A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has been reviewing ) I appreciate it lots. I don't think I explained what "Invidia" means for the last chapter title - according to an online Latin translator, it can mean 'jealousy.' Sorry for the confusion!
I apologize for this being such a long chapter! I really didn't mean for it to turn out that way. I promise to make the next one more quickly/easily readable.
Hermione sat in the common room and smoothed out the pleats in her uniform skirt. She didn't know why she was so nervous - Ginny and her were just going to look at dress robes, that was all. It was the 13th of February today. It wasn't even the last Hogsmeade weekend before the Spring Ball in early March, but Ginny had said it was smart to get your robes a good time in advance.
Hermione just had something funny on her mind. Not funny, really, but more of a peculiar feeling. She felt more tense around Ron lately, which when they first started being a couple was the opposite of what she felt. Ginny wouldn't make even a little bit of noise when Ron came around. It seemed Harry wanted to tell her something but wouldn't. However, he had other things on his mind Hermione wouldn't dare try to get him to talk about anymore. She assumed that's what he was worried about.
Robe shopping was the last thing she wanted to do, but she was somehow thrilled by the idea of going with Ron as his date to this ball. It was some kind of fantasy story she would have made up as a little girl in her head or absently dreamed about in her sleep. Ron just made her really excited most of the time. He had this wonderful sense of humor, and he was a fantastic friend.
Of course, these were things she'd known for almost seven years. This thought was what made Hermione stop wringing her hands. It wasn't, however, a thought that kept Hermione from jumping up from her seat in the armchair when Ginny tapped her on the shoulder.
"You're wearing Hogwarts robes," she accused at once without even a hello. After all, it was the first time Hermione had seen her since dinner the night before. Hermione huffed almost silently as she stood in front of Ginny and began to compulsively smooth out her skirt again. Ginny threw her arms down and stamped her foot lightly as if Hermione should know what she meant. "You don't want to wear something nicer? Something you're not being forced to wear?" Hermione shrugged.
"I like my robes," Hermione spat defensively. Ginny rolled her eyes and waved her hands to dismiss a possible argument.
"You should wear pale pink," Ginny cheerfully declared abruptly. Hermione shrugged.
"I don't know," she sighed. "I'll need your help today." Ginny smiled and jumped to hug Hermione warmly. Hermione didn't hug back; she just stood in shock in the embrace.
"With my help, you're going to look beautiful," said Ginny, letting go. When Hermione crossed her arms and opened her mouth, Ginny added, "Even more then before, of course." Hermione glared at her briefly before picking her small sack off the ground and flinging it over her shoulder. Just then, Lavender and Parvati stumbled gigglingly down from the dorm they shared with Hermione.
"Oh, Hermione!" laughed Lavender as she hopped off the last step. "You should come robe shopping with us! We'll help you find the most perfect dress ones!" Hermione smiled politely up at them as she slowly swung her sack behind her. She shook her head and waved her right hand.
"Oh, that's alright," she said. "I'm going with Ginny." Parvati shrugged.
"Oh, you're going with Ginny? Okay, fine," Parvati said condescendingly. Lavender rolled her eyes with a smile at her best friend and pushed her along as they scampered off to join the rest of the school as they headed to Hogsmeade. Ginny jerked her head in the direction they were headed but Hermione didn't move.
"Shouldn't we wait for Harry and Ron?" she asked. Ginny guffawed.
"You really want them going robe shopping with us?" she snapped. "Besides, they were up a few hours ago. They've probably been waiting down there for a while." Hermione furrowed her eyebrows.
"Since when were they getting up at the break of dawn?" she asked doubtfully with a snort as she followed Ginny out of the common room. Ginny crossed her arms over a coin pouch nervously.
"Oh, they, er, probably ended up falling asleep in their books last night," Ginny explained. Hermione nodded.
"That's right. I saw them down there talking last night. I didn't know they were studying. That's great," said Hermione triumphantly, as if she'd somehow brought a great miracle upon the world. Ginny shrugged and tucked a little box she'd stolen from the common room the other night.
"You haven't found anything you like yet?" whined Ginny as Hermione tossed another robe, this one the eighth pink one Ginny had made her try on, back on the rack at Gladrags. Although Hermione was taking an eternity, Ginny had already picked out satiny-pale yellow robes.
"None of these look right," muttered Hermione. Ginny growled under her breath and grabbed pale green, fluffy robes off of the rack and thrust it at Hermione. Hermione eyed Ginny and the dress doubtfully.
