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 SEVEN
"Oh, I love this song!" Ginny exclaimed softly as a new tune began playing on the Muggle radio they had set up in the kitchen window. They were lying on the hill just behind the cottage, looking up at the stars and waiting for Ron and Hermione to come back from a walk. At least, that had originally been the purpose of sitting outside - they had since become so wrapped up in the beauty of the clear summer night that they had completely forgotten about Ron and Hermione.
"How do you know this song?" Harry asked Ginny curiously, "It's a Muggle song...and an old one at that."
Ginny turned her head to regard him as she answered,
"I've always liked to listen to the Muggle radios Dad used to bring home - any station, all of them. Anyway, old or not - Glenn Miller is pretty famous in the Muggle world, or so I've read. And "Moonlight Serenade" is my favorite of his."
Harry looked surprised at this revelation, but merely nodded and said nothing, as he himself was enjoying the song...in fact, the whole night.
"I don't know anything about constellations," he confessed to Ginny a quiet moment later.
She turned again to look at him incredulously as she asked, "But...you and Ron got top marks in Divination!"
Harry laughed and admitted, "That's because we made stuff up - and because she felt sorry for me."
"Sorry for you?"
"Yeah," Harry replied as he cast an amused glance in her direction, "Every day I walk into that classroom, she assumes it's my last to live. She's a nutcase."
Ginny laughed and shook her head.
"Well, I don't know anything about them either. Why don't we just skip the astronomy and enjoy the view?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," Harry agreed as he followed her lead and lay back on the grass.
They didn't say anything for a moment, but instead simply lay there in comfortable silence. That was one thing Harry had noticed about the time he had spend with Ginny this past summer - he didn't feel obligated to fill the gaps in conversation with small talk. He was comfortable just to sit next to her and say nothing.
"Harry?"
"Hmm?"
Ginny paused, then asked, "Have you ever thought about what you want to do with your life?"
Harry pondered for a moment, and asked, "What do you mean?"
Ginny rolled her eyes and clarified, "I mean your future...what do you want to be?"
Harry thought for a moment longer.
"You know, I truly haven't given it much thought. Maybe...maybe an auror. I think I have a strength in defense against the dark arts."
"Hmm...yeah. Ron told me you once withstood the Imperius Curse in class."
Harry was silent for a moment, wanting to tell her exactly what that meant. He didn't want to ruin the atmosphere, but suddenly needed badly to confide in her...a fact which he chose not to analyze.
"I've had every single one of the three Unforgivable Curses cast on me," he admitted quietly.
Ginny turned very slowly to look at him, but he didn't return her gaze.
"Even...even the Cruciatius?" she asked, her voice trembling.
He nodded stiffly, already regretting having brought it up, and heard her deep intake of breath. He turned to look at her then, and what he saw in her eyes startled him. It wasn't the pity he expected, or even the pride he had thought might be there. It was anger. Frustration.
"I wish…" she began, but shook her head and didn't finish the sentence. There were a million things she could have been about to say, but Harry had no way of even guessing her intended revelation. Nevertheless, he felt a tug on his heart. Her anger on his behalf meant more to him than all the pity in the world, regardless of the specifics. He could in her eyes all he needed to know.
Not wanting the mention of those terrible times to destroy the peace that had settled around them, he smiled slightly at her. She smiled back, and in a flash the serious moment was over, and they were back to the way they had been before he had even brought it up. It was odd...he didn't think that would have worked with Ron, and certainly not with Hermione. It was quite refreshing.
"I think," she went on suddenly, "that I would like to go into Care of Magical Creatures, like Charlie."
"Really?" Harry asked.
"Yes…either that or become a teacher."
"A professor?"
"No," she shook her head, "for little kids."
Harry laughed, surprised at his strong interest in Ginny's aspirations, and replied, "Well, I hear there's a great deal of money to be had in raising Blast-Ended Skrewts."
Ginny giggled loudly, and then declared, "You can go do that, then. I don't care in the least about money."
Harry paused and he looked over at her, puzzled. He hadn't expected this from her, seeing as how it had always bothered Ron so much.
