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SIYE Time:10:32 on 28th March 2024
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Those Words
By ninkenate

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Category: Post-OotP
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: Fluff, Drama
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 8
Summary: Those words ruined everything. Those words caused so much trouble. So much pain. So much strife. Whoever thought that just uttering a few simple words could upset so many lives?
Hitcount: Story Total: 4049







ChapterPrinter


Those Words


Those words ruined everything. Those words caused so much trouble. So much pain. So much strife. Whoever thought that just uttering a few simple words could upset so many lives?

Harry grinned at Ginny as they walked with entwined hands alongside the lake. The day was as bright and sunny as Ginny's hair and as warm as her smile. Everything was so calm and peaceful in a way Harry had always longed for.

Gryffindor had just won the Quidditch Cup yesterday and Harry and Ginny were enjoying the last days of school before the holiday began. Though they would have to be apart for a while, Professor Dumbledore hastily assured them it wouldn't be long after Ginny threatened to hex him. She'd gotten an earful from Hermione for her cheek. After the lengths Ginny had gone to for Harry to have his shortest stay at the Dursleys' and the trouble she had gained as a result, Harry was just as determined as Ginny not to let anything interrupt their time together.

Harry had come to realize that his relationship with Ginny was very different from the one he shared with Hermione and Ron. He wasn't quite sure how to label it. He knew they were closer than best friends. Many students thought they were a couple; no one had asked either him or her out during the past eight months. Though neither had confirmed the rumors, they hadn't disputed them either. They were just content to be in each other's company.

Harry turned to Ginny and took her into his arms. She had a tranquil, wistful smile on her face. He kissed her gently to show how happy he felt at this moment. This wasn't anything new for them. They had shared many chaste kisses; after all, they were extremely close friends. But with this one kiss, he wanted to show her all he was feeling and how happy he was to be in her company. She never pressured him on anything and for that he was grateful. They were the best of friends and he wanted her to know how special she was to him.

Looking at her freckle-dappled face, Harry was conscious of her gaze wandering over his face as he held her. "Harry, these last few months have meant more to me than you could ever know."

"They've meant a lot to me too, Ginny." He pulled her into a tight embrace. "I'm going to miss you." He was surprised to find how much he really meant it; at least he supposed that was what the lump in his throat and the ache he felt at the thought of not having her close by him meant.

"I'm going to miss you too, Harry." Then without thinking, she whispered those words.

The moment they slipped through her lips, she knew what she had done. She froze, knowing she had scared him. Ginny knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was going to tense up, run away, and try to avoid her to push her out of his life. This understanding was what had kept her from pushing their relationship further all these months. Voldemort was something Harry could handle; love was not.

Just as predicted, Harry stiffened. He pulled back to look at her. The fear Ginny saw in his eyes gutted her.

A hot flash of panic burst in Harry's belly. He had never heard those words spoken to him, nor had he spoken them himself. His brain seemed to fog over as though he were fading into the distance. Not knowing what to say or do, Harry dropped his hands from Ginny's waist and backed away slowly. With sensations of shock, confusion, and fear battling in his mind and heart, he turned on his heel and fled to find somewhere to sort out what had just happened. He had to think and he couldn't do that here... with her.

He didn't look back. He missed Ginny's stricken expression and her collapse into uncontrollable sobs.

He found sanctuary in his room. Everyone was out enjoying the weather, celebrating the end of exams and another school year. Harry flopped onto his bed and drew the curtains to give him a dark retreat in which to think. When he was younger he had always done his best 'puzzling out' in the darkness, locked in his cupboard under the stairs, and this was the closest he was going to get.

Harry's mind reeled from Ginny's revelation all night and most of the next day. Love was a complicated emotion. They were too young for that, weren't they? How could she feel such an emotion and be sure that it was real? His parents had found love at a young age but many others, such as Remus and Charlie, hadn't.

That's it! He was too young to understand and know what love was and he wasn't foolish enough to think otherwise. Not that he thought Ginny was foolish. She was the most sensible person he knew, even more so than Hermione. Yet he couldn't escape the nagging feeling that she believed those words she had spoken.

He tried distracting himself with other things but the memory of those softly spoken words wouldn't leave him alone, and he frequently came back to wondering why Ginny would have said something like that to him, of all people. She was a good friend, a cherished, precious friend, but surely she was that close with others. Wasn't she? Harry's confused recollection only showed him times when she was with him, so he couldn't be positive.

