She clutched the pillow to her chest and looked out the window still not sure what to think. It had been three days since she'd seen Dean and had that disastrous afternoon. It was Wednesday and she had avoided looking and talking to him. She'd managed to avoid Hermione too. She heard a knock at the door.

"Yes."

"It's me Gin." Until now.

Ginny picked up her wand and pointed it at the door. She watched as Hermione walked in, slipped out of her slippers and sat Indian style on the bed next to her.

"Hey."

"Give Gin. You've been moping for three days."

"Correction, I've been moping for 16 months."

"Okay, then you've been dragging over the last three days."

"Have not."

"Yes you have. Talk to me Gin."

"I kissed Dean," she barely whispered.

"What was that, I couldn't hear you?"

"I said I kissed Dean," she hissed through her teeth.

Hermione leaned back and mouthed a silent 'O'. She was literally struck speechless at Ginny's admission. This was the second time a Weasley had left her at a loss.

"Well, say something."

Hermione opened her mouth and closed it, unsure of what to say or where to start.

"Oh it can't be that bad."

Finally able to find her voice again. "What happened?" she blurted out.

"We kissed!"

"I got that part. I mean why, how and who kissed who?"

"I was doing my usual moping down at Hogsmeade and I was on my way back when Dean caught up with me. We were walking and talking and we were stopped. I was noticing his hair and reached up to touch it and we kissed."

"Why were you feeling his hair?"

"It's short now. I wanted to see if it felt the same."

"Ginny, do you like him again. I mean considering everything…"

"NO! I mean yes. I mean I don't like him, like him, but I'm not mad at him anymore. I'm over it."

"Obviously."

"Thanks for your support there, friend," Ginny said stressing the last word. "Like you're so innocent."

"I would never!"

"Oh really miss I'm-so-in-love-with-Ron that I came this close," she said pinching her fingers together with barely any space between, "to losing my virginity to Viktor."

"That's not fair!" Hermione said hotly, "and you promised to never bring that up again."

"Well don't look at me so smugly. It's not like you pined for Ron in utter silence."

"I'm sorry but forgive my shock considering part of the reason you broke up is because you'd started fighting like cats and dogs. Have you talked to him about it?"

"And say what? Gee, you're an even better kisser than when we were dating and I thought you were really good then."

"Really?"

"It's beside the point Hermione."

"I know that but, wow."

"I can't even look at him now. Maybe he's right, maybe Harry's right."

"About what?"

"He said that if I really loved Harry, I would not have been able to kiss him like that. And Harry thinks I don't really love him."

"What do you think, Gin?"

"I'm miserable without him, Hermione. I haven't laughed like I did with him. I don't want to smile without him and I want to scratch that little…" she bent her fingers toward each other as if choking someone, "I want to scratch her eyes out."

"Because of Harry or Dean?"

"Oh God, I don't even know."

"I want to ask you a question Ginny and you don't have to answer now or ever but I want you to think about the question. Do you love Harry or have you just had a crush on him for so long that you're lost now?"

She answered immediately. "I love him. I've never loved anybody else but him"

"Then why were there so many guys before him Gin. And this thing with Dean, why are you afraid to even talk to him if there are no feelings there. Only two people came between Ron and I, Ron and I."

"And what were Lavender and Viktor?"

"Lavender was an annoyance."

"And Viktor?"

"A dear friend who reminded me that Ron was never, 'just Ron' to me. I was scared to be rejected and he thought, lord alone knows what was going on his head. I'm still not sure but I'm glad he was the one that forced the issue or we wouldn't be in the place we're in now, moving forward. You're going to need to talk to Harry and Dean but I think you need to figure out a few things first."

"There's nothing to figure out, I love him."

"Because?"

"Because he's Harry Potter!"

"And I think that's the problem."

"That doesn't make sense. Why do you love Ron?"

"Because he's sweet and brave and an amazing kisser. I love him cause he's really smart at things I know nothing about and wants so badly to share those things with me. He's so loyal it hurts me because I'm afraid his loyalty makes it easy for someone to hurt him. I love the fact that the idea of me and Viktor drives him insane but he's trying so hard to be a grown up and respect my friendship with him."