"You don't?"
"No," she replied firmly, "I've been poor all my life…and I've never been unhappy."
Harry's breath caught for reasons he could not explain to himself as he learned that money was not an object to a person like Ginny Weasley. He was consistently afraid of people wanting to befriend him for reasons other than actually wanting to be his friend - his reputation, his money, it didn't matter - that he was always on his guard about this. Needing to know for sure, he asked,
"You really don't want to be rich one day?"
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.
"I don't know," she explained, "I wouldn't oppose the idea, I guess. It's just that...well, money isn't everything, is it? Some people are rich, but they're miserable all the same. Money isn't the same thing as success, as far as I'm concerned."
Harry stared at her, a serious expression on his face, and commented, "That's odd, coming from you."
She looked back at him, her eyebrows raised in question.
"Why?"
He shrugged and looked back at the stars, replying casually, "Well, it always seemed to be an annoyance to Ron. You know...about money problems and everything. Having to buy things secondhand."
Ginny laughed slightly and rolled her brown eyes.
"Wearing hand-me-downs and reading out of used books isn't the worst thing in the world. And anyway...I'm not Ron, am I?"
He had to admit that this was true...although they were similar in many ways, they were also polar opposites in some respects. Harry didn't know why he was somewhat taken aback to have discovered this, but he was all the same. Casting a sideways glance at her, he asked in as offhanded a manner as he could muster,
"I suppose you're right...but it might be nice to at least know someone who was rich. Do you?"
She frowned and asked, "Do I what?"
He swallowed, nervous suddenly for her answer, and clarified, "Know any rich people?"
Ginny, to his delight, burst out laughing and replied sarcastically, "No, do you?"
Harry smiled to himself and didn't answer. He merely raised his eyes to the sky and allowed himself to become wrapped up once more in it's depths. They didn't say anything else for a moment, and then a thought occurred to Harry.
"Ginny?"
"Yes?"
He turned his head to look over at her, and she looked back at him sleepily. He smiled - they had all been up early that morning.
"You'd make a great teacher, you know."
Sme smiled brightly back at him, and it made his heart beat a bit faster to know that he had made her happy. Had he known it would make him feel this good to do so, he would have started long ago. Just then, they heard footsteps - Ron and Hermione were back from their walk.
"What are you two doing?" came Ron's slightly dubious voice.
"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione scolded as she hurried over and plopped down next to Harry on the hillside, "They're stargazing!"
Ron strolled over and sat down on the other side of Ginny, who crowded obligingly closer to Harry - who found he didn't have any objection to this.
"Well, what do we see, then?" Ron asked.
"Oh, I can point out almost all the constellations," Hermione began, "Do you know that it was something the ancient Greek sailors did in order to know which direction they were travelling? Well, that and I'm sure they needed something to take up their time...anyway, most of the constellations are based on Greek mythology and..."
As Hermione chattered on, Harry glanced discreetly at Ginny. She was already looking at him, and the two of them fought together to hold in their laughter. What neither Ron nor Hermione knew was that the point of their stargazing was not to identify constellations.
"Fascinating, Hermione. You'll be the next Trelawney if you can keep it up," Ron said sarcastically as he rolled his eyes at Harry. Hermione tutted loudly as he continued idly, "What were you two talking about before we walked up?"
Ginny sighed, and replied dramatically, "Oh, we were talking about all those lucky souls who have scads of money at their disposal."
Harry's eyebrows shot up, and he nearly jumped to his feet at the realization of what she had just said - and what was undoubtedly going to happen next.
Ron laughed in puzzlement and asked, "What about them?"
"Oh, just that we're unfortunate not to be one of them or know any of them," Ginny replied.
Ron burst into fits of hysterical laughter then, and Harry looked at him pleadingly although he doubted Ron could see it through his tears of mirth.
"Ginny," he gasped when he could, "Are you daft!? Harry IS one of those people!"
Harry let out a frustrated breath and briefly closed his eyes. He had been quite comfortable living in the knowledge that Ginny was ignorant of his financial status - even if it had been a situation which had only existed for a few minutes.