Harry knew he couldn't stay behind the curtains of his four-poster all day, or he would have Ron on his case. That meant Hermione would get involved. Much as she was his great friend and ally, the last thing Harry wanted to hear right now was Hermione Granger pointing out what he had done wrong. Again. He sighed and walked aimlessly through the school, deliberately choosing the longer and less convenient routes. He had no idea what he would do or say to her if he came face to face with Ginny, so he made a point to evade any of their normal meeting places and their normal times to get together.

* * * * *


When Ginny had spent the rest of the day waiting for Harry at their usual evening meeting place and wasted even more time looking for him, she took Harry's absence as a sign that she made a fool of herself all over again. She went to the place that she and Harry had jokingly dubbed 'their spot' only to find a pot of honey with a note attached that simply said in a flowing scarlet red script:

To Harry and Ginny,

Enjoy all the sweetness we think you deserve.

Your two favourite Ravenclaws,

Michael and Cho


Ginny opened the jar and began to eat the sweet honey, hoping it would lift her melancholy. It didn't help. The more she ate, the more depressed she became. What had possessed her to say that to him? She had only spoken those words to one other person besides family and that had caused her heartache as well. Tom had lured her into trusting him. He'd showed her attention when Harry didn't. She'd believed him and look where it had got her: he had crushed her spirit and almost killed her. He would have succeeded if it hadn't been for Harry. Now she was letting the same thing happen all over again, only this time with Harry.

Ginny shook her head to clear it. Harry was not like Tom; he wouldn't hurt her purposefully. This was all her stupid, childish, silly girl's mistake. She knew Harry had a lot on his shoulders. Judging by the fear on his face, she had only added more... He just needed a distraction... That's what she was for him: some fun to keep his mind from dwelling on all his burdens. She swore crudely; it was her own fault. She had always made it look as if she was happy with the situation even though he'd never attempted to make it official.

Now she had to face the reality that her fantasies of being with Harry as more than a passing fancy were just that: fantasies. He would never truly care for her, just as Tom had told her in her first year. She was not good enough for him. She was simply a pathetic, silly, little girl and he was the great, famous Harry Potter. He would always be untouchable and would never commit to anyone as low as her.

All the memories were too much but they were advancing so fast and she was helpless to stop them.... The first time he'd held her hand.... The first time he had put his arm around her.... The first time he had confided in her, things even Ron and Hermione didn't know.... The first time his mouth tenderly touched hers.... The beautiful way he said her name... The way his face lit up when she entered a room.... The way it had looked when she uttered those horrible, wretched words....

It was all over now and it was more than she could bear. Tears welled up in her eyes. She had to get away. She had to try to hide from the memories, from him, from her family, from everything and everyone. Ginny got to her feet and ran. She ran so hard she wasn't aware of bumping into Ron and Hermione on her way to her dorm. She threw herself on her bed and closed herself off from all the pain and from the rest of the world, too dispirited to face anyone ever again.

* * * * *


Three days had passed since the incident. Today, Harry had sought isolation in the Room of Requirement. He still didn't know what to say to Ginny because he had still hadn't worked out why she'd said those words to him. When he reached the Room, he wasn't sure what he needed as he walked past the blank wall three times. Apparently the Room knew, and he opened the door that appeared. Upon closing, the door sealed itself behind him, somehow aware that he needed to be alone. Harry looked around at the scenery the Room provided. He was surprised to see the exact spot by the lake that Ginny had told himthose words. Why would the Room think he needed this?

He sat on the ground ripping at the soft green grass and throwing it away, reliving the memory over and over. He then thought of all the different directions things could have gone had he responded differently. The Room obliged by showing them to him. Like a Muggle picture show, it showed him laughing in her face as Ginny got extremely angry and hurt.... The downcast, vulnerable look she wore when he acted as if nothing had been said.... Her shout of glee and overjoyed smile as he picked her up and spun her around.... The last one sparked a warm, gooey feeling that spread quickly throughout his body.

Then the scene changed again. Harry was disturbed to see Ginny laugh and then say that she was only joking. He had never considered that possibility and knew if that had occurred he would have been cut to the core.

