Chapter 13: Regrets
´He has to be at home. Oh, please, be there. I need to talk to somebody!` Ginny stood in front of Hagrid´s hut and knocked on the door.
"Hagrid are you at home?" No answer. She waited a while and then she called again for Hagrid.
"In the garden. Come aroun´ ."
Ginny went behind the house and found Hagrid, standing in his garden and ripping out plants.
"Wha´s up with you? Yer look terrible."
"Oh Hagrid, I´ve done something really stupid", cried Ginny.
"Oh dear, come in and tell me everythin´ "
They both stepped into the house and while Hagrid was making tea, Ginny began to tell her story. She was in tears and her voice was shaking.
"You know that I used to like Harry very much. Last year, I thought I was over him, but during the summer holidays I realized that I was wrong. Harry and I´ve been writing letters all summer and with every single letter, my feelings for him grew stronger again. As I met him on the train, I couldn´t tell if he had the same feelings for me as I had for him. So, to find out, Hermione and I decided to play Ron and Harry a joke, to see if they become jealous. Hermione said Ron would annoy her and he deserved being annoyed once by her. Anyway... we asked Oliver Wood, who was in town, to help us and planed a double-date with him at Hogsmeade. As we arrived there, Harry and Ron were not to be seen and we were so sure, that they overheard our conversation to Oliver. We didn´t see them, because they hid under Harry´s Invisibility Cloak, to eavesdrop. Hermione became impatient and said our plan wouldn´t work. At that, the two boys sprang up and got very mad at us. Now they refuse to talk to us anymore. I see now, that this whole thing was useless. I regret that I´ve done it. I feel so ashamed of myself."
Tears were running down her face as she spoke. Hagrid who sat opposite her, didn´t know what to say. It was a bit of a shock for him, that the girls had been able to play the poor boys such a terrible joke. But he had pity for Ginny, he knew that she liked Harry ever since she came to Hogwarts. "The best would be, ter leave Harry alone fer some time, ´til he´s made up his mind ´bout it. No mean to be rude Ginny, but I´ve gotta go to the Forrest and look after someone."
Ginny left Hagrid´s hut and tried to dry her tears. She knew that this SOMEONE, was Hagrid´s ´little` brother Grawp. Harry had told her about it in the letters they sent over the summer. It hurt her to think about Harry. But she also felt slightly better. Talking to Hagrid had been a good thing. She hoped that Hagrid was right and that Harry would forgive her some day. She had to talk to him though, she just had to work out how to get close to him again.
During the following days, neither Hermione nor Ginny made any attempts to talk to Ron and Harry. The girls both thought, that they deserved being treated like that after their foul play. Wherever Hermione and Ginny went these days, they avoided looking at Ron or Harry, because they wanted to avoid new quarrels.
As for the boys, they didn´t feel ready to forgive the girls yet. It had hurt so much to see, that the girls didn´t seem to trust Ron and Harry. The boys had agreed, that it wasn´t Oliver´s fault, so they didn´t blame him.
One morning, during care of magical creatures, Hagrid took Harry aside to speak to him in private.
"Harry, I know y´re angry at Ginny. But you have to talk to her. She came to me and cried her eyes out. She really regrets what she´s done. You can see how miserable she feels. Go and clear this affair. She looks so pale and weak. And tomorrow´s your first Quidditch game, she has to be strong. And please, tell Ron to speak to Hermione."
Harry had a bad feeling inside his stomach. He looked into his big friend´s eyes. "You´re right Hagrid. I know Ginny regrets everything. But it´s hard for me to understand why she did something like that. I like her very much. That makes it even harder for me to forgive her. But I promise, I´ll talk to her tomorrow. I don´t want her to get ill. But Ron and Hermione have to make it up themselves, I´m not meddling into their love lifes."
At the end of the lesson, Harry and Ron hurried up to lunch. A few seats away, Harry saw Ginny. Hagrid was right, she looked extremely pale and thin. She looked as if she´d faint any moment.
Harry and Ron had the afternoon off, but they had to spent it in the library to catch up with all their homework. Suddenly, Harry felt a hot burn on his forehead. He saw something in front of his eyes. A rollercoaster or a carrussell. He heard a cold laugh and back to reality.
"Harry. Are you alright?" Ron looked fearfully at him.
"Yes, I´ve had a – a, vision of something..."
"You looked as if you´d been in trance."
Harry shrugged and continued with his homework as if nothing had happened. He had seen this thing before, but he didn´t remember where. He just hoped, it wouldn´t come back during the Quidditch match against Slytherin.
