31. Rotten
It's all massively stupid.
Seamus, who has come to know Ginny Weasley as a person with a sense of humor, cannot believe this. Her own brothers spent years whacking bludgers into people, but Harry gets hit with one and it's not supposed to be funny? "Well, I guess it was his head," says Dean, as he lies morosely across his bed.
He's pretending to study. He does this a lot, when he sulks—trudges upstairs and sticks his face into Achievements in Charming. It's been a few years since Seamus has bought it. "Harry's fine," he says. "She's acting like he could have died." This is typical girl behavior, of course. Lavender screams three or four times a Quidditch match at least. But Seamus had thought better of Ginny. He'd approved, actually, when Dean had told him last year that he was considering making a move. He thought he'd be okay hanging around Ginny Weasley. (Why had he thought they'd hang out with him?)
"He's still in the Hospital Wing," says Dean, shrugging. He heaves a sigh. "I'll apologize tomorrow."
Seamus flattens his lips together in a huff.
"I think she still fancies him," he says after a second. Dean starts to groan but Seamus talks louder over him. "No, listen, if it'd been Ron she'd have laughed too, and you know it." (He's not sure if this is true, as Dean has been telling him that she's having a rough time with Ron's recent poisoning, but that was poison. This was Hogwarts Quidditch. Seamus knows Ginny well enough to know her humor has a mean streak, and he'll die on that hill.)
Dean continues groaning.
"She did for years!" insists Seamus. "You know she did—she ever write you a poem?"
"She's over that," says Dean, with an almighty eyeroll.
"What, you've asked?"
"Of course I haven't asked, but—"
"Why not?"
"I trust her!"
"You don't trust me?"
Dean throws his arms up, and snaps, "Not when you're just making shite up, I don't!"
Seamus has never liked this girlfriend business. Dean would call him a misogynist but he doesn't care—all it does is ruin everything else to let you snog a little. He'd thought—hoped?—Dean would do it right. But this thing with Ginny is so clearly not working, and it amazes him that Dean either won't admit it or can't tell. That he would choose something so obviously built on a crumbling foundation over the most solid thing Seamus had ever had. Even through last year Dean hadn't shouted at him. And now the end of it could be this?
This?
He wrenches his curtains shut around him and flops back on his pillows.
It is all so, so stupid.
