Disclaimer: Characters not mine, plot only. Blah blah blah blah blah.
A/N: Sigh of relief So here comes the climax chapter. The next two chapters will be happy, you can count on that. I might change things around in this chapter, but I just wanted to get the basic ideas up as quick as possible.
But
something happened
For the very first time with you
My heart
melts into the ground
Found something true
And everyone's
looking round
Thinking I'm going crazy
But I don't
care what they say
I'm in love with you
They try to pull me
away
But they don't know the truth
My heart's crippled by
the vein
That I keep on closing
You cut me open and I
Keep
bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
I keep bleeding
I keep,
keep bleeding love
Keep bleeding
Keep, keep bleeding love
-Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis
I woke up the next morning and had that awful, defeated, heartbroken feeling rush over me all over again. I rolled over on my wet pillow. I had crawled straight into bed right after I came back into the house the other night. Moaning, I managed to slump out of bed and down the stairs. The kitchen was bubbling and I could smell George cooking. I rubbed my eyes and sat down at the table.
Much to my dismay, I saw Harry on the other side of the table. He looked very interested in his eggs. My depression quickly turned into anger, and I felt myself glaring holes into Harry's head. George was at the stove, whistling and cooking eggs.
"Morning, Gin," he said with over-amounts of peppiness, "Eggs?"
I nodded and he dumped some eggs onto a plate before putting it in front of me. I sighed and began to eat my eggs. George looked at me, perplexed.
"Something wrong?" he asked as he walked back to the stove.
I saw Harry look up from his plate. I glared at him.
"You could say that," I said to George, but with my eyes still fixed on Harry.
"Mm. Anything I could help with?" he asked sincerely.
"Not unless you have an ax and one hundred deadly spears," I said through clenched teeth. Harry looked back down at his plate. Then he stood up and put the plate on the sink.
"What's this!?" George said, with a fake-hurt tone, "Don't like my eggs!?"
"No, no," Harry said, "They're great! I'm just not all that hungry today. I've also got errands to attend to today at the Dursleys'. Picking up all the stuff I left there. You know."
"How convenient," I muttered angrily. Harry heard, because he stiffened.
"I've got to be off," Harry sighed, "Bye, George. Bye, Ginny."
"Yeah, great. You best be running off now," I said, fighting the angry tears in my eyes, "Because running away is something you seem to be good at!!" I spat out the last words and smacked my fists on the table angrily.
I looked up at him, breathing heavily. He looked down, but I could see the defeated look in his eyes. I bit my lip and looked away. Harry stood there for a moment; hand on the doorknob, before walking out of the door and disapparating.
George looked dumbstruck. I felt the tears coming again and knew I had to get out. I wiped my eyes and grabbed my wand off the table. Pulling on a sweatshirt and tennis shoes, I opened the kitchen door. George grabbed my arm.
"Ginny?" he asked.
"I-I'm leaving," I said, fighting back the angry tears again. I pulled my arm out from George's grasp and apparated to London.
London was bustling, and they hardly seemed to noticed the girl in grey pajama pants and a large blue sweatshirt. I walked fast, with my head looking down. What was wrong with me?! I felt pathetic, defeated, and heartbroken. I set this trap up for myself, you know. Lowering myself in, thinking that I could actually be with Harry again. I guess that fairy tale is over.
X X X X X X
"What do you think of these, Gin?"
I looked up from an odd-looking pair of shoes and looked at the ones Eve Franklin was holding. Eve was one of my close friends from Hogwarts, and she was very close with Luna too. She was maid of honor, but she was lucky enough to have her dress-fitting in the comforts of her own house (in which she was the only one living there). She found me running around London in my pajamas and decided to drag me along with her (after I had gone home and changed first, of course). We were shoe shopping. Luna permitted us to get our own shoes, as long as we passed them by her first.
"They're nice," I said without emotion. Eve sighed and put the shoes down.
"Ginny, do you want to talk about it?"
