Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
Authors note: Ok, once again dissapointed with the reviewers, but thanks for anyone who did! Please review as it makes me happy, and the more happy i am the better storys you get. I might not be able to update for a while because i go back to school the day after tomorrow, and this term is really busy what with the exams coming up. So here you go, brought from my very own laptop - Chapter 2!
PS. Sorry for any mistakes - please correct me by REVIEWING!
Chapter 2:
Rain. Drip by drip it falls, continually. Huge rain drops pitter patter on the ground, making tiny splashes. Grey skies loom above, setting the mood into a dreary day, Grey always brings a dreary mood, and it is the colour of gloom, of boredom. Grey is…dull.
Rain falls on the passing people, soaking their once warm clothes through. Rain falls into lakes, into rivers, into puddles making swirls and ripples in the dark muddy waters. Rain the bringer of grey, the bringer of gloom started this day, and it fitted the day perfectly.
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had been gone for almost two years now, to defeat Voldemort.
If you had asked Ginny how she had felt a week after she had seen them apparate out the door, she would have replied by breaking into tears, and refusing to answer. If you had asked her a month later, she would have said that she was missing them a lot, but Harry the most. But if you were to ask her the same question now she would simply reply by saying that she didn't know a Harry, a Ron, or a Hermione and walk away.
Once upon a time ago she would have cared that her friends were gone, her family too. But now she was careless, she had shut her emotions out and put them away in a tightly closed and locked box, never again intending to open it. She never intended to love anyone ever again. Last time she had loved, she had been hurt, she couldn't take being hurt again – not ever.
That was why on Monday morning, in the rain, if you went to Diagon alley you would see a certain red-headed girl walking down the cobbled street alone. No-one spoke to her; no-one looked at her. She was an outcast in her own world, just because of what terrible things had happened to her. As she walked down the street in her dark blue robes and her long red hair flailing around her beautiful face the crowd parted, not wanting to even brush against her shoulder. Children pointed at her, only to be scolded at by their parents and forced to turn away.
Ginny could remember the days when every-one had wanted to be with her. She used to be popular, but it all changed after every-body left her, every-one close to her had disappeared or died. The only people she had left were Lupin, Tonks and Professor McGonagall, and though she loved them as family, they still weren't the same as having friends her own age.
She pretended she couldn't hear everybody whispering about her, to just get on with her life as though she didn't care, but when she thought about it, she did really.
They said awful things about her. She was cursed they said, anyone to go near her died or disappeared they whispered. No-one trusted her, but then again, she trusted no-one.
She could remember the day Bill and Charlie disappeared - just like Harry and the others had. It was a day similar to today. They both had been called out to a mysterious meeting and never came back. Her mum was in floods of tears for weeks, it was horrible.
They had said they would only be gone about thirty minutes or so. The minutes had turned to hours, hours to days and days to weeks, but still no sign of the two eldest Weasleys. The Order had sent out search party after search party, and still not even a trace. It was as if they had disappeared out of thin air.
The rain pounded on her head as she walked down the street. She was headed no-where in particular, she was a wanderer, and she had no real home, not after it was burnt down years ago.
By pure habit Ginny searched the parting crowd for anyone she knew, of course she saw no-one. Every so often she saw a tall head of jet black hair, or bushy brown, but she told herself it was just her eyes playing tricks on her. She carried on wandering down the street.
She turned down an alley way, which was almost deserted. She often came down it as there was no-one to stare or whisper at her. It was the only place she could get some privacy in town.
Suddenly a dark feathered owl came whooshing past her. It circled around her head confusing her slightly then settled on her wet shoulder. Tiny droplets of water showered her face as the owl ruffled it feathers, shaking all the rain out. It held out its leg for her to relieve her of a rolled up piece of parchment tied onto its leg. Ginny unattached it and the owl flew away.
Surprised as she was she unrolled the parchment and read the scrawny black writing on it.
The Leaky Cauldron, come now.
Again and again she read it bewildered. She hadn't received a letter for ages; she had been out of touch from all her old school friends for years, the last letter she had got was from Harry explaining why he had left so suddenly, she still kept it in her pocket. But…it couldn't be from Harry could it? No-one has seen him for years, ever since he defeated Voldemort, he had vanished; Ron and Hermione with him. No, it couldn't be …
"Harry!" Ginny gasped as she opened the door to the Leaky Cauldron soaked to the bone, she stood in the door way staring at the back of his jet black hair. Emotions filled her as she remembered the day, so long ago now, that they had left. No Ginny!She told her self. Don't fall again; you'll only hurt yourself more. Blocking out all her feelings, and shutting the wooden door behind her, she went and slid silently into the seat opposite him.
"Ginny…" he spluttered gulping down the sip of Butterbeer he had just sipped. His eyes sweeping over her face, soaking in her features. "It's so good to see you!"
"What d'you want, Harry?" she said coldly. She hadn't meant to be so icy; it just had slipped out of her mouth that way.
Harry looked rather taken back. "What do you mean, Ginny? I wanted to see you." He said, in an obvious tone. "I've missed you Gin…a lot" his eyes looked avertedly at his half empty mug of Butterbeer, as he said the last sentence.
