A New Crush

Harry followed Ginny into the small cafe off Diagon Alley, having just left her older brother and Hermione standing outside Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes. With a look reminiscent of her clever twin brothers, Ginny had suggested she and Harry have a Butterbeer together so as to leave Ron and Hermione to their awkward romantic moment.

"It's really about time they were honest with each other," Ginny said to him over her shoulder as she walked towards a table tucked away in the back corner of the cafe. She plopped her bag full of pranks on the coffee-stained tablecloth before taking her seat.

"Past time," Harry replied, rolling his eyes and sitting across from her. A plump waitress with wiry brown hair took their order and returned minutes later with their drinks and a plate of pumpkin pastries.

Ginny smiled playfully. "All the times Ron's complained to me about Hermione, and Hermione's complained to me about Ron, I knew it was only a matter of time before they realized they both liked each other. I was getting annoyed with them, really," she finished.

"Same here. Hopefully the bickering will die down from now on. I don't think I can take much more of it," Harry said thoughtfully. He had two more years to go with them at Hogwarts, after all.

"Don't bet on it," she said. "It's only going to get worse now that they'll be together even more!" The two laughed at the inevitability of Ginny's prediction. A somewhat awkward silence fell between them, Harry noticed, and he hastily took a bite from one of the pastries.

Looking around the cafe, Harry noticed there weren't many people around them. A thin wizard wearing shabby brown robes and a witch holding a tabby cat were eating breakfast together at a nearby table, and an older, balding wizard sat reading the Daily Prophet at the front counter. When Harry turned back around, he noticed Ginny gazing at him over her mug of Butterbeer.

"What?" he asked, puzzled. Ginny put her drink down hastily and grinned.

"Nothing," she said indifferently. "How was your stay with the Dursley's?"

"Terrible, as usual," he said miserably. "I stayed in my room mostly. Ever since the dementors showed up in Little Whinging last summer, Dudley's been acting like a three year old. My aunt and uncle blame me, of course. Their precious Diddikins acted like a nutter every time I walked by, so I just kept to myself until Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came to get me."

"Dad said your uncle hurled furniture and things at them when they Apparated into the living room," Ginny said. "What's a remote control, anyway? Dad said he got hit in the forehead by one."

"That's just something Muggles use to change the channel on the television because they're too lazy to get up from the couch," Harry said, amused at her cluelessness of things purely non-magical.

"Tele-what?" she asked quizzically.

"Nothing," Harry said, grinning. He tried to change the subject. "Have you heard from Dean since you left Hogwarts?" For some reason, he regretted the question as soon as he'd asked it.

Ginny's face lit up with a smile. "He's owled me at least three times a week. He's already got our first date planned for the first Hogsmeade weekend. I think it's kind of sweet, really."

Harry grimaced inwardly. If Ron were to find out about Dean's romantic getaway with his little sister, Harry would have quite a few rows to intervene in their dormitory. Neville would never get in Ron's way, and Seamus would probably enjoy the show from his four-poster.

As if reading his mind, Ginny tried to console Harry. "Don't worry. I told Ron that Luna was writing me about her Crumple-Horned Snorkack expedition when he asked who was sending me so many owls. He didn't need details after that."

Harry let out a sigh of relief and took a sip of his Butterbeer. He suddenly caught himself smiling at the idea of Ron and Dean having a go at each other, and held his mug to his face a bit longer to hide from Ginny's shrewd stare.

"So, Harry," Ginny began again, matter-of-factly. "Ron's come clean about his romantic interest. Who's yours since you and Cho broke up?"

Harry choked on his last sip of Butterbeer and slammed his mug onto the table with a loud thud. He hadn't really thought about anyone that way since his short-lived relationship with Cho Chang. And he certainly wouldn't tell Ginny if he had.

"No one, really," he said, catching his breath. "Taking a break, you know," he added lamely. There were plenty of girls to choose from at Hogwarts, he thought, but none of them really kept his attention for more than a few seconds.

"I thought you might like Parvati Patil," Ginny said. "You took her to the Yule Ball year before last. Don't you think she's pretty? I know Dean thinks so, anyway," she added, almost as an afterthought.

Harry looked surprised. Ginny's ability to speak exactly what's on her mind never ceased to amaze him. "Does that bother you, then?" he asked her.

"Not really. I know I'm not as pretty as she is, but I know that Dean likes me, or he wouldn't have written so many letters over the summer." She almost looked as if she were trying to convince herself of this, Harry thought.

"Don't worry, Gin," Harry said. "You're very pretty." He really did think so, but didn't mean to say it so plainly.

Ginny smiled and blushed, just as Harry was doing at that moment. "Thanks, Harry," she said simply. "You know..."

But she was cut off by the sound of Ron and Hermione's loud bickering as they entered the cafe. Ron was shaking his head in apparent disbelief at something Hermione had just said as they walked toward Harry and Ginny's table at the back of the nearly empty cafe.

"Really, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed as she sat down next to Ginny. "Is he always this meddlesome in other people's business?" she asked his sister.

"Always," Ginny answered, still smiling at Harry. And as Hermione went on chastising Ron about his unnecessary fits of jealousy over her friendship with Viktor Krum, Harry suddenly knew what he was feeling was jealousy as well.

For he just realized, as Ginny herself had put it, who his newest romantic interest really was.