"Letters: Before Me Stands Yesterday" ...continued
"Letters: Before Me Stands Yesterday"....continued
Ron’s bedroom door flung open harshly, hitting the nearest wall as she stormed in, heading straight for her brother’s trunk. Ginny began tossing his things about until she found what she’d come for- Harry’s letters.
Yanking all of them up, she sat back on the floor, scattering the letters around her and searching through to find his last letter to Ron. She began to read it until her breath caught in her throat.
I’m coming back to London…I hope it’s all right if I stop by The Burrow to see everyone. Ginny blinked a few times. She had to be imagining all of this- Ron’s letter, her letter- it was all just a dream. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing it away but when her eyes opened, the two letters were still lying in her lap.
Cursing under her breath, she kept reading…I’m not just coming for a visit, Ron. I’m coming back…for good. I’ve got a new job at the Ministry and I’ll probably go back to Grimmauld Place until I get a flat of my own.
I know you’re wondering why I included a letter for Ginny. I felt rather uneasy about sending it directly to her, so I thought I’d ask if you would give it to her for me.
Yeah…I bet you felt uneasy, you lousy git, she thought. He had some nerve, thinking that he could send her a letter saying that he was sorry for his lack of communication these last five years; writing how he hoped that she was doing well…and that line. How dare he use that line…I’ve made some terrible mistakes and I’m ashamed of how I’ve acted…but I sincerely hope that one day…you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me.
As far as Ginny was concerned, he deserved no forgiveness. He told her he loved her…and in so much as taking no action, he snatched it away from her. He left his home and her, moving on to something different…obviously something better. Now, he sends her a letter after five years, expecting her to forgive him, probably to ease his conscience before he can marry some witch that he’s undoubtedly been shagging, Ginny guessed.
All of her emotions were at their boiling point now. She was so angry with him that she just felt like screaming until there was no more rage within her.
“I hate you,” she said, more to herself, as she looked around at his letters. “I hate you,” she said again through clenched teeth. This time, however, her rage and anger were turning into tears as she desperately tried to fight them.
Her chest heaved and she suddenly found her control slipping, “I hate you. I hate you…I HATE YOU!” Ginny screamed out, sobbing continuously as she began ripping through Harry’s letters, shredding every one that he had Owled over the last five years. “I HATE YOU!”
Ginny’s hands were shaking as she brought them to her face in attempts to hide herself from the world, fearful that someone would see her weakness.
She sat there crying for heaven’s knew how long until she hated herself for crying so. Just as soon as the tears had started, Ginny quickly dried them and pushed herself off the floor with unsteady hands, stumbling a bit until she could gain her balance.
She stood up, catching her breath. I’m tired of feeling like this, she thought as she furiously walked down the stairs towards the kitchen. She rummaged around the cabinets until she found Ron’s hidden bottle of Ogden’s Firewhisky.
Pulling out a small glass, she sloppily filled it up as thoughts of Harry’s hands caressing her face, his fingers gently touching her lips began to cloud her mind. “Why can’t I just forget about…everything?” Ginny whispered.
She tossed her drink back and nearly choked on it as she felt the strong, burning sensation flow down her throat. She stuck her tongue out and shook her head in disgust, yet she grabbed the bottle of Firewhisky again and poured another glass.
Ginny gradually lifted the glass to her mouth when a voice stopped her.
“I don’t quite think that’s going to make you forget everything,” a man said from behind her.
She stopped the glass in mid-air, just before it neared her lips. Oh God, no. Please, no, she thought as she turned around at an agonizingly slow rate, until her gaze fell upon his form. There he stood; broad shouldered and strong with that same tousled, raven hair and glasses. Time had definitely treated him well, yet he was still the same familiar boy that she had always known.
“Hi Gin,” he said, his voice rough in his own ears.
As if her mind was finally catching up with what her eyes were seeing, Ginny gasped, letting the glass of Firewhisky slip from her hand and shatter to pieces.
“Merlin, I’m so sorry, Ginny. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Harry said as he stepped closer to her with an outstretched hand. Her eyes widened as she watched him walk towards her and she immediately dropped to her knees, gathering up the broken pieces of glass.
“Here,” he pulled out his wand, “let me get that for you.” With a flick of the wrist, the tiny glass was like new again. “Sorry I couldn’t salvage the Firewhisky. It’s a bloody shame.”
