Angelina slipped into Professor Banhart's Muggle Studies class while the woman's back was turned and sat down as quietly as she could next to Fred. The redheaded Weasley twin cocked an eyebrow at her and mouthed: "Where've you been?" Not wishing to draw any attention to herself, Angelina mouthed back: "None of your business."
Fred's curious gaze turned into an expression of mischief as he suggestively mimed humping the air, much to her distaste. Angelina tried to shake her head disapprovingly, but he winked at her and despite herself she stifled a giggle.
"To the Muggle World, Albert Einstein was what Nicholas Flamel was to us—a very ahead-of-his-time thinker who led the way for mathematical and scientific methods…" Banhart was saying, her back still turned to them as she pointed her wand at the image of a bushy-haired, odd-looking Muggle that was being projected onto the wall behind her desk. "A bit of an oddball in his time, but then again, a genius is hardly ever considered normal, is he?"
Angelina tried to pay attention, but saw no use really. She had already missed over half an hour of the lesson, and her mind kept wandering away from the present as she reminisced about Harry. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she sat, chin in her palm, thinking of his scarlet cheeks and unsure hands. She had to admit it: the boy was something else. Other boys his age usually annoyed her, but this one…his depth and individuality shone through his vivid green eyes as he gazed at her, his intentions well displayed in them. He was no mere fifteen year old. He was a strong, sad, somewhat isolated soul with the ability to make whomever he brought close to him forget about her surroundings completely and focus wholeheartedly on him.
She could hardly believe she had acted so aggressively, but for some reason he brought that out in her. She found herself taking the lead quite easily. The most Angelina had ever done was fool around with Fred—this had occurred once during a summer weekend of their third year when she'd visited the Burrow for the first time and again during a Hogsmeade visit their fifth year. Truth be told, she had never really taken the time to consider boyfriends; she always thought other things were too important. Quidditch, getting good marks, and becoming an Auror like her grandfather—those were things she fancied should take priority. Being best friends with Fred and George provided just the balance she needed for her stressful school life, and even when she found she needed to be intimate with someone, Fred had been there for her; though both of them profusely swore that they would remain just close friends for as long as they lived. Ah, but things took such a dramatic and unexpected turn, didn't they?
"Tell me what you want…" Harry had whispered to her, his eyes burning. "Do you want me to touch you there?" The hand that then squeezed her possessively did not seem to belong to an ill at ease Harry Potter, age fifteen. Nope. That hand belonged to a guy who knew what he wanted and went for it. It was all she could do not to lose it, and she was grateful she had the presence of mind to put an end to it before it got out of hand. The boy wasn't even sixteen yet and they had only been "dating" for three days.
"Off to lunch with you, young whipper snappers! Hurry along now!"
Angelina was pulled from her thoughts by the singing clock on Professor Banhart's wall and realized that the lesson was over. Avoiding the professor's somewhat puzzled look, she gathered her things and followed Fred out of the classroom, breathing a sigh of relief.
"You're lucky Banhart can hardly see through those glasses of hers, or you'd be in loads of trouble, Angie," Fred quipped, jabbing her good-naturedly in the ribs with his elbow as they walked along. "Too busy having it off with Potter to get to class on time, eh?"
"Shut your trap, Weasley," Angelina said, ruffling his hair. "I was late getting back from the pitch, that's all."
Fred made a face at her obvious lie as he smoothed his hair again, and they burst into laughter. When she had first confided in him that she thought she might like Harry, he had been skeptical and a bit reticent, which was kind of unlike him. "Good lord, why?" he'd asked her in disbelief. "The kid's got a big bull's eye on his forehead with You-Know-Who's name on it, poor lad. Why would you get yourself mixed up in all that?"
"You're mixed up in 'all that' you git," she'd shot back.
"Exactly. It's no parade. Besides, he's almost two years younger."
"So?"
Fred had thought about his retort for the rest of the day, and then said to her at dinner that night (the same night she found out that Umbridge was going to hold her team on probation): "You're supposed to be a rebel with us. We are the rebels of the whole rebel scene! What's gotten into you, then? What's with all this girly clucking?"
"Bugger off! Speak for yourself. You and George are the rebels, not me." Angelina thought she detected a hint of hurt in her best mate's eyes, but he grinned at her and flicked some mashed potatoes off his spoon onto her plate.
