Again sorry for the long delay. Since I'm going back to school posts may be more infrequent. I'm sorry, but here's a long chapter. Please review!
"You busy?" Harry walked tentatively into Cho's office in the Ministry. The pretty Asian woman beckoned him inside and said, smiling,
"No. What's up? Is something bothering you?"
Harry shook his head.
"No, no. I, uh, just wanted to talk…you know chat about what's been up since we left Hogwarts…"
She smiled again. Putting down on her pen, she closed her file.
"Sure. I would love to talk…look, Harry, I know that we didn't end well, but you must understand that I was still not over Cedric and it took a long time for me to move on, but I have now. I just wanted you to know that."
Harry nodded.
"Yeah, I do understand…maybe I didn't at first since I was so confused and with Voldemort…but now I do."
Cho hugged him tightly, but then were forced to break apart when Ginny walked in, saying,
"Alright, Cho, here are the documents you asked for. Shall I…"
As she caught sight of the two of them together she stopped in the threshold as if she had walked into a wall. For a long time the three of them just stared at each other then Ginny flung down the papers and walked out. Harry gave her a look which she understood immediately. She gestured for him to go and he ran out after the redhead. Taking a guess he began to run towards her office. He managed to catch up to her before she reached her door. When she didn't stop at him calling her name he grabbed her arm and spun her around. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she cried,
"What do you want, Harry? What do you want?"
"I want to talk about this! You caught Cho and me in an awkward position, but it wasn't anything that it looked like. I was just reassuring her."
Ginny was silent for a long time then she raised her face to meet his eyes. Hers were firm with decision, yet sadness poured out of them. She said calmly, quietly,
"Harry, I think this is enough. We both know that this isn't working. What we used to have is…gone. We can't get through a day without having at least three fights. You don't feel for me like you used to…you feel that way about Cho now…even if you won't admit it."
Ginny had been slowly taking off her engagement ring during this speech and now she handed it to Harry who had an incredulous expression on his face.
"Ginny…" he began to say, but she had already walked off. He looked at the ring then back at the redhead who had fought so passionately for their relationship and now…she had just let him go. He was stunned…yet he did not want to salvage their relationship. All he felt was relief and the sadness that one naturally felt when a special relationship fails. Slowly he turned around and walked to Ron's office. When he flopped his long body down into a chair with a blank expression on his face Ron looked up and asked him,
"What the hell's wrong with you?"
Harry answered slowly,
"Your sister just broke up with me. I never thought that she would just let me go like that. I thought that she would cling onto the relationship no matter how much we argued, no matter how much I wanted out…I never thought she would be so calm…"
"You broke up with my sister? I warned you, Potter…" Ron yelled, but Harry interrupted.
"Are you deaf? She broke up with me. Merlin! You're not really the sharpest tool in the shed are you?"
Ron went red.
"Shut up. You and my sister broke up. You don't get to make fun of me. What happened anyway?"
"She's jealous of Cho. She thinks that Cho still has feelings for me and that I would rather be with Cho than with her."
Ron's head jerked up at that.
"You cheated on her?"
Harry was indignant.
"Of course not! I would never treat Ginny like that which is more than can be said for the way you treat your girlfriends! You actually cheated on her…I have never thought of cheating!"
Ron was trembling with anger.
"It was a mistake. The affair was a mistake…and I wish I could take it back…but I can't. Hermione just wasn't fun anymore."
Harry was astonished at the way he was speaking.
"Just because Hermione wasn't fun anymore that doesn't give you licence to cheat! That allows you to tell her that you don't think she's any fun…it allows you to try to work it out even if it means an argument!"
Ron said dangerously,
"Get out, Harry. Get out of my office and remember that the only reason I haven't punched you out is because of our former friendship."
"You are such a hypocrite! You just can't bear to accept that you've got to humble yourself…that you made a mistake! You hurt Hermione in a way I could never even contemplate hurting Ginny. Accept and deal with it. Apologize, admit you're wrong, but don't you dare try to blame anyone else."
With those sharp, cutting words Harry stormed out of the office, vowing that he wouldn't speak to him without him apologizing. Ron slammed the door of his office, furious at Harry's conduct and when the small voice in the back of his head asked him 'why? What has Harry done?' he silenced it.
GROWING UP
Ginny burst into Hermione's office, but pulled up short when she saw Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini standing there. Draco and Hermione were deep in conversation, but Blaise was looking at the walls, slightly bored. All three of them looked at her and Hermione was alarmed at the look on Ginny's face. She rose slightly.
"What's wrong?"
Ginny shook her head and said quietly,
"Finish up…can you just come to my office when you're done?"
Hermione nodded, still worried, but slightly reassured that the redhead was coherent. Ginny went slowly back to her office, but she hadn't been in there for long before there was a knock on the door. Quickly she yanked the door open, saying,
"Thank God Hermione! You…" she trailed off as she realized who it was. Blushing she stammered,
"Oh, sorry Zabini…I didn't know it was you…I thought that it was Hermione."
He nodded, expressionless.
"I know. I just wanted to check if you were alright."
Ginny was confused by his emotionless tone. No emotion showed on his face either. It was like he was made of stone.
"Uh, I am…I guess…I…" she couldn't continue. She couldn't lie in the state she was in, but she didn't want Blaise to know how upset she truly was. Blaise walked in the door and motioned for her to shut the door. Ginny obeyed, feeling slightly lost at the way he just took control. He turned to her.
"You're not okay. Something's happened to you and you're definitely not okay. Now tell me what's happened."
Unable to resist his inexorable, yet…gentle voice, she said miserably,
"I just ended my engagement with my boyfriend."
Blaise was slightly surprised and he raised his eyebrow.
"You and Potter are engaged?"
"Were…it's over now. He didn't cheat on me physically, but mentally she was always on his mind, not me. And though I knew that he would never act on it because he would rather die than hurt me like that I knew that it would never be the same. He'd be courteous, but not loving. He would be caring, but not like before…" Suddenly she realized who she was talking to and went bright red. "I'm sorry…I'm not really accustomed to pouring my heart to almost strangers."
"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." Blaise smiled gently at her, surprising her. She was spellbound by his kindness, his handsome looks and his unpredictability. She asked him,
"Why are you being so nice to me? I mean you're a Slytherin and I'm a Gryffindor…you've always hated me…remember the blood traitor bit?"
Blaise shrugged and said,
"I was and you were. People change and I never really did believe that blood traitor stuff. But do you really think that I'm stupid enough to turn my house against me for saying what I thought?"
Ginny stepped closer to him unconsciously, so close that he could feel her body heat. For a moment she just held his gaze then slowly she got onto her tiptoes and slowly, softly kissed him. For a moment she could feel his hesitance and resistance, but then it broke down gradually and his arms went around her. Then as if he remembered himself he pushed her away gently. It was the first time that she had seen him show any emotion.
"No, Ginny. I won't be a rebound guy for you. You're still in love with Potter and I don't want to compete with him the whole time…and I won't."
With that he spun on his heel and walked out the door, leaving Ginny to fully realize what she had done.