Yes, well....I know I should be writing more, because it's the summer and all and I have more free time and whatnot. But hey, what can I say? I'm a lazy writer. But I'll get around to finishing this all...sometime...
He looked at the corner with annoyance, and frowned the most disapproving frown he could muster. He hated to look into that corner, but it was becoming harder for him not to, what with all the giggling and such taking place.
"You know, if you keep that look on your face too long, it'll get stuck like that," said Hermione.
"Shut up," said Ron, not bothering to wipe the frown off his face. "I'm allowed to disapprove if I want to."
"I don't see why you should have a problem with it," Hermione replied. "I would think that you'd be happy for your sister, finally having a boyfriend."
"No, I wouldn't," snapped Ron testily. "Especially when it's quite obvious that Harry has no intentions of going anywhere with her. I can't believe that you can be friends with a guy so long, and then he turns around and does this to your very own sister."
"Ron, you don't have to be so protective of Ginny all the time. She's not a little girl any more--she's almost sixteen," said Hermione. "She's responsible enough to make her own decisions. And I don't know how you got it into your head that Harry would be toying with her affections."
"I should have known it'd be just like you to stick up for Harry," Ron said bitterly. "I guess being your ex-boyfriend counts for something, huh?"
"Listen to yourself, Ron!" Hermione huffed, obviously offended. "It has nothing to do with a relationship between Harry and I that is now over, in case you didn't notice. I just think that you should let them work out things between themselves."
"Excuse me for looking out for my little sister," muttered Ron.
"I don't know why I even bother." Hermione got up from her stool at the bar and stormed out of The Three Broomsticks.
"Trouble with the missus, eh?" asked an older, and obviously drunk man sitting on Ron's other side. Ron rolled his eyes and went to join Dean and Seamus on the other end of the room.
~*~
Harry sat talking with Ginny in The Three Broomsticks one afternoon on their last Hogsmeade weekend before the Christmas holiday.
"I can't thank you enough for tutoring me in charms," he said over a mug of butterbeer.
"It was nothing," said Ginny. "In fact, I enjoyed it. It was fun to teach you."
"Thanks." Harry met Ginny's eyes for a moment, and she looked away, blushing deeply.
"So, what are you doing over the holiday?" Ginny asked, changing the subject.
"Hanging out around the castle, as usual. You?"
"I'm going to be staying. Mum and Dad are spending Christmas in Egypt with Bill and his new girlfriend, Lizzy," she said.
"Oh." An awkward silence fell upon the two, and neither really wanted to break it. Suddenly, Harry glanced at the bar, and then at the door. Before Ginny could turn to see what he was looking at, he jumped out of his seat.
"Sorry gotta run but I'll meet you back up in the castle tonight around seven okay don't be late," he called all in one breath and rushed out the door. Ginny didn't have enough time to wonder where he was going before she was joined by Lavender and Parvati.
"I can't tell you how totally super I think it is that you and Harry have finally gotten together!" gushed Lavender.
"Tha-," Ginny started, but was interrupted by Parvati.
"Yeah, I guess he and Herm were okay, but a little too touchy-feely too fast. You guys just make the absolute cutest couple!" she squealed. "Harry Potter and his best friend's little sister. Who would have guessed?"
"Um..." stammered Ginny, not quite sure what to say, but she didn't really have to because Lavender was starting back up again.
"Ooh! Look! There's Dean and Seamus!" She jumped up and pointed at a table by the window, where Dean, Seamus, and Ron were sitting and talking (probably about Quidditch again, thought Ginny) while sipping butterbeers. In a flash Lavender and Parvati were over there, followed reluctantly by Ginny.
"Hey Dean," Parvati cooed, leaning over the back of his chair. "You don't mind if we girls join you, do you?" Dean grinned broadly.
"No, of course not. Take a chair." Quite willingly, Parvati sat down next to Dean, Lavender beside Seamus, and Ginny took the only available chair between Parvati and Ron.
Ron watched on in disgust as Lavender and Parvati giggled and gossiped, mostly about boys.
"How can they put up with this?" he whispered to Ginny. She shrugged.
"I hope I don't act like this around Harry," she said, but immediately wished she hadn't.
"Oh, don't bring Harry into this!" Ron sighed. "I don't know what you see in that guy."
"What do you mean?" frowned Ginny. "I though you two were best friends."
"Yeah. So did I." He paused. "Do you know where he is?"
