When

It was stifling hot in The Burrow, even with the windows thrown open. An electric fan that Mr. Weasley had bought from a Muggle car boot sale sat in the middle of the kitchen table, cutting through the clammy air to little effect. Harry had shown Mr. Weasley how to use it, much to his delight, although, Ginny thought with disgust, it may as well have not been there at all; the temperature in the room was almost unbearable. Mr. Weasley had been very enthusiastic about it, however, and Ginny didn't have the heart to disillusion him.

Ginny, sitting at the table with her breakfast in front of her, glanced at Ron, who was noisily eating pancakes at one end of the table. Ginny rolled her eyes. It was very annoying, she reflected, how everyone in the room stopped talking when she came in. She didn't like how everyone treated her as a baby all the time - she was only a year younger than Ron, but apparently that meant they couldn't let her in on their plans for the summer. Ginny knew that they were going to search for Voldemort's Horcruxes, but they hadn't mentioned anything to her and Ginny assumed that this meant she wasn't allowed to go too.

Ginny swiveled around to look at Hermione, who was sitting at the opposite end of the table to Ron. The two of them had been having a strained conversation when Ginny walked in, but as soon as they saw her they had stopped immediately. Hermione was now scribbling something on a piece of parchment, pausing every now and then to take bites of toast. Ginny knew she was only writing so she didn't have to look at either her or Ron; she probably wasn't even writing anything important, just doodling.

Ginny sighed. What was even more annoying was that Ron and Hermione still hadn't admitted how they felt about each other. It had been obvious to everyone since fourth year that they fancied each other, and after everything that had happened with Lavender Brown, Ginny had hoped that they would finally start going out. But if anything, things had become even more awkward between the two of them. Neither of them would talk to each other unless it was about what they were going to do about the Horcruxes; they didn't talk about themselves and their feelings at all. Ginny didn't know why; she was sure Hermione must know Ron liked her and vice versa.

Ginny pushed her scrambled eggs around her plate with her fork but didn't touch them; it was too hot to eat anything. Sighing, she dropped the fork and pushed the plate away, trying to think of some way to break the awkward silence. "Hot, isn't it?" she blurted out, then immediately cringed at what she had said: she was talking about the weather? How feeble was that?

"Mmpph," Ron said through a mouthful of pancake; Ginny took this to mean that he agreed.

Hermione looked up and gave Ginny a brief smile. "Yes, it is," she said in a strained sort of voice. "At least it'll be nice for the wedding tomorrow."

Bill and Fleur's wedding... Ginny wasn't sure how she felt about it. She was glad for her brother, of course, and he seemed very happy about getting married. It was just Fleur...

Ginny had to admit that she didn't like her. She thought Fleur was full of herself, and she had noticed that she was only nice to boys and not girls. Ginny sometimes wondered what Bill saw in her. Obviously she was pretty, but her head seemed completely empty. Even worse still, Fleur had asked her to be a bridesmaid along with her sister Gabrielle. Ginny couldn't imagine anything more awful than following Fleur up the aisle wearing a puffy dress with a fake smile plastered across her face. However, Ginny had resolved that she would have to accept Fleur, no matter how she felt about her. Fleur had still wanted to marry Bill, despite the scars he now had from the werewolf bites, and Ginny couldn't do anything about it.

Well, Ginny thought, at least she's getting along with Mum now. That's something.

"Gin?" Ron was staring at her curiously and Ginny realized she had gotten so lost in her thoughts she hadn't heard what Ron was asking.

"What?"

"I said, do you know where Mum's put the spare duvets? Harry's going to be here soon."

"Ron!" Hermione hissed.

"What?" Ron asked, looking bewildered.

"Do you have to be so insensitive?" Hermione said in an exasperated voice.

"No, Hermione, it's OK," Ginny said with a weak smile. "You can mention his name, you know. Besides, I'm not going to avoid him. We're still friends."

Harry... Ginny didn't want to admit it, but hearing his name was still painful. She had liked him for so many years, but had never thought he'd look at her as anything other than Ron's little sister. She had dated other boys to try and get over Harry... Michael Corner, Dean Thomas... she had even gone to the Yule Ball with Neville in her third year, but nothing had worked. Then, that first time Harry had kissed her - only a few months ago - she had hardly been able to believe it.

