Surviving Spring

Surviving Spring

Ginny sat, admittedly in the most clichéd Ginny pose known to the fan-fiction world. Her hands were folded neatly under her chin, her brown eyes looked glazed and faraway, and - you guessed it - she was staring out an open window. By now her only goal was to survive Spring Break. No, don't get her wrong - she didn't still like him. Really, she didn't. She sighed and reminded herself of that. Sitting in the girls' dormitory, the redhead took a while for it to sink in and then thought again about his stay at their house over the break; after much contemplating and clichéd staring-out-of-open-windows, she finally came up to the conclusion that she had no earthly idea how she felt about this Spring Break.

*♥*♥*

Harry knew exactly how he felt about this Spring Break. He grinned and flopped onto his unmade bed as he thought of his stay at the Burrow over the break; the casual Quidditch games on the front lawn, the clever tricks of Fred and George, the delicious home-cooked meals by the plump and motherly Mrs. Weasley... he was so carried away in his thoughts of the Burrow that he could barely hear Ron and Hermione screaming at each other from downstairs in the Gryffindor Common Room. The Weasleys were going to invite Harry, Hermione, and some other students in the school - you know, those who didn't despise the Weasley name. As something crashed to the floor, undoubtedly kicked or punched by the angry and potentially PMSing 'Mione, Harry just couldn't stop thinking about the coming Spring Break and what it held for him and his friends.

It had started with Dumbledore and his crazy love for all things Muggle. As he unstuck a lemon drop, he explained that Muggles take an extra holiday and call it "Spring Break." The students tuned everything else out but got the idea that they got to miss an extra bit of school. Sitting up and grinning ear-to-ear, Harry decided to go downstairs and break up Ron and Hermione's fight, which seemed to be a heated one.

*♥*♥*

Blinking, Ginny decided to stop sitting around brooding. She would go downstairs and play a game of Exploding Snap with one of the twins or Ron, and she would stop thinking about him entirely. With this thought in her head, she started bravely down to the Common Room. She stopped halfway down the stairs at the sound of his voice. Holding her breath unknowingly, she heard him talking about how great the break would be - as if she needed reminding - and she took a few more silent steps downstairs until she heard her own name.

"...Ginny who?" She could hear the grin in Ron's voice.

"Yes, Ginny will be there and not at a friends' house for Spring Break, Harry, did you expect her to just clear off because you were coming?" - Hermione sounded fairly annoyed and Ginny wondered what Ron had done this time - "She doesn't like you that much."

"I wasn't saying I wanted her to clear off," Harry answered. For some reason, Ginny got a little feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I just - "

Unfortunately, Ginny couldn't hear what happened after that, because upon taking another step she had trodden on a stair undoubtedly hexed by the Weasley twins or Peeves, and fell ungracefully with a thump down the remaining few stairs.

"Ginny.. we were just talking about you," Ron said, annoyed.

"How wonderful," Ginny replied sarcastically.

Harry mumbled something to himself about not wanting to be in the middle of yet another Ron-and-Hermione-trying-to-kill-each-other moment and shuffled out of the room.

Ron seized the opportunity to take his anger out on someone other than Hermione - after all, it did get a bit tiresome - and told Ginny about their conversation. "Gin, you know, you might want to clear off, since Harry probably doesn't want you there. You know, to stick your elbow in butter dishes and blush whenever you hear his name, and stuff."

Ginny told Ron and Hermione - truthfully - that she didn't even like him anymore and she didn't care what they said. She didn't care about him anymore in the slightest.

But just as she said those words his face popped into her head. And she knew. Oh, how she knew. She cared. Oh, how she cared. And then she walked out of the room to see where he'd gone.

*♥*♥*

Harry made his way onto the Hogwarts grounds, where he did most of his good thinking. He muttered something to himself about how he'd sworn off girls and oh-what-a-trouble-they-are. It was then that he ran, literally, straight into a certain Ginny Weasley. She'd filled out over the years and looked nice. Not that jeans and a t-shirt were really that special. But the way they made her look so beautiful..oh. Harry stopped. He wasn't about to do this.

"Sorry," he said awkwardly, picking up her diary from the grass. "Uhm...so, Hermione and Ron...you know...having an argument...again." He kicked himself inwardly for sounding so dumb.

"Yeah..." Ginny replied, not exactly knowing what the right thing to say would be.

Harry sighed - in relief or disappointment? - as Ginny took her diary back. She didn't like him, at least not in that way. She'd said it herself earlier. "Alright.. well, I'll see you later, Gin."

A tickling sensation burned at the pit of Harry's stomach as she walked off, and he watched her. So she wasn't going to totally clear off when he came over to spend the break at the Burrow, and that was a good sign, he thought.

*♥*♥*

Wednesday, April 18

Today's the day we all leave on the Express for home and Spring Break. In fact, I'm on the train now, sitting with Ron, Hermione, and...him. Neville's here, too, but I suppose he doesn't say much. Harry and Ron are laughing about something so trivial they probably have already forgotten it. Suddenly their conversation changes to low whispers. Hermione is busy informing Neville that his frog is probably on his way home by Owl Post, seeing as somebody in the castle must have found Trevor and everyone knows where to send him. I focus my attention to Harry and Ron's conversation.

