Chapter 7 Like A Jigsaw Puzzle…
Ginny had expected the pain from what happened yesterday to be much more brutal, but much to her surprise, she was able to stop crying soon after, and was able to detach herself and fall asleep that night as well. It was the best night of sleep she had in a long time.
The doves meant so much to Harry and her since two years ago. They were sacred and a symbol of their love. Now Harry was indifferent seeing them broken. She rationalized that she needed to see them shatter, just like their past, because it provided closure for her. She also needed to see his cold reaction and his indifference. Like an awakening, it would be the final answer for her that they would never go back to the way it was. With her hopes dashed, she was finally able to move on, and stop pursuing something that in his mind, never existed.
Perhaps it was for the better, because as of today, she had ultimately decided that everything that had happened these past two years would also cease to exist in her mind as well. His thumping heartbeat, dashing eyes, and nibbling kisses would now be nothing more than a fairy tale, she mused serenely.
“Happy birthday Ginny!” Hermione clawed heatedly at Ginny’s blankets, waking her up.
Ginny wished she had not done that because she wanted to sleep. It was the first time these past few days she was able to sleep properly without the borderless dreams about the boy next door.
“Please! I want to sleep! I’m not like you! The perfect morning girl!” she protested as Hermione hopped to the end of the bed.
“Look at all the presents from everyone… Mrs. Weasley, Hagrid… even Oliver got you something…” Hermione shook the box curiously and a rattling sound was coming from inside. “I wondered what it is and how he knew…
“This one’s from me. You can see mine is clearly the best wrapped of all because I used a charm that__ ”
She gasped and suddenly fell silent, her eyes misting up.
“What is it now?” complained Ginny annoyingly as she trudged next to her, who was gazing movingly at a blue box.
“Ginny… Harry didn’t forget you… He remembers… He must remember…” she breathed heavily, sniffing back tears and handed the box to her hesitantly.
Staring speechlessly at the box, Ginny didn’t know what to make of this, except what would normally be the expected reaction, which would be a terrible feeling of sadness and longing, shockingly did not emerge inside her.
“So what if he remembers?” she frostily tossed the box back with a thud and keenly retrieved Oliver’s gift. It was the first time she received a present from him.
“You’re not gonna open Harry’s gift?” asked Hermione surprisingly.
“It’ll only remind me of our past. It’s my birthday today. I don’t want to be sad… to be reminded… at least not today…
“I’m fine,” said Ginny hastily, examining Oliver’s bright green box, pretending to not notice Hermione’s disappointed and downcast eyes.
“You know, Ginny… I was there… I saw everything… the way he held you, refusing to let you out of his arms…” Hermione murmured cautiously.
“Who?” asked Ginny absentmindedly as she purposely shook the box loudly, attempting to drown out her pleas with the rattling sounds and pretending to not hear her.
“Remember in Hannibal’s imaginary world where__”
“Hmm… what did the madman get me?” she interrupted as she stopped shaking the box and slowly unwrapped it.
“Madman?”
“Oh, I mean Oliver.”
“Erm, okay. Whatever. Anyway, what was I saying… Oh yeah, I just want you to know that from what I saw there and what happened when we played Quidditch, I’m positive Harry still loves__”
“Hermione, please! I’m begging you! It’s my birthday. Don’t make me sad again… Wow! Check this out!” Ginny smiled amazingly, impressed by the beautiful picture on the box. “Look! It’s Angeline’s Café… at night!”
“That was the coffee shop where you ran into… your Madman?”
“It’s a jigsaw puzzle of the front entrance at night! Isn’t it gorgeous with the lights beaming like that? It was early morning when I was with him! Seriously, I refuse to believe this could be the same coffee shop I went to…
“I bet there are many other pretty places in London I haven’t seen! You know what I’m gonna do! I’m going to complete the puzzle and make him take me there again!”
Hermione found herself speechless and her gut twisting, stunned by Ginny’s unusual behavior. She had expected her to be despondent given what happened with the doves and had planned to cheer her up this morning. Instead, Ginny was already in very good spirits; in fact, she was too cheerful and unusually verbose, as if nothing happened. Seeing her so warm with Oliver and cold with Harry was also bothering her immensely.
“You know, Oliver is nice but he’s too old for you. Like you’re still in school and he’s an adult. Harry’s different. You’re a perfect match with him. The two of you. Now that’s what I call a perfect picture… Ginny… Ginny… are you listening?”
“Uh?”
“Oh, never mind. I’m going to wake up the others,” said Hermione crossly as she got up in frustration, noticing Ginny was too preoccupied with Oliver’s gift and wasn’t listening to her support for Harry.
“Hermione, wait! Stop! I’m sorry,” she pleaded to her patiently. “I know you’re a good friend and you’re worried about me and you really want Harry and I to be together like the old days. But remember what I asked you before he came? That I wanted you to stop pulling us together!
