Chapter 5: A glimpse of the Snitch

It had been almost nine years since Harry and Ginny had found Ron and Hermione in that wardrobe. And after all those years of love and savings, Ron and Hermione would be finally getting married the following day.

Harry had spent the whole morning remembering his last two years at Hogwarts: those secret kisses with Ginny, Ron´s and Hermione´s embarrassed faces each time they held hands. The first time that Harry realized that he did not just liked Ginny, but that he was in love with her, came to him very brightly.

It happened during Harry´s last school holidays. Harry was at his bedroom in Privet Drive, looking at a picture of Ron, Hermione Ginny and him that Luna had taken (though Harry was pretty sure that Ron had been her true objective). The four of them were sitting in the library, smiling and waving at Harry. Then Harry thought of one of Fred´s and George´s jokes to Percy: they had dropped ink on his girlfriend´s picture, and she had refused to show up again. So, may be if he did the same thing to Ron´s and Hermione´s images, they would also leave the picture. And Harry would have the very first picture of Ginny and him. As he had expected, Ron´s and Hermione´s images got quite angry when Harry dropped ink on them, and left the picture. But Harry wasn´t expecting what happened after. Harry and Ginny were sitting at both the edges of the photo, separated by Ron and Hermione. After they left, Ginny´s image stood up and sat by Harry´s side. Photo-Harry smiled widely, and both images remained looking and smiling at each other, completely oblivious of a very surprised Harry staring at them. Harry was deeply happy the rest of the day. So he realized that Ginny had something (apart from being amusing, sweet and pretty) that he liked a lot: the way he always felt better, even hopeful, when he was with her. Harry searched among his memories, and found that sensation had been in his heart before they had begun dating, and even before he had realized that he fancied her. He felt a sudden need to talk to Ginny, to hear her voice and take her hands in his. Harry looked at the mirror, and his image asked him: "So...are you in love?". He already knew the answer.

Harry´s last year at Hogwarts had been the most difficult of all. And that had nothing to do with the endless classes and the NEWTS preparation. The most exhausting suffocating thing, was the continuous fear of attack. Harry couldn´t imagine surviving through all that pain, but he did. And he knew that he did it for Ginny and because of Ginny.

Harry finished his seventh year with a great event that was now in every History of Magic book: Voldemort´s second and final defeat. The great Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived Twice.

The summer after the war was the first one that Harry spent completely at the Burrow. Ginny and him could at last walk holding hands. They finally could do all those things that regular couples always do. During the four years that Harry went out with Ginny, he was the happiest man on Earth. But they loved each other so madly, they depended so much on each other, that they panicked. They were so young! May be they had lived too fast, because that´s the way you live when you believe you may not have a tomorrow.

Harry began the Auror training, but before the end of his first year he realized that the Dark Arts had already taken too much from him, and quitted the course. He was almost automatically called to play Quidditch professionally, and Harry accepted quite enthusiastically.

Ginny had no career doubts. After finishing with honours her last year at Hogwarts, she began the Healer training. Harry had daily exhausting practices and Ginny was always in her endless classes, so they could barely see each other. A couple of months after Harry´s nineteenth birthday, something unexpected happened. Dealing with a Misuse of Muggle Artefacts emergency, Mr. Weasley suffered an accident that took his life. Everyone was deeply shocked with his absurd death. It was very ironical that Mr. Weasley, who had survived two murder attempts, had died because of a malfunctioning plug. Despite everything, Harry thought that Mr. Weasley had died doing something he loved, and he realized that he was not willing at all to die in a Quidditch accident.

So Harry was searching for a job, for the third time in less than two years. On the other hand, Ginny was utterly depressed for her father´s death, and was decided to study harder than ever. Even though they still loved each other, the decided to break up.

Harry remembered very well that day.

It was very late and they both were tired when they met in that café. For the last two months they had been fighting a lot, about the most stupid things. They asked for two Butterbeers and stood in silence, and after several minutes Ginny said:

"We are not OK, Harry".

"I know"

"I feel that ... we've been us for such a long time... with such desperation and passion... that we forgot to be Harry and Ginny".

Harry stared at her, surprised that she had put into words his own feelings once more, as she always did.

