Don't Leave

Harry swung the Cloak back over himself and walked on. Someone else was moving not far away. He was feet away from her when he realized it was Ginny, who was looking for people left on the battlefield.

Harry felt the intense urge to go to her, to kiss her, comfort her and apologize. He knew that if he did so he might never be able to leave, but part of him wanted that. Unfortunately, he would not get a choice in whether or not to face her. Ginny whipped her head around, perhaps at the sound of his breathing or walking.

"Harry?" Her beautiful voice probed hesitantly.

Sighing in defeat, Harry let the cloak slip to the ground, revealing his tattered form. "What are you doing here?" She asked him suspiciously. Of course she'd catch on to what he was doing.

Harry couldn't bring himself to answer her, he couldn't lie to her, and he couldn't tell the truth. However, Ginny interpreted his silence for what it meant. "Don't. you. dare." She growled angrily , taking several agressive steps toward him.

"I have to" Harry said simply "Please don't try to stop me" his voice pleading with her to understand.

"No you don't" She nearly shouted, tears coming to her eyes. "You can't, we need you, I need you! Of course I'm going to stop you!"

"I'm sorry, Ginny"

"Like hell you are!" She challenged, tears streaming down her face, drawing her wand "There is no bloody way that I'm letting you do this, even if I have to hex you out of it!"

Harry only gave Ginny a small smile, adoring how classically Ginny she was being, and then took the steps eliminating the remaining distance separating them. "I love you" He said with his heart in his voice and tears leaking from his eyes.

Then he kissed her.

The redhead responded fervently, moaning softly and melting into his loving embrace. The kiss was not hard or rushed; Harry instead poured all of his love into the kiss.

They backed into a tree, Harry pinned her hands to it, yet never lessening the love he gave into the kiss. He then withdrew from the kiss and murmured an incantation under his breath with the guiltiest and most regretful expression he had ever worn on his face.

He then took a step back, Ginny tried to follow, but found she couldn't. A look of betrayal flashed across her face as she realized that he had tricked her and bound her hands to the tree with a sticking charm. It would wear off in a few minutes so she wouldn't be in danger, but she wouldn't be able to stop him from doing what he had to do.

"I'm so sorry Ginny, but I have to do this, for you, for everyone" Harry voice was so tortured that the anger Ginny felt for him at that moment almost melted away, almost. He the kissed her forehead and whispered "I love you".

Then he slipped his cloak back on, turned away from her and walked toward the woods, not looking back.

"HARRY!" Ginny yelled as she struggled fiercely against her bonds "YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" The pain and anguish in her voice made Harry wince, but he forced himself to go on, whispering to himself a mantra of "It's for her own good. It's for her own good."

"PLEASE! I LOVE YOU! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE!" Her voice became more desperate as she continued.

"YOU PRAT! I HATE YOU! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME DAMN IT! WHY! HARRY! HARRY! HARRY!" Desperation turned to anger and then to panic.

Harry didn't even try to hold back his tears. Some, okay, a lot of Harry wanted nothing more than to run back to her and apologize, to kiss her tears away and let her slap him for being such a prat because he so deserved it. He knew that no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't.

Instead, he walked away faster. Very soon, people would be drawn to her screaming, and he didn't want to risk the chance of getting caught.

Ginny's screams died down to a devastated sobbing that was even more heart wrenching. Harry tried to tune it out as he walked into the forest.