"Go!" Ginny ordered. Hermione huffed as she walked over to a mirrored area and threw on the robes over her uniform. Ginny rolled her eyes as Hermione judged every curve and wrinkle in it through the mirror. "I'll be right back, Hermione," called Ginny as she walked towards the door, patting the lump in her pocket and leaving her dress robes on a rack. Hermione rushed over to her and almost tripped over the fringes of the dress robes she was still wearing.
"Where are you going?" Hermione demanded to know. Ginny sighed.
"I'll be right back," she repeated, continuing towards the door. Hermione lunged for her arm.
"You have to help me," she begged, tugging at the too-tight sleeves and pulling in the too-loose waist. Ginny put her palm in front of Hermione's face.
"I'll be right back," Ginny repeated for the third - and last - time slowly. Hermione narrowed her eyes at her friend and pulled up the skirt of the dress. She ripped it off the top of her head and continued to look for another pick. Ginny headed out of the shop while Hermione's back was turned.
Ginny ran to the Three Broomsticks from Gladrags Wizard Wear. She smiled with relief as she stood halfway inside, her hand on the frame in the doorway. She raced over to the table where Ron was sitting.
"Great, you're here," she said with a sigh. Ron, who hadn't seen her come in, jumped with fright as he turned to see her.
"Ginny, you don't do that," he snapped. Ginny shrugged and reached into her pocket, and then she revealed the tiny box she'd stuffed in there that morning. "There it is," he muttered, snatching it from her open palm. "What were you doing with it?"
"The ring is...well, I don't know how to describe it, it's something odd," Ginny said. Ron shot her a puzzled look, so she snapped open the box and put the ring on her finger.
"Don't try it on!" whispered Ron harshly.
"Just look," Ginny demanded through gritted teeth as the now white hot band of the ring began to burn her finger again. The crystal ball sitting on top of the ring began to swirl furiously again until it settled to a bright magenta pink. The small letters that Ginny had long since discovered were the flakes formed the word 'fervidus.' Ron scrunched up his nose at it.
"What did it do?" he asked confusedly. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Fervidus," she sounded out slowly, testing out the Latin. Earlier that week when she'd last tried on the ring (during Potions when it revealed that she was intimidated), she'd gotten Hermione to dig through her books for one containing Latin words. She'd succeeded, not to Ginny's surprise, and lent it to her. Ginny, of course, could not explain about the ring and decided she'd say that she was reasearching different spells for an essay. The book was in the small, purple purse she'd brought with her. Looking up "Fervidus", she found the most closely related definition to what she was probably feeling was "fiery" or "excited". After explaining this to Ron, he just dismissed it by saying,
"Alright, so it's a mood ring. What, you don't think Hermione will like it?" Ginny laughed at Ron's "joke".
"Don't even pretend to be ridiculous! Of course she'll hate it. How smooth do you think the proposal will go over once she says yes, that right after she puts on that ring it will burn her finger off," she started. Ron shrugged, and she continued, "Then, she finds out that in Latin, of all languages, she gets her mood explained to her."
"I don't have anything else to give to her," Ron said sadly. Ginny relaxed and set her hand on his arm lightly to show sympathy.
"Maybe it's for the best. You're barely almost eighteen," she said softly. Ron pulled away from her.
"Ever since I got this stupid ring, I was...I don't know, looking forward to it or something," he muttered. Ginny couldn't stifle a quiet squeal.
"Really?" she whispered excitedly. "Oh, God, finally I'll have a sister around the house." Ron hit her on the shoulder and she kicked him hard in the shin back, but that's all there was to the fight. They sat there in silence as Ron toyed with the box in his hand and Ginny sipped the butterbeer in front of her that had been Ron's. That silence was broken, however, when Lavender Brown broke through a slight crowd and landed in front of Ginny and Ron.
"You haven't heard?" she asked worriedly. Ginny shook her head and Ron shrugged. Lavender was obviously beside herself.
"The Spring Ball might be canceled," she gasped desperately, as if she couldn't believe they would do this. To Ginny's surprise, both her and Ron huffed angrily for a moment. Lavender nodded ferociously. "I know. I heard McGonagoll say that she was worried it would interfere with our studies, as it is only a spring ball. Isn't that...outrageously ridiculous!"
