"What's up?" asked Hermione when he sat down next to her, looking very put
out.
"Nothing," Harry lied.
"C'mon, mate, what's the matter?" Ron pressured him.
"Yeah, Harry, you're acting so oddly lately!" said Hermione, passing him some pumpkin juice.
"I'm fine, okay? Really, I am. Just the match coming up. Really," Harry added, since Ron and Hermione both looked very disbelieving.
Ginny passed them midway through the meal. Her lip was trembling and her eyes were shining.
"Ginny?" asked Harry as she tried to avoid his eyes.
She stopped in the middle of a step and looked at him, terrified. He leaned forward slightly, in hopes to convince her to tell him the problem. She gave a small squeak and ran out of the room at top speed.
"She's really fast, isn't she?" said Ron, chuckling to himself. Hermione laughed too, but Harry couldn't.
That night, Harry stayed up late again. He was the only one left in the common room at two o'clock in the morning, when he caught a flash of vivid red hair.
"Hello?" he called.
There was silence, broken only by a deep breath and another small squeak like a hiccup. Ginny Weasley stepped out into the open, in a long pink dressing gown, her bright brown eyes wide. She still looked rather pale.
"Ginny, what're you doing down here so late?" Harry asked.
"Nothing," she mumbled, not looking at him.
"Come on out. I could use some company," Harry said, trying to coax her to relax.
"No, t-thanks, I'm fine," said Ginny; still mumbling so much Harry could barely understand her.
"Please?" Harry insisted, pointing at the chair nearest him.
Ginny sighed in a resigned sort of way and sat cautiously, as though afraid the chair would leap up and bite her.
"What's up?" asked Harry.
"Nothing," she said again.
"Would you look at me?" he asked.
Ginny looked up timidly, only with her eyes, keeping her head down.
"What's wrong? I can tell something's up, and unless I'm much mistaken, it's to do with me. I can tell. You keep running away from me. Come on, spit it out."
She took a wavering breath, then, as though her mouth had become a waterfall, the words poured out of her mouth at light speed.
"I'm sick of this! I've fancied you ever since the first time I met you, you know that, and you still act as though you don't even see me. Do you know what that feels like? You're in love with that Cho Chang girl in Ravenclaw, but in case you hadn't noticed, she's in love with someone else! That Ravenclaw boy she's always with! But you were so wrapped up in yourself that you figured that the only person she could like back was YOU! I saw her kiss you - do you know what that means, Harry? She's got a boyfriend, but she kissed you! Don't you get it? Don't you understand what kind of girl she is?"
She panted for a moment, and Harry sat stunned, feeling as though he had been pelted in the stomach several times.
"Ginny, I-"
"Why can't you see me, I'm right in front of you! I've been nice to you all the time! I try to ignore the fact that you're too good for me, but I can't, because I like you so much!"
Harry's eyes were really hurting him. So was his stomach.
"C'mon, Ginny, please don't-"
"At least, I did, but now that you're chasing Cho, I see that I was wrong about you! She's obviously not even that nice if she's playing that Liam boy false! She's just a face, Harry, a face! All you see is how pretty she is; you don't even look at someone's heart or mind! You barely even know Cho, but you know me, Harry."
Harry's stomach was still lurching and his eyes burned out of guilt. Ginny had tears streaming down her face.
"You know me. I know I'm not pretty, or popular, or anything like that, not like Cho. Can't you see, though, that I care about you? And I've been there for you before, many times. Can't you see that?"
She stood up and left the room, crying outright. Harry had never felt so guilty. He watched her vivid hair flying behind her like a cape as she bolted up the staircase.
He decided, right then and there that after the Quidditch match the next day, he would talk to her, tell her she was right, and tell her that he was sorry.
Harry stood up, took a deep breath, and went to bed.
"Nothing," Harry lied.
"C'mon, mate, what's the matter?" Ron pressured him.
"Yeah, Harry, you're acting so oddly lately!" said Hermione, passing him some pumpkin juice.
"I'm fine, okay? Really, I am. Just the match coming up. Really," Harry added, since Ron and Hermione both looked very disbelieving.
Ginny passed them midway through the meal. Her lip was trembling and her eyes were shining.
"Ginny?" asked Harry as she tried to avoid his eyes.
She stopped in the middle of a step and looked at him, terrified. He leaned forward slightly, in hopes to convince her to tell him the problem. She gave a small squeak and ran out of the room at top speed.
"She's really fast, isn't she?" said Ron, chuckling to himself. Hermione laughed too, but Harry couldn't.
That night, Harry stayed up late again. He was the only one left in the common room at two o'clock in the morning, when he caught a flash of vivid red hair.
"Hello?" he called.
There was silence, broken only by a deep breath and another small squeak like a hiccup. Ginny Weasley stepped out into the open, in a long pink dressing gown, her bright brown eyes wide. She still looked rather pale.
"Ginny, what're you doing down here so late?" Harry asked.
"Nothing," she mumbled, not looking at him.
"Come on out. I could use some company," Harry said, trying to coax her to relax.
"No, t-thanks, I'm fine," said Ginny; still mumbling so much Harry could barely understand her.
"Please?" Harry insisted, pointing at the chair nearest him.
Ginny sighed in a resigned sort of way and sat cautiously, as though afraid the chair would leap up and bite her.
"What's up?" asked Harry.
"Nothing," she said again.
"Would you look at me?" he asked.
Ginny looked up timidly, only with her eyes, keeping her head down.
"What's wrong? I can tell something's up, and unless I'm much mistaken, it's to do with me. I can tell. You keep running away from me. Come on, spit it out."
She took a wavering breath, then, as though her mouth had become a waterfall, the words poured out of her mouth at light speed.
"I'm sick of this! I've fancied you ever since the first time I met you, you know that, and you still act as though you don't even see me. Do you know what that feels like? You're in love with that Cho Chang girl in Ravenclaw, but in case you hadn't noticed, she's in love with someone else! That Ravenclaw boy she's always with! But you were so wrapped up in yourself that you figured that the only person she could like back was YOU! I saw her kiss you - do you know what that means, Harry? She's got a boyfriend, but she kissed you! Don't you get it? Don't you understand what kind of girl she is?"
She panted for a moment, and Harry sat stunned, feeling as though he had been pelted in the stomach several times.
"Ginny, I-"
"Why can't you see me, I'm right in front of you! I've been nice to you all the time! I try to ignore the fact that you're too good for me, but I can't, because I like you so much!"
Harry's eyes were really hurting him. So was his stomach.
"C'mon, Ginny, please don't-"
"At least, I did, but now that you're chasing Cho, I see that I was wrong about you! She's obviously not even that nice if she's playing that Liam boy false! She's just a face, Harry, a face! All you see is how pretty she is; you don't even look at someone's heart or mind! You barely even know Cho, but you know me, Harry."
Harry's stomach was still lurching and his eyes burned out of guilt. Ginny had tears streaming down her face.
"You know me. I know I'm not pretty, or popular, or anything like that, not like Cho. Can't you see, though, that I care about you? And I've been there for you before, many times. Can't you see that?"
She stood up and left the room, crying outright. Harry had never felt so guilty. He watched her vivid hair flying behind her like a cape as she bolted up the staircase.
He decided, right then and there that after the Quidditch match the next day, he would talk to her, tell her she was right, and tell her that he was sorry.
Harry stood up, took a deep breath, and went to bed.