The clinks of silver utensils against silver plates filled the Great Hall as its hungry occupants enthusiastically ate their lunch. Ginny, however, was picking morosely at the food on her plate. She really could not find the heart to enjoy her lunch.
Harry liked Cho Chang.
Ginny suppressed the childish urge to wail at the top of her lungs or whack her plate against the table. Instead, she settled on stabbing a piece of pork rather fiercely and putting it in her mouth, more to occupy herself than anything else. She chanced a glance at Harry, who was sitting across and two seats to the right. At least he wasn't making lovesick gazes at her, but that didn't really make Ginny feel better since the Ravenclaw table was behind him. He would have to turn around to stare at her. Well, at least he wasn't making the effort to turn around and gape at Cho Chang.
Ginny chanced another quick glance at Harry. He was talking to Ron and Neville, who were both sitting at her side of the table. It seemed that they hadn't gotten over the fun of their snowball fight that morning and were now discussing strategies for a magical snowball fight.
Ginny turned her attention back to her own plate, using her fork to make a bean roll around her plate. A smile slowly spread across her face as she listened to Harry, who was enumerating a number of spells that he thought would be useful for snowball fights. She could hear the enthusiasm in his voice as he talked about how to combine the spells in order to have, as he said, "an effective offensive and defensive front". Ginny couldn't help but smile fondly at his statement. Only Harry would use those words about a snowball fight. She looked up at him. Judging by his expression, he was half-serious, half-joking—just as she had expected. His green eyes twinkled with excitement and Ginny couldn't help but look forward to their next snowball fight.
She wondered if Harry would shove ice down her back again if they ever had another snowball fight. It had been really nice standing that close to him. She had felt the warmth of his body. Or was it just her blood heating up? And his lips, inches from hers—
Ginny mentally shook herself. What was she thinking? Harry liked Cho. That was pretty obvious. She had no chance. She groaned inwardly and returned to playing with her food.
After a few minutes of frowning at her food, Ginny stole another quick glance at Harry, unable to resist the tug he seemed to have on her eyes. She was about to turn back to her plate when she caught Hermione's knowing gaze. Ginny immediately looked away from Hermione, afraid that the girl would figure everything out just by making eye contact, only to be faced with George's shrewd expression. He was sitting right across Ginny. Next to him, Fred was wearing the exact same expression.
Ginny quickly closed her mouth, which had fallen open. She looked from Fred, to George, to Hermione. Surely, they couldn't possibly know about her feelings for Harry. She had only just figured it out herself!
Ginny ducked her head, panicking. She did not really mind Hermione knowing about it. She would probably confide to the girl anyway, if she wanted to keep her sanity. But Fred and George were a different matter. She remembered the twins finding out about her fancying Oliver Wood. They had been merciless. She had not been able to stay in the same room as Oliver Wood without blushing like a tomato. She did not want that to happen with Harry. She wanted to be able to hang out with him without making a fool of herself. But if Fred and George knew—
But maybe they did not know and she was only being paranoid. She knew that they had always been perceptive when it came to her, but they couldn't possibly know about—
She looked up at her brothers. Their shrewd expressions had been replaced with identical knowing smirks.
Oh shit!
Ginny felt her panic rise, but she stared defiantly at her brothers. She was not going to let them get to her.
"What?" she asked her brothers testily.
Fred and George continued to smirk at her. Ginny glared at them, putting every silent threat in her expression. A moment later, the twins relented.
"Nothing," the twins said in unison, and then nonchalantly returned to their lunch.
Ginny stared at her brothers for a few more seconds. She couldn't really give them explicit threats. They hadn't done anything wrong and she wasn't sure if they really did know about her crush on Harry. If she talked to them about it, they'd only find out if they didn't know or it would confirm their suspicions if they already did. In the end, she decided that she couldn't do anything about them. She would just have to make sure not to be obvious about her crush on Harry.
Ginny turned to Hermione, who had apparently been paying close attention to Ginny's interaction with her brothers. Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ginny, the knowing expression not leaving her face. Ginny sighed in resignation. Hermione would find out, one way or the other. And it was better if Ginny admitted it to the Hermione than if the older girl would ambush her about it.
"Are you alright, Ginny?" asked Hermione, peering concernedly at Ginny.
It was about an hour after lunch and Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Neville had retired to the common room. Harry, Ron, and Neville were playing a loud game of Exploding Snap near a window while Ginny and Hermione took seats near the fireplace. The boys had invited Ginny and Hermione to play but Hermione had chosen to read a rather large book on magical beings and Ginny had also declined, saying that she was tired. Ginny had spent the last thirty minutes staring at the crackling fire and silently cursing her luck—or lack thereof.
