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Disclaimer: JKR owns all the characters and anything you recognize OF COURSE.

Chapter 8: Petty Arguments

"Oh god! What the hell did I say to him!" Ginny exclaimed remorsefully. She was sitting on her bed next to Hermione, discussing the conversation she had just had with Harry.

More like the argument she had just had with Harry. Hermione gave her a little pat on the back. "Now, you say you told him horrible things, you need to tell me more before I can assess this." Hermione said sounding exactly like Ginny's mother with a hint of Professor McGonagall on thrown in.

"He asked…Harry asked.. why I didn't wait for him! And I couldn't help it Hermione! I got so annoyed at him! We never made any sort of promises!" Ginny told Hermione intently. Hermione motioned for her to continue.

"And…I called him selfish! I called him selfish! Of all people!" Ginny whined. She stared at Hermione carefully waiting for her response.

"Well, we know Harry isn't selfish, you screwed up there," Hermione began. "But you did have a right to be annoyed. He can't exactly expect you to drop everything for him.

This is actually very double-sided for once." Hermione ended. Ginny waited for some advice but Hermione had none. She picked up her book with nonchalance and Ginny watched irritably.

"Come on Mione! We have problems here and you're reading a book!" Ginny said in annoyance. Hermione sighed and put the book down. "Come on Ginny, you're just arguing.

Tell him you're sorry and what not, and be a little easier on him." Hermione warily told her. Ginny looked at her quizzically and asked what she meant by being "Easier on him".

"Lets face it Gin, you're not doing a very good job of helping Harry get over you. First you flash him in the bathroom," Before Ginny could protest to the 'bathroom incident' Hermione was talking again. "Then you go on walks with him, and send him little looks!"

"Well excuse me but Harry's my friend! You expect me not to spend time with him? And really Mione, we only dated for a few weeks! And that was last year" Ginny said trying to keep her calm and not go into her arguing mode.

Hermione was about to speak again but Ginny held up her hand. She decided to talk to him later.

It was already nighttime now, but Ginny knew Harry had an odd sleeping schedule. She wanted to just skip the avoiding and apologize to him now. She thought back to what she said to Hermione.

She knew there was no avoiding that it had been more than just a fling with Harry. Ginny had been very beat up when Harry broke up with her. Thoughts flooded into her head without any welcome and Ginny headed outside for some alone time.

It was hard to think thoughts like these with Hermione sitting next to her, now reading intently again.

Ginny made her way outside slowly. She headed to a fairly random spot in the yard and sat down by a tree. She wondered where Harry was. She was fairly sure she hadn't heard him come inside, and she didn't see him when she came out here.

"Hey Gin," Harry said creeping out from the shadows. My, she thought. That had certainly been abrupt.

She watched him come closer to her spot by the tree and sit down next to her with some trepidation. He was about to speak, but Ginny cut in. "Harry, I know you're here to apologize, but I really should be the one to do it. I'm the selfish one, I mean you're out there fighting Voldemort and-"

"It's my fault!" Harry burst in. "I shouldn't have expected you to wait for me at all. I just go too caught up with what used to be.

I'm sorry Gin I really am." He finished with a smile Ginny recognized as being fake. His eyes looked so sad when he said what used to be.

"You had every right to be surprised. I should have made it clear I wasn't open for business to you as soon as I was engaged. I was thinking about us a lot for us too." Ginny said smiling earnestly.

"Ya, well…I was just surprised with Nick and all." Harry replied. "What do you mean Nick!" Ginny cried. "That sounded pretty condescending if you ask me!" Ginny prodded fiercely.

She looked Harry straight in the eye. Harry pulled back at the sharp tone of her voice. "Come on Gin! He doesn't even play Quiditch! And he's Hufflepuff!" Harry voiced his opinion crossly without thinking.

He winced when he realized what he had just said. "Ginny! What I meant was-" But it was to late Ginny was already furious as hell and screaming at Harry angrily.

"Fuck you Harry! I would have thought you of all people would just want me to be happy!" Ginny said as a tear rolled down her cheek. Ginny then proceeded to run off to the house without another word.

