A/N I'm back again! :) I'm really really sorry for keeping you waiting. Here it is! Enjoy reading :)
Chapter 7: Christmas at the Burrow
As soon as they arrived at the Burrow, Harry saw Ginny rushed to her room and locked the door. She was unusually quiet during the ride back home. Harry knew that she only pretended to be asleep so that no one would notice that she weren't talking to him.
"Harry dear," Mrs. Weasley called Harry from behind. "You should go rest. I will just call you when lunch is ready. For now, you go get some sleep. You don't look well."
"It's fine Mrs. Weasley. I'd like to help here." Harry said. He wondered if Mrs. Weasley saw him staring at Ginny's door.
"No, no. I can manage here. Go get some rest. You too, Ron. And Hermione, Ginny's already in her room. You can sleep there." Mrs. Weasley demanded.
As soon as Mrs. Weasley finished her sentence, Ron quickly dragged his trunk upstairs. Harry knew that Ron was glad that he wasn't helping in the kitchen and that he could actually get some sleep. He grabbed his things and followed him. On his way to Ron's room, he stopped by Ginny's closed door. Harry suddenly felt the urge to knock when Hermione tapped him in the back.
"Harry, I know how you feel. But give her some time. You know this isn't easy."
"Yeah. I know." Harry nodded and proceeded upstairs.
Harry woke up to Mrs. Weasley's voice calling them to go down for lunch. He prodded Ron who was still sleeping and waited for him to get dressed before they went down together. When they passed by Ginny's door, Harry wondered if she'll be joining them for lunch.
When they arrived in the kitchen, his eyes searched the people seated by the table hoping to see Ginny but she wasn't there. Harry's shoulders fell when he saw her usual seat vacant.
"She said she'll try to get some more sleep," Hermione told him as soon as he sat beside her.
"Oh. Did she mention anything about avoiding me?" Harry couldn't help but feel annoyed that Ginny was seriously going out of her way to avoid him. And he hated it.
Hermione was about to retort but stopped when the rest of the Weasley's entered the kitchen. Despite his disappointment and annoyance, Harry had a wonderful lunch; all thanks to Mrs. Weasley's cooking and Fred and George's jokes. Surprisingly too, no one mentioned anything about the ball, which made Harry wonder if everyone in the table already knew what happened and was just trying to help him save face.
After eating, Harry volunteered to help Ron clean the dishes. He figured he needed to keep himself busy so he could avoid thinking about what happened. Hermione also advised him to take it slow and to enjoy his stay in the Burrow despite of Ginny avoiding him. To take it slow, Harry could try doing that but to enjoy his stay in the Burrow knowing that one of the Weasleys was mad at him, he wasn't sure if he could do that.
Harry was quite surprised how the day went by quickly. Contrary to what he thought, he did enjoy this day. Maybe it was because of Quidditch, his favorite sport in the world, which he played this afternoon with Ron and the twins. Or maybe it was because of the delicious dinner that Mrs. Weasley prepared.
Harry was sitting by his bed. It was already past ten in the evening but he couldn't get to sleep. Last nights' events kept on coming back to his mind and it only made him feel guiltier.
"Harry."
Harry almost jumped off his bed when Ron spoke. He thought his friend was already sleeping but then realized that Ron never slept quietly.
"Yeah?" Harry answered. Since it was dark, he couldn't see Ron but he knew that he was looking at him.
"It's okay if you don't want to answer. I'll understand," Ron said with hesitation.
"Go on," Harry urged.
"Well, it just got me into thinking. Suppose you had a choice then, would you still have asked Ginny?" Ron asked.
That question caught Harry by surprise. He remembered the conversation he had with Ginny that night of the ball. Ginny had asked him the same question and he remembered himself not answering. He was unsure then, and still was but he knew Ron was waiting for him to answer.
"Honestly, I don't know," Harry said.
"Yeah, I got you, mate," Harry heard Ron saying. "I mean if that happened to me, if I knew then that the girl I love broke up with his git of a boyfriend, I wouldn't miss a chance, would I?"
"Good thing Hermione didn't have a git of a boyfriend before you asked her to ball," Harry joked.
