98. "Stupid, annoying jerk!"
Harry leaned by a ledge and looked at the lake next to Hogwarts. He was enjoying the sights and wasn't even bothering with any kind of magical studying. His time here was nearing an end and he wanted to enjoy the different sights of the castle.
"What are you looking at?" Ginny asked as she walked up to him. Her pace was sedate and revealed her boredom.
He shifted his eyes towards her and hummed lightly, "I'm just relaxing. Shouldn't you be at Quidditch practice? "
"It was cancelled for the day," Ginny took a spot near him and looked at the lake. A soft wind blew between them as neither looked away from the scenery. It wasn't long before Ginny seemed to grow bored, "Is it fun just standing around like this? With how often you do it, I thought it would be much more exciting. I wandered what you found so interesting that you would isolate yourself."
"I just like to get away from the crowds really," he replied with a shrug as a vague apology.
Ginny let out a snort and gave him an unimpressed glance she typically reserved for her siblings, "And I thought Ron was dramatic."
Harry shot her a near Sirius like smirk, "I learned from the best of Wizard society."
"Sounds droll. I heard you used to play Quidditch. Why don't you try picking that up again? We could use a really good seeker. I've seen you fly. You clearly love it."
When he realized that she spoke in earnest curiosity and a desire to spread something she loved without accusation, he decided to be honest, "I'm going to have to decline."
She groaned in disappointment and slumped down, "That's too bad. Games have been dreary for some time now. George's heart isn't in it anymore, for obvious reasons. Our seeker could be better and our cohesion is a right mess. If it isn't some grand chosen one secret, why did you stop?"
Harry frowned at the thought of that old wound. That had been a real disappointment for his Hogwarts career, "I didn't want to waste time doing what I love with a team of people that were willing to turn on me given half a chance. In the end of the day, I owed it to myself to get out of that situation."
"Oh, fair enough," she said after his explanation.
"What? You sound surprised."
"Well, I didn't think anything anybody did in Hogwarts bothered you. Before Luna pulled me into the Herbology club, I thought you were the most intimidating student in the castle. Then again I also thought you hated me since I entered Hogwarts."
"Ah," he said in a contrite voice, "I did avoid you a bit when we were younger. Sorry about that."
Ginny chuckled good naturedly, "It's fine, really. I know I was a bit much with my kiddy crush. You probably didn't want to make things awkward with Ron and the others."
"Thanks for understanding. I had been interested in Teleute since even back then. I couldn't be bothered to care about some other girl's attention. I thought I was being dedicated, but I will admit I might've come off as kind of a jerk."
Ginny playfully smacked him on the back, "Just a little. Hey, I have a great idea. How about a pinch of Quidditch? We can pull my brothers and the rest of the Herbology club and make a mini game."
"That sounds great," Harry said with an easy smile.
