Secret Love

Secret Love II: The First Betrayal

"Harry, hurry up, we'll be late!" Ginny exclaimed, calling for her boyfriend Harry to catch up. They were rushing to catch the Hogwarts Express, after an all too short summer vacation. Harry and Ginny had been Hogwarts' favorite couple for almost a year now, and they were still going strong.

"Coming, love!" Harry called back, rushing for the barrier between platforms 9 and 10 at Kings Cross Station. Though trying his hardest to be inconspicuous, it wasn't easy to rush through a solid brick wall without attracting some attention.

"I'll save you a seat," Ginny said to Harry, through the wall. It still amazed Harry how even after so long, the sound of her sweet, feminine voice still thrilled him, sending chills down his spine and all throughout his body. He rushed through the wall, eager to see her lovely face again.

And a lovely face it was, indeed. Long, glimmering red hair the color of rust fell down her back in soft waves, ending in a few tiny ringlets at the small of her back. Harry couldn't begin to count the number of times he had run his hands through that hair, grasping it like a lifesaver during some of their most passionate moments. She had warm brown eyes the color of melted chocolate, highlighted with streaks of amber and gold, that could see through your own eyes and right into your mind. Many times, Harry had caught himself gazing into her eyes for far too long of a time. Ginny had lips as red as cherries, soft and smooth, lips that seemed to beg him to kiss her. Lips that, when she was happy, curled into the most breathtaking smile he had ever seen, but when sad, would push out in the most heartbreaking pout Harry could imagine. Harry had lost track of how many times he had kissed her irresistible lips, how many times he had given in to her seductive sulk, and how often he found himself smiling just because she was. He couldn't believe that this beautiful girl -no, woman- used to be his best friend's ungainly younger sister. She had long since grown into her long arms and spaghetti legs, and she was no longer rail-thin and shapeless. Ginny, now sixteen years old, had changed a lot. She had a curvy, feminine body, a body that Harry often found himself dreaming of. Harry blushed madly, remembering his most recent dream, and tried to think of other things.

"Harry! I need to see you up in the front of the train!" Another seventh year prefect Harry recognized, but didn't know called to him.

"Ginny, I'm needed in the front. I'll be back in a little while," Harry said and gave her a quick peck on the lips. He had to fight the temptation to run back and gather her into his arms. Instead, he tore himself away from her and walked out of the compartment.

When he finally reached the front car, he saw a group of prefects sitting together, talking in low voices. The boy who had called Harry walked up to him.

"Have you met the new girl? She's an exchange student from America, a school called Woodsong Academy of Witchcraft. She's come to Hogwarts for the year due to some strange circumstances that no one really knows about. Dumbledore's requested that you show her around, you know, play tour guide for a few days. What do you say?" the boy asked Harry. Although Harry wasn't fond of the idea of not spending all his spare time with Ginny, he couldn't turn Dumbledore down. So Harry agreed.

"That's great Harry, thanks! The girl, Laine Parrish, has arrangements to meet you in the entrance hall before the start of term banquet. You can't miss her... she'll be the one with the horrid American accent," joked the prefect. Harry chuckled and excused himself. He couldn't wait to see Ginny again.

As he walked back down the train, he wondered who this Laine Parrish was. He soon reached the last car, where Ginny had saved him a seat. He opened the door and walked in, only to see that Ginny had not only saved him a seat... she'd save him a whole car!

"I thought you might like some privacy," she said, with a coy smile. Harry grinned; he knew he looked stupid, but he couldn't help it. Sometimes he got the feeling that she could read his mind. "So what was all that about, Harry?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Dumbledore asked me to show a girl from an American school around. Her name is Laine Parrish and she's from Woodsong. She's going to be here for a year or two," he explained in a defeated tone.

"I'll show her around too! I think it'd be fun to get to know an American. Well, all except for that beastly accent!" she said, her voice overflowing with enthusiasm.

Harry considered this for a moment, then asked "Are you sure?".

"Yes, of course!" she agreed, and it was decided.

When the Hogwarts Express finally came to a stop in Hogsmeade Station, Harry and Ginny climbed off and headed towards the castle. They were silent for most of the way, walking together hand in hand. Then Ginny broke the silence.

"Harry, this girl, Laine was it? She's not going to cut into our alone time, is she?" she looked as if she had been thinking of this for a while.

"Of course not! I want to spend as little time with her as possible. In fact, the second she knows her way around, she's on her own!" he exclaimed. Ginny couldn't tell if he was kidding or not.

As they approached the stately doors that led to the entrance hall, Harry got a funny feeling in his stomach, as if something bad was about to happen. He quickly pushed the thought away, crediting it to hunger; he hadn't eaten anything since breakfast.

They pushed open the doors and saw a petite girl, with dark brown hair. She looked to be about Harry's age, and was impatiently twirling a strand of hair around her fingers.

"Er, are you Laine?" Harry asked uncertainly. He wasn't sure if this was the girl he was looking for. For some reason, he had pictured her to be much younger.

"Yes, and you are..." she asked briskly. She glanced at Ginny, quickly taking in the features that Harry loved so much. The warm brown eyes, the shiny red hair, and her full red lips. Harry could have sworn her saw a flash of contempt in Laine's eyes, but it disappeared just as fast as it had come.

