There Is No Him
Once the Gryffindor Quidditch team entered the common room, Ginny headed strait for a cushion that was stationed right next to a window. The rest of the team sat themselves in front of the fire.
“I can’t believe Malfoy,” Ron seethed.
“None of us can,” Dean and Seamus responded in unison.
No one seemed to notice that the window Ginny was sitting next to faced the Quidditch pitch, or that Ginny’s gaze was directed right at it.
Just then, Wood came clambering down the boys’ staircase.
Ron began to clench and unclench his fists. Harry remained unaffected. The rest of the team glanced at Ginny.
“What are all of you doing here? I thought you were going to practice.”
“That’s what we thought, too,” Harry said lamely.
Oliver raised an eyebrow.
Harry took a deep breath and spat out, “Malfoy.”
Wood mouthed an “Oh.”
“So what are you doing, Wood?” Ron burst out, none too politely.
These outbursts had occurred quite often over the last month. Wood was used to them by now. “I was about to go out to the pitch to watch all of you.”
The team glanced at Ginny again. Ron dug his nails into his palms.
Ron was about to say something when Hermione walked through the portrait hole. “Aren’t you all supposed to be practicing?”
“Malfoy,” Wood muttered.
“Oh.” Hermione mouthed.
“Well then, I suppose I’ll let you all know a bit earlier than the rest of the school. We’re going to be having a Halloween Ball this year.”
“You’re kidding,” Harry and Dean groaned.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “It isn’t going to be what you two think. People don’t believe in wearing costumes on Halloween in the Wizarding world. Professor Dumbledore will give the details at dinner.”
There was a bit of an awkward silence.
“Well then, I suppose I’ll go out to the pitch and check out Malfoy’s new Keeper.” With one last nod, Oliver walked out the portrait hole.
*****
The afternoon passed by quite peacefully. Ginny retired to the library saying that she had homework to finish. Seamus and Dean went out to the lake. Harry went out to the courtyard to think of some new team strategies, and Ron and Hermione were left alone in the common room.
Ron was playing himself at chess and Hermione had her face hidden behind a book. The only noise that was heard was from the muttering of moves by Ron and the low sound of bustling chess pieces.
“Hermione?”
“Hmm.”
“Have you found out what’s been wrong with Ginny, yet?”
Hermione put down her book. “No, Ron. I’m afraid I haven’t.”
“Well, what do you think is wrong?”
“I really don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
Hermione sighed, “Ron, we’ve talked about this before. Every time I try to ask Ginny about what’s bothering her, she always manages to elude the subject.”
“But--”
“I’m worried about her, too, Ron. I’ll keep trying, but if Ginny doesn’t want to tell me, then she won’t.”
“Do you think it has something do with, Wood?”
“What?”
“Oh come on, Hermione. You’ve heard all the rumours.”
“Ron, they’re called rumours for a reason.”
“But it would all make sense, wouldn’t it? The rumours about Wood having a girlfriend… Ginny’s secret… Everything fits.”
“I know it does, Ron.”
“Well then, why don’t you believe it?”
“Because I just don’t think Wood has anything to do with it.”
“But you just said--”
Ron was cut off by Ginny’s entering through the portrait hole.
“What are you two still doing here?” she inquired.
“We were just talking,” Hermione said with a clearly fake smile.
“About what?” Ginny said, crossing her hands in front of her chest.
“Nothi--” Ron wasn’t given the time to finish.
“No it wasn’t ‘nothing’. If it were, then you two wouldn’t have stopped talking once I walked in. Don’t think I haven’t figured out what you two and Harry have been trying to do. I’m not stupid.” She scowled.
“Ginny we’re just worried, is all. You haven’t been acting like yourself lately. What’s wrong?” Ron’s concern was made evident in his voice.
“Nothing’s wrong!” Ginny shouted.
“You’re lying,” Hermione responded calmly. She turned to Ron. “Ron, would you please leave me and Ginny alone for a while. We’ll meet you and Harry at dinner.”
“But--”
“Please.”
Ron nodded and left to look for Harry.
Hermione turned toward Ginny. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong.”
“Stop it. I’m tired of this Ginny. Something is wrong and everyone knows it. I hate to ask, but does it have something to do with Oliver? Because that’s what everyone thinks.”
“Oliver? Why is it that everyone thinks I’m somehow linked to Oliver Wood? I don’t even really know the man!”
“What?”
“Do you really want to know what’s wrong, Hermione? Well, yes. It does have something to do with Wood. It’s his fault that I’m so confused. It’s all his fault that we had that argument. It’s all his fault that he won’t speak to me anymore. It’s all his fault that I don’t know what we have anymore. It’s all his fault!” By now, Ginny was in tears.
