Ginny sustained herself through the next few days by reliving the image of Cho chucking her broomstick to the ground after Ginny had swiped the Snitch right out from under her during the Quidditch final. Michael paid her the five Galleons they had wagered on the match without a fuss, and though he congratulated her on her victory, he remained slightly distant towards her. Ginny figured it was stress over his upcoming O.W.L.s like last time. She tried her hardest to cheer him up and motivate him, but nothing seemed to have much effect, and she felt frustrated. She was trying so hard to be a good girlfriend and wondered what she could be doing wrong. Had he noticed her staring at Harry too much? Or did someone tell him that she was doing so? They weren't even in the same House, so Ginny would have been surprised if this was the case.
"Maybe you two need a break from each other," said Lena during Herbology a few days later after Ginny had confided her concerns to her. "I'm sure once his O.W.L.s are over he'll relax a bit and things will go back to normal."
Luna came by at the end of class and congratulated her on catching the Snitch and clinching the Quidditch Cup for Gryffindor.
"Thanks," said Ginny a small voice. For some reason she was feeling just a tiny bit of guilt again. Luna just had that effect on her.
"Cho was really mad about losing to you," she informed her.
"Good," said Ginny savagely, all feelings of guilt gone.
"You don't like her much, do you?"
"No I don't."
"I don't think she's too bad," said Luna thoughtfully, "but she can be a bit dramatic sometimes and she should really choose better friends."
She left. Lena watched her go and then gave Ginny a quizzical look. Ginny just chuckled. Luna had actually become a very good friend of Ginny's this past year. They worked well together in the D.A. meetings, and Luna always talked to her before and after classes they had together. Ginny realized this was because nobody else in her year liked talking to her. She felt horrible about this; Luna was a really nice person and a good friend once you got used to her eccentricities.
One week after the Quidditch final, Ginny was in the library studying for Potions, but was finding it almost impossible to concentrate as it was another beautiful day outside and hardly anybody else was in the castle. She packed her things and left, deciding she would finish studying in the evening. She was on her way to the entrance hall when something distracted her. As she turned onto a first-floor corridor, she noticed Cho up ahead, walking purposefully, her ponytail swinging side to side behind her with every step she took. Ginny hid behind a suit of armor and peeked through a small gap between the statue's arm and torso to see what Cho was up to while everyone else was outside. She had an air to her gait that told Ginny she didn't want to be spotted. Cho stopped in front of a door to an unused classroom and, after pausing to look around to make sure nobody was around, walked in. She did not see Ginny, who had hidden herself well.
It was a Saturday, and Ginny could not imagine what she could be doing or why it would require such secrecy. Then her stomach dropped, as no sooner did she contemplate this than it suddenly occurred to her what might be going on. Her and Harry had reconciled again and were having some… alone time. Ginny hurried along the corridor and reached the classroom that Cho had disappeared into. She pulled out her wand and hesitated, unsure if that was actually what she expected to find if she were to walk in. In fact, she didn't even know why she had the urge to barge in at all. Cho and Harry snogging was about the last thing she wanted to see. Steeling herself, she turned the doorknob quietly and entered. She shrieked.
Cho was indeed getting cozy with someone, but it wasn't Harry — it was Michael. The two of them were in a passionate snog session but jumped apart and turned around to face Ginny when they heard her scream. The color drained from their faces when they realized who it was. This was followed by the loudest and most awkward silence Ginny had ever encountered in her life. Finally, Michael spoke, his voice shaking.
"Ginny, I — I'm sorry. R-really, I am. I-I was going to tell you tonight —"
"Furnunculus!" cried Ginny, cutting him off and pointing her wand at Cho.
Cho screamed as huge boils appeared on her face; she tried to cover them with her hands as she ran from the room and headed in the direction of the hospital wing. Ginny stalked out without another word and headed in the opposite direction to the staircase that led to the entrance hall. To her disbelief, Michael caught up with her.
