Chapter Three-Third year:

It was the year of the Quidditch World Cup and Ginny was ecstatic! She didn't think she'd ever be lucky enough to go, as tickets were expensive. But her dad managed to score some free ones from a colleague high up from work and she had been looking forward to it the entire holiday. Her father had gone to pick Harry up on the sunny, Wednesday afternoon from his aunt and uncle's house because it was two days before the cup and they needed time to prepare.

When Harry had arrived, of course her mother fussed over him as usual and said, "You're far too skinny, Harry! It frightens me how those awful people never seem to feed you!" and Harry became embarrassed as usual. And Hermione kissed his cheek and Ginny couldn't help but feel a little jealous that they could have such an uncomplicated friendship, as usual. Ron hugged Harry enthusiastically, as usual. Fred and George pranked him, as usual. Fred shook Harry's hand with a buzzer and George pulled Harry's chair out from behind him as he was about to sit down in it. Apart from all of the usual activities, Ginny still wasn't quite sure what her "usual" with Harry was. They had only just become self proclaimed friends, so she was completely uncertain as to how that was supposed to work. Everyone else had their routines when greeting Harry, except for Ginny. She had obsessed over him, avoided him like the plague...and now she didn't know how to even greet him. It was so confusing.

She smiled awkwardly and waved at him, "Hey Harry," she said quietly. He nodded at her, grinned and replied, "Hey Ginny," before the chair-pulling incident happened, which diverted his attention from her, and simultaneously made everyone laugh. She thought it was a good start towards a friendship though-acknowledging her that is. She felt herself blushing when he looked at her again, Harry somehow also reddening slightly in his cheeks as he straightened himself. She supposed they were both equally embarrassed after all of the drama last year over their mixed feelings.

Ron excitedly told Harry how they were going to be attending the World Cup in two days time and Harry's face immediately lit up, the chair-pulling incident already forgotten. She watched him chat animatedly with the boys about Quidditch as they explained the teams to him. She loved it when he smiled a genuine smile. It was so rare. She realised, maybe she had to get him to talk about Quidditch more often, in order to see that smile on a more regular basis.

The day before the World Cup was one of the best Ginny could remember having in a long time. Harry and she played two-a-team Quidditch against Ron and Hermione in the forest. Of course, she and Harry won, as Hermione was no expert at Quidditch. Ron was completely disgruntled for a while and Hermione told him to, "Grow up and get over yourself." This caused much chuckling and laughing from both Harry and Ginny. Ginny couldn't help but notice how Harry kept complimenting her skills and she couldn't help but be pleased. She had been told all about how they had discovered that Sirius Black was not, in fact, after Harry and how Peter Pettigrew had been the traitor in the end. Ginny thought maybe finding out that Harry had someone who was virtually family had changed Harry's outlook on life in the best way. He was happier than usual.
That evening, while her mother was making a large family dinner, Ron challenged Harry to a game of chess. Ginny and Hermione spoke about Viktor Krum and their odds of actually meeting him. Ron laughed at them as he tarnished Harry with one last move, his rook moving in to checkmate Harry's King. Harry groaned and then shook his head in defeat, "One thing is for sure, mate-you will always beat me at chess," he sighed. Ginny giggled, "How many times has he beaten you already, Harry?" Harry laughed and replied, "More than I care to count." Ron chuckled and shook his head, "That's right mate. I'd love to see if you could beat Ginny. She's also pretty good." Harry looked at her and asked enthusiastically, "Want a match after dinner Gin?" Ginny nodded and exclaimed, "You're on!" Harry high fived her as they all got up and walked into the dining room.

When the delicious meal was over, Harry and Ginny reset the game and Ginny played with the white pieces. Ron and Hermione lay on either side of them on the floor and Ginny moved first. It was a tense game. Ginny would lose a piece, and Harry would lose a piece. They were fairly evenly matched. Ron was watching with a grin on his face as Harry's Bishop took out her first Castle. She glared at him irritably and he merely laughed at her. She made it her goal to beat him.

Six moves later, her remaining Castle, Knight and Bishop had checkmated his King.
Harry shook her hand and laughed, "Well done Gin! The Weasley's win, two-zero." Ginny stuck out her tongue at him playfully, "You can't be good at everything Harry," she accused with a wink. Hermione laughed and Ginny couldn't believe she had just winked at him! Where had all this confidence come from? Maybe just being friends with Harry took the pressure of being anything more with him off. She blushed at her display of confidence, and Harry chuckled, but Ron eyed her suspiciously. Luckily, he kept his fat mouth shut.

Their mum walked in and checked her watch, "Alright kids, it's time to go to bed. You have to be up early tomorrow." They all groaned and Ron protested, "But they just go here, mum! We haven't even spoken about who we're betting on to win tomorrow yet!" Her mother raised her eyebrow and retorted, "I sincerely hope you're not betting any money, Ron!" Ginny grinned and shrugged, "Fred and George are." The twins were currently upstairs designing new products for kids to buy at school. Mum thought they had gone to sleep early. They were so deceptive! Her mother frowned and her and sighed in disapproval, "Don't you dare get any ideas in your head, Ginny Weasley!" Ginny laughed and replied, "Don't worry, mum! I'm only kidding!"
Harry and Ginny packed up the chess game, as Ron and Hermione went to go and get ready for bed. When her mother left, Harry whispered to Ginny, "I'm not good at everything you know." Ginny shrugged her shoulders as she packed away the last of the chess pieces, "You seem to be." Harry raised his eyebrows and shook his head, a great smile on his face, "I'm not good at winning chess against the Weasley's." Ginny giggled and shook her head, "What else?" He raised his eyebrow and replied, "I'm not good at being your friend." Ginny bit her lip, wishing she'd never said anything. Her breathing heightened as she whispered, "Why?" He sighed, "I think you know the reason."

Ginny looked at Harry and sighed. They hadn't spoken about his feelings for her since that night in the hospital wing. Maybe he had thought the summer holidays had been enough time to overcome her confusion involving him. Ginny grimaced as she looked at him. He had definitely grown much thinner over the holidays and it upset her to see how badly he was mistreated by his relatives. So she whispered, "Harry...I do care for you..." he interrupted her, "But only as a friend, right?" He sounded disappointed and it hurt her even more to hear him sound like that, and that it was her who had caused him to be hurt.

Ginny took Harry's hand and held it firmly, which caused him to look up at her with his green eyes as she explained, "I'm scared, Harry. I'm scared of feeling how I used to about you. I cared for you too much. I cared for you more than my own life. That's terrifying. Even at the time it was terrifying. And in some ways...Riddle helped me to stop." Harry's eyes widened and he jumped back from her, "You...you wanted that? To stop caring about me?" Ginny nodded and replied, "Why do you think I wanted to give up and let Riddle win?" Harry stared at her in disbelief before saying, "But...but I thought it was him who was making you feel that way?" Ginny shook her head quickly, "Nope. I had already give up by then. If you died and it was my fault, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself."
Harry was shocked into silence as her mum barked from upstairs, "GINNY! Get up here, now!" Ginny quickly sat up, put the chess board back in its place on the coffee table and whispered, "See you tomorrow, Harry!" Before she dashed upstairs and willingly slipped away into her bedroom and succumbed to the silence of her own thoughts.

Author's note: Third year, here we come! Thank you for all the continuous support!