“Ginny, what are you talking about?”
“Why won’t he talk to me anymore? I told him that it was nothing. That it meant absolutely nothing.”
“Who’s he?”
Ginny only sobbed harder.
“Well have you tried to talk to him?”
“What?” Ginny croaked out.
“Well, maybe he doesn’t know what you two have, either,” Hermione, although confused, tried to rationalise.
Ginny began to calm down.
“Ginny, who were you talking about?”
“No one. It was no one.”
Hermione sighed in defeat.
*****
Dinner was close to an end, and the Great Hall was still a buzz with the news of the Halloween Ball.
Ginny had decided to head up to bed early, and five pairs of eyes watched her as she left. One set was a striking green and another was a striking blue. Two sets were brown, and the last set, the one that followed her out, was silver.
“So, what were you able to find out?” Ron asked Hermione, all the while keeping his eyes on Ginny’s retreating form.
“Huh?” Harry asked, confused.
“Nothing really. But it turns out that it does have something do with Wood, though.”
“I knew it,” Ron whispered triumphantly.
“But it isn’t what you think.”
“Well then, was it?”
While Hermione told Ron and Harry about their entire conversation, Ginny walked down the dark and empty corridors that led to Gryffindor Tower.
It wasn’t long before she heard a set of footsteps behind her. She quickened her pace.
“Trying to run away, then?”
Ginny halted and slowly turned around.
“Like you did a month ago?” The owner of the silver eyes continued on as he walked closer and closer to her. “When you ran to him.”
“I didn’t run to him.”
“I saw the way he touched you and the way you--”
“What do you want?”
“Did he ask you? Are you going with him to the Ball?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? There is nothing between him and me. There is no him.”
As the young man neared her, Ginny began to notice the semi-dark circles beneath his eyes.
When he was close enough, he reached out a hand to cup her chin. “Do you mean that?”
Ginny nodded.
He sighed in what sounded like relief. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
“Will you go to the Ball with me?”
“But what about--”
“I don’t care.”
“I’d love to, then,” was all Ginny could say before a set of eager lips covered hers.
(A/N: Reviews are an author's best friend.)
Once the Gryffindor Quidditch team entered the common room, Ginny headed strait for a cushion that was stationed right next to a window. The rest of the team sat themselves in front of the fire.
“I can’t believe Malfoy,” Ron seethed.
“None of us can,” Dean and Seamus responded in unison.
No one seemed to notice that the window Ginny was sitting next to faced the Quidditch pitch, or that Ginny’s gaze was directed right at it.
Just then, Wood came clambering down the boys’ staircase.
Ron began to clench and unclench his fists. Harry remained unaffected. The rest of the team glanced at Ginny.
“What are all of you doing here? I thought you were going to practice.”
“That’s what we thought, too,” Harry said lamely.
Oliver raised an eyebrow.
Harry took a deep breath and spat out, “Malfoy.”
Wood mouthed an “Oh.”
“So what are you doing, Wood?” Ron burst out, none too politely.
These outbursts had occurred quite often over the last month. Wood was used to them by now. “I was about to go out to the pitch to watch all of you.”
The team glanced at Ginny again. Ron dug his nails into his palms.
Ron was about to say something when Hermione walked through the portrait hole. “Aren’t you all supposed to be practicing?”
“Malfoy,” Wood muttered.
“Oh.” Hermione mouthed.
“Well then, I suppose I’ll let you all know a bit earlier than the rest of the school. We’re going to be having a Halloween Ball this year.”
“You’re kidding,” Harry and Dean groaned.
Hermione rolled her eyes. “It isn’t going to be what you two think. People don’t believe in wearing costumes on Halloween in the Wizarding world. Professor Dumbledore will give the details at dinner.”
There was a bit of an awkward silence.
“Well then, I suppose I’ll go out to the pitch and check out Malfoy’s new Keeper.” With one last nod, Oliver walked out the portrait hole.
*****
The afternoon passed by quite peacefully. Ginny retired to the library saying that she had homework to finish. Seamus and Dean went out to the lake. Harry went out to the courtyard to think of some new team strategies, and Ron and Hermione were left alone in the common room.
Ron was playing himself at chess and Hermione had her face hidden behind a book. The only noise that was heard was from the muttering of moves by Ron and the low sound of bustling chess pieces.
“Hermione?”
“Hmm.”
“Have you found out what’s been wrong with Ginny, yet?”
