PhoenixSong.net :: A Harry/Ginny Fanfic and Fanart Archive

Author: legobean

Story: Harry Potter and the Toll of Destiny

Part: 19: Ginny's Ring

Rating: Teens

Status: WIP

Reviews: 39

Words: 7,872

Updated: August 25, 2008, 8:02pm

Printer Friendly Format

Chapter Navigation:

19: Ginny's Ring

Disclaimer: Hi! It's nice to meet you. My name is J K Rowling and this is the real story of what happened to Harry Potter...

What, you're not buying it? Really? What was your first clue that I was lying, the deep voice? Was it the lack of a British accent? Oh... well, yes you've guessed it -- I'm legobean and, unfortunately, due to a legal snafu I don't own the rights to Harry Potter. I tried to get them, but my time machine isn't working properly. As a result, I can't profit from this story. It's a sad state of affairs because time machines are really expensive to build. I could have used the money. You have no idea...

Harry stumbled as they landed. Cho attempted to hold him up, but her assistance caused him to overcorrect and he wrenched his knee as he tumbled to the ground with a hard thump. Cho's refusal to let him go caused her to be dragged down and she gave a delicate 'oof' as she ended up splayed on top of him, her legs straddling his thigh.

"What the hell?" Harry roared. "We have to go back!"

"No way," Cho groaned. "We got you out of there safely--well relatively--and that's the job."

"The job? Sod the job, my friends are in danger!" Harry shouted as he unceremoniously dumped Cho off of him. He stood defiantly and teetered as his injured knee protested and tried to dump him back to the ground. He winced as he gained his balance, and he concentrated on the Ministry ballroom.

"Harry, stop! You might be able to get through the wards, but there's a different protection around them called a Scattering Charm. I promise you if you get through, you will be Splinched beyond all recognition. They will not be able to put you back together again."

Harry growled in frustration. "Then how do I get out of here?"

"You can't. It's a one way trip. Once I activated the Portkey, the wards around the safe house activated, and nobody gets in or out for four hours. Your friends are going to be fine, Garry and Anton were there. There were other Ministry Aurors in the room. There's a blue line Floo connection to the Aurors' office. They will contact us as soon as they realize what happened to make sure you're okay. We'll ask about them then. Trust me, it's going to be okay." Cho was still splayed on the floor where Harry had dumped her. Harry ground his teeth as he realized he was stuck here. His eyes traveled over the crumpled form of Cho, noticing her disheveled clothing.

"Er, I'm, sorry about shoving you like that. Are you okay?" Harry looked away at nothing in particular as he spoke.

After a moment she asked, "Harry, could you give me a hand? It's not exactly easy to get yourself up from your backside when you're wearing these things." Harry extended a hand towards her, but his gaze stayed fixed on the wall. She grasped his hand and he pulled her up, wincing as he put the extra weight on his leg. "I want you to lean on me. I'm going to take you into the sitting room and I'm going to put you on the sofa."

Harry didn't respond at first. "I'm okay," he finally grunted.

Cho stood waiting for Harry to lean on her. She'd removed her heels and even though Harry wasn't very tall, she only came up to his shoulder. "Don't be such a caveman. Just let me help you." She wrapped her arm around Harry and started to lead him further into the house.

Harry grunted and found that he indeed needed Cho's help to walk. After the first couple of faltering steps the pain became such that Harry was leaning most of his weight on Cho, but her athletic form didn't seem to be struggling under his weight. They gingerly made their way into a comfortable sitting room that had a clean but slightly neglected look to it. "What is this place?" Harry asked, with strain in his voice, sweat beading on his forehead from the pain.

"It's my house," Cho said distractedly as she gathered some pillows. "Lie down here and I'll prop your legs up."

Cho helped him to sit while Harry fought the urge to groan as his knee protested bending. "I'm really fine."

Cho let out a long sigh. "I know you're fine, but humor me while I take care of your knee, all right? I'm no Healer, but I know enough to make you comfortable."

Harry was torn. He hated feeling vulnerable. On the other hand, his knee was killing him. "Uh..."

"Look, I'm not going to tell anyone you let me take care of you. But I'm not going to sit here and let your knee get worse, either. I need to take a look at it."

Harry studied her as she gazed at him intently. They stared at study one another for a long time before Cho blushed and turned away. "I'll just go get my Healing kit."

Harry looked around the room while she was gone. It was very sterile. There were only three visible pictures that Harry could see: a photo of her graduation from the Auror Academy, one of a couple that were obviously her parents and one of Harry and Cho that had been taken at the beginning of their Valentine's date in fifth year. It looked suspiciously like a Creevey original. Harry looked exceedingly unsettled and worried in the photo while Cho smiled coyly at him, whenever he glanced away. Colin always did have a gift for catching him at his weakest moments.

