Chapter 51
Ginny POV
Every year Ginny was amazed at how busy Platform 9 ¾ was on September 1st. They pushed through the bustling crowd with their trunks in tow and climbed onto the Hogwarts Express, waving back at a tearful Mrs. Weasley and a proud Mr. Weasley before they went to search for an empty compartment. Fred and George, like usual, split off to look for their friend Lee Jordan, and Hermione was going to be in the Prefect compartment this year, so Harry, Ron, and Ginny were on their own, walking down the hallway in hopes they'd find either an empty compartment or someone they wouldn't mind sitting with for the long journey. They passed compartment after compartment, until they came across one with only one inhabitant – a girl with long blonde hair.
"Hello, Luna," Ginny said kindly to the girl. Luna Lovegood looked up at her calmly, and smiled faintly.
"Hello, Ginny," she said softly.
"Would it be alright if we joined you in your compartment for the journey? Are you expecting anyone else, or…?"
"Oh, that would be lovely. I usually sit on my own during these trips." She scooted further in towards the window as Ron, Harry, and Ginny piled in, Ginny sitting next to Luna and the boys sitting across from them.
"Ron, Harry, this is Luna Lovegood. She's a Ravenclaw in my year and lives a few hills over from us, actually."
The boys nodded politely and introduced themselves and Luna smiled back, still faintly.
"So, how was your summer, Luna?"
"It was quite nice… Relaxing… My dad and I spent many days trying to track down the elusive Crumple-Horned Snorkack, but were unfortunately unsuccessful…" she said slowly, staring at the boys.
Harry and Ron exchanged confused looks, which Ginny assumed was due to the mention of the mysterious creature none of them had ever heard of before.
"That does sound quite nice," Ginny said, smiling at Luna. Luna stopped staring at the boys and turned to look at Ginny, returning the smile.
"Hey, uh – Would it be alright if I join you guys?" Neville asked from the door of the compartment.
"Sure thing, Neville," Harry said as he stood up to move his trunk to the storage up above to make room for Neville.
Suddenly, Cho Chang and Cedric Diggory walked past holding hands. Harry watched as they walked away, then sat down a bit glumly between Ron and Neville.
"Still pining after Cho, huh mate?" Ron asked, giving him a supportive look.
"Yeah… They're obviously still going strong…" Harry said, looking down.
"Maybe it's time to start fancying someone else?" Ron suggested.
"Yeah, I hear Lavender may be looking for an upgrade?" Ginny said, grinning as Ron shot her a look.
"What about Parvati? The two of you had a great time at the Yule Ball, didn't you?" Ron asked.
"I do like Parvati, but I think we're better off as friends."
"Alright, well, there's plenty of fit girls around. What about Katie Bell?"
"No!" Neville suddenly exclaimed.
Everyone looked at Neville shocked and confused, even Luna gave him an observant look.
"I – Uh… She – I – I fancy Katie… That's all… And I was maybe going to see if she'd want to start something up this term…" Neville muttered, his face turning red.
"Alright, not Katie, got it…" Ron said, shrugging. "We'll find someone for you, don't worry mate."
They talked for a bit as the train began to weave through the English countryside as they traveled north. The trolley came and went, they snacked on sweets and chattered excitedly about the school year ahead. Eventually, Harry and Ron went to go look for Lavender and Parvati, leaving Ginny alone with Luna and Neville. Luna was heavily immersed in a colorful and eccentric looking magazine, so Ginny chatted with Neville.
"So, you like Katie Bell? I did notice that the two of you went to the Yule Ball together last year," Ginny smiled at Neville.
"Uh… Yeah… Yeah, we had a great time and she – I – Yeah…" Neville turned red again, and Ginny looked at him curiously.
"Neville, do you actually like Katie?" Ginny asked.
"I – I mean I guess I can tell you… Katie doesn't fancy boys. When we went to the Yule Ball together, she had a girlfriend back home. I didn't want Harry to start fancying her because it'd be a waste of his time, and she's not exactly open about this part of her life… Since you and Demelza dated last year, I figured you'd understand and be accepting…" Neville looked down, clearly disappointed that he didn't keep Katie's secret.
"I won't tell anyone Neville, it's alright. That's kind of you to be so protective of her," she smiled across at the boy.
