Okay, I'm sort of at a road block with this plot… So I'm just going to start writing and hope it works itself out! ;)
Well, after writing a little of it, I've determined that this chapter will have a much lighter plot to it, and very well could be the last chapter of the story (if I get it all sorted out correctly.)
Title: It's Never Too Late
Key Characters: Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione
This chapter is dedicated to all of the hard core H/G shippers in the world. JK has to listen!! ;)
Chapter Five: Potty and the Little Weasel
Days passed at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For the fifth day in a row, Ginny was in her room, reading the letter that Hedwig had delivered to her at lunch.
Dearest Ginny,
I'm so sorry about all of the pain that I've caused you. Every morning I wake up
thinking that maybe today will be the day you decide to talk to me. But, I go
through another long day without hearing your voice. I want you to know that
it is killing me that I can't talk to you or be around you. I want nothing more than
to hear your laugh or see your smile. I'm so sorry, and I really hope that you can
find it in your heart to forgive me.
Until tomorrow,
Harry
Harry was sitting in Hagrid's cabin, talking to the burly man about women. "Ya can't blame 'er, Harry. Ya kinda deserve this, as much as I hate ter say it ter ya," Hagrid said, refilling Harry's cup of tea. Sighing, Harry said, "And I totally agree with you Hagrid. I can't believe I did the things I did, and now I don't know how to show her that I care about her and that I am serious about her." Hagrid paused for a second and then said, "Well Harry, how about doin' some things for her that she did for you? Unnerstand?" Harry nodded, but didn't really fully grasp the idea until later.
Ginny, who should have been happy to finally have Harry "kissing her feet" in a sense, was having a terrible time trying to break up with Mike. After attempting to talk to him the previous night, he had caught up with her right outside the Gryffindor common room. "Ginny… I don't understand how things aren't working out! We had such a great time together and I was really starting to fall in love with you!" Mike said, standing in front of her so she couldn't walk away. "Tell him to sod off, dear," The Fat Lady said from behind her.
Mike looked at her sadly, and Ginny couldn't help but soften her stiff stance. "Look Mike," she sighed, "if you want to know the absolute truth, I will tell you." He nodded sadly and kept his eyes on her. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Well, I have been in love with a certain person for a really long time. He never noticed me until now. At first, I didn't know if I still wanted to be with him, but now, after all of the things he's doing to make it up to me, I have decided that I really do want to be with him. I still feel the same way about him. I had to choose between you and him, and I'm sorry, but I chose him." She paused for a second, eyeing Mike closely. His face slowly spread into a smile and he said, "It's Harry Potter isn't it?" Ginny nodded and Mike reached out to hug her. "Ginny, I'm happy for you. Really, I am. I know how much he means to you, and I'm glad that you finally got together," he said, releasing her. He walked off as Ginny stood staring at him. She had felt her jaw drop, but hadn't tried to hide her look of surprise. "I guess telling the truth works sometimes, dear," The Fat Lady said as Ginny climbed back inside the portrait hole.
After her afternoon classes, Ginny spent the rest of the night laying on her bed, finishing up some studying for her first Muggle Studies test of the year. It was only the second month of school, but her teacher, Professor Saxena, always liked to test them early and often. It really didn't matter to Ginny though; she was easily the best student in her year, and Muggle Studies was an easy subject for her, especially with Harry and Hermione as friends.
Speaking of Harry, he was busy in the common room. Hermione was helping him charm a card that he had made for Ginny. Ron was sitting in a chair laughing so hard that he was crying as Hermione slammed the card shut. "It's perfect Harry. I think she will love it," Hermione said, swatting at Ron with her left hand. "Oh, go ahead and laugh at me Ron. I deserve it, after all," Harry said, almost smiling. His black eye had almost faded away, even though people were still teasing him for being punched by a girl.
Tossing and turning in his bed that night, Harry felt nervous; he was about to embarrass himself in front of the whole school. However, he didn't really care what anyone else thought, because he only cared about Ginny's reaction. "Oh Ginny, please forgive me," he said in his head, curling up to his pillow, "I'm so sorry I hurt you." Ginny was his last thought as he drifted off to a fitful sleep, dreaming that Ginny had laughed at him in front of the whole school, and magically, his clothes disappeared!