He could feel the crushing weight in his chest as something shriveled inside him. He didn't understand why the hurt would have been so great. They were just friends. Well, they were more than that, but was it merely desire, devotion, and gratitude for all the help she had unstintingly given him, or maybe... love? He knew that desire and devotion were a large part of what he felt but it ran much deeper. Could it be love? Was it real? How could he be sure? He needed to be as certain as possible before he faced Ginny again. She was going to be livid with him.

Ron and Hermione were his friends but his feelings for Ginny were different. Ron always wanted to play, whether it was Quidditch or chess, and Hermione just wanted him to study. But Ginny was special. She just let him be. He could be and do whatever he wanted, including just being himself. She didn't expect him to tell her every little detail of his life, but he wanted to. He wanted to know all her many wonderful facets no matter how small and insignificant they seemed.

Yes, it was definitely real. This was love with all the good and the bad, with all the happiness and the pain.

Realizing this, he leaped to his feet. He had been feeling this way about Ginny for a while but credited it to the warm weather, the end of term, the end of revising, and some good news from the Order, but it had been Ginny all along. He loved her. He knew that now, but how could he tell her?

* * * * *


At first, Ron and Hermione had tried to sit back and let Harry and Ginny work out their differences. They didn't know what the problem was or what to do about it. They thought Harry and Ginny had just had a simple row or that Harry was brooding, as he tended to do before he and Ginny had become so close. However, after a week, they decided enough was enough.

Two days later, after sitting up all night when the others had gone to sleep, Harry sat in his dorm room still reeling from his recent realizations and trying to come up with an idea to show Ginny how he felt about her. He had been avoiding her for over a week now and felt a sickness that had been gradually building as well as guilty about his stalling. If he was going to do something, he knew that it needed to be soon. Ron and Hermione had tried to get him to talk to her, to see her, but they didn't understand that he wasn't ready yet. He didn't have a plan to sweep her off her feet. He owed her an apology, though, and he wasn't about to back down from that.

Right at that moment the dormitory door crashed open and Ron burst into the room, closely followed by Hermione as she held on to him in an effort to slow him down. Ron towered above Harry and adopted the hands-on-hips Weasley stance they all unwittingly copied from their mother. "So?" he demanded pointedly.

"So what?" Harry shot back.

Hermione heard Ron snort and recognized the danger signal for what it was; Ron was about to blow up.

"Talk!" Ron ordered while Hermione watched anxiously from her place at his side.

"Okay," Harry replied warily. "What do you want to talk about? Quidditch, the Cannons, Potions, Malfoy. Was there something specific you want me to talk about?" Harry didn't know what had happened with Ron but he could tell that he was in a foul mood about something.

"All right, that's enough! I told you not to hurt her! I warned you, but you had to go ahead and be the brooding git that you are." Ron's face was almost purple with rage.

Hermione tried to calm him down by pulling at his sleeve with all her might. "Ron, please wait and let him explain. Can't you see what this means to him?" she said in that infuriatingly calm way of hers.

Ron rounded on his girlfriend. She almost fell over before he caught her. "I'm not letting him explain! I warned him, Hermione. He should have just stayed away from her if he was going to hurt her like this. It's only because he's my best mate that I haven't hexed him in his sleep!"

Hermione could see that Harry was suddenly paying great attention to each word Ron said. "What are you talking about? I never laid a finger on Ginny," he said. "I didn't hurt her. Who did?" Now he too was angry, Hermione noticed.

"I'll kill them. Is she all right? I'll kill them," Harry re-affirmed savagely, scrambling to his feet and pacing furiously across the floor. "Tell me who hurt her." If someone had hurt his Ginny, they would regret it.... He had to find out who had hurt Ginny and make them pay. He stopped pacing and caught Ron's elbow, meeting the livid gaze with a stare just as wild. "Tell me!"

Ron snorted angrily and shook him off. "Who do you think hurt her? You did. You're the only one capable of hurting her this badly. You just couldn't leave it alone, could you? Or did you think I was all hot air when I begged you to not start something you couldn't see through? Now she's in the hospital wing - because - of - you." Ron emphasized these last three words by jabbing his finger into Harry's chest.

Now Harry was thoroughly befuddled. "What are you talking about? I haven't touched Ginny. I would never hurt her." Harry let out a sharp sigh of exasperation.

