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Ron watched as his sister ran across the room and threw herself into Harry’s arms. His jaw dropped slightly as Harry - his best friend - didn’t even hesitate in catching her and kissing her, right on the mouth, no shame.
Ron’s mind seemed to go very blank as he looked at them. Their eyes closed, Ginny lifted off the ground slightly, Harry attached to her face.
That’s my sister, Ron thought vaguely, but for some reason, he wasn’t consumed with the same fury he had experienced with Dean or Michael.
They broke apart, and the stunned silence that had filled the common room turned into nervous giggling. Ginny was grinning up at Harry, who was blinking back down at her with a dazed looking smile, which suddenly dropped from his face as he searched the room and finally looked at Ron with a hesitant, ‘can I?’ sort of expression.
His head still filled with fuzzy shock, Ron replayed the kiss in his mind, as though looking through omnioculars. His sister and his best friend, kissing one another. His little sister. Harry. Ginny and Harry.
Harry rescued her once, a voice advised him in the back of his mind. He’s got that saving people thing. That’s quite useful.
Ah, yes, said another wise voice, but you have also exchanged wank jokes and innuendos with him for almost six years, all of which now feel extremely filthy and inappropriate. And that’s your little sister he has his hands on, those same hands that you have seen making crude gestures.
You sort of wanted this, though, argued the other voice. You realised when Hermione had a go at you at the end of last year and demanded to know who would be good enough for Ginny.
He had thought of all of this very fast, considering the sensation he felt of a rug being pulled out from under him. Harry was still staring at him with that mildly pathetic, hopeful look.
Without really fully understanding why, Ron jerked his head, the words ‘fine, I suppose,’ unable to actually come from his mouth but apparently showing on his face. He saw Harry grin eagerly at Ginny, take her by the hand, and the pair of them ran out of the common room - he could hear their spluttered laughter mixed with the cheers and wolf-whistles of the crowd.
‘Dean!’ called Seamus, and Ron turned just in time to see the back of Dean’s head vanishing up the stairs to the dorm, Seamus in quick pursuit.
On the other side of the room, Romilda Vane was being led to the girls dorms, gasping through choking sobs, ‘what - does - she - have - that - I - don’t?’
Ron wanted to shout, ‘she’s never spiked anyone!’ but was still feeling a little overwhelmed. He could see a few people grinning in amusement at him, looking for his reaction. He realised he was still holding the Quidditch cup, and he carefully put it down on the nearest table, trying to adjust to this new development in his life.
‘Ron…?’ came a cautious voice. He turned to see Hermione beaming at him. ‘Are you OK?’
‘Yes,’ he said, louder than he intended. A few people nearby sniggered, and he ignored them. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
Hermione nodded happily. ‘Isn’t it wonderful?’
Ron stared at the portrait hole, as though expecting to see Harry and Ginny still there. ‘Sure,’ he said, baffled. ‘I… Yeah, I guess.’
‘I knew Harry fancied her,’ said Hermione smugly.
‘Did you?’ he asked, surprised.
She raised her eyebrows at him. ‘Didn’t you? He’s been about as subtle as a blast-ended skrewt.’
‘Has he?’ He frowned, trying to think back. Harry hadn’t said anything. He hadn’t noticed him going all red and stammery like he had with Cho, either. Perhaps, maybe, if he really thought about it there had been a few times during Quidditch practice where he thought Harry seemed uncharacteristically cheerful. And now that he thought about it, Harry hadn’t offered up any dirty jokes at all lately, he seemed to avoid the topic around him altogether. In fact, recently when Ron had casually brought up the topic of sex Harry had shut it down immediately. And there had been one occasion, not too long ago, when he’d thought it was a bit odd that he’d been yelling Harry’s name but he’d been too busy looking at Ginny even though she didn’t have the quaffle, but he’d thought that was just… Some Quidditch thing. He hadn’t given it a second thought.
Hermione looked highly amused. ‘My goodness, anvil sized hints really aren’t enough for you, are they?’
‘Clearly,’ he said, still flabbergasted.