- Rating:
- R
- House:
- Astronomy Tower
- Characters:
- Draco Malfoy
- Era:
- Multiple Eras
- Stats:
-
Published: 04/09/2002Updated: 04/11/2002Words: 3,766Chapters: 2Hits: 2,048
All's Fair in Love and War
Sincere
- Story Summary:
- Ron and Hermione become engaged, Harry and Ginny eventually realise their true feelings for each other. Story is told from points-of-view of all characters.
Chapter 02
- Chapter Summary:
- Ron and Hermione become engaged, Harry and Ginny eventually
- Posted:
- 04/11/2002
- Hits:
- 413
owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to
Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros.,
Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is
intended.
CHAPTER 2: Birthday Presents and Revenge
"Surprise! Happy Birthday!"
Ginny leaned against the doorway to Hagrid's hut in shock, staring around at
her friends, laughing and putting her hand to her chest. When she'd
recovered, she shook her finger at Zoey Russell, one of her roommates, who
was looking sheepish.
"Oh, you! I told you I didn't want anyone making a big deal--"
"Now, Ginny," Hermione cut in. "Don't blame Zoey. You've been doing so much
for other people, I thought you should have a nice little party too. Zoey,
Annika and Ruth just helped get you down here." Before Ginny had arrived,
Hermione told Harry that Ginny had been told there was extra work they all
needed to do for Hagrid's class. Hermione smiled at Ginny's fellow
fourth-year Gryffindors. There were more than seventeen people crammed into
Hagrid's very modestly-sized hut, and Ginny registered this.
"Little, Hermione? I think it stopped being little long before I got here."
"No problem!" Fred said. He and George levitated Hagrid's large table out
the door and into the front garden, then magically stretched it by a couple
more feet. Harry, Ron and Colin Creevey moved all of the seating outside
that Hagrid possessed, and Angelina and Parvati conjured up some more seats
to provide a place for everyone.
Soon Ginny was in a place of honour at the head of the table, opening
presents. George and Fred's gift was first. She unwrapped a large box that
turned out to be chocolates. She smiled and thanked them, and started to
pass it around the table. Everyone present looked alarmed as it approached
them and hastily sent it on its way, until it got to Neville. He casually
picked up a light-brown chocolate and bit into it. Everyone stared. Nothing
happened. Ginny laughed, looking at the twins.
"Oh! That's the joke, isn't it? There's nothing wrong with them!"
George and Fred smiled, looking at Neville mischievously, saying "April
Fool!"
And yet, Neville was still fine. He shrugged and took another chocolate out
of the box, put it on his plate. No one else would have anything to do with
the sweets. Ginny moved on to her other presents. She exclaimed over
everything and thanked each person or group of people who'd gone in on a
present. Then she reached for Harry's gift. She tore off the paper and
looked at the framed photo.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Colin; it's another one of yours, isn't it?"
Colin smiled bashfully; he was really getting to be quite the popular
photographer. Harry had chosen a shot of Ginny flying around the Quidditch
pitch holding the Snitch at the end of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin game.
Her hair moved in the breeze in the photo, her robes flapped behind her, her
face glowed. She smiled weakly at Harry, looking like she was suppressing a
reaction that might be too extreme.
"Thank you, Harry," she said levelly, completely in control. Then there was
one gift left. She frowned around the table; she thought she'd opened gifts
from everyone already. Who could this be from?
She opened it. A lovely silver barrette was nestled in a tortoise-shell box,
cushioned in velvet. It looked heavy and solid, and it was etched with a
detailed image of a dragon. A Welsh Green, by the look of it. Ginny saw
Harry wincing, obviously wondering who would have given Ginny the beautiful
gift.
Gasping with surprise at the amazing present, she took a note from the
tortoise-shell box and read it:
Dear Ginny
I hope you like the gift.
