A/N: Hey everybody! Did you miss me? I know you did. Lol. I hope everyone's doing well. Thank you for all the reviews last chapter!
Canadian Star: Haha thank you!
IndiaInk: Yes! I am such a hopeless romantic. I need some romance in there. Lol.
gatoriris: Haha I agree that certain words make things better. I'm glad you liked last chapter! And I think Hermione would so do that. She'd be like oh my gosh, hi! And then be like carry on. Lol.
The Flying Moose: Haha I am a sucker for a little drama myself. Lol. Ron is a moody little boy. Lol. I probably would have been like he is after initially welcoming them back. I would want to know why they left. I need explanations! Lol.
blackdragonofdeath13: Thank you!
Maraudergrl99: Hey! I would be so sad if my little sister left. She bugs the hell out of me too sometimes. Today she was being such a spoiled brat. But I love her anyway. Lol. Ah I would love to see Something Corporate! I love all those songs so much. The other day in history we learned about a guy named Constantine, and I immediately thought of the song Konstantine. Haha my friend is currently in the process of starting to flirt with the boy. Haha hit that ass. I love saying that. Lol. I'm such a smart ass too. Lol. I always get in trouble for my sarcastic mouth. Lol. Haha I like your long reviews!
Darkflower2113: Oh my gosh I hate being grounded. I always tend to be because of my sarcastic mouth towards my mother. Lol. She's like, you are so disrespectful. Lol. But I'm really not! I promise. Lol.
Future Mrs. Radcliffe: Yay! I'm glad!
InLUVwithHarry16: Holy crap! Fall is my favorite season! That and winter! But I love fall. I love when it's cold enough that you go outside in a scarf and cute hat, and when you come in your cheeks and are all rosy. And I love fall fashion. Lol. I love football! Hell yeah! Lol. I love Halloween! Lol. This year my friends and I are dressing up as pimps and hoes. Lol. It's gonna be great. We're going to have a really cool Halloween party. It was so funny my friend was like we should be hoes! Lol. And I was yes! And she's like, we need some pimps. And we were on the bus, and she looks at out guy friend and is like, hey, you wanna be a pimp. It was so funny. Lol. I'm glad you love the story! I'm sorry you had a bad day. Hope this whole week is better for you!
Irishdancer61790: Haha here's the update! I'm so happy you're addicted. Lol. I hope you like this chapter!
blink gurl017: Haha I will try the Indian food thing when I'm getting neglected. Lol. Haha yeah I think I might make a sequel, but I'm not sure. I haven't even planned what's going to happen yet, but I think it would be fun. I miss writing sarcastic, klutzy Ginny. Lol. I love doing the happy dance. I do it often. Lol. Yay! I'm so glad that you think I write Molly well, because I was so worried that she would be OOC. But Yay! Lol. happy dance Oh my gosh, I hate losing my voice. That sucks! I've definitely had that happen to me before. And I love to sing, so when that happened and I couldn't, I was like going nuts. Lol. I hope you're feeling better!
Silk Gowns: Haha I'm glad you're happy! I would gladly help you with writing a story. What do you need help with? Just let me know, and I'll do what I can!
LillyGinnyEvans: Ah you're message got cut off! Noooo! Lol.
Miss Hogwarts: Haha Thank you! Here's the update! I hope you enjoy!
Granger's Twin: Haha I guess I'm cold, cruel, and heartless. Lol. Ahahahahhaha. Your review seriously cracked me up. Especially when you were like, HERMIONE WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU? Lol. Haha caffeine is good. Lol.
Lady of Masbolle: Thank you!
JediPirateElfyDude: Haha fluff is great! There won't be any popping veins/busting caps here. Not yet anyway. Lol.
zoomzoom-pig: Haha yes I was bitten by the romance bug. Now if only I could find some myself. Lol. Never fear! This chapter is longer! Lol. And there is a bit of drama in this chapter. Which I love to write. Oh heck, I like to write anything. Lol.
Lily Dwarf: Yay! Glad you liked it!
Lizzie5555555: Haha go me! Lol. Yes Hermione is back. I almost though about killing her off, but then I was like nah. I'll keep her alive. Lol.
madlittlehobbits: I'm so glad you like it! I am a huge Ginny and Harry shipper myself. That's basically all I write. Lol. But I love Ron and Hermione too so there will be some of that also. Yay! Lol.
