Turquoise Jealousy


Harry awoke with a start. He had been peacefully sleeping only moments ago, but the thud of his book falling from his hands to the floor had aroused him from his apparently shallow slumber.

Rubbing the grit from his eyes, Harry realized that he had fallen asleep in his favorite chair in the Common Room. He had been making a last attempt to read his History of Magic homework, but apparently, it wasn’t interesting enough to keep him awake.

Bending over the arm of the chair to pick up the book, Harry yawned. He’d had a long day of classes, and sleep had continued to evade him, night after night. Ginny and Dean usually hung around the Common Room until very late at night holding hands and smiling dopily at each other. Thus, Harry had found it difficult to concentrate on his schoolwork while he was watching the couple out of the corner of his eye. Hermione had caught him several times and had smiled secretly, but the only result of this was that Harry seemed to be staying up even later to finish his schoolwork.

Harry’s eating had also suffered, as he was prone to spend meals secretly watching Ginny, or so he thought. Hermione had noticed that as well and had begun to look at him with a knowing sparkle in her eyes.

Taking the book, he began to walk up the spiral steps to his dormitory, where his comfortable, four-poster bed awaited him. He did so rather gloomily, as the darkness of the hallway settled in around him as a reminder of just how late it was.

Harry opened the door quietly and snuck in to his dormitory. Glancing around, he saw Ron sleeping with his mouth agape. Smiling to himself, Harry checked to see if the rest of his roommates were asleep as well. Neville was curled up in his bed, Seamus was sleeping flat on his back with a pillow over his head, and Dean’s curtains were mostly closed.

Convinced that he hadn’t disturbed anyone, Harry climbed into his own bed. He sunk down into the pillows and pulled the bedspread up to his chin. Suddenly, he realized that something wasn’t quite right. He had forgotten to take of his glasses.

Harry sat up again in order to remove them. He placed the glasses on his bedside table carefully, and turned onto his side, when he noticed that there was something sticking out of the gap in Dean’s curtains. Harry quickly reached over and put his glasses back on.

Squinting a bit through the darkness, Harry was able to determine that it was a foot. But there was something very wrong about it. The foot was too pale, and too dainty to be Dean’s and the nails were…turquoise.

Harry had only even known one girl to paint her nails such a color – Ginny Weasley.

Rage surged through Harry and destroyed rational thought. He leapt out of his bed and stomped over to Dean’s. Yanking the curtains apart, he saw Dean and Ginny curled up together. Dean had one arm thrown possessively around Ginny, who had rested her head on his shoulder. Ginny’s pajamas seemed to be hanging off one pale, freckled shoulder, while Dean appeared to be missing a shirt entirely.

The monster in Harry’s chest howled in agony, as if it were being tortured. Reaching down with a hand shaking in anger, he shook Dean awake rather roughly.

“Bloody hell, Harry. What are you doing?� Dean said in a sleep-clogged voice as he raised a hand to rub his eyes and blinked several times.

“That depends. What are you doing, Dean?� Harry hissed.

For a moment, Dean looked confused. Then comprehension dawned across his face as he realized just who was curled up in his arms. He stuttered, “I, I mean, we…ah…we weren’t, um…doing anything, Harry.�

“You prat,� Harry whispered menacingly, “Her older brother is right there. I have half a mind to go wake him up now.�

Ginny rolled over and both Harry and Dean looked at her. Harry poked her shoulder, “Ginny, wake up!�

Ginny opened her eyes. Noticing Harry, she shut them again quickly.

“Ginny, what are you doing?� Harry said in a rather flat, yet pleading, voice.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. Nervously, she tucked a lock of vibrant hair behind her ear, and quickly straightened her pajamas. She bit her lower lip self-consciously, looked him straight in the eye, and replied, “Harry, nothing went on alright? I know it looks bad…� Harry snorted and she gave him a withering look, “…but nothing happened. Really. I just slept up here.� She ended this explanation with a small smile that made Harry’s heart do a little flip.

“And I would appreciate it if you kept this to yourself,� Ginny said emphatically with a little nod.

