Something About Harry: The Lilia Watt Files

One Ring to Rule Them All

If he wouldn't tell me, something had to be done. Unsure of exactly what that "something" could be, Harry and I settled for being at least two feet away from each other (weird as that may be).

But weird things were going on everywhere. Ginny was now dating...Colin Creevey? I assumed this was an attempt at getting over Harry, and I tried to be as sympathetic as possible. And indeed, she did seem to be happier. Anyway, there would be a visit to Hogsmeade soon, and perhaps it could ease the pain of both my bloodline and my boyfriend.

It was a sort of quadruple date: Hermione and Ron, Ginny and Colin, Dean and Ariana, and Harry and I (walking two feet apart). The snow was nearly completely melted, and the ground in the village was soggy with dew. Dean, Harry, and Ron dragged everyone else to Zonko's enthusiastically. God knows we needed it.

"Oh, boy, too bad they don't sell Ton-Tongue Toffees, those were a riot," laughed Harry, sifting through a barrel of trick candy.

"Look at this!" said Ron, beckoning the other boys forward, holding an alarm clock in his hand.

What it did, we didn't bother to find out. "Boys," I muttered.

Hermione, Ariana, and Ginny laughed in agreement.

After they had had their fill of Zonko's, the eight of us headed to the Three Broomsticks. We sat comfortably around a circular table, as Harry went to order the drinks.

He came back with eight butterbeers, and set them down, then sat around the table, a few feet away.

Ron had his arm rather awkwardly around Hermione's shoulder, and the other two couples at our table seemed deep in conversation. Harry and I just looked at each other, sipping our butterbeers. It was strange, I mused, lapsing into thought...Words didn't seem right anymore, somehow...I didn't mind, it wasn't as though it wasn't nice to just look at him...Hm.

I was aware of a sudden silence at our table. And then Ariana broke into giggles.

"What?" said Harry and I at the same time.

Ron answered it for her. "Are you going to kiss her, Harry, or are you just gonna look at her?"

Harry and I both flushed. "I don't appreciate the insinuation," said Harry, smirking. "The thought actually hadn't even crossed my mind; snogging isn't the most important thing in a relationship."

Ron looked astonished. "It's not?"

Hermione hit him playfully on the arm. "No, it isn't, Ron Weasley. Some couples date for years before they ever kiss."

"Not funny, Granger," said Ron. "Besides, we know they've snogged before, I mean -"

"That's enough, Ron," said Harry firmly.

Even I laughed.

Hermione seemed to have thought of something. "Hey guys," she said, addressing everyone but me and Harry, "didn't we say we were going to...erm...er...go to Honeydukes after we finished our butterbeers?" She winked at them. All six of their glasses were empty.

"Hang on a tick, I've just got a drop left," I said, lifting my glass.

"No, no," interrupted Hermione.

"You guys can catch up with us, okay?" said Ginny.

I raised my eyebrows at them. They were all looking rather uncomfortable; it was a mass plot.

"Oh...oh, go on then," I said, and they left with an audible sigh of relief from Hermione.

I turned to Harry. "Okay, out with it. What's this all about?"

"Well," he began. "I told Hermione and Ron about it...I suppose they passed it on." He put his hand in his pocket, and pulled something small out.

"I received this, the other day," he said, handing it to me. It was a small gold ring, with a tiny emerald on it. "It was my mother's. I don't know what's going to happen to us in the future, but I wanted you to have this. To remember me, I suppose."

Slipping it on my left hand, I gasped, "Oh! Thank you." Then I looked up at him. "Why'd you have to clear them all out to do that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It felt too...personal somehow."

I smiled and looked at the ring again, the light glinting off it. "It's lovely."

He smiled too. "Shall we find the others, then?" And he led the way, I walking two feet behind him.