"Just don't stray too far from the gang, and you can have your little school-age love affair, Johnson." He said, stuffing his face with the remaining potatoes all at once. She grimaced at his terrible manners before he added thickly: "But don't come crying to George and me when Harry breaks your heart."
"What? Why would he do that?"
"All heroes break their heroine's heart. Haven't you ever read Muggle comic books?" She stared at him blankly. "Spiderman and Mary Jane?" He had continued listing off meaningless names to her until she had told him to shut up, and they talked no more on the subject for the rest of dinner.
She thought about his reaction for a while, actually. It was true, Angelina never got crushes. Goodness that was odd. She just spent her time with the boys; roughhousing and playing Quidditch and joking around. She supposed it was fitting, them feeling funny about her and Harry. But she had still been annoyed by Fred acting as if she needed his permission to go out with someone. When he wasn't acting like her evil big brother, he was acting like her father.
Now as they made their way through the halls, she noticed that quite a few people where whispering among themselves and shooting funny looks at her. Trying to ignore it, Angelina turned to Fred and informed him of her decision to replace him with Andrew Kirk. He shrugged and said nothing; she guessed the subject was still kind of sore for him. She didn't blame him. It had been mightily unfair of Umbridge to ban him when he hadn't actually done anything. But she imagined that if George was banned, Fred would have probably quit anyway in support of his brother.
"Look, there's Johnson." Draco Malfoy's obnoxious voice said loudly. Angelina saw him up ahead of her and Fred, surrounded, as usual, by his entourage of Slytherin idiots. Pansy Parkinson's snooty nose was wrinkled with laughter as they approached. "Wonder if she's got it, too?"
Angelina raised an eyebrow irritably at him but chose to ignore his blabbering. Fred looked as if he wanted desperately to pop the kid in his mouth, but Angelina poked him hard to get him to keep walking. Before she could get past Malfoy's two goons Crabbe and Goyle, though, they had blocked her off with their beefy chests puffed out menacingly.
"Oi, outta the way, idiots." Fred ordered.
They ignored him, but stepped aside as Draco came between them to stand before Angelina, a look of both superiority and amusement on his pale face. He reached out and touched her, his finger shifting the collar of her shirt away from her neck slightly, revealing the small mark Harry's mouth had left there. She jerked away from his touch. "Hey get your hands off me, you little eel!"
"Ha. Yeah, she's got it," Malfoy muttered, his eyes flashing at her. "Tsk tsk, Johnson. Spending all your time sucking face with your little Pottykins, eh? Too bad. With that pathetic wet rag of a team you've got, you should be worrying about how you're going to survive the match on Saturday."
His friends all laughed and he stepped away from Angelina as if she carried some sort of contagious disease. Fred did not seem amused. He adopted a sour smile and shook his head at Draco as if he pitied him. "What's the matter, Malfoy? Jealous because no one would kiss you if your life depended on it? Getting a hickey must be like winning the Quidditch Cup to you."
Draco's lip curled up into a snarl as he glared at Fred, but he said nothing. Pansy Parkinson let out a little yip before she realized that it was very bad to laugh at Draco and clamped her mouth shut. They were all quiet until he ordered them to leave him alone. Pansy tried to stay by his side as the rest of them sauntered off, but he turned his nasty gaze on her and she reluctantly left too. The three of them stood regarding each other with the utmost repugnance.
"You'll regret that," Draco said quietly, if not a bit too matter-of-factly.
"Keep talking." Fred uttered, reaching into his pocket for his wand. Angelina watched her friend's eyes narrow with hatred. She thought perhaps it would be best to end this stand-off and get to the Great Hall before he got himself expelled for sure.
"Get a life, Malfoy," she told the boy, grabbing Fred's arm and turning with him to march away.
"Tell Potter to kiss you goodbye, Johnson…"
She almost turned around but decided that it wasn't worth it. So he thought he could make threats and back them up, eh? Well she'd show him. She'd make sure his team got their arses handed to them at Quidditch Saturday. She had come up with some of the best plays the team had ever used, even in Wood's day, and she couldn't wait to practice them tonight. She'd work the Gryffindors hard and tough and when the match came around they would see who was going to regret anything.
Everyone was buzzing like mad when they reached the Great Hall. Many pairs of eyes turned to regard her as she and Fred made their way to their table. George looked very harassed and upset. He wasted no time when they settled themselves in to tell them that he'd been hearing things about Harry and Angelina.
"I just heard that Harry got a life-threatening skin disease from snogging you!" he hissed indignantly. "Some Slytherin girl asked me if it were true Harry was in the hospital wing on his death bed!"