Cho returned with Healer's kit and was digging through it purposefully. "Does that picture mean something to you?" Harry asked, nodding his head towards the photograph.

Cho barely glanced at it before her eyes returned quickly to her search of the kit. "Of course it does."

"Well... it's just, that date was a disaster, and you know... we kind of broke up after. I wouldn't think you'd want to remember it."

"We didn't break up after that. We broke up after Marietta ratted out the DA and I failed to understand what she had really done. I have very fond memories of that date, up until the point I made an idiot out of myself." Cho said the last part with just a tinge of bitterness.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I'm a bit of an idiot when it comes to women. I should have been more sensitive. I'm afraid I needed to have the problem explained to me, in detail, by Hermione, before I figured out what I'd done wrong."

"It wasn't your fault, Harry, I was being stupid. I thought if I acted a little jealous and stormed out, you would come after me. Which would get us out of Madame Puddifoot's, where you clearly weren't happy, and give you an opportunity to tell me how you felt about me without a lot of pressure. It was such a perfect plan, except for the part where I didn't share it with you and you didn't follow me. Then, I got my feelings really hurt when you didn't care enough to chase me," Cho sighed. "But really, Harry, it was my fault. I was the one playing games." She smiled at him as she pulled a couple of vials out of the box.

The fire roared to life and a voice called out "Ms. Yuki Chang?"

Cho scrambled over to the fire. "Yes, I'm here."

"Please state the condition of your party."

"I'm uninjured; the principle has a minor knee injury."

"Spell damage?" the voice asked.

"No. We fell when I had to Portkey out without warning him."

"Does he require medical assistance?"

"He needs some pain potion and some treatment for swelling, I suspect. He should see a Healer in the morning, but I don't think it's urgent. I'm inspecting the injury now."

"I'm fine!" Harry yelled from the couch.

"See?" Cho said to the voice.

"Very well, Auror Chang. Good work."

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"Can you tell us if anyone was hurt in the attack, please?"

"The attacker you subdued was transported to St. Mungo's for trauma to his chest. Another attacker suffered a grade-three concussion and was treated before being taken into Ministry Holding. There were several minor injuries reported due to the panicked crowd, but no one else required transportation to St. Mungo's. The next most severe injury was the broken hand that occurred when the gentleman caused the concussion, but he assured us his wife could treat it when he returned home."

"Thank you. Any word on what was behind the attack?"

"I would prefer not to speculate, Ms. Chang. You will be notified once we have a chance to interrogate the men involved."

"Thank you, Commander."

"Keep up the good work." Harry saw the flames flare for a second and then die out.

"I told you, Harry, everyone is fine. As soon as we got you out, there was no reason for any of the attackers to continue fighting. It was the safest thing for everyone just to get you out. Especially you," Cho assured him.

"I still would have preferred to just stay and deal with it," Harry replied shortly.

"Of course you would, that's you. But my job is to make sure you're safe, no matter what. I didn't want to upset you, but I had to think of the mission first. I've sworn an oath to protect you, remember?

Harry nodded grudgingly. "Yeah, thanks for asking about them, at least. I'm glad nobody was hurt, but I want to check on everyone as soon as I can. It's my fault they were in danger."

"Harry, don't blame yourself. It was the fault of the idiots who attacked you, not yours. What I want to know is how they knew you were going to be there. It was top-secret information. I promise, we'll check on your friends first thing in the morning."

"How long till the wards go down?"

"I suspect they will come down just before five. We should get you patched up so you can get some sleep. We will head back to the Burrow in the morning and you can Floo them from there, okay?"

Harry nodded.

"Here take this; it will help with the pain," Cho ordered as she handed him a vial filled with a purple fluid. "This one is a sleeping potion--you can take it in a bit. I need to get a look at your knee." Cho placed the second vial on the side table. "Give the pain potion a chance to take effect and then I'll give it a look. I'm going to go see if I have any ice I can put on this." Harry downed the vial and Cho wandered off into the house.

When she returned a while later Harry's head was swimming just a bit. The pain potion had started to kick in--his knee still hurt a bit but he didn't care as much.

"Sorry I took so long, but I didn't have any ice so I had to use magic on some ice cube trays. Has the pain potion started working?"

"I'm not sure, my knee isn't that bad. You shouldn't fuss over it."

"My principle got hurt on my watch. I'm allowed to make a fuss," Cho answered defensively.

"So who's Yuki?" Harry asked mischievously.

Cho sighed a bit. "I am. Yuki Cho Huo Chang."

"That's a mouthful."

