Chapter Six: A Friendship Questioned
Harry spent the rest of his time at the Burrow running over his meeting with Veronica in his head and the strange tingles that he felt whenever he embraced her, as well as why he felt so angry at Ron when he pointed out that Veronica was a Slytherin when they all clearly knew she was.
It took him a while to realize that it wasn't the fact that Ron had said it, but the look on Veronica's face when he had said it. She looked so dejected and hurt that it made Harry seriously consider harming his best friend, the first friend that he ever had and that scared him a little.
What do I call this feeling? Harry wondered, hand on his chest, right above his heart. It's scary and exciting at the same time, and I only feel it this powerfully around Veronica... Why?
Harry strongly considered writing to Hermione and ask her about all of this; for, being a girl, he was sure that she would understand what he was feeling and could explain it her clear, logical, Hermione way. The only thing that stopped him was another strange, yet strong, feeling, and this one was telling him that he didn't want anyone else to know just yet.
So, instead of writing to Hermione, Harry wrote to Veronica; detailing the happy events of the last of his summer and of how Ginny seemed to be shut up in her room a lot, ever since they returned from Diagon Alley. This confused Harry, and even made him worry when he made a point to invite her to play Quidditch with them and she had snapped at him that he had only done it out of pity and as a last resort before slamming her door in his face, nearly clipping off Harry's nose and not even giving him a chance to respond.
Harry asked Veronica if there was something he could do to make Ginny feel better when she obviously felt like she was unwanted, or worse, a nuisance. He also made sure to ask Veronica if she ever saw a time when it seemed he had acted like that with anyone, so he could correct and quit his bad habit, knowing firsthand how awful that felt.
Finishing off the letter, Harry paused before signing his name, thinking about telling Veronica about the feeling he kept experiencing in her presence. Shaking his head swiftly, Harry decided against it; what if scared her and made her run away? Just the thought made a sharp pain stab his chest, moving his hand to quickly sign his name with a blotch at the end.
Exhaling slowly, Harry rolled the parchment up and attached it to Hedwig's leg, sending her off into the night. Watching his snowy owl fly off into the darkness, Harry whispered softly, "See you soon."
--
The next day was a frenzy of movement and activity, Harry being pulled this way and that by people needing his help to find books, shirts, spell books and supplies while he tried to figure out why, whenever he passed Ginny, she gave him a sniff and a dirty look as if he never took a shower the whole time he was there (Which he did, regularly).
"Never mind her, she's just edgy about going to Hogwarts," Ron interrupted him when Harry tried to tell him about it, tossing as much things out of his trunk as he put in it, "Have you seen my chess set? Lee Jordan challenged me to a match first thing this term and I can't find it..."
The ride to the train station was a hurried and awkward ride, all attempts at conversation broken off by Ginny's frosty silence. On the verge of asking straight out what was bothering the young redhead, Harry's words were cut off when the car was jerked to a sudden stop.
"The train is leaving in fifteen minutes, hurry everyone, hurry!" Mrs. Weasley's voice was stressed and high pitched, causing Harry to rush to the gateway separating the Hogwarts Express from the rest of the Muggle world, an idea bursting to life on how to give them a little more time.
"Harry! What on Earth are you doing?!" Mr. Weasley shouted, attempting to pull three trunks out of the boot of the car at the same time, while also trying to keep the various animals under control.
"I'm going to ask the conductor if they can hold the train for a few more minutes!" Harry called back, looking over his shoulder at Mr. Weasley, "It shouldn't be a problem to stay for a few- Bloody hell!!"
Harry staggered backward, rubbing at a shoulder that had, instead of gliding smoothly through the wall to the other side like normal, slammed right into it with a resounding thud.
"Harry, dear, are you alright?" Mrs. Weasley had immediately rushed over and began checking Harry over for any kind of injuries or broken bones, making Harry feel very much younger than his impressive twelve years.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, just a little sore," Harry replied, removing himself from the concerned, yet suffocating, embrace. "We have a bigger problem; why won't the gateway let me through?"
