his heart cried grew stronger and stronger with the passing minutes. Her deep thoughtful brown eyes bore into his - And he could almost feel her heart cry it's words out to him. Begging him to hear her pain, and to help her. But Ginny turned away suddenly, as if sensing she had given away too much already.
"I should really be getting some sleep. I promised mum I would help her with the cooking in the morning." She stood up, making her way across the carpeted floor to the door at the far end of the room. Harry followed, taking hold of her hand quickly.
"Wait," he whispered. Ginny froze in mid - step, and he could feel her hold her breath. But the problem was. Harry didn't have the faintest idea what to say. What to say. Tell her how you feel, fool! His mind screamed like loud clanging bells.
"I. I just wanted you. For you to know that." His voice grew quieter as he felt his face blush, and the embarrassment grow over his beating heart like a black plague. But when Ginny turned to face him, keeping the hold on his hand tight with hers, he could feel his strength coming back with a rush.
"I love you Ginny." He almost whispered, but she caught it right away. Her mouth opened slightly with a mix of shock and. And panic? Harry's heart pounded through his chest as the seconds ticked by agonizingly.
"Harry. You. Can't." He looked horrified for a moment, and pulled Ginny closer desperately to himself, thinking fast.
"Please say you still have feelings for me. I. I'm so sorry for what happened in school. I didn't know what I was thinking. You're so much different from them all. I love you. I need you Ginny. Your what's kept me alive all these years." Harry stared with such a force into her eyes that she had to step back from him a little.
"You don't need me, Harry," she stated in a soft voice, letting her hand drop back to her side. Even in the darkness of the shadows Harry could see the pain and suffering she had been going through. And he wanted nothing more then to hold her. Whisper those reassuring words that she needed. To him, it looked as if Colin had done nothing in her favor. What am I thinking? How do I know what Colin's done for her? I just love her too much to let her go again. Not again.
"I couldn't let you go again Ginny. Please. Say you feel as I do." Harry hugged her slender body to his, feeling himself shake partly from the cold. And for another reason.
Ginny coughed, pushing herself quickly away from Harry. "Please." She suddenly began gasping for air, and shuddering involuntarily as the burning sweat slid down her cheeks once more. Harry had to catch her in his arms as she fainted without warning. His heart beat furiously in his chest as he set her on the couch.
"Oh my god. Are you all right, Ginny? GINNY?!" Harry whispered to her desperately, feeling the tears slide down his flushed cheeks. His very heart shook with worry for the girl that lay in front of him on the couch.
"S-Sorry," Ginny sat up suddenly, blinking. Harry leapt to his feet in his relief, and hugged her tightly in his warm arms. She tensed, but he felt her relax after a moment and rest her head on his shoulder.
"What's going on?"
Both Harry and Ginny leapt apart, and stood a good distance away from each other as her older brother walked from the shadows, his red hair glinting in the dull flickering light of the fireplace.
"Ron. We were. Uh."
"I had fallen asleep, and Harry had gone to the bathroom, and he happened to spot me on the couch, and he kindly woke me up so I could go off to bed. Thank you again, Harry," Ginny said simply, her expression clouding over so he could no longer read it. He could also feel his heavy heart sink as he watched her walk from the room and up the stairs to bed.
"What was that all about, Harry?" Ron asked slowly, and Harry knew at once the reaction he would have gotten if he told his best friend anything of what had just happened. To depressed and rejected to respond, he merely shrugged and left to return to the bedroom he shared with his best Weasley friend.
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That morning, the whole family, including the guests sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast. Harry couldn't eat, his stomach twisted in unusual knots as Ginny entered the room in her pajamas, helping her mother set the table and make the breakfast.
I suppose I deserve it though, he thought to himself miserably. All those times I disregarded her at school, and now she's moved on. I hope Colin's treating her well, because if he isn't I'll be the first he'll have to deal with, the little scum.
"What's WRONG with my toast?!?!" Ron roared, his face flushed as he stared fixedly at Hermione sitting next to him, her eyes currently clouded with a disdainful expression at the toast that lay on his plate, untouched.
"Nothing, it's just- is it really that necessary to use all that jam? You're practically using up the entire bottle, if you ask me!"
"ME?!?! You shouldn't be talking! How much butter do you use on your toast?!" His two best friends glared dangerously at each other, and Harry could even smell the intense heat that radiated off their immense staring contest they had designed. No one dared to interrupt, for fear of deliberately poking the sleeping dragon within the two.
Suddenly, Ron burst out laughing, completely knocking his juice off the table. Hermione followed suit, but not expressing her amusement with the kitchenware, but lightly slapping Ron's hand in a playful manner. Fred coughed gruffly, (lovers tiff), George snorting loudly into his own cup of orange juice in laughter.
"Now now, everyone, settle down, it's too early for me to put up with you boys at this time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley grumbled, bustling around the room, cleaning the plates up magically with her wand.