"That sodding little vomit bag. He works his rotten mouth pretty fast, doesn't he?" Fred shook his head as if he pitied the boy.
"For Merlin's sake, I just gave him a little…" Angelina bit her lip, watching the twins' angry faces melt into expressions of extreme disgust. They didn't want her to give them any details of her goings on with Harry. To them it was like talking about bleeding boils and oozing cold sores—girly romantic stuff was just not their cup of tea. At all. "Bite…on the…never mind."
They rolled their eyes at her and dug irritably into their lunch. Angelina turned to see if Harry was sitting with Ron and Hermione. She didn't see him, but raised an eyebrow at the way his two friends seemed to be eating in silence, barely looking at each other. Maybe he's too embarrassed to eat with all these stupid kids talking about us, she thought sadly. It really sucked that their budding relationship was being marred by a bunch of petty rumors. This was a small glimpse into Harry's world. When people chattered endlessly about him being Slytherin's heir and attacking Muggle-born students, him wetting his pants when faced with a Dementor, him lying about You-Know-Who's return…poor Harry just could not seem to escape the lion's din. And this time Angelina was right in it with him. Or, without him. She frowned at the empty place next to Ron's glowering form. Where was he?
She peered around, searching him out. She spotted him finally, entering the Great Hall. Angelina was mid-smile when she realized that he wasn't walking alone. Walking with him was Ginny Weasley. They were talking quietly to each other and Angelina's smile melted when she saw that they were both completely oblivious to the chattering students around them. Angelina watched, a tiny ball of warmth developing in the pit of her stomach, as the two of them made their way towards the table. Harry's head was lowered, his thoughtful eyes to the floor, his hands in his pockets. Ginny walked along with him talking, her mouth a little too close to his ear for Angelina's liking. Angelina stiffened and narrowed her eyes. She tried not to let the little ball of heat grow into a bigger ball as she watched Harry chuckle at something Ginny said. They stopped a few feet away from where she was sitting; though she still couldn't hear what they were saying, such was the buzzing of the rest of the students. Now actually frowning, Angelina saw Harry reach out and squeeze Ginny on her shoulder. They exchanged warm smiles and parted ways. She watched him approach her part of the table, his warm smile still lighting up his young face.
"Hey." He said as he stood before her, scratching his neck. "Thought I'd eat lunch with you guys today. That okay?"
Angelina felt the ball of warmth dissipate and she returned his smile. "Sure."
The twins greeted him through full mouths as he sat down next to her. She noticed with delight and relief that he scooted closer than necessary to her on the bench. When she felt him squeeze her knee gently under the table she knew that there had been no reason to be jealous. "So Snape gave me a zero for being late," he said causally, reaching over to fill his plate. "And the whole class saw what you left on my neck…"
The twins groaned at mention of this, but Angelina gave Harry a sympathetic smile. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay. I got to talk to Dumbledore, and I saw Ginny when I was coming back." He paused, looking at her oddly. "She gave me some advice. Made me realize something."
Angelina's frown returned. "What?"
"She just…told me what I needed to hear." Harry smiled again and to her utter shock leaned over to plant a gentle kiss on her mouth right there in front of everybody.
A few gasps of surprise could be heard coming from various places around them but she paid little attention. This kid was growing on her…fast. Trying to pretend that she had been expecting that, Angelina picked up her fork as nonchalantly as she could and took a bite of cottage pie, her eyes scanning the room. She had not taken the time to actually observe the ones who whispered and laughed, but now she realized that most of the girls had expressions of envy on their faces when they looked at her; the boys were mostly giving each other five and nodding at Harry approvingly…it seemed that the buzz was mostly positive, and not as negative as perhaps Malfoy had tried to make it. Pleased with this, Angelina sat up straighter and allowed her shoulder to rub against Harry's, which sent now quite noticeably covetous sighs through a group of Ravenclaw girls behind them.
"And how did it go with Dumbledore?"
Harry stopped cutting from a loaf of banana bread mid-slice and frowned, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "I don't know, really…" was his response, more to himself than to her. She was puzzled, but the thoughtful yet dark expression melted from his face quickly and he shrugged. "So we should have another D.A. meeting before the match," he said, returning to the delicious-smelling loaf.
"Absolutely." Angelina agreed.
"Wicked!" the twins chimed in.
