Chapter 4
It was a crisp Saturday morning and the sun was shining warmly. Ginny was sitting beneath a willow tree by the lake, its long branches swaying calmly around her. The cool morning breeze gently blew her red hair around her face. She closed her book and tipped her face skyward. With her eyes closed and her mouth donning a tender smile, she enjoyed the silence around her.
Morning was when she always felt her best. A new day with a new start. Some of her friends, like Amy, thought her crazy for being a morning person. But she loved it all the same. She rose from the grass and, hugging her book to her chest, made her way toward school.
When she stepped into the Entrance Hall, she found more silence, except for a few murmurs of voices drifting from the Great Hall. She wandered inside to join her fellow morning people.
She sat herself at the Gryffindor table, joined only by a few Prefects at the end of the table. Of course Ron and Hermione were not among them. Those two liked to sleep in, especially Ron.
She smiled and helped herself to some breakfast. Thank God it's Saturday, she thought. More free time. Catch up on weekend homework, or just curl up by the fire and read was always a good idea. Maybe, if she was up to it, challenge Ron to a game of Wizard's chess.
Finished with her meal, she headed back toward the common room. The boys would just now be rising, and Hermione would be too. She sighed, content, and began to climb the stairs.
~*~
He rose earlier than normal, awaking from a strange dream in a cold sweat. He drew back his curtains to squint at his clock, his breathing slightly heavy. Way too early for a Saturday morning, but sleep was no longer appealing after such a strange dream.
Ginny was dead. He forgot now just how she died, but she was dead all the same. Even in the reality of the early morning he still felt the lick of horror when he was told of her death. And somehow, he's been given the responsibility to tell her parents and her friends. Including Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and her all of her brothers. It was horrifying, and nearly had him believing it was real when he awoke.
Now, aware it was all just some dream-no, he thought, some *nightmare*- he dressed quietly and exited the boys' dorm, leaving a snoring Ron behind. He was going through his nightmare again, reliving the sadness he felt, the very, very deep hurt that sat solid like a rock in his stomach, no, he corrected again, his heart. His heart . . .
And it nearly stopped when he saw her sitting by the fire, alone, working on homework. It was a relief to see her. Even if he already knew it had just been some nightmare.
He closed the boys' dorm door quietly, and turned back around. He studied her a moment, watching her squiggle down something on parchment, he tongue caught between her teeth. A smile twitched the corner of his mouth as he watched her. She was cute, he decided, very cute, if not down right beautiful.
With an odd numb feeling in his stomach, he approached her.
She heard him coming and lifted her head from her work to see him standing near him, and her breath caught in her chest. He has a glossy sort of haunted look in his eyes. She was going to say hi, but the words were caught in her throat. The way he was watching her was starting to frighten her. There was something hidden behind those eyes.
"Hi," he breathed.
"Hi," was all she could manage. Someone had to break the ice, and she knew it wasn't going to be her. She was still having trouble breathing; those emerald eyes continued to bore into hers. "Y-you're up early." Her tongue had a hard time winding around her words.
"I had a bad dream." He smiled at her, and he was grateful she returned it.
"That's too bad. You didn't get you're 12 hours of weekend sleep."
"I don't sleep for twelve hours!" He smiled and pulled up a chair next to her.
"Close enough." She went back to her work, trying to shake the strange feeling swirling inside her. Attraction? No, she thought. No. A long silent minute passed.
"Ginny." He whispered her name, and she noticed he'd moved closer.
She turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut. She took a deep breath, and turned back toward him, to find the bright green eyes staring right back at her. She licked her lips.
"Yeah?"
He didn't know what he was going to say. He needed to say something, but he didn't know what. They were less than a foot apart, and her sweet scent was driving him mad.
He leaned forward and brushed his lips with hers, and heard her breath hitch. She had tantalizing soft lips. When Harry drew away watched her eyes flutter open. Her soft brown eyes stared back at him, looking very vulnerable. He didn't know what came over him, but he reached up and tucked a piece of red hair behind her ear.
She didn't know what possessed her at that moment, but she took his lips with hers, and kissed him, hard. She brought her hand up and entwined her fingers with his hair. And when Harry was just beginning to really enjoy the moment, she forcefully pulled away.
"No," she breathed. "This is wrong." She rose, and he did too.
"How?" he whispered.
She took several steps back, looking horrified. "You're Ron's best friend."
"So?" his brain was still back with the lingering kiss.
"I'm his little sister. This isn't right." She took another step back, not believing she let that happen.
She was right. It was wrong, very wrong indeed. But why, he thought, why had it also felt so right?
He didn't say anything.
She took one more step back, then spun and took off up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Harry winced when the door snapped shut behind her.
