So, you remember where we were when we left off, right? "It was then that I noticed that all of the barely audible conversation downstairs had stopped." Yup. And now you get to find out what happens next! Well, not immediately, but still some time in this chapter.

It starts with Arthur's POV, then Ginny's. (I hope it's not getting annoying when I keep telling you the POV, but whenever I'm reading a fic that doesn't say who it is until the end or middle, I can't stand it.)


Numb

---Chapter 7---

I watched Harry get up from the dinner table when he was finished. He put his plate in the sink and walked over to the stairs, back up to my daughter's room. He'd spent almost every second of the last few days with her. If that wasn't love, I didn't know what was.

I wasn't sure what he was doing up there; if they were talking or what; but if it helped make Ginny feel better I was all for it.

When dinner was over, I sat in the living room with Molly. "Dear?" she asked.

"Yes?"

"What do you think Harry and Ginny are doing?"

"I...don't know. I've been wondering that myself. But if it makes her feel better, well..."

All of a sudden, I heard my daughter's voice from two floors above. It was muffled, but still loud enough to hear.

"Of course not!"

She sounded angry. I wondered what Harry had just said. I looked at my wife, who was looking back at me in alarm. I shrugged.

A few seconds later, I heard her voice again, but it was louder this time.

"Why wouldn't I want to die? What do I have to live for?"

This shocked me. I suddenly felt cold. My little girl wanted to die?

Next, I heard Harry's voice. It was much quieter. The only words I could hear were "...everything...feel...worth...time...better...I promise."

What Ginny said next was loud enough to hear.

"How would you know? You have no idea how I feel! Have you been raped, Harry?"

Molly looked horrified. I imagine everyone else downstairs looked horrified too, because the chatter I had previously heard from the rest of the family had stopped. They had all heard what we had.

Harry and Ginny must have somehow realized this, because now the house was dead silent.


It was then that I noticed that all of the barely audible conversation downstairs had stopped.

I suddenly became uncomfortable, which I admit, wasn't rare for me lately, but this time it was for a different reason.

Had everyone really heard what I had just said to Harry? It was, well...personal, to say the least. It wasn't something I had wanted everyone to hear. Not at all. I was mortified.

Actually, I wasn't entirely sure I had even wanted Harry to hear it. It had just sort of slipped out of my mouth before I could stop it. I covered my face with my hands and sat back down on my bed. When had I stood up? I didn't remember.

Then Harry spoke. "Gin," he whispered, "I may not have ever gone through what you have, but I know I love you and I can't live without you. That's at least one thing to live for, right?"

I took my hands off my face and looked up at him. "Live for me, even if there's no other reason to." he said. His eyes were boring into mine. I could feel the tears coming. I didn't want to cry, though. I was so tired of crying! It never changed anything! All it did was give me a headache and make me feel horrible. I wouldn't have to cry anymore if I was dead. It would end everything.

Well, it would end everything for me. But what about Harry? Could he really not live without me, or was he just saying that so I wouldn't kill myself?

If what he had said was true, then I was being selfish. Why should I end all of my pain if it only meant causing someone else pain? I didn't think I could do that to Harry. I knew I couldn't. But...what other reason did I have to live?

"Harry?" I asked quietly, "Would you really be sad if I died?"

"I would die if you died." There was something in his eyes that was rarely there. He looked completely sincere. I'd only seen him like this once before. It was on the night before he had left to find the Horcruxes. He'd told me that he couldn't leave without talking to me and saying goodbye. That had been the night when he first told me he loved me.

It made me feel awful. Had I really been about to kill myself and give no consideration to how anyone else would feel? What kind of terrible person was I? I covered my face with my hands again. Harry must have sensed what I was feeling, because he came over and held me for the first time since that dream. It actually made me feel slightly better. I knew he really cared about me.


Later that night, I heard a knock at my door. I had just been about to fall asleep in my comfortable position in Harry's arms, so I was a bit annoyed. "What?" I groaned, "It's ten thirty!"

"We wanted to talk to you, Ginny." said the voice of my father. "Can we come in?"

"Sure." I said without opening my eyes or moving. I was just too comfortable to care about the way they saw me. The door opened. I felt Harry, who also seemed to have been woken from a doze, place a stray lock of hair behind my ear as they walked in and closed the door.

They turned the light on and hurt my eyes, so I turned my head towards Harry's shoulder and rested it there.

"You're not going to make Harry leave, are you?" I asked. I really wanted him to stay.

"No, Harry can stay." said Mum.

"Good, because I'm not moving." Harry made an excellent pillow.

"So, Ginny. Have you been feeling better lately?" asked Dad.

I opened my eyes and looked up at Harry. "Yes."

Harry smiled down at me, too tired to be care that my parents were in the room.

"So..." I said, "What did you want to talk about?"

After a few seconds, Dad answered. "We're worried about you, Ginny."

"Why? I'm fine."

"You didn't sound fine a few hours ago."

I put my head back on Harry's shoulder. "Well, I'm fine now."

"Are you?"

"Yes."

"Do you really want to die, Ginny?"

"I already had this conversation with Harry! I'm fine! I'm not going to kill myself!" I was getting frustrated now. How many people were going to ask me this? Were all of my brothers going to come up and bug me about it? What about Hermione? Would she leave me alone?

"So you're alright now?" asked Dad.

"Yes."

"Are you sure?" said Mum.

"Yes."

Why couldn't they understand that I was fine as long as Harry was with me?

"Can you go now? I'm tired." I said. Dad sighed and took Mum's hand. They walked out of my room. They were probably talking about me, but I didn't really care right now. I snuggled up with Harry and was asleep within a minute. For the first time in a while, I slept peacefully.


That was the longest chapter yet! Woohoo! (Yeah, I know, it was still pretty short. Sorry.)

R E V I E W !