The Dreams Within – Chapter Seven
7. Of Anorexic Giraffes
***
Paint. Icky, red, nasty paint. Ginny was covered, head-to-toe, with the troublesome substance. She stood before "Harry", her face contorted in apparent rage. A smile wormed its way across his lips, amusement dancing in his eyes. It was like the time when Sirius had.... covered Remus in green paint. In other words: hilarious.
So funny that "Harry" almost forgot all about his worries and laughed. Almost.
"It's such a shame, too," he said. "I was just about to warn you about that switch there on the floor–you know, the one you stepped on–which triggered the invisible bucket of red paint. Of course, I didn't know there was an invisible bucket or that it was filled with red paint at the time, but, nevertheless, I was going to warn you. Honestly, from the bottom of my heart."
Ginny was silent for a few seconds. Then, with a confused look on her crimson face: "What heart?"
"Ooh, she bites."
"You are the most incorrigible boy on the planet. Did you know that?"
"Harry" nodded. "Yes, actually."
"At least you're in a better mood now." Ginny started walking off, completely ignoring the fact that "Harry" had just threatened to stop being Harry less than minutes ago.
"Where are you going?"
"I have brothers to kill. Duh."
She strode down the stairs, and "Harry", a minute later, heard the kitchen door open with a bang. He stood still, still outside the bathroom door where he'd vomited the little breakfast he had eaten, waiting for Ginny's predictable yell.
"You obstreperous morons! I'm going to kill you!"
"Harry" allowed himself a last inward smile, even though it appeared outside also, and protruded down the stairs at a pace much slower than the Paint Queen.
***
Ronald Arthur Weasley was aware of Harry's odd behavior. Harry hadn't touched his breakfast, which was unusual for his best friend. Though Harry had grown taller over the summer, he had not gained any weight to make up for the height change, leaving him looking like an anorexic giraffe. There was something conspicuous about his and Ginny's disappearance, besides the fact that they left simultaneously. Ronald–though more casually referred to as Ron–secretly suspected something going on between Harry and his baby sister, and even though Harry was his best friend, that would not do at all.
Ron felt slightly better when he heard Ginny's shouts of "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU", but his elevated hopes were deflated when see saw his twin brother's snickering and whispering to each behind they're hands. They, not Harry, were the cause of Ginny's angry yells.
Not even minutes later, Ginny burst into the room, not even recognizable at first. She was splattered from head-to-toe with what looked like red, Muggle paint. It suited her at the moment, went just along with the angry contortions of her face.
"You obstreperous morons!" she squalled. Fred and George cackled in delight. "I'm going to kill you!"
"No death threats, Ginny dear," said Ron's mother quite calmly. She continued to eat her breakfast without the slightest indication that something was wrong. Ron knew for a fact that his mother rarely liked to disturb breakfast ("It's the best meal of the day!") and Fred and George and Ginny would get the yelling of their life as soon as it was finished. Nevertheless Ron knew that Fred and George would be punished more harshly than Ginny, because they had disturbed breakfast in the first place.
"Yeah, Ginny. No death threats," taunted Fred.
"Argh! I'm going to go take a shower!" Then, Ginny gave Fred and George a tightlipped glare and stomped out the room. Behind her: a trail of red paint drops that made Ron smile.
Harry entered the room quite calmly. A smirk played on his lips, and his green eyes danced with amusement. For an instant, Ron saw the old Harry, not the quiet, in a way deceitful, boy that had arrived this summer. Then, as if a dark light shone upon him, Ron's old friend was gone. And before him: the deceitful, underweight giraffe. It was rather depressing. What had happened to his friend?
"Well, don't just sit there, Harry dear," said Ron's mother. "Sit down–finish your breakfast."
"I'm, er, going to check on Ginny. Be right back."
A lingering glance caught Ron's eyes, and then Harry left. Yes. Something was definitely going on between Ginny and Harry. He looked, not for the first time at Hermione, and she, not for the first time either, gave him a very pointed glance, as if say to "I told you I was right. Why didn't you listen to me?" "Ron? Do you think something's wrong with Harry?" asked his mother's worried tones.
I don't think so, mum. I know so.
Across the table and two seats to the left, Fred asked his mother, "What does obstreperous mean?"
"I have no idea, dear. Ask your sister."
***
What was a best friend, anyway? Someone who you associated with the most? Who did things for you without being asked or thanked? Or was it just someone you could depend on through anything? Did best friends always stay best friends, or did they sometimes separate and go different ways? What was the difference between best friends and regular friends? Was there even a difference? If Harry was Ron's best friend, why couldn't he tell that "Harry" wasn't the real Harry? Should best friends be able to be fooled by imposters?
"Harry" didn't know the answers to any of these questions. "Harry's" situation always left him with either no friends or with his girlfriend. Kyli. Did she count as a best friend? "Harry" considered her to be far more important to him than any friend. She was a soul mate.
What was a soul mate, at any rate?
"Harry" was confused. And this was probably no help to Ginny, who was excitedly and somewhat morbidly revealing her plans for revenge, and hadn't quite realized "Harry" wasn't listening. Who would want to picture Fred and George without their clothes on, leastwise?
There was a knock at the door.
"Not now, I'm busy."
The door opened and Ron poked his head in.
"Harry, I was looking for you. Will you come here a minute?"
