Just one of those days…
It was the end of Harry Potter’s sixth autumn term at Hogwarts, and he was looking forward to spending Christmas with his closest friends. Ron had asked him yesterday if he would like to go to The Burrow for Christmas, and he had gratefully accepted his offer. Hermione would be going too, of course, and Ron’s brothers Bill, Charlie, Fred and George would be joining them.
As Harry packed his trunk, he thought of The Burrow and wished that he was there already. He couldn’t wait to get there “ it beat Grimmauld Place any day.
“Come on, Harry,” said Ron, who had just appeared at the dormitory door. “Come and have some dinner.”
“Alright, I’ll be down in a sec,” replied Harry.
Ron left the doorway and Harry put his last few possessions in the trunk, making sure that it was securely fastened and finishing it off with a locking spell.
He didn’t rush to go down to dinner “ he wasn’t that hungry anyway “ and he ambled through the corridors and down the staircases alone.
“Harry!” called Hermione as he entered the Great Hall. “Come and sit down; we were starting to wonder where you were!”
He joined her, Ron and Ginny at the table and started to eat his sausages.
“All packed?” Ginny asked form her side of the table.
“Yup, just finished,” he told her.
“Good good. Are you looking forward to coming to The Burrow with us?”
“Definitely,” said Harry.
Ginny smiled happily and Harry smiled back.
Ron and Hermione were now in deep discussion about whether there should be an angel or a star on top of the Christmas tree.
“But it’s meant to be a star!” said Ron, who was turned in his seat to face Hermione.
“No it’s not,” she said, still facing forward and trying to sound as bossy as her usual self, but failing because she was enjoying herself too much.
“It is!” said Ron exasperatedly. “You can’t have an angel on top of the tree “ it’s just not right!”
“It symbolises the Angel Gabriel,” said Hermione, keeping her composure, unlike Ron. “Or have you completely forgotten the Christmas Story?”
“Yeah, well the star represents the one above the stable,” argued Ron.
Harry rolled his eyes at Ginny, who giggled, while Hermione and Ron got more and more argumentative, until Harry just had to stop them.
“Look, it probably depends on your family. Hermione, you think it should be an angel because that’s what your family do, and Ron thinks it should be a star because that’s what his family does. End of story.”
They had stopped arguing and were now staring at Harry in disbelief. He supposed it was because he normally let them bicker to their hearts’ content, but it had been starting to get on his nerves.
“Ok,” said Ron nervously, “I’m going to go and finish packing, “and he got up and left the hall.
“I’m going to go and help him,” said Hermione, and she too left her seat at the table.
“Well that was a first,” said Ginny after a long pause as they both watched Hermione catch up with Ron in the Entrance Hall.
“Yeah, well, someone’s got to stop them,” said Harry.
“I know, I just never thought it would be you.” She gave him another cheeky grin, then downed her goblet in one gulp and got up. “Well, I’m heading upstairs now. Coming?”
Harry, who had just finished his dinner, stood up.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
They made their way down the hall and up the marble staircase, Harry listening all the while as Ginny chatted animatedly about a particularly nasty encounter that she had had with Professor Snape earlier that day.
“So I told him that I had added the snake fillet after the moonstone, but he didn’t believe me and made me feed the potion to this girl’s toad. Well, of course, I had told a complete lie, and the toad turned a rather odd shade of grey. Anyway, now she isn’t speaking to me and neither are her friends, and Snape took ten points from Gryffindor for “telling tales”.
“Honestly Ginny,” said Harry, “when are you going to realise that Snape is on of the few people who can actually tell when your lying?”
She laughed, then proceeded to tell him about “the time when she had got one over on McGonagall”, and didn’t finish until they entered the Common Room five minutes later, still clutching their sides.
They sat down in their favourite armchairs and started to talk about Christmas.
“I’d love a new broom,” said Ginny. “Anything would be better than Ron’s Cleansweep, but I doubt I’ll ever get a new one of my own...”
