Broken

"I realize what I am still to smart to mention to you"-Fiona Apple "Never is a Promise"

Harry fell into a sound sleep that night. As usual dreams of death eaters and his past flooded his mind and filled it with unpleasant images. Unlike Harry, Ginny slept fitfully. She kept thinking of Draco's image in her café window. Ginny wondered why Draco was looking in at her and what his intentions were. How would she defend herself against him if he decied to attack her using magic? How would she protect herself if he attacked her physically? Draco was taller and leanly muscled. Ginny was short and had inherited her mother's curves. If they battled physically, Ginny would be the loser. Without a wand, she would lose a battle with magic as well.

Ginny sat up from her bed and punched at her pillows, hoping to find an outlet for her frustration. Looking over at her clock, she realized it was five thirty in the morning. It was time she got up and went running anyway. 'Will Will Black meet me this morning?' she wondered as she got up from her bed. Ginny hadn't decided if she was attracted to him or not yet. He had brown hair and bright blue eyes, a lean build and dressed nicely (if a little conservatively). He seemed like a nice person. But what about him grabbing her wrist? There was something odd about that. Was he a physical person? Would he try and harm her? Ginny felt like she had been abused enough in her short life. First there had been Tom hurting her and forcing her to do his bidding. Then Draco Malfoy, who man handled her whenever he had the chance. Playing quidditch allowed for a lot of abuse as well. Ginny feared that she was allowing herself to get involved with someone who would hurt her. She decided to wait until she knew Will better and make her judgment later.

Ginny pulled up the sheet of her bed and finished making it. She always hated coming home to an unmade bed. It made her feel lazy and even though her bedroom was usually a mess, she liked her bed to look inviting. An unmade bed looked unwelcoming. She fluffed up her pillows and walked over to her closet. Ginny pulled open the door and leaned down to look in her clothes hamper. She quickly rifled through it and found her running gear. She pulled her nightgown over her head and pulled on her sports bra. After that, she pulled on a loose shirt and a pair of track pants. It had been cold in the mornings lately and Ginny hated the cold. It reminded her of being in the dank Chamber of Secrets, before Harry Potter had saved her.

Ginny looked around her closet again and saw her running shoes on a shelf. She pulled them off the shelf and walked back into her bedroom. Ginny pulled on her shoes, tied them and looked around her bedroom. It was unusually messy, even for herself. Ginny was disgusted with the state she had let it get to. Her cat, Inky, was twining himself between her legs and mewing at her.

"What do you want, fatty?" Ginny said looking down at him affectionately. She leaned down and picked him up. Inky was a rather fat black cat. He had the bone structure of a Siamese cat, but had shiny black fur. The cat immediately rubbed his head against her chin and mewed at her again. "Disgusting! Your breath is awful." Ginny put Inky down and decided that she should feed him before she left.

Ginny walked down her short hallway, through her dark living room and into her kitchen. Inky had decided to beach himself like a whale on her carpet. As soon as he heard the cat food poured into his bowl, he came running. As Inky ate, Ginny squatted down next to him and stroked his silky fur. Molly Weasley had sent her Inky as a birthday present two years ago. Ginny had a feeling he was part kneazle. He often sensed her emotions and tried to comfort her. Ginny wondered if Inky would report about her to her mother if something happened to her. Ginny leaned down and placed a kiss on his fur. Inky purred in response.

"See you later, Ink." Ginny patted his back and stood up. Inky continued eating, ignoring her goodbye. Ginny walked into the hallway and locked her apartment. As soon as she made it outside, cold air stung against her cheeks. Puffs of her breath curled in front of her as she walked to the park. Suddenly Ginny was very glad she had worn her track pants. As she approached the park, Ginny didn't see Will. Perhaps he had forgotten their date. A sense of relief flooded Ginny. She wouldn't have to go through with this. Ginny found the bench by the tree swing and began stretching out her legs.

"Good morning." A voice greeted her from the trees above her.

Ginny looked up startled and saw Will sitting in the trees, looking down at her. "My god, I almost had a heart attack!" Ginny stopped stretching and placed her hands on her hips. "What are you doing up there anyway? You're not a monkey."