"Nope," she said. "He dashed out of here a few minutes ago." Ron straightened up in his chair.
"A few minutes ago, you say? Why?"
"I don't know. He just said it was important and would meet me in the common room tonight."
"Damn!" Ron leapt up from the table and rushed out into the milling street.
That's the second time that's happened in...three minutes, Ginny thought, consulting the clock on the wall. I wonder what's going on... Spotting Jewel and a few other of her friends walking in, Ginny left the table to join them.
~*~
Ron finally caught up to Harry in the buzzing streets of Hogsmeade following, much to Ron's displeasure, Hermione into one of the local bookstores. As Harry was approaching the door, Ron grabbed his shoulder.
"Harry! What are you doing?" hissed Ron.
"Going into this store," he replied.
"Oh, sure, play it innocent!" Ron said.
"Why, what am I guilty of?" Harry asked, trying to sound confused.
"Don't be stupid, Harry." Ron glared at him for a minute. "Okay, if you're so innocent, what book do you need to buy?"
"I...uh...a book on...um..." Harry racked his brain for a good answer while a smug grin played it's way across Ron's face.
"Exactly. You don't know what book you're going to buy because you're not buying a book. Do you know why you're really going into this store?" he asked.
"Uh..."
"It's easy. Two words. Hermione Granger."
"What...what does she have to do with any of this?" Harry asked nervously.
"I'm not stupid. I can see through this little plan of yours. Get together with somebody else to make her jealous, right? Hope that she'll realize what a mistake she made when she dumped you? And then she'll run back into your open arms?" accused Ron, jabbing his finger into Harry's chest.
"You are absolutely wrong!" Harry declared indignantly. "I can't believe that you would ever suspect me of using Ginny just to win back Hermione! I'm tired of you making up lies just because you're jealous of me."
"Why in bloody hell would I be jealous of a stupid little git like you?" Ron asked.
"Because of me and Gin--" he was interrupted by Ron.
"Oh God. Don't start this again!" he moaned. "I am not jealous of you and Ginny. Do you think I want to date my little sister?"
"Not of me and Ginny specifically," explained Harry. "Just the fact that I am in a relationship and you aren't."
"How many times do I have to tell you. I don't want a bloody girlfriend."
"You're only saying that because you can't get a girlfriend," Harry said.
"First I'm jealous of you and Hermione, then I'm jealous of you and Ginny, and now I can't get a girlfriend?! Honestly, Harry, you're trying to hard."
"Hey guys," piped up a voice behind the two. "What are you talking about?"
"Hi, Hermione," said Harry. "Ron and I were just discussing...uh..." He stopped and looked at Ron.
"You two have been acting weird lately. Is there something I should know about? " she asked, glancing from Harry's forced indifferent face to Ron's, which was contorted with anger.
"Nothing that concerns you, Hermione," Ron said. "Nothing that you need to worry about."
"Okay," she said skeptically. "I'm heading down to the post office to send an owl to Mum and Dad and let them know I'm staying down here for the holidays."
"I'll go with you," said Harry quickly.
"Okay. We'll meet you up in the common room, then, Ron?"
"Sure. Whatever." He headed down in the other direction, and Harry and Hermione walked off towards the post office.
~*~
"Harry, what were you and Ron talking about before I ran into you guys outside the store?" Hermione inquired, leaning on the counter in the post office as she waited for the clerk to send off her mail with an owl.
"Nothing special," he said as nonchalantly as he could.
"Harry," she said exasperatedly, "there's no use in lying to me, you know." She turned around and looked at him with one of her looks of annoyance that Harry loved.
"Really, it wasn't anything important," said Harry, fighting the urge to just lean over and kiss her right then and there.
"I don't believe you," she said stoutly. "But I guess it's no use in prying any farther." She turned back around on the counter. Harry just stood and admired the way her hair shone in the light, the way it was always curly and frizzy, but neat and exact at the same time.
"Harry? Hello? What are you looking at?" Hermione waved her hands in front of Harry's faced.
"What? Oh, nothing," he said, following her back out to the street.
"I'm tired of hearing that answer from you; 'Nothing.' Can't you come up with anything more intelligent to say?"
"Okay. Do you want to know the truth?" he asked.
"Yes, Harry. I want to know the truth." She turned and looked up at him, arms akimbo.
"Well, I was looking at your hair," he said simply.
"My hair? What so interesting about that?" she asked, pushing a thick lock of it behind her ear.
"Well, you know...the way it waves and...it's so curly and frizzy and..." He faltered.
