Heart's Desire by snarky24



Summary: ** Winner for People's Choice Award & Most Unexpected in the Pumpkin Juice Challenge
Harry and Ginny find new ways to defy Umbridge after drinking some special pumpkin juice at the Valentine’s Day feast.
Rating: PG starstarstarstarstar
Categories: Post-OotP, Pumpkin Juice Challenge (2018-2), Pumpkin Juice Challenge (2018-2)
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2018.07.06
Updated: 2018.07.13


Heart's Desire by snarky24
Chapter 1: The Pumpkin Juice Drought
Author's Notes:

A/N: This story will be 4 chapters. The first chapter borrows a few lines from OotP as Harry recounts his date with Cho.

--

Harry collapsed wordlessly onto the bench next to Hermione at the Gryffindor table, thoroughly dreading the Valentine’s Day feast. The table was overflowing with steaming casseroles, roasted meats, and decadent desserts. Red and pink heart-shaped confetti lightly drifted from the enchanted ceiling, which was glowing pink as the sun set above.

But Harry wasn’t in the mood for a feast. He’d spent the afternoon recounting the night Voldemort returned for Rita Skeeter’s article in The Quibbler after a confounding and awkward date with Cho at Madam Puddifoot’s garish tea shop.

Through the enchanted ceiling, he could see that dusk was falling and the clear February sky was turning shades of pink and purple, almost as if it had been bewitched to complement the pink-heart shaped confetti that lightly drifted from the above.

It had been a clear, breezy day – perfect for Quidditch. Ron and Ginny had missed this month’s Hogsmeade trip because Angelina had called for a mandatory all-day practice. With Harry, Fred, and George banned, the team had three new players and needed all the practice they could get.

Harry sighed, wishing he could clear his head with a brisk flight around the castle. It hadn’t been easy to talk about the night when Voldemort had returned, especially with Rita Skeeter. But he didn’t regret it, even if it was part of the reason why his date with Cho had gone so badly.

He reached for a pitcher of pumpkin juice, but found it was empty.

“Really!” grumbled Harry. “All this food, but nothing to drink!”

Hermione gave him a disapproving glare, clearly warning him not to insult the house elves.

“I’m sure the house elves will fill the pitchers soon,” she said stiffly. “The feast’s only just started, and some students aren’t back from Hogsmeade yet.”

Harry’s eyes drifted to Cho Chang, who was sitting with her friend Marietta at the Ravenclaw table with her back turned to him. Perhaps he should count himself lucky to be back from Hogsmeade so early, he thought darkly. Cho had hoped he’d spend the entire afternoon with her at Madam Puddifoot’s dreadful tea shop listening to her talk about snogging Cedric.

“Oh, I forgot to ask you,” said Hermione brightly, following Harry’s gaze to the Ravenclaw table, “What happened on your date with Cho? How come you were back so early?”

“Er...well, it was...” said Harry, shoveling two helpings of mashed potatoes onto his plate, “a complete fiasco, now you mention it.”

“What was a complete fiasco?” asked Ron loudly, joining Harry and Hermione at the Gryffindor table with Ginny in tow. “I thought you said you weren’t going to watch our Quidditch practice today.”

Ron and Ginny were still in their Quidditch gear, which meant they’d been practicing since before Harry left for Hogsmeade that morning. Both immediately started piling their plates with food.

“Harry’s date with Cho,” said Hermione matter-of-factly.

“Did she start crying again when you snogged her?” asked Ron thickly, his mouth full of chicken. “If so, then I really think you might need to consider the possibility that you’re a bad kisser.”

Ginny snorted into her mashed potatoes, while Hermione tut tutted.

Harry felt his cheeks grow warm as his eyes darted to Ginny. She hadn’t looked up from her plate, but her lips were pursed as if she were trying to suppress a smile. He suddenly did not want to discuss his first kiss–or really any kisses–with Cho in front of Ginny, especially if the topic was turning to his kissing prowess (or lack of). While he didn’t care what Hermione thought about his kissing, he certainly cared about what other girls at Hogwarts thought about it.

Luckily, he was spared any more comments from Ron when the empty pitcher in front of him magically filled with pumpkin juice. Harry made a move for the pitcher, but Ron had already snatched it from the table.

“Finally! I’m parched!” he exclaimed, spilling pumpkin juice onto the table as he eagerly filled his glass. Ginny wordlessly slid her glass next to Ron’s, and he sloshed some into hers as well.