Ginny picked up the small glass and stood up, letting her slightly glazed-over eyes drift up to meet his. “Er…thanks,” she whispered.
“Are you all right? I’m sorry that I startled you. I’m such a bloody stupid twat.”
“You didn’t startle me,” she said, realizing that her voice had more strength than she’d trusted. “It was just a bit of a shock, seeing you here and all.”
“Oh,” he frowned. “Still, sorry.”
“Stop apologizing, Harry.”
“Er…right, sorry. Oh! Right.” This isn’t going quite as well as I’d hoped it would, he thought, quickly changing the subject. “How- how are you, Gin? How’ve you been?”
Ginny flinched at the use of his old nickname for her. It angered her even more. How dare he think that he can come in here and just pick things up from where we left them?
“What are you doing here?” her jaw was clenched as the question fell from her lips.
Harry raised his brow at the harshness of her query. The air about them was far too serious for such a reunion, and he desperately tried to shift the mood.
“It’s good to see you too, Ginny,” he said with a smile. “Me? Oh I’m doing just fine. Fine, indeed. And you?”
“Don’t play games with me,” she continued with a fixed look on him. “I said what are you doing here?”
“I’m so-,” he stopped, remembering that she insisted that he stop apologizing. “I regret not having told you, in your letter, that I was coming back. You did receive your letter, yes?”
Ginny let her gaze drift away from him, fixing her stare on a gnome that was running around in the garden. “Yes, Ron gave it to me this morning…the Owl came yesterday, though.”
“Oh. Well, I’m sure that he didn’t have time to inform you all that I would be coming back.”
“No,” she answered truthfully. “He didn’t mention anything to me.” Although her vision wasn’t clearly focused on anything, her eyes drifted back to his tall figure. “Are you sure he was expecting to see you today? He and Hermione went out to do a little shopping in Diagon Alley.”
“No…I suppose that he wasn’t expecting to see me today. Actually, things took less time at the Ministry than I expected. I didn’t think I’d be arriving for another day or two.” Harry smiled, realizing that they were beginning to have a nice, civilized conversation. “So,” he continued as he watched her put the cork back in the bottle of Ogden’s Firewhisky. “I take it that you’re more than just a social drinker, then?”
“Honestly,” Ginny kept her back to him, “I’ve only taken it up quite recently.”
“It’s a bit strong for you, isn’t it?”
She whipped around. “Excuse me?”
Harry nodded to the bottle that she was now hiding away. “Ogden’s; I just thought that it would be quite a strong drink for just recently taking it up.”
“Quite frankly, Harry,” said the young, ginger-haired witch with a stern look, “I could care less about what you think. And do NOT presume to know what I like and do not like. Things change in five years time…I’ve changed.”
“Yeah…” Harry sighed regretfully. “I can see that.”
Ginny watched him as his eyes swept over her, finally meeting her fierce gaze again. She opened her mouth, ready to give him a good piece of her mind when three light pops suddenly broke the silence in the room, followed by her brother’s cheerful voice.
“Look who we ran into in Diagon Alley, Eri-WHOA!” Ron said, clapping the back of a third young man who was now in the room, but stopped upon seeing his best mate standing there talking to his sister. “Harry?”
“HARRY!” yelped Hermione as she ran forward, engulfing him in a smothering hug.
“Umph! It’s good to see you too,” Harry choked out.
“We didn’t expect to see you for at least a couple of days…but, I sure am glad that you’re here now,” Ron said with a smile as he walked over and hugged his childhood friend. “When did you get in?”
Ginny only barely heard Harry say that he hadn’t been here long when someone walked up to her, wrapping a strong arm around her waist.
“I’ve missed you,” said a gentle, relaxing voice as he placed a sweet kiss upon her cheek.
She closed her eyes briefly and smiled sadly to herself, “I’ve missed you too,” she said. “You’ve been gone for far too long.”
“Mmm…” the young wizard agreed with her as he brought her hand to his lips, placing tiny kisses on it. “But, I’m back now.”
Ginny’s eyes glanced up catching Harry watching the two of them. She suddenly got a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach but quickly pushed it aside.
“Good,” she replied to the young man as she gave a slight smile.
Click HERE for Chapter Two: No Starting Over