Overriding Jealousy

Chapter Three

Whales and Confessions

"Get out of here Pig!  This is important," Ron said angrily chucking his owl into his room and shutting the door.  "Harry's downstairs," Ron said to Hedwig.  She spread her wings and flew down the stairs.

"You've gone mad Fred you really have," George said glaring at Fred.

"Why all of the sudden?  You haven't seen her since last summer.  How can you decide that you love her?" Ron burst out.

"Well, last summer I noticed something.  I noticed that she had changed.  Not just her appearance, which mind you is very attractive these days, but her personality.  She's more fun, and easy going.  She's dropped the bossy know-it-all attitude.  I love her," Fred explained.  Ron snorted when Fred said, "She's dropped the bossy know-it-all attitude." 

"Alright fine.  But will you at least say something to her?  I'm getting really sick of you saying stuff in your sleep," George said.

"Well, I'm going to ask her to spend the day at the joke shop tomorrow," Fred told George.

"I don't care.  Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a letter to read," Ron muttered walking away towards his room.

Meanwhile down in the kitchen.

"Harry!  Look, it's Hedwig," Hermione burst out pointing towards Hedwig flying down the stairs.

"Oh, I wonder who's writing to me," Harry said grabbing the letter.  He opened it to find neat writing.  A girl's handwriting.

Dear Harry,

Hi, it's Cho Chang.  How are you doing?  I was just wondering if you could come see me tomorrow in Hogesmead.  I've got something very important to tell you.  Say around 1 o' clock tomorrow afternoon in front of Honeydukes?  Oh and I bet you're wondering how I found Hedwig.  She was flying over my village back to you, and I caught up with her and gave her this.

Love,

Cho

What would Cho have to tell Harry?  Of course, Harry had a crush on Cho since his third year.  Cho was a year ahead of him, and she had become the seeker for Japan.  And why on earth did she sign the letter Love, Cho?

Meanwhile up in Ron's room

"Come on Pig, give me the letter," Ron said.  He took the letter out of Pig's beak.  Ron stared wide-eyed at the envelope.  It had the Whale's quidditch team crest in the corner.  Ron ripped open the envelope.  It read:

Dear Mr. Ronald Weasley,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been offered the opportunity to be signed to the Whale's Quidditch team as our keeper.  The team has been searching for a while, and all of them like the way you play.  Please sign the forms enclosed.  Oh and welcome to the team!

Signed,

Dylan Bradman

Team Captain and Head Chaser

Player: Ronald Weasley

Position: Keeper

Pay: Around 100,000 to 400,000 galleons a year

Sign below to confirm your membership to the team.

X_________________________________

"BLOODY HELL!  MUM, FRED, GEORGE, HARRY, HERMIONE COME LOOK AT THIS!"

The next day

It was a very cold and windy day in Hogesmead.  Harry walked down the windy street looking for Cho.  He spotted her standing outside Honeydukes.

"Hi Harry!  How are you doing?  I heard you're becoming an auror," Cho said, greeting him.

"I'm pretty good," Harry replied.

"Err…um…. well…. let's go into the Three Broomsticks shall we?  We can talk there," Cho said going rather red.  She led Harry down the street and into the Three Broomsticks.  She bought Harry and herself a butterbeer.  Then she led him over to a table.  They sat down.

"So…what were you going to tell me?" Harry asked curiously.

"Oh…well…I don't r-really…know h-how….t-to say this," she said nervously going very red.  Harry just looked back at her with a puzzled look.  Cho took a deep breath and began to talk.

"Well…in you fifth year and my sixth year, we tried going out.  I really liked you Harry, but it was hard because of Cedric.  Being around you just reminded me so much of him.  So we went out separate ways.  I dated other people, graduated, and started playing for Japan.  The one thing is, is that I never stopped thinking about you.  What I'm really saying is that I…I love you," Cho explained.  She turned pleading eyes to Harry.  He was lost for words.  Finally, Harry found the courage to speak.

"I love you, too Cho," Harry said grinning.  Cho smiled back.  Then, they got up and went to Cho's apartment.

*~*~*

Ron sat down on his bed and stared at the clock.  12 a.m.  Where the ruddy hell was Harry?  He had rushed out the door to meet Cho without paying the least bit attention to Ron's letter.  Hermione, Mrs. Wealsey, Fred, and George had been thrilled to hear about Ron's being accepted on the Whales quidditch team.  Hermione had even pulled Ron into a hug, apologizing for being so mean and saying that he wouldn't be signed on to their team.  Ron's ears went red when this happened.  Yet it was so….POP!

Ron's thoughts were interrupted by someone apparating into the room next door.  Ron knew that it was most definitely Harry.  Ron crept into the room.

"WHERE THE RUDDY HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" he yelled immediately.

"I met up with Cho," Harry said with a dreamy smile on his face.

"And…?" Ron replied.

"Well," Harry started explaining the whole story," …and then we went back to her apartment, and you know hung out.  We accidentally fell asleep, and here I am now."

"Oh, sure…. you accidentally fell asleep!  You missed something very important Harry," Ron said looking very hurt.

