Nemo Autem Mei Amor
Chapter Five


Ginny sighed and frowned at Harry who tugged at her hair to get his attention before rolling her eyes at the face he pulled to get her to smile. "Not funny," she muttered, wrinkling her nose as she tried to fight a smile as Harry just shrugged with his answer. Leaning back Ginny eyed her brother and Hermione who were watching the two of them, thinking nothing of it Ginny spoke: "so, you're sure there's nothing I can do about this curse? Besides...well, death?"

"Nothing at all," Ron said, with a shrug, "less you want a bloody ending to your life."

Ginny rolled her eyes and fought an urge to smile--same sarcastically funny, Ron. "Such a wonderful brother I have, don't you think? Having me die a bloody and painful death then actually dying in one quick motion."

Ron grinned at this. "I never said it had to be painful," he said, before pausing as if he looked in thought as Ginny giggled while hiding her face in Harry's arm as he continued, "but that would be a bonus, wouldn't it."

As Ron's grin grew and Ginny giggled into Harry's arm, Hermione shook her head a small smile on her lips. "I never got why you guys think it's funny to be cruel with one another," Hermione said, while Ginny removed her self from Harry who raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well once you've lived the way we have…" Ginny said, finishing the sentence with a shake of her head.

"Near damn impossible not to see humor in the nastiest of situations," Ron said, agreeing as he stretched with his arms and leaned back into his chair, "especially with Fred and George as brothers."

"Ha," Harry said smirking, "think I'm jealous." In Harry's mind, it was a very good thing to say seeing as Ginny threw her arms around his shoulders.

"Poor Harry," she said, pinching his cheek lightly, "feeling a bit lonely?"

"Why will you do something about it?" he asked, smiling wickedly at her which Ginny returned.

"Depends on how much you're willing to pay Potter?" she asked, ignoring Ron's sputters and his next statement.

"Ginny Weasley!" he shouted, standing up.

Harry ignored him too. "If Ron doesn't beat me to a bloody pulp, how about thirty galleons?"

"What? Harry!" Ron cried, as Hermione just rolled her eyes and dragged him back down onto the couch.

"Forty galleons," Ginny said, looking thoughtful which made Harry turn his head away from the chaos it started with Ron and Hermione; Ginny was a hell of an actor. "I could also make you breakfast for another ten."

"Fifty galleons it is then?"

Ginny nodded, tossing Harry a wink as Ron eyes grew wide and stared at Hermione in disbelief who was frowning at the two of them. "Mione," Ron moaned, grabbing her attention by pulled on her arm like a small child trying to catch an attention of an adult. "Do something about them!"

To both Harry and Ginny's surprise- who had stopped their little act without Ron's knowledge -Hermione agreed--quite forcefully. "Harry, could I talk to you?" she asked, getting up to where Harry and Ginny were. She yanked at Harry's arm who groaned and began to protest but she cut him off; "now."

As Hermione dragged Harry away the two siblings watched with utmost curiosity. Once Hermione closed the door to her bedroom- after shoving Harry in -Ginny turned her head to her brother and eyed him as if hoping for an answer. "Don't look at me like that," Ron said, "she's probably beating him black and blue like I…" he trailed off and Ginny kept quiet along with him for a moment, waiting for him to continue.

After a few moments she grew tired of waiting and spoke up: "go on, Ron. What do you think Hermione's doing to Harry? Come to think of it, maybe Harry's enjoying it. There's a silencing charm around her room, you know." Ginny said with a smirk and a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Ron failed to see her humor. Instead, his usual slightly rosy cheeks paled as he eyed his sister when she said this. "So," he said, shifting in his seat and clearing his throat, "you think Hermione fancies Harry? I mean, when I'm off with Lavender and everything…their alone…"

"Ron- What?" Ginny asked, staring at her brother.

"What?" Ron asked, his cheeks coloring at an alarming rate, "can't I know what my best mates are up too?"

Ginny snickered, which caused Ron to glare at her which didn't help in this situation. "But you weren't asking about your best mates are you? You were asking about Hermione. So, what happen to Lavender then, Ron? I mean weren't you the one who said- and in these exact words -'Lav-Lov! You're the lave of my life!'" Ron gave her a 'ha-ha very funny look,' before sighing. Ginny stopped teasing; moving towards him she sat on the arm of his chair and touched his shoulder. "All right there, Ron? You don't look so good."