“What Harry and I shared last year… it was beautiful… I guess Dumbledore’s right. I am lucky to have true love like that grace my life…
“Harry may have forgotten all of it but I certainly never will. But it’s over.
“I needed to see the doves shatter, because the sound woke me up.”
“That wretched Ron, it’s all his fault…”
“No, Hermione. Thanks to Ron I’m able to finally let go and move on. And by feeling better, I’m finally able to be there for Harry, to help him, as a friend, just like you and Ron, and Harry needs all the friends he can get right now, to help him get over the death of Sirius and his burdens… so he can defeat Voldemort. That’s what’s important for him now… Not me… and certainly not us… and our past…
“Hermione, do you understand? It’s better for all of us this way…
“What I learned from this experience is that… loving a person doesn’t mean you have to be with him. That’s too selfish. Instead you just do what you think is best for him, and sometimes it’s gonna hurt.”
“Thank goodness you still love him, so there’s still hope for you two!” Hermione sighed happily.
“He’ll always be in my heart. I can’t deny that,” she sighed annoyingly. “Unfortunately, sometimes things just don’t work out the way you want. Life has a mocking way of playing funny jokes on people.
“It’s pretty cruel if you ask me…” she narrowed her eyes irritably.
“Have you… considered trying to help him recover his memory?”
“How?” she chuckled contemptuously, suddenly glaring at her cynically. It appeared Hermione’s too obvious of a suggestion might have struck a painful nerve.
“Like… Oh, Harry! How are you today? By the way, do you remember how you used to warm up my bed for me with your body heat every evening last summer?
“Now that you’re back again at the Burrow, Harry, do you still want to be my blanket every night?
“Or… how about this!” she continued moodily, her icy voice becoming more sarcastic. “Good day… Harry! Do you remember how you used to lie down right here with your shirt off because I want to nestle on your chest and hear your thumping heartbeat?
“That’s why you don’t have to blush and be shy in front of me because I’ve seen you naked countless times before for the past two years anyway, and do you remember the reasons why…
“Or… Oh, Harry!” Ginny raised her voice frustratingly, ignoring the fact he was sleeping next door. It was as if she wanted him to hear her. “Just to let you know, Harry, I’ve got my fingerprints all over every part of your skin… and my tongue’s been surfing down your throat…”
Ginny stopped when she caught Hermione gaping shockingly at her, aghast by her unedited bluntness. Appalled by her obnoxious and scornful behavior, she felt she could have spared her all those intimate details of them together.
“Sorry, Hermione! Alright… I made up that last one about the tongue. It would have gone down there had it not been him pulling away…
“He’s always afraid he’ll go too far. What is a girl supposed to do to convince a guy as thick-skull as him it’s okay?
“I’ve to tell you… He’s great in the battlefield. But when it comes to this, he’s as dense as a log… always scared of touching me inappropriately…
“Or maybe it’s because he never really loved me that way…
“I’m sure Ron has sneaked a hand on you here and there… but Harry… no, no, no! He’s a gentleman. But if you ask me, he’s as stiff as a Christmas fruitcake! Hermione, why are you still staring at me?”
Hermione quickly pushed her eyes back to the pile of presents. She had not realized her dismayed expressions were still etched all over her face. It was because she had never heard Ginny talk about Harry in such a derisive manner before.
“Besides, what if it’ll also bring back his memories of Aria Hannibal,” Ginny pointed coldly. “Dumbledore’s right. It’ll be too much for him if he remembers that too, especially with everything he has to deal with right now…”
“But… Ginny…” Hermione finally was able to get a word in. But it was fruitless because Ginny got up and turned away.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I really have to brush my teeth; I’m beginning to smell my own breath!” Ginny dashed out of the room and slammed her door shut.
“What you think is best for him… what you think is best for him…” Hermione imitated Ginny’s tone mockingly.
“You silly girl! You should know by now you are the best thing that’s ever happened to our poor Harry,” she jeered as she held up Oliver’s gift, trying to not be drawn in by the captivating picture.
“What’s so dazzling with this stupid puzzle?” she snorted, glancing over at Harry’s unopened plain blue box. “I bet Harry’s gift is ten times more impressive!
“But then again…” she sighed worriedly, shaking her head dejectedly, knowing she was hanging onto false hopes. “Gin’s right. Harry’s a bit of a dense case… I hope he didn’t get her a log for the fireplace…”
The Boy Next Door by gossipweaver
Chapter Notes: … a perfect picture only to have it knifed into a thousand pieces, waiting to be fitted back, if ever, to become what was that memorable picture once more, except it will be one filled with a thousand cracks, a thousand scars, perhaps even a few hollow holes, because for some unknown reasons, some key pieces will always lose their way and be conspicuously missing…