Summary: Ginny struggles to keep the secret to herself … while Harry still tries to figure out what it is.  Can Ginny trust herself not to go to Harry and blurt it out? Or will Harry find out for himself?

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this story.

Chapter 5

Struggles

By happythoughts

       Harry walked into the common room, his eyes looking around for Ron and Hermione.  Surprisingly, he didn't find them.  His eyes caught Ginny sitting in a corner by herself, staring out of a window looking at the campus.  He silently tiptoed over to her, not to disturb her.  "Ginny?"

       Ginny jumped.  "Oh, hi, Harry."

       "Mind if I sit down?" he asked her.

       "Nope … sure …"

       He sat down next to her on the window seat and said, "What's up?"

       Ginny sighed and looked at him.  Should she dare tell him what was bothering her? Or would she be breaking her promise to herself by telling him?  Although, Ron and Hermione didn't know that Ginny had witnessed what had happened.  She took and risk and tried hinting to Harry.  "A whole lot of stuff, Harry."

       "Well, I'm all ears."

       "Okay.  If you knew something about some other people, but you knew that they wouldn't want anyone knowing about it, would you tell that something to other people? Or would you keep it to yourself?"

       Harry was stumped.  "Well, that's a pretty good question.  What made you think of it?"

       Now Ginny was stumped.  What was she supposed to say? "That's not the point, Harry, I was asking you another question."

       "Er—well I'm not sure.  Do these other people know that you know about their 'something'?"

       "Not exactly … well, no, they don't know that I know."

       "Well then, I don't see what's the matter of telling someone else, if they don't know that you know.  I mean, eventually they will find out, and they won't know who to accuse of telling that something," he answered smartly.

       "Harry, it's not that easy.  What if they do find out that that certain person knew … what would that person do? Deny it, or tell the truth?" she asked, getting confused by the second.

       "Ginny, what do you have to tell me? Anything? Anything at all?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

       Ginny looked away from Harry's bright, green eyes.  She wanted to be truthful to Harry, but she also wanted to be truthful to her brother and her best friend.  "Well, if I told you what I wanted to tell you, that would be breaking my friends' trust.  I can't do that, I'm sorry."

       Finally, something in Harry's mind clicked.  "Ginny! Do you know what happened with Ron and Hermione?"

       Finally, he figured it out! I thought he'd never come to his senses. Ginny thought.  "What? What are you talking about, Harry?"

       He stood up and started pacing back and forth.  "Listen.  This whole day Ron and Hermione were acting weird around me.  And they wouldn't tell me what was up with them.  So now we're in a fight.  And finally, after us talking, I know that you know what happened with them.  Please tell me.  Please, I must know."

       He looked into her big brown eyes pleadingly.  She tried to look away from those startling green eyes.  You can do this, just look away. She thought.  And surprisingly, she did look away.  Proud of herself, she even said, "I'm sorry, Harry, but what I know is to be kept confidential and I cannot tell you.  You'll just have to find out by yourself." 

       And with that, she walked away, leaving Harry in a very confused and angry state.

~

       After dinner, Ron and Hermione went outside to talk.  After their little kiss in the hallway that day, things had been very awkward between them.  They walked inches apart around the lake, avoiding each other's eyes, only having small conversation.  But mostly on both of their minds was their fight with Harry.  But they each had different views about it.  According to Hermione, she thought that they should have told Harry what had happened.  After all, he is their best friend.  But when Hermione told Ron this, he had a temper.

       "Ron, do you think we should have told Harry what happened?"  she asked him.

       Ron stuffed his hands in his pockets.  He didn't want to talk about the whole event, and he most certainly did not want to answer that question, it was too embarrassing.  "Well, you heard what I said.  No, I don't think that we should have, and I'm glad we didn't, because if we had, right now he would be making fun of us or even worse, being mad at us."

       "Ron, what do you think Harry is right now? Happy for us? No, he's mad.  It's better for him to be talking to us than for him to be ignoring us completely," she said exasperately.

       "So you're saying we should have told him?" demanded Ron.

       "Well … yes, that's exactly what I'm saying, Ron," said Hermione hesitantly.

       "Hermione, come on now, it would be even more awkward for him. Think about it, he'd always be around us, even now, when we would want to be," Ron blushed before he said this, "well you know … alone."

       Hermione blushed also, grateful that you couldn't see in the darkness of the night.  "Well, I can see your point, but I just don't want Harry to be mad at this whole thing.  It's going to be even harder to ask for his forgiveness, and then finally tell him."

       They finally had circled the entire lake, and were back at the beginning where they had started.  "Should we go back in?" asked Ron somewhat reluctantly.

       "Er—sure, I guess," said Hermione.  The only thing she wanted was to stay with Ron for the entire night.  So quickly that Ron didn't have time to react, she leaned him and gave him a quick kiss.  Then, she ran up the stairs towards the door and ran inside, leaving Ron in a confused, but very happy place.

~

       The next morning, Harry awoke, very grumpily.  Yesterday had not been one of his best days, except when he had visited Hagrid.  He was still angry with Hermione and Ron, and now Ginny, because she wouldn't tell him what she knew.  She, of all people, would have been the first person he would have thought to tell him something.  He wasn't going to let that go to his head anymore. 

       He got out of bed and went to the bathroom to get ready.  He didn't even bother with his hair, it got messy again anyways after 5 minutes.  He changed quickly and quietly, not to wake Ron so they wouldn't get in another fight.  He hoped that no one would be up yet, when he walked down to the common room.   Unfortunately, there were two people downstairs, near the fire.  Not wanting to disturb them, he tried to walk by them quietly towards the portrait.  He glanced at them quickly and walked away.  Then, he looked back at the two people, startled … and stared in disbelief.

~

A/N: Uh-oh! What happened? Who did Harry see? And why was he in disbelief? Check out the next chapter to find out! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you are all the best.  J