When Everything Breaks

WHEN EVERYTHING BREAKS

CHAPTER ONE - THE BREAKAGE

Ginny blinked and rubbed her eyes as she looked in the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her with the same black-rimmed bloodshot eyes. She shook her head, her hair flying wildly around her. She'd had that same dream again, the one where Tom stepped from the diary and took all she had within her. The dream that only Harry could chase away. But Harry had left her.

She washed all her memories away with a hot shower and descended the stairs to the kitchen. Her mother smiled as she entered.

"Good morning dear, you will have some breakfast wont you?" she asked hopefully.

"No Mum, I need to head straight to work," she lied. A longing, sympathetic look was sent her way and she hurried from the room.

She got to work early and sat at her desk with her head in her hands. She hated coming to work now. Once it had been wonderful working at the Ministry, but now that every face was filled with compassion and sympathy that she did not want or need it had become almost unbearable.

"How are you feeling today Ginny?" She had time to wonder how this stranger knew her name before the person had been ushered away by Percy, who had come down with her morning coffee.

"Who was that?" he asked, placing her coffee a relative distance from her erratic stack of documents.

"I have absolutely no idea," she replied with little warmth and enthusiasm.

"Have you thought more about my idea?" She looked at him critically, and laughed.

"No Percy, I am not transferring to your division. I am quite happy where I am." He cocked his head to the side.

"Are you quite sure?" She gritted her teeth and smiled, which was more of a grimace.

"Yes."

"Alright then. I'll see you later," he said as he turned and walked back to the lift.

"I hope not," Ginny mumbled.

Later that day, after Ginny had drunk three cups of coffee and been asked 28 times how she was, she poised herself to step out of the lift and onto the Auror floor. She took a deep breath and slowly began her walk.

"Ginny!" Oh God, she thought, Hermione, why did you have to draw attention to me?

"Hermione," she replied without enthusiasm.

"How have you been?" Ginny gritted her teeth.

"I'm fine Hermione. I've been fine. I have to get back to work now. Goodbye Hermione," she replied slowly and turned to walk away. Hermione watched her in astonishment. What did I say, she thought in confusion, and she walked quietly back to her desk.

Ginny's teeth ached, she had been gritting her teeth so much these last few weeks. As she walked she suddenly saw that familiar flash of black hair in her peripheral vision, she quickened her pace.

"Ginny?" Oh God, no. Please don't do this to me. She turned slowly, her hand falling from the lift button limply to her side.

"Hello Harry," she replied. He smiled, he had the nerve to smile. Thinking she didn't know, thinking it was okay to pretend it never happened, like nothing was wrong.

"I was wondering, could I ask a favour?" What?

"What could you possibly want from me?" She glared, strangely reminiscent of Severus Snape.

"I was just wondering ..." Harry trailed off into silence and Ginny continued to glare at him.

"Just spit it out," she said angrily.

"You work with Shelly Winters, right?" he asked.

"Yeah." She absently pulled at the ends of her short red hair.

"I was wondering, could you set me up with her?" WHAT? She yanked rather hard on the hair she held between her fingers and a few strands came loose.

She laughed, despite the pain. She actually laughed at the Boy Who Lived. A year ago she never would have laughed at anything he ever said to her, but then again a year ago he had said he loved her more than anything. Now, well now she was angry and he was a bastard.

"She's a lesbian," she replied quickly, attempting to hide the smirk at her blatant lie. She also made a mental note to tell Shelly her little lie, not that she'd ever date this, this pile of ...

And now, she had apparently run out of suitable insults for the little weasel. She again turned to walk away, but he grabbed her elbow.

"Are you okay Gin?" Oh fuck you.

"Harry, don't ever touch me." And with that she yanked her arm out of his grip and stepped into the waiting lift, an audible gnashing of her teeth.

Ginny avoided moving from her desk for the remainder of her work day, she piled any work requiring her removal on the far edge of her desk and ignored it. Harry sat at his desk, shuffling his many files and smiling at the pretty girls that wandered past him.