Chapter 11
The first thing Ginny did when she got home was take a long shower. How could she do that to Harry? Yes, she got lost in the moment, but still it made her feel like a horrible person. 'I am a horrible person' she thought. Being the first time she had ever cheated on anyone, yes this constituted as cheating, she was not sure what to do. Should she tell Harry? Should she keep it a secret and never see Draco again? Did she just think of Malfoy as Draco?
She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel. Steam from the hot water caused the mirror to fog up, so she wiped off the mirror with her hand till she could she her face. As she looked at herself she felt like she was looking at a completely different person. Was that really her? Yes, but she had definitely changed in the past week.
How could one task go so horribly wrong? Since when did her investigation for work become something other then just work? Who did she have to blame other then herself? Malfoy for going to the coffee shop? Cho Chang for getting the same information as her and writing a similar story? Her informant for not being loyal? Her boss for giving her the opportunity to write another article? No, it all came down to her. She was the one who came up with the idea in the first place. She could only blame herself for this complicated situation.
Or maybe this was for the best. Maybe her and Harry were not meant to be, but her and Malfoy were? 'That is highly unlikely. He probably just wants to hurt me. And it's not like I have any feelings for him... ok, I'm lying. I'm starting to like him, but is it really him that I like or is it him pretending to be someone else? He's not who I thought he was. Why does life always have to be so difficult?' And what about her job?
Earlier she had planned to look over the papers and finish writing her article the next day. That way she could get it over with, and she was sure that a story like this one could get her a promotion. One problem though, she now knew that Malfoy was not a Deatheater. If he is not a Deatheater, then where is her story? She had two and a half weeks to write something good or she was going to be stuck reviewing lousy novels forever. What was she going to do?
She changed into a pair of pajamas and left her wet hair down to air dry. Then she found a small scroll and, picking up her quill, scribbled a quick note on it before attaching to her small owl and sending him off to deliver the letter.
With a large yawn she went off to bed and fell fast asleep.
Ginny found herself in the middle of a dense forest. There was a fog surrounding her so thick that she could have cut it with a knife. She heard a noise; someone was walking towards her. He got close enough for her to see who he was before he started running away. It had been Harry.
"Where are you going?" she yelled, but received no reply. Instead she smelt smoke and turned around to see a small cabin burning. The fire was getting bigger and bigger, and so she turned and another man was in front of her. She couldn't see his face, but she felt safe with his presence. He grabbed her hand and then they ran off.
Then she heard someone say, "Ginny, Ginny wake up."
She blinked repeatedly and then eventually opened her eyes. It was all a dream. She was sweating and breathing heavily, like the dream had been real. Thinking back to it, she had not a clue as to what it could mean. She wiped her hand across her hot forehead and sat up in her bed.
"Are you ok?"
She looked up and realized that Harry was by her bed. "Yeah, I think so. It was just a strange dream. What are you doing here?"
"I got your owl to meet you for lunch at eleven thirty, but you didn't show so I thought I'd come here to check up on you and see if you were ok." he said. He took a seat on the edge of the bed near her and brushed back some of his black hair.
She suddenly remembered the owl she sent off the previous night. She needed to talk to Harry, this could not be avoided, so she had thought the best thing to do was get it over with. She had to break up with him, but she didn't want to hurt him because she still cared about him.
She faced him and replied, "Right. I'll just get dressed and meet you in the living room."
He nodded and then left her bedroom, closing the door behind him. He took a seat at the couch and then flipped on the television so he would have something to do while he was waiting. Meanwhile Ginny was changing into a blue t-shirt and jeans. She quickly brushed her hair and then went into her bathroom to wash her face. As she went to dry her face off with a towel she remembered that she left her purse in the other room. She hoped that Harry had not found the papers she "borrowed" from Malfoy.
Finally she entered the living room and Harry turned off the television and looked at her. She took a seat next to him and said, "Harry, we really have to talk."
"It's a good thing that you wanted to meet up, because I have to talk to you about something too." he replied, catching her off-guard. What would he have to talk to her about? She was the one who cheated and was going to break up with him. What possibly could be plaguing his mind?
"Really?" she asked in confusion.
"Yes. Do you want to go first?" he asked.
"Uh... no, you can go first." she responded, wondering what it was that he had to say. Did he already know about her and Malfoy?
"Ginny," he started. "I care about you and I want you to know that."
"I care about you too." she said.
"But things have changed between us and I think we should see other people." He said each word carefully like he was afraid if he said the wrong thing a time bomb would go off. He sat there waiting for her response with a worried look on his face.
"Are you breaking up with me?" she asked, not out of anger but out of confusion. He beat her to it! How funny was that. So he didn't know about Dr- Malfoy after all. That was a relief. The irony was that all this time Ginny was worried about hurting Harry and now Harry was the one worried that he was hurting Ginny.
"I'm afraid so." he replied. There was a brief period of silence as Ginny was processing the information she just heard.
