Chapter 2
Suspicious Events
Saturday had come.
Harry had been dreading it all week long, and here it was. He'd ran out of things to do and now had no where to go and it was already ten till six. He didn't want to go, of course, but he really didn't feel like backing out of it after promising Ron that he would start coming. He just hoped she wouldn't be there and that he would be spared an evening in her presence.
"Andy! Andy, are you ready yet?" Harry yelled.
"Yes, father, I am thank you very much. I didn't take that long." Andy grumbled, coming into the living room.
"You took ages."
"What can I help it if I want to make a good impression?"
"Well, you look lovely, but if we don't move now, we'll be late."
"Oh shut up. You can pop around anywhere you want in a matter of seconds. You don't know anything about being too late."
"I know a bit of it." Harry said, his face falling.
"Uh-uh. Rule number one of tonight was no sad faces, and no thinking about her. We haven't figured out what to do yet, and you've still got to focus on Ginny, and how she's going to react. I still think you're being a bit of a jerk, doing this to her when you're only seeing her for like the second or third time since you disappeared."
"I don't want to hurt her."
"Little late for that, in my opinion, and speaking of late, we're going to need to leave now."
Harry grinned and offered his arm. Andy sighed and took it muttering darkly.
o------------------------------------------------o
"Harry! Lovely, I'm so glad you could make it! And you must be Andrea! Harry told us you were coming and we were so thrilled, you've been quite a friend to him from what I've heard!"
Andrea was slightly startled as Mrs. Weasley enveloped her in a hug.
"Easy, Molly." Harry chuckled.
"Sorry, dear. Now, come and meet everyone else, you'll be just like family in no time."
Harry grinned and waggled his fingers at Andy as she glared at him behind Molly's back as she was drug into the kitchen.
"Harry!"
Harry turned and staggered backwards a few paces when a red blur crashed into him.
"Ginny! Erm-hi!" Harry said in surprise, gently loosening her grip.
"Oh, Harry, I'm so glad you came. I thought something was horribly wrong when you never answered any of my letters or anything." Ginny said happily.
"Yes, no, nothing was wrong but, Gin…can-can I talk to you alone?" Harry asked desperately.
"Sure! We'll go up to my room."
Ginny grabbed his hand and dragged him upstairs.
Harry's feet felt like lead and he was beginning to regret what he was about to do.
Ginny was chattering and Harry tried to concentrate on what she was saying.
"---Hermione's here of course, but she won't mind leaving us for a minute." Ginny said, not noticing Harry's look of horror as she opened the door.
o--------------------------------------------o
She looked up as the door opened.
It was like a knife was being thrust into her heart as her gaze fell from his eyes to his hand, intertwined with hers.
She was babbling something about needed a moment alone.
She nodded numbly, but could not take her eyes away from their hands.
He stared at her, his heart feeling like it was going through a wringer.
He moved out of the way as she slowly walked toward him.
Her eyes met his and she gasped aloud.
His eyes were practically talking.
She could see everything; it was like looking inside his soul.
He was trying his hardest to convey every feeling he ever felt about her into his gaze.
She saw pain, and anguish, and anger and love so deep that it seemed to go on forever.
He looked away as she tugged at his hand.
She let out a strangled sob and left the room as inconspicuously as possible.
It was over.
He was gone…again.
He was in there…alone…with her.
She leaned against the closed door, feeling weak.
o-------------------------------------------------o
"So what is it that you wanted so desperately to talk to me about?" Ginny asked nervously.
"I-" Harry walked over to the window and stared outside, "I wanted to wait until after dinner, but it felt like if I waited any longer I'd burst. I've got to tell you Gin…there's something you need to know."
Ginny nodded.
"I am…I am truly the cruelest man I know. I've been shameful to you and you need to know about it. I don't feel that I care for you the way that you care for me. I like you, Ginny, and I would give just anything to be able to love you as you love me, but I can't do it. I haven't been able to for a while now, and I haven't been as faithful to you as you deserve. I-I have been, and am, in love with someone else."
He turned around, his face anguished and chalk white.
Ginny was still as stone. Her heart seemed to stop beating and she took a deep breath.
"I expected as much." She whispered.
"Wha-you knew?"
"It was so obvious, Harry. You talked about her all the time and you never responded to anything I ever said. You've never told me you loved me, and your kisses are nothing more than a way of greeting me. She's lovely and I hope-I hope she deserves you."
"I…I talk about her all the time…?" Harry asked.
"Yes. It's always `Andrea this' and `Andy that'."
Harry sank onto a chair.
"Oh, no." He said sadly.
"It's alright, Harry. I'm glad you finally told me."
"No, no, Ginny, you don't understand. I don't love Andrea."
"You-you don't?" Ginny faltered.
"No, I don't. Andy's like a sister to me."
"Then…then who..?"
"She doesn't want me, so there's no use in speaking her name." Harry said dully.
