After the argument between the two, there was a subtle tension surrounding Ben and Mrs. Weasley. Ben would try very hard not to look at Mrs. Weasley whenever they were in a room together and Mrs. Weasley would do similar, although she would occasionally glance over and frown.
"I really didn't want to fight with her," Ben said privately to Harry and Ginny a couple of weeks after the argument. "I even understood where she was coming from. It just wasn't feasible for you, Harry. With He-Who-Is-An-Idiot after you, you need all the information you can get. Well, all the information that is important."
Harry was vaguely amused by people's responses to Ben's tirade. Most of the adults were subtly arguing about it, with Mr. Weasley, Remus, Sirius, and Tonks being the most notable adults in support of Ben's argument, with Moody thinking that he didn't go far enough. The twins, after having a whispered argument with Ben a few days later, would bow to him whenever he entered the room. Ron and Hermione both became a bit leery of him, and would get very quiet whenever he focused on them. The only person who didn't treat him any different besides Harry was Ginny.
"Honestly, Mum had it coming, at least a little bit," She told Harry. "He's completely right and Tom's going to keep coming after you no matter what you do."
They were seated in the drawing room together, having been finishing up the last of their summer homework. It had become a common occurrence for them to spend time together by themselves, ever since the Yule Ball, especially when Ron and Hermione got into a fight over something. Harry found it to be brilliant, since he could talk with someone without being forced to take sides in an argument he generally had no stakes in, and he'd grown to adore Ginny, as she was funny, quick-witted, and gorgeous.
Realizing now was probably the perfect opportunity for it, as everyone else in the house was busy with something, Harry swallowed his nerves and prepared to ask a question he'd been meaning to ask for a while. "Er, Ginny?"
She turned to look at him, face alight with a beautifully bemused smile, "Yes, Harry?"
He felt his mind blank for a moment before he refocused. "Um, yes," he cleared his throat, "I was wondering if you were seeing someone… ?" He cringed a bit internally about how he sounded.
A confused frown crossed her face. "Not at the moment. Why?"
"Well, uh I was kind of wondering if youwantedtogooutwithme," Harry said, haltingly before muttering quickly.
Ginny froze. "What?" she said, nearly whispering.
Harry summoned his courage from where it settled in his stomach. "Do you want … to go out … with me?" He cringed a bit internally about the halting nature of his question.
Harry saw Ginny shaking. Before he could apologize, she wrapped him in a hug and he felt something touching his lips. He realized a half-second later that Ginny was kissing him. Harry was stunned for a moment before his brain reengaged and he started kissing her back. Time lost meaning for Harry as he luxuriated in the taste and feeling that was indescribably Ginny Weasley. At some point the pair were forced to separate for air. Ginny's eyes were glistening with unshed tears.
Harry asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," Ginny replied. "I'm just so happy. I have been waiting for this for three years."
Harry was confused. "Shouldn't it be longer?"
Ginny shook her head, "You are not the Harry Potter I had a crush on as a child. You are the Harry Potter, the hero, who saved me from the basilisk. You are the humble, kind, and handsome boy with gorgeous eyes who doesn't want his fame. That's the boy I developed feelings for, even if I didn't think you'd ever notice me."
Harry was stunned by her confession. "Ginny, you're gorgeous. There's no way I'd ever be good enough for you. If you'll have me, I swear to never intentionally harm or abandon you."
Ginny, still tearing up a bit, nodded in agreement before snogging him again.
-break-
The very last day of holidays arrived in a whirlwind. Harry and Ginny hadn't told anyone they started dating, although a few people had figured it out. Sirius, Remus, and Tonks all good-naturedly ribbed them, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were delighted, and Ben's only response was about time. Harry was in his room, thinking about Ginny, when Ron entered carrying a couple of envelopes.
"Booklists have arrived," he said, throwing one of the envelopes up to Harry, who was standing on a chair. "About time, I thought they'd forgotten, they usually come much earlier than this… ."
Harry filed his thoughts away for later, then he opened his letter: It contained two pieces of parchment, one the usual reminder that term started on the first of September, the other telling him which books he would need for the coming year.
"Only two new ones," he said, reading the list. "The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, by Miranda Goshawk and Defensive Magical Theory, by Wilbert Slinkhard."
Crack.
