1 fic - challenge #70, "summer holidays".
Title: Summer Before The Seventh
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Characters/Pairing: Harry/Ginny, a little implied Ron/Hermione
Summary: Harry thought that breaking up with Ginny before the war was a good idea... until he agreed to spend a week at the Burrow before Bill and Fleur's wedding.
Word Count: 1,010
Author's Notes: More words! :D
Registered purchases?: Both registered.
Staying with the Weasley family, Harry is rapidly discovering, has become a bit of a challenge.
It’s probably his own fault. Okay, well, he knows it’s his own fault. If he hadn’t opened his big mouth at the end of term, he and Ginny would still be together. They might have been able to take some time away from thinking about war and devastation and destruction to swim in the pond at the edge of the Burrow’s property. They might have been able to lie around in the grass and watch dragonflies buzz by, momentarily blocking out all the horrors in the world around them. The summer was warm and beautiful, and if Harry didn’t have to focus all his energy on finding the remaining Horcruxes, he and Ginny could have had a blissful, perfect summer together.
But life for Harry Potter almost rarely reaches blissful, so why would he even bother wishing for what he can’t have?
Wishing for what he can’t have. Yes, that’s the problem he’s having this summer.
Because, of course, he’s staying with the Weasleys. Originally he’d sort of planned to head out in search of the Horcruxes, alone, as soon as school let out. Except things kept cropping up, and now it was almost Bill and Fleur’s wedding, and he knew Mrs. Weasley would skin him alive if he missed that. And he didn’t much relish the idea of going off and surviving a battle with Voldemort only to return home and be fileted by the only woman who’d ever treated him as a son. So now here he is, putting in a week at the Weasleys before he can leave with Hermione and Ron on their journey.
It’s just that, when he’d agreed to stay, he’d completely forgotten that Ginny would be spending all her time at the Burrow, too. Not that she’d really be anywhere else - she is a Weasley, after all, and she’s more expected to be at her eldest brother’s wedding than Harry himself is. But he hadn’t really thought about just how difficult it would be, spending the summer with Ginny after breaking up with her.
They avoid each other, for the most part. Not in a nasty way; Ginny doesn’t leave a room when he enters, and she doesn’t gossip or pass slander around to her family members when Harry’s back is turned. But she doesn’t exactly pay him any mind, either. She mostly passes through the Burrow as if he isn’t even there, and that’s probably the hardest part of the whole thing.
He knows he was right to break it off with her, as much as his heart tells him he’s a complete madman. He knows the consequences, knows just how much Voldemort delights in harming Harry’s loved ones. It’s like a sick sort of game to him, just another fun way to get at the famous Harry Potter, and it’s disgusting. Harry cares too much for Ginny to put her in that kind of danger. He’s hoping that, when all is said and done, he’ll be able to come back to her. He’s hoping that she’ll wait for him, even though he’d never dare ask her to.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t drive him crazy, though, having to spend days on end in close quarters with her. He remembers what it’s like to kiss her, how her lean, lithe body pressed against his as if she was made to fit against his chest. He remembers the smell of her hair and the sound of her laugh, and those two things bounce around the Burrow so often that he’s starting to think she’s doing it on purpose. But she never seems to notice how much it’s all affecting him - how much she’s affecting him - and maybe he will leave early, after all.
“Listen, mate,” Ron says one day, jerking Harry out of his daze. Harry turns his eyes away from where Ginny is folding napkins on the long kitchen table and sheepishly faces his friend. Harry knew that Ron trusted him with Ginny, that Ron would rather he be dating Ginny than anyone else at Hogwarts, but he also knew that Ron would mostly prefer if no one were dating Ginny. Harry’s feelings for Ron’s little sister were a bit of a touchy subject, one that they’d silently agreed not to discuss unless absolutely necessary.
“Sorry,” Harry apologizes immediately. He isn’t sure what Ron’s going to say next, but he is sure that an apology will likely be necessary at some point. Best to get it out of the way right upfront.
Ron shrugs and picks up a potato peeler. “If you’re going to crack before we leave, just don’t shag her where I can hear you, yeah?”
Harry almost chokes on his own tongue. “I’m - I’m not planning on shagging her,” he says, his voice an embarrassed whisper, “and please, for the love of Merlin, keep your voice down.”
“Sometimes you don’t have to plan it,” Ron says. Harry catches Ron’s gaze flick over to the couch, where Hermione sits with a book on her lap and Crookshanks pawing at her knee. Harry’s not quite sure what that’s all supposed to mean, but doesn’t think this is the best time to bring it up. He can save that one for later.
“Nothing’s going to happen with me and your sister,” Harry assures him, handing Ron a potato.
Just then, as if she senses she is being talked about, Ginny raises her head and smiles across the room at Harry. It’s the first time she’s smiled at him, really smiled at him, since the day they broke up. It sends a jolt through Harry’s navel, and he’s not sure if he smiles back, blushes, or waves in response. There’s a decent chance he does some odd combination of all three.
Ron’s eyes travel from Harry to Ginny and back again, and then snorts out a laugh. “Sure, mate,” Ron says, clapping Harry on the back and plopping the potato peeler into his hand. “Sure it’s not.”
end.
