Authors' Note: Draco would like me to point out that the length in the chapter is solely due to the fact that I have been extremely busy. He would also like it mentioned that my typing is off. I apparently typed "Flint" where it should say "Filch" in 'As Told By.'
Ginny sighed as she continued walking towards the library. She was already late for her study group and a glance at the time made her realize that by the time she arrived everyone would be gone. It was her own fault, to be honest. She'd gotten a little too wrapped up in the wizard's chess game she'd been playing against Harry.
She'd won.
Inwardly she smiled and altered her direction to return to the Common Room. She'd spent hours that summer playing her brother, relentlessly begging him to keep coaching her until one day she'd come within one move of winning. He'd since stopped his tutoring, but there was no denying that she'd gotten good.
As she stepped inside, Harry glanced up and grinned pleasantly. "Hey, Gin. Come back for a rematch?"
She chuckled. "Sorry, Harry, I really need to do my homework for tomorrow. I guess you'll have to end today knowing that you got beaten-rather badly, I must add- by a girl," she teased.
His lips rose in amusement. "Until next time, then."
"Until next time."
Dropping into a near by chair she opened her Potions book, careful to keep her eyes trained to the page. She heard Ron and Hermione enter a few minutes later bickering.
"Ron, there is no way you're going to make a good grade on this test if you don't apply yourself," Hermione was saying. Harry slid his eyes to meet Ginny's and grinned. They were both aware of the feelings that Ron and Hermione had spent the last 7 years smothering.
Ron rolled his eyes, trademark in one of these arguments. "Hermione, how do you expect to make a good grade if you spend all your time harassing me about *my* grade," he returned. "Give Harry a go. You know-" he paused for emphasis, "spread your horizons."
She glared and, to Ginny and Harry's pleasure, flushed. "I'm not worried about Harry," she snapped.
Ron frowned. "So what you're saying is that Harry is smart enough to pass without your bossiness, but not me? Fantastic."
Her voice softened. "That's not what I mean," she said, resting her books on a nearby table to approach her friend. "I just want you to do your best. You, yourself, told me how you wish you could step out of your brother's shadow."
Ginny blinked but remained silent.
"She's only acting this way because she cares about you," Harry encouraged.
Ron sighed. "You too?" he asked, sounding betrayed.
"Just let me help you," Hermione requested. "Let me study with you-just once. And if you don't do better I promise I'll leave you alone."
A tempting offer. "Okay," he finally agreed.
"Meet me tomorrow in the library after dinner then?"
Swallowing back the grumble rising in his throat, Ron nodded. "Okay." Taking note of his sister's presence, he suddenly added, "Hey, Gin."
"Hey, Ron."
His eyes widened at the sight of all the books surrounding her. "Gin, where's your bag?"
"I loaned it to Neville," she answered, grinning widely. "He set his on fire."
At this, all four had to laugh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Common Room was buzzing with activity as one by one the Gryffindor began trickling in from their prospective classes. Several games of Wizard's Chess were being pulled together and though she was challenged in more than one instance, she couldn't gather the motivation.
"I'm going to the courtyard," she told her brother, who was moving first on a game of Wizard's Chess against Seamus.
He nodded in acknowledgement, but she wasn't entirely sure he heard. She knew few others that took the game as seriously as Ron.
Grabbing her second hand cloak, she draped it around herself and started downstairs.
The night air cooled her warm face the moment she stepped outside. Taking a deep breath, she couldn't help the calm that was beginning to settle within. The last couple of days had drained her of her energy. It was good to be outside and alone for a while. It gave her time to think.
She could still hear Hermione's words echoing through her thoughts.
"Gin," her friend had said, drawing her into the empty Common Room, "can't you see it?"
Ginny had stared blankly at her friend, not following.
"Harry likes you!"
The declaration had frozen her, and she'd been unable to speak for a full minute. Then, when her voice found her, "Yeah right," she'd muttered. "Very funny."
"I wouldn't lie about this!"
Indeed, she wouldn't. Years of friendship assured her of the girl's sincerity.
"Since when?"
Hermione blinked. "Does it matter?" she questioned. "I thought this was what you wanted."
Wasn't it? After 7 years of adoration, ever since that morning at the train station, watching him board the "Hogwarts Express," she was finally getting what she had desired.
But Hero Worship isn't the same as love, a part of her heart whispered. She wished it would remain silent.
It wouldn't. The doubts that had been flooding inside her since the day before suddenly rushed forward. Could she really risk a fantastic friendship with the greatest guy she'd ever known for something that could just be star crossed infatuation? Could she do that to Harry?
But maybe it *was* love. How could it be anything besides? Seven *years* this had been going on, seven years she had watched his interest in others, never taking her seriously. Seven years she had patiently waited for him to come around, to see her as more than her brother's sister. Seven years she had watched him at Quidditch, wishing that she could give him an after game congratulatory kiss. Seven years and now Hermione said he felt the same way. She should be overjoyed. Yet she couldn't truly cast away the now nagging doubt.