It seemed that she could never pick the right guy to fancy. First there was Sirius, who turned out to be a distant cousin. Then there was Oliver Wood, who probably did not know she existed. She didn't really dwell too much on them, however. Sirius and Oliver were just that—a crush, nothing more. She never really considered either of them seriously. She fancied Sirius because he was handsome and a good singer, and Oliver because he was a really good Quidditch player. She had fancied Dean a bit more, and then he went and got himself a girlfriend. But Dean having a girlfriend did not really bother her as much as Harry liking Cho Chang. When she found out that Dean had gotten a girlfriend, Ginny didn't really feel bad about it. Harry fancying Cho, however, was different—to say that it sucked would be a gross understatement.
"Yeah, I'm fine," lied Ginny, giving Hermione a wide grin.
Ginny's gaze flickered involuntarily to where Harry was sitting with Ron and Neville. Hermione, of course, did not miss the direction where Ginny's eyes had strayed. She closed her book and looked appraisingly at Ginny.
Ginny warily eyed the book on Hermione's lap. Hermione having closed her book could only mean that she did not believe Ginny in the slightest and was not going to stop until she got something out of her. Ginny hoped that Hermione wouldn't ask her about Harry. She was going to tell Hermione everything, but she just wasn't ready to do so at that moment. There was still a part of her that hoped that her feelings for Harry were just an effect of the Yule Ball and they would go away soon. Admitting it to someone else would make it final. And Ginny did not want it to be final—not with Harry fancying Cho Chang.
"What?" asked Ginny, getting uncomfortable by Hermione's probing stare.
"Did something happen at the Ball?" Hermione asked after a moment. Ginny could tell that she was carefully choosing her words.
"Other than you and Ron having a shouting match? No," said Ginny cheekily.
"Did you have fun with Harry?" asked Hermione, ignoring Ginny's comment. "I saw you two dancing."
"Oh yeah, it was fun," said Ginny, her tone offhand. "What about you, did you have fun with Krum?"
"Quite," said Hermione dismissively. "I also saw you with Michael Corner, though. Was Harry okay with that?"
"Why wouldn't he be?" said Ginny, feeling like she was losing the topic-battle with Hermione. "We only came as friends, after all," she added, unable to keep the resentment from her voice.
"Is that what you really wanted?" Hermione asked shrewdly.
Ginny shrugged. She did not feel particularly inclined to admit or deny what it was she really wanted. "So, what were you and Ron fighting about?" she asked, although she already knew the answer.
"I didn't see you and Harry towards the end," commented Hermione, ignoring the question directed at her.
"He was mad about Krum, wasn't he?" said Ginny.
Hermione frowned slightly. Whether it was because of Ron or her effort to change the topic, Ginny couldn't be sure. She could tell, however, that Hermione was torn between asking her about Harry and complaining about Ron.
"Where did you and Harry disappear to?" Hermione finally asked.
"We just went out to get some air," said Ginny. Hermione opened her mouth, but Ginny quickly spoke up. "Don't worry, we returned here before curfew," she added, knowing full well that it was not what Hermione wanted to know. "We got here just in time to see you and Ron storm away from each other. What happened?"
Hermione bit her lip. Ginny tried not to grin. She knew she had won. She had asked the right question. She knew that the next words that would come out of Hermione's mouth would be an answer to that question.
"Oh, Ginny," said Hermione, heaving a great sigh of frustration, "Your brother is such a gigantic, immature…" Hermione trailed off and waved her hands about, obviously trying to come up with a strong enough word to describe Ron.
"Git?" offered Ginny. "Prat? Wart? Prick? J—"
"Pig!" Hermione declared vehemently.
Ginny snorted loudly, prompting Harry, Ron, and Neville to stare curiously at her and Hermione. The three boys soon returned to their game, apparently realizing that they did not want to know—and would probably not understand—what Ginny and Hermione were talking about.
"So, Ron's a pig…" said Ginny, letting her statement hang. There was really nothing new about that. She gestured for Hermione to elaborate.
Hermione glanced in Harry, Ron, and Neville's direction. She bit her lip again, seeming like she was hesitating about something. About a moment later, Ginny found herself being forcefully dragged by the arm towards the girls' staircase. She followed Hermione into the third year girls' dormitory, knowing that the older girl did not want anyone else to overhear their conversation. Ginny closed the door behind her as Hermione plopped on a bed and proceeded to recount what had happened after the Yule Ball.
Apparently, Ron had seen Hermione and Viktor Krum saying goodbye in the corridor outside the common room. Ron had not reacted to this and had entered the common room without a backwards glance. When Hermione went inside a minute later, however, she found that he had been waiting for her. Ron had then went on to question Viktor Krum's intentions, asked Hermione why she had gone to the Ball with the Durmstrang Champion, and told her exactly why he didn't think it was a good idea (the phrase 'fraternizing with the enemy' had again come up).
