One Fine Day Chapter 3
Title: One Fine Day
Author: Newshound
Pairing: Harry/Ginny
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Adult language, graphic sexual content, OCs, spoilers
Summary: Harry and Ginny ended their relationship two years ago, but Harry has never lost hope of being reunited with his one true love.
A/N: Not every chapter will be NC17 and I will warn readers which chapters have graphic sexual content.
Chapter 3 is rated PG13 for language.
One Fine Day
By Newshound
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and company are the exclusive property of J.K. Rowling. This fiction is entirely for entertainment purposes and no money is being made from it.
Chapter 3 To Make You Feel My Love
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace,
To make you feel my love.
Harry treated himself to a brisk, invigorating walk back to his cottage after leaving Quality Quidditch Supplies. After spending almost a month on a mission in Albania, his small, modest home seemed like a mansion to him. He’d spent two heavenly nights sleeping in his very own bed, the familiar scent and feel of his pillow and blankets carrying him off into a refreshing, dreamless sleep.
He’d spent the better part of those two days restocking his pantry, tidying up his home and savoring the opportunity to flop down in his favorite chair, prop his feet up on the ottoman and do absolutely nothing. Sharing living quarters with his fellow Aurors, no matter how close the friendship and camaraderie was, eventually proved stressful to some degree, and to have the freedom to wake when he wanted to, lay about starkers all morning, or eat cereal for dinner went a long way in easing the pressure that always built up during a mission.
Seeing Ginny had been bittersweet, as it always was. She was so different from the girl he remembered, but then again, he, too, was different. It had been two years since they’d broken up, and while time had afforded him some measure of objectivity, it had also made painfully clear exactly what he had lost.
He wasn’t sure of why or how he’d lost it; the precise nature of the demise of their relationship still eluded him. There was a small compensation in the fact that he and Ginny were now on moderately friendly terms, and when they did happen to run into each other, even at Weasley family functions, they got along quite well. They were always polite and respectful, if a bit overly familiar on occasion. If he had to categorize their present relationship, he would call them casual friends. Not close friends or good friends, but not acquaintances, either.
Which, when he thought about it, was quite a large step for them. The six months that followed the breakup were not amicable in the least. He was at turns angry, hurt and confused. And the rest of the time he was hostile, resentful and bitter. Mostly due to the fact that Ginny had simply left, just walked out the door, no explanation, no warning, no regret.
He had woken up one morning, alone in their bed. Her clothes, pictures, jewelry and makeup were still there, but he knew somehow that she was gone and what had been left behind was excess baggage, something that would weigh her down, hold her back. Like him. She’d cut the ties, decisively and swiftly.
Of course, if he was being honest with himself, her departure hadn’t come as a complete surprise to him. Not that he’d seen it coming, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he acknowledged that their relationship had been tense and strained for months. Ever since….
But dwelling on that time only complicated matters. The truth was he didn’t need a letter; they were both restless and unhappy and made very little effort to hide it. They remained together, to him it seemed, mostly out of habit and apathy. Neither had the inclination, let alone the energy to make any significant changes to their life.
In a sad, embarrassing way it was almost a relief to see it end. It had been broken and suffering for a while, and perhaps putting it out of its misery could be construed as a merciful, although painful, act. Not that he believed for one minute that kindness had been the motivating factor for Ginny bailing on them. She couldn’t stand it anymore so she’d left. Simple as that. What did she care that Harry had been left to clean up the mess?
He felt the sharp stab of guilt.
Yeah, but you kind of left her with that other mess.
But not on purpose, he argued with the guilty voice. And honestly, I tried to be there for her. I didn’t just…
You might as well have, his conscience insisted.
“She’s the one who insisted on playing the martyr,” Harry said aloud. “She’s the one who pushed me away. She’s the one who walked out on me!”
And you were the one who let her stay gone.
He stopped suddenly and kicked his heel furiously into the cobbled street.
Damn it all to bloody fucking hell!