Mr. Weasley walked over to the barrier, a frown between his eyes, placed a hand against the wall and began to mutter under his breath for a few moments before his frown grew deeper.
"It seems as if the barrier has been sealed somehow," He stated a minute later, pulling out his wand and tapping various stones with it. "Why would it be sealed? How would be a better question..."
"Well, you can fix it, right?" Harry asked, concious of all the strange looks they were getting from the commuters attracted by the various squawks and squeaks coming from Hedwig's cage and Ron's pocket.
"I'm not sure," Mr. Weasley admitted, shielding his wand movements from the curious Muggles before motioning his children away, "Why don't you kids wait by the car while Molly and I try to unseal this?"
Nodding and making various noises of approval, the Weasley children and Harry made their way to the entrance and the waiting Ford Anglia to wait for Mr. Weasley to fix the problem with the barrier.
Conversation was once more a difficult affair, for any time Harry made a comment or reply to a question, Ginny would throw him a dirty look and immediately quit speaking for several minutes. It finally became too much for the young boy to handle and he snapped at her.
"Just what exactly did I do?!"
The rest of the group fell silent, even Percy stopped droning on about the importance of grades and tests to watch the interaction between his youngest sibling and The-Boy-Who-Lived.
"I can't believe you're that dense, Harry Potter," Ginny sniffed, finally speaking to him for the first time in weeks when no one else seemed inclined to fill the silence that followed Harry's outburst. "Boy, was I ever wrong about you!"
"Gee, Ginny, why are you being so harsh? Harry hasn't done anything to you." Ron was slightly surprised that the words came out of his mouth, he had been on the receiving end of his sister's wrath before and had decided to never make her that mad at him again, but she was yelling at Harry for no reason at all and Ron was upset by this. Harry hadn't done anything wrong that he had seen and, judging by their blank looks, nothing his brothers had seen either.
"Are you all really that blind?" Ginny's incredulous look went from one brother to the other before she literally threw her hands in the air in frustration. "Fine, I'll tell you: Veronica Dathey."
While the older boy's looks changed from puzzlement to a type of sheepish acknowledgment, Harry's look only grew even more confused. "What does she have to do with anything?"
"It's only the fact that she's a Slytherin, part of a group of people that I have been warned against my entire life, and your best friend while I'm just-"
Ginny immediately turned garnet as she realized she almost said too much and clamped her mouth shut, refusing any and all attempts-ill attempts by the twins-to get her to speak again.
As Harry thought over what the embarrassed girl had just said, a horrible thought struck him and the weight of the answer made him spin around to face Ron so quickly it made the redhead start.
"Would you still have been my friend if I had been sorted into Slytherin?"
Ron could only gape at him. "What sort of question is that, Harry? No way you would've-"
"Just suppose," Harry interjected, worried now that Ron hadn't answered right away, "Would you still have been my friend?"
Ears growing red, Ron stammered, "Y-you aren't though, why should I pretend that you are? There's no reason to..."
Harry's heart sank as Ron seemed unable to answer his question, despite the constant repetition. Was the reason because if Harry, having never heard about the different Houses, had chosen to stay in Slytherin, would he have lost the first friend he ever had?
"He's probably trying to make a point, dear Ronnie-kins," Fred interrupted, leaning slightly on Harry's shoulder, making him stagger, "About how not all Slytherins have to be evil gits."
"Then again, you weren't always noted for your brains, were you?" George grinned, leaning on Harry's other shoulder and effectively leveling him out. "Don't worry about the simpleton, Harry, we would still be your friends even if you were Snape's illegitimate offspring."
"We're just thankful you didn't get his nose-"
"-or his adversity to shampoo."
The heaviness around his heart lightening, Harry made to shrug the pair off, growling, "You guys had better get off of me before I curse you both!"
Laughing, the twins stood up abruptly, which caused Harry's balance to be kicked off, making stagger widely before getting his feet under him and glaring at the pair. "I am not an armrest!"
