The End Of The Beginning

CHAPTER-13

A/N: We'll get to Hermione's side of the story. Luke may not be all he seems.....

As for right now, since I always believe in transparency, I'll say that I really wasn't sure how I wanted to transition into this. I don't think there's a long fuse on this fight, which is going to happen one way or another, it's more a question of how we get there. This way is very direct, but I'm at a bit of a writer's block with how else to get here. So I'm going to go ahead and post it as is. Too sudden? Straight to the point? I'd love to hear what you think and I might make changes as see fit.

P.S. I love that I can do this on Portkey. You guys and gals as the community are so great: always giving feedback and willing to engage in the kinds of conversations that make the pieces and the authors behind them better. How awesome is that? What a great day it was when I found Portkey.

~

Harry spent all the next day trying to ignore the pestering thoughts in his mind. He focused extra hard in his classes and tried all day to engage Ginny in conversation, but apparently he wasn't the only one with a heavy mind. Ginny was conspicuously quiet the entire day. So he spent the whole morning awkwardly making one way conversation and scratching extra detailed notes in class.

"Gin? What's wrong? You've been quiet all day." Harry placed his hand on hers. They were sitting on the couch in the Head dorm working on a Charms essay. She sat staring at the floor before turning to Harry with that same hard, blazing look she had given him on two other occasions. One was when they had their first kiss and the other was right before he broke up with her to chase horcruxes.

But there was something different in that look this time.

"Harry, do you love me?" her voice was very soft.

"Of course I do Gin." Harry felt his chest tighten.

"Do you love me. Do you want to be with me?"

"Why are you asking this Ginny?"

"Can you just answer the question?" Ginny's voice rose in pitch.

"Of course I do Ginny. Why would you think otherwise?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me why I have to work so hard to be noticed by you? Why did it take you so much longer to say you loved me when I've known for so long that I've loved you? Why is it that there are things you will talk to her about that you won't mention to me?" Ginny's voice was getting louder and shriller with every syllable and she rose to her feet.

"Ginny, we've been over this. You weren't there. There are just some things that you can't understand." Harry was on his feet now.

"How would you know? You never even gave me the chance! But Hermione gets to know every little thing about my boyfriend!"

"She's my best friend Ginny."

"I'm your girlfriend! You know...the one you supposedly love and maybe want to marry and start a family with? Don't you think we should be able to talk about those kinds of things?"

"We will Ginny...."

"When Harry? At what point do I finally start to catch up to Hermione?"

Harry narrowed his eyes. "You make it sound like a competition."

"I've had to compete with her from square one! You've always spent time with her, confided in her and talked about her. Don't you think there was a reason Cho was jealous of her? Why I'm jealous of her? She's always been higher on your priority list than any other girl!"

"Ginny...."

"No! I've had enough!" Ginny cut him off, "I got sent home instead of going with you after Voldemort because you "cared too much", but she gets to spend the whole year wandering the wilderness with you and fighting with you. Did you just not care about her that much? Is that why she got to go with you when I couldn't? Everyone else kept the person they loved most close: Bill, Lupin, Ron....why was I the one who got sent home?"