Why did he always fall back on these pointless, stupid arguments? None of it mattered now anyway. In the last few months, as he spent more time alone, in the quiet and dark with no distractions, the truth began to reveal itself to him: He’d made a terrible mistake.
His first year of being a fully-fledged Auror had been exciting and rewarding and left him little time for introspection or self-examination. A blessing in disguise, he now believed. And besides his career as an Auror, the distraction of finding a home and developing friendships and a social life proved the perfect medicine for his bruised and battered heart.
He was settled now, though. No more adjustments to make in his life. He had a profession he loved, a comfortable, cozy home, some fellow Aurors he considered close friends, Ron and Hermione, Luna, and Neville all kept in touch, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were still like family to him. With his life wrapped up in a nice, tidy package, he finally had plenty of time to reflect. Maybe not such a blessing.
He’d dated enough women in the last year to understand that what he’d had with Ginny was rare. Extremely rare. Being with other women only highlighted the fact that Ginny herself was an exceptional woman. She was smart, funny, caring and outspoken, not to mention fiery and bold, all qualities he admired and sought in the women he dated without fully realizing why he sought them.
He found himself comparing every woman to her. He knew it was unfair, but he couldn’t help himself. At first he thought it was just a normal reaction to breaking up with the only girl he’d ever shagged or had a serious relationship with, but after confiding some of his uncertainty to Hermione (still his best friend) she’d made him see that his feelings for Ginny hadn’t diminished and that as long as he still loved her, still wanted her, he would always see other women as second best.
That conversation was as fresh in his mind as the day he’d had it, even though that day was six months ago.
“So what do I do?” he’d asked Hermione.
“Harry, you love her and you want her back, whether you want to admit it or not. I reckon there’s nothing to do but to try to get her back.”
“But I don’t know if she wants me back. It’s pretty obvious that she’s moved on. From what I understand, lovers aren’t exactly in short supply for her.”
“I’m not saying it isn’t a long shot, but I think you’ve got to give it a try. I honestly believe that deep down, she still has feelings for you. I know she’s turned into a bit of a ‘party girl,’ but she’s young and headstrong and fiercely independent and it’s to be expected, quite frankly. I think, in many ways, her being so unconventional, her insistence on finding her way and being proactive about her life is what attracts you to her. She’s a free spirit, living by her own rules, and I think that’s very appealing - although a bit threatening - to you. She’s discovering herself right now and I think you should be encouraged by that. I think you should trust that no matter what’s happened between you she’ll always love you and always be your most loyal friend and staunchest defender.”
“Even if she is shagging other men.”
“Well, that’s up to you to convince her that you’re the only man for her. No reason you can’t throw your hat into the ring.”
“She’s already tossed it out, Hermione.”
“So? Toss it in again. You’re a stubborn, persistent Gryffindor. You won’t get anywhere with this defeatist attitude, you realize.”
“I know. It’s just…”
“Harry, look, I don’t know the whole story behind the breakup, she wouldn’t confide all of it to me, said she felt odd about interfering with our friendship, yours and mine she meant, but she told me enough to let me know that whatever it was, it devastated her. And that’s saying something, Harry. I think you need to have that pointed out to you. She felt like her whole life had gone topsy-turvy, and you know Ginny’s always been so tough, mentally and emotionally, so strong, and this just seemed to crush her. I know you see her as this sturdy, dependable person, Harry, and for the most part, she is, but there’s also a vulnerable scared little girl in there, too. I don’t think you’ve ever acknowledged that side of her. She can be hurt, Harry, and you hurt her.”
“I never meant to, Hermione.”
“Intentions don’t mean anything when it comes to being hurt by someone you love. I’m always amazed by your ability to accept, and even embrace, the flaws in those you love, me and Ron included, but you’re tougher on her for some reason, I noticed that a long time ago. She’s proud and competitive, and sometimes, it’s hard for those kind of people to fully open up, to share something that’s real but perhaps not very pleasant, especially when the person they love doesn’t encourage it, or allow for it, even.”
