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 NINE
"I don't know, d'you think my hair looks too...puffy?"
Harry turned to look at Ron and frowned, thinking that this was probably the stupidest question he had asked all night...only slightly worse than when he had inquired as to whether his socks matched his tie.
"It's fine...what do you care, anyway? It's just Hermione."
"Yeah, well...she's Head Girl, you know! She's got to have a date that looks as though he spent at least five minutes getting ready," Ron retorted defensively.
Harry smirked and replied, "I think you've got that beat by about two hours, Ron."
Ron shrugged, smoothing his red hair one last time in the mirror. Harry had to admit that the royal blue dress robes he was wearing did look nice with his coloring. He wondered briefly what Ginny would be wearing, and the thought sent him straight back into the foul mood he had been in all week.
Ron broke into his thoughts, "Speaking of getting ready, don't you at least want to straighten your tie?"
Harry scowled and strode over to stand next to Ron in the mirror, half-heartedly adjusting the black tie he wore under his green robes...which were almost imperceptibly wrinkled. He had found out in the past month that Hannah Abbott had only asked him to the dance so hastily because she, too, had thought that Justin had asked Ginny. She had been in hot pursuit of Justin for the past two years, and when she had seen him rush out of the Great Hall that night after Ginny, she had been intensely jealous. As a result, he found he couldn't care less what she or anyone else thought of him.
"Look mate, I know you aren't all too excited for this dance, and I'm not one of those blokes who does nothing but talk about how great Hannah is, but...don't you think you should at least put in some effort for her sake?"
"No," Harry replied simply.
"But..."
Harry sighed and turned to look at Ron, "The only reason she asked me in the first place was to make Fletchley jealous...and who better to accomplish that than the Boy-Who-Bloody-Lived? It makes me feel ill."
Ron held up his hands in front of him in surrender as he conceeded Harry's point, and then said,
"Well, we might as well get down to the entrance hall...they're waiting for us there."
They walked out of the common room together, and Harry found himself dreading this night as he had never dreaded anything in his life - well, anything that didn't have to do with Voldemort. He shuddered a little at the thought, feeling even more that his going to this dance was a ridiculous thing to do - he didn't want to go if it wasn't with Ginny, and right now there were much more pressing matters at hand than having a good time. He knew he wasn't alone in his fear of what would happen should Voldemort strike Hogwarts...but he was the one who would have to deal with it.
Pushing this thought from his mind, he followed Ron through the doors to the entrance hall and saw Hermione and Hannah standing there waiting. Hannah looked to be quite put-out, and Harry expected she was angry he hadn't gone to pick her up at the Hufflepuff dormitory. She was decked out in her finest sky blue robes and silver bangles, her blonde curls cascading around her face, making her look like an artist's interperetation of an angel.
She didn't appeal to Harry in the least.
"Hermione, you look...wow," he heard Ron saying next to him, and he had to admit that he was right. Hermione had decided against straightening her hair this time, and instead had worked with the curls rather than against them. They were tied up at the crown of her head with pink flowers, and fell halfway down her back. She wore rose-colored robes of the lightest material, and her makeup was impeccable. Harry smiled at her as she blushed to match her garments, and said,
"You do look very nice, Hermione. Well done."
Hannah cleared her throat impatiently, and Harry barely glanced at her as he grudgingly offered her his arm and added, "You too."
She huffed as she grabbed his elbow roughly, and they didn't say anything more to each other as they led the way to the great tent which stood on the front lawns. It was sheer, but it glowed welcomingly in the moonlight. The music which was being played inside could be heard faintly as they approached, along with the cheerful chattering of voices. The decadent smells of various food dishes prepared for the occasion were wafting through the warm spring air, and the breeze brought the scent of dozens and dozens of roses.
Harry wondered when he could leave and go to bed.
They walked through the opening to the tent, and Ron and Hermione quickly found a table where they could sit. The tent was lit with thousands of tiny white lights, and a great many fireflies flew this way and that at the ceiling of the tent. There were flowers and candles everywhere, and the tent looked at least three times bigger in here than it had from outside.
"Come on, let's have a dance," Hermione said breathlessly as she pulled Ron behind her to the crowded dance floor. Harry smiled to himself as he watched them go - they seemed to be very happy together.
"Well?"