That settled, Harry regaled them with the tale of his embarrassing encounter in Snape's class. Fred and George told him about the rumors that Malfoy was spreading, but he wasn't surprised or even upset. "I figured as much…" was all he said.
"You know, maybe I'm wrong, but-" Angelina gestured down the table at Ron and Hermione, who seemed to be using Ginny to talk to each other, if they opened their mouths in conversation at all. "-it looks like those two have a problem."
Harry frowned at them, and she thought maybe he would abandon his spot next to her to go and see about them. "What else is new?" he said, shaking his head. "I just wish they'd kiss and make up already."
"Ha!" Fred almost choked on his pumpkin juice. "Good one, mate. The day those two admit they have the hots for each other, me and George'll get jobs helping Dad in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry!"
They all shared a quiet but rather hearty laugh at Ron and Hermione's expense and ate their lunch. Angelina felt as if things were finally going to be okay.
"Pumpkin Pasties."
Harry watched with satisfaction as the stone gargoyle guarding Professor Dumbledore's office moved aside for him. He stepped up onto the spiraling stair and raised his head, watching the ceiling above him grow closer as the stair rose to carry him up to the level that the office was located. When he stepped off and approached the door to the Headmaster's quarters, he hesitated before knocking. He hadn't spoken to the old wizard in weeks. He was surprised to find himself a little nervous.
"Come in, please, Harry…" he heard the kind voice utter from inside. Harry was not surprised that the Headmaster had been expecting him. Stepping inside the quiet office, he found Dumbledore standing near Fawkes' perch, feeding the scarlet bird from the palm of his hand. "How are you?"
Harry nodded slightly to his back. "Fine, sir."
Dumbledore turned around, his eyes twinkling as always, and offered Harry a kind smile. "You're certain? Visiting me during class hours…that deserves an explanation a bit more detailed than 'fine' wouldn't you agree?"
"Um, well…" Harry shifted on his feet and sighed. He might as well have out with it. "Professor Snape dismissed me from class." There was a pause. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow curiously, his smile still settled across his wise face. He waited for Harry to continue. "Because…well because I was really late getting there. I lost track of time, I guess."
"I dare ask what it was that kept you so distracted that you forgot to report to the dungeons for your lesson, Harry?"
Harry blinked impassively, really not wanting to say. He figured he'd tell the truth…sort of. "My scar, sir?"
Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Your scar?"
"It's been bothering me lately."
"I see." The old wizard gave Fawkes a gentle pat on the beak and walked around to settle himself in his chair, motioning for Harry to sit down across from him. "And this is more than the usual, I take it?"
"Well, I've also been having some pretty strange dreams," Harry told him, making himself comfortable.
Dumbledore's kind smile turned into a serious look of concern and he leaned forward in his chair.
"Tell me about them."
Harry took a deep breath and began, telling Dumbledore everything he could remember about the dreams he'd been having. He also told him, though a little hesitantly, about the incident in the showers. Dumbledore listened quietly and did not interrupt him, his eyes narrowed in thought. When Harry finished, he scratched his neck nervously and waited for the Headmaster's response. There was a while of silence. Fawkes trilled softly from his perch and the various gadgets in the office clinked and ticked and whirled. Dumbledore leaned back in his chair again, his hands clasped together.
After another long pause, he narrowed his eyes at Harry, making his face look rather stern. "I shall have to give the matter some thought, Harry…" was all he said.
Harry tilted his head, feeling a little let down by this response. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing, nothing…"
Harry didn't believe him. The old wizard had the most serious expression on his face, and he seemed to be deep in thought, barely paying attention to the young boy sitting in front him. Harry didn't quite understand that the conversation was over until Dumbledore smiled at him Shoving his hands in his pockets disconsolately, Harry made his way towards the door, not feeling any better now that he had finally gotten to visit.
"Harry."
He turned around sharply, his eyebrows raised hopefully. "Yes sir?"
"It would be prudent, perhaps, to practice a little…restraint…in the future?" The ebony-haired boy was even more confused now. When Dumbledore's eyes lowered to his neck, however, the gaze accompanied by a knowing smile, he felt his cheeks go crimson again for the hundredth time that day. "It's nice to have a special relationship, but I must strongly recommend that you not let it interfere with your school work again."
"Oh. Yes sir."
