Five Things Fics, part deux - A Collaboration.
Let's try this again, shall we?
I tried to post this earlier, by email, but it cut off the story! And of course I couldn't check it from work. Sigh. So here we go: try this one.
For those of you who didn't see the previous message, this is a set of five fics surrounding the theme of Ginny and the Horcrux hunt. These are some truly marvelous fics, by some fantastic authors. Go check 'em out!
--------
Variations on a Theme: Five Ways Ginny Weasley Never Hunted Horcruxes.
Enough by aibhinn
Contusion by poseida9
True Love's Kiss, and All That by jenadamson
Helping Destiny by r_becca
Undeliverable by maegunnbatt
---------
Author: aibhinn
Title: "Enough"
Word count: 871
Rating: PG
Notes/Warnings: Thanks to jenadamson and r_becca for the beta jobs, and to all the fine ladies in this group for being patient while my Muse went on holiday to Majorca for weeks months on end. You rock!
Enough
August 10
He sat under the spreading branches of the old oak tree, apparently
oblivious to the unseasonably cool August evening. His chin rested on
his upraised knees; his eyes were unfocused, staring off into the
distance. Ginny knew the Burrow was warm and full of laughter behind
her, but she was drawn out here, drawn to him. The others said only
he needs to be alone, but she knew him better; alone was
the last thing he needed to be.
He didn't outwardly acknowledge her as she sat down on the cool, damp
ground beside him, but he didn't turn away from her either, and she
decided that was a good sign. She said nothing, just sat beside him,
feeling the chill slowly soaking through her robes. She didn't know
what to say; she didn't know how to broach the month-long silence
between them. It had been so long, he had done so much, and there was
so much more for him to do; what could she say that had not already
been said?
She knew why he'd broken up with her, of course; Hermione had told her
the day before the wedding. She knew that they were hunting for
Voldemort's Horcruxes in an attempt to destroy them; she knew that
this was far more difficult and dangerous than anything they had ever
done before. And though she had wept and snarled over being left
behind, she had never done so in his hearing, nor in anyone else's,
either. So now that he was back from the Dursleys', and preparing to
leave yet again, she felt at a bit of a loss.
At last he shifted, turning his head so he could look at her, and
said, "Thank you."
"For what?" she asked.
"For coming out here. For not lecturing me."
"You don't need two Hermiones," she said, a feeble attempt at humour,
and he chuckled.
"Certainly not. She's more than enough on her own." He paused again,
then dropped his gaze and took her hand. "What I need," he said
quietly, eyes on the ground, "is a Ginny."
A lump formed in her throat. She swallowed past it and squeezed his hand.
"I've never stopped fancying you, you know," he said, glancing back up
at her again. "I didn't break up with you because I wanted to."
She felt a corner of her mouth twist, along with her heart. "I know,"
she said. "I've always known. It was for that stupid, noble reason."
"It was because I want to keep you safe," he objected.
"That's what I said."
His grip on her hand tightened almost painfully. "Ginny, you know what
we're preparing to do," he said. "I know you do; Hermione said she'd
told you. But do you really understand what it means? We'll be
searching out bits of Voldemort's soul and doing our best to destroy
them. The diary went easily-a little basilisk venom and it was gone.
The others aren't nearly so easy. The one Dumbledore destroyed all but
destroyed him-that's why his hand was all shrivelled and dead last
year. If one of those could do that to Dumbledore, what do you think
the others are likely to do to the rest of us?" He paused, swallowed.
"I feel like a-a blind man trying to be a night watchman. If
Dumbledore couldn't do it without being badly injured, nearly dying,
how am I supposed to? How am I supposed to survive, let alone
succeed?"
She was silent. There was nothing to say.
"I need you safe," he said, turning to face her fully and taking her
other hand as well. His gaze was as intense as she'd ever seen it. "I
need to know that you're here, that you're all right, that you're
safe. I need … " His voice trailed off, as though he could not finish
the thought.
"You need someone to come back to," she said softly, understanding.
"I need you."
There. It was out. The words she'd longed to hear for so many years,
spoken by this too-skinny boy with a haunted look in his green eyes
that spoke of having seen things no seventeen-year-old should have to
see. She spoke before she could stop herself: "Then take me with you.
Let me stand with you. You'll know I'm safe, you'll see me. Every day,
you'll know exactly where I am. You'll never have to wonder." She
hesitated, then added: "You won't have to be so alone."
"Ginny, you can't be safe with me-"
"I don't care," she said fiercely. She hadn't meant to argue with him,
but now, seeing him like this, she couldn't stop herself. "Harry, you
can't go on like this, all alone-"
"I've got Ron and Hermione," he protested.
"They've got each other. You need someone who's there for you, only for you."
They looked at each other, Ginny with her heart in her throat, Harry
with his eyes blazing with some unreadable emotion. At last, Harry
sighed and reached for her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling
her close. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'll think about it," he said.