Still chuckling madly, Fred and George darted off to where their parents were still trying to unseal the barrier on the gateway to the Hogwarts Express, ignoring Percy racing behind them and crying out indignantly for them to behave like the civilized Wizards he knew they were.
Sighing, Harry turned to the last two Weasleys still near him; Ron and Ginny. Ron was staring at the ground, the whole back of his head a bright ruby red and Ginny was staring at everything but Harry or Ron.
"Hey, Harry?"
Exhaling sharply in relief, Harry gratefully turned to Ron, who had raised his head to show Harry a face that was as bright as his neck, his lower lip being worried between his teeth and eyes wide.
"I-I'm sorry that I was having such a hard time answering your question. It should have been easy; you're a cool guy and my best mate and I shouldn't have let the fact that you might've being in a different house affect that. Truce, mate?"
Taking the hand offered to him, Harry smiled and some of the tenseness left Ron's features as his face broke into a happy smile as the best mates shook hands, argument forgotten and forgiven.
Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy to make up with Ginny Weasley and the rest of the time that they waited for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to work through the barrier found her in a sullen and spiteful silence.
"Finished!" Mrs. Weasley called, much to Harry's relief; the silence was once more becoming oppressing and it bothered him that the reason was his choice of friends. "Come along, children, there's only a minute until the train leaves!"
Glad to have a distraction from the churning thoughts in his head, as well as the dirty looks he kept receiving from the youngest of the Weasley family, Harry practically sprinted to the barrier, eager to be on the train and on his way to his real home.
Going through the barrier wasn't as easy as before; Harry felt as if he were walking through molasses, or as if a hundred hands were pulling him and holding him back and as soon as he broke through to the other side, he filled his lungs with deep breaths of much needed air.
"You alright there, Harry?" Ron asked, leaning over his best friend as his parents explained everything to the conductor, who wanted to know why he had to hold up the train. "You scared me, I thought you got stuck there for a second."
"I almost did," Harry replied, finally getting his wind back and straightening from his crouched position. "I could barely get through... Somebody really doesn't want me to go to Hogwarts this year..."
Ron's face once more twisted in confusion. "Who would want to stop you from coming to Hogwarts? Why would they want to stop you?!"
"I don't know, Ron," Harry replied, hurrying to board the Hogwarts Express when he saw that kids were starting to stick their heads out of the window to see what the hold up was. "I just don't know..."
--
The ride on the carriages was a quiet affair and Harry was thankful for the silence this time. The ride on the Hogwarts Express had not been the relaxing trip Harry had experienced the first time he had traveled to his real home and he needed some time to think things over.
No sooner had he stepped on the train, then there was a group of students clamoring around him trying to get him to tell them why he was almost left behind and Harry could do nothing more than stand there dumbly, unable to think amid the shouted questions.
It had gone on like that for more than fifteen minutes before Hermione had shown up and pushed her way through the crowd, ordering younger and older students alike to back off and go back to their own compartments.
Harry was so happy to see her that he almost hugged her, but figured she might not like it so much, so just told her how happy he was and added a smile to it, pleased when Hermione returned it.
Explaining the reason for the delay-Hermione being a little less vocal but still curious on why they were late-Harry noticed that he hadn't seen Veronica amid the horde of gossip seekers. Filled with a sudden concern, Harry asked Hermione if she had seen her when she had boarded earlier.
Nibbling at her lip, Hermione replied that she had seen Veronica, but she looked like she had a lot on her mind, so Hermione had left her alone. Harry felt another surge of concern so powerful that, as soon Hermione finished speaking, he made his way down the corridors to look for Veronica and find out what was bothering her, hoping he could find some way to fix it.
It didn't take long for Harry to find Veronica sitting in one of the very last compartments, but she wasn't alone; surrounding her were a group of Slytherins and there seemed to be a pair from each year, glaring at her in a way that they usually reserved for Griffindors.
Harry moved so that he was out of the line of sight of the Slytherins but still able to see, for he had a sinking feeling in his gut that this group was going to put Veronica through the same thing that he had gone through with Ginny.
