Alright - I'm a terrible person for not updating, but I truly just can't. An update a week is how it's gonna be guys :)

Oooh! And thanks for all of the reviews! Just because I can't reply them (I wish I could, but I'm really tight for time!) it doesn't mean I don't read them all and really really appreciate them :)

Chapter 7

Harry knew as soon as he got to around the corridor that what he had just done was stupid. Not the kissing her part – the leaving part.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he said to himself, hitting himself on the head. "Alright," he said out loud, and then decided that the best thing to do would be to finish the sentence in his head. I'll go back, apologize, and...

"Harry," Ron said, punching him on the arm playfully. "We were just looking for you."

Harry blinked out of his trance and looked at Ron and Hermione with a scared expression. "You – you were?"

"Er... yeah," Ron frowned. "It's dinner..."

Harry let out a breath. Ron didn't look mad. He knew nothing.

"Oh, yeah... food."

Ron took that statement to be a serious indicator that something was wrong, but Hermione got there before he did.

"Are you alright? You look a bit red," she said.

Harry's eyes widened.

"Oh..." How did she expect him to explain that? Harry knew the answer – she didn't.

Ron was looking at him with a worried expression.

"Is it... you-know-what?" he asked in a whisper, pointing at his own head.

"No, 'course not!" Harry said.

Hermione looked at him, raising her eyebrows. Harry fought the need to scowl at her. She obviously knew that something was up.

"Listen, guys, I'm not hungry-"

Ron let out a gasp, and Harry frowned at him.

"See you guys later?" he said, frowning at Ron.

"Or... not," Hermione said. Ron frowned at her. "We have prefect duties," she explained, annoyed, and Ron let out an, "Oh!"

"Oh," Harry said. "Well... see you later then."

He waved them away, and Hermione and Ron were silent as they walked down the corridor – he knew that they just didn't want to talk about him while he could hear. And, sure enough, he suddenly heard Hermione's frantic whispering.

As soon as they were actually out of sight, he went back to were he had left Ginny and Luna determinedly.

But they weren't there.

And that was the problem... he didn't know if he could find it in him to actually look for her. He would be way too scared by then.

He mentally slapped himself out of it.

The hug had been to prove no-romantic feelings. The kiss had been to...

The kiss had been because he had wanted to. And he was an idiot he if was going to start pretending that it was because he slipped.

He then realized that Ginny had probably gone to dinner. He wasn't sure if he should go if he had just told Ron and Hermione that he wasn't hungry - and going would just be so that he could talk to Ginny, and that would be completely uncalled for with Ron sitting at the same table.

But now he needed to get his thoughts organized - he would apologize to her and... then what?

"Where did you go?" someone asked.

Harry jumped - it was Luna. Again. Was she stalking him, or...?

"Oh, I... got lost," Harry said pathetically. Luna smiled serenely, but seemed to be mocking him. He frowned at her. "Where'd Ginny go?" he then asked before thinking. At all.

"Oh, I'm not sure," Luna said dreamily.

"What do you mean you're not- weren't you just with her?"

"Weren't you?"

Harry closed his eyes and breathed out slowly.

"You're right," he sighed. "I was. But I really need to talk to her... and I'd rather it... not be in front of loads of people."

He made a face and opened one eye to look at Luna, who looked - he dared say it - amused. But with the dreamy, out-of-this-world face that she always wore.

"You think it's funny," he said, annoyed.

"I think it's nice," Luna corrected. "I wish I had someone like me like that."

Why is today awkward day? Oh, yeah... everyday is awkward day with Luna around!

"Like what?" he asked, confused after his brain-exchange.

Luna let out a light laugh, and Harry was beginning to get scared. Luna was nice and all, but at night she was just scary, in a ghosty kind of way.

"Alright, sorry, I really have to go," he said. "But if you know where she could be..." he then added slowly.

Luna shook her head. "Sorry. She just went off saying something like, 'That was incredibly rude!'"

Harry's heart stopped, and Luna noticed.

"Oh, it's alright, I'm sure she liked it anyways."

Harry just stared at her for a second before saying, "Alright, thanks Luna," in an uncertain way. Luna smiled serenely at him and skipped down the hall.

After a while Harry gave up with his search of Ginny Weasley - she wasn't in the common room, or anywhere else he could think of. And, though he wasn't hungry, he decided that he should at least try the Great Hall.

People were leaving, but when they saw him, they started giggling to each other. Harry frowned at them as he walked past and then looked through the doors. He scanned the hall and quickly saw Ron's arms, waving frantically at him.

Harry decided that he was terrible at hiding, but he had looked directly at him - he couldn't pretend that he hadn't seen him.

"Harry!" Ron said as soon as Harry was in ear shot. Harry gave him a questioning look and got nothing - he looked at Hermione, who was staring at Harry in awe.

"What?" Harry asked, standing next to them. He noticed that a lot of people were looking at him - and that Ginny was nowhere in sight.

"Do you know what Lavender told us?" Ron asked nervously.

"Uh... no," Harry said. "I'm not psychic."

Ron looked at Hermione and relief washed over his face.

"He doesn't know, so it's not true!"

"He doesn't know what you're talking about!" Hermione scolded.

"Wait, what? What's going on?" Harry asked fearing the worst. Hermione looked at him.

"Lavender said that you and Ginny..."

She didn't finish, and Harry's heart was leaping around in his chest like some sort of animal. So much for a lion heart, he thought darkly to himself. He dared himself to look at Ron, who was turning red.

"Lavender said what?" Harry dared ask, fighting to keep his voice level and not knowing whether he should lie or not given the situation.

"That you kissed," Hermione whispered as if it were a bad swear word. Ron swallowed hard and Harry saw him clench his fists. Harry also felt as if he were going to faint - and he felt his face turn incredibly red.

"I... I..."

There was a light cough, and Harry and Hermione looked up - Ron spent another few seconds studying Harry's face, and Harry knew it. He tried hard to ignore it.

"Mr Potter," Umbridge's false sweet voice said. Harry clenched his teeth together. "You never made it to my detention."

"I made it there, Professor," Harry reminded her, trying extremely hard to keep his voice level - his heart was still hammering inside him and he felt ill from the accusation, and now his hate for this woman was overcoming him. "But-"

"I'm quite aware of what happened," Umbridge snapped. "My office, tomorrow night, after classes. And get the Weasley girl to come too."

Ron clenched his fists but Hermione put a warning hand on his, and he visibly calmed down.

Harry wished someone would calm him down as he watched Umbridge march off.

Ron coughed loudly and Harry remembered were he was.

"You were saying," Ron said, and Harry felt him face the stone cold face of Ron once more.

"Ginny has a boyfriend," Hermione said, and Ron looked at her, eyes wide. "What?"

Ron hadn't seen Harry's heart visibly fall through his chest. Ginny did have a boyfriend! What the hell was he thinking?

"I just thought that I should remind him... even if he hasn't kissed her, just in case he thinks about doing it..."

Hermione's voice was distant because of the pounding of blood in his ears muffling all sound - but he still wanted it to just shut up.

"I mean, it's perfectly natural-"

"Hermione, shut up," Harry said loudly, coming back to normality.

"Please," Ron added, his face contorting into a weird expression.

Hermione closed her mouth and looked at both boys quietly.

"OK," she said in a whisper.

Ron turned back to Harry.

"So?" he asked again, raising an eyebrow. Harry blinked.

"Um... no. Of course not."

Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.