Hermione, realizing that they were not going to get anywhere like this, maneuvered Ron to a bed across the room. "Let me try to get through to him." She then turned to Harry. "There are other ways of hurting someone besides physical pain. You of all people should know that. Voldemort's been hurting you mentally for a long time. I'd say he's made a bloody good job of it myself!"

"How could I have hurt Ginny like that? I haven't even seen her at all this week." Flustered, he threw his arms up.

Hermione regarded him compassionately and spoke to him as she would to a small child. "That's the point, Harry. Did you notice that Ginny hasn't been around this week?"

"No." He had just told them that he hadn't seen her in a week, hadn't he? Harry's restless confusion was growing. He wished they would just tell him what was happening.

Hermione sat beside Ron and folded her hands in her lap. She was still watching Harry closely. "Ginny hasn't left her bed all week. She told her roommates that she felt sick. Everyone thought she had some kind of virus. She even fooled Professor McGonagall. Her roommates have been bringing her Pepperup Potion and Ron and I have been bringing food back to her. Why did you think I smuggled out a plateful of the most tempting things on the table each meal time?"

"Or didn't you notice?" Ron demanded harshly.

"No, I didn't. I had my mind on other things. My world doesn't always revolve around Ginny, you know." Harry said hotly. They were acting as if he was a bad boyfriend when he wasn't her boyfriend. He wasn't even sure what he was to Ginny.

With a guttural snarl, Ron leaped across the room and reached for Harry's throat.

"Ron, no! Wait! Let me handle this," Hermione yelled, trying to stop him. "Let me explain!"

Ron had grabbed Harry by the collar and shoved him against the wall brutally before he stopped. Harry thought Ron resembled a towering inferno at that moment. Hearing Hermione's pleas, Ron's expression closed off to one of barely controlled fury before he twisted to look her in the eye. "Isn't it bloody obvious that he doesn't care?"

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Taking advantage of Ron's distraction, Harry shoved him aside just as Ron was drawing his fist back to strike. "What do you mean? You said that everyone had been bringing her food and potions. Wouldn't someone have noticed them untouched?" Ginny couldn't be sick, Harry thought, although he was starting to feel that way himself. He had to get to her, but first he had to know what was going on.

"Harry," Hermione said in a placating tone again. "Ginny was disposing of it all so no one would know. When I took her food to her yesterday, I opened her curtains to talk to her and found her in very bad shape. I immediately got one of her roommates to help me take her to the hospital wing. She fought us as hard as she could in her weakened state. She doesn't want help. She doesn't want anything except to be left alone. She won't speak to anyone. At least, she wouldn't," she muttered darkly.

Harry's legs gave out from under him and he dropped to the floor. "What's wrong with her?" he whispered.

All of Ron's anger appeared to deflate as he sat on the bed on the far side of the room. He spoke in a small voice that seemed to take all his energy to force out. "No one knows. She's like an empty shell. I haven't seen her like this since before our trip to Egypt after second year. We only went there for her. You know Mum and Dad could have done a lot with that money but they chose that trip for her, so she could see Bill. He's always had a special connection with her. We knew if anyone could help her deal with the Chamber incident, it would be him. Did you know that Bill's been here for two days trying to get through to her, you self-centered git?" Ron's irritation looked like it was coming back.

Harry didn't care about anything now except Ginny. "Did she talk to him? What does she need? Tell me. She'll get it no matter what it costs or what I have to do to get it!"

That was the wrong thing to say to that particular Weasley. Ron swelled up the way Aunt Marge had three years ago, only this wasn't accidental magic, this was fury.

Ron was scary. Instead of lashing out and yelling as he usually did, he spoke in a detached quiet cold voice that would unnerve Voldemort himself. "I'm afraid money won't fix what you've done this time, Potter. You're just lucky that Bill, Charlie and the twins don't know the password into the tower or you would have got everything that's coming to you. You're also bloody lucky that my girlfriend Silenced me and put me in a Body Bind or I would have given it to them."

"Why? What did I do?" Harry jumped up with renewed strength. He didn't understand why Ron was speaking this way towards him but it was making him increasingly irate.

"Would you just quit acting so bloody innocent, like you don't know what happened?" Ron's hands were clenching, as though he had them around Harry's throat.

"But I don't know," Harry yelled. "Remember, I haven't spoken to her in a week." Harry felt as though they were talking in circles again. Hermione had given up and was watching them both, her head swinging from one to the other as they spoke.

