The after-hours detective session, rather predictably, broke down after
another thirty minutes, simply because the amount they knew on the subject
of mirror magic was limited to Hermione's brief research in the library.
When it became obvious that there was very little more to say, Ron stood
up, looking at Hermione oddly. "Um, well, I'm zonked out, and the Quidditch
tryouts are on tomorrow, so i'd better get an early night." Harry snorted.
"Early night? Ron, it's twenty to three. a-m."
Ron ignored him and turned to Hermione expectantly. She blushed and reached out for his hand to pull herself up. "I'm off too then." Harry wondered what the matter was. He could see Ginny was getting restless, but thought that Ron and Hermione probably wanted to be left alone. This realisation made an horrible swimmy feeling suddenly jolt the bottom of his stomach as Ron and Hermione walked up the same set of stairs to the dorms. Ginny looked at him and smiled. "Weird, huh, those two getting together? I suppose it can't be particularly nice for you, Harry..."
Harry snapped round to look at her. "Why do you say that?" "Well, they've only been your two best friends for the past, what, five years, and suddenly they're going off together without you to their secret snogging sessions or something..."
Harry sighed. He had the feeling that she had hit the nail on the head. Jealousy wasn't something Harry felt particularly often, except occasionally of Ron and his large family and lack of fame, but Harry was generally, - if not content - then fairly accepting of his lot. "Yeah, Gin. It's weird. But i've got you," he said, his expression changing to a good- natured grin "and I suppose you're better than nothing...." he trailed off teasingly as she jumped on to him with a chair cushion and bopped him on the head with it. He laughed, and hit her back, this soon degenerated into a giggled pillow fight across the length of the common room which finished with the two of them sprawled out, and the room in complete disarray. Harry glanced over at Neville's toad's home- made tank, stored in the common room for easy access which now had a pillow swimming daintily on its surface. They lay there in content silence for a while, when Ginny interrupted by saying "Do you think Ron will get in the team tomorrow?" Harry reassured her that he would. "Who's putting him through his paces?" asked Ginny.
"Oh, I think Cho'll be feeding him, if he's trying for Keeper - you know, throwing the quaffle around for him to save." said Harry quickly. He felt Ginny stiffen beside him. "Cho Chang?" "Yeah, I think so," Harry said, looking away, suddenly aware of the awkwardness of the situation. Of course Ginny must have known about his crush on Cho - Ron had teased him about it the whole length of summer at the Burrow. He shook himself and corrected his mental slip - his old crush on Cho. Didn't even think about her like that any more, well hardly ever anyway. He could feel himself blush in the uncomfortable silence and got up off the floor, and began to put pillows back in their places, absently picking feathers out of his hair. Ginny was sitting up now and stared at him as he worked.
After a while she frowned and got up, and said a quick "g'night then Harry" before going up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry rubbed the back of his neck worriedly. That had gone bad so quickly he reflected, one moment everything had been so nice, now he felt terrible, and he wasn't sure what he had done wrong. He thought back at the summer at the burrow. There had been a lot of teasing about him and Cho, and Ginny, he remembered now, had understandably exited rooms during it. He wondered if he still felt something for Cho. He grimaced. He couldn't lie to himself, something was there, between them, during quidditch practice when Ravenclaw and Gryffindor shared the pitch, or played friendlys. Harry shook himself. That was perfectly natural, surely, after everything that happened at the triwizard cup two years ago. Now they had something, Cedric, in common. Argh! He felt himself already thinking about her rather too affectionately, and all thought of Ginny had just disappeared from his mind. He brought himself sharply back to earth. Tomorrow - tomorrow he wouldn't go beyond polite formalities at the tryouts where conversation with Cho was concerned. Tomorrow he would go to the library with his friends and find out about this 'mirror magic' - or whatever it was called, he was too tired to remember...Tomorrow, well, everything would be just fine tomorrow, Ginny would be fine, Ron and Hermione would have got bored of kissing each other, and Ron would become keeper. Yes, tomorrow would definitely be a good day.
Ron ignored him and turned to Hermione expectantly. She blushed and reached out for his hand to pull herself up. "I'm off too then." Harry wondered what the matter was. He could see Ginny was getting restless, but thought that Ron and Hermione probably wanted to be left alone. This realisation made an horrible swimmy feeling suddenly jolt the bottom of his stomach as Ron and Hermione walked up the same set of stairs to the dorms. Ginny looked at him and smiled. "Weird, huh, those two getting together? I suppose it can't be particularly nice for you, Harry..."
Harry snapped round to look at her. "Why do you say that?" "Well, they've only been your two best friends for the past, what, five years, and suddenly they're going off together without you to their secret snogging sessions or something..."
Harry sighed. He had the feeling that she had hit the nail on the head. Jealousy wasn't something Harry felt particularly often, except occasionally of Ron and his large family and lack of fame, but Harry was generally, - if not content - then fairly accepting of his lot. "Yeah, Gin. It's weird. But i've got you," he said, his expression changing to a good- natured grin "and I suppose you're better than nothing...." he trailed off teasingly as she jumped on to him with a chair cushion and bopped him on the head with it. He laughed, and hit her back, this soon degenerated into a giggled pillow fight across the length of the common room which finished with the two of them sprawled out, and the room in complete disarray. Harry glanced over at Neville's toad's home- made tank, stored in the common room for easy access which now had a pillow swimming daintily on its surface. They lay there in content silence for a while, when Ginny interrupted by saying "Do you think Ron will get in the team tomorrow?" Harry reassured her that he would. "Who's putting him through his paces?" asked Ginny.
"Oh, I think Cho'll be feeding him, if he's trying for Keeper - you know, throwing the quaffle around for him to save." said Harry quickly. He felt Ginny stiffen beside him. "Cho Chang?" "Yeah, I think so," Harry said, looking away, suddenly aware of the awkwardness of the situation. Of course Ginny must have known about his crush on Cho - Ron had teased him about it the whole length of summer at the Burrow. He shook himself and corrected his mental slip - his old crush on Cho. Didn't even think about her like that any more, well hardly ever anyway. He could feel himself blush in the uncomfortable silence and got up off the floor, and began to put pillows back in their places, absently picking feathers out of his hair. Ginny was sitting up now and stared at him as he worked.
After a while she frowned and got up, and said a quick "g'night then Harry" before going up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Harry rubbed the back of his neck worriedly. That had gone bad so quickly he reflected, one moment everything had been so nice, now he felt terrible, and he wasn't sure what he had done wrong. He thought back at the summer at the burrow. There had been a lot of teasing about him and Cho, and Ginny, he remembered now, had understandably exited rooms during it. He wondered if he still felt something for Cho. He grimaced. He couldn't lie to himself, something was there, between them, during quidditch practice when Ravenclaw and Gryffindor shared the pitch, or played friendlys. Harry shook himself. That was perfectly natural, surely, after everything that happened at the triwizard cup two years ago. Now they had something, Cedric, in common. Argh! He felt himself already thinking about her rather too affectionately, and all thought of Ginny had just disappeared from his mind. He brought himself sharply back to earth. Tomorrow - tomorrow he wouldn't go beyond polite formalities at the tryouts where conversation with Cho was concerned. Tomorrow he would go to the library with his friends and find out about this 'mirror magic' - or whatever it was called, he was too tired to remember...Tomorrow, well, everything would be just fine tomorrow, Ginny would be fine, Ron and Hermione would have got bored of kissing each other, and Ron would become keeper. Yes, tomorrow would definitely be a good day.