"You're right. Lucky Krum's out of the picture," Ron said after a hearty laugh. His face then turned serious again. "Well, I'm kind of thinking that what happened might be a good thing for Ginny."
"Why?" Harry asked, totally confused.
"Well, Ginny fancied you for quite a long time now. This might be an eye-opener for her that she should just give up. You know, better end it here than let it carry on for another year or more," Ron said.
Harry didn't know how to respond.
"If you're thinking about Ginny," Ron continued, "don't worry. Like I said, she gets back up. Always. Don't feel too guilty about it. She will be fine soon. And if you're worried that Ginny might not forgive you, well, you know her. She values friendship more than anything else."
Harry remained awake for the next two hours. He was still thinking of the last thing Ron said to him before he slept soundly on his bed. Ginny values friendship more than anything else, Harry repeated those words to himself. And before he went to sleep that night, he decided to save the friendship he had with Ginny, whatever it takes him. After all, Ginny was his friend.
Harry woke up to the loud voices downstairs. It was the morning of Christmas Eve and everybody's already on their Christmas mood. Well, everyone, except Harry.
He couldn't forget the talk he and Ron had last night and how he came up with a resolve. He must save the friendship. He must do what Ginny would have done – value the friendship more than anything else.
After changing into his clothes, Harry went down and found Ron fixing the table for breakfast. He immediately went up to him and helped him. A moment later, Hermione arrived, followed by Ginny. Harry almost dropped the plate he was holding when he saw Ginny arrive. He couldn't understand what he felt during that one really short moment - that moment when their eyes met. He knew he must start with his 'saving the friendship' mission now. He intentionally sat across Ginny during breakfast, hoping that she would look his way and their eyes will meet again but she never did.
Bill and Fleur arrived just in time when Mrs. Weasley was about to assign each one of their task in preparation for the Christmas dinner. Harry saw Ginny made a funny face at the sight of Fleur and he almost wanted to laugh when he remembered they weren't okay. He felt a slight pang in his chest at the thought. Had he and Ginny been okay, they would probably be smiling at each other and sharing inside jokes about Fleur by now.
Mrs. Weasley assigned Ron and Ginny to accompany her to the market to buy stuff she will need for later; and Harry and Hermione to help Bill and Fleur fix the Christmas tree. Harry almost wanted to get up and ask Ron to trade places with him when he heard Ron spoke:
"Harry has to buy food for Hedwig… err… he told me last night. Can he come too?"
Though Harry was sure he didn't drop a single word about Hedwig last night, he found himself nodding at Ron.
"It's alright. We can just buy it for him. Right, Harry?" asked Mrs. Weasley.
He wanted to say no but thought that Mrs. Weasley was probably just thinking of his safety.
"And besides, someone needs to help Bill and Fleur with the tree," added Mrs. Weasley.
"I can do it," Ron insisted. "Then Harry can come with you, instead of me. Dad will be coming with you anyway so you don't have to worry about Harry's safety. I bet there're lots of Aurors patrolling the area nowadays."
Harry was holding his breath while waiting for Mrs. Weasley's response and almost wanted to hug her and Ron when she finally spoke:
"Oh alright. Will that be okay with you dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked him.
"Yeah, sure," Harry scolded himself for being over-excited when he answered.
"Alright then. I'll just check on Fred and George's work on the garden then we'll go. And Ron, you better make sure you're helping Hermione and not just sleep away while I'm gone," said Mrs. Weasley before she made her way to the garden.
Harry got up and immediately went upstairs to get his coat. A moment later, the door opened and Ron entered.
"Ginny knows what I'm up to. She was planning to hex me when we get back to school. I knew she wouldn't buy that "food for Hedwig" thing," Ron said while lying down on his bed.
"Yeah, I also think that was kind of a stupid reason," Harry said, grinning.
"Well, at least you'll be with her. Start from here. You can just buy whatever owl food there for cover," Ron said, yawning.
"Sure. Thanks Ron," Harry said, giving Ron a pat.
"Goodluck mate," he heard Ron saying before he closed the door.
