Anyone But Me

Chapter Seventy-Five

"Oh My Gods!!"

Ginny's squeal of delight reached her ears over the orderless noise of celebration around them. The Gryffindor Team had won the Cup! An accomplishment that everyone had doubted when Harry was side-lined by his "blunder". Yet, the team had railed and annihilated the Ravenclaws. Over three hundred and ten points had separated the teams by the time the snitch was caught. Dour over having to miss the match, Harry had entered the common room expecting outcries of heartache and ended up kissing the redhead in his jubilation at the unanticipated news.

Hermione laughed at the wide-eyed expression of shock on the witch's face. "Better than you were anticipating?"

"Is this real? You should pinch me to make sure..." Ginny said earnestly, offering an arm that was still covered by the long sleeve of her maroon and gold Quidditch uniform.

She looked at the wizard who was standing near the portrait hole. A soft smile on his lips as he waited patiently for her friend to return. "I would but he is watching."

"Let me borrow your coat! He wants to go for a walk!" The girl was giddy with excitement.

"In the time you took to talk to me, you could have gone and gotten your own." Hermione teased, crossing her arms around her middle to indicate she had no intention of taking it off.

The other witch glanced over her shoulder to make sure Harry was still waiting, "Look, I am sorry I've been such a bitch lately... I thought..."

"You thought what, Gin?" Her interest suddenly peaked at the answer to one of the questions that had nagged at her for too many days.

"I thought he was your Mystery Guy..."

"My..." The words didn't make sense in that order and it took her a second to figure out what Ginny had said. "...Ew."

"I know... Well, I don't know about the 'ew' part, but when he kissed me..." Her friend started to get a dazed far-off look to her before a particularly loud whoop came from the group of Fourth Years next to them. "Can I have your coat now that I apologized?"

"Yeah, yeah." Hermione shrugged out of the garment and handed it over. A smirk crossed her lips as she repeated the warning given to her months ago. "Don't do anything I would."

"Oh puh-lease!" The girl scoffed, before giving a quick hug of thanks and rushing over to an awed Harry. He looked down at her like she was a madonna reincarnate. Some priceless treasure that he'd found long ago and was finally able to show off to the world. With a near-identical look on her own face, Ginny followed him out into the night that awaited them.

Another loud shriek of laughter from the group of juveniles had her scanning the crowd for someone else to converse with. The scarce groupings of acquaintances that she would be welcomed to join were all deep in their various festivities. Joking or commemorating about the game with their actual friends. She, instantaneously, felt out of place in a room where she had spent most of her free time over the last six years.

Until she zeroed in on Ron. He sat in a random chair, staring at the door his best friend and sister had just passed through. His face blank as he clutched the silver chalice of victory to his chest.

She made her way through the crowd, sat down on the arm of his chair, and offered up a smile, "How goes it?"

Startled by her appearance, he jumped and clenched the keepsake tighter, "I... They left... Without even sayin' anything to me."

"You gave them your blessing." She reminded, as gently as she could with the pandemonium around them.

"I know, I just thought he would say something to me, you know?" Ron said, his eyebrows furrowed as he continued to stare at the, apparently offensive, piece of wood.