A/N: Someone messaged me and asked me if this story is up for adoption, because they were interested in finishing it.

The answer is no. This story is not up for adoption. I'm just terrible about writing during the summer, for some reason. I think that it may be because of the sun. It's very distracting to me.

But now that the weather is getting colder and the days are getting shorter, I expect that you'll start to hear more from me.

And now, my question for all of you is, which story of mine do you want me to focus on the most? Do you want me to finish 'Rejection' first before focusing on my other stories? Or do you want me to update each story in order.

I'm fine either way. :)

I am also looking for a beta/editor to revise this entire story. If you're game, then let me know!

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Chapter Sixty-Three

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"Gingersnap," Harry stated clearly to the gargoyle that was guarding the entrance to the spiralling staircase.

In an instant, the gargoyle moved out of the way, letting Harry pass through.

Harry climbed the staircase, already knowing what this summons from Dumbledore was all about. The trouble was in trying to mentally prepare himself for it. Because whenever Harry found himself in these situations with Dumbledore, he found that he would soon after be engaged in a game of mental chess against the Headmaster.

It was no easy task to come up with witty and intelligent retorts against one of the greatest wizards who has ever lived, save Merlin himself.

"Enter," Dumbledore called, as always, before Harry even had the chance to knock.

With a heavy sigh caught in his throat, Harry opened the door with unease in his chest as he was left wondering how, exactly, this meeting would go. There, Dumbledore sat, behind his ornate wooden desk - surrounded by his magical instruments and snoozing portraits.

He was the picture of ease, and if Harry didn't know Dumbledore as well as he did, he would have believed that the Headmaster was as relaxed as he appeared. But it was in the slight shift of his eyes that gave him away.

Dumbledore was sitting on edge.

"Sir," Harry greeted, with a nod of his head towards his mentor.

At Harry's timid acknowledgement of him, a part of the hard exterior shell that surrounded the Headmaster cracked. Dumbledore smiled warmly at him, which caused Harry to relax slightly at the sight of it, before he waved Harry forward. "Come in, Harry. And shut the door behind you."

Harry nodded and did just that before he stepped forward and took the seat across from Dumbledore; the heavy, wooden desk separating them.

It was a long moment of silence that followed.

Harry sat stiff at the edge of the chair, his muscles tensed and poised. Though he had no inclination as to what his body was coiled in preparation for… he didn't expect a fight of any kind. Well, at least his mind didn't think that would happen. His body, on the other hand, was positioned in a way that told another story entirely.

It wasn't until a good solid minute passed of Dumbledore just studying him with his unwavering gaze, before the Headmaster relaxed and leaned back in his chair, his hands interlacing over his stomach. "Lovely weather we're having, isn't it, Harry?"

Harry frowned in confusion. "There's a blizzard outside, Sir."

It was true. The ghastly weather outside had caused all of the students to remain indoors for the last two days. It hadn't affected Harry any, since he had been confined to the hospital wing, but he had heard many complaints from his friends on the very subject.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly as one of his hands came up to stroke his long, white beard. "A very keen observation, Harry. Yes, there is a blizzard outside at this very moment, but it is quite beautiful."

Harry nodded numbly, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"Beautiful… yet it can be dangerous. Unpredictable in its power at times. Don't you agree, Harry?"

And in an instant, Harry knew that they weren't actually talking about the storm outside. They were talking about him… and his newfound magical power.

Harry weighed his answer carefully. "I actually disagree, Sir."

Dumbledore quirked an eyebrow at him, urging him silently to continue.

"If people were to be smart - prepared for the… blizzard, and learned when to stay out of its course, then the blizzard is no danger to them."

Dumbledore frowned. "But isn't it the blizzard that chooses where it strikes and not the other way around? Isn't it then the fault of the blizzard for any victims that befall to it?"

Harry swallowed past the rush of irritation that suddenly flooded him, trying to tamper the feeling down so that the Headmaster couldn't detect it. Merlin forbid if Dumbledore thought that Harry had issues with his temper on top of everything else he must be thinking.

"The certain people who are foolish enough to venture out into the blizzard honestly deserve what happens to them. If they had just minded their own instead of going out on a half-cracked idea that they could somehow overcome a blizzard, then nothing would have happened to them. If anything, the blizzard acts only as a defense against those who try to overcome it."

It took a beat of a moment, but then Dumbledore relaxed slightly after hearing Harry's rebuttal and leaned back into his chair again as he lazily stroked the coarse ends of his beard. "A defense only, you say?"