POINTS:
1,037 words / 30 = 33.6 34
+ 10 points (purchases) =
44 POINTS FOR HUFFLPUFF!
Janna/Hufflepuff
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Characters/Pairing: Harry/Ginny, a little implied Ron/Hermione
Summary: Harry thought that breaking up with Ginny before the war was a good idea... until he agreed to spend a week at the Burrow before Bill and Fleur's wedding.
Word Count: 1,010
Author's Notes: More words! :D
Registered purchases?: Both registered.
Staying with the Weasley family, Harry is rapidly discovering, has become a bit of a challenge.
It’s probably his own fault. Okay, well, he knows it’s his own fault. If he hadn’t opened his big mouth at the end of term, he and Ginny would still be together. They might have been able to take some time away from thinking about war and devastation and destruction to swim in the pond at the edge of the Burrow’s property. They might have been able to lie around in the grass and watch dragonflies buzz by, momentarily blocking out all the horrors in the world around them. The summer was warm and beautiful, and if Harry didn’t have to focus all his energy on finding the remaining Horcruxes, he and Ginny could have had a blissful, perfect summer together.
But life for Harry Potter almost rarely reaches blissful, so why would he even bother wishing for what he can’t have?
Wishing for what he can’t have. Yes, that’s the problem he’s having this summer.
Because, of course, he’s staying with the Weasleys. Originally he’d sort of planned to head out in search of the Horcruxes, alone, as soon as school let out. Except things kept cropping up, and now it was almost Bill and Fleur’s wedding, and he knew Mrs. Weasley would skin him alive if he missed that. And he didn’t much relish the idea of going off and surviving a battle with Voldemort only to return home and be fileted by the only woman who’d ever treated him as a son. So now here he is, putting in a week at the Weasleys before he can leave with Hermione and Ron on their journey.
It’s just that, when he’d agreed to stay, he’d completely forgotten that Ginny would be spending all her time at the Burrow, too. Not that she’d really be anywhere else - she is a Weasley, after all, and she’s more expected to be at her eldest brother’s wedding than Harry himself is. But he hadn’t really thought about just how difficult it would be, spending the summer with Ginny after breaking up with her.
They avoid each other, for the most part. Not in a nasty way; Ginny doesn’t leave a room when he enters, and she doesn’t gossip or pass slander around to her family members when Harry’s back is turned. But she doesn’t exactly pay him any mind, either. She mostly passes through the Burrow as if he isn’t even there, and that’s probably the hardest part of the whole thing.
He knows he was right to break it off with her, as much as his heart tells him he’s a complete madman. He knows the consequences, knows just how much Voldemort delights in harming Harry’s loved ones. It’s like a sick sort of game to him, just another fun way to get at the famous Harry Potter, and it’s disgusting. Harry cares too much for Ginny to put her in that kind of danger. He’s hoping that, when all is said and done, he’ll be able to come back to her. He’s hoping that she’ll wait for him, even though he’d never dare ask her to.
That doesn’t mean it doesn’t drive him crazy, though, having to spend days on end in close quarters with her. He remembers what it’s like to kiss her, how her lean, lithe body pressed against his as if she was made to fit against his chest. He remembers the smell of her hair and the sound of her laugh, and those two things bounce around the Burrow so often that he’s starting to think she’s doing it on purpose. But she never seems to notice how much it’s all affecting him - how much she’s affecting him - and maybe he will leave early, after all.
“Listen, mate,” Ron says one day, jerking Harry out of his daze. Harry turns his eyes away from where Ginny is folding napkins on the long kitchen table and sheepishly faces his friend. Harry knew that Ron trusted him with Ginny, that Ron would rather he be dating Ginny than anyone else at Hogwarts, but he also knew that Ron would mostly prefer if no one were dating Ginny. Harry’s feelings for Ron’s little sister were a bit of a touchy subject, one that they’d silently agreed not to discuss unless absolutely necessary.
“Sorry,” Harry apologizes immediately. He isn’t sure what Ron’s going to say next, but he is sure that an apology will likely be necessary at some point. Best to get it out of the way right upfront.
Ron shrugs and picks up a potato peeler. “If you’re going to crack before we leave, just don’t shag her where I can hear you, yeah?”
Harry almost chokes on his own tongue. “I’m - I’m not planning on shagging her,” he says, his voice an embarrassed whisper, “and please, for the love of Merlin, keep your voice down.”
“Sometimes you don’t have to plan it,” Ron says. Harry catches Ron’s gaze flick over to the couch, where Hermione sits with a book on her lap and Crookshanks pawing at her knee. Harry’s not quite sure what that’s all supposed to mean, but doesn’t think this is the best time to bring it up. He can save that one for later.
“Nothing’s going to happen with me and your sister,” Harry assures him, handing Ron a potato.
Just then, as if she senses she is being talked about, Ginny raises her head and smiles across the room at Harry. It’s the first time she’s smiled at him, really smiled at him, since the day they broke up. It sends a jolt through Harry’s navel, and he’s not sure if he smiles back, blushes, or waves in response. There’s a decent chance he does some odd combination of all three.
Ron’s eyes travel from Harry to Ginny and back again, and then snorts out a laugh. “Sure, mate,” Ron says, clapping Harry on the back and plopping the potato peeler into his hand. “Sure it’s not.”
end.
POINTS:
1,037 words / 30 = 33.6 34
+ 10 points (purchases) =
44 POINTS FOR HUFFLPUFF!
Janna/Hufflepuff