"Harry" shrugged, got up off Ginny' s bed, and casually walked to the door. After all, there was nothing to hurry about.
Ron led them up to his room, and as they passed Fred and George's room, there was a small bomb went off. Or that's what it sounded like.
"Does that happen often?"
"Duh. After all the time you've spent here, you should know that." Ron's voice was short and choppy.
"Who stuck a stick up your ass?"
"You."
They had reached Ron's room. Harry looked at Ron in surprise. As far as he knew, males didn't get PMS, but maybe this was an exception? Either that, or Ron wasn't a male. (This thought almost most made him burst out laughing. He was not, however, able to suppress a smile.) The logical part of his mind told him that Ron was indeed a male, and probably did not get PMS.
Ron opened the door and went inside. The door was left open, so "Harry" presumed he was supposed to follow. Hermione was already waiting for them inside, sitting on Ron's desk chair, facing the door, her slender arms folded across her chest and a frown on her face. Ron was sitting on his bed (not the extra that "Harry" had been sleeping on), with the same basic expression on his face. This can't be good.
"Shut the door behind you, would you?" asked Hermione with harsh politeness. "Harry" obliged to her wishes.
"Take a seat," said Ron. "We might be here awhile."
"Harry" sat on the temporary bed, looking between his two 'best friends' nervously. He knew this would come eventually, and he knew he must face it.
"First of all," said Ron. "Is there something going on between you and Ginny?" This was spoken with raised eyebrows and a wave of contempt.
"No. There's not. Me and Ginny are just friends."
"Since when? You and Ginny hardly ever talked to each other before this summer."
"I can't explain it. We're just friends, that's all. I trust her."
"More than us?!" demanded Hermione. "We're your friends, Harry."
"She's my friend too." "Harry" was desperately trying not to lose his temper. "I'm trusting her with something. Something that I can't tell you because you wouldn't believe me."
"Oh, yeah?" asked Ron. "Try us?"
"No, Ron," snapped Hermione. "If he doesn't want to tell us, he doesn't have to. It's his life, he can choose how to live it. But I'm warning you, Harry Potter. You're not going to use us." Ron nodded. "If you're not going to tell us, then don't coming running back to us when you're in trouble. If you're not going to tell us, you've lost our trust."
"Friends don't have to tell each other everything, Hermione."
"But best friends should be able to!"
"Harry" glared, but inside he was scared. He could ruin the real Harry Potter's life. He could mess with the future if he didn't do this right. His entire existence depended on this, didn't it?
"Ron, Hermione," he said. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you. I tried once, but it didn't work. It only made everyone more frustrated. I'd love to be able to tell you, but I can't."
"But you can tell Ginny, right?" asked Hermione.
"Ginny approached me about it. I wasn't going to lie to her."
"But you'll lie to us?" countered Ron.
"I'm not lying to you. I just can't tell you. It's not like you won't find out anyway. Can't you just bear with me for a couple days? You'll know as soon as term starts, I promise."
Hermione sighed. "I don't think–"
Ron silenced her. "We can wait till term starts, but you've got to tell us, then. Deal?"
"Deal. Do you mind if I go now? Ginny wants me to help her get revenge on Fred and George."
Hermione looked at him as if she was uncomfortable and hurt by his request, but Ron allowed him to go.
On his way out, when he was sure Ron and Hermione couldn't see him, he allowed him a ghost of a smile. He still had it.
***
Harry exited Ron's room in a bad mood. He turned the corner and suddenly found himself face-to-face with Ginny Weasley. She smirked at him. His stomach dropped.
"How much did you hear?"
"All of it. You trust me, huh? If I'm not mistaken, that's quite different than what you told me that night. 'I don't trust anyone, Ginny–blah, blah, blah.' Does this mean you're ready to tell me everything?"
"Not here, Ginny. Let's go somewhere where we can be alone."
Ginny smiled giddily. "It's about damn time you decided to tell me, I've been waiting forever!"
"I never said I'd tell you. I said let's go back down to your room, where we can be alone."
She grabbed him by the wrist and practically dragged him down the stairs. He tripped once, and nearly fell, and after that Ginny slowed down a little, but not much. Within seconds they were at her room. She opened the door, pulled him in, shut it, and locked it.
She turned around. "Spill," she said.
"I never said I was going to tell you, Ginny. How many times do I have to tell you?"
"But you are going to tell me, aren't you?"
"Harry couldn't find a word to express her excitement; she was practically bouncing-off-the-walls-happy. Her eyes were dancing with anticipation, and she kept shifting from foot to foot. "Harry" was highly amused. Who would've thought his life meant this much to someone? Not him, obviously.
He had implied that once he trusted her, he'd tell her, in not so many words. And Potters always stuck to their word, right? That's what Sirius always said, though he usually said "A Black always stays true to his word" (which he rarely did, anyway). So "Harry" guessed he had no choice but to tell her.
"Don't keep me hanging, whoever you are! Are you going to tell me, or what?"
"Well, yes, but..."
TBC!!!
A/N: Muahaha. And that's all I have to say. Would you believe you don't ACTUALLY get to find out who he is until chapter 11?! Sorry...(BetaNote: you know you aren't, fess up! O.o)
Disclaimer: It's J.K's. Though "harry" is actually mine.
