Silence Is Not Always Golden

Ginny rose to her feet and walked over to the old sagging leather couch where Harry was sitting and staring off into the darkness of his mind.

She didn't like the idea of Harry with magical eyes, all spinning and whirling, his gaze following her through closed doors. But she hated his hard stony blindness more. Snape's eyes, though exactly the same colour, were warm and cheerful by comparison.

"All right," Harry said, without bothering to turn towards her. "Then talk."

"Harry, I said I wanted to talk, not –"

"Not argue? Lecture me? Chastise me?" He sounded bitter.

"Harry, that's not what I'm trying to do …"

"But that is what you do, Ginny! You're worse than Hermione these days."

Ginny's finger cramped around the seam of her turquoise skirt. She'd dressed up for tonight, even though Harry couldn't see it. And she did not want to argue. Though if Harry kept pushing her, she'd fly off the handle quicker than he could say Quidditch …

"That's part of it," she said, her voice tight. "It's always about Hermione."

Harry snorted. "See? I knew you just wanted to lecture me!"

Ginny exploded from the couch. "I did not! But if that's what it takes? Then you can have your lecture!" she hissed at him. She stomped to the window, where she whirled around to face him. "It's always about Hermione," she repeated.

"If you'd listened," Harry groused, "then you'd realise that I didn't actually pay Hermione a compliment just now!"

But Ginny had enough. "And if it's not Hermione," she raged, "then it's Severus sodding Snape or Draco fucking Malfoy. You don't have just a 'saving people'-thing, Harry. You're trying to babysit everyone. At the same time you don't seem to give a flying fuck about yourself. I don't care if that's because you didn't have a proper family growing up, or because you were groomed to be the martyr of the wizarding world. Nowadays you have a family of your own. You don't have to be a hero anymore. I'm here for you, Harry! And you need to talk to me!"

"And when do you think I should talk to you? When you're away for team practice? When you're at an important match? When you're abroad for a championship? And forgive me, but when everything I say ends with you scolding me like a stupid First Year, I just don't feel much like talking. I'd rather you just assign me detention or take off House points."

White-hot fury made her vision swim. "I don't know if you remember, Harry, but I have a career, Harry. A career that means a lot to me and that requires a whole lot of effort. Including team practice, matches, press conferences and championships. I've worked my arse off to be on the team. I thought you understand how important that is to me!"

"I have a job, too!" Harry yelled. "But I'm not going to put that job above my family!"

"Great job, that!" Ginny scathed. "Paper-pushing in the dungeons. You can do better than that. And no, I agree. You'd never put your career over your family. But a gazillion other things. Like, everybody else's problems. Even a GHOST is more important to you than your health and your family!"

Dazed, Harry shook his head. "What's got Draco to do with anything?"

Frustration swamped Ginny. Wearily she walked back to the sofa and slumped down on the sagging leather. "Nothing, really," she admitted with a sigh. "Except that he's yet another of your causes. You remind me of Hermione when we were kids. Picking up hopeless causes and …" She shook her head. "Draco's dead, Harry. You can't save him anymore."

"I know he's dead. I work with him, remember?" Harry finally turned his head towards her. "And just because he's dead doesn't mean he's a hopeless cause. I know I promised to be home earlier today, but after Narcissa's visit he really needed some company. And Hermione is my friend. I thought she was your friend, too! Friends aren't causes, Ginny. They are friends. You care about them. And you don't stop caring about them when things get difficult or take longer to get better than you want. Or even when things won't ever get better."

"But your eyes could get better, Harry," she whispered. "They could!" Impatiently she dashed at her own eyes, smearing sticky tears all over her flushed face. "I just don't understand you anymore at all."

Harry reached for her and pulled her into his arms. For a moment she thought he wanted to say something and she held her breath, hoping that he'd finally tell her. But he only shook his head a little and cuddled her closer.

Ginny closed her eyes. Whatever is going on that Harry can't talk about? And how is this marriage going to work, if Harry doesn't talk to me?

oooOooo

Sometimes Alina didn't feel very Slytherin at all. Like right now, for example. She wanted nothing so much as to walk right up to the Ravenclaw House table and kick the skinny arse of Sean Cúchulainn Ferguson and his idiot girlfriend Cordelia Wisby.

For the past three days she'd kept a close watch on Hermione, her Head of House, Professor Flitwick, Ravenclaw's golden boy and his despicable cronies, as well as the balance of sapphires in the Ravenclaw hourglass.

By Wednesday morning, one thing was painfully clear: Hermione hadn't kept her promise. Now it was time for Alina to keep hers.

oooOooo

"That is not an essay," silvery letters spelled out, floating next to the lank black hair of Alina's Head of House. Black eyes bored into her.

Miserably, Alina shook her head. Handing in a description of what she'd witnessed last Saturday instead of her essay was less than subtle, but she hadn't been able to devise a more cunning plan.

Why oh why had Hermione broken her promise? That wasn't very Gryffindor.

Worse, it wasn't like Hermione at all.

oooOooo

A/N: Thank you for your encouraging comments, I hope you'll enjoy the new set!