"Courageous butterfly of fire," Cho recited.

"That's beautiful"

Cho's cheeks darkened slightly. "Thanks."

"So, why Cho?"

"Well, I was Yuki until I came to Hogwarts. I was two when we moved from Hong Kong, and my mom provided the first two names. She had always called me Yuki, and it never bothered me until I got to grade school and everyone called me Yucky Chang. For whatever reason, the name stuck, and I thought I was destined to go through life as Yucky Chang. When I got my Hogwarts letter, I decided to go with Cho. It's harder to tease me about," Cho shrugged. "That's how people know me now and everybody but my boss and my mother respect that."

Harry nodded. "Thanks for telling me. I know what it's like to have a difficult childhood."

"Yes, you do, and I don't. I had a very happy childhood. The teasing wasn't a big deal; it was never that spiteful. I just wanted to start fresh when I got to Hogwarts. I would never compare my childhood to yours."

"How do you know about my childhood?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"Ah, the great Hogwarts grape vine strikes again!" Cho laughed lightly, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh, well, don't believe everything you heard from there, it was patently unreliable."

"I don't, but I heard enough to know some things about you. Padma and Parvati were sisters--they talked a lot. But since I know you never confessed your love for Parvati, I know it's not all true," Cho smiled. "Well, mister, I know you've been waiting your whole life to hear me say this, but take your trousers off." Cho giggled at the expression on Harry's face. "I need to examine your knee and you need to stop being such a brat about it." She looked at him sternly.

"I'm fine!" She mocked his words as he said them.

"Yes, I know you're fine. Here's the deal. Either you take your trousers off nicely and I examine your knee like someone whose job it is to take care of you, or I wrestle you for them. Personally, I hope you choose the latter, because a wrestling match on the couch with Harry sounds like a perfect end to my evening. The choice is yours. What's it going to be?"

Harry was completely incapable of speech. Was she serious, joking, or flirting? Which one of those three was the best option, really? "I don't really make a habit of sitting around the homes of women dressed in just my pants. You'll have to excuse me."

"Come on, Harry, off with the trousers. I'm not joking. I need to look at your knee. If you want, I'll promise not to peek."

"Fine," Harry grumbled. "But stop making jokes and keep your eyes to yourself."

"Yes, sir!" Cho saluted formally.

Harry undid his belt and gingerly eased his trousers down his legs. As soon as he got them past his knee, he stopped. Cho, however, was unfazed by this and simply shucked them off the rest of the way with a flourish. "Whoever said I was joking, Harry?" Cho ran her eyes the length of Harry's body. "Nice legs."

Harry groaned. "Cho, please?"

"Ooh, begging! Now we're getting somewhere!" Cho was beginning to lose her fight with the giggles.

Harry snatched at his trousers, but she jumped back from him. "No! Bad Harry! These are my souvenir and you're never getting these back." Cho danced around the room singing. "I've got Harry's trousers; I've got Harry's trousers."

He smirked in spite of himself. "I thought you were dying to examine my knee."

"Oh, right, your knee," she drawled. "I knew I was dying to examine something." Cho threw Harry's trousers over one of the other chairs in the room, and wandered back over to the couch.

She poked and prodded his knee a bit. It was clearly swollen, but the potion had taken away the pain. "Hmm, does it hurt when I do this?" She grabbed a hold of his leg and pumped it gingerly a few times.

"Not much, the pain potion seems to be working."

She put the bag of ice she'd made on Harry's knee. He noticed, however, that her other hand lingered on his thigh. She patted his thigh tenderly and said, "Well, either you're going to be fine and should probably see a Healer in the morning to get your ligaments examined, or you have only a few hours to live. One or the other. I can't tell which with the tools available to me. Just in case, is there anything you've ever really wanted to do before you expire? Something that could be accomplished in just a few hours perhaps?"

Harry rolled his eyes and gently removed Cho's hand from his leg. "I told you I was fine but you wouldn't believe me."

"You're hardly fine," Cho replied folding her hands in her lap, still sitting next to him on the edge of the couch. "You know there are more answers to that question than, 'fine', or 'I'm nearly dead.' You could say, for example, 'It hurts, but I'll be fine.' You've conveyed both the fact that it hurts, and that you don't think it's serious. Or to be totally truthful, you could say, 'It hurts like hell, but I'm too much of a prat to let a girl see me in pain.'" Cho grinned mischievously at him.

"Stuff it," Harry grunted.

"Oh, come on, I'm just trying to lighten the mood a little. I'd prefer you to be comfortable. You're the first guest I've had here in years. I'd like it if you had an enjoyable time. That way you might even want to even come back sometime."

"Can I have my trousers back, then?"

