The First Year

For a Good Time

Harry tried to twist out of Ginny's grip, but she had surprisingly strong hands. Must be all that Quidditch practice. 'If I stay, will you please tell me what's going on with you?' He felt Ginny's fingers release his coat, and he spun around to face her.

'I need time,' she whispered.

'Time for what?'

Ginny ran her hands through her hair and sighed. 'Everything.' She walked back to the boulder and slumped on it, pulling her knees into her chest. 'I need to figure a few things out...'

Harry frowned. Ginny was being awfully opaque, and he was certain she wasn't going to voluntarily elaborate. 'Do you want to break it off with me?' he asked bluntly, not caring for this evasive Ginny sitting in front of him.

'No...'

'Then what are you trying to figure out for Merlin's sake? I mean you were all over me at the train platform in September, and today you can't even bear to look at me...' When Ginny didn't respond he added, 'It's the hair, right? I let your mum cut my hair the other night...'

'It's not the hair,' Ginny muttered.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut. 'Then what is it? I'm not very good at this... Dating, I mean. So you're going to have to tell me exactly what you mean.'

Ginny buried her face into her knees. 'It's so stupid,' she groaned.

'Must not be too terribly stupid if you're working yourself into a state over it,' Harry ventured.

Without lifting her face from her knees, Ginny mumbled, 'You.'

'What?'

Ginny slid off the boulder and began to amble around the clearing. 'What I said over the summer still stands. I won't live like I did last year. Not just I can't do it. But I won't do it.'

'Barring anyone else figuring out how he did it all, Riddle's methods died with him,' Harry stated. 'It won't be the same. I'm not promising I'll be able to tell you everything, but I can't see having to cut you off completely like that...'

'And just getting some space between us.' Ginny's hair gleamed dully in the weak sunshine attempting to break through the low, grey clouds. 'I started thinking; do I love you or Harry Potter...?

'Oh.' Harry forced himself to take a deep breath. 'Gin... you're only seventeen...' he began. 'And I'm only eighteen. I forget how young we are sometimes... We don't have to decide anything right now. I thought that was the whole point of dating...'

'Well, yeah, I suppose...'

'So, what's the rush? I'm not particularly interested in following in my parents' footsteps.' Harry stopped and realized how bad that sounded. 'Just in that they were pretty young when they got married,' he added in a rush. 'I just want to spend some time with you.'

'You don't mind?'

'A bit,' Harry admitted. 'I really mind all the talk about Dean, though,' he said darkly.

'I needed to talk about something,' Ginny said defensively. 'And I didn't think, "Dear Harry, I'm doubting my feelings for you." would go over well in a letter... And in case you missed it, Dean went off with Luna. Besides, he's awfully lonely here without your lot,' she added. 'You and Ron didn't come back, and neither did Seamus or Neville. He's stuck in a dormitory with the boys from my year. He doesn't have many friends in Gryffindor anymore, other me and the other team members, and they're all a bit younger.'

Harry pulled his glasses off and began to pinch the top of his nose. It was a gesture that was increasingly becoming more and more commonplace. 'I'd rather you just told me what was going on with you,' he muttered crossly.