Great, Harry thought, replaying the scene in his head, why did he bother? Why was she being so sensitive about it though? Had what he said really been that bad?

"Oh really Harry!" Ron said. "Why would you say something like that to my sister? You know how…protective she gets!" Ron moaned.

"You think that's what I wanted to say? It just slipped out!" Harry retorted back pushing his slipping glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

"Lemme get this straight, so you make up with Ginny successfully and within minutes you insult her boyfriend and somehow manage to have her hating you again?" Ron said quick and precisely.

"Yes…" Harry said through gritted teeth. Harry was lying on his bed looking at the ceiling. Ron was doing the same on the opposite side of the room. "Well mate, this is getting pretty monotonous." Ron said without much emotion.

"What the hell Ron?" Harry said wanting to laugh suddenly. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ron said with some defensiveness as he fingered the fringe of his quilt.

"Its supposed to mean, where did you pick up the word monotonous?" Harry told him knowing very well it had been Hermione. "Mione's been pushing some books on me…shut up! We're getting off topic!" Ron snapped.

Harry groaned. He didn't want to be back on topic. He was sure a simple apology wouldn't fix what he'd said to Ginny. "She was my first Ron." Harry whispered just quietly enough for him to hear.

"Your first…" Ron's voice trailed off. "God Ron! How thick are you! My first love!" Harry snapped back at him louder than he should have.

"Shit, now she's probably heard me." Harry murmured. Ron looked at him incredulously. "That was supposed to be a brotherly way of asking whether or not you deflowered her!" Ron grumbled with a mix of haste and anger.

Harry immediately felt bad and embarrassed. He wasn't sure what to say to Ron's statement so he just kept quiet. Well he knew the answer; he just didn't want to say it. "Do you still love her?" Ron asked quietly.

Harry waited a while before responding to Ron. He didn't know what he felt anymore. "I dunno mate, she was all the kept me going when I was fighting him though." Harry said softly.

Harry didn't have to say who 'him' was for Ron to know Harry meant Voldemort. "What do I do Ron?" Harry asked sadly.

Ron felt a pang in his stomach when he heard the hurt and confusion in his friend's words. He didn't know what Harry should do. Ron had never found himself never been in a situation like this. "Yeah I do." Harry spoke before Ron had the chance.

"You do what?" Ron questioned, knowing the answer. "I still loved her. I never stopped." Harry paused here.

Ron couldn't believe Harry was telling him any of this, and listened intently to what he said. "And you know the worst part? I don't think I ever will." Harry finished, a foreboding quietness creeping into his voice as he turned onto his side facing the wall.

Ron knew his friend well enough to know Harry wanted to be alone. So Ron left him to his thoughts, heading out for a midnight snack in the kitchen wanting to tell Harry something comforting, but nothing came to mind.

The next day- around mid afternoon

Ginny had woken up that morning with a big clench in her stomach, and what had happened with Harry immediately flowed into her memory.

Memories of verbally flicking him off and then rushing off without another word filled her head.

Ginny was in the kitchen having a mid-afternoon cup of coffee and waiting for Nick to arrive. He had owled her this morning saying they needed to discuss some things. She really wasn't in the mood to discuss anything but had nevertheless said yes.

Ginny was tired from staying up late last night trying to think of ways to apologize to Harry.

He had insulted Nick, she kept reminding herself, but these thoughts were always followed by a notion in her head kept telling her Harry hadn't meant for it to come off so bad.

Ginny was taking another sip of coffee when Hermione popped into the kitchen. "Hello!" She said breathlessly fumbling with her blouse. "How does this shirt look?" She asked excitedly.

"Why?" Ginny replied, wanting to know the scoop as to why Hermione suddenly seemed to care so much about her appearance. "Ron is taking me out!" Hermione giggled happily. "Wow!" Ginny said sarcastically. "This is the first time my brothers' bothered to take you on a real date?" Ginny smirked.

Hermione gave her a 'very funny' look. "No, well…in a few hours me and Ronald are going out for dinner and then," Hermione paused and took a deep breath. "He rented a hotel room!

