The fact that Harry Potter was going out with Ginny Weasley seemed to interest a great number of people, most of them girls, yet Harry found himself newly and happily impervious to gossip over the next few weeks. After all, it made a very nice change to be talked about because of something that was making him happier than he could remember being for a very long time, rather than because he had been involved in horrific scenes of Dark Magic.
"You'd think people had better things to gossip about," said Ginny, as she sat on the common room floor, leaning against Harry's legs and read the Daily Prophet. "Three dementor attacks in a week, and all Romilda Vance does is ask me if it's true you've got a hippogriff tattooed across your chest."
Ron and Hermione both roared with laughter.
Harry ignored them.
"What did you tell her?"
"I told her it's a Hungarian Horntail," said Ginny, turning a page of the newspaper idly. "Much more macho."
"Thanks," said Harry, grinning. "And what did you tell her Ron's got?"
"A Pygmy Puff, but I didn't say where."
Ron scowled as Hermione rolled around laughing.
"I don't see why that's funny," Ron said, doing his best to ignore Hermione.
"That's why it's funny," Ginny explained, flipping another page.
"Hang on a tic," Ron said, his ears turning an odd shade of purple. "What makes Romilda Vance think that you've even seen Harry's chest?"
"I don't know," Ginny said calmly, still not looking up. "I reckon she thinks it because Harry's my boyfriend." Harry's grin widened. It was still new to him to hear the word boyfriend applied to himself, but he had to admit that he liked it.
"So?" Ron demanded. "That'd mean he'd have to have taken his shirt off around you."
"So?" Ginny echoed nonchalantly.
"Whad'ya mean, 'so'? If he's taken his shirt off around you, that'd mean…" his voice trailed off as his face took on a greenish tint.
"It wouldn't mean anything," Hermione interjected, much to Harry's relief. "It could mean that he changed his shirt around her, or it could mean she might have caught him coming from the showers. It doesn't mean anything perverted like you're thinking, Ronald."
"Right," Ron said, relaxing a bit. "But that doesn't mean that the idea of my baby sister seeing my best friend starkers isn't disturbing."
"Starkers?" Harry asked incredulously. "Nobody said anything about my being starkers, Ron! They were just talking about my chest."
"Really, Ron," Hermione reprimanded him, shaking her head. "You should know better. Hogwarts must have spells and wards set up that prohibit that sort of student… interaction," she said, blushing as she stumbled over the last word.
"Have they really?" Ginny asked, sounding much more interested than Ron would have liked.
"I-I don't know," Hermione admitted, the rosy spots on her cheeks growing. "I've never read anything about it, but I assume-"
"You assume?" Ron demanded. "I want to know for sure!"
"Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes, "This is Harry we're talking about, for goodness sakes!" Harry's eyebrows shot up as he looked at Hermione.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"It just means that you wouldn't try anything ungentlemanly with Ginny," Hermione replied defensively. "Especially not when you know that you'd have a whole hoarde of Weasley brothers coming to find you if it got out that you had."
Ginny's expression darkened, but she said nothing.
"You know," Hermione said, noticing Ginny's frown, "Perhaps it's time we were all in bed."
"Together?" Ron asked, scandalized. Harry laughed as Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Ronald, get your mind out of the gutter." She snorted with disgust as she headed up the stairs towards the girls' dormitories. Ron stared silently after her for a moment, looking dumbstruck.
"Ron, are you all right?" Harry asked, still grinning. Ron shook his head to try and gather his wits about him, then stood up.
"I reckon Hermione just gave him something to think about," Ginny remarked casually, folding her paper up. Ron shot her a dirty look before turning to Harry.
"Are you coming upstairs?"
"I'll be up in a minute," Harry replied, nodding. Ron scowled at Ginny one final time before heading upstairs. When they were alone, Harry reached out and gently stroked Ginny's hair. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Ginny said, shrugging. She closed her eyes to enjoy the feel of Harry playing with her hair. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Some of the stuff Hermione said – like that bit about your brothers coming after me-"
"It doesn't matter," she interrupted, turning to face him. "I mean, it does matter that they'd come after you, but they'd do it to anyone I went out with, so you shouldn't feel insulted, or anything."
"I know," he said, nodding. Ginny's hand rested on his knee as they sat there in silence. "Gin?"
"Yes, Harry?"
"Have you ever –" he paused, trying to find the right words. "Have you-?"
"Have I what, Harry?"
"Have you ever thought about us? Together, I mean?" She gave him a puzzled look.
"We are together, Harry."
"I know that, I just meant-" He shook his head, frustrated, and it suddenly dawned on Ginny what he was trying to say.
"You mean together together?" she asked, surprised. Harry looked sheepish as he nodded. She watched him thoughtfully for a moment, and then, "Have you ever thought about it?"
"Are you kidding? It's all I've thought about for –" He stopped and looked thoroughly embarrassed, while Ginny just looked highly amused. "Well, I just meant that yeah, I've thought about it before."
"What sorts of things have you thought about?"
Harry felt his cheeks burning, and wondered briefly how Ginny could talk about such things as though she were simply discussing the day's weather. "What every normal boy thinks about, I guess."
"Which is?" she prodded.
"I'm sure you know," he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "Since you went out with Dean and Michael and all."
"Just because I went out with them doesn't mean that we ever discussed anything like this before."
"You – you didn't?" She shook her head. "Why not?"
"Why would I?" she laughed. "I didn't have nearly as much interest in them as I do in you."
"Oh," he said, the happiness welling up inside of him.
"So what have you been thinking about the most?"
"Er," he uttered, not able to find the words. "Uh…"
"It's all right," she said, smiling. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable, I was just curious." He watched with growing disappointment as she rose from her place on the floor and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I think I'm going to head up to bed now, and you should probably go too, so Ron doesn't have a conniption fit."
She fairly skipped up the stairs, leaving Harry staring after her and wondering how in the world he was supposed to be able to sleep tonight.