"If you knew how incredibly idiotic that just sounded, you'd be kicking yourself right now," laughed Hermione, but she couldn't help but feel flattered. "Anyway, that wasn't what I was asking about. What I did want to know was," she looked him straight in the eye, "what was it that you and Ron were talking about?"
"Well..." Harry stopped. He was sweating nervously already. "Well. Um. Er."
"If it's that difficult for you to tell me, maybe I can just go ask Ron," she said, and looked as if she intended to do just that.
"Wait! Stop!" he said. "Okay. We were talking about..."
"Yes?" asked Hermione impatiently.
"We were talking about Ginny," he spat out quickly. "Okay, are you happy now?"
"Oh, goodness. Was Ron going on about you using her again?" she asked.
"How did you know about that?"
"He's been trying to tell me that, too," she said. "Was that it?"
"Yes, yes it was," he said, relieved that she hadn't asked any more.
"That poor dear...he's such a sweetheart for looking after his sister like that, but really! I would think that of all people, he would trust her heart with his best friend. After all, I would." Hermione looked up at Harry, who smiled. "I guess it's just a little weird for him to get used to the fact that Ginny's almost sixteen."
"Yeah, well..." Harry stopped, not sure what to say.
"Harry?" asked Hermione suddenly.
"Yes?" He looked at her hopefully.
Hermione paused thoughtfully for a while. "Nevermind," she said. Harry's heart sank. They walked on in silence for a while.
"Well, it's about time to be heading back to the castle," Harry said finally, glancing at his watch.
"Yeah," said Hermione. "Oh, there's Ron...let's go catch up to him and walk back together." She rushed up to meet him, and Harry, however much he didn't want to, had no choice but to follow.
A/N So...where was Ginny, you're thinking. If this is a G/H story...where did Ginny go? Bethany, you're getting *old* and *forgetful*! So anyways, if that's what you're thinking...see, I was gonna write this whole second part of the chapter that was about Ginny and all, but then it got too long. And I figured that as long as I'm back in my "writing groove" as I like to call it (yeah, I know, I'm a nerd) I might as well just put that into the next chapter. So that's the answer to your question. And if you weren't wondering that, well, too bad. Because I answered anyways. So...next chapter is Ginny's chapter. And then maybe...three or four chapters after that...
He looked at the corner with annoyance, and frowned the most disapproving frown he could muster. He hated to look into that corner, but it was becoming harder for him not to, what with all the giggling and such taking place.
"You know, if you keep that look on your face too long, it'll get stuck like that," said Hermione.
"Shut up," said Ron, not bothering to wipe the frown off his face. "I'm allowed to disapprove if I want to."
"I don't see why you should have a problem with it," Hermione replied. "I would think that you'd be happy for your sister, finally having a boyfriend."
"No, I wouldn't," snapped Ron testily. "Especially when it's quite obvious that Harry has no intentions of going anywhere with her. I can't believe that you can be friends with a guy so long, and then he turns around and does this to your very own sister."
"Ron, you don't have to be so protective of Ginny all the time. She's not a little girl any more--she's almost sixteen," said Hermione. "She's responsible enough to make her own decisions. And I don't know how you got it into your head that Harry would be toying with her affections."
"I should have known it'd be just like you to stick up for Harry," Ron said bitterly. "I guess being your ex-boyfriend counts for something, huh?"
"Listen to yourself, Ron!" Hermione huffed, obviously offended. "It has nothing to do with a relationship between Harry and I that is now over, in case you didn't notice. I just think that you should let them work out things between themselves."
"Excuse me for looking out for my little sister," muttered Ron.
"I don't know why I even bother." Hermione got up from her stool at the bar and stormed out of The Three Broomsticks.
"Trouble with the missus, eh?" asked an older, and obviously drunk man sitting on Ron's other side. Ron rolled his eyes and went to join Dean and Seamus on the other end of the room.
~*~
Harry sat talking with Ginny in The Three Broomsticks one afternoon on their last Hogsmeade weekend before the Christmas holiday.
"I can't thank you enough for tutoring me in charms," he said over a mug of butterbeer.
"It was nothing," said Ginny. "In fact, I enjoyed it. It was fun to teach you."
"Thanks." Harry met Ginny's eyes for a moment, and she looked away, blushing deeply.
"So, what are you doing over the holiday?" Ginny asked, changing the subject.
"Hanging out around the castle, as usual. You?"
