Author's Note: Thank you for all the supportive reviews after my whining in the author's note last chapter. The last few days have been awesome. I was working away at chapter six while all that feedback was coming in, and personally, I think that chapter is a lot funnier than it would have been as a result.
Chapter Four
Harry hadn't told Ginny he liked her. Hadn't made anything at all that could be considered a move in even the very loosest of terms.
He was very busy!
First there were Quidditch tryouts. And Ginny did make the team just as Harry had known she would. Then there were practices. Not to mention the hours that he and Ron spent conspiring together over drills and special moves and even a few low-key intimidation tactics, reserved for one team in particular of course. He had started his Occlumency lessons with Dumbledore and there was regular homework. And the D.A. had even resumed and he had lessons of his own to plan.
Yes indeed, very, very busy. Certainly no time to waste thinking about how much his insides ached whenever Ginny sat quietly beside him. Or what a wonderful friend she had turned into and how amazing it would be if she could be more. Or what red hair looked like when it caught the firelight. Or what she might taste like. Or how happy he might feel if ... if... No. No time for thoughts like that.
If he had a spare moment at all, it was only to remind himself what an obvious idiot he had been. Because it was just never going to happen. She was so over him. Or at least it certainly seemed that way every time she made some teasing remark to Dean and then tossed her hair and sauntered from the room. And it really seemed that way when Dean's eyes would slightly bludge and he would clear his throat and quickly change the topic to football.
And so time passed and Harry remained in his emotionally uncomplicated and risk free, if perhaps somewhat less than satisfying, status quo.
It was the middle of October when Dean finally decided to talk to Ron. The boys dorm had been blissfully free from any mention of Ginny and Harry had attributed that fact to the happy advantage of sharing the room with her older brother. He had been at least partly wrong.
One night as Harry and Ron were getting ready for bed Dean found them alone. He made a slight coughing noise from the door. "Ron, mate, I was wondering if I could have a minute."
Ron gave Dean a rather dubious look. "Why?"
Dean entered the room looking even more nervous. "Well, it's about your sister."
This was it, Dean was about to ask Ron's permission to date Ginny. Or worse, he was breaking the news that they were already together and ecstatically happy. Harry had missed his chance.
"It's just," he began awkwardly. "It seems, well, I think she might have gotten the wrong idea about me. Or about her and me more specifically. And I was wondering if maybe you could set her straight for me."
Ron held up his hand. "Hold on a second. You're asking me to dump my sister for you."
"Not dump," Dean hastened to clarify. "We were never together. But let her know, you know, gently, that I'm not interested."
Ron's face was starting to colour dangerously. "My sister isn't good enough for you?"
Harry thought Ron was rather missing the point: Ginny was still single. News which should make Harry and Ron equally happy. Though for different reasons obviously.
"Ginny's great." A bit of a distant look came over Dean's face as he said, "Lately it seems like Ginny might be amazing." Just as Harry was directing furious thoughts of ill will in Dean's direction the boy seemed to come back to himself as he said, "But I sort of started seeing Susan over the summer, we just haven't been really public about it yet. And the thing is she's started to notice Ginny's, well, extra attention toward me and she's getting a little sensitive about it. I was just hoping you could, you know, talk to Ginny."
Ron snorted, "Don't you think you ought to be the one to talk to her?"
Dean looked horrified at the very idea. "I don't want to hurt her feelings. I thought it might be easier coming from you."
There was a pause as Ron considered, then he slowly sank to his bed, looking a little defeated. "Alright, I guess."
"It's weird," Dean said seemingly confused by the whole situation. "Last year I kind of liked Ginny, but she was with Michael. Now I really like Susan and I just don't want anything to mess that up."
The next night as they were finishing dinner in the Great Hall Ron asked Ginny if she would join him for a walk. She looked very confused, but Ron said it was private stuff and she agreed. Ron looked a bit like he was walking to his death as he took her hand and led her from the table.
When Harry got back to the common room he couldn't stop himself from moving over to the windows to see if he could spot them. After a minute's search he found the pair and watched the scene. He knew he probably shouldn't, but he couldn't help it.
Harry knew the instant Ron had delivered the news. Ginny stood frozen for a moment, then she suddenly started storming around. Harry thought he faintly heard the words "cowardly git" on the breeze, but knew that had to be impossible given the distance. She flew at Ron and started poking him in the chest. Then after a few minutes of what was obviously an amazing rant she stopped and collapsed against her brother.
It was strange, earlier he had felt almost like hugging Dean, now he wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face.
Hermione joined him at the window. "How's it going?" she asked quietly.
"Not very good I think," Harry muttered.
"Do you mind if I borrow your cloak?" she asked. "I was thinking I might take her down to the kitchens when they get back. Get some pudding."
Harry went to the dorm to retrieve the shimmering garment for her. While he was there, he picked up his and Ron's chess sets. He had a feeling Ron would need a game when he got back.
