A Life More Ordinary

After Harry’s failed attempt to give Ginny the scone, she didn’t see him much for the next three weeks. She didn’t know if he was avoiding her or simply too busy. She had missed the Halloween feast due to an especially nasty essay assigned by Snape. Snape had seemed to be in a foul mood since Goyle had nearly melted his floor with a failed cleaning potion. There were still large pits in the stone floor. The house-elves were loath to come down to the dungeons and perform the necessary spells to repair the floor. Since his precious classroom had been damaged, Snape was taking his anger out on the students.

So Ginny had sat in the library researching the five hundred uses of fungi in restorative potions and had missed Dumbledore’s speech about the Yule ball. She didn’t really mind, though. She figured no one was going to ask her since she had six large brothers, one of whom worked with dragons. Guys weren’t exactly flocking to be her dates lately. ‘Does it really matter? Aren’t you still slightly obsessed with Harry anyway?’ Ginny’s inner voice asked her. Ginny mentally gave her inner voice a swat and continued feverishly working to finish her essay.

Weeks later, Ginny noticed that Harry hadn’t been hanging around much. It wasn’t actually that she noticed he hadn’t been around much; it was that he finally turned up again. Ginny had been sitting in the Gryffindor common room late one night. She was studying for her herbology test that she had the next day. Suddenly, Ginny felt that she was not alone. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she looked around to see if a ghost had entered the room. Still, there was no one there.

“Ginny?”

Was that Harry’s voice? Where was he? Ginny looked around again and did not see Harry. “Harry, where are you?”

“Here.” Suddenly Harry’s head appeared from seemingly nowhere. Then the rest of his body was revealed. “I was going to get something to eat.”

Ginny stood up and fingered the material Harry held in his hands. It was cool to the touch and felt like running water on her hands. “Is this an invisibility cloak?”

Harry nodded. “It was my father’s.” He began to fold it up quickly and tucked it under his arm.

“I never knew you had one. How long have you had this?” Ginny wondered if Ron and Hermione knew he had one.

Harry looked down at the floor. “Since my first year. And yes, Ron and Hermione knew about it.”

Ginny felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Of course, Ron and Hermione knew about it. Why should the magical trio hide anything from each other? Once again she was reminded of how she would never be a part of them, she would never be good enough. Ginny took a deep breath and said, “I see. Well, it’s nice to know you have something so useful.” Ginny turned back to her homework and hoped Harry would leave.

“Ginny, you’re angry.”

‘Merlin! Of course I’m angry. You never tell me anything. I’m never included in your plans. I’ve faced Voldemort and lived, just like any of them! Why can’t you see that!’ Ginny thought all of this while grinding her quill into the piece of parchment before her. She thought better of actually saying this to Harry, however. “I’m not angry. It’s just been a long night. I don’t think I’ll be sleeping much.”

She heard Harry let out an audible sigh of relief and wondered why he would even care if she were angry. “Oh, what are you studying?”

“Herbology. I have an excruciating exam tomorrow that I have to pass if I ever hope to become a healer.” Ginny held up her herbology book and showed him the cover. “Lucky you, you don’t need to study this anymore.”

Harry kneeled beside her. “There’s nothing more noble than becoming a healer. If I had the brains, I’d do it.”

‘Bloody right, if you had the brains! You are so damn thick!’ Ginny fumed inwardly. ‘Why can’t you see I’m angry? How can you accept this stupid excuse? Why can’t you leave me alone?’ “Well, you have other things you need to do. An auror is a great job. You and Ron will be brilliant.”

Harry flopped onto the floor beside her armchair and looked up at the common room ceiling. “I’m only becoming an auror because I can’t think of anything better to do with my life. It’s not like I want to fight Voldemort and his death eaters all the time.”

“You don’t want to be an auror?” Ginny was shocked. She had always thought that he wanted to defy death and live the exciting life.

“What else should I do? Everyone relies on me. There’s also that lame prophecy.”

Ginny was puzzled. “A prophecy?”

Harry sat up and avoided Ginny’s eyes. “Nothing. It’s not important.”

“No, Harry. It’s important to me. What prophesy? What are you talking about?” Ginny looked up at him. He knew something that she did not, again. She was willing to bet any amount of galleons that Ron and Hermione knew about this prophecy.

Harry looked annoyed. “Really it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Ginny could see that Harry wasn’t going to budge and decided to start her homework again. If he wasn’t going to treat her like an equal, she wasn’t going to get involved in his emotional dramas. “Alright,” she said in a voice that seemed to say, ‘You’ll be sorry’. She picked up her quill and began scratching notes in the margins of her herbology text. Again, she felt Harry’s eyes on her. “Is there something you needed Harry?” She tried to say this in her most patient and long-suffering tone of voice, like he was a child.

Harry looked flustered and unsure of himself. “Ginny, I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me to Hogsmeade on Saturday.”

Ginny could hardly believe her ears. She flushed red and looked up at Harry through her hooded lashes. “I’d love to. Thanks for asking me.”

“It’s just that Ron and Hermione are going Christmas shopping together and I thought you might help me find something for both of them.” Harry looked into the fire and picked up the poker to stir the logs.

Anger coursed through Ginny was she watched Harry poke at the fire. She had the sudden urge to take the poker and stab it through his stony heart. She should tell Harry that she couldn’t go to Hogsmeade with him, now that she knew his true reason for asking her. A sense of propriety kept her from doing so. ‘Just because Harry’s a prick, doesn’t mean I have to be one. Anyway, I'm helping to ensure that Hermione doesn’t get books again this year.’ “Well, alright. I'll meet you here on Saturday morning.” Ginny stood up. She needed to be away from Harry right now. She honestly felt like she couldn’t stand to be in his presence. “I'm going to bed. Good night, Harry.” Ginny closed her book, picked up her backpack and headed up the stairs to the girls’ dormitories. Whether Harry noticed that she left or not, she didn't know. He continued pocking at the fire and did not say goodnight.