A/N: I feel like I should give a bit of a warning before this chapter. Things are going to get angsty for a while. My attempt at having a plot, I suppose. Thanks for everyone's reviews.
When they had their first fight, Ginny was ready.
She'd been waiting for this moment for six years.
And this wasn't a mere disagreement-this was a real fight.
A fight that signaled the end.
No one was entirely sure what happened. It had been late at night, but the evidence of it had been clear the next morning.
Harry and Hermione weren't speaking to each other.
And Ginny's patience rewarded her in the end.
She'd been there when Harry snuck down from the boys' dormitories with the Invisibility Cloak and the Maurader's Map. She was with him when he went to the Three Broomsticks-for the sole purpose of getting pissed.
She sat next to him when he stared forlornly into the shot glass Madam Rosmerta had set down in front of him. She waited by his side-for hours, without speaking, without trying to reach him.
She stayed with him when Hermione had abandoned him.
"Watch out for him, will you?" Madam Rosmerta whispered at one point. "He's of age, but I've never seen him… like this before. What happened?"
Ginny felt a flash of hatred towards Hermione. This was all her fault, after all.
And now Ginny was left to pick up the pieces.
"Oh, you know…" Ginny said. "He's got a lot of responsibility."
"Don't I know it," Rosmerta muttered.
Ginny gave her a weak smile before turning back to Harry. He was staring at the alcohol in front of him, a befuddled expression on his face.
"I dunno what I did wrong," he whispered.
It was the first words he'd spoken and Ginny immediately sat up straighter.
She'd been patient.
He needed her now.
"It wasn't you, Harry," she said. "You two weren't meant to be."
"I s'pose… I always knew this would happen in the end. Nothing good… nothing good in my life ever stays."
"That's not true," Ginny said. I'm still here.
"Of course it's true! There's-there's something wrong with me. I drove her off."
"You did not," Ginny said. "This stuff happens. It just… didn't work out."
"Hermione needs more," Harry said softly. "She needs someone that-that won't die… that can tell her he loves her. Someone who can actually say it. Not me."
Ginny was left to pick up the pieces.
But she was patient.
Patient Ginny-waiting on Harry Potter for six years.
"Listen to me, Harry," she said. "Hermione is your best friend. Everyone knows it. You tried being more-it didn't work."
His eyes were lost when he turned to look at her.
"You think so?"
She nodded, feeling tears prick the back of her eyes. She didn't want to have to hurt him like this.
"I'm sorry, Harry. But… maybe it's good, that you're learning this now, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I s'pose."
He nudged his glass with his fingers and sighed. "Probably better this way."
"Exactly. You'll find someone else, Harry. I know you will."
Harry blinked a few times, the same lost look on his face. He put a few galleons down on the counter. "Let's go back to the castle. You shouldn't have come out with me-you could get in trouble."
"Don't be silly," Ginny said. "I'll-I'll always be here for you, Harry. I promise."
Harry didn't say anything.
Ginny remained undaunted.
"Are-are you going to have your drink?"
He gave a weak smile and stood up. "Can't. I still hear her voice in my head. She doesn't think it's a good idea."
As they made their way towards Honeydukes, Harry stared very hard at the ground, deep in thought.
"I should have told her," he mumbled, barely loud enough for Ginny to hear. "I should have-every day."
"Told her what?"
Ginny already knew and Harry didn't give her an answer. She felt cold inside.
It was killing her to listen to him.
But she wouldn't leave him. She'd never leave him.
The pale cast of the moon left most of the Hogsmeade shops looking warn and tired in the shadows. Harry was no more than a dark shape next to her and Ginny shifted a little closer to him. For the first time, she realized the danger in them being out late at night.
"Harry? I think it would be a good idea of we thought about getting back."
Harry looked around him. "Yeah."
"I'm sure we're fine," Ginny said.
"If Hermione knew I was doing this, she'd-" Harry stopped. "Well, I don't reckon she'd be very happy with me."
Something in Ginny seemed to snap.
Hermione.
It all came down to Hermione.
Patience.
She was tired of waiting.
"Listen to me, Harry," Ginny's voice was calm, and she tugged on his arm so he'd face her. "I didn't want to tell you this, but you should know. Hermione… she-she doesn't love you. I'm sorry, Harry. But she doesn't love you, not like you think she does."
Despite the darkness, she felt like she was seeing Harry's face with perfect clarity. Her stomach twisted in guilt at the misery that shined from his eyes.
No.
Ginny set her jaw.
It was better this way.
"She-she doesn't love me?" he repeated.
Ginny refused to look away. "I'm sorry, Harry."
"Are you…" his voice was no more than a whisper. "Are you sure?"
Ginny looked at him for a long time, his eyes begging her to tell him that it wasn't true. Her nails were digging into the skin of her wrists from her clenched hands.
That's what love is, isn't it? Putting someone else's happiness ahead of your own?
Fucking Hermione.
Ginny knew she was right.
This was the way things were supposed to be.
She would not give in.
"Yes," she said. "I'm sure. Hermione does not love you."
"You can't know that."
His desperation was quickly changing to fury, but Ginny refused to back down.
This was right.
This was the way things were supposed to be.
"Of course I know," she said briskly. "It's a girl thing. She told me."
There was a lump gathering in her throat. He couldn't understand what this was doing to her-hurting him like this.
If Harry was happier with someone else then I'd love him enough to let him go.
That was it-Hermione could live with it, watching Harry with someone else. Hermione was strong enough.
But Ginny wasn't.
Harry's eyes had a glazed, defeated look in them. He quickly turned away from her, making his way to Honeydukes.
"Harry," her voice quivered as she rushed to catch up to him. "I wish I didn't have to be the one to tell you this. I just thought you should know the truth."
"It's fine."
His voice was emotionless.
"Are-are you in… shock?"
"I'm fine."
They were silent as Harry threw the Invisibility Cloak over them. The only person in Honeydukes was a bored looking clerk, flipping through a magazine behind the counter.
Harry wrenched open the trap door in the cellar, tearing the cloak off once they were in the passage to Hogwarts.
He looked startled by his violence. "Let's go."
Ginny nodded, feeling sick from watching his pain.
She was doing the right thing.
Hermione didn't need him the way she needed him.
Ginny could stand by him in a way Hermione couldn't.
The right thing.
"Harry… stuff like this happens. You two'll eventually get past it. She'll always care about you-you're her best friend."
Harry stopped and whirled around. His jaw was clenched tightly. "It's not that easy! I can't make what we had go away-I can't pretend what we had was nothing. I-I drove her away, Ginny. It's the only… the only thing that makes sense. It was my fault."
Right thing to do.
Right thing.
"Harry-listen to me carefully. Hermione does not love you. The rest of it-it doesn't matter. She doesn't love you."
Harry flinched and his eyes flickered shut, face screwing up in his attempt to shut out his feelings.
"Stop," he said. "I know. I'm sorry, Ginny… I just can't… I can't take it…"
He swallowed and continued on ahead of her.
He'd never understand what it was doing to her to hurt him like this.
Never understand.
But it was right.
Harry and Hermione's relationship was crumbling before her, hit hard right at its very foundation.
Harry would need time now-Ginny understood that.
She'd wait for him.
She'd been waiting years-she could wait a bit longer.
Harry would come around-she was sure of it.
Patience was rewarded.
Harry stopped, waiting for her to catch up.
"Ginny… do you think… do you think that-that there's someone else?" his voice trembled as he finished. He was barely holding himself together.
Ginny felt a pang of victory.
It didn't matter what she said-his eyes told her that he already believed it.
She'd broken Harry Potter's faith in Hermione Granger.