"Don't you find it a bit strange that you haven't spoken to your girlfriend for that long when you're in the same House and are in the same building twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week?" Ron asked with as much sarcasm as he could muster.

Harry lowered his head as he mumbled, "I've sort of been trying to stay away."

Ron made to leap at Harry again but Hermione, expecting it, pointed her wand at him. "Sit down now or I'll put you in another Body Bind!"

Ron huffed and crossed his arms across his chest. "Oh yeah, take his side. It doesn't matter that my sister is in the hospital wing barely in this world as long as Harry Potter doesn't get hurt."

The words hit Harry like a slap in the face and he winced. Hermione, however, thought that Ron had overstepped the boundary."That's enough!" she bellowed. "You sit down right now. This is not going to get to the problem. Harry has to understand what's wrong so that we can help Ginny."

"But he's what's wrong," Ron exclaimed as he did as he was told. "We know that. Why can't you see that?"

"Listen," Hermione said. "I'm just as worried about Ginny as you are. Just let me try to figure out what happened, and then if we're not happy, I'll let you hurt him."

This appeared to appease Ron and he leaned back against the headboard. "Okay," he conceded grudgingly. "But you better make it quick. The twins were trying to persuade McGonagall to give them the password. If that didn't work, they were going to Snape. You know he'd love to see them focus their talents on Harry."

Hermione turned and spoke quickly. "Harry, Bill has been trying for two days to get Ginny to talk to him. She never would. She would just stare into space blankly like someone who had been given a Dementor's kiss. Bill checked her for curses and discovered that she was suffering from an induced melancholia. Never mind," she added quickly with a slight wave of her hand when Harry opened his mouth to speak, "Madam Pomfrey tried to give her the correct antidote but --" She sighed heavily. "-- she has to chew it and she won't. Last night she just broke down, crying really hard and repeating the same thing over and over. Madam Pomfrey finally had to give her a Draught of Peace to calm her down."

"What was she saying?" Harry sounded as if he were grasping at his last bit of sanity.

Hermione cast Ron a warning glance when he made a skeptical noise. She then turned to Harry. "She said, 'I'm sorry, Harry.' They're the only words she's spoken all week."

Harry felt his heart tear apart. What did she have to be sorry for? Was she sorry she had said those words to him? His stomach turned so furiously he thought he was going to be sick. He slowly sank to his bed and let his head drop into his hands.

Harry's mind homed in sharply on his memory of running away from her. He understood now how she must have felt: rejected, unwanted and stupid. He had felt the same way in the Room of Requirement after the last scenario. "What have I done? I didn't mean for this to happen. I just needed...."

"You just needed what?" Ron's wrath had returned. He was now on his feet with his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"You better tell us what happened, Harry, or we won't know how to help her." Hermione's waning sense of diplomacy showed in her sharp tone.

Harry haltingly explained how they had been enjoying their walk and were talking freely when Ginny had uttered those three words. He told them of his mind going blank, of his body stiffening, and of his abrupt departure. When he was finished, they all sat in complete silence, each wondering what to do next.

As usual, Hermione knew it was up to her to help the boys understand female emotions. She sighed as she wondered if they would ever understand how deeply emotions could affect someone.

"Harry," she started gently, "do you know what it takes for a girl to say those words? It was a huge risk on Ginny's part. She may not have even realized what she'd said until after you left. She probably thought her worst fears had come true. You left her and took her heart with you."

"That's not what happened," Harry retorted defensively. "I just needed time. I've never had anyone say that to me before that I can remember and I have certainly never said it myself."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione muttered despairingly. "When will you learn there is a difference between what you intend and how other people interpret your actions? I mean," she went on hastily as Harry roused up with an angry retort ready, "I mean that Ginny interpreted your reaction in a very different way than what you intended, but honestly, how else was she supposed to see it? You spend practically every waking minute with her, you confide in her more than you do in us, and --" She added firmly, over-riding Harry's forming protests. "-- and, Ginny told me that you kissed her first months ago, so for all intents and purposes, you started it.

"Right now, whether she meant to say it or not, and whether or not you meant to hurt her by running away, is less important than helping Ginny," Hermione said in her no-nonsense fashion. "What is important is convincing Ginny that you weren't rejecting her. Do you know now what you want? You are sure about this, Harry?"

