Title: "An Abundance of Third Wheels"

Author: Emmyjean

Classification: H/G, R/H, G/Other, Multiple POV

Summary: Ron and Hermione are finally a couple, and Harry is only beginning to realize his true feelings for Ginny - but is it too little, too late? Set during Harry's seventh year.

Spoilers: Through Goblet of Fire

Rating: PG

Notes: Everything belongs to Rowling.

PART FOUR

August

"Hey, will you wait up?"

Ginny slowed down, rolling her eyes. She turned and looked at Harry over her shoulder, smirking as he caught up with her.

"Aren't you supposed to be athletic or something?" she asked him cheekily.

He raised an eyebrow at her and declared, "I have no room to train over the summer. I can't very well run laps around my tiny room at the Dursley's."

While others might have shown him pity in return for this revelation, Ginny merely arched her own eyebrow at him and replied, "A likely excuse...one that I'm sure Oliver Wood was never too keen to hear."

He laughed softly and tugged her ponytail. They continued walking, their eyes scanning the shoreline for any trace of Ron and Hermione, whom they were supposed to have been meeting for a picnic on the beach this afternoon. Ginny raised a hand to shield her eyes from the bright midday sun, and found it to be no use.

"For Merlin's sake!" she exclaimed indignantly, "How far could they possibly have gone?"

"Maybe we passed them," Harry suggested, shoving his hands in his pockets.

She looked at him, confused, and asked, "How on earth could we have done that? There aren't even any trees out here to block our view."

The corner of Harry's mouth twitched, and he replied innocently, "Well...if they were lying down at the time..."

Ginny cut him off with a loud "Tuh!", indicating quite clearly that she wasn't interested in hearing such talk about her brother, even as she couldn't help smiling back.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Doesn't it bother you at all?"

He stopped and turned to face her.

"What?"

She shrugged and pushed some sand this way and that with her bare foot.

"Oh...I don't know. This whole thing with Ron and Hermione...them being, well...together and all."

"Why would it bother me?" he asked.

She looked up at him and found him gazing off in the direction of the sea, and she knew full well then that it did bother him a little. She decided she might as well do some sharing of her own if she was going to expect him to share with her.

"Well, no one likes feeling left behind."

He looked up at her, and satisfied that she had cought his attention, she continued.

"When I was a first-year, I remember being so thrilled that I was going to be spending a lot of time with Ron again. You have no idea how lonely it was during that one year that he was gone and I had to stay home by myself with Mum and Dad."

Harry smiled at her, squinting in the sunlight, and said, "Oh, yes I do. Believe me, I wrote the book on being alone."

She shook her head at her own foolishness, and continued, "Right...right, sorry. Anyway, Ron and I used to spend loads of time together before he went off to Hogwarts. As kids, we were inseperable. Always talking about things, always confiding in each other, always playing pranks on the twins. The day Ron left for school, he gave me a hug and told me not to worry - that he wouldn't start having real fun until I got there the following year."

She took a breath, and went on.

"Well...when I finally got to Hogwarts myself, I suppose I expected it to be the same as it had always been. I didn't think to consider that Ron had probably made his own friends, and that he probably wouldn't want to be going around with his little sister. It...it was very hard, that first year. Especially with...well, you know, all the things that happened to me."

Harry's attention didn't waver as she looked up at him, and in his eyes she saw complete comprehension. Encouraged by this, she continued.

"Well...I just thought that maybe...I mean, even though I'm sure you're very happy for them...maybe you get a bit irritated sometimes at being treated like a third wheel."

She looked up, praying that she hadn't offended him. He didn't seem offended, though...merely pensive. She decided she didn't need a response right away, if he didn't feel ready to share something like this with her.

"Let's turn back and walk the other way," she suggested, "Maybe we DID miss them."

They began walking in the opposite direction, and for awhile there was nothing but the roar of waves on the beach and the sound of their footsteps in the hot sand.

"You know something?" he said suddenly, making her jump slightly.

"What?"

He stopped again and looked at her. She faced him, a bit nervous that he was going to tell her off for prying into his carefully guarded personal affairs.

"You're right."

She blinked.

"I am?"

He nodded, and continued, "Even though I have been hoping for ages that those two would just admit their feelings for each other, I couldn't help also hoping that things between us wouldn't change. I suppose I was foolish to think that was possible."

"Not foolish," she interrupted, "Just...optimistic."

He shot her an ironic look, and she shrugged, prompting him to go on.

"I guess I didn't stop to think where I'd come into the whole thing...and sometimes, I do get tired of being the dutiful friend. Sometimes, I'd rather be the participating friend."

She nodded understandingly, "I know you do. They're very lucky to have you as their friend at all."

They smiled at each other, then quickly looked away. Walking on in silence for a moment, neither one of them truly bothered to look for Ron and Hermione anymore. Then, Harry spoke again.

"Ginny?"

"Yes?"

He paused, then said, "I'm sorry about your first year."

She stopped now and turned to face him once again, and cried, "Oh, Harry...I didn't mean to make you feel guilty or anything! I don't begrudge you Ron's friendship, and I didn't, even then..."

"No, no," he interrupted, waving his hand in the air dismissively, "That's not what I meant. I meant...well, now that I think of it, that whole affair with Riddle's diary could have been prevented if we three hadn't been so thick. We should have been more willing to show you the ropes at Hogwarts, rather than ignoring you. I'm not sorry that I was Ron's friend...I'm sorry I didn't try harder to be yours as well."

Ginny smiled, and then giggled.

"What?"

"Harry...you didn't try at ALL to be my friend!" she said, laughing. He let out a bark of exasperated laughter himself, and then made a grab for her hair clip.

"I'm trying to apologize here!" he exclaimed.