Harry turned his attention back to Ginny, but she was gone. In a complete state of panic, he looked around wildly for Colin- But the two were nowhere in sight.
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Ginny made her way up to her room quietly, shadows following behind her as she slipped through the door. The only problem was, someone was already inside it. She had to muffle a scream with her thin hand as the figure stepped into the light. Ginny sighed, feeling her heart beat rapidly.
"Where have you been, Ginny?" Colin asked softly, but she could hear the dangerous tint in his voice. Her hands shook nervously as she stepped forward. He won't hurt you this time. Don't worry. He's just asking a simple question.
"I. I was downstairs. Helping mum with the breakfast."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!!" Colin slapped her across the face, and Ginny faced the wall feeling her cheek flush and throb with the sudden harsh contact. Her eyes watered with burning tears, her breathing becoming sharper.
"I know you were with Harry this whole time. I told you before to come to me first. I know you still love him Ginny, and I want you to forget it! You know I could do anything to him. I could even have him killed."
"Killed." Ginny's voice faded, the words finally sinking in.
"Push him away, lie to him Ginny," Colin whispered in her ear, making her skin crawl. Light tears slid down her pale face, but she held her head high.
"I will. Tomorrow."
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Ginny yawned, sitting up in her bed the next morning. She felt a bit dizzy at the moment, but let the worried thoughts that flew through her mind pass for the moment. She could still feel the painful mark on her cheek from the night before. But she refused to think about it for a while. The glimmering sunlight trickled through her opened window, as she sat down at her desk to brush her curly flaming hair. Looking down at the papers lying in front of her, she suddenly realized she had to squint in order to see the words properly.
Just tired, she thought to herself reassuringly. But when she stood to find a pair of clothes, the sickening feeling swept over her once more, sending her back onto her bed. Ginny could feel her heart pounding as the realization took over her mind, silencing her screaming thoughts. I. I must really be.
"Good morning Ginny!" Hermione said, stopping in front of her door. "You'd better get dressed. We're all planning to go down to Diagon Alley for some shopping! It'd be wonderful if you would come." Ginny blinked weakly, but nodded trying to smile despite her state. Hermione seemed assured, and kept walking down the hall past her door.
Why does this have to happen to me, Ginny thought, her heart sinking. She had known all along what kind of sickness she had had- But just hadn't told anyone. To afraid to admit the painful truth.
The young girl stumbled, but found the energy to stand in front of her long glassy mirror. She touched her cold blue lips, her reflection doing the same. Her skin had paled considerably, and her figure had thinned out because of her lack of food. Her knees felt weak, and her hands shook as her cheeks began to flush, her temperature rising.
Ginny sat alone on her chair as it creaked under her weight. Just wait it out. Her head fell suddenly with a thump onto the wooden table, feeling her whole being grow weaker. Brown vibrant eyes dimming, skin flushing and growing damp, lips icy and blue. Her thoughts swam. She felt alone. She felt lost. Ginny didn't want to die, but sitting here in the darkened room. And with the sun slowly making it's way to the other side of the tall Burrow. It made her re-think her life the way it was. Was she meant to be taken from this earth? It felt so soon. But it was someone else's turn to live. And she had to give her life for it.
Taking a shuddering breath, Ginny stood up, the dizziness overtaking her slightly once again. Throwing on a skirt and top, she slipped her sandals delicately onto her icy feet. She walked downstairs, as if nothing had happened. But in her heart, she knew this would be her last day. Her last chance to let Harry know how much he meant to her. And how she wanted him to carry on. Carry on for her. For everyone.
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The fiery sun burned in the sky as the crowd pushed to get to the various shops below. A beautiful snowy owl swooped down from the sky like a ghost, gasps of wonder following after it's silent flight over the many heads of the crowd. Some people recognized this owl immediately, and watched in curiosity as it slowed down and perched on a tall boy's shoulder.
"Hi Hedwig," Harry said, stroking her soft white feathers. Ron walked ahead of him, along with his two twin brothers. Hermione was walking next to Harry, Crookshankes following them all by her ankles. Ginny took up the rear, looking around at the different signs of the shops for anything interesting.
"DOES ICKLE RONNIEKINS NEED A HUG?!" George burst out unexpectedly. Harry and Hermione laughed as Ron's older brothers closed in with evil smirks plastered on their faces. His best friend yelped, and dived into the closest shop, being the one conveniently filled with candy of all sorts.
"We'll get the little bugger later, don't you worry," Fred smiled after his little brother, standing at the end of the shop with an apprehensive look on his freckled face. "Let's go, Gred."
Harry, Hermione and Ginny followed after Ron in the shop, and after a while the small group split up to look longingly at all the different colored candies on the shelves. Harry's emerald eyes glittered in the soft candlelight as he searched for something nice to buy for Ginny.
