"I told him. I told Sirius."
"You what? Holy shit." Suddenly the silencing and locking charms made sense. "When? Why? What did he say!?"
"Yesterday because I knew we'd both need a whole lot of time apart after I said it and he just... Told me to cool it until next September."
"I thought that goodbye was off," Ginny muttered. "But, why a whole year?"
"He thinks I'll meet someone else between then and now. That I'll get work and all of a sudden a whole new world will open up in front of me." She slumped down into her seat.
Ginny shook her head slowly as she asked, "It won't?"
"No. It won't."
"What if he won't?"
"Then I'll be alone forever."
That sounded dramatic, but Ginny knew Holly and of course they'd spoken of it before, but somehow she'd never thought much would come of it. A confession was huge, this was huge, and when Holly said she wouldn't want anyone else it was because she knew herself so well.
"You're putting me to shame," she murmured, looking out the window. "The odds really are against you, but you did it anyway."
"Hey, it's not the same."
"You're right. I have it much easier." But she couldn't do it. The idea of telling Harry how she felt was terrifying. "Enough about me. I've realised you didn't say he turned you down and that means he didn't."
The upturn of pink lips was tiny. "No, he didn't." It quickly disappeared though. "He didn't answer. He put it off. He's hoping he won't have to, that he'll be right, and then we can pretend it was nothing, but it's not nothing." She sat up suddenly, looked a little desperate. "It's not, right?"
"Definitely not! It's not nothing. I saw it," she thought back to the way Sirius had so resolutely looked Holly in the eyes after he realised his massive mistake in inviting them all out to a beach. After giving her the once over. "He's probably freaking out right now. Your mum'll kill him stone dead."
"Actually," Holly paused. "Actually, I don't think she will. I think she knows."
"How could she possibly know and not have killed him?"
"He didn't know. She didn't blame him because it was one-sided and, by the time it wasn't, she figured it wasn't so bad."
"Did she tell you she knew?"
"No, but I know she knows. She always knows. She knows you like Harry."
Ginny's face turned as red as Holly's hair, as red as her own.
"She knows Harry shouldn't be wasting his time with Chang." Holly knew Harry to be the rebound. After Chang's relationship with Diggory fell through, due to a cheating scandal with a Slytherin side-chick no less, the girl was depressed. Harry Potter was just as cool and caring as Cedric Diggory had ever been, but Holly saw signs of the truth. He was the Similar Stand-In.
Even so, Holly realised Harry really did like Cho, which made her despise the girl for using him. Maybe Cho didn't think of it like that, but it was crystal clear.
Holly also knew Ginny had it bad for her brother, ever since their first meeting so many years ago. But, the sympathy was running out fast. In her estimation Ginny should have told the truth months back. It wasn't Harry's fault for not knowing; her friend refused to tell him.
On top of it all she'd seen Cedric with Chang in the Alley. It seemed like a chance meeting, but they were far too friendly for two on the outs. It looked to her like they'd be back together sooner rather than later. Both older and wiser, ready to forgive and be in love again.
Well, she'd told Harry what she thought and he didn't want to hear it. On his head be it!
To get off the topic of Potter and his dating habits Ginny changed the subject; it was a very sore spot for her. "So, you think she knows about Sirius too?"
"She knows."
"Does he know she knows?"
"Doubtful."
"Do you think she'll confront him?"
Holly hesitated as she thought it through. She hoped not, but there was a distinct possibility that a conversation would be happening. "I'm not sure." It was hard to say. It all depended on whether or not her mother felt she needed to push him.