"No," Cho said sternly. "You need to keep ice on this for at least thirty minutes to help with the swelling. But I tell you what. I'm going to go change into something less formal. Maybe then you won't feel so underdressed, okay?"

"Can I have a blanket or something?"

Cho put her thumb and forefinger to her chin, feigning serious thought. "Hmm..." She eyed him warily, causing his face to burn once again. "If you're good, I'll think about it."

She turned her back and walked away. Harry huffed for a moment before a blanket sailed through the air and smacked him in the head. He arranged it around himself and finally started to get at least a little comfortable.

The ice on his knee and the bright lights were making it difficult to drift off. The fog in his brain fought for dominance and he found his consciousness drifting merrily around his head, careening into this thought and that. His brain seemed perfectly content to do whatever it felt, concentration seemed impossibly difficult.

Sometime later--it could have been five minutes or a day--he felt Cho settle next to him on the couch and her fingers brush through the fringe on his forehead. She had been running her fingers through his hair for several minutes before she spoke again.

"Harry?" He opened his eyes slowly, his head was swimming. Other than his knee which was still throbbing, he felt warm and comfortable. He found Cho gazing at him with an expression that he'd seen on her face before: It was back in fifth year in the Room or Requirement.

"Yeah?"

"I know I wasn't properly your date tonight, but thanks for showing me such a wonderful time. At least until those idiots showed up and ruined it. It was almost like we finally got our date to the Yule Ball. It was lovely." She leaned down and kissed him softly but firmly on the lips.

It took a moment for his potion-addled mind to register what was happening. It was soft and warm and wonderful and he felt his body begin to respond to the kiss. Cho's lips opened further in invitation and Harry pulled away. Cho's mouth followed his as he backed away, attempting to maintain the kiss until Harry brought a hand up and pushed her away. "Cho, stop."

Cho pulled back and groaned, resting her forehead on her hand. Her face disappeared behind a wall of hair. She sighed after a moment and then looked at him slowly.

"So, nothing? You didn't feel anything?" Cho asked tentatively.

"Cho, I..." Harry was stymied. Why did his brain lock up when Cho kissed him? Finally, he sputtered. "What was that about?"

"Didn't you ever wonder, Harry? What it would have been like if things hadn't been so messed up sixth year? If we hadn't fumbled so badly? If I'd been a little smarter about things? Didn't you ever want to know what we'd have been like?"

Harry blinked at her. "No," he replied, shaking his head.

Cho winced at that. "But you had a crush on me for years before anything happened. Surely you must have..."

"Honestly," Harry replied, "my life was so uncertain, I really never thought about things like that. I just wanted to stay alive for the next school year."

Cho sighed heavily, taking several deep breaths before she spoke again. "So do you think you and I will ever have a chance?" she asked softly.

"Cho, I'm in love with Ginny," Harry replied quietly.

"Then how come the two of you aren't together? She obviously loves you. If you both want to be together, then why aren't you already?"

"It's complicated."

"It's only complicated because you make it complicated. This right here, this is simple. I like you, Harry, I always have. If you want her, then be with her. If you don't want to be with her, then please, let's just see what's between us. We've danced around this the whole time we've known each other. Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Cho..." Harry faltered. He honestly had no clue what to say. "You're right. I do like you. I always have--and yes I think you're pretty and I had a crush on you in school-- but that's all, nothing ever came of it. We kissed once; we had one date. It's been years, Cho, I thought we'd both moved on, haven't we?"

Cho gripped her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment. "You moved on. I never did."

"But you and Michael..." Harry started.

"I was angry, Harry! Merlin, don't you know anything about women?"

"No..."

They sat silently on the sofa, neither looking at the other. Harry wasn't sure how to proceed. It was finally Cho that broke the silence. "Have you ever regretted anything, Harry?"

Harry snorted. "Have I ever made a decision I didn't later regret?" Harry asked derisively.

"I don't know." Cho shrugged. "I've never been very good with regret. After Cedric, and... then you, I just sort of stopped trying. I mean, the thing with Michael was less than nothing. I just can't seem to get close to anyone anymore. Everybody I've ever gone out with, I just end up comparing them to you or Cedric and they seem so... I don't know hollow, I guess. I try, but--there's never anything there. After Hogwarts I became an Auror because I thought you might notice me. I joined the Order of the Phoenix because I wanted to protect you. Then I took this job and I hoped maybe we'd rekindle things But mostly I just wanted to be a part of your life, you know?"

"Uh..."

"I don't want to be just an ex-girlfriend or a bodyguard. If I can't be something more, can we at least be friends?"

"Um...sure,"

"I mean it, a real friend."

"We can try; I mean, I hardly know anything about you, really."