“Wow! That’s bloody brilliant. How do you understand all that?”
“Oh, Harry, what am I going to do with you?”
Still, she had made her point. Not that he had the vaguest notion of how to proceed. Was he supposed to just march up to Ginny and declare his intentions?
“Listen, Ginny, I think we should get back together.”
She’d never used the Bat Bogey Hex on him (she’d actually never used anything close to a hex on him) but that type of imperious, bossy pronouncement tended to provoke that reaction in her.
He could always try some spineless, wimpy begging.
“I want you back, Ginny. Please give me a chance, give us a chance.”
That would most likely be met with an equally unpleasant, although far less destructive, reaction: a sneer and a swift dismissal.
If only he could persuade Hermione to intercede for him, plead his case with Ginny. If anyone had any influence over Ginny, it was Hermione.
Hermione seemed convinced that Ginny still harbored romantic feelings for him. He wasn’t so sure. If she was carrying a secret torch for him, hiding fantasies of a happy reunion in her heart, she showed few signs of it.
He didn’t doubt that she still cared about him and that were he in trouble, she would move heaven and earth to come to his aid, but he found it hard to believe that there was a realistic possibility of them ever sharing a bed - or a life - again.
There was something … there. In the way. He’d done or said something or maybe it was something he hadn’t done or said, but he couldn’t figure out what that particular thing was. He almost wished he had a specific incident to point to.
“Remember that time I asked you if you loved me and you looked up from the Prophet and said, ‘What?’? Well, that did it.”
Of course, with women things were never that simple, or concrete. Women just had weird thought patterns. And they did the strangest things sometimes. What he really needed was a handbook on the mysterious behavior of women.
And then there was Ron, his best mate, who had no more of a clue about women than he had, yet had still managed to hang on to Hermione. And the majority of the time she even seemed pretty happy with him. It wasn’t fair.
Maybe he needed to just ask Ginny straight up. Why did you leave? What did I do? What happened to us? Is there any chance of us getting back together?
He knew Ginny would answer as honestly and fairly as she could, but would he like the answers?
The trouble was that their relationship had never been work, for either of them; it came so naturally, so effortlessly. They never had any trouble talking to each other about how they felt or what they thought. Ginny always seemed to know when he was upset or sad or frustrated, and she always knew how to handle him. He thought that he had known her moods as well and how to respond to them. Not that everything was perfect; they had their share of disagreements, the occasional confrontation and even a fight, once or twice. But never anything like…
He just couldn’t put his finger on it - but he knew it was real. He knew there was a moment, maybe more than one, when things might have taken another direction had he done or said something different. It was a wall of sorts, with him on one side and her on the other, and no discernable way to break it down.
He wondered if Hermione was right. Did he hold Ginny to a higher standard? He’d always thought of her as his greatest source of comfort, but in whom did she find comfort? With a start, he realized the question had never occurred to him.
He knew she trusted him and relied on him, but had he made it clear to her that when everything was going wrong, when she felt defeated and lonely, she could come to him for solace? Could she come to him and say, my world is falling apart and I don’t know what I’m going to do, confident of a sympathetic ear and soothing embrace? Had he been that silent support for her when she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, as she, so often, had been for him? Had he, upon seeing her hurt or discouraged, tried to console her with his touch, his physical presence?
He wondered if tonight wouldn’t be the ideal opportunity to discuss some of this with her. Not come right out with it, but prod her a bit, test the waters, so to speak. See if she was amenable in any way to something other than a limited friendship with him. He also wanted to sound her out on the mission that had been cut short. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t supposed to share the details of his work, but he trusted her judgment (more than some of the Aurors he worked with) and she never pressed him for specifics so he never felt like he was compromising the integrity of the mission.
It was worth a shot. Besides, if he remembered correctly, Ginny wasn’t a half-bad cook.
