The Letter

Chapter 4

Ginny woke with a small start to find herself still on the same couch, wrapped in Harry's arms. He looks so cute! Ginny thought, giggling a little. His glasses were askew, and if it was possible, his hair was even more messed up. He was holding onto Ginny as if she were his favorite teddy bear, his most prized possession. Ginny noticed that the sun was just setting, so they must have been asleep for a while.

Ginny realized with horror that she hadn't managed to make it back to potions. Snape would have no mercy on her, she was sure of it. On top of that, she had missed Charms and Care of Magical Creatures. Ginny laid her head back down on Harry's chest, sighed and closed her eyes again. She was just drifting off again when the thundering of feet - students returning from their lessons to get ready for dinner - woke her up.

She was just starting to pull herself out of Harry's arms when Ron stormed into the common room. He was obviously very upset about something, and Hermione was right behind him, trying to calm him down. He didn't see Ginny yet. She figured she still had a few more seconds to extricate herself from Harry's arms.

But, it was already too late. Ron had seen them lying there. He had seen Ginny wrapped in Harry's arms. His eyes got huge, and Ginny thought his eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into his hairline. His surprise soon turned to anger and he stormed over to the couch where Ginny was sitting, and Harry was still sound asleep.

"Ginny!" he screeched, yanking her off the couch by her arm. "What in Merlin's name are you doing?!" He pulled her further away from the couch.

"Ron! Get off me!" Ginny said, desperately trying to free herself from his grasp. She knew that if she couldn't get out of Harry's grasp, she surely couldn't get out of Ron's because he was in just as good of shape as Harry, from Quidditch training.

"I will not let go until you tell me what you and…you and him were doing!" he said furiously, stamping his foot, pointing to the peacefully sleeping Harry.

"Ron, we were just sleeping! Give it a rest, nothing happened and you know it. If we were doing anything like you think we were doing, we surely wouldn't have done it in the common room, you stupid prat!" she hollered, finally pulling her arm away. She had a large red mark around her wrist from where he had grabbed her, and she was sure it was going to turn into a bruise. She rubbed it to try and ease the stinging. Ron made a lunge to get her arm back, but Hermione seized the back of his robes and threw him on the floor. The scene around the couch had drawn quite a crowd by now, and they all snickered as Ron fell flat on his back, his freckled face redder than his hair. And still, through all this, Harry slept on.

"Ron, settle down!" Hermione said impatiently, keeping a hand on his shoulder as he sat up, to prevent him from rising further. "Maybe we should listen to what Harry has to say," she said, and walked over to the couch and shook Harry.

Harry sat bolt upright, with a rather confused look on his face. "Whassamatter?" he said in slurred speech as he adjusted his glasses.

"I'll tell you the matter!" Ron yelled hotly. "You touching my sister, that's the matter, Harry!" Ron made a move to get up, but Hermione shoved him back down again and gave him a paralyzing look. He didn't move. Harry stared blankly around the room for a moment before he met Ginny's gaze. She bit her lip and shook her head.

"We were…we were…well see, here's the thing…" he said, scratching his head.

"Harry, don't lie," Hermione said coolly, before he could utter another word.

"We were sleeping!" Ginny broke in. "There are no laws against sleeping, are there?" she said huffily, adjusting her robes, which had become twisted while she slept.

"Yes," agreed Harry, nodding his head vigorously. "Sleeping, yes."

Hermione sighed. "All right Harry, if that's what you say, I guess we'll have to believe you, right, Ron?" she said, looking sternly at Ron.

"Humph," said Ron, crossing his arms, making another noise that sounded suspiciously like "I'll beat him senseless."

"RIGHT, RON?" Hermione said again, this time kicking him in his shin.

"OW! Right, right, sure…" he said nursing his leg where Hermione had kicked him. "Why did you lie then, Harry? Last night, you said there was nothing between you and Ginny. Why'd you lie?"

"Well, look at how you're reacting now," Harry said, nervously trying to flatten his bangs. "You're acting as if I've just proposed marriage to Ginny, or announced that she's pregnant or something! Did you really think I was going to come right out and say that I had feelings for Ginny, in front of you? I knew you'd try and kill me, just like you try and kill any guy who even looks at her," Harry said, standing up. "You're so overprotective it's wonder there are any guys left standing around here!"

Ignoring another kick from Hermione, Ron stood up too. They looked at each other for a moment, each one furious at the other. Ron took a step closer to Harry, and within a split second, he socked Harry hard, right in the face, sending him sprawling backwards.

"RON!" screeched Ginny and Hermione at the same time. Ron looked at Harry, sitting confusedly on the floor, holding his eye.

"You stay away, from my sister, do you understand me Harry? You stay away from her," he said, and pulled Ginny out of the portrait hole.

***

The corridor outside Gryffindor Tower was motionless and quiet. Nothing moved except for a crisp winter breeze from the window. Wintry sunlight poured in, basking the corridor in a soft, golden afternoon glow. Ginny sat against one wall, pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Ron paced absentmindedly, muttering things to himself, his hand on his forehead. His face was still slightly red with anger. Hermione came dashing into the corridor.

