Flaming Red Tears

Flaming Red Tears

"Next time there’s a ball, ask me before someone else does, and not as a last resort!"

Hermione turned furiously around, and stomped her way past a confused Harry, and up the girls staircase to her dormitory. She sat down on her bed, drew the curtains, and dissolved into tears.

"If he would just treat me like a girl," Hermione thought angrily "then he would be able to understand what I’m talking about."

Suddenly she heard someone else’s tears, and stopped crying,. She tore open her curtains, and found looked across to Lavender’s bed, where she saw a small ball of red crying, and rocking backwards and forwards.

"Oh my goodness," Hermione said as she recognised who this was. "Ginny! What happened to you? What’s the matter?"

Ginny sat up, and Hermione put an arm around her. Ginny spoke in between stifled sobs.

"It’s –sob-not much- sob- but I had such a bad time – sob –without Harry as my –sob – date, and I know that he doesn’t like me,- sob- but…"

"Ah, now there you’re wrong, he does like you. He loves down to the bottom of his heart. More then you could ever imagine. He was so disappointed when he found out you were going with Neville. Ron told me he was crying all night when he found out. Oh, and when he saved you from that bastard Tom Riddle, he didn’t speak for a week at the Dursleys, he just put his head down, and didn’t eat, drink, just sat there in shock."

By this point Ginny’s mouth was open, and she was staring at Hermione.

"Really? You really mean it?"

"Yes. He almost kicked himself after he couldn’t pluck up the courage to ask you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Ginny was dumbstruck. Dumbstruck, confused, and happy.

"Thank you so much Hermione."

Ginny gave Hermione a small hug, then bounded off the bed. At the door, she stopped, turned around.

"Hermione?"

"Yes Ginny?"

"Why were you crying?"

"Oh, erm, uh… I would prefer not to say… not that it’s important,… but I don’t think you’d be interested……"

"Oh go on spit it out."

"No, I don’t want to say."

"Come on!" Ginny said impatiently "I spilled my soul, you spill yours."

Hermione looked at Ginny, wondering if it was worth trusting her, then gave in.

"Alright. It’s that Ron thinks of me as a last resort, not as a girl. I don’t want to be the person on the side. I want to be a person that he can –sob- relate to." Hermione burst into tears again.

"Oh right." Ginny thought desperately of a way to cheer Hermione up. "Ah, look at this muggle radio that I got for Christmas." Ginny pulled a small, black box out of her pocket. "I’m sure there’ll be a song that could solve this!" Hermione gave no sign that she’d heard anything.

"I suppose- sob –you’re right. Sob – turn it on."

Ginny fiddled with the knobs for a moment, then:

"Hello there, I’m your host for tonight, my name’s Gilderoy Lockhart. As its Friday today, it’s Golden Oldies night. Let’s start with one of my favourites, shall we?" The song started up. "Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, oh I do like to be beside the sea," Ginny quickly turned it off again.

"Maybe not. Oh, come on, cheer up Hermione. Tell me about Krum."

"Vicky?" Hermione’s mood changed instantly. He’s so fantastic."

"What’s he like?"

Hermione and Ginny chatted well into the night, and Hermione temporarily forgot all about Ron. Ginny left at midnight, when Lavender arrived to claim her bed.

"Thanks for getting me a date with Harry, Hermione!" Ginny said, then walked out with a small smile, and a wave.

"Harry Potter,"

thought Hermione "must be the luckiest guy alive."

The end