After the incident at Hagrid's, Harry had walked Ginny back to
Gryffindor Tower, to the giggles of a few female schoolmates as they left a
trail of water in their footsteps. They had gone their separate ways when
they reached the tower though, so that they could change into a drier set
of clothes.
When Ginny reached her room, she angrily threw down her robes, sending water splattering all over the floor and onto some of the beds. "Why me?" Ginny screamed. She grabbed a yellow t-shirt and black pants hanging out of her trunk and yanked it onto herself. Exhaustedly, she collapsed onto her bed where she began to try and remember how she had felt with Harry on top of her.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid Ginny," she muttered to herself. "It's your own bloody fault you know. You shouldn't have tried to tackle him. You should've known that it would end up badly. You shouldn't have even thrown that wet rag at him. You were blatantly, clearly and shamelessly flirting with him. Remember you decided not to do that anymore? But wouldn't that mean he was flirting with me too? And it did seem like he was getting rather close to me. I mean, we were almost kissing! But then again, friends flirt all the time. Harry flirts with Hermione but we all know that neither of them fancies each other." Ginny sighed disgustedly to herself. She was talking to herself, a bad habit since her roommates seemed to always overhear everything she said to herself, which either resulted in gossip or public embarrassment, which in this case was the last thing she needed. She didn't need to resurrect her childish crush on Harry.
Ginny sat up and looked around the room and was fortunate to find that none of her roommates had been in the room during her momentary monologue. Ginny opened up her trunk and reached to the very bottom of it, then pulled out a small teddy bear. It wasn't the best teddy bear in the world. In fact it was rather beat up and looked like it had been handed down since the beginning of time, but nevertheless, it was Ginny's favorite. Harry had given the bear to her as a present in her second year, although it was rather unlikely that he remembered he had given her a present at all. Still, Ginny absolutely loved this little bear.
Ginny laid down on her bed and cuddled the bear up against her face. Ginny knew it was a very childish thing to do, but any time she needed to be comforted, she would take out the bear and hug it. Right now she definitely needed to be comforted. "Oh Mr. Bear I don't know what to do," she lamented. Ginny stared into the bear's green eyes, slowly stroking its back. "You think I should go downstairs, don't you?" She pushed the bear's head with her finger, making it nod up and down. "Well, I do suppose that I should be downstairs with my friends instead of up her crying like a baby," she considered. The bear nodded its head again. "Alright, alright, I'll go. Now stay in your spot and be good," she said, placing her bear back in the bottom of her trunk.
When Ginny went down the stairs to the common room however, Harry was nowhere to be found. Hermione and Ron were angrily looking away from each other, no doubt another of their flirtatious arguments. Ginny had never quite understood what pleasure could be gained from their arguments, but it was none of her concern. "Hey, have either of you seen Harry?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry Ginny, Harry just got an urgent message from Dumbledore, he was called to a meeting," Hermione informed her. Ginny's disappointment was evident on her face. "He had to rush out in a hurry, but he made sure to tell me to give you this note." Hermione handed Ginny a folded piece of paper stuffed inside the envelope. "What's it say?" Hermione asked anxiously as Ginny began to unfold the paper.
"Stop being nosy Hermione," Ron snorted. "If Harry had wanted you to know he would have told you instead of writing out a note." Hermione whipped her head around and shot him a glare. "I'm so scared Hermione, that glare is just frightful." Ron made a mock shiver. "Or maybe it's just your."
"Shut it Ron," Ginny snapped, ready to cut off the offensive comment Ron was about to make. "What is it you two are flirting, oops, I mean fighting, about this time?" Ginny refolded the note, deciding to read it alone instead of in front of her friends.
"Well, Ron here thought it would be funny to replace my Potions book with Quidditch: A Great Sport." Hermione continued to stare at Ron and he shrugged sheepishly. "Really Ron, I don't see where you come up with these foolish pranks. At least your brothers are creative, even if it causes a little damage." Ron bit his lip at once again being compared to his brothers. "And this stuff about my lack of Quidditch skills has gotten beyond old. Really, it's not funny to anyone at all, it's just stupid." Hermione turned back to Ginny. "So that's what we are fighting about. Actually it's more like Ron being a stupid git, refusing to apologize and swearing that it wasn't his fault. He says that he didn't mean to. Yeah, right," she snorted.
"Hermione, that's what I've been trying to tell you," Ron began.
"I don't want to hear your excuses, your lies," she snapped up a finger to silence him. "Don't even try. Why can't you just admit that you are wrong for once instead of continually denying it?"
Ron moved forward, then swung his hand up, covering her mouth. "Hermione, please, just listen to me for one moment, that's all I ask," he begged. "It really was a mistake, I'm not lying to you!" Hermione struggled under his hand, and then pulled free.
She swung up her own hand, slapping him across the face. "Don't you ever, ever touch me again!" she fumed. "You just don't know when enough is enough, do you Ron?" She spun around and walked straight past Ginny and then up the stairs to her room. Ron stood still with shock, not quite believing what had happened.
"Well that was smooth Ron," Ginny commented.