"How long?" Ginny asked trying to sound more civilised.
"How long what?"
"I meant…How long have you…have you been back?" She blurted out uncertainly.
"I was going to tell you sooner, but there was so much to do and then there was the fact that I didn't want publicity…" he trailed off as Ginny glared at him knowing that his excuses were failing him.
"A week," he mumbled. Ginny stared harder at him, trying to put him off her gaze. She could see the sincere look in his emerald eyes. He wasn't joking.
"A week!" she repeated, surprised but annoyed. He'd been back a week and hadn't even bothered to contact her. "Where's Ron and Hermione?" she ordered rather than asked.
"Oh…they're in Diagon alley at the moment, they wanted to get a few things, then go and visit the Burrow and see…" he said trailing off again at the look on her face. Ginny had turned a pale colour and her eyes looked distant as he had mentioned the Burrow. He could see her eyes begin to water, but she quickly turned away.
"There's no point in going there now…" she said quietly, holding back the tears. She could feel him looking at her, but she wouldn't look at him, she couldn't look at him.
"W-what do you mean?" he implored.
"There's no point in going there, now…now they're gone." She said trying even harder to keep her voice straight as the tears threatened to fall. She couldn't face going back there, to the day when it happened.
"Where?" he said his voice determined "what happened?"
"No…no I cant, Harry…I have to go…bye." She said abruptly, quickly standing up with a scrape of her chair.
She stood there for a second staring at Harry. He had changed so much, she thought. He still had his wild black hair, his emerald eyes were still the same, he had the same look on his face that had made her fall for him those many years ago, but there was something about him that made her realise that he had changed so much in the past two years. He looked exactly the same except for the added few inches to his height, but it was something deeper than his physical being, something deep down him had changed. But to her he was still Harry, the same Harry potter that had left her that day.
Ginny turned to walk away – like he had, but Harry suddenly grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Ginny…"
"Let go of me Harry." She said tonelessly. It was too much for her, she had to get away.
"Ginny, please…"
"I said let go of me." She said again, still with her back to him.
"Please don't go…"
Suddenly she turned around to face him, her face full of rage and something else that Harry couldn't distinguish.
"What, like you did?" she exclaimed. "You couldn't bear if it I left you, like you did to me. You left me Harry, left me without even saying goodbye, and you expect me to take you back with open arms? Well I wont, I can't! You're too late Harry…just go back to wherever you disappeared to, and let us all get on with our lives!"
"Ginny, I know, and I'm sorry…I wasn't thinking. Please, just stay. Let me explain."
"No! You can't do this to me Harry! I won't let you do this again!" she cried nearly breaking into tears. "I've moved on, moved on from you and Hermione and Ron, you're dead to me - just like the others are. It wasn't you who had to go through the grief of loosing everyone, one by one. It wasn't you who had to wonder through streets at night, looking for somewhere to stay. It wasn't you who hoped that one day, she would receive a letter or something…something that would tell her it was alright, everything was alright, and everyone was alright. It wasn't you, Harry, you haven't a clue what I've been through, so don't talk to me about you knowing what has happened. You don't!" she shouted causing the room to fall silent. She glared at him and stormed out into the rain.
"Ginny!" she heard behind her. "Ginny wait!" She could hear fast footsteps pounding on the wet ground. She started running, the rain falling on her face as she tried to get away.
"Leave me alone!" the red head shouted over her shoulder. The paces behind fastened as she ran, faster and faster into the street. No-one was around; they were all taking shelter in the shops.
"Ginny, please, let me explain!" This time it was closer, she could feel his eyes watching her as she ran. He grabbed her arm and forced her to turn towards him.
Ginny looked helplessly at him, waiting for him to talk. The rain was still pouring down; making Harry's hair finally lie flat, but wet.
"Gin, I did write, I wrote nearly every day. I wrote down things that I wanted to tell you so badly…but I-I couldn't. And I know it sounds pathetic, but I didn't want to send them because I knew…I knew that if I did you wouldn't say the same thing back to me, and I couldn't take it if I lost you Ginny, I can't." He said looking into her face. "I need you. You were the only thing keeping me going those years…"
"Then why," she interrupted sadly, "why did you go, Harry?"
"I had too…it had to end, Ginny. Cant you understand that?" he asked looking into her eyes.
Ginny felt the tears threaten again. "What I don't understand, is why…why you left without saying goodbye. Not even to my mum!"
"I…I'm sorry…"
No! You're not Harry! If you were sorry, you would have come back when I was alone," she said, her voice suddenly getting louder. "Just go, Harry, leave me alone!"
She turned around again and started to walk, but he still had his hand on her arm, he pulled her back.
"Harry, let go," she said trying to keep her voice from breaking up. She felt a warm tear trickle down her already wet cheek.
He looked down desolately at her face. His hand lifted to her cheek, she flinched, but didn't stop him. With his thumb he wiped away the tear. The two stood there just staring at each other despairingly. The rain heavily pouring down, soaking them to the bone.
Harry leaned in for a kiss, and Ginny closed her eyes, tears falling. She stopped him, and opened her eyes.
"I can't…" she whispered, shaking her head sadly, and walked away from him.