Sure enough, the Slytherins, most of whom were females, began to lecture her on the wrongness of being a 'ponce-y Griffindor's' friend and how they all were a 'ruddy bunch of blood traitors and Muggle lovers' while Veronica sat there in silence and Harry felt his anger growing.
How could they do that to her, her own house mates? Then Harry remembered that not even Griffindors were immune to moments of cruelty and felt ever worse for Veronica since he knew what she was going through. Yet, his pity faded as one girl threatened to curse the stupidity out of her, causing Veronica to flinch away.
Suddenly, the train was jerked to the left; almost as if a giant hand was trying to pull it off the track, causing all the occupants of the compartment to fall over and for Veronica to make her stumbling escape from the hateful atmosphere.
In the corridor, she ran into Harry, who had been using the wall to regain his footing. He used her moment of surprise to grab her arm, hurrying her down the corridor and to the compartment with the rest of his friends.
Upon seeing who had followed Harry inside, the entire room's focus was on one person, waiting to see how she would take this new development. Needless to say, she wasn't happy in the slightest.
"What is she doing here?" Ginny asked sullenly, enough venom in her voice to poison the air around her and make Veronica drop her gaze to the floor.
"I brought her here," Harry answered, standing next to Veronica and entwining his hand with hers, "She's is my friend and I wanted to sit with all my friends. Got a problem with that?"
Harry's last statement had everyone staring at him in surprise; Harry was rarely, if ever, confrontational and then it was only when circumstances were dire or Malfoy was involved. To see him state something so defensively was a shock to everyone, most of all to the one he said it to.
Face red and turned down into a scowl, Ginny shoved past the pair and left the compartment, ignoring cries for her to come back or to talk about this. Harry and Veronica watched her leave with matching expressions of sadness, unable to meet anyone's gaze.
"I'm sorry."
Harry squeezed Veronica's hand. "It's not your fault, I think I did something to upset her by being more friendly with you or something... I dunno, you and Herms are the only girls that don't confuse me."
Veronica lifted her head to give Harry a watery smile as Hermione decided at that moment to to blush a light pink. After a few minutes of silence, Veronica had a question. "Do you ever... you know... regret being friends with me?"
Catching her eye, Harry softly replied, "No, and I never will."
Veronica was looking at him with such happiness after he said that and Harry knew there was something that he should do, something he wanted to do, but was unsure as to what it was. After a few seconds, he finally realized what it was that he needed to express.
Swallowing hard, Harry brought his arms up and awkwardly encircled Veronica's wrist. This was the first time he ever initiated a hug before and he was a little worried that he might be doing something wrong or that he picked the wrong time to hug her, but after a few minutes, Veronica leaned into his embrace and Harry relaxed.
--
"Harry? We're here."
Jerking out of his memories, Harry looked up to see that they were, indeed, just outside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It familiar silhouette rose like a giant in the darkness and Harry found himself longing to sink into the deep mattresses of the boy's dormitory in Griffindor Tower. It had been a long day.
Stepping out of the carriage, Harry watched as his three best friends made their way toward Hogwarts and how he came to be friends with each of them. He smiled as he remembered the moment that cemented his relationship with Ron and Hermione, as well as how Veronica had become part of their group.
"Do you ever... you know... regret being friends with me?"
"Hey, Harry?" Ron called, realizing his friend hadn't followed them from the carriages, "Are you Petrified or something? Let's go, I'm starved!"
Shaking his head, Harry Potter followed Ronald Weasley, Hermione Granger and Veronica Dathey into the Great Hall amid stares an whispers, happy for the first time in a long while.
How can I when you're one of the reasons I feel complete?
A/N: Hello, all. I had a hell of a time writing this out and I'm still not sure if Ginny is too evil or not.
For those of you who are wondering, no, Ginny has not started writing in the dairy yet, she is just extremely jealous about the fact that Harry has such a close female friend. She isn't worried about Hermione because she wasn't the one that was hugging Harry.
Feel free to tell me if Ginny's attitude feels extreme, or if I'm lacking in any way. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but no flames please. Until next time!