A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been on in the past few days. I got my exam
results (the exam that my entire academic career has been building
towards). I got straight B's!!! So I'm a happy little girl! Sorry about the
chapter, I was writing it while listening to the new Chilli's album and
talking to my brother. And there's a spoiler in here from Book 4, so if you
haven't read it don't say I didn't warn you!!
--------------------------------------
Hermione lay looking at the ceiling. For the first time in a long while she felt content, at peace with herself and her surroundings. Of course the melancholy at Viktor leaving her had not gone, but she was able to deal with it, even forget about it at times. She was now confident that her sadness would dissipate until it would disappear. In time she would be able to fantasise about Prince Charming without by reflex placing Viktor's face on him. Yes, she was content.
"Ouch!"
"Oops, sorry"
"Honestly Ron! If you insist on twiddling my hair like that please refrain from pulling it out of my head in the process!"
She was lying with her head in Ron's lap and for some alien reason he had begun to mess with her hair. Even though she was complaining Hermione was secretly enjoying it. She had always liked it when anyone played with her hair.
"Viktor never thought to do it. ", she thought to herself.
"What were we talking about again?" Hermione had become so lost among her thoughts that she just couldn't bring back the subject that they had been discussing just moments before.
"Well, you were going on about how you had started your studies for the O.W.L.S already, how you were thinking about arranging extra tutoring outside of lessons because you were sure that you wouldn't be able to learn it all and I was telling you not to be so bloody stupid."
"Ah yes I remember. I was thinking of just how to tell you that I really need to learn the entire courses off by heart or else I won't get the results I want. Hmmm, that should do nicely actually!" Hermione smiled at her own little witticism.
Ron sighed inwardly with relief. I was good to see her smile again. She actually seemed happy. Still holding herself back a little, and he could tell that she was still thinking about that stupid idiot, but she was happy.
"Hermione, I'm going to say this once, and once only, perhaps then it'll have more impact. You do not have to learn everything off by heart! You can't. I've seen people try! Percy nearly wasted away during his attempt and I-I don't want to see that happen to you. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. I want you to promise me you won't."
"But-"
"Promise me!" Ron used his mock growling voice. Hermione smiled again.
"All right, I promise"
: That is so nice. He's so sweet to be so concerned for me. I'm going to have to think up some way to thank him:
Hermione was brought abruptly back to reality by the sound of a slamming door and senseless babbling mingled with near hysterical crying.
She looked at Ron. "It's coming from Ginny's room"
--------------------------------------
Hermione put her ear to the door. "She's talking about Harry"
"There's a surprise" muttered Ron. Hermione gave him A disapproving look. "Something about him being good to put up with her. She's saying she shouldn't have done. something. Maybe Harry knows what's wrong with her"
"Yeah, I do" Harry's voice came from the stairs behind them.
"Well, what's she on about then?" Ron was really interested at this stage.
"I, I uh, I said some stuff, well, shouted some stuff at her. I shouldn't have. I feel really awful about it."
"What did you say to her?" Ron's tone was unlike any Harry had heard him use before. Hermione recognised it. It was the same angry, slightly protective way of talking. It was the tone he used whenever he spoke about Viktor.
"Nothing really. "
"What did you say?!" Ron's voice grew louder.
"I told her to leave me alone! That's all! Okay fine! That was all I said but I could tell I made her feel about six inches high when I did. I swear I didn't mean to Ron. I'm going in now to apologise. You know I wouldn't hurt Ginny. I'm just, tired or something I guess."
Ron could see the sincerity in Harry's face and could hear in his voice that he was genuine.
"Okay. But you'd better make it a bloody good apology."
"I will"
After a short bout of manly hugging to celebrate this 'narrowly averted' fistfight Harry entered Ginny's bedroom. Upon seeing her small form stretched out on her bed with her face buried in pillows his heart went out to her.
: I can't believe I could do that to someone. She wasn't doing anything wrong: And at that moment, Harry promised himself solemnly that he would never again raise his voice at Ginny Weasley.
"Ginny? Ginny it's me. It's Harry" He sat gingerly on the edge of the bed.
"Harry, I'm really sorry, really sorry, really really sorry. " Ginny launched into a speech about how she was sorry how she'd never do it again. Harry stopped her short.
"Listen. I'm not good. I don't have to 'put up' with you Ginny. You don't do anything to put up with. I was just, I don't know what I was doing down there, but it was really wrong of me to say those things to you and it was really wrong of me to say them to you the way I did. If anyone should be apologising, it's me. I'm so sorry. Will you please forgive me?"
Ginny's relief and gratitude were so obvious it was funny. "Y-yes, I forgive you"
"Thank you"
After a few moments of silence Ginny opened her mouth to speak.
"You were thinking about-about her, weren't you?"
"Sorry?" Harry looked at her wide-eyed.
"That girl, in Ravenclaw, Cho Chang isn't it? You were thinking about her down there?"
"Umm. " Harry suddenly went very red. Had Ginny noticed his attentions to Cho last year? She must have, and judging by the way she was staring at her hands, she wasn't overly thrilled about it.
"She was hanging around with that bloke, Cedric last year wasn't she?"
Harry looked up, stung by the reminder of Cho's preference for Cedric, a preference probably heightened by Cedric's tragic death last year.
"That-that's not important."
"I guess not. I'm, ah, I'm glad that we sorted this all out. Thank you for talking to me Harry. I really appreciate it."
Harry believed this statement, and though wondering at Ginny's almost catty remarks about Cho was sure that he'd sorted the situation out and hoped that perhaps it would help Ginny to get over her silly infatuation with him. Little did he know that Ginny wasn't just being catty about Cho, she was being as bitchy as her gentle disposition would allow. And as for getting over her infatuation, Ginny's fear of losing Harry's favour coupled with the kindness that he had just shown her paved the first few steps to that infatuation becoming something deeper.
