Chapter 9. Breathless
"Honestly Ronald! We're just friends!" Harry heard Hermione yell from the other side of the great hall.
"Really now, because I don't think he wants to be just friends Hermione." Ron said annoyed.
"Well excuse me for wanting to be friends with someone! So you can either tag along or go with someone else!" Hermione said, then she turned and walked away.
"Oh yeah..well..I think I will!" Ron yelled after her, not sounding very convincing.
"Blimey Harry, she's driving me crazy, I cant stand her!" Ron muttered, as Harry walked over to him.
"She's your girlfriend, I would assume you two get along somehow."
"Right. Sorry we didn't tell you Harry, we just didn't want to creep you out you know, being your best friends and all. Trust me if it were the other way around I'd be horrified." Ron said sheepishly.
"Forget it, it's no big deal." Harry said. "So you want to tag along to Hogsmede with me and Ange to then?"
"You're joking Harry. I'm going to find the prettiest girl here and take her to Hogsmede to spark up the jealousy in Hermione. I know she wants me Harry." Ron said smiling.
"Well for one, Ginny and Ange are already going with someone so I suppose you'll have to find the third prettiest girl to go with. And second of all, judging by your jealous tantrum fit for a five year old, you think she wants Krum and that's why you're trying to make her jealous." Harry concluded.
"Blimey Harry, you know me too well, creepy.." Ron laughed, and so did Harry.
"I'll see you later then." Ron said, and he ran off in the opposite direction yelling something about Lavender. Harry could only stifle a laugh as he made his way to the entrance hall.
Once there he immediately found Ange because she was standing next to Fleur. And wherever Fleur was, there was sure to be a crowd of heartbroken boys, trying their luck on her even though they knew she was married.
"Oh, hello Harry…" Ange said grimly, walking over to him.
"I just found out who our new defense against the dark arts teacher is this year...it could be Fleur." Ange didn't sound too happy though.
"What do you mean it could be Fleur? Who else could it be?" Harry asked.
"Well, Fleur applied for the job, and so did Krum. Then Professor Mcgonagall, being the new headmistress and all, has no idea how to decide whom should get the job. Therefore she said we'll be doing it the muggle way. By and election, and I have a pretty good feeling as to whom might win…" Ange said, looking over at Fleur who was smiling and giggling as if everything she heard was funny.
"Suck up.." Ange whispered to herself.
"What was that?" Harry said grinning.
"Er…I said hurry up, we don't want to be the last ones to leave do we?" Ange said, pulling Harry along as they joined the flock of students who were entering Hogsmede.
Once there, Harry looked around at the surroundings. Back to school sales were everywhere, Zonko's joke shop was filled with the new third years whom had obviously never been there before and even the three broomsticks was full, making it impossible for them to even get close.
"Why don't we just go over there?" Harry said, eyeing Ginny and Neville heading into Madam Puddifoot's. A place Harry wanted to forget, but he would have to go if he wanted to see Ginny.
"Er..ok." Ange said a bit uncomfortably. She didn't mind going there but as usual it was filled with couples holding hands and kissing. Ange just hoped that it wouldn't be awkward since she neither wanted to kiss Harry or hold his hand.
"You guys could find a seat in the three broomsticks either I suppose?" Ron said, appearing with Lavender around his arm, whom looked like she had just won the lottery since let's face it, compared to Hermione, she was far from pretty.
"Yeah, everywhere else is full." Harry said, watching Ginny and Neville take their seats in a rather large table while attempting to make no eye contact with them. He failed miserably.
"Oh look!" Neville said. "There's Harry, Ron, Ange and Lavender! Why don't we invite them to sit with us? This table's far too big and it has more than enough chairs." Nevile said, signaling the gang.
"No Neville! I don't want to-" Ginny whispered, but too late.
"Oh look Won-Won they're offering us seats. How cute!" Ginny could only smile very, very, painfully.
"How nice of you to join us…" She said flatly.
They all took their seats and ordered butterbeers, but they remembered that they weren't in the three broomsticks anymore and so they had to order tea instead.
"So.." Ginny said, trying to lighten the mood. "erm…this is nice."
"Yeah, this isn't weird at all." Ron said rolling his eyes at her, and she gladly returned the gesture.
After that, an excruciating silence followed until finally, their tea arrived. It was carried by a young waitress whom seemed to know Ange.
"Oh hello Ange! It's nice to see you in here for a change. Is this your boyfriend?" she said, obviously not recognizing Harry.
