"Ron, why do you need clean socks anyway? No one CARES."
"Blimey Harry, Lavender cares!"
"Oh yeah, Lavender... Why are you with her again?"
"Because I can. Why?"
"You're my best mate, but you can not be stupider right now."
"Out with it, will you?"
"Erm... I was thinking that Hermione's kiss would have woken you up already?"
"At school... a year ago? What about it?"
"Wouldn't that wake you UP a little?"
"Harry; that kiss meant... nothing. Nothing at all... I mean, we were at war? She must have gotten nervous and got caught in the moment or something."
Harry sniggered. "And she decided to kiss you and it went away? Blimey, you wanted to save house-elves, and do you know how much that meant to her? I told you she's liked you for years now."
"Shut up, Harry. It doesn't matter. Wait. She... she hasn't asked me out yet, has she?"
"I'm pretty sure she's waiting for you, mate. Plus, you ran off to Lavender again, haven't you? Hold on a minute... why is Lavender gonna see your socks? Your mum's not going to be too pleased."
"SHUT UP! Wait!" Ron got up so fast he hit his head on the dresser he was looking under. "Has Hermione talked to you about... us?" He gave a little frown.
"I'm pretty sure her being in Ginny's room instead of yours is a pretty good sign." He shook his head at the stupidity that his best friend was showing, especially when it concerned him and Hermione. "Plus, everything I saw with that Horcrux... that means nothing now? Ron, you can be so stupid sometimes."
"Well, if I see any sign that she actually wants to start going out, then I'll ask Hermione ou-hey Hermione!" Harry held back his temptation to laugh as he saw Ron turn scarlet when Hermione walked into the room. "You look great today! And how is little Teddy doing?"
Hermione's hair was in one plait today, but otherwise normal. In her arm was a young boy of one year old, who today looked like his godfather, right down to the lightning scar and the untidy brown hair. She turned a delicate shade of pink and said, "Always in a tone of surprise." Without another word to Ron, she turned to Harry. "Harry, look, Ted's decided to look like you today!"
"And yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that," Harry chuckled. As Hermione put down his godson, he pulled him up onto the bed next to him. "Coming on as a Metamorphagus early, eh?" As Ted started to grin and start climbing up Harry's back, he noticed Hermione watching Ron with her eyes in slits. He lowered his voice as Ron started running around again and said, "Hermione, shouldn't you tell Ron-?"
"Absolutely not, not when he's with that foul Lavender. Why's she with him again? Goodness, boys can be so stupid!"
"Dunno... anyway, Hermione, be reasonable."
"Harry, I didn't come to fight with you about Ronald. He doesn't seem to think that kiss meant something, plus he's run off with that gargoyle again. I came to tell you... Ginny wants to talk to you."
Ron stopped on the spot and turned around. "Ginny? You don't think-?"
Hermione turned red. "She isn't hiding your socks! She wants to talk to Harry about... I'm not telling you, anyway."
Ron passed Hermione's red shade. "Excuse me for trying to be there for my sister! Goodness, I don't want to hear anything about my sister's love life anyway."
"Ron, you're my best mate, but you need to get a grip on yourself."
"Oh yeah, Harry. That's the point, isn't it? My best mate and my little sister. It's just... odd."
Harry turned to Hermione, who looked like she wanted to punch Ron out. Not wanting to see whatever was going to happen, he said, "She's in her room? I'll go now," and speed walked out of the room.
Hoping that Ginny wanted to say what he's been hoping for a year, he walked out.
He could hear Ron screaming, Hermione sobbing, and Ted saying, "No cry!"
-------------------------
He walked into the doorway and noticed that Ginny was looking outside, and he noticed her beautiful red hair once again. He couldn't help himself from smiling before he said, "Hey Ginny... you wanted to see me?"
Ginny turned around and had a huge grin on her face. She got up and walked towards Harry. "So... you've been avoiding me."
"Not really, just talking to Ron."
"I hope you're trying to tell him to get rid of that Lavender and go with Hermione?"
Harry couldn't help not laughing. "Trying is a good word for it."
"He can be so stupid at times. I don't know what Hermione sees in him."
"We've been through a lot, haven't we? Sure, it's not me, but whatever."
Ginny's face started to redden, but she started to smile when she saw Harry giving her a kind look. "So... how's work been?"
Harry felt slighly disappointed at the conversation they were having. They haven't been alone like this in about a year. "Er... pretty good. I mean, it's working for Kingsley, isn't it? He's been really nice to me and Hermione."
"You know what I mean, Harry Potter." She turned bright pink.
Harry gulped and felt the place warming up. What a way to get into the conversation, he thought. "Er..."
"And after all of that, you couldn't come back?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, no one's left to possess me."
"Er, yeah... Voldemort's gone, isn't he?"
"Exactly... I would have thought you'd come back by now."
Harry shifted his feet awkwardly. "I was thinking at school you'd have found someone else." He thought about how he should have talked to Hermione before coming here.
"If you talked to anyone who was still at school, you'd know that's a bunch of bull."
"Erm, I guess I was just being stupid?"
Ginny giggled. "I can't really say that. Boys don't understand stuff like us." She looked at Harry. "I missed you."
"So did I, but I would have thought you would have moved on."
"How can I do that?" Harry saw tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I've never liked anyone like I liked you. Actually, like I still like you."
"So, is this why I'm here right now?"
"That's right." She moved closer. "So... how was that year off with Ron and Hermione?"
"Er..." What was he supposed to say to her? For some reason, no words at all could leave his mouth. She broke the silence by asking, "No veelas?"
He suddenly remembered their short conversation from his seventeenth birthday, and couldn't help himself from smiling because of what she had said. He replied, "No veelas."
"That's the silver lining I've been looking for..." and she kissed him... and he thought as he returned the action, that this topped his birthday present from two years before.
A/N:
And history kinda repeated itself, didn't it?
Some quotes are out of DH, so Rowling gets credit for those.
Next chapter... I'll try to make it funnier. This one isn't... funny.
Review, please! I want to know how I'm doing so far.