One for the Road

Ginny Weasley was angry, angrier than she'd been in a long time, and considering her temper, that was saying something.

It wasn't fair. Yes, she was supposed to be the supportive girlfriend, supposed to wait patiently for his return, but sometimes she just wanted to grab him and shake some sense into him. It wasn't supposed to be like this!

His periodic returns to the Burrow were supposed to be filled with stolen kisses and covert glances. Instead, every time he came back he acted as though he couldn't see her, as though she were completely invisible.

Ginny did not like being invisible.

He would walk around the house, talking in hushed tones to Ron, Hermione, even her parents, but never to her. He never talked to her. Even when she purposefully placed herself in his path so he would bump into her, he would merely step away with a terrified look in his eyes. She couldn't even get a simple "excuse me" out of him.

She understood that this mission was wearing on him. She understood that he had to keep things hidden. It was fine, it really was, and Ginny didn't mind being left out of their secret discussions. She did, however, mind being avoided and ignored.

And of course, it was only Harry who was treating her this way. Hermione talked to her and tried to include her in the group, and Ron still acted like the annoying older brother he always had been; for this, Ginny was grateful, but it wasn't the one thing - the one person - she wanted.

If she didn't love him so much, she might be tempted to give him a swift kick in the arse.

Scratch that, she was tempted. Stupid prat. Did he think she wouldn't notice? Did he think she wouldn't care? Noble cause or not, there was no reason for him to be completely ignoring her!

Well, Ginny Weasley wasn't the sort of girl to sit by and watch while her life happened around her. No, she would ask her questions and get her answers... even though she had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn't like them.

~~~~~

Harry listened half-heartedly to Hermione's discussion with Mr. Weasley as they sat around the kitchen table. He just couldn't seem to focus. It felt as though his mind was moving in a thousand different directions and he couldn't keep up with it. Finally he stood up and left the room without a word, pushing his way through the front door and out into the yard.

The warmth of the late summer air felt good as it filled his lungs. He wished the rest of him felt that good. The past few months had been agony, and his occasional visits to the Burrow had merely added to that pain. It wasn't supposed to be like this.

If only she wasn't so beautiful. If only she wasn't the one person he'd rather be with than anyone else in the world. He would give up everything just to be by her side. He would give up this quest just to have one more moment with her, to have her save one more smile just for him.

If only.

But Harry knew it wasn't possible. He couldn't have her, at least not now. Not until it was all over. He knew it; she knew it. Unfortunately, knowing and doing were two completely different things.

~~~~~

"Harry, I'd like a word with you."

She crossed her arms across her chest and waited for him to turn and face her. When he did, the look in his eyes nearly weakened her resolve, but she was determined to have her say. "You've been avoiding me, and I want to know why."

He didn't respond; he didn't even move. He just stared at her. No, he stared through her.

"Bloody hell, Harry! Answer me!" she snapped, feeling her temper rise.

"You know why," he whispered hoarsely.

Her jaw dropped. "No, Harry, I don't know why! This is not one of your acts of heroism! I know we can't be together. I've accepted it. I even understand it! But I will not be avoided and ignored! I don't deserve to be treated like I don't exist!"

This time he didn't even meet her eyes.

Rage rose from fury and she lashed out, her small hands hitting his chest and knocking him to the ground.

"Hey!" he shouted angrily at her retreating back.

She didn't look back as she tossed the final words behind her. "I'm through with you, Harry Potter."

~~~~~

Harry pushed himself to his feet and stormed after her. "You're through with me? What does that mean?"

She spun around and the fire in her eyes caught him in the chest. "I'm not answering you until you answer me! Why, Harry? Just tell me why!"

He hesitated, the words sticking in his throat. He just didn't know what to say, how to explain what was going on in his head.

She sighed in frustration and turned away again. "I never would have thought you'd turn out to be a coward." She began to make her way back up the hill to the house, her steps slow and her shoulders heavy under the weight of defeat. Harry's heart clenched and paralyzed him with fear. He was losing her. He was really losing her this time.

"Wait."

Her stride faltered, but she didn't turn around. "Harry..." Her voice was thick with unshed tears.

Harry covered the distance that separated them and, reaching out to grab her hand, he pulled her to his chest and pressed his lips to hers.

He felt like a man in a desert who had finally found an oasis. Months without her kiss, her touch, had taken their toll on his heart. His tears mingled with hers as she clung to him. He finally pulled away, his limbs shaking from the sudden deprivation of her closeness. His voice was rough when he spoke. "And that, Ginny, is why I've been avoiding you."

~~~~~

Ginny's head was still reeling from his kiss. "I... I don't... what?"

Harry took a few steps back, as though trying to distance himself from her. "That's why, Ginny. That's why I couldn't look at you or talk to you. I knew that as soon as I did, I would have to be near you, I'd have to touch you."

She frowned, her heart still racing in her chest. "And that's bad?"

He nodded. "I want you more than I want to complete this mission. I want to forget it all and just stay here with you for the rest of my life. But I can't be that selfish. I can't deny who I am for what I want."

Ginny reached out a hand to touch him, but he stepped away nervously. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know how to tell him that she understood, how to tell him that it was all right. She merely stared at him for a moment before she made her decision.

She kissed him with every bit of passion she possessed, letting him know that she loved him, that she understood him, and that she was letting him go.

Then she looked into his eyes one last time before whispering, "That's one for the road."

FIN