“What? You mean, don’t tell Ron that you spent the night in his roommate’s bed?� Harry said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“That’s out of line, Harry.� Dean spoke up from behind Ginny.

“Oh yeah? Well, then I’ll make you a little deal, Dean. I won’t tell Ron if Ginny leaves right now.� Harry could feel the blood rushing to his head as he stared down at the two. There was a long moment of silence as Harry’s words were considered.

“Dean, I have to go.� Ginny made a move to sit up, but Dean grabbed her wrist.

“Just because Harry demands that you leave doesn’t mean you have to, Ginny.� Dean shot Harry an angry glare.

“No Dean, I really ought to go to my room.� She planted a kiss on Dean’s cheek that made the monster in Harry’s chest start to growl again. “I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?�

“Yeah, sure. Of course,� Dean replied and lay back down. Ginny stood up from Dean’s bed and began to walk towards the door.

Harry watched her walk out the door of the dormitory, red hair swinging. It was amazing to watch Ginny just do the simple acts of everyday life. There were so many little nuances to her actions – the way she tossed her hair or the adorable way she worried her lower lip when she was nervous.

Dean’s grumblings interrupted Harry’s reverie and he rolled his eyes in disgust as Dean jerked his hangings closed with excessive force. It served him right to be caught; Dean had no business letting Ginny spend the night in his bed, let alone in the same room as her brother, for crying out loud.

Because the monster was still curious, Harry hurried out of his room in the direction that Ginny had gone. He caught her just as she was about to walk into the Common Room. “Ginny, wait.�

She turned her head in surprise, but stopped and faced Harry, who came down the steps to join her.

“Did you want something else, Harry?� Her voice had a bite to it, as if she were frustrated with his actions.

Slightly apprehensive at Ginny’s tone, Harry said, “I just wanted to know what was going on, Ginny. That’s all.�

Ginny shook her head disbelievingly and Harry could see the tears that were making her eyes glisten, “I told you, damn it. Absolutely nothing.� She gave a short exasperated sigh, and then another sad smile. The second action made the monster in Harry purr contentedly. “You really don’t need to know about it, okay? Good night, Harry.� Ginny turned and began to make her way across the Common Room.

Harry’s brain was working double time. In order to keep her talking, he said the first thing that came to his rather confused and sleep deprived brain. “Hang on, Ginny. Why were you even up here?�

Her eyes were still shining with tears, he noted, and then she said rather painfully, “Because he asked me to, alright? And I wanted…� She gulped and looked at her vividly painted toenails.

Harry felt rather confused, “What did you want?�

Ginny gave her response to her toes and so softly that all Harry could hear was one word – jealous.

“You wanted to make Ron jealous by sleeping in Dean’s bed?� Harry exclaimed softly, yet incredulously.

Ginny ran a hand almost nervously through her hair and sighed shakily, “I didn’t want to make Ron jealous, Harry. Just forget this ever happened, okay?� She sounded a bit exasperated again, but after seeing Harry nod, she looked relieved. “Good night, Harry.�

“Good night, Ginny.� His poor brain couldn’t think of anything else to say.

She turned quickly, raised a hand to her face, and began to step lightly down the stairs. Harry watched her go. When he could no longer see her, he returned to his room, where he was rather pleased to see that Dean’s curtains were fully shut. He didn’t quite feel like dealing with an angry roommate after dealing with an emotional Ginny who said cryptic and enigmatic things.

Falling into his own bed, and remembering to take off his glasses this time, Harry shut his eyes. He had been terribly disturbed to see Ginny in Dean’s bed. That brotherly instinct was surfacing a lot lately. It seemed as if he just couldn’t help but want to protect Ginny.

Harry rubbed his temple and exhaled. What was he going to tell Ron? That Ginny had been sleeping with his roommate to make her brother jealous? But Ginny had said that wasn’t the case. How perplexing.

Harry rolled over, but he couldn’t seem to get comfortable. He opened his eyes again and stared at his hangings. Despite how tired he’d been earlier, it seemed like he was going to be spending another sleepless night thinking about Ginny.