There's something about Harry.
Ron and Hermione, being the best buddies that they were, were in the common room, studying and enjoying each other's company. Hermione was hard at work, but Ron had pushed his work away, proclaiming that he'd finished – but that the standard of work would never approach Hermione's.
"Ron, if you just applied yourself…" Hermione began, but for once, Ron wasn't going to be drawn into an argument.
"You're right Hermione... But there's something that's been gnawing at my mind lately and I can't concentrate."
"Oh?" Hermione started, looking up from her parchment at Ron with a quizzical expression. "Why is that?"
"Have you noticed Harry, lately?"
"Umm…"
"He's spending less and less time with us…come to think of it…he hasn't sat down and studied with us in weeks." Ron lowered his voice. "I think he's getting his work in early to free up his evenings."
Hermione just fiddled with her quill.
"And…" Ron added for the Coup de Grace. "He's always so happy….Compared to his usual, brooding persona. What's the term you said the Muggles say? 'The Principle of Cause and Effect?'"
"Yes." Hermione replied, momentarily stunned that Ron remembered.
"I think." Ron began smugly. "That Harry's got a girlfriend."
"Now Ron…" Hermione warned.
"Don't worry Hermione." Ron waved off her worries. "I've matured and I won't be jealous. Besides, I now know I can get a girlfriend and let me tell you, it's not all it's cracked up to be."
"If Harry does have a girlfriend…maybe he wants some privacy."
"Of course!" Ron replied, shocked at the obviousness of Hermione's words. "And as his best mate, it is my duty to invade that privacy and find out exactly who she is!"
Hermione smiled coyly and returned to her work, while Ron began plotting and thinking.
Harry, though, was seemingly in no mood to cooperate with Ron's investigation. Every time Ron observed his best friend when he wasn't with either himself or Hermione (an increasing occurrence) he was with Ginny. After a few days, Ron asked Hermione:
"Did you tell him?"
"Tell him what?"
"That I was conducting an investigation."
"I haven't breathed a word."
"He somehow knows." Ron said, staring at Harry's back. "Oh, I can just see that smug grin on his face right now."
The next evening, Ron was just chilling about, wandering the grounds when he saw…
…
"Hermione!" Ron yelled as he charged through the portrait hole. "Can I talk to you for a moment please?"
Hermione, seeing Ron's expression, swept her work into her bag and followed Ron out into an empty hallway.
"I saw Harry outside."
Hermione nodded slowly.
"He had a bunch of flowers, and he gave them to Ginny…and he said: 'For my beautiful Girlfriend.'"
Hermione froze on the spot. Ron looked like he'd been betrayed.
"Now that I think on it, he's spending so much time with Ginny lately…why didn't I see it until it was staring me right in the face?"
"Now Ron, please, don't get mad."
"I'm not mad." Ron told Hermione. "I'm just upset. We're his best friends…why couldn't he tell us when he tells Ginny?"
"Ron?" Hermione asked.
"Don't you see, Hermione. Harry is asking Ginny for relationship advice. That's why he's been spending so much time with her!"
Hermione was speechless – a very rare occurrence.
"Thanks for listening, Hermione." Ron said, and turned away and walked solemnly down the corridor.
Hermione put her hand over her face and started giggling through her fingers.
Saturday morning dawned bright and beautiful. Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger were in a corridor heading near to the Library – one of Hermione's favourite habitats…but it would be a rare occasion to find Ron heading there of his own accord.
"I figured that since Harry hasn't been with his girlfriend in the day, and every morning he wakes up he's so cheerful, he must be sneaking out at night. It would fit in with his adrenaline filled lifestyle…Maybe she's a Slytherin…" Ron mused. "So I stayed up all night…"
"And?"
"Nothing. He didn't leave his bed."
"So, why are we here?" Hermione asked, as the two stood in an empty suit-of-armour alcove.
"There's someone else who knows." Ron began.
Before Hermione could protest, Ginny came along to do her studies and Ron leapt out and grabbed her from behind holding a handkerchief dosed with mild sleeping agent. Ginny, however, was not about to be easily abducted. She smashed her elbow into Ron's nose, which cause a lot of bleeding despite the fact Hermione was able to raise a shield charm and block most of the force.
A few moments later, a rather pleased Ron and a tight-lipped Hermione were in a deserted classroom, and Ginny was coming to rather drowsily.
