Authors Note: Thanks so much to all of my incredibly kind
reviewers! I really appreciate all of your comments, and I'll try to work
on making the story better. Sorry about the confusing beginning. I hope
you've managed to figure it out! It's my first fan fic, it's a learning
experience ;)
I own nothing but the plot. Thanks!
..........................................
When Harry awoke the next morning, his strange sensation of relief was still strong. He looked around the dormitory to see that he was alone, and concluded that everyone must be eating breakfast in the great hall. He dressed himself quickly in his robes, and hurried down to the empty common room. The fire was burning warmly and the room had an incredibly cozy feeling. It finally felt like autumn had come.
As he walked down the corridor towards the great hall, he couldn't help but wonder why he felt so excessively content. Ginny would hopefully be joining their 'group' again, but so what? His newfound sense of satisfaction could not be based solely on that fact. Or could it? No. 'It couldn't be' he convinced himself. It was because Neville and Luna would be returning today.
Students didn't often leave for Halloween, but during these times it was so good to see family again, they jumped at every opportunity. His friends would be back, and he would no longer be stuck listening to the ceaseless arguments that took place in their absence. Yes, that was why he felt so happy.
"Harry" called a dreamy voice from behind him. He turned to see the bobbing blonde hair of Luna Lovegood, a girl who had unexpectedly become one of his closest friends over the past few years. She was certainly an odd girl who was recognized by most as 'Loony Luna', but Harry had come to quite enjoy her company.
"Hello Luna!" he chirruped happily. "How was the vacation?"
"Oh lovely! It really was. Dad's been teaching me all about the maternal instincts of the Mackled Malaclaw. They're absolutely fascinating!" she replied, eyes wandering up to the ceiling and then back to Harry again. "I'm hungry" she added.
"Me too" Harry said, smiling to himself. Luna was a terribly random conversationalist. "How about we head to the Great Hall?" he asked.
"If you want to" she said, taking the lead and marching ahead of him down the hallway. "I'm in the mood for some chocolate chip pancakes myself, how about you?"
"That sure sounds good" he replied honestly.
They walked together down the hallway, parting ways only when they reached the Great hall. Without the slightest goodbye, Luna walked straight over to the Ravenclaw table. Harry stopped his hand mid-goodbye wave, giving up on ever having normal human interactions with her. She sure was crazy, but he'd come to not care in the slightest.
He spotted Hermione, Ron and Neville sitting at the far end of the hall, and headed in their direction. Ginny appeared to be absent, but he convinced himself that it didn't make a difference. She would come again when she was ready. He certainly hoped it was soon.
"Harry!" shouted Neville, as he sat down beside him. "Good to see you again mate!"
"You too Neville!" he said in a similar cheerful voice, grabbing a small bowl of fruit salad.
"Stop it!" Hermione suddenly giggled. Harry glanced up at her. She was grinning mischievously at Ron, who was finished his breakfast and scribbling onto a piece of parchment. Hermione was trying to pull his arm away from the parchment, but he was apparently determined to keep writing. The smile on his face spread from ear to ear.
"What's going on?" asked Harry, confused. They seemed to have forgotten their disagreements from the night before.
"Dear Krummykins" Ron read aloud. "It pains me to have to tell you this, but I've found someone new. I cannot continue to live a lie. My heart belongs to."
"RON! Don't you dare send that to him!" Hermione shrieked, but her tone was not upset. She was certainly enjoying Ron's joke, although she attempted (unsuccessfully) to disguise her voice with anger. "He'll know it's not me. I don't write like that".
"My deepest condolences" continued Ron, "I'll miss your Krummy face, and your Krummy quiddich skills. I'll even miss."
"Ronald Weasley you stop that now!" Hermione shrieked again.
Harry was astonished. Over night they had gone from fighting to this. It appeared to him as complete and total flirting, but what did he know? He had seen them behave like this over the years, but it never advanced to anything. Harry had always been positive that Ron cared for Hermione very strongly, but Hermione was harder to read. She was Harry's best friend, but no matter what, she was a girl. Girls were the one thing Harry just couldn't understand.
