You Don't See Me

CHAPTER THREE: The Unexpected Announcement

"Well Ginny, aren´t you going to say hello to Harry?" my brother George teased me. Fred sat beside him, sniggering. I gave the twins my most ferocious glare while I tried to keep from blushing.

An awkward silence filled the air for a few seconds as Harry stood in front of me. I managed to look him straight in the eyes briefly but something kept pulling my head down. Perhaps I was still bothered by the fact that I was so transparent when it came to my feelings for him.

"Hello Harry... it's been a long time," I replied. But to say those words took whatever strength I had right that moment.

"Yeah...ten months, huh? My, you've grown taller this year Gin." He grew by a few inches as well, and with his lanky features, he could already pass for what Hermione calls a "male supermodel" in the Muggle world.

"Harry's got an announcement to make after breakfast, Gin," Ron interjected. He walked over to where we stood for a clearer conversation. "So how's Cho, by the way?" he asked Harry.

Hearing that name again seemed to crush my insides, but I feigned curiosity to gather information. "Cho? What's Harry got to do with Cho Chang? Don't tell me you're still setting your sights on her?" I asked the guy.

"Blimey! Haven't I told you about it in my letters, Gin?" Ron asked.

"Told me about what?" I inquired.

"It's okay, Ron," Harry said. "I should have told Hermione as well, Gin. But I decided to keep it as a secret for a while." he explained. I waited patiently as it took him a few seconds to get the words out... "Gin, Cho and I have been dating for almost nine months now."

"YOU'RE WHAT?!?" Hermione burst from the kitchen with an obvious look of surprise on her face after she heard Harry's announcement. She had been keeping an ear out trying to listen to our conversation when she heard the unexpected news. "How could you keep it from Ginny and me? Ron!" She was glaring at Ron this time and my brother's face had a look of pure terror seeing Hermione so annoyed right now. "I thought we were friends!" She stomped her feet and ran out of the living room.

"Mione! Let me explain!" Ron called out. I stopped him.

"It's okay. I'll go talk to her," I said. "You shouldn't have kept something like that from us anyways. We're like family here. I thought we weren't supposed to have any secrets from each other!" I told both of them.

"Then you'll both hate me for my announcement?" Harry innocently asked.

"That wasn't your announcement?"

"No. But you'll know later," he told me. "I want to make the announcement in front of your family since they're like my second parents already. You and Hermione might be really disappointed with me right now, and I know I deserve that."

"It's your call then," I sighed. "I'd better go and check on Hermione first. You've still got an apology to make boys," I told Harry.

Whatever feelings I had left for Harry at that time were extinguished by his admission that he was now dating Cho Chang. I always knew I'd lose to that girl. Harry only sees me as his little sister, and nothing will change that. Well, maybe this was the signal that I've been waiting for after seven years of pining for Harry to notice me. I had to accept the fact that it would never happen, and that it was now time for me to move on. I hurried outside to look for Hermione, and after circling the garden to see where she might be hiding, I found her under the shade of my favorite tree.

"Hey! There you are... I was worried sick that you might've packed your stuff and returned home by now," Hermione moved over so that I could sit beside her.

"Those boys can be really be stupid sometimes! I can't believe they've kept that a secret from us after all these months! And we're supposed to be their friends," Hermione wailed, and then she turned to me... "Are you okay? I mean... Harry just admitted that he and Cho were now an item. Oh Gin, I'm so sorry," she said.

She was always my staunch supporter with this crush I had on Harry, even to the point of volunteering to fix us up on a date. But I was too shy to accept and feared I might only make a fool of myself if I went out with him. And so it never happened. I never took the chance and now Lady Luck had passed me by.

"Hermione, it's okay. I'd be lying if I said that the admission didn´t affect me at all. It hurts but I'd rather not dwell on it." I felt like crying, but I had to be strong to prove my point. "I've spent seven years trying to get Harry to notice me. But it never happened. I'm only a little sister to him, Mione," I said. "Cho's the one he likes, and we can't do anything about it. The best we can do right now is be happy for them."

"Harry's a git," Hermione snapped. "You're worth ten of Cho Chang." As a friend, she really knew how to make me feel better. "C'mon, let's go over and join them for breakfast. I still have to punish those guys, you know. They´ll think twice about hiding things from us again," she winked. I laughed weakly.

We spent a good deal of breakfast feasting on bacon and eggs, jam tarts, toast and hot chocolate that Mum had prepared. Hermione and I sat together while Ron and Harry took the seats across from us. I suddenly remembered that Harry still had an announcement to make and so I whispered it to Hermione.

"Harry said he had announcement to make during breakfast. That `Cho-and-I-are-dating´ stuff was just the tip of an iceberg," I told Hermione. She smiled slyly and then spoke to Harry in front of the family.

"So, Harry, what's this announcement that you were going to make during breakfast?" Hermione asked, eyeing Ron at the same time. Ron kicked her under the table for her to shut up but Hermione just kicked him back.

"Very well then, I guess this is the perfect time for it," he said.

"The perfect time for what, dear?" Mum asked.

"Spill it Harry! We haven't got all day," Fred coached.

"Can we just finish our meal for now?" Percy snapped.

"But we want to know what Harry has to say," I retorted. Chatter filled the garden as we all tried to speak at the same time concerning Harry's announcement. Dad hushed us when it was his turn to speak.

"Harry? What is it that you want to tell us?

Eight pairs of eyes were fixed on Harry as precious seconds ticked away. We were all waiting for him to speak. His announcement was three short words...

"I'm getting married," Harry announced.

(To Be Continued...)