Chapter 5: Friends and Girlfriends
Christmas Eve
The Burrow
Harry was sitting near the window, looking out
at the stars. The sky was beautiful. Peaceful.
The air was cold. Harry was cold but he didn't
seem to mind. It was like a self-punishment for his acts.
His acts.
He sighed, thinking about Hermione.
How could he?
How could he be so insensitive?
He should have known…
He shouldn’t have laughed…
She wasn’t there. She had preferred to stay in
Bill’s apartment.
She had preferred the loneliness rather than to
be with him.
And he was alone.
Okay, he was in the Burrow, with the Weasleys
but without her he felt so alone, so in despair. Incomplete.
He wanted to say sorry. He wanted to hug her, say that everything was gonna be
alright. That he was there…
But he wasn’t. He wasn’t there when she needed
him…
Harry put his hands on his face. He wanted to
cry. The pain was so huge, so intense.
He had failed the most important person in his
life.
Harry Potter had failed Hermione Granger.
Last year was kind of a unique year. They had
succeeded in destroying the Horcruxes. Never had he, Ron and Hermione even been
so close but then after the ‘death of Nagini,’ they began to fall apart. Harry
didn’t know exactly when and how but the truth is, they had fallen
apart. Firstly it was Ron that began to date Luna and then…
Then was Ginny. They weren’t together anymore. Well,
at least not as a couple but somehow Ginny began to be closer to him and as
result, Hermione began to be distanced.
Harry wouldn’t have noticed that until…now.
Maybe Hermione thought that he and Ginny were
together again. How wrong! They weren’t together and somehow, Harry didn’t know
if he wanted to be with her anymore.
It was so bloody confusing!
And even if they were together, Ginny would
never substitute Hermione. Never.
Harry was lost in his thoughts when Ginny came
and sat beside him.
“Hey, you. What are you doing here, alone?”
she asked.
Without looked at her, Harry said, “Just
thinking. It’s a beautiful night.”
Ginny put a hand on his shoulder and whispered,
“Yes, a really lovely night. Harry-“
“Yes?”
“Please, look at me.”
Harry turned his head and faced Ginny. She was
beautiful. It was true but somehow Harry felt that something was missing. It
was like he was looking at a model on the cover of a magazine. It wasn’t magic.
Not anymore, that is, even if had ever been, he was beginning to doubt that
what he could ever have with Ginny could be magical.
“Yes, Ginny?”
Ginny didn’t answer; instead she put her arms
around his neck and kissed him.
Ginny Weasley was kissing Harry Potter. On the lips.
But Harry Potter didn’t kiss back.
“What the hell was that?” Harry practically
yelled after he pushed Ginny away from him.
“But…but Harry I thought….I thought that you
wanted this too. Oh, Harry!”
“What gave you that idea?”
“Oh, you are here. Alone.
Talking about the stars…”
“I was thinking,” he said and then added after
saw the look in her eyes, “and it wasn’t about you Ginny. I am sorry.”
“Oh. May I ask-?”
“Hermione,” he answered with a sigh.
It was almost impossible for Ginny to control a
groan.
“Harry, she isn't worth-“
A wave of anger invaded Harry’s body. How
dare Ginny?!
“What? She isn't worth it?! She
isn’t worthy enough for me to care about her? She isn't worthy enough of my
friendship?!”
Great, Ginevra Weasley! You are losing him!
“No, Harry, you misunderstood. Of course she is
worth your friendship. She is a wonderful girl. I just don’t see why you are so
preoccupied.”
“Ginny. We failed her. I failed her. We
laughed at her. I laughed at her! If anything, I'm the one
that's not worthy enough of her unwavering friendship! I'm not
worthy enough of her loyalty! I'm the one that's not good
enough!”
“Oh, Harry, everything is gonna be okay! Look
at Ron. He always seem to be laughing or whatever at her and-“
“But it’s different. It’s completely different,
Ginny.”
Once that was said, Ron arrived with
Luna. He had the same look as Harry. He had the look of having failed.
“How? You are talking like she is made
from glass!”
“Ginny,” said Ron. “You were right when you
said that I am always ‘fighting’ and laughing at her but it only happened with
trivial things like the SPEW, her books or whatever. It is our escape from the
madness. However, I never laughed at her about a serious issue. And now, I
failed her. We failed her,” Ron shook his head. “You will never
understand.”
“What? What I will never understand? Tell
me! I am sick of all these secrets! I am sick of you too treating her like she
was some kind of a princess! What could she have done?!”
“You know we can’t tell you Ginny,” said Harry.
He was tired. He was tired of this conversation. He was tired of have to say
time after time that what he, Ron and Hermione were doing was a secret. Why
didn’t Ginny understand that it was none of her business?
“Harry, I am your girlfriend!”
“Were.”
“What?”
“You were my girlfriend.”
“Okay,” her face was red “I was your
girlfriend! But this doesn’t erase the fact that we have a story together! And
maybe we aren’t together as a couple but we love each other! This situation is
only temporary I know that when the war is over-“
“Ginny,” Harry began.
“Okay, Harry I will not insist. But we can’t
compare our relationship with you and Hermione’s. I mean, I love her! Really!
But she is too different!”
“Yes, you are right,
Ginny we can’t compare our relationship-" 'what relationship?' he thought. "-with
mine and Hermione’s.”
Ginny smiled.
“We can’t compare because my relationship with
Hermione is thousands times more important than my friendship with you! It
will always be me, Hermione and Ron! Always!”
Ginny thought a train had hit her. She wanted to
scream! Damn Hermione!
Noticing the anger in Ginny’s eyes, Luna
decided to speak for the first time.
“Ginny, I understand what you’re feeling. I
felt this way when I started to date Ronald. I didn’t understand why he- and
Harry- needed her so badly. But then I realized that I couldn’t fight against
it. Hermione is part of their lives. If she doesn’t work, they don’t work. I
know they have secrets. Secrets that our world depends on.
But I know I can’t go against it. You want to know why? Because I know I will
lose. I know Ronald loves me. And I love him but she- and Harry- will always be
in first place. Girlfriends and Boyfriends can go away. Friends,
never.”
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A few days later
Suburb of
A black woman answered the front door of her
house.
“Hi, good afternoon. You must be Hermione Granger. Dean
is waiting for you.”
TBC