"Nutters they are" muttered Neville to Harry. "Right out of their minds!".
"For sure" Harry agreed, taking his last bite of breakfast and standing up. "I'm going to go and grab my school books. Class will be starting any minute"
"I'll come too" said Neville, and they headed out of the Great hall, glancing back as Ron laughed loudly. They marched back up to the common room, and prepared themselves for the first class of the day.
.................................
Ginny did not join them for dinner that night, nor was she in the common room when Harry headed up to bed early again. He had hoped to chat with her, but she seemed to have disappeared completely.
He sat himself down on the common room couch, trying to decide where she could be. Drifting into his thoughts, he did not notice her enter the room with her arms full of books.
"YIKES!" he yelled as he flew up to his feet. A pile of books had just magically landed with a thump beside him, scaring him half to death.
"Sorry to scare you Harry!" said Ginny, smiling with her ever sweet smile, and staring up at him from her seat on the couch. "I thought you heard me come in"
"It's alright" he said shakily, trying to think straight again. He found himself abruptly at a loss for words as he saw Ginny's hair shining in the light of the fire, and her eyes twinkling softly. His stomach churned unexpectedly, with a frighteningly familiar feeling.
"I just got back from the library. I discovered a whole new section that I'd never even noticed before! Look at this!" she said, holding up 'Where there's a wand, there's a way'. "It's written by one of my favorite authors"
"Uh.um." he said, slowly recollecting his composure. "Why did you need so many books?" he said stupidly.
"Oh they're not all for me silly! They're for Hermione! I like books, but not that much" she said with a very Weasley-esque chuckle. "You can sit back down Harry" she added. "I don't bite."
At those words his stomach churned again, and he found himself completely unable to bend his knees. What on earth was going on? 'It's just Ginny' he thought. 'Little Ginny Weasley, Ron's sweet little sister'. His thoughts were horribly un-comforting, and he heard himself saying "I think I better just go to bed".
He did not hear her goodnight as he hurried up the stairs, and he did not see her watching him leave. As he crawled into bed, he did not see 'little Ginny Weasley' collecting her books and sighing before heading up to bed. He also didn't see the tear trickling down her face.
I own nothing but the plot. Thanks!
..........................................
When Harry awoke the next morning, his strange sensation of relief was still strong. He looked around the dormitory to see that he was alone, and concluded that everyone must be eating breakfast in the great hall. He dressed himself quickly in his robes, and hurried down to the empty common room. The fire was burning warmly and the room had an incredibly cozy feeling. It finally felt like autumn had come.
As he walked down the corridor towards the great hall, he couldn't help but wonder why he felt so excessively content. Ginny would hopefully be joining their 'group' again, but so what? His newfound sense of satisfaction could not be based solely on that fact. Or could it? No. 'It couldn't be' he convinced himself. It was because Neville and Luna would be returning today.
Students didn't often leave for Halloween, but during these times it was so good to see family again, they jumped at every opportunity. His friends would be back, and he would no longer be stuck listening to the ceaseless arguments that took place in their absence. Yes, that was why he felt so happy.
"Harry" called a dreamy voice from behind him. He turned to see the bobbing blonde hair of Luna Lovegood, a girl who had unexpectedly become one of his closest friends over the past few years. She was certainly an odd girl who was recognized by most as 'Loony Luna', but Harry had come to quite enjoy her company.
"Hello Luna!" he chirruped happily. "How was the vacation?"
"Oh lovely! It really was. Dad's been teaching me all about the maternal instincts of the Mackled Malaclaw. They're absolutely fascinating!" she replied, eyes wandering up to the ceiling and then back to Harry again. "I'm hungry" she added.
"Me too" Harry said, smiling to himself. Luna was a terribly random conversationalist. "How about we head to the Great Hall?" he asked.
"If you want to" she said, taking the lead and marching ahead of him down the hallway. "I'm in the mood for some chocolate chip pancakes myself, how about you?"
"That sure sounds good" he replied honestly.
