Sin Is Just Knowledge
Title: Sin Is Just Knowledge
Word count: 500
Characters/pairings: Neville/Ginny
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Ginny didn’t want to die with regrets. She won’t live with them either.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: The boys and girls belong to JKR, even though I’m often much nicer to them than she is.
Author’s Notes: This won sortinghatdrabs like a month ago, and I forgot to post! The prompt was postwar living with regret.
The war had been over for nearly three hours when Ginny Weasley lost her virginity.
She found Neville near the burnt-out remains of the Room of Requirement. He was poking at some of the broken stone with his wand, shoulders slumped.
“Are you hiding?” she asked. He jumped, and turned to face her. Ginny found herself smiling. From under the dust and the smear of blood and the pain, Neville gave her a smile back.
“Yeah. Gran’s telling everyone how she always knew I had it in me, and lots of people want to shake my hand... I’m too tired for all of that.”
He looked it; there were purple-black circles under his eyes. With a slight shock, Ginny realised she hadn’t noticed them before. They always seemed to have circles under their eyes now. Her mental image of Neville always included a bruise or two.
There was one on his cheekbone, deep purple and tender-looking.
“Might be time for bed, I guess,” Neville said. He clambered over the broken floor towards her. “I’m just going to sleep in my dorm, I want to be here tonight.”
“Me too,” said Ginny softly. She watched Neville stretch, the muscles in his shoulders and back shifting, and considered. “My family’s gone home already, except for Ron. We said we wanted to stay tonight.”
“Of course,” Neville said. His dark eyes were pained, and he touched her wrist. The warmth of his skin against hers was shocking; Ginny hadn’t realised how cold she was.
“Are you... I mean, do you want...?”
“No,” Ginny said, swallowing back the grief. That was for tomorrow. “I don’t want to talk about F-Fred.” Her voice wavered; but she met Neville’s eyes and felt steadier. “I want... I just want to go to bed.” Her voice dipped low like a dancer.
“Mmm. Let’s go.”
Ginny put one small, freckled hand up and gently touched Neville’s bruise. He didn’t flinch, staring down at her with wide eyes. “I meant... I just want to go to bed. With you.”
“But what about Harry?” he said immediately. Ginny almost laughed, it was so typically Neville.
“I... I saw him. And it wasn’t...” Ginny couldn’t find the words. “I didn’t want to cheat on him or cling to you because I was lonely. I would have been ashamed of myself, and I didn’t want to die with regrets.”
“So...”
“He didn’t want me to fight with him,” Ginny said, shocking herself with how true the words were, the realisation coming to her as she spoke. “I’ve tried so hard all year, helped lead a resistance, had to be tough because you were the quiet, strong one and Luna was the kind clever one and I was the warrior, so I couldn’t let on that it hurt. He doesn’t know me. It’s not his fault, but I... I wasn’t going to die with regrets. But I’m not going to live with them either.”
Ginny kissed him, and felt forever spark against her lips.
This was originally posted at http://www.dreamwidth.org/12345.html. Comment wherever you like :)
Word count: 500
Characters/pairings: Neville/Ginny
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Ginny didn’t want to die with regrets. She won’t live with them either.
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: The boys and girls belong to JKR, even though I’m often much nicer to them than she is.
Author’s Notes: This won sortinghatdrabs like a month ago, and I forgot to post! The prompt was postwar living with regret.
The war had been over for nearly three hours when Ginny Weasley lost her virginity.
She found Neville near the burnt-out remains of the Room of Requirement. He was poking at some of the broken stone with his wand, shoulders slumped.
“Are you hiding?” she asked. He jumped, and turned to face her. Ginny found herself smiling. From under the dust and the smear of blood and the pain, Neville gave her a smile back.
“Yeah. Gran’s telling everyone how she always knew I had it in me, and lots of people want to shake my hand... I’m too tired for all of that.”
He looked it; there were purple-black circles under his eyes. With a slight shock, Ginny realised she hadn’t noticed them before. They always seemed to have circles under their eyes now. Her mental image of Neville always included a bruise or two.
There was one on his cheekbone, deep purple and tender-looking.
“Might be time for bed, I guess,” Neville said. He clambered over the broken floor towards her. “I’m just going to sleep in my dorm, I want to be here tonight.”
“Me too,” said Ginny softly. She watched Neville stretch, the muscles in his shoulders and back shifting, and considered. “My family’s gone home already, except for Ron. We said we wanted to stay tonight.”
“Of course,” Neville said. His dark eyes were pained, and he touched her wrist. The warmth of his skin against hers was shocking; Ginny hadn’t realised how cold she was.
“Are you... I mean, do you want...?”
“No,” Ginny said, swallowing back the grief. That was for tomorrow. “I don’t want to talk about F-Fred.” Her voice wavered; but she met Neville’s eyes and felt steadier. “I want... I just want to go to bed.” Her voice dipped low like a dancer.
“Mmm. Let’s go.”
Ginny put one small, freckled hand up and gently touched Neville’s bruise. He didn’t flinch, staring down at her with wide eyes. “I meant... I just want to go to bed. With you.”
“But what about Harry?” he said immediately. Ginny almost laughed, it was so typically Neville.
“I... I saw him. And it wasn’t...” Ginny couldn’t find the words. “I didn’t want to cheat on him or cling to you because I was lonely. I would have been ashamed of myself, and I didn’t want to die with regrets.”
“So...”
“He didn’t want me to fight with him,” Ginny said, shocking herself with how true the words were, the realisation coming to her as she spoke. “I’ve tried so hard all year, helped lead a resistance, had to be tough because you were the quiet, strong one and Luna was the kind clever one and I was the warrior, so I couldn’t let on that it hurt. He doesn’t know me. It’s not his fault, but I... I wasn’t going to die with regrets. But I’m not going to live with them either.”
Ginny kissed him, and felt forever spark against her lips.
This was originally posted at http://www.dreamwidth.org/12345.html. Comment wherever you like :)