"Shove off Gin," he said gruffly, falling onto the couch.
Ginny mocked being offended. "That's no way to treat your sister, I'm only trying to help. Now could you tell me your side of the story brother of mine?" Ron rolled his eyes at her, and then stared at the fireplace. "It couldn't really hurt, now could it?" Ginny asked, not realizing how similar she sounded to Harry. "So what is this excuse of yours?" she asked, collapsing down next to him.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he grumbled.
"Trust me Ron, I've heard enough lies and tall tales from you, Fred, George, Percy, Bill and Charlie combined to know when someone is lying or making up a story 'I promise mom, I didn't set the couch on fire' and 'Really mom, she and I didn't do anything at all'. Yeah, I think I know when one of my brothers is lying."
Ron managed a laugh. "Okay, I'll tell you. We were in the library earlier today and Hermione had gone to check out some book about some random book about some famous witch, you know how she is." Ginny nodded for him to continue. "Well, I borrowed her book from her because she takes really good notes and I hadn't studied very much." This was not the entire truth. He had also borrowed it because Hermione's wonderful smell was still strongly implanted on the book and he enjoyed reading her perfect handwriting and her reminders and conversations with herself in her margins. Of course, he wasn't about to reveal this information to Ginny. It was too much information for blackmail. "But when she came back, I closed her book and accidentally slipped the Quidditch book into her bag instead of her potions book. As soon as I realized my mistake, she was gone. I tried to get the book to her during class but Snape kept yelling at me. So that's what happened." Ron slumped back against the couch.
"Wow, I actually thought you were just going to lie to me, I never thought that you might actually be telling the truth!" Ginny said, quite impressed. Ron shrugged. "Well, mostly the truth at least." Ron glanced nervously over at her. "Tell me Ron, why did you feel the need to hide Hermione's book in her bag and not tell her you were smelling, sorry, I mean studying with it?" she smiled knowingly. "But don't worry Ron, your secret is safe with me. I'm your sister, you can trust me."
"Not that it does me any good, Hermione still hates my guts. I really shouldn't have overreacted like that, I should have stayed calm. She was just beginning to annoy me, I wanted her to believe me really badly. God, I'm such an idiot."
"You're right there," Ginny nodded. "But not a hopeless idiot. Just hopelessly in love. I'm sure that Hermione will listen to me, I think that she was just a little fed up and didn't want to admit that she might be wrong herself, at least in your presence. I'll go talk to her, alright?"
"Thanks a lot Gin. I'm glad that we aren't always the fighting brother and sister, that sometimes we can help each other out." Ron gave her a little hug. "Thanks."
"Well, sometimes it just helps to talk."
When Ginny reached her room, she angrily threw down her robes, sending water splattering all over the floor and onto some of the beds. "Why me?" Ginny screamed. She grabbed a yellow t-shirt and black pants hanging out of her trunk and yanked it onto herself. Exhaustedly, she collapsed onto her bed where she began to try and remember how she had felt with Harry on top of her.
"Stupid, stupid, stupid Ginny," she muttered to herself. "It's your own bloody fault you know. You shouldn't have tried to tackle him. You should've known that it would end up badly. You shouldn't have even thrown that wet rag at him. You were blatantly, clearly and shamelessly flirting with him. Remember you decided not to do that anymore? But wouldn't that mean he was flirting with me too? And it did seem like he was getting rather close to me. I mean, we were almost kissing! But then again, friends flirt all the time. Harry flirts with Hermione but we all know that neither of them fancies each other." Ginny sighed disgustedly to herself. She was talking to herself, a bad habit since her roommates seemed to always overhear everything she said to herself, which either resulted in gossip or public embarrassment, which in this case was the last thing she needed. She didn't need to resurrect her childish crush on Harry.
Ginny sat up and looked around the room and was fortunate to find that none of her roommates had been in the room during her momentary monologue. Ginny opened up her trunk and reached to the very bottom of it, then pulled out a small teddy bear. It wasn't the best teddy bear in the world. In fact it was rather beat up and looked like it had been handed down since the beginning of time, but nevertheless, it was Ginny's favorite. Harry had given the bear to her as a present in her second year, although it was rather unlikely that he remembered he had given her a present at all. Still, Ginny absolutely loved this little bear.
Ginny laid down on her bed and cuddled the bear up against her face. Ginny knew it was a very childish thing to do, but any time she needed to be comforted, she would take out the bear and hug it. Right now she definitely needed to be comforted. "Oh Mr. Bear I don't know what to do," she lamented. Ginny stared into the bear's green eyes, slowly stroking its back. "You think I should go downstairs, don't you?" She pushed the bear's head with her finger, making it nod up and down. "Well, I do suppose that I should be downstairs with my friends instead of up her crying like a baby," she considered. The bear nodded its head again. "Alright, alright, I'll go. Now stay in your spot and be good," she said, placing her bear back in the bottom of her trunk.