"Really? Because yesterday I was looking grand!" he said, giving her a half-grin. When Ginny didn't even smile at his comment, he just patted her hand before shoving it off and said. "Nothing I want my bratty little sister to know."

Getting the hint, Ginny took the throw pillow from behind Ron's back and hit him on the head with it. "Bratty? Little?" she asked, hitting him with every word, "We'll see who's 'little' after this."

"Oh really?" Ron asked, diving for the another pillow before they began to whack one another with pillows and ended up into a tickle fight that didn't last long as they both ran out of breath and on the floor next to one another.

Breathing in and out, Ginny closed her eyes and rested her head on her brother's shoulder while holding his arm with one hand. "Ron?" she whispered, his breathing was still labored but was slowly coming back to a normal pace.

"What? Do I need a breath mint or something?" he asked, causing Ginny to laugh when he actually tested his breath.

"No," Ginny said, grabbing a throw pillow and now lying inches away from him, "I was wondering…if…when, I fall in love with Malfoy would you…do you think you'll be able to get along?" There was a silence that stretched soon after wards and Ginny began to grow nervous. Breathing in deeply she muttered: "you don't have to answer. I mean I know how you two are and-"

"Only if you love him," Ron said so suddenly that Ginny had to sit up and look at him, when he found Ginny looking down at him he repeated himself, "only if you really and I mean completely love him I might get along with him. But if he does one thing to you, I swear I'll--"

"Kill him? Slaughter him? Take his guts and feed it to Lupin when he's a werewolf?" she suggested, and Ron rolled his eyes without answering. Ginny lied back down next to him and stared at the always changing ceiling Hermione had and wished she had gotten it too. Tonight, the ceiling had changed into Leonardo's picture of The Last Supper. Secretly Ginny envied at how wonderful the picture was; sometimes she wished she could draw or paint as well as she sung or as well as Harry played Quidditch.

"Hey Gin?" Ron answered this time going up so he could look down at her.

"What?" she asked, removing her eyes from the picture and looking at her brother with a yawn.

"I think there's a way to stop this," Ron said, looking away from Ginny and over to where the fireplace was, "you know the curse."

"Oh really?" Ginny asked with sarcasm, "and I heard that you got into Lavender's knickers."

Ron colored slightly but glared at Ginny. "I'm serious!"

"You did! Ugh, Ron, please tell me you didn't!

"That's…" Ron shook his head and poked his sister in the ribs hard enough to get her to glare at him and pay attention, "listen, what if you fell in love with someone else?"

"Can never happen," Ginny said, waving off the suggesting and patting Ron's head lightly, "it's alright big brother, you don't have to get upset about it. You're never one to be smart in times like these."

"Oh and you are?"

"Sometimes," Ginny shook her head, "no I'm wrong, most of-"

"The time, you're wrong. Just like you said, no need to deny it."

"And when have you been right?"

"And when have I been wrong?"

"Oh Merlin, tons!"

"And they say the strongest bond is between a brother and sister-" Ron began looking bitter at her comment.

"Do they?"

"-…I don't know."

"Figures," Ginny said, with a roll of her eyes that earned her another poke and Ron a slap against his chest before the sound of a bedroom door opened.

"Harry, don't do this!" Hermione voice came through, sounding utterly upset and serious. Ron and Ginny lifted their heads so they could see Hermione and Harry past the chair that had earlier block their vision. "You'll only get hurt!"

"What-" Ron and Ginny began but Harry had already left them. "Mione?" Ron called out, giving Ginny a look before nodding at where Harry left and getting up and heading toward Hermione's room. Ginny took the hint and left the common room, but not before stealing a glance at the clock. She had fifteen minutes before Malfoy expected her back, frowning, she turned her head away from the clock and dashed after Harry.

By the time Ginny reached Harry he was clutching onto the side railing on their floor, breathing hard. Ginny looked around anxiously, hoping, that no teacher would come along this hall seeing as it was least thirty minutes past curfew. Touching his shoulder gently, Ginny tried to get a better look at Harry while talking to him. "Harry? Are you…well; obviously you're not in a great mood are you? Harry, what happened?""

