Chapter nineteen

"See you in an hour." Crys said and kissed Ron on the cheek. She climbed into the ministry cars that Fudge had felt the need to lend them since he had caused so much 'trouble' for Harry the last year. She sat down next to Ginny and Hermione, her Pumpkin Blush fingernails flashing in the bright winter sunlight.

"Do you usually paint your nails?" Ginny asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"No," Crys sighed as she examined her fingers with a look of distaste, "But Jenna sent me a bottle for Christmas and I thought I'd use it just this once in honor of her. I plan to take it off by the time classes start again."

Hermione laughed and Ginny smiled. Crys tilted her head at Ginny's smile, which had been hiding for quite a while, but she didn't say anything because she saw Hermione shake her head from behind Ginny. They sat in silence for the rest of the journey to King's Cross.

"How was your car ride?" Ron asked as he got out of the second ministry car in front of the train station.

"Quiet." Crys told him as he loaded a trunk onto a trolly for her, "Your's?"

"Not as much so." He put his own trunk on the same trolly, "Pig got loose again but this time he just flew into Hedwig's cage which drove her mad and thew were all squaking like mad and Harry and I both got our hands bitten trying to get him out." He held up his index finger which had dried blood in a long line from the knuckle down to his wrist.

"Ouch." she said as she reached out and tenderly touched his finger. The blood dissappeared and there wasn't a cut there anymore.

"What the...?" Ron started and Crys look very surprised. She didn't speak.

"Crys, what did you do?"

"I...I don't know." she studdered, "I'll be right back." and she ran back to the three others pushing trolly behind them.

"Harry, can I talk to you?" she didn't want for an answer as she pulled him aside and turned him to face her.

"Let me see your finger." she said worriedly.

"Crys, it's just a cut, it's not that bad." he held it up and she reached out and wrapped her hand around his finger. When she pulled away it was just as clean as Ron's had been.

"How did you do that?" he asked her. She just looked at him with wide eyes.

"I have no idea." she said simply.

"Could it be the veela-charm?"

"It--" she paused and Harry looked at her puzzled but she just continued "must be," she all of a sudden looked scared, "You didn't tell Ron about that did you?"

"No." he assured her.

"Don't." she said, "I don't think it's a good idea if we tell him so soon. We'll just wait a little while."

"Yeah, I think you're right."

She smiled at him, "Thank you." she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"We should get back before people start to think we're having an affair." Harry said as the started to walk back. Crys laughed.

"Duh! No one would-" Crys topped as they turned a corner. There was Ron.

Crys couldn't help but think maybe I should've used a shade lighter lip gloss today as she looked up at Harry's face and saw the small imprint she left that hadn't been visible in the shadows.

Ron just looked angry and stormed off towards platform 93/4.

"Ron, no!" Crys ran after him. He had already dissappered through the brick wall.

Damn, she thouht as a large crowd of muggles walked by. It must have been school children on a field trip because there was a lot of them and they kept coming. Harry caught up with her.

"Why-?" he started. She nodded anxiously at the group of kids that was graddually thinning out. He started looking just as anxious as her.

"How much do you think he heard?" Harry asked, still scanning all the children for the end of the line.

"I thought I heard footsteps somewhere around where we were talking about how we couldn't telll him yet. But it was definately after the veela thing. So he doesn't know what we're not telling him about. Your affair joke probably didn't help much either."

"There." he pointed, "The kids end there. It should only be another minute."

"Okay." she said.

"So you think he thinks that we're actually having an affair?"

"Yes." she said, "Well, look at the way you said it," she did a bad voice in impression of Harry that made him laugh." 'We should get back before people start to think we're having an affair.' It sounds like you were joking around about the truth." He stopped laughing. The last of the children walked by.

"Finally," Crys said and they leaned up against the wall. After they were on the platform they saw Mrs. Weasley hugging Ginny by an empty trolly.

They ran up, "Where's Ron?" Harry asked her quickly.

