Venenum Amor
Harry Potter Fanfic / Written 1/15/02 / Rated PG
Harry Potter Characters and Concept © J.K. Rowling
I think this one was originally done for a Valentine's Day contest x) We had to include certain phrases and items like... "He's a wizard, just tell him to stick his wand in it" and
"Damn, we're in a tight spot". The socks and tartan boxers were also a requirement. Looking back on the story, I still think the idea was pretty clever x) I think I had originally planned
on going farther with the story, but I never really did x) Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneak into Snape's potions stores and fall victim to the curse associated with one of the stolen
ingredients. The cure is simple... but it's certainly not the type of cure one would expect...
Read the Ron/Hermione Version - Tactus Invalesco
Chapter One - The Curse
"Let's just get it and get out of here!" said Hermione as she looked around nervously. The Potions Storeroom gave her the creeps, but Snape scared her even more.
"Look at all this stuff!" said Ron as he examined the isles of pickled body parts and various powders. "We could make anything!"
"Yes, I know!" said Hermione as she tiptoed around a bend. "But all we want is a cupid's feather and then we're leaving!"
"Aww, come on, Hermione!" whined Ron. "Just think of all the fun we could have!"
"Just think of all the trouble we'll get into once we're caught!" she said as someone behind her tapped her on the shoulder. She shrieked and clutched Ron's arm bet then let out a sigh when she saw who it was.
"I found it." said Harry.
"Don't do that to me!" said Hermione as she loosened her grip on Ron's arm.
"I didn't get a chance to read the label." said Harry as he looked over the feather in his hands. "It was pretty warn out and..."
"Right, right." Hermione cut him off as she rubbed her arms. "This place gives me the chills. Let's get out of here before Snape comes back and..."
"Is someone in there?" came a cold voice.
Hermione's eyes widened to the size of saucers and her lip began to tremble.
"Come on!" whispered Harry as he headed to the back of the room.
Ron had to grab Hermione's wrist and drag her after them.
"We'll go out the back way!" said Harry as he searched the bookcase and it mysteriously slid open to reveal a dark walkway.
They each crept into the walkway and the bookcase shut behind them.
Hermione finally breathed again. "Come on. I still don't like these dungeons!" She lit her wand with "Lumos" and they began to walk down the tunnel. After a ways Ron stopped and turned to Harry.
"Lemme see the feather, Harry!" said Ron as he held out his hand. Harry placed the seven-inch long feather in his awaiting palm and Ron examined it. "What's so great about this anyway?"
"It's for the potion we're making, remember?" said Hermione as she reached out a finger and felt the feather. "Wow! It's really soft!"
Harry took it out of Ron's hand and held it up to the light of Hermione's wand. "What can it possibly add to our potion?" he asked. "After all, it's only a feather!"
Just then they heard the bookcase being searched. "Damn!" said Ron as he grabbed his friends by the shirt collars. "He's onto us!"
"Someone's been in my Storage Room!" roared Snape's voice as the bookcase began to open. "When I find them, they will curse the day they ever came to Hogwarts!"
They all began to run ahead. "He's gonna catch up to us!" whimpered Hermione. "If I get caught I could lose my position as a prefect!"
"He won't catch us!" said Ron who was furthest ahead. "We'll split up!"
They had reached a fork in the stony hallway.
"I'll take the right." said Harry as he lit his wand.
"I'll go to the left." said Ron as he did the same.
Hermione looked from one of them to the other with her eyes welling up with tears and her bottom lip quivering.
Ron gave an exasperated sigh and grabbed her sleeve. "Come on." he said.
"I'll meet you in the common room!" said Harry as they disappeared into the darkness and he turned to run off.
It seemed as though the hall was endless, but Harry didn't stop. The thought of what Snape would do to him was enough to keep him running for days.
Just when he thought he had reached all the way to Hogsmeade, he noticed something. He was approaching a dead end.
He stopped running and stared at the wall in disbelief. He was going to have to turn back. He turned around and saw a faint glow in the distance. Snape was coming.
"Nox!" he whispered as his wand's light went out.
Now what do I do? he wondered frantically as he felt the cold wall begging it for any means of escape.
"I know someone's here." said Snape as Harry turned. He could see a sinister smile on the man's cooked face. "I can hear your frantic breathing like a trapped animal!"
Harry clasped a hand over his mouth and leaned up against the wall. To his surprise, he fell through! His hand over his mouth muffled the yelp he gave as he tumbled backwards in the darkness.
He immediately put his hand up to the wall and realized it was now solid. The light from Snape's wand was gone. Harry had somehow passed through the wall! Just like at Platform 9 and 3/4! he thought.
He stood up and murmured "Lumos." Before him stood a long stony stairway that went up a good two flights.
