A/N: This came to me when writing the last installment of my soon to be 'three-shot' and I had to write it! Hope you like it, and please review at the end! I'd like to know what you think!
She slammed into the girls bathroom, and dropped her book bag heavily onto the tiled floor. She slumped onto the edge of the sink to look at herself in the mirror. Long, silky hair, glowing eyes, clear skin- why didn't he think she was pretty enough?
Her friends, and fellow "Potter-Watchers" as they'd labeled themselves, soon joined her in their favorite gossip station: the fourth floor girls lavatories.
"I assume you have all heard, by now?" She asked the other girls who had joined her.
"Oh, Romilda! I will never understand why he didn't pick you!" the girl was one of the more recent ones to join them- a fourth year. She was one of the few that liked Harry for Romilda instead of herself.
"Oh, he has that little red-headed slut now, he doesn't need me." Romilda looked around. There were various responses throughout the room, and it was obvious that some hadn't heard the latest Hogwarts gossip yet.
"What?"
"Him and-!"
"I didn't-"
"Who do you mean?"
"Wait- WEASLEY?" At the name, all the other chatter stopped, and they looked at Romilda. She sighed.
"Yes, he chose Weasley," the name was said with obvious loathing, "over me, because apparently she threw himself at the Gryffindor victory party yesterday."
There was an onrush of talk at this latest bit of news.
"Well, it's been obvious she fancied him for years now."
"But he's never shown any interest!"
"He doesn't even know her!"
"Never has spent any time with her."
"Except she's friends with Granger, and her brother's his best mate."
"Oh, so just coz we don't have connections like that-"
"Well, he does basically live with the Weasley's outside of school- remember when we followed them in Diagon Alley?"
"Well, Ron won't be too happy about this- guarantee it! And you all know Harry won't cross Ron!"
This last comment got murmured agreement from all the girls gathered there.
"A fifth year turned to Romilda. "Rommy?" That was the girl's nickname for her. "What do you think?" The bathroom turned quiet as she turned to examine her eyebrows. Everyone knew this was going to be 'hint of hidden knowledge', as they'd named these occasions when she's give her opinions. She loved that she had become the ringleader of this group- she loved getting idolized.
"Well, it's obvious she's a fling of some kind. He needs a relapse every now and then, like any male. He knows her somewhat from knowing mutual people in their lives, and she made use of that. He'll eventually tire of her, and move on to bigger and better things." Like me, she thought.
Some of the younger girls looked like they wanted to take notes, while others were just looking at Romilda with awe in their eyes. No one in the bathroom had noticed the door open.
"Well," a dreamy voice said- one definitely not from their group, "It seems they didn't get the memo where he told you he was falling in love with you, hmm?" they all turned slowly, Romilda first, to see Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw fifth year and a very good friend of Ginny Weasley. The girl who was standing beside her, looking furious.
They all gulped, looked away, or down, and started shifting awkwardly. All except Romilda, though she knew as well as the rest what a good witch the fiery redhead was. She just couldn't afford for any of them, friend or foe, to see her weak!
"Well, Romilda," Ginny looked her dead in the eyes, "got anything to say to me, the 'fling'?" Romilda gulped at the hatred in the other witch's eyes, and shook her head. Ginny nodded slowly. "Good, glad we got that taken care of. Oh, and, Romilda?" She asked, turning back, after starting out of the room. She looked deadly serious. "No going after my boyfriend, got it? You can call me a whore, slut, or any other various names you can think of. You can duel me in private, for all I care! You can tell the whole school at breakfast that I tricked him- though I wouldn't suggest the last one unless you want a few brilliant witches and wizards hexing you- but stay away from him." Romilda was secretly stunned. She never pegged Ginny to be the type of witch to be possessive, not like Romilda herself was. But Ginny wasn't done.
"The poor boy has enough to deal with. You lot, for only liking him for an unfortunate and terrible incident he can't even remember that left him famous! And killed his parents along with that." The witches all lowed their eyes at this reminder. "For knowing the entire wizarding world expects so much from him, from knowing they expect him to save the world again from the growing threat of Voldemort." She ignored the shudders. "And, from himself. He expects to be able to save the world single-handedly, and beats himself up something awful when anything goes wrong- and he finds a way to blame himself! So he doesn't need you lot going after him, trying to take away the small happiness he finds right now. You don't know him, or anything about him, just the name and the scar he'd do anything to get rid of. My parents have basically adopted him, but that won't give him Lily and James Potter back, or the numerous other loved ones he's lost- the most recent last spring." The girls looked at Romilda, surprised. She hadn't mentioned any recent loss- and she normally knew such things first! "So, stay far away, Romilda, if you value your safety at all."
Ginny Weasley gave the room one last glare before taking Luna's arm, and leaving. In the stunned silence they heard his voice.
"Gin, what's wrong love? Are you crying?" He sounded horrified. "Ginny, sweet, what's wrong? I'll fix it."
"Nothing, Harry, I'm fine."
"It was the Woozles, I told Ginny that there were some lurking in the back, but she didn't listen…" Where did Lovegood come up with that dung?
Harry seemed just as confused. "Ok. Gin, would you like some lunch? Oh, and Fred and George sent a package for you, that I assume is full of some excellent snackboxes, if you're not up to classes…" the voices faded as they walked away, and everyone in the bathroom was still standing stock still, silent, and hardly breathing.
Romilda was shocked. She'd never thought of that. Harry, saving the world, beating himself up, and being more than the scar on his head. She wondered what the pained look in Ginny's eyes was when she mentioned the scar. Surely it was just a cosmetic injury, and didn't bother him? She never realized the witch could care so passionately about something. Granted, she wasn't even acquaintances with her, so she'd never really had anything to do with her before. But that redheaded terror had just cried, of all things! Just after reliving her own thoughts! Romilda was deep in thought, and the girls seemed to understand this as they slowly trickled out of the room. Soon it was just her two best friends left.
"Rommy? What are you going to do?" She looked at the worried faces.
"Honestly? I have no idea."
A/N: Okay, this started as an idea of a little one-shot of what the gossip was going to be like when Harry and Ginny finally got together. Everyone knows it probably blew the roof off Hogwarts, knowing how popular Harry is. But then I got to thinking what would happen if Ginny entered the scene. I know how protective Harry is of her, and I was thinking she'd be the same way for him, but she never gets the chance with a wand and magic. I figured this was the best way she could protect him for now. So, love it? Hate it? Want to tell me something about either? Then, REVIEW! Please.