Hermione or Ginny?

I wonder, thought Harry Potter as he gazed across the Gryffindor Common Room at his two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley. I wonder....

What Harry was wondering, aside from how he was going to complete his huge essay for McGonagall, was if Ron and Hermione were.... He searched for the right words. If they were... more than just friends....

Harry couldn't help feeling jealous. He envied their relationship and the way that they sometimes acted as if they were a couple, though neither of them would come out and say it. A part of Harry also wanted Hermione for himself...

Come off it, he told himself, you couldn't possibly fancy her, could you?

Harry took off his glasses and rubbed them against the corner of his t -shirt, squinting all the while as Hermione's bushy brown hair swept Ron's paper as she corrected something for him. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice Ginny come up behind him.

"Harry?" said Ginny, tapping Harry on the shoulder.

Harry jumped slightly, put his glasses back on, and looked up at Ginny. Ginny sat down in a squashy red armchair across the way from Harry and perched there, looking expectant.

"What is it?" said Harry, wondering what Ginny could want to talk to him for.

"Did I startle you? Sorry, I just wanted to know what it was that was so interesting. You were staring over at Ron and Hermione as if you were about to bite their heads off." Ginny raised her eyebrows at Harry.

"Erm... I didn't notice that I was," said Harry truthfully. Then, out of sheer impulse, he added, "They have been spending a lot of time together lately."

"Yes, well, you shouldn't feel jealous," she said, reading Harry's mind. "Hermione's assured me that they're just friends.... That's what you're worried about, isn't it? That they'll go off and to couple - type things and leave you alone?"

"Not exactly," said Harry distractedly as he stared over at them.

"Then what is it?" asked Ginny soothingly.

"I'm just having doubts, is all," said Harry plainly.

"Doubts? About being friends with them?" asked Ginny.

"No," said Harry, "I just, well I, I can't say."

"You fancy Hermione." Ginny looked disappointed.

"No!" said Harry almost too quickly to be convincing. "I mean, I, well, I'm not entirely sure if I do or not..."

"Well," said Ginny shrilly, "I just thought you ought to know that I came over here to see if you - if we -"

"But I thought you were seeing Dean Thomas!" said Harry, who had never really considered a relationship with Ginny past friendship.

"Well, I was, but he decided that it was too weird to be seeing Ron's younger sister," said Ginny. "Ron really did hassle him a lot, Dean told me so...."

"So you want us to be a couple?" said Harry incredulously.

"Um, well, you don't have to if you don't want to, I mean I, well, I wasn't going to get my hopes up...." Ginny stared at the worn hearthrug beneath her feet.

Harry seriously considered going out with Ginny, he looked at it from all angles - but when it came down to it, it was just too weird, seeing as how she was obsessed with him back when he was in second year....

The only reason he could see to actually give this couple thing a go was out of spite. He wanted to show Ron and Hermione that he didn't need them, or Cho for that matter....

"Alright," said Harry, looking Ginny in the eye.

"You mean it?" said Ginny, disbelieving what she heard.

"Yes, I do," said Harry, stealing another glance over at Ron and Hermione in the corner. Hermione was now talking animatedly to Ron, who was - Harry must have been seeing wrong, so he took off his glasses and rubbed the lenses clean again - no, he was seeing right, Ron was actually laughing.

At something Hermione had said.

Harry shook his head and focused on Ginny. "Well," she said, "I think I'll turn in." He faked a yawn and got up, snapping his Transfiguration book shut. He stuffed it in his bag and turned his face up - and received a kiss on the cheek from Ginny. For a moment he was shocked, and then he reminded himself that they were going out. Turning red, Harry mumbled, "G'night," at his shoes and left Ginny standing there looking terribly confused as to why Harry was so shocked.

The following morning at breakfast, Harry and Ginny sat directly across from Hermione and Ron, who were talking in low voices, glancing around at Harry every so often. This quickly irritated Harry, and he stared at the pair of them with his eyebrows deeply furrowed, which they didn't seem to notice.

Ginny was trying to get his attention to tell him about some awfully long Potions essay she had had to write as extra work, but all Harry said in response was, "Yeah." So Ginny had to resort to drastic measures to hold his attention.

