Miss Independant, a harry potter fanfic

Miss Independent

She was laughing hysterically.

"Colin… stop… tickling me!" she exclaimed in between giggles. He stopped and just held her.

"Gin."

"Hm?"

"I-I love you." She stiffened and sat up, looking at him, her face completely blank.

"What did you say?"

"Well we HAVE been going out for six months," he answered, slightly defensive. She looked away.

"I'm sorry Colin, I don't feel the same."

"But why Ginny? Is there someone else?"

"No, I just don't think this is a good idea anymore. Thanks for the memories." She walked away, never looking back.

Miss Independent
Miss self-sufficient
Miss keep your distance, mm
Miss unafraid
Miss out of my way
Miss don't let a man interfere, no
Miss on her own
Miss almost grown
Miss never let a man help her off her throne

Ginny felt slightly bad about leaving him like that… after all they had been friends first. Still, nobody had ever mentioned love. She didn't believe in love and all the crap about one person for everyone. Before it was all fun, but once love is mentioned, someone is bound to get hurt. She had seen it happen to her friends again and again. They would come to her for a shoulder to cry on; after all she DID have six brothers. Too often it was her brothers that hurt someone. She would never let it happen to herself.

So, by keeping her heart protected
She never ever feel rejected
Little Miss apprehensive
Said ooh, she fell in love

She had first seen him again at Pansy and Neville's wedding. Draco Malfoy. They were seated next to each other at the reception. He had been polite and charming and witty.

"So, Ginny, have dinner with me?"

"On one condition, nobody mentions love, ever."

"I thought that was what every girl dreames of hearing?"

"Well I'm not 'every girl.' So, deal?"

"Ok, I'm not a big fan of it either." He was perfect. He had exactly what she wanted in a relationship, fun and in the moment. No planning about the future. Before she knew it, she was agreeing to have dinner with him.

What is the feeling taking over
Thinking no one could open the door
Surprise, it's time
To feel what's real
What happened to Miss Independence
No longer need to be defensive
Goodbye, old you
When love, is true

Dinner had been interesting. The next day, when she was at work she had a bouquet of lilies at her desk. He had remembered when she mentioned lilies were her favorite flower. He had asked why not roses… she had answered that she thought roses were cliché and shallow. The card with the roses said he would pick her up at six that night. That date led to another and another and soon, they were officially a couple.

Miss guarded heart
Miss play it smart
Miss if you wanna use that line, you better not start, no
But she miscalculated
She didn't want to end up jaded
And this Miss decided not to miss out on true love
So, by changing her misconceptions
She went in a new direction
And found inside she felt a connection
She fell in love

Six months came and went. This was the longest she had ever been in a relationship. Oddly, she felt sad about breaking it off. She couldn't stay with him for too long, she was afraid she would get… attached. But she put it off. There was no point in ending it when neither of them had said the "L" word yet. She could stay with him a little longer.

When Miss Independent walked away
No time for love that came her way

It wasn't until their one-year anniversary that it happened. Draco had bought her lilies and left them on her desk at work… just like the first time. He had taken her out to dinner. Everything was fine up to then. After dinner, they decided to walk around Diagon Alley. That's when it happened, he broke the one and only rule in their relationship.

"Gin, I have something to tell you," she loved it when he called her that. It didn't sound right anymore when other people called her that.

"Hm?"

"I can't keep it to myself anymore. I-I love you." She stiffened sat up, looking at him, her face completely blank.

"What did you say?"

"Well we HAVE been going out for a year," he answered, slightly defensive. She looked away.

"I'm sorry Draco, I don't feel the same."

"But why Ginny? Was it something I did? And don't give me that crap about it not being me and it being you."

"No, I just don't think this is a good idea anymore. I'm not going to pretend and say we can still say friends, but thanks for the memories." She walked away. Why did this feel so familiar? She knew she had much the same thing to Colin and Dean and Seamus and Michel and Harry. But for some reason, she time hurt. It hurt a lot. It shouldn't be hurting her! She was the one who ended it!

She looked in the mirror and thought today
What happened to miss no longer afraid
It took some time for her to see
How beautiful love could truly be
No more talk of why can't that be me
I'm so glad I finally see

She woke up and stumbled to the bathroom. It was 3 in the morning. It had been eleven days and four hours since she had last seen or heard from him, not that she was counting. She looked in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy from crying herself to sleep and then not being able to sleep. She kept having nightmares of her breaking up with Michel, but then he would change in Dean, then Seamus, then Harry, and finally Draco. It was seeing him there that hurt her the most. She wondered what had happened to the girl she had been for the past year. The girl who was happy and let her guards down. She had loved him. Where had THAT thought come from? She wasn't supposed to fall in love. But… she guess she had over the course of the last year. She apparated over to Malfoy Manor. She ran to his room. She hesitated at the door. No, she would do this. She had to tell him. But she looked horrible. What if he was with someone else. No, she had to do this. She took a deep breath and turned the doorknob.

"Knobby, I told you to leave me alone today."

"Draco?" she said in a small voice. He turned around.

"Weasley. What are you doing here?" she flinched, he was calling her Weasley, not good.

"I wanted to say- I'm sorry," she looked away, it was too hard staring in his eyes, "I realized this morning that I- loved you and I had thrown away with both hands what might have been my one chance at happiness. I would understand if you hated me. I just wanted to tell you that. I'm sorry for bothering you; you never have to see me again. I'll move to the States. I came to say bye," she turned and started walking away. Draco grabbed her wrist and tilted her face up to his.

"Gin- I love you. I always will. Please don't leave."

"You- You don't hate me? You want me to stay?"

"Hold on a second." He reached in his pocket and got down on one knee.

"Gin, will you marry me?" she was speechless.

"Yes! Oh yes, yes, yes!" He laughed as he slipped the Harry Winston ring on to her finger.

"I was going to propose the night of the anniversary. I was going to return it today but…" he broke off and kissed her. "I… love… you… so… much," he said in between kisses.