"I believe Madame Pomfrey might still have a little something tucked away for such...injuries of passion. I can see it through the material of your shirt." And the wizard chuckled at him. Harry didn't know whether to be offended or amused—he was still fighting off his agitation at not being given a hopeful explanation for his strange dreams. Harry watched Dumbledore stand up again from his desk and walk around toward him. He laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder and walked with him to the door of the office. "Don't worry, Harry," he said quietly, in all seriousness now. "We'll sort it out. I promise."
"Sure…"
"I know it seems you've gotten no answer from me, but the truth is there may not be an answer…yet."
"Oh."
"Let me think on it. And in the meantime be very careful. I cannot deny that Voldemort has a strange connection to you, and you to him. But just how strong a connection is very unclear." He gave Harry's shoulder a squeeze and ushered him through the door. "Keep your friends—particularly the special ones—close."
Harry supposed that this bit of wisdom would have to suffice, for the time being. He was still a little annoyed that the visit had been so anticlimactic, but he didn't really know what he had expected. Dumbledore was only being Dumbledore, after all. If he said he had to think about it, Harry realized that it was exactly what the man would do. He hoped that he would come up with the answer sooner rather than later.
He found that even though it felt as if he'd only been in the Headmaster's office for a few minutes, the lesson period was almost over. He reasoned that it must have taken him longer than he thought to explain about the dreams and such. He decided to head to the common room and get rid of his school bag before going down to lunch. The halls were filled with students before he left Dumbledore's floor, and he watched them all clustering about, talking amongst themselves about one thing or another.
He was walking down the corridor, heading past some classrooms, when he saw a familiar-looking red head bobbing in the crowd. He grinned and caught up with her, tapping her on the shoulder so she would turn around.
"Oh, hi Harry," Ginny Weasley greeted him casually. She slowed her pace so they could walk together. He noticed for perhaps the first time that she was getting taller, and was pretty much his height now. "Why are you in this part of the castle? Don't you have class in the dungeons this period?"
"Yeah, usually," Harry explained, falling in step with her. "I got kicked out of class for being late."
A very Hermione-like expression flickered across her freckled face for a moment before she smiled and rolled her eyes at him.
"You're always getting into trouble, Harry."
He chuckled a little at her 'rebuke'. "So I hear you're the new Seeker?"
Ginny nodded, frowning a little. He thought her obvious uneasiness over talking to him about it was endearing. "I just found out this morning. Angelina said I was 'surprisingly good'. It's pretty cool." A shadow passed her features. "I just wish Fred and George were still on. It would be great to play with all three of my brothers on the team."
Harry was quiet. She realized that she was talking about being Seeker with Fred and George when that had been his job just a few days ago. She opened her mouth to apologize but he told her it was okay. It was his fault that he couldn't play, not hers.
"I wish I could come see you on Saturday," Harry sighed as they climbed the steps to their floor. "I was given detention, though."
"It's okay. I'm sure I'd be too nervous if you were there."
He looked at her sideways when they climbed through the portrait hole, a little preoccupied by her statement. He thought of Cho. He seemed to have that affect on girls these days…funny. Harry went up to the boys' showers and looked at his neck in the mirror. Angelina had left a round, red mark on his skin that was so pronounced that it did in fact show through the white material of his school shirt. Despite himself Harry smiled at his reflection in the mirror. It was kind of obvious, the mark, but it was also kind of cool if one really thought about it. He had been branded, in a way, as a man with a better half. A really attractive, cool, older half… Still, he thought it best to go and see Madame Pomfrey like Dumbledore suggested.
When he emerged from the showers he found Ginny waiting for him in the common room.
"Oh there you are. You missed Ron and Hermione. I thought I'd wait to see if you were still around."
"Thanks." He shoved his hands in his pockets as they walked.
"That hickey is kind of ghastly…" Ginny said nonchalantly.
Harry made a face at her. "How do you know what it is?"
"I do have a boyfriend, you know. Despite how my brother chooses to ignore it, the fact is that I'm not a little kid anymore."
Harry paused, impressed. "Okay, then. Have you ever gotten one?"
"Nope." A mischievous grin. "But I've given them…"
Harry pretended a little more shock than he actually felt. "Well excuse me." They walked along, Harry's eyes scanning the crowd a little for any signs of Angelina. He noticed that as usual, people were whispering and pointing at him. He tried to ignore it, but soon felt himself becoming flushed with annoyance. Ginny noticed his irritated silence and looked around, too. A Ravenclaw girl giggled and leaned in to whisper something in her friend's ear. Ginny laughed quietly. "I suppose you think all that is funny, don't you?" Harry asked her, his temper rising a little.