"I'm going to be staying. Mum and Dad are spending Christmas in Egypt with Bill and his new girlfriend, Lizzy," she said.
"Oh." An awkward silence fell upon the two, and neither really wanted to break it. Suddenly, Harry glanced at the bar, and then at the door. Before Ginny could turn to see what he was looking at, he jumped out of his seat.
"Sorry gotta run but I'll meet you back up in the castle tonight around seven okay don't be late," he called all in one breath and rushed out the door. Ginny didn't have enough time to wonder where he was going before she was joined by Lavender and Parvati.
"I can't tell you how totally super I think it is that you and Harry have finally gotten together!" gushed Lavender.
"Tha-," Ginny started, but was interrupted by Parvati.
"Yeah, I guess he and Herm were okay, but a little too touchy-feely too fast. You guys just make the absolute cutest couple!" she squealed. "Harry Potter and his best friend's little sister. Who would have guessed?"
"Um..." stammered Ginny, not quite sure what to say, but she didn't really have to because Lavender was starting back up again.
"Ooh! Look! There's Dean and Seamus!" She jumped up and pointed at a table by the window, where Dean, Seamus, and Ron were sitting and talking (probably about Quidditch again, thought Ginny) while sipping butterbeers. In a flash Lavender and Parvati were over there, followed reluctantly by Ginny.
"Hey Dean," Parvati cooed, leaning over the back of his chair. "You don't mind if we girls join you, do you?" Dean grinned broadly.
"No, of course not. Take a chair." Quite willingly, Parvati sat down next to Dean, Lavender beside Seamus, and Ginny took the only available chair between Parvati and Ron.
Ron watched on in disgust as Lavender and Parvati giggled and gossiped, mostly about boys.
"How can they put up with this?" he whispered to Ginny. She shrugged.
"I hope I don't act like this around Harry," she said, but immediately wished she hadn't.
"Oh, don't bring Harry into this!" Ron sighed. "I don't know what you see in that guy."
"What do you mean?" frowned Ginny. "I though you two were best friends."
"Yeah. So did I." He paused. "Do you know where he is?"
"Nope," she said. "He dashed out of here a few minutes ago." Ron straightened up in his chair.
"A few minutes ago, you say? Why?"
"I don't know. He just said it was important and would meet me in the common room tonight."
"Damn!" Ron leapt up from the table and rushed out into the milling street.
That's the second time that's happened in...three minutes, Ginny thought, consulting the clock on the wall. I wonder what's going on... Spotting Jewel and a few other of her friends walking in, Ginny left the table to join them.
~*~
Ron finally caught up to Harry in the buzzing streets of Hogsmeade following, much to Ron's displeasure, Hermione into one of the local bookstores. As Harry was approaching the door, Ron grabbed his shoulder.
"Harry! What are you doing?" hissed Ron.
"Going into this store," he replied.
"Oh, sure, play it innocent!" Ron said.
"Why, what am I guilty of?" Harry asked, trying to sound confused.
"Don't be stupid, Harry." Ron glared at him for a minute. "Okay, if you're so innocent, what book do you need to buy?"
"I...uh...a book on...um..." Harry racked his brain for a good answer while a smug grin played it's way across Ron's face.
"Exactly. You don't know what book you're going to buy because you're not buying a book. Do you know why you're really going into this store?" he asked.
"Uh..."
"It's easy. Two words. Hermione Granger."
"What...what does she have to do with any of this?" Harry asked nervously.
"I'm not stupid. I can see through this little plan of yours. Get together with somebody else to make her jealous, right? Hope that she'll realize what a mistake she made when she dumped you? And then she'll run back into your open arms?" accused Ron, jabbing his finger into Harry's chest.
"You are absolutely wrong!" Harry declared indignantly. "I can't believe that you would ever suspect me of using Ginny just to win back Hermione! I'm tired of you making up lies just because you're jealous of me."
"Why in bloody hell would I be jealous of a stupid little git like you?" Ron asked.
"Because of me and Gin--" he was interrupted by Ron.
"Oh God. Don't start this again!" he moaned. "I am not jealous of you and Ginny. Do you think I want to date my little sister?"
"Not of me and Ginny specifically," explained Harry. "Just the fact that I am in a relationship and you aren't."
"How many times do I have to tell you. I don't want a bloody girlfriend."
"You're only saying that because you can't get a girlfriend," Harry said.