"So Harry, how was the Christmas ball? Did you have fun?" Mr. Weasley asked as they were waiting for Mrs. Weasley to come out of the veggie shop.
"It was alright. Although, I wasn't sure if I had fun," Harry answered throwing Ginny a glance.
She remained her distance and continued on looking at the items displayed at the clothes store nearby.
"Why is that?" he heard Mr. Weasley asked.
Harry looked at Ginny before answering. "Well, I sort of had a fight with a friend. It was a really bad fight and we're currently on a not-speaking terms."
"Oh that's bad," Mr. Weasley said while shaking his head. Harry was praying really hard that Mr. Weasley wouldn't notice that he was talking about his daughter. "And what was the reason of the fight? If you only like to tell me, of course."
"Oh. It was just… I kind of… Well, I did something really stupid that I shouldn't have done in the first place. And I'm sorry for it. I really am," Harry said looking at Ginny. He was hoping that his words would get through her. He was hoping that Ginny would accept his apology. He was deep in his thoughts that he forgot that Mr. Weasley was still looking at him.
"Oh well. Whatever that is, I know you'll be able to fix it," Mr. Weasley said putting an arm on Harry's shoulder.
"Thank you Mr. Weasley. I'm trying. I just hope that person will forgive me," Harry answered, again throwing a half glance at Ginny's direction but she seemed not to care.
"Well, keep trying. Don't give up!" said Mr. Weasley.
At that moment, they saw Mrs. Weasley came out of the shop. Harry was sure that Mr. Weasley hadn't had a single clue on who the subject of the topic was but when Mr. Weasley spoke again just before he left to help Mrs. Weasley, he immediately knew he was wrong.
"Just keep trying, Harry. It might seem impossible for now that your friend will forgive you for what you did. But knowing her, I know she will," said Mr. Weasley and winked at him.
In just three hours, it will soon be Christmas and yet Harry didn't feel cheerful at all. He felt worse after they came back at the Burrow because of the "talk" he had with Ginny earlier, if one would really consider that as talk.
"I meant what I said to your Dad, Ginny. I really am sorry," Harry had said when he and Ginny went into the shop to buy owl food. It wasn't Ginny's will, she was asked by Mrs. Weasley, though Harry was wishing it was.
Ginny looked at him with hurtful eyes, and once again, Harry saw the way her eyes looked the night they fought.
"Harry, just stop. Honestly, your apology doesn't make me feel any better. Nor does me being here with you. But I don't have a choice, do I? We both survived a day or two not talking to each other, Harry, so it won't be a problem for the next two days. Let's just deal with it," Ginny had said before she exited the shop and left him.
Deal with it. Harry wasn't sure he if he can still 'deal with it'. The past two days of not talking to each other felt like hell for Harry so he could not see what Ginny was trying to say when she said, "That won't be a problem."
There was a soft knock at the door and when Harry opened it, Hermione was standing there. Harry guessed that she already knew that Ginny and he had the "talk".
"How are you feeling?" Hermione asked and sat in Ron's bed.
"Great. Very great," Harry sarcastically answered.
Hermione let out a sigh before she spoke. "She'll forgive you soon. I know she will, Harry. Just don't push on it too much. Give her time to think. Soon, she'll come round."
Harry just looked at her. It seems like everyone knew that Ginny was going to forgive him soon enough, except for Ginny herself.
"Cheer up. It's Christmas. Happy Christmas, Harry," Hermione said before she kissed Harry on the cheek and left.
For a while, Harry forgot about his worries when they all sat at the table for the Christmas dinner. Remus and Tonks arrived just in time when they were to start which made Harry feel a little better seeing one of his father's bestfriends. He tried to be as cheerful as he can but he can't help to glancing occasionally to where Ginny was sitting.
After dinner, Harry heard Mrs. Weasley instructing Ginny to do the dishes. He was about to volunteer to help her when Hermione stopped him: "Give her time, Harry."
