Harry was woken by someone shaking him gently but instantly. "Come
on, get up. Now. Wake up. Wake up. Get up, Harry. Wake up."
Harry rubbed his eyes and found it was Ron waking him up.
Harry began to talk, "Do you know what Renata did last night? When you and Hermione were gone she came down here and when I wouldn't give her a piece of paper she started hexing me and then-"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Who do you think helped her plan it?"
"I thought she was working alone."
"No. Now we've got to get you upstairs before the others wake up. Last night when you didn't come I told them you were finishing your summer homework. Come on." Ron pushed and pulled Harry up the stairs, forced him into pajamas and told him to get in bed for another couple hours of sleep. It was 4:30 in the morning. Ron went back downstairs to get the blankets Renata had put over Harry and he had the paper with the Prophecies too. Harry saw Ron stuff the blankets under his bed and put the parchment under his pillow, he obviously did not mean Harry to have it before he had a look at it.
Harry fell asleep again, fervently hoping the affects of the truth potion would be gone by morning.
* * * * * *
Harry woke up and the first the he did was ask Ron to ask him his name.
"What's your name, Harry?"
"My name is.George. Yes! It's over."
Seamus groaned, "What are you babbling about?"
"Nothing," Harry said hastily.
Ron however, said, "Oh, Harry's just too embarrassed to tell you. Somebody thought up a great prank and decided to slip a truth potion in Harry's pumpkin juice last night at dinner."
Harry could feel his face go red and turned away from the others, pretended to look for his shoes; though he knew Ron's story was better than if Ron had told the truth.
Dean sat up in his bed, "That's too bad. If it hadn't warn of we could have asked you some questions about Renata."
They were all very much awake now and everyone laughed in agreement, everyone except Harry. "How many times do I have to tell you that we are not dating anymore?"
Neville leaned around one of his bedposts to look at Harry, "And how many times do we have to tell you that you should be? It's obvious you both still like each other."
"No we don't. There's nothing going on."
"Deny it all you want but it's true."
Harry didn't wait for Hermione Renata down in the common room but the boys from his dormitory followed, keeping up the debate with him.
Harry saw Malfoy. The look on Malfoy's face told Harry that he'd overheard. That was all he needed, Malfoy already on his case and not even back in class yet. Unfortunately for Harry, his friend's surrounded him at the table.
"Ask her out."
"No." He poked at the eggs on his plate.
"Harry, don't make us ask her for you."
"Heck, I'm not going to ask her for him, I want to ask her for myself. Renata looks good and if Harry's dumb enough not to take her, I want her. She's pretty, smart and good at Quiditch. What more do you want?"
"Take her and keep her, Seamus. I don't want her. She's as stubborn and mean as a Hippogriff, and she's more likely to curse you than Malfoy is. She's just my friend." But if you dare break her heart you are going to regret it and wish you were never born! I'll make sure of it. Wait, where did that thought come from? He shook the thought from his head. "Somebody pass down the schedules."
Seamus looked at him, "Don't think I won't take you up on that offer."
Neville passed him a schedule. "Here you go, Harry."
"Thanks."
When he and Ron reached Transfiguration, his first class, he found Renata and Hermione waiting for them.
"We saved you seats. Sit down."
Ron took one look at Renata, and doubled over laugh silently so that he had to sit down.
"What is it? What's so funny? SHUT-UP and tell me what's so funny!" Renata screamed at him.
Ron shook his head helplessly and gestured to Harry in a manner that asked him to explain it. Harry shook his own head and made a shrug to Ron to solve the problem himself.
Ron was nearly breathless, "It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand unless you'd heard our conversation this morning. Right, Harry?"
"I'm staying out of this."
"Harry, what did you and Ron say?"
"It wasn't just Ron and I. In fact, I was defending you. I didn't say anything."
"Defending me? Like I need defending. Pah! You disgust me, you self- centered, egotistical, brat."
"Hey, I'm not the one that wants to date you. That was Seamus."
Ron said, "Yeah, you just told him for all you cared you didn't care if he married her."
"I never said that."
Renata tilted her head, "So you do care?"
Harry sputtered, "T-t-that's not what I meant and you know that!"
"Class! Settle down, now! Silence!" Professor McGonagall's voice brought immediate silence and everyone scrambled to his or her seat. Professor McGonagall was the head of the Gryffindor House. She was fair, but she was extremely strict. She wore her hair in a severe looking bun and peered down at them through her glasses. "Take out your books and anything you need for notes. Today we will begin with complete human transformations." This was not strictly true, because they would be taking notes for a month and working on some small things before they actually began transforming people.