It really doesn't matter what you get her, she still won't love you, he thought sadly to himself. But before he could find anything, he heard his best friend's distinct growl of disgust coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw Draco Malfoy, raising an amused eyebrow at Ron, who was shaking with anger. Ginny stood next to her brother, a horrified expression crossing her face.
"Why do you two Weasel's look so surprised? I should be the one who's shocked, seeing you two in any store is some kind of bonus. Your Mudblood- loving father finally get a raise for hanging around freaks?" With that, Ron made a lunge at Malfoy, and Ginny instinctively grabbed the back of his collar and yanked backward, hard. Harry and Hermione quickly made their way to where the group were standing, or rather Ron was struggling to get a swing at the conceded young 17 year old stood, smirking.
"You can say anything you like, Malfoy, but your father isn't here to save your skin if we let Ron go," Harry sneered, keeping on hand tightly on Ron's arm, preventing him from wringing the blonde-haired boy's neck.
"Don't talk about my father that way, Potter, or he could have Weasel's fired before you can get home to that pathetic excuse of a -" But what it was, they never found out, because at that moment, Ron slipped from Harry's grip, ran around Hermione and grabbed Malfoy by the neck, pushing him against the wall. All three gasped, and tried desperately to get Ron to let him go, but it was no use. Harry shivered as he looked into Ron's dangerously narrowing blue eyes, boring into Malfoy's.
"Don't you ever say things like that about my family or friends again, do you hear me?" Draco tried to speak, but it came out as a faint squeak. Ron's hands tightened, and Malfoy's eyes widened. "Answer me," Ron growled, but Hermione placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Ron, let him go."
With a last look at Malfoy, he gruffly pushed the boy off the wall and wiped his hands as if he had touched something rather slimy. The boy made his way out the door without another word.
The day passed quickly after that, when the sun finally began to set over the four. They soon met back with Fred and George, whose pockets were strangely bulging. The six were finally back at the Burrow, safe and sound to Molly Weasley's great relief. After dinner, the rest went off to bed early for no apparent reason, but Harry felt strangely suffocated in the house, so he made his way out the back door, and out onto the moonlit grass of the backyard. He shivered as his bare feet brushed over the cold ground, but he kept his emerald eyes to the sky.
Stars glittered and winked down at him, free up above in the blackness of space. Harry suddenly felt small, and for a moment, he felt like everyone else on earth. Just a normal person, without any cares for evil Death Eaters hunting him out of anger because of that fateful night he had killed Voldemort.
Shivering, Harry sat down underneath a tree, bringing his knees up against him in a desperate attempt to warm himself, despite the fact it was the summer. Why doesn't she love me, why does she push me away? Is it me? Is it because I ignored her in school? Is it Colin? All of these thoughts confused and saddened Harry greatly, so he merely stared down at his hands, trying to make sense of something in his life.
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Ginny sat by the shadowed lake in her backyard, alone. The moon above lit her ghostly pale face like a white fire, her once flaming red hair turning a faint orange. She watched the fish swim around the water in front of her, blankly. A bird flew overhead, a firefly dancing gracefully in the woods and a turtle sliding down back beneath the reeds of the lake.
Why can't I tell him? Why does Colin shadow my heart's pleading? I so want to tell Harry. To pour myself out to him, but I can't. I will never put him in jeopardy. I couldn't.
"Ginny?"
Startled, she stood up quickly and turned around to face the one person that had occupied her thoughts since the first time she had laid eyes on him.
"Harry?" She responded, or questioned simply. The two stared at each other, their gaze intensifying with the passing minutes. She watched as Harry nervously made his way forward, and touched her arm carefully. Her brown eyes rose to meet his, and the two stood, watching each other, and waiting for one to make the first move.
"I'm sorry," Ginny finally felt herself croak.
"Sorry.? Sorry for what?" Harry asked hurriedly, wondering if he had done something wrong, and he dropped his hand almost immediately at his side.
"I-"
"No, Ginny, please. If it's me, I'm so sorry, but I can't live without you! I should be the sorry one for not noticing you all through school, I should be the one taking the blame, it's my fault not-"
There was a deafening silence as Ginny pressed her lips against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his head downward to meet hers. The new couple stood together there under the tree, pressed closely against each other.
"I love you," Ginny whispered hoarsely in Harry's ear after a while, sending chills up his spine. He smiled down at her for a long while, relishing in the moment and boring her image into his mind forever.
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The fiery morning sun rose into the sky, announcing its presence with a beautiful radiance. Colin sat in the corner of the guest room, huddled in the last corners of the dark shadows. His face was an eerie gray, and his eyes glittered with malice and deep jealousy at the rising sun, as if he were furious at its arrival.
She will come to me, Colin thought angrily. Ginny deserves better then that pathetic Potter; he can't offer her anything but danger and life - threatening situations. I have power, money and looks. What DOES she see in him? How could she choose him over me, and what's more- She went behind my back for him. Haven't I taught her anything? Isn't she afraid of me YET?!
