Stop Living the Lie
Authors note: Well I thought I'd better right something for Valentines Day!
Disclaimer: I don't know any of the characters or the song. Stop Living the Lie is by David Sneddon (Winner of Fame Academy 2002, Uk).
He sits alone at a table in a small café,
Drowning his tears in a bottomless cup of coffee,
And he's tumbling into his thoughts,
His memories are all tied in knots.
Who is going to save him?
No-one wants to know him.
Harry Potter; saviour of the world, defeater of Voldemort and general all around good guy sat in a muggle café staring into a cup of coffee. He was pondering whether it would be safe to drink from the cup, suspicious stains lined the rim and what looked like a lipstick mark haunted the cup from a previous gauntly dressed drinker. He used both hands to lift the cup from the Formica table and took a sip from the bitter-sweet liquid. He screwed his face up and reached for another sugar packet from the glass bowl, he never really liked coffee but the caffeine seemed like a good idea. He'd been up all night with several things on his mind. Not the impending end of the world, seeing as he'd already dealt with that. No, the thing on his mind was a girl… woman he corrected; a certain beautiful red-headed Auror, to be precise.
Harry had left Hogwarts at 17 and travelled for a year with an outfit called 'The Order of the Phoenix'. After Voldemorts untimely demise the responsible group moved around to round up the odd Death Eater or two. They'd run into a few problems when a rogue Death Eater attempted to become the new Dark Lord. Needless to say he didn't get very far. At 18 Harry had joined the Trainee Auror core with Ron and Ginny, who had also been a member of The Order but hadn't travelled due to her need to finish Hogwarts; Hermione joined the Department of Mysteries at the same time. Harry only knew what she did when she needed Auror help with something- it was after all a secret part of the ministry. Now at twenty it was Ginny Weasley who was causing him sleepless nights.
You'd think he was used to suppressing his feeling for her; he'd been doing it for 4 years now, but the combat uniform they had to wear was sending his mind into over drive. When Voldemort had risen again Harry convinced himself it was too dangerous for him to show any affection towards the youngest Weasley but now he didn't have an excuse. He'd tried to tell himself it wasn't 'professional' to have a crush on a fellow agent but it wasn't really washing anymore. After all Ron and Hermione had got married last year, Harry smiled at the memory. The smile soon faded when glanced down at the document beside him. Sighing he picked it up and began to siphon through the many piece of parchment trying to find the relevant one.
She stands alone in a place where no-one knows her name,
She catches them staring, they turn 'round and finish the frame,
And she's nursing her head and her pride,
She died long ago deep down inside.
Who is going to save him?
No-one wants to know her.
Ginny stood in a muggle library desperately searching for a book on muggle law. She knew she was attracting a lot of attention as she was still wearing her black dragon hide combat clothes and her hair was piled atop her head in a mismatched fashion and her face was probably red and sweaty from the training she's just been doing, but this book was really important. There'd been a lot of problem with Dark Wizards attaching themselves to muggle groups to wreak havoc across both worlds; the most famous in the last century being Grindelwald and Adolf Hitler which had resulted in World War two. The case she had been assigned to with the aid of Hermione was somewhat less extreme but none the less important. The muggles could obviously not be tried at a Wizarding court and Ginny needed to brush up on her Law. Finally finding the book she was looking for she shoved some money into the cashiers hand and muttered something about a fancy dress party to try to explain her appearance. The cashier, although looking dubious, accepted the money and placed the book into a plastic bag and handed back to Ginny.
When outside Ginny cast a quick glamour spell to cover her suspicious appearance and made her way along the street. On a whim she decided to grab something to eat at the café across the road. It was a muggle café but Ginny liked the feel of an authentic feel. It also allowed her to sit and think in peace without the constant stares and nudges from the wizards that she saw. Ginny had never worked out whether it was the Dragon Hide they were staring at or one of the Hero's who'd helped defeat Voldemort; either way it made her uncomfortable and right now she could really do without it. She pushed the blue door open and sat at the table beside the window. A waitress wearing a bored expression came and asked her what she wanted in a broad cockney accent. She ordered a cup of tea and a sandwich and sank back into her thoughts. Ginny had been having a few social problems lately, her possessive ex-boyfriend still turned up at her house complaining about how his life was down hill since she'd left him and how he still loved her. Ginny explained as patiently as she could that he was a very nice man but she just didn't love him. Truth was Ginny was still in love with the boy… man; she'd been in love with since she was 10 years of age. Harry Potter. The two had become friends during his sixth year and she'd been one of the witches that had helped him to finally win the Dark war. Everyone had thought that Ginny was over her crush during those years as she no longer blushed profusely and no longer felt the need to put her elbow in the butter dish when he smiled at her. In secret her knees would still melt at the sight of his lopsided smile though, still did as a matter of fact. Far from being over her crush on Harry had grown into something much stronger, something she'd been unwilling to admit till now.
