Secret Love

Secret Love

Ginny looked around the Great Hall, enjoying all the attention she was receiving. It was nearly Christmas, her favorite time of year, and she couldn't imagine a better way to be spending the holiday. Harry Potter, her boyfriend, had asked her to the Yule Ball, and as they spun and twirled around the Hall, she felt every girl in the room watching her enviously. She had Harry and no one else did.

"Harry, I'm so lucky to be with you," she sighed, as the music around them began to die down. Other couples, couples less in love than she and Harry, were starting to drift off of the floor. They, however, remained intertwined on the dance floor, barely aware that the music had stopped and they were dancing by themselves.

"Gin, notice anything about the music?" Harry asked, amused. Her eyes were closed and she barely seemed to notice that he was leading her to their table.

"Yes, I love his song," she replied dreamily, in a sort of half consciousness. All at once, she realized how silly she must look; there was no song playing!

Harry just chuckled softly and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. Ginny thought worriedly that if her glossy red hair was falling out of its fancy updo, she wouldn't know how to fix it. She glanced nervously around the crowed room, looking for one of her friends to assist her in saving her hairdo. She didn't see a single one. Parvati, her best friend, was probably off with Seamus. The two had been spotted together many times these past few weeks. They cut lunch period, snuck off between classes, and spent Hogsmeade weekends together. Yes, they were quite the pair.

Ginny sighed loudly, and was about to excuse herself to the bathroom- honestly, she couldn't go around with her hair falling out of its fasteners in great chunks!- when a flash of brilliant red hair caught her eye. She quickly pushed Harry's hands away. She couldn't have him touching her like that with her brother here!

"Harry, stop it! Ron's headed this way and he doesn't look very happy!" Ron, Ginny's elder brother by one year, was fiercely overprotective of her. He had started many fights with the boys at Hogwarts for showing an interest in his baby sister, and Ginny wasn't about to let the same thing happen to Harry!

Ginny felt a rush of guilt for deceiving her favorite brother, but there was no way around it: she and Harry were in love and Ron didn't believe her to be old enough. But at this moment, she felt more scared than guilty. Ron was stalking towards their table, an angry, disbelieving expression on his freckled face.

"Would either of you like to tell me what's going on? Are you two...together?" Ron asked, his voice dangerously low. Ginny gave a Harry a quick, panicked look. This was obviously enough to confirm Ron's suspicions.

"Bloody hell! I never thought my best friend would-" Ron started, but was cut off by Harry.

"Fall in love with the girl of his dreams," Harry finished, "You knew this would happen, didn't you, Ron? She can't be a little girl forever!"

"Yes, I mean, no! But she's only fifteen, Harry! She IS just a little girl!" Ron said indignantly. His brown eyes, eyes that looked so much like Ginny's, flashed with anger. "Ron, do you trust me? If you did, you'd know that I would never hurt Ginny. Wouldn't you rather it be me than anyone else?" Harry asked, trying to ignore Ron's ignorant comments. "Don't be thick, Harry! Of course I trust you. I just don't want Ginny to get any silly ideas." At these words, Ginny visibly paled with anger.

"Ron, I'm still here, you know! You're talking about me like I'm deaf and dumb! Do you realize how stupid you're behaving? I though you wanted me to be happy, but I guess not. Like it or not, I love Harry. He makes me happier than I've ever been, and if you can't see that, than I guess you're not the person I thought you were. You know you've always been my favorite brother, more than Charlie or Bill, or even Fred!"

Ron's face softened at these words, and he looked torn. Ginny could tell that he couldn't decide whether to be angry or flattered.

"Ginny, does he really make you happy? I don't want you settling for less than I know you deserve, " he joked, elbowing Harry in the ribs. Ginny nodded, and this was enough for Ron. "Alright, then, but mind you, I'll be watching you. If I see anything funny going on, you'll get what Seamus got!" With that, he hugged Ginny and whispered that he'll always be there for her if she needed him. This was too much for Ginny, and she promptly dissolved into tears. Ron looked shocked and horrified.

"What did I say?" Ron asked, looking alarmed. Ginny, at a loss for words, flung her arms around Ron's neck and kissed him on the cheek. Then, she turned and ran for the bathroom, tears pouring down her face.

"What do you reckon that was about?" Ron asked Harry, puzzled.

"Ron, even I can't figure that out," Harry replied, amused. Of course, he knew exactly why Ginny had been so touched that she cried. She loved Ron dearly, and wanted nothing better than to please him. She was terrified that he would be displeased with her and Harry being together, so when he gave his approval, she was so thankful that it brought her to tears. He and Ron remained quiet for a few minutes, not knowing what to say. They watched the other couples in the Hall go back onto the dance floor; the music had started again.

"Harry, take good care of my sister," he said at last, and left Harry to think about what was to come.