"But I will have her," Colin spoke softly to himself in a deathly low voice. "Ginny will come to me when night falls."
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Ginny twirled around the kitchen in the sudden glittering sunlight, colors dancing along the walls, painted by the differently shaped stain - glass windows. Her heart soared like a bird for the first time in years, and she'd never been happier in her life ever before. She wanted to keep this feeling in her heart forever, capture Harry in her arms for all of time and relish in his scent until the day they parted from this earth.
"You look happy," smiled Hermione from behind her. Ginny spun around the room once more, past the dishes that were magically washing themselves in the sink.
"You have no idea! Oh, Hermione, he said he loved me!" Her smile slightly faded as she watched her red headed friend dance about the brightly lit room.
"Love?"
"Yes, of course! Can you believe it?" Ginny began to hum an old muggle song she'd heard on the radio, something called, Come What May, but stopped immediately as she noticed the look on her friend's face. "Hermione. What's wrong?"
"What about, Colin?" For some odd reason, it took about 2 long minutes for her words to finally sink in, and touch Ginny's heart.
"Colin." She whispered to herself drearily, and she suddenly felt the sickening feeling of foreshadowing take over her soul. Or maybe it was the long forgotten sickness finally striking her unexpectedly, she didn't know. Ginny wouldn't ever know.
Everything began in an agonizing slow motion, as Ginny's knees weakened, causing her whole body to slide helplessly to the floor. She could feel her pale cheek graze against the cold floorboards of the kitchen, and her ragged breathing filled her ears as her sweat slid down her face quickly.
"GINNY!" Hermione positively shrieked, and dropped to her knees, trying to help her friend up. In a desperate attempt to give her air, she rolled her over on her back, and let her lean her head on her legs. "Ginny, say something!!"
Her chest heaved painfully in the effort to breathe; her skin grew horribly pale and icily cold. "Get. Help." Ginny croaked in a voice barely audible.
"Alright. Alright. Just, hold on!" Hermione slid Ginny's light body to the hard cold floor, and sprinted out of the room at top speed up the staires to wake everyone up.
Ginny lay sprawled on the wooden floor, now unable to move. She could feel the air around her close, and her breathing became now desperate and ragged with need. What's going on? She tried to think, tried to make sense of something, tried to think of Harry. Hard coughs racked her lungs, as she twisted painfully in the attempt for air, while sparkling red blood slid from her lips.
Help....
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Colin listened to the sounds of hammering footsteps ring through the halls as the entire family ran down the stairs to help her. He didn't move a muscle to follow them, only sat in his room, staring at the thin black stick in his hand. To the un - trained muggle eye, this normal everyday stick might look harmless, but at that moment, it held a dark sickening power that would determine a young girl's life or death.
"It isn't fair," he muttered uselessly to himself, the grip on his wand tightening ever so slightly. "Stupid, Potter."
Years ago, when Colin was young, the students of Hogwarts might have said he looked up to, or even went as far as using the word worshipped, Harry Potter. Yes, he used to be known for roaming the halls aimlessly without a purpose, and seen carrying a small black camera around with him, trying to catch a glimpse of the famous Boy - Who - Lived.
"Those days are over," Colin whispered darkly to himself.
No one really knows what drove him over the edge or what possessed him to suddenly grow cold and bitter to the people around him. Maybe it was the fact, that as time passed, he suddenly realized all the attention Harry was receiving from so many people. From all his friends, his admirers (including Colin), the Professors (even Snape) and even some Slytherins, but they wouldn't admit it of course. But most of all, the one person who Colin felt closest to also stood in the shadow of Harry Potter's greatness.
Ginny Weasley.
To Colin, it seemed as if she didn't deserve to be poor, or to walk in the shadows of others. Her voice was long silenced by her adoration for Potter, and it sickened Colin to the core of his heart to watch her follow after him, day after day without any acknowledgement whatsoever from his part. She doesn't care though, hissed a nasty voice in his mind, ripping through his thoughts. Anything for the famous 'Harry Potter'.
"That will all change," Colin said aloud to himself. In his twisted mind, only one thing stood out from all the rest. To win Ginny back, he must put her in life - threatening danger, so Potter would finally realize his mistake, of loosing her.
Loosing her forever.
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Harry walked down the thin wooden stairs, running his fingers down the sleek strong railing. He shivered as his pale slender feet brushed onto the rugged warmth of the maroon colored rug in the living room. His emerald eyes glittered as he willingly approached the blazing firelight, falling back onto the comfortable couch, his thoughts whirling.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Harry looked up, startled. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Oh no. Er. That's all right. And no, I couldn't sleep either." Harry watched as Ginny smiled a bit at him, blushing as well. His heart warmed at once, and he could feel his low spirits lifting with that simple gesture she had given him. Ginny shivered as a cold draft blew through the window behind her chair. Harry suddenly noticed she only wore one of her older brothers shirts and a pair of checkered shorts.
