I am SOO sorry this took so long to put up! I have been finishing school and my computer is being crappy and crashing all the time. I am working REALLY fast! SORRY!!! PLEASE keep reviewing! I love you all! (

Stepping Sideways

Chapter 6: Falling Once Again

The next week went rather uneventfully, unless you count Ron getting a black eye from a particularly nasty gnome. Harry and Ginny met several more times in the middle of the night, though without the relaxing potions. Ginny told Harry all of her dreams, and Harry poured out all of his fears to Ginny. Other than that, they didn't talk very much. But Harry could tell she was still upset about something.

Harry ran down the Weasley's stairs one morning, laughing, with Ron right behind him. HE sat down at the table for breakfast, as Mrs.Weasley came through the kitchen door.

"Oh, Hello boys." She dolled out bacon on both of their plates. "Oh yes, Harry. The post arrived, and there was a letter for you." Harry looked at her, puzzled. Nobody wrote him, except for Hermione and Sirius. Hermione had just written last night, though, and Sirius was still at the Burrow.

Mrs.Weasley handed him a thin, white, muggle-looking envelope. On the front was no discernable hand writing, it was just written in block letters. For some reason, it made Harry extremely uneasy. Harry stared at the letter as though it were a bomb. Slowly he opened it, and in there was one small slip of paper. He went white as he read . . .

'Harry Potter,
Cedric is dead! DEAD! And it's YOUR ENTIRE FAULT! I don't believe any of that crap about the Dark Lord coming back! Ha! YOU would have BEATEN him! But Cedric is GONE! YOU killed him! Wait till I see you again, you will wish you were never born you murderer!
From: . . .'

Ron watched his friend grow paler and paler, his eyes widening until Ron thought they would pop. Harry suddenly dropped the letter as though it had scorched him, his eyes, blank and shocked. Picking it up, Ron read it, than threw it down in disgust.

"A hate letter! That's disgusting! It's all a load of bull." Harry stayed silent. "Someone has too much time on their hands!" Muttered Ron angrily. Harry suddenly just got up and walked out the door, not looking back or saying anything. Ron stared at the door where his friend had left.

"Uh oh."

"What was that dear?" Mrs.Weasley asked her son, coming back into the dining room. "Where's Harry?"

Ron shook his head. "He got a letter, a nasty one. It's awful. He just got up and left, went outside." Mrs.Weasley picked up the piece of paper, and gasped when she read it. When she set the letter down her eyes were aflame with anger and filed with sorrowful tears.

"Whoever wrote this better stay out of my way!" She looked at Ron. "He was doing so much better! And this stupid letter probably ruined it! You watch after him Ron!" She shook her head like Ron, disgusted and worried. "We all have to watch out for him."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry wandered aimlessly through the field and into the woods. Tripping on a tree root, Harry found himself with his face in the dirt.

'I deserve that at least.' He though bitterly. 'For killing all those people.'

He rolled over onto his back and looked up into a spot of sunlight coming through the treetops. His thoughts were all one mass that was making him confused and dizzy. He thought about Cedric, his Parents, and Voldemort. He thought about the letter, and wondered who was hated him so much, who still blamed him for Cedric's death.

'Has to be a Hufflepuff.' He decided. All Hufflepuffs had adored Cedric. 'And Cho . . .' A little voice inside his head said. He tried to shake it out, but the name Cho echoed in his head.

"It can't be Cho." Harry said aloud. "She wouldn't be that cruel."

"Who wouldn't be that cruel?"

Harry jumped, scrambling into a sitting position. Ginny stood in front of him, her face in a puzzled expression.

"Ginny?!" Harry gasped. "What are you doing here?" Ginny snorted. "Last I checked I was still on Weasley property. I was laying on a branch on my favorite tree when I heard someone. I came down to investigate." She gave a little shrug, then looked back at Harry, who had a scratched cheek and was still very pale.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm Fine!" Harry said a little too quickly. Ginny gave him a skeptical look. "You expect me to believe that?" Harry just shook his feed, a little sheepish. Ginny sat down next to Harry, looking expectant, but Harry didn't say anything.

"Well?" She prompted. Harry gave a little shiver, and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"I'm Sorry, Ginny." He finally choked out. "But, I can't." Harry got up quickly and walked towards the house, leaving Ginny feeling very confused and angry. What was with him? After all those talks they had, he couldn't tell her the name of a girl?