"Ridiculous," Ginny repeated quietly. Ron shook his head. Lavender gave a pathetic smile before finding her way outside again. Ron leaned sideways toward Ginny and whispered,
"You can't tell anyone. You know you promised. But that was when I wanted to, well when I was thinking about, about, er, proposing to Hermione." Ginny smiled widely and put one hand over her mouth. For being so obviously against Ron and Hermione getting married at eighteen, she sure seemed to get teary-eyed at the mention of the idea. "Well, whatever," sighed Ron, "like you said, I'm not even an adult yet." He flipped open the box and set it on the table. He and Ginny stared at it for a moment before Ron took it out of it's box.
"You're not going to put it on, are you?" Ginny asked with a giggle. Ron shot her a look.
"Would it matter if I did?" he responded acidly. Ginny shrugged and offered him her hand, palm up.
"Go ahead," she said. Ron glared at her as he slipped the ring quickly on his thinnest finger. Suddenly, he had to shake his hand quickly.
"You were right," she shouted, "it does burn!" Ginny rolled her eyes.
"It burnt, but not that much," she said dismissively. However, the burning became so bad that his hand slowly turned scarlet. "Or that long," gasped Ginny. She reached for the ring to try pull it off, but she had to retract her hand just as quickly because it was so painfully hot. Unlike when Ginny had ever put on the ring, the crystal sphere sitting on top of the band emitted a bright glow. According to Ron's reaction, though, the ball was cooling and his hand slowly returned to a paler color. A red glow remained in the crystal, but the bright glow had faded away.
"What the hell is it doing now?" Ron cried. Ginny shook her head.
"I have no idea," she whispered. Just then, from their table, Ginny heard the door burst open, and Hermione sauntered over to their table, dragging olivey-green dress robes along with Ginny's yellow ones behind her.
"Right back, my foot," snapped Hermione to Ginny. Ginny shrugged apologetically.
"I got caught up in conversation?" Ginny offered. Hermione chuffed and glared at her for a moment before tossing the robes in her lap.
"Are you happy now?" she sighed, sitting down across from Ginny and Ron. Ginny smiled at the dress.
"It's lovely," she gushed. Hermione brightened up as Ginny handed her robes back to Hermione and Hermione held it up next to her for Ron to see.
"Do you like it?" she asked expectantly. Ron looked up at her with a quiet smile. Hermione frowned. "What's the matter?" Ginny threw her hands on the table.
"There might not be a Ball for us to wear these," she explained. Color dropped from Hermione's cheeks noticeably.
"Ron, I know how much you wanted to go with me. It's horrible, really, after all the time alone you've wanted since the last real date we ever had," she said quickly. Blinking, she looked from Ginny to Ron. "I can't believe I bought these stupid robes just for the Ball to be canceled," she complained in a more fluent voice. Ron blushed and looked down at his hands. He realized was still wearing the ring. He ripped it off, put it in the box quickly, and slunk down in his seat so he could put it in his pocket without Hermione seeing.
"Well, I suppose we got what we came for," mumbled Ginny, lifting up the hanger that was holding the pale yellow dress robes. Hermione nodded.
"Didn't Harry come with you?" she asked Ron. Ron didn't look at her or Ginny and acted as if he didn't hear Hermione. "What, where's Harry?"
"It's a bit of a long story," Ron began slowly but stopped there. Ginny pushed his shoulder. Ron sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you..."
"Or you could," Ginny edged on eagerly. Ron shook his head.
"Believe me. You of all people don't really want to know."
"That's horrible! He's borderline suspension! Oh, no, Ron, if he - " Tears were beginning to overflow in the corners of Hermione's eyes. Ron hugged her tightly until her breathing pattern returned to normal. Ginny sat in silence, mouth dropped open slightly; fear was in her eyes, but anger churned in her stomach.
"We don't know what's going to happen to him," Ron reasoned, facing Ginny as he continued to hold Hermione. "After all, he didn't even use magic. So, he hit him - nothing more then what Hermione hits like." Hermione hit the arm she'd been grasping on to as her face was still buried in his neck. She'd meant to hurt him, but her pathetic slap had done nothing.
"There is no time for your jokes," she snapped while her voice was muffled by tears.
"Of course there is, we're still going to be here for another half an hour." Hermione sniffed. Ginny drummed her finger anxiously on the table. Hermione cleared her throat and backed away from Ron. She wiped her eyes and cleared off her face. Ginny sighed and crossed her arms. Ron did the same, to the exception that he did not do it in the huffy, girlish way Ginny did.