Blushing furiously he asked, "Do you. Want to come sit here? I mean if you're cold or something. You don't have too."
"Of course," Ginny answered, and rose from the chair she had been occupying. Harry gulped despite this simple act as the girl he loved for so long sat down next to him on the creaking couch. She smiled warmly at him, and then stared back at the fire. Harry watched her eyes without thinking, and noticed how sad and vulnerable they looked.
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Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
Want to vanish inside your kiss
Every day I'm loving you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change winter to spring
But I love you, until the end of time
----------------------
Their eyes met in that moment, and both held the gaze with great difficulty. Harry couldn't tell what she was thinking. But the pain to let her know what his heart cried grew stronger and stronger with the passing minutes. Her deep thoughtful brown eyes bore into his - And he could almost feel her heart cry it's words out to him. Begging him to hear her pain, and to help her. But Ginny turned away suddenly, as if sensing she had given away too much already.
"I should really be getting some sleep. I promised mum I would help her with the cooking in the morning." She stood up, making her way across the carpeted floor to the door at the far end of the room. Harry followed, taking hold of her hand quickly.
"Wait," he whispered. Ginny froze in mid - step, and he could feel her hold her breath. But the problem was. Harry didn't have the faintest idea what to say. What to say. Tell her how you feel, fool! His mind screamed like loud clanging bells.
"I. I just wanted you. For you to know that." His voice grew quieter as he felt his face blush, and the embarrassment grow over his beating heart like a black plague. But when Ginny turned to face him, keeping the hold on his hand tight with hers, he could feel his strength coming back with a rush.
"I love you Ginny." He almost whispered, but she caught it right away. Her mouth opened slightly with a mix of shock and. And panic? Harry's heart pounded through his chest as the seconds ticked by agonizingly.
"Harry. You. Can't." He looked horrified for a moment, and pulled Ginny closer desperately to himself, thinking fast.
"Please say you still have feelings for me. I. I'm so sorry for what happened in school. I didn't know what I was thinking. You're so much different from them all. I love you. I need you Ginny. Your what's kept me alive all these years." Harry stared with such a force into her eyes that she had to step back from him a little.
"You don't need me, Harry," she stated in a soft voice, letting her hand drop back to her side. Even in the darkness of the shadows Harry could see the pain and suffering she had been going through. And he wanted nothing more then to hold her. Whisper those reassuring words that she needed. To him, it looked as if Colin had done nothing in her favor. What am I thinking? How do I know what Colin's done for her? I just love her too much to let her go again. Not again.
"I couldn't let you go again Ginny. Please. Say you feel as I do." Harry hugged her slender body to his, feeling himself shake partly from the cold. And for another reason.
Ginny coughed, pushing herself quickly away from Harry. "Please." She suddenly began gasping for air, and shuddering involuntarily as the burning sweat slid down her cheeks once more. Harry had to catch her in his arms as she fainted without warning. His heart beat furiously in his chest as he set her on the couch.
"Oh my god. Are you all right, Ginny? GINNY?!" Harry whispered to her desperately, feeling the tears slide down his flushed cheeks. His very heart shook with worry for the girl that lay in front of him on the couch.
"S-Sorry," Ginny sat up suddenly, blinking. Harry leapt to his feet in his relief, and hugged her tightly in his warm arms. She tensed, but he felt her relax after a moment and rest her head on his shoulder.
"What's going on?"
Both Harry and Ginny leapt apart, and stood a good distance away from each other as her older brother walked from the shadows, his red hair glinting in the dull flickering light of the fireplace.
"Ron. We were. Uh."
"I had fallen asleep, and Harry had gone to the bathroom, and he happened to spot me on the couch, and he kindly woke me up so I could go off to bed. Thank you again, Harry," Ginny said simply, her expression clouding over so he could no longer read it. He could also feel his heavy heart sink as he watched her walk from the room and up the stairs to bed.
"What was that all about, Harry?" Ron asked slowly, and Harry knew at once the reaction he would have gotten if he told his best friend anything of what had just happened. To depressed and rejected to respond, he merely shrugged and left to return to the bedroom he shared with his best Weasley friend.
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That morning, the whole family, including the guests sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast. Harry couldn't eat, his stomach twisted in unusual knots as Ginny entered the room in her pajamas, helping her mother set the table and make the breakfast.
I suppose I deserve it though, he thought to himself miserably. All those times I disregarded her at school, and now she's moved on. I hope Colin's treating her well, because if he isn't I'll be the first he'll have to deal with, the little scum.
"What's WRONG with my toast?!?!" Ron roared, his face flushed as he stared fixedly at Hermione sitting next to him, her eyes currently clouded with a disdainful expression at the toast that lay on his plate, untouched.
"Nothing, it's just- is it really that necessary to use all that jam? You're practically using up the entire bottle, if you ask me!"
