Disclaimer: Obviously, I own nothing. NO-THING. Except the story…and Lily.
Who Am I, liza, PG, overprotected, and ickle-princess: Thank you very much
SheRocKZThatsTaGe: Haha! Well, lest you considered me evil, I updated as soon as I could.
.x. Having Heart Is Full Of Pain .x.
And Now, How You've Betrayed Me"Ginny!" Harry shouted, running out of the door. "God damn it, would you just stop!"
He had to admit their reunion hadn't exactly gone as planned. She had taken one look at him, whispered, "Oh my God," and then stormed out without uttering a single word. Was he really that much of an idiot to have expected a warm, excited welcome? With everyone staring at him, horror struck, he had flashed them an apologetic look and quickly ran out after her, though now he was beginning to wonder for what. "Stop running! Gin!" He was sure they were almost a mile away from the Burrow now… They had entered woods, and it was so dark that it was hard to follow her. Hearing the babbling of a creek nearby, Harry pushed himself until he reached its banks.
Ginny was sitting on a rock, running her fingertips through the running water. She looked up at him, solemnity in her eyes. "Why?" she asked resignedly.
"I…" He didn't answer her, but instead sat there with his mouth gaping open.
"Just answer," she snapped, and he closed his mouth.
"Honestly? In the beginning, I felt guilty… Anytime I looked down at my hands, they looked crimson to me… No matter how hard I scrubbed—and I scrubbed them until they were raw and pink and bled—they never came clean. I was dirty… I had committed the cardinal sin and there was no way I could justify myself. Then, I thought I could square with it, but I was afraid no one would take me back. And I just stayed there… I just stayed." Ginny stared at him coldly. "Gin, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay? Every day, I thought about you. I wondered how you were, if you were married, if you had kids, if you were happy, if you missed me. Fuck, Gin, you were one of the reasons I couldn't come back! I was so terrified that you would never forgive me for leaving."
"Well you should have stayed then," she snarled at him, getting up. "You, Harry James Potter, are a jackass." With that, she stormed out of the woods, leaving a dejected Harry standing alone by the creek in the woods with no idea how to get back.
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"Ron, what the hell is going on?" Lupin snapped at him. He and Molly's faces were whiter than most of the others, and Ron was beginning to wonder if his surprise was such a bright idea. "Ron, I understand you wanted to see him again, but to make us think that he was back and alive…" Lupin sighed. He had been close to Harry, considered him the closest thing to a son he might have ever had. When he learned he had lost Harry just like he had lost Sirius, and James, it had been hard for him to bounce back—it had been hard for all of them.
"But…he's real! That's really Harry! Lily and I found him in Fred and George's shop! Didn't we, Lily?" The little girl nodded in agreement.
"Ron, stop," Hermione whispered. Her hand was shaking, and there was something close to tears in her eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but seeing the looks in everyone's eyes he shut his mouth and slumped back into his seat. Lily sent him an apologetic look from across the table, and he began to push his food around his plate with his fork. As they prepared to say Grace, they heard the door open.
"Er, I'm sorry," came Harry's voice, "I don't think Ginny's coming back tonight if she's not already here."
"Harry?" Hermione shrieked. Before he knew it, she had run up to him and now had his arms latched around his neck. He made squeaking noises, trying to breathe.
"Hermione, you're strangling him."
"Oh, sorry." She pulled away, blushing.
"Harry, is that, is that you? Harry? Oh God, Harry!" Before he knew it, Remus had him in a fatherly hug as Tonks smiled up at him. Fred and George experienced a rare serious moment with him and hugged him as well. Mrs. Weasley ran up to him, making a fuss over how thin he had gotten. Smiling with tears in her eyes, she ushered him into a seat.
Over the course of the meal, Harry recounted the past ten years, and got to hear a bit about the recent years. He learned about Remus and Tonks' marriage and the little girl that was due in a few months. Bill told him about Fluer's pregnancy as he introduced him to Bailey; Hermione and Mrs. Weasley caught him up on the rest of the recent news. By nine o'clock everyone had disapparated, leaving only Ron and Mrs. Weasley at home.
"Where's Mr. Weasley?" Harry asked.
"He had to work late, unfortunately."
"I heard he's been made Minister. Congratulations."
"Thank you, dear. Well, we'll let you boys decide on sleeping arrangements—everyone's old rooms are empty, just save one for Ginny." She yawned. "Well, I'm a bit tired, so I'll be heading off to bed. It's good to have you back, Harry." She smiled, making her way upstairs.
"Where you wanna sleep?" Ron asked him.
"Share your room like old times?" Ron grinned, nodding.
"You coming?"
"Nah, I'll hang down here for a little."
Ron began to walk upstairs, and then turned around. "Oh, and Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Um, if Ginny's being weird, ignore it. She's been kinda off, since, well, you know…" Harry nodded. "Well, g'night." With that, Ron headed upstairs, leaving Harry bemused and guilty.
Harry walked over to the living room, and let himself fall down onto the couch's soft cushions. As he closed his eyes, his thoughts drifted to Ginny. Where was she? Was she all right? He knew by the way she had talked to him earlier that she hated him, but he was still allowed to be concerned for her safety.
The hours whiled away and Harry was still no closer to falling asleep than he had been earlier that evening. Sighing with resignation, he got up off the couch and walked over to the kitchen. He rummaged through the cupboards, pulling out the hot cocoa mix from one and sugar from another. Then, reaching into the fridge, he grabbed milk and the French Vanilla creamer. As he was making his drink, he heard the door open. He kept his eyes on the counter, knowing it was Ginny, until he could hear her passing the kitchen. "Want some?" he asked her.
She stopped to look at him. She was dressed in the same clothes as before, but her make-up looked as if it had been taken off, and her eyes were still distinctly swollen. "I'm going upstairs."
He heard the clomping of her feet going up. "Should I take that as a no?" He called up to her. He tapped the mug with his wand and took a gulp, smiling as the warm cocoa slid down his throat. He drank slowly, savoring it as he sat on the Weasley kitchen counter. Yawning, he set down his mug and closed his eyes.
"What are you having?" He heard Ginny ask tentatively. She shuffled in slowly, her hands in her pockets.
"Hot chocolate. Do you want any?"
"Er…I can get it myself. I'm, er, sorry…about earlier…" she said awkwardly, using her wand to gather the ingredients.
"It's fine," Harry responded, rather flatly, taking a sip of his drink.
"No it's not, it's just—"
"You've been crying," he said, not looking at her. Ginny stared up, dumbfounded, unsure as how to respond to him. Awkward silence ensued, and it was all Harry could do to keep from cursing himself out loud. "I'm sorry," he muttered.
"No, you were right. Erm, how are you?" Ginny, who now had her own mug, walked over and pulled herself onto the seat next to him. She brought her long, slender legs up against her chest, and Harry couldn't help but notice how much she had grown and changed physically. He couldn't deny that she was beautiful.
"I meant about everything. I'm sorry about earlier today, but, most of all, I'm sorry for all the days before this…" Harry leaned in closer, but Ginny pulled away surprisingly quickly, causing him to lose his balance on the counter. Turning red, he hung his head and looked away.
"Harry, I'm sorry…Harry? Look at me," she begged. He glanced over, his face burning, and she gave him a look of sympathy and apology. "Harry, I can't…I'm married."
A/N: Yes, another cliffhanger! on, this one isn't AS bad as the other one. Sorry this one isn't longer, but I wanted to upload it and this seemed a good place to cut off. Thanks for reading, please review! Love, MSiG