Nothing belongs to me.
XCVIII: Fighting Ghosts
She could feel his intense gaze upon her, as she could feel the numbing clutch of guilt creep into her heart.
"He's not here, remember?"
For a moment, she wondered if Draco had read her mind; the little voice in her head had been saying just the same.
And it was perfectly true: he wasn't here, and he hadn't been here for months – hadn't been hers for months.
But why didn't it feel that way?
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
She smiled, staring up into those beautiful emerald eyes, and pressed her lips against his.
"Does that answer your question?"
"You do remember that he broke up with you, don't you?"
"It's for some stupid, noble reason, isn't it?"
But she needn't ask: the look on his face was enough, and for the first time in years, she felt like crying.
"You say you want this."
Ginny refused to meet his eyes, staring determinedly over his shoulder. She tried desperately not to shiver when he traced her jaw with a long finger.
"But I can feel the hesitation in your lips when you kiss me."
"I've never felt this way about anyone before."
"I can't stand it – I want you…"
"I just wish this could last forever." he murmured quietly, closing his eyes.
Ginny gazed fondly at her sleeping boyfriend and stretched out on her back, resting her head in his lap. From this position she could see the leaves of the beech tree they were laying beneath.
"Me too."
Tears stung the corners of her eyes as he forced her to look into his. She could see the pain hidden behind his stormy grey stare.
"I need you for my own," he said fiercely, "but how can we together if you're too busy fighting ghosts?"
"Why didn't we do this sooner?" he asked, grinning.
She shut her Transfiguration book and took his hand in her own.
"I don't know."
That was all Harry was to her anymore…the phantom of something perhaps lost forever.
It was pointless fighting ghosts; they both knew it now.