"What did I miss?" Harry questioned curiously.

"Maybe I shouldn't even tell you now," Ron said rather stubbornly.

"Oh, come on Ron.  I'm sorry I was out…it was a total mistake," Harry said, trying to sound convincing.  Ron just crossed his arms over his chest.  "Please Ron?  You do realize, that this is our last summer together right?"

"Fine.  Well, I got signed to Whales Harry!  Isn't that great:" Ron said grinning, forgetting his anger almost instantly.

"That's brilliant!  Oh, how did Hermione's day go with Fred?" Harry asked.

"That…" Ron said looking hurt.  He sighed.  "Well, Fred asked Hermione out…"

"And…?" Harry questioned.

"She said yes," Ron finished looking extremely hurt.

"Ron…I'm so sorry…" Harry said.

Sixth year, June 16 Gryffindor Common Room

"Who am I kidding myself Harry?" Ron said running his hands through his hair.

"What do you mean Ron?" Harry asked.

"You know," Ron said.

"What?" Harry asked again.

"Me and Lynzi…" Ron muttered.

"Come again?" Harry said, looking rather confused.  Ron just groaned.

"Harry, you know I like Hermione!  I have since that very first day on the train!  I don't even know why I agreed to go out with Lynzi when she asked me out!  Do you realize that when she finds this out, I mean if she does, that she'll be heart broken?" Ron said.  Harry sat deep in thought for a moment.  Then he saw someone standing on the balcony at the top of the staircase.  With a swoosh of blonde hair, the person turned around and came down the stairs.

"If she finds out?  I'm afraid she already has…" Lynzi said appearing at the bottom of the staircase with tears in her eyes.

"Lynzi," Ron said looking rather surprised," I-I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry isn't good enough you jerk," Lynzi screamed.  And with tears streaming down her face, she ran up to the girl's dormitory.

Back to the present

The next morning while Harry and Ron were at the breakfast table, Hermione and Fred came down the stairs holding hands.  Fred pulled Hermione's chair out for her.  Ron snorted.  Obviously, he was pretending to be disgusted with this.  Because, deep down inside, both Harry and Ron knew that Ron loved Hermione.

"Oh I can't wait to go back to the joke shop today," Hermione gushed at Fred.

"You can come in anytime you want darling," Fred said.  George snorted.  20 minutes later, George stood up.

"Well, we best be off," he said looking at Fred.

"Right.  Coming dear?" Fred asked Hermione.

"Surely," Hermione said gigging a little.  The three of them stood up, and apparated with a POP, into Diagon Alley.  Ron groaned.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Ron asked.

"Go to quidditch practice and take your mind off things," Harry replied.

"Oh yea…that will be oh so easy with Lynzi hanging around," Ron complained.

"Just go," Harry said.  At this, Ron apparated away to the Whales Quidditch Stadium.  Harry then hastily stood up and apparated away to Cho's apartment.

*~*~*

Fred walked into the joke shop that morning with Hermione clung onto his arm.  Lauren, and Michelle happened to be there looking around.  Lauren was looking forward to talking to Fred again.  She stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of Fred and Hermione.  Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shoved Fred out of the way, and ran into the streets.  Michelle looking rather worried ran after her.  Fred looked very puzzled, but continued on through the store grinning at Hermione.

*~*~*

Ron arrived at quidditch practice looking rather depressed.  Lauren was late, and Dylan was throwing a fit.

"SHE DEVOTED HERSELF TO THIS TEAM BY SIGNING A FORM!  SHE ISN'T HERE ON TIME, AND THAT IS PART OF SIGNING THE FORM!  WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HER I WILL RING HER SKINNY LITTLE NECK," Dylan burst out looking very angry.

"Take a chill pill dude.  She's just a little late," Lynzi said.

"CUT THE AMERICAN SHIT," he yelled.

"It's the way I talk…DEAL WITH IT YOU BASTA-"

But the POP of someone apparating onto the field interrupted her.  It was Michelle.

"Oh sorry!  Well, I just came to let you know that Lauren is…err…sick," she said.

"There that settles it," Lynzi said, shooting an angry glare at Dylan.  Dylan threw his arms in the air and called on of the benchwarmer chasers over.

"You're up, but just for this practice," he muttered.

Later after practice

"Ron are you okay?  You look really depressed," Lynzi said.  This was the first time she had actually spoken to him since that one night in the common room a year ago.  Ron looked up at her very surprised.  Then he instantly went red.

"Yes. Well…it's just…" he stammered.

"Go on," Lynzi said looking very sympathetic.

"Hermione's going out with Fred," he said hanging his head low.

"Oh Ron!  I'm so sorry!  If there's anything I can do-"

"No it's fine…" Ron interrupted her.  He then apparated back into the Wealsey's kitchen.

*~*~*

Mrs. Wealsey was busying herself in the kitchen once again making dinner.  She walked past the broom closet, and heard a rustling inside it.  She stared at the door looking very puzzled.  She then pulled out her wand, and opened the door cautiously.  She then let out a very loud shriek.

"OH MY!  FRED, HERMIONE?"