Harry straightened at the question and put all his energy into a definite indisputable answer. "I know I've been so focused on my own thoughts that I didn't think to tell her that I needed time to understand. I know if I don't go to her that I'll lose her and that is unacceptable. I can't and won't let that happen. I need her and she needs to know that."

Hermione gave him an encouraging smile, but Ron still looked skeptical.

Harry gathered all the confidence he could muster and looked Ron directly in the eye. "Don't worry. I'll bring her back. I'll make it better, I promise."

Ron firmed his jaw. "Let's hope so mate, because if you don't, I will."

With an understanding nod between both boys, Harry ran out of the dorm towards the hospital wing.

"Harry!" he heard behind him. Hermione was running towards him with his Invisibility Cloak. "You may need this. The Weasley boys are still out looking for you, so be careful."

He took the silvery cloak gratefully and draped it over himself. "I will. I'm not going to let anything stand between me and Ginny again." He turned and proceeded unwaveringly to reach Ginny.

Harry wondered how he was going to get Ginny to talk to him. He was afraid she might try to keep him out of the hospital wing. He had to get in so he could try to repair all the damage he'd caused.

The trip to the hospital wing was uneventful. Harry held his breath as he opened the door. He knew there would be a Weasley or two at Ginny's bedside and that he would have to get around them somehow to see her. He was not prepared, however, to see Bill, Charlie, and the twins plus Mr. and Mrs. Weasley there. How was he going to get past all of them?

Suddenly, someone jerked the cloak from Harry's body, revealing him to everyone. Harry spun around to see who had exposed him and was surprised to find Professor Snape sneering behind him.

"So, Potter, is there some reason you feel the need to hide?" His glee was evident in his oily smirk.

Harry watched the insufferable Potions Master sweep over to the Weasleys, his black robes billowing behind him. "Give this to Madam Pomfrey when she returns from her consultation at St. Mungo's. It's the Draught of Peace." He turned his hooked nose and mocking sneer in Harry's direction and continued, "I'm positive that Miss Weasley will need it in a few moments considering some present company."

Harry glared at Snape's back as he strode out.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? I believe we have a rat," snarled George. Harry turned to see the twins heading toward him.

"Pettigrew was a rat, George," Fred reprimanded his brother. "Do you think it fair to associate them together?"

George sneered. "You're right, Fred. A rat is too good for him."

Harry noticed Bill and Charlie standing back and letting the twins at him first. But it was very clear that they were merely waiting their turn.

Harry thought quickly. If he had to, he'd die trying to reason with them. This was for Ginny. "I just found out. I've come to see Ginny, to help her if I can," he said loudly enough that the other Weasleys turned to regard him.

"Did you hear that, George? Now he wants to help Ginny," Fred laughed. It wasn't a jovial sound. The twins were going to be Harry's greatest obstacle after Ron. They had been the least forgiving and most hostile towards Percy. He expected them to give him an even worse treatment.

"Where were you when Ginny was brought to the hospital wing? When Madam Pomfrey said that she might not make it because she's willing herself to die? When all she has said to anyone is your name, you bastard! Oh I forgot; Ron and Hermione said you've been ignoring her," added George cynically.

Although each accusation cut like the sting of a lash, Harry couldn't let them deter him. This was for Ginny. He couldn't let them stop him from reaching her. "Well I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere until I see her and try to make things right." He flicked his gaze between the twins, weighing his chances. "You won't stop me," he added quietly.

"We'll see about that. Won't we?" As each twin grabbed an arm to drag him out of the room, they emptied their pockets of various strange and experimental products. "We would gladly show you what our benefactor --" Fred spat like the word left a bad taste in his mouth. "-- made possible. Let's see if you're as capable as we once thought you were." Harry could see Charlie and Bill having a quiet conversation at Ginny's bedside, heads close together.

Harry struggled with Fred and George and yelled an appeal to the remaining Weasleys. "Wait! I can help her! I know I can! I can bring her back! You have to let me try!"

"Stop! That's enough!" Bill yelled as he and Charlie came to stand in front of the twins. Harry held his breath, his lungs and muscles burning with effort. He knew they were going to kill him now. He calculated the distance to Ginny's bed for a mad dash when he felt the twins' grip slacken slightly. "I hate to say it," Bill said, "but he has a point."

