I Can Read You Like A. . .

Hermione's tale

It all started the same way all our school years do, on the Hogwarts Express. We were talking about the war against Voldemort and his forces, and how horrible it was, not knowing who was who, and who could be trusted. I mean, look at Professor Lupin, or Sirius, or Barty 'Mad Eye Moody' Crouch. You can't always trust what you think is right. Ron said something silly about making people carry Chocolate Frog cards around with them so that we could read about them and decide whether or not we could trust them.

I suppose, in hindsight, I shouldn't have risen to it, but I made a comment about the cards not exactly being very reliable. Ron pulled a face, and reminded me of Nicholas Flamel's card. So I pointed out that Harry's card made him out to be some kind of noble hero, taking it all on his chin while everyone else got on with their lives thanks to him beating Voldemort. Ron just looked at me blankly, and said 'So?'

'Well,' I said. 'We know that Harry isn't like that. We know that he suffers because of what happened to him when he was a baby, and it's not like he actually intended to do it, is it?'

Ron just looked at me like I'd gone mad, and went back to playing Exploding Snap with Neville and Dean, but Harry looked at me like he was a bit hurt.

'Do you really think I make a fuss about. . . about all that?' he asked.

'No!' I said, really embarrassed. 'It's just that you're not, oh, James Bond or something. You care about the things that happen, you don't just push it off to one side at the end of each year. That card makes it sound like you, I don't know, like you live for the adventure.'

'Yeah, I suppose,' he said. 'Want the last Frog anyway?' he asked, smiling as he held it out to me.

'Share it?' I said, smiling back at him. I was really grateful not to have been pulled into a big argument that first day back. He broke the Frog in two, and took the card from the packet.

'Don't know why I bother,' he said as he handed me my half of the Frog. 'It's been over a year since I found that last one I didn't have. Been stuck with only Morgan le Fay to get ever since. . .' Then he went really pale, and for a second I thought his scar might be hurting again, then he let out this great yell.

'Ron, I got her!!!'

Well, of course it was all very confusing for the next few minutes. I didn't even know that Harry and Ron were still collecting those silly cards, I thought they gave up back in the second year or something. Of course, Ron was mad with jealousy.

'You great, steaming. . .' he trailed off. 'I've been collecting since I was eight! How did you complete them before me?'

Typical. Ron was still going on about it a few days later, when he really should have been working. When I pointed this out to him, he tried to make it sound like the cards could be useful. As if. Even Professor Binns would notice if we handed in an essay copied off the back of one of the cards, but Ron was trying to get me to believe they were some kind of handy reference guide to the famous witches and wizards. Finally, I gave up.

'If,' I said, holding up one finger. 'If you can prove to me that those cards are useful, I'll never say a word against them again.'

I thought I'd won, thought I'd checkmated him. It was Friday night, and with the weekend ahead of him I didn't think Ron would actually bother doing anything. Then again, Ron is simply the most stubborn person I know, and whatever I said to him, he was going to prove me wrong. If he'd only apply that kind of commitment to his work. . . Whenever I say it, though, he just grins.

'But proving you wrong is fun, Hermione,' he says.

'How would you know?' I say back. 'You've never managed it.'

'Lockhart?' he asks. Every time! Every single time! I was twelve, for goodness sake.

Anyway, the next day was the first Quidditch practise, and I was sure Ron would be there for that, but we didn't see him until lunch. And that was when he brought out that idiotic book.

I have to give Ron credit. That daft spell really worked on me. All that stuff about Victor and Harry, it said it wasn't true, but the rest of it, well, it's just a very good thing Ron never got to hear it, that's all I'm saying.

Harry's card was as useless as ever, except now it had loads of stuff about him being an eligible bachelor! Honestly, he's not even old enough to leave school. And Ginny looked a bit crestfallen about it, so I said that the spell couldn't do research very well. In fact, I wonder how they came up with Harry's card if they use the spell to make them? Maybe some wizards they use the spell on, if they're really old or something? I'll have to ask Professor Dumbledore. I know he has a card, and maybe he'll know. I suppose I could look it up in Ron's book, but I just won't admit that I'm getting interested in them. It's just curiosity, anyway. I still don't think they're at all useful.

Ron went next, and the card was, well, interesting. Model Gryffindor indeed! I think it only said that because the really smart pupils are supposed to go into Ravenclaw. I do wonder sometimes why I came to Gryffindor. Not that I'd trade being here for being in Ravenclaw or anything, but did I really seem that brave? I didn't even stand up to Ron when he teased me. . . Oh, I'm getting hopelessly off topic here. Where was I?