"Well, you know that I suck at relationships."

"Who doesn't?" Harry laughed.

"You know I was the second-best Seeker in the history of Hogwarts."

"Do I, now?"

Cho blushed. "Well, that's what I tell my Dad anyway. He was heartbroken that I never beat you to a Snitch."

Harry laughed. "Give him my condolences."

"He'll get over it someday. It's better than listening to my Mum go on and on about my biological clock."

Harry smiled as they talked a bit about Cho's family. His eyelids kept getting heavier and heavier, until eventually he drifted off.

***

Harry woke up to a beam of sunlight shining in his eyes. By the amount of light, he thought it must be just before six. He glanced around, and not seeing Cho, attempted to sit up, but his knee immediately objected. He winced as he got himself upright. He looked around and decided his best bet for something to brace himself on was the arm of the couch. He thrust himself upright and stifled a scream as the pain from his knee flared horribly. He summoned his trousers from the chair where Cho had left them; it wasn't until they were in his hand that he realized his mistake. He limped over to the same chair his trousers had been resting on, braced as much of his weight on it as possible as he forced his trousers back on. The use of magic was the only thing that made it bearable through the pain.

His trousers finally wrestled into submission, Harry folded his dress robes over his arm and limped painfully towards the door. It opened without a problem, and Harry took enough steps that he felt himself pass through the passive wards. Not feeling anything particularly malicious in it, he decided the emergency wards must have come down. Harry concentrated as hard as he could on the hallway outside Ginny's room and Apparated.

His lip bled slightly as he bit into it to stifle the scream from landing on his bad knee. The stench of sulfur hung heavily in the air from the penetrated ward. Harry's skin felt slightly cooked--always a good indicator that he'd made it through a nicely-constructed ward-- and he was beginning to sweat from the pain in his knee. He staggered forward with heavy steps and knocked on the door he knew to be Ginny's. Not receiving an answer, Harry repeated the knocking until a very drowsy and tousled Ginny jerked the door open ferociously.

"What?" she demanded.

"Oh, thank Merlin, you're okay." Harry whispered with even more relief in his voice than he expected. "I'm really sorry; I just...had to see you."

"Harry?" Ginny asked in sleep-deprived confusion.

"I'm so sorry about last night. I was awful to you, and then I wanted to dance with you and it just," Harry paused, seeming to search for the proper description, "it all just got ruined. I'm just relieved you aren't hurt." Harry, for the first time since Ginny opened the door finally registered what Ginny was wearing: a very familiar looking 'I Love Harry Potter' t-shirt and a pair of boxers that he sworn he'd been missing.

Ginny's brain finally seemed to fully engage as the confusion cleared from her eyes and they began to sparkle with their customary mix of kindness and mischief. She closed the slight distance between them without a word and hugged Harry to her. He groaned involuntarily when she leaned her weight into him. She inhaled deeply, her head nestled against his chest. They stood there intertwined gently until Harry's discomfort started causing him to shake.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked alarmed.

"I, uh....just need to sit down."

"Well, come in, then," Ginny offered. The expression on her face immediately changed when Harry failed to hide his considerable limp while he took the few steps into her room. "You're hurt!"

Harry grimaced, "It's nothing."

Ginny made a strangled, exasperated cry in frustration. "Idiot. Do you want the chair or the bed?"

Harry looked at the chair and realized he would never be able to bend his knee properly to sit in it. "Bed," he finally decided.

Ginny tried to help him get settled on the bed, but he just pushed her hands away as her ministrations only seemed to cause more pain. When he finally settled back on the headboard, she told him to stay put while she got Hermione.

"Ginny, don't wake them. I'm really okay."

"Right, like you're such a credible witness that I'm going to believe you," she scoffed. "I'll be right back."

"Did you scoff at me?" Harry asked in a hurt tone.

"Scoff, scoff," Ginny paused, "scoff, scoff, scoff, scoff. You are a terrible liar. Now shush, I'll be back in a sec."

Ginny returned in a moment with a worried-looking Hermione. "Harry, what happened?"

"Nothing. I told Ginny it wasn't a big deal. I just wrenched my knee a little." Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes in unison.

"Uh huh," Hermione stated flatly, turning to Ginny. "Where's he hurt?"

"His left leg; his knee, I think."

"Mate, what are you doing in my sister's bed?" a grumpy and sleepy-looking Ron asked from the doorway.

"Sleepover," Harry answered.

"Oh, you better really be hurt." Ron grumbled.

Ginny stomped over to where Ron was standing and socked him as hard as she could in the shoulder.

Ron yelped and Ginny growled back. "He bloody well better not be, or I'm going to cover you in bruises."