The twins howled in unison, but Charlie now spoke. "Let him go, boys. We have to try everything we can to help Ginny." Harry let out a relieved sigh that caught in his throat when Charlie turned, his expression making him look as though he was capable of tossing Harry to one of his beloved dragons. "We have to let him at least try, whether we like it or not."

Harry nodded to the two oldest Weasley boys to show that he understood. However, the twins were more reluctant. "But Char-lie!"

"No buts," was heard from across the room from Mrs. Weasley. "He brought my baby girl back to me once before. He can do it again. He must." She gave Harry an almost pleading look that strengthened his resolve to make Ginny better.

Everyone cleared a path as Harry approached Ginny's bed, then gathered around, watching him closely.

This bothered Harry. He knew that Ginny was a private person and only confided in a few people, especially about their relationship. He turned to Bill. "Would everyone please leave us --"

Harry learned much later that the loud uproar that ensued could be heard throughout the castle.

"-- alone with Bill," Harry continued loudly, to make himself heard. "Ginny is very reserved but she's told me that she doesn't hide anything from him. You know Bill won't let me hurt her. You can trust me with him here. Please?"

Bill looked back and forth from Harry to Ginny then turned to his family. "Yeah, he's right. Ginny wouldn't want anyone to hear what they say to each other. She doesn't even give me all the details, but I know they're close."

With many long hard stares in Harry's direction, and very begrudgingly, everyone but Bill filed out to wait anxiously in the hall for any news of success or failure.

After the door closed, Bill turned to Harry. "She always had faith in you, whatever you did. It's her faith in you that I'm relying on now." Having said his piece, Bill propped Ginny up with pillows and backed a couple of steps away before turning and resting his bum on the metal frame of her bed. It was far enough away to give Harry and Ginny the illusion of privacy and yet still close enough for him to hear the tones of what they said to each other.

Harry turned to Ginny and sat on the edge of her bed. "Ginny, open your eyes for me, please."

There was no response, not even so much as the flicker of an eyelash. Harry steadied his breathing and took her hand. It was so small and cold, reminding him of the time in the Chamber. "Ginny, I don't know if you can hear me but I'm hoping you can. I'm sorry I ran away from you and left you like that. I, I just --" Ginny's eyes opened and Harry froze.

Ginny's head turned in his direction and some recognition showed in her eyes. "Harry?" Her voice was the thinnest thread of sound.

Harry exhaled in pure relief. "Yes, Ginny. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Her glorious eyes, now dulled, refused to meet him squarely. "Harry, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Harry placed his fingers on her lips to stop her from continuing.

"Shh, Ginny. You have nothing to feel sorry for. I'm the one who should be apologizing." He took a careful breath and began to explain what he had felt. "When I ran away, I wasn't running away from you. I'm sorry you thought that. It's just --" He fell silent, unable to continue without some sign from her.

"Go on," Ginny whispered, squinting her eyes so that she could see him more clearly.

Harry put one arm over her, bringing her into an embrace that he hoped made her feel secure enough to trust what he was going to say.

"I ran that day because it scared me how easily you could say those words. I had no idea what they really meant and couldn't understand how you could say them to me of all people. I think somebody would have to be special to hear them from you, and I'm not special, I'm 'just Harry'."

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Harry. Maybe it's better if we just forget everything and go our separate ways. I know you'd be better off without me. I seem to muddle up your life a lot." Ginny suddenly sat up straighter and firmed her jaw, her misty eyes conveying her true feelings. "Please leave, Harry. Go on without me. Be happy for once in your life."

Harry stared in disbelief. "Ginny, I don't know if I can go on without you," he pleaded. He had come too far and been through too much to get to this point. He wasn't going to let her stop him that easily by using one of his own strategies against him. To get through to her he would have to be firm, supportive, and, most of all, loving. "You are everything good that's in my life right now. I need and want you to love me. Before you showed me what it meant to have someone's unconditional support and love, I had never known or seen that side of love. The more time I spent with you, the more that feeling grew inside me. Now I know that what I'm feeling for you is love."

Ginny pulled back and looked at him with hope in her eyes. Yet he could also see a touch of apprehension that he wasn't telling her the truth, that he was only doing this because her mother had begged him to bring back her baby girl.

Harry brought his hands up to cup her face. He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. He hoped she hadn't lost complete faith in him. He was gambling on her trust in him.

