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Chapter 12
Ginny ran up to her room to freshen up. She was very relieved that the infection on her nose had had cleared up completely. She opened the bathroom door in her room and walked into her bathroom, and saw someone familiar. The medicine (er--potions) cabinet closed abruptly.
"Uh, hi, Ginny!" he said nervously. "Ron said I could use this bathroom for a second. I'm sorry. I didn't think you would mind. The other ones were occupied."
"No, it's okay! I don't mind!" she said instantly. She was a tad suspicious of why he was really there, though. There was an awkward pause as they made eye contact, and Harry turned to leave.
"Well, it was nice seeing you!" he said gleefully as he opened the door to the hallway.
"Yeah," she said, and as the door closed, "I'll see you downstairs in a bit!"
Her heart wasn't racing as she thought it would when she would finally see him again, but she was still animated. He looks really good in Muggle clothing. And those piercing green eyes! And the way he said my name!
"But why was he in my bathroom? I'm sure it would be the last one he would choose to use if he was telling the truth." She said out loud, and once again, not keen in who might be hearing her. But who cares?, she thought. "I love him."
Ginny applied a diminutive amount of blush to her face, and she decided that she was set—still against jinxing herself like she did in her dream. She went downstairs and out onto the garden where everyone was sitting. She was one of the last to arrive. Fred and George apparated onto the scene and sat down next to her. Lee Jordan appeared not too shortly.
Suddenly, large serving bowls and platters appeared in front of everyone sitting at the table. Ron dug into his turkey leg and stuffing as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley drank their firewhiskey. Everyone was eating, drinking and talking merrily.
Fred and George were telling Lee about a fizzy drink that they're working on which makes a person say swear words every time they burp. Mrs. Weasley would have frowned upon the idea—as she did with any other experiments they came up with—but she was too busy listening to Ron rave about the Solar System.
Ginny was sitting across from Harry. It was so awkward for her that she kept staring down at her plate of food, and kept adding more food even if she was getting full. You can do this, she thought. You're not 11 anymore. She finally looked up and noticed that Harry was staring at her. He smiled and blushed.
"So I heard you went to America?" she finally broke.
Relieved at the opportunity to speak, Harry replied, "Yes, I went to Texas."
"Oh," she said, "Is America in Texas?"
Harry gave a shy laugh and started to explain to her about the States.
"Fascinating," she echoed Mr. Weasley. She wasn't the least bit interested, but at least she was talking to Harry.
"I might go insane if I was surrounded by American Muggles."
"Yeah, I almost did. Everyone kept on staring at me like I was an alien."
"Alien?" Ron said.
Mrs. Weasley turned her head in Harry's direction. "Was it because of your scar, dear?"
"No, it was because I was British!"
All in all, the feast was lively and went well. Everyone was stuffed, but still had room for éclairs. People were still talkative, but Ginny could hear George talking quietly to Fred and Lee about the Extendable Ears, and that's when she realized that she left them and the Transpectacles in the attic.
Ginny got up and pulled Fred and George aside. "When I left the attic, I left the Extendable Ears--"
"Deluxe Edition!" George and Fred chimed in. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"I left those and the Transpectacles in the attic!"
"So what? You can get them later." Fred said.
"Yes, but I'm not sure if Ron or Harry got to them first." she said as Fred and George looked confused. "I didn't tell you, but when I was watching and listening in the attic, they were talking about how peculiar we were today, and they think that we're up to something. They said they would sneak into the attic with Harry's invisibility cloak."
George smiled and said, "Is that all?"
"What do you mean?" Ginny asked. "Aren't you worried that they found the stuff there?"
"No, later today, we apparated into Ron's closet, and heard them talking." Fred explained.
George chimed in, "We heard them talk about us, and when they were about to leave to the attic, we disapparated from the closet and returned in front of both of them."
"Ron was annoyed, but we told them that they could help us out at the store today," said Fred.
"They were more than happy too! So we know that they never went in the attic." George assured.
Ginny was relieved. "I better go up there before they actually get to the attic, though!" She went inside the house, and walked hurriedly up the stairs. She ascended up the last staircase and made her way into the attic.
"That ghoul better has not have messed with my things!" she said loud enough for the ghoul to hear her.
"I wouldn't touch anything that has been in your mudblood hands!" yelled the ghoul.