“Hermione?” he asked, raising his eyebrows and motioning toward her with the pitcher.

Hermione had been sitting with her arms crossed, clearly still annoyed by Ron. But her face softened and she gave him a small smile as lifted her glass.

“Thank you,” she said quietly as he filled her glass. She set her glass down abruptly on the table. “Oh, Ron, you’re splashing juice all over my hand!”

Ron gave her an apologetic shrug, before turning to Harry. “Sorry, mate, there’s no more. I’m sure the house elves will send more up from the kitchens in a minute.”

He set the empty pitcher on the table, and Harry sighed, feeling grumpy again. Normally, it only took a few moments for the pitchers to refill, but this time it remained empty.

“One more summer at the Burrow, and you’ll be quick enough to beat Ron to the food,” said Ginny with a lopsided grin. She tossed her long plait over her shoulder as she took a drink of her pumpkin juice. Harry laughed, feeling a bit lighter as his thoughts briefly drifted to the Burrow. At least he’d still be able to play Quidditch with the Weasleys during the summers.

“Hm, wonder what’s going on in the kitchens?” asked Ron, tipping the empty pitcher toward him to check its contents. “It’s never taken this long to get a refill before.”

“Umbridge probably told the house elves to limit our pumpkin juice, just to torture us,” said Ginny darkly.

Harry looked up at the head table, searching for Umbridge in her usual sickening pink outfit. But he was surprised to see she wasn’t there. Hermione interrupted his thoughts before he could puzzle over her absence.

“So what happened with Cho?” asked Hermione, taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. Ron and Ginny had were gulping down theirs as if they hadn’t had anything to drink all day.

After a longing glance at the empty pitcher, he grudgingly told them what had happened at Madam Puddifoot’s tea shop.

***

Ginny drained her pumpkin juice as she listened idly to Harry’s story about his date with Cho. Her thirst was still not quenched after a long day of Quidditch practice. She reached for the pitcher, but was dismayed to see that it was still empty. It seemed they’d been cursed with a pumpkin juice drought.

Not keen on hearing about Harry’s date with Cho, she turned her attention to the Ravenclaw table, her eyes searching for Michael. She had a vague sense that she had wanted to tell him about her first Quidditch practice, but she suddenly realized that she didn’t really care what he thought about it anymore.

Instead, she found herself listening with increasing interest to Harry’s story. She set her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand as she leaned forward, wanting to take in everything about him. He would occasionally run his hand through his messy, jet black hair as he talked, briefly revealing the thin, lightning-shaped scar just above his right eye. The rim of his round glasses gleamed in the light from the setting sun, but his green eyes seemed to shine even more brightly.

Ginny sighed, absently squishing her cheek against the palm of her hand as sank more deeply into it. It had been nearly a year since she’d let herself drink in Harry’s brilliant eyes. She vaguely wondered why she had ever decided to give up on Harry in the first place...

As Harry talked more, she learned that he had agreed to meet Hermione at the Three Broomsticks to do an interview with the Quibbler about Voldemort’s return after his date with Cho. But when he’d told her so, she’d started talking about the other boys she’d dated and abruptly ended the date.

Ginny found that she could barely hold her tongue as Hermione attempted to explain to Harry where he had gone wrong. Any girl who deserved Harry should know him well enough to understand and respect that Hermione is his best friend.

“You should have told her differently,” said Hermione with a patient air. “You should have said it was really annoying, but I’d made you promise to come along to the Three Broomsticks, and you really didn’t want to go, you’d much rather spend the whole day with her, but unfortunately you thought you really ought to meet me and would she please, please come along with you, and hopefully you’d be able to get away more quickly?

“And it might have been a good idea to mention how ugly you think I am too,” Hermione added as an afterthought.

“But I don’t think you’re ugly,” said Harry, looking confused. Hermione and Ginny laughed.

“You shouldn’t have to pretend Hermione is ugly to make your girlfriend happy,” Ginny heard herself say. “Cho could have just asked you if you liked Hermione better than her instead of making assumptions.”

She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as she realized she’d said it out loud. It was almost as though another part of her had said it, as if her mouth had acted of its own accord.

Hermione laughed nervously, clearly caught off guard by Ginny’s directness. “I’m not saying what Cho did was sensible…”

Ginny looked down at her plate immediately, her face burning with embarrassment at her uncharacteristic brashness.

