I closed my door and let out a little squeal, "Can you believe it?! They actually got it! And on their own, too! I thought for sure I was going to have to..." I stopped when I saw Harry's face. He looked happy for his friends, but there was something more.
"What is it, Harry?" I asked gently. He took on a look of shame and embarassment while he looked at his mud-speckled laces as if they were the most intriguing things in the world.
Then it clicked, "You're afraid Hermione and Ron are going to exclude you." It wasn't a question, it was a fact.
I looked at Harry then. And I think it was the first time I had really seen him. The real Harry Potter. Not The Boy Who Lived, not an amazing Seeker, not hero extraordinare, but Harry. Just Harry. I have been in love with a boy I hadn't even known. I'd been in love with a fantasy. But right then I saw him, and I loved him more.
I pushed Harry back to where he sat on my bed and sat down beside him and said, "Harry, things are going to be different, yes, but Ron and Hermione love you, and they're not going to exclude you entirely. That's for certain. You're The Trio, they can't get on without you and you without them. But when they do want some privacy, you have Neville, Dean, Seamus... You have a lot of people. You have me..." I was so proud; I hadn't blushed! "and I will always be here, I promise. Any time you ever want to talk, or even if you just want me to sit with you and stare at the wall, I'll do it. You know, if you look hard enough you can see shapes in the bumps of the walls. I'm a very talented wall examiner. I have lots of practice." That made Harry laugh.
"Gin, I can't intrude on you like that. You have friends, too..." he said shyly, still intrigued by those laces.
"None as interesting as the Harry Potter. No, my friends babble incessantly on and on about stupid petty things. In fact, if you ever see me and you have the time, rescue me from them. You play the hero part well, you can do it." I said with a smirk. Harry looked up at me, finally, and grinned.
"Thanks...Ginevra..." he added, his grin widening.
"Oh no, you heard that didn't you. Ugh..." I flopped on my back and put my hands over my face. It was at this moment that I realized Harry and I were in a room...no one there...a bedroom...on a bed...together.... I then threatened my blood to go anywhere but North.
Harry was just laughing at me. I couldn't remember why and then I realised, Oh yeah, my name. I looked through my fingers and glared at him.
"You tell a single soul and I swear, I'll kill you and make it look like a complete accident," I warned.
"Secret's safe with me Gin, I swear," he said, and I believed him. He wouldn't tell anyone.
"I'm satisfied. So are you okay now?" I asked tentatively.
"Actually, I'm feeling much better. Thank you, Ginny..."
He looked into my eyes and it was then that I realised how close we were. I expected him to break the gaze, or start a new conversation, but when he didn't my heart went three times it's normal pace. I really wanted to look away, but I couldn't pull myself away from his emerald eyes even if a whole herd of Hippogriffs were rampaging towards me. He just kept looking at me and I swear I thought I'd faint if he didn't look away quite soon.
"Ginny..." Harry whispered softly.
The tenderness in his voice was about to kill me, I could feel it. Was he leaning closer?! Oh God, he can't, but he doesn't...
"You don't..." I choked out. Yeah. That made sense.
"I don't...?" Harry asked, pulling a bit away and looking utterly confused.
"But, do you maybe?" I kept rambling. Why couldn't I stop?! Harry looked ever more bewildered and I just knew I was going to scare him off. Go, run little guy. Save yourself. Run from the crazy witch...
"I mean, I know that you don't. Nevermind, this is just silly. I'm Ron's little sister right? Possible friend, but to hope for anything more and I'm doomed, it's how it has always been. How it always will be...right? I mean, after four years, I kinda got the hint, you know? So you don't have to like, pretend or anything... It's alright if you don't want to..." I said, making wild hand gestures (that I was sure had Harry fearing for his glasses) throughout the whole non-comprehensive speech and talking so fast he might not have even heard me. Maybe I'm just being stupid and nothing was happening.
Harry sat there looking like he was trying to find the pattern to the mathematical sequence of Pi.
"Ginny, I'm sorry but, what the hell?"
