Disclaimer: I own nothing!!! JKR created the Potter-verse... I merely play in it!

A/N: This is the first fic I've ever posted on this site. It's probably the shortest story ever, but I'm starting small cause I'm still nervous to share my work. :) Hope you enjoy!

Cormandy

Breathe You In

Ginny was sitting alone in her bedroom at The Burrow on a late summer night in June. She was sharing her room with Hermione for the summer, but very much doubted she would see her bushy haired friend any time soon. She was probably out in the garden talking to Ron. They had recently started dating, which took entirely too long according to Ginny and everyone else at Hogwarts.

Harry, she was sure, probably didn't want to talk to her right now. So her night was looking pretty bleak. Her other brothers had left The Burrow and started their own lives, she and Ron were the only Weasley children left. So Ginny, content to spend the night alone, decided to turn in early and maybe read a few chapters of the muggle romance novel Hermione had let her borrow.

Engrossed in the book she was reading, Ginny jumped when she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Clad in her faded red pajamas, she stood from her bed and opened the door.

"Harry!" she exclaimed, shocked to see him there.

"Look," he stated, "I know you said that we should only be friends, but the thing is Ginny, I don't want to just be friends. You mean so much more to me than that."

"I..." Ginny started looking at the boy standing in front of her. She remembered making the friends speech earlier that day. She had used it as a defense mechanism so she wouldn't get hurt. She knew deep down that she loved Harry, regardless of how he felt for her. She looked into his eyes and saw the pain conflicting within, the pain she knew she had caused him only a few hours ago.

"Ginny, can we talk?"

Ginny looked up from the newspaper she was reading, she knew she had to keep her resolve if she was going to get out of this thing without getting upset.

"Yeah, I think we should." She stated to the raven-haired boy.

Harry grinned and led her outside to the gardens. He took her hand as they settled onto the bench.

"Ginny..." Harry stated, but was cut off when Ginny held a finger to his lips.

"Harry, please let me talk." He closed his mouth and let her start. "Look, Harry, I don't want to do this, but I think I have to. I've been hurt too many times, and while I know you wouldn't hurt me intentionally, you would still hurt me." Harry made to say something, but Ginny didn't stop.

"I really just think that we should be friends, really good friends, but friends none-the-less. It'll be easier on both of us, and you won't have to put up with my brothers wanting to beat the crap out of you." She laughed a hallow laugh. It happened to be her way of escaping a serious conversation. "Harry, just let this be. We aren't meant to be."

Ginny returned to the present, a tear rolled down her cheek. It had torn her up inside to say all of those things to him. She new she hadn't meant a word of it, but she didn't want to get hurt again. And Harry had unintentionally hurt her on more than one occasion.

Harry took a step toward Ginny, and when she didn't step away he wrapped his arms around her frail body.

"Ginny, I love you... whether you believe me or not."

He pulled away from her and looked into her tear filled eyes. She couldn't help it; she thought that she was just another fling that Harry had used to escape from the real world. But here he was saying that he loved her.

"Harry, I love you too." She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. Their lips met and she felt for first time in her life what it really meant to be loved.