Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Harry Potter, I am simply borrowing J.K. Rowling's wonderful characters, history and locations!
Author's Note: Thank you guys for all your reviews. I hope you like this chapter… I'm going to try my hardest to get the next one up ASAP!
Harry had spent the better portion of the afternoon explaining how he couldn't have very well said no to Hermione when she asked him to step in. Ron didn't see the look in her eyes, it was painful to watch her knowing full well what horrible moments she was reliving. Had Ron been placed in the same spot, even he would have said yes.
Harry strolled down the steps, hands in his pockets, glancing in each direction, his eyes seeking out a certain redheaded young lady. He had been purposely hiding away in Ron's room, afraid of meeting her gaze. However, after he looked at the clock and realized 4 hours had passed he began to feel very childish. His Gryffindor spirit pulled him along; one part of him secretly wished for a bit more time, while the other was just ready to get on with the conversation.
A loud clang came from the kitchen followed by a faint 'ouch'. Harry peeked past the doorframe into the brightly lit room. He felt like he was six again, afraid that Aunt Petunia would blame him again for one of Dudley's broken toys. Of course, he had nothing to be afraid of, not really…
Ginny stood near the cupboards, her finger in her mouth. Around her lay scattered a few dozen shards of china on the floor. She must have tried to clean it up the muggle way. With a disgruntled sigh, she grabbed her wand from the counter and whispered a restoring spell. The pieces danced through the air, putting the plate back together, as if it were a puzzle. It then gently floated down next to the sink. Ginny smiled in response at a job well done.
Unconsciously, his feet had moved him into the room. Before he could say a word, she spotted him out of the corner of her eye. Her hand flew to her chest as she twirled towards him. "Harry! Merlin, don't do that." She cried, eyeing him suspiciously.
He smiled weakly, unsure what to say. It had been a long time since he had seen Ginny last. Harry took her in. She hadn't changed much, aside from the dark circles growing under her eyes. She was wearing a light blue sweater that made her eyes jump out at him. They were sprinkled with shock, delight and a dash of worry. Blush crept up her cheeks, matching perfectly with her hair, her flawless, soft, scarlet hair. Harry had half a mind to reach out and run his hands through it; luckily, Ginny jarred him out of his corrupting thoughts.
"Um, I was just making myself a sandwich. Would you like one?" She asked hesitantly, gesturing towards the deli meat and bread in front of her. She had only just begun preparing. Her nervousness was bewildering to Harry.
Harry nodded. He tried to walk casually around her to reach the solid resting place that was the tiled counter. However, his own anxiety grew more pronounced the more he moved. He almost tripped over his feet. Ginny shook her head, and brought her gaze back to the food. He caught her peeking sideways glances at him every few seconds.
Neither spoke for what seemed like hours. Harry cleared his throat, but was soon cut off-
"So, how was your trip? You've been gone for so long; I've almost forgotten what you look like." Ginny asked with a new set of confidence Harry could clearly note. She piled the turkey onto the bread tentatively, making each movement last longer than it should. She was biding her time.
Harry ran his hands through his hair. "It was… a lot to take in." She shook her head once more. His eyebrows rose cautiously. "I mean-"
"It's funny," Ginny interrupted. "How so much happened, but not one thing was letter worthy."
"Well, it was hard to write. We were so busy-" Harry started, but was once again overpowered.
She rolled her eyes, and she turned her attention away from the food in front of her and stared at Harry. Her gaze was anything but nervous or anxious. She placed her hands on her hips in a very Molly-Weasley-like manner. "You're telling me you didn't write to a single person while you were away?"
Harry cowered below her intense glare. He had forgotten just how much that stare scared him. He had fought Death Eaters and faced one of the darkest wizards of all time, but nothing compared to the wrath of Ginny Weasley. The worst part was… he knew he deserved it.
He started to open his mouth to speak, but instead Ginny took the small hesitation as an invitation. "You do realize I spend most of my time here, with your two best friends, right? And, if you have forgotten that fact, you may try and lie to me. And that wouldn't be a great idea at this point in time." She said matter-of-factly.
"I wasn't going to lie. I was busy, Ginny. Ask either of them, I wasn't able to write a lot. It was hard, being away." He tried, his voice strained a little. He hadn't told anyone how much leaving had hurt. For once in his life, he had missed home. Now that he had a home to miss.
His honesty was pushed aside as Ginny let her anger get the best of her. "You could have been dead, for all I knew! Being here was hard. You were out doing Merlin knows what, while I was stuck wondering whether or not you would make it home!" Her arms threw to the air. She slammed the other piece of bread on top of the sandwich.
Harry blinked, irritation fused through him. "Hey pot, the kettle's calling." He said through gritted teeth. Ginny narrowed her eyes at him, confused. "I don't remember receiving any word from you about joining the Auror program. After everything I told you, all the danger, the worry you have about me being out there? Don't think I don't know why you did it."