Even though she had meant what she said, she hadn’t intended to say it out loud.

“Well, it certainly would have been easier if she’d just asked,” she heard Harry mutter grumpily. She glanced up for a moment, still mortified, and saw him looking at her. Her heart fluttered, despite her embarrassment.

“Does this mean I should just tell every girl I fancy upfront that I don’t fancy Hermione?” he asked, sounding annoyed.

“Not if she really gets you, Harry,” she replied automatically, again as if her mouth were acting separately from the rest of her body.

“Cho wouldn’t believe you anyway,” said Ron thickly, his mouth full of chicken and potatoes. “Anyone with eyes can see that Hermione’s beautiful.”

Ginny barely noticed Ron’s comment and Hermione’s ensuing blush as a rush of panic shot through her body. What was happening? She was blurting out thoughts she’d never share with Harry and indulging in feelings she had buried inside herself months ago. It was almost as if someone else was controlling her…

Instinctively, she reached behind the bench for her school bag. She’d taken it to Quidditch practice today in case she’d needed some snacks or or a change of clothes. Spinning around in her seat, she ripped open the bag, rifling through it. She’d thought it was impossible that Riddle’s diary could come back, but if she had been writing in it, she knew she wouldn’t remember.

There appeared to be nothing but apples, sugar quills, school books, and clothing in her bag. Yet, Ginny was still not convinced. She closed the bag and threw it on the ground. There was only one way to be sure that the diary was gone–she would need to set her bag on fire and destroy everything inside. She pulled out her wand and had started to mutter the spell when someone bumped into her, knocking her wand out of her hand.

“Oof, pardon me!” said Neville, stooping quickly to pick up her wand. “I must have been lost in thought…”

Ginny took her wand from him, but noticed he wasn’t looking at her. He had a goofy grin on his face as his eyes rapidly scanned the Great Hall.

“Looking for someone?” Ginny asked, raising her head to look around with him. She hadn’t even noticed that the Great Hall had grown quite loud with excited giggles and laughter. Dozens of students had left their seats and were moving between the tables, while others were hurrying toward the entrance hall, holding hands.

“I’m just looking for Hannah,” said Neville absently, his eyes on the Hufflepuff table. “She’s so amazing, you know? I wonder if she’ll go to Hogsmeade with me next month.”

And then he drifted away without another word. At the Hufflepuff table, there were several students brazenly making out, most seemed to be upperclassmen that she’d never met. She furrowed her brow. In her four years at Hogwarts, she had never seen students celebrate Valentine’s Day with such ardor.

She watched Neville slowly make his way to Hannah, puzzling over his and the others’ strange behavior. She’d seen Harry destroy the diary, and there was no reason to believe she’d been writing in it again, especially given that she wasn’t the only person who seemed to be unable to control herself today.

She slowly turned back to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry was silently chewing his food, looking confused. Ginny couldn’t help thinking that he was handsome even when he was eating.

“Oh, Ron!” giggled Hermione, reaching across the table to gently bat him on the arm.

“I mean it, Hermione,” replied Ron, grinning. “You’re the most brilliant witch I’ve ever met.”

Ginny suddenly wanted to vomit. Was Ron flirting? There was definitely something funny going on, and she had a hunch about who was behind it.

She stood up so quickly that she knocked her silverware on the floor. It clattered loudly, but Ron and Hermione didn’t even look up. She clambered over the bench, leaving the silverware, and set off down the aisle.

Within seconds, she spotted Fred and George sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table. They had rolls of parchment spread out on the table and appeared to be surveying the room and taking notes. They both smiled at her as she approached.

“What did you do?” she demanded.

“What do you mean?” asked Fred, grinning impishly. This confirmed to Ginny that the twins had certainly done something to provoke not only her odd behavior, but everyone else’s as well.

“Don’t lie to me,” she said lowering her voice and sitting down next to Fred.

George poured a glass of pumpkin juice and slid it toward her. “You must be parched after such a long day of Quidditch.”

Ginny’s eyes widened. “What did you put in the pumpkin juice?” she asked, her panic returning. Without waiting for a response, she pulled out her wand and Vanished the juice on the table in front of her.

“Hey!” said Fred indignantly. “The house elves spent a lot of time mixing that!”

“You’re having house elves put a love potion into the pumpkin juice?” she said incredulously. “So that’s why the pumpkin juice was taking so long to refill!”

“Who said anything about a love potion?” asked George, looking offended.