After class, Harry watched as Renata approached Seamus Finnigan in the hallway with her wand out hand her hands on her hips. This would be dangerous for Seamus, Harry stood by to watch. This would be fun.
"So." She said.
"So?"
"So I heard you wanted to ask me on a date."
"I? Did I say that? I.er.well the thing is, Harry said that he didn't want to have anything to do with you and I told him he was being stupid because any guy would be lucky to have you. I'm sorry he wanted to just throw you away. I thought you deserved better and I just decided to mention it. That's all. Really." He looked at his friends for help and no one offered any.
Harry had no sympathy. Why had Seamus dragged him into it? Ron looked close to laughing and Dean and Neville looked clueless as to what to say.
"So is that a yes or a no to the date?" she asked.
"If you wanted to go out I would."
"Alright. When?"
He seemed to flounder for an answer. "The first Hogsmeade weekend? I'll meet you for lunch in the Three Broomsticks."
"Okay. Goodbye." She didn't leave but instead crossed her arms and watched him, Neville, and Dean leave. She started laughing once they were out of earshot. "Did you see their faces? Ha! That was fun. A good first day back."
Hermione came and stood bye her. "So you really mean to go out with him?"
Renata glanced at Ron, but her gaze rested on Harry as she answered. "Sure, I will. Unless anyone has any objections."
"I certainly don't object. Seamus doesn't look half bad and he's a very nice boy," Hermione told her.
"Not me, Seamus is a good guy. I just didn't know he was interested in you," Ron told her.
"Harry?"
"Oh. No objections here. Do whatever you want. I couldn't care less."
"Okay. Then I will."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
Harry stalked off and heard Ron say to Hermione, "That was interesting."
"Yeah. They'll stop fighting it one of these days."
Harry stopped listening and moved farther away. He went to Gryffindor Tower to put away his Transfiguration books. What was all that about? He shouldn't have felt jealous. And it had felt that Renata had confronted, or rather cornered, Seamus like that just to make Harry jealous. It didn't make sense. He couldn't see the picture in this game of connect the dots.
Harry switched his books and made his way to his History of Magic class.
History of Magic was a dull class and the only class taught by a ghost. It was so boring that even Hermione had trouble staying awake.
Harry rubbed his eyes and found it was Ron waking him up.
Harry began to talk, "Do you know what Renata did last night? When you and Hermione were gone she came down here and when I wouldn't give her a piece of paper she started hexing me and then-"
"Yeah, yeah. I know. Who do you think helped her plan it?"
"I thought she was working alone."
"No. Now we've got to get you upstairs before the others wake up. Last night when you didn't come I told them you were finishing your summer homework. Come on." Ron pushed and pulled Harry up the stairs, forced him into pajamas and told him to get in bed for another couple hours of sleep. It was 4:30 in the morning. Ron went back downstairs to get the blankets Renata had put over Harry and he had the paper with the Prophecies too. Harry saw Ron stuff the blankets under his bed and put the parchment under his pillow, he obviously did not mean Harry to have it before he had a look at it.
Harry fell asleep again, fervently hoping the affects of the truth potion would be gone by morning.
* * * * * *
Harry woke up and the first the he did was ask Ron to ask him his name.
"What's your name, Harry?"
"My name is.George. Yes! It's over."
Seamus groaned, "What are you babbling about?"
"Nothing," Harry said hastily.
Ron however, said, "Oh, Harry's just too embarrassed to tell you. Somebody thought up a great prank and decided to slip a truth potion in Harry's pumpkin juice last night at dinner."
Harry could feel his face go red and turned away from the others, pretended to look for his shoes; though he knew Ron's story was better than if Ron had told the truth.
Dean sat up in his bed, "That's too bad. If it hadn't warn of we could have asked you some questions about Renata."
They were all very much awake now and everyone laughed in agreement, everyone except Harry. "How many times do I have to tell you that we are not dating anymore?"
Neville leaned around one of his bedposts to look at Harry, "And how many times do we have to tell you that you should be? It's obvious you both still like each other."
"No we don't. There's nothing going on."
"Deny it all you want but it's true."
Harry didn't wait for Hermione Renata down in the common room but the boys from his dormitory followed, keeping up the debate with him.
Harry saw Malfoy. The look on Malfoy's face told Harry that he'd overheard. That was all he needed, Malfoy already on his case and not even back in class yet. Unfortunately for Harry, his friend's surrounded him at the table.
"Ask her out."