Harry intentionally stayed at the living room when Fred called everyone outside to watch the fireworks display that he and George prepared. He couldn't pretend any longer. He couldn't pretend to be cheerful any longer. He was about to go upstairs when he noticed Ginny was still at the kitchen. She wasn't done with the dishes yet. He decided to wait for Ginny. Now was the time to 'save the friendship'. He doesn't care anymore what Ginny will tell him, she could even hex him right there and then. He just wanted to let her know how he regretted what he did to her.
Harry stood at the kitchen door, waiting for Ginny to come out. When she finally did, Harry summoned up all the courage he needed and grabbed hold of her wrist. Ginny was shocked to see him and about to speak when he cut her off.
"Just this once. You don't have to answer. I just need you to listen to me. Please. Just this once and I swear I won't bother you again," Harry said, almost pleading.
Ginny agreed and he led her to the back of the Burrow where it's quieter. Now that they were alone, Harry was quite unsure where to start. He looked at Ginny and noticed that she was starting to get annoyed so before he completely lost his confidence, Harry spoke:
"You might be probably tired of hearing this from me. But Ginny, I am really really really sorry. I know I was a big git for doing that to you. It was stupid. I wish I have an excuse for doing that but I really don't have any. It was completely unforgivable, I know. I'm sorry."
For a while, Harry thought that Ginny would walk out on him but she remained there sitting, not looking at him but he knew she was listening.
"I knew I should've come back for you that night. Even though there's Cho, I should've known better not to leave you alone," Harry continued.
"That's the point, Harry. There's Cho-," Ginny said but stopped. "I just thought that at least you would be a good friend, not leaving me in the middle. You could've come back and tell me, "I'm sorry Ginny. But Cho and I are now back together so is it okay if I just spend some time with her?" I would've understood that a lot more instead of you forgetting that you didn't come alone. "
"I know. I'm sorry," Harry wondered how many times he already said that word in front of her.
"Stop saying you're sorry, Harry," Ginny responded. "The more I hear it, the more it loses its meaning for me."
"But if I don't, there's no way you'll forgive me right? Look Ginny, I just wanted to save our friendship. I know it was stupid for me to do those things to you. I knew I had hurt you. But please… " Harry asked.
"Honestly Harry, even if you don't say it, I know you are sorry. I think it must be because I know I'm your bestfriend's sister. Whether it is you're sorry for me or for Ron, the point is, I know you're sorry. It's just that every time I see you, I feel hurt and somehow betrayed. It wasn't easy, Harry. I wish it was. I wish I could tell you that it's all right, that I forgive you. But I'll only hurt myself in the process. To be honest, I felt better for the last two days when I don't have to see or speak to you," Ginny said, looking at Harry.
Harry could not speak for a while. It felt like his heart stopped beating. He knew Ginny was hurt and that she didn't want to be with him, but hearing it like this, in person, with Ginny telling it to his face, Harry felt like dying. He had no idea until now, how he badly hurt her.
"You'll always be my friend, Harry. It's just that I can't bring myself to be with you right now," Ginny said and looked away.
"Right," Harry said and stood up. He felt the lump in his throat was starting to rise so before he can do anything stupid, he turned his back on Ginny. He was about to leave when he remembered something he meant to say to Ginny ever since the night they fought.
"If it meant anything to you," Harry started. "That night, when you asked me if it crossed my mind to ask you if Hermione hadn't mentioned it, it did. Only, I wasn't sure if Ron would agree. So I let it pass. And that day, when I did ask you, I wasn't thinking of Hermione's note."
Harry waited for Ginny to respond but when she didn't, he knew it was a lost case.
"Right. I'll just go then. Happy Christmas, Ginny," Harry said and left.
As soon as he closed the back door, Harry felt like his tears were about to fall but he wiped them away. This was the worst night he ever had since coming to the Burrow. Everyone was back inside the house and was greeting him a happy Christmas. He smiled at them and returned the greeting even though he knew for a fact that his Christmas was far from happy. He didn't feel good anymore and a big lump was starting to rise from his throat. He excused himself after a while and went straight up to Ron's room. As soon as he closed the door, he let out a huge sigh and soon found himself crying.
A/N Poor Harry :( But I kinda think he deserves what he got. What do you think? Will Ginny ever forgive him? Let me know! :)
