A/N: Well, this is the long-awaited sequel to You Don't Know Me!! I'm sorry it took awhile. I did write a lot of the middle and the end of the story, but had so much trouble starting it out. I hope you like what I decided on! Please review! Thank you all for reading my last story, and reviewing the last chapter. I would thank you all personally, but I can't because I'm so excited to get this out, that I just want to quickly write this, then post, post, post!! But thank you all! Now on with the story!
Remember, this is a sequel. If anyone has not read my first story You Don't Know Me then I heavily suggest that you do, or you may be lost! I suppose you could read this without reading the first story, but I advise you to read the first one, first. It's not all that bad – really!
Disclaimer: I own nothing of this story, except the plot. Characters belong to J.K. Rowling who is...enormously cool. All credit to her!
***
"You've had an owl."
"What?" Harry looked up at me, quickly. He had been putting the finishing touches on his Potions essay.
"An. Owl." I said, dragging out the words as though he were a stupid prat. Oh wait, I mused, he is.
"Oh," Harry said, without enthusiasm. He looked over towards the window, where a beautiful brown and gold owl was flying at top speed to keep up with the Hogwarts Express, and this particular compartment window.
"Eager, isn't she?" Hermione commented.
"Gee," I said sarcastically. "Who has an owl like that?"
Harry shot me a look, walked over a little unsteadily to the window, unlatched it, and a bit awkwardly pulled the owl inside.
"Oy! Mate! Close the window it's bloody freezing!"
Ron had just been brutally awoken from his slumber by the bitter wind. Well, all's well for him, isn't it?
Harry smiled as he untied the note from the owl's leg. His smile only grew wider as he read what the letter contained.
"From Cho is it?" Seamus said in a mocking voice.
"Ah of course..." Dean grinned. "Only a beautiful owl could bring a letter from a beautiful girl."
I glared at both of them. Of course I knew they were joking, and making fun of Harry, which I don't mind, it just...hurt. I shook my head, as Harry couldn't wipe that look off his face - the look that I used to bring to his face, even if it was only for a brief moment at that.
I chomped down hard on my bottom lip as Harry pushed the letter aside and Dean leapt forward to grab it, and I saw Cho's swirly writing, throughout the parchment.
"Dear Harry," Dean read in a high-pitched voice. Seamus and Ron were sniggering in the background."I know it's only been just, like, hours since I've seen you...but I need to feel your lips upon mine. I just wanted to let you know-" Now Seamus and Ron were making gagging noises. "-that you're, like, the best kisser ever. It felt-"
"Well – we don't all have to know what it felt like!" Harry said jumping up and pulling the letter swiftly away. His face was red and I'm not quite sure whether it was out of fury or embarrassment. Both, most likely.
"Now we'll never know what it felt like to kiss you!" Seamus said faking upset.
"Ah, well," Ron sighed. "We could always improvise."
Harry seemed even less taken with this idea, and Hermione was shaking her head disapprovingly.
"Heaven-like," Dean said languorously.
"Blissfully perfect," Ron added dreamily.
"Orgasmically amazing."
Ron, Dean and even Hermione all snorted at Seamus's comment, and Harry went, if possible, even redder. I sincerely hoped it wasn't because Seamus had guessed Cho's words right on the money.
I couldn't explain to you how in the world they were together - again - even if I wanted to. It just...happened. Not the day after mine and Harry's fight, and not even the day after the day after. Well, I'm sure over those two days it gradually grew, but I couldn't tell precisely until I had seen them kiss. The day before we had to return to Hogwarts after winter break. Four days after Harry and I were unofficially not speaking to each other.
***
"I can't believe you're actually leaving..." Cho whispered. She sounded mildly hurt, but made the act out as if it were the end of the world.
"I have to," Harry said reluctantly, buying every piece of her act.
"It's just..." Cho sniffled. My mouth had dropped open in disgust, and I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to miss you!" She burst out, flinging her arms around Harry's neck.
I'm not exaggerating anything a bit when I say that at that moment I started gagging.
That's when it happened. She leaned forward, and kissed him. Just like that. Not a peck...it was full frontal snogging. Tongue...everything. And he kissed her right back.
I could deal with it when we weren't talking. I managed to get through that. And, I could just pull through when I saw them kissing, I could've gone on, with that in my head. But when Harry's eyes opened, and he saw me standing there watching them, he locked eyes with me, ever fiber in my body shaking, and he closed his eyes again, and went straight on kissing her.
