AN: Sorry, it's been a while (again). I'll be doing my best to update regularly from now on. Thank you to all those who reviewed this story! It probably doesn't seem like it, since I've been so slow on updating, but each review makes me want to write more. I don't have a beta, so I apologize for any errors. If you notice anything, please let me know so I can fix it! Again, any advice I can get is good. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
"Harry James Potter, if you do not get you nose out of that bloody book this instant, I'll hex you to Hell and back!"
Said wizard jumped in surprise, then turned around to glare at the petite red-headed witch behind him. Ginevra Weasley gifted him with a bout of laughter before grinning and saying,
"Really Harry, after being trained by Moody, you should be more alert."
Closing his books and abandoning any thought of finishing his homework on time, Harry turned and gave his friend his full attention. The shy girl from his second year had grown into a force to be reckoned with in the past few years; while she couldn't really be described as particularly curvy, she had definitely acquired the shape of a young woman. Her body was slim, petite, and she had passionate brown eyes that glowed green when she was happy, or excited. Yes, Harry decided, his little sister had grown up well. And he would cheerfully kill any bastard who thought he could take advantage of her.
A little furrow appeared between her eyebrows, and suddenly she was glaring.
"You know damn well I can take care of myself. Honestly, between you and my lovely brothers, it's a wonder I get any attention at all in this school."
This caught his interest.
"Attention?"
Ginny sent him a smug look. Harry gaped.
"Not— "
"Blaise and I have been dating for about three weeks now, actually. Keeping it a secret from you and Ron has been hell, but Malfoy helped cover for us."
This was accompanied by a cheeky grin. Harry rolled his eyes at her, before raising an eyebrow.
"Malfoy helped?
Ginny waved her hand dismissively, pulling up a chair next to her friend before saying,
"Come off it, he's not such a prick when you get to know him. Most Slytherins aren't, in all honestly. Actually, they're refreshingly honest. Blunt and a little proud, maybe, but honest."
Harry sighed and nodded.
"I know that, Ginny, you know I do. But being who I am, and them being who they are…"
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
"Does Ron know any of this?"
Ginny gave him a horrified look.
"Oh Merlin, no!"
A wicked grin spread across her lips, ruining the effect.
"I plan on letting him find out tonight with everybody else."
Harry groaned, but couldn't cover the laugh that followed.
"I'd best be prepared for some fun then, shouldn't I?"
Yes, fun was one way to describe the events of that night. Beside him, Hermione grimaced as she magicked away the chocolate sauce that had been clinging to her robes. Beside her, Harry was still attempting to pick out bits of roasted potato from his hair. He should have known this would happen. Really, since when did Ginny do things like this on a small scale?
'Still though, how on earth did this end up happening?'
With a sigh, Harry mentally recounted the events of the night—
Dinner had started of calmly enough. It was towards the middle of the meal that he had noticed Ginny stand up and head over to the Slytherin tables. The reaction was immediate; in seconds, the entire hall was silent, all the students watching curiously to see what a Gryffindor could want with the Slytherins. Harry noted with some satisfaction that Ginny ignored all of them, though a hint of a smirk was playing on her lips. Without batting and eyelash, she slid into the seat next to Blaise, who had been staring at her dispassionately, and pulling him into a deep kiss. Ron, meanwhile, was alternating between a shade of puce and a ghostly white. His sister broke the kiss with a satisfied sigh, grinning widely. Zabini smirked at the redhead, wrapping an arm around Ginny and whispering something that made her giggle into her ear. It was at that point that everything went to hell; half the hall burst into a wild applause while the other was watching Ron rather apprehensively. The applause seemed to shake him from his shock, and he jumped to his feet, knocking over a bowl of chocolate fondue onto Hermione, who had been watching with a somewhat surprised expression on her face. She screeched, but even that paled in comparison to the volume of Ron's voice as he roared,
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH MY SISTER!?"
Harry winced. Ron was turning a violent purple color that he had only ever seen on Uncle Vernon. That couldn't be healthy. Blaise, on the other hand, only gave him a disinterested glance, before saying calmly,
"Weasel, I don't think that's any of your business. Though, from the looks of it, I don't think I did anything she didn't enjoy."
The Italian couldn't keep the hint of smugness from his voice at the last part. Needless to say, this didn't help to pacify Ron. He let a strangled sound out before vaulting over the table, clearly opting on the most direct route to get to his sister. Or at least, he tried. The table let out a groan of protest, and Harry suddenly remembered that Fred and George had used this table for one of their more messy pranks, giving it some semblance of life. While it was generally content to act as a table, it protested rather violently to having a person on top of it. With a shudder, the table shook off the plates and trays organized for the dinner, upsetting them onto the nearby Gryffindor.
Before anybody could react, Seamus Finnigan had called out, "Food fight!!" and everything erupted into chaos.
In retrospect, I suppose that it could have been worse…
The food fight had effectively kept Ron from storming over to the Slytherins and doing something he would probably regret later. Beside him, Hermione sighed.
"Really, did she have to announce it like that?"
Harry gave her a rueful smile.
"I don't think he would have believed her if she did it any other way. And besides, she is the twins' sister."
Hermione snorted.
"True."
Harry gave her a lopsided grin.
"Common, it can't bother you that much. After all, I'm sure you'll be able to clam him down."
The bushy-haired witch didn't respond to the tease, instead looking away. Harry frowned, pausing in his step to look at her more closely.
"Mione?"
"Do we seem that close? Honestly, I don't know anymore. It's Ron, and we've been friends for so long, so I thought…"
She broke off here, then gave him a watery smile.
"Recently, things have been getting more and more awkward. We're fine around others, but when it's just us, we can only argue. Oh Harry, I don't know how much longer I can do it—"
Harry pulled the girl into a hug, shushing her softly. Had he really been so distracted that he had missed this? They had seemed so intimate, always kissing in the courtyard… Looking back, he could remember occasions when the kisses had seemed forceful, or their interactions strained, but he had always assumed that was simply a result of their trying to get used to the relationship.
He led her to the GryffindorCommon Rooms, whispering the password hastily to the Fat Lady. Once inside, he gave her a close hug, then smiled reassuringly.
"Why don't you stay with us tomorrow? I'm sure Ginny will want to formally introduce us to Blaise. It should be an experience, to say the least. Besides, you can help keep Malfoy and I from killing each other, yes? Besides, it's been a while since you've spent the day with us."
Hermione nodded through her sniffles. Smiling softly, he gave the witch another hug goodnight and headed to the male dormitories. He would have to have a chat with Ron in the morning…
