“Nothing your brother does would surprise me anymore. He can be such an oaf!”
“But you fancy him anyway, don’t you?” Ginny teased.
Ginny and Hermione had been holed up in their room all day. They had talked non-stop about boys, especially the two boys they were trying so hard to avoid.
“Wha…? No, I don’t…really…we’re just friends.”
“Hermione, how long are you going to keep believing that? You guys are crazy about each other! Why can’t you both just admit it.” Ginny smiled.
“Both? Both? Did Ron tell you anything?”
“He didn’t have to. It’s so obvious. I wish he had the nerve to just tell you!”
Hermione smiled and thought about Ron. He totally exasperated her, but she was drawn to him. When they were together they fought. When they were apart she wanted to be with him. Is that love?she thought. Her smile grew.
“So tell me something. You’ve been best friends with Ron and Harry for five years. How did you come to chose my brother over Harry?” Ginny laughed.
“I didn’t.”
“What! Are you still in denial?”
“I didn’t choose Ron. It wasn’t a conscience choice. It’s just…chemistry I guess.” Hermione explained.
“You never told me what you got Harry for his birthday.” Ginny asked.
“I gave him a book of poetry.” Hermione giggled. “He thought I fancied him! Maybe now if he gets drunk and calls a girl on the phone he’ll have something more romantic to say than what your idiot brother said to me!”
A tear welled up in Ginny’s eye. “Ginny, don’t you want to talk about it. What in the world did Harry do to you?” Hermione moved to sit next to her friend.
After a few minutes, Ginny spoke, “When they came home from the pub, he was a bit forward with me. It was a shock. I just reacted and slapped him in the face.” Another tear fell down Ginny’s cheek.
“Did he kiss you?”
“No. It was totally unromantic. I’m sure it was just because I happened to be the only girl available at the moment.”
“That doesn’t sound like Harry. When he talked to me about just kissing Cho, he seemed terribly shy about it.”
“He kissed Cho?”
“Only once. That’s what he said anyway. Who knows, maybe there’s a side of him we haven’t seen. Still, that just doesn’t sound like the Harry I know.” Hermione said.
“Hermione…” Ginny hung her head lower and continued to cry. “There’s a part of me that wanted to just give in and go with it. It might have been the only chance I ever have to be that close to him.”
“Ginny, do you still fancy Harry? I thought you were over him.”
Ginny nodded her head slowly and cried harder. “Well I am…I was…I guess…I never really was over him. I knew I just had to… move on.” Ginny looked sadly at the floor. “I figured if friendship was all I could have from him, then that’s what I would have to settle for.”
Hermione put her arms around Ginny and held her tight. “Oh, Ginny. You did the right thing. That’s no way to get a boy to like you.”
“I know. But at least I’d have the memory to keep forever. He could have been my first…you know…first…” Ginny looked up at Hermione. “It would be so much easier if I could just hate him! But I can’t.”
A few hours later, Mrs. Weasley had packed a nice picnic lunch. There was enough for four hungry teenagers. She sent Harry and Ron into the garden with an old blanket and a basket full of delicious food. They were instructed to wait for the girls to join them.
Molly then climbed to stairs to the room shared by Ginny and Hermione. She knocked on the door.
“Go away! We don’t want to talk to you guys!” Ginny yelled through the door.
“Ginny, dear, it’s me, Mum.” She said as she opened the door.
“Oh, sorry Mum, come in. We thought it was Ron and Harry.” Ginny’s eyes were still red from crying.
“Yes, Ronald and Harry; Just the subject I came to speak with you two about.” Molly said in a displeased manner. She sat down on the bed and faced the two girls sitting opposite her.
“But Mum, you don’t know how they’ve been acting!” Ginny said.
“I know exactly how they have acted. They told me the whole story this morning.” Molly said.
“Mrs. Weasley, I’m sure they didn’t tell you everything." Hermione said.
“Oh but I’m sure they did! I gave them veritaserum in their juice. So I do know everything.” Molly smiled and looked directly at the girls. “Now we are going to have a little talk about you-know-what.”
Ginny’s eyes grew large and she tried to look anywhere than at her mother. Having your mother know that you’ve snogged with a boy is one thing, but having her know this was mortifying! She couldn’t imagine the veritaserum induced Harry discussing what had happened with her mother. And now she, Ginny, was going to have to talk about it!
Hermione was also embarrassed. If it wasn’t bad enough that she had to have the talk with her own mother, now she was going to hear it from the mother of the boy she fancied!
“Hermione, dear, I’m sure that even without your help, Ron would find himself taking a few cold showers. Boys his age are so full of hormonal explosions they cannot control themselves. Unfortunately, they usually are not mature enough to deal with those…um…urges. What he was trying to say to you when he called you, is that he respects you and that he is trying to deal with it without attacking you.” Molly raised her eyebrows and smiled at Hermione.
Hermione bit her lip and nodded. “I guess I was a little hard on him.”
“Now, Ginny, What Harry did was wrong. A young man should never force himself on a young lady. I’m very proud that you stood up for yourself. I know that you fancy Harry and it would have been very easy to just give in to him.”
How does mum know that I still fancy Harry? Ginny thought.
“Even if all you ever have is friendship from Ron and Harry, you will still be very fortunate. They are both fine young men, even if they are romantically challenged. If you do have more meaningful relationships with them, then all the better.” Molly smiled as she patted Ginny’s leg.
“I don’t suppose this is the time to discuss…” Molly leaned in and looked hard at Ginny, then Hermione, “protection?”
“NO!” They both shouted. “We’re not even…NO!” Hermione added.
Molly took Hermione at her word. She hoped that they would come to her in the future if the needed advice on this matter. “Now I have forgiven the boys. I hope that both of you will also accept their apologies. I believe that they are sincerely sorry. You don’t have to do it today. I understand your need to be angry with them. But, we will not have this argument upset the household. No yelling, no slamming doors and no silent treatment at the dinner table. Do you get my drift?”
“Yes, Mum.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
“Ron and Harry are waiting for you in the back yard with a lovely picnic, if you care to join them. But you should hurry, Ron looked awfully hungry when they headed out.” Molly smiled and left the room.
The two girls looked at each other and giggled.
“Boys”
“Yeah, what prats!”