"ME?!?! You shouldn't be talking! How much butter do you use on your toast?!" His two best friends glared dangerously at each other, and Harry could even smell the intense heat that radiated off their immense staring contest they had designed. No one dared to interrupt, for fear of deliberately poking the sleeping dragon within the two.
Suddenly, Ron burst out laughing, completely knocking his juice off the table. Hermione followed suit, but not expressing her amusement with the kitchenware, but lightly slapping Ron's hand in a playful manner. Fred coughed gruffly, (lovers tiff), George snorting loudly into his own cup of orange juice in laughter.
"Now now, everyone, settle down, it's too early for me to put up with you boys at this time in the morning," Mrs. Weasley grumbled, bustling around the room, cleaning the plates up magically with her wand.
Harry turned his attention back to Ginny, but she was gone. In a complete state of panic, he looked around wildly for Colin- But the two were nowhere in sight.
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Ginny made her way up to her room quietly, shadows following behind her as she slipped through the door. The only problem was, someone was already inside it. She had to muffle a scream with her thin hand as the figure stepped into the light. Ginny sighed, feeling her heart beat rapidly.
"Where have you been, Ginny?" Colin asked softly, but she could hear the dangerous tint in his voice. Her hands shook nervously as she stepped forward. He won't hurt you this time. Don't worry. He's just asking a simple question.
"I. I was downstairs. Helping mum with the breakfast."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!!" Colin slapped her across the face, and Ginny faced the wall feeling her cheek flush and throb with the sudden harsh contact. Her eyes watered with burning tears, her breathing becoming sharper.
"I know you were with Harry this whole time. I told you before to come to me first. I know you still love him Ginny, and I want you to forget it! You know I could do anything to him. I could even have him killed."
"Killed." Ginny's voice faded, the words finally sinking in.
"Push him away, lie to him Ginny," Colin whispered in her ear, making her skin crawl. Light tears slid down her pale face, but she held her head high.
"I will. Tomorrow."
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Ginny yawned, sitting up in her bed the next morning. She felt a bit dizzy at the moment, but let the worried thoughts that flew through her mind pass for the moment. She could still feel the painful mark on her cheek from the night before. But she refused to think about it for a while. The glimmering sunlight trickled through her opened window, as she sat down at her desk to brush her curly flaming hair. Looking down at the papers lying in front of her, she suddenly realized she had to squint in order to see the words properly.
Just tired, she thought to herself reassuringly. But when she stood to find a pair of clothes, the sickening feeling swept over her once more, sending her back onto her bed. Ginny could feel her heart pounding as the realization took over her mind, silencing her screaming thoughts. I. I must really be.
"Good morning Ginny!" Hermione said, stopping in front of her door. "You'd better get dressed. We're all planning to go down to Diagon Alley for some shopping! It'd be wonderful if you would come." Ginny blinked weakly, but nodded trying to smile despite her state. Hermione seemed assured, and kept walking down the hall past her door.
Why does this have to happen to me, Ginny thought, her heart sinking. She had known all along what kind of sickness she had had- But just hadn't told anyone. To afraid to admit the painful truth.
The young girl stumbled, but found the energy to stand in front of her long glassy mirror. She touched her cold blue lips, her reflection doing the same. Her skin had paled considerably, and her figure had thinned out because of her lack of food. Her knees felt weak, and her hands shook as her cheeks began to flush, her temperature rising.
Ginny sat alone on her chair as it creaked under her weight. Just wait it out. Her head fell suddenly with a thump onto the wooden table, feeling her whole being grow weaker. Brown vibrant eyes dimming, skin flushing and growing damp, lips icy and blue. Her thoughts swam. She felt alone. She felt lost. Ginny didn't want to die, but sitting here in the darkened room. And with the sun slowly making it's way to the other side of the tall Burrow. It made her re-think her life the way it was. Was she meant to be taken from this earth? It felt so soon. But it was someone else's turn to live. And she had to give her life for it.
Taking a shuddering breath, Ginny stood up, the dizziness overtaking her slightly once again. Throwing on a skirt and top, she slipped her sandals delicately onto her icy feet. She walked downstairs, as if nothing had happened. But in her heart, she knew this would be her last day. Her last chance to let Harry know how much he meant to her. And how she wanted him to carry on. Carry on for her. For everyone.
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The fiery sun burned in the sky as the crowd pushed to get to the various shops below. A beautiful snowy owl swooped down from the sky like a ghost, gasps of wonder following after it's silent flight over the many heads of the crowd. Some people recognized this owl immediately, and watched in curiosity as it slowed down and perched on a tall boy's shoulder.
"Hi Hedwig," Harry said, stroking her soft white feathers. Ron walked ahead of him, along with his two twin brothers. Hermione was walking next to Harry, Crookshankes following them all by her ankles. Ginny took up the rear, looking around at the different signs of the shops for anything interesting.