"Yeah, we've actually become pretty good friends since the Yule Ball. We exchanged a few letters over the summer. She and her girlfriend broke up, so her summer wasn't too great, but she's looking forward to being back at Hogwarts and the Quidditch season. Hey, how are you feeling about that? Are you going to try out?"
"I am, yeah, and I feel great about it. I know there aren't any open Chaser positions, but I'm hoping I'll get the reserve slot. I've worked all summer long, and I think I've got a pretty good shot," she nodded, feeling confident.
Neville nodded as well, "You've got Katie a little nervous that she'll lose her spot, actually. Everyone heard about your private training sessions with Juliette Marat last spring, and there's definitely been a lot of talk about how good you're going to be."
Ginny paused as she processed the sudden expectations that were landing on her. She swallowed hard, and looked up Neville, trying to smile.
"Oh, Ginny, I can feel your nerves from here…" Luna said gently as she lowered her magazine to look at her. "Oh, maybe it's just Wrackspurts…" Luna looked above Ginny's head for a moment, then returned back to her reading. Ginny smiled, as she did find Luna to be truly fascinating.
"I didn't say that to make you nervous! People are just excited to see you fly, that's all," Neville said worriedly.
"It's alright Neville. I've just got high expectations for myself and adding the expectations of others on as well is a bit much. I'll be fine though, don't worry," Ginny said, giving him a reassuring smile.
Suddenly, Ginny spotted loosely plaited blonde hair pass their compartment, "I'll be right back," she said to Luna and Neville before heading out into the hall.
"Demelza?" Ginny called, and Demelza turned to face her, her grey eyes lighting up as they connected with Ginny's. Ginny smiled, taking in the adorable blonde – she'd forgotten how cute she was.
"Hi Ginny," Demelza smiled too and walked towards her back down the hallway.
"Uh, hi," Ginny blushing a bit at how awkward she suddenly felt. "I just wanted to thank you for my birthday gift. It's incredible, having a signed photo of Gwenog Jones, you didn't have to do that…"
"I know I didn't, but I also know there might not be a person in the world who would appreciate that signed photo more than you, so – "
"Oi, Demelza, get a move on, alright?" Ritchie called down the hallway from their compartment.
Ginny smiled at him and waved, but he ignored her and returned to the compartment.
Demelza gave an apologetic look to Ginny, "He's uh… He's still upset about the whole break-up…"
"What? Why?"
"Well, I know I was the one who broke us up, but I still took it incredibly hard… He was my shoulder to cry on through pretty much the end of last term… So, I think he's feeling a little protective of me right now…"
"Oh… Well, yeah… I guess I understand…" Ginny frowned as she ran a hand nervously through her long, red hair and looked down.
"I'm sure he'll get over it soon… You know how he can be sometimes… If it's any consolation, Colin misses you a lot. And – uh – So do I…"
Ginny looked up, her bright brown eyes meeting Demelza's grey eyes again, before nodding, "I miss you too. I'm guessing you're still on board to try and work on being friends again?" Ginny asked tentatively.
Demelza nodded, "If you are, I am."
"Sounds good. So, I'll see you around, then?"
"Like tonight in our dormitory? Yes, I'll see you around, Ginny" Demelza said, laughing lightly as Ginny blushed again.
"Oh yeah, duh…" Ginny shook her head, "Sorry, I – "
"Ginny!"
Ginny turned around as she heard Hermione calling her name from behind her. Hermione was smiling, that is, until she spotted Demelza.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Was I – Interrupting something?" Hermione asked.
"Nope, I was just leaving. Good to see you Hermione. I'll see you tonight, Ginny," Demelza said as she turned and walked down the hall towards her compartment.
"What's up Hermione?" Ginny asked, smiling.
"What were you and Demelza talking about?" Hermione asked, a bit rigidly.
Ginny paused, then responded, "I was thanking her for the birthday gift she gave me."
"Oh."
"What? Is that not alright?"
"I just… I don't want to see you hurt again like you were last year when she broke up with you, that's all."
"We're just friends Hermione. Like I said, I was thanking her for the birthday gift, that's all."
Hermione was quiet and Ginny studied her face, curiously.
"Hermione, are you jealous?"
Hermione looked up quickly, "Of course I'm not, why would I be? You're right, it's perfectly acceptable for you two to be friends, I just want you to be careful. I guess I just thought you were going to focus on Quidditch?"
"Don't worry, mum, I'll make sure to get my trainings in before I talk to anyone or maintain any sort of friendship…" Ginny muttered.