Anyway, Ron was strutting around like he'd won the Quidditch Cup or something, and then we started bickering, like we always do. So Harry got between us, and said that it was Ginny's turn, and Ron was going to cast the spell there and then, but I stopped him. I had a feeling that the more time you had to prepare for the spell, the less personal information it revealed about you, something like that. Ginny was looking pretty worried, and even Ron seemed to calm down a bit.

'You don't have to do it,' he said, which for him was actually pretty sensitive. Ginny just shook her head, and then said she wanted me to cast it, so that she could be sure it went properly. Well, of course I was fine with that, and so I cast it. At the last second, I could see Ginny screwing up her face like she was really concentrating on something, and then she was gone.

It wasn't my imagination, I'm sure. The chocolate shell thing did take longer to break over Ginny then any of us others. Much longer. Harry was about to smash it open when it cracked by itself, and the look of relief on his and Ron's faces was pretty sweet, in hindsight. I'm sure I looked much the same, though. We were starting to get pretty worried.

Anyway, Ginny was back and standing before us. She was trembling a bit, which is hardly surprising. She had the card in her hand, but no one made a move to read it.

'You. . . You okay, Gin?' Ron asked. She swallowed, and nodded, before giving a small smile. It doesn't seem like much, but I know it helped calm Ron down. He wouldn't admit it, but I think Ginny's the family member he's closest to. He told me once that nothing could be as bad as when Ginny got taken into the Chamber. I'm actually kind of glad I was Petrified that day.

Anyway, Ginny offered me the card to read, and of course I took it and started reading, as I always do.

'Ginny Weasley is the youngest of Molly and Arthur's Weasleys seven children, and the only girl,'

the card began. Ginny snorted. I know she hates being described that way but, well, it is part of who she is. 'A vivacious redhead, she is particularly adept at Astronomy and Charms. The legend of the seventh child is one commonly heard in magical lore, and Ginny has already proven herself to be a powerful witch, fighting against the ghost of He-Who-Must-Not-'

'Stop!' Ron said, his face deadly serious for once.

'No, Ron, it's okay,' Ginny said. 'I don't mind. It actually sounds quite good the way the card tells it,' she added, grinning. Ron smiled a little, but he still looked worried.

'Fighting against the ghost of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named for nearly a year until she was finally too worn out to keep him away. She has vast potential and may prove to be vital in the fight against Voldemort, especially if her desired union with-'

'Stop!' This time it was Ginny yelling. In a blur, she'd snatched the card from my hands and was gone, the door to the classroom banging behind her.

Ron looked at me, goggle-eyed. Harry looked after Ginny, as though he wanted to go after her. I had a suspicion about what that card was going to say next, and took a few seconds to get everything straight in my head before saying anything. Ron, of course, didn't pause.

'What's up with her?' he said. Boys! I suppose it's a good thing that Harry and Ron are so dense about this sort of thing. If what I suspected was true, and that card was going to finish with the words 'Harry Potter' then the last thing Ginny needed was the two of them blundering about with their complete lack of understanding. I can read Ron like a book, truly, and I just knew that when he got back to Gryffindor Tower, he'd be challenging Ginny to a game of chess. Then he'd say something like 'And Harry can play the winner, go on Gin, I'll even let you win for once, if you like.' Really, the last thing Ginny needed right now was her clueless brother trying to make thing better.

I wonder sometimes exactly how Ron managed to grow up with five older brothers and never manage to pick up on all the things they must have gone through. I know that Percy and Fred both had girlfriends while Ron was here with them, and George, Charlie and Bill would almost certainly have dated. Charlie was Quidditch Captain, after all, and Bill was Head Boy, and George was, after all, George. They were all Weasleys, anyway. It just seems like girls can't resist them. Maybe Ron's the odd one out? He really does seem clueless at times. Absolutely clueless.

Harry's not much better, really, but it's not like he ever had many friends before coming here. I suppose he's not too bad, all things considering, but I knew it was up to me to talk to Ginny and try and make things a bit better.

'Ron,' I said quickly. 'I'll talk to Ginny, you play chess with Harry and I'll try and help her. It's all probably been a bit much. . .' I left the sentence hanging, not wanting to speculate on what exactly had been a bit much.

'Yeah, she's right, Ron,' Harry said. 'Ginny probably just got a bit shaken up with all that stuff on the card. I know I didn't much like reading my card tonight.'