"Okay, Harry, off with your trousers," Hermione coaxed. "I need to look at it."

"Why does everyone keep saying that to me?" Harry asked offhandedly, not moving an inch.

All three heads in the room turned towards him. Hermione's face lined with surprise. Ginny's face painted with outrage. Ron appeared to be trying to X-ray him with his eyes.

"Who else said that to you?" Ginny demanded.

"Well, Cho. She wanted to see the damage," Harry said defensively, surprised by Ginny's tone.

"And did you let her?" Ginny screeched. She was clearly losing control.

"Ginny, nothing happened. She gave me some pain potion and some ice. I slept on the couch."

Ginny's eyes narrowed as she glared at him, but she held her tongue.

"Seriously, Harry, either you take them off, or I cut them off."

"Ginny, get out of here--you shouldn't see this," Ron urged.

"No, this is my room. You get out of here." Ginny spat back.

"Both of you get out of here," Hermione stated in a harassed voice. When both of them started to object, she continued. "Harry deserves privacy. Give me a minute to check him and then Ron and I will go back to bed so you and Harry can talk. Okay?"

Neither appeared to be in any particular hurry to leave but made a hasty exit when Hermione gave them a warning look that her sons were all too familiar with.

After she declared that Harry would live but would need to go see a healer who specialized in joint injuries after she got some sleep, she gave Harry some Vicodin for the pain. When Harry looked at them skeptically, she huffed. "Well, I don't know what Cho gave you and you can't mix pain potions." She then dragged Ron bodily back towards their bedroom.

"You can't leave the two of them alone in her room," Ron argued as Hermione dragged him away.

"First of all, Ron, they are both adults and they can do whatever they want. Secondly, Harry isn't in any condition to ravage your sister. Thirdly ..." Harry and Ginny weren't able to hear what Hermione's third point was, as she closed the door to their room and the sound became muffled.

Ginny stood on the far side of her room next to the door. Neither of them was quite willing to look at the other. An awkward silence settled between them, as neither seemed quite to know what to know what to say, but had decided that they didn't want to fight anymore. Harry finally settled on, "Nice shirt."

Ginny's cheeks colored slightly but she finally raised her eyes from the floor and looked at him defiantly. "Thank you, it's quite comfortable and it's 100% cotton."

Harry nodded, grinning. "Yeah I know. I used to have one just like it. Last time I saw it, it was a rather smart button-down, though."

"Hmm?" Ginny replied. "Do you have trouble keeping track of your clothes?"

"Now that you mention it, I noticed just the other day that one of my favorite pairs of boxers had gone missing. I don't have many clothes, you see, so I notice these things."

"I have noticed that you don't have much of a ... selection." Ginny smirked.

Harry laughed. The tension between them was gone and Harry thought he might as well get on with it. "I really am sorry about last night, Ginny."

"Forget it, it's over," Ginny interrupted. "I'm only sorry that I didn't get my dance."

"Can I make it up to you?" Harry asked tentatively.

"What did you have in mind?" Ginny asked teasingly. "Are you actually planning to ravage me in my own bedroom?" She was clearly fighting to keep the grin off her face as she watched him color.

Harry grinned and refused to take the bait. "I was actually just hoping for a real date?" Harry felt his blood run cold after it was out there. He'd finally done it; he'd asked Ginny on a real date. He couldn't believe how nervous he was over her answer.

"Well, I'll have to check my social calendar. I've been seeing this guy you know," Ginny replied.

Harry felt like he'd been slapped "I...I...I," he sputtered. "I didn't know." He stared at her unable to comprehend what she was saying.

"Harry, don't be daft. It was a joke! I spend all my free time with you. I've spent more nights at the Burrow in the last month than I have combined since I finally escaped that prison." She smiled widely at him. "Of course, I will go out on a date with you." She hesitated, seemingly mulling over something in her mind. "Truthfully, it kind of bothers me. You still thought I'd say no. What exactly is it you think I've been waiting for all this time?"

Harry looked up at her but didn't respond. She came over and sat on the edge of the bed. She took Harry's hand in hers and stroked it gently.

"Is there anywhere you want to go?" Harry asked.

Ginny shook her head and then seemed to reconsider. "It doesn't matter. Someplace romantic would be nice, but if you're taking me, I'd go anywhere." Ginny continued stroking his hand and Harry could feel tension easing out of his body. All the stress of the previous evening was flowing out of him through her fingertips. After a few minutes, she grasped his hand more firmly. "I've been meaning to talk to you for the last couple of weeks, but it's been hard to get you alone."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. It's just... well... Hermione said some things to make me realize what an idiot I was being." She looked up at him with a meek expression.

