Chapter 17: Caught in the act
After a dreamless night, Harry woke up, having a very bad conscience. He quickly dressed and hurried down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room.
Ginny sat in an armchair, looking very disappointed. Her eyes were redened as if she had been crying all night. Harry went towards her, wanting to apologize for not meeting her the day before.
"Ginny, I´m sorry. I – ", he began.
But Ginny got up as if she hadn´t even noticed his presence and left. Harry looked after her, flabbergasted. He wanted to follow, when he heard a voice calling him back.
"Hey Harry. Wait for me! We can go down together", Hermione said and joined him.
Together, they stepped trough the portrait hole and down the way to the Entrance Hall.
"So, you´re still not telling me who your girlfriend is?", grinned Hermione.
At this, Harry got very angry. He was already upset, but Hermione´s silly questions were giving him the rest.
"I don´t have time for your dumb questionning right know, okay?", he replied in aggressive sort of voice.
Hermione was stunned. What was up with Harry? For the last few days, he behaved extremely strange. But she remained silent. There was no need to make him angrier than he already was.
Hermione sat down next to Ginny and Harry took the seat next to Hermione. Harry kept looking at Ginny, but she clearly avoided him.
"What´s up, Ginny?", asked Hermione.
"It´s nothing. I just found out, that one of my friends seems to find it very easy to forget about me. But never mind, I´m going to end it!", she replied sadly, shooting an angry look in Harry´s direction.
Harry froze. She surely didn´t want to split up already? Not now, they had just found out that they were in love with each other.
Hermione looked from Ginny to Harry and frowned. The two of them were looking at each other in a very odd sort of way. Could it be? Hermione wondered if she had guessed right, but surely, she would find out soon.
Ginny slowly finished her breakfast and got up. Harry didn´t lose time and ran to catch up with her. When Ginny noticed, she turned around.
"Harry, please. Leave me alone!"
"Ginny, I didn´t mean to, I just forgot", he said, full of shame.
"It´s so easy to forget about me, isn´t it?", she shouted, running out of the Hall.
Everybody was looking at Harry. He felt uncomfortable, being in the center of attention and wanted to leave the Hall too.
"Potter. Did you just scare a Weasley away? Congratulations. But maybe she found out, that you are nothing but a dumb scarhead!", said a pleased someone next to Harry.
"Shove off, Malfoy!", hissed Harry, pushing him aside. Many students were staring at Harry as he left the Hall.
Looking everywhere for his girlfriend, Harry finally found Ginny sitting in front of the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom. She had burst into tears and had burried her face in her hands.
Slowly, Harry began talking to her, hoping she wouldn´t fly again.
"Ginny, please, listen to me. I can explain everything."
"Well, that has to be a very good excuse. Go on", she answered coldly.
Then Harry told her about the spiders, which he believed to be spies, about his conversation with Dumbledore and he even told her about the Prophecy, Trelawney made about sixteen years ago.
Ginny was shocked. She whipped her tears away and said with a shaking voice:
"Well, that IS a good excuse. But why didn´t you tell me yesterday?"
"I didn´t want you to worry about me. It´s your O.W.L. year and I know how hard it will be for you. You have so much work to do and I didn´t want to put all this on your mind", he admitted shyly.
"Oh Harry, you are so sweet. Of course I´m worrying about you. I knew all along, that You- , that V-Vo-Voldemort was out there, waiting for chance to kill you. I just thought you didn´t like me anymore. I thought maybe you´d realised that our relationship turned out to be a mistake. I felt so lonely and sad. But now I see how foolish I´ve been. Sorry, Harry", she said.
"How could you even think for one minute, that I couldn´t like you? You´re the most important person in my life. Whatever happens, I will always love you."
Ginny got up and threw herself into Harry´s arms.
"I love you, Harry."
"I love you too", he grinned, kissing her gently.
They were hugging and kissing, until someone gave a little cough. Harry and Ginny broke apart and stood there, each blushing more than the other one.
"Caught in the act", grinned Hermione, who had appeared from behind a statue of a large Hippogriff.
"We were just, uhm...", startled Harry, searching for something to say, but he failed miserably.
Hermione kept on smiling.
"It´s alright. I knew Harry had a girlfriend, I just needed to find out who it was. But now I know and I am so glad for you. It was about time you´d become a couple!"
She hugged them both.
"We would appreciate if you wouldn´t tell around, that Harry and I are an item. We want to keep it secret for some time, because we don´t know how Ron will take the news", pleaded Ginny.
"I can´t promise that. I mean, everyone saw you in the Great Hall. Some of them must have realized that there is something going on between you and Harry. But I promise, I won´t say a word about it." Hermione waited for Harry, a few inches away.
Harry and Ginny kissed one last time and said ´Goodbye` to each other, when a cold voice interrupted their romantic moment.
"Potter! Weasley! What´s this behaviour in front of my classroom? I thought you would be a better example for younger children! Ten points will be taken form Gryffindor, for each of you! And beware, if I catch you again, I will go straight to Professor McGonagall!"
Snape, his appearance as unlikable as always, had a small smile on his lips. He was always looking for a reason, to take points off from Gryffindor students.
Harry waved at Ginny, and then he and Hermione headed to their Potions Class.
