CHAPTER 2

It had been two weeks since Ginny had left with the Chudley Cannons as substitute Chaser. Harry always listened to the match, just in case Ginny played in any of them. If he couldn't hear the radio, he always made sure to read the whole article in the sports section of the Daily Prophet. But, she had not played a match yet. Harry was feeling very lonely, and the house seemed to big, empty and silent without Ginny. In fact, whenever he entered his bedroom, he felt a pang of sadness. Whenever he opened his Ginny's and his wardrobe, and see Ginny's clothes, he imagined a laughing Ginny in his arms. He felt so lonely and sad whenever he entered that room; Ginny and his room, that he took all of his things and slept in one of the other smaller rooms in Grimmauld Place. He managed much better in the spare room.

Since Ginny's departure, Harry observed his colleagues in a different way. Normally, he would never notice a woman or a man trying to hit on him during work. Now, he was hyper aware of each little flirtatious comment, each small flirtatious smile, and each soft flirtatious touch. Sometimes, just to amuse himself and the other person, he would flirt back.

More and more ladies were catching Harry's eyes, and more than once he contemplated taking one of them home. Home; the only place that reminded him of Ginny and his commitment to her. This fact always dissuaded him from any romantic ventures.

Harry wrote regular letters to Ginny, trying his best not to mention how much he missed her, but focused more on trying to sound enthusiastic about the new opportunities that had opened up for her. Ginny wrote letters whenever she arrived at a new town or city, writing lengths about what she saw there, and what had amused her. She had just got news that a current Chaser was retiring that year and the captain and coach had more than hinted that she would be taking the place.

And so, Harry spent months alone, eyeing other women, but never taking them out, because he was a Gryffindor, and he was loyal.

The day before Ginny arrived, Harry, with Kreacher's help, re-did their room, covering it with rose petals, and soft silk sheets and a bottle of champagne with glasses. He had also asked Molly for Ginny's favourite food and attempted to make it for her. Harry was nervously waiting for the voice he loved so much to call him. And around six in the evening, he heard it, and he was elated. "Harry! I'm home!" Ginny's voice rang. He swiftly stopped pacing around in the kitchen and went to the corridor near the entrance. It was so good to see Ginny's face again, her smile, her bright long red hair. He hugged her and kissed her deeply. "So good to have you back. I've been waiting for you to come back and hold you in my arms again." He whispered, nuzzling her hair, that smelled like cinnamon. "Me too! Oh how I wish you were there! I used to get so bored of talking only Quidditch. The only thing we did other than Quidditch was go to that party for coming third." She said a wee bit glumly. "Come." Harry said, leading her into the kitchen. "You must be starved."

Ginny was very happy when she saw what Harry had done for her, though Harry noted, it didn't reach her eyes. It felt to him that she was faking it and also hiding something from him. But that doubt lasted only for a very short time; Ginny had just taken her first bite of the food Harry had prepared and was going on about how delicious it was. As she ate, she spoke about so many different things. She had sent long detailed letters, ye, she had so much to tell Harry. Harry was least bothered and let Ginny talk all she wanted; he had missed her voice and everything that belonged to her, and he was more than happy to listen to her talk. How much he had missed that voice!

Once Kreacher took away the plates, Harry led Ginny to their room chauffeured her in first, and closed the door. "I have missed you so much." Harry whispered as he hugged her from behind. Ginny was standing still. She must be shocked, of course, Harry thought. Once she overcomes her shock, she will kiss me.

Ginny did turn in Harry's embrace, but she didn't kiss him. She looked rather troubled on the contrary. "What's the matter?" Harry asked, scooting closer and closer to Ginny, until their noses touched. She looked at her feet, and placed her hand on his chest. "I need to tell you something." She whispered, sounding troubled. Harry was puzzled. He pulled back with a frown and looked at her closely. She was shifting her weight from one foot to the other and she was biting her lip. She didn't make eye contact at all. She is hiding something, he thought. Auror training included reading facial expressions, and not to boast, but Harry was outstanding in reading facial expressions. Ginny had done something she was feeling guilty about doing.

"What is it?" Harry asked, narrowing his eyes and folding his arms. "It was during the party." Ginny said, looking up with a sigh. "I had a bit too much to drink, and there was this man, Gerald. He was flirting with me all the time, and when I became slightly tipsy, I started flirting back. The more I had to drink, the more intense the flirting became. I was sexually frustrated, and," she paused, looking back at the floor and biting her lip. "And I slept with him." She said, in a voice so soft, it was barely a whisper.