They walked together down the hallway, parting ways only when they reached the Great hall. Without the slightest goodbye, Luna walked straight over to the Ravenclaw table. Harry stopped his hand mid-goodbye wave, giving up on ever having normal human interactions with her. She sure was crazy, but he'd come to not care in the slightest.
He spotted Hermione, Ron and Neville sitting at the far end of the hall, and headed in their direction. Ginny appeared to be absent, but he convinced himself that it didn't make a difference. She would come again when she was ready. He certainly hoped it was soon.
"Harry!" shouted Neville, as he sat down beside him. "Good to see you again mate!"
"You too Neville!" he said in a similar cheerful voice, grabbing a small bowl of fruit salad.
"Stop it!" Hermione suddenly giggled. Harry glanced up at her. She was grinning mischievously at Ron, who was finished his breakfast and scribbling onto a piece of parchment. Hermione was trying to pull his arm away from the parchment, but he was apparently determined to keep writing. The smile on his face spread from ear to ear.
"What's going on?" asked Harry, confused. They seemed to have forgotten their disagreements from the night before.
"Dear Krummykins" Ron read aloud. "It pains me to have to tell you this, but I've found someone new. I cannot continue to live a lie. My heart belongs to."
"RON! Don't you dare send that to him!" Hermione shrieked, but her tone was not upset. She was certainly enjoying Ron's joke, although she attempted (unsuccessfully) to disguise her voice with anger. "He'll know it's not me. I don't write like that".
"My deepest condolences" continued Ron, "I'll miss your Krummy face, and your Krummy quiddich skills. I'll even miss."
"Ronald Weasley you stop that now!" Hermione shrieked again.
Harry was astonished. Over night they had gone from fighting to this. It appeared to him as complete and total flirting, but what did he know? He had seen them behave like this over the years, but it never advanced to anything. Harry had always been positive that Ron cared for Hermione very strongly, but Hermione was harder to read. She was Harry's best friend, but no matter what, she was a girl. Girls were the one thing Harry just couldn't understand.
"Nutters they are" muttered Neville to Harry. "Right out of their minds!".
"For sure" Harry agreed, taking his last bite of breakfast and standing up. "I'm going to go and grab my school books. Class will be starting any minute"
"I'll come too" said Neville, and they headed out of the Great hall, glancing back as Ron laughed loudly. They marched back up to the common room, and prepared themselves for the first class of the day.
.................................
Ginny did not join them for dinner that night, nor was she in the common room when Harry headed up to bed early again. He had hoped to chat with her, but she seemed to have disappeared completely.
He sat himself down on the common room couch, trying to decide where she could be. Drifting into his thoughts, he did not notice her enter the room with her arms full of books.
"YIKES!" he yelled as he flew up to his feet. A pile of books had just magically landed with a thump beside him, scaring him half to death.
"Sorry to scare you Harry!" said Ginny, smiling with her ever sweet smile, and staring up at him from her seat on the couch. "I thought you heard me come in"
"It's alright" he said shakily, trying to think straight again. He found himself abruptly at a loss for words as he saw Ginny's hair shining in the light of the fire, and her eyes twinkling softly. His stomach churned unexpectedly, with a frighteningly familiar feeling.
"I just got back from the library. I discovered a whole new section that I'd never even noticed before! Look at this!" she said, holding up 'Where there's a wand, there's a way'. "It's written by one of my favorite authors"
"Uh.um." he said, slowly recollecting his composure. "Why did you need so many books?" he said stupidly.
"Oh they're not all for me silly! They're for Hermione! I like books, but not that much" she said with a very Weasley-esque chuckle. "You can sit back down Harry" she added. "I don't bite."
At those words his stomach churned again, and he found himself completely unable to bend his knees. What on earth was going on? 'It's just Ginny' he thought. 'Little Ginny Weasley, Ron's sweet little sister'. His thoughts were horribly un-comforting, and he heard himself saying "I think I better just go to bed".
He did not hear her goodnight as he hurried up the stairs, and he did not see her watching him leave. As he crawled into bed, he did not see 'little Ginny Weasley' collecting her books and sighing before heading up to bed. He also didn't see the tear trickling down her face.