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Give this Fool a Chance | ||||
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Category: Post-OotP Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Drama Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: G Reviews: 9 Summary: A one-shot fic from Harry's POV set in the YDSM timeline. He has finally come into his senses. But is it already too late? Will fate still give this fool a second chance? Hitcount: Story Total: 4481 |
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Am I a fool? Maybe I am. Or perhaps I have always been. I woke up the next morning, confused. This is not my bed. Where am I? The familiar wall decorations told me I was at the Burrow. Ginny's room! But how? And then everything came back to me instantly and in a flash. A distant thought started to come into focus, as if the clouds of my mind were parting. Ron. Hogsmeade. Firewhisky. For the first time in twenty-six years, I let liquor control me and I ended up drunk. "Oh God!" I whispered, bringing my hands to my temples. Had I actually made a fool of myself last night? My head ached like a migraine squared and I flipped over, hoping I'd feel better after another ten minutes of sleep. Couldn't I just apparate back home? It only seemed fair. To have to deal with the aftermath of last night was just too much. Too overwhelming. And Ginny. Oh, God. What exactly had I said to her? Montage of images from the night before shot through my head. Ron and I ended up drunk at Longfellows. Tonks saw us and apparated us back to the Burrow. Last thing I remembered... Ginny's voice... and then everything went blank. "What happened?" I sighed. I hurriedly pulled on a shirt and headed for the door despite my headache. But before I could, the door swung open and Ginny stepped inside carrying a cup of coffee. "Good morning," she greeted. "Here, I brought you some coffee. Thought you might need this," she said to me. "Thanks," I replied, taking her offer. "I lifted the cup to my mouth and downed nearly half of its contents instantly. Ginny watched me in silence, probably wondering what happened to me last night. Turning back to her, I couldn't help but notice. "Are you staring at me?" I asked, setting my cup on the side table. "What?" Ginny asked, her cheeks turning into the same color of her hair. "N-No. I was just wondering... what happened to you and Ron last night?" Bulls-eye! I hit the right spot. "Oh... that," I said. "Nothing. Just some random guys' night-out. Ron invited me out for a drink." "But you don't drink," she countered. "That was seven years ago, Ginny," I replied. "Maybe I do now." She shrugged her shoulders and didn't press for further information after that. I would've expected a banter, but she merely told me to be downstairs in fifteen minutes for breakfast. Apparently, memories of our last conversation at my house still haunted us. A conversation that had left me all the more confused as to how important she always had been in my life. I sighed. Ginny's avoiding me again. And I really hate it when she does that. Apart from Ron and Hermione, she's the only one whom I consider one of my closest friends. Ginny had always been very secretive when I first met her. She used to shy away from me whenever I talked to her during my first four years at Hogwarts... but it all changed when she dated Michael Corner. Somehow, I couldn't quite vision that my bestfriend's sister was already dating someone. She was always her family's little girl... and as hard as it is for anyone to accept it, she had to grow up one day. Oh, man, what am I thinking? I swore silently at my self as my eyes darted back to the comforters. My head still ached, and all these thoughts I've been having weren't helping at all. If only I could squeeze the image of Ginny Weasley out of my mind that easily. This was getting ridiculous! I enjoyed women as much as the next guy. But eversince Cho died, my whole life had been dedicated to raising Abby, and that's how I liked it. Having a relationship is the farthest thing on my mind right now and I would never let it take over my life. It's not even an option that I need to consider for my sake at this moment. "Daddy?" a little girl's voice interrupted my thoughts. Abby's. "Hotstuff, hi," I greeted my daughter, looking startled. "Sorry I wasn't able to tuck you in last night. Daddy was busy." I lied. "It's okay, daddy," she moved closer and gave me a hug. It's amazing how much my little girl could do to lift my spirits up. As I look at my daughter, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her sometimes. I know how much Abby yearns for a mother figure until now, and it's one void in her life that I'm having a hard time filling in. Not only once have I been set-up in dates by Ron and his brothers in the hope of finding me a suitable girlfriend. But the problem is, I just don't seem to have the interest. Love, it seems, has become but a distant vocabulary in my system already. Am I really thinking of a relationship right now? And with Ginny Weasley? Where did that come from? There's no denying the fact that I've hurt her a couple of times already. I'm not as dense as many would've thought. Perhaps emotionally-challenged would be the more appropriate term. Ron and Hermione used to tell me all the time that I was an insensitive git and I've accepted it. Blame it on my phobia for losses... I've lost many of the people I've loved over the years and that is why, as much as possible, I don't allow myself to get emotionally attached to someone. I don't think I can handle anymore loss this time around. Don't I deserve the chance at all to be happy? "Well, well... look who's finally up?" another voice greeted me as Abby and I proceeded to go downstairs. "Shut up, Ron," I muttered, smiling. "Does your head ache?" "Like hell," he replied, still rubbing his temples. "Remind me never to take you up on your offer again next time," I said, giving him a playful slap at the back. We took the whole day off as a result of our little misbehavior. Mrs. Weasley was kind enough to let me stay until I've fully rested an recovered from the hang-over. And for the whole time that I was there, Ginny busied herself with the kids and avoided me like the plague. She would only talk to me whenever Abby dragged her into a conversation. "Ginny!" I saw her figure round the kitchen and hurried after her. I had to catch her before she went outside to bring some lemonade to the kids who were playing. "Wait!" I called. She froze for a second, the lowered her head and kept walking. I ran up and cut her off just before she reached the backdoor. "Please. I just wanted to apologize," I said, trying to find more words to say. Ginny stared at me. "For what?" she asked, setting the tray on the kitchen counter before turning back at me. "Harry, we're not teenagers anymore. Stop acting like I'm still the sensitive little girl you've saved from the chamber years ago!" I inhaled sharply and shifted my weight to another foot. "I know. I was just trying to do something nice." Ginny took a deep breath too. "I'm sorry as well. Guess I shouldn't have bursted out like that," she said. "Look, I know I screwed up -" She fixed me with a skeptical glare. "Big time," I finished. "But I'm sorry. I just wish you'd find it in your heart to forgive me." She looked at the floor, causing her shoulder-length hair to fall forward and cover her cheeks. It was all I could do to keep myself from reaching out and gently tucking her red locks behind her ear. Finally she looked up again, breaking me out of my trance. "I'd better take these to the kids," Ginny said, lifting the tray from the counter. "Seriously Harry... whatever it is that's bothering you, it's no big deal." And with that, she walked outside to join the rest. "I'm not giving up," I said quietly. Ginny was great with my daughter, and it made me happy to see them bond. Abby seemed to be very taken with her that sometimes I wonder why I never saw that special side of her before. A hundred vague questions blitzed through my head at once. What is wrong with me? Why am I so concerned about her lately? What should I do now? Each question spawned more confusion, and there wasn't an answer in sight. Finally one question lodged itself a little deeper than the others, and the sinking feeling I had earlier came back. Could it be? Had I finally found love once again? |
| Reviews 9 |
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