~Friendship almost broken~

Disclaimer: I never owned HP and I never will.

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Chapter One: Confession

"What's up Harry?" Ron asked.

"Nothing." Harry didn't take his gaze off the snitch. He rounded a corner and followed the snitch as fast as he could, after all Ron was riding his Firebolt and Harry had gotten stuck with the Shooting Star. Harry didn't mind, he knew that Ron was very poor, so it must feel nice to him to ride something so luxurious. But it was hard to go fast with an ancient broom. Harry certainly wasn't irritated about having to ride a very cheap broom; he had other more important things on his mind.

"You seem...I dunno...angry."

"Well I'm not," Harry said with a bit of irritation in his voice.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"D'you want your Firebolt back?"

"No, it's okay. You can ride it."

"You seem...sick," Ron suggested.

"I'm not, Ron! Imagine what your mum would say if she knew I was sick." Harry could see in his mind Mrs. Weasley fretting over him.

"Well you're irritated," Ron insisted.

"Now I am because you keep pestering me!"

"Sorry Harry, but you know...well I just know you seem worried to me!"

Harry was silent. "Well I do love Ginny," Harry said absent mindedly. "And she's not even here for me to see!"

"What?!?!? You--you---" Ron started to laugh.

Harry's face burned bright. He really hadn't meant to say that out loud in front of Ron! "I--I mean--" stammered Harry.

"I knew it all this time! When you asked her to the Yule ball! And--" Ron doubled up laughing.

Harry thought his face was on fire. Ginny had gone to spend the summer at a friend's house, just like Harry had come to Ron's house; though they were not in the same situation.

(A/N: What I mean by "they were not in the same situation" is Ginny parents hadnt died and she didn't hate the people she lived with like Harry did. She had just gone to her friend's house for fun.)

"Well," Harry said rounding on Ron as he landed Ron's broom next to his, "you like Hermione. Just admit it. You asked her to the Yule Ball, even though she went for Krum instead. And you always invite her to stay the summer over at your house."

Ron glared. "That's because she's my friend. At least that's the truth, since I heard 'I love Ginny' straight from your mouth." He began to laugh again.

"Please Ron, you've got to promise you won't tell anyone!" Harry said, panicked.

"Oh ok," Ron said, "but can I see if she'll go on a date with you?"

"A date where?" said Harry.

"To the Chudley Cannons Quidditch game next Thursday! That's perfect! I'll ask Hermione if she's wants to go with me..." He shot a look at Harry, "just as friends."

"Sure," said Harry sarcastically. Then he dropped the tone. "Are your parents coming?"

"C'mon Harry! This is a quidditch game! We're seventeen! We can go by ourselves! They'll have to trust us..." Ron slung his own broom over his shoulder and started home with Harry.