"I don't know what you mean. It's my fault we've..."

"I know how you feel about me," Ginny blurted, cutting him off. "I act like I don't sometimes, and I don't know why. I've known, Harry, in here," she said tapping her chest. "Even if you never say it, I can tell--and it isn't fair that I've questioned that. I'm sorry."

"Uh..." Harry started, searching for some sort of intelligent reply. "Things have been such a mess. I mean, it's confusing, sometimes even I don't know what I'm feeling," Harry tried, feeling stupid because he couldn't think of what to say.

Ginny grimaced. "Not really. I get angry and it clouds things sometimes, but I always know how you feel about me. Always." She continued stroking his hand and began using her fingers to caress his palm.

"I've been really unfair to you."

"I'm sorry, Ginny, you've lost me. How can you know?"

Ginny extricated her hand from his and held it in front of him. "Do you remember giving this to me?"

Harry looked at the ring on her finger. Indeed, Hermione had returned the memories surrounding the ring to him just a few weeks before. He nodded.

"Did you know what it was? Did you know what it does?"

***

The expression on Harry's face told her plainly that he didn't know. The part of her that had been hoping for all these years that the ring's significance had been intentional finally let go. The strands of hope that the ring had been more than just a Christmas present broke away, after years of clinging to her heart.

"It belonged to Ravenclaw," Harry answered.

Ginny nodded. She released his hand and settled close to him. She was going to need to feel the contact with him to get through this. "Yes it did, but it belongs to me now. It's quite easily the most amazing gift I've ever received." She smiled lost in her own dream for a moment. It still was her dream, even if Harry hadn't known its significance. "It's entirely possible that this is the most amazing gift any man has ever given a woman."

Harry looked exceptionally confused and very cute. "I'll explain, but this is going to take a little time so be patient."

"Back before the founding of Hogwarts, when Rowena Ravenclaw was still a very young witch, she was in love. The wizard in question was named Garanwyn. He was from a large family of magical jewelry makers in Wales. He himself was a great warrior against the forces of dark magic, rather like you in a way. It was a very dark time in what would become magical Britain; the different Muggle kings were fighting almost constantly and wizards were feared. The Muggles had taken to killing witches and wizards--witches especially. The forces of light and dark magic were fighting a terrible war, as they seem to at least once each century, and Garanwyn was called away from Rowena to take part in an offensive against the dark wizards. She was terrified for his safety, and although it was not the first time he'd had to leave her to fight, the fighting had been getting more and more violent. Wizards were being killed at an alarming rate, and Rowena was concerned.

"In an effort to comfort her, Garanwyn had his family make this ring. The ring was his promise to young Rowena that he would always love her and that he would return to marry her. The ring is enchanted so that if true love exists between the giver and receiver, as long as that love remains, the wearer of the ring can feel the life-force of the person who gave it to them. It also provides several different protections to the wearer. She cannot be forced to harm her beloved, it provides protection for the witches ...erm, virtue with anyone but her beloved, and in the event that her beloved is killed, she cannot be harmed at the hand of the person who killed him."

"Oh," Harry replied.

"Let me finish," Ginny shushed him. "Garanwyn didn't make it back from that war. He was gone for almost two years and when he was struck down, Rowena knew the moment it happened. Simply put, she was bereft. Her heart never recovered from the loss of Garanwyn. She wore the ring for the rest of her life. Eventually the dark forces were put down, and she went on to found a school with two other wizards and a witch to try and rebuild the magical community. The ring passed to Rowena's niece upon her death and it remained in that part of the family, passing from mother to daughter. Eventually the magical portion of that family died out, and Rowena's jewelry came to be in the hands of a Muggle that Tom killed when he took the tiara. Apparently the ring was better hidden. Hermione says you found it in a shop and purchased it. When you sent it to me for Christmas, you reactivated the magic. When I wore it for the first time, the enchantment was sealed and I immediately knew something was very different. I could feel you, Harry. I don't know exactly how I knew it was you, but I did." Ginny fought herself to try to stop the tears that had started trickling down her cheeks. "You can't know how it felt to feel your presence again after missing it every day for four months," she sniffled. "You can imagine my reaction, given my history with enchanted objects; it scared me, but when I tried to take it back off, I found that it wouldn't budge."

"You can't take it off?" Harry gasped. "Ginny, I'm sorry I..."

"Harry, stop!" Ginny interrupted him mid-apology. "This ring is the only thing that's kept me sane while you were gone. If you are sorry for giving it to me, it would hurt me more than you can possibly imagine."

Harry's mouth stayed open wide, and finally he said, "I've never done anything with the intention of hurting you."

