Disclaimer: None of this is mine, because everything I dreamed up came in some way from something the fabulous JKR has done.
A/N: This part starts out a little sappy (okay,
so maybe a lot sappy – I'm sorry! I'm a helpless romantic!) but if you'll bear
with me, things will get better! :-) Very quickly (before you X out the window
in frustration at my endless rambling) I'd like to thank TsukiKou for posting
this for me. Special thanks to those of you who wrote reviews (as of the time I
posted this chapter) – they were so nice, it made me feel so much better about
my story! Bandy, Lina, Gdevil (I liked that WICKED comment!), PeachyKeen,
yeah81, short 'n sweet, maidmarian62, Harry's Tulip, Rebecca Weasley, Allycat –
thanks so much! And maidmarian62 – I couldn't bear to break Ginny's heart!
Never fear! Things always work out, eventually. Please r/r!
Part 5
Harry sighed and pushed his plate away from him, saying weakly, "I don't think I could eat one Bertie Bott's Bean without exploding. It was great, Mrs. Weasley."
"Yeah, thanks," echoed the rest of the non-Weasley members gathered around the table. There was a slight lull in the conversation. Ron stood up.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat. Wanna head on up, Harry?"
"Yeah, sure," Harry replied. "See you guys in the morning."
"Night, Harry," Ginny called. As an afterthought, she added "and Ron."
"Goodnight, Gin," Harry said, smiling slightly. Ginny blushed deep red and stared down at her dinner plate. Ron snorted and motioned to Harry to follow him.
Harry bounded up the now-familiar stairway after Ron and collapsed next to him on his bed after shutting the door. He waited for Ron to say something.
"Sooo…" Ron said slowly. "What's going on with you and my sister?" Harry's heart froze up in his chest.
"What do you…what do you mean?" he asked in a would-be nonchalant tone, sitting up.
Ron rolled over and settled on his side. Staring up at Harry (for once), he said in a voice that sounded like it should've been saying two-plus-two-equals-four, "Harry…I have eyes in my head. And believe it or not, when I open them – I can see things. And I am DEFINITELY seeing something different in your attitude towards Ginny."
Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing's up," he said, not looking at Ron. "We're just friends."
Ron's face gave a whole new meaning to the word 'skeptical.' "Ooookay," he said slowly, "I must just be losing my mind. Nothing's changing."
"Of course not," Harry said quickly. "You wouldn't actually think I liked your sister, would you?" He gave a quick, forced laugh. Ron shrugged. "Whatever, Harry. I'm really tired – see you in the morning, eh?"
"Yeah," said Harry, his heart racing. "I've got to go change and brush my teeth – be back in a minute." He gathered up his things and backstepped to the door, groping for the doorknob and nearly falling over as it swung open the wrong way. He recovered himself, shut the door behind him, and bolted for the bathroom.
Safely inside, Harry locked the door and fell back against it, his brain working hard. He'd nearly lost it back there with Ron. Was he really that obvious? No, he'd been so careful…Ginny herself shouldn't have noticed anything different, rather than a little bit more friendship. Harry shuddered. What was he thinking?! This was GINNY. Ron's little annoying sister who hero-worshipped him. But ever since he'd stepped in the door to the Burrow and seen her standing in the hallway – her hair down loose, falling in a cascade of red-orange sunrise down her back - lanky legs barefoot (yes, he knew he had it bad) – she'd been seen in a whole new light. And Harry had made a split-second decision – he was going to treat Ginny with more respect. And once he'd started really listening to what she had to say, he was sorry he hadn't been listening from the beginning. Funny, quick, kind, sweet…there was so much he hadn't noticed. And now Ron was noticing that he was noticing. Great, Harry thought to himself. Now I have to watch Ron as well as Ginny.
Harry changed quickly and ran his toothbrush over his teeth, then threw the door open and headed back up the staircase. At the top landing, he saw Ginny heading down the stairs from Ron's room. She, too, had changed into her pajamas – her hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail, with a few fly-aways framing her face.
"Oh, hi," Ginny said, smiling tentatively. "Just went to tell you and Ron goodnight." Her hand suddenly flew up to her hair, and blushing deeply, she said, "Oh, I must look a fright…"
"Oh, no," Harry said quickly, "you look grea – fine." Perfect would be a better word, he thought – then pushed the thought away. "But…I thought you already said goodnight – at dinner, you know?" he asked her shrewedly.
"Oh, well, I…had to ask Ron something," Ginny said in a rush. "So…g'night, then."
"See you in the morning," Harry mumbled.