"No." He poked at the eggs on his plate.
"Harry, don't make us ask her for you."
"Heck, I'm not going to ask her for him, I want to ask her for myself. Renata looks good and if Harry's dumb enough not to take her, I want her. She's pretty, smart and good at Quiditch. What more do you want?"
"Take her and keep her, Seamus. I don't want her. She's as stubborn and mean as a Hippogriff, and she's more likely to curse you than Malfoy is. She's just my friend." But if you dare break her heart you are going to regret it and wish you were never born! I'll make sure of it. Wait, where did that thought come from? He shook the thought from his head. "Somebody pass down the schedules."
Seamus looked at him, "Don't think I won't take you up on that offer."
Neville passed him a schedule. "Here you go, Harry."
"Thanks."
When he and Ron reached Transfiguration, his first class, he found Renata and Hermione waiting for them.
"We saved you seats. Sit down."
Ron took one look at Renata, and doubled over laugh silently so that he had to sit down.
"What is it? What's so funny? SHUT-UP and tell me what's so funny!" Renata screamed at him.
Ron shook his head helplessly and gestured to Harry in a manner that asked him to explain it. Harry shook his own head and made a shrug to Ron to solve the problem himself.
Ron was nearly breathless, "It's a guy thing. You wouldn't understand unless you'd heard our conversation this morning. Right, Harry?"
"I'm staying out of this."
"Harry, what did you and Ron say?"
"It wasn't just Ron and I. In fact, I was defending you. I didn't say anything."
"Defending me? Like I need defending. Pah! You disgust me, you self- centered, egotistical, brat."
"Hey, I'm not the one that wants to date you. That was Seamus."
Ron said, "Yeah, you just told him for all you cared you didn't care if he married her."
"I never said that."
Renata tilted her head, "So you do care?"
Harry sputtered, "T-t-that's not what I meant and you know that!"
"Class! Settle down, now! Silence!" Professor McGonagall's voice brought immediate silence and everyone scrambled to his or her seat. Professor McGonagall was the head of the Gryffindor House. She was fair, but she was extremely strict. She wore her hair in a severe looking bun and peered down at them through her glasses. "Take out your books and anything you need for notes. Today we will begin with complete human transformations." This was not strictly true, because they would be taking notes for a month and working on some small things before they actually began transforming people.
After class, Harry watched as Renata approached Seamus Finnigan in the hallway with her wand out hand her hands on her hips. This would be dangerous for Seamus, Harry stood by to watch. This would be fun.
"So." She said.
"So?"
"So I heard you wanted to ask me on a date."
"I? Did I say that? I.er.well the thing is, Harry said that he didn't want to have anything to do with you and I told him he was being stupid because any guy would be lucky to have you. I'm sorry he wanted to just throw you away. I thought you deserved better and I just decided to mention it. That's all. Really." He looked at his friends for help and no one offered any.
Harry had no sympathy. Why had Seamus dragged him into it? Ron looked close to laughing and Dean and Neville looked clueless as to what to say.
"So is that a yes or a no to the date?" she asked.
"If you wanted to go out I would."
"Alright. When?"
He seemed to flounder for an answer. "The first Hogsmeade weekend? I'll meet you for lunch in the Three Broomsticks."
"Okay. Goodbye." She didn't leave but instead crossed her arms and watched him, Neville, and Dean leave. She started laughing once they were out of earshot. "Did you see their faces? Ha! That was fun. A good first day back."
Hermione came and stood bye her. "So you really mean to go out with him?"
Renata glanced at Ron, but her gaze rested on Harry as she answered. "Sure, I will. Unless anyone has any objections."
"I certainly don't object. Seamus doesn't look half bad and he's a very nice boy," Hermione told her.
"Not me, Seamus is a good guy. I just didn't know he was interested in you," Ron told her.
"Harry?"
"Oh. No objections here. Do whatever you want. I couldn't care less."
"Okay. Then I will."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
Harry stalked off and heard Ron say to Hermione, "That was interesting."
"Yeah. They'll stop fighting it one of these days."
Harry stopped listening and moved farther away. He went to Gryffindor Tower to put away his Transfiguration books. What was all that about? He shouldn't have felt jealous. And it had felt that Renata had confronted, or rather cornered, Seamus like that just to make Harry jealous. It didn't make sense. He couldn't see the picture in this game of connect the dots.
Harry switched his books and made his way to his History of Magic class.
History of Magic was a dull class and the only class taught by a ghost. It was so boring that even Hermione had trouble staying awake.
