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Understanding
By HPOD Sufferer

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Category: Post-HBP
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Other, Ron Weasley
Genres: Angst, Drama, Romance
Warnings: None
Rating: PG
Reviews: 5
Summary: *** The author has been reminded via the e-mail address on file that this story is listed as incomplete and has not been updated in over 2 years ***

After the events of HBP, a train ride together to London is bound to be awkward for Harry and Ginny. But when their friends start pestering them for breaking up, Ginny loses it a bit.
Hitcount: Story Total: 3062



Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work.



Author's Notes:
I don't expect the train ride will be included in Deathly Hallows, so here's my take on it. Many fanfictions I've read have Ginny deciding Harry will be stronger with her. At first, I agreed. But after thinking on it, I think this situation is more likely to happen. I hope you enjoy.




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A group of teenagers sat in the uncomfortable silence of their train compartment as the countryside rushed past. None of them knew what to say about what was facing them.

Hermione was staring vacantly at a thick book open on her lap, Ron repeatedly shuffled his chocolate frog cards, Neville stroked his plant and Luna read her Quibbler magazine. Harry, with no such hobbies, watched as cows and sheep munched their way through the lush grass outside the Hogwarts Express.

Beside Harry sat the sixth person in the compartment. Ginny Weasley was looking at her fingers glumly. Despite being seated next to Harry, she had pushed herself as close to Luna as possible, leaving a relatively huge gap between her and the melancholy boy beside her, considering the crowdedness of the compartment.

The compartment wouldn’t have been so crowded were it not for the fact that the Hogwarts Express was not only taking Hogwarts students back to London but a fair amount of protective parents, Aurors, Order of the Phoenix Members, as well as some people who’d been at Albus Dumbledore’s funeral. There were even some rumours that Hagrid had brought his giant half-brother on board, although most people knew it was not true. So the train, fit only for roughly one thousand underage Wizards and Witches had been forced to carry a surplus of adults, making for a very cramped ride on which there were not enough food and toilets for everyone.

The train bumped its way around a bend and Ginny slid the few inches between her and Harry so that their shoulders touched. Instantly Ginny scrambled back, murmuring an apology as Harry pressed his face further onto the glass. It was not the first time this had happened - the train was travelling through some slightly mountainous country meaning that the tracks wove their way back and forth. For this reason, Ginny slid into Harry another three times in the following ten minutes, apologising each time. Each time Harry ignored her.

On the fourth time, Hermione snapped her book shut and glared at Harry. “Harry, at least say something to her!” Hermione said irritably.

Harry ignored Hermione as he had Ginny. “Harry!” Hermione said, more insistently. “Don’t do this, to yourself as much as for us.”

“Leave him,” Ginny said softly. “It’s hard for him.”

“Hard for him?” said Ron, putting his cards down and looking at his sister with wide eyes. “And what about you?”

Ginny could not meet his eyes and looked down. Then she timidly turned to Harry and told the back of his head, “I understand what you’re going through Harry.”

Ron watched his sister with disbelief shaking his head, not without a hint of annoyance towards Harry in his eyes. Neville had looked up by now, and had a very similar look on his face as well.

“Well I think Harry’s being unreasonable,” he said at last, looking at Ginny, who’d gone back to looking at her fingers. “A relationship with a person means that when things change you should stand by them. I thought,” Neville paused, clearly afraid he’d stepped his bounds, then deciding he should speak, said, “ I’m disappointed with you Harry, and you Ginny. You’re both better than this … or at least, I thought you were.”

“Yeah,” said Ron, “I bet you Harry that you think you’re protecting her by breaking up, don’t you? Haven’t you thought that maybe you’d be better off -”

“STOP IT!” Ginny yelled, getting to her feet. She was finally looking at the rest of them, and her face was red and her eyes bright with anger. “You don’t understand, do you? Of course I’m in danger, we’re all in danger! But me and Harry - we can’t … it’s just …”

“But he’s just going to leave you! Drop you like a piece of rubbish!” Neville said, all nervousness forgotten, replaced with enough indignant anger for both Harry and Ginny. “And what? He’s expecting you’re going to just sit around and when he comes back all glorified you’ll welcome him with open arms? Do you seriously think you’ll do that?”
Harry still made no response, eyes glued to a farmstead on the horizon.

“You don’t know Harry like I do, none of you,” Ginny said quietly. Ron made a disgusted face. “And not like that. None of you know him. That’s the last thing Harry expects of me. In fact, he doesn’t expect anything of me. And I of him. And he’s not dropping me like a piece of rubbish, thank you very much Neville.

“But don’t any of you get it? Dumbledore’s dead. We’ve got nobody to turn to - except Harry. Can you just think about that? Harry’s the only one who can do something and of course Harry doesn’t know what to do. Harry’s got to -” Ginny’s voice shook, “He’s got to hide, like a coward when all he really wants is to be strong, because Harry is strong, the strongest person I know. Then he has to face that - that man, Voldemort and he has to kill him.” Ginny shook her head in wonder and gave Harry one of the most loving faces any of those in the compartment had seen. “You haven’t a clue what’s going through Harry’s head, so don’t pretend like you know better.”