"I'm not a mudblood!" she shouted, and then added, "And even if I was, it wouldn't matter!" She looked around and found her place on the floor she previously occupied. The Extendable Ears and Transpectacles were still on the ground. She picked them up and attempted to leave, but she decided to have another look through the floor into Ron's room. She placed the Transpectacles on her face, and saw no one.
"Oh, well," she said, and was about to take them off until she saw a door open. Ron and Harry entered the bedroom. "Oh, hello!"
"Eavesdropper!" yelled the ghoul as a terra-cotta pot was thrown, but Ginny took no notice as it barely landed an inch before her feet. She sat down and gazed into the room below her.
"All this eating made me--" Ron yawned, "really tired."
"Me too." Harry stretched, and sat on a Chudley Cannons rug on the floor. "It's rather premature to go to bed, too."
"Yeah, but we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," said Ron, as if he ever cared about his own well-being.
"We should practice some Quidditch moves first." Harry said.
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "I can't bare making a fool out of myself anymore next term."
"But you redeemed yourself at the last match."
"Right, but it will take a lot more than that to make it into the British and Irish league."
"Ron, I thought you wanted to be an Auror like me."
"I still do, but this will be for fun!"
"You know what? Me too!"
"You can be Seeker for Ballycastle Bats!"
"I don't know about that, but you can be Keeper for Kenmare."
"Rather not. What about you be Seeker for—let me think, the Falcons?"
"Everyone makes fun of them. And with my luck, I'll end up with Malfoy on the team as well."
"The only way for him to be worthy to be on any team would be if he was the water-boy." Ron laughed. "And if you don't want to be made fun of, join the Tornados."
"No, I heard they have a ritual of eating flobberworms before every match."
"True, and besides, everyone is obsessed with the Tutshill Tornados. You don't want anymore attention."
"I don't like the Tornados anyway."
"Really? Why?"
"Because Cho Chang likes them."
Ron laughed and blew out his candle, "The Chudley Cannons are a better team anyway."
"I don't like them either."
"WHY NOT?!"
"Because Chudley rhymes with Dudley."
"Oh," there was a slight pause and then Ron decided to reminisce about the food served in the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
Ginny got bored, but she might have found their Quidditch conversation the least bit amusing. She was hoping that they would bring something else up.
"So what are we going to do tomorrow about Ginny, Fred, and George?" Harry asked. If nothing else sparked Ginny's interest, this definitely did.
"We never made it into the attic today. I think they're keeping something there. I also have a feeling that they think we may know something," Ron responded, "Didn't you see that Ginny gave up the whole sick act?"
"Well, you aren't going to find anything except for a rotten ghoul," Ginny said under her breath.
"I heard that, mudblood!" the ghoul shouted and a crate fell over.
"She was sick?" Harry said. Ron understood that he probably wouldn't have remembered much from his sugar quill high.
"She wasn't really sick. She was pretending to have Dragon Pox."
"Perhaps she thought she had Dragon Pox."
"No, she knows what Dragon Pox looks like. We've been to St. Mungo's a couple times and it is not much of a great thing to have. It's probably worse than Superpox, eh, Harry?"
"What?" Harry asked, puzzled, "Oh, I think I remember that." They both laughed. "I think I'm sticking to Bertie Botts and chocolate frogs from now on."
"Don't forget Honeydukes chocolate!"
"I wonder what Ginny would have done if I offered her some." Apparently, chocolate was a noble wizard cure for many sicknesses.
"That's weird."
"What's weird?"
"It's weird how you say my sister's name. Ginny. You say it like you're in some trance."
"No, I don't. I say it like I say 'Fang' or 'Biscuit'. "
"I recall that you've fancied Fang and biscuits."
"Yes, but I'm not in love with them."
"Who said anything about love?"
"Shut it, Ron!" Harry snapped.
Ron laughed and said, "Anyway, I say we call it a night. Let's revise a plan tomorrow. It's not hard for Fred and George to keep anything from me or you."
"But we need to have figured something out by tomorrow night because Hermione will be here." Harry advised.
"We will, don't worry. You little 'Biscuit' won't know what hit her!"
"I said, shut it, Ron!"
Ginny figured that the show was over so she took the Transpectacles off, arose from her default space on the floor, and left the attic. There was a dazed grin on her face as she departed. They're never going to find anything out as long as they don't see these, she thought as she held on to the Transpectacles and the Extendable Ears.
She walked down to her room and a blissful feeling enthralled over her. She felt as nothing could go wrong during Harry's stay and that there was much more to approach. She felt as if something was going to happen soon, even if she didn't know what it was, but it was a lovely feeling.