"Hey! What did you have to do that for?" he said angrily.
Ginny could not believe this prat.
"Don't talk to me," she snarled, walking faster to make it clear she wanted him to make himself scarce.
"You shouldn't have done that. It was my fault, Ginny. Take it out on me if you want, but don't hurt Cho."
"Shut up and leave me alone."
"Ginny — I'm truly sorry about this — please believe me —"
"I have nothing more to say to you, you stupid git," she said scathingly as they reached the stone steps outside. "Go comfort your new girlfriend. She's probably wondering where you are. Regardless of you and me, Harry is my friend and I wasn't going to let her get away with cheating on him like that. Now get out of my sight."
"They aren't even speaking," said Michael, ignoring her demand. "They're over…"
"Harry never told me that," Ginny shot back. "He never told me they had broken up."
"Would he even tell you?"
"Yes, he would!"
Michael looked like he was struggling with himself for a moment. There was something he wanted to say, but it seemed he just couldn't quite get it out.
"Well, even so, you still shouldn't have hexed her like that," were the words he settled on.
"Yeah, well, I really couldn't care less what you think," said Ginny with a tone of finality that she hoped Michael would not ignore. She gripped her wand in her pocket, ready to use it if she had to. Michael gave her a sad look and left without another word. Ginny took a deep breath. Michael's infidelity was nothing; she never had any real feelings for him, and because of that, he could never break her heart. That had been a key part of her decision to date him in the first place. In fact, she felt a huge weight had been lifted off her.
Ginny headed down towards the lake in an almost dreamlike state. Just like that, Harry and Cho were over. Her and Michael were over. Could things fall into place now? Her heart thumped excitedly as the thought took hold of her. What just happened did not feel real.
Adding to her euphoria was the fact that not only were Harry and Cho done, but over the past week she had finally been able to return some of the misery Cho had spent the last two years unknowingly inflicting on her. She had bested her at Quidditch despite Cho having more experience, and now she finally had a legitimate excuse to hex her, something she had dreamed of doing ever since that Quidditch match back in her second year when Harry suddenly decided that she was the greatest thing since self-slicing bread. Ginny found she was not sorry.
She located Amber and Lena sitting in a quiet spot near the lake, attempting to charm some artistically folded parchment to fly around them like birds.
"Hi Ginny!" said Lena brightly. "You look cheerful!"
"Michael and I just broke up," she said at once.
"What?! Why? And why do you look so happy about it?"
Ginny told them everything that happened. She told them how she had walked in on Cho and Michael snogging, how she hexed Cho and how Michael had pursued her and had their final conversation just before she joined them a moment ago.
"Please don't tell anyone what happened though," said Ginny. "I don't want anyone to know my boyfriend cheated on me."
By "anyone" she meant Harry and Ron, though she smirked as she imagined what Ron would do to Michael if he found out. Michael would be lucky to avoid St. Mungo's. Regardless, either of them finding out would leave her feeling weak and embarrassed, and she knew Ron would become even more overprotective than he already was, which Ginny certainly didn't need or want.
"You practically skipped over here," said Amber. "Why are you so happy about this? Were things going that badly between you two?"
"No, I thought things were going okay, actually, at least for a while. I know he's been distant lately, but I figured it was just because of O.W.L.s."
"So why are you so happy?" Amber persisted.
Feeling bold, Ginny said, "Well, I was just thinking… me and Harry are both free now… maybe…"
They gaped at her. They knew about her feelings, but it had been a long time since Ginny had discussed it with them. In fact, judging by the rather shocked looks on their faces, it seemed like they thought she had given up on him a long time ago. Ginny trusted them with her secrets, though she never did tell them it was her that had opened the Chamber of Secrets while being possessed by Voldemort, and she didn't think she ever would.
"Ginny, Harry probably needs time to process this," said Amber seriously. "Does he even know about Cho and Michael yet?"
