Harry Potter and the Unexpected Arrival
Harry didn’t know what to do, but he let his feet guide him anyway. Ginny was here. Ginny. He had held her in his arms and heard her voice, and for a few moments it had felt so good. It had felt like things sorting into place, that final click before a lock opens. There were still people that he missed that weren’t on the island. He didn’t dare dream that his parents might one day appear, but he often thought of Neville and Seamus and Dean, the rest of the Weasleys, Dumbledore and McGonagall, half of the Order. He missed them, but not as much as he had missed Ginny. And now she was here and it felt like he was complete.
Except that he wasn’t. He couldn’t kiss her, couldn’t hold her hand the way he wanted to, couldn’t touch her like he wanted to. It pained him, but the yearning ache in his chest for Ginny was almost standard now. And he couldn’t betray Kate like that.
He should have anticipated this, but he hadn’t wanted to live on hope alone for another year, two years, three and he hadn’t wanted to taint what he and Kate had by believing one day it would end. So that left him here, walking towards the Compound without a clue what to do except to tell the truth. Kate had to know that Ginny was on the island, had to know what that meant, and it could only come from Harry.
He had faced down basilisks, dragons, giant spiders, dark lords and his own death. He could make the walk down the hall to Kate’s room without shaking or sweating, but he did feel the thrum of his nerves under his skin. “Kate?” he called before pulling cautiously at the curtain door. “Are you here?”
Except that he wasn’t. He couldn’t kiss her, couldn’t hold her hand the way he wanted to, couldn’t touch her like he wanted to. It pained him, but the yearning ache in his chest for Ginny was almost standard now. And he couldn’t betray Kate like that.
He should have anticipated this, but he hadn’t wanted to live on hope alone for another year, two years, three and he hadn’t wanted to taint what he and Kate had by believing one day it would end. So that left him here, walking towards the Compound without a clue what to do except to tell the truth. Kate had to know that Ginny was on the island, had to know what that meant, and it could only come from Harry.
He had faced down basilisks, dragons, giant spiders, dark lords and his own death. He could make the walk down the hall to Kate’s room without shaking or sweating, but he did feel the thrum of his nerves under his skin. “Kate?” he called before pulling cautiously at the curtain door. “Are you here?”