When Ginny went down the stairs to the common room however, Harry was nowhere to be found. Hermione and Ron were angrily looking away from each other, no doubt another of their flirtatious arguments. Ginny had never quite understood what pleasure could be gained from their arguments, but it was none of her concern. "Hey, have either of you seen Harry?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry Ginny, Harry just got an urgent message from Dumbledore, he was called to a meeting," Hermione informed her. Ginny's disappointment was evident on her face. "He had to rush out in a hurry, but he made sure to tell me to give you this note." Hermione handed Ginny a folded piece of paper stuffed inside the envelope. "What's it say?" Hermione asked anxiously as Ginny began to unfold the paper.
"Stop being nosy Hermione," Ron snorted. "If Harry had wanted you to know he would have told you instead of writing out a note." Hermione whipped her head around and shot him a glare. "I'm so scared Hermione, that glare is just frightful." Ron made a mock shiver. "Or maybe it's just your."
"Shut it Ron," Ginny snapped, ready to cut off the offensive comment Ron was about to make. "What is it you two are flirting, oops, I mean fighting, about this time?" Ginny refolded the note, deciding to read it alone instead of in front of her friends.
"Well, Ron here thought it would be funny to replace my Potions book with Quidditch: A Great Sport." Hermione continued to stare at Ron and he shrugged sheepishly. "Really Ron, I don't see where you come up with these foolish pranks. At least your brothers are creative, even if it causes a little damage." Ron bit his lip at once again being compared to his brothers. "And this stuff about my lack of Quidditch skills has gotten beyond old. Really, it's not funny to anyone at all, it's just stupid." Hermione turned back to Ginny. "So that's what we are fighting about. Actually it's more like Ron being a stupid git, refusing to apologize and swearing that it wasn't his fault. He says that he didn't mean to. Yeah, right," she snorted.
"Hermione, that's what I've been trying to tell you," Ron began.
"I don't want to hear your excuses, your lies," she snapped up a finger to silence him. "Don't even try. Why can't you just admit that you are wrong for once instead of continually denying it?"
Ron moved forward, then swung his hand up, covering her mouth. "Hermione, please, just listen to me for one moment, that's all I ask," he begged. "It really was a mistake, I'm not lying to you!" Hermione struggled under his hand, and then pulled free.
She swung up her own hand, slapping him across the face. "Don't you ever, ever touch me again!" she fumed. "You just don't know when enough is enough, do you Ron?" She spun around and walked straight past Ginny and then up the stairs to her room. Ron stood still with shock, not quite believing what had happened.
"Well that was smooth Ron," Ginny commented.
"Shove off Gin," he said gruffly, falling onto the couch.
Ginny mocked being offended. "That's no way to treat your sister, I'm only trying to help. Now could you tell me your side of the story brother of mine?" Ron rolled his eyes at her, and then stared at the fireplace. "It couldn't really hurt, now could it?" Ginny asked, not realizing how similar she sounded to Harry. "So what is this excuse of yours?" she asked, collapsing down next to him.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he grumbled.
"Trust me Ron, I've heard enough lies and tall tales from you, Fred, George, Percy, Bill and Charlie combined to know when someone is lying or making up a story 'I promise mom, I didn't set the couch on fire' and 'Really mom, she and I didn't do anything at all'. Yeah, I think I know when one of my brothers is lying."
Ron managed a laugh. "Okay, I'll tell you. We were in the library earlier today and Hermione had gone to check out some book about some random book about some famous witch, you know how she is." Ginny nodded for him to continue. "Well, I borrowed her book from her because she takes really good notes and I hadn't studied very much." This was not the entire truth. He had also borrowed it because Hermione's wonderful smell was still strongly implanted on the book and he enjoyed reading her perfect handwriting and her reminders and conversations with herself in her margins. Of course, he wasn't about to reveal this information to Ginny. It was too much information for blackmail. "But when she came back, I closed her book and accidentally slipped the Quidditch book into her bag instead of her potions book. As soon as I realized my mistake, she was gone. I tried to get the book to her during class but Snape kept yelling at me. So that's what happened." Ron slumped back against the couch.
"Wow, I actually thought you were just going to lie to me, I never thought that you might actually be telling the truth!" Ginny said, quite impressed. Ron shrugged. "Well, mostly the truth at least." Ron glanced nervously over at her. "Tell me Ron, why did you feel the need to hide Hermione's book in her bag and not tell her you were smelling, sorry, I mean studying with it?" she smiled knowingly. "But don't worry Ron, your secret is safe with me. I'm your sister, you can trust me."
"Not that it does me any good, Hermione still hates my guts. I really shouldn't have overreacted like that, I should have stayed calm. She was just beginning to annoy me, I wanted her to believe me really badly. God, I'm such an idiot."
"You're right there," Ginny nodded. "But not a hopeless idiot. Just hopelessly in love. I'm sure that Hermione will listen to me, I think that she was just a little fed up and didn't want to admit that she might be wrong herself, at least in your presence. I'll go talk to her, alright?"
"Thanks a lot Gin. I'm glad that we aren't always the fighting brother and sister, that sometimes we can help each other out." Ron gave her a little hug. "Thanks."
"Well, sometimes it just helps to talk."