Hermione raised her eyebrows and gave her a disapproving look.
"Hermione, I'm sorry, I didn't mean – "
"I've got Prefect duties. I'll see you later," Hermione said dismissively as she walked off.
Ginny sighed and watched Hermione walk away before returning to the compartment, where she spent the remainder of the trip to Hogwarts thinking about whether Hermione was actually jealous or not, and what that meant.
After they arrived at Hogwarts and the first years had been sorted and the feast devoured, Ginny was up in her dormitory unpacking her trunk. She carefully took out all of her Quidditch literature, placing it in a stack on her bedside table. She propped the signed photo of Gwenog Jones up against the stack, smiling at it before she began loosely organizing her clothes. Once she was done, she changed into joggers and a t-shirt and climbed into her four-poster bed, sitting up against the headboard. She grabbed the most recent copy of the Quidditch Times off of her stack and began to read. She was planning on getting up early to get in a Quidditch session, hopefully before anyone else was out on the pitch, so she was in bed earlier than anyone else. She closed the curtains around her as she began to nod off, and was nearly asleep when she heard her curtains slowly open. She opened her eyes to find Demelza looking at her.
"Sorry Ginny, I was just wondering if you might want to train tomorrow morning? Quidditch trials are soon, and I'm feeling a little rusty. Would you be interested?"
Ginny nodded sleepily and mumbled, "Sure. I'll be up before the sun, so you might want to get to bed."
Demelza grinned, "Alright, will do. Sweet dreams, Ginny," she said as she closed Ginny's curtains.
Ginny's closed her eyes as she tried to clear her thoughts and get to sleep.
No Hermione, no Demelza, just Quidditch… Just Quidditch this year…
Both Ginny and Demelza were up, dressed, and on their way down to the Quidditch stadium before the sun had even begun to rise over the hills of the Hogwarts grounds. After they warmed up, they managed to train for nearly an hour before anyone else showed up. Even though she'd said she was rusty, Ginny was just as impressed with Demelza's flying as she'd always been. The two walked out of the Quidditch stadium to allow some Hufflepuffs to use the pitch, sweating lightly from their training session.
"Well, looks like we're going to make it hard on Angelina, aren't we?" Ginny said, chuckling a bit.
"You must be joking. Ginny, you were phenomenal this morning. I can't believe how amazing you've gotten over the past few months. Seriously, you'll have no problem getting that reserve spot, the rest of us might as well not even try."
"Hey, don't sell yourself so short. I can see you've been working hard over the summer as well. And I've got no doubt you're still better at dodging Bludgers than I am, your agility is unreal."
"Yeah, well, that's because I'm still quite small. You've obviously grown over the summer." Demelza muttered, then blushed at what she said. "You know, you're taller now, so – uh – "
Ginny laughed, "I know what you mean."
They continued walking towards the Gryffindor Common Room, silently. It was strange, having Demelza suddenly back in her life. They'd gotten so close the year prior, closer than she'd ever been with another person, and then suddenly it'd all disappeared after one mistake. And now, here she is, back again in her life. Ginny glanced over at Demelza to take her in. It was true, she hadn't grown. She was still short, slender, and adorable as ever, but as Ginny looked at her, she knew that something had changed there. She of course still found her to be attractive, but really truly had no other feelings for the girl beyond friendship. She could tell by the way Demelza had been interacting with her that possibly not all of the feelings she had for Ginny were gone, so she'd need to tread lightly. She didn't want to hurt the girl, she cared about her, just not in the same way she used to.
"Oi, what are you doing?" They'd almost made it back to Gryffindor Tower when they heard a shout from the corridor behind them. Ritchie and Colin were walking towards them, Ritchie frowning, and Colin looking nervous.
"Hey guys, how's it going?" Ginny asked.
"I wasn't talking to you. Demelza, what do you think you're doing?" Ritchie asked angrily.
"Ritchie, I don't think – " Colin started weakly.
"Can it, Colin. Demelza, really? After all she put you through last year? Now you're back to hanging out with her like nothing happened?"
"It's fine, Ritchie. Ginny couldn't have apologized more times and I believe that she's sorry for what happened. Besides, it's not like I didn't overreact at all to the whole thing. I brought this upon myself…" Demelza said, ending softly.
Ginny looked at her, curiously, then looked at Ritchie, who was downright seething.
