A Second Chance

Ginny ran up the limestone stairs to her dormitory, and threw open the mahogany door. She slammed it shut behind her and then slowly slid to the floor. 'Did I just tell him? What was his expression?' she thought to herself, not being able to remember many details from the past few minutes. She could only feel the burning in her cheeks, like being hit in the face with a snowball. She knew her cheeks would be as red as her fiery hair if she went to look in her mirror.

What had made her tell him? It was probably the stupidest thing she had ever done. 'He's probably sitting down there, laughing his head off. I've made such a fool of myself.' thought Ginny. She got up from the cold, hard stone floor and went over to her bed, where she laid down and fell asleep.

~*~*~*~*~

A few months had passed, but it seemed that just yesterday she had given up on Harry Potter. He had known of her love for him for what felt like an eternity and had still done nothing. She had always dreamed of growing old with him, being happy. The thought of a fairy tale romance had always left her heart warm and made a wishful sigh escape from her small cherry colored lips. Then again, anyone in the universe could be her Prince Charming on a valiant steed, if she just forced herself to believe it. And that's why she had given up on the boy who lived. It wasn't true love, it was an infatuation in his celebrity status that had grown over the years into an infatuation with his personality and physical appearance. He was the poster boy for all things fabulous in the world, and her heart had willingly bought into the image.

'I suppose I would still love him if it hadn't been for Cho....' Ginny thought to herself, tears slowly forming in her eyes despite her newly developed reasonings. Cho Chang had to be one of the prettiest girls in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her slim shape, luxurious raven colored hair, and her mysterious deep mahogany colored eyes that blended in with their pupils were nothing to compete with. How could her lanky body, limp ginger hair, and muddy brown eyes ever keep Harry's attention for more than a nano-second? When she had first seen Harry with Cho, it pained her so much. But over time, that pain had become like a scab, annoying but managable.

And so, Ginny spent most of her time pouring her heart and soul into an emerald green journal, filling up the uneventful parchment pages with her works of art and every day experiences. When she became bored with life, she would go back and read everything she had written. One of the poems she had written, shortly after Cho and Harry became a couple, was stuck in her mind 24/7.

shattered into pieces

drops of rain falling onto the slivers of hope and dreams

begging to be put together again

people passing by

stepping on the pieces

ruining any chance of recollection

a last ray of hope

a lost dream

a wasted tear

my lost dream

wasted tear

ray of hope...

fading into a dark sky

And Ginny knew somewhere in her being, that the sun in her life would shine again. But until it did, she loved, hoped, and dreamed to herself, and became cynical and bitter to the rest of the world.

~*~*~*~*~

It was a chilly December night, and Ginny sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, writing in her green journal, a blanket wrapped firmly around her. What happened next was rather unexpected. A Mr. Harry Potter had seated himself next to her.

"Hi Ginny, " he said to her quietly, as if fearing her reaction. Ginny laughed to herself at the thought of him cowering from her inside his head.

"Hey Harry," was her cool reply as she continued to write in her journal.

"I..I wanted to," Harry started, obviously trying to tell her something.

"Oh Harry, you know you can tell me anything. Go on," she told him, half distractedly, half interested.

Harry stared into Ginny's eyes, and time stopped for them. And out of nowhere, Harry leaned in closer, and got a taste of Ginny's cherry red lips. "The truth is, Ginny, I have a crush on you too," was Harry's comment as he pulled away. With a wink, he stood up and walked away from her. It was the final blow she needed, and her wall of security cam crashing down.

"Hey Harry!" she called out quickly.

"Yea Gin?" he replied, turning around slowly.

Ginny stood up, leaving the warmth and comfort of the couch and blanket behind. "I don't think I was given enough time to thank you," she replied as she drew near to him.

"Thank me? For what?" he questioned, not sure of her reply.

"For saving me a second time. Saving me from myself," she replied, and pulled him in for another kiss. This time it had a spark, which turned into a fire. 'This is what I always thought it would be like...' Ginny thought in shock. The sun in her life was finally peaking out from the clouds, and it was brought out by the last person she would have expected.