Harry nodded, before he paused and corrected himself. "A defense against anyone except for the one person who caused the entire storm in the first place. You know as well as I do that I'm going after Voldemort no matter what."

Dumbledore didn't even flinch as Harry dropped all pretenses to their conversation. Instead, he sighed and leaned forward in his chair, staring at Harry with a level gaze. "As much as it saddens me, I do know the truth in that… I must implore you, however, that you must keep your soul pure until you reach that moment. Can you promise me that? That you will not kill until the moment with Voldemort comes?"

The level of stern severity in Dumbledore's voice shocked Harry into silence for several seconds. His words rang in Harry's mind, over and over again.

A pure soul…

He had to remain pure of soul until he officially crossed the point of no return. When the moment came to kill Voldemort, Harry would essentially be asking for a blackened soul.

It was a prospect that should have bothered him. But as he thought on it, he found that it didn't bother him as much as it should have.

This was a war.

And Harry… He was a soldier.

It was his duty to fight the opposing side.

It was his job, as the Chosen One, to kill Voldemort.

He was prepared for the consequences that came with it.

"I promise," Harry finally said, looking back up at the Headmaster.

"Delightful!" Dumbledore beamed, as though he were merely commenting on something trivial rather than discussing the state of Harry's soul… and how it would one day be blackened by Voldemort's death by Harry's hand. "Now, onto other such important matters. I would like to take a look through some of memories of Tom Riddle again so that we may find clues to what he may have turned into his Horcruxes. Would you care to join me, Harry?"

Harry swallowed thickly before he nodded.

….

It was as Harry stepped out of the spiral staircase where he nearly ran into a dark, statuesque shadow.

Harry barely had time to get a good glance at the figure before it was moving past him and up the open spiraling staircase.

Harry stood, watching as Snape disappeared from view.

It was still so odd to him, having Snape pretend that he doesn't actually exist.

The last time that Harry had even heard Snape speak outside of the classroom was the night of Slughorn's Christmas party. It was there where Harry and Ginny had overheard Snape hissing at Malfoy about an Unbreakable Vow he had taken to protect Malfoy. To protect him from what, Harry was unsure… But seeing Snape again reminded Harry that he had to keep a closer eye on Malfoy.

The ferret was up to something. He could just feel it in his bones.

Harry was certain that Malfoy was the one who had cursed Katie Bell with the amulet. The only trouble is, no one seemed to believe his theory. Ron and Hermione had gone so far as to say that he was obsessed.

Harry frowned deeply at the reminder of his best mates not trusting his intuition before his resolve hardened.

Well, if they wanted proof, then Harry was determined to get it.

No matter what.

…...

'Summoning objects without a wand takes a great deal of magical core strength. To even dream to achieve this tremendous feat, one must - at the very least - do daily core exercises. There are multiple exercises for the magical core. Such as; holding your breath for exactly fifty-seven seconds or until your face turns blue. There is also the exercise of holding in flatulence, as natural gas is a magical aide to-'

Harry's head snapped up from his text at the feeling of something brushing his foot. A jolt shot through him all the way up his spine at the sensation. The resulting tingles burst out into gooseflesh all over the skin of his back. His eyes immediately looked to the beautiful redhead sitting at his side, who was busy reading her own text.

They were sitting in the library. Ginny was preparing for the ever-looming O.W.L. exams that were coming up at the end of the year, while Harry was looking up defense techniques that he could try out tomorrow during his training session with Ron and Hermione.

Ginny didn't look up at his questioning gaze. In fact, she didn't even seem to notice that her foot had accidentally brushed against his, which was the cause of Harry's own distraction...

Suppressing a smirk, Harry looked back down at his own text and kept his eyes on it without reading the words in front of him, before he slyly took off his right shoe with his other foot underneath the table.

When his foot brushed back against hers, Ginny's gorgeous, brown eyes immediately connected onto the side of his face.

Harry tried his best not to show that he was even aware of her gaze and he forced his eyes to stay glued to the pages before him. He even went as far as to turn the page in his book.

That didn't stop the movement of his foot, however, as he brushed along the buckle of her mary janes.

A saucy smirk danced at the corners of his lips now, as he was no longer able to suppress it when he finally took a peak over at her.

Ginny rolled her eyes at him. But she also bit into her bottom lip as she tried to look away from his gaze. However, she seemed to not be able to keep her eyes from straying back to him.