I have waited so long to tell you my true feelings. Every time I see you, I
feel like shouting out how much I love you. If you are willing to meet me,
I will wait behind Hagrid's hut for you. Sneak from your party as soon as
you can. When you see me, remember, everybody deserves a second chance.
Love, Draco Malfoy
She closed the box with the barrette and, blushing, stuffed the note into
her pocket. Ginny looked up at them all.
"Well! Thank you again, everyone, this was really lovely. I'm very lucky to
have such wonderful friends." She rose to leave. Hagrid patted her shoulder;
since it was Hagrid, this was the same as shoving her back into her seat
rather violently, although they were all used to Hagrid not knowing his own
strength and she merely winced.
"Ye can' go yet! There's cake still!"
'Uh-oh,' thought Ginny. She hoped Hermione didn't let Hagrid bake the cake.
But Hermione was emerging from the hut now, carrying an elaborate chocolate
confection that looked more likely to be a product of the house elves in the
kitchens. Hagrid had made tea, which was fine--he couldn't botch that. But
the moment that Neville took a sip of tea, he sprouted a duckbill and white
feathers and started quacking excitedly; apparently the chocolates were
designed to be triggered by tea. Fred and George were laughing fit to kill,
and Ginny was trying to tell them off, but she was laughing too hysterically
to be coherent, and even Neville seemed to be enjoying himself until he
moulted and the duck bill suddenly dropped off into his cake.
"They're called Ducky Dreams," George told them all.
"No, they're not, they're called Drake Dreams," Fred insisted. Hermione
frowned.
"That rhymes with Canary Creams. Is your whole product line going to rhyme?"
she asked them. They looked somewhat abashed as they admitted that this was
in fact their plan.
"What's next?" Ron wanted to know. "There aren't that many words that rhyme
with 'cream.' There's only beam and ream and--" he faltered.
"Team," Angelina said laughing.
"Gleam!" Katie said triumphantly. They were all laughing hysterically,
suggesting ways that Fred and George could create ridiculous confections
with these words in the names, and what they might do to those who dared to
eat them.
After they calmed down again, they were actually able to eat the birthday
cake and have some tea, many of them taking seconds on the cake, which was
chocolate with raspberry filling. They'd probably all ruined their dinners.
* * * * *
Harry sat at the large wooden table, day-dreaming about Cho. He had seen
her in secret many nights since the first, in empty classrooms, in her room
- even on the lake-edge (thank god it was Summer!). He felt guilty every
time he saw Ginny, but being with Cho was his fantasy - he wasn't going to
let that slip away from him. He sometimes wondered though - Ginny had been
awfully cold towards him lately, and Hermione had been rather subdued when
with him. But they couldn't have seen him… no; Harry dismissed that thought
immediately. He finished his cake and looked up to see Ginny furtively
edging her way toward Hagrid's hut. The rest of the people at the table were
chatting animatedly and eating cake and drinking tea and making up silly
names for Fred's and George's product line; no one but Harry noticed that
the birthday girl was slipping away.
After she'd been gone for several minutes, Harry also slowly rose and edged
toward the door of the hut. Hermione was talking to Neville now about what
it had felt like to change into the duck. Harry thought it was possible that
Parvati saw him leaving, but he blinked and it seemed she was once more
laughing at something Fred was saying, while Ron draped his arm over the
back of her chair. While Neville was talking to her, Hermione was looking at
Parvati strangely; it wasn't hostile, Harry thought, but...at least she's
not taking any notice of what I'm doing, he thought. He slipped into
Hagrid's hut.
He looked around the strangely empty room; without the large table in it, it
actually seemed quite spacious. Then he heard voices, and he moved carefully
across the room to the back wall. One of the windows flanking the back door
was open a crack, although the rough, dirty curtains still hung in front of
the glass. Harry recognized the voices; he lifted the edge of the curtain to
peer through the dirty glass and his stomach lurched at the scene before him
- Ginny was behind the hut with Draco Malfoy. Harry gaped in horror at the
pair, who seemed oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.