"First I'm jealous of you and Hermione, then I'm jealous of you and Ginny, and now I can't get a girlfriend?! Honestly, Harry, you're trying to hard."
"Hey guys," piped up a voice behind the two. "What are you talking about?"
"Hi, Hermione," said Harry. "Ron and I were just discussing...uh..." He stopped and looked at Ron.
"You two have been acting weird lately. Is there something I should know about? " she asked, glancing from Harry's forced indifferent face to Ron's, which was contorted with anger.
"Nothing that concerns you, Hermione," Ron said. "Nothing that you need to worry about."
"Okay," she said skeptically. "I'm heading down to the post office to send an owl to Mum and Dad and let them know I'm staying down here for the holidays."
"I'll go with you," said Harry quickly.
"Okay. We'll meet you up in the common room, then, Ron?"
"Sure. Whatever." He headed down in the other direction, and Harry and Hermione walked off towards the post office.
~*~
"Harry, what were you and Ron talking about before I ran into you guys outside the store?" Hermione inquired, leaning on the counter in the post office as she waited for the clerk to send off her mail with an owl.
"Nothing special," he said as nonchalantly as he could.
"Harry," she said exasperatedly, "there's no use in lying to me, you know." She turned around and looked at him with one of her looks of annoyance that Harry loved.
"Really, it wasn't anything important," said Harry, fighting the urge to just lean over and kiss her right then and there.
"I don't believe you," she said stoutly. "But I guess it's no use in prying any farther." She turned back around on the counter. Harry just stood and admired the way her hair shone in the light, the way it was always curly and frizzy, but neat and exact at the same time.
"Harry? Hello? What are you looking at?" Hermione waved her hands in front of Harry's faced.
"What? Oh, nothing," he said, following her back out to the street.
"I'm tired of hearing that answer from you; 'Nothing.' Can't you come up with anything more intelligent to say?"
"Okay. Do you want to know the truth?" he asked.
"Yes, Harry. I want to know the truth." She turned and looked up at him, arms akimbo.
"Well, I was looking at your hair," he said simply.
"My hair? What so interesting about that?" she asked, pushing a thick lock of it behind her ear.
"Well, you know...the way it waves and...it's so curly and frizzy and..." He faltered.
"If you knew how incredibly idiotic that just sounded, you'd be kicking yourself right now," laughed Hermione, but she couldn't help but feel flattered. "Anyway, that wasn't what I was asking about. What I did want to know was," she looked him straight in the eye, "what was it that you and Ron were talking about?"
"Well..." Harry stopped. He was sweating nervously already. "Well. Um. Er."
"If it's that difficult for you to tell me, maybe I can just go ask Ron," she said, and looked as if she intended to do just that.
"Wait! Stop!" he said. "Okay. We were talking about..."
"Yes?" asked Hermione impatiently.
"We were talking about Ginny," he spat out quickly. "Okay, are you happy now?"
"Oh, goodness. Was Ron going on about you using her again?" she asked.
"How did you know about that?"
"He's been trying to tell me that, too," she said. "Was that it?"
"Yes, yes it was," he said, relieved that she hadn't asked any more.
"That poor dear...he's such a sweetheart for looking after his sister like that, but really! I would think that of all people, he would trust her heart with his best friend. After all, I would." Hermione looked up at Harry, who smiled. "I guess it's just a little weird for him to get used to the fact that Ginny's almost sixteen."
"Yeah, well..." Harry stopped, not sure what to say.
"Harry?" asked Hermione suddenly.
"Yes?" He looked at her hopefully.
Hermione paused thoughtfully for a while. "Nevermind," she said. Harry's heart sank. They walked on in silence for a while.
"Well, it's about time to be heading back to the castle," Harry said finally, glancing at his watch.
"Yeah," said Hermione. "Oh, there's Ron...let's go catch up to him and walk back together." She rushed up to meet him, and Harry, however much he didn't want to, had no choice but to follow.
A/N So...where was Ginny, you're thinking. If this is a G/H story...where did Ginny go? Bethany, you're getting *old* and *forgetful*! So anyways, if that's what you're thinking...see, I was gonna write this whole second part of the chapter that was about Ginny and all, but then it got too long. And I figured that as long as I'm back in my "writing groove" as I like to call it (yeah, I know, I'm a nerd) I might as well just put that into the next chapter. So that's the answer to your question. And if you weren't wondering that, well, too bad. Because I answered anyways. So...next chapter is Ginny's chapter. And then maybe...three or four chapters after that...