She dodged him effectively, then caught sight of something in the distance.

"There they are...oh. Oh, dear."

"What?" Harry asked, squinting in the direction she had turned.

"Harry...they ARE lying down!"

Harry spotted them, and then burst out into silent laughter, bent at the waist with his hands on his knees. His shoulders were still shaking with laughter when he said,

"Well, go on. Break it up."

Ginny's face betrayed her dismay at her task, and she marched off in the direction of her brother and his girlfriend...when suddenly she turned around, a smug smile on her face.

"You know...this would be a good time to repay me for that mess you caused my first year."

Harry stopped laughing and looked up at her incredulously. She smiled wider, and he shook his head, unable to say no to her.

"You'll pay for this," he warned ominously.

"Relax...I'm just kidding. We'll do it together. Let's get it over with, though...I'm starving."

"Okay...we'll interrupt at a run. Make sure you make a lot of noise as you approach, alright?" he instructed.

"Okay," she replied.

Together, they took off in the direction of their friends...feeling even less like outsiders than they had when they had set off. Now, they felt as though they were the ones who shared something the other two did not...and it wasn't a bad feeling at all.

~~~~~~~~~~

Justin tried once again to keep his mind on the conversation his friends were trying to engage him in as they sat at the Hufflepuff table eating dinner...he found that it was no use, as his mind was very hopelessly on other things. His eyes continually wandered to the doors of the Great Hall, hoping to catch a flash of red hair...and he wasn't thinking of Ron Weasley. The next Hogsmeade weekend was coming up, and he hadn't been able to think about anything for the past couple of weeks except for how much he had truly enjoyed spending the last one with Ginny. If he wasn't mistaken, she had enjoyed herself in his company as well...but he nevertheless couldn't help his palms getting sweaty as he contemplated approaching her to ask her about this one.

Justin smiled to himself as he forced a bite of ham into his mouth. He couldn't remember the last time he was nervous about asking a girl to step out with him. Perhaps he never had been. All the more reason he cared for Ginny more each time he considered her...he liked the person he was when he was with her, or even thinking about her, better than the person he was when he wasn't. He didn't know if that made any sense, and there was really no one he could ask...he was already getting enough ribbing from his friends about fancying "that little Weasley" when Hannah Abbott was going after him tooth and nail. Not a boy in Hufflepuff wouldn't give their right arms to go out with Hannah... except for him. Lately, Justin found blonde hair very...dull.

Then, he spotted her...she was heading toward the Gryffindor table with her brother and his friends. Of course, she had to be with Ron and not her own girlfriends on the one day he wanted to speak with her. It didn't matter...he didn't have much of a choice. He wanted to ask her early, in case someone else approached her. She was so kind, he knew she would never turn anyone down.

"Ginny?" he reached out and gently grabbed her wrist as she passed the Hufflepuff table.

She smiled brightly at him and stopped, but out of the corner of his eye Justin could see Potter slowing down as well. He was watching them. Slightly irritated that he couldn't mind his own business and leave the brotherly patrolling to Weasley, he turned his attention to Ginny.

"I was just wondering...there's another Hogsmeade weekend coming up, and I'd really like to take you again. I really had fun last time."

Her smile faltered, and to his slight surprise he saw her gaze flicker to Potter and back. She looked at the floor sheepishly and replied,

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Justin, but...well, it's just that I kind of promised Harry I'd go with him this time around. It...we arranged it right after the last trip."

Justin's spirits plummeted. Damn...he had been nearly giddy in anticipation of spending a good amount of time with her.

"Oh...you're going with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, then?"

She blinked, and shifted her weight from one foot to the other before answering.

"Well...not exactly. You see...Ron and Hermione are...well, you know. A couple. They'll be going together, and Harry...well, he doesn't want to tag along and ruin their time together, so...I said I'd go with him so he won't stay behind again, like he did last time. He really does need to get out of the castle, probably more than anyone else. You understand, don't you?"

Justin nodded, although he felt like screaming in disappointment. A though had taken hold in his brain, and he knew that if he didn't come right out and ask Ginny about it, it would eat away at him and drive him crazy. Taking a breath that he was sure she didn't see, he asked,

"Ginny...are you and Potter...?"

She raised her eyebrows, not comprehending.

"What I mean is...is there something going on between you two?"

"Oh…no," she said, almost too firmly, "There's nothing like that, Justin. We're just...Harry's a family friend. That's all."

Justin nodded, and let go of her wrist as he hadn't realized he was still holding it. He smiled at her, somewhat relieved at her answer. He had known very well, as did the rest of the school, that Harry Potter had practically been adopted by the Weasleys. He shouldn't have even brought it up, and it was probably ridiculous to even think that way. She had been infatuated with him when she was young - everyone knew that - but it was years ago. A schoolgirl crush, and nothing more.

"Right...right, sorry. I just had to ask..."

"No, it's alright...I understand," she interrupted eagerly.

She smiled at him, and he thought he might burn up right there, in the middle of the Great Hall.

"Well...next time, then?" he asked casually as he could, considering his heart was about to explode.

Her smile widened as she nodded vigorously, and replied, "Yes, I had a good time with you, too. I really did. I look forward to it, Justin."

He nodded, and they bid each other goodbye. He watched as she walked to her house table and took a seat next to Hermione Granger, glancing over her shoulder at him as she did. Justin smiled once more and gave her a little wave, and as she turned back to her friends his eyes travelled a bit to the left...and came into contact with Potter's. He was definitely not happy...he thought his eyes might shoot green sparks any minute. Justin decided to make some kind of peace, as he knew Ginny liked Potter very much, and gave him a friendly nod.

Potter returned it, but Justin couldn't help thinking that it was not as friendly as it should have been.

To Be Continued in Chapter Five

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