Ginny wordlessly motioned around the room, as if it were obvious. At the Hufflepuff table behind them, students had started climbing over the table to join their Gryffindor sweethearts. A moment later, Cormac McLaggen had rushed down the aisle to talk to Romilda, who had been sitting to Ginny’s right.

“Romilda, we are the most good-looking people at Hogwarts,” said McLaggen haughtily. “There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be together.”

“Oh, Cormac,” gushed Romilda. “You’re right–we are beautiful!”

McLaggen bumped Ginny as he wedged himself between her and Romilda on the bench and kissed her passionately.

The twins seemed unperturbed by the mayhem surrounding them. In fact, George was calmly taking notes.

“It’s not a love potion,” explained Fred. “It’s an enhancement potion called Veritas Amare. It reveals your heart’s desire by bringing up your hidden feelings.”

“That still sounds like a love potion to me,” replied Ginny, feeling annoyed.

“No, it’s not a love potion because it doesn’t create love where there is none,” protested Fred. “It removes your inhibitions, so you can experience the love that is already deep in your heart.”

“And we added a bit of Veritaserum, so that you can’t lie to your true love,” said George.

Ginny felt some of the tension leave her shoulders as she realized that she’d blurted her thoughts about Cho because the potion wouldn’t allow her to lie to Harry. But her relief was quickly replaced by anger.

“You can’t just experiment on people without their consent!” she exclaimed. “What if they’re true love doesn’t love them back? They’re going to make fools of themselves in front of them and never know why!”

“She’s just mad because her true love is Harry,” said Fred calmly to George, who nodded sagely.

“So what did you say to Harry?” asked George with a barely suppressed smile.

“Nothing!” she said defensively, irritated that they were trying to change the subject. “What if the potion makes someone sick? Or even kills them?”

“Relax, Ginny,” chuckled George. “We’ve been working on this for years. It just recently passed testing with the Department of Magical Enhancement Potions and has been approved for limited release.”

Ginny was floored. She hadn’t expected the twins to have put so much time and thought into this. It suddenly seemed like this was much more than a silly Valentine’s Day prank.

“Testing? Limited release?” she asked incredulously. “That must have cost a fortune. Where did you get the gold for that?”

“We have a private investor,” replied Fred, sounding smug.

But Ginny thought this sounded like bad news. She was immediately reminded of the illegal gambling the twins had done with Ludo Bagman at the World Cup last year. “You’d better not be getting mixed up with–”

“It’s nothing like that, Ginny. We swear,” said Fred quickly, as if reading her thoughts.

“Honest,” replied George, looking earnest. “You’d like him, he’s a good bloke.”

“I think you’d even love him,” added Fred, snickering. George threw a dinner roll at him, as if he wanted to silence him.

“You know what, I don’t want to know about your dodgy investor,” said Ginny, realizing she didn’t want to get involved with their nonsense. “As long as you’re sure you’re not going to accidentally kill anyone–”

“It’s fine, Ginny,” said George, reassuringly. “The only side effect is the amnesia–”

“And some people don’t even experience it!” interrupted Fred.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, her worry intensifying. The more she learned, the less she liked. “Amnesia?” she said faintly.

“Right,” nodded Fred. “The vast majority of people who drink the potion forget the entire experience afterward. We’re trying to work out how to stop the from happening.”

“But honestly, it’s probably better that people forget. Look at this madness,” said George, motioning around the Great Hall.

Ginny looked around. Draco Malfoy was rushing toward the door with Pansy Parkinson simpering at his heels. Neville had found Hannah, and the two were locked in a passionate embrace. Food littered the floor where students had passionately cleared the table to lock lips with each other.

“Oh, look,” said George, bringing her attention back to the twins. “The next batch of pumpkin juice is ready.”

Ginny’s head snapped toward Harry, who was still sitting with Ron and Hermione at the other end of the Gryffindor table.

She was suddenly gripped with irrational dread. What if he drank the pumpkin juice and his heart’s desire wasn’t her? Even though she’d decided to give up on him, in the back of her mind she’d always believed in the faintest, slimmest, wildest chance that Harry might one day return her feelings.

And this awful Veritas Amare potion might finally snuff out that small ray of hope.

“I knew it was Harry,” smirked Fred, following Ginny’s gaze. “It’s always been Harry.”

Ginny ignored him. “I have to stop him from drinking that potion,” she said quietly, unable to tear her gaze away from Harry.

