| It�s just one more day No one said there would be rain again Won�t blame it on myself, yeah I�ll blame it on the weatherman Harry watched his quill quietly scratch across the surface of his grueling Potions essay. It was a pain being in an advanced potions class just because he had decided to be an Auror. It was a surprise that he had passed that owl to begin with. Now it was taking its toll. He looked up at Ron quickly and then back at his essay. Ron looked happier than ever, which was an odd occurrence during the time in which he was doing homework. However, there was a reason for his happiness and Harry knew all too well what it was. Harry glanced up once again to see if Hermione was just as happy as Ron, and sure enough, she was. A small smile played on her lips while she wrote and her eyes were bright. It had been a long time coming, but Ron and Hermione were finally an official couple and had been since September. It�d happened in the midst of a passionate argument, which Harry had unfortunately witnessed half of. He escaped during the gruesome part and didn�t find out until later how it had ended. But it made him happy. At least they were happy. Get away for a while Here I am out on my own again Won�t blame it on myself, yeah I�ll blame it on the weatherman Ron set his quill down and sighed. �Done.� �Finished,� Hermione corrected, glancing up at him quickly to see his reaction. He rolled his eyes. �Well excuse me!� She set her quill down and closed her book. She turned and looked at Ron imploringly, subtly raising her eyebrows, as if daring him to tease her. �Finished, my dear?� �Yes, as a matter of fact. Now I�m ready for a spot of dinner. Are you?� �Hermione, honestly, you know me better than that. Do I ever turn down food?� She only smiled at him, a smile Harry noticed Hermione only gave to Ron. It always made Ron a completely submissive sod, but it always did the trick. He ran right to her, took her hand and made his way out of the portrait hole with her. Harry smiled in spite of his friends and set down his quill, sick and tired of his essay. It was funny to him that his best friend could become so weak in the hands of the girl he loved the most, but then again, he had no room to criticize. Except, unlike his best friend, he couldn�t do it openly. He had to conceal all of it. No one knew he was in love. Standing on the shore Calling out your name I was here before I could see your face Harry slouched in his chair and rubbed his face. He wasn�t going to let this get on his mind. Whenever he thought about it, it completely depressed him. He didn�t want to be depressed for the rest of the night. He had enough going on in his life without the thought of his private love for another. He turned to gaze out the window and noticed that the sky had gone completely white, as it tended to do in the winter. He took his glasses off and set them on the parchment he�d been using and stared at the clouds. For some reason, whenever he removed his glasses, he could see cloud outlines better in the winter sky and everything seemed clearer. It was odd. Then again, when was Harry Potter ever normal? Only clouds will see Tears are in my eyes Empty like my heart Why�d you say goodbye? His sixth year at Hogwarts had been no easier than his first five, if not harder. He thought in his third year that a certain fourth year Ravenclaw named Cho Chang was exactly what he wanted. In his fourth year, he thought it had been hard watching her from a distance, knowing he�d never be able to have her. But it was in his fifth year that he realized Cho was all wrong for him. Kissing Cho hadn�t been a mistake. She just wasn�t Ginny. He finally recognized his love for Ginny as he sat and thought about her over the course of the summer. He didn�t know why he�d become so jealous when Hermione informed him of Ginny�s attachment to Michael Corner, and he wasn�t sure why he�d completely overlooked the fact that she was probably the only other person close to his age that had faced Voldemort head on. He spent almost three months wandering around, unaware of his feelings and not sure of how he felt about anyone or anything. He remembered being numb until he found Ginny one cold night in November by herself in the common room. It was then he knew, he had to tell her. He had to pour out his heart to her or she�d never understand. She probably wanted nothing to do with him. He�d spent almost five years completely ignoring her and all of a sudden he was ready to love her? So he said it, and she loved him too. The rain goes on (on and on again) The rain goes on (on and on again) The rain goes on (on and on again) Harry watched in his blurred view out the window. It was starting to