Ginny stood up after a few moments and headed back towards the house as well.

When she got there, she saw Ron, Bill, Charlie, and her Mum sitting around the kitchen table, looking ashen-faced and talking quietly. Bill held a slip of paper in his hand. Everyone looked up when she came in, looking rather bad-tempered.

"Ginny, sit down a second." Bill said to her, looking grave. Ginny, still upset, sat down in a huff. "What now?" she said, in a snotty voice. She knew she was being unreasonable, but didn't care at the moment.

"Well . . ." started Bill, but didn't seem to be able to finish his sentence.

"You see . . ." Charlie tried to say, but he trailed off. After several more attempts, Ginny got really angry.

"What's the matter? Don't trust me? Nobody trusts me, so that's ok." She stood up. "First Harry, now you guys. I ran into him in the woods, and you know what he did?!" the others looked at her, looking shocked and helpless at the same time.

"He SNUBBED me. After all our talks, and gaining each other's trust, he snubs me! I can't believe him. He was acting like a self-righteous jerk!" Now everyone was staring at her with their mouths open. But Ginny wasn't finished, even though she knew what she was saying wasn't fair, or very true. She was angry, and nothing was going to stop her.

"I thought he was ok, and that we were friends. I was wrong! He is too busy being 'Perfect' Potter. Ha! I bet he is far from perfect. Someone good wouldn't snub someone they trust!"

Ginny finished, her eyes flashing and her cheeks tinged with pink. Ron was looking furious, Bill, Charlie, and Mrs.Weasley were staring at her, scandalized.

"Well, It's nice to know what you think of me."

Ginny spun around, paling when she saw who was by the door. Harry stared at her hard, his eyes full of anger and hurt.

"I can't believe you would say those things, Virginia." Ginny flinched, he knew she hated being called her full first name, she thought it sounded too formal. "I DO trust you, or I did. Maybe you are just too much of a little girl to understand!"

Even though she knew she was getting what she deserved, Ginny felt anger surge through her again.

"I'm not a little girl!" she yelled at him. He gave a derisive snort. "You sure are acting like one!" Harry retorted. "Well, at least I don't strut around like an arrogant snob showing off a scar that I don't even remember getting!" Ginny knew she had crossed a line. She saw a flash of pure hatred in Harry's eyes, before Harry turned and stormed right back out the door again.

Ginny felt a rush of pride, but that was washed away immediately by the feeling of guilt and dread. Ron was on her in a second.

"What was THAT for Ginny?! I can't believe you! After all he's been through!" Ron was shaking with anger. Charlie put a comforting arm on Ron's shoulder. Bill put an arm around his shaking mother, and all of them stared at the red-headed girl in front of them. Even Sirius was staring at her from under the table, anger and worry etched into his dog face.

"You . . ." Mrs.Weasley sputtered at her daughter. "You had no right, Virginia Astella Weasley, to say those kind of things to him!" "I . . ." Started Ginny, but Bill interrupted. "No, Ginny. You had no right, Especially after the letter."

"W-what letter?" She asked, dread creeping over her. Bill showed her the slip of paper in his hand. "He got it this morning." Ginny read and felt guilt tearing up her insides. " I see." She finally said. Mrs.Weasley looked at her youngest child, wanting to scream and cry and the same time.

"Ginny, you are grounded for the rest of this summer. No more outings, no more flying, no quidditch. Only homework, housework, and so on." Ginny gaped at her mother. "Bu-But . . ." "No buts." Ginny felt a slight spark of anger. "But he insulted me too! He yelled at me too!"

"Actually," Ron growled. "He never raised his voice. You did all the yelling, hardly giving him a chance! And you deserved every single thing he said, and ten times more!" Ron pulled himself out of Charlie's grasp and went out the same door Harry had gone.

Ginny groaned and collapsed in her chair. Her life just went from miserable, to hell. All because of her stupid mouth. She remembered the look in Harry's eyes before he left. It was hatred. Pure hatred. Ginny stifled a sob. This was going to be a Looooong summer.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hey! I hope you guys liked it! I will try and post the next chapter ASAP! Please review! Thanks everyone! Love ya! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!

~BabeyRachey

Preview of the Next chapter:

"Hello, Ginny. What a surprise." But the look on his face told her that he wasn't surprised at all. "Is something wrong?" Ginny nodded. "Yes, sir. And it's all my fault."