Chapter Eight: The Talk
Harry waved to Hermione and then he prepared to run out the door to find Ginny, but he was immediately surrounded by the group of Gryffindors who had witnessed his kiss with Hermione.
"Nice going Harry!" Dean Thomas clapped him on the back.
"Thanks mate," Harry said rather distantly. He smiled briefly as other students congratulated him. He pushed his way through the crowd, and heard the first bell ring.
"See you in class guys," Harry said without looking back. He pushed open the heavy grand doors, and a flood of sunlight entered the corridor. It stung Harry's eyes, blinding him, and he could not make out Ginny. And of course her hair had to be red, which made it blend in with the brilliant sunlight.
"Oh boy. Where is she?" Harry sighed, and shielded his eyes with his hand. He swept his eyes across the grounds but didn't spot Ginny. He sighed in frustration, and tried to recall the place that Ron had once confided in him to be his sister's favorite thinking spot. "It's, oh yes, by that little willow by the great lake." Harry grinned. "For once my memory did not fail me."
Harry did indeed find Ginny sitting under the willow tree, and he started to regret what he was going to say to her, because she was crying.
"Ginny." He finally said softly.
"Go away Ron," Ginny snapped. "He never has liked me, and never will. Just don't tell him that I." Suddenly she looked up. Her face flushed scarlet when she recognized Harry staring at her. "Oh my God!"
"Ginny. It's okay. I already know." He took her hand in his upon seeing her eyes beginning to water again, threatening to spill over in a torrent of tears. "Ginny, you think you love me, but you really don't. You don't know me for me Ginny, you know me as the boy-who-lived. He is who you love and he is an illusion of me Ginny. I am not right for you."
He looked into her eyes, and his gaze implored her to accept what he had said.
"Harry, how?"
"Shhh." Harry handed her his handkerchief. "You grew up hearing about me, so you had the whole celebrity crush thing going. Of course I am not really a celebrity. I didn't do anything to stop Voldemort," he noticed that she flinched when he spoke the dark lord's name," when he tried to kill me as a baby."
"Harry, I guess you are right. I just, no one seems to like me in that way." She complained.
"Ginny that is bull and you know it," Harry squeezed her hand, and then spoke in a gentler tone, "I catch a lot of eyes on you all the time. You just have shunted them all to the side because you thought you loved me. Come on Ginny. Give any one of those fourth year Gryffindor guys a chance, and you'll have a boyfriend in no time."
Ginny smiled weakly. "Harry. Thanks for helping me come to my senses."
"Glad to help," Harry ruffled her ginger tresses. "Now I have to go to class. You ought to go to your's too."
Ginny gasped. "Oh bugger, I'm late!" she exclaimed.
"Hey I'll give you a note from me to give to."
"McGonagall. I've got transfiguration."
"To McGonagall saying I had to speak to you about Quidditch," Harry finished.
"Okay. Thanks Harry," she gladly took his note. Harry watched her long red hair streaming behind her as she ran to the castle. "Hey Harry!" Ginny called. "What about you?!"
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine Gin," Harry grinned at her and followed her into the castle. He met Hermione and Ron in History of Magic. After he explained to Professor Binns that he had been off on a prefect duty designated only for him, which was an incredibly lame excuse which Binns believed anyway, he slipped into his chair at the desk beside his girlfriend.
"Hey. Did you speak to her?" Hermione asked Harry.
Ron looked up, confused.
"Yeah. She's fine now." Harry grinned.
"Harry. I know I have been accusing you of being tactless lately, but actually you are incredibly sensitive." Hermione praised him. His hand slipped onto her knee and when Binns was looking the other direction he gave her a quick peck on the lips. Ron whacked Harry on the shoulder in an attempt to steal his attention.
"What?"
"Never mind," Ron hissed, because Binns was now looking at their side of the room. He decided to ask Harry what he and Hermione had been jabbering about after class.
***
Half an hour later the bell rang, and all the students sighed with relief to leave the stuffy classroom. Hermione swung her bag over her shoulder, and the two boys fetched their clean parchment from their desks as Binns reminded everyone about the upcoming exam on giant hunting.
Hermione watched as Harry and Ron picked up their blank rolls of parchment and felt the need to scold them. "You boys do know that you are intended to write notes about what Professor Binns says on those sheets, right?"