"—I mean, honestly!" Hermione said hotly. "He asked me at the last minute, didn't even believe that someone else had asked me before him, and then went ballistic because I went to the Ball with Viktor! Who the bloody hell does he think he is?"
Ginny looked at Hermione in alarm. The older girl had used the word 'bloody', and that could only mean one thing—she was getting seriously pissed.
"A gigantic, immature pig?" Ginny offered lightly, using Hermione's own words in the hopes of curbing her irritation. She did not really mind hearing Hermione's rants about her brother, but Ginny still had some questions which probably would not be answered if she let Hermione continue.
Ginny's attempt seemed to have worked because Hermione visibly calmed down and gave a small smile.
"Yes, a gigantic, immature pig," said Hermione loftily, and Ginny couldn't help but admire her for the air of dignity she always carried no matter what the situation.
Ginny and Hermione looked at each other, and then, for some reason neither of them could understand, they burst into a fit of laughter.
"So," Ginny began after regaining her composure, "You said that Ron saw you and Krum saying goodbye. By 'saying goodbye', did you mean—?"
"No we weren't kissing when he saw us," said Hermione quickly. "He had walked in right after we broke apart," she added quietly, her cheeks taking on a pinkish tinge.
Ginny's mouth fell open. She looked at Hermione, half-thrilled, half-awed. It really shouldn't come as a surprise, but—
Ron's going to —
"So, are you and Krum—is he—your boyfriend now?"
Ginny had had some suspicions that Ron saw Hermione as more than a friend (whether Ron himself knew this, she had no idea). Among all her brothers, Ron was the one she was closest to, and she would always root for him. But the thought of Hermione dating someone—a type of relationship which Ginny had no firsthand experience of but always wondered about—Ginny couldn't help but be thrilled for the older girl.
"Well, we haven't really—I don't—he asked if we could meet at the library from time to time."
Ginny almost burst out laughing at Hermione's statement. The library—just the type of place Hermione would meet a boy in. But who was she to talk? She, Ginny, hadn't even kissed a boy.
"So you'll be meeting at the library—from time to time," teased Ginny.
"Yes," said Hermione, her cheeks glowing bright red.
"You'll be getting cozy—"
"Ginny!" said Hermione, apparently trying to sound annoyed, but her smile had given her away. "We're just going to—talk."
"Talk?" said Ginny, smirking. "Interesting. Is that code word for—?"
"Ginny!" Hermione cried again, prompting Ginny to burst into another round of laughter.
Hermione huffed in annoyance. "I—" she began, and then paused, apparently at a loss for words to say. "You are such a Weasley, you know that," she said after a moment.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Ginny, bemused.
"Nothing," Hermione replied dismissively.
A wide grin spread across Ginny's face as a thought came to her mind. "You know," she began, "I've always thought you fancied Ron."
"What?" Hermione asked incredulously, though her cheeks had begun coloring rapidly again. "I—I don't know what you mean, Ginny," she added, her eyes darting everywhere around the room.
"Oh, don't play daft, Hermione," said Ginny, and Hermione went even redder. "It doesn't become you," Ginny added jokingly. "I have eyes, you know. And unlike those gits downstairs, I actually use them," she pointed out.
"Well, I like Viktor, too," declared Hermione, not really denying Ginny's assertions. "He's nice, and sweet, and I'm not about to wait for some immature pig to come to his senses," she added with a lot more vehemence than Ginny thought her statement merited.
Ginny grinned at Hermione. She had to hand it to her. The girl had a point. And, judging by her tone of voice, she probably did not want to talk about Ron. Ginny decided to change the topic back to Viktor Krum. She could tell that Hermione enjoyed it better and she had a feeling that if she kept asking about Ron, Hermione would want to ask about Harry.
"So, you kissed Viktor Krum," said Ginny, her grin going from ear to ear. "What's it like?"
For the next few minutes, Hermione talked in detail about her kiss with Viktor Krum and how it had made her feel. Ginny listened eagerly, wondering what it would be really like to kiss a boy. When Hermione had finished talking about her very first kiss, she fixed Ginny with a meaningful look. Ginny sat up straight, thinking that Hermione was going to give her an advice of some sort.
"Now, enough about me," Hermione began in a tone that made Ginny dread what she was going to say next. "I know you like Harry," Hermione continued bluntly.
Ginny only blinked, unable to react, as she registered her friend's words. Trust Hermione to lull someone into a false sense of security and then pounce with that kind of statement.
"Er," said Ginny, unable to say anything else. She knew she was already blushing profusely.
Hermione smirked at her. "You didn't think I was going to let it go, did you?" she said cheekily.
Damn, she's sneaky!