The End Chapter 3
Author: Newshound
Pairing: Harry/Ginny
Rating: NC17
Warnings: Adult language, graphic sexual content, OCs, spoilers
Summary: Harry and Ginny ended their relationship two years ago, but Harry has never lost hope of being reunited with his one true love.
A/N: Not every chapter will be NC17 and I will warn readers which chapters have graphic sexual content.
Chapter 3 is rated PG13 for language.
One Fine Day
By Newshound
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and company are the exclusive property of J.K. Rowling. This fiction is entirely for entertainment purposes and no money is being made from it.
Chapter 3 To Make You Feel My Love
When the rain is blowing in your face
And the whole world is on your case,
I could offer you a warm embrace,
To make you feel my love.
Harry treated himself to a brisk, invigorating walk back to his cottage after leaving Quality Quidditch Supplies. After spending almost a month on a mission in Albania, his small, modest home seemed like a mansion to him. He’d spent two heavenly nights sleeping in his very own bed, the familiar scent and feel of his pillow and blankets carrying him off into a refreshing, dreamless sleep.
He’d spent the better part of those two days restocking his pantry, tidying up his home and savoring the opportunity to flop down in his favorite chair, prop his feet up on the ottoman and do absolutely nothing. Sharing living quarters with his fellow Aurors, no matter how close the friendship and camaraderie was, eventually proved stressful to some degree, and to have the freedom to wake when he wanted to, lay about starkers all morning, or eat cereal for dinner went a long way in easing the pressure that always built up during a mission.
Seeing Ginny had been bittersweet, as it always was. She was so different from the girl he remembered, but then again, he, too, was different. It had been two years since they’d broken up, and while time had afforded him some measure of objectivity, it had also made painfully clear exactly what he had lost.
He wasn’t sure of why or how he’d lost it; the precise nature of the demise of their relationship still eluded him. There was a small compensation in the fact that he and Ginny were now on moderately friendly terms, and when they did happen to run into each other, even at Weasley family functions, they got along quite well. They were always polite and respectful, if a bit overly familiar on occasion. If he had to categorize their present relationship, he would call them casual friends. Not close friends or good friends, but not acquaintances, either.
Which, when he thought about it, was quite a large step for them. The six months that followed the breakup were not amicable in the least. He was at turns angry, hurt and confused. And the rest of the time he was hostile, resentful and bitter. Mostly due to the fact that Ginny had simply left, just walked out the door, no explanation, no warning, no regret.
He had woken up one morning, alone in their bed. Her clothes, pictures, jewelry and makeup were still there, but he knew somehow that she was gone and what had been left behind was excess baggage, something that would weigh her down, hold her back. Like him. She’d cut the ties, decisively and swiftly.
Of course, if he was being honest with himself, her departure hadn’t come as a complete surprise to him. Not that he’d seen it coming, not by any stretch of the imagination, but he acknowledged that their relationship had been tense and strained for months. Ever since….
But dwelling on that time only complicated matters. The truth was he didn’t need a letter; they were both restless and unhappy and made very little effort to hide it. They remained together, to him it seemed, mostly out of habit and apathy. Neither had the inclination, let alone the energy to make any significant changes to their life.
In a sad, embarrassing way it was almost a relief to see it end. It had been broken and suffering for a while, and perhaps putting it out of its misery could be construed as a merciful, although painful, act. Not that he believed for one minute that kindness had been the motivating factor for Ginny bailing on them. She couldn’t stand it anymore so she’d left. Simple as that. What did she care that Harry had been left to clean up the mess?
He felt the sharp stab of guilt.
Yeah, but you kind of left her with that other mess.
But not on purpose, he argued with the guilty voice. And honestly, I tried to be there for her. I didn’t just…
You might as well have, his conscience insisted.
“She’s the one who insisted on playing the martyr,” Harry said aloud. “She’s the one who pushed me away. She’s the one who walked out on me!”
And you were the one who let her stay gone.
He stopped suddenly and kicked his heel furiously into the cobbled street.
Damn it all to bloody fucking hell!