"It took you months to work through this, and now you're back to – "
"Ritchie, back off. I can make my own decisions. If I want to hang out with Ginny, I can. You can too, by the way, she used to be your friend as well," Demelza interrupted.
Colin smiled, "Great! Ginny, would you like to go get breakfast?"
Suddenly Ritchie stomped off, angrier than Ginny had ever seen him.
"Why is he so worked up about this? I know what I did was bad, but how exactly does it affect him?" Ginny asked, confused.
Demelza sighed, "It's my fault. Like I said, I was really upset after our break-up, and he was there for me. He's probably just worried I'll get hurt again if I hang out with you."
"Huh… Well… I guess I'll try to talk to him at some point. I have zero intention to hurt you ever again. I mean, I didn't ever have that intention to begin with and still wound up hurting you, but still… I've grown since then. I don't want to hurt you, Demelza," Ginny looked at Demelza sincerely, and Demelza gave her a small smile back.
"I trust you, Ginny."
"So… Breakfast?" Colin suggested, motioning back towards the Great Hall.
"Sure, sounds good," Ginny said, and the three of them walked back down the corridor.
Ginny looked over at Colin and Demelza and smiled. She was glad to have at least some of her friends back. It'd surely make classes much more comfortable, and it might even be a nice distraction from her feelings for Hermione, having someone else to hang out with.
Hermione POV
It was only the second evening back, and already Hermione was exhausted. She did enjoy being a Prefect and was taking the role very seriously, but she'd maybe underestimated how time-consuming the position would be. Thankfully, Dean had already proven to be an excellent counterpart for her. He was a bit soft-spoken, but he was firm, warm, great with the first years, and very well-respected by the rest of the Gryffindors.
"So, is it everything you'd hoped it'd be so far?" Dean asked as they patrolled the corridors.
Hermione smiled, "It is great, but I'm a little concerned about how it'll effect my ability to study this year."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I was hoping I'd have some extra time at some point to get a few Quidditch practices in before the trials next week, but it's not looking like that'll happen. Besides, I've heard Ginny all but has the reserve slot wrapped up."
"Oh?"
"I heard from some of the Hufflepuffs who were out practicing this morning that they saw Ginny and Demelza flying before them, and she looked amazing. They both did, apparently." Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "Might as well go for it, but it's not looking like I'll be adding Gryffindor reserve to my schedule this year. Probably for the best anyway," he shrugged.
Hermione was quiet, thinking about Ginny and Demelza together. First, I see them on the train together, and now they're practicing together? What happened to her not fancying her anymore? What happened to her just focusing on Quidditch? What about the moment we had a few nights ago when she was comforting me?
Hermione shook her head, realizing how ridiculous she was being. I'm dating Juliette, and have no reason to be jealous of anything regarding Ginny. Nothing happened a few nights ago, Ginny was just comforting me.
Thinking of Juliette was painful. She'd thought that maybe Ginny was right, and there'd be some sort of correspondence from Juliette waiting for her at Hogwarts, but she'd found nothing. She hadn't heard from her girlfriend in weeks. Perhaps once she was done patrolling the corridors with Dean, she'd write yet another letter to Juliette. Maybe now that she was at Beauxbatons, she'd have time to respond.
Once she and Dean returned back to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione said goodnight to Dean and got right to writing her letter.
Juliette,
I hope this letter finds you safe and well at Beauxbatons. I can imagine that training with the National Team went exceedingly well, as I have no doubt that you impressed the team and coaches with not only your skills, but your intelligence and undeniable charm as well.
As I wrote before, the remainder of my summer went well. I am back at Hogwarts now, and my Prefect duties are taking up more time than I thought they would, but I'm still enjoying it. The other fifth year Prefect for Gryffindor is another Muggle-born, Dean Thomas, who is kind, dependable, and easy to talk to, so I think that this partnership will go quite well. My Prefect duties don't leave me much time for studying, but you know me, I'll make the time.
I miss you, Juliette. I'm hoping that I hear from you soon. It certainly is different this year, not having you around to… Well… Be around… I miss everything about you, and I hope that we can be together again soon. Maybe over Christmas holiday we could figure something out, some way to see each other? I miss being with you… Everything about it…
Love,
Hermione
As Hermione finished the letter, she sighed, hoping that this one would elicit a response. She'd take it to the Owlery first thing in the morning. She was too exhausted to read or study, so she tucked the letter into her robes pocket and headed upstairs to get some sleep.
