"I knew it all along," said Seamus' chortle.
"Wondered when it would finally happen," said Dean, laughing his head off.
"If it couldn't have been me, at least it's Ron," said Neville, who didn't seem to be laughing at all, since Harry was sure he wasn't too happy about the arrangement.
"You all knew?" Harry asked them.
"Of course!" said Seamus.
"It was obvious," said Dean.
"Sort of," said Neville.
"How on earth did you know?" asked Harry.
"You can tell.the way he talks about her," Seamus said, his laughter subsiding.
"And in class, he's always looking at her," Dean added.
"When is he looking at her?" Harry asked, very frustrated.
"All the time! You never noticed?" Neville asked in mild surprise.
"Well." Harry thought back. On second thought, maybe he had noticed these things.
Seamus and Dean went back to laughing and Neville fell asleep. Harry pulled the curtains on his four-poster and stared into space for a while. After about twenty minutes, he heard Ron come in quietly.
"Hey, Ron," Harry said.
"Harry? You're still up?" asked Ron.
"Yeah. I'm not really tired," said Harry, in slightly clipped tones.
There was a long pause in which Harry heard Ron climb into bed and pull his curtains.
"Harry?" said Ron quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Are you positive that you don't like Hermione?"
"Yeah."
Ron made a small "hmm" noise, as though he understood something. Harry heard him sigh. He rolled onto his side and stared into his pillow. Why did he feel so strange about all this? He had run and got Ron when Hermione had told him that she liked him. He had been so excited about the two of them- until it actually happened. Was it perhaps because it was odd to see his two best friends being romantic with each other? Or something else? Harry didn't dwell on it long. He was soon fast asleep.
"Wondered when it would finally happen," said Dean, laughing his head off.
"If it couldn't have been me, at least it's Ron," said Neville, who didn't seem to be laughing at all, since Harry was sure he wasn't too happy about the arrangement.
"You all knew?" Harry asked them.
"Of course!" said Seamus.
"It was obvious," said Dean.
"Sort of," said Neville.
"How on earth did you know?" asked Harry.
"You can tell.the way he talks about her," Seamus said, his laughter subsiding.
"And in class, he's always looking at her," Dean added.
"When is he looking at her?" Harry asked, very frustrated.
"All the time! You never noticed?" Neville asked in mild surprise.
"Well." Harry thought back. On second thought, maybe he had noticed these things.
Seamus and Dean went back to laughing and Neville fell asleep. Harry pulled the curtains on his four-poster and stared into space for a while. After about twenty minutes, he heard Ron come in quietly.
"Hey, Ron," Harry said.
"Harry? You're still up?" asked Ron.
"Yeah. I'm not really tired," said Harry, in slightly clipped tones.
There was a long pause in which Harry heard Ron climb into bed and pull his curtains.
"Harry?" said Ron quietly.
"Yeah?"
"Are you positive that you don't like Hermione?"
"Yeah."
Ron made a small "hmm" noise, as though he understood something. Harry heard him sigh. He rolled onto his side and stared into his pillow. Why did he feel so strange about all this? He had run and got Ron when Hermione had told him that she liked him. He had been so excited about the two of them- until it actually happened. Was it perhaps because it was odd to see his two best friends being romantic with each other? Or something else? Harry didn't dwell on it long. He was soon fast asleep.