Author: Midnight White
Story: And She Welcomed It
Rating: Teens
Setting: Pre-HBP
Status: Completed
Reviews: 11
Words: 909
A/N: Yay! This is finally getting posted! After emailing back and
forth a few times, the busy month of March, and attachments not
opening, I thought this would be the cursed story. But it’s finally
getting up there. Many thanks to Solveig, my beta.
Ginny Weasley had just experienced hell. Voldemort was
finished, the second war was over, and people were rejoicing. But she
couldn’t.
Her boyfriend, the love of her life, had been
killed in the final battle. Memories of him laying face down on the
ground lurched through her mind. Pain struck her like a knife in the
heart.
And she welcomed it.
She stepped into the
bathroom to take a shower. She peeled off her clothes, revealing
bruises and cuts she hadn’t bothered to have healed. Wind blew coldly
through the open window, chilling her skin, sending goose bumps all
over her body.
And she welcomed it.
It was unusually
cold for an August night. The weather seemed to match her mood. Her
parents worried about her. She had heard them talking about her behind
her back. They were scared that she would hurt herself, scared for her
life.
And she welcomed it.
As she stepped into the
shower, she turned the water on as hot as it could go. She didn’t care
that it would burn her skin. The physical pain would drown out her
emotional ones. The water scalded her bare skin, making it red and
painful.
And she welcomed it.
Unable to stand the
heat, she turned down the temperature down. As she washed her hair,
tears of mourning ran down her face in silent streams, getting lost in
the water. She was in pain, mentally and physically.
And she welcomed it.
She
knew she should get help. She knew she didn’t deserve to be suffering.
She helped a lot, more than most people, to win the war. But she
couldn’t help feeling guilty. If she hadn’t hesitated for those few
seconds, he might still be alive. A fresh new stream of tears ran down her face, as her mind was suffering.
And she welcomed it.
She
stepped out of the shower, drying her hair manually with a towel. She
knew she would get sick from her wet hair. It would just be a better
reason not to meet with people.
“Ginny! Harry’s here to see
you!” Her mum called. She looked at the door with amazement and shock.
She quickly dressed, but took her time coming down the stairs.
He
was standing with his back turned to her. He was looking at old photos
that her mother put on the mantle. “Harry?” She gently called.
He
turned to face her. The scar on his forehead that had made him so
famous had disappeared when he defeated Voldemort. His eyes, she
noticed, were red-rimmed and puffy. His faced was blotched and his nose
was red. He had been crying.
She waited patiently for him to
begin. After a moment, he finally spoke. “Gin,” using his nickname for
her. “Gin, I am so sorry about Dean,” He said, without moving.
She nodded as her eyes filled with tears again. “So am I.”
He sniffed, biting back tears. “I just, um, wanted to let you know that if you ever need someone to talk to, well, I’ll try.”
She meant to thank him, but the last bit of his answer shocked her. “Try?” She asked quietly.
He
sighed deeply. “Gin, this isn’t easy for me to say, but I realized
something when I defeated Voldemort; it’s that life is too short to not
do something you want to do. I’ve been wanting to tell you that…” He
paused, seeming to be looking for the right words to say.
Ginny prompted him. “Harry?”
“I
love you, Gin.” He said, glancing up at her. “I have for quite some
time. But you were always steady with Dean, and you were always so
happy. I didn’t want to confuse you with how I felt.”
Ginny looked around on the floor, breathing heavily. ‘How could this be so?’ she thought. ‘He was always on a date with one girl or another.’
He
continued: “If you don’t want to start anything, I completely
understand. I mean, you just lost your boyfriend, and here I come
telling you I love you, and… and… what the hell am I doing? I’m sorry,
Gin, I shouldn’t have said anything. I should go…” He started walking
to the door.
“Harry!” She stopped him. He turned to glance
at her, his cheeks pink. “Harry, you were right; you did confuse me.
All this time, I thought you were just a friend. That’s what I thought
you thought of me as!” She knew she was rambling, not making any sense.
“Anyway,
you’re right; I’m not ready to start a new relationship, and I don’t
think I will be any time soon.” His face fell. She knew she was
breaking his heart. He nodded to show he understood, and turned and
almost walked out the door.
“But,” she said. She watched him
turn, his face full of sorrow, but in his emerald eyes, she saw hope.
“When I am ready, you’ll be the first to know.” She finished.
He
grinned. It was the heart-melting grin. She found herself grinning
right back at him. Warmth spread through her body, going from the top
of her head to the end of her little toe.
And she welcomed it.