"Ron, say something stupid and I'll know it's you."
Ron smirked smugly at his sister. "Nuh-uh, Ginny." Ron began as he noticed Ginny search for her wand. "I've got it here." He showed it to her. "I'm going to keep it…for the sake of all our safeties."
Ginny frowned. "I could have killed you, Ron…if you are Ron."
"I'm Ron."
"Prove it!" Ginny said commandingly. Ron hastened to obey…but couldn't think of how to prove it to her.
"Remember when you were three, George played a prank on me and I pushed him over a gnome hole and he sprained his ankle, and you took the blame for me?"
"You could have captured Ron and extracted that information from him."
Ron turned to Hermione, begging her for help.
Hermione thought long and hard for a moment.
"Patronuses." Hermione said. "I've never known of a Dark Wizard that can make one…and it is quite unique to the person."
"That works." Ginny agreed.
"Expecto Patronum!" Hermione and Ron yelled in unison, and a silver otter and silver Jack Russell Terrier burst from their wands and ran around the room a few times before fading away.
"Alright, you are my ugly brother." Ginny conceded. "Now you can tell me why you've kidnapped me."
Ron grinned a Fred and George style grin. "I thought you'd never ask."
Ron pulled up a chair to sit opposite Ginny. "Now, Harry's been spending a great deal of time with you…And I know, that you know, something, that I want to know."
"And what is that?" Ginny asked.
"Oh, don't play coy with me. I know that Harry's been talking to you about his girlfriend. All I want to know is… who is she?"
"I won't tell you!" Ginny answered defiantly.
"Has Harry bounded to an oath, muggle or magical?"
"No." Ginny replied. "If there is a secret, it's mine to share as well. I'm just not going to." Ginny replied, flashing a victorious grin.
Ron checked his watch. "The sleeping agent should fully worn off by now. Hermione, please…" Ron handed his and Ginny's wands to Miss Granger. "Tickle fight!" Ron yelled, and before Ginny could do anything, Ron leapt over and pushed Ginny and the chair over and started mercilessly tickling his sister.
"Ron! Stop it!" Ginny managed to get out between shrieks of laughter.
"Not until you tell!"
"Never!"
Ginny continued laughing her head off and rolling around on the floor. Ron continued his attack while Hermione just stood, staring, at the other side of the room.
"Spill your guts, Ginny! Your, tiny, tiny guts!" Ron upped the vigour of his tickling. "Metaphorically…not literally…that would be gross." Ron added
But Ginny had spotted an opening – her arms shot out and started tickling Ron's sides, adding his laughter to the growing cacophony.
Hermione was still standing, unwilling to involve herself when the classroom door opened, and Harry walked in.
"Harry!" Hermione and Ginny said. Ron and Ginny momentarily froze.
"Morning Gin. Hello Hermione, Ron." Harry replied, showing no signs of surprise at the siblings' rather immature positions.
Harry sat down on a chair by the wall and pulled out a packet of every flavour beans from his pocket.
"Go easy on him, Gin." Harry asked. "I need my keeper."
"Aye-aye Captain!" Ginny replied, and filled with fervour from Harry's presence and support, renewed the battle and began to turn the tide against her big brother.
Harry thought it was all rather interesting, and started munching on his beans, holding the carton out to offer some to Hermione. Hermione sat next to him.
"So…what's going on?" Harry asked.
"Ron thinks you've got a girlfriend…And he think's he can find out who she is from Ginny."
Harry looked momentarily lost for words.
"Ginny's not giving it up so easily." Hermione finished, before Ron shrieked and ran from his sister, grabbing Hermione and pulling her away and out of the room. Hermione managed to toss Ginny her wand but Ginny was not going to chase after her brother. She sat next to Harry, laughing her head off.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked.
"Oh…I just planted the idea in Ron's head that we've planning to match him up with Hermione."
Harry laughed along with Ginny, and when they'd stopped, the two began leaning in and…
Leaving those two, we focus our attention on our intrepid protagonists.
"Did you find out who she is?" Hermione asked, wheezing.
"No…some things are better left undiscovered." Ron replied. "You win, Potter and Weasley duo!" Ron shook his hand at the classroom's general direction, before striding away to a glorious morning tea.
"Oh, Ron." Hermione stated fondly, as she watched him go.