Ron huffed a few times. 'Should have just left the flaming book in the library,' he said. 'Stupid spell, anyway.'

And he stalked off in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. Harry sighed, and looked at me.

'It wasn't really Voldemort that upset Ginny, was it?' he said. 'There's a boy she likes, and she didn't want me and Ron to find out who.'

I didn't know what to say, so I said nothing.

'She shouldn't be embarrassed,' he said. 'Whoever he is,' he paused, as though carefully phrasing the rest of the sentence. 'Well, he's got to be okay, right? He's probably a Gryffindor, and they're all right. Is it Colin?' he asked. His eyes narrowed, as though he didn't much like the idea.

For a split second, I wanted to tell him. We all know Ginny had just the biggest crush on Harry when she started at Hogwarts, but that with one thing and another she never really did anything about it. Of course, she had that thing with Michael Corner last year, but it didn't really go anywhere. When Ron and Harry heard about it, I had to be really careful. I told Harry that Ginny had 'given up' on him. I wanted him to know that Ginny still liked him, but. . . Well, forget what I said. Harry is worse than Ron is. He was so wrapped up in Cho that he didn't even notice. Of course, things went wrong between him and Cho, which was hardly surprising, and then there was everything that happened at the end of last year. If that disaster at the Ministry of Magic had no other good points, at least it meant that Harry looked to other people as friends other than just Ron and I. It made him so very insular. But Ginny, Luna and Neville are all friends of ours now, and Harry and Ginny have even become very good friends.

Anyway, if I'd had my way, Harry would have noticed Ginny long ago. But it wasn't my place to interfere. I helped him with Cho as best I could, but really. . . I couldn't interfere then, and I wouldn't now.

'Even if I knew for certain who it was,' I said cautiously, 'I couldn't tell you.'

It didn't mean I couldn't nudge him in the right direction, though. It wasn't a lie. I didn't know for certain that Ginny still liked Harry. We hadn't talked about it since we got back to school. I'd just drawn the most logical conclusion from all the facts available. I mean, human emotions aren't exactly the most logical things in the world, are they? I might have been wrong.

Anyway.

Anyway, I went back to Gryffindor Tower, and walked up to Ginny, who was sitting in one of the little private study corners. Dean told me that Ron had stalked up to the boys' dormitory without saying anything. Typical Ron, again. Typical boy, I suppose. He just needs to learn to control his temper. Well, I suppose if he did that, he wouldn't really be Ron. Ron without his hotheaded emotions? Hmmm. . .

Ginny was sitting by the window, staring out over the lake. She barely moved her head when I came in, but she didn't exactly need to be a Seer to see who'd be the one to come up to her.

'Ginny?' I said. Well, what else do you say? I can understand O.W.L. grade Arithmancy, but sometimes there are things I can't even begin to grasp. Like how it feels to be in love with someone for as long as Ginny has loved Harry. It must have been so dreadful for her, and I'm always amazed at how she manages to stay so cheerful.

'I'm okay,' she said. 'It was silly, but. . .' she waved the card at me. 'To see it written down, for a stupid bit of card to know before, before. . .'

'Before Harry does?'

She nodded. I walked over to the window and stood beside her, looking at the lake.

'Why not just tell him? You can't say he hasn't noticed you now,' I pointed out. 'Ron and I figured out you were always in the same place back at the Burrow. It did make things so much easier whenever we needed you to sort our one of our rows.'

'It's a nice idea,' she said, a smile on her lips. 'But I can just see him now. . . We shouldn't get involved with anyone, not when Voldemort is still around, especially not me-

'Ginny?'

We spun around, and there was someone standing behind us. As the light glinted off of his glasses, I bit my lip, unable to believe he'd heard everything we'd said And now. . . I glanced at Ginny, who was frozen. Now Harry didn't need to be told, didn't need to read the card, now he'd heard it for himself.

*

Of course, I got out of there. There didn't seem much point in staying around, but I felt a bit guilty as I passed Harry. Thankfully, a few minutes later, Ron came down to the Common Room, and I was about to ask him how Harry was. I'd looked up from the book I was reading to see him striding away from where Ginny was sitting and up the boys' staircase. Then I noticed that Ron was wearing his pyjamas. Maroon pyjamas. Now, I don't care what Ron says. Maroon suits him, and I said so. But it started everyone teasing him, and Ron being the hothead he is, he reacted badly and. . . Oh, but that's another story entirely.

To be concluded...