When they returned home, Angela in tow, they had a magnificent dinner, compliments of Mrs. Weasley, consisting of a rather large ham, baked potatoes, beef stew, and rice pudding for dessert. As Hermione had anticipated, and to Harry’s chagrin, Ginny said nothing to Harry, but threw Angela looks of utter disgust throughout the meal when she looked up from her stew. Afterwards, when everyone was full and had run out of interesting dinner conversation and compliments for Mrs. Weasley’s excellent cooking, Mrs. Weasley showed Angela to Fred and George’s old bedroom, where she would be sleeping that night. Harry didn’t want to argue with Hermione or Ginny, so he and Ron went up to go to bed, leaving the two girls in a vain conversation about remedies for Crookshanks’ dandruff. When they got upstairs, Ron closed the door, looking astounded.
“Wow,” Ron said, grinning excitedly. “You never told me Angela was so cute and funny! She’s nice too, she got me a load of Chocolate Frogs, look!” Ron pulled an enormous stack of the sweets out of his pockets. “If I’d known that, my God, she’d be my girlfriend already!”
“Come on, Ron”, Harry said shrewdly. “You could barely handle Lavender, and all she wanted was a good snog about every two minutes. What makes you think that Angela would be any different with you?”
“I was just saying, bloody hell!”, murmured Ron, looking flushed at Harry’s statement, but quickly dismissed it. “But you have to admit, she’s gorgeous!”
“Yea, I know,” Harry said, standing up a little straighter. But something suddenly struck him, and it caused him to feel rather guilty. “I’m just worried about Ginny. She seems to be really uncomfortable about Angela being here.”
“Maybe she still likes you,” Ron suggested, averting his eyes from Harry’s gaze.
“Don’t be stupid, Ron! We both agreed that breaking up was best for us at the time.”
“Fine.” Ron and Harry put on their pajamas in silence. Harry knew Ron was still a bit upset that his sister’s relationship with his best friend didn’t work out. They packed their things to be prepared for the next day, when they would leave for school. Collecting all of their scattered schoolbooks alone took almost an hour. Finally, Harry switched the light off at a quarter to twelve, leaving Ron to sleep on a rolled-up pair of wool socks.
Harry tried to sleep, but it seemed the more he tried, the more he stayed awake. The knowledge that Angela was in the same vicinity as he and that he was not with her tortured him. He had to see her. He got out of bed quietly, being careful not to wake up Ron, whose breathing became lighter as he dozed on. He snuck across the room and opened the door, which squeaked loudly. He turned around. Ron was still sleeping. Harry slid out the door. He tiptoed down a flight of stairs until he got to Fred and George’s room. He peeked in the door. Angela was standing by the window wearing a lilac satin nightdress. Harry’s eyes were transfixed on this almost heavenly being. He couldn’t help himself. He knocked quietly on the door. She rushed to it, smiling as she saw it was Harry.
“I thought you were Mrs. Weasley again. She comes in every half hour or so, asking if I needed anything.” She rolled her eyes. “She’s over-trying if you ask me.”
Harry grinned. “Well, I’m not Mrs. Weasley, and I would hope that you don’t think I’m over-trying just to come down here and say hi.”
Now it was Angela’s turn to smile. “You are too much, Harry,” she said, gesturing for him to enter. “Come on in.” Harry walked in slowly - so as not to seem too eager - and took a seat on Fred’s bed, Angela sitting on George’s.
“I’ve been thinking about everything that we’ve done together,” she said. “You have got to be the most amazing guy I have ever met.” Harry blushed. “You’re so much fun, it’s like I know I’ve only known you since July, but I feel like I’ve known you for my whole life!”
Harry snapped up. “Really? I feel the same way! Ever since I met you, something clicked in my head. It’s like I know you, but I don’t really know you, you know?” He stopped himself abruptly. He felt stupid, rambling on what he had been thinking for the past two months before he thought about what he was getting into. He had definitely crossed some kind of line, because as he looked at Angela, fearing the worst, her eyebrows were raised as she smiled a sort of confused and dumbstruck smile. It seemed like she was going to double up laughing.
“Wow,” she said, keeping herself from bursting into a fit of giggles. “I was just talking about how you’ve been such a great friend to me but- wow! Uh… okay. But Harry, you do know that if I’m going to be, um, more than just your friend, we’re going to have to go a bit slower. We have a really great friendship, and if we just stick to that for a while, things might just, how can I say this…” she thought about it for a moment. “…happen to go your way.” A teasingly devious smile crept up on her moonlit face.
Harry felt himself beaming, and quickly tried to conceal his sheer delight. “All right. Great!” For some reason, this conclusion made him slightly uncomfortable. He thought this would be a good opportunity to leave without being rude. “Well, we’d better get to sleep if we don’t want to miss the train tomorrow!’
“Right,” Angela said, shaking herself out of the moment. She and Harry walked to the door. Harry was beginning to leave when Angela beckoned him. Harry walked over, and Angela leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
“G’night, Harry,” she whispered.
“Good night, Angela.” Harry departed. Confusion suddenly overpowered his happiness. Was that meant to be friendly kiss? Was she ready to be his girlfriend now? He didn’t know. He just savored the moment as he walked back upstairs to Ron’s room. This is going to be an interesting year, he thought. And indeed, it would be.