"Well we can always borrow yours before the exam Hermy," Ron winked at Harry.
"Not anymore you can't. That is cheating Ronald Weasley!"
"But at least you'll show me because." Harry grinned at her.
"Just because you are my boyfriend does not mean I will let you cheat off me Harry!" Hermione snapped, and she walked out of the room in a huff.
"Go after her mate," Ron hissed at Harry.
"Nah. She'll be fine soon Ron. It's best to just leave her alone when she is in such a state," Harry and Ron headed out of the room to their common room because it was break.
"Hey. What were you guys whispering about in class, mate?" asked Ron.
"Oh. Well a load of Gryffindors caught Herm and me making out in the main corridor, and Ginny was one of them. She was really upset so Mione sent me outside to speak to her. She seems to have realized that she wasn't in love with me, just some silly little crush."
Ron grinned. "Ahhh. I see where the sensitivity praises came in now." He clapped Harry's shoulder. "Nice going mate."
They then reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Password," she yawned.
"Mifla ruzco," Harry muttered.
"Wonderful Italian pronunciation boy, you have improved greatly since the year began," the Fat Lady praised Harry. She was learning Italian because a very handsome Italian man had moved into the portrait next to hers.
Ron stifled a snigger, and Harry hid his face from the Fat Lady. Only Hogwarts paintings would act so human like. Harry and Ron found Hermione sitting by the fire, she glowered at them both as they entered the common room.
Harry turned to Ron, "Let's go hide in our dormitory until she cools off mate."
"Good idea!" they scurried up to the fifth year boys' dormitory and flopped down onto their beds. Harry's arm crashed into Ron's chess set which had been placed haphazardly on his bedside table the night before.
"Bloody hell!" Harry clutched his arm. "Ow!"
"Sorry mate," Ron laughed. "Well we woke up the chessmen, maybe we ought to play since we roused them from their deep sleep."
"I guess so Ron," and Harry helped him set up the game on the floor. "Class in half an hour mate. We've got plenty of time."
The two had a grand time of it playing chess with no distractions. It was just like old times, before girls came into the picture; before Harry and Hermione confessed to be more than just friends. The two boys felt like they had accidentally used a time turner and were back in their first year, laughing and shouting like young boys.
Harry waved to Hermione and then he prepared to run out the door to find Ginny, but he was immediately surrounded by the group of Gryffindors who had witnessed his kiss with Hermione.
"Nice going Harry!" Dean Thomas clapped him on the back.
"Thanks mate," Harry said rather distantly. He smiled briefly as other students congratulated him. He pushed his way through the crowd, and heard the first bell ring.
"See you in class guys," Harry said without looking back. He pushed open the heavy grand doors, and a flood of sunlight entered the corridor. It stung Harry's eyes, blinding him, and he could not make out Ginny. And of course her hair had to be red, which made it blend in with the brilliant sunlight.
"Oh boy. Where is she?" Harry sighed, and shielded his eyes with his hand. He swept his eyes across the grounds but didn't spot Ginny. He sighed in frustration, and tried to recall the place that Ron had once confided in him to be his sister's favorite thinking spot. "It's, oh yes, by that little willow by the great lake." Harry grinned. "For once my memory did not fail me."
Harry did indeed find Ginny sitting under the willow tree, and he started to regret what he was going to say to her, because she was crying.
"Ginny." He finally said softly.
"Go away Ron," Ginny snapped. "He never has liked me, and never will. Just don't tell him that I." Suddenly she looked up. Her face flushed scarlet when she recognized Harry staring at her. "Oh my God!"
"Ginny. It's okay. I already know." He took her hand in his upon seeing her eyes beginning to water again, threatening to spill over in a torrent of tears. "Ginny, you think you love me, but you really don't. You don't know me for me Ginny, you know me as the boy-who-lived. He is who you love and he is an illusion of me Ginny. I am not right for you."
He looked into her eyes, and his gaze implored her to accept what he had said.
"Harry, how?"
"Shhh." Harry handed her his handkerchief. "You grew up hearing about me, so you had the whole celebrity crush thing going. Of course I am not really a celebrity. I didn't do anything to stop Voldemort," he noticed that she flinched when he spoke the dark lord's name," when he tried to kill me as a baby."
"Harry, I guess you are right. I just, no one seems to like me in that way." She complained.