I exhaled largely, "Well, you know... I mean Harry, I still have feelings for you, but it's completely alright if you don't have them for me. I know you don't, in fact. And I've learned to accept it really. Because...I have."
And then I said "I'm going to see if dinner is ready." and left. I left. Can you believe I left?! Well, I did. Went right out the door. Not even a second glance.
I made my way down the stairs to the kitchen with Harry close on my heels whispering loudly, "Ginny! Ginny, wait!" but I pretended I hadn't heard him until I was safely in the kitchen and everyone else was there. I knew Harry wouldn't say a thing in front of everyone else. And I was right. We sat down right next to each other and made pleasant conversation. He kept giving me looks but I would just smile brightly at him and return to eating my stew. Ron and Hermione were quite dreamy looking, seated across from one another. Hermione was right next to Mum (who was throwing glares at me like they were daggers) and at one point asked, "Mrs. Weasley, what were your wedding vows?" Everyone was slightly taken aback from the question, but not too much surprised or anything. A young girl asking an older woman about her wedding isn't too uncommon, you know. But Ron, the obvious git, started choking on his drink.
His eyes were very watered and red from lack of oxygen when he asked Hermione, "Whaddya wanna know that for?!"
Hermione looked at him like he was a derranged animal and answered, "I'm curious, Ron!" Then she turned her attention back to Mrs. Weasley while Ron looked horrified. Mr. Weasley and Remus looked sympathetic for Ron but found this all quite funny. I thought he was being ridiculous, she just wanted to know.
"Well dear, mine were," and then recited them word for word.
Hermione obviously approved and said, "Those are lovely."
Dinner went on without any thing more of great importance after that. Harry's eyes always wandered and seemed to rest on me. I think I said something wrong, he was obviously anxious to talk to me. But him and I talked on about silly things, like why a cauldron is called as such. It felt good to goof off and be a kid with no worries of Voldemort hanging about at the moment. I have always hated myself when I would say "You-Know-Who". It was so cowardly. But that's what I had grown up hearing. After meeting Harry and hearing him say it, it was much easier. He gave me the courage to do it. He's given me the courage to do a lot of things. God knows he's got enough to go around...
"What is it, Harry?" I asked gently. He took on a look of shame and embarassment while he looked at his mud-speckled laces as if they were the most intriguing things in the world.
Then it clicked, "You're afraid Hermione and Ron are going to exclude you." It wasn't a question, it was a fact.
I looked at Harry then. And I think it was the first time I had really seen him. The real Harry Potter. Not The Boy Who Lived, not an amazing Seeker, not hero extraordinare, but Harry. Just Harry. I have been in love with a boy I hadn't even known. I'd been in love with a fantasy. But right then I saw him, and I loved him more.
I pushed Harry back to where he sat on my bed and sat down beside him and said, "Harry, things are going to be different, yes, but Ron and Hermione love you, and they're not going to exclude you entirely. That's for certain. You're The Trio, they can't get on without you and you without them. But when they do want some privacy, you have Neville, Dean, Seamus... You have a lot of people. You have me..." I was so proud; I hadn't blushed! "and I will always be here, I promise. Any time you ever want to talk, or even if you just want me to sit with you and stare at the wall, I'll do it. You know, if you look hard enough you can see shapes in the bumps of the walls. I'm a very talented wall examiner. I have lots of practice." That made Harry laugh.
"Gin, I can't intrude on you like that. You have friends, too..." he said shyly, still intrigued by those laces.
"None as interesting as the Harry Potter. No, my friends babble incessantly on and on about stupid petty things. In fact, if you ever see me and you have the time, rescue me from them. You play the hero part well, you can do it." I said with a smirk. Harry looked up at me, finally, and grinned.
"Thanks...Ginevra..." he added, his grin widening.
"Oh no, you heard that didn't you. Ugh..." I flopped on my back and put my hands over my face. It was at this moment that I realized Harry and I were in a room...no one there...a bedroom...on a bed...together.... I then threatened my blood to go anywhere but North.
Harry was just laughing at me. I couldn't remember why and then I realised, Oh yeah, my name. I looked through my fingers and glared at him.
