Part Two: A Rose By Any Other Name…

A/N: Amazed to see how many liked this so far.  Thanks to Anne for her assistance with this.

The moment Harry opened the door to Ron's room, Hedwig flew from his shoulder and landed on top of her cage, clucking at Pigwidgeon, who was zooming around inside the room.  The tiny owl was always full of energy, and Harry ducked as he flew past his head, hooting excitedly. Frowning at the owl, Harry threw himself on top of the makeshift bed he'd been using, trying his best to forget the scene downstairs.  Why? Oh, why did he have to say "snug" out loud?  It wasn't as if he was noticing…anything…well, he was noticing, but he wasn't noticing…anything…

Was it his words that upset Ginny?  He honestly wasn't thinking of…her…her…in that way, he really, really wasn't.  It was just he was a bit unsettled with the conversation about Hedwig and Hermes, and what they'd been doing, and then when Percy pointed out her…her…her…night shirt, and he couldn't help but notice…no! Harry pounded the pillows in frustration, pushing bits of feathers and stuffing out through the already weakened seams.  He wasn't noticing anything.  He was just surprised that's all.  Those thick Hogwarts robes really concealed…

The door suddenly banged open, startling Harry from his thoughts as Ron came stomping in, looking furious.  Harry panicked for a moment, thinking that Ron had heard about what he'd said, and was steeling himself up for a good row.  Ron hardly spared him a glance and simply fell backwards on his own bed with a plop, gangly legs hanging over the end.

"Women!  Who needs 'em!"

"Something wrong?" Harry asked tentatively, more than a bit relieved that it was obviously Hermione that was the cause of his troubles.

"Yeah," Ron puffed.  "Women are crazy.  All of them.  Every blasted one."

"What happened?" Harry asked, now more amused than anything.  Ron was so funny when he was frustrated, especially after an argument with Hermione. 

"All I did was ask her where she went over the summer," Ron mumbled.  "You know…cause at the end of last year, she mentioned something about visiting Krum—"


Harry inwardly rolled his eyes at the mention Viktor Krum.  Of course Ron would have had to bring him up.  Krum was from Bulgaria, he was an excellent Seeker for the Bulgarian team, and he was also involved in the Tri Wizard Tournament, along with Harry, Cedric Diggory, and Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons.

"—anyway," Ron continued, "When she said she didn't feel like going anywhere over the summer, I said that's good because Krum was probably too busy with Quidditch practice now since he didn't make it as a Tri Wizard Champion, and she got all mad and said "He is a Tri Wizard Champion"—Ron's voice went up a few pitches as he mocked Hermione's voice—"Just because he didn't win the tournament, doesn't mean he's not a Champion."  Ron rolled over on his stomach.  "As if!" he said furiously.  "She just doesn't like me pointing out that her precious Vicky is a loser."

Harry quickly took a great interest at one of the many Chudley Cannons posters that were plastered over every inch of wall in the room, just so Ron couldn't see the face he was making.  He clearly saw what Ron was getting at, although he secretly agreed with Hermione.  Ron, however, sighed, and rolled over onto his back, turning to face Harry.  "So," he said, "What's this I hear about you and Ginny?"

Harry froze.  "Erm…what?"

Ron cocked his head to the side, studying him.  "Fred and George and Percy were discussing something in the kitchen when I came up.  Didn't catch it all, I was too angry.  Has she been bothering you?  I told you before, once she gets started, she never shuts up."

Harry thought quickly.  "No, nothing at all," Harry said quite calmly, despite the shake in his voice, which Ron thankfully ignored. 

"There's another one I'll never understand.  For the entire summer after our first year, she never shut up about you, asking me all sorts of stuff, anything, and now…." Ron shrugged.  "She doesn't seem to give a rip one way or another.  Weird, huh?"

Harry quickly hopped up from the bed, not wanting to think about Ginny anymore than he'd already been.  "I'm going out for a walk," he called over his shoulder to Ron.  Harry quickly shut the door behind him, before Ron could reply.

Each squeak of the old wooden staircase sounded like a cannon in the quiet house.  Everyone must be out and about, or either in their rooms sulking like Ron was doing.  Just as Harry reached the second landing, he heard a small gasp and saw Ginny's head poking out of Percy's room.

"Oh!"  She looked very surprised to see him, and Harry noticed her ears flushing a guilty red as she quickly stepped out from the room and closed the door.  Harry really tried hard not to let his gaze drop below her neck, but he just couldn't resist the urge to check and see if she'd made good on her threat and kept on the same shirt.  But no, she was wearing another old t-shirt, although this one was a bit bigger, and a pair of shorts.

"Think this one isn't as "snug", Harry?" she asked, quirking a red brow as she gestured to the shirt.

Harry felt his face go up in flames.  "I…erm…I…" Harry faltered, trying to think of something to say, other than the obvious. "What were you doing in Percy's room?" he demanded in what he hoped was a casual tone.

 It was Ginny's turn to flush again.  "I was just checking on Hermes," she explained breathlessly.  "He's a bit upset without Hedwig near, and he's now refusing to eat or deliver any letters to Penny."