Fred and George Apparated right beside Harry. He was so used to them doing this by now that he didn't even fall off his chair.
"We were just wondering who assigned the Slinkhard book," said Fred conversationally.
"Because it means Dumbledore's found a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," said George.
"And about time too," said Fred.
"What d'you mean?" Harry asked, jumping down beside them. "Well, we overheard Mum and Dad talking on the Extendable Ears a few weeks back," Fred told Harry, "and from what they were saying, Dumbledore was having real trouble finding anyone to do the job this year."
"Not surprising, is it, when you look at what's happened to the last four?" said George.
"One sacked, one dead, one's memory removed, and one locked in a trunk for nine months," said Harry, counting them off on his fin- gers. "Yeah, I see what you mean."
"What's up with you, Ron?" asked Fred.
Ron did not answer. Harry looked around. Ron was standing very still with his mouth slightly open, gaping at his letter from Hogwarts. At that moment Ben's voice was heard letting out a resounding "WHAT?!" that startled Ron out of his funk.
"I'm a prefect," he said, a bit dull and distant.
"You're what?" Fred and George chorused, both grabbing the letter and envelope out of Ron's hand. George turned the envelope upside down. Harry saw something scarlet and gold fall into George's palm.
"No way," said George in a hushed voice.
"There's been a mistake," said Fred, holding the letter up to the light as though checking for a watermark. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a prefect… ."
This finally sparked Harry's memory of a conversation he had a few weeks back with Dumbledore. He spoke to Ron, "Congratulations, mate. Didn't know who Dumbledore was going to choose."
The twins' heads turned in unison and both of them stared at Harry.
"We thought you were a cert!" said Fred in a tone that suggested Harry had tricked them in some way.
"We thought Dumbledore was bound to pick you!" said George indignantly.
"Winning the Triwizard and everything!" said Fred.
"I suppose all the mad stuff must've counted against him," said George to Fred.
"Yeah," said Fred slowly. "Yeah, you've caused too much trouble, mate. Well, at least one of you's got their priorities right."
"Nah," responded Harry, "Dumbledore thought I had enough responsibility to be going on without prefect being added to it."
"Nice of him to consider," Ben's voice snarked from the door. Harry wheeled around to find Ben by the door, leaning against the wall and clutching his own perfect badge. "Wish he'd done the same to me."
Fred strode over to Harry and clapped him on the back while giving Ron a scathing look.
"Prefect … ickle Ronnie the prefect …"
"Oh, Mum's going to be revolting," groaned George, thrusting the prefect badge back at Ron as though it might contaminate him.
Ron, who still had not said a word, took the badge, stared at it for a moment, and then held it out to Harry as though asking mutely for confirmation that it was genuine. Harry took it. A large P was superimposed on the Gryffindor lion. He had seen a badge just like this on Percy's chest on his very first day at Hogwarts.
The door banged open, causing Ben to jump in fright. Hermione came tearing into the room, her cheeks flushed and her hair flying. There was an envelope in her hand.
"Did you - did you get - ?"
She spotted the badge in Harry's hand and let out a shriek.
"I knew it!" she said excitedly, brandishing her letter. "Me too, Harry, me too!"
"No," said Harry quickly, pushing the badge back into Ron's hand. "It's Ron, not me."
"It - what?"
"Ron's prefect, not me," Harry said.
"Ron?" said Hermione, her jaw dropping. "But … are you sure? I
mean -"
She turned red as Ron looked around at her with a defiant expression on his face.
"It's my name on the letter," he said.
"I …" said Hermione, looking thoroughly bewildered. "I … well … wow! Well done, Ron! That's really -"
"Unexpected," said George, nodding as Ben was snickering in the background.
"No," said Hermione, blushing harder than ever, "no, it's not … Ron's done loads of … he's really …"
The door behind her opened a little wider and Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a pile of freshly laundered robes.
"Ginny said the booklists had come at last," she said, glancing around at all the envelopes as she made her way over to the bed and started sorting and folding the robes. "If you give them to me I'll take them over to Diagon Alley this afternoon and get your books while you're packing. Ron, I'll have to get you more pajamas, these are at least six inches too short, I can't believe how fast you're growing … what color would you like?"
"Get him red and gold to match his badge," said George, smirking.
"Match his what?" said Mrs. Weasley absently, rolling up a pair of socks and placing them in the pile.