It killed.
And I knew that I wouldn't make it. That I wasn't going to be okay. Because every feeling I had ever felt for him came crashing down, and I just turned on my heel and sped away.
And right then I understood how your life could change in an instant - how you could feel like dying if you couldn't get the one you loved, how you could know that nothing would ever be better again. I understood it all, because I felt it all.
***
"--Ginny?? Earth to Ginny??"
I suddenly snapped myself back to present time, and noticed that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dean, and Seamus - all cramped in our little train compartment - were staring at me. "Sorry," I mumbled.
Hermione smiled. "It's alright," She said. "We're going to be at Hogwarts any minute so I was just saying we should probably get another compartment and change into our robes, while the guys change here."
"Yeah," I agreed. I stood up, and bumped into something very solid.
"Ow! OH..."
My cheeks were now officially burning.
"Sorry," Harry and I said simultaneously. Clearly we had both stood up at the same time. Harry sat back down very quickly and I was glad to see that I wasn't the only one turning into a lobster.
Ron coughed loudly, making me very aware of how quiet it was in here, and that the whole group was witnessing mine and Harry's small exchange.
"Come on, Ginny," Hermione said exasperatedly, and grabbed me by the arm pulling me out of that compartment, into a vacant one, and sliding the door shut. "Pull yourself together!" Hermione near shouted, turning to me.
"Hermione!" I said, making sure the door was safely shut.
"Ginny, you have got to pull yourself together out there!" She repeated. "You need to
get-"
"Don't say get over him," I warned. "That's not an option."
Hermione began changing out of her muggle clothes into her uniform. "Ginny this isn't healthy!"
"It's not like I'm skipping meals!" I said defensively, as I began changing as well.
"I know...it's just - you have to smile once in a while!"
I sat down to pull on my knee socks. "What if there's nothing to smile about?"
Hermione looked harshly over at me. "Don't say that."
"It's-" I trailed off. "Hermione...what if you help me..."
"Help you how?" She asked skeptically.
I felt the excitement mounting. "Help me get back at Harry! Put him through as much pain as I'm in now."
Hermione sighed. "Ginny..."
At her tone I felt all my excitement drain away. "Can you for one second pretend like he's not your best friend? Please."
"But he is," She said simply.
Very suddenly I felt on the verge of tears. Was everyone turning against me?
"And you are too, Ginny!" Hermione said quickly. "It's just..."
I know how eleven-year-old it would have been to make her go on a guilt trip. How pathetic it would be to sink to that level. But did I care? And hell, if it could work...then why not? "It's just that I'm your best girl friend. And Harry's not just your best guy friend; he's your best best friend. No one measures up to either him or Ron. Trust me, I know what it's like being placed second."
Works every time.
Hermione's shoulders sagged in defeat. "I'm not going to tell you some brilliant plan on how to get back at him and maybe kill him emotionally-"
"I'm not asking you to," I interrupted. Always plead innocent.
"-But," She continued, with a hard stare, and a final heavy sigh. She had resigned. "I'll tell you this. And you can decide what to make of it."
I nodded in a business like manner.
"Well...it's between you and Harry - Harry and you. And Harry's got Cho on his side. Two against one. Isn't it time you evened the odds?" She did this little 'oh-so-Hermione' eyebrow raise, and swiftly slid open the compartment, walked out and slid the door shut behind her.
I casually leaned up against the window, for support from the vibration of the train. "Even the odds..." I mumbled to myself. "Even the odds..." Ah, Hermione's damn riddles! She can never simply say what she wants to!
I shook my head, pulling my Hogwarts robes on, over my uniform. Alright. Harry's got Cho, and therefore he is single-handedly taking my heart and throwing it into a closet full of out-of-control cornish pixies. I cringed at the thought.
So that's what's killing me. Cho. The Ex. The bitch. The-
I suddenly fell backwards, plopping down on one of the seats as Hermione's words suddenly pieced themselves together into something so plainly obvious that I was amazed that I had not realized it before.
It was time to bring another guy into the picture.
***
A/N2: Well, there's chapter 1! I hope you liked it, please tell me what you thought by reviewing!! Much thanks to Kristi for beta-ing and listening to me whining constantly!!