A/N: Happy new year, everyone!
*
Ginny couldn't believe what she just heard. Here they were, the four of them sitting in the calm backyard in a friendly setting, speaking of unspeakable things. A desperate hunt to stop Voldemort once and for all... pieces of his soul.
"We're going to tell the rest of your family tomorrow," Harry said. It had been the most he had talked to her since their break-up. "With you guys knowing, it might help us."
Ginny whipped her head up. She had been concentrating on a blade of grass.
"I want to go."
Three stunned faces stared back at her.
"No, Gin, you can't," Ron said firmly.
"And why can't I? I know all about it now. Harry said it himself... it might help you! It might-"
"No, Ginny!"
"Stop acting like my father, Ron!"
"You know as well as I do that there's no way in Hell that Mum and Dad will let you come with us!"
"And you know as well as I do that Mum and Dad won't let you go either! I want to go!"
"Ginny, you are not going!"
"Listen, Ginny, Ron's right. You can't come with us! You're better off here, you're-"
"How am I better off here, Hermione?!"
"Shut up, all of you!" Harry stood up. It had just occurred to Ginny that all four of them were standing up now. She didn't know when that had happened.
"Ginny, you can't come with us," he said with finality. The words stung. "I think this conversation is over for the night." He looked at Ron and Hermione. "We'll tell everyone else tomorrow. I'm going to bed." With that, he stalked off, leaving Ron, Hermione and Ginny alone.
Ginny watched him walk back into the house. Her head was buzzing.
"I'm going to bed, too," she said.
"Ginny, we hope you understand-" Hermione began to say.
"'Night," Ginny cut in, following Harry into the house.
*
She stood outside the door, debating with herself on whether or not she should knock and talk to him or not. Maybe things were better where they had left off... Ginny didn't want to come off as annoying and prodding. But then again, she wanted to know why she couldn't go with them. She wanted to help. She wanted to be useful. She is-was-Harry's girlfriend! That meant something, didn't it?
Tentatively, she knocked.
The door slowly opened and soon Ginny found herself face-to-face with Harry, the closest she had ever been with him in a while. She felt the heat creep up to her cheeks and she desperately willed it to stop. Harry was still in his dress robes, though he had loosened the tie now.
"Gin, what do you want?" he asked.
Ginny bit her lip. "Harry, can we talk? C-can I come in?"
A fleeting look of doubt passed over Harry's face but he finally stepped aside and allowed Ginny into the room. The orange of Ron's walls assaulted her eyes as she entered, blinking. She took a seat on Ron's bed as Harry silently closed the door.
"Harry, I want to go with you."
Harry did not turn to face her. His hand was still on the doorknob as if he was contemplating on bolting out of the room any moment.
"No," he said. So simple, so short.
"But I don't understand!" Ginny exclaimed, starting to feel angry. "You told me everything! I want to help you..."
"Then help me by staying here, Gin," Harry said, turning around to face her. "Help me by taking care of your family by staying here."
"But, Harry..." Ginny stood up and took a step closer to him. In turn, Harry took a step back, as if afraid of her touch. Ironic how things had changed so quickly between them, Ginny thought wryly. She tore her gaze away from his. "Why do they get to go?"
Harry pursed his lips, his face going tense. "I told them not to come."
"Yet they still are," Ginny pointed out. "It doesn't look like you're stopping them."
Harry stared at his feet, not knowing what to say.
"If you're not letting me go in order to keep me safe, why aren't you doing the same for them?" Ginny spoke softly, but the look on Harry's face made it look like she was yelling at him, each word cutting deeply into him.
Finally, he looked up, his green eyes unusually bright. "I-I don't know why I'm doing this, Gin. I don't know why I'm letting them come with me, why I don't just take off right now without another word to anyone. Maybe it's me being selfish but..." He made eye contact with her, his eyes positively searing. "I need them."
"And me...?" Ginny whispered, afraid to ask. "You need them, and you don't need me?" She emphasised the word 'them', wondering if Harry would understand what she was really saying.