“But you won’t,” said George matter-of-factly.

Ginny spun around, glaring at her brother. “Why not?” she spat, offended.

“The potion won’t allow you to act against your best interests,” he replied, folding his arms smugly.

“What’d you mean by that? How is it in my best interest to have Harry doused in love potion?” demanded Ginny, feeling her panic rise again at the reminder that she wasn’t fully in control of herself.

“Right now, you don’t think Harry fancies you,” explained Fred.

“He’s dating Cho. I think that’s a pretty clear signal,” she replied acidly.

“Right, but you’re hoping she’s not his heart’s desire–” he continued.

“I don’t think about Harry anymore,” Ginny retorted, speaking as much to herself as her brother.

“Except that he’s all you can think about right now,” smirked Fred.

“A little bit of Veritas Amare might–” started George, but Ginny cut him off.

“Shut it!” she snapped, unwilling to hear the ugly truth. She didn’t want to believe that she wanted to know Harry’s heart so badly that she’d knowingly let him drink a love potion to find out. Automatically, she turned back toward Harry, who was still talking to Ron and Hermione.

Even from this distance, Ginny could tell that Harry was uncomfortable. Ron was leaning across the table to tuck a lock of Hermione’s bushy brown behind her ear while Hermione appeared to be giggling.

Then, Harry reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice and filled his glass to the brim. Ginny’s heart leapt into her throat. She knew that she should stop him. She could call out to him or destroy his glass with a well-aimed Blasting Curse. But she was paralyzed, rooted to the spot, unable to tear her eyes away from him. Her heart was pounding in her throat. Who was Harry’s true love? She knew it wasn’t Cho. He’d be sitting with her at the Ravenclaw table if he really wanted to be with her, despite their awful date.

Ginny let out a small gasp as Harry drank deeply from his glass, nearly draining it in one go.

“It’s done. Nothing you can do now, sis,” she heard George say from behind her.

“When does it wear off?” she demanded, as she whipped her head around to face her brother. She was desperate to be released from the agony of pining over Harry while watching him fall in love with someone else.

“Usually about six hours, but it depends on how much is consumed and how strong your will is,” explained George calmly. “Some people can resist its effects more than others.”

Ginny stormed away, unwilling to waste another moment talking about this dreadful love potion. Her feet were automatically carrying her along the Gryffindor table, back to Harry. With great effort, she forced herself to turn around and head toward the Ravenclaw table. She wasn’t going to give Fred and George the satisfaction of seeing her rush to Harry and fawn all over him.

She shuddered at the thought. She’d worked so hard to bury her feelings for him. She didn’t want a silly potion to reduce her back into the lovesick little girl who was too shy to even speak in Harry’s presence. But now all she could think about was his adorably messy black hair and the way his eyes brightened when he smiled.

Fortunately, she found Michael easily at the Ravenclaw table. But as she drew closer, she saw that he was one of several boys who were now talking avidly to Cho. Ginny fought the urge to roll her eyes. Cho tossed her long, silky hair, surrounded by boys and giggling girlishly. Ginny suspected they’d all drank some pumpkin juice.

Michael didn’t seem to notice Ginny until she tapped him on the shoulder.

“Ginny,” said Michael, looking confused.

“Hi,” she said lamely, suddenly unsure of what to say. She vaguely remembered being attracted to Michael, but it felt like such a long time ago now. A different Ginny from the distant past had wanted to tell Michael all about her first Quidditch practice and hear about his day in Hogsmeade. But at the moment, she didn’t care what he thought about her Quidditch practice nor what he did with his time.

“Hi,” he replied, rather stupidly.

“Er, I was just talking to Cho,” he added pointedly, as if implying that Ginny should leave.

There was a time in which Ginny might have been hurt by Michael’s dismissiveness. She might have felt jilted by him for the same girl who had stolen Harry’s heart... But instead, Ginny blinked owlishly at Michael, puzzling over how quickly her infatuation with him had dissipated and how shallow it had seemed compared to her deep feelings for Harry.

Suddenly, she heard a voice close to her ear.

“Ginny,” Harry said softly, his warm breath tickling her neck.

Ginny jumped, startled. “Harry!” she gasped, spinning around to find him standing directly behind her.

Harry closed his hand around her arm, just above her elbow. His palm against her skin was warm and sent a shock of electricity through her body.

