Harry jumped and clutched the picture closer to him. “Jeez Ginny, you frightened the life out of me. How long have you been standing there?” he asked.
Ginny didn’t answer initially. She shivered slightly as if she were cold and glanced around the room apprehensively. “Harry, we shouldn’t be up here. It’s off limits. You know that. Mum would kill us if she found out,” she said in a worried tone.
Harry sighed “I know, but I won’t say anything if you don’t okay? It is a bit strange up here. I can see her reasoning for keeping us away from this part of the house.”
He decided it would be best not to try and explain to Ginny that he had already been up here, at least his subconscious had at any rate. He didn’t think it would improve her opinion of Grimmauld Place or of him for that matter. Not to mention the fact that she would want to know exactly what his nightmare had been about. It was something Harry would avoid having to relate at all costs.
He moved closer to Ginny, running his hand up and down her arm. “Are you cold? I thought I saw you shiver,” he added quietly. He didn’t know why but being around Ginny was making him feel a little strange. He put it down to lack of sleep from the night before and moved towards the door still clutching the picture.
“What do you have there Harry?” Ginny enquired moving closer to him, trying to glimpse the picture that he was attempting to conceal.
“Nothing,” Harry answered a little too quickly, “It’s, it’s just a picture of my Mum and Dad. Sirius must have framed it.”
Ginny nodded and asked, “Can I see it? I don’t think I have ever seen a picture of your Mum and Dad, except the one you keep on your bedside locker.”
She reached out a hand to turn the frame around when Harry jumped away from her. “NO,” he shouted.
Ginny jumped a little and looked at Harry apprehensively, “Okay Harry “ no need to take my head off, it’s only a pic.. ”
“NOT TO ME IT ISN’T,” Harry yelled again. He didn’t know why he was getting so irrational.
He could tell Ginny was upset with his sudden burst of anger but trying not to show it. “Calm down Harry. You don’t have to show me. It’s okay,” she said. Her voice was calm though her face showed the mixture of emotions she was experiencing at finding Harry yelling at her for no apparent reason.
“Sorry Gin,” he muttered. He didn’t know what had got into him. “Look, we better get downstairs before all the food is gone. And Ginny?”
“Yes?” she replied.
“Don’t come up here anymore. Its not…. it doesn’t feel safe somehow,” Harry finished quietly, avoiding looking directly at her.
Ginny nodded. “I know what you mean. I have no desire to do any exploring up here. And you Harry? I don’t think you should come up here anymore either.”
Without warning Harry felt anger swell within him again and turned suddenly towards Ginny. It took all his self-control not to shout at her that he was well capable of looking after himself. Ginny seemed to notice the look in his eyes because she quickly turned to leave. She walked past Harry, giving his arm a quick squeeze before heading downstairs.
Harry watched her retreating back with a puzzled expression before following her downstairs. He was beginning to wonder if he was going mad with the sudden mood changes he was experiencing.
After lunch the day continued as normal. Ginny made no further reference to the incident on the third floor and they continued to work together in relative silence. Harry found himself glancing at Ginny from time to time. She seemed immersed in her work and didn’t seem to notice.
When had Ginny grown up so much? Harry was sure that the last time he had seen her, she had just been Ron’s little sister, but now…
She seemed to have blossomed almost overnight. Harry assumed that wasn’t the case but was still slow to admit that Ginny could have looked like this for some time now, and he just hadn’t noticed.
He found it was certainly taking a little of the boredom out of the work anyway when Ginny was at his side. Ginny however was quiet. She was a little taken aback and admittedly a little frightened at the way Harry had turned on her earlier. She remembered the look in his eyes when she had suggested that he shouldn’t wander up to the third floor either. It had frightened her “ his green eyes had been almost black with blazing anger, and then it had seemed to dissipate just as suddenly as it had arrived.
That wasn’t the only reason she was quiet however. She knew they weren’t the only people to have ventured up to the third floor. Not wanting to risk another outburst directed at her or anyone else, Ginny decided to keep this information to herself and not say anything to Harry.
Neither of them had heard from Ron or Hermione all day. They had seen them both at lunch and both had seemed quiet and unwilling to say much except eat and return to their chores. Harry couldn’t figure out what was wrong. He wanted to ask Ginny but figured that after his earlier outburst he had no right to ask her to fill in the missing details of what was going on with his friends. Ginny had been telling him all she knew of what was happening in the Order at the moment.
She had been surprised that Harry hadn’t asked many questions or even grumbled that they weren’t being told enough. He had just nodded his head as she spoke and continued with his work. She reckoned that Remus had probably already filled him in which was why he didn’t have any questions. If so, she would have expected him to tell her the details that she didn’t already know but he added nothing to the conversation. She decided that he must still be preoccupied with the death of Sirius and let it slide.
That night, Harry resolved to find out what was amiss with Ron and Hermione, so when he and Ron had returned to his room and were getting into their beds, he resolved to find out. “All right Ron, Spill,” he ordered.
“What?” Ron muttered, trying to buy time.
“Tell me what’s going on with you and Hermione,” Harry asked.
“What do you mean, going on? Me and Hermione are friends. Nothing more, nothing less… Or at least we were,” He finished quietly.
“What I meant was, what are you two fighting about now?” Harry asked patiently, trying not to smirk at Ron’s blushing ears.
“We’re not fighting,” Ron said cagily. “We’re just not getting on as well as we normally do. I don’t know Harry. I think Hermione has got a touch of Cabin Fever or something. Maybe its just being here cooped up for so long. She’s just not herself,” he finished shaking his head.
Harry could see Ron was worried so he tried again, “In what way Ron? Is she acting weird or something?”
But Ron didn’t seem to want to say anymore. “It’s nothing Harry, honest,” he said, a tone of finality in his voice.
“Look, if you like Ron, I can work with her tomorrow and you can work with Ginny if it would make things any easier,” Harry volunteered.
Harry had his own reasons for wanting to work with Hermione. Ginny was making him feel a little too uncomfortable. He didn’t know what was going through his head, but he was pretty sure that Ron wouldn’t appreciate the fact that he had been surreptitiously eyeing up his baby sister.
“No need,” Ron replied hastily. I’d rather work with her even if she is not talking to me. At least that way….”
“What? At least that way what?” Harry asked, but Ron just looked guilty and shrugged his shoulders. Harry sighed. He was getting no sense out of his friend and sensed that the conversation wouldn’t yield any further information no matter how hard he pushed, so he decided to give it up and go to sleep.
Next morning he awoke early to find Ron shuffling back into the bedroom looking puffy eyed from tiredness and dragging a blanket behind him. He jumped on seeing Harry staring at him and said quickly in explanation, “Got up to get a drink last night and fell asleep downstairs.” Harry sensed a lie behind his words, but decided wisely to ignore it for now.
In some respects he was kind of relieved. He had been dreaming about Sirius again last night and knew that he tended to shout out in his dreams. At least he wouldn’t have to explain and apologise if Ron hadn’t been there to hear it.
After Ron had dressed and gone downstairs, Harry pulled out the antique frame from under his bed and stared at its inhabitants once again. It still puzzled him exceedingly and he was beginning to feel like it was trying to tell him something, but what?