"About what?"
"About whatever is occupying most of the space in your brain, and keeping it from being occupied by shoes," Eve said plainly, "You've barely said anything. A simple 'hello' and 'let's go in this shop'."
I opened my mouth but Eve pointed her finger at me.
"Don't you dare tell me nothing is wrong, because I know that something is definitely up."
Damn.
"It's Harry," I said at last, not willing to break my streak of few-word-sentences that I had been using all day.
Eve sighed and peered up at me.
"He ran away again, didn't he?" she said, knowingly.
I nodded and chewed on my lip. The tears were coming. If I was lucky, I would chew on my lip enough that it would bleed and then I would have an excuse to be crying.
"Stop chewing, Ginny," Eve said, reading my mind, "I won't buy it, anyway."
I stopped and Eve hooked arms with me.
"Let's go have some lunch, okay?" she said softly. I nodded weakly and we headed off to a little café in London that Eve liked.
After sitting down and eating, everything spilled. Not only did I tell the story, but anger, tears, hate, spite, sadness, and grief all poured out as well. Eve sat calmly, listening to it all.
"-and the worst part of it all," I said with a weak, watery laugh, "Is that I actually believed that h-he and I could be together again."
Eve handed me a tissue and I dabbed my eyes.
"Maybe there's still hope," Eve said gently.
"How!? Look at me, Eve!!" I said, tears forming again, "I'm a complete train wreck!! I don't think I could ever even look at him again without either blowing up in his face or crying my eyes out. No, Eve, I'm afraid all hope is lost."
Eve rested her elbows on the table and sighed.
"I've been hurt one too many times by him. I don't think I even understand him anymore," I said in a strangled voice.
"Then try to, Ginny."
"Wha-"
"Try talking to him. You know you want answers and explanations. You can't avoid him forever."
"Yes I can," I said stubbornly, "In fact I'm moving to Berlin."
"Oh so now you're running away?"
I stopped sniffling and looked at Eve. Did I really want to leave Harry?
"Don't run, Ginny," Eve said, shaking her head.
And that was all I needed.
X X X X X X
I finally went home, but I apparated to Avium Strip. I wanted to walk a little.
I was getting pretty close the house after walking awhile, and had half a mind to turn back. Trudging along, I came upon scuffling noises up in a tree. On my guard, I whipped out my wand. I peered up the tree's branches and swore I saw a person's leg on a branch.
"Oi!" I shouted, "Who's there?!"
I heard a yelp and crunching noises before a body came crashing down on me. Amazing how these mishaps always seem to happen to me. Life isn't fair.
"Ow!" I moaned with my eyes shut closed tightly, fighting the pain.
"Ginny?" the body asked. My eyes shot open. Harry's face was staring at me. I blinked, making sure it wasn't another one of my hallucinations. It wasn't.
"Going to make a habit of falling on me, Potter?" I said in a hoarse, strangled voice. I was having trouble breathing, not because I was in awe of Harry, but because he was crushing my innocent lungs.
"You appeared out of nowhere again," Harry defended. I rolled my eyes and saw Harry almost smile.
"Right," I said, coughing a little, "Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Get off me."
"Oh," Harry chuckled. He rolled off me and stood up. He offered his hand to me but I stood up on my own.
"Right," Harry sighed, "I forgot you were allergic to chivalry."
"I'm also allergic to stuck-up twats," I said coldly, "Which is why I can't have you falling on me all the time. It triggers my allergies."
Harry snorted. Without invitation for him to follow me, I started walking. Harry caught on and followed me. We walked in silence for awhile, and then I finally got fed up. I stomped my foot and stopped walking. Harry looked at me, confused.
"Are you just going to pretend last night didn't happen!?" I said, frustrated.
"No I-"
"Because personally, I don't really like Berlin, but I'm going have to resort to that if you don't give me explanations!!"
Harry looked at me, bewildered.