“We’d better get back to the Gryffindor table,” he said quietly, his eyes darting to the head table. Without waiting for her response, he started to gently steer her away from Michael.

Ginny whipped her head back toward Michael and Cho, feeling disoriented. Why was Harry at the Ravenclaw table? Had she been wrong? Was Cho truly his heart’s desire? Had he shown up to talk to Cho, but realized he needed to get rid of Ginny first?

“Why are we going back?” Ginny blurted, desperate to know the truth and unable to stop herself.

“Umbridge,” Harry muttered, not looking back at her as he led her back to the Gryffindor table.

Ginny’s eyes shot to the head table. Umbridge had taken her usual place at the center, wearing a pastel pink twill skirt and cardigan, adorned with a red heart-shaped pin near her collar. Her beady eyes were fixed threateningly on Harry and Ginny.

She felt a flash of anger and annoyance. There was no doubt in her mind that Umbridge was looking for a reason to give her detention for fraternizing with students outside of her house. As far as she knew, there still wasn’t an Educational Decree banning inter-house friendships...

But Ginny quickly forgot her anger as Harry and she reached Ron and Hermione. The two of them were leaning across the table with their heads close together, clearly laughing about something private. Hermione’s hand lay face up on the table while Ron idly drew circles with his finger on her palm. Ginny couldn’t help feeling a rush of happiness for the two of them–it was clear that they were each other’s heart’s desire.

“Budge up, Ron,” said Harry loudly, as if to announce their presence.

Ron gave Harry and Ginny an annoyed look and grudgingly scooted over a few inches. Ginny sat down next to him, expecting Harry to set off around the table to return to his seat across from her. But to her surprise, he awkwardly wedged himself onto her other side and Ginny found herself pressed tightly between Harry and Ron.

“Geroff, Ginny!” groaned Ron, shoving her into Harry. She felt her stomach explode with butterflies as her arm pressed against Harry’s side.

“Why don’t we take a walk, Ron?” said Hermione quietly, sending Ginny a meaningful look. She wondered if Hermione had realized they’d drank a love potion or if she was simply communicating her joy that Ron seemed to have suddenly realized his feelings for her.

Ron grunted his assent as he roughly disentangled himself from Ginny, somehow shoving her further into Harry. Harry lifted his arm and held it above her to allow her more space. Her face burned as her cheek brushed against his chest and she caught a whiff of his minty scent.

As soon as Ron was gone, Ginny scooted away from Harry. While the contact had been exhilarating, she still had enough self-control to respect his personal space. Besides, she suspected he’d be hurrying back to Cho now that he had removed Ginny from the situation.

“I’m sure you’ll want be heading back to talk to Cho,” she blurted, unable to keep her thoughts to herself.

Harry blinked at her owlishly. “Who?”

“Cho,” she replied, motioning toward the Ravenclaw table. She furrowed her brow, confused. George had said the potion caused amnesia after it wore off. Harry shouldn’t have any problems with his memory right now.

“Oh,” he said quickly, clearly catching up. “No, I don’t want to talk to Cho.”

Ginny’s heart leapt. There was nothing wrong with Harry’s memory, and it seemed that Cho might not be his heart’s desire after all!

“That’s wonderful,” she replied, giving him what she could only imagine was a goofy grin while silently cursing her brothers’ potion.

“What were you and Michael talking about? Making any Valentine’s plans?” he asked, thankfully ignoring her comment.

“Plans with Michael? Of course not!” she laughed. The idea of going on a date with Michael seemed absurd. She’d just as soon go on a date with Seamus or Colin. It was like Michael was just another friend now.

“I just thought that you might want to go out with him since you weren’t able to go with him to Hogsmeade today,” Harry replied, running a hand through his hair.

Ginny narrowed her eyes, studying him. Harry seemed nervous and unusually interested in Michael. A small part of her wanted to ask him what he was getting at, but her tongue suddenly felt too heavy to speak. Her curiosity was fleeting, however, and was replaced by an overwhelming urge to set the record straight on how she currently felt about Michael.

“I don’t want to go out with Michael,” she said in a rush, her tongue suddenly loosening. She swallowed hard, willing herself not to add, But I’d love to go out with you.

Ginny’s stomach clenched at her unintended honesty. Harry nodded silently, his face unreadable.

“So how was Quidditch practice?” he asked abruptly.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, a bit taken aback by the sudden change of subject. But she relaxed quickly. She would much rather talk about Quidditch than her love life with Harry Potter.


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