Title: An Unwanted Destiny

Author: Mardia

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Angst/Romance

Pairings: Harry/Ginny

Summary: Ginny had expected that Harry would never feel the same way she did. What she hadn't been expecting was that fate would never allow her to get over him.

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling own Harry Potter and everything you recognize here. So don't sue.

Professor Trelawney had started the whole thing. She had invited an old friend 'who has been given the gift of the Inner Eye' to Hogwarts. The friend, a certain Madame De Courcy, was allegedly skilled in seeing the destinies of other people. Few believed this, as Professor Trelawney's own reliability as a Seer was called into question on a regular basis.

Madame had said that she would agree to students seeing her for her prophecies…insisting, however, that she would only be asked one question per student.

Ginny hadn't planned on seeing Madame De Courcy, believing her to be nothing but a fraud. Although she didn't take Divination, she had heard Hermione's rants on the subject enough so she was wary of most witches or wizards who claimed to be Seers.

But Colin had managed to talk Ginny into consulting her. "Oh, come on, Ginny," he had wheedled. "We can have a good laugh afterwards."

Only Ginny wasn't laughing right now.

~*~

"Ginny?"

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't cry.

Colin looked down at her, worried. "G-Ginny? What's wrong?"

She looked up at him. "Nothing," she muttered hoarsely. "I-I need to go lie down, Colin. I'm not feeling well."

"D'you want to go to the hospital wing?" Colin asked, his eyes wide with concern.

She shook her head. "I just want to lay down-"

"At least let me walk you back-"

Not wanting to argue, Ginny said, "Okay."

~*~

As Ginny lay in her bedroom, the reality of the situation started to sink in.

"There are people who have many loves in their lifetime...you are not one of those people."

Her breathing was unsteady. It felt like there was a great weight on her chest.

"I'm sorry, my dear...but your feelings for this young man...they are not going to go away. Ever."

"So...so I'll never be over him? Ever?"

~*~

Colin went down to the common room to see Harry and Ron playing chess, with Hermione watching them. "Um, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up. "Oh, hello, Colin. Something wrong?"

"Could-could you go and check on Ginny?" Colin whispered urgently. "We went to go see Madame De Courcy and when Ginny came out, she was ashen and her hands were shaking and--well, I'm rather worried."

Ron, overhearing, went instantly into overprotective-brother mode.

"Maybe I should go up there-" he muttered.

"No," Hermione said, trying not to notice the fact that Ron looked adorable when he was worried. Honestly, this really wasn't the time... "I'll go up there and see what's wrong-"

"And then you'll tell us, right?" Harry asked, looking almost as worried as Ron.

"Let me see what's wrong first," Hermione told him, then went up the stairs.

~*~

Ginny's thoughts whirled around in circles.

Maybe she's a fraud...probably having a laugh with Professor Trelawney now about scaring that poor fourth-year...

But with brutal accuracy, her mind recalled the words Professor Dumbledore had said when Colin had asked about consulting Madame De Courcy...

"Her accuracy rating is really quite high...on the average, she's correct in her predictions about 99.76% of the time," Dumbledore had said seriously. "So I suggest you think long and hard before you see her...after all, you might not like what you hear."

And Dumbledore was right. Ginny hadn't liked what she'd heard. Not one bit.

~*~

Hermione knocked on the door.

"Ginny? It's Hermione. Can I come in?"

There was a pause. Then Ginny said tonelessly, "All right."

Hermione opened the door and walked in.

The first thing she noticed was the dazed look on Ginny's face. Her friend looked as if her world had just been destroyed.

"Ginny?" Hermione asked tentatively. "Are-are you all right?" Hermione already knew the answer though.

No. Ginny was not in any way whatsoever okay.

Ginny blinked and stared at her like she had seen Hermione for the first time. "I'm fine, Hermione," she insisted, giving her a smile.

For some reason, that smile scared Hermione more than the dazed look of before had.

"Are you sure? Because Colin said you seemed upset..."

"Oh, I'm fine. Madame De Courcy just startled me a bit," Ginny told Hermione, smiling brightly. "Really, though, she's just the same as Professor Trelawney...prophecies of doom and gloom and all that."

"So you're all right, then?" Hermione asked, knowing instinctively that she wasn't.

"Of course I am!" Ginny said. "I really need to get started on my homework, though-"

Hermione nodded slowly.

"Well...if you're sure you're okay..."

"I'm sure, Hermione," she told her.

That's right, Ginny, just smile and nod...never mind the fact that your life's been shattered...

Hermione turned and walked towards the door, then turned. "Ginny, I'll be around...if you need to talk…" she trailed off, hoping Ginny would explain what was going on.

Ginny nodded. "I know."

Disappointed, Hermione walked out of the room, sighing softly as she closed the door.

Well, Hermione thought to herself, I don't know what that was about, but I know it wasn't good.

~*~

Ginny sank down onto the edge of her bed.

I'll never be free, she realized. Ever.

She shivered.

I'll always care about him...always. Next year, and the year after that, and when I leave Hogwarts and-and he never will. He won't care the way that I do and-

And I'll be left alone.

Ginny had known Harry didn't feel the same way she did. She hadn't blamed him, or thought that there was even a possibility that he could ever learn to. He saw her as his best friend's kid sister, and she had learned to accept that, believing that one day she would simply have to get over him.

Until today, when that belief had been broken.

"You are destined for one love...and one love only," Madame said sadly. "There will be no 'getting over it'...not in your case."

Tears started rolling down Ginny's cheeks.

Oh God...I'll never be in love with anyone else...and he'll never be in love with me...and he'll always be there, because he's Ron's friend and because he saved my life...and I'll probably have to go to his wedding and see him have children and-

And I'll be alone. For the rest of my life.

Alone...

Finally, Ginny broke down and cried.