Ginny, for her part, let her mouth drop open and looked confusedly at Harry.
"You know someone who's rich?"
Ron snorted mockingly and said, "Ginny, you're so thick. He has more gold in Gringotts than he could ever possibly spend...at least not on anything useful."
Ron winked at Harry as he made this declaration, and Harry was at least thankful that he and Ron had gotten past the point where it was awkward to talk about their comparative monitary situations. He was still going to murder him later for opening him big mouth, but at least it was a source of temporary relief.
Ginny's eyes widened a fraction, but to her credit and Harry's surprise, that was all the reaction she showed at first. He shrugged at her in some sort of apology for having led her on, and he could see her face go pink even in the darkness. She didn't seem angry...just embarrassed. Ron was still laughing.
"Oh, shut it, you prat," Harry muttered under his breath.
Suddenly, Ginny did something that surprised him - she began to giggle. As Harry watched in amazement, she was soon in gales of laughter, rivaling her brother in volume. Harry didn't know quite what to make of this until she looked up and met his eyes...
...and he could read acceptance in hers. He sighed in relief at the evident conclusion that whether or not it had anything personally to do with him, money still meant nothing to Ginny. After some scolding from Hermione, they went back to gazing at the heavens. None of them wanted the night to end, as it was one of the last they would spend together at the cottage before school began again - and they would have to go back to regular life, whatever that meant for each of them.
After hours of chatting about everything and nothing, it wasn't long before all four of them had fallen asleep on the hillside, serenaded by a Muggle radio and blanketed by the star-studded sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ron glanced cautiously at Harry, who was walking abnormally fast toward the greenhouse for their Herbology lesson. Ron, who prided himself on being fairly athletic, was actually having a difficult time keeping up.
"Hey, Harry…where's the fire?" he tried joking.
"What?" Harry practically barked in response.
"Nothing, just…what's your hurry? Slow down, would you?"
Harry slowed his steps, but made it clear that he was none too happy about having to do so. Ron frowned…what in the world was bothering him today? It was as if he had woken up in a sour mood, and he barely said a word to anyone at breakfast.
"What's wrong, mate? You don't seem yourself today."
Harry cast him a look which Ron would describe as frustrated and…well, if he didn't know better, he would almost say he detected a bit of fear as well.
"Nothing…sorry. I just didn't sleep well last night."
"Why's that?"
"Dunno."
Ron nodded, and decided that conversation was definitely not what Harry needed right now. Perhaps it would be better if he just left him alone for now, and tried again after Herbology.
They finally arrived at Professor Sprout's class, where the Hufflepuffs and most of the Gryffindors were already seated. Ron and Harry found their seats quickly, and Ron flashed a smile at the two Hufflepuff boys that shared their table - Ernie MacMillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley. He struggled to keep his eyes open as Sprout droned on about shearing Shooting Thorn bushes, and after about half an hour she instructed them to get to work on their own. Amidst various cries of "ouch!" and "eek!", Ron proceeded to the usual conversation with the rest of his table.
"So…what do you think about Dumbledore hosting another dance?" Ernie asked, trying to avoid a particularly nasty, quivering thorn that was about to come loose.
""I dunno…I was never one for those big events you have to wear dress robes at and everything," Ron replied, trying to find out which way was best to hold his shears.
"Me either. But, I promised Susan that I'd do something nice for her birthday, and it just so happens that this thing falls on that day. So, I have it all worked out, it seems!"
Ernie MacMillan had been seeing Susan Bones for as long as anyone could remember. Ron frowned slightly, and replied,
"Er…Ernie, I don't think that counts. I think you have to do something else for her birthday…something you planned."
Ernie glanced at Ron, apparently considering it.
"You think so?"
"Well," Ron continued, "It's just that I know what Hermione would say to me…or rather, not say to me, if I used that as an excuse not to do anything for her birthday. She'd probably give me the silent treatment for about a month."
Ernie and Ron both laughed, and Ron took the opportunity to glance at Harry, who was sitting next to him. Not only was he not laughing, but he seemed to be scowling the slightest bit. Assuming it was a look of concentration as he wrestled with his thorn plant, Ron again attempted to engage him in the conversation.
