Snogging

“Yum…corned beef sandwiches,” Ron muttered before pretending to gag in the paper sack. He opened the train compartment door and looked down the corridor. “Where the bloody hell is that witch with the food trolley?”

“Ron!” Hermione exclaimed, “watch your language!”

“Yes, Mum,” Ron said.

“You missed the food trolley when you were in the prefect meeting,” Harry informed them.

Ron looked positively depressed at this information and cursed under his breath. “Hermione? Could you be a doll, and…um…I mean…”

Hermione was looking daggers at Ron.

Harry, sensing an argument arising, stood up hastily. “I think I’ll go to the food trolley. Ron? Hermione? Want some cauldron cakes?”

The two nodded mutely, slightly flushed, glaring at each other. Harry hurried out of the compartment and down the aisle to the food trolley, listening to the steady chugga chugga of the Hogwarts Express. He grabbed a handful of cauldron cakes, tossed the witch a galleon, and made his way back to Ron and Hermione.

“Hey, Harry!” Harry spun around and came face to face with Ginny Weasley.

“Oh, hey, Gin.”

“Looking forward to your sixth year?”

“More like dreading it,” Harry said with a sad smile.

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Ginny said thoughtfully. “I’ll see you later, Harry.” Harry watched as she disappeared through another door.

He grasped the handle of his own compartment with some trepidation—he was not exactly looking forward to entering another famous brawl of Ron and Hermione’s. What he saw when he slid the door open, however, was far more shocking than anything he had expected.

Ron and Hermione were not arguing. Their mouths were far too occupied…with each other. Traumatized, Harry silently closed the door and sped through the corridor.

“What the hell…they were…kissing…they were bloody snogging…” People stared as Harry stormed through the passageway. He shoved them aside, not caring if they thought he was deranged. It didn’t matter to him anymore. Without thinking, he pushed open the door of the compartment he had seen Ginny enter earlier.

“What the bloody hell did I miss?” he demanded, gesturing to the general direction where he had witnessed Ron and Hermione.

Ginny gaped at Harry. “Excuse me?”

“Ron…Hermione…snogging…”

“Ooh, really?” Ginny squealed.

“You knew about this?”

“Well, no, but it’s about time, isn’t it? I had hoped they would have been together before this. I mean all of Gryffindor did. But now that they are, I’m so happy for—“

“Ginny! They were snogging!”

“You don’t have to say it like it’s a curse, Harry.”

“I don’t think you understand,” said Harry, hyperventilating. “They were snogging!”

“Well you saw it coming, didn’t you? Since your fourth year, right?”

Harry stared at her, bewildered.

“You…you didn’t? Harry…it was so obvious!”

“Well it’s not every day you think about your two best friends snogging each other, Ginny!” Harry groaned, then collapsed on the seat across from her. “Why didn’t they tell me, Gin?” he pleaded.

“Oh, Harry,” Ginny said. “I’m sure they had their reasons.”

“Give me one good reason not to tell your best friend that…that you’ve been…” Harry didn’t say it, but his mind completed the thought. Snogging.

“Well, surely they knew that you would react like this. They didn’t want you to have one more thing to worry about.”

“And I’m not worried now?” Harry said, gripping his hair.

“Well…they probably didn’t want you to think that you would be left out. It’s always been you three, and maybe they thought if they told you about their…um…new development, you might feel like the third wheel.”

Harry stared at her. “It almost makes sense,” he said, feeling slightly more relaxed. “I’m still mad, though.”

“Give it a while. You’ll get used to the idea. And when the time comes that they do decide to tell you, just imagine Hermione’s face when you tell her you already know,” Ginny said, a smirk playing across her face.

Harry grinned. “That is going to be priceless. Well, thanks, Gin.”

“Anytime, Harry.”

“Oh, and Ginny? How’s it going with Dean Thomas?”

Ginny stared at him, confused; a look of comprehension dawned on her face. “Oh, that’s right. You all think I was dating him.”

“Heh?”

Ginny smirked. “Harry, I was never going out with Dean. I just said that to make y…to get Ron worked up.”

“Oh,” Harry said with a grin. He paused, then muttered, “good.”

“What?”

"Nothing. Hey, er, do me a favor, will you? Come with me back to Ron and Hermione. You go first."

Ginny tried to hide her laughter, but failed miserably.

"Hey, I just don't want to…see anything else."

Ginny bit her lip to fight back a grin. "Sure, Harry."