"You tell a single soul and I swear, I'll kill you and make it look like a complete accident," I warned.
"Secret's safe with me Gin, I swear," he said, and I believed him. He wouldn't tell anyone.
"I'm satisfied. So are you okay now?" I asked tentatively.
"Actually, I'm feeling much better. Thank you, Ginny..."
He looked into my eyes and it was then that I realised how close we were. I expected him to break the gaze, or start a new conversation, but when he didn't my heart went three times it's normal pace. I really wanted to look away, but I couldn't pull myself away from his emerald eyes even if a whole herd of Hippogriffs were rampaging towards me. He just kept looking at me and I swear I thought I'd faint if he didn't look away quite soon.
"Ginny..." Harry whispered softly.
The tenderness in his voice was about to kill me, I could feel it. Was he leaning closer?! Oh God, he can't, but he doesn't...
"You don't..." I choked out. Yeah. That made sense.
"I don't...?" Harry asked, pulling a bit away and looking utterly confused.
"But, do you maybe?" I kept rambling. Why couldn't I stop?! Harry looked ever more bewildered and I just knew I was going to scare him off. Go, run little guy. Save yourself. Run from the crazy witch...
"I mean, I know that you don't. Nevermind, this is just silly. I'm Ron's little sister right? Possible friend, but to hope for anything more and I'm doomed, it's how it has always been. How it always will be...right? I mean, after four years, I kinda got the hint, you know? So you don't have to like, pretend or anything... It's alright if you don't want to..." I said, making wild hand gestures (that I was sure had Harry fearing for his glasses) throughout the whole non-comprehensive speech and talking so fast he might not have even heard me. Maybe I'm just being stupid and nothing was happening.
Harry sat there looking like he was trying to find the pattern to the mathematical sequence of Pi.
"Ginny, I'm sorry but, what the hell?"
I exhaled largely, "Well, you know... I mean Harry, I still have feelings for you, but it's completely alright if you don't have them for me. I know you don't, in fact. And I've learned to accept it really. Because...I have."
And then I said "I'm going to see if dinner is ready." and left. I left. Can you believe I left?! Well, I did. Went right out the door. Not even a second glance.
I made my way down the stairs to the kitchen with Harry close on my heels whispering loudly, "Ginny! Ginny, wait!" but I pretended I hadn't heard him until I was safely in the kitchen and everyone else was there. I knew Harry wouldn't say a thing in front of everyone else. And I was right. We sat down right next to each other and made pleasant conversation. He kept giving me looks but I would just smile brightly at him and return to eating my stew. Ron and Hermione were quite dreamy looking, seated across from one another. Hermione was right next to Mum (who was throwing glares at me like they were daggers) and at one point asked, "Mrs. Weasley, what were your wedding vows?" Everyone was slightly taken aback from the question, but not too much surprised or anything. A young girl asking an older woman about her wedding isn't too uncommon, you know. But Ron, the obvious git, started choking on his drink.
His eyes were very watered and red from lack of oxygen when he asked Hermione, "Whaddya wanna know that for?!"
Hermione looked at him like he was a derranged animal and answered, "I'm curious, Ron!" Then she turned her attention back to Mrs. Weasley while Ron looked horrified. Mr. Weasley and Remus looked sympathetic for Ron but found this all quite funny. I thought he was being ridiculous, she just wanted to know.
"Well dear, mine were," and then recited them word for word.
Hermione obviously approved and said, "Those are lovely."
Dinner went on without any thing more of great importance after that. Harry's eyes always wandered and seemed to rest on me. I think I said something wrong, he was obviously anxious to talk to me. But him and I talked on about silly things, like why a cauldron is called as such. It felt good to goof off and be a kid with no worries of Voldemort hanging about at the moment. I have always hated myself when I would say "You-Know-Who". It was so cowardly. But that's what I had grown up hearing. After meeting Harry and hearing him say it, it was much easier. He gave me the courage to do it. He's given me the courage to do a lot of things. God knows he's got enough to go around...