--------------------------------------
Hermione lay looking at the ceiling. For the first time in a long while she felt content, at peace with herself and her surroundings. Of course the melancholy at Viktor leaving her had not gone, but she was able to deal with it, even forget about it at times. She was now confident that her sadness would dissipate until it would disappear. In time she would be able to fantasise about Prince Charming without by reflex placing Viktor's face on him. Yes, she was content.
"Ouch!"
"Oops, sorry"
"Honestly Ron! If you insist on twiddling my hair like that please refrain from pulling it out of my head in the process!"
She was lying with her head in Ron's lap and for some alien reason he had begun to mess with her hair. Even though she was complaining Hermione was secretly enjoying it. She had always liked it when anyone played with her hair.
"Viktor never thought to do it. ", she thought to herself.
"What were we talking about again?" Hermione had become so lost among her thoughts that she just couldn't bring back the subject that they had been discussing just moments before.
"Well, you were going on about how you had started your studies for the O.W.L.S already, how you were thinking about arranging extra tutoring outside of lessons because you were sure that you wouldn't be able to learn it all and I was telling you not to be so bloody stupid."
"Ah yes I remember. I was thinking of just how to tell you that I really need to learn the entire courses off by heart or else I won't get the results I want. Hmmm, that should do nicely actually!" Hermione smiled at her own little witticism.
Ron sighed inwardly with relief. I was good to see her smile again. She actually seemed happy. Still holding herself back a little, and he could tell that she was still thinking about that stupid idiot, but she was happy.
"Hermione, I'm going to say this once, and once only, perhaps then it'll have more impact. You do not have to learn everything off by heart! You can't. I've seen people try! Percy nearly wasted away during his attempt and I-I don't want to see that happen to you. Don't put so much pressure on yourself. I want you to promise me you won't."
"But-"
"Promise me!" Ron used his mock growling voice. Hermione smiled again.
"All right, I promise"
: That is so nice. He's so sweet to be so concerned for me. I'm going to have to think up some way to thank him:
Hermione was brought abruptly back to reality by the sound of a slamming door and senseless babbling mingled with near hysterical crying.
She looked at Ron. "It's coming from Ginny's room"
--------------------------------------
Hermione put her ear to the door. "She's talking about Harry"
"There's a surprise" muttered Ron. Hermione gave him A disapproving look. "Something about him being good to put up with her. She's saying she shouldn't have done. something. Maybe Harry knows what's wrong with her"
"Yeah, I do" Harry's voice came from the stairs behind them.
"Well, what's she on about then?" Ron was really interested at this stage.
"I, I uh, I said some stuff, well, shouted some stuff at her. I shouldn't have. I feel really awful about it."
"What did you say to her?" Ron's tone was unlike any Harry had heard him use before. Hermione recognised it. It was the same angry, slightly protective way of talking. It was the tone he used whenever he spoke about Viktor.
"Nothing really. "
"What did you say?!" Ron's voice grew louder.
"I told her to leave me alone! That's all! Okay fine! That was all I said but I could tell I made her feel about six inches high when I did. I swear I didn't mean to Ron. I'm going in now to apologise. You know I wouldn't hurt Ginny. I'm just, tired or something I guess."
Ron could see the sincerity in Harry's face and could hear in his voice that he was genuine.
"Okay. But you'd better make it a bloody good apology."
"I will"
After a short bout of manly hugging to celebrate this 'narrowly averted' fistfight Harry entered Ginny's bedroom. Upon seeing her small form stretched out on her bed with her face buried in pillows his heart went out to her.
: I can't believe I could do that to someone. She wasn't doing anything wrong: And at that moment, Harry promised himself solemnly that he would never again raise his voice at Ginny Weasley.
"Ginny? Ginny it's me. It's Harry" He sat gingerly on the edge of the bed.
"Harry, I'm really sorry, really sorry, really really sorry. " Ginny launched into a speech about how she was sorry how she'd never do it again. Harry stopped her short.
"Listen. I'm not good. I don't have to 'put up' with you Ginny. You don't do anything to put up with. I was just, I don't know what I was doing down there, but it was really wrong of me to say those things to you and it was really wrong of me to say them to you the way I did. If anyone should be apologising, it's me. I'm so sorry. Will you please forgive me?"
Ginny's relief and gratitude were so obvious it was funny. "Y-yes, I forgive you"
"Thank you"
After a few moments of silence Ginny opened her mouth to speak.
"You were thinking about-about her, weren't you?"
"Sorry?" Harry looked at her wide-eyed.
"That girl, in Ravenclaw, Cho Chang isn't it? You were thinking about her down there?"
"Umm. " Harry suddenly went very red. Had Ginny noticed his attentions to Cho last year? She must have, and judging by the way she was staring at her hands, she wasn't overly thrilled about it.
"She was hanging around with that bloke, Cedric last year wasn't she?"
Harry looked up, stung by the reminder of Cho's preference for Cedric, a preference probably heightened by Cedric's tragic death last year.
"That-that's not important."
"I guess not. I'm, ah, I'm glad that we sorted this all out. Thank you for talking to me Harry. I really appreciate it."
Harry believed this statement, and though wondering at Ginny's almost catty remarks about Cho was sure that he'd sorted the situation out and hoped that perhaps it would help Ginny to get over her silly infatuation with him. Little did he know that Ginny wasn't just being catty about Cho, she was being as bitchy as her gentle disposition would allow. And as for getting over her infatuation, Ginny's fear of losing Harry's favour coupled with the kindness that he had just shown her paved the first few steps to that infatuation becoming something deeper.