Harry didn’t like to see the unhappy look on her face, but he’d just had an idea.
“Hey, you can have a go on my Firebolt if you like.”
Ginny’s face lit up.
“Really?”
Harry nodded.
“Wow, thanks Harry.”
She smiled at him again and seemed to have cheered up.
“And you can have a go on my Cleansweep!”
They laughed, and Harry spotted Ron and Hermione coming down the boys’ staircase. It looked as if they were arguing again.
“Honestly, Ron,” huffed Hermione haughtily, “you should concentrate in lessons. This is an important year!”
Ron pulled a face at her and she raised her eyebrows disapprovingly, but Harry was sure that he saw both of them smile to themselves when the other was looking away.
“You two look like you’re having fun,” said Ron, and Harry wasn’t sure whether he sounded resentful or pleased, but was pretty sure it was the latter when Ron smiled at him and Ginny, and took a seat next to them.
“I’ll sit on the floor then, shall I?” Hermione asked Ron, who had just taken the last free armchair.
“Oh, sorry,” he replied, jumping up quickly. “Go on.”
He gestured for her to sit down, but she only gaped at him in astonishment. It seemed to Harry as if she hadn’t really expected Ron to offer her his seat, and yet here he was, waiting for her to take it.
“Er, thanks,” she muttered, and she sat down as Ron stationed himself on the floor by her feet. Ginny raised her eyebrows at Harry and they smothered their laughter with their sleeves.
“What’s up with you two?” asked Ron suspiciously. “You’re acting awfully strange today.”
Harry didn’t answer straight away, because he wasn’t really sure what was up with him and Ginny, but he came to the conclusion that it was just one of those days when everything seems a lot more funny than it actually is.
“Oh, nothing,” he said. Ron didn’t look like he believed him, but he didn’t question him any further.
“So,” said Hermione. “Christmas holidays.”
“Ooo, good,” said Ginny. “I’m really glad you two are coming home with us.”
“Me too,” said Ron, looking at Hermione.
They sat in silence for a while, each consumed in their own thoughts, until Ron got up.
“I’m going to bed,” he announced.
“Ok, I’ll be up in a bit,” said Harry, and Ron ascended the staircase to their dormitory. Once he was out of earshot, Hermione turned to Harry and Ginny.
“Is he alright?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Harry asked her, although he thought he knew.
“Well he’s just being a bit… weird, that’s all,” she answered.
“Same old Ron, then,” said Ginny.
Hermione smiled nervously.
“Don’t you see it though?” she continued. “Don’t you think he’s being a bit, well, odd?”
Harry glanced at Ginny and caught her eye for a moment, causing them to grin before they could stop themselves. It really was just one of those days.
“You mean around you?” asked Ginny, trying to keep her composure.
“Well, I don’t know really. I’m never there when he’s not around me, am I?”
“Good point,” said Ginny.
Harry was starting to feel as though this topic of conversation should be left to the girls.
“I’d love to stay and chat, but I think I’ll go up to bed,” he said, standing up.
“Oh,” said Hermione, looking slightly disappointed, “alright then.”
“Best leave it to the girls, eh Harry?” said Ginny, as thought she had read his thoughts.
He nodded and smiled at her.
“Night then,” they both said to him.
“Night,” and he went up the stairs to the dormitory.
Ron was already in bed with his hangings pulled shut when he got there, so Harry changed in silence and got into his bed without talking to him.
He started to think about going back to The Burrow tomorrow, and wondered what it would be like on a half-empty Hogwarts Express. He imagined the journey on the train, sitting in a compartment, with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, chatting and playing game after game of Wizards’ Chess. Then there was no Ron and Hermione, then no train, or chessboard, or anyone else… just Ginny… standing alone… in a doorway… smiling…
A/N: I hope you liked that chapter. I'm trying as hard as I can to get the next one finished , but it's not going all that quickly, so hold on for it!
Be sure to review if you liked it (or if you have some positive criticism!) and if you did then please read my other stories!