Fire
The
fire that they said would burn just lights up the way...
'Would
you like me to 'elp you?' Gabrielle offered as Ginny held the
bodice of the backless dress loosely over the upper half of her body.
The long mirror threw reflections of the two gold dresses all over
the room.
'Oh, yes please' Ginny gave a tight smile as the
other girl jammed the sides of her dress towards each other and
clipped them securely.
' 'Ow ees zat?'
'Perfect,'
Ginny grimaced, 'Thank you'
'I weel be back een a minute!'
she announced and rustled out of the room.
Ginny exhaled and the
ribbed corset strained unflatteringly as she sank down in front of
the mirror, pulling grips from her magically enhanced curls and
letting them tumble over her bare shoulders.
The door behind her
opened and a dishevelled Harry stood in the doorway.
'Wow, you
look… amazing,' he stammered out.
She glanced at him in the
mirror.
'Thank you'
Her words hung in a steely silence.
'Ginny, I…'
'Harry, just leave.'
He
flinched.
'Please.'
He moved away slowly, his gaze
lingering over her. She rolled her eyes. He had been mooning over her
for days, she didn't have the heart to remind him that she hadn't
finished their relationship. He had. She finished hurting weeks ago,
she was numb. And she had had much disappointment before, why should
he be any different? Still, he kept brushing past her, giving her
secretive looks. Anger boiled inside her every time she saw him. She
wondered how she ever fell for him. Well, she knew, but pretending
not to care was easy. She had done it for so long.
But her first
love had been so different.
He had truly made her feel beautiful.
He called her his light, his angel. Her flaming hair was warmth in
the chamber; his tinged hands ran through it wildly and up her
porcelain legs with ease. He dragged the ribbons from her hair and
bracelets from her wrists. He kissed her freckled nose and she had
never felt so alive.
Her fiery spirit fed him, his strength was
hers. She felt safe in his arms, their souls entwined. He possessed
her; she could feel him in every inch of herself.
The burn of her
touch drew steam from his skin, his kisses burned her lips
scarlet.
He had not wanted her for the way she looked, a skinny
gawky teenager. He had somehow known that she was older than her
years, he knew her ancient soul.
He was inside her heart, her
mind. They were one.
Every boy since then had been a
disappointment. The magic died with Tom. Harry had made sure of that.
But she often felt Tom with her. He watched her sleep. His ghostly
presence lay with her at night, danced through her uneasy dreams and
woke her with an icy kiss each morning.
Even now, five years
later, she could not let go.
Being with Dean made her feel uneasy,
but Harry… Harry had made her feel warm again. Their passion did
not burn, but he made her feel alive. She was glad it was over, at
night she could slide back into Tom's icy embrace and hear him
whisper in her ear, a feeling which deserted her during the time she
was with Harry.
A tear dribbled down her chin and onto her lap,
staining the gold into a little spot of brown. She sprang to her feet
and rubbed at it frantically. Glancing in the mirror, she saw a faint
pair of ghostly arms. She closed her eyes, enjoying the embrace. He
pushed his head through her curls and placed a light kiss on her
shoulder.
'You're beautiful.'
She smiled and turned to
face him, seeing her soul flickering in his eyes.
He smiled and
placed a hand on the small of her back, keeping the other on her
waist. She stood unsteadily on her tip-toes and leaned in for a kiss.
He ran a hand across her tearstained face. And then he was
gone.
Gabrielle stormed back into the room in a flurry of gold
satin.
'Fluer ees… insufferable!' she announced. 'Forty
meenutes unteel ze wedding, and she wants her hair done again!' She
threw herself on the nearby bed and screamed into a pillow.
'Do
you want me to unclip your hair?' Ginny asked
tentatively.
Gabrielle looked miserably at her, 'Yes, pleez'
She
sat up and Ginny let her blonde curls loose to tumble down her back.
As she turned to place the clips on her dresser, Gabrielle
shrieked.
'What ees zat? On jour back!'
Ginny turned
sharply and looked at herself, over her shoulder, in the mirror.
In
the hollow of her back, just above the upwards scoop of her dress,
was a handprint scorched into her pale skin. She ran her hand over it
gently and smiled.
'It's a carpet burn.' She said, ignoring
Gabrielle's stare.
A green haze engulfed her and his ghostly
lips brushed her neck as it slowly left the room.
