Will You Ever Return to Me?

Chapter 4.

August 1999, 12 Grimmauld Place.

Harry lifted himself out of bed and stretched out. A limp form of a woman next to him hadn't stirred, apparently in deep sleep.

Harry didn't wake her up. Why bother? They met at a bar where Harry often went after his day of training. They flirted, got drunk, and Harry brought her over. They fucked, and that was it. They both knew it meant nothing. No matter what anyone said, Harry knew he wasn't ready for a real relationship so soon after... He poured himself a glass of bourbon and emptied it. Silently, he wondered if he ever would be.

Harry was doing decently in his Auror training, despite the hole in his heart. The instructors, while they respected him, pulled no punches when he would do something wrong. He found it refreshing. Aside from his friends, they were the only ones who didn't line up to take pictures with him wherever he went.

Harry put on a bathrobe and descended downstairs. He recently seemed to sleep more in the armchair than in his bed. Neville and Luna were still on their honeymoon, Ron and Hermione were far away, and Harry felt more alone than ever.

He started to doze off when inhuman shrieks raised him. Sirius' mother's portrait was screaming curses in reaction to the doorbell. Harry ran into the corridor and shut the curtains. Then he opened the front door.

He couldn't believe his eyes. Standing on his doorstep, her hair a messy tangle waving in the wind, her clothes apparently thrown on in a hurry, was Ginny.

"Harry," she croaked, "help me."

Harry considered slamming the door in her face, but before he could, his arms extended and Ginny leaped in. She was sobbing into his shoulder as he led her into the house.

"Ginny, what happened?"

"Draco and I had a fight," she said.

Rage filled Harry. "What did that scumbag do?"

Ginny looked at him oddly, but said nothing. Harry carried her upstairs, right to the bathroom door. "First, clean yourself up. Did he..." As he got a closer look, he had to suppress the rage again. "I could--"

"I don't need you to hover over me," she said in annoyance before he finished telling her that recognized the curses she'd been subjected to, and that Malfoy could be sent to prison for using them.

An hour later, Ginny was sitting in the living room, drinking hot tea. Harry sat in silence, watching her. Part of him wanted to grab Ginny and pull her into his arms, part wanted nothing to do with her, and part was ashamed at being glad this happened--not that Ginny got cursed, of course, but that she apparently left Malfoy. If he knew Ginny--

"Well, Harry?" she prompted, placing her teacup on the table.

"Well, what?" he retorted.

"Aren't you interested in what happened?"

"You told me," he said.

"You don't want the details?"

"Ginny, if you don't want to tell me, that's all right. If you do, that's also all right. But I don't know what you want--apparently, I never did," he added bitterly. "I won't demand answers."

Ginny didn't reply, and resumed drinking her tea. "How's everyone?" she asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Harry, please. I care, despite what you think--"

Harry didn't say what he felt an urge to. You have a funny way of showing it. But instead, he answered the question.

"Hermione and Ron are doing fine," he said. "They're about to have a child. Neville and Luna are married. Bill and Fleur are in France, so I haven't heard much from them. Percy plans to run for Minister of Magic in the next election. I think he might win, too."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'm training to be an Auror," he replied.

"Just like you wanted," she whispered.

At that point, a noise was heard from upstairs, and the woman--Samantha something, Harry remembered now--appeared. She narrowed her gaze on Harry.

"I understand a one night stand meant just that--that for the night, you're mine," she said. "I can't believe that you consider even that too much of a commitment."

Ginny quickly covered her mouth. "Something unexpected came up," Harry said.

"Apparently so." She headed upstairs without another word. A Disapparition pop followed seconds later.

"Something unexpected?" Ginny looked at him, still stifling giggles. "That was the worst excuse I've ever heard."

"It was true."

"Doesn't stop it from being ridiculous."

"Ginny, you're the last person I'm going to discuss my love life with," Harry said sharply. Then, more gently, he asked her, "What are you going to do?"

"Spend the night here--I've got nowhere else to go. Who decided to ward the Burrow against me? Bill? Ron? Percy?"

"All of them, actually," Harry said. "But you can't live here--"

"I don't intend to. I'll be going home--"

"Home?" And then it hit him what she meant. "Ginny, you can't--"

"Can't what?"

"Ginny, he cursed you! You can't go back to him!"

"How do you know Draco cursed me?"

"You think I don't recognize what those injuries were?"

"And why do you jump to the conclusion that it was Draco? We love each other, Harry! We'll work this out."
"Ginny, you should report it to the Ministry."

"I will do no such thing! And you won't either!" she added, apparently seeing Harry's intention. "If you do, I will deny everything. And unlike you, I'll be telling the truth!"

"Ginny..."

"Don't 'Ginny' me, Potter. You helped. Thanks. That doesn't mean that Draco and I stopped loving each other."

"Listen to yourself, Ginny! I really don't like this," he muttered.

"Of course you don't."

"You don't look like the Ginny I knew."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what I said. You broke up with Corner over a Quidditch game. You broke up with Dean because he was coddling you. You left me for no reason I can see. Malfoy cursed you--and you go back go him? What did he do to you?"
Ginny pulled out her wand. "Stay away from my husband, do you hear? He wasn't the one that cursed me!"

"Then who--"

"Why do you care? All you want is dirt on Draco, just because you're jealous! You never liked him, and I don't expect you to, but accept the fact that we love each other! We don't need you! I can now see that coming here was a mistake. I won't be making it again." She Disapparated before Harry could get in a word.

Harry wanted to scream. Ginny seemed more angry at him than at Malfoy, and she went back to him. What did he do to her?

A new day was dawning. Somehow, Harry doubted it would be a happy one.