"No, but last time I talked to Harry he seemed angry at the mention of Cho. Or rather, She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, as I'm going to refer to her now," Ginny added with a smile, and Lena and Amber chuckled. "I'll wait to spring this news on him, just in case he starts talking about trying to get back with her."
"Ginny, he needs to know about this," said Amber.
"They aren't even speaking to each other right now!" said Ginny, echoing Michael. "No reason to be in a rush to tell him about it. I really think he's over her anyway."
Lena and Amber didn't pursue the matter further. Ginny stared out over the lake. Her mind wandered to the Triwizard Tournament last year, where the champions had to plunge the icy depths to retrieve a hostage, and she thought about how badly she wanted to be what Harry Potter would miss most… how she envisioned herself at the bottom of the lake, tied next to Hermione and She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, both of whom were girlfriends of the other male champions…
Ginny gave a sigh of longing. It was such a beautiful day; it was the type of day that she would like nothing more than to be down here by the lake with nobody but Harry for company. There were three weeks left of term, would that be long enough for Harry to get over Cho and start taking notice of her? She dared to hope that it was. Then, with a horrible jolt, she remembered — the biggest obstacle of all.
"I'm Ron's sister," she blurted out. "What bloke would want to date their best friend's sister?"
"Ginny, either he fancies you or he doesn't," said Lena. "You'll be able to tell, boys are so obvious about it. If it's clear he fancies you but is conflicted, just go talk to him! That's something that can be worked out."
"And look at you," said Amber, smiling. "You're really pretty! And you're popular — you both love Quidditch — how is he supposed to resist that?"
"Apparently, pretty damn easily," she mumbled, blushing slightly at the compliment.
"Come on, Ginny, just relax," said Lena. "Let's have some fun. It's the weekend. Why don't you smuggle that bottle of firewhisky down here so we can get sloshed?"
Amber groaned, but Ginny expressed her approval of this idea and promptly went back to her dormitory to retrieve it from her trunk. She shoved it in her bag which she flung over her shoulder and hurried back out. On her way down, she snuck into the kitchens to grab some glasses and a bottle of pumpkin juice.
"There we go," said Lena happily when Ginny returned and pulled the bottle out. She poured them all a shot. Amber stared at her glass with revulsion.
"Just try it once," Lena urged her.
"Fine," snapped Amber.
"To breakups," Ginny jested, holding up her glass. They all drank. Amber's reaction was predictable.
"God, that's awful," she choked, reaching for the pumpkin juice and pouring it down her throat haphazardly. Lena and Ginny took two more shots each, finishing what was left in the bottle. Ginny took extra care to pace herself this time, and as a result it was a much better experience. She felt happier than she had felt in over a year. Lena was going on about a funny incident in Charms the other day.
"…Ethan was telling everyone how good he was at Scouring Charms, but then ended up blowing up his ink bottle. Him and Robbie both got drenched."
"Sounds like what happened to me on the Hogwarts Express last summer," said Ginny. "Neville poked this plant — a Mimbulus mimbletonia —"
"Wasn't that the password to Gryffindor Tower for months?" cut in Lena.
"Yes — that's why I remember what it was called — anyway, Neville poked it and it shot this horrible, sticky goo everywhere. Me, Harry, Neville, and Luna all got covered in the stuff, and then She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named chose that moment to come by and bat her eyes at Harry, but saw the goo everywhere and was like 'oh, um, oops, bad time I guess!' and then just walked away."
They all laughed.
"Harry must have been so embarrassed," said Amber.
"Yeah, I mean, I did feel bad for him… but it felt a little satisfying at the same time. Does that make me a bad person?" Ginny added nervously.
"Of course not," said Lena. "She should have cleaned up the goo herself instead of walking away and leaving Harry embarrassed. I'm sure he would have appreciated that."