"I know you don't believe me right now but I'm going to do everything I can to prove to you how I feel. I love you and I don't want to let you go. If you let me, I'll spend my every waking moment making up for all the hurt you felt." With that, he leaned in and brushed his lips softly across hers.

Tears trailed down Ginny's cheeks onto Harry's hands. "Harry, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have said anything, but I thought we were so close and I wanted you to know how special you are to me. It just slipped out," she murmured. "I knew you weren't ready. I don't want to push you or trap you in anything you don't want."

Harry gasped. She didn't want to trap him? How could she think that? "Don't you understand? I'm trying to tell you that I am ready. I just needed that motivation to realize my own feelings. You are what I want and you didn't push or trap me into anything. I'm jumping into this with no illusions."

Harry knew what he had to do now, for Ginny, but even more so for himself. He was selfish when it came to her and he never wanted to chance losing her completely. Where was his Gryffindor courage? His knees were shaking and he felt queasy again, but he refused to back down.

He tightened his grip on her, looked her in the eyes, and began, "I love you. I know in my heart and in my soul that we were meant to be. I'll always love and need you here with me. We have the rest of our lives for me to show you that. I want you to know, I'm in this for the long run. As soon as we are out of school and everything is over, I am going to marry you. I mean, if you want to. Marry me, I mean." Aware now that he was babbling, Harry shut up and watched her hopefully. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, he knew what Hermione meant about taking risks, but it felt right to be putting his heart on the line.

"Harry, you've just taken a big step emotionally. Do you think we're ready for marriage? We still have other issues to work out, like your need to hide things from me and my determination to discover what you're hiding."

Harry swallowed hard, shocked to see Ginny drawing away from him again. "I'm not going to hide anything from you anymore, Ginny. Ask me anything you like and I'll tell you the open and honest truth."

"Why did you really come to see me now?" Ginny dropped her gaze to her clasped hands now lying in her lap.

He ran his hand over her tousled hair, drawing courage from the contact. He reached one hand up and gently lifted her face to look at him. "Because I hoped you'd say those words -- the most beautiful words I've ever heard."

"And what's that?" Ginny whispered.

"I love you," Harry said softly, hoping that she would see the truth of what he was saying in his eyes.

"Oh, Harry." Ginny enfolded him tightly in her arms. "I love you too," she whispered happily.

Harry grinned and closed his eyes. "Ginny, please say those words again."

Ginny's face glowed with emotion as she pronounced them loudly and clearly. "I. Love. You. Harry. Potter."

Harry kissed her lightly, then captured her eyes with a burning gaze just for her. "That was the most amazing thing I've ever heard. And coming from you, it was even sweeter. I never want to go without hearing you saying those words again." Harry then wrapped them both in the most staggering kiss either had experienced.

From the end of the bed, Bill leaned forward until his weight was back on his feet and not on his now-numb backside. With all the stealth he had learned as a curse breaker he moved away, fairly confident that his sister and future brother-in-law would be safe left on their own for the few minutes it would take him to let the rest of the family know Ginny was on the mend.

Maybe now that Ginny was alert again, Madam Pomfrey could finally get her to chew the Alihotsy leaves she needed to destroy the effects of the Glumbumble honey she'd eaten.

He would keep that bit of news for when his little sister was feeling more herself. He was pretty sure she would want to curse the individuals who had sent it to her until they begged for mercy.

These thoughts had taken him to the tall doors of the hospital wing. Just as his hand rested on the doorknob, the doors flew open and Marietta Edgecombe and Anthony Goldstein entered, Levitating two people. They looked somewhat familiar. When he looked into the hallway and found his mum yelling and threatening the twins, he realized that the people were Harry and Ginny's exes, Cho Chang and Michael Corner. The ones who had given Ginny the Glumbumble-affected honey. It looked as though the twins had fed them their famous Fainting Fancies, Nosebleed Nougats, and their award-winning Ton-Tongue Toffees.

Bill shook his head and chuckled. He looked back over his shoulder at Ginny and Harry, who were watching the others. Bill caught Harry's eye. With a nod, Harry conveyed that he knew the twins were responsible and wouldn't act, yet. He would wait for a more appropriate time.

Even though he knew he had been replaced as Ginny's main confidant, Bill happily grinned at the fact that Harry had taken his place.

* * * * *

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