"Oh, Ginny? Have a boyfriend? I suppose not...no. Why?"

"Just asking."

"Well, Harry, don't make any moves. You might just make her think you actually like her."

Cue awkward laughter from Harry and hearty guffaws from clueless Ron. Did he actually just ask if I had a boyfriend? Me? It was probably some cruel joke... Ha ha ha. Harry Potter, hero of the wizarding world, holder of so many girls' hearts, and whose eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad. And me? Ginny Weasley, Queen of the Butter Dish.

Do you suppose he knows? What am I saying - of course he KNOWS. EVERYONE knows. Now he's talking about Quidditch and Wonky-Faints. I think I might just wonky-faint if I look into those deep green eyes one more time. Ha ha. So the Queen of the Butter Dish CAN be fluffy. And also, it seems, somewhat clever. Speaking of which, I haven't devised a plan for what I'm going to do over break...I can't just sit there and let HIM be snatched up by any pretty Hogwarts girl who comes around. Especially not any Ravenclaws. Hint, hint. Even I don't want to remember what happened in 4^th and 5^th years. But at the same time, I would be a fool to let myself believe even for a second that the hero who conquered the Dark Lord would even grace me with a glance of his fresh-pickled-toad-colored eyes.

"Ginny?"

It was Harry. As I had guessed before, I about wonky-fainted when I looked up and saw him, looking back at me. "Hmm?" was all I could manage.

"What are you writing in there?"

I laughed. "I don't think you really care, or want to know." And I sort of left it at that.

It appears as if our Queen herself has been invited back into the conversation. 'Bye, Diary.

Ginny.

*♥*♥*

The bunch were immediately welcomed into the Burrow by the savory, sweet smells of all the food Mrs. Weasley had prepared and the familiar sights and sounds that always greeted them. For once, Harry actually felt at home. He didn't even mind when Mrs. Weasley planted a huge, wet kiss on his forehead and took him into a hug of the bone-crunching type. The twins appeared with a CRACK, apparently thinking it was all too necessary to Apparate down the stairs. Harry, grinning broadly, thundered up the stairs, with Ron, Hermione, and Ginny in tow. Harry reserved a bed in Ron's room, and Hermione, with a flick of her wand, expertly conjured another in Ginny's. As soon as they were all situated, the four decided to play a little Quidditch in the Weasleys' backyard. Although Harry's Comet was old and rusty, he was doing fine until he flew past Ginny, perhaps staring a bit too long, and brushed against her. It was completely absurd that a simple brush of skin was making him feel this way, giving him butterflies and tickly feelings in his stomach. He was beginning to think that he really had stared at her for too long, and should probably stop sometime soon, when - CRACK! - he ran smack into the big oak tree that decorated the center of the Weasleys' yard. It clinched his mood for the night when he discovered, as he glanced at Hermione, who smirked knowingly, that she knew of his perhaps more-than-friendly feelings for Ginny and would probably proceed to tell her that very night. He wondered if that would be a bad thing.

*♥*♥*

Dear Diary,

That settles it. I could about kill myself right now. I did it again. You guessed it. The old butter-dish routine. It worked like a charm, too. Ron wouldn't stop mocking me all night calling me the Butter Queen and the Queen of the Butter Dish. Has he read my diary? Oh well. Last night when we played Quidditch, Harry accidentally about ran into me and then full-on ran into a tree. I wonder what's gotten into him. I hope he keeps having injuries like this, because I stayed up half the night nursing him back to his regular state of green-eyed glory.

Tomorrow we're going to go swimming in the little lake within walking distance of here. Should be fun if I don't do anything embarrassing and stupid, which, basically, means it's going to suck.

Ginny.

*♥*♥*

That night, after the trip to the lake and many Butterbeers consumed, and many a rousing chorus of "Weasley is Our King" that might not have been entirely sober, the foursome decided to play Truth or Dare.

Ron, giggling, asked Hermione first. "Truth or dare, 'Mione?"

"Dare," Hermione said bravely, arching her eyebrows at Ron as if challenging him.

"Alright... this bottle of butterbeer...here...I'll spin it, then... whoever it points to... you have to snog. And not, you know, just a peck. In fact..." - he flicked a door open with his wand which led to a broom closet - "You will both be required to...you know...be in there."

Hermione, still not completely back to her senses, giggled and agreed.

When it landed on Ron, nobody was completely surprised. He dragged Hermione across the room, looking back at Harry pointedly before closing the door.

After a few minutes of awkward silence between Harry and Ginny, who realized that Ron and Hermione really weren't going to come back out of the broom closet anytime soon, Ginny asked Harry, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Harry replied, not entirely knowing what he would say to her.

"Have you ever fallen in love? Fallen for someone?"

"I...erm...I...yes."

"Who's the lucky lady?"

"Erm...well, funny story about that...that lady..."

"Oh, never mind," said Ginny, chiding herself. "You would never fall for..."

"For what?

"For - for some sort of, I don't know.. Queen of the Butter Dish...or something..."

"Hmm.. that's a funny term for it - butter dish? I prefer to call it my heart."

*♥*♥*

Dear Diary,

FYI - I survived Spring. And then some.

Butter Queen Ginny.