And the Sequel to Harry Potter and the Secret Apartment:

The Train Ride
Chapter 1

Harry smirked at Ginny, but she missed it. She was immersed in the latest edition of the Quibbler, Luna Lovegood beside her, hidden behind another issue. She looked up briefly and her ears tinged pink before she returned to the article she was reading.

Harry bit his lip, fighting back the thoughts running through his head that involved him jumping across the compartment and kissing her until she lost consciousness. He shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts from his mind, trying to forget how great it felt to feel her warm lips on his. He looked at her again, his head cocked to the side as he looked at her with extreme interest, as if she were a beautiful flower seconds from opening, as if she was all that mattered in the world, and to him, she was.

The door slid open and Harry looked up quickly to see Dean's smiling face staring at him. Harry gave him a nod as a form of greeting and begged the boy to leave silently. He wasn't even thinking about the fact that Dean and Ginny were still together, about the fact that Dean was there to see Ginny, not just looking for a compartment.

Dean walked in and grabbed Ginny's hand, pulling her out of her seat, "Missed you," he said not caring if the other's heard him, "let's have a snog in the loo." He continued pulling her out of the compartment and Ginny glanced back at Harry, begging him with her eyes to save her, to fight for her, to stop Dean from pulling her into the loo.

"Oy," Ron said loudly from outside, "Ginny, you have to erm, prefect something or other business," he added, making both Ginny and Harry want to pull him in to a large hug.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Dean," Harry heard Ginny say, the happiness in her voice only audible to him, from the hallway, "Ron's right, the prat." He heard the sounds of a kiss, a quick kiss, he hoped, on the cheek before Ginny walked off down the hall.

Harry watched as Ron walked in, followed closely by Hermione, and last, Dean walked in, giving Harry and Neville and even Luna a smile. Harry did his best to smile back, to smile back at the boy who he had robbed of a girlfriend, the boy whose girlfriend he'd stolen, but he wasn't sure how well it turned out so he looked to Ron, who'd sat down with Hermione plopping down next to him. She'd made it look as if she'd just fell onto the seat but Harry could tell that she'd taken extra care not to sit too close to Ron, but not to far from him either. He hated all those games girls played, but Hermione wasn't a girl that played games, just like Ginny. Hermione was normal and was probably just trying to give the lanky boy as much space as he needed.

Seconds later, Ginny stuck her head in the door, giving a wink towards Harry that made its way to Dean, true grace on Ginny's part. "Luna, you're a prefect as well and I'd hate to walk up and down this train alone," she said loudly to get her friends attention.

Luna looked up at Ginny before setting the magazine down and walking out of the compartment, taking special care to shut the door without making a noise.

Harry felt uncomfortable in the silence with Dean, uncomfortable in the presence of Dean. He'd betrayed his friend, done something horrible and expected it to be alright because he was Harry Potter, because he was the stinking Boy Who Lived. But really, what right did he have to Ginny? She was Dean's yet he'd rode in on his flaming levels of testosterone and carried her into the sunset of lust and desire and fire quenching love. He was horrible.

"So, erm," Ron said rather uncomfortably, maybe he could sense the tension, maybe he could feel the way Harry felt as if he should spontaneously combust for his actions, or maybe he didn't like the silence. "How'd you do on your O.W.L.'s?" he asked nodding his head at Dean.

"Got a few O's and A's, but mostly A's," he replied with a smile, "how about the golden trio?" He was joking, of course he was, but it didn't make it funny.

The three forced a laugh, they were just three friends; they weren't a trio. They were nothing more than three friends, not a bunch of super-heroes out to save the world from eminent destruction, just a bunch of 16 year-old kids who'd been thrown into a pool of trouble, but they'd swam. They hadn't sunk and lost the battle, they'd won, but that didn't make them golden.

"Got all O's," Hermione said with a smile, almost happy to brag about her scores, "the whole lot of us." They had all gotten O's on everything, thanks for the most part, to Hermione's nagging and berating and all together pushiness for the boys to study every second of the day.

Dean's jaw dropped and Harry was sure he'd expected less, much less than that. He'd probably expected fails, but no, the three had passed with flying colors. They were golden, the whole lot of them. "All of you?" he said still in awe, "even you, Ron?"

Ron's ears burnt red, "Yeah," he said with a shy smile. He was becoming less needy of attention, more accustomed to feeling as Harry did. He wanted to be left alone, he wanted the scars on his arm gone, he wanted the pain of Sirius' death out of his mind and heart; he wanted his friend to not mourn his godfather. He didn't want attention anymore, he longed for the quietness of being just another Weasley again.

"Bloody hell, Weasley," Dean laughed.