How do you respond to such a statement? Do you cry? Do you sigh with relief? What is the right reaction? Well, there was no 'right' reaction, or at least none that Ginny was aware of. Therefore she half him a reassuring half smile and said, "I agree. Still friends?"
"Of course." he said, returning a smile and they hugged. She was still shocked at what had happened in the past several minutes, but she was happy that neither of them had to be hurt. Plus he would never have to know about Draco. 'Stop thinking of him as Draco!'
"So, was there something you had to talk to me about?" he asked, remembering back to the letter he received.
"Oh, it's nothing." she said.
"Sure?"
"Yeah. Pretty sure." she replied. "Want to watch some Quidditch?"
"Yes."
Just then the phone rang. "Hold that thought," she said, handing Harry the remote and then going into the other room to answer the phone.
"Hello?"
"Ginny! You would not believe what happened last night." It was Hermione, who else would it be. Hermione was of course the only person she knew who used a telephone.
"I think I have an idea." Ginny said with a smile, knowing what Hermione was talking about without being told.
"Ron set up dinner outside on the top of the apartment building. There were candles and the stars above us, and the music. It was beautiful. I never thought Ron could be so romantic. Maybe letting him watch those movies is paying off."
Ginny giggled to herself at that comment, but didn't say anything.
"It was all going great until he started the whole red in the face sweating act that he did last time at lunch and he spilled some butterbeer on himself, but this time when I asked him what was wrong he got down on one knee and proposed. Well, he did sort of mumble the 'Will you marry me' part, but I knew what he was saying so that didn't matter."
"So he followed my advice..." she blurted out until she realized that she said that out loud and stopped talking.
"You knew about this all along?" Hermione asked.
"Uh, well, yeah. I'm Ron's sister. What did you expect?" she responded. "Besides, I told you that he wasn't going to break up with you."
"Did you help him pick out the ring too? It is perfect."
"Nope. It is a nice ring though."
"There is no way that he picked it out himself."
Ginny laughed. "Yeah, that is for sure. The saleslady helped him."
"So, how have you been?" Hermione asked her.
Hmm... where to begin. In the ten minutes following that inevitable question, Ginny told Hermione about the kiss, the nonexistent Dark Mark, and the break up. Her news was almost bigger then her friend's.
11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11
A/N: I though I'd get another one done before a week of homework hits me. Please review!
erbsenpueree- Yep. Thanks!
Catmint- Thank you!
Stephanie- A new reviewer! Thanks!
The first thing Ginny did when she got home was take a long shower. How could she do that to Harry? Yes, she got lost in the moment, but still it made her feel like a horrible person. 'I am a horrible person' she thought. Being the first time she had ever cheated on anyone, yes this constituted as cheating, she was not sure what to do. Should she tell Harry? Should she keep it a secret and never see Draco again? Did she just think of Malfoy as Draco?
She stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a fluffy white towel. Steam from the hot water caused the mirror to fog up, so she wiped off the mirror with her hand till she could she her face. As she looked at herself she felt like she was looking at a completely different person. Was that really her? Yes, but she had definitely changed in the past week.
How could one task go so horribly wrong? Since when did her investigation for work become something other then just work? Who did she have to blame other then herself? Malfoy for going to the coffee shop? Cho Chang for getting the same information as her and writing a similar story? Her informant for not being loyal? Her boss for giving her the opportunity to write another article? No, it all came down to her. She was the one who came up with the idea in the first place. She could only blame herself for this complicated situation.
Or maybe this was for the best. Maybe her and Harry were not meant to be, but her and Malfoy were? 'That is highly unlikely. He probably just wants to hurt me. And it's not like I have any feelings for him... ok, I'm lying. I'm starting to like him, but is it really him that I like or is it him pretending to be someone else? He's not who I thought he was. Why does life always have to be so difficult?' And what about her job?
Earlier she had planned to look over the papers and finish writing her article the next day. That way she could get it over with, and she was sure that a story like this one could get her a promotion. One problem though, she now knew that Malfoy was not a Deatheater. If he is not a Deatheater, then where is her story? She had two and a half weeks to write something good or she was going to be stuck reviewing lousy novels forever. What was she going to do?
She changed into a pair of pajamas and left her wet hair down to air dry. Then she found a small scroll and, picking up her quill, scribbled a quick note on it before attaching to her small owl and sending him off to deliver the letter.
With a large yawn she went off to bed and fell fast asleep.
Ginny found herself in the middle of a dense forest. There was a fog surrounding her so thick that she could have cut it with a knife. She heard a noise; someone was walking towards her. He got close enough for her to see who he was before he started running away. It had been Harry.
"Where are you going?" she yelled, but received no reply. Instead she smelt smoke and turned around to see a small cabin burning. The fire was getting bigger and bigger, and so she turned and another man was in front of her. She couldn't see his face, but she felt safe with his presence. He grabbed her hand and then they ran off.
