A Desperate Deed

Heart Given

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

The wilted leaves on the trees were rustling in the wind. Not long and they were raining colourful down and began to cover the lawn, the landscape of Hogwarts. The slowly rising golden sun did her part to put a spell, after the storm, on this still early morning.

The weather was cold, but that's what he needed: The interaction between slightly wet air, warm sun and the smell of soil and leaves. A few stray leaves covered even the Quidditch field.

In high speed, Harry flew his rounds. It was the first time since a year that he sat again on his broom and enjoyed flying. He nearly had forgotten how it felt to fly through the air with nothing but the ground deeply below him. Complete freedom, how much had he missed this? Nowhere else could he calm down, reflecting things better than up there.

Months ago, he hadn't expected to survive the next day, but now he hadn't just defeated Voldemort but saw himself confronted with a radical change of his life. Harry had no clue how to handle it. But not only around him, he faced transitions, but he as a person was changing too. His life and the people in it had gotten a different, partly a deeper meaning. Strange, how during a year, long believed truths, feelings had been thrown out of the window.

The handle of his Firebolt began to vibrate. He had become unintended steadily faster. Harry was so caught up in his chaotically feelings that he didn't attempt to go slower at all. From one moment to the next, he had felt so angry. At first, he hadn't known what about, but then he remembered and took it as a reason to lean even further with more force into the rapid flight.

All the while, another person stepped below onto the field. In hand a broom, her fiery red mane flying behind Ginny.

"Ginny!" Harry called as soon as he saw her, but she had already turned on her heels.

"Ginny, wait!" But she kept walking and ignored him.

Harry landed in breakneck speed in front of her. Barely, he could absorb the impact of this move with his legs.

"We have to talk." He demanded out of breath.

"There isn't anything to talk about as long as you're still married." She coldly rebuffed and was about to walk past him.

"Do you believe it's that easy?" Harry held her back and let his broom fall to the ground.

"You think it's for me? While I was waiting for you to return, you had something with Hermione!" She became louder.

"I didn't ask you to wait, contrary I broke up with you." He let go of her.

"It doesn't change my feelings for you, Harry. Even after everything that happened, I still want to be together with you. I understand that you had been in a desperate situation, but you have won. Voldemort is gone for good." Ginny moved towards him. "All you've to do -"

"Is to destroy Hermione's life!" Harry bitterly interrupted her.

"There'll be ways to support her if necessary. But she can lead a normal life in the muggle world too." Ginny tried to calm him.