They walked home in awkward silence, and when they arrived, went their separate ways.
Chapter Fifteen: Hard To Say
Ginny walked dejectedly up the stairs, and entered her room. Immediately, she collapsed onto her bed. Suddenly, her bed folded in and fell to the ground with a crash.
"Bloody great!" she screamed.
If anyone heard the loud crash and her outburst, they made no indication. Ginny had fully been expecting a member of her family to come bursting into the room. She was actually glad they hadn't, for she suspected she would have snapped at them. Sighing in frustration, Ginny picked herself off the floor. Slowly, she walked over to her old vanity. She sat at her tiny bench seat, and looked at her reflection. Her long red hair curled in waves down her back, and her chocolate brown eyes were alight with tears. Ginny lifted a hand and touched the fair, freckled skin of her face. She looked relatively the same on the outside, yet she felt so different on the inside.
A tear slipped down her porcelain cheek, and Ginny let it fall. She had just given into the very thing she had been avoiding. Her eyes clouded over further when she thought of what had just occurred. Harry had kissed her, and she had kissed back. Why had she been so stupid? This was exactly what she knew would happen. She told herself that she'd push him away, try not to succumb to the things she was feeling. But when Harry had leaned in and brought his lips to hers, she lost all coherent thought. It felt so good to be close to him again, with his hot breath on her neck. A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of the years before, when they had still been together at Hogwarts. Most nights they would wait until the common room was deserted and then they would hold each other by the roaring fire. Their lips would move together as one, both lost in the passion.
Anger suddenly swept through Ginny, and she knocked all the aging perfume bottles on the vanity over, some breaking and leaking out their unique scents. Feeling extremely stupid for what she had just done, Ginny put her head in her hands. She sat that way for a while until she'd finally had enough of the silence. Ginny decided to do the only thing she could think of. She was going to tell Harry it was a mistake. Determinedly, she marched down the stairs, only to knock into Harry at the bottom.
"Sorry about earlier. I don't know what happened." They both said at the same time.
Well that solves that, Ginny thought bitterly.
"So I guess we're alright then?" Harry asked timidly.
"Yeah sure Harry." Ginny said with a small, fake smile.
Harry nodded his head, and passed her by on the stairs. So that was how it was going to be. They were just going to pretend like it never happened.
I don't know about you, but I can't do that!
Yes you can. And you will.
Stop being so stupid! Just tell him how you feel!
No! You heard what he said. He was sorry he kissed me.
You said the same thing, yet that's not how you actually feel!
That doesn't matter. What's done is done.
Ginny continued to walk on into the kitchen. It was empty, save for Ron. Ron. Ginny had been dreading this all day. But here he was. She might as well talk to him now.
"Ron?" Ginny inquired quietly.
Ron managed a grumble, and turned to look at her. Hurt shone and his eyes, and something that felt like knives began to stab at her heart.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked.
Ron gestured her over, and she sat down across from him.
"Are you angry with me Ron?"
He hesitated for a moment, and then blew up in a fit of rage.
"Yes I'm bloody mad at you! You disappear for five years, and then you just show up out of the blue, acting like everything's okay again! Well it's not!" Ron shouted.
"I'm sorry Ron. When I ran away, I didn't think about how it would affect everyone. How it would affect you." Ginny said softly.
"Yeah I guess you didn't." said Ron with quiet anger, while standing up from the table.
"Please don't go Ron. Let me explain." Ginny pleaded.
"I don't need any more explanations. You left on a whim, and missed so much while you were gone. It was your loss." He said before walking from the room.
Ginny resisted the strong urge to scream and went after him. She cornered him in the narrow hall by the stairs, and he had nowhere to go.
"Please Ron, just listen."
"I've heard enough! You weren't here for anything! Mum got sick, dad lost his job, and Hermione almost died! Bet you didn't know any of that until now!" Ron yelled.
Ginny stood in shocked silence for a moment, unable to say anything. Ron sneered at her, and then turned away.
"Just what I thought." He said bitterly.
Suddenly extremely resolute, Ginny grabbed his shoulder. She spun him around to face her, and looked him dead in the eyes.
