Chapter 17: One Short Day in Hogsmeade
Harry stared across from him at the moving photograph on the front page of this morning's Daily Prophet. An image of his best mate, grinning from ear to ear, was under the banner headline Weasley Wizard Winning: Harry Potter's right-hand man saves endangered werewolf.
Setting aside for the moment his uneasy wonderings about how exactly Gawain Robards used to contain and extract werewolves before Ron found a more humane way of doing so, Harry now turned to pondering the jealous emotions he had felt upon Ron receiving even due credit for an accomplishment.
The only close antecedent for feeling what he felt had been just before fifth year, when Ron had been – to the shock of nearly everyone, including his now-girlfriend – a Prefect for Gryffindor House, whereas Harry hadn't even received a prestigious post, not even Quidditch Captain (though that would ultimately come the following year). Harry had had to wrestle then with what he disconcertingly had pinpointed as an unconscious sense of entitlement due to his fame insomuch that he almost expected accolades since they had come to him so frequently ever since he was 11.
But this jealousy now – stemming from Ron almost upstaging him, albeit unintentionally – felt far worse, and ran deeper. Maybe it was healthy in a way, when he considered how Ron must have felt throughout much of their time growing up, as he watched Harry take honor after honor. When such feelings of envy had last reared their ugly head so clearly, it had been fourth year, and Ron had allowed feelings of resentment at Harry's becoming a Triwizard champion to get in the way of their friendship, causing their worst row up to that point, though this would later be overshadowed by Ron's storming out of the hunt, about…. Harry internally winced. ….. about this time last fall.
Face hidden behind his paper, a copy of which now sported his face on the front page, Ron didn't notice any of the internal war Harry was experiencing, seated on the plush seat of this train compartment. Harry wasn't even sure whether or not he wanted to bring his feelings up with the bloke. After all, it was a rare Saturday week off, as a reward for the successful extraction of Lavender Brown, and this weekend day just happened to coincide with an outing to Hogsmeade for the Hogwarts students. Harry and Ron were coming into the Village by train to meet their respective girlfriends and make a day of it.
The Express now pulled into Hogsmeade station, and the two men disembarked, Ron folding his copy of the Prophet carefully under his arm. "Gotta keep it crisp and fresh!" he jauntily told Harry. "Wait till my Hermione reads this! She'll flip!"
Harry smiled politely, and the two blokes glanced about the platform: contrary to where they had left King's Cross, a light snow was actually falling here in the countryside.
"A winter wonderland!" Ron marveled. "Unusual weather we're having, inn'it? A real howler in October, yeah?"
Harry shrugged. "It'll add to the romantic ambience, I suppose." An awkward pause as he and Ron both just stood there. "Which way do we….?"
"Here, I should think," Ron pointed, directing them both to the left. He tossed an easy smile over his shoulder at Harry. "We never used to go to the left before, getting off every September!"
He was right: whenever the Hogwarts Express would leave them at the station, the threstral carriages, as well as Hagrid with the boats for the first years, would be waiting at the right, to take them up to the castle.
Harry and Ron entered Hogsmeade Village proper. At once, the flashbacks flared up abruptly and mercilessly for Harry, and he felt dark spots dancing under his eyes until they passed: memories of slipping in here by Apparation in the dead of night, shrinking into dark corners as Dementors prowled the near deserted streets. Hard to believe that had only been less than six months ago.
It made it that much more of a relief to see how Hogsmeade was bouncing back after the war, beginning to show signs of life again. Harry didn't even mind the unseasonably early winter weather, really – must have been a cold snap that came through here, and it was even welcome, after a summer that had been so brutally hot.
"OI! Is that my best girl?" Ron suddenly hollered, his face breaking into a blinding smile. "MIONE!"
"Ron!" Hermione looked like she wasn't about to wait for their slowing threstral carriage to even come to a complete stop – an uncharacteristic case of abandon, for her. Still, she did, Ron dashing up to greet her. Taking the beautiful brunette by her waist, Ron gentlemanly swung her around to the sounds of her delighted laugh before setting her down. Beaming into each other's eyes, the couple embraced, pulling each other close as one and sharing a long, exuberant kiss.
Watching the lovers reunite, Harry barely had time to react to someone tapping him on the shoulders before a curtain of red hair nearly whacked him in the face and plump, soft lips were on his.