We're going to a hotel room to, you know!" Hermione told Ginny with a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

"What!" Ginny said stunned. "How do you know.! He didn't just tell you did he?" Ginny asked, careful to keep her voice low in case someone else in the house was nearby. "Well, I found a receipt for the hotel last night, and since we've had this date planned for a while, I guessed." Hermione said smiling.

"But how do you know…its for that?" Ginny asked frowning. Hermione sighed and blushed. "Well a few weeks ago we had sort of a…conversation." "Ah," Ginny said. "A conversation!"

"Exactly, so I've been waiting for it to happen, and taking a potion and everything. I'm so nervous Ginny!" Hermione whimpered. "I don't know what to wear or how I should act, because I think he wants it to be romantic and-"

"Wait, you and Ron haven't had sex yet!" said Ginny loudly cutting off Hermione's babbling. "No! God I bet someone just heard that!" Hermione hissed at her friend. "Why did you think I was so nervous?" Hermione kept on.

"Sorry, you guys just had such a sex glow when you came out from your little makeout sessions." Ginny told her with a smirk. Damn Ginny thought.

Underneath her smirk she was truly surprised Hermione and Ron hadn't yet done the deed.

"So, any words of wisdom? What was your first time with Nick like?" Hermione asked Ginny sounding slightly embarrassed.

Ginny looked into the pool of coffee in her mug. By now Hermione was sitting down at the table next to her. "There hasn't been a first time with Nick."

Ginny said simply, still not looking up from her mug. She wondered thoughtfully why they hadn't been interrupted yet when Hermione's mouth dropped open.

"What? You lied! You said you'd lost your virginity a few weeks ago at Lavender's sleepover!" Hermione gasped. "I have, I never said who I lost it to." Ginny retorted sufficiently. "But…" Hermione said puzzled.

Then suddenly her face was filled with recognition. "Not…Not Harry!" Hermione gasped placing both hands over her mouth. "But…you guys only for a few weeks! And…" Hermione's voice trailed off as Ginny drained the rest of her cup.

"Ya. Well. Things moved pretty fast. I think we were in love." Ginny said at last staring at Hermione's bewildered face. "Have you done it with Nick at all?" Hermione asked trying to sound tender.

Ginny lifted her head and rolled her eyes. "No." Ginny huffed. "He says we should wait till we're married since it 'won't be that long anyway'" Ginny said pouting while at the same time trying to sound as though she didn't care.

But she kind of did. However, Nick had insisted they wait till they were married. Something Ginny thought she, the girl should be saying but whatever.

Hermione was about to say something else when Nick came flloo-ing through the fireplace, making Hermione stop whatever she had been saying mid-sentence and leave without a word. Nick gave a feeble laugh.

"She looked flushed, interesting discussion I take it?" Nick asked Ginny smiling as she pulled in to kiss him. But he sort of held her back. "Ginny, I need to make this quick," Nick said smile fading. "Okay…" Ginny said pouting a little.

"You…you and me can't work Gin. I'm sorry." He told her as they stood alone, in the kitchen, Nick grasping Ginny's arm. Ginny's mouth dropped open. 'What the hell?' was her immediate reaction. He had just broken it off with her? Just like that?

"Nick-"

"No Ginny, haven't you noticed things haven't been the same? And then there's Harry! Ginny the love isn't there." Nick said his eyes boring into Ginny's. She honestly didn't know what to say.

She just stared at him for a moment, expecting him to say something more, or maybe hoping her voice would start to work. "Goodbye Ginny." Nick said silently and within a few seconds, he was gone through the fireplace.

Ginny was now standing alone in the kitchen, clutching a chair, Nick had just dumped her. She hadn't said anything.

She had just stood there like an idiot. Millions of thoughts ran threw her head. And for the first time in months, Ginny felt free.

Ya, that last bit went a little fast, but we are vacationing to the Dominican Republic, and I have to go pack so I was going really quickly. Thanks so much for reading! Please review!

LOVE

Brooke!