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The Train Ride Home | ||||
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Category: Post-HBP Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall, Ron Weasley Genres: Angst, Fluff, Drama Warnings: None Story is Complete Rating: PG Reviews: 4 Summary: The train ride on the same day as Dumbledore's funeral. My first completed fan-fic since it is only a One-Shot. I tried to get it beta-ed but the person I ask to beta it never got back to me so I don't know how good it is. Hints of R/H. Hitcount: Story Total: 3678 |
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With the depression setting in from the afternoon’s activities, Harry Potter traipsed up to the castle with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, in tow. The recent events seemed to change Ron around Hermione since the redheaded sixth year walked hand-in-hand with her behind Harry. When Harry looked over his shoulder at Ron, he saw a satisfied smile mixed with the grim expressions crossing over his face. The world seemed to have no mercy as it weighed its mass upon the shoulders of the three walking up the stairways to their dorms. This would be the last time they walked this path and would also be the last time they packed and left on the Hogwarts Express, but this time, they were on the road to another adventure that could also be their last. The three silently made their way through the portrait hole of the Fat Lady who looked as subdued as the general attitude of the Gryffindors inside the Common Room already with everything packed. Harry and Ron went up the left staircase while Hermione made her way to the stairway on the right side of the room. When they got to their room, Harry opened the door to find the room completely empty of the other sixth years and their possessions. Harry and Ron made their way to their beds and began to pack all of their belongings. “I’m sorry, mate.” Ron mumbled and breaking the silence midway through packing. He stopped and looked up at Harry and was surprised to see him lying on his bed. “Harry, we have to get on the train. I know you don’t want to, but we have to,” he finished lamely. Harry looked up at Ron and saw the worried expression on his face. He didn’t like it when his friends looked at him like that, but it was hard to comfort them when he didn’t feel content himself. He gave a weak smile to show that he was fine, sat up and finished packing. The rest of the time they packed was quiet. Every once in a while, Ron glanced over at Harry to try and detect his emotions. Before they left the dorm for the last time, Harry looked back and tried to take in the whole scene of his home, his real home. Ron watched as Harry turned around and walked down the stairs. “You know, Harry, none of this was your fault. You can’t help that V-Voldemort picked you, Harry.” The use of Voldemort’s name by Ron shocked Harry into giving a response that he was not planning on saying. “No, but he didn’t choose you and Hermione. I only wish I could do this without losing anyone else close to me.” “We are with you until the end Harry so stop trying to push us away.” “I’m not pushing anyone away!” “So what, Ginny isn’t anyone?” Ron blushed as he mentioned his sister and Harry but did not tear his glare from Harry. Harry was stunned into silence. How would he know about this already? As if on cue, Hermione, who they hadn’t seen listening on the conversation said, “Harry, we know what you said when you wouldn’t let us hear. Why else would Ginny still be sitting out where she was at the funeral and not be here with you? I can barely think of a time that you two weren’t together when neither of you were studying since the Quidditch match.” “I-I made sure no one would hear me. How could you have known what I said?” “We don’t know what you actually said, but…. Oh, Harry! We know you; we know that you were going to say that.” Was he that predictable? He turned away and looked from his friends. He didn’t want to hear this; it was breaking his heart to think of her. “She’s still out at the funeral? W-Why? She doesn’t miss Dumbledore that much, does she? I mean, she couldn’t have had that close a relationship with him.” “Harry, you prat. She is upset! Upset about Dumbledore, of course, but mostly she is upset because of you. She doesn’t agree with your decision,” Hermione saw Harry gape at her confusedly before adding, “No, she didn’t tell me, but I know how she feels, Harry.” There was a long, awkward silence. Before Harry was able to respond, Professor, no, Headmistress McGonagall came in through the portrait hole. She wasn’t angry but she wasn’t exactly pleasant-looking either. “What are you still doing here? You are going to miss the train!” The three looked around the Common Room and for the first time noticed that everyone had left. Without further ado, they ran to get their trunks (and Hermione got Ginny’s too) and ran their way down to the Hogwarts Express. The trio barely made it on the scarlet steam engine before it left for London. They found an empty compartment towards the back of the train and proceeded to sit down, Harry on one side, and Ron and Hermione on the other a lot closer than Harry had ever seen them sit before. Harry was surprised to notice that Hermione hadn’t pulled Ron off to do their prefect duties but he didn’t say anything since he knew that she would say that Harry needed them more than they needed to patrol the train. Hoping that the trip home wouldn’t be silent and awkward and so that the other two didn’t ask him questions he didn’t want to answer or talk to him about Ginny, Harry decided to start on a safe subject. “So, er… what is a wizard’s wedding like?” Ron and Hermione both looked at each other and than back at Harry and started to laugh. Harry was annoyed. What was so hard to tell him about a wizard’s wedding? “What’s wrong with you two? Can’t I ask something without you two thinking that has to be about something serious? I just want to have a good time,” he trailed off and thought since it’s the last time I’ll have fun. But he knew not to say that aloud. “Well Harry,” Ron said sobering, “a wizard’s wedding isn’t too much different than a muggle wedding, I think.” He looked at Hermione who shook her head in agreement. Harry was bewildered to know that Ron knew something about muggle weddings since he knew nothing of muggles and his brothers had yet to get married. “How do you know what a muggle wedding is like?’ Harry asked glancing over at Hermione who started to blush. Ron blushed too. He looked at Hermione and said, “I’ve talked a little bit with Hermione about weddings, not anything serious, of course, just to…er… know how my brother’s wedding is going to be like,” he added lamely after seeing Harry’s expression. Harry smiled at Ron’s obvious attempt to hide something and they all just started to laugh. For a while, they were able to push the dark things aside and talk about things, well, that young people talked about. Ron and Harry had just finished a game of wizarding chess (“Checkmate, Harry!”) when Ginny came in. Her once beautiful brown eyes were red and puffy and her hair looked as though she just got off her broomstick. Harry knew then that she would always be beautiful, no matter how disheveled she looked. Harry then realized that he had been staring with his mouth wide-opened when Hermione kicked him in the shin. He looked at her with a hurt expression and then sobered up when his thoughts came back to the predicament he was in. “Oh Ron, our prefect duties, we forgot all about them,” and with that she grabbed a protesting Ron and drug him out the door. There was an awkward silence for a long period of time after the door closed. Why did she come in the compartment? Did she have to do this to him? Striking up his Gryffindor courage, Harry started. “Er… hi Ginny. Where are Neville and Luna?” “Oh, I don’t know! I forgot all about them!” She made to get up and head towards the door, but Harry grabbed her wrist and pulled her down next to him, far enough away to where he wouldn’t break down his wall. “Look Ginny. You can’t do this to me… to us!” Harry looked deep into Ginny’s eyes. “I l-,” he paused not wanting to admit to Ginny and himself his true feelings for her. Or is that what he felt? Did he even know what the feeling was? “I care about you too much to let you become a target of Voldemort.” Ginny didn’t flinch but stared back into his emerald eyes that had lost their sparkle over the last few days. “It’s not right to do this to you,” he held up his hand to signal he wasn’t finished, “because, well, because you mean so much to me Ginny.” Harry, never taking his eyes out of hers, continued. “Over the last few months I have developed feelings for you that I have never felt before and anyone could notice that I felt different about you. What I am trying to say is, Ginny, that being around me will make you a target… kill you. And I don’t want that, never would I want that of anyone, especially you.” Ginny watched as Harry tore his eyes away from her and looked as if he was deciding something. Harry got up and headed towards the door leaving the girl who he was happiest and most comfortable around for the second time in one day. It was his turn, though, to get pulled back down by the wrist. “Ginny, don-” “Shh!” She stared into his eyes and saw there were tears. “Harry,” she looked on the verge of tears herself but quickly straightened up. “How much do I mean to you?” Harry was confused. Didn’t he just tell her how much she meant to him and that because he did, she had to stay away? “I don’t understand Ginny.” “You said that I meant a lot to you, but how much is that? Is it that you care so much about me as a sister still?” Harry knew what she was asking but didn’t want to answer to protect both of them. “I-I-look Ginny, I have to go.” “Are you scared to tell me Harry Potter? Scared to hurt my feelings?” Ginny half screamed. “Why can’t you just tell me?” Harry was starting to get angry. “What do you want from me Ginny?” he started to yell, “What does it mean to you if I care about you as a brother? What does it mean to you if-if-,” there was a short pause and then he continued in a soft voice as if he started a whole new sentence, “I love you Ginny?” Harry heard Ginny gasp for breath. He knew that he just hurt and hurt himself in the process. “All I know is that you have to get away from me, far away before I lose someone else I love.” Harry knew then and there that Ginny was going to blow up on him, but when he turned around, he saw Ginny with her mouth wide-open, with tears streaming down her cheek. “Ginny, wait, please don’t cry!” “Bloody hell Harry, I’ve been waiting most of my life for you to say that and now you are going to take it away from me?” “You mean you feel the same?” She just nodded. “That’s why I didn’t want to say anything Ginny. I knew it would only hurt both of us if I told you how much I care about you. The truth is, I have loved you for a while now, I just didn’t know I did, and it hurts to know I can’t be with you anymore.” “But Harry, you can be with me, I’m right here!” Ginny desperately searched Harry’s eyes. “I’m a Weasley, Harry, and Voldemort would come after me and my family anyway, with or without you. And do you think I care what Voldemort would do to me?” “I care-” “No, Harry, you listen to me now. It has been killing me to be away from you to where death would almost be welcome. A life without you would be way worse than no life with you. I want to spend the rest of my time alive with you Harry, no matter how long that is,” there was a brief pause while Ginny took Harry’s hands into hers and stared into his shocked eyes, “because I love you Harry!” Harry knew ten that she was right. It wouldn’t matter if he were in love with her. Her brother already made it impossible for her to live without being a target. Harry smiled genuinely for the first time in a month. All he knew now was that there was nothing stopping him from being with Ginny, and he was happy. He looked down into Ginny’s eyes and then leaned forward into Ginny. Their noses were touching and then slowly, passionately, Harry lowered his lips onto Ginny’s. It was as if the rest of the world around them went away and nothing could come between them. Slowly, after the need for breath came about. Harry pulled away and whispered into her ear, “I love you Ginny Weasley,” she pulled back and looked into his eyes. She saw the sparkle reenter his eyes and now she knew Harry, her Harry, was back. “I love you too Harry Potter,” and with that Ginny leaned back into Harry where once again her world would be nothing more than her and Harry, kissing. |
| Reviews 4 |
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