Their arms were around each other and Ginny was smiling at him. "That was
the non-verbal thank you," she said. Harry grimaced; they must have kissed,
and, judging by the pleased look on her face, Ginny wasn't exactly unhappy.
Draco had a surprised but pleased look fixed on his pale, handsome face.
Harry felt fury welling up inside him. "Get your filthy hands off my girl,"
Harry muttered to himself as he stared out the window. He ducked as Ginny
glanced up at the window with a smug look on her face. As soon as Ginny
looked at Malfoy again, Harry stood up, blanching at the two of them
together.
Malfoy's grey eyes seemed to be constantly moving over her, devouring her
with his mind, as though he were memorizing every piece of her. He leaned
down and pressed his lips to hers, finding her ready and responsive,
drinking him in, sliding her fingers into his silver-blond hair. Harry
looked away, then back. What was Malfoy doing with his hands? Harry felt
another wave of rage wash over him as Malfoy raised his left hand and placed
it purposefully over her right breast, just placed it there, not moving. Not
missing a beat, Ginny simply moved her hand from his head to his left hand,
and removed it from her breast, placing it back around her waist, never
breaking the kiss while doing this. Malfoy would not be deterred; instead of
her chest, he now moved the same hand down below her waist, cupping her
bottom in his palm, continuing to kiss her. Again, she reached for his wrist
and this time pulled the hand up to have it in a more neutral location.
He broke the kiss and pressed his mouth to her neck as she tipped her head
back so he could get more of it. Harry felt his pulse racing. Malfoy was
moving further down, and now had begun to unbutton her robes, which fell to
the ground. His fingers plucked at the buttons on her blouse. She suddenly
came to her senses and pushed him away, turning toward the hut to button her
blouse again; Harry had a glimpse of a simple white bra with a small fabric
rosebud nestled in the valley between the cups. But it was only a glimpse;
he ducked down below the windowsill instinctively when she turned towards
him.
Malfoy took her in his arms again. He moved his mouth down her throat and
she made a gurgling noise, grabbing at his shoulders as though she would
have collapsed otherwise. He succeeded in undoing one of her blouse buttons
again, moving his mouth lower, and now one of her hands was sliding down his
chest, coming to rest on his waist.
Harry reached for his wand, feeling his knuckles strain on it as he gripped
the wood fiercely. If Malfoy did anything that she didn't want and she
couldn't hold him off, Harry wanted to be ready. He knew he shouldn't be
watching this, but at the same time he felt that he must, he couldn't risk
her being in danger. His wand was uttering creaks of protest, and Harry
loosened his tight grip.
Malfoy had undone the buttons on his own robes and they slipped to the
ground. He moved his mouth up to her throat again, then his mouth was on
hers once more, and as the kiss continued the hand she had at his waist of
his pants slid down his side, and she was running her fingers along the side
of his thigh, down to the knee, then back up, past his hip to his waist,
then back down again.
Harry felt like he couldn't breathe. He could see how twitchy her hand was
making Malfoy. He had his mouth on her throat again, concentrating on one
spot, while she kept stroking his leg and driving him - and Harry - mad.
This had been continuing for several minutes when Malfoy pulled his mouth
away from her throat; there was a bruised patch of skin where his mouth had
been, and it was unfortunately shaped exactly like a mouth. He was
unbuttoning her blouse yet again, putting his hands inside it, moving his
mouth down...
Harry looked down at his hands. He tried to think of other things. It was
practically impossible though, to keep his mind off the fact that his enemy
was out there with Harry's girl in his arms. Suddenly, Harry realised that
he could do something! He could storm out and confront the pair of them
right now! This was his girlfriend - he had every right to take that
creep's hands off her. He stood up, still holding his wand, and prepared to
march out of the hut and around to where the two were standing. Then Harry
realised that the moans and gasps had ceased. Malfoy had gone - leaving
Ginny with a perfect red rose - and Ginny was coming towards the hut door.