Harry turned, frowning, toward the grating voice that had interrupted his train of thought, and found that Hannah was watching him expectantly.
"Well what?"
She rolled her ice blue eyes and asked, "Aren't you going to ask me to dance?"
His dark brows came together even more as he replied with distaste, "Why can't you just find someone else? Who knows...maybe Justin won't completely ignore you."
Her blonde brows snapped together and she hissed, "We have to dance at least once, Harry Potter! Then, believe me, I'll take great pleasure in leaving you to your own devices for the rest of the night!"
He stood up quickly and replied, "If that's a promise, then I accept. Come on."
He didn't wait for her, but merely assumed she was following him as he strode out onto the floor. Once in a good spot, he turned and found her right behind him, glaring at his back. They got into the dance position, although they were both very stiff with the effort to avoid touching each other as much as possible. After a few moments, however, Hannah suddenly leaned forward and, pressing herself closely to his front, smiled up into his face and laughed. Harry thought for a moment she had gone batty, but then caught sight of the cause of her behavior.
Justin was dancing not ten feet away from them...and in his arms was Ginny.
Harry thought he might fall on the floor as his mouth dropped open and he forgot to breathe. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. She wore robes of the palest lavendar, and they flowed elegantly behind her as she danced. Her hair was cascading around her shoulders in luxuriant waves, and in this light it didn't contain a hint of orange - it was a dark, deep red. Her skin glowed luminously and her eyes sparkled in the twinkling lights, and when she smiled it seemed the entire room got brighter.
Harry shook his head to clear his mind and felt a sharp pang of hatred for Fletchley pierce his chest...but it was also a hatred for himself. If he hadn't been so hasty in accepting Hannah's phony invitation to the dance, it could have been him dancing with Ginny. It should have been him.
The song ended, and Harry practically pushed Hannah away from him as he muttered,
"I'm going to sit down...have a nice night."
She jerked her chin into the air in response, and he expected he would never have another conversation with her again - not that he cared. He turned and went back to the table, where Ron and Hermione were already sitting.
"Where's Hannah?" Hermione asked casually.
"I don't know, and I don't care," Harry replied caustically, and instead of the scolding he thought she would give him, Hermione smiled slightly and winked at him.
"Good...now we can enjoy ourselves. Harry, would you dance with me next?"
Harry smiled - he had been planning on sitting for the rest of the evening and watching Ginny like a hawk, but for his best friend...he'd do anything.
"Sure...happy to, Hermione."
He surprisingly found the dance with Hermione to be quite enjoyable, and she managed to keep his mind off of Ginny for the entire three minute duration of the song. When it was over, she went back to Ron and Harry sat in his seat at their table...and his eyes searched out and found Ginny. It wasn't difficult...she was the prettiest girl on the floor. She was still dancing with Justin, and Harry had to physically restrain himself from glowering directly at them.
He remained this way for a good amount of time, until finally he could tell that Ron and Hermione were becoming distinctly worried about him. Figuring that he didn't want Ron to start becoming suspicious of the fact that Harry was using his eyes to bore holes into his little sister's back, he stood up. He didn't really think about where he was going, and it was as if his legs simply carried him straight to where Ginny and Justin were standing. Luckily, the previous song ended just as he approached and it gave him an opening.
"Can I have a dance, Ginny?" he asked, glancing at Fletchley as though he was daring him to protest.
Ginny smiled brightly and replied, "Of course, Harry! You don't mind, do you, Justin?"
Justin looked as though he minded very much, in fact, but refrained from saying anything as Harry gritted his teeth at Ginny's asking his permission. Justin retreated back towards the sitting area as Harry turned to face Ginny...and nearly lost his balance as he looked into her shining chocolate-colored eyes.
"I've been wondering when you were going to come and ask me for a dance, Harry," she commented laughingly.
He smiled genuinely for the first time all night as he answered fondly, "Well, it's just that I had to work up my courage. It's not easy for a boy to simply walk up to a girl as pretty as you and ask her for a dance."
Ginny blushed beautifully, and Harry found himself completely entranced with her. He had the sudden crazy urge to simply ask her to leave the dance with him and walk around the grounds, but something told him that this would definitely give away his feelings - and not just to her. He glanced in Ron's direction as he took Ginny's hand in his, and found that his friend was completely wrapped up in his own date...emboldened slightly with this knowledge, he placed his other hand on Ginny's waist and gripped her tightly.
