Author's Note: These stories are all one-shot, 1000-word responses to the Summer Writing Series Challenge, so each one is not related to
the next.
Summer Writing Series Challenge (July 14)
Challenge: Single Story Week: Harry/Hermione is confronted by a former crush
Challenge Conditions: Each day we'll post a challenge topic as usual, but each consecutive day you
will continue your story from the day before...and on Friday you'll have a 6000+ word story that flows from
beginning to end and includes each of the daily challenges as given.
Title: Quidditch and Quills (Part 3)
Word Count: 1,006
"Me too," Ginny said, looking at her watch. "It's almost time to leave."
"Yeah, we should go queue up," Ron agreed as he saw several other students heading out of the Great Hall.
The group gathered their things and made their way out to the castle doors, standing in line to leave. Hermione and Ron were discussing what shops they planned to visit while Harry was still deep in thought about that quill. Something just didn't seem right about it. They stepped out of the front doors and followed the other students down toward the village.
"Harry," Ginny said quietly, holding his arm and letting the other two get a little ahead of them. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure Ginny," he said and slowed down to walk by her side. "What's up?"
Ginny fidgeted with the edge of her jumper a little as they walked. Then she took a deep breath.
"Harry…you, err…you knew about my big crush on you, right?" she asked quickly, turning a light shade of pink.
"Umm," he started a little uncertainly. He knew that back in her first few years at school she'd had a crush on him, but he thought she was over it. They'd never really talked about it though, and the way she'd just asked the question, he wasn't so sure now. "I…err…"
She looked at him and realized why he was hesitant to answer. "Oh, not anymore," she said with a slight smile. "But a few years ago."
"Oh, right," he said, much relieved. "Yeah, I knew. Ron and the twins sort of mentioned it once or twice." He grinned.
"A day?" she asked with a laugh. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, listen," she began, leaning in close. "She'll kill me if she knows I told you this…," she paused, taking another deep breath, then whispered, "but someone we know has a crush on you."
Harry was a bit startled by this news. "Wh - what??"
He immediately began going over a mental list of who it could be; anyone from their year really, or maybe their house, or from the DA. He wasn't very close to many girls, but he did know a lot of them casually from around school.
"Actually, I'd have to honestly say I think it's more than a crush. I think she's really in love with you."
At this Harry stopped dead in his tracks and turned his head to look at her directly.
"But how can someone be in love with me?" he asked with complete shock.
"Shh!! Keep walking," she said, giving him a nudge. They were ten paces or so behind Ron and Hermione, who had since been joined by Neville.
He pondered the idea for a moment and then said, "I don't even really know any girls that well aside from you and Hermione."
Ginny looked at him sheepishly.
Suddenly he felt like his heart, stomach, and brain all swapped places for an instant. If it wasn't Ginny, then could it be, "H - Hermione?" he asked
She gave him a look that clearly said, "I'm not going to say yes, but yes."
He looked ahead at his female best friend. On occasion he'd had thoughts about how pretty she looked by the firelight in the common room, or how cute it was when she chewed on her lip while she was deep in thought, but he'd always pushed those thoughts and feelings away, not wanting to acknowledge them. He never thought that she could possibly feel anything more than friendship for him, so he'd contented himself with that relationship.
Now his mind was running all over the place with new thoughts; did he really feel the same way about her, or was it just because he thought she was off-limits? Could they possibly have a chance at a romantic relationship together? What would happen to their friendship with Ron?
"Why are you telling me this?" he asked.
"Because it's just like you said, you knew about my crush on you because my brothers told you. Do you think you'd have ever noticed if they hadn't?"
He thought seriously about her question. He really didn't know much about girls at all, and the way Ginny had acted around him back then was mostly just clamming up when he came around and blushing. If he hadn't known that she liked him, he felt sure he'd probably have just thought she was a little strange.
"Probably not."
"Right. You're not exactly aware of everyone around you and their emotions sometimes," she said. "And I'm not criticizing, but I'm just saying that if no one ever told you she was interested in you as more than a friend, I'm not sure you'd have ever figured it out."
"Should I have?"
Ginny laughed. "Oh Harry," she said, as if she were talking to a child, "If you haven't seen the
signs, then you're the only person at school who hasn't. It's so incredibly obvious. The way she looks at
you, stands up for you… Why do you think that they keep writing about you two in the Prophet? You're not exactly
giving out I-could-never-think-of-her-as-more-than-a-f
Harry didn't say anything. He could hardly believe they were having this conversation.
"So how do you feel about her?"
"I don't know," Harry answered honestly. He looked ahead at Hermione again and watched her laughing with their friends. She put an arm around Neville's shoulder, saying something animatedly to him, and the shy boy blushed. Harry felt a pang of jealousy, which in truth was not too unfamiliar; as with the other signs he'd felt before, he'd chosen to ignore the green-eyed monster.
"Well? Do you get butterflies around her? Think she's pretty? Thought about kissing her?" Ginny asked with a grin.
Harry remembered their nose-to-nose encounter that morning and blushed.
"Ah-hah!" Ginny said triumphantly. "I think you've got a thing for her, too."
Harry let his eyes fall on Hermione again, then shrugged. "Maybe I do."