Why did he always fall back on these pointless, stupid arguments? None of it mattered now anyway. In the last few months, as he spent more time alone, in the quiet and dark with no distractions, the truth began to reveal itself to him: He’d made a terrible mistake.
His first year of being a fully-fledged Auror had been exciting and rewarding and left him little time for introspection or self-examination. A blessing in disguise, he now believed. And besides his career as an Auror, the distraction of finding a home and developing friendships and a social life proved the perfect medicine for his bruised and battered heart.
He was settled now, though. No more adjustments to make in his life. He had a profession he loved, a comfortable, cozy home, some fellow Aurors he considered close friends, Ron and Hermione, Luna, and Neville all kept in touch, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were still like family to him. With his life wrapped up in a nice, tidy package, he finally had plenty of time to reflect. Maybe not such a blessing.
He’d dated enough women in the last year to understand that what he’d had with Ginny was rare. Extremely rare. Being with other women only highlighted the fact that Ginny herself was an exceptional woman. She was smart, funny, caring and outspoken, not to mention fiery and bold, all qualities he admired and sought in the women he dated without fully realizing why he sought them.
He found himself comparing every woman to her. He knew it was unfair, but he couldn’t help himself. At first he thought it was just a normal reaction to breaking up with the only girl he’d ever shagged or had a serious relationship with, but after confiding some of his uncertainty to Hermione (still his best friend) she’d made him see that his feelings for Ginny hadn’t diminished and that as long as he still loved her, still wanted her, he would always see other women as second best.
That conversation was as fresh in his mind as the day he’d had it, even though that day was six months ago.
“So what do I do?” he’d asked Hermione.
“Harry, you love her and you want her back, whether you want to admit it or not. I reckon there’s nothing to do but to try to get her back.”
“But I don’t know if she wants me back. It’s pretty obvious that she’s moved on. From what I understand, lovers aren’t exactly in short supply for her.”
“I’m not saying it isn’t a long shot, but I think you’ve got to give it a try. I honestly believe that deep down, she still has feelings for you. I know she’s turned into a bit of a ‘party girl,’ but she’s young and headstrong and fiercely independent and it’s to be expected, quite frankly. I think, in many ways, her being so unconventional, her insistence on finding her way and being proactive about her life is what attracts you to her. She’s a free spirit, living by her own rules, and I think that’s very appealing - although a bit threatening - to you. She’s discovering herself right now and I think you should be encouraged by that. I think you should trust that no matter what’s happened between you she’ll always love you and always be your most loyal friend and staunchest defender.”
“Even if she is shagging other men.”
“Well, that’s up to you to convince her that you’re the only man for her. No reason you can’t throw your hat into the ring.”
“She’s already tossed it out, Hermione.”
“So? Toss it in again. You’re a stubborn, persistent Gryffindor. You won’t get anywhere with this defeatist attitude, you realize.”
“I know. It’s just…”
“Harry, look, I don’t know the whole story behind the breakup, she wouldn’t confide all of it to me, said she felt odd about interfering with our friendship, yours and mine she meant, but she told me enough to let me know that whatever it was, it devastated her. And that’s saying something, Harry. I think you need to have that pointed out to you. She felt like her whole life had gone topsy-turvy, and you know Ginny’s always been so tough, mentally and emotionally, so strong, and this just seemed to crush her. I know you see her as this sturdy, dependable person, Harry, and for the most part, she is, but there’s also a vulnerable scared little girl in there, too. I don’t think you’ve ever acknowledged that side of her. She can be hurt, Harry, and you hurt her.”
“I never meant to, Hermione.”
“Intentions don’t mean anything when it comes to being hurt by someone you love. I’m always amazed by your ability to accept, and even embrace, the flaws in those you love, me and Ron included, but you’re tougher on her for some reason, I noticed that a long time ago. She’s proud and competitive, and sometimes, it’s hard for those kind of people to fully open up, to share something that’s real but perhaps not very pleasant, especially when the person they love doesn’t encourage it, or allow for it, even.”