"DOES ICKLE RONNIEKINS NEED A HUG?!" George burst out unexpectedly. Harry and Hermione laughed as Ron's older brothers closed in with evil smirks plastered on their faces. His best friend yelped, and dived into the closest shop, being the one conveniently filled with candy of all sorts.
"We'll get the little bugger later, don't you worry," Fred smiled after his little brother, standing at the end of the shop with an apprehensive look on his freckled face. "Let's go, Gred."
Harry, Hermione and Ginny followed after Ron in the shop, and after a while the small group split up to look longingly at all the different colored candies on the shelves. Harry's emerald eyes glittered in the soft candlelight as he searched for something nice to buy for Ginny.
It really doesn't matter what you get her, she still won't love you, he thought sadly to himself. But before he could find anything, he heard his best friend's distinct growl of disgust coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw Draco Malfoy, raising an amused eyebrow at Ron, who was shaking with anger. Ginny stood next to her brother, a horrified expression crossing her face.
"Why do you two Weasel's look so surprised? I should be the one who's shocked, seeing you two in any store is some kind of bonus. Your Mudblood- loving father finally get a raise for hanging around freaks?" With that, Ron made a lunge at Malfoy, and Ginny instinctively grabbed the back of his collar and yanked backward, hard. Harry and Hermione quickly made their way to where the group were standing, or rather Ron was struggling to get a swing at the conceded young 17 year old stood, smirking.
"You can say anything you like, Malfoy, but your father isn't here to save your skin if we let Ron go," Harry sneered, keeping on hand tightly on Ron's arm, preventing him from wringing the blonde-haired boy's neck.
"Don't talk about my father that way, Potter, or he could have Weasel's fired before you can get home to that pathetic excuse of a -" But what it was, they never found out, because at that moment, Ron slipped from Harry's grip, ran around Hermione and grabbed Malfoy by the neck, pushing him against the wall. All three gasped, and tried desperately to get Ron to let him go, but it was no use. Harry shivered as he looked into Ron's dangerously narrowing blue eyes, boring into Malfoy's.
"Don't you ever say things like that about my family or friends again, do you hear me?" Draco tried to speak, but it came out as a faint squeak. Ron's hands tightened, and Malfoy's eyes widened. "Answer me," Ron growled, but Hermione placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Ron, let him go."
With a last look at Malfoy, he gruffly pushed the boy off the wall and wiped his hands as if he had touched something rather slimy. The boy made his way out the door without another word.
The day passed quickly after that, when the sun finally began to set over the four. They soon met back with Fred and George, whose pockets were strangely bulging. The six were finally back at the Burrow, safe and sound to Molly Weasley's great relief. After dinner, the rest went off to bed early for no apparent reason, but Harry felt strangely suffocated in the house, so he made his way out the back door, and out onto the moonlit grass of the backyard. He shivered as his bare feet brushed over the cold ground, but he kept his emerald eyes to the sky.
Stars glittered and winked down at him, free up above in the blackness of space. Harry suddenly felt small, and for a moment, he felt like everyone else on earth. Just a normal person, without any cares for evil Death Eaters hunting him out of anger because of that fateful night he had killed Voldemort.
Shivering, Harry sat down underneath a tree, bringing his knees up against him in a desperate attempt to warm himself, despite the fact it was the summer. Why doesn't she love me, why does she push me away? Is it me? Is it because I ignored her in school? Is it Colin? All of these thoughts confused and saddened Harry greatly, so he merely stared down at his hands, trying to make sense of something in his life.
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Ginny sat by the shadowed lake in her backyard, alone. The moon above lit her ghostly pale face like a white fire, her once flaming red hair turning a faint orange. She watched the fish swim around the water in front of her, blankly. A bird flew overhead, a firefly dancing gracefully in the woods and a turtle sliding down back beneath the reeds of the lake.
Why can't I tell him? Why does Colin shadow my heart's pleading? I so want to tell Harry. To pour myself out to him, but I can't. I will never put him in jeopardy. I couldn't.
"Ginny?"
Startled, she stood up quickly and turned around to face the one person that had occupied her thoughts since the first time she had laid eyes on him.
"Harry?" She responded, or questioned simply. The two stared at each other, their gaze intensifying with the passing minutes. She watched as Harry nervously made his way forward, and touched her arm carefully. Her brown eyes rose to meet his, and the two stood, watching each other, and waiting for one to make the first move.
"I'm sorry," Ginny finally felt herself croak.
"Sorry.? Sorry for what?" Harry asked hurriedly, wondering if he had done something wrong, and he dropped his hand almost immediately at his side.
"I-"
"No, Ginny, please. If it's me, I'm so sorry, but I can't live without you! I should be the sorry one for not noticing you all through school, I should be the one taking the blame, it's my fault not-"
There was a deafening silence as Ginny pressed her lips against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his head downward to meet hers. The new couple stood together there under the tree, pressed closely against each other.