After a dreamless night, Harry woke up, having a very bad conscience. He quickly dressed and hurried down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room.
Ginny sat in an armchair, looking very disappointed. Her eyes were redened as if she had been crying all night. Harry went towards her, wanting to apologize for not meeting her the day before.
"Ginny, I´m sorry. I – ", he began.
But Ginny got up as if she hadn´t even noticed his presence and left. Harry looked after her, flabbergasted. He wanted to follow, when he heard a voice calling him back.
"Hey Harry. Wait for me! We can go down together", Hermione said and joined him.
Together, they stepped trough the portrait hole and down the way to the Entrance Hall.
"So, you´re still not telling me who your girlfriend is?", grinned Hermione.
At this, Harry got very angry. He was already upset, but Hermione´s silly questions were giving him the rest.
"I don´t have time for your dumb questionning right know, okay?", he replied in aggressive sort of voice.
Hermione was stunned. What was up with Harry? For the last few days, he behaved extremely strange. But she remained silent. There was no need to make him angrier than he already was.
Hermione sat down next to Ginny and Harry took the seat next to Hermione. Harry kept looking at Ginny, but she clearly avoided him.
"What´s up, Ginny?", asked Hermione.
"It´s nothing. I just found out, that one of my friends seems to find it very easy to forget about me. But never mind, I´m going to end it!", she replied sadly, shooting an angry look in Harry´s direction.
Harry froze. She surely didn´t want to split up already? Not now, they had just found out that they were in love with each other.
Hermione looked from Ginny to Harry and frowned. The two of them were looking at each other in a very odd sort of way. Could it be? Hermione wondered if she had guessed right, but surely, she would find out soon.
Ginny slowly finished her breakfast and got up. Harry didn´t lose time and ran to catch up with her. When Ginny noticed, she turned around.
"Harry, please. Leave me alone!"
"Ginny, I didn´t mean to, I just forgot", he said, full of shame.
"It´s so easy to forget about me, isn´t it?", she shouted, running out of the Hall.
Everybody was looking at Harry. He felt uncomfortable, being in the center of attention and wanted to leave the Hall too.
"Potter. Did you just scare a Weasley away? Congratulations. But maybe she found out, that you are nothing but a dumb scarhead!", said a pleased someone next to Harry.
"Shove off, Malfoy!", hissed Harry, pushing him aside. Many students were staring at Harry as he left the Hall.
Looking everywhere for his girlfriend, Harry finally found Ginny sitting in front of the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom. She had burst into tears and had burried her face in her hands.
Slowly, Harry began talking to her, hoping she wouldn´t fly again.
"Ginny, please, listen to me. I can explain everything."
"Well, that has to be a very good excuse. Go on", she answered coldly.
Then Harry told her about the spiders, which he believed to be spies, about his conversation with Dumbledore and he even told her about the Prophecy, Trelawney made about sixteen years ago.
Ginny was shocked. She whipped her tears away and said with a shaking voice:
"Well, that IS a good excuse. But why didn´t you tell me yesterday?"
"I didn´t want you to worry about me. It´s your O.W.L. year and I know how hard it will be for you. You have so much work to do and I didn´t want to put all this on your mind", he admitted shyly.
"Oh Harry, you are so sweet. Of course I´m worrying about you. I knew all along, that You- , that V-Vo-Voldemort was out there, waiting for chance to kill you. I just thought you didn´t like me anymore. I thought maybe you´d realised that our relationship turned out to be a mistake. I felt so lonely and sad. But now I see how foolish I´ve been. Sorry, Harry", she said.
"How could you even think for one minute, that I couldn´t like you? You´re the most important person in my life. Whatever happens, I will always love you."
Ginny got up and threw herself into Harry´s arms.
"I love you, Harry."
"I love you too", he grinned, kissing her gently.
They were hugging and kissing, until someone gave a little cough. Harry and Ginny broke apart and stood there, each blushing more than the other one.
"Caught in the act", grinned Hermione, who had appeared from behind a statue of a large Hippogriff.
"We were just, uhm...", startled Harry, searching for something to say, but he failed miserably.
Hermione kept on smiling.
"It´s alright. I knew Harry had a girlfriend, I just needed to find out who it was. But now I know and I am so glad for you. It was about time you´d become a couple!"
She hugged them both.
"We would appreciate if you wouldn´t tell around, that Harry and I are an item. We want to keep it secret for some time, because we don´t know how Ron will take the news", pleaded Ginny.
"I can´t promise that. I mean, everyone saw you in the Great Hall. Some of them must have realized that there is something going on between you and Harry. But I promise, I won´t say a word about it." Hermione waited for Harry, a few inches away.
Harry and Ginny kissed one last time and said ´Goodbye` to each other, when a cold voice interrupted their romantic moment.
"Potter! Weasley! What´s this behaviour in front of my classroom? I thought you would be a better example for younger children! Ten points will be taken form Gryffindor, for each of you! And beware, if I catch you again, I will go straight to Professor McGonagall!"
Snape, his appearance as unlikable as always, had a small smile on his lips. He was always looking for a reason, to take points off from Gryffindor students.
Harry waved at Ginny, and then he and Hermione headed to their Potions Class.