“Wow! That’s bloody brilliant. How do you understand all that?”
“Oh, Harry, what am I going to do with you?”
Still, she had made her point. Not that he had the vaguest notion of how to proceed. Was he supposed to just march up to Ginny and declare his intentions?
“Listen, Ginny, I think we should get back together.”
She’d never used the Bat Bogey Hex on him (she’d actually never used anything close to a hex on him) but that type of imperious, bossy pronouncement tended to provoke that reaction in her.
He could always try some spineless, wimpy begging.
“I want you back, Ginny. Please give me a chance, give us a chance.”
That would most likely be met with an equally unpleasant, although far less destructive, reaction: a sneer and a swift dismissal.
If only he could persuade Hermione to intercede for him, plead his case with Ginny. If anyone had any influence over Ginny, it was Hermione.
Hermione seemed convinced that Ginny still harbored romantic feelings for him. He wasn’t so sure. If she was carrying a secret torch for him, hiding fantasies of a happy reunion in her heart, she showed few signs of it.
He didn’t doubt that she still cared about him and that were he in trouble, she would move heaven and earth to come to his aid, but he found it hard to believe that there was a realistic possibility of them ever sharing a bed - or a life - again.
There was something … there. In the way. He’d done or said something or maybe it was something he hadn’t done or said, but he couldn’t figure out what that particular thing was. He almost wished he had a specific incident to point to.
“Remember that time I asked you if you loved me and you looked up from the Prophet and said, ‘What?’? Well, that did it.”
Of course, with women things were never that simple, or concrete. Women just had weird thought patterns. And they did the strangest things sometimes. What he really needed was a handbook on the mysterious behavior of women.
And then there was Ron, his best mate, who had no more of a clue about women than he had, yet had still managed to hang on to Hermione. And the majority of the time she even seemed pretty happy with him. It wasn’t fair.
Maybe he needed to just ask Ginny straight up. Why did you leave? What did I do? What happened to us? Is there any chance of us getting back together?
He knew Ginny would answer as honestly and fairly as she could, but would he like the answers?
The trouble was that their relationship had never been work, for either of them; it came so naturally, so effortlessly. They never had any trouble talking to each other about how they felt or what they thought. Ginny always seemed to know when he was upset or sad or frustrated, and she always knew how to handle him. He thought that he had known her moods as well and how to respond to them. Not that everything was perfect; they had their share of disagreements, the occasional confrontation and even a fight, once or twice. But never anything like…
He just couldn’t put his finger on it - but he knew it was real. He knew there was a moment, maybe more than one, when things might have taken another direction had he done or said something different. It was a wall of sorts, with him on one side and her on the other, and no discernable way to break it down.
He wondered if Hermione was right. Did he hold Ginny to a higher standard? He’d always thought of her as his greatest source of comfort, but in whom did she find comfort? With a start, he realized the question had never occurred to him.
He knew she trusted him and relied on him, but had he made it clear to her that when everything was going wrong, when she felt defeated and lonely, she could come to him for solace? Could she come to him and say, my world is falling apart and I don’t know what I’m going to do, confident of a sympathetic ear and soothing embrace? Had he been that silent support for her when she felt the weight of the world on her shoulders, as she, so often, had been for him? Had he, upon seeing her hurt or discouraged, tried to console her with his touch, his physical presence?
He wondered if tonight wouldn’t be the ideal opportunity to discuss some of this with her. Not come right out with it, but prod her a bit, test the waters, so to speak. See if she was amenable in any way to something other than a limited friendship with him. He also wanted to sound her out on the mission that had been cut short. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t supposed to share the details of his work, but he trusted her judgment (more than some of the Aurors he worked with) and she never pressed him for specifics so he never felt like he was compromising the integrity of the mission.
It was worth a shot. Besides, if he remembered correctly, Ginny wasn’t a half-bad cook.
The End Chapter 3