“But you’re happy together,” Hermione said in a voice designed to plead Ginny into understanding them. “You … Ginny, you were so happy, and I don’t think I’ve ever, ever seen Harry as happy as when he was with you. That’s your strength, both of you.”

“No, Hermione,” Ginny said, sinking into her seat and shuffling away from Harry. “It’s not. Our strength is that, despite everything, I still love him, I love him so much it hurts, and I know he feels the same.”


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Ginny didn’t seem to be able to get her mother to stop walking so close that Ginny could actually feel Mrs. Weasley’s breath on her neck. She’d asked, of course, but her mother had stiffly replied they they’d best get home quick. Ginny kept glancing at Harry, Ron and Hermione, all of whom were walking beside her through the Muggle train station. None had said anything, but Ginny knew somehow that the three of them were going to be up to something. Suddenly, Harry veered off to the side, muttering about needing the bathroom.

Mrs. Weasley immediately ordered them all to stop to wait for him. Ginny saw Ron and Hermione share significant, slightly scared glances before turning to Mrs. Weasley, and Ginny knew instantly that there was soon to be an explosion.

“I need the bathroom as well,” she lied and followed Harry. As she pushed her way through the crowd towards the bathroom, she regretted it. The chance that she might run into Harry - or that the others would think, she followed him on purpose was probable, neither option seeming favourable to Ginny. But it was the only excuse she had.

The bathroom contained two stalls, one occupied. The sight of the open door reminded Ginny’s body that she hadn’t been since they’d left Hogwarts. A few minutes later she was washing her hands and face at the sink, trying to get a grip on herself.

A tired woman pulled herself from the other cubicle up to the sink and joined her, surreptitiously glancing at Ginny’s reflection. “When did he break up with you then?” she asked knowingly.

“This morning,” Ginny sighed, running her fingers through her hair, not caring that this woman seemed to know more about her social life than a stranger should.

The woman dried her hands and faced Ginny. “The thing to know is, they always come back. No matter what.”

Ginny smiled thinly and the woman touched her arm before leaving. Ginny faced her reflection and sniffed before leaving the bathroom herself.

“Ginny,” said a voice, and she turned to see Harry leaning on the wall next to the wall. Harry was gazing at her with a fierce gaze that made her drop her eyes. She saw his feet some into view and felt as Harry pushed back some of her hair.

“Thanks,” he whispered in her ear. “For in the train. I didn’t ...” Ginny looked up at his voice caught. They eyes met and Harry continued. “You understand me better than I do,” Harry struggled with a smile.

“I’m going to miss being with you so much.”

Ginny bit her lip, hoping she wouldn’t cry because she knew Harry would get the wrong impression from it. Her eyes were prickling.

“Me too,” she mumbled over her thickening tongue and tightening throat.

Harry had a sad, pained look on his face, then the next moment he was hugging her tightly, and Ginny rested her head on his shoulder, smelling him and committing it to memory, still making a great effort not to cry. Harry pulled back at last, still holding her but looking at her face.

“This is hard,” he admitted. Ginny nodded, sniffing. “Ginny?” Harry asked. “What Neville said … about you waiting around?”

“You know I will,” Ginny said thickly.

Harry looked miserable. “Please don’t. I might - you know what’s going to happen and I would hate it if you -”

“I do know,” Ginny said. “With all my heart. But I will be here when it’s all over, like everyone else will be, and we’ll all be waiting for you.”

“Thanks,” Harry said. “And there’s something I have to tell you before … before I leave, “ Harry stopped, tightening his hug.

“Yes?” said Ginny, her heart starting to pound, wondering, hoping.

Harry shook his head. “I can’t.” Ginny bit her lip again as the tears swam in her eyes again. “I’m sorry,” Harry said, desperately.

“Don’t be,” Ginny said, dropping her head against his chest. “You can say it when ever you want - now, later, never.”

“It will be someday,” Harry said firmly. “I will tell you. And I’m going to miss you.”

“You said that already,” Ginny said.

“I know,” Harry said. “But it’s true and I need you to know that at least.” Ginny nodded. “Ginny, please look at me,” Harry begged. “I want to see you one last time.”

Ginny stared him in the face. “It’s not the last time we see each other, don’t you forget that,” she told him determinedly. “And this won’t be the last one either.”

Ginny raised herself on her toes, closed her eyes and kissed him long and deeply, and he kissed back, Ginny‘s tears getting onto both of their faces. Harry held her as tightly as she held him. People passing grumpily averted their eyes, not understanding what was going on - some mistaking it for rude public young love, yet some knowing it was something more.

Then Harry and Ginny left, staying apart from each other, still awkward, never meeting one another’s eyes until they were parted.
Reviews 5
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