Fic: Quiet
Title: Quiet
Author: jamieln612
Pairing: Harry/Ginny
Rating: PG
Word Count: 950
Summary: A night in the common room ends differently than Harry expected.
Author's Note: Written for the hpgw_otp Passage of Time Challenge. My prompt was "a night." This is just a little HBP missing moment, taking place shortly after Dumbledore's death. Any mistakes in this are my own :)
Harry sat on the floor of the common room, staring into the empty fireplace. It was rather late at night and he had considered lighting a fire, but there was really no need for one. It was a hot night in June, and a fire would have made the room unbearable.
He couldn’t sleep, hadn’t been able to for the past two nights. His mind was constantly racing, unable to focus on just one thing. It flickered back and forth between Dumbledore, Snape, and Horcruxes. Every time his eyes closed, he saw his professor falling off the tower, and Snape fleeing with Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters. He could almost feel the weight of the fake locket in his hand, the note from R.A.B. folded up inside. No matter what he tried, the thoughts wouldn’t escape him. He felt angry and confused, and no amount of deep breaths seemed to help it go away.
He really wanted to fall into a deep sleep, and hope that the morning would bring a different reality, one where everyone he loved wasn’t in danger. It was a pointless wish, though. He knew that as long as Voldemort was out there, there would be very little possibility of him getting a good night’s sleep again.
His legs were stretched out on the floor in front of him. He could feel the cotton t-shirt he was wearing stick to his skin in the heat of the room. He wiped the sweat from his palms off on his pajama bottoms, mainly just for something to do. He was feeling restless. What he really wanted to do was fly, but he knew there would be no way of escaping the castle’s walls. There were Aurors everywhere. Harry would be the last person they’d let outside.
His wand sat on the floor next to him, and he picked it up, twirling it between his fingers. He considered casting a cooling charm to get rid of some of the heat, but he couldn’t even be bothered. The temperature of the room was almost suffocating, and at that moment it was the one thing keeping his mind free from his thoughts.
He had been considering going back up to his dormitory, where he could close the curtain around his bed and hide from the world. Just as he considered actually standing up, he heard a creak on the girls’ staircase. It was quiet, he could barely make it out, but without turning his head, he knew whose footsteps had made the sound. He could always tell when Ginny entered the room. It was just a feeling he had; it made the hairs on his arms rise in the most pleasant way.
He could tell that she was standing at the foot of the stairs, taking in the sight of him sitting on the floor. He didn’t say anything, or even look in her direction. He just waited.
Harry listened as she walked across the room; he could tell she was close, but not close enough for his liking. Ginny didn’t join him on the floor, instead choosing to sit on the couch behind him. He heard the creak of the old piece of furniture as she sat. He could smell the scent of her shampoo. It was instantly recognizable to him.
He couldn’t be in the same room as her and not be near her. So he stood up and turned around to look at her, his toes digging lightly into the soft carpet.
Her hair was rumpled from sleep, or lack of sleep as the tired look in her eyes indicated. Even tired-looking, Harry thought they were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Once he started staring into the deep brown color of them, it became hard to pull away. He could see the freckles he knew so well on her shoulders, standing out brightly in contrast to the white strap of her shirt. Some day, if I ever have the time, he thought, I’ll count every last one.
Without even realizing what he was doing, he made his way over to the couch. He didn’t plan it, but rather than sitting next to her like he normally would have done, he found himself laying down, resting his head on her lap. Her arms lifted to welcome him, and her fingers started slowly running through his dark, messy hair. Harry could feel her fingers on his scalp. It helped comfort him in a way he never thought possible.
There was so much they could talk about, and he knew they would have to soon, but he enjoyed the quiet, and the fact that they didn’t need to talk, but could just sit without any words. Conversations about Dumbledore and what came next could wait for another day. For now, just being together was enough. His hand that was resting on her knee gave a slight squeeze. Her hand stilled for a moment before her fingers continued their movement through his hair. They still remained silent.
Harry lay there, enjoying the closeness and comfort that placing his head on her lap brought. He could hear the ticking of a clock coming from a distant corner of the room.
Knowing that she was right there with him, and the gentle way her fingers were touching him, helped him to finally relax. He could feel the anger and frustration he had felt all day slowly leave him. When he had climbed down the stairs a few hours earlier he thought he would be awake all night, but a short while later, in the quiet of the common room and at peace with Ginny, he drifted off to sleep.