"Is something wrong?" she suddenly looked worried.

"No, no," Crys suddenly smiled and Harry did the same, "We just have to tell him something important about the Cannons! They traded Bradley Pe-"

"Oh alright, dears." she said and pulled them into a tight hug, "He went onto the train a moment ago."

They started walking backwards towards the train.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you!" Crys yelled back to her.

"Yeah, thanks!" Harry yelled and they turned around only to run smack into Draco Malfoy.

Crys' eyes widened but she stood strong. Harry protectively grabbed her upper arm from behind her.

"Is that all the thanks you can give to the kind woman, Potter? Really, your manners could use some work."

"Your manners could do with some inproving as well, Draco. I don't remember hearing any thank you out of your mouth at all last week." She shuddered but only Harry noticed, because of his grip on her arm.

Draco paled and Crys pushed past him and Crabbe and Goyle. Harry kept his hand wrapped tightly around her forearm until they were both safely on the train. Neither of them spoke as they set off down the train looking in each compartment for Ron.

They found him in one at the very far end of the train. They saw through the glass door that he was staring out the window angrily.

"I'll go first." Harry said and without waiting for a response walked through the door and slid it shut in Crys' face. She was too worried to be angry.

She heard muffled words threw the door. And very few of them. Harry had hardly been in there a minute when she heard Ron stand up. She moved away from the door. Seconds later Harry came flying through the door, glass shards flying in every direction. Crys yelled a quick banishing charm and magically guided Harry down the long hallway of the train and lowered him onto the ground where there was no glass. She repaired the door and stormed into the compartment.

"What the hell was that!" she said anger flashing in her eyes.

"As if he didn't deserve it!" Ron yelled and sat down, equally as angry, and turned towrads the window, which he stared out determinedly.

"Why do you think he deserved that, Ron? What did he say to you?"

Ron didn't speak. Crys knelt down in front of him and slapped him hard across the face. He looked stunned.

"What did he say to you?"

"He said what I heard wasn't what it sounded like but then he wouldn't tell me what it really was, so I think that it is what it sounded like!"

"You think I'm having an afair with Harry?"

"Yes!"

"You're mad." she said calmly, "That must be it. You've simply lost your wit."

"I'm not mad, Crys! It's obvious! You two are always sneaking off together. You even told him what happed last week when you wouldn't tell me! And I'm the mad one!"

"You're mad. And your an idiot. And a jerk and a-"

"Stop it Crys. You're the one who's having an affair."

"I am not having an affair, Ron!"

"How do I know that? How do I know you're not lying, Crys. After all, you can be quite an actress when you want to be."

"Dammit, Ron! How the hell are you so blind? How can you not see it?"

"What are you talking about, Crys!"

"I love you! I'm so bloody in love with you, Ron. But you know what? I'm gonna leave, because you're right, I'm just acting, and I could never care about you."

Ron didn't speak. He stood up and grabbed Crys by her wrists. Her arms were folded and pressed against her chest as she stood, looking determinedly away from Ron.

"Are you lying to me?"

"Do you want me to get some Veritaserum?"

"No," Ron said, not hearing the sarcasm in her voice because it would be almost impossible and not at all legal to get some Veritaserum at the moment, "I want you to tell me the truth. All by yourself."

"I love you, Ron Weasley. Almost too much for words. But I'm starting to think that you either love me back or hate me to death because I cannot go near your best friend without you getting angry."

"Crys," his voice was suddenly quiet and hoarse, "I think I may love you back."

"Does it scare you to death?"

"Yes."

"Then you do."

She stood as high as she could on her tiptoes and kissed him. She could hardly reach, but after he got over the sudden shock of change of attitude he lifted her off of the ground so she could reach him properly and kissed her back. Harry smiled as he turned down the hallway and set off to find a new compartment. He settled on one with Dean and Ginny. Dean didn't seem too happy to accept him but he did, and that was a very long, awkward train ride.