"So…so you're leaving me for someone who doesn't even want you?" Ginny said incredulously, "I've never been so…I feel so used…Harry….just tell me that any part of you ever felt love for me." She begged.
Harry closed his eyes, and stood up.
"I won't lie anymore than I have already." He said in a pained voice, and walked to the door. "But I will spare you having to tell your family that I cheated. I'll tell them myself."
Ginny frowned.
"They'll kill you." She said bluntly. "Tell them it was mutual and that I don't want to talk about it, and then take Andrea and leave. You don't have to come to any Saturday dinners."
Harry nodded.
"Thanks, Gin."
He sighed and left, running into Hermione as he closed the door.
o-----------------------------------o
She gasped.
He jumped, and shut the door quickly.
She flushed as he looked at her.
He smiled sadly.
"Cereal just wasn't working." He said softly, as he walked away.
o------------------------------------------------o
"Andrea, we need to go now, please." Harry said, making his face look as sad as possible.
"Whatever's the matter?" Andrea asked, playing along.
"Ginny and I just decided to break up."
A collective gasp went around the room.
"She doesn't want to talk to anyone, and I really don't either, so I'm just going to take Andrea home."
Harry turned around and Andrea started to follow.
"I'm not feeling well."
Harry stiffened as he opened the door.
He knew that voice.
"Hermione, dear, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'll be fine; I'm just not feeling too great tonight. I think I'll head home."
Andrea leaned into Harry's ear.
"Go to the elevator." She whispered. "Wait for her."
Harry turned to look at her quizzically, but Andrea nodded at him, and he turned on his heel and left.
o-------------------------------------------o
"I'm an idiot. She's not going to show up here, why I even listened to Andy…" he muttered as the lift made its way back down for the fifth time with him still in it. The doors opened and he waited patiently for a moment before jabbing his number. He'd waited long enough.
"Hold the door!" a voice yelled.
He cursed and stuck his foot into the closing doors.
"Thanks."
A small hand reached in and she pushed her way into the lift.
He froze.
"I thought maybe I'd run into you here." He said.
"Did you walk home?" She asked, puzzled.
"Erm…no…anyways, I wanted to talk to you about what I'm sure you heard at the Burrow."
"I'm sorry…I shouldn't have listened in, I just had no idea you were going to do that, and I was sort of frozen."
"You should be used to me being spontaneous. After all, this isn't the first time I've surprised you. You seemed pretty damn shocked at graduation." He smiled bitterly.
She sighed and closed her eyes.
"We'll never let that go, will we?" She asked quietly.
"I won't. You might, but I seriously doubt it. You aren't too good of letting go of things are you `Mione?"
"Harry, please…you know how I feel."
"I thought I did. I chanced my entire heart, my whole life on you, `Mione, and you just ripped it into shreds."
"I never, ever meant to, Harry! I just couldn't do it then! Not there!"
"Can you do it now, then?" Harry asked bluntly.
"I-what?"
"See? I'm sick and tired of your bloody excuses, `Mione. If you even gave a damn about me you wouldn't use them anymore."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Please, Harry, it's so complicated."
"It's been a year, `Mione. And don't think I don't know how complicated it is. Speaking of which, I managed to do what you've been dancing around for a year in thirty minutes."
"She's hurting."
"I know. And I feel horribly, trust me, but I wouldn't be able to stand looking at myself another day knowing I was leading her on. She'd've been even more attached and then I would have felt worse."
She flushed.
"I don't like it, you know. You make it sound as if I enjoy hurting you…hurting him. When I lay down at night all I can feel is guilt. It's like a blanket that comes and steals my mind when I'm sleeping. I get sick just thinking about what I've done. I regret it all every second that I live." She said sadly.
He stared at her for a moment then punched a button, making the formerly stationary lift move.
"All of it? You regret it all?" he said in a voice that betrayed how hurt he was.
"You know I didn't mean it like that." She begged, pushing the stop button on the lift.
"Then what is it you don't regret, `Mione?" He asked softly.
She smiled slightly, her eyes shining with tears now.
"Every single moment that I spent with you, even though we had to hide how we felt, I don't regret a bit of that. What I regret, is not making it possible for us to be open with our relationship. I was too scared of how he would react. I still am. I don't want to hurt your relationship with him, most of all. I could understand if he'd never look at me again, but it would break my heart if I took away your best mate."
"I've told you thousands and thousands of times, love, I don't care! I feel jealous of him now, and I hardly see him because it hurts. I would give everything up in an instant if you would only say yes, and be with me."
"But it would matter! We would be together, but, Harry, he's your family! They all are, and they would all turn on us!"
"Damn it, `Mione, I can't make myself any plainer. I-want-you. Not them, not anyone else. Screw having a family. No. Wait, don't screw that. YOU are my family!"
She stared at him for a long moment then pressed an elevator button.
"Stay with me tonight. We need to talk about thousands of things, and lifts make me claustrophobic."
He regarded her for a moment then nodded shortly.
"Okay."
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A/N: Go, on, press the nice little review button. It's calling to you.
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