When they broke apart, Ginny was smirking impishly up at him. "Hiya, handsome. Care for a little it's-way-too-early Christmas shopping?"
"For you, I'll Christmas shop whatever the weather. Or month," Harry grinned down at her. "Ron said it himself: a real howler in October."
"Hm. Let's just be thankful the howler isn't referring to the letter variety," Ginny purred.
"…. You did? Oh, honey, I'm so proud of you….!" Harry glanced back at Hermione's delighted praise to see her fling her arms around Ron's neck; he must have just showed off his mug on the front page.
The man's sister was next, as Ron nearly shoved the newsprint up Ginny's nose. "Take a look at that, you pompous windbag!"
"OI! Since when have you ever confused me for Percy?" Ginny quipped, though she did sport a genuine smile while studying her brother's picture in the paper. Her only critique: "Your nose is still too big." Ron scowled halfheartedly as Hermione lifted a hand to her mouth to hide a smile.
"Speaking of Percy…." Hermione beamed, looping her arm through her boyfriend's, as the two couples headed up the busy street on this double date. "How are he and Audrey getting on? Ginny's mum wrote us that they were back from Bermuda…."
"Bahamas, love," Ron corrected her. "And yeah, they're well. They're still searching for a flat, though bother it if they're not having much luck…."
"Why? I thought getting a flat would be easy," Ginny wanted to know.
"Not since the war. The housing market plummeted after most everyone left during the fighting, which means that now everyone's coming back, and it's a free-for-all snatching up a housing situation what with prices being so low. Just when Audrey thinks they have a listing, she'll inquire and the realtor will say it's under contract. Poor lovebirds are getting annoyed about it, really." Harry winced in sympathy for Ginny's brother and sister-in-law.
His girlfriend was biting her lip. "What if you offered them Grimmauld Place?" she suddenly floated.
Harry let out a surprised chuckle. "What?"
"Well, after all, you're not using it."
"True, but Kreacher's still there, and I wouldn't wish him on anyone, let alone newlyweds trying to set up a love nest." Harry shuddered. He had almost completely forgotten about that major portion of his inheritance, and it left him with new musings over what he was supposed to do with the house of his godfather and the cantankerous house elf currently…. well, squatting in it.
Up ahead, Hermione was chittering happily to her lover: "We only can be out here for part of the day – Ginny has a Quidditch match this afternoon, and they're playing Ravenclaw. It'll be Luna's big debut!"
"Two best mates going head to head as Chasers?" Ron cast a wink over his shoulder at his sister. "I reckon we ought to stay for that. Let us ride back with you!" Hermione stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ron chastely, thrilled.
Harry and Ron treated their girls to shopping and browsing in Tomes and Scrolls, during which Ron splurged with his new Auror pay on a copy of Hogwarts: A History, the latest edition. Hermione responded to this by dragging Ron into an empty aisle to snog him soundly in gratitude.
The pair of couples perused Madame Malkins', then paused for a spot of tea at Madame Puddifoot's. Unlike past visits here, the romantic ambience was actually something that was growing on Harry, as he sat holding Ginny's hand.
Walking back towards the outskirts of town where the threstral carriages would be waiting, Ron paused and pointed. "Oh, jolly good! It looks like George is getting his Hogsmeade location up and running!"
"It's so nice to hear that he, Lee and Percy are expanding!" Hermione bubbled. "Do you think he might be in setting up? We could knock and say hello!"
"I don't know, Hermione…" Ginny squinted into the dim windows. "It looks dark…."
The foursome crossed the thoroughfare to have a closer look. Harry pressed his face against the glass.
"I see boxes, mostly….. Nah, nobody's home. Come on, let's go…."
As they passed by the soon-to-be-opened joke shop, Harry happened to glance down the service alley to the side of the building. He could feel Ginny following his gaze even absently…. and what they saw made them stop dead.
"Bloody ….!"
Ron had clearly seen it too, but the cry of his signature catchphrase was cut off by Hermione clapping a palm over his mouth. Both couples shrank back and peered around the corner.
There, in the service alley, surrounded by the swirling snow flurries though not seeming to feel the cold, George was locked in a passionate embrace and kiss with one Angelina Johnson.
Harry glanced to his girlfriend, and was leery to find not the surprise and shock he had expected from her, but instead anger. She was glowering at Angelina with distaste and even loathing.
"What the ruddy hell does she think she's playing at?!"