Hermione put down her book. “No, Ron. I’m afraid I haven’t.”
“Well, what do you think is wrong?”
“I really don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
Hermione sighed, “Ron, we’ve talked about this before. Every time I try to ask Ginny about what’s bothering her, she always manages to elude the subject.”
“But--”
“I’m worried about her, too, Ron. I’ll keep trying, but if Ginny doesn’t want to tell me, then she won’t.”
“Do you think it has something do with, Wood?”
“What?”
“Oh come on, Hermione. You’ve heard all the rumours.”
“Ron, they’re called rumours for a reason.”
“But it would all make sense, wouldn’t it? The rumours about Wood having a girlfriend… Ginny’s secret… Everything fits.”
“I know it does, Ron.”
“Well then, why don’t you believe it?”
“Because I just don’t think Wood has anything to do with it.”
“But you just said--”
Ron was cut off by Ginny’s entering through the portrait hole.
“What are you two still doing here?” she inquired.
“We were just talking,” Hermione said with a clearly fake smile.
“About what?” Ginny said, crossing her hands in front of her chest.
“Nothi--” Ron wasn’t given the time to finish.
“No it wasn’t ‘nothing’. If it were, then you two wouldn’t have stopped talking once I walked in. Don’t think I haven’t figured out what you two and Harry have been trying to do. I’m not stupid.” She scowled.
“Ginny we’re just worried, is all. You haven’t been acting like yourself lately. What’s wrong?” Ron’s concern was made evident in his voice.
“Nothing’s wrong!” Ginny shouted.
“You’re lying,” Hermione responded calmly. She turned to Ron. “Ron, would you please leave me and Ginny alone for a while. We’ll meet you and Harry at dinner.”
“But--”
“Please.”
Ron nodded and left to look for Harry.
Hermione turned toward Ginny. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong.”
“Stop it. I’m tired of this Ginny. Something is wrong and everyone knows it. I hate to ask, but does it have something to do with Oliver? Because that’s what everyone thinks.”
“Oliver? Why is it that everyone thinks I’m somehow linked to Oliver Wood? I don’t even really know the man!”
“What?”
“Do you really want to know what’s wrong, Hermione? Well, yes. It does have something to do with Wood. It’s his fault that I’m so confused. It’s all his fault that we had that argument. It’s all his fault that he won’t speak to me anymore. It’s all his fault that I don’t know what we have anymore. It’s all his fault!” By now, Ginny was in tears.
“Ginny, what are you talking about?”
“Why won’t he talk to me anymore? I told him that it was nothing. That it meant absolutely nothing.”
“Who’s he?”
Ginny only sobbed harder.
“Well have you tried to talk to him?”
“What?” Ginny croaked out.
“Well, maybe he doesn’t know what you two have, either,” Hermione, although confused, tried to rationalise.
Ginny began to calm down.
“Ginny, who were you talking about?”
“No one. It was no one.”
Hermione sighed in defeat.
*****
Dinner was close to an end, and the Great Hall was still a buzz with the news of the Halloween Ball.
Ginny had decided to head up to bed early, and five pairs of eyes watched her as she left. One set was a striking green and another was a striking blue. Two sets were brown, and the last set, the one that followed her out, was silver.
“So, what were you able to find out?” Ron asked Hermione, all the while keeping his eyes on Ginny’s retreating form.
“Huh?” Harry asked, confused.
“Nothing really. But it turns out that it does have something do with Wood, though.”
“I knew it,” Ron whispered triumphantly.
“But it isn’t what you think.”
“Well then, was it?”
While Hermione told Ron and Harry about their entire conversation, Ginny walked down the dark and empty corridors that led to Gryffindor Tower.
It wasn’t long before she heard a set of footsteps behind her. She quickened her pace.
“Trying to run away, then?”
Ginny halted and slowly turned around.
“Like you did a month ago?” The owner of the silver eyes continued on as he walked closer and closer to her. “When you ran to him.”
“I didn’t run to him.”
“I saw the way he touched you and the way you--”
“What do you want?”
“Did he ask you? Are you going with him to the Ball?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? There is nothing between him and me. There is no him.”
As the young man neared her, Ginny began to notice the semi-dark circles beneath his eyes.
When he was close enough, he reached out a hand to cup her chin. “Do you mean that?”
Ginny nodded.
He sighed in what sounded like relief. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you, too.”
“Will you go to the Ball with me?”
“But what about--”
“I don’t care.”
“I’d love to, then,” was all Ginny could say before a set of eager lips covered hers.
(A/N: Reviews are an author's best friend.)
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