"I'll kill him," muttered Ginny, mostly to herself. Ron sneered.
"Do you really care?" asked Ron curtly. He said it quietly enough so that Hermione, who was still sniffling her last tears and admiring the fabric on her new dress robes, didn't hear. Ginny glared up at her brother.
"Of course! My boyfriend's jaw is broken because of him. Just lucky there are potions for those sorts of things," snapped back Ginny. Ron rolled his eyes.
"When was the last time you ever held hands with Dean? Kissed him?" asked Ron. Ginny mouth dropped open and her eyes grew wide.
"I cannot believe that you would ask me that! I'm not going to tell you, my older brother, that!" gasped Ginny. Ron shrugged.
"Well, if there's nothing to tell, there's nothing to tell," he said too casually. Ginny stomped her foot and jumped, grabbing her things messily from the seat. She huffed, glared at Ron briefly, and stormed out. Hermione stared at her until she'd slammed open the store and left.
"What did you say to her?" Hermione asked scoldingly. Ron shook his head and muttered,
"Nothing, let's just drop it."
Ginny spun around the outside of The Three Broomsticks worriedly as she looked for Dean. When she couldn't find him, she decided he'd must be with Professor McGonagoll. But she couldn't find her anywhere either. She wanted to fall through the ground with worry. It would only help if she knew who she was more worried about.
"I'm sorry," Harry muttered as he and Dean sat in Professor McGonagoll's office after returning from Hogsmeade. Dean shrugged.
"Whatever," he replied. Although he was mumbling, it was because he was holding an icepack to his mouth that was numb because of the potion.
"Potter, Thomas. I have no choice but to take fifty points away from Gryffindor each," said Professor McGonagoll. "Such behavior is unacceptable. You may return to your common room, but you will not be able to return to Hogsmeade with your classes for the rest of the year." Harry and Dean nodded. Dean got up and stumbled out of the office, tripping over a chair on the way out.
"Harry, what the hell were you yelling at me about back in Hogsmeade?" Dean asked curiously. He did not seem as angry, Harry thought, then when he'd lunged at Harry just a few hours before.
"Nothing," Harry muttered, trying to take a different route away from Dean so he would not have to continue the conversation. However, his attempts were unsucessful.
"You were never able to finish telling me why I'd needed to...er, stick to my own priorities?"
"Shove off, would you?"
"No, I want to know." Harry stopped dead in his tracks. He was actually going to force him to talk about her? Talk about Ginny Weasley? Talk about how he was in love with his girlfriend, Ginny Weasley? Well, not really in love, he supposed, but in deep enough trouble to have another spat with Dean right there in the corridor.
"You're not good enough for Ginny," he ended up spitting out. It came out faster then he could think. It wasn't true at all; anyone Ginny picked was obviously worth it. Dean was a fine guy, anyway. It didn't really matter though. To Harry, no one was going to be good enough except for himself. Dean looked infuriated. He seemed to want to strike Harry, but knowing the consequences, he wasn't going to.
"I hope I didn't just hear you right," he said. His voice was even, but it was still thick with fury. Harry took a step towards him.
"You did. She doesn't even want to be with you. You're too hopelessly in love to see that," Harry continued. I've got to shut up, Harry thought to himself.
"I've kissed her plenty of times to know that she certainly hasn't got you on her mind," spat Dean cuttingly. Harry started to say something else, but a fifth year Ravenclaw prefect was making her way down the corridor. Harry glared at Dean once more before quickly walking forward in the direction of the common room. He could hear Dean's footsteps close behind him.
Once they were back in the common room, Dean pushed Harry to the side to get past even even though he could have clearly walked around him. Dean stopped short and stared in the farthest corner where an armchair was. Harry stopped too, and when he did, he saw Ginny Weasley. She was curled up in the chair, her flaming hair all over the place and messily tied into two seperate tails, and her green eyes bloodshot and a deeper green then ever before. Her face was flushed too. This led Harry to believe she'd been crying.
"Ginny?" said Dean quietly. Ginny smiled, Harry could tell, but barely. Dean took very slow steps until he reached her chair. She had her arms crossed and she sat still. Dean waited a moment before wrapping his arms around her shoulders and giving her a hug. Harry felt a surge of envy go through him at that moment. Ginny hugged Dean's arm quickly, but let go. He, however, continued to hug her. Ginny shot Harry a look from over Dean's shoulder. Although Harry couldn't understand what this look meant, he decided to slowly ascend up the steps to his dormitory.