During the night, Harry didn´t get the rest he needed. He had very bad nightmares. Once again, he dreamed of his parents being murdered by Voldemort. But this wasn´t everything he worried about at night. He saw himself flying on a broomstick. It was a Quidditch game. In front of him flew a pale figure who seemed to tremble on its broom. He realized that this person had flaming red hair: It was Ginny. Suddenly, she glided sideways off her broom and began to fall. Harry saw her fall in slow motion and began to dive after her. He had nearly caught her, he was just an inch away – but, he was too late. Ginny had fallen to the ground, she was dead.
With a sudden gasp for air, Harry awoke and found himself shaking and sweaty. The dream – had it been a dream? It had seemed so real. ´That´s an omen. I have to talk to her, before the Quidditch match!`, he said to himself. Harry leaned back, but was unable to sleep again. He just lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and waiting for Ron to wake up.
After what seemed for centuries, the sun had riesen and Ron and Harry were on their way down to breakfast. Harry saw Ginny sitting next to Hermione. He walked over to her and tapped her softly on the shoulder.
"What? Oh, Harry – "
Ginny looked at him in bewilderment.
"I would like to talk to you. Can we please go outside? Come on!"
Together, they left the Great Hall and many pairs of eyes were staring after them. Without speaking, Harry led Ginny to the Quidditch pitch. He remembered his dream and winced. "What is it? Harry, are you ok?", asked Ginny nervously.
"Yes. I wanted to tell you, that I´m sorry for shouting at you. I am ready to forget this whole thing, if you tell me why you did this?"
He looked at her, waiting for an answer, although he thought he already knew it.
"Well... I didn´t mean to hurt your feelings and I´m sorry, because obviously I´ve done so. Harry, you know I like you and I somehow imagined I would find out how you felt towards me if I make you jealous. But I was so foolish and had faith in Hermione´s plan. Not that I blame her. I thought you were still after Cho, so I was trying to get your attention. Are we still friends?"
Now Harry thought the affair seemed very funny. But he was surprised that Ginny told him, she liked him.
"Of course, we´re still friends. We were just behaving like fools. I think we´re done. And I like you too much to loose you – "
Harry suddenly realized what he had said and the blood rose into his head. Ginny blushed too.
"Ehm... I think we should go to the changing rooms and get dressed", said Harry quickly and walked away from Ginny.
´He has to be at home. Oh, please, be there. I need to talk to somebody!` Ginny stood in front of Hagrid´s hut and knocked on the door.
"Hagrid are you at home?" No answer. She waited a while and then she called again for Hagrid.
"In the garden. Come aroun´ ."
Ginny went behind the house and found Hagrid, standing in his garden and ripping out plants.
"Wha´s up with you? Yer look terrible."
"Oh Hagrid, I´ve done something really stupid", cried Ginny.
"Oh dear, come in and tell me everythin´ "
They both stepped into the house and while Hagrid was making tea, Ginny began to tell her story. She was in tears and her voice was shaking.
"You know that I used to like Harry very much. Last year, I thought I was over him, but during the summer holidays I realized that I was wrong. Harry and I´ve been writing letters all summer and with every single letter, my feelings for him grew stronger again. As I met him on the train, I couldn´t tell if he had the same feelings for me as I had for him. So, to find out, Hermione and I decided to play Ron and Harry a joke, to see if they become jealous. Hermione said Ron would annoy her and he deserved being annoyed once by her. Anyway... we asked Oliver Wood, who was in town, to help us and planed a double-date with him at Hogsmeade. As we arrived there, Harry and Ron were not to be seen and we were so sure, that they overheard our conversation to Oliver. We didn´t see them, because they hid under Harry´s Invisibility Cloak, to eavesdrop. Hermione became impatient and said our plan wouldn´t work. At that, the two boys sprang up and got very mad at us. Now they refuse to talk to us anymore. I see now, that this whole thing was useless. I regret that I´ve done it. I feel so ashamed of myself."
Tears were running down her face as she spoke. Hagrid who sat opposite her, didn´t know what to say. It was a bit of a shock for him, that the girls had been able to play the poor boys such a terrible joke. But he had pity for Ginny, he knew that she liked Harry ever since she came to Hogwarts. "The best would be, ter leave Harry alone fer some time, ´til he´s made up his mind ´bout it. No mean to be rude Ginny, but I´ve gotta go to the Forrest and look after someone."
Ginny left Hagrid´s hut and tried to dry her tears. She knew that this SOMEONE, was Hagrid´s ´little` brother Grawp. Harry had told her about it in the letters they sent over the summer. It hurt her to think about Harry. But she also felt slightly better. Talking to Hagrid had been a good thing. She hoped that Hagrid was right and that Harry would forgive her some day. She had to talk to him though, she just had to work out how to get close to him again.