"I love you," Ginny whispered hoarsely in Harry's ear after a while, sending chills up his spine. He smiled down at her for a long while, relishing in the moment and boring her image into his mind forever.
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The fiery morning sun rose into the sky, announcing its presence with a beautiful radiance. Colin sat in the corner of the guest room, huddled in the last corners of the dark shadows. His face was an eerie gray, and his eyes glittered with malice and deep jealousy at the rising sun, as if he were furious at its arrival.
She will come to me, Colin thought angrily. Ginny deserves better then that pathetic Potter; he can't offer her anything but danger and life - threatening situations. I have power, money and looks. What DOES she see in him? How could she choose him over me, and what's more- She went behind my back for him. Haven't I taught her anything? Isn't she afraid of me YET?!
"But I will have her," Colin spoke softly to himself in a deathly low voice. "Ginny will come to me when night falls."
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Ginny twirled around the kitchen in the sudden glittering sunlight, colors dancing along the walls, painted by the differently shaped stain - glass windows. Her heart soared like a bird for the first time in years, and she'd never been happier in her life ever before. She wanted to keep this feeling in her heart forever, capture Harry in her arms for all of time and relish in his scent until the day they parted from this earth.
"You look happy," smiled Hermione from behind her. Ginny spun around the room once more, past the dishes that were magically washing themselves in the sink.
"You have no idea! Oh, Hermione, he said he loved me!" Her smile slightly faded as she watched her red headed friend dance about the brightly lit room.
"Love?"
"Yes, of course! Can you believe it?" Ginny began to hum an old muggle song she'd heard on the radio, something called, Come What May, but stopped immediately as she noticed the look on her friend's face. "Hermione. What's wrong?"
"What about, Colin?" For some odd reason, it took about 2 long minutes for her words to finally sink in, and touch Ginny's heart.
"Colin." She whispered to herself drearily, and she suddenly felt the sickening feeling of foreshadowing take over her soul. Or maybe it was the long forgotten sickness finally striking her unexpectedly, she didn't know. Ginny wouldn't ever know.
Everything began in an agonizing slow motion, as Ginny's knees weakened, causing her whole body to slide helplessly to the floor. She could feel her pale cheek graze against the cold floorboards of the kitchen, and her ragged breathing filled her ears as her sweat slid down her face quickly.
"GINNY!" Hermione positively shrieked, and dropped to her knees, trying to help her friend up. In a desperate attempt to give her air, she rolled her over on her back, and let her lean her head on her legs. "Ginny, say something!!"
Her chest heaved painfully in the effort to breathe; her skin grew horribly pale and icily cold. "Get. Help." Ginny croaked in a voice barely audible.
"Alright. Alright. Just, hold on!" Hermione slid Ginny's light body to the hard cold floor, and sprinted out of the room at top speed up the staires to wake everyone up.
Ginny lay sprawled on the wooden floor, now unable to move. She could feel the air around her close, and her breathing became now desperate and ragged with need. What's going on? She tried to think, tried to make sense of something, tried to think of Harry. Hard coughs racked her lungs, as she twisted painfully in the attempt for air, while sparkling red blood slid from her lips.
Help....
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Colin listened to the sounds of hammering footsteps ring through the halls as the entire family ran down the stairs to help her. He didn't move a muscle to follow them, only sat in his room, staring at the thin black stick in his hand. To the un - trained muggle eye, this normal everyday stick might look harmless, but at that moment, it held a dark sickening power that would determine a young girl's life or death.
"It isn't fair," he muttered uselessly to himself, the grip on his wand tightening ever so slightly. "Stupid, Potter."
Years ago, when Colin was young, the students of Hogwarts might have said he looked up to, or even went as far as using the word worshipped, Harry Potter. Yes, he used to be known for roaming the halls aimlessly without a purpose, and seen carrying a small black camera around with him, trying to catch a glimpse of the famous Boy - Who - Lived.
"Those days are over," Colin whispered darkly to himself.
No one really knows what drove him over the edge or what possessed him to suddenly grow cold and bitter to the people around him. Maybe it was the fact, that as time passed, he suddenly realized all the attention Harry was receiving from so many people. From all his friends, his admirers (including Colin), the Professors (even Snape) and even some Slytherins, but they wouldn't admit it of course. But most of all, the one person who Colin felt closest to also stood in the shadow of Harry Potter's greatness.
Ginny Weasley.
To Colin, it seemed as if she didn't deserve to be poor, or to walk in the shadows of others. Her voice was long silenced by her adoration for Potter, and it sickened Colin to the core of his heart to watch her follow after him, day after day without any acknowledgement whatsoever from his part. She doesn't care though, hissed a nasty voice in his mind, ripping through his thoughts. Anything for the famous 'Harry Potter'.
"That will all change," Colin said aloud to himself. In his twisted mind, only one thing stood out from all the rest. To win Ginny back, he must put her in life - threatening danger, so Potter would finally realize his mistake, of loosing her.
Loosing her forever.
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