snow. The flakes were gently hitting the glass. He reached over and grabbed his glasses so he could get back to work. The essay was due in a couple of days and he knew it was Hermione�s influence that inspired him to continue his work, just to get it done. Bloody women, he thought bitterly to himself. Just as his quill touched the paper, Hedwig landed on the windowpane, nearly scaring him to death. He opened the window quickly so as not to leave her out for too long and let her in. She was carrying a large, lumpy package. He frowned. The only people who ever gave him Christmas presents were already at the school. Alone I can hear Hear our song playing for me again Won�t blame it on myself, oh no Just blame it on the weatherman He took the package from Hedwig, offered her a piece of his Chocolate Frog, and sat down again. The package was from Remus, the last person he had expected to hear from. He ripped it open quickly, wondering what Remus could possibly be sending him. The first thing that fell out was a letter. Harry bent down to read it as he pulled out the contents and set them down in front of him. �Merry Christmas, Harry! I hope this letter finds you well. I am still working and am very happy to be doing so.� Harry knew by �working,� Remus was referring to the Order. �I decided this year that sending you a gift was probably in both of our best interest. Not that this in any way can make up for what you�ve lost,� Harry didn�t miss how he wrote �you�ve� instead of �we�ve�, �but I thought it might cheer you a bit. I found these in the attic of the Black manor. They used to belong to your father. Have good holidays, Harry. Remus� Harry set the letter down and felt the tears threaten his eyes. He couldn�t let himself cry, not with so many people in the common room around him. He leaned over and picked up the gift. He yanked it out of its protective covering and was surprised when something small shot out at him. The biggest thing he�d pulled out was a soft, scarlet sweater. It was hand knit and reminded him very much of the sweaters Mrs. Weasley always made him. He unfolded it and saw, to his delight, the word �Seeker� sewn in gold on the front. He turned it around and saw �Potter� knit onto the back in large gold lettering. He smiled but his smile only broadened when he caught a glimpse of the inside. To James, with love from Lily. His mother had made it for his father. He once again felt the tears in his eyes but something else caught his eye. Standing on the shore Calling out your name I was here before I could see your face The small object that had flown across the table was now resting at the very corner. He reached over and picked it up. Upon seeing what it was, he almost dropped it. A diamond ring. A very small, diamond ring. It had very obviously been his mother�s, and Harry couldn�t believe it. Remus had sent him the ring, as if he knew. But how could Remus, of all people, know? Harry and Ginny were the only two who knew. As Harry gazed at it longer and longer, Ginny kept returning to his thoughts. This ring would look so perfect on her small, delicate hands. The portrait hole opened and Harry jumped. The people who had been occupying the common room were now leaving for dinner. He knew he wasn�t at all hungry and had no intention of moving from that exact spot. He was lost in thought. How was he going to give this to Ginny without it becoming common knowledge that they were together? The door opened again and Harry looked up to see a familiar head of bright red hair making its way in. He clumsily shoved the ring in his pocket and pretended to get back to work. But it was too late, because the common room was empty and both he and Ginny had noticed it and each other. Only clouds will see Tears are in my eyes Empty like my heart Why�d you say goodbye? �Good evening,� she said politely, as if they were just acquaintances. Harry�s heart ached. If only she could just run into my arms and kiss me like I want to be kissed. If only I could just grab her and slip the ring on her finger. �Done with dinner?� �Finished. And yes I am.� Harry looked up at her, dropping his quill unexpectedly. Ginny and Hermione spent far too much time together. �That was quick.� �Aren�t you going to go eat?