Both Harry and Ginny realized that they needed to grow up by their own, far from that love that so much safety had given them during the war, the love that had saved them. They kept in touch, as friends, perhaps subconsciously waiting for the time to come together again. Harry was offered a job in the Ministry of Magic, at the Department of Sports, but after a time he heard of a vacancy at the Department of Mysteries, and much to his own surprise, he asked for the job and was transferred. There he finally found a place where he felt he could fit well. About three years ago, Ginny had moved to France to complete her specialization. Since then, they only write to each other for special occasions.

Harry had four girlfriends after Ginny, and all of them had ditched him. He had never understood the reason of his disastrous love life, until Karenina, his last girlfriend, told it to him the night she left him: "I can´t go on like this, because I´m falling in love with you, and you already are in love with another woman".

Now Harry was alone, as he had been the largest part of his life. And his two best friends were getting married the following day. Harry stepped into his fireplace and flooed to The Burrow, for the pre-party-lunch the Weasleys were offering. He felt somehow ashamed at noticing he was a little nervous. He knew that Ginny would be there. He would see her again, after such a long time.

A very dynamic Ron came to greet Harry, and he noticed that Ron was about 100 times more nervous than him. His gaze travelled around the garden, searching for a certain red-haired head. Ginny was standing by Bill´s side, one arm around his waist (Harry was the only one who knew that Bill was her favourite brother) and chatting with Hermione. Ginny looked like she always did, and yet she was different. Harry got closer to greet them, Hermione was the first one to hugged him (in a vigorous and rather nervous way), then Bill, and finally Ginny. Hermione and Bill both muttered something and left. Harry was used to this: every time he had met with Ginny at The Burrow, the Weasleys (or Weasley-to-be) soon found any excuse to leave them alone. Harry supposed that they had never quite accepted the fact that Ginny and him were not an item anymore. He couldn´t blame them, perhaps he had not accepted it either.

Ginny greeted him with a kiss on his cheek, and he replied with a kind smile:

"It´s been a long time since we last met".

"Since that horrible New Year´s Eve, when Fred and George ruined all the food".

"I hope that they don´t have anything planned for tomorrow" Harry said.

She looked at him raising her eyebrows: "That´s exactly what I was thinking. Imagine Mum´s reaction".

Harry looked at Mrs. Weasley, who was talking with Hermione´s parents. Everyone was wearing Muggle clothes, as a friendly gesture to the visitors.

"Dad would have loved that" Ginny said looking away thoughtfully.

Harry perceived the sadness in her voice, and put his arm around her shoulders. She laid her head on his chest, and they stood in silence. Harry wondered if Ginny could hear his heart beating madly.

"How was Paris? Did you leave any broken heart?"

She raised her head and looked at him, smiling in that way that had always reminded him of Fred and George.

"The famous Harry Potter – the sexiest wizard of the year- is interested in my love affairs. I guess that, thanks to Witch Weekly, I run with an advantage in the love life information contest."

Harry blushed like a teenager at the mental image of the Special Autumn Edition of Witch Weekly, which had chosen him and his former girlfriend as the sexiest couple of the year. Nevertheless, Harry knew very well that he wasn´t sexy at all. He just was word-wide famous. The sexy one was Karenina Tomovlova, the renowned Russian robe model.

"I´ll tell you the true version of anything you had read, but first you have to answer my question", he said with his best smile.

"I met someone at the hospital practices... Jean Luc".

Harry´s heart dropped towards his stomach.

"A nice guy, he helped me a lot".

"Did he come with you?" Harry asked, trying to hide his disappointment.

"He dumped me after my birthday".

Harry´s mouth formed an O, but said nothing.

"What about you and your top-model girlfriend? Is she as gorgeous as she looks in the photos? " Ginny asked elbowing him softly.

"Oh...well... she´s pretty...but she is not my girlfriend any more. She ditched me a couple of weeks ago".

"Oh...I´m sorry".

"It´s OK...She said something funny when she left...".Harry wasn´t sure why he was saying this. "She said that I could never love her".

Ginny looked at him inquisitively. Harry leaned his head to speak in her ear, but was interrupted by Mrs. Weasley´s voice.

"Lunch is served".

Harry wasn´t surprised to find that they had left two places for Ginny and him, so they could sit together.

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