He ran across the room and had his hand on the door when she Ginny in from
the back, stopping in shock when she saw him.
"Uh, there you are, Ginny. I just came in to look for you."
She looked sceptical. But she didn't contradict him. "I just felt like
sitting out back, alone. I like to look at the forest." She blushed and
stuffed her the rose in her robe pocket.
"Happy birthday, Ginny," he said quietly as he walked out of the hut and
across the lawn toward the castle, with vague ideas of visiting Cho, to ease
the pain he felt when he thought that Ginny might not want him. He was in
an impossible situation, and he wasn't sure how to get out.
* * * * *
Ginny stared in horror after Harry. She bit her lip as she recalled the
look of pain on his face. He had seen her and Malfoy, but then she suddenly
had a horrible thought.
'Did I want him to see me? To make him feel what I've been feeling? To
make him jealous?'
Suddenly, Ginny's face lost all colour, and went as pale as Nearly-Headless
Nick, as she had another thought.
'I love him'.
* * * * *
Hermione and Ron sat side-by-side on a seat at the top of the tallest
astronomy tower, but although they held hands, Hermione obviously wasn't in
the mood for more. She seemed quiet, and although she held pleasant enough
conversations with Ron, he felt sure that she was holding something from
him.
"Er... Mione? Are you okay?" Ron asked.
"I'm fine. Why?" Hermione replied.
"Well, is there something you need to tell me? You seem kind of
distracted."
"Well..." Hermione paused. Telling Ron would almost certainly mean a stay
in the hospital wing for Harry. She decided to take the plunge. "Harry
cheated on Ginny and now she's really upset and he still doesn't know that
we know and it's just so bad!"
Ron gaped. "Harry cheated on Ginny?" he growled. "With who?"
"Cho. Cho Chang."
"I'm gonna kill him!" Ron shouted, jumping off the seat. "I thought he was
my friend!" Hermione gulped.
"No, Ron, don't! They'll sort it out for themselves! Ron!"
But Ron was already charging down the stairs, most likely heading for the
sixth-year boys' dormitory to kill Harry. Hermione sighed before grabbing
her coat and hurrying after him, ready to pull him off Harry if necessary.
THE END (of Chapter 2)
Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros.,
Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is
intended.
CHAPTER 2: Birthday Presents and Revenge
"Surprise! Happy Birthday!"
Ginny leaned against the doorway to Hagrid's hut in shock, staring around at
her friends, laughing and putting her hand to her chest. When she'd
recovered, she shook her finger at Zoey Russell, one of her roommates, who
was looking sheepish.
"Oh, you! I told you I didn't want anyone making a big deal--"
"Now, Ginny," Hermione cut in. "Don't blame Zoey. You've been doing so much
for other people, I thought you should have a nice little party too. Zoey,
Annika and Ruth just helped get you down here." Before Ginny had arrived,
Hermione told Harry that Ginny had been told there was extra work they all
needed to do for Hagrid's class. Hermione smiled at Ginny's fellow
fourth-year Gryffindors. There were more than seventeen people crammed into
Hagrid's very modestly-sized hut, and Ginny registered this.
"Little, Hermione? I think it stopped being little long before I got here."
"No problem!" Fred said. He and George levitated Hagrid's large table out
the door and into the front garden, then magically stretched it by a couple
more feet. Harry, Ron and Colin Creevey moved all of the seating outside
that Hagrid possessed, and Angelina and Parvati conjured up some more seats
to provide a place for everyone.
Soon Ginny was in a place of honour at the head of the table, opening
presents. George and Fred's gift was first. She unwrapped a large box that
turned out to be chocolates. She smiled and thanked them, and started to
pass it around the table. Everyone present looked alarmed as it approached
them and hastily sent it on its way, until it got to Neville. He casually
picked up a light-brown chocolate and bit into it. Everyone stared. Nothing
happened. Ginny laughed, looking at the twins.