"Ginny, are you all right? Did he hurt you?" she asked, kneeling next to her.

"Yea, did Harry hurt you? Because if he hurt one hair on your head…" and his face became red again and he kicked the wall, letting out a yelp of pain as he realized that it was made of stone.

"No, I meant did Ron hurt you?" she said calmly to Ginny, but sent a poisonous look over her shoulder at Ron. Ginny shook her head, but Hermione noticed her pulling her arm inside her robes and snatched it before Ginny could get it the whole way in. "Is this where Ron grabbed you?" Hermione asked seriously, looking at the red welt that was slowly turning a nasty shade of purple. Ginny nodded her head and looked away.

"Well Ron, I hope you're happy! You've just given your sister a nasty bruise!" Hermione snorted, shoving Ginny's arm out for Ron to see. As Ron laid eyes in the bruise on Ginny's wrist, his eyes fell.

"I…I'm sorry Ginny," he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his robes.

"It's ok Ron," she said, getting up and hugging him.

"I just hate to see…other guys with…with their hands on you, that's all," Ron said, sighing. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Ron, do you really think Harry, your best friend, would hurt me? Do you really think he even…could?" she said, smiling a little. Harry was always such a nice guy. It was hard for Ginny to imagine him doing something to purposefully hurt someone that he cared about.

"Harry's a nice guy and all…but you never know what someone is capable of…" he trailed off. Ginny thought he sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than her that Harry wasn't to be trusted.

"Oh Ron, listen to yourself!" said Hermione, frustrated. "You sound like a big baby! Ginny is sixteen years old now. I surely hope she is capable of taking care of herself without you breathing down her neck every second." Ron kicked aimlessly at the ground when Hermione said this. He was too stubborn to admit she was right.

"And who would you rather have with your sister? Your very best friend who you know would never do anything to intentionally hurt you or a girl that he cares about, or would you rather have someone like Malfoy with her?" Hermione said sternly, placing a hand on Ron's shoulder to stop his pacing. Ron's expression was unreadable, as he gazed at the ground.

"I…I guess you're right…" he said sheepishly.

Ginny softened immensely. She knew how stubborn Ron was, and for him to be admitting that it was wrong to react the way he did was really something. She walked over to him and pulled him into another hug, smiling into his shoulder.

"Does this mean that you approve?" she asked hopefully, pulling out of the hug and looking up at him, her eyes bright.

"Yeah…I guess. Like Hermione said, at least it's Harry and not Malfoy," he said, smiling a little.

"Great!" Ginny squealed. She was delighted that Ron and Harry wouldn't have to end their friendship over this. Ginny still wasn't quite sure whom Harry would choose. She grabbed Ron's hand and said, "Now lets go apologize to Harry."

And with that, Ginny pulled Ron through the portrait hole, Hermione following close behind.

***

Later that week, Ginny and Harry sat hand-in-hand in front of the fire in the Gryffindor common room. Their relationship was finally out on the open, and no friendships had suffered. Ron shot them an occasional dark look, and gave Harry the periodic warning glare…but other than that, there was really no difference in Ginny's life. Well…other than the fact that Harry was now a part of it, as more than "just a friend."

Harry stirred at Ginny's side, pulling her out of her reverie. He pulled something out of the inside of his robes, and Ginny stared at it for a moment before she realized what it was: the letter she had sent him.

"Harry, what…?" she started to ask, but they were suddenly joined by Ron and Hermione, Ron carrying a pack of Exploding Snap cards.

Ron looked suspiciously at the parcel in Harry's hand, and Ginny's flushed, confused face. "All right, what is that?" he asked.

Ginny looked at Harry, who had opened his mouth to tell them what it was. One look from her though, and he shut his mouth. Ginny would rather die than let Ron read that letter. Ginny grabbed the letter from Harry's hand and threw it in the fire. She smiled contentedly as she watched it smolder and burn.

From the maddeningly superior look that Hermione gave Ron, Ginny knew that she knew what it was. She knew that it was the letter that had started it all. Ginny was thankful that she didn't say anything to Ron, but plopped down in an armchair near the couch. Ron didn't even notice.

Ron continued to stare dumbly at the two people sitting on the couch, and then at the fire where the remains of the letter were slowly burning and disappearing forever.

"I wanted to keep that!" Harry said hotly, crossing his arms. Ginny just smiled at him. At least she would not be forced to relive the embarrassing contents of that letter, ever again.

"What was it?" asked Ron, very frustrated.

No one said anything.

Ginny pried Harry's arms apart and settled herself in them. He didn't object, but pulled her close, wrapping his arms tighter around her.

"Ron, it was nothing, just forget it," she sighed warily. Luckily, Ron shrugged and decided to drop the subject.

He held up the pack or cards he had brought over. "Exploding Snap, anyone?" he asked, eyeing Harry and Ginny disgustedly. They both declined, but Hermione sidled over the small coffee table in front of the couch and sat down. Ron sat opposite her.

As Ginny sat there, feeling Harry's arms around her, watching Ron and Hermione play cards, she decided that her life couldn't possibly be more perfect. All because of a letter.

The End.