Chapter Nine: Trusting

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Ginny loved her brother dearly but at times he amazed her with how dense he could be. At this very moment he was raving on about how he thought Harry was his best friend and how dare he sneak off with his little sister at this time of night. And why didn't Harry tell him that he was dating Ginny? Or how he was embarrassed that his little sister would go around being a scarlet woman.

"Ron, calm down. Ginny and I aren't dating."

Ron seemed to hear this the wrong way. "You two aren't dating? So you just go off to snog, no strings attached? My sister… my best friend… oh god."

"Ron, Just shut up for a second and let me explain, not that it's any of your business. Harry and I weren't with each other. I was out reading; I have no clue where Harry was though. So why don't you let him tell you his story? I'm going to bed." With that Ginny went off to bed. She didn't actually go to sleep; she stayed up writing till her roommates' snoring cut off her concentration.

-

Harry mentally cursed Ginny when she walked up to her room. She left him all alone with two unhappy friends. One was angry because he thinks you were snogging his sister and the other is upset because now she has to deal with a raving lunatic of a boyfriend.

"Well, Harry, if you really weren't with Ginny then what were you doing out so late?" Hermione decided it would be best if she tried to steer the conversation to calmer direction. Though she wasn't entirely sure if she believed Ginny. What were the chances they were both the same night and came back at the same time?

Think, Harry, think. I could have been reading, except I don't have a book with me. I could have been mindlessly strolling around after dark. They even know I'm not that stupid, with Filch and all. So, do I tell them I was with Pansy?

Harry's thoughts were cut short when Ron said, "Does this have anything to do with when you were late for Transfiguration?

Yes!

"No."

"You sure?"

Course I'm sure! I'm sure I'm lying.

"Yes, what? Do you think I'm lying?"

Ron paused for a second. "No, it's just a little odd. You never did answer exactly what you were doing that made you so late for Transfiguration though."

Pansy and I were talking, then snogging.

"I just got sidetracked, I didn't really feel like going to Transfiguration so I let myself get sidetracked."

Yeah, and I was busy.

"Harry, that was totally irresponsible! We have N.E.W.T.'s coming up. You can't just take your time because you don't feel like going. What if we had learned something important before you came in? You'd have been behind." Hermione kept on ranting about going to class and being on time. Then she grabbed some Transfiguration books and shoved them into Harry's arms. "Here, learn something." Then she went to her Head Girl bedroom, which was right down the hall from the Gryffindor Common Room.

Harry sat in front of the common room fire waiting for Ron to head off to bed, just like Hermione had, but Ron just sat in a chair finishing his homework that was due the next day. Harry didn't want to go to bed, but he knew that if he didn't Ron would start badgering him about things that had happened in the last few days. Despite this, Harry stayed right where he was sitting.

After a while Ron finally said something. "I believe you. I don't think you were with Ginny, but I do think you're hiding something. I'm just not sure what it is. Anyways I'm going to bed. See you in the morning."

A pang of guilt rushed through Harry. He really should have told Ron and Hermione about Pansy.

-

The days that followed the horrible night were not of much interest. The same could be said for this particular morning.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were eating breakfast, they didn't really say much at all. Harry felt like he wanted to scream, but he quickly decided against it.

-

Ginny wasn't exactly having the best morning either. She was debating with herself on what she should do with the whole Malfoy thing. (She had been dodging him the past few days.) First of all she was wondering if there really was a Malfoy thing to worry about? Why not just ignore him, get a boyfriend and get on with her life? Finding a boyfriend would be the hard part though. Ginny was fairly good looking but she knew she wasn't anything special. The most interesting part of her was her bright red hair went down to the middle of her back, the rest of herself she marked as plain and boring. Ginny knew that there was more then looks to get someone to date her but as far as she knew nobody at Hogwarts fancied her.

Now Ginny had come up with three possible ideas. She could either:

Just do what she knew she had to do. Talk to Malfoy. (Easier said then done)

Leave Hogwarts and join the circus. Also known as running away from her problems. (Ginny dismissed this idea since she had a big fear of clowns and elephants.)

She could pretend Malfoy didn't exist and if he ever tried to talk to her she could pretend he wasn't there. If he kept on bothering her then she'd just indulge in a conversation with one of her many invisible friends.

Ginny sighed to herself as she thought this over. She didn't like any of the ideas that much. The last idea would be sort of fun but it could last forever, unless of course Malfoy was planning on ignoring her also. Ginny knew she only had one option: talking to Malfoy.

-

During Charms class the only thing Harry could think about was Pansy. She had slipped him a note yesterday while they were on their way to potions. He had nodded to her then quickly put it in his pocket.

Harry could hear Professor Flitwick going on and on about some charm, but he couldn't concentrate. He couldn't help but think about the note from Pansy. Harry had put the note in his room but he could still remember what it said, 'Harry, meet me at eight, you know where. - You Know Who.' Harry let out a soft laugh at the 'You Know Who' part.

Harry had also gotten a letter from Headmaster Dumbledore; his letter was strikingly close to what Pansy's looked like. Basically the letter asked Harry to meet him in his office after Charms class. He wanted to ask him about his scar. Harry hoped that this meeting would be rather long because his next class was Potions.

After class Harry walked over to Ron and Hermione, who were waiting for him by the door, he told them about Dumbledore's letter then asked, "Ron, can you get my Potions and Care of Magical Creatures books from the dormitory? I doubt I'll have time after talking to Dumbledore"

Ron said, "Sure, mate."