Ginny nodded her acceptance and continued. "So, once I accepted that it wasn't going to come off and I was sure that it was you that I was feeling, I wore it proudly. I waited much like Rowena had for you to return to me, once you had finished your task. Like Garanwyn, you did not." Ginny turned away from him as the tears finally won the battle and ran down her face in earnest. Harry attempted to pull her closer and get a better grip on her, but she pushed him away and turned her face from him.

When she had regained most of her composure and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her T-shirt she started again. "I finally decided to research the ring after you disappeared. I wanted to find out what it meant when the feelings in the ring changed. It took some time, because the only books it's mentioned in are Welsh. And ...well, I'm not a great translator, but I did eventually find the information I was looking for. Beyond whether you are alive or not, it changes a bit based on how you're feeling about me at that particular moment. When you're close by, it's like I can almost hear it hum, and when you feel alone or are far away from me, it feels like ice on my finger.

"So, when I came back to visit..."

"I always knew. Before anyone else knew, I always knew you were close. I swear, sometimes it felt like you were right next to me."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember any of my trips back to see Ron and Hermione. They've mentioned them, but I don't remember them."

She rearranged herself on the bed, so that she was on her knees while sitting on her feet. She took his hand in hers, grasped it firmly and did her best to look steadily into his eyes. "Harry, I've had the benefit of knowing that you loved me these last nine years. Unfortunately, while I think you've needed them just as much, you haven't gotten the same assurances. Please know, there wasn't one day while you were gone that my feelings wavered. These last few weeks have reminded me of something important: I want us, Harry. Whatever us takes, however long this takes, I want you and I to be together and I'm no longer willing to let the past dictate the terms of our future."

"What does that mean, exactly?" Harry asked hesitantly, but the hope in his voice was unmistakable.

"That means that whatever happened while we were apart, I accept it--as long as you follow a couple of rules."

Harry looked at her with trepidation written on his face. She recognized it because it was exactly the same thing she was feeling. "The rules are that we have no more secrets. I want the whole package, Harry, all the warts and scars. Rule number two is no more running away from me; we face our problems together. It's okay to be scared or angry, but whatever you're feeling, you have to stay and work it out with me. If you say yes, then I won't be shielded from the hurt or the ugly moments. No more censoring your life from me."

"Ginny, it's not that simple. There are things....things you shouldn't have to know," Harry answered grimacing.

"I don't care... those are my terms. Can you do that?"

Harry looked at her for a long moment. "Is this an ultimatum?"

"No," Ginny shook her head, feeling she messed this up somehow. "It's just--well we need something to build on, and you need to know I won't quit loving you. I promise."

Harry gave her a goofy grin, but he nodded. "I can't promise I'll never hold anything back, but I'll try to be less..." Harry trailed off.

"Stupid?" Ginny supplied.

"I was going to go with guarded, but I mean as long as we're shooting for the stars, why not?" Harry laughed then and Ginny needed to kiss him. She moved up and pressed her lips to his, snaking her arms around his neck. Feelings she'd had bottled in her heart for years were springing out and she felt wild, out of control, and threw a leg over Harry so she could get better access. It wasn't until she was reaching for the buttons on his shirt that she realized he was shaking. She pulled back and looked at him more carefully and she could see the muscles in his jaw and beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry. I just got carried away." Ginny blathered as she scrambled to get her weight off of him.

"It's fine, don't stop," Harry groaned.

She'd already extracted herself from him and she shook her head. "We have our whole lives for that, Harry. We can at least wait until you can enjoy it."

"I was enjoying it."

Ginny snorted despite her effort not to. "Don't ever change, Harry. Don't ever change." She rested her head on his shoulder, careful to keep the rest of her weight off of him. It wasn't long before the pain medication got to him and Harry started snoring softly into her hair. She sighed contentedly. If only today could have come years ago, where might they be now, Ginny wondered to herself. She kissed Harry's arm gently and settled next to him, just enjoying the feel, the smell and the sound of being close to the man she loved.

A/N:

Yes, yes, Hermione has some Vicodin around her house. Don't forget that she has a degree in Muggle medicine and sometimes Muggle remedies are easier to keep around the house.

And so ends part one of Harry Potter and the Toll of Destiny. There are two more parts. Part two is almost finished in my initial pass. Part three exists only in my imagination. We are, however about half way through the story. All of you who were itching for some H/G you finally got some! For all of you who are waiting for the return to the Pensieve, you're up next!

I really can't tell you how much all of your reviews at the end of the last chapter meant to me. It really gave me a boost I needed. Thanks to all of you who left me reviews and even thanks to Kezza who refused to talk to me after I let Cho run off with Harry in the last chapter.

Chapter Navigation: Previous Next