She pulled her foot back away from his and Harry furrowed his eyebrows in worry. Had he crossed a line? He was aware that they were starting back slow when it came to the physical side of their relationship, since he had mucked everything up by keeping her at a distance. But did that mean that she was uncomfortable with any affection that was beyond hand holding and chaste kissing?

The sudden sensation of a stocking-clad foot making contact with his own stopped his concerned thoughts with a jolt. Her foot tickled his as her toes drew a pattern up his foot and to his ankle.

His palms were sweating as she drew a circular pattern that he felt on his clothed skin.

But it was as her foot drew higher, going up under his trouser's pantleg, when Harry couldn't be able to bear it for any longer before he reached down and closed his book with a definitive thud.

He drew his foot away and slipped it back into his shoe before he stood with purpose.

Ginny looked up at him, her eyes pinched with a questioning gaze as he reached out his hand to her.

"Come on," He coaxed as he nodded his head towards the library doors, indicating without words that they should get out of there.

A bright smile lit up on Ginny's face and Harry nearly lost his breath by the beauty of it. As much as he got turned on by her fiery temper, there was nothing quite like Ginny's brilliant smile when it was directed at him.

She was quick to reach under the table to help put her own shoe back onto her foot, before she closed her book as well and reached up to grab his hand.

Harry tugged her out of her seat and they began a brisk pace towards the doors, with Harry leading the way.

His legs were longer than hers, so Ginny had a difficult time managing to keep up with him, but Harry didn't want to slow down or be deterred from his mission. Because that was exactly what he was; a man on a mission.

Still, they giggled together as they maneuvered down the dark, castle hallways, trying to act as innocent as could be as they passed by students going the opposite way. It was obvious that they hardly fooled anyone by the knowing looks that were pointed their way. But Harry found that he didn't care what they presumed or not. All that mattered now was getting Ginny alone as soon as possible.

It wasn't long until they managed to find an abandoned hallway and Harry was quick to turn them in that direction and to the first broom closet they crossed.

He opened the door wide and led Ginny through it first. They both smiled in anticipation as Harry walked in behind her and closed the door, shutting them away from any unwanted prying eyes.

There was complete darkness as they fumbled about in the tight space. As Ginny reached for his face, Harry glasses had managed to get knocked half off of his face from her hands. And as he leaned forward to eagerly latch his lips to hers, they painfully bonked noses.

"Ow…" Ginny groaned as he felt her presence back away from him.

Harry rubbed his own nose before he righted his glasses. Merlin, this was not going how he wanted it to… He wanted to come across as spontaneous, not as a fumbling fool…

"Er… Give me a second, Gin," Harry mumbled as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling of magic in his core.

It only took a beat of a moment before the room was illuminated with a dim light by Harry's silent, wandless spell.

Harry opened his eyes, to see Ginny still rubbing her nose, though the action stopped when she noticed the light that suddenly illuminated the room.

"You're getting better at that," Ginny commented, with awe touching at her voice and in her eyes.

Pride swelled within Harry's abdomen without his permission as he glowed under the praise from the girl that he loved. He always wanted to impress her, show off for her…

Still, Harry shrugged as though it were nothing. "It was a simpler spell."

Despite wanting to impress her, they hadn't talked much about his newfound magical power. It was rare whenever Ginny thought to bring it up. He suspected that she thought that the subject made him uncomfortable, just like when he hated being in the center of attention.

But for once, Harry felt that he actually deserved praise. That he finally earned the title of being the 'Chosen One'.

Ginny snorted before her arms came up to encircle around his neck, her fingers twisted in the hair at the base of his neck. "That's easy for you to say. I don't think that I've ever managed a single wordless spell, let alone a wandless one."

Harry palms came down to rest on her hips, his fingers squeezed at the clothed flesh there. "Well… I could always give you private lessons…"

The sexiest smirk he had ever seen danced across her lips. "Private lessons, eh? Think that some of your magical power will rub off on me?"

Harry shivered as his cock throbbed at the way she enunciated the words. "One can only hope that I'll rub off on you. I am a positive influence, you know."

He waggled his eyebrows at her to let her know of the double meaning in his words before he leaned down to press his forehead against hers.

"You are an influence alright…" Ginny murmured as he reached up to take both of her hands in his before he brought both of their hands down at her side, interlacing their fingers in a slow movement. "But a positive one? Who asked whom to join them in their bedroom over the Christmas Hols?"