Ginny walked past the compartment, her red hair shining brightly through the window. She doubled back and looked at Harry, her face hidden from the others. She smiled at him and he rolled his eyes at her, fighting back the laugh she was trying to get out of him. She crossed her eyes and touched her tongue to her nose. She stopped when he refused to crack a smile and just looked at him, a half smile on her face. He could see so many things in her eyes, so many thoughts, the predominant one being a small obsession with his hair as her eyes kept darting to the dark locks.

He shook his head to something Ron said and she blew him a kiss before waving and walking off. Luna following behind stealing a look in the window and noticing that it was Harry looking and not Dean. She gave an odd smile that Harry wasn't sure was directed at him or was just a smile, so he didn't return it.

Dean's watch started to beep, and he looked down at it and smiled, "Finally, off to meet Ginny then," he said with a wink at Harry, who forced a smile back. He stood and started out the door and Ron stuck his foot out. Dean got caught up in the lanky boy's large foot and fell into the door and looked back at Ron, scowling. "What the bloody hell, Weasley?" he said back angrily.

Ron scowled back, "Sorry, didn't realize you didn't know how to walk," he said before flashing the boy an angry smirk. Harry's jaw dropped, Ron had been tactful and didn't turn red and get flustered. Ron was still calm and collected as Dean pulled the door open, walked out, and slammed it shut.

"Ronald!" Hermione said as she hit him in the chest, her hand connecting with his chest with a rather loud thud. She knew why he'd done it, why he'd been such a jerk, and Harry knew as well.

Harry was scared, Dean was just off to meet Ginny and Ron had tripped him, he wondered what his best mate would do when he found out that Ginny had spent one night with him in which neither remained at all innocent. The fear of Ron finding out was still there, never dying, but he still hoped that maybe Ron wouldn't get angry, wouldn't flip out, but that was like hoping he didn't have to fulfill the prophesy.

"What?!" Ron replied back, acting as if he'd done nothing wrong. He looked at Hermione and Harry almost saw a little friction between the two before she rolled her eyes at him and looked away.

Hermione looked at him, "Close your mouth Harry, it's not at all attractive," she said coldly. His jaw snapped shut and he clenched it to make sure it didn't fall again. He was amazed at Hermione, she'd never been cold! That was unlike her just like it was unlike Ron to trip Dean and remain so calm about it. Something strange was going on with his friends.

Harry was fighting back the confusion and trying to think of something to say when Neville and Hermione excused themselves and slipped out of the compartment. Harry watched the door shut slowly and wondered what was going on. He looked back at Ron who was looking oddly at the door.

"You don't think that," he paused, his voice cracking, "Hermione and Neville?" he asked, his voice going up at the end though his words didn't really form a question. He was too confused to actually form a sentence, which, being that he was Ron, might not have made sense anyway, to the untrained ear, of course.

Harry gaped at Ron, "You fancy Hermione," he said in awe. He was completely oblivious, but he could tell by the way Ron's voice cracked when he was speaking, he was concerned. He was overly concerned about Hermione rating someone else, about Hermione not fancying him. Harry laughed. "You fancy Hermione."

"You're mad," Ron replied, thick as ever. "Me fancy Hermione? That's like you rating Ginny, just insane," he added second before the cart lady opened the compartment door.

"Any sweets for you?" she asked with a toothy smile.

Harry laughed, "Ron will take Hermione, he's sweet on her," he said as he stood and walked over to the lady, his hand digging in his pocket for some money.

Ron punched Harry in the arm, making him stagger sideways, "I don't fancy Hermione," he said before sitting back down and not bothering to thank Harry for the chocolate frogs and pumpkin juice and especially not the Fizzing Whizbees, even if they were his new favorite.

"You see, Ronald," Harry said, his tone light, "you must, for I'm totally and utterly in love with Ginny." He laughed so Ron thought he was joking, which he wasn't. It was his way of making himself feel less guilty, he could always say that he did tell Ron, even if his friend hadn't believed him.

Ron laughed through a mouthful of chocolate frog, "And I'm the Minister of Magic."

"Bloody good," Harry laughed, "what will be your first act as official Head of the Ministry, Mr. Weasley?" He pulled the top off his box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor beans and rooted around in the box for a piece of candy that looked edible, or rather not boogie or ear wax or foot fungus.

Ron threw an empty chocolate frog box at his friend, "Cart you off to an insane asylum in Iceland." The box hit squarely in the head

Harry threw the box back, hitting Ron squarely in the head, "Alright, send Ginny as well or I'll break out and find her before shagging her senseless in a house where Fred and George are my secret keepers!"

Ron laughed, "You, shag Ginny? I'll eat my bloody shoe before that happens!"

"Bon appetite!"

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A/N: You've taken the time to read... so please review!