"I need to ask you something…you've got to be completely truthful about it," Harry said, turning his face slightly so that met eye-to-eye.

"All right," Ginny said, looking curiously at Harry.

She could see and hear him swallow before he asked: "if the curse wasn't here and if Malfoy had nothing to do with you…do you think that…would we have actually been with one another?"

Ginny pursed her lips and looked away from Harry before a question of her own came up. She opened her mouth and began to answer to Harry's question but then a sudden voice caused them to both pale.

"Potter, Weasley, you do know what time is it don't you?"

"Hermione?" Ron asked, sitting next to her on her bed. "Are-- Are you crying?" Ron asked, moving so he could see her face.

"It's stupid," Hermione said, with a nervous laugh as she wiped the tears away before smiling at Ron, "it's nothing to worry about, really."

"You're crying," Ron said bluntly, before glowering, "did Harry do something?"

"Sort of," Hermione muttered, looking down at her hands, "but its not-"

"So," Ron said, roughly standing up while Hermione looked up at him, completely shocked, "its true then?" Without waiting for Hermione to answer he soon began towards the door.

"Wait!" Hermione cried, going after him, "what are you talking about? What's true? Ron, don't leave!"

Ron paused somewhere in the middle of Hermione living room where throw pillows were scattered about at his feet. "That you fancy Harry," he said, his voice harsher and far rougher then he had intended. But it didn't matter, because as he said it he broke into a run with Hermione's voice calling after him as he did so. Not focused enough to be shocked that he made it to his tower without getting caught he kneeled before the fat lady who eyed him and stared at his hands, as if hoping for an answer. Something, anything that would tell him why he felt like he had been beaten, healed, and beaten again when he said that Hermione fancied Harry and when she didn't deny it.

She didn't deny it.

Ruffling his hair, he looked up at the fat lady and whispered the password before getting on his feet and walking into the Gryffindor tower.

"Freckles," Draco said, his tone none-too-cheerful, as he heard the portrait door open, "you're late."

"Not my fault," came the agitated response. "I've gotten detention because you haven't got the brain to actually think of a way to have me return here without it."

He turned his face completely blank and unmoved besides the raised eyebrow. Ginny stood there before him, positively livid and that, for an odd reason, made him happy. "Who caught you? And I did. I figured you'd have Granger bring you. What, did something happen?"

"Shut up," she snapped, removing her cloak, "I've gotten a rotten headache and it's from you're lovely head of house."

"Snape?" he asked, walking towards her while she placed away her cloak and soon worked on her tie.

"Yes," Ginny hissed through gritted teeth, "fifteen minutes before I have to come back-- fifteen! Take note of that Malfoy --I was with…" she trailed off as Malfoy moved her hands away from her tie and pulled it off for her.

Looking up with a faint smile on his lips he said: "you were with…"

"I hate you," Ginny huffed, shoving past him and stalking up the stairs.

"I thought you said you disliked me," he called after her.

"You're dreaming!" she snapped back, causing his smile to grow slightly before following her.

When he reached the door he found her searching her drawers for something; ignoring this he came up behind her and leaned over so he could whisper into her ear. "Isn't it true that the last time you said that I was dreaming you practically mugged me while we slept?"

Ginny looked over at him, over her shoulder and glared. "Go. To. Hell," she seethed, and turned around and faced him, "move, so I can change."

"Oh, you don't have to leave for my sake," he said, fully smiling, "you can strip right in front of me, I really don't mind."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I said I was going to change not strip. Get your head out of the gutter."

"I should, but with someone as sexy as you, how can I?" he asked while moving a stand of hair behind her shoulder, making sure his fingers touched her neck lightly.

Ginny gritted her teeth as she blushed uncontrollably. "Look you over ego prat, just because you say that to ever thing that can walk doesn't mean I have to listen to you," she snapped, before shoving past him and heading to the loo.

"You're right," he said, and Ginny paused before the door. "I do say that to every thing that walks."

Ginny closed her eyes for a moment before saying, very calmly: "you're trying to spite me aren't you?"

"Yes, you're quite funny when you're angry."

She turned her head and looked at him over her shoulder. "Glad to be of some entertainment to you Ferret," she said, her eyes flashing at him which only made his smile grow. She closed her eyes again before walking into the loo with his eyes following her.