A redness engulfed his entire face at the mention of the memory. It was the first time she was bringing up the incident of her joining him in his bedroom since they got back at school… and with it brought the images of what they got up to together in his bed at his parent's home.

He was reminded of her pale, creamy skin. How her red locks looked at they were splayed against her chest, partially hiding her dusty rose nipples…

The memories nearly drove him to madness. How he longed to make the memories into reality once again. But he had to constantly remind himself to put on the brakes. To take things slow. He had seriously damaged Ginny's self-esteem by ignoring her after the intimate new step they had taken on that early Christmas morning. He had to respect that it would be a while before she could bring herself to trust him enough before she put herself in such a vulnerable state with him once again.

Harry reminded himself that he could be patient. He had waited in the wings for her to become available from her relationship with Dean, and that had turned out in his favour…

But that was before he knew what her lips tasted like… what she sounded like when his fingers traced her newly uncovered skin. How she reacted by pulling at the stands of his hair every time his tongue traced patterns on places only he has been allowed to see.

Now that he knew, he wasn't so sure how patient he could be.

But for Ginny, he would force himself to remain chaste. He loved her enough that he would give her anything in regards to their relationship.

Including time.

Harry was suddenly brought back from his thoughts by a smooth hand that was stroking the side of his face. He focused his green eyes to her imploring brown ones and found himself entranced.

"Where did you go?" She asked.

Harry found himself smiling softly at her. "Nowhere. Even in my thoughts, you are with me."

Her tender eyes darkened in color as the increasingly familiar look of lust overcame her every feature. He could see it in the shape of her eyes, the stance of her body, the parting of her lips…

Somehow, her hand had ended up in his hair, pulling him down forcibly so that she could latch those parted lips to his.

The kiss was far from gentle as Ginny set upon the pace. Harry found his eyes left wide open as he was left in a state of shock by the unexpected primal feel of her aggressive lips moving against his. It was far from what he had expected… which was soft and tender butterfly kisses and sweet reassurances from Harry that he cared for her more than she even knew.

To say that this was a pleasant surprise would be a vast understatement.

It didn't take long for Harry to stumble himself out of his shock. In fact, all it took was Ginny's teeth trapping his bottom lip between both of hers for a guttural groan to awaken within him and for his hand to find and clutch at the clothing at the small of her back.

"Gin!" Harry hissed as she worried his bottom lip between his teeth. No doubt it would be swollen before the night was even over… But Harry found that hardly cared.

Ginny released her entrapment of him and stared at him with that hard look of hers from underneath her thick eyelashes. She had never looked so desirable before. So wanton and free. "Are you going to make me do all of the work, Harry, or do you plan on participating?"

Determination and lust swelled in the bottom of his stomach. He grabbed her hard by the hips and forced her body closer to his in a move so brutish, Hermione would've surely scolded him for it. But he didn't find it within him to care as his lips claimed hers with a need so consuming, that the need for air took a step back in matter of importance at the moment.

Gaging by the unspoken words that her hands spoke in a language of their own, Ginny hardly minded his boarish pawing at her body. In fact, Harry would go so far out on a limb as to say that she was quite enjoying herself. A fact that he was immensely enjoying.

The sounds that she was currently making, from the tiny gasps to the drawn out groans, brought with them pictures of memories of what she sounded and looked like on Christmas day… Her red hair splayed against his white sheets, her chest heaving with her every heavy breath…

His hands squeezed even tighter on her hips as the pictures overcame him, it was a marvel that she didn't think that he was hurting her from how tight he was holding on.

It was as she pressed her body even closer, and the fabric of her skirt brushed up against the straining tent beneath his trousers, when Harry finally pulled away with a gasp. They both heaved in desperately needed air as they stared at each other in the close proximity.

It was then when Harry noticed that his magic was going affray… the silent, wandless spell that he had cast for the dim amount light in the tightly enclosed space was now flickering… dangerously close to going out altogether.

Harry ignored the implications of this at the moment and instead focused all of his attention on the beauty that was staring right back at him.

Harry leaned his forehead against hers once again, as his hands left their comfortable position at her hips, before lifting to cup at the sides of her face.

He knew his eyes were swimming with questions, imploring with intensity in the need to know her answers. Before finally, he spoke in a raspy voice that didn't even sound like his own.