Then she heard someone say, "Ginny, Ginny wake up."
She blinked repeatedly and then eventually opened her eyes. It was all a dream. She was sweating and breathing heavily, like the dream had been real. Thinking back to it, she had not a clue as to what it could mean. She wiped her hand across her hot forehead and sat up in her bed.
"Are you ok?"
She looked up and realized that Harry was by her bed. "Yeah, I think so. It was just a strange dream. What are you doing here?"
"I got your owl to meet you for lunch at eleven thirty, but you didn't show so I thought I'd come here to check up on you and see if you were ok." he said. He took a seat on the edge of the bed near her and brushed back some of his black hair.
She suddenly remembered the owl she sent off the previous night. She needed to talk to Harry, this could not be avoided, so she had thought the best thing to do was get it over with. She had to break up with him, but she didn't want to hurt him because she still cared about him.
She faced him and replied, "Right. I'll just get dressed and meet you in the living room."
He nodded and then left her bedroom, closing the door behind him. He took a seat at the couch and then flipped on the television so he would have something to do while he was waiting. Meanwhile Ginny was changing into a blue t-shirt and jeans. She quickly brushed her hair and then went into her bathroom to wash her face. As she went to dry her face off with a towel she remembered that she left her purse in the other room. She hoped that Harry had not found the papers she "borrowed" from Malfoy.
Finally she entered the living room and Harry turned off the television and looked at her. She took a seat next to him and said, "Harry, we really have to talk."
"It's a good thing that you wanted to meet up, because I have to talk to you about something too." he replied, catching her off-guard. What would he have to talk to her about? She was the one who cheated and was going to break up with him. What possibly could be plaguing his mind?
"Really?" she asked in confusion.
"Yes. Do you want to go first?" he asked.
"Uh... no, you can go first." she responded, wondering what it was that he had to say. Did he already know about her and Malfoy?
"Ginny," he started. "I care about you and I want you to know that."
"I care about you too." she said.
"But things have changed between us and I think we should see other people." He said each word carefully like he was afraid if he said the wrong thing a time bomb would go off. He sat there waiting for her response with a worried look on his face.
"Are you breaking up with me?" she asked, not out of anger but out of confusion. He beat her to it! How funny was that. So he didn't know about Dr- Malfoy after all. That was a relief. The irony was that all this time Ginny was worried about hurting Harry and now Harry was the one worried that he was hurting Ginny.
"I'm afraid so." he replied. There was a brief period of silence as Ginny was processing the information she just heard.
How do you respond to such a statement? Do you cry? Do you sigh with relief? What is the right reaction? Well, there was no 'right' reaction, or at least none that Ginny was aware of. Therefore she half him a reassuring half smile and said, "I agree. Still friends?"
"Of course." he said, returning a smile and they hugged. She was still shocked at what had happened in the past several minutes, but she was happy that neither of them had to be hurt. Plus he would never have to know about Draco. 'Stop thinking of him as Draco!'
"So, was there something you had to talk to me about?" he asked, remembering back to the letter he received.
"Oh, it's nothing." she said.
"Sure?"
"Yeah. Pretty sure." she replied. "Want to watch some Quidditch?"
"Yes."
Just then the phone rang. "Hold that thought," she said, handing Harry the remote and then going into the other room to answer the phone.
"Hello?"
"Ginny! You would not believe what happened last night." It was Hermione, who else would it be. Hermione was of course the only person she knew who used a telephone.
"I think I have an idea." Ginny said with a smile, knowing what Hermione was talking about without being told.
"Ron set up dinner outside on the top of the apartment building. There were candles and the stars above us, and the music. It was beautiful. I never thought Ron could be so romantic. Maybe letting him watch those movies is paying off."
Ginny giggled to herself at that comment, but didn't say anything.
"It was all going great until he started the whole red in the face sweating act that he did last time at lunch and he spilled some butterbeer on himself, but this time when I asked him what was wrong he got down on one knee and proposed. Well, he did sort of mumble the 'Will you marry me' part, but I knew what he was saying so that didn't matter."
"So he followed my advice..." she blurted out until she realized that she said that out loud and stopped talking.
"You knew about this all along?" Hermione asked.
"Uh, well, yeah. I'm Ron's sister. What did you expect?" she responded. "Besides, I told you that he wasn't going to break up with you."
"Did you help him pick out the ring too? It is perfect."
"Nope. It is a nice ring though."
"There is no way that he picked it out himself."
Ginny laughed. "Yeah, that is for sure. The saleslady helped him."
"So, how have you been?" Hermione asked her.
Hmm... where to begin. In the ten minutes following that inevitable question, Ginny told Hermione about the kiss, the nonexistent Dark Mark, and the break up. Her news was almost bigger then her friend's.
11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11!11
A/N: I though I'd get another one done before a week of homework hits me. Please review!
erbsenpueree- Yep. Thanks!
Catmint- Thank you!
Stephanie- A new reviewer! Thanks!