It was a crisp Saturday morning and the sun was shining warmly. Ginny was sitting beneath a willow tree by the lake, its long branches swaying calmly around her. The cool morning breeze gently blew her red hair around her face. She closed her book and tipped her face skyward. With her eyes closed and her mouth donning a tender smile, she enjoyed the silence around her.
Morning was when she always felt her best. A new day with a new start. Some of her friends, like Amy, thought her crazy for being a morning person. But she loved it all the same. She rose from the grass and, hugging her book to her chest, made her way toward school.
When she stepped into the Entrance Hall, she found more silence, except for a few murmurs of voices drifting from the Great Hall. She wandered inside to join her fellow morning people.
She sat herself at the Gryffindor table, joined only by a few Prefects at the end of the table. Of course Ron and Hermione were not among them. Those two liked to sleep in, especially Ron.
She smiled and helped herself to some breakfast. Thank God it's Saturday, she thought. More free time. Catch up on weekend homework, or just curl up by the fire and read was always a good idea. Maybe, if she was up to it, challenge Ron to a game of Wizard's chess.
Finished with her meal, she headed back toward the common room. The boys would just now be rising, and Hermione would be too. She sighed, content, and began to climb the stairs.
~*~
He rose earlier than normal, awaking from a strange dream in a cold sweat. He drew back his curtains to squint at his clock, his breathing slightly heavy. Way too early for a Saturday morning, but sleep was no longer appealing after such a strange dream.
Ginny was dead. He forgot now just how she died, but she was dead all the same. Even in the reality of the early morning he still felt the lick of horror when he was told of her death. And somehow, he's been given the responsibility to tell her parents and her friends. Including Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and her all of her brothers. It was horrifying, and nearly had him believing it was real when he awoke.
Now, aware it was all just some dream-no, he thought, some *nightmare*- he dressed quietly and exited the boys' dorm, leaving a snoring Ron behind. He was going through his nightmare again, reliving the sadness he felt, the very, very deep hurt that sat solid like a rock in his stomach, no, he corrected again, his heart. His heart . . .
And it nearly stopped when he saw her sitting by the fire, alone, working on homework. It was a relief to see her. Even if he already knew it had just been some nightmare.
He closed the boys' dorm door quietly, and turned back around. He studied her a moment, watching her squiggle down something on parchment, he tongue caught between her teeth. A smile twitched the corner of his mouth as he watched her. She was cute, he decided, very cute, if not down right beautiful.
With an odd numb feeling in his stomach, he approached her.
She heard him coming and lifted her head from her work to see him standing near him, and her breath caught in her chest. He has a glossy sort of haunted look in his eyes. She was going to say hi, but the words were caught in her throat. The way he was watching her was starting to frighten her. There was something hidden behind those eyes.
"Hi," he breathed.
"Hi," was all she could manage. Someone had to break the ice, and she knew it wasn't going to be her. She was still having trouble breathing; those emerald eyes continued to bore into hers. "Y-you're up early." Her tongue had a hard time winding around her words.
"I had a bad dream." He smiled at her, and he was grateful she returned it.
"That's too bad. You didn't get you're 12 hours of weekend sleep."
"I don't sleep for twelve hours!" He smiled and pulled up a chair next to her.
"Close enough." She went back to her work, trying to shake the strange feeling swirling inside her. Attraction? No, she thought. No. A long silent minute passed.
"Ginny." He whispered her name, and she noticed he'd moved closer.
She turned her head away and squeezed her eyes shut. She took a deep breath, and turned back toward him, to find the bright green eyes staring right back at her. She licked her lips.
"Yeah?"
He didn't know what he was going to say. He needed to say something, but he didn't know what. They were less than a foot apart, and her sweet scent was driving him mad.
He leaned forward and brushed his lips with hers, and heard her breath hitch. She had tantalizing soft lips. When Harry drew away watched her eyes flutter open. Her soft brown eyes stared back at him, looking very vulnerable. He didn't know what came over him, but he reached up and tucked a piece of red hair behind her ear.
She didn't know what possessed her at that moment, but she took his lips with hers, and kissed him, hard. She brought her hand up and entwined her fingers with his hair. And when Harry was just beginning to really enjoy the moment, she forcefully pulled away.
"No," she breathed. "This is wrong." She rose, and he did too.
"How?" he whispered.
She took several steps back, looking horrified. "You're Ron's best friend."
"So?" his brain was still back with the lingering kiss.
"I'm his little sister. This isn't right." She took another step back, not believing she let that happen.
She was right. It was wrong, very wrong indeed. But why, he thought, why had it also felt so right?
He didn't say anything.
She took one more step back, then spun and took off up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Harry winced when the door snapped shut behind her.