Author: jamieln612
Pairing: Harry/Ginny
Rating: PG
Word Count: 950
Summary: A night in the common room ends differently than Harry expected.
Author's Note: Written for the hpgw_otp Passage of Time Challenge. My prompt was "a night." This is just a little HBP missing moment, taking place shortly after Dumbledore's death. Any mistakes in this are my own :)
Harry sat on the floor of the common room, staring into the empty fireplace. It was rather late at night and he had considered lighting a fire, but there was really no need for one. It was a hot night in June, and a fire would have made the room unbearable.
He couldn’t sleep, hadn’t been able to for the past two nights. His mind was constantly racing, unable to focus on just one thing. It flickered back and forth between Dumbledore, Snape, and Horcruxes. Every time his eyes closed, he saw his professor falling off the tower, and Snape fleeing with Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters. He could almost feel the weight of the fake locket in his hand, the note from R.A.B. folded up inside. No matter what he tried, the thoughts wouldn’t escape him. He felt angry and confused, and no amount of deep breaths seemed to help it go away.
He really wanted to fall into a deep sleep, and hope that the morning would bring a different reality, one where everyone he loved wasn’t in danger. It was a pointless wish, though. He knew that as long as Voldemort was out there, there would be very little possibility of him getting a good night’s sleep again.
His legs were stretched out on the floor in front of him. He could feel the cotton t-shirt he was wearing stick to his skin in the heat of the room. He wiped the sweat from his palms off on his pajama bottoms, mainly just for something to do. He was feeling restless. What he really wanted to do was fly, but he knew there would be no way of escaping the castle’s walls. There were Aurors everywhere. Harry would be the last person they’d let outside.
His wand sat on the floor next to him, and he picked it up, twirling it between his fingers. He considered casting a cooling charm to get rid of some of the heat, but he couldn’t even be bothered. The temperature of the room was almost suffocating, and at that moment it was the one thing keeping his mind free from his thoughts.
He had been considering going back up to his dormitory, where he could close the curtain around his bed and hide from the world. Just as he considered actually standing up, he heard a creak on the girls’ staircase. It was quiet, he could barely make it out, but without turning his head, he knew whose footsteps had made the sound. He could always tell when Ginny entered the room. It was just a feeling he had; it made the hairs on his arms rise in the most pleasant way.
He could tell that she was standing at the foot of the stairs, taking in the sight of him sitting on the floor. He didn’t say anything, or even look in her direction. He just waited.
Harry listened as she walked across the room; he could tell she was close, but not close enough for his liking. Ginny didn’t join him on the floor, instead choosing to sit on the couch behind him. He heard the creak of the old piece of furniture as she sat. He could smell the scent of her shampoo. It was instantly recognizable to him.
He couldn’t be in the same room as her and not be near her. So he stood up and turned around to look at her, his toes digging lightly into the soft carpet.
Her hair was rumpled from sleep, or lack of sleep as the tired look in her eyes indicated. Even tired-looking, Harry thought they were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Once he started staring into the deep brown color of them, it became hard to pull away. He could see the freckles he knew so well on her shoulders, standing out brightly in contrast to the white strap of her shirt. Some day, if I ever have the time, he thought, I’ll count every last one.
Without even realizing what he was doing, he made his way over to the couch. He didn’t plan it, but rather than sitting next to her like he normally would have done, he found himself laying down, resting his head on her lap. Her arms lifted to welcome him, and her fingers started slowly running through his dark, messy hair. Harry could feel her fingers on his scalp. It helped comfort him in a way he never thought possible.
There was so much they could talk about, and he knew they would have to soon, but he enjoyed the quiet, and the fact that they didn’t need to talk, but could just sit without any words. Conversations about Dumbledore and what came next could wait for another day. For now, just being together was enough. His hand that was resting on her knee gave a slight squeeze. Her hand stilled for a moment before her fingers continued their movement through his hair. They still remained silent.
Harry lay there, enjoying the closeness and comfort that placing his head on her lap brought. He could hear the ticking of a clock coming from a distant corner of the room.
Knowing that she was right there with him, and the gentle way her fingers were touching him, helped him to finally relax. He could feel the anger and frustration he had felt all day slowly leave him. When he had climbed down the stairs a few hours earlier he thought he would be awake all night, but a short while later, in the quiet of the common room and at peace with Ginny, he drifted off to sleep.