Ginny hadn't seen Harry since that day - the day he had dumped her. Try as she might, Ginny couldn't be angry with him - all she felt was sadness. She could understand why he had done it, but even so... Ginny had meant what she had said to him. She didn't care if Voldemort tried to get at Harry through her. She would rather be hurt herself than see Harry get hurt. But, Harry had told her, if she got hurt, then Harry would be hurt himself, and Ginny had to accept that.

Hermione was looking at her worriedly. "Are you sure you're OK, Ginny?"

"Positive," Ginny said mechanically. The last thing she wanted was everyone tiptoeing around her like she was some sort of fragile ornament. She saw Hermione was still eyeing her and put a forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth. They tasted like rubber.

"It's for the best, I reckon," Ron said to Ginny. "I mean, Harry won't be able to get anything done with you around to distract him. I mean, it'd be better for all of us if you didn't tag along -"

"Ron!" Hermione snapped.

"What do you mean, if I didn't tag along?" Ginny glared at her brother. "That's all I am, isn't it? Just your little sister. There's the three of you, and then there's me, tagging along behind you, never actually part of the group, just some annoying little kid along for the ride." Ginny got up from the table. "I'm sixteen, Ron, I'm not a baby!"

"You had to go and bring this up now, didn't you?" Hermione scolded Ron.

"Oh, come on, Hermione," Ron retorted. "You don't think that if Ginny came along, Harry wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything but making sure Ginny was OK?"

"Would you stop talking about me as if I wasn't here!" Ginny said loudly. Ron and Hermione looked up, startled. Ginny glared at them both. "I can take care of myself, you know - I don't need Harry to protect me!"

"Ginny, that's not what we meant," Hermione said guiltily. "We just -"

"Save it, Hermione," Ginny said coldly. She turned away from the table and headed for the door. Just as she was about to grasp the doorknob, she heard Hermione hiss at Ron, "Why can't you ever keep your big mouth shut?"

Ginny was now in a very bad mood, and she didn't think she could stand another minute of Ron and Hermione bickering. She whirled around, eyes ablaze.

"Enough!" she said angrily. "I've had enough of you two arguing!"

Ron and Hermione looked slightly shocked at the force behind Ginny's words. "You," Ginny said, jabbing a finger in Ron's direction, "are the most clueless person ever to walk the face of this earth! You don't need to go around snogging Lavender Brown to make Hermione jealous, Ron! She likes you, OK? She likes you. Are you really too stupid to figure that out?"

Ron and Hermione had both opened their mouths to protest, but Ginny was on a roll. "And you, Hermione," Ginny said, turning to the bushy-haired girl whose cheeks were beginning to turn pink. "You're just too stubborn to admit your true feelings, aren't you? Ron's a boy, for crying out loud! Of course he's not going to get your subtle hints that you like him, not with the pea brain that he's got!"

"Ginny!" Hermione said, taken aback. Ginny ignored her.

"You're completely and totally in love with each other! So would you please do us all a favor and admit it, because if I have to listen to this all summer, then I'm going to go mad!" With that, Ginny turned and swept dramatically from the room. Outside, she paused for a moment to let her words sink in, then stooped down and peered through the crack in the door.

Ron and Hermione were both sitting at the table, very red-faced. "She's - well - I mean, she doesn't know what she's talking about, of course," Ron spluttered.

"Of course," Hermione agreed, sounding slightly flustered. There were a few minutes of silence in which Ginny wondered if she'd done the right thing. That was, until Hermione spoke.

"Or - or does she know what's she talking about?" Hermione said in a tiny voice, looking down at the table where she was nervously twisting her hands together.

Ron turned beetroot. "Well - you know - sometimes Ginny - I mean -"

"Ron..." Hermione paused, her cheeks pink. "What Ginny said - I think most of it was true."

"Yeah..." Ron said, casting his eyes downward.

"I do, you know - like you, I mean. That way," Hermione said, gabbling the end of the sentence, all the while not looking at Ron.

"Hermione, I - I like you too."

Ginny stayed where she was for a few minutes. When she straightened up again, there was a very wide grin on her face.

Well, Ginny thought as she made her way to her bedroom, my relationship with Harry might be over, but Ron and Hermione's is just beginning. And that, at least, she reflected with a sad sort of smile, is something.