I can't believe that you pull on a sleeve when you cry,
You'll stick in the knife then give the kiss of life
Live the lie.
We all have a saviour,
Do yourself a favour;
Stop living the lie.
Stop living the lie.
Ginny bit into her sandwich and let her eyes wonder around the café. The red-head was somewhat of a voyeur when it came to muggles; an obsession she'd picked up form her father no doubt. A blonde haired woman sat talking animatedly on one of those molbie phone things; she may have liked muggles but Ginny was no expert on the subject. A grey haired couple say holding hands across the grimy surface and on the table next to them a pair of dark green eyes burned into her own. Ginny gave a start as she realised that the man she'd been thinking about was in the same room staring at her. Taking a secret deep breath she picked up her cup, plate and carrier bag and made her way to Harry's tables. She suddenly found that she'd lost the ability to breathe properly. Ginny scolded and reminded herself that she was passed the blushing and greasy elbow thing.
"Can I sit?" She asked.
"Sure"
Harry it seemed was also having an inner fight.
Just tell her!
I can't, she'll laugh in my face.
Ginny would never do that.
But what if I ruin everything? What if she doesn't think of me like that?
What if she does?
He sits alone and looks up to the eyes of an angel,
She catches him staring and smiles the smile of an angel.
And she asks him if this chair is free,
He says yes will you sit here with me.
No-one would have saved them.
He solved all her problems.
"Ginny…" Harry began, "I have something to confess but don't say anything until I finish because otherwise I might never get it out."
Ginny nodded and took a sip from her tea, noting absently that as Harry sipped his coffee his hands were shaking. He opened and shut his mouth a few times as if searching for the right word to start.
"Remember the last battle, what we were doing just before the news of the Death Eaters arrived. You, Ron, Hermione and I were all sitting by the fire in the common room and you three had all fallen asleep."
Ginny smiled and nodded. They'd been doing a bit of last minute research on the spell which would later kill Voldemort, when Ron had flung down his book and announced he was taking the afternoon off to toast marshmallows on the fire. It had been a bitterly cold winter's day and it was nice to curl up in front of the warm fire in good company. Hermione was snuggled into Ron; Ginny had her legs slung over her brother's legs and the back of her head resting on the side of Harry's chest.
"That was the first time I realised that… You were so beautiful with your hair and the… the firelight. You looked so happy and… beautiful. You know that funny feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you see someone, when they laugh or smile at you? I never knew what that was until then. I was stupid for so many years Ginny; I can't believe how I'd missed… you. The truth is…" Harry took a breath, "The truth is, Ginny that I think… I know I love you. And I know that I've probably gone and made a fool of myself and made you uncomfortable but I couldn't live the lie anymore Ginny. It's gone on too long…"
Ginny looked a little shell shocked, in years to come Harry would tease her about how shocked she looked and Ginny would retort with a quote from his speech.
"I'm sorry" he said shaking his head, "I didn't mean… I shouldn't have…" Harry was cut off from his mindless ramblings by a pair of lips touching his own. He drew a sharp breath then moved his lips against hers. It wasn't the perfect kiss by any means. His glasses were at a funny angle and pressing into the bridge of his nose, Ginny was leaning across the table and feared her legs would slip out from behind her and cause her to fall flat on her face and she was pretty sure she'd knocked over their drinks in her haste to quieten him.
She broke the kiss at last and drew in some much needed oxygen and Harry did the same. He glanced down and realised that his arm was currently resting in a pool of coffee. Ginny laughed gently,
"At least it's not butter" she remarked standing up. Ginny held out her hand to Harry, a sudden nervousness taking over as she wondered if he'd take it. He did and she relaxed slightly, or at least as much as the adrenalin flying around her body would allow.
"Harry, you know I love you too right?"
Harry blushed like a school boy,
"Really?"
"More than you'll ever know" And with that they shared a much more comfortable kiss.
I can't believe that you pull on a sleeve when you cry,
You'll stick in the knife and give the kiss of life
Live the lie.
We all have a saviour,
Do yourself a favour;
Stop living the lie.
Stop living the lie.