Ginny nodded, then brushed past him to head down the staircase. He headed the opposite way at the same time. They ran into each other halfway. Her shoulder was pressed up against his, and he muttered under his breath "Sorry." She mumbled something too – Harry supposed it was an embarrassed apology like his. She unwedged herself and walked towards the stairs. Harry was looking after her when Ginny suddenly turned and grinned. "Sweet dreams, Harry," she said slyly. Then she turned on her heel and bounded down the steps. Harry stared, then shrugged and went back up to Ron's room – hoping his dreams would be as sweet as Ginny had expressed.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Harry flopped back onto his cot and settled his head back into the thick fluffyness of Mrs. Weasley's down pillow. Surprisingly, he fell to sleep almost immediately – with so many jumbled thoughts in his head, he didn't think he'd be able to sleep at all. His last conscious thought was of Ginny, standing on the staircase – her hair back in that messy ponytail, wishing him sweet dreams. For a long time, he slumbered in a dreamless, heavy sleep – but right before dawn broke, he saw something strange. It was Ginny again – or was it? A girl with bright red hair, and those sparkling eyes – it was Ginny, all right. But older. She still had that long hair, but it was pulled back away from her face – and on the hand holding back her sheet of hair, a tiny, glimmering golden ring was placed. She was grinning at Hermione and Ron, who were holding hands – well, Harry knew Ron fancied Hermione…but did Hermione like him? Was this some sort of future-telling dream? Harry knew Professor Trelawney would give her right arm for this vision. Hermione and Ron were both grinning so widely, Harry thought their faces would break – and on Hermione's ring finger, too, he saw a golden band. It didn't seem to be sparkling as highly as Ginny's though.
The dream was fading – Harry fought to hold onto the image, but it was moving away too fast. The last snatch of the dream he managed to save was a picture of Ginny's face, smiling warmly at him. He woke up with a start, and kept his eyes closed for a long time to hold onto the portrait.
Part 6
Harry stumbled down to breakfast that morning to see that he was the first one up. Debating on whether or not to return to bed, he decided since he was already up, this was an opportune time to do whatever HE wanted – and not have to debate with all the Weasleys and Lee and Hermione. And Harry knew exactly what he wanted to do – send an owl. To Sirius. He was sure that Sirius would know what to do about girls in general – after all, he'd been a teenager, too, surely he had a few tips for Harry. Harry ran to find some parchment and a quill – he found a few sheets of paper under a weight on the mantle and a few quills were laying in disarray on top of a book entitled "Advanced Transfiguration" – Fred or George's, no doubt, recycled from Percy. He threw himself into a kitchen chair and began to write:
Dear Sirius,
How are you? I don't think you knew this, because I haven't been sending many owls lately, but I'm back at the Weasley's – me and Hermione were invited to stay again until the start of term. We're having loads of fun – we just finished a Quidditch game yesterday. I didn't catch the Snitch (which was really a golf ball! It's a long story, I'll tell you later), Charlie did, but it's okay, we still won – largely thanks to Ginny, who scored most of our goals, and Ron, who played Keeper. He's really fast; I didn't know he was that good at all. Now that Oliver Wood is gone, we'll be looking for a new Keeper – maybe Ron will try for the House Keeper position!
Anyway, the reason I wrote was to ask your advice on a kind of personal…
Harry paused, wondering what the right word would be. Predicament? Or problem? He decided on 'subject.' He continued…
…kind of personal subject. You see…well, when did you start having an interest in girls? A serious interest, I mean? I think there's a girl that I really like a lot – but I don't know for sure. And even though I think I do know, I'm just so unsure of what to DO about it!
Harry stopped again. Should he tell Sirius that he liked (maybe liked, his brain protested stubbornly) Ginny Weasley? He decided against it, and wrote a closing.
Hope you're doing all right, wherever you are. Try to write me back - -
Harry
Harry folded the letter over twice and gave it to Hedwig. "Try to fly fast," he whispered to her as he carried the snowy white owl to the window. "I really want an answer." He pushed on the window handle to open it up – and pushed harder. It wouldn't budge.
"Oh, come on," Harry muttered, dropping Hedwig into the sink and putting both hands on the handle. He pushed, pulled, tugged – nothing. Maybe this one was painted shut. Maybe he should just go open the front door and –
"You should try pulling back and THEN pushing out," a voice called from the doorway.
Harry turned around. Ginny was standing there, a small smile playing across her mouth. Her hair was back in a headband this morning, and she was wearing a bright green t-shirt and the same shorts from yesterday – still barefoot, although Harry noticed that her toenails were the same shade as her shirt, along with her fingernails.
"Need some help?" Ginny asked sympathetically. "That window can be a monster."
"Yeah," Harry admitted. "I was trying to send Hedwig out – only she can't get – well, out."
Ginny came over. Harry noticed her hair kind of bounced when she walked. Why hadn't he ever seen that?
Ginny put Harry's hands back onto the latch and closed her own over them. Her hands felt warm, but Harry could see them trembling a tiny bit. "Now. Watch," she commanded. She pressed his hands down, pulling the latch down too – then she pulled in towards the kitchen. She thrust hers and Harry's hands outward again quickly – and the window snapped open.