Harry inwardly cringed at the mention of the owls.  He definitely did not need to be reminded of what they had been up to, especially now.  "Oh.  Well, I'm going for a walk," he finished lamely, trying to break the tension that had settled like a thick fog between them.  And he scurried away as fast as he could.

The day couldn't have been more perfect if the weather had been ordered by owl post.  The sun shone hot and bright, but kept in check by the slight breeze that blew in just from the south—Harry knew this because the weathervane on top of the Burrow was pointing in that direction.   Harry walked past the garden, noting the barren beds where the Snap Dragons had once been, his thoughts turning to the one person he was trying to escape as he remembered his funny reaction to her in the garden—how he suddenly felt very light headed…

"Where're you off to Harry?"  Percy was crouched between an enormous pair of rose bushes.  Percy was wearing a gardening hat, a gardening vest, both of which were covered with dirt and grass stains, as well as holding a pair of long gardening shears.  Harry had never imagined Percy would even deign to let so much as a speck of dirt get on his clothes, let alone actually get elbow deep in the stuff, but for some strange reason, he appeared to be quite at home in the garden.  The same small wheelbarrow that Ginny had used was next to him, and contained various cuttings of roses of all sorts of colors and sizes, making the ones that Aunt Petunia had in her garden seem no more than a bunch of weeds.

"Beautiful aren't they?" Percy asked, beaming with pride, looking much like the perfect prefect Harry remembered from Hogwarts.  "And they'll stay like this all summer if I can keep the pests away, including my brothers.  Come here for a moment, I've been wanting to speak to you."

"Look Percy," Harry began, "If it's about Hedwig—"

"No, it's not about that infernal owl of yours," Percy said.  "Been wondering how you've been getting on, that's all.  Last year was hard on us all, but—"

"Oh, I'm fine," Harry said quickly.  He really didn't want to discuss this with Percy, of all people. 

Percy looked Harry over for a moment, as though trying determine if he was telling the truth or not, then said, "What subjects are you taking next year?"  How typical of Percy to be concerned about his classes.

"Uh, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination—"

"Bah, what rubbish," Percy scoffed, brandishing the shears like a battle-axe.    "Do you know that my first day in that class she told me that I would place career before my family? What rubbish.  I don't like to say anything bad about Hogwarts' professors, but I've always wondered why Dumbledore lets her stay on as a teacher.  I highly suspect her qualifications as a true Diviner." 

Harry blinked, but couldn't help but smile as he'd heard the exact same thing from both Hermione and Professor McGonagall.  He'd never had such a long conversation with Percy in his life, and while he didn't exactly enjoy the present topic, he was surprised at how he didn't seem to mind Percy so much as he normally did.  Percy had always been a slight irritation to Harry, always played by the rules no matter what, even more so than Hermione—who of course had broken quite a few rules herself since they'd been friends.  "So, erm…..what are the roses for?"


"Penny," said Percy simply.  "It's for our anniversary.  She loves roses, and well…"  His voice trailed off, and he cleared his throat abruptly.  "I've been so busy at the Ministry lately that I've not seen her as much as I should," Percy's tone quickly changed to that of one giving a report on cauldron bottoms.  "Girls like this sort of thing you know."

Harry most certainly did not want to stand there and discuss the opposite sex with Percy, but Percy wouldn't stop talking long enough for Harry to excuse himself.  "It won't be long," Percy continued, "Before you'll start having to do stuff like this."   There was a slight pause as Percy bent down to snip a dead branch off the rose bush. 

"Erm…stuff like what?"  Harry couldn't help but picture himself pruning rosebushes with a gardening hat.  He didn't like gardening though, so maybe not.

"Thinking about girls," Percy said.  "I'm sure you've noticed them, but it won't be long before you start noticing them for real. I was about your age when I started." Percy let out a small sigh and went back to his pruning, thankfully, as Harry really did not want to have to think about what—wait! no—who he had been noticing recently, especially in the presence of a brother.

It was strange, as despite the fact that Harry was very uncomfortable listening to Percy, he somehow could not make his feet move away.  "Let's see," Percy continued on, "I really had a crush on an older student in my third year, but I quickly realised that wouldn't work out.  Then, I suppose it wasn't until my fifth year that I noticed this girl…in Ravenclaw."  Harry watched fascinated as Percy stared off in the distance with a very dreamy, far away expression.  "Then of course it took me a while to figure things out, then it took me a while longer to get up enough courage to do something about it.  Love's like that though, Harry, you'll see. Of course Ron's learning that the hard way, and the dunderhead won't even listen to me on the subject.  Stubborn git." Percy pointed the clippers at Harry, "Just learn from his mistakes ok?"

"Uh, sure?" Harry replied, finally ready to make a quick getaway.  Ron and his problems wasn't something he wanted to discuss with Percy either.  "Well, thanks Percy, for…for…the talk and all."

"Anytime, Harry.  You just remember what I said, and you'll be just fine."  And with a small wave of dismissal, Percy went back to his rosebushes.

To Be Continued…