Written for The Houses Competition: Round 2: Who am I?
House: Slytherin
Position: Muggle Studies
Category: Drabble
Prompt: [Pairing] Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley/Potter
Summary: On the day of their wedding, Harry and Ginny realize something they should've a long time ago: they were not in love with each other.
Word Count: 745
The truth of the matter was that Harry should have known months ago.
The war had been over for a year, but it was only now, as he fixed his dress robes, an hour before the wedding, that the realization struck him: he was not in love with Ginny Weasley. It was a terrible revelation to come to on the day of his wedding, but a necessary one nonetheless.
Everyone had gathered at the Burrow, where the wedding was supposed to be, and Harry was getting ready in his room he had once shared with Ron; while Ginny was getting dressed in her old room. The backyard was filled with guests waiting for the wedding to start, and Harry's dread grew as he heard the faint sound of talking and laughter.
Looking back though, it was obvious what he had to do. While he did love Ginny, he didn't love her like a boyfriend was supposed to. Every time he kissed her, he felt nothing. Sure, the kissing was pleasant, but it didn't spark anything in him. Every time they went on a date, it felt more like he was hanging out with a friend instead.
With that realization though came another, rather quickly: he could not marry Ginny. He didn't want either of them to be trapped in a loveless marriage or in a marriage where only one of them was in love with the other. He had to find Ginny and break it off before she walked down the aisle. Harry felt awful that he only came to this realization on their wedding day, but it had to be done.
Luckily for him, his best man, Ron, along with Neville, who was one of his groomsmen, had left to check if everything was ready. He opened the door, careful to make sure it didn't squeak, and poked his head out the door to check if anyone was there. Seeing that the coast was clear, he walked out only to bump into the bride herself.
Ginny looked beautiful in the white dress she and Mrs. Weasley had picked out. Harry wished he felt more about it, but it only felt like when he saw Fleur get married to Bill. She was beautiful, but that was it. His breath was not taken away, his heart did not beat faster, nothing.
"Ginny, what are you doing here?" Harry asked, shocked to see her.
On closer inspection, she looked as shocked to see him, and just as determined.
"Can we talk?" she asked quietly.
Harry nodded as he let her into the room. The two stood awkwardly, both wanting to break the silence but unable to find the words to do so.
"I don't think we should get married—"
"—I can't marry you," they both said at the same time.
They looked at each other, startled, and tried again. The same thing happened, so Harry gestured for Ginny to go first. She still looked nervous as she took a deep breath to calm herself, and Harry waited patiently to hear what she had to say.
"I can't marry you," she blurted out.
Of all the things he thought she would say, it was not that. The first thing he felt was relief. Harry would have hated it if he had made her cry or even angry, for ruining what was supposed to be the best day of their lives. The second thing he felt was worry for what her family would think, but Harry decided to deal with that later.
"Thank Merlin," he said in relief, causing Ginny to look at him in confusion, slight anger and hurt, but also relief.
"I can't marry you, either," he confessed. "I don't love you like that. You're more like a sister."
"And you're more like a brother to me," Ginny said firmly, relief clear in her tone and body language.
The two stood silently for a moment, just staring at the other before bursting out laughing. It was a ridiculous situation they had found themselves in and they couldn't help but laugh at themselves for it.
Once they calmed down, Harry looked solemn as he said, "Everyone's going to kill us, aren't they?"
"Yep," Ginny replied, but the matching grins on their faces told each other they didn't mind.
They would have to talk more later about this. They were each other's most serious relationship after all, but they had time. First things first, they had a wedding to stop.