"See?" she said, smiling. She smiled a lot – her teeth were so white. Perfect. What was he thinking?! "It's not so hard. Just takes a few tries." She left her hands on Harry's an instant longer than was necessary. Shifting her gaze, Ginny strode away from the window and out towards the hall. Harry picked a disgruntled Hedwig up out of the sink, tossed her (gently, of course) out the window, and followed her.
Ginny opened the front door and sat down on the stoop, brushing her hair out behind her back and running her fingers through it. Harry resisted a crazy urge to do the same, and sat down next to her.
Ginny broke the silence, staring out to the horizon. "I like to come out here and watch the sunrise," she said dreamily. "It helps me think." She gave him a sidelong glance. "Have anyplace like that?"
"No," Harry said. "Unless you count the cupboard under the stairs."
Ginny grinned. "I wouldn't count that. You should get a place, though. I think Ron's got one – but I don't know where it is. He won't tell. This isn't really my place, either – it's farther out thataway." She gestured vaguely to the west. "But here will do for this morning."
Harry sat, unsure of what to say.
"So," Ginny said. "Did you sleep well?" Harry was surprised. "Yes," he said, "you?"
"Oh, yes," Ginny said. "I nearly always do." "I hardly ever dream, though," she continued thoughtfully. "And I always love waking up from a nice dream…did you have a dream last night?"
"Um…yeah," Harry said uncomfortably, wondering exactly where this was going.
"Oh, tell me about it!" Ginny urged, her eyes shining. "What was it about?"
Harry froze. He really, really didn't want to tell Ginny that he'd dreamt about her – what conclusions could she draw from that? He decided to evade her question partially.
"Well…Ron…and Hermione," he said, thinking fast.
A bit of the smile went out of Ginny's face, but she was still interested. "Was she all dressed up? Were they going out somewhere? A date? Did she have on any jewelry?"
"I…yes, she had on a ring," Harry said, mystified at Ginny's sudden interest in Hermione's dream appearance. But suddenly, he was even more mystified at Ginny's reaction. It was like her warmth shut down; the light in her eyes went out, and she stopped smiling at him. "A gold ring?" Ginny responded quietly.
"Yes," Harry said cautiously. "Why…"
But why Ginny wanted to know, he didn't find out – her eyes turned altogether cold, and she stood up. "It's light out now," she said brusquely. "My thinking time is over. Let's go in – they'll be wondering where we are."
"But – "
"Come on." Ginny took his hand and pulled him up, then went inside the house. Harry followed her, wondering what in the world he had done to make Ginny mad. Should he have told the truth about the dream? Why would THAT make her mad? Of course, if he told her he'd lied, she would ask why. And he didn't have a good reason for that. And then she would think he was being ridiculous and stop talking to him and…Harry closed his eyes tight and shook his head. Where in the world was all this coming from? Why did he care so much what Ginny thought about him?
Ginny mumbled something about homework and bounded up the stairs, her face away from Harry. Harry contemplated going after her, decided it was none of his business, and doubled back to the kitchen.
Ron was there. Raising his eyebrows at Harry, he asked, "Why are you up so early? And why were you with Ginny?"
"I just had a weird dream and couldn't get back to sleep," Harry explained. "I came down here to send an owl to help time go by. Ginny got the window unstuck for me and we just talked for awhile."
"Outside?"
"Yeah."
Ron mused over these explanations. "But why would she take you outside…unless…did she take you to her place?"
"What? Huh?" Harry gave Ron a confused look. "Oh, you mean her thinking place or whatever? No."
"But she told you about it!" Ron exclaimed, banging his fist on the table triumphantly. "Ha! I knew I was right – she really fancies you, Harry." His look suddenly changing from smugness to suspicion, he added, "Why are you leading her on like this?"
"WHAT?" Harry jumped up. "I am most certainly NOT doing anything like that! I care about Ginny, you know I do, I wouldn't be that cruel. Who do you think I am?"
"Oh, then are you saying you LIKE her BACK?" Ron hissed in a deadly voice. "Come on, Harry. She's a fourth year. She adores you, and you're just having a bit of fun. I won't let you treat her like that."
"I'm not trying to…"
"Sure," Ron said scornfully. "Well, in any case, she's not going to be around you much this year. Classes, Quidditch…she'll get over it."
"Get over what?" Harry said. "Ginny and I are friends – and I'm glad she's my friend. She's a beautiful person, and you've got no right to boss her around."
"She's a beautiful person!" Ron mimicked. Then, assuming a cool air, he got up, saying, "Do what you want, Harry. But Ginny's not going to get hurt. I'm her big brother. I watch out for her."
"Some big brother," Harry said under his
breath. "What a control freak…" Ron supposedly didn't hear him, however, and
stalked out of the room. Harry threw himself back into a chair, groaning. His
day sure was going nicely.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/n: I know, not a great place to leave off, but I'll have another chapter up real soon. If you don't like it, feel free to say so; just don't say you hated it and not say why! Give me a reason, and I'll try to make it better. Thanks for reading!