"Oh! That's the joke, isn't it? There's nothing wrong with them!"
George and Fred smiled, looking at Neville mischievously, saying "April
Fool!"
And yet, Neville was still fine. He shrugged and took another chocolate out
of the box, put it on his plate. No one else would have anything to do with
the sweets. Ginny moved on to her other presents. She exclaimed over
everything and thanked each person or group of people who'd gone in on a
present. Then she reached for Harry's gift. She tore off the paper and
looked at the framed photo.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Colin; it's another one of yours, isn't it?"
Colin smiled bashfully; he was really getting to be quite the popular
photographer. Harry had chosen a shot of Ginny flying around the Quidditch
pitch holding the Snitch at the end of the Gryffindor versus Slytherin game.
Her hair moved in the breeze in the photo, her robes flapped behind her, her
face glowed. She smiled weakly at Harry, looking like she was suppressing a
reaction that might be too extreme.
"Thank you, Harry," she said levelly, completely in control. Then there was
one gift left. She frowned around the table; she thought she'd opened gifts
from everyone already. Who could this be from?
She opened it. A lovely silver barrette was nestled in a tortoise-shell box,
cushioned in velvet. It looked heavy and solid, and it was etched with a
detailed image of a dragon. A Welsh Green, by the look of it. Ginny saw
Harry wincing, obviously wondering who would have given Ginny the beautiful
gift.
Gasping with surprise at the amazing present, she took a note from the
tortoise-shell box and read it:
Dear Ginny
I hope you like the gift.
I have waited so long to tell you my true feelings. Every time I see you, I
feel like shouting out how much I love you. If you are willing to meet me,
I will wait behind Hagrid's hut for you. Sneak from your party as soon as
you can. When you see me, remember, everybody deserves a second chance.
Love, Draco Malfoy
She closed the box with the barrette and, blushing, stuffed the note into
her pocket. Ginny looked up at them all.
"Well! Thank you again, everyone, this was really lovely. I'm very lucky to
have such wonderful friends." She rose to leave. Hagrid patted her shoulder;
since it was Hagrid, this was the same as shoving her back into her seat
rather violently, although they were all used to Hagrid not knowing his own
strength and she merely winced.
"Ye can' go yet! There's cake still!"
'Uh-oh,' thought Ginny. She hoped Hermione didn't let Hagrid bake the cake.
But Hermione was emerging from the hut now, carrying an elaborate chocolate
confection that looked more likely to be a product of the house elves in the
kitchens. Hagrid had made tea, which was fine--he couldn't botch that. But
the moment that Neville took a sip of tea, he sprouted a duckbill and white
feathers and started quacking excitedly; apparently the chocolates were
designed to be triggered by tea. Fred and George were laughing fit to kill,
and Ginny was trying to tell them off, but she was laughing too hysterically
to be coherent, and even Neville seemed to be enjoying himself until he
moulted and the duck bill suddenly dropped off into his cake.
"They're called Ducky Dreams," George told them all.
"No, they're not, they're called Drake Dreams," Fred insisted. Hermione
frowned.
"That rhymes with Canary Creams. Is your whole product line going to rhyme?"
she asked them. They looked somewhat abashed as they admitted that this was
in fact their plan.
"What's next?" Ron wanted to know. "There aren't that many words that rhyme
with 'cream.' There's only beam and ream and--" he faltered.
"Team," Angelina said laughing.
"Gleam!" Katie said triumphantly. They were all laughing hysterically,
suggesting ways that Fred and George could create ridiculous confections
with these words in the names, and what they might do to those who dared to
eat them.
After they calmed down again, they were actually able to eat the birthday
cake and have some tea, many of them taking seconds on the cake, which was
chocolate with raspberry filling. They'd probably all ruined their dinners.
