"He loves you..." - she pushed a thin strand of hair behind her ear, and hung a beautiful emerald earring on it.
To match his eyes, she thought.
The dress was entirely made of silk, and contoured her slim body with perfection and sensuality. And it was red. Just like her hair. Exactly the way she thought it would appeal to him.
"He loves you..."
Her high heels were almost too high. She slipped her feet into them and got to her feet.
The final piece. She was beautiful.
"He loves you..."
She would soon complete thirty-one years of age, and at that night, ten years as a married woman. The decoration of the Potter Mannor was different from the other wedding aniversaries, as she wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect this time around.
She wanted, glamour, elegance, and above all, she wanted to be the star of the night.
The beautiful, beautiful wife of Harry Potter.
Ginny was well aware that all the guests downstairs were waiting for her. It made her a bit nervous, but in a good way.
She had a special fondness for celebrations where she was the hostess. People waiting for her while sipping fine wines and exquisite snacks, listening to good music and chattering with people of influence. She offered them everything, and in return they should all just focus on her, even if it was just for that night.
After all, she thought, as she looked in the mirror one last time, she was a woman used to getting all the attention. Since she was a little girl, all eyes turned to her, and she had always loved it. Not always because of her strong personality, her flashy hair or her intriguing beauty, but also because of her exceptional skills.
If that wasn't enough, she was also the youngest and the only woman among six male children, how could she not have had attention since she was born?
Things could have been different when she started school, but they weren't, not really.
She was born to be a star.
Ginny Weasley was not insignificant to the world, and didn't used to go unnoticed until she fell in love.
And then there she was, head over heels in love with Harry Potter for over twenty years. Twenty thoughtless years.
"He loves you..."
Ginny sighed, and her heart ached. Her husband had never paid any real attention to her, and that frustrated her more than anything. Who would have thought, after all, that a girl who had all eyes on her could not get the attention of the only one who truly mattered?
Ginny lived with that failure daily. Why the hell couldn't she get him to pay attention? She had given him everything he could ever want, did she not?
He wanted a wife, and she became one. He wanted children, and she gave him two little boys she hadn't even wanted. And even so, she hadn't been successful in getting his attention.
She was sure there was a time where he thought about her, liked her, even. He had told her, years before, about that monster in his chest when they were young.
But that's the thing, they were young... so young.
Ginny sighed and opened the bedroom door. Maybe down there, as she descended the stairs fabulously and everyone noticed how absolutely beautiful Harry Potter's wife was, he might also notice her the way she knew she deserved.
The chandeliers in the lobby were all lit up, and a buzz of people talking and pleasant laughter filled her ears as she descended the first step of the stairs. She could see a few shoes here and there, circling the thin floor, or even a few hurried steps and fluttering dress tails, which she judged to be the children present there.
Now, would his green eyes be staring at her when she finished descending the stairs? Would his lovely, charming smile be shining at her? Would his attention be on her, and only on her, for tonight at least?
She walked slowly down a few more steps, her best smile plastered on. She lifted her chin in an aristocratic way, and slid her hand slowly along the rail. Her eyes swept the room until she found him.
But he was not looking at her.
"He loves you..."
Ginny's smile died slowly. She finished descending the stairs as some servants approached, waiting for orders. She couldn't pay attention to what they said. She didn't even notice when some guests approached to congratulate her on such a pleasant party.
Her eyes were fixed on Harry, as well as her full attention, as they always had been.
He was laughing. Beaming. He was holding an empty glass of wine in one hand, and the other was stroking another woman's bare arm. His eyes were bright, and he just couldn't stop smiling.
Ginny wasn't surprised when she realized that the woman he was talking to was Hermione Granger Weasley. And why should she?
She should be used to that kind of situation, she should have known that it would be like that when she agreed to marry Harry Potter. Ginny would become his wife, but not his adored one. That post had long been occupied by an irritatingly intelligent eleven-year-old girl who now, if that wasn't bad enough, was also beautiful.
It wasn't like Ginny didn't like her, quite the opposite. She liked her so much that Hermione had been her best friend for years, and quite a good one, but when Ginny find her close to Harry, which used to happen all too often, she used to forget just who Hermione was to her.
At the moment, she was just a threat. And indeed, she was.
"He loves you..."
Hermione had everything from Harry. She had him completely, and pretented she didn't notice all the attention he always offered her. Maybe she was just used to it, after all those years. Maybe, by that time, she found it normal.
Ginny could not conccur.
Ginny had lost count of how many times Hermione had called in the middle of the night, crying over yet another unfounded fight she'd had with her husband, and Harry had simply jumped out of bed and ran to meet her. One time, unable to Apparate, he literally did so. And Ginny remained lying down, alone.
How many times had she caught her husband on that damn muggle phone, for hours and hours, just talking to her? How many times did he dream of her, with that night at the Malfoy Mannor, screaming her name in his sleep?
And when they meet, he changes. Hermione opens her arms and smiles, and it was like there was a magnet because he just runs to her and pinnes her in his. Like the world was ending. Ginny's, maybe.
For Hermione, Harry would walk the seven seas. He would move mountains, he would give his life for her without a second thought. How could Ginny fight this?
"He loves you..."
At times, Ginny could smell Hermione's scent in Harry's clothes, and even his skin. Hermione all over was ingrained in Harry. She wondered if Ron, her brother, felt the same way she did. Whether all the attention they were giving each other bothered him too, but she wasn't sure. Ron looked resigned. As if he'd already accepted that this was the only way to get a piece of Hermione, when Harry wasn't there. As if, in order to occupy a place in her life, one must first respect the definitely large spot Harry already occupied.
Ginny breathed heavily, looking at them as they continued talking as if nothing else existed in the world. It was always like that. Ron was in the other corner of the room among their Hogwart's friend, and Ginny walked towards Harry and Hermione very slowly.
And with every step she took, her heart ached. It was all too clear. It was painfully visible what was happening there. Or rather, what had been happening for many years.
Ginny never thought that Harry could really betray her. She knew he respected her, and she knew he had never touched another woman's body while married to her. But somehow he cheated on her with Hermione. His heart was hers. His thoughts revolved around her. His desires, his concerns, and worst of all, his attention were hers. Everything... everything was hers... for her. God, she always knew!
Ginny got close enough to the two of them so that Harry could notice her. The smile he gave his wife was different somehow, but he told her she looked lovely that night and kissed her cheek. If he possessed half the supreme knowledge he possessed of Hermione, he would know that Ginny was trying hard not to cry. Because after all, it was too obvious...
"He loves you..."
She approached Hermione, and her old friend was smiling at her. She had a very measured and soft tone of voice, like a melody, and Ginny tried to see her as a true friend. And succeed It. It was so easy to like Hermione, it was so easy to admire her...
And then Ginny's eyes began to water even more, and she took Hermione's hands between her own. She heard Harry's voice right behind her, he was asking if something was wrong. But of course there was something wrong. Always was.
Ginny decided to ignore him. She wouldn't turn her attention to him, ever again.
Then, she looked deep into Hermione's worried eyes and said, in a sincere whisper so that only she could hear, and as she said it, her soul felt lighter:
"He loves you."