"No he isn't my-"
"Oh how cute! I knew you'd finally give in to the opposite sex! But never forget what we learned in school, abstinence is bliss! Though I highly doubt that you'll care about bliss when you're feeling him spread passio-"
"Thanks for the tea Jane!" Ange said loudly, purposely interrupting her.
"Oh all right I can take a hint!" she said winking at Harry. "You lovebirds have fun now, but not too much fun!" Jane said, as she winked at Ange too and then trotted off to another table.
Now there was an even more painful silence, accompanied by the sound of a very red Ange shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"Yeah this isn't weird at all…" she said, drinking all her tea in one gulp.
"Definitely." Harry said, sinking into his seat.
"Won-Won! Your friends are so weird! This is boring. Lets go do something exciting!" Lavender whispered, a little more than loudly. Ron's face turned red as he watched everyone suppress a laugh.
"Er…Yeah, I'll see you guys later." Ron muttered, making his way out of Madam Puddifoot's as quickly as possible.
"Thank God! She was driving me nuts!" Ginny said once they had left.
"You and me both." Ange said, sipping her empty tea cup+.
The next minute Ange did the most peculiar thing. She looked at Neville, gestured towards the door then gestured towards Harry and Ginny. Neville understood. He had no idea how, but he understood.
"Uhmm..I don't feel too well." Ange said, faking a headache.
"I think I'll just go to the bathroom for a bit." She said standing up, but she suddenly and "accidentally" tripped over Neville's leg.
"Ow! My ankle!" she cried.
"We'd better get you to the hospital wing then." Ginny said, staring at Ange as if she knew that Ange was planning something.
"No I'll take her." Neville said, helping her up. "She tripped on my leg after all."
"No, I'll do it Neville." Harry said getting up from his seat.
"Nonsense Harry, you two stay here and we'll go on ahead."
"Absolutely, I wouldn't want to ruin your day after all." Ange said, casting Ginny a sly grin. Ginny knew what they were up to, and she smiled back at Ange.
"We'll see you later." Neville said, helping Ange to her feet, then out the door.
Once outside, Neville let go of Ange and they made their way back to the castle.
"You're quite an actress." Neville said.
"Likewise to you...I mean actor though" Ange laughed.
"You think they knew what we were up to?" Neville asked.
"Ginny might've. But even though Harry's as smart as the rest of us, he can be as thick as a brick sometimes." They laughed, and went about their way.
Meanwhile at Maddam Pudifoot's...
"So…" Ginny said.
"You know, now that I think of it, I think that Ange and Neville planned the whole thing." Harry said.
"Yup."
"You knew?"
"Yup."
"How?" Harry asked.
Ginny laughed. "Honestly Harry! You can be thick as a brick sometimes!"
Harry laughed. "I know, I just realized now that Ange has tripped qith her right leg, and then when Neville helped her out, she was limping her left leg.
Why would they do that, Harry wondered.
Ginny sipped her tea. He's probably still thinking about it. Dear Lord he really is as thick as a brick. Ginny thought.
"Because they want us to be together Harry!" She said, knowing exactly what he was thinking.
"Why?"
Ginny slapped her head and gave him a look that said duh!
"Oh...Right." Harry said, he really had to start thinking twice before he asked questions.
"Ginny?"
"Yes Harry?"
"I'm sorry." He said.
"For what?"
"Ever pursuing you at all." He said apologetically.
"Harry…" she shook her head.
"No Ginny, I know you still have feeling for me and I'm sorry because you know that we can't be together. And even though it killed me inside to let you go, I just want you to know that I let you go because I had to, and not because I wanted to." Harry looked straight at her, waiting for her reply.
"I-I have nothing to say." Ginny said sadly, beginning to tear up.
"I, wha-what I'm trying to say Ginny, is that... I don't think we can even be friends anymore." Harry said, choking out the last few words.
"But Harry why!" She said, on the verge of tears.
"I'm sorry Ginny, I want to be with you more than anything, but.. I just can't. It hurts too much." He said, looking down so that Ginny couldn't see his eyes.
Ginny just stared at him, her own tears falling. "Ha-Harry, I don't know what to say." She said sadly.
"There's nothing more to say Ginny... except for goodbye." Harry said, slowly dropping a galleon on the table then heading out the door. Leaving Ginny seated alone at the table, breathless.
And as Harry ran back to the castle distraught, he placed his hands in his pocket and felt a small card there. And he remembered that he was supposed to give it to Ginny. He only felt worse now, knowing that now, he never could give her the card, or anything else.
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P.S : I am editing the whole story again since I have not updated in a year or so, so each chapter may differ in grammar or the small but important things like that. Thanks and happy reading!