Harry sat at the large wooden table, day-dreaming about Cho. He had seen
her in secret many nights since the first, in empty classrooms, in her room
- even on the lake-edge (thank god it was Summer!). He felt guilty every
time he saw Ginny, but being with Cho was his fantasy - he wasn't going to
let that slip away from him. He sometimes wondered though - Ginny had been
awfully cold towards him lately, and Hermione had been rather subdued when
with him. But they couldn't have seen him… no; Harry dismissed that thought
immediately. He finished his cake and looked up to see Ginny furtively
edging her way toward Hagrid's hut. The rest of the people at the table were
chatting animatedly and eating cake and drinking tea and making up silly
names for Fred's and George's product line; no one but Harry noticed that
the birthday girl was slipping away.
After she'd been gone for several minutes, Harry also slowly rose and edged
toward the door of the hut. Hermione was talking to Neville now about what
it had felt like to change into the duck. Harry thought it was possible that
Parvati saw him leaving, but he blinked and it seemed she was once more
laughing at something Fred was saying, while Ron draped his arm over the
back of her chair. While Neville was talking to her, Hermione was looking at
Parvati strangely; it wasn't hostile, Harry thought, but...at least she's
not taking any notice of what I'm doing, he thought. He slipped into
Hagrid's hut.
He looked around the strangely empty room; without the large table in it, it
actually seemed quite spacious. Then he heard voices, and he moved carefully
across the room to the back wall. One of the windows flanking the back door
was open a crack, although the rough, dirty curtains still hung in front of
the glass. Harry recognized the voices; he lifted the edge of the curtain to
peer through the dirty glass and his stomach lurched at the scene before him
- Ginny was behind the hut with Draco Malfoy. Harry gaped in horror at the
pair, who seemed oblivious to the fact that they were being watched.
Their arms were around each other and Ginny was smiling at him. "That was
the non-verbal thank you," she said. Harry grimaced; they must have kissed,
and, judging by the pleased look on her face, Ginny wasn't exactly unhappy.
Draco had a surprised but pleased look fixed on his pale, handsome face.
Harry felt fury welling up inside him. "Get your filthy hands off my girl,"
Harry muttered to himself as he stared out the window. He ducked as Ginny
glanced up at the window with a smug look on her face. As soon as Ginny
looked at Malfoy again, Harry stood up, blanching at the two of them
together.
Malfoy's grey eyes seemed to be constantly moving over her, devouring her
with his mind, as though he were memorizing every piece of her. He leaned
down and pressed his lips to hers, finding her ready and responsive,
drinking him in, sliding her fingers into his silver-blond hair. Harry
looked away, then back. What was Malfoy doing with his hands? Harry felt
another wave of rage wash over him as Malfoy raised his left hand and placed
it purposefully over her right breast, just placed it there, not moving. Not
missing a beat, Ginny simply moved her hand from his head to his left hand,
and removed it from her breast, placing it back around her waist, never
breaking the kiss while doing this. Malfoy would not be deterred; instead of
her chest, he now moved the same hand down below her waist, cupping her
bottom in his palm, continuing to kiss her. Again, she reached for his wrist
and this time pulled the hand up to have it in a more neutral location.
He broke the kiss and pressed his mouth to her neck as she tipped her head
back so he could get more of it. Harry felt his pulse racing. Malfoy was
moving further down, and now had begun to unbutton her robes, which fell to
the ground. His fingers plucked at the buttons on her blouse. She suddenly
came to her senses and pushed him away, turning toward the hut to button her
blouse again; Harry had a glimpse of a simple white bra with a small fabric
rosebud nestled in the valley between the cups. But it was only a glimpse;
he ducked down below the windowsill instinctively when she turned towards
him.
Malfoy took her in his arms again. He moved his mouth down her throat and
she made a gurgling noise, grabbing at his shoulders as though she would
have collapsed otherwise. He succeeded in undoing one of her blouse buttons
again, moving his mouth lower, and now one of her hands was sliding down his
chest, coming to rest on his waist.