Ginny let this sink in for a moment. She thought Lena had a point. Cho should have just gotten rid of the Stinksap herself instead of just acting awkward and leaving. Why hadn't she? It suddenly dawned on her that Cho never really saw Harry as a friend… just as a romantic partner… and her interest in him may have just been a coping mechanism to get over Cedric. The situation sounded vaguely familiar. Ginny felt a stab of guilt but brushed it away quickly. She had been a better girlfriend to Michael than Cho had been to Harry though, hadn't she? She didn't cry all the time, or constantly talk about Harry to manipulate him like Cho had done with Cedric… It was Michael's fault the relationship ended… he's the one who actually cheated…
"Yeah, well, she's lousy," said Ginny contemptuously. "It was me who ended up getting rid of the mess."
"Very romantic," said Amber, smiling cheekily. Ginny put her hands up and waved them lazily in mock celebration. "I think it's unfair to call her lousy, though. At least for that incident," she added quickly, seeing the look on Ginny's face. "I mean, obviously going and snogging Michael without officially ending it with Harry first was wrong, but… to be honest, I did feel quite bad for her earlier this year, with Cedric and all."
Ginny looked away from her. She wasn't in the mood to hear sympathy for Cho, especially not when it concerned Cedric since Cho started using him to gauge Harry's feelings for her. Lena sensed the tension and broke the silence quickly.
"You know, I think that Jack Sloper bloke is really cute, even if he is an idiot. I'm still pretty sure Demelza has a huge crush on him; she went to visit him in the hospital wing when he got knocked out during practice. I might have to hex her," she said jokingly.
"Yeah, he's not bad looking," Ginny agreed, though she had never thought of him as attractive while sober. "There's no cute boys in our year, though. Among the fifth-years, Dean Thomas would probably be the best-looking… well, aside from Harry, of course."
Lena rolled her eyes.
"Come on," she said skeptically. "Harry is not the best-looking bloke in his year… I mean, I don't think he's ugly or anything, but…"
Ginny gave her a look.
"His eyes are beautiful," she said, sounding defensive but also resolute. This was, again, something Ginny knew she never would have admitted under more sober circumstances. Lena tittered.
"Well, that may be… I haven't seen them up close. It's not like I ever talk to him."
"Honestly, I think your brother Ron is the best-looking," said Amber matter-of-factly. She blushed slightly.
"You're crazy," said Ginny harshly. She was really hoping Ron's name was not going to get dragged into this conversation.
"Him and Hermione kind of have a thing with each other, though, don't they?" said Amber, sounding a little disappointed.
"Oh yeah, it's bad," said Ginny, smiling. "It's only a matter of time with them." She turned to Lena. "Who do you think is the best looking in Harry's year, then?"
"Erm… well, don't kill me," said Lena in a small voice. "But I think it's Ron too."
Ginny opened her mouth and stared stupidly at her. These two were pulling her leg, they had to be. Lena burst out laughing.
"Oh, if you could see the look on your face!"
"Right, well, on that note…" said Ginny, pretending to head back to castle. They all laughed some more.
"By the way," said Lena, after the laughter had died down, "Dean totally has a crush on you."
"What?" Ginny squeaked, feeling the heat rise in her face.
"Yeah, he's always staring at you in the common room. Can't believe you haven't noticed it."
"No, I haven't!" Ginny said in a small voice, startled by this piece of news.
"You've been too busy staring over at Harry, I guess," said Amber smoothly. Ginny would not have been surprised at all if this were true.
"I'll be sure to let him know how attractive you think he is," said Lena, grinning.
"Don't you dare!"
Ginny suddenly imagined herself snogging Dean, and though her judgement was clouded at the moment, she did not find it unappealing at all. She giggled.
"Dean is cute," Amber agreed. "I always thought he was gay, though."
Ginny looked at her in disbelief.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. I mean, I always thought — him and Seamus, you know…"
They all went into a huge fit of giggles at this. It took them a moment to regain their composure.
"They are always together, aren't they?" said Lena, still giggling.
No one spoke for a moment while they all caught their breath. Ginny stared back out over the lake, watching the sun reflect off the ripples in the water caused by the slight breeze blowing through the grounds. It was really a beautiful day.