Ginny pulled the curtains around her bed, whispering, "Good night Harry Potter, wherever you are." She smiled, thinking of his green eyes and dark hair; he was starting to get to her, and she couldn't stay mad at him for much longer.
"Good night, Hermione," Ron whispered, pulling his girlfriend close for a kiss. When she didn't kiss back, he realized that he was snuggling with his pillow, and that he had already fallen asleep once, judging by the drool on his other pillow. His face was red with embarrassment, and he was glad that his curtains were closed. Rolling over to go back to sleep, he heard Harry say, "Don't laugh at me Ginny! I'm so sorry!" Smiling and shaking his head, Ron said, "Poor Harry," and closed his eyes.
Waking up after what seemed to have been three seconds, Harry felt nervous as he walked down to breakfast. Hedwig would deliver the card to Ginny during breakfast in the Great Hall, and Harry was hoping that Ginny would understand what he was trying to get at. Walking down with Ron and Hermione, Harry was very quiet. "It'll be alright, Harry. You'll see," Hermione said, squeezing his shoulder as they entered the Great Hall. "Does it seem like there are more people here than usual?" Harry whispered to Ron, who simply patted his friend's back. Just as Harry was about to sit down, he saw a white owl fly into the Great Hall along with a few others. Hedwig dropped the card right onto Ginny's empty plate, startling her.
"This doesn't look like his normal letters," she said to her friend, Megan Watters. "Open it!" Megan said, curious to see the contents of the envelope. Ginny's hands were clammy as she slid her fingernail under the flap in the envelope. She pulled the card out of the envelope and studied the picture on the front; she saw a rose drawn in red ink and a broomstick.
"Here we go, mate," Ron said as Ginny began to open the card. Harry cringed as the card began to screech out the song he had written for her the previous night.
Her hair is as red as the fire.
Her smile is as bright as the sun.
It's Ginny Weasley I desire.
For my heart, she has already won.
For a second, the Great Hall was silent, but as the card continued to sing the same verse, all of the students burst out laughing. "Potty and the little Weasel!" Malfoy yelled, leading the laughter at the Slytherin table. All of the Gryffindors were laughing, including Ron, Hermione, and even Ginny. Harry was discouraged by this, fearing that his nightmare was coming true. He looked up to the staff table, seeing Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye, Professor McGonagall trying to hold back laughter, and Snape with an amused look on his face. His heart sank. "Boy, Ginny must have felt terrible," Harry said, a sad look spreading across his face.
She had dropped the card, but it lay open on the table, still singing shrilly about Ginny Weasley. Ginny had found this so amusing that she had burst out laughing with the rest of her friends, and continued to laugh until she finally looked over to see the look on Harry's face. "He finally understands," she said to Megan, getting up and walking to the end of the Gryffindor table, where Harry was sitting. He looked up at her, as if he expected her to explode into a tirade. She smiled at this, and walked over to his side of the table.
With the entire school watching, Ginny kneeled down level with Harry. "It doesn't feel so good, does it?" she whispered in his ear. Harry shook his head and sighed. "It's okay, Harry… I forgive you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a hug. He was so startled by this that it took him at least thirty seconds to realize that Ginny was hugging him. Finally, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer. "You mean everything to me, Ginny!" he whispered, pulling back to look in her eyes. "I know that now, Harry," Ginny said, her eyes sparkling with happy tears. The crowd had stopped laughing and proceeded to "Awww!" as Ginny leaned down and kissed Harry. Ron frowned and stood up to break the pair apart, but Hermione pulled him back into his seat. "Cool it, Ron. You're going to be seeing a lot of that from now on," she said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
That's the end, my friends! I hope you have enjoyed this short fic! I wish you all a Happy Christmas and New Year! Hopefully all you Ginny Weasleys out there have found your Harry Potters to kiss under the mistletoe this Christmas! ;)
~JOS