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Word Count: 1283
Light As A Feather
It was weird, seeing her again. Of course he'd known he wouldn't be able to avoid her forever, she was his best friend's little sister, but still.
It was weird.
It wasn't even that he didn't want to see her. It was nice. Except that it hit him like a beater bat to the face that she wasn't his anymore.
He couldn't reach out and tug her onto his lap like he used too, or nuzzle his face against her hair when he was embarrassed. He couldn't sneak kisses from her in the hallway of the Burrow, or laugh quietly with her when her mum got onto one of the boys for some tiny slight.
She'd smiled at him when he walked in, and then continued her conversation with her mother like nothing was wrong.
As though she didn't miss him at all. Maybe she didn't.
He didn't want to think about it.
Ron shuffled the deck of cards as everyone took their seats at the table. It was poker night—the only game that didn't always lead to someone flipping a table or throwing pieces into the fire—at the Burrow, and for the first time in months, they had a full house.
Even Angelina and Fleur had come along.
Ron dealt the cards out, and Harry glanced at his own. They were terrible. He threw in his chips anyway, half of his mind on the game and half unable to keep away from Ginny, sitting almost exactly in front of him.
Was it possible that he'd forgotten how utterly beautiful she was since he'd last seen her?
"Harry?"
Harry blinked and suddenly found himself under the attention of the whole table. "Sorry, what?"
"Are you in or out?"
"Oh." He looked at the cards laid out on the table and wrinkled his nose. "Out."
Sitting back in his chair, he pushed his glasses up his nose and tried to concentrate on the game, but he knew it was a losing battle.
Shaking his head at himself, he waited for the round to be done and then pushed his chair back. "I'm going to sit out tonight, mates," he said, as he stood up. "Headache."
He left the table, ignoring the calls for him to come back. He almost made it to the apparition point before he heard a voice that he couldn't deny.
He paused, and then turned with a sigh to see Ginny walking towards him.
"You don't have to leave just because I'm here," she told him softly. "We knew it might be a bit awkward at first, right?"
The temptation to just reach out and pull her close was almost overwhelming, and Harry stuffed his hands in his jeans pocket to stop himself.
"I have to go," he said, shaking his head. "I thought it would be… okay, but it's really not, and good for you if you've managed to move but I… I really haven't. I'm sorry, Gin."
He knew he was being emotional, and he knew that he wasn't being fair to her, but he couldn't help it. He clearly wasn't as ready for this as he thought he'd been.
He backed up a few paces and then turned to the apparition point.
"I'm not over you either, Harry," he heard her say, but he continued walking away. Given that she was the one who'd wanted to break up in the first place, he wasn't really sure what to say to her about her not being over him.
Concentrating on his flat, he apparated away from the Burrow. From her.
…
A knock on his door woke him up. He'd fallen asleep on the sofa—as he often did, these days—but when he checked the clock, he realised it was almost three in the morning.
Grabbing his wand from the table where he'd discarded it when he'd arrived home, he walked cautiously over to the door.
It wasn't that he doubted his wards, but he couldn't think of anyone that would be knocking on his door at that time of the morning with good intentions.
Looking through the peephole in the glass, he frowned when he saw Ginny standing there. She looked… well, she looked exhausted and she was wringing her hands together with a frown on her face.
He opened the door and stepped back silently to let her in. Locking up behind her, he walked back to the living room to see her standing awkwardly in front of the fire.
"When we broke up," she said, as Harry returned to the sofa and waved at her to sit down. She didn't. "When we broke up, it wasn't because I didn't love you anymore, Harry."
"Sit down," he said softly. "I don't like seeing you so worked up."
She hesitated but then joined him on the sofa. "I do still love you, Harry. I always did. I just… we've known each other for so long, and we were dating before we even left school, and I just…" She shook her head. "One of the girls at the Harpies mentioned that first loves weren't… she… she said that if we stayed together, we'd end up resenting each other because we didn't even try and really see other people, and it got in my head."
Harry frowned. "Did I… do you resent me?"
"No! No, of course I don't. That's not… I was worried that we would, in time, grow to resent each other, but really Harry I don't think I was even worried about that. Not really. I was trying to fit in with the team, and I guess… I guess I just forgot that loving you was more important than fitting in with them. I can do my job and still love you, but she… the comments were…"
"I get it," Harry said, when it became clear that she was struggling with her words. "I… don't get why you're here now." He admitted. "You're still on the team, Gin."
"Yes," she agreed. "But I've realised that I don't need to choose between you and my dream, Harry. You've always supported me, and if they… Well, it's none of their business who I'm with. I guess… I guess you telling me that you weren't over me… it gave me hope that maybe I haven't completely lost you."
"You want to get back together?" Harry clarified, because he could feel hope building, and he didn't want to imagine how much it would hurt if he was wrong about that.
She nodded. "I knew I'd made a mistake the minute I left, Harry. I just, I guess I was too much of a coward to come back and tell you that."
He reached out, and she placed her hand in his immediately, letting him tug her closer. She fell against him, and he could feel her trembling slightly.
"I love you," Harry murmured into her hair. "I will always love you. It doesn't matter that we've never dated other people, Gin, I'll never want to."
She nodded. "I know, me too. I'm sorry I hurt you."
Harry just hugged her tighter. He knew that they'd probably have to talk more about this, but for right now, he was feeling lighter than he had in months.
If she hadn't been lying on him, he might even float like a feather, he felt so good.
"Let's go to bed," he said, as she sat up. "To sleep. I just… I don't want you to leave yet. I'll wake up and—"
"It'll all feel like a dream," she agreed. She stood, tugging him with her. "I never want to leave ever again."
He kissed her neck. "Good. Because I want to keep you forever."
Written For:
Trope of the Month: 10. Exes who are still in love
Angel's Archive: 10. Ginny Weasley
Snail Mail: 1. Ginny Weasley
Cherry Pairs: 9. Ginny Weasley / 1. Gaming (any kind)
Limited Edition: Young Adult: Red Queen: Glasses
Twister Match Up: Left Hand, 2: Exes to lovers / 7. Temptation
Valentines or Palentines: Day 4: HarryGinny
NeonFae's Nibbles: Chocolate Orange things: Feather (1) / "I have to go." (2)
365: 215. Emotional
Musical Yearly: 25. 80's: Never Gonna Give You Up: We've known each other for so long
Character Collection: 227. Ginny Weasley
Insane House: 18. Playing Games