Harry reached for his wand, feeling his knuckles strain on it as he gripped
the wood fiercely. If Malfoy did anything that she didn't want and she
couldn't hold him off, Harry wanted to be ready. He knew he shouldn't be
watching this, but at the same time he felt that he must, he couldn't risk
her being in danger. His wand was uttering creaks of protest, and Harry
loosened his tight grip.
Malfoy had undone the buttons on his own robes and they slipped to the
ground. He moved his mouth up to her throat again, then his mouth was on
hers once more, and as the kiss continued the hand she had at his waist of
his pants slid down his side, and she was running her fingers along the side
of his thigh, down to the knee, then back up, past his hip to his waist,
then back down again.
Harry felt like he couldn't breathe. He could see how twitchy her hand was
making Malfoy. He had his mouth on her throat again, concentrating on one
spot, while she kept stroking his leg and driving him - and Harry - mad.
This had been continuing for several minutes when Malfoy pulled his mouth
away from her throat; there was a bruised patch of skin where his mouth had
been, and it was unfortunately shaped exactly like a mouth. He was
unbuttoning her blouse yet again, putting his hands inside it, moving his
mouth down...
Harry looked down at his hands. He tried to think of other things. It was
practically impossible though, to keep his mind off the fact that his enemy
was out there with Harry's girl in his arms. Suddenly, Harry realised that
he could do something! He could storm out and confront the pair of them
right now! This was his girlfriend - he had every right to take that
creep's hands off her. He stood up, still holding his wand, and prepared to
march out of the hut and around to where the two were standing. Then Harry
realised that the moans and gasps had ceased. Malfoy had gone - leaving
Ginny with a perfect red rose - and Ginny was coming towards the hut door.
He ran across the room and had his hand on the door when she Ginny in from
the back, stopping in shock when she saw him.
"Uh, there you are, Ginny. I just came in to look for you."
She looked sceptical. But she didn't contradict him. "I just felt like
sitting out back, alone. I like to look at the forest." She blushed and
stuffed her the rose in her robe pocket.
"Happy birthday, Ginny," he said quietly as he walked out of the hut and
across the lawn toward the castle, with vague ideas of visiting Cho, to ease
the pain he felt when he thought that Ginny might not want him. He was in
an impossible situation, and he wasn't sure how to get out.
Ginny stared in horror after Harry. She bit her lip as she recalled the
look of pain on his face. He had seen her and Malfoy, but then she suddenly
had a horrible thought.
'Did I want him to see me? To make him feel what I've been feeling? To
make him jealous?'
Suddenly, Ginny's face lost all colour, and went as pale as Nearly-Headless
Nick, as she had another thought.
'I love him'.
Hermione and Ron sat side-by-side on a seat at the top of the tallest
astronomy tower, but although they held hands, Hermione obviously wasn't in
the mood for more. She seemed quiet, and although she held pleasant enough
conversations with Ron, he felt sure that she was holding something from
him.
"Er... Mione? Are you okay?" Ron asked.
"I'm fine. Why?" Hermione replied.
"Well, is there something you need to tell me? You seem kind of
distracted."
"Well..." Hermione paused. Telling Ron would almost certainly mean a stay
in the hospital wing for Harry. She decided to take the plunge. "Harry
cheated on Ginny and now she's really upset and he still doesn't know that
we know and it's just so bad!"
Ron gaped. "Harry cheated on Ginny?" he growled. "With who?"
"Cho. Cho Chang."
"I'm gonna kill him!" Ron shouted, jumping off the seat. "I thought he was
my friend!" Hermione gulped.
"No, Ron, don't! They'll sort it out for themselves! Ron!"
But Ron was already charging down the stairs, most likely heading for the
sixth-year boys' dormitory to kill Harry. Hermione sighed before grabbing
her coat and hurrying after him, ready to pull him off Harry if necessary.
THE END (of Chapter 2)