"I don't know how many times I will say this, but I'll repeat it again. I'm sorry. It was stupid and wrong of me to run off without letting anyone know. It's the thing I regret most in my life. I came back because I realized how completely foolish I was being, and because I missed everyone so much. I love all of you immensely, and I couldn't stand being away from you any longer. I should have come back sooner, and I know that. I feel terrible about causing you and everyone else in the family so much grief. And I know we were close Ron, and I feel horrible about having left you behind, and I promise that I will never do that ever again." Ginny said seriously.
Ron looked remotely quelled, and nodded. Before he could get away again, Ginny pulled Ron into a tight hug. He was stiff at first, and sadness hovered over Ginny's heart. But then he loosened and hugged her back closely. Ron's eyes were shining with moisture, as were Ginny's. After a minute they broke apart.
"Promise me you will never do anything like that again." Ron said.
"I promise." Ginny said sincerely.
"It's good to have you back." Ron said with a small smile, before walking from the room.
Ginny breathed a sigh of relief after he had gone. Facing Ron had been extremely hard for her, and she knew it had been hard for him as well. But she was so glad she had. Things weren't exactly back to what they had been before she left, but Ginny hoped that they would improve with time.
That evening at dinner, only Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Molly, and Arthur were gathered around the old table. Molly and Arthur were quietly discussing something, while Harry and Ron were talking about Quidditch. Ginny rolled her eyes good naturedly, amazed that they could spend so much time talking about a sport. Ginny had loved Quidditch while she was at Hogwarts. She could have spent hours talking about it. But now that was gone. Ginny turned towards Hermione, and they began to talk.
"I'm so glad you came back Ginny." Hermione said sincerely.
"Me too. Are you as mad at me as Ron was?" Ginny asked quietly, so he would not overhear.
"Of course not. I knew you'd be back someday, you just needed time."
Ginny nodded, and was planning on changing the subject, when Hermione began to ask her about her life.
"Where did you live?" Hermione asked with interest.
"In North Carolina, in a small beach town. It's beautiful there. I'm about a five minute walk from the beach." Ginny said with a slight smile.
"That sounds lovely. I went to the beach once. I hope I get to go back someday."
"You should come visit me in North Carolina."
"Really? Oh that would be wonderful."
"Yes, anytime. I never have friends over."
Hermione smiled, and continued to talk.
"So how did you end up running into Harry?"
"Oh I guess no one's told you." Ginny said sadly.
"No one's told me what?"
Ginny began to tell the story about her friendship with Ashley, and of her death. Hermione's eyes were shining with tears as Ginny recounted the day of her death. Hermione squeezed Ginny's head, and listened further. Ginny explained how she had needed a roommate and put an ad in the paper, and one day Harry turned up at her door. Hermione smiled knowingly at this.
"What is going on with you and Harry?" Hermione asked.
"Nothing." Ginny replied shortly.
"What I saw didn't look like nothing." Hermione pointed out.
"Well it was. It was a mistake." Ginny said quietly.
"Alright." Hermione said, taking the hint that Ginny did not want to talk about it.
"What have you been up to?" Ginny asked a moment later.
"Not too much really. I'm a professor at Hogwarts now. I teach Transfiguration since McGonagall is now the Headmaster."
Ginny remembered back to the day Dumbledore had died, and sadness overwhelmed her. Hermione squeezed her hand again, and continued talking.
"Ron and I date. He still hasn't asked me to marry him yet." Hermione said with a hint of irritation in her voice.
"He hasn't?" Ginny said in disbelief.
"No. I'm getting so frustrated. It's been six years now! I'm going to go crazy soon."
"Don't worry Hermione. I'm sure he will soon." Ginny said reassuringly.
"I hope so."
"But enough about that. Where are you working right now?" Hermione asked.
"Actually I'm currently unemployed." Ginny said, slightly embarrassed.
"Well that's okay. What do you want to do?"
"That's the thing. I don't really know. For the past five years I've jumped from job to job, not really loving anything."
"You'll find something. I know you will."
"Thanks Hermione."
After talking for a bit longer, Ginny finally removed herself from her seat, and stood up.
"Thank you for dinner Mum, it was delicious."
"Your welcome dear."
"Love you Mum, Dad, Hermione, Ron..." Ginny trailed off.
Harry was looking at her expectantly, waiting to see what she would say. His green eyes were boring into hers, and she found she could not look away.
"Harry." She said quietly, before turning and walking inside.
A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! It got a little dramatic again. You know me and my moods. Lol. So make me happy and...
REVIEW!