"Ew, on the kissing comment, he is still my brother. Is that all?"

"Actually, no, but it's what came to my mind when you asked."

"It seems a bit like over kill is all."

"What do you like about Harry?"

"Everything."

"Specifics Gin."

"I don't know, I never really thought about."

"Neither did I, just noticed it. At the end of first year, he protected me and Harry, putting himself in harms way. I think I started falling in love with him then. You should think about it." She heard Ron's words of hero worship in her head, "And talk to Dean, I have to admit that if I were him, I'd be pretty confused right now."

"I really don't want to do that."

"You have to."

"Can't you do it for me?" Ginny whined.

"Absolutely not!"

"Please! I'll do anything."

"Then do this, talk to Dean, get that out the way. You might even be able to get his perspective on this whole Harry thing to help you muddle through it."

"You're going to tell Ron, aren't you?"

"Not particularly. If it comes up, but it's not like I plan to just bring it up. Besides, we have better things to do."

"Oh really."

"But seriously, you just kissed him?"

Ginny picked up the stuffed animal and threw it at Hermione who ducked.

Ginny sat in a seat by herself, looking down as everyone ate, talked and laughed. Harry and Ron sat next to each other, ripping on the last Quiddith match. Hermione was on the other side of Ron, holding hands under the table. Between bites she would lay her head on Ron's shoulder and he would kiss her forehead. Across from the sat Seamus and Lavender, who consistently tried to stare Hermione down and Dean, Ariana, Luna and Neville.

Even though the sorting hat had placed Ariana in Hufflepuff, she took every possible opportunity to be underfoot. Everywhere Harry was, she was and every where she was, Dean wasn't too far behind. She needed to speak with both of them but the minute she caught a look at Ariana, she lost her temper and was ready to kill. She laughed at all Ron's jokes, irritating Hermione and giving Lavender steam to continue her ridiculous foray into flirting with Ron. She flirted with every guy at the table except for Dean. Poor Dean didn't have a chance yet he hung on every word. At least Neville seemed to be immune; he was too engrossed in Luna to notice. She had been thinking about it all and staring into her plate. She hadn't noticed anyone come next to her.

"Hello Ginevra," she heard in a sing-song voice. She looked up into Luna's angelic face.

"Hey Luna."

"Why are you down here by yourself?"

"I needed some time alone, some time to think."

"About what?" Luna asked taking it upon herself to sit facing Ginny with her back to everyone else.

"A few things."

"I imagine these things involve the new girl and her interest in Harry. Or maybe it's Dean's interest in her that has you so pensive."

"Among other things," Ginny said under her breath.

"I can't say that I like her very much. She is awfully pushy and clingy and manipulative. I know she's unaware of the history with Ron, Lavender and Hermione but she keeps instigating more trouble. She may want to pay more attention to some one who dos like her and leave Harry alone."

"What?" Ginny said confused. "Harry does like her."

"No he doesn't. He expects her hero worship and takes advantage of it."

"What?" Ginny said a second time.

"Don't play dumb Ginevra, you're much too smart for that."

"I can honestly say, I'm not playing dumb. She's all over him, all the time and he seems to like it. Why do YOU think he doesn't like her?"

"Because he doesn't. You can tell, it's in the eyes. You have her eyes though, all star struck. I've been wondering if your mind was contaminated while we were in school with those Death Eaters."

"I'm confused, are you saying you don't like me Luna."

"I like you just fine, Ginevra."

"Ginny, everybody calls me Ginny. You just said that you don't like her but my eyes are like hers."

"Full of stars," she said whimsically, "like a night sky."

"What are you saying Luna?"

"You're infatuated with the very ordinary yet extraordinary Harry Potter."

"I'm not infatuated with Harry, Luna, I love him."

"Well then, I guess you better find a way to make love look a lot less like hero worship if you ever plan to get him back."

As if on cue, she heard Neville calling to her and she skipped away from Ginny toward her boyfriend. Ginny sat in the Great Hall long after eating her meal and her friends had left. She wasn't sure what to make of what Luna just said but it sounded familiar. She realized something though, it was now half way through the school year and she wasn't going to spend the rest of it alone like some foreigner looking in while Ariana took her place.