Hermione had a worried look on her face. "Make sure that when you talk with Dumbledore you'll listen to everything he has to say. Okay, Harry?"

Harry nodded then went off to Dumbledore's office.

-

She was going to do it, Ginny Weasley risk-taking girl extraordinaire was going to do it. She was going to march up to Draco Malfoy and talk to him. Yes, talking, not kissing.

Draco Malfoy had just left the Slytherin table and was heading to his first class with Blaise Zabini. Draco and Blaise were just silently walking when Draco felt someone tapping on his back. He turned around to see the littlest Weasley standing behind him with her arms crossed. "Is there something you want?"

"Yes."

Blaise, who had also stopped walking, wondered as to whether or not he should be here. "I think I better be going, and I rather watch a potential snog fest."

Blaise turned to walk away when a hand grabbed onto his arm. "Oh, no you don't. I need a witness to this. Someone to back me up when I finally realize what the hell I'm doing."

Blaise grinned. "Okay, I'll stay, this sounds interesting."

Draco frowned. "Blaise may find this interesting, but I have better things to do, so unless you spit it out, Ginny, I'm leaving."

Ginny smiled when she heard Draco say her name. "Okay, okay, Draco Malfoy, willyougooutwithme?"

Draco smirked. "Could you repeat that? I don't speak Weasel."

Ginny sighed, her eye started to water. She knew Draco had heard exactly what she said. "Never mind, forget about it. I really need to get to class."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yeash, Ginny, don't go off crying. Sure, why not? I'll go out with you, but don't expect me to be romantic and crap. I'd really rather throw myself off the astronomy tower." He said the last part with a small smirk.

Draco was about to kiss Ginny when Blaise started laugh. Both Ginny and Draco looked at him. "Brilliant! Perfect! You two aren't the biggest idiots in the school anymore. Well, Draco might still be, but anyways, I'm leaving." Blaise started to walk away backwards while waving at them and blowing kisses. "Oh and congratulations, don't forget to invite me to the wedding."

"Blaise, shut the fuck up, or you won't get invited." Draco looked back at Ginny, "Now where was I?" Ginny giggled, then they kissed.

-

Ron and Hermione were walking up to the Gryffindor Tower discussing what Dumbledore and Harry could be talking about. Hermione asked Ron what he thought they were talking about.

"Well about his scar, of course. Most likely Dumbledore is just going to hammer Harry with questions about it. Probably going to ask him if his scar is hurting. Dumbledore is obsessed with that thing."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe Dumbledore has an idea as to what Voldemort is up to. I do hope Harry takes everything that Dumbledore says to heart."

"Yeah."

When Ron and Hermione got to the boys dormitory they were greeted with a very messy room, just as it always was. Hermione thought it was rude for the guys to keep their room this messy when the house elves had to clean it up. As she walked further into the room her eyes landed at Ron's bed. It was by far the messiest. He had clothes, books, parchment and quills lying everywhere. Hermione laughed at the Chudley Cannon boxers lying partly under his bed. "Nice boxers." Ron blushed and quickly stuffed them into a drawer.

Hermione smiled and said. "I think they're cute." Then she kissed him on the cheek. "Let's find Harry's books or we'll be late to class."

Ron walked over to Harry's side of the room and searched for his Potions and Care of Magical Creatures books. He found them right beside Harry's nightstand. Ron picked them up, got his own books and then he and Hermione left the room. When they entered the common room Ron noticed a crumpled piece of parchment sticking slightly out of Harry's potions book. Curiosity took over him, he un-crumpled the parchment and read it. The same that Harry recited in his head were on the parchment. Ron gasped.

Hermione looked over at him with an odd expression on her face. "What is it?" Ron showed her the paper. "So Harry was meeting Ginny."

Ron shook his head. " No, I don't think he was meeting Ginny. They didn't seem like they were together. Plus I trust Harry and Ginny, I'm sure they would tell me if they were dating."

Hermione bit her lip. "But he was meeting someone. Ron, you should put the parchment back where it was, we should just wait until he tells us. Which hopefully will be soon."

"Oh, I was thinking about following Harry…"

Hermione smacked him playfully on the arm. "Ron! We don't even know how old this is. It could have been from before when we caught him sneaking in. Plus Harry would never forgive us if we stalked him."

Ron sighed. "True, I just wanted to feel all special and mysterious."

-

At the end of the school day Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny were all in the Gryffindor Common Room. Ginny was sitting by herself doing some homework; well she was trying to do homework. She couldn't stop smiling. Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting across the room. Ron kept glancing over at Ginny; he was wondering what made her so damn happy. He looked over at Harry who was trying to study for a Potions test. Ron quickly shook his head and pushed the thought out of his mind. At least Ron tried to push the thought out of his mind. He mumbled something. "Umm… So, Harry, anything new?"

Harry gave him an odd look. "Nothing except the meeting with Dumbledore, which I already told you about. He just asked about my scar and whether it was hurting."

"Oh, right."

Ron thought for a minute, "Do you have a girlfriend?" Hermione quickly kicked him when he said that. "Ow, what was that for?" Hermione gave him an icy glare in response.

Harry gave a nervous laugh. "If I had a girlfriend wouldn't you two know?"

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Trust is like a piece of fabric. Once it's torn it will never be just how it was before.