"Er," Ginny said again. She was turning even redder. Any moment now, she would lose the feeling in her limbs because all her blood had rushed up to her face.
She couldn't really change the subject. That would be too desperate and too obvious and Hermione wouldn't let her. She briefly considered running out of the dormitory, but that was rather childish. She couldn't laugh it off either. And outright denial was out of the question. Hermione already knew.
"Couldn't you warn a girl before saying that?" Ginny demanded after a moment.
"Well, it's your own fault you know," Hermione said in an inexplicably know-it-all sort of way. "You shouldn't have kept changing the subject."
Ginny grimaced. Hermione gave her a meaningful look which Ginny took to mean as 'you know I'm right', prompting her to sigh in resignation.
"Well, I don't really like him," said Ginny, wanting to believe herself. "I mean, I think it's just because of the Ball that I'm having these…feelings, you know. I don't—I don't think," she paused, trying to organize her thoughts. "What I'm saying is that I think I'm only having these feelings because we went to the Yule Ball together. It'll go away soon. I don't really like him that way," she finished, vaguely aware of the fact that she was being repetitive.
"I don't know who you're trying to convince, Ginny, but you're not fooling me," Hermione said sagely.
"What? No, I really don't—"
"I think you've liked him way before the Yule Ball," Hermione said knowingly, cutting off Ginny's denials.
"What? What makes you say that?" asked Ginny, feeling both curious and incredulous. She never really thought about when she had started liking Harry. All she knew was that she started seeing him differently during the Yule Ball. She wondered why Hermione thought that she, Ginny, had liked Harry before the ball. And she wondered how Hermione could have figured it out before she did.
"I started suspecting around the week of the First Task, actually," replied Hermione. "Ever since you started flying with Harry, almost all our conversations were about him. You couldn't stop talking about him—"
I couldn't?
"Yes, you couldn't," confirmed Hermione, who caught Ginny's incredulous expression. "There was even this one time when you asked me what his favorite color was," she added in an amused tone.
Ginny turned red with embarrassment. What a stupid thing to ask. Of course, Hermione would suspect.
"And then," continued Hermione, "You kept asking me who he was taking to the ball then turned him down when he asked you—"
"I didn't—"
"Yes you did, Ginny—at first," Hermione said pointedly. "You told him to ask Cho Chang first. And for me, that was the biggest proof. If you didn't like him, you probably would've agreed right away and not worried whether he'd regret going with you instead of Cho. But, to be honest, I only just suspected it then," added Hermione. "I got my confirmation this morning when you didn't look too happy when we ran into Cho in the Entrance Hall. One second, you looked like you were on cloud nine, the next, you just sort of deflated. And then at lunch, you kept glancing at him."
Ginny bit her lip, her forehead creasing into a thoughtful frown. Trust Hermione to figure things out before she did—even if it had been her own feelings that were involved. But had she really liked Harry even before the Yule Ball? And this morning, was she really that obvious? She knew Hermione had noticed, but so had Fred and George. What if the others had noticed too?
"Don't worry," Hermione said with a reassuring smile, as though she had read Ginny's thoughts. "The gits downstairs didn't notice. Those three are the thickest boys in Hogwarts, after all. Well, maybe not Neville," she added. "But he doesn't know you well enough."
Ginny thought Hermione was right—she didn't think the girl had ever been wrong—but it gave her little comfort.
"What about Fred and George though," said Ginny. "Do you think they noticed?"
"Oh, they noticed alright," said Hermione. "I don't think you can be a successful prankster without at least being mindful of things around you," she added thoughtfully.
Ginny grimaced at Hermione's comment. She was right—as always. But that particular observation didn't really help.
"But I think they're only suspecting it," continued Hermione. "They don't really know. I'd advise you not to let your brothers get to you."
"I know," agreed Ginny. "I can still remember them teasing me about Oliver Wood in my first year. That was—mortifying."
Hermione smiled sympathetically at Ginny. "What are you going to do about Harry?" she asked.
"Nothing, really," Ginny said after a moment's thought. "I mean, what can I do?"
"You're not going to tell him?"
"What?" Ginny exclaimed incredulously. "No! Of course not. He likes Cho, remember," she added pointedly. "I'd have to be mental to tell him I like him."
Hermione smiled understandingly then gave Ginny a thoughtful look. She opened her mouth to say something, but apparently thought better of it.
"What?" asked Ginny.
"Just—don't go avoiding him, okay?" Hermione said after a moment. "That's never a good idea."
The idea had come to Ginny's mind during lunchtime, but she had immediately dismissed it. She still wanted to hang out with Harry.
"I won't," Ginny said stoutly.
"Good," said Hermione, smiling.
Ginny smiled back. She had a feeling that Hermione understood her situation perfectly well. After all, Ron, like Harry, was as thick as snow on the ground on Christmas day.