"His badge," said Fred, with the air of getting the worst over quickly. "His lovely shiny new prefect's badge."
Fred's words took a moment to penetrate Mrs. Weasley's preoccupation about pajamas.
"His … but … Ron, you're not… ?"
Ron held up his badge.
Mrs. Weasley let out a shriek just like Hermione's.
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!"
"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son.
"Wait until your father hears! Ron, I'm so proud of you, what wonderful news, you could end up Head Boy just like Bill and Percy, it's the first step! Oh, what a thing to happen in the middle of all this worry, I'm just thrilled, oh Ronnie -"
Fred and George were both making loud retching noises behind her back as Ben resumed his snickering, this time joined by Harry but Mrs. Weasley did not notice; arms tight around Ron's neck, she was kissing him all over his face, which had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.
"Mum … don't … Mum, get a grip… ." he muttered, trying to push her away.
She let go of him and said breathlessly, "Well, what will it be? We gave Percy an owl, but you've already got one, of course."
"W-what do you mean?" said Ron, looking as though he did not dare believe his ears.
"You've got to have a reward for this!" said Mrs. Weasley fondly. "How about a nice new set of dress robes?"
"We've already bought him some," said Fred sourly, who looked as though he sincerely regretted this generosity.
"Or a new cauldron, Charlie's old one's rusting through, or a new rat, you always liked Scabbers -"
"Mum," said Ron hopefully, "can I have a new broom?"
Mrs. Weasley's face fell slightly; broomsticks were expensive.
"Not a really good one!" Ron hastened to add. "Just - just a new one for a change …"
Mrs. Weasley hesitated, then smiled.
"Of course you can… . Well, I'd better get going if I've got a broom to buy too. I'll see you all later… . Little Ronnie, a prefect! And don't forget to pack your trunks… . A prefect … Oh, I'm all of a dither!" She gave Ron yet another kiss on the cheek, sniffed loudly, and bustled from the room.
Fred and George exchanged looks.
"You don't mind if we don't kiss you, do you, Ron?" said Fred in a falsely anxious voice.
"We could curtsy, if you like," said George.
"Oh, shut up," said Ron, scowling at them.
"Or what?" said Fred, an evil grin spreading across his face. "Going to put us in detention?"
"I'd love to see him try," sniggered George.
"He could if you don't watch out!" said Hermione angrily, at which Fred and George burst out laughing, Ben shook his head lightly, and Ron muttered, "Drop it, Hermione."
"We're going to have to watch our step, George," said Fred, pretending to tremble, "with these two on our case. . . ."
"Yeah, it looks like our law-breaking days are finally over," said George, shaking his head.
And with another loud crack, the twins Disapparated.
"Those two!" said Hermione furiously, staring up at the ceiling, through which they could now hear Fred and George roaring with laughter in the room upstairs. "Don't pay any attention to them, Ron, they're only jealous!"
"Doubtful," responded Ben with an eye roll. "If they're jealous of anything, it'd be the current positive attention Ron's getting from their mum."
Hermione turned to Ben, her attention finally shifting from Ron and his badge. "I meant to tell you a bit earlier, but congratulations as well, Ben."
Ben's face twitched briefly into a smile before dropping into a sour look.
"Aren't you happy about it?" Harry asked.
Ben sighed briefly before responding. "I value my free time immensely. With Quidditch already cutting into it as well as O.W.L.s happening this year, I expect to be a bit shorter with people, so I'm probably going to have to apologize constantly this year."
Ron left Harry's room, presumably to finish packing, as Hermione started talking. "Well, I suppose now would be a good time to give -"
"I'm not giving up Quidditch. First of all, it's really the only thing currently keeping me in some form of shape. Secondly, I'm not having Cho my-boyfriend-died-last-year Chang replace me. She's the backup seeker and I'm not going to stress her out more while she's mourning."
There was a moment of silence before Ben left and Hermione turned to Harry.
"Thanks," said Hermione. "Erm - Harry - could I borrow Hedwig so I can tell Mum and Dad? They'll be really pleased - I mean, prefect is something they can understand -"
"Yeah, sure."
Hermione departed with Hedwig, leaving Harry alone in his room.
AN: So, wasn't expecting it to take so long for me to write and upload this chapter. I've been busy and had writer's block since last I posted.
Uploaded May 12th, 2024