� They were both saying this at the same time and they stopped, looking at each other warily. Harry cast a glance around the common room. There was absolutely no one in there. There was no one in sight, they were all eating dinner. Maybe he had a chance. He wanted to take it. He stood up just as Ginny took a step toward him. Harry had never realized how big the common room was or how fast his legs could carry him when he was really looking to get at something. The rain goes on (on and on again) The rain goes on (on and on again) The rain goes on (on and on again) Ginny jumped into Harry�s arms and buried her face in his neck. He squeezed her so tightly he was sure she�d soon be complaining that she couldn�t breathe. But she did nothing of the sort. Now the tears flowed down his cheeks freely. He�d been so close to crying all night and there was absolutely no one he felt comfortable crying in front of except for the woman he loved, the woman in his arms. He saw that she too was crying when she lifted her head up to look at him. He placed his hand on her cheek and brought her in to kiss. He couldn�t get enough of her sweet, yearning lips. They were all his, and at the same time, they weren�t. She pulled from the kiss and touched his face desperately. �How long has it been since we�ve kissed?� �Five days,� he whispered in answer almost a second later. It had been five agonizing days since he had been able to taste her. It was almost too much to love her and not express it openly. �I don�t know how I�m supposed to do this anymore, Harry. I love you too much,� she said, resting her forehead on his. �I know, love,� he said. He felt in his pockets for the ring. Now was the time to give it to her. Maybe it�s too late Maybe it�s too late To try again Maybe I can�t blame Maybe I can�t blame The weatherman �Ginny.� �Harry.� There was silence again, for Ginny had placed her lips on Harry�s and kissed him with determination, as if she was trying to make the kiss last for the rest of her life. When she had finally pulled away, Harry let his right hand wander into his pocket and he kept his left hand clasped in hers tightly. �Ginny, I want you to know-� But he couldn�t finish the sentence. The door to the common room burst open. Ginny and Harry jumped apart hurriedly. Ron and Hermione had found their way back into the common room, holding hands and laughing like they�d just had the time of their lives. It had only been dinner. Hermione stopped and looked up. Her smile faded and she asked, �What are you two doing in here? Did either of you go to dinner?� �Yes� �No.� They answered in unison once again. They cast a dark glance at each other and then quickly looked back to Ron and Hermione. Ron was gazing at them suspiciously and Hermione was only frowning. Harry looked at Ginny briefly, but it was long enough for Harry to assure Ginny that he had meant ever word he had spoken to her. She smiled at him tenderly (a smile he wanted to be his) and looked away again. The rain goes on (on and on again) The rain goes on (on and on again) The rain goes on (on and on again) �I�m ready to retire, Hermione. What about you?� Ginny asked, stretching into a fake yawn. �Yes. I�m tired as well,� Hermione replied. She looked back and forth at Ginny and Harry. Harry innocently glanced back at her, not meeting her eyes. Hermione only walked toward Ginny, took her gently by the arm, and walked up the stairs to the girls� dorms. Harry walked over to his essay and sat down. Ron walked over and sat across from him, eyeing him carefully. Harry tried his hardest to act like Ron wasn�t staring at him but it didn�t work. After a few minutes, Harry threw down his quill and demanded, �What?� �You look different.� Harry frowned. Of all of the things for Ron to say, he had definitely not been expecting that. �Come again?� Harry asked. �You look different,� Ron repeated. �You looked really stressed out when Hermione and I left, but now you look like you� I don�t know� you don�t look happy,� Ron rambled. Harry pretended not to know what Ron was talking about. Instead, he looked away and closed up his books. There was no way he was going to get his Potions essay done. He couldn�t focus. Not after Ginny had kissed him the way she did. �Well?� Harry looked up and frowned at Ron. �Well what?� �What�s that?� Ron said, nodding toward the sweater. �Oh!� Harry handed the sweater to Ron and explained what it was. Obviously, Ron had changed subjects completely while Harry had tuned him out. It didn�t matter. He was too tired to care. Ron left Harry in the dorm while he changed into his pajamas. Harry found himself inside his poster hangings, thinking about the ring in his pocket. He had no idea when to give it to Ginny and how he was going to explain it. Was he going to ask her to marry him? No, they were far too young for that. She was only fifteen. It was a love ring. A pre-engagement ring. Something that would let Ginny know that no matter what, he would love her no matter how much they couldn�t be together. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone in his entire life. And he wanted her to love him for the rest of it. Oh, blame it on the weatherman |