Harry looked to his best friends for help, but Ron and Hermione, wide-eyed, just shrugged. Taking Ginny by the elbow, Harry led her and his friends a few blocks up the street.
"I have half a mind to walk in on them and have a row with that one!" Ginny was spluttering with indignant outrage.
"What for?" Harry gawped at her. "If George has found himself a girl, I say jolly good well on them both!" While George had indeed been healing enough to restart his business, the surviving Weasley twin was still prone to bouts of sadness, from the little that Harry had seen of him hanging around the Burrow. George had been in a bit of an emotional funk some months back, the night Ron and Hermione and the Grangers had returned from Australia.
Ginny stared at her boyfriend in bewilderment. "Yeah, if he wasn't going around with that girl! I didn't think Angelina would be that desperate!" At Harry's still maddeningly blank look, she prodded. "Don't you remember when we were younger? Angelina was dating Fred!"
Harry did remember, now that he thought about it – although, to be fair, Angelina and Fred had been admirably discreet in their relationship, to the point that most people almost didn't notice it. That kind of discretion had been especially helpful to the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch squad, on which Angelina and Fred had been teammates for years.
Ginny was still stewing. "And now she's deciding to move on with practically the clone of her dead boyfriend, as if snogging George is going to…. what? Remind her of Fred? It isn't as though shagging his brother is going to bring Fred back!" Harry cringed at this.
Ron laid a hand on his sister's arm. "Time out. We don't know if that is why Angelina is snogging George. But even if it is some rebound, maybe it will burn out on its own. Also, don't think for one moment that George might not be aware on some level of that. He's a big boy."
"He might not be thinking clearly! That's the problem!" Ginny stared up at him, concerned. A gasp as a horrid thought occurred to her. "What if Angelina is spiking George with love potion?"
"I don't believe it! How could she? Love potion is banned from commercial use!" Hermione reminded them all.
"I'm just saying, George must not be thinking clearly, to be kissing his dead brother's girlfriend? Would any of you be thinking of ethics, if you were caught up in snogging someone you shouldn't be?"
Ron shrugged. "Can't think of a good example – unless Hermione has a sister I don't know about…." He grinned back at his girlfriend, who was biting her lip in contemplation.
Harry put an arm around Ginny. "Let's…. just get you back up to the castle. You need to focus on the match today, anyway."
And Harry and Ron escorted their lovers to the carriages.
The stands were crowded and noisy, filled with Gryffindor and Ravenclaw fans, despite the snow flurries coating the Quidditch pitch. Dennis Creevey had been tapped as the new match caller to replace Luna Lovegood; Harry hoped the younger Creevey brother was getting on after the loss of Collin in the Battle the previous spring.
With Hermione cuddled up pretty much in his lap, Ron was bouncy and alive with excitement. "Been too long since we caught one of these, eh, mate?" he hollered over the din to Harry. Smiling at Ron indulgently, Hermione tugged him close and the pair kissed deeply.
Harry grinned, trying to track both Ginny and Luna, the two Chasers going head to head, across the overcast sky.
"And, OH! What is this?! We have Lovegood making a steep dive – I'd tell her that she isn't a Seeker, but even so…. and oh my goodness, she seems to be taking a breather for a…. well, a….. Oh….. Oh, my….."
Dennis's voice sheepishly trailed off, now overpowered by the cheers and wolf whistles, as everyone watched Luna dive nearly into the stands, before coming to a stop and hovering over where Neville Longbottom now stood up from amidst the crowd. Pulling her boyfriend close, Luna indulged herself in a….. fly-by kiss before sultrily breaking apart with Neville and shooting back up into the clouds. Seconds after she snogged the bloke and departed, half the Gryffindor section shrieked and dove out of the way; a lobbed Bludger reversed course in the nick of time, barely avoiding crashing into the bleachers. Hermione let out a shocked laugh.
"And here comes Weasley up the pitch! She's got the Quaffle under her arm and is heading right for Goldstein on Keeper! And…. oh, bother! Copycat!"
Harry could see it coming, and stood, grinning, the better for his lover to pick him out as she now paused mid-moving the ball up the field so she could yank him close and give him a passionate fly-by snog of her own. Harry felt Ginny gasp into his mouth as he embraced her and kissed her back, tugging her flush against him so that the gorgeous redhead nearly fell off her broom. Harry didn't care. Snogging his girl, even if it took stopping a Quidditch match mid-play to find the time for such kissing, was always worth it.