"Really, Harry, they're just jealous."
"I wish they would all shut up already…"
Ginny stopped walking and turned to face him. He lifted his foot to continue, but noticing her stern look he lowered it again and stood there with her, trying to quell his annoyance. "You know, I would think you'd be used to it by now. You don't even hear what they're saying, do you? You just automatically assume you're being lied about or criticized."
"That's because I always am!"
"So?"
Harry's eyes widened with incredulity. "So? So it isn't fair! I can't scratch my arse in this school without everyone knowing about it by lunchtime!" He realized that he was shouting, and that his temper had risen seemingly from out of nowhere, but just then all of it came to a head: his frustration with Dumbledore's vagueness, Snape's ruthless taunting of him in front of the whole Potions class, and Malfoy's big mouth…he was finding it hard not to simply take it all out on Ginny. She stood and listened to him, the other students around them giving them curious glances as they passed. The hall was almost empty before she spoke again. He was amazed at the patience in her voice.
"Harry, you're always going to be the center of attention. It's just who you are. It won't always be positive—in fact, most of the time people fear or pull away from what they don't understand, so it should come as no surprise that they are afraid of you because they couldn't possibly imagine what it's like in your shoes…"
He blinked at her, his anger dissipating slightly. She had a point. But he still thought it terribly unfair. What about Voldemort? Had none of them been listening when he told them Voldemort was alive? No…but when Malfoy spread it around that Harry Potter was chatting up the Gryffindor team captain, they jumped at the chance to gossip. What the hell was that all about? It was as if no one in the school had ever had a girlfriend before.
"You're Harry Potter…" Ginny seemed to give voice to what this treatment was called. "The boy who lived, and all that. Everyone, including Draco Malfoy, envies you that. Yes, they'll tease you. Yes they'll talk about you behind your back. But only so your name stays in their mouths because it's the closest they'll ever come to you." He was finding it hard to listen to this; to accept it. She sighed and started walking again. He fell into step with her. "I remember how I felt when I first heard Mum and Dad talk about you…" She said softly. "I thought how tragic your story was, and I felt sorry for you, but I also was simply fascinated with it. You survived the killing curse! You beat You-Know-Who!"
"Ginny…"
"Well, of course I realize now how silly it is to be caught up with that, but Harry you can't blame people for their ignorance. They just don't know how horrible it really is!" He realized that she had a reason to be saying this—after all she herself had been possessed by Tom Riddle's ghost not too long ago. "Besides…" Ginny added as they entered the Great Hall. "Most of the stuff I've heard has been nothing but people being impressed that you managed to get a seventh year Quidditch captain as your girlfriend…"
"Really?" He smiled a little at the floor. "So Malfoy hasn't been telling everyone the only reason I was still on the team was because of that?"
"Well, yes," she admitted. "But no one believes him apart from really stupid people who haven't the brains to remember how well you fly. Who cares what they think? You like Angelina, don't you?"
He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah…she's really great…"
"You are so obvious!" Ginny teased him. He laughed at himself. "But it's cute how much you like her. And she likes you a lot, too. She's been very pleasant to everyone lately, even with the stress of all that Quidditch mess." Ginny paused for a second. "Listen; you want my advice?" He opened his mouth but she continued without waiting for him. "Just enjoy it. Do you think I care what Ron thinks when he's harping about me and Michael?"
Harry didn't answer. She was right. "You know…I think I'll eat lunch with her and the twins today," he said thoughtfully, trying to ignore the fact that, in a way, she had sort of said he was cute a second ago. "Let Ron and Hermione know?
"Okay."
"Thanks, Ginny…" he reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. Ginny's cheeks grew a darker shade of pink under her freckles and she nodded, turning to go and join Ron and Hermione.
He turned around and found Angelina gazing at him. He felt the strangest sense of calm then. He knew what he had to do—what he ought to have been doing all along. He would handle it the way he had wished everyone else would. If everyone else chose to treat him like a circus act that was their problem. He would act like a normal kid, and enjoy having a girlfriend.
As he kissed Angelina, feeling better, Harry didn't notice two things: First, behind them, Cho Chang was sitting with her friends at the Ravenclaw table watching him with a very disappointed expression on her face. Her friends giggled like idiots and sighed with envy that Angelina was so very lucky to have handsome Harry Potter kissing her…Cho remained silent.
The second was that Draco Malfoy was also watching him and Angelina, but disappointment was hardly the word to describe his expression.