A few minutes later Harry only caught a brief glimpse of Ginny at the portrait hole before Hermione rushed forward and whisked her away again. He couldn't help but notice the marked difference between the confident girl who had delightedly hinted at her plans for Dean that summer and the stunned, slightly lost look she had about her at that moment. Rejection, he decided instantly, was much, much worse than a blast ended skrewt. Possibly worse than a basilisk.
Ron's body practically fell like dead weight into a chair. "That," he gestured widely, "was awful."
Harry tried to act as though he hadn't been spying. "She didn't take it well?"
Ron rubbed his face in frustration. "First she was embarrassed. Something about how Dean and everyone else must think she's some sort of joke or something. I told her that wasn't true," he said earnestly. "That Dean seemed to feel badly about the whole thing. Then she got really angry. Going on about how she's tired of everyone in our year treating her like she's just a baby because she's the youngest in our family. I said I didn't think that was it and she said well obviously Dean didn't seem to think she was important enough to talk to her himself, doesn't deem her worthy enough of even that much respect. I tried to distract her. I said maybe he was just afraid she might hex him or something, since she has a bit of a reputation. And she said so what? Dean didn't think she would hex her own brother? And I said well yeah. And she said maybe she should hex me just to fix him." Ron huffed a huge sigh. "Fortunately though, that's when she just started crying."
Harry felt awful.
Ron shook his head. "I've never seen her so worked up. Not about some boy anyway. She wasn't even this upset about ditching that git Corner and they were supposed to be going out for a year."
"I think maybe we're all a little worked up," Harry suggested. "With everything else that's going on, it feels like the stakes are higher."
"Yeah, I suppose."
"Who knows," Harry tried to lighten the mood, "if Voldemort hadn't come back maybe Hermione would have waited another year for you to pull your own head out of your arse before she jumped you."
Ron's ears tinged a bit. "Yeah."
Ron leaned forward as though he was sharing a secret. "I understand why Ginny is mad at Dean for not telling her himself. I even agree with her. But can you even imagine having to break up with a girl for real? Thank goodness I ended up with Hermione first, that's all I have to say."
"Why?"
Ron snorted. "Well it's not like I'm going to be breaking up with her is it?"
"No, I guess not," Harry agreed. "In case I didn't tell you before, I am really happy for you two."
"Thanks." Seeming as though the conversation was over Ron moved forward in his chair and started setting up the chess pieces. "Still though, Ginny needs someone to make her happy."
Not sure where this was going Harry decided to answer with a safe "Hmm."
"And I know she would make someone really happy too," Ron continued casually. "Provided it was the right bloke and all. I mean she is my sister. She needs someone, you know, special."
The next day at breakfast Ginny looked awful. Well, not exactly. It was weird, in some ways she looked great. It was obvious she had spent a fair amount of time on her hair and her robes were freshly pressed and she was even wearing the makeup she sometimes did that always made her eyes and lips seem exceptionally pretty. But she still looked horrid. Despite the huge smile she plastered to her face she seemed tired, and glum, and just a bit puffy. She simply wasn't herself, at all, and Harry hated it.
At the same time though the rest of his emotions were completely muddled. He was still torn between the equally strong desires to punch Dean in the face or give him an enormous back slapping hug. Ginny was obviously hurting and Dean had done that to her. And that was wrong. No one should ever be allowed to hurt Ginny. At the same time Harry couldn't completely ignore the fact that Dean had done him a huge favour. Dean's shortsightedness meant that Harry might not have to suffer for his own. He had a second chance and for that he was eternally grateful.
Harry pushed his eggs around his plate, wishing he could find a way to cheer Ginny up so he could stop feeling so rotten for being happy.
As Ginny excused herself from the table Harry had an epiphany. It was so easy. He just had to make her understand the truth of the situation. Without putting himself out on the line just yet obviously. Dean was the loser here and Harry was filled with the sudden need to make sure Ginny knew that in no uncertain terms.
Harry said a quick goodbye to Ron and Hermione and trotted after Ginny, trying not to be too obvious that he was essentially running from the room. He caught up to her in the Entrance Hall and managed to tug on her elbow making her turn.
She didn't look particularly pleased to see him. "Oh, hi Harry."
What had seemed so easy moments before became extremely difficult now that he realized he needed actual words. He should have thought of that. "Virginia, I just wanted to say, you know, that Dean's an idiot."
She glared at him, surprisingly bitter. "An idiot after your own heart then?"
Harry gaped at her. He had absolutely no response to that.
She looked down at her shoes, honestly chagrined. "I'm sorry Harry. I shouldn't have..." A huge huff escaped her. "I'm not in the best of moods to deal with boys, any boys, right now."
Harry tried for a joke. "Well I'm sorry then, for being a boy I guess."
Ginny didn't smile. "I need to get to Potions. I'll see you later." And she was gone.