"Ginny that is bull and you know it," Harry squeezed her hand, and then spoke in a gentler tone, "I catch a lot of eyes on you all the time. You just have shunted them all to the side because you thought you loved me. Come on Ginny. Give any one of those fourth year Gryffindor guys a chance, and you'll have a boyfriend in no time."
Ginny smiled weakly. "Harry. Thanks for helping me come to my senses."
"Glad to help," Harry ruffled her ginger tresses. "Now I have to go to class. You ought to go to your's too."
Ginny gasped. "Oh bugger, I'm late!" she exclaimed.
"Hey I'll give you a note from me to give to."
"McGonagall. I've got transfiguration."
"To McGonagall saying I had to speak to you about Quidditch," Harry finished.
"Okay. Thanks Harry," she gladly took his note. Harry watched her long red hair streaming behind her as she ran to the castle. "Hey Harry!" Ginny called. "What about you?!"
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine Gin," Harry grinned at her and followed her into the castle. He met Hermione and Ron in History of Magic. After he explained to Professor Binns that he had been off on a prefect duty designated only for him, which was an incredibly lame excuse which Binns believed anyway, he slipped into his chair at the desk beside his girlfriend.
"Hey. Did you speak to her?" Hermione asked Harry.
Ron looked up, confused.
"Yeah. She's fine now." Harry grinned.
"Harry. I know I have been accusing you of being tactless lately, but actually you are incredibly sensitive." Hermione praised him. His hand slipped onto her knee and when Binns was looking the other direction he gave her a quick peck on the lips. Ron whacked Harry on the shoulder in an attempt to steal his attention.
"What?"
"Never mind," Ron hissed, because Binns was now looking at their side of the room. He decided to ask Harry what he and Hermione had been jabbering about after class.
***
Half an hour later the bell rang, and all the students sighed with relief to leave the stuffy classroom. Hermione swung her bag over her shoulder, and the two boys fetched their clean parchment from their desks as Binns reminded everyone about the upcoming exam on giant hunting.
Hermione watched as Harry and Ron picked up their blank rolls of parchment and felt the need to scold them. "You boys do know that you are intended to write notes about what Professor Binns says on those sheets, right?"
"Well we can always borrow yours before the exam Hermy," Ron winked at Harry.
"Not anymore you can't. That is cheating Ronald Weasley!"
"But at least you'll show me because." Harry grinned at her.
"Just because you are my boyfriend does not mean I will let you cheat off me Harry!" Hermione snapped, and she walked out of the room in a huff.
"Go after her mate," Ron hissed at Harry.
"Nah. She'll be fine soon Ron. It's best to just leave her alone when she is in such a state," Harry and Ron headed out of the room to their common room because it was break.
"Hey. What were you guys whispering about in class, mate?" asked Ron.
"Oh. Well a load of Gryffindors caught Herm and me making out in the main corridor, and Ginny was one of them. She was really upset so Mione sent me outside to speak to her. She seems to have realized that she wasn't in love with me, just some silly little crush."
Ron grinned. "Ahhh. I see where the sensitivity praises came in now." He clapped Harry's shoulder. "Nice going mate."
They then reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Password," she yawned.
"Mifla ruzco," Harry muttered.
"Wonderful Italian pronunciation boy, you have improved greatly since the year began," the Fat Lady praised Harry. She was learning Italian because a very handsome Italian man had moved into the portrait next to hers.
Ron stifled a snigger, and Harry hid his face from the Fat Lady. Only Hogwarts paintings would act so human like. Harry and Ron found Hermione sitting by the fire, she glowered at them both as they entered the common room.
Harry turned to Ron, "Let's go hide in our dormitory until she cools off mate."
"Good idea!" they scurried up to the fifth year boys' dormitory and flopped down onto their beds. Harry's arm crashed into Ron's chess set which had been placed haphazardly on his bedside table the night before.
"Bloody hell!" Harry clutched his arm. "Ow!"
"Sorry mate," Ron laughed. "Well we woke up the chessmen, maybe we ought to play since we roused them from their deep sleep."
"I guess so Ron," and Harry helped him set up the game on the floor. "Class in half an hour mate. We've got plenty of time."
The two had a grand time of it playing chess with no distractions. It was just like old times, before girls came into the picture; before Harry and Hermione confessed to be more than just friends. The two boys felt like they had accidentally used a time turner and were back in their first year, laughing and shouting like young boys.