She smiled. "All right," she agreed.
It was enough.
I tried to post this earlier, by email, but it cut off the story! And of course I couldn't check it from work. Sigh. So here we go: try this one.
For those of you who didn't see the previous message, this is a set of five fics surrounding the theme of Ginny and the Horcrux hunt. These are some truly marvelous fics, by some fantastic authors. Go check 'em out!
--------
Variations on a Theme: Five Ways Ginny Weasley Never Hunted Horcruxes.
Enough by aibhinn
Contusion by poseida9
True Love's Kiss, and All That by jenadamson
Helping Destiny by r_becca
Undeliverable by maegunnbatt
---------
Author: aibhinn
Title: "Enough"
Word count: 871
Rating: PG
Notes/Warnings: Thanks to jenadamson and r_becca for the beta jobs, and to all the fine ladies in this group for being patient while my Muse went on holiday to Majorca for weeks months on end. You rock!
Enough
August 10
He sat under the spreading branches of the old oak tree, apparently
oblivious to the unseasonably cool August evening. His chin rested on
his upraised knees; his eyes were unfocused, staring off into the
distance. Ginny knew the Burrow was warm and full of laughter behind
her, but she was drawn out here, drawn to him. The others said only
he needs to be alone, but she knew him better; alone was
the last thing he needed to be.
He didn't outwardly acknowledge her as she sat down on the cool, damp
ground beside him, but he didn't turn away from her either, and she
decided that was a good sign. She said nothing, just sat beside him,
feeling the chill slowly soaking through her robes. She didn't know
what to say; she didn't know how to broach the month-long silence
between them. It had been so long, he had done so much, and there was
so much more for him to do; what could she say that had not already
been said?
She knew why he'd broken up with her, of course; Hermione had told her
the day before the wedding. She knew that they were hunting for
Voldemort's Horcruxes in an attempt to destroy them; she knew that
this was far more difficult and dangerous than anything they had ever
done before. And though she had wept and snarled over being left
behind, she had never done so in his hearing, nor in anyone else's,
either. So now that he was back from the Dursleys', and preparing to
leave yet again, she felt at a bit of a loss.
At last he shifted, turning his head so he could look at her, and
said, "Thank you."
"For what?" she asked.
"For coming out here. For not lecturing me."
"You don't need two Hermiones," she said, a feeble attempt at humour,
and he chuckled.
"Certainly not. She's more than enough on her own." He paused again,
then dropped his gaze and took her hand. "What I need," he said
quietly, eyes on the ground, "is a Ginny."
A lump formed in her throat. She swallowed past it and squeezed his hand.
"I've never stopped fancying you, you know," he said, glancing back up
at her again. "I didn't break up with you because I wanted to."
She felt a corner of her mouth twist, along with her heart. "I know,"
she said. "I've always known. It was for that stupid, noble reason."
"It was because I want to keep you safe," he objected.
"That's what I said."
His grip on her hand tightened almost painfully. "Ginny, you know what
we're preparing to do," he said. "I know you do; Hermione said she'd
told you. But do you really understand what it means? We'll be
searching out bits of Voldemort's soul and doing our best to destroy
them. The diary went easily-a little basilisk venom and it was gone.
The others aren't nearly so easy. The one Dumbledore destroyed all but
destroyed him-that's why his hand was all shrivelled and dead last
year. If one of those could do that to Dumbledore, what do you think
the others are likely to do to the rest of us?" He paused, swallowed.
"I feel like a-a blind man trying to be a night watchman. If
Dumbledore couldn't do it without being badly injured, nearly dying,
how am I supposed to? How am I supposed to survive, let alone
succeed?"
She was silent. There was nothing to say.
"I need you safe," he said, turning to face her fully and taking her
other hand as well. His gaze was as intense as she'd ever seen it. "I
need to know that you're here, that you're all right, that you're
safe. I need … " His voice trailed off, as though he could not finish
the thought.
"You need someone to come back to," she said softly, understanding.
"I need you."
There. It was out. The words she'd longed to hear for so many years,
spoken by this too-skinny boy with a haunted look in his green eyes
that spoke of having seen things no seventeen-year-old should have to
see. She spoke before she could stop herself: "Then take me with you.
Let me stand with you. You'll know I'm safe, you'll see me. Every day,
you'll know exactly where I am. You'll never have to wonder." She
hesitated, then added: "You won't have to be so alone."
"Ginny, you can't be safe with me-"
"I don't care," she said fiercely. She hadn't meant to argue with him,
but now, seeing him like this, she couldn't stop herself. "Harry, you
can't go on like this, all alone-"
"I've got Ron and Hermione," he protested.
"They've got each other. You need someone who's there for you, only for you."
They looked at each other, Ginny with her heart in her throat, Harry
with his eyes blazing with some unreadable emotion. At last, Harry
sighed and reached for her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling
her close. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"I'll think about it," he said.
She smiled. "All right," she agreed.
It was enough.