Harry climbed down the tree and stood close to her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just had the sudden urge to climb a tree." Harry had honestly wanted to see where Ginny was approaching from and get the feel for any escape routes should Draco Malfoy show up.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were a grown man. I didn't realize that you were Peter Pan. Where are your lost boys?" Ginny looked into Harry's eyes, smiling.

"Ah, they're at home. They spent the evening battling Captain Hook and were too tired to get up this early. You know how boys can be." Harry added the last bit in a conspiratory whisper, smiling back at her.

Ginny stopped herself from smiling at him and looked ahead of them, at the park. "Well, are you ready for a run then?" She shouldn't really encourage this man. He wasn't a wizard and probably wouldn't understand her life. Still, he was nice looking and seemed normal.

"Not really. I was hoping I could convince you to skip the run and eat some breakfast instead." Harry looked hopefully into her eyes. He was damn tired after chasing Malfoy all night and didn't need the extra exertion.

Ginny chewed her lip. "Skip it?" She looked questioningly at him. "Why?"

"Gin, how can I get to know you while we're running? I'd like to have a nice conversation with you. Does that sound okay to you?" Harry honestly hoped so.

Getting to know Will had been the last thing on Ginny's mind. She sincerely had hoped that he would not be interested in getting to know her. This was precisely why she had chosen to have him run with her. There would be little or no chance for conversation. Still, he had made an effort to come and see her. She really shouldn't try and put him off because he wasn't a wizard. It was rather nice that he wanted to see her at all and she was flattered. "Alright. I guess I can eat breakfast."

Harry smiled at her and point in the direction he'd like to take her. "The place is over here. They make great omelets." Harry's arm swung down and he tried to take her hand as they began walking. Ginny sensed this and deliberately placed her hands in her pockets, feigning cold. Harry looked sideways at her and wondered why she was making this so difficult. It was a simple breakfast together, not a wedding feast. He wasn't even sure if this would be considered a date. For one thing, he wasn't sure that he had those kinds of feelings for Ginny. For another, Ginny didn't seem very keen on him.

If he looked at Ginny honestly, with an unbiased opinion, he would see her as an attractive woman. She had beautiful red hair, nicely set features and dressed well. Her wicked personality and sense of humor hadn't diminished in the years since he'd seen her last. Still, she was pushing him away and he couldn't understand it. It was like she was deliberately keeping him from getting to close to her or knowing her. Why was this?

At the same time, Ginny was mentally berating herself for being so rude to Will. She had enough experience with men to know that he had tried to take her hand and yet she had shifted her hands into her pockets, keeping Will from taking it. Why had she done this? It wasn't as if she wasn't attracted to him. Will was a handsome man and seemed perfectly normal. Was his lack of magic a hindrance for her? Could she only be attracted to men who held that power? If so, she was going to lead a lonely for she didn't see many wizards in her future now. Was she as prejudiced as the Malfoys and subconsciously believed herself better than a muggle? No, that wasn't it. She had many muggle friends and had no problem with them. What was going on? She just got an odd feeling from him.

Ginny turned to Harry and smiled. "Will, who was that man you came into the café the first time with?"

"Oh, that's my uncle. He's sick and I help take care of him." Harry crossed his fingers mentally and hoped Ginny believed his lie.

Ginny nodded. "That's really sweet of you. Not many people help with their families anymore." There was another thing to like about Will. He was dedicated to his family. Ginny decided at that moment to let go of her reservations and see where this relationship led. They had stopped walking and had come to a crosswalk. As they stood, waiting for the light to change, Ginny took her hands out of her pockets. Harry's han was still by his side, tapping impatiently on his thigh. Ginny reached over shyly and took it in her own. Harry looked over at her, but Ginny had turned her head to look at a window display behind her. Harry's heart gave a sudden thump and he felt adrenaline rush through his body. Harry smiled to himself and gave Ginny's hand a squeeze. Ginny turned and looked at Will. Seeing him smiling at her made Ginny happy and she began to smile at him as well.

"We're almost there." Harry continued to hold her hand and when the light finally changed he led her across the street, towards the restaurant. Ginny willingly followed.