"I know that I've mucked things up since we started pushing things further…" Harry swallowed thickly at the threatening thickness that wanted to overwhelm his throat. "So, I understand if you want to wait again before… you know."

Ginny looked up at him with confusion maring her beautiful face before understanding suddenly seemed to grasp at her and her eyebrows raised. "You mean before I take off my shirt again?"

Harry nodded staggeredly, trying to show with his eyes that he understood if she wanted to take things slow again. That he could be strong enough to respect that wish. That he would be strong enough. Merlin, no matter how difficult it would be. Because as strange as it seemed, he loved her more than his desire for her body.

Harry had been all prepared for her slight rejection, bracing himself for it even. Which was why he was surprised when Ginny snorted, amusement lightening up her entire face.

"Always so noble, Harry…" Ginny mused, her eyes glittering as they laughed silently up at him. Before they softened and she suddenly turned serious as her teeth trapped her bottom lip, worrying it with a light pressure. Harry watched the movement before she released it. "To be honest, I couldn't stop thinking about doing that again with you all winter holiday..."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpectedly bold statement.

Ginny swallowed before continuing. "Which was why a large part of me was so disappointed when you decided to avoid me."

His first instinct was to look inward and coax at his already existing self-loathing, and reflect on the many mistakes he has made regarding his treatment of Ginny. That was before he took a moment to really take in her words. He froze as he recalled the heavy suggestion he heard in Ginny's voice not even ten seconds before.

A slow grin started to grow on his face. "So… you want to…?"

He trailed off, not brave enough to voice the suggestion out loud in fear that she would still reject it.

"Merlin, yes," Ginny stated in an exasperated groan.

Harry beamed, taking a moment to let her words wash over him.

She desired him just as much as he desired her. She didn't want to take any steps backward in regard to their physical relationship. In fact, she wanted to pick up right where they left off.

Merlin, he was the luckiest bloke in all of existence.

Harry was drawn out from his thoughts by the tugging on his sweater vest. Ginny was trying her darndest to get it off of him without his participation, and a frustrated pout mared her face at his lack of compliance.

Harry chuckled at her focused drive to get him ridden of his clothing, before he lifted his arms in eager assent.

In the next moment, his sweater vest was whipped over his head and was unceremoniously tossed aside before Ginny immediately started in on the buttons on his grey button-down.

There was no preamble with the action. Ginny was being very straight-forward. She simply knew what she wanted and Harry was not about to deny her of it.

When all of the buttons were loosened, they worked together by both pushing the fabric off of his shoulders and down his arms.

The slight amount of chill he felt from the surrounding air met his overheated skin, which made the cold seem all the more significant.

The heat in Ginny's gaze as she stared at his naked chest caused the fire within in loins to grow to an exponentially overwhelming level. He basked in her desire. It confirmed to him that they really, truly did belong together. That he made the right choice by no longer pushing her away.

"Would it be too much to request that you never wear a shirt around me again?" Ginny suddenly spoke up, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she finally tore her gaze away from his body to meet his own.

To think that there was a time when Harry has actually thought that Ginny was innocent.

"Not at all," Harry replied, musingly, "But only if you return the favour." Before he paused and his eyes widened at the implications of that. "On second thought, I don't want anyone else to see you like that except me. So…"

Ginny giggled at his rushed manner of speaking. "Too late, Potter. Come tomorrow, our agreement comes into effect."

Harry groaned, exasperated, before he felt her cool hands tracing the lines that defined the small amount of muscle on his chest. Now he wanted to groan for entirely different reasons.

"Is it too late for an amendment?"

An arched eyebrow met his inquiry and Harry took it as an invitation to continue. "I propose that our agreement only applies when we are together… alone."

Her brown eyes stared up at him steadily before a randy smirk started to grow on her plush lips. "Well… we're alone right now, are we not?"

A bark of a laugh escaped Harry's throat. Somehow, after more than half a decade of knowing her, she always managed to still surprise him.

"Yes. We are. And I seem to be the only one honouring our agreement." Harry stated, smoothly, as his head bobbed down at her, indicating at her still covered body while he was already stripped down from the waist up.

An unladylike snort escaped her as her eyes sparkled with amusement.

"And who's fault is that now? I would say that me not wasting any time stripping you down makes me an opportunist," She emphasized this by running her cold hands down over his bare abdomen, "And somehow, you haven't yet returned the favour... Now what does that make you?"