Ginny held his gaze. Her head tilted slight as she mocked him with a spiteful smirk, "And why's that? Enlighten me."
Harry knew he was treading on dangerous waters. Something told him to stop, told him he wouldn't make it out of this alive. But his anger and the look in her eyes fueled him. He could see the spark ignite in her bright blue eyes. She had been waiting for this to happen. For how long, he wasn't sure. "Ginny, if you're doing this for me…" He started, trying to keep the disappointment hidden.
Her hands flew up in the air, stopping him from going any further. "Surprisingly enough, Harry Potter, not everything I do pertains to you." He winced inwardly as she laughed coldly. His stare seared on, watching her reaction. "Is it too much to think that maybe I wanted to help someone? That perhaps I'm tired of being the one left in the dark?"
"Ginny you can't." He said sternly. "You can't put yourself in that kind of danger, think of your family." He added as a last resort, hoping the guilt would help his efforts.
She took a few steps closer to him, they were only inches apart. She had to look upward slightly to meet his eyes. "Don't tell me what I can't do. If you can go off and risk everything, once again, so can I. You lost the privilege to have any say in the fact."
Her words stung. He knew they were true. She spat them out back at him like venom. "Ginny…" He mumbled, unsure what to say next.
She turned quickly, snatching up both of the sandwiches she prepared. "Man, I'm starving." And with that, she stalked out of the room. Harry's stomach growled in wanting.
Ginny stormed into her room, startling Hermione. She plopped herself down on her bed, taking a large bite of her sandwich as she went. She struggled to hold onto the other as she fell. Hermione, who was stacking papers and magazines, eyed her with curiosity. "Hungry?"
"More like pissed." Ginny spat, but Hermione could hear the tears in her voice.
She looked towards the bed again, fiddling with the stack in her hands. The pages crinkled under her cautious touch. Ginny kept her gaze on the floor. Hermione knew she was trying not to cry. It could only mean one thing. Harry finally came out from his hiding place. "What's wrong?"
The younger girl pulled her knees up to her chest, setting both sandwiches on her pillow. "He's ridiculous. Honestly, how dare he act as though he has any right or any say in my life."
"Gin, he cares about you. And, he's a bit protective if you haven't noticed." Hermione said. Her eyes tore around the room, looking for something. "Can you hate him for that?"
"Yes." Ginny pouted. "You have no idea, Hermione. He didn't write to me at all while he was gone. How can he just expect me to tell him about my life, when I hear nothing about his? He's so infuriating."
Hermione laughed. "Tell me about it. Did you know that your brother actually had the courage to talk to me after his outburst?" She smiled slightly.
Ginny sat up straighter. "What'd I miss? I haven't seen him, did you hex him? Maybe make him grow a tail, or force a leg-locker curse on him? Please, I need a pick me up!" She rushed, her anger slowly evaporated away from her face.
Hermione swatted the air, "Nothing like that. He's Ron, Ginny. He doesn't think before he acts. Why should I punish him for being himself?" Hermione seemed to have found was she was looking for, and grabbed her sweater from on top of the nearest dresser.
Ginny's face fell. "Nothing? I would have-"
"I know what you would have done. Believe me, I thought about it. But, I guess… I don't know." She trailed off, biting her lip. Ginny gave her inquisitive look, leaning in closer. Hermione twirled down onto the bed next to Ginny. She stared at the ceiling.
"Yes…" The redhead probed.
"I suppose, I don't blame him. For coming to that conclusion, I mean. I don't like that he shouted out his theories to the world. But really Ginny, who am I kidding, getting married so fast? That's bound to be on everyone's minds, don't you think?" She looked at Ginny questioningly.
Ginny rolled her eyes, and brushed her hair out of her face. "Does it matter? You're not marrying Caden for them. As long as you're ready. As long as you've given it some thought. You're Hermione, you don't go into something not knowing, right?" She gave Hermione an encouraging smile. "Ron's just… jealous."
Hermione's eyes widened as Ginny spoke. Ginny, not catching the change, continued. "He's not used to sharing you. Caden will be your number one now. And that's difficult to adjust too."
"You sure do know a lot about what Ron's feeling." Hermione stated, her voice laced with interest.
Ginny smiled, she suddenly afraid that maybe she had said too much. "Well, we don't fight all the time." She stopped there, not trusting herself to say anything further. This was between Ron and Hermione, as much as it killed her to watch.
Hermione shrugged, pulling on her black sweater again. Ginny's words stuck. She hummed to herself faintly. "Well, I suppose I should get home. I'm going to take some of these home with me. See you tomorrow for dinner?"
Ginny nodded, "Yeah, Mum's been talking about it all week. Charlie's arriving tonight sometime." She paused, and picked at the sandwich on her pillow. "Thanks for the talk Hermione. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever have a normal life." She half joked.
"It's more fun this way, don't you think?" Hermione added, "I couldn't imagine a life without Ron or Harry."
Ginny shrugged, "Yeah, I suppose they aren't all bad…"
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