During the following days, neither Hermione nor Ginny made any attempts to talk to Ron and Harry. The girls both thought, that they deserved being treated like that after their foul play. Wherever Hermione and Ginny went these days, they avoided looking at Ron or Harry, because they wanted to avoid new quarrels.
As for the boys, they didn´t feel ready to forgive the girls yet. It had hurt so much to see, that the girls didn´t seem to trust Ron and Harry. The boys had agreed, that it wasn´t Oliver´s fault, so they didn´t blame him.
One morning, during care of magical creatures, Hagrid took Harry aside to speak to him in private.
"Harry, I know y´re angry at Ginny. But you have to talk to her. She came to me and cried her eyes out. She really regrets what she´s done. You can see how miserable she feels. Go and clear this affair. She looks so pale and weak. And tomorrow´s your first Quidditch game, she has to be strong. And please, tell Ron to speak to Hermione."
Harry had a bad feeling inside his stomach. He looked into his big friend´s eyes. "You´re right Hagrid. I know Ginny regrets everything. But it´s hard for me to understand why she did something like that. I like her very much. That makes it even harder for me to forgive her. But I promise, I´ll talk to her tomorrow. I don´t want her to get ill. But Ron and Hermione have to make it up themselves, I´m not meddling into their love lifes."
At the end of the lesson, Harry and Ron hurried up to lunch. A few seats away, Harry saw Ginny. Hagrid was right, she looked extremely pale and thin. She looked as if she´d faint any moment.
Harry and Ron had the afternoon off, but they had to spent it in the library to catch up with all their homework. Suddenly, Harry felt a hot burn on his forehead. He saw something in front of his eyes. A rollercoaster or a carrussell. He heard a cold laugh and back to reality.
"Harry. Are you alright?" Ron looked fearfully at him.
"Yes, I´ve had a – a, vision of something..."
"You looked as if you´d been in trance."
Harry shrugged and continued with his homework as if nothing had happened. He had seen this thing before, but he didn´t remember where. He just hoped, it wouldn´t come back during the Quidditch match against Slytherin.
During the night, Harry didn´t get the rest he needed. He had very bad nightmares. Once again, he dreamed of his parents being murdered by Voldemort. But this wasn´t everything he worried about at night. He saw himself flying on a broomstick. It was a Quidditch game. In front of him flew a pale figure who seemed to tremble on its broom. He realized that this person had flaming red hair: It was Ginny. Suddenly, she glided sideways off her broom and began to fall. Harry saw her fall in slow motion and began to dive after her. He had nearly caught her, he was just an inch away – but, he was too late. Ginny had fallen to the ground, she was dead.
With a sudden gasp for air, Harry awoke and found himself shaking and sweaty. The dream – had it been a dream? It had seemed so real. ´That´s an omen. I have to talk to her, before the Quidditch match!`, he said to himself. Harry leaned back, but was unable to sleep again. He just lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling and waiting for Ron to wake up.
After what seemed for centuries, the sun had riesen and Ron and Harry were on their way down to breakfast. Harry saw Ginny sitting next to Hermione. He walked over to her and tapped her softly on the shoulder.
"What? Oh, Harry – "
Ginny looked at him in bewilderment.
"I would like to talk to you. Can we please go outside? Come on!"
Together, they left the Great Hall and many pairs of eyes were staring after them. Without speaking, Harry led Ginny to the Quidditch pitch. He remembered his dream and winced. "What is it? Harry, are you ok?", asked Ginny nervously.
"Yes. I wanted to tell you, that I´m sorry for shouting at you. I am ready to forget this whole thing, if you tell me why you did this?"
He looked at her, waiting for an answer, although he thought he already knew it.
"Well... I didn´t mean to hurt your feelings and I´m sorry, because obviously I´ve done so. Harry, you know I like you and I somehow imagined I would find out how you felt towards me if I make you jealous. But I was so foolish and had faith in Hermione´s plan. Not that I blame her. I thought you were still after Cho, so I was trying to get your attention. Are we still friends?"
Now Harry thought the affair seemed very funny. But he was surprised that Ginny told him, she liked him.
"Of course, we´re still friends. We were just behaving like fools. I think we´re done. And I like you too much to loose you – "
Harry suddenly realized what he had said and the blood rose into his head. Ginny blushed too.
"Ehm... I think we should go to the changing rooms and get dressed", said Harry quickly and walked away from Ginny.