"So I told Snape, I'd love to have tea with you on Sunday and discuss what a stupid git Harry Potter is," she said in a normal tone, scooping some eggs off her plate.

"Yeah," said Harry distractedly, who was straining his ears to hear what Ron and Hermione were saying. What he wouldn't give for a pair of Extendable Ears....

Ginny sighed very loudly, obviously displeased, and leaned across the bench and kissed Harry again on the cheek lightly.

Harry's head whipped around, and so did several others, particularly those that belonged to Ron and Hermione. Parvati and Lavender were giggling to Harry's right.

"Ginny!" exclaimed Ron. "What d'you think you're doing?"

"I'm going out with Harry, didn't you know?" she said casually, lifting her fork to her mouth.

"No I didn't!" said Ron, obviously confused. "Harry - is this true?"

"'Fraid so, mate," he said just as casually as Ginny had. He pretended to rummage in his bag for something as Ron's jaw dropped. Good, Harry thought, be jealous that you aren't seeing anyone....

"I - I - You - Ginny, you've fancied Harry for ages, but I mean - I never thought - you and Harry would..." Ron let his sentence hang.

"That we would go out?" said Ginny coolly. Harry glanced over at Hermione, who raised her eyebrows at him, obviously surprised.

"Well, I think it's a wonderful idea," said Hermione suddenly. Harry almost choked on a kipper. "If Harry and Ginny want to go out, then they can - right, Ron?"

"No - well, yeah," said Ron quickly, seeing Harry's face. "I think...."

Harry excused himself quickly, muttering something about forgetting his quill in his dormitory. He couldn't believe it - they weren't at all jealous... but what had he been expecting? Ron could hardly be jealous of his sister, and was Hermione supposed to fancy him just because he had a girlfriend? He wasn't even sure if he did fancy Hermione. Maybe he was just confused....

Harry and Ginny had been dating for a week when Hermione finally spoke to him alone again. It was Saturday, just after breakfast, when she came up to Harry in the common room. Ron was in the library researching something for Charms and Ginny was in the Owlery sending Mrs. Weasley a letter, so Harry didn't have to worry about them.

Hermione came up and sat down at the same table as Harry.

"Do you fancy a walk?" she said, peering at Harry intently.

"Alright, lemme get my cloak," he said grudgingly. Harry had been moping around all week, so Hermione had to know something was up with him.

Fifteen minutes later they were setting off on the sloping lawns of Hogwarts, which were sunny and a bit wet from the previous night's rain. Harry waited for Hermione to say something first, no way was he going to make a fool of himself....

"Ginny told me everything," she said suddenly. Harry looked up, squinting his eyes at the bright sunlight.

"Did she?" he said nonchalantly. "And what was that?" He felt his temper rise.

"Don't be mad, please Harry," said Hermione pleadingly. "She told me about how you thought that Ron and I were dating." She gazed out upon the lake, avoiding Harry's eyes.

"And if you were, why would I care?" said Harry coolly.

"Because - well she told me that too - because you like me," she said, her voice quavering.

"I don't - I - don't think I do - I..." Harry's cool tone faltered.

"Oh, Harry, I know exactly how you feel, trust me," Hermione gushed. "I liked you too, at one point - but then I realized that I was a bit confused. You know, we can just be friends, there's no pressure to take it to another level, Harry -" she looked at him, "And then there's Ron."

"Yes, there he is," said Harry dully.

"Well, I'm not sure if I fancy him or not - but if I do, and we end up going out, please don't get jealous," said Hermione. "I would really hate for it to interfere with our friendship - I really do like you, Harry," she said. She stopped suddenly and looked at Harry. He stared back, not sure what to say. Hermione leaned over and kissed him gently on the cheek. "I really do like you. I'm just - confused, like you."

Harry rubbed his cheek where Hermione had kissed him. "Confused," he mumbled. "Right..."

Hermione glanced at her watch. "Oh no! I promised Ron I'd meet him five minutes ago!" She set off at a run. "'Bye!" she called over her shoulder.

Harry stared at her as she ran up the stone steps to the front door.

"I really hate it when she makes herself crystal clear like that, it would be really annoying if she properly explained herself," he muttered as he walked slowly back to the castle, echoing something Ron had once said about Hermione.