"So, Ginny," said Lena in a rather business-like tone, but there was a wicked grin on her face. "You and Harry. Tell me what you'd do if you could have your way with him."
Even through the effects of the firewhisky, Ginny could feel herself go scarlet. Amber laughed again; Ginny had never seen her this excited.
"I would cover his face with chocolate and then lick it off… very slowly," she replied matter-of-factly. She knew that later she would feel quite embarrassed to have confessed this, but right now she did not care. Amber squealed with delight and she and Lena doubled over with laughter for the umpteenth time.
"You've given this a lot of thought, haven't you?" said Amber, after she had pulled herself together.
Ginny did not answer her. The truth was, she had been giving this a lot of thought ever since she had eaten the Easter eggs with Harry in the library. She had always loved chocolate, but now… just the thought of it was enough to get her breathing heavily.
"Just his face?" asked Lena slyly.
"No," said Ginny, whose own face was so hot now she thought it might burst into flame. Lena stared eagerly at her, urging her to elaborate. Ginny merely grinned, but it was the same wicked grin that Lena had on her face a moment ago.
"Whoa!"
Amber, who had still been giggling quietly, was now staring at her open-mouthed, her eyes suddenly so big that she looked like a brunette version of Luna. Before Ginny knew it, the three of them were laughing harder than they had ever laughed in their life.
They whiled away the rest of the afternoon enjoying each other's company before heading back to the castle for dinner. Ginny put the empty firewhisky bottle along with the glasses she nicked from the kitchens back in her bag as they began their walk back. Ginny wondered what she was going to do with the bottle. She didn't want a teacher — or worse, Umbridge — finding it in a rubbish bin. That would raise questions, and there had been many students that saw her drinking the stuff a few months ago. After returning the glasses to the kitchens, she headed back to Gryffindor tower, intending to put it back in her trunk for now, but when she reached the seventh floor and passed the area where she knew the Room of Requirement was, an idea occurred to her.
I need a place to hide something, she thought, and sure enough, the polished door to the Room of Requirement materialized in front of her. Looking around to make sure the corridor was deserted, she wrenched it open and walked in.
She gasped; the room was now as big as a cathedral, with mountains of rubbish and all sorts of gnarly items piled up in whichever direction she looked, with only very skinny aisles to navigate through the enormous room. There were high windows along the walls, bathing the room in light, though much of it was blocked by the sky-high piles of rubbish. She didn't have time to look around; Umbridge could be along at any moment. She stuffed the empty firewhisky bottle in a nearby drawer and left. She looked back at the wall; the door vanished. Trying to wrap her mind around what she had just seen, she made her way down to dinner.
She saw Cho over at the Ravenclaw table when arrived in the Great Hall, and even from a distance she could still see the remnants of her hex earlier on her face. Her friend Marietta sat next to her wearing a balaclava to hide the remnants of Hermione's jinx. Ginny laughed at the sight of them; she couldn't help it. Not so pretty now, are you? she thought viciously. She knew Cho would be fine, the effects of the Furnunculus Curse did not last that long with quick treatment. She wasn't sure about Marietta though. Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't notice either of them; they spent mealtimes facing away from the Ravenclaw table these days, which Ginny figured was probably very deliberate.
When she got into bed that night, she went through the events of the day over and over again. It still didn't feel real. Cho and Michael snogging… did that actually happen? It did… she saw them doing it… she had hexed Cho and broken up with Michael. It all happened. She remembered seeing the evidence at dinnertime when she got a glimpse of Cho's hexed face. How could it be possible though? Cho and Harry were meant for each other, weren't they? Weren't they going to end up married and live happily ever after? Earlier that day she had accepted that Harry and Cho were completely over, but now she worried that it wouldn't take long for Cho to realize what an enormous git Michael was and go running right back to Harry. Stranger things than that have certainly happened. Before she could give any more thought to the matter, her exhaustion gave way to sleep.