Harry said nothing. "I think you should go, Gin. You're part of the wedding party. They'll be looking for you."
Ginny stood up, sniffing and wiping hastily at her eyes. She felt angry. She felt sad. She felt a million different emotions. They all bubbled down to one fact:
Harry Potter did not need her.
Not like he needed Ron.
Not like he needed Hermione.
Hermione.
Ginny couldn't help but scoff at the name in her head. What did Hermione have that she didn't?
Ginny opened the door, only to find Ron and Hermione standing behind it, looking sheepish but also looking concerned. Ginny noticed that Hermione's eyes immediately sought for Harry, never mind the crying girl standing right in front of her that just opened the door.
With one look at them, Ginny silently shook her head and walked away. Ron stared after her.
"Maybe I should go talk to her..." he said, dashing after her. Hermione lingered in the doorway, watching Harry's seated form on the bed, his head bent low as he stared at his hands.
"Harry, what happened?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper that Harry almost didn't hear her. He continued looking at his hands, his fingers tracing the outlines of Umbridge's punishment absentmindedly.
"Ginny, she just-" he sighed helplessly. "She wants to come with us."
Hermione joined him on the bed. How many times had she heard Harry's rant about Ginny not coming? They all knew that a situation like this would happen.
"What did you say?" she asked.
Harry laughed dryly. "I told her no, of course. As you can see, she didn't take it very well."
"But it's all for the best, isn't it?"
Harry's sardonic smile faded away. He looked up at her. "Yes, it is for the best."
"Well, then what's the-"
"But she kept bringing up how I'm letting you and Ron come with me. How I'm letting you two accompany me into danger. That's exactly the reason why I won't let her come... why aren't I doing the same to you guys? Why aren't I telling you two to stay? To be safe?" He rubbed his hands up and down his arms. He felt cold all of a sudden.
Hermione draped her arm over him, offering some of her warmth, even though she knew that this coldness that Harry felt wasn't physical. She rested her head on his shoulder and gently took a hold of his hand. She said nothing, for she did not even know what to say. She had thought about the things that Harry had said, but she never really dwelled on them. It was just common knowledge to her that she'd stick by him, no matter what.
"Do you know what I told her?" Harry said, staring straight ahead, his voice sounding faraway, as if he wasn't talking to anyone in particular. Hermione shook her head, her hair lightly tickling Harry's neck as she did so. Harry's grip on her hand tightened a bit. "I said that I needed you guys. More or less, I told her that I didn't need her... but I needed you." He turned to look at her. Hermione lifted her head from his shoulder to gaze back at him.
"I need you," he repeated, awe and wonder in his voice.
It did not register very quickly in Hermione's head. She smiled lightly and rubbed her hand lightly on Harry's face. "I know," she simply said. "I know you need Ron and me. We need you too. We'll be here for each other." She started to get up, but Harry's grip on her hand did not loosen. She was jerked back to sit next to him again.
"No, Hermione," he said quickly. His eyes darted to his hand where the words 'I must not tell lies' were barely visible. "Hermione, I need you. Not just Ron. Not like the way I need Ron. I need you. I-"
Hermione's mouth was gaping open. She quickly closed it and shook her head. "No, Harry. Don't say things you'll regret. Don't say things you don't mean! You're-you're upset about things with Ginny! You're-"
"But I'm not, Hermione! I need you more than you can imagine."
Hermione's hand went limp in Harry's grasp. She stared, dumbfounded, at his face, urging herself to find some type of lie in there... a sign that he was lying... he was faking...
"Please," was all he said before he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.
It was brief. Hermione did not have the time to react. She did not know how...
This was Harry.
Harry was confessing that he needed her.
Harry was kissing her.
"Hermione?" he asked, his voice coming out in a whisper, his hot breath passing over her cheeks.
She shook her head, but placed her hands on either side of his face and kissed him anyway, ignoring the objections and protests taking place in her mind.
Harry needed her.
And she knew it all along, but it hit her hard just then:
She needed Harry just as much.