"Umm…yeah, we're lucky we have dates already and don't have to worry about it anymore. Harry, here…he's got a date, too."
Ernie looked at him with interest, and Justin now raised his head to look at Harry as well.
"Do you, Harry? Who?" Ernie asked.
Harry sighed, and replied in a low voice, "Hannah Abbott."
Justin stopped cutting, his hand stilling and his eyebrows raising in apparent surprise. He lowered the shears and looked very hard at Harry, who refused to look up from his work.
"Hannah?" Justin asked, "You're going with Hannah?"
Ron thought this curious - maybe Fletchley was interested in Hannah Abbott, and this was going to be a problem. He couldn't say he blamed him as far as looks went - with her blonde curls and blue eyes, she was quite possibly one of the prettiest girls in school. Ron was startled, however, when Harry finally raised his head to look Justin in the face - and the expression on his own was so…dangerous…that even Ernie seemed to notice as he looked back and forth between the two.
"Yes," Harry ground out, "I'm going with Hannah."
Ron glanced quickly back at Justin to see what his reaction to this uncharacteristic display of aggression in Harry would be…but it was not at all close to anything Ron might have imagined. Rather than becoming defensive or angry, the oddest expression of triumph lit up Justin's face. He smiled a little, and said in what Ron could only describe as a superior tone,
"Well, Potter…jumped the gun a bit, did you?"
Harry set down his shears and for a moment, Ron thought he was going to leap across the table at Fletchley. The look in his green eyes was simultaneously murderous and cold as ice. Ron was just trying to decide how to break in before things went any further when Sprout's voice raised above the din with,
"Leave your bushes exactly where they are, and be sure to sit in the same places tomorrow! Class is dismissed…you can all go to lunch!"
Harry and Justin just stood there for a moment, and Ron actually thought for a minute that one was going to call the other out. Ron quickly grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him toward the castle…Harry, although still glaring back at Justin, didn't struggle.
When they were safely out of earshot, Ron asked, "What the hell was that all about?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Ron rolled his eyes, just about sick to death of this whole silent bit.
"You know damn well what I'm talking about…I haven't seen you so close to committing murder since we met Sirius Black in third year! Now, what's going on between you and Fletchley?"
Harry sighed, "Nothing, Ron…it's complicated and a very long story. Just forget about it."
"Harry," Ron said slowly, "I'm your best friend. If you can't tell me about it, then who can you tell?"
Harry turned to look at Ron then, the most peculiar expression on his face…almost as if he were about to laugh.
"I think you might be the last person I could tell."
"What?"
"Nevermind. Look, let's hurry…I'm hungry, alright?"
Ron was absolutely confused now…what did he mean? Did it involve him somehow? He was determined to find out if it was the very last thing he did - and if Harry's mood now was any indication, it might just be the last thing he ever did.
"Is it something to do with Hannah? What…you both fancy her or something?"
"No! No…I don't fancy Hannah. It's…look, if I promise to tell you when I am in the mindset to do so, will you quit asking questions?"
"In the right mindset?"
"Yeah…when I actually feel like sitting down and explaining the whole thing to you. I swear that one day soon, I will. Just…not now."
Ron couldn't imagine what could possibly be causing this much trouble, but thought maybe it had something to do with Quidditch…Harry and Justin were on rival teams. Although, this didn't make much sense because not only did they not play the same position - Harry was Seeker, Justin was Keeper - but Harry was far and away the greatest Seeker Hogwarts had ever seen, and he couldn't imagine him being jealous of Justin or anything.
"Alright," Ron finally replied, "I'll take your word on it."
Harry nodded his thanks, and they proceeded up to the castle and into the Great Hall, where they had lunch and where Ron decided that it might not be a good idea to mention any of this to Hermione.
She may be his girlfriend and Harry's best friend, but it didn't mean there weren't things that she did not need to know.
To Be Continued in Chapter Eight
More Fic by Emmyjean at
The Hidden Tower
www.hiddentower.50megs.com