Ugh. She loathed herself.
With sigh of frustration, she made to sit on a bench and, instead, slid to the cold ground, unconscious.
Ginny sighed as she continued walking towards the library. She was already late for her study group and a glance at the time made her realize that by the time she arrived everyone would be gone. It was her own fault, to be honest. She'd gotten a little too wrapped up in the wizard's chess game she'd been playing against Harry.
She'd won.
Inwardly she smiled and altered her direction to return to the Common Room. She'd spent hours that summer playing her brother, relentlessly begging him to keep coaching her until one day she'd come within one move of winning. He'd since stopped his tutoring, but there was no denying that she'd gotten good.
As she stepped inside, Harry glanced up and grinned pleasantly. "Hey, Gin. Come back for a rematch?"
She chuckled. "Sorry, Harry, I really need to do my homework for tomorrow. I guess you'll have to end today knowing that you got beaten-rather badly, I must add- by a girl," she teased.
His lips rose in amusement. "Until next time, then."
"Until next time."
Dropping into a near by chair she opened her Potions book, careful to keep her eyes trained to the page. She heard Ron and Hermione enter a few minutes later bickering.
"Ron, there is no way you're going to make a good grade on this test if you don't apply yourself," Hermione was saying. Harry slid his eyes to meet Ginny's and grinned. They were both aware of the feelings that Ron and Hermione had spent the last 7 years smothering.
Ron rolled his eyes, trademark in one of these arguments. "Hermione, how do you expect to make a good grade if you spend all your time harassing me about *my* grade," he returned. "Give Harry a go. You know-" he paused for emphasis, "spread your horizons."
She glared and, to Ginny and Harry's pleasure, flushed. "I'm not worried about Harry," she snapped.
Ron frowned. "So what you're saying is that Harry is smart enough to pass without your bossiness, but not me? Fantastic."
Her voice softened. "That's not what I mean," she said, resting her books on a nearby table to approach her friend. "I just want you to do your best. You, yourself, told me how you wish you could step out of your brother's shadow."
Ginny blinked but remained silent.
"She's only acting this way because she cares about you," Harry encouraged.
Ron sighed. "You too?" he asked, sounding betrayed.
"Just let me help you," Hermione requested. "Let me study with you-just once. And if you don't do better I promise I'll leave you alone."
A tempting offer. "Okay," he finally agreed.
"Meet me tomorrow in the library after dinner then?"
Swallowing back the grumble rising in his throat, Ron nodded. "Okay." Taking note of his sister's presence, he suddenly added, "Hey, Gin."
"Hey, Ron."
His eyes widened at the sight of all the books surrounding her. "Gin, where's your bag?"
"I loaned it to Neville," she answered, grinning widely. "He set his on fire."
At this, all four had to laugh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Common Room was buzzing with activity as one by one the Gryffindor began trickling in from their prospective classes. Several games of Wizard's Chess were being pulled together and though she was challenged in more than one instance, she couldn't gather the motivation.
"I'm going to the courtyard," she told her brother, who was moving first on a game of Wizard's Chess against Seamus.
He nodded in acknowledgement, but she wasn't entirely sure he heard. She knew few others that took the game as seriously as Ron.
Grabbing her second hand cloak, she draped it around herself and started downstairs.
The night air cooled her warm face the moment she stepped outside. Taking a deep breath, she couldn't help the calm that was beginning to settle within. The last couple of days had drained her of her energy. It was good to be outside and alone for a while. It gave her time to think.
She could still hear Hermione's words echoing through her thoughts.
"Gin," her friend had said, drawing her into the empty Common Room, "can't you see it?"
Ginny had stared blankly at her friend, not following.
"Harry likes you!"
The declaration had frozen her, and she'd been unable to speak for a full minute. Then, when her voice found her, "Yeah right," she'd muttered. "Very funny."
"I wouldn't lie about this!"
Indeed, she wouldn't. Years of friendship assured her of the girl's sincerity.
"Since when?"
Hermione blinked. "Does it matter?" she questioned. "I thought this was what you wanted."
Wasn't it? After 7 years of adoration, ever since that morning at the train station, watching him board the "Hogwarts Express," she was finally getting what she had desired.
But Hero Worship isn't the same as love, a part of her heart whispered. She wished it would remain silent.
It wouldn't. The doubts that had been flooding inside her since the day before suddenly rushed forward. Could she really risk a fantastic friendship with the greatest guy she'd ever known for something that could just be star crossed infatuation? Could she do that to Harry?
But maybe it *was* love. How could it be anything besides? Seven *years* this had been going on, seven years she had watched his interest in others, never taking her seriously. Seven years she had patiently waited for him to come around, to see her as more than her brother's sister. Seven years she had watched him at Quidditch, wishing that she could give him an after game congratulatory kiss. Seven years and now Hermione said he felt the same way. She should be overjoyed. Yet she couldn't truly cast away the now nagging doubt.
Ugh. She loathed herself.
With sigh of frustration, she made to sit on a bench and, instead, slid to the cold ground, unconscious.