Written for the Colors of the Rainbow Challenge - Red #2
Prompt: Write about unrequited love

June 14, 1997 Hogwart's Grounds

It was a beautiful sunny Saturday morning. It was one of those rare days where you could forget everything that was happening in the world and just enjoy the day. Or at least, it should have been.

He had been sitting under a tree at the far side of the lake enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze when the sounds of voices alerted him to the group heading in his general direction. It took him only a moment to recognize the voices.

He turned towards the school to see Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed toward the lake. Hermione had her arm wrapped around a paperback book, a blanket was draped over her elbow. Ginny and Harry were carrying a large picnic basket between them. Apparently his peaceful morning was about to be disturbed by an impromptu picnic.

He watched from across the lake as they reached the tree-shaded shore. Ron helped Hermione spread the blanket out in the shade of a tree while Harry took the basket from Ginny and conjured a low table to set it on. None of them noticed him sitting there. In fact, they barely seemed to notice the other couple they were with. Ron appeared be trying to distract Hermione from her book, which she had immediately opened when she sat down on the blanket. On the other side of the blanket, Ginny had sat down practically in Harry's lap. He couldn't tell if they were talking or just staring at each other.

Harry and Ginny had been this way for weeks now. Every time he saw them they were sitting close together, staring into each others' eyes and maybe sharing a whispered conversation. He'd heard, of course, about when they'd started dating. The whole school knew that story by now. Personally, he thought there was something peculiar with the story, but no one else seemed to think so. Maybe it was just that he was bitter.

Over the years, he'd tried everything he could think of to make his feelings known, but he'd never found a way to get the response he'd been hoping for. At the best of times, his efforts were met with an indifferent response given in a scornful tone. It had taken him until just recently to figure out the first mistake he'd made and he could think of no way to fix it now, not that anyone was going to let him try.

He was still watching them when Ginny laughed at some comment Harry had made, then leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. He couldn't sit here and watch them any longer. He sighed and got up. He took one last look at the happy couples on the other side of the lake, then walked away.

As he headed back to the castle he couldn't help but to dwell on the unfairness of it all. Ginny was going to get the perfect life he'd always wanted with the man he'd loved since the first time he saw him, and him? He was going to be killed. Because even if he managed to get that stupid vanishing cabinet working, he'd never be able to finish the other half of the task his father had forced him to accept.