"What are you going to do with Berlin?" Harry asked, half-scared, half-amused.
"Ugh!!" I groaned, "Nevermind! And stop changing the subject!!"
"I'm not changing the subject! Why do you think I would change the subject?!"
I glared at him.
"You're pointedly avoiding this," I said.
"This what…?"
"This-this-this!!" I stuttered, "This issue!!"
Harry looked at me with sad eyes. He obviously didn't want to talk about it, but THAT IS JUST TOO DAMN BAD!! WE'RE GOING TO GODDAMN TALK ABOUT IT IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!! Sorry, lost it for a second…
"Ginny," Harry sighed at last, "W-We can't be together."
"Oh!? So that's why you said you lead me on, told me you liked me, and even kissed me!! Only to tell me we can't be together!?" I shouted angrily.
"I didn't mean to do those things!! You have more ways of controlling me than you know!! God, Ginny!! I didn't know what I was doing or saying!!"
"So now I'm some manipulative whore?!"
"No!! Grr!! Don't you get it, Ginny!? Every time I start to get close to you, I hurt you!! I don't want to keep hurting you like this!!"
"You're hurting me now, Harry," I cried, "And that is the worst excuse ever!!"
"Ginny-"
"So this is what it's all about!! Hurting me!? Hurting me is fine, as long as we're together like we were before the war. Don't you get it, Harry? I can take anything that comes at me as long as you're with me, but this. This I can't take. Not being with you is more painful, even with knowing that we could have."
Harry looked down at his feet, and then it came to me. It hit me like a truck. Everything was explained!! I finally understood!!
"You're scared," I whispered.
"Sca-"
"You're scared of what will happen if we're together!!"
"Ginny, don't be ridiculous. I have no idea what you're talking about."
I walked towards Harry and looked up at him. He looked away.
"Harry," I said, "Harry, look at me."
He didn't. I put my hand on the side of his face and turned it towards me, so that he looked me in the eye. He stiffened, but his eyes locked with mine.
"What are you afraid of?" I asked sincerely.
"Falling to deep for you, and then losing you," Harry said at last.
I wanted to burst into tears right then and there.
"So this fighting and not being together is better than losing me?" I asked.
Harry moved his head so that my hand fell on his shoulder and he looked down.
"If it means not having to deal with the pain," Harry grumbled.
"Harry, I know you have been through the worst possible thing a teenage boy could go through, and I know it caused you a lot of pain. You probably don't want anymore hurt in your life…"
Harry looked up at me, his eyes shiny.
"But you have to trust me when I say that you will not lose me."
"You mean what you're saying…?"
"Of course! Harry, we will have our ups and downs, but never will I want to leave you. Fighting with you is better than never having you at all."
Harry's chin quivered and tears rolled down my cheeks. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. I rested my wet face on his shoulder and cried. Harry wrapped his arms around my waist and chuckled a little.
"We're such softies," he whispered in my hair. I laughed and pulled back, with my arms still around his neck. He gently brought his hand up and wiped a tear off my cheek. I smiled and held his hand to my cheek.
"Ginny," Harry asked softly, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
"I'm glad this is where our loud conversations lead to," I laughed, "But I thought you would never ask."
Harry smiled and I leaned forwards. This time, Harry got the hint, leant down, and kissed me. Fireworks exploded in my head, and I held Harry close.
"Oh," I said, pulling away, "No more running away, okay, Harry?"
"Wouldn't dream of it," Harry said smiling. He leant down and we continued snogging.
That is, until something loud exploded from the bushes.
I mean, seriously! You'd think these things would stop happening once in awhile!!
A/N: Yes, so Harry was just being a little chicken-poo afraid of lovey-poo with Ginny-poo. But us girls always have to help these clueless boys along. Life is not fair, I tell you. Not fair at all. Anyway, not much of a cliffie, considering Harry and Ginny are together. Trust me, the next two chapters will be pure fluff. Excited? Psh, I am!!