Chapter 30

Ginny apparated to Number 12 Grimmwald Place. She knocked on the door and Dobby greeted her enthusiastically. The portrait of Sirius Black's mother had long sense been removed and replaced with a portrait of Sirius himself. He waved silently to her as she entered.

Ginny passed the portrait and entered the sitting room. She threw off her coat and scarf as Dobby stood before her.

"The misses be wanting Harry Potter?" Ginny mumbled and nodded her head as Dobby winked from the room. Ginny walked around the room and remembered years ago when Harry inherited this house. He had hated it then, she wondered how he felt about it now? The house was decidedly more 'homey' and had pictures of all of his school friends covering the walls. There were pictures everywhere actually. Almost as if Harry didn't want to enter a room alone anymore.

She ran her hand along the glass case that held the sword once owned by Godric Gryffindor. When Harry had survived the war, Old McGonagall gave it to him as a memento. She turned as she saw Harry enter the room.

He hadn't changed since the last she saw him. He looked tired and little flushed. She figured correctly that he had been imbibing in a Firewhiskey or two. He stood still and stared at her as she stared back. Once upon a time, he would have greeted her with more enthusiasm and cheer. Now, he wouldn't meet her eyes as he cleaned his glasses on his shirt.

"Harry. How are you?" Ginny's voice was soft.

"Good. Very good. Thanks." Harry replaced his glasses back on his face and finally looked up at her. He motioned for her to sit on the sofa and he followed her. However he stopped short before sitting and moved to the nearest chair facing her.

"You want something to drink? Or eat? Dobby can…" he stopped talking as she shook her head in protest. Harry shrugged his shoulders and sat back in the chair looking at her. She was a vision, there was no doubt about that. Her hair was bright red and hung very long down her back. He remembered a time when he wanted to hold her. Needed to have her near him. But not any longer. He watched the shadows from the fireplace dance about the room. The room was quiet and had a sad feeling to it. Oh well…this house was always sad to him.

"Harry…I came to see you. To see how you were doing." she softly said to him. He looked her over and saw something in her eyes that made him angry. He saw pity in her face and a little sadness.

"Why?" his voice was a bit more abrupt than he had meant it to be. She looked stricken for a moment and then squared her shoulders, readying herself.

"Because you're my friend Harry. I wanted to see how you were getting along. And I don't appreciate you being so curt with me." Their eyes clashed for a moment and Harry looked away. He was already bored of this conversation and ready for her to leave.

"Sorry. I was just…I mean I didn't mean to…" he waved his hand in dismissal and looked at her again.

"Harry, I wanted to know something. Something important." His eyes rounded back at her as she spoke. "I wanted to know...well…why…I mean…we were once…a long time ago we were happy together. I wanted to know if…we could be again?"

Harry sat for a moment, as still as possible, and contemplated apparating out of the room, just to flee from her. But he couldn't, he knew he couldn't do anything like that to her. Even though the thought was very appealing. Why had she come here really? Why now?

"Harry?" her voice broke into his thoughts.

"Yeah? Oh…right…well Ginny…I can't answer that." Harry looked at her and searched her face for something that would explain to him why this was happening.

"Why can't you answer that? It's a simple question Harry." Ginny spoke in a tone that usually endeared her to people. The little woman with the strong voice. But it didn't appeal to him anymore. At least, not at this moment.

"It's not simple Ginny. You ask me why? Things are different now. We're different now. We're not kids anymore Gin. We've both grown up and grown out of all that. It was nice while we had it, but things change."

"But why do they change Harry? You're choosing to not have me in your life!" Ginny's face was red with anger and her eyes bore into Harry's.

"Yes Ginny, you're right. I am choosing to not be with you. Just like you choose to be with all the other Wizards you date. It's no different than when we were in school. I don't think you know what you want."

"I want you."

"Why? So you can feel better about yourself? So you can do something about the pity you feel for me? Forget it Ginny, I don't need your pity." Harry stood up and faced her.

"Harry Potter, you are the most difficult person I have ever known. I loved you since I was a young girl and nothing has changed-"

"Everything has changed Ginny."

"No! Not the way I feel." They stood in the dark room, both with heavy burdens weighing on them.

"Then I have changed Ginny. You and me…we just wouldn't be right anymore. Maybe if things had been different…but not now" he regretted saying it all to her. He regretted even more seeing the tears falling from her pretty eyes.

He stood, wanting badly to leave the room. But it was respect for her brother that kept him there. He had to leave this on a better note than it was on at the moment.

"Ginny…I'm sorry. Really. I…I don't know. I just don't feel the same anymore about us. That was so long ago. Before…before everything." he tried to place a hand on her shoulder, but she pushed it off.

"You're disgusting. Sitting in this house. Feeling sorry for yourself all the time-"

"I do not feel sorry for myself!"

"Yes you do! I see it Harry! Everyone sees it. You sit here in a place you are miserable in and think about Merlin knows what, and you will rot in the house Harry! You are slowly pushing all of us away."

"No, just you." Harry conjured a glass of Firewhiskey, to Ginny's revulsion. He sipped it without looking at her. Willing her to leave. He was obliged by her putting her coat on and grabbing her scarf.

"Poor pitiful Harry. The Chosen One. The Boy Who Lived. I know why you are sitting around here, Golden Boy. I know the real reason."

"Really? What's that?"

"I know about Hermione Harry." Harry looked at her and felt his fist tighten around the glass. If Ginny knew, either Hermione told her or Ron did. Either way is a betrayal by one of his friends.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh! Now you're interested. Yes, I know all about you going to Hermione and pouring your poor broken little heart out to her. But I will say this Harry…I know why she really said no. Did she tell you, you two were just friends? Did she say that she loved you but not that way?" Ginny laughed an empty laugh at the look of mortal terror on Harry's face.

"Shut up Ginny!"

"Oh, you need to hear this Harry Potter. You want to know the real reason why?" she stepped closer to him and spoke softly. "because she is involved with someone else Harry." Harry's heart plummeted to the floor. He couldn't be mad about that, not really. Hermione had managed to hurt him, yes, but he didn't blame her for saying no. he just thought that since they lived such lonely lives, the both of them, that they could find some happiness together.

"This is none of your business."

"Fine Harry. It's none of my business. But,' she turned away from him and walked toward the door. "you would think a person that claims to be your friend would be honest with you. What is more, you would think that a friend wouldn't be involved with an enemy either." Harry's mind was racing. Could it be Draco? He couldn't think of any viable people that were enemies of theirs.

"Confused? Here I'll spell it out for you. Professor Severus Snape." Harry could have killed her and anyone else around, if he wasn't seeing spots in front of his eyes. It wasn't true. It just wasn't…

"Yes I saw him there. I was visiting Hermione and saw him with my own two eyes. In her private sitting room."

"Get out Ginny. Leave!" he didn't see the scathing look she shot him before leaving. All he could see was the floor. He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. He couldn't stop thinking that what Ginny had said was true.

Hermione and Snape?

He'd kill him.

A/N: Yeah! And I'm back people! grumbles something about that darn gliche in the system OK, as promised, three chapters for all of you because you had to endure days upon days with no updates. I hope I didn't lose you all. We will return to the "kiss" soon. But you needed to know what was happening at that precise moment with Harry and Ginny. So as you read this chapter, Severus and Hermione are kissing each other. Thanks guys!