"So," he asked as they started swaying to the melody which was, much to Harry's relief, a slow tune, "Having a nice time?"
Ginny nodded slowly, and asked, "You?"
Harry laughed a little and replied, "Not until a few seconds ago, no."
Ginny blushed once again at this compliment, but then replied, "Why not? Don't you think it's beautiful in here?"
"Yeah, I do...but remember, I had to come with Hannah Abbott."
Ginny cast her eyes to the floor, and remarked quietly, "Well...you're the one who asked her."
Harry tightened his grip on her hand and she looked up into his eyes.
"I didn't ask Hannah to the dance, Ginny. She asked me."
Ginny's brows furrowed slightly and she replied, "She did?"
"Yes," Harry admitted honestly, deciding that now was as good a time as any to set the record straight, "I only accepted her invitation because I...I thought you were already going with Justin."
Ginny's eyes widened as she listened to him, and she almost stopped dancing entirely.
"Y...you would have asked me?"
"Of course," Harry replied, amazed that she would even be surprised at this, "You were the first one I thought of, as usual."
Ginny stared at him for two more beats, and then grin spread across her face. She laughed softly and said,
"We've come a long way from last year, haven't we?"
He nodded slowly, not breaking eye contact with her. The smile faded from her face as she returned his look, and she finished,
"I'm glad you thought of me first, even if it didn't turn out. It's nice being your friend."
It was on the tip of Harry's tongue to tell her everything that was in his heart at that moment...only the song ended. Not two seconds later, Justin was back at their side waiting to take Ginny's hand once more. Harry frowned at him as he considered that the bastard must have just sat there waiting until the song was over.
"Thanks for the dance, Harry...save me another one if you can, okay?" Ginny asked.
Harry nodded mutely and retreated back to his table, where Ron was sitting.
"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked grumpily as he took his seat.
"Oh, she's dancing with Dumbledore."
Harry started and swept the crowd with his gaze - and sure enough, in the center of the dance floor, there was Hermione in her pink robes dancing with the headmaster - in HIS pink robes. Harry, despite his mood, couldn't help laughing.
"Well, at least they're a good match," he quipped to Ron, who smiled broadly in return.
"Yeah...if only her Muggle parents could see this."
Harry looked about the room for Ginny then, getting back to his self-appointed task - and what he saw when he found her made his spirits plummet. She was heading out of the tent with Justin...he was leading her by the hand. Harry felt his face burn with anger as he watched them walk back to the castle through the sheer tent wall, and was about to stand up and go after them when he thought better of it. It wasn't, technically, his business...but it was Ron's.
"Ron, did you see that?"
"What?" Ron asked around a mouthful of cake, glancing around.
"Ginny just left with Justin," Harry replied shortly.
"Wh...Justin? Where'd they go?"
"Back to the castle, you prat. You aren't just going to let this happen, are you?"
"Um...let what happen? I suppose she just wanted to go back early..."
Harry leaned in closer to his friend, his eyes blazing, and replied, "You know what kind of reputation Fletchley has with girls!"
"Yeah, but..."
"And HE was leading HER, Ron," Harry finished pointedly.
Ron's expression darkened as Harry's meaning sunk in. He set down his fork and stood up, his fists clenched.
"If he tries anything with my sister, I'll..."
"Let's just go stop it before anything can happen," Harry interrupted, anxious to catch up with them.
Ron nodded determinedly, and as he and Harry made their way to the tent opening leading outside they heard Hermione call from the dance floor,
"Where are you two going?"
Ron, seemingly wrapped up in his newfound quest, barely glanced at her as he yelled back, "Just for some air...we'll be right back."
As they made their way back to the castle, Harry's emotions were warring within him - half of him wanted desperately to get there before anything could happen between Justin and Ginny. The other half, however, almost wanted to interrupt something - just so that he could watch Ron beat the stupid git up.
Maybe at that point he could even join in without being too conspicuous. With that thought spurring him on, he followed Ron determinedly up the stairs to the tower.
To Be Continued in Part Ten
More fic by Emmyjean at
The Hidden Tower
www.hiddentower.50megs.com