Chapter 3

Harry traveled back to the Gryffendor common room. He figured that Ron and Hermione were going to get together. He knew this day would come. He was happy for them, he really was. But a large part of him felt empty. Empty of love. He had so many people to love and so many people who loved him, but no one to lust over or spill his heart out to. His parents were dead, leaving a large hole in him that couldn't be replaced. His best friends in the world now had each other to care about and probably wouldn't be as loving to him he figured. He knew that they'd always be his best friends but he wasn't going to kid himself that their being together wasn't going to change things.

He knew that people like Dumbledore and Hagrid had unconditional love for him as though he were their son. And never to say that wasn't good enough for him, he just wanted someone to be close to. Maybe it was the fact that he could die at any time and he wanted to get things behind him. Maybe it was the fact that he was fifteen years old and feeling the hormones building up in him. Whatever it was, he suddenly had an extreme urge to be with someone; a female someone.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind did Cho Chung walk out of the Ravenclaw common room and head his direction. Cho had been the object of his attraction last year but he backed off after she had gone to Yule Ball with Cedric Diggory, who later died. Harry shook that out of his head… not what he wanted to be thinking about.

"Hi Harry"

God she was pretty. Harry looked at her, she was indeed pretty, but there was something about her that wasn't as appealing as last year, yet she didn't look any different. Maybe it was just him.

As she passed, she lightly placed her hand around his upper arm and let it slide all the way down. He turned around to face her.
"How've you been Harry"

"Good." Harry said, breathing a little heavily for his liking, "Yourself?"

"I've been doing great"
"You look great" Harry winced… he didn't mean to say that. "Well, it was nice talking to you, hope to see you soon" With that he walked quickly away. He didn't know why, but something about her (certainly not her looks) just wasn't making him feel comfortable. He hoped he wouldn't be smacking himself later.

He entered the Gryffendor common room to find random students studying and chatting.

"Harry" Seamus perked up from behind a chess board, "How's Ron, he alright?"

"Yes he's fine" Harry told him.

"Can I go see him then?" An angelic voice came from behind him. He knew without looking who it was and tried to hide his smile before turning.

"Yes, Ginny, mind if I come with?"

"Weren't you just there?"

"Er.. Yes… well I need a walk"

Ginny smiled at him and they made their way out of the common room and down the hall.

"You been alright Harry?" Ginny looked at him with concern. "You've seemed kind of distant lately."
"You've noticed" Harry looked up at the ceiling, "you're the first"

"If you need someone to talk to…"

"Thanks Ginny"

Harry looked at her, not like he used to, but like he'd been looking at her for the last few months now. Not as Ron's little sister, not as the girl he'd saved from the chamber of secrets, not even as Ginny Weasley anymore. But as something, someone, of different significance. He couldn't put his finger on just quite what but he knew that she had felt affections toward him in her early years. He often wondered if they were still there, and if he had been foolish to overlook them. No, certainly not, they're just young kids. Harry pushed all these thoughts from his mind and just thought about how annoying they were. The thoughts of a teenager. He didn't need them clouting his brain with all the real life drama he had going on. He sighed… and supposed it was all real life, he was just dealt a large hand and he'd have to learn how to juggle it all. He had been doing pretty well so far.

"He's not in here"

Harry looked up to see that he and Ginny had reached the hospital wing and Ron was no where to be found.

"Must have been released" He told her.

"Wouldn't we have seen him on the way?"

Harry shrugged, "Maybe they went a different way" he couldn't help but look at the floor.

"They?" Ginny looked at Harry for a moment then understood. "I see… well it's about time"

They both smiled and laughed a little before starting to walk back.

"Harry can I ask you something?"

"Sure Gin"

"Are you happy for Ron and Hermione?"

Harry stared hard at her. Could she read his mind? "Of course I am, they're my best friends, why wouldn't I be?"

"I dunno, I could picture myself in your position feeling a little abandoned.. Perhaps lonely and confused…" She looked at him with a sideways frown. "I'm sorry Harry I don't mean to pry. I just want you to know that its ok if you're feeling those things and if you want to talk about it I'll be here to understand. You don't have to feel bad for not being perfect or feeling what you think you're supposed to feel."

Harry looked at her for a moment. "I wish that were true Gin, I dunno I'm just so confused about things, I need a break, but I know I don't have one coming!" He said with a big grin.
"Harry, I honestly don't know how you keep your spirits so high, you really are perfect you know," She said smiling, and shaking her head. Turning a little red in the cheeks.

Harry took a deep breath and decided it was time for his well known courage to step up.

"Ginny, is it true that you used to have a crush on me?"

Ginny stopped dead in her tracks, "That obvious ey?"

Harry laughed at the wit she used to cover the truth, it was attractive.
"Any chance you'd still have one?" Wow… where was this braveness coming from! This was still Ron's little sister. Harry stopped his thoughts to picture Ron kicking his ass. Not a pretty image. Pretty, Ginny was pretty. ARG.

"Harry, what are you getting at?" Ginny asked him nervously.

"Never mind, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you that." With that he began to walk a little quicker down the hallway, he was embarrassed and didn't want Ginny to think he was a complete git. Perhaps in the morning he could plead temporary insanity.

"There's a chance" She said, making him stop practically running away from her.

He slowly turned around trying to hold back his smile.
"Yea? You mean it?" The glimmer in his eye couldn't fool anyone, he might as well have whipped out the big ass grin anyway.

She stepped up to him and put her hand on his face. "Old crushes die hard Harry"

He smiled and put his hand on top of hers, what a nice feeling it was. He didn't want to ruin it, but Harry that wanted to kiss her and the Harry that wanted to respect his best friend's little sister were unfortunately sharing the same brain.

"We should probably get back" Damn the Harry who won.

Ginny looked a little disappointed but reluctantly agreed.

They walked into the Gryffendor common room which was now empty. Harry had secretly wished there would be people in it so he wouldn't be so tempted to give Ginny a proper good night. They walked up the stairs and where Ginny's dorm entrance was, Harry took her hand in his and gently kissed her on the cheek.

"Goodnight Ginny, sweet dreams"

Ginny smiled largely, she couldn't hold back her excitement as much as she tried, "Goodnight Harry" she said, squeezing his hand in hers, then turning to go into her room.

Harry made his way up to his room, he could feel himself floating. He hadn't decided whether that was a good or a bad thing yet. He walked into the room where Ron was just tucking himself into bed.

"Where've you been?" Ron asked him with a smirk.
"I could ask the same of you. Went back to see you and you weren't there"

"Oh yea I was released so me and Hermione just took a stroll around the halls a bit, just had a few things to talk out."

"Right" Harry said with a sly smile. Ron threw a mitten at him. "Goodnight Harry"

"Goodnight Ron"

Harry laid in bed for a while and thought about everything. Everything and anything he could possibly think about to get his mind of what he shouldn't be thinking about. Ginny Weasley. Was it wrong of him? Were they an item now? He wanted to be with her so bad, but at the same time he didn't want to cross and boundaries or break any unspoken but implied rules.

He began to think about kissing her and soon drifted off into a wonderful slumber. Better than he had had in weeks, months, hell years for that matter. Maybe she was just what he needed. But how would it all work out?