Ginny couldn't handle it anymore. Dean made her so awkward, especially because he could love her but she couldn't love back.
Once she thought she loved Dean. But she'd been fourteen, and hadn't known much. She was sixteen now. She'd be turning seventeen this year. She couldn't drag Dean along on her wish just to have a boyfriend. That was too immature for someone her age. Ginny rolled her eyes at herself as she sat on the sofa as Dean held her hand quietly. This didn't have to do with immaturity, she knew. This had something to do with Harry Potter getting into a fistfight with her boyfriend. Dean and Harry were on fine terms, so Ginny knew that there could only be one explanation for why Harry had thrown the first punch.
An explanation that she'd only wished about for years could be possible, but until recently, she thought that had been just a phase. There had been lot's of girls she'd grown up going to school with that had crushes on Harry. Now they were getting crushes on the next cover of wizarding magazines.
Ginny was the only one who knew him. She'd become good enough friends with Hermione and better friends with her brother, so she always had an excuse to be in the same room with Harry. After Hermione and Ron started to go out on dates, it seemed more and more that they wouldn't have minded if Harry and Ginny weren't there. Even Hermione's eyes seem to drift from her quill and parchment and to elsewhere.
Often and more often, she knew these words from her brother,
"Ginny, can't you shop for books on your own? Hermione and I...have something else to do."
"Right, Ron. I'm not an idiot."
Ron still used this lame excuse on some Hogsmeade weekends.
That's how she ended up spending time chatting to Harry. Looking around shops with Harry. Talking to Harry at the Three Broomsticks. Joking with Harry. They even had a few inside jokes.
They'd been friends before, of course, but they never really did things completely alone. It was nice to.
Ginny thought that it was leading somewhere. Maybe not especially quickly (no matter what she'd hoped), but when she had to go date hunting for him? Ginny remembered how hateful she felt. She wanted to tell Harry how she thought she felt, or ask him what he felt, but she decided that if she could find him someone who he was bound to be heartbroken by...she'd end up right where she wanted to be. She would be his shoulder to cry on.
He ended up liking that stupid top-of class, pretty, Ravenclaw. It may have been immature, but she knew she had to do something.
"Dean, hi."
"Oh, hello, Ginny."
"I have to say that I missed you."
"Er..missed me?"
"We used to go out, remember? I've been thinking about you lately."
"Really."
"Really."
"Ginny, I thought we ended this on good terms."
"Alright, but wouldn't it be nice to be friends?"
"There's a Hogsmeade weekend. I guess we could spend some extra time together outside of class."
"Fine."
That's exactly how the conversation had gone. Until she kissed him when he wouldn't say yes, and he confessed that he thought about her a lot when they'd broken up. She felt horrible, but since they got along fine, what was the harm?
This was the harm. This, them sitting on the couch together as dates for the Spring Ball and boyfriend and girlfriend, was the harm.
"I can't," Ginny said loudly, her voice cracking, so Dean could hear. He shook a bit, startled by the sudden sound in the silence. "I can't, I can't do this."
"What?" Dean looked at her so worriedly she thought she'd confessed she was a serial killer.
"I think it's wrong. That you like me, that is. It's not right. We spend way too much time together, and, and," Ginny couldn't speak anymore. She was blathering like an idiot and began to sob suddenly. Dean looked at the mess that was Ginny, unable to decide whether to sit there or hug her.
"You want to break up," he finished for her. Ginny tried to mop up her tears and sobs with her sleeve, but she almost started to hypervenelate. Dean conjured a goblet of water out of a flower vase sitting on a table. Ginny refused it, but nodded fiercely.
"I'm sorry," she managed after she was able to breathe easier. "You know that -"
"Whatever, Ginny," Dean grumbled, now that she was able to speak.
"Whatever? But - "
"I was stupid to think he was wrong," Dean interrupted irritatedly again. "He's Harry Potter. I hope you'll be very happy." One of Ginny's hands had been resting on his arms as she sat criss-crossed on the sofa. Dean had been sitting toward her stiffly. Now he stood up abruptly, shrugging her off, and walking broodingly up to his dormitory. Ginny sighed.
"I do like you," she said lamely. Dean smiled in her direction fastly, then turned away just as fast. He called back a little bitingly,
"You just like Harry Potter more? I get it."