His hands found her hips again as he tugged her forward again in a brutish manner. Immediately, he dipped his head downward and his lips ghosted against hers, just barely touching, before he whispered in a tickled breath against her parted mouth, "A bloody idiot."

He pushed forward then, taking what he desired. The taste of her mouth was divine, flooding his taste buds with the lemon tarts she had eaten earlier.

His hands glided down the sides of her fit body, until they landed on the hem at the base of her sweater. His fingers played with the offending fabric, before he started to lift it up her body, following the path his hands had just traced.

Once her sweater made it over her head, Harry threw it somewhere behind him where it was immediately forgotten.

Her hair was now mussed up in a perfect disarray of tangles and waves. She now only had her button down to attend to, and Harry wasted no time in fumbling with loosening the buttons, his haste making him clumsy in his execution.

But with each hurdle he got past, the more that he got to see… as Ginny's silky smooth skin was revealed, along with a peak of her plain, white bra.

His dick twitched in his trousers at the sight.

It was as he got to the last button, when her hand shot out and forcibly grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

Harry's entire body froze before his head jerked up to look at her in surprise.

But Ginny wasn't looking at him.

No… she was staring at his wrist… where the mark of Death's Hourglass was burned onto his skin.

"Harry…" Ginny breathed, horror seeping out in her voice as well as her face. "What is that on your wrist?"

It felt as though a fist had punched through his abdomen and grabbed tightly at stomach, constricting it. The sensation caused bile to rise in his throat as he was forcibly crashed down from his lust as he was reminded of the dire situation of his reality.

A reality he had been unintentionally ignoring since he had woken up in the hospital wing three days ago.

The look on his face must have caused Ginny's panic to rise as she gripped tighter to his wrist and brought it up close to his face to better display what she was referring to. "What is this, Harry?!"

Harry swallowed thickly and tried to school his expression. "I-It's noth-"

A blazing look overcame her features. "Don't you dare say that it's nothing, Harry James Potter."

A sigh escaped him without his permission as he thought over how to best explain this. He didn't want to give her any of the details. Telling her about his deal with Death automatically lead into how he had to kill Voldemort, which lead to the conversation about the upcoming war and Voldemort's horcruxes.

And telling Ginny all of this would lead to her fighting in a war that Harry wanted her as far away from as possible.

As far as he was concerned, Ginny would have no part in it.

So, Harry let out another sigh. "I-I'm sorry, Gin. But I can't tell you."

Her furious eyes snapped up to connect with his. They were raging with fire within her light brown gaze. "I know that we agreed that you had secrets. But Harry, that mark… it- it looks just like…"

She trailed off looking at the mark on his arm with nothing but dread.

"Like what?" And despite already knowing what it was, mounting fear claimed over his body against his control as awaited her answer.

Her eyes flicked back up to his. No longer angry, but fearful.

"Like a dark mark, Harry… It looks like a dark mark."

The breath left Harry's lungs with a whooshing sound. And suddenly, he could see what the mark looked like through Ginny's eyes. What she must be thinking about it. About him.

"It's not what you think," Harry reassured in a rush, "The mark doesn't control me and it will not lead to my death."

Just the possible death of his family if he didn't kill Voldemort in time…

The blazing worry in her gaze lessened somewhat at his sincere words, but there was still a trace of tension there in the shift of her brows.

"But I can't say anything more on it, Gin. I'm sorry…"

They stared at each other, at an impasse, for a lingering moment. There was scarcely a breath that passed through either of their lungs as they stood, at a loss of what to say next.

That is, until Ginny finally started to move. She tore her gaze away from his, no longer looking at him in the eye. Though he could still see the look of masked hurt shining through her irises.

Her fingers shakily started to button up her loose buttons, while one had been put through the incorrect hole in her haste.

Then, she reached over for her discarded sweater, put it over her head, and turned to leave. All without saying a word.

It was the sight of her back turning on him that broke Harry from his frozen state. He reached out and grasped her wrist, staying her departure. "Gin, wait, I-"

"I'm trying to be understanding, Harry," Ginny's quiet whisper interrupted him, all without looking back, "I-I just need some time. To come to terms with…"

She broke off, unable to finish, before she tore her wrist out of his grasp and slid out of the tiny closet.

Leaving Harry alone and feeling empty inside.

.

.

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A/N: Please go easy on Harry? His heart is in the right place, isn't it? Even though it may be a bit misguided. And he is, after all, just a teenage boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

As always, please leave a review!