Wow! Finally up! Okay, first of all I'd like to thank everyone for their patience, and for all the people kind enough to answer my question. I really appreciate it, and have taken your input into consideration. The general idea I got was that most of you like the split POV idea, but that you can see how it could get repetitive, so it would be okay to mix it up. (That was the general consensus, not necessarily what everyone said) So that's what I'm going to try to do. This one, as well as most in the future, will be split, but I will try to limit the amount of information that overlaps, so each time you are getting more to the story. There will be some chapters, thoguh, that I will write differently so it doesn't get old. (*cough cough* Ron and Hermione * cough cough*) hehe, alright, enough rambling from me, and onto #12 Grimmauld Place...
* *Ginny’s POV* *
After a long breakfast, during which Mrs. Weasley talked constantly to avoid all silences of any kind, and making sure Harry had eaten as much as she could physically shove in him, Ginny slipped out the back door. Grimmauld Place had extensive grounds although it was in the middle of the city, hidden ingeniously, like the house, with some impressive wand work. A beautiful garden graced the kitchen windows and there was a small woods area in the far left corner, with countless fascinating paths to explore. Ginny followed her favorite to a small brook, enjoying the solitude of the woods and planning her strategy. She slipped off her shoes and rolled up her pants, stepping slowly into the chilly water. She shivered for a minute, but as her feet became acclimated to the cold she grinned to herself as her toes explored the murky bottom. Hearing a branch crack behind her she turned suddenly and froze in astonishment. He was watching her play, a curious smile fixed permanently on his face.
Oh Merlin, now what’s he going to think of me?
Neither spoke for an inconceivably long couple of seconds until Ginny finally found her voice, “Err…what are you doing here Harry?”
He shook his head slightly, “I was just wondering where you had wandered off to,” she smiled guiltily and he continued, “Do you come here often?”
Only when you won’t get out of my head!
She shrugged, “Sort of. I found this a few weeks ago and can’t help but keep coming back.” She stared at him for a minute thinking, maybe it would be good for him, take his mind off it, and just maybe we could spend some time together…
“What are you thinking?” he asked tentatively.
She tilted her head deciding, “Okay, come here, I want to show you something.”
* * Harry’s POV* *
As attention gradually drifted from Harry to the rest of the individuals in the kitchen, he noticed Ginny stealthily slip off her seat and out the back door. He wanted to follow, to thank her for yesterday, and then his prayers seemed to be answered as Ron unintentionally created the perfect diversion. Hermione stood and retrieved the rest of the orange juice, bringing it to the counter as Ron turned suddenly, colliding with her and spilling all the juice down the front of her shirt.
“Oh!” yelped Hermione as the cold liquid hit her skin.
Ron could only blink for a moment, startled, and then he quickly grabbed some napkins and tried to help her clean off, “Sorry ‘Mione! Sorry!”
“Um… it’s…okay… Ron,” she muttered as he gently wiped her shirt, then both froze uncomfortably as he reached to dab her chest and then stopped himself.
Harry shook his head, chuckling silently at his friends as he snuck out the door; before it closed he heard Mrs. Weasley’s ‘Scourgify!’, cleaning up the whole mess, but still leaving the two standing uneasily. He was just in time to catch a glimpse of scarlet disappearing into the woods, and hurried after her.
She was following a path he’d never traveled before, and as he reached a brook he slowed and then could only stand and smile as she removed her shoes and gracefully entered the water. He admired her as she shook her crimson waves and as her smile lit up her face as she explored with her toes and splashed around lightly. He shifted his weight, moving his right foot slightly and accidentally stepped on a twig, catching her attention. She looked up at him in surprise, but he was still entranced and couldn’t react.
Say something…
She stared expectantly…
…anything…
His brain was a blank…
At least stop smiling!
“Err…what are you doing here Harry?”
Say something!
Harry shook his head trying desperately to stop grinning idiotically at her and after what he felt was an eternity finally managed to mumble, “I was just curious where you had wandered off to…” Ginny grinned and he continued with a bit more confidence, “Do you come here often?”
She sighed, “Sort of. I found this a few weeks ago and can’t help but keep coming back.”
