The common room had been emptying at increasingly later hours as the year passed. The workload for the sixth years was enormous and Ginny Weasley, who would be taking her O.W.L's this year, could be found reading, bags under her eyes, until well past midnight. Harry, looking at her from across the common room, couldn't help but notice how her eyes stayed brown and warm, despite her weariness. His stomach lurched a little and he wasn't quite sure why.
Harry had finished his star chart fairly early, but instead of opting for bed, he continued sitting with Ron and Hermione, glancing across the room at infrequent intervals. Ginny looked very pretty when she yawned.
"The 1674 Warlock Confederation was held in Prague, not Salzburg. And it was led by Eunice the Young, not Uric the Oddball," she said, biting the end of her quill.
Ron went red but said, rather defensively, "How d'you expect me to keep them straight, eh?"
Harry could sense a quarrel, the type of which may have annoyed him last year, but now, well….Ginny was standing up and her hair was so long and red. She put her books away and with another yawn she walked across the common room. She stopped near Ron.
"Mum sent Errol. She told me to ask you if you wanted to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays."
"Right….er, I'll send her an owl later…..now, listen Hermione, you're nutters, I could swear that the goblin revolt was in 1703…"
Ginny raised her eyebrows knowingly and smiling vaguely she said, "Night, then."
"Night!" Harry called, a little too late and a little too loudly. Ginny's eyebrows were still raised in that odd, mysterious way. As if she knew something Harry didn't. She looked terribly amused at something. "Night, Harry."
Feeling like a great, big prat Harry stayed in his arm chair for another fifteen minutes, listening to Ron and Hermione quarrel, before standing up. The common room was nearly empty, it was only the three of them left. "I'm going to bed," he said. "Coming, Ron?"
Ron's ears went red. "Soon," he muttered. "Reckon I should finish the History of Magic essay."
Harry went upstairs, where, in his dorm, he could hear the snores of Neville. Neville had taken Ginny to the Yule Ball in fourth year….Harry felt a twinge of something that felt like jealousy. Harry laughed. Jealous of Neville? He fell into a deep sleep, and the images of Ginny's red, long hair subsided, fading into the darkness.
Harry had finished his star chart fairly early, but instead of opting for bed, he continued sitting with Ron and Hermione, glancing across the room at infrequent intervals. Ginny looked very pretty when she yawned.
"The 1674 Warlock Confederation was held in Prague, not Salzburg. And it was led by Eunice the Young, not Uric the Oddball," she said, biting the end of her quill.
Ron went red but said, rather defensively, "How d'you expect me to keep them straight, eh?"
Harry could sense a quarrel, the type of which may have annoyed him last year, but now, well….Ginny was standing up and her hair was so long and red. She put her books away and with another yawn she walked across the common room. She stopped near Ron.
"Mum sent Errol. She told me to ask you if you wanted to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays."
"Right….er, I'll send her an owl later…..now, listen Hermione, you're nutters, I could swear that the goblin revolt was in 1703…"
Ginny raised her eyebrows knowingly and smiling vaguely she said, "Night, then."
"Night!" Harry called, a little too late and a little too loudly. Ginny's eyebrows were still raised in that odd, mysterious way. As if she knew something Harry didn't. She looked terribly amused at something. "Night, Harry."
Feeling like a great, big prat Harry stayed in his arm chair for another fifteen minutes, listening to Ron and Hermione quarrel, before standing up. The common room was nearly empty, it was only the three of them left. "I'm going to bed," he said. "Coming, Ron?"
Ron's ears went red. "Soon," he muttered. "Reckon I should finish the History of Magic essay."
Harry went upstairs, where, in his dorm, he could hear the snores of Neville. Neville had taken Ginny to the Yule Ball in fourth year….Harry felt a twinge of something that felt like jealousy. Harry laughed. Jealous of Neville? He fell into a deep sleep, and the images of Ginny's red, long hair subsided, fading into the darkness.