Harry's Shorts

Aid and Comfort

So, there I was, trying to coax my Muse to work on the next chapter of Yuletide Blessing in Disguise or Damaged Bridges—she's being a bit moody at the moment—when she huffed at me and said, "FINE! You want a story idea, here it is..."

As with some of my other short stories, this will take a bit of set up with chapter and verse citations from the books to set the scene and remind readers of the key events leading up to the short story. The quoted and cited passages from Half-Blood Prince are all JK Rowling's and no plagiarism is intended.

Summary: Harry's best mate is being a bit of a tosser towards Hermione lately (what else is new) and Ginny's got the hots for Dean. Ron had a jealous snit about Slughorn's upcoming Christmas Party, but Hermione—for some ungodly reason—invited Ron to go with her anyway. A few days later, Harry and Ron chance upon Ginny and Dean snogging, and Ron... well... is Ron...

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Half-Blood Prince ch 14:

"Right," said Ginny, tossing her long red hair out of her face and glaring at Ron, "let's get this straight once and for all. It is none of your business who I go out with or what I do with them, Ron—"

"Yeah, it is!" said Ron, just as angrily. "D' you think I want people saying my sister's a—"

"A what?" shouted Ginny, drawing her wand. "A what, exactly?"

"He doesn't mean anything, Ginny—" said Harry automatically, though the monster was roaring its approval of Ron's words.

"Oh yes he does!" she said, flaring up at Harry. "Just because he's never snogged anyone in his life, just because the best kiss he's ever had is from our Auntie Muriel—"

"Shut your mouth!" bellowed Ron, bypassing red and turning maroon.

"No, I will not!" yelled Ginny, beside herself. "I've seen you with Phlegm, hoping she'll kiss you on the cheek every time you see her, it's pathetic! If you went out and got a bit of snogging done yourself, you wouldn't mind so much that everyone else does it!"

Ron had pulled out his wand too; Harry stepped swiftly between them.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Ron roared, trying to get a clear shot at Ginny around Harry, who was now standing in front of her with his arms outstretched. "Just because I don't do it in public—"

Ginny screamed with derisive laughter, trying to push Harry out of the way.

"Been kissing Pigwidgeon, have you? Or have you got a picture of Auntie Muriel stashed under your pillow?"

"You—"

A streak of orange light flew under Harry's left arm and missed Ginny by inches; Harry pushed Ron up against the wall.

"Don't be stupid—"

"Harry's snogged Cho Chang!" shouted Ginny, who sounded close to tears now. "And Hermione snogged Viktor Krum, it's only you who acts like it's something disgusting, Ron, and that's because you've got about as much experience as a twelve-year-old!"

And with that, she stormed away. Harry quickly let go of Ron; the look on his face was murderous. They both stood there, breathing heavily, until Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat, appeared around the corner, which broke the tension.

[...]

Neither of them mentioned Ginny or Hermione again; indeed, they barely spoke to each other that evening and got into bed in silence, each absorbed in his own thoughts.