When she stopped talking and looked at him intently, he could feel her warm brown eyes penetrating through him, and began to feel awkward, something he had oddly enough just been making fun of Ron for… but that was different…he reasoned. Realizing she was still staring at him he shifted uncomfortably and then tried to fill the silence so as to stop his dangerous pondering, “What are you thinking?”
She tilted her head, and he raised his eyebrows questioningly, “Okay, come here, I want to show you something.”
He wasn’t sure if she was serious or not but she didn’t move so he curiously slid out of his slippers and robe and imitated her rolled up pants, jumping slightly as he entered the icy water, “Brr! Aren’t you freezing?”
She must be out of her mind, he thought chuckling to himself as the water sent shivers up his legs.
“You’ll get used to it, come on.” He walked along behind her, lost in his own thoughts. They followed the brook leisurely, enjoying the sensation of the cool water on their legs. Neither felt the need to speak; the silence wasn’t confining or awkward, rather it was comfortable and pleasant, allowing both to deal with the heavy weights on their minds that they were struggling to understand. Soon, however, the cold water stopped feeling pleasant, and as he began to lose sensitivity in his toes he was starting to wonder if they were actually going anywhere.
“Alright we’re nearly theeeeeee”aaaaa!” Ginny turned to look at Harry a bit too quickly, slipping on a slimy stone. Instinctively he reached out, catching her. She straightened slowly and as she turned he realized just how close they were, with their faces inches apart. He could see the light freckles splashed across her nose and feel her hot breath on his face. Her grip on his shoulders tightened slightly and suddenly becoming aware of how close they were he jumped back and stared determinedly at the water, as his face began to burn.
What just happened?
“Um…thanks,” she breathed softly.
“Err…yeah…careful,” he said still staring intently at the current flowing over his cold feet.
This is odd…is she still looking at me?
As he glanced up quickly, she smiled shyly at him and his heart jumped a beat.
And she is…now what?
“Right…err…shall we?” He muttered, beginning to walk again. He could feel her eyes boring into his back for a minute, and to his horror, his blush intensified to an even darker shade. He ducked his head farther, avoiding her eyes at all costs.
They continued on, however this time at a much slower pace than before, and a much greater distance between them, separated by a gulf of awkwardness. The brook took a sharp curve and Ginny stopped.
“Okay, here it is!”
Harry looked up and then back at Ginny confused.
Here what is?
“What?” Instead of following the brook she was facing a dead end: all that was in front of them was a thicker, impenetrable part of the woods.
“You don’t hear it?” she asked. Harry shrugged; by now his toes had begun to sting and he was ready to get out of the stream. Ginny rolled her eyes, “Listen.” Harry sighed and stood silently. Gradually, as he tuned out the other sounds, he could faintly hear it. He looked up in amazement and she nodded in confirmation.
“But, where is it?”
Ginny smiled playfully and pulled out her wand, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”
Harry gasped as a rather large, crooked tree seemed to bend out of the way, and a small opening became visible, revealing that the river in fact did not take a sharp curve as he had assumed, but rather forked in two separate directions.
But how…?
He looked at her expectantly and as she met his eyes, reading his question; she smiled sadly and shrugged, “Sirius.”
The password registered in his brain and he realized his godfather must have found peace in this very path. All of the happiness that had been flooding him all morning was replaced by a wave of sadness as he remembered.
Sirius.
Ginny seemed to recognize his change in attitude, and waited silently as he relived his grief, not that he noticed. He was completely unaware of where he was and the pins and needles that had been tickling his toes: his mind was elsewhere… Sirius.
You’re meant to be a teensy bit confused (such as how Ginny could know about it, what he heard, and so forth) but it’s only part 1, and hopefully part 2 will be up soon!
Thanks to my reviewers and beta Harry luvs Ginny--I promise not to make a required number of reviews before I update if you guys do, well, review! lol Ch. 5 is submitted, so it shall be up soon (hopefully sooner than 10 days, though with my luck...ha) Anyway, you review, and i'll do my best to get the chs. posted quickly-i've got almost all of them written by now! ^_^
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