"Harry Potter. And this is my girlfriend, Ginny Weasley," he said, as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

Her gaze flickered from Ginny to Harry, and she studied him for a moment. He saw her examine his jet black hair and green eyes with interest, and Harry felt himself go red. She flashed him a smile that was obviously flirtatious and said seductively "I think I'm going to like it here after all."

Harry saw, or rather felt, Ginny go tense and she said in a stiff, strained voice, "Yes, I hope so." She smiled at the girl, but Harry could tell right away that she already hated Laine with a passion.

Harry led the girls into the Great Hall, occasionally stopping to point out a classroom, or a particularly friendly painting. Laine seemed to be bored with the whole experience. In fact, the only thing that she had shown any intrigue for was Harry himself. He blushed again, just thinking about the expression of desire and attraction that he had seen in Laine. Ginny was being rather sulky, not really speaking much to Harry, and especially not to Laine.

As they walked into the Great Hall and Ginny took a seat with her brothers, Laine touched Harry's arm lightly and said "Is there a lady's room around here?"

"Yes, follow me," he said, signaling to Ginny that he would be right back. She sank down in her seat with her arms crossed, pouting.

He led her down a dim hallway, where he knew the closest bathroom was. When they got to the door, Laine didn't go inside. Instead she turned around and walked toward Harry. He backed away in surprise and Laine looked a little hurt.

"Are you scared of me?" she asked teasingly. She placed a finger on Harry's collarbone and drew it slowly down his chest and to his stomach.

"No, I'm not scared of you, but I am wondering whether or not you realize that Ginny is my girlfriend," he said firmly.

"Oh, I heard, but that girl seems awfully immature. How old is she anyway? Twelve?" she laughed at her own joke, and Harry's anger flared.

"No, she's not, but I don't see how that's any of your business!" he exclaimed. He tried not to look at her too hard, because she was quite beautiful. He loved Ginny and he didn't want her to break his resolve.

Laine, who seemed to sense his weakness, pressed herself a little closer to Harry. He tried to back away some more, but found himself pushed against a wall. Now Laine had one hand one his chest and the other one being threaded through his hair. Harry squirmed uncomfortably, which caused Laine to finally push her entire body against his.

"Aren't you attracted to me, Harry?" she asked, looking right into his eyes. Harry saw that her eyes were black and cold, almost devoid of feeling. He shook his head faintly, but found it harder to resist her.

With that, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him, hard. She kissed him with an urgency that no one ever had before, not even Ginny. He relaxed a little, and to his horror, found himself kissing her back, matching her fire with his own. She pulled Harry down and he fell on top of her, still kissing through the whole thing.

Harry felt disconnected from the situation; he couldn't believe he was writhing on the floor with a girl he had know for only a few minutes, much less doing that when he already had a girlfriend! Laine rolled over, so that she was now on top of Harry, and pulled her mouth away from his. She kissed his neck, moving down toward his chest.

"So what are you going to do about that other girl?" she asked almost casually, as she covered his neck with light kisses.

"I don't know," he replied, his guilt once again surfacing.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise as he felt Laine's hands travel to his belt, and felt her slender fingers undoing the latch. He finally pushed him off when he felt her reached for the zipper of his jeans.

"What the hell are you doing!" he cried out, realizing that he should have seen this coming. Without waiting for an answer, he turned and ran back to the Great Hall.

"What took you so long?" Ginny asked as Harry sat down at the table. He couldn't meet her eyes.

"Uh, Laine wanted a look around the Astronomy Tower. Then, I showed her where the bathroom was and ran back here as soon as the door closed behind her," he lied.

Ginny looked satisfied with his answer and continued eating. Harry noticed a few minutes later, that Laine walked in, looking distinctly annoyed, but her eyes lit up when she saw Harry. She smiled a forbidden smile and sat down a few seats away.

"You know, I really don't like her, Harry," Ginny whispered to him that evening as they were sitting in front of the fire in the common room. Harry felt his flesh burn with guilt and he wanted to scrub everywhere that Laine had touched.

"Why's that, love?" he asked in what he hoped was a casual tone.

"I don't know, she just gives me the collywobbles!" she said, and shivered exaggeratedly. Harry laughed and drew her closer.

"Me too," he lied again.

"I'd better be getting off to bed now," Ginny said reluctantly. "I have a test tomorrow in Potions and I need all the rest I can get!"

"On the first day of classes?" Harry asked her. He knew Snape was horrible, but he's never had a test of the first day!

"Yes, so goodnight," she said sweetly and gave him a kiss. Harry watched her retreat up the staircase, wishing he could erase this whole day.

He sat there for a while, staring into the fire and watching everyone in the common room drift off one by one until he was the only one left. Or so he thought.

"So how does it feel to kiss your girlfriend with the same lips that you kissed me with?" she asked him quietly, from behind the chair. She walked around the chair and sat on his lap. He sensed long, thin arms encircling his neck, but saw none of it, because his eyes were closed tightly. She nuzzled his neck sweetly, but her touch was like ice. Cold and meaningless. They heard a sudden breath of air behind them, but Harry though nothing of it. Laine, however, looked out of the corner of her eye at the stairs behind them. She looked back at Harry and once again, she kissed him, hard and fiercely.

"Harry, how could you?" he heard someone behind him say. He swivelled around, just in time to see the back of Ginny's head, rushing back up the stairs. She was crying.