Without hesitation, he began to climb. When he got to the top, he noticed another dead end. However, he knew better this time. He slowly placed his hand on the wall and noticed that his hand went though.
"Nox." He said. Well, here we go! He shut his eyes and passed through the wall. He didn't want to open them for fear of what he'd see, but when he did, he got the greatest surprise yet.
Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom?
"Hi Harry!" said Myrtle as she blushed slightly silver. "I see you've found Slytherin's secret passage up to the bathroom. I always knew you were a clever boy!"
Harry quickly concealed the feather in his chest pocket and looked around. He noticed they had done a little revising in here. He heard it was back in order.
"Slytherin?" he asked.
"Yup. Slytherin himself would use that passage as a means to get from the Slytherin Common Room up to here so he could then go to the Chamber. Riddle figured it out on his own so it doesn't surprise me that you would!" She beamed at him.
"Right." said Harry as he dusted himself off. "Listen, Myrtle, no one uses this bathroom, right?"
He had barely finished speaking when he heard a scream in looked up. There stood Ginny Weasley with a white towel round her and she looked like she had just gotten out of the shower.
"H…Harry!" she stammered as she clutched her towel. "What do you think you're doing? This is a Girl's Restroom!"
Harry was a little embarrassed but he immediately held his hands up. "Listen, Ginny, I can explain!"
"What's wrong?" came a voice outside of the bathroom door. It was Filch!
"Crap!" said Harry as he grabbed Ginny's wrist and pulled her into a bathroom stall.
She turned red with fury, "Harry Potter, you let me go right away or I'll..." but Harry had clasped his hand over her mouth.
"Please!" he whispered as the door to the bathroom opened. "Please, don't get me in trouble!"
She looked at him with malice in her eyes but said nothing more.
"Is there something wrong?" came the voice again as Filch walked into the bathroom. "I heard a scream."
He stopped right outside Harry and Ginny's stall and looked around.
"Never mind that!" said Myrtle as she flew down to Filch. "What is a man doing in my bathroom? If you don't leave immediately, I will tell Dumbledore on you!"
"Look," he growled, "I'm just doing my job!"
"Well, do it somewhere else!" she said. "Go on, SHOO!"
Filch slowly stalked out of the bathroom after surveying the premises one more time. Harry felt his eyes linger on their stall and held his breath until he heard the door shut.
"You have a lot of explaining to do, mister." said Ginny as she opened the stall and squeezed out, brushing up against the Cupid's Feather.
"I know, and I'm sorry. Thanks for not squealing on me." he said as he then turned to Myrtle. "Thanks for getting rid of him, too!"
She blushed and flew into her bathroom stall to sing.
"Couldn't you have let me put some clothes on first?" Ginny asked Harry as he turned back to her.
He noticed for the first time, really, how little she was wearing. He had just been in a bathroom stall with her wearing just a towel? He felt his cheeks heat up as she gasped.
"Yo... your hair! Your clothes!"
Harry looked down at his clothes. His green sweater and khaki pants were now both crimson colored! "What the?" he asked as he looked in the mirror. His eyes and hair had turned a bright red as well!
His jaw dropped as he stared in awe at the image in the mirror. "How... how could I just... what just happened?"
"What is going on here?" asked Ginny frantically as she waved an arm about and raised her voice. "First you're sneaking around in the girl's bathroom and then you turn bright red!"
"I have no idea!" said Harry without removing his eyes from the image in the mirror. "I just took a feather from Snape's Private Storeroom and..." he realized he shouldn't be saying this as it could get him in even more trouble.
"You're on the run from Snape and Filch?" asked Ginny as she shook her head. "You're amazing, Harry Potter, simply amazing." She had just finished speaking when Harry jumped back.
"Yikes!" he said as he pointed at her.
Her eyes widened as she ran over to the mirror and let out a shriek. Her hair, eyes, and the towel she was wearing had now turned bright red, identical to Harry's attire.
"My hair!" she whimpered. "It's so red!"
"But it's always been red!" said Harry.
"I know!" she said, "But now it looks so artificial!"
"What have you done to me?" she yelled at him. "I was perfectly fine until you came and... and... well, look at me!"
Harry looked, and personally, he saw nothing wrong with her. Sure her eyes and hair were a really unnatural color red, but he thought she looked good just the same. He shook his head for thinking such thoughts. It's just Ginny. he thought. Only Ron's little sister. He tilted his head to one side and raised an eyebrow. In a towel...
"Change it back!" she whined. "I wanna be normal again!"
"We'll have to get to the common room." said Harry as he shook his head to clear his thoughts like an Etch-a-Sketch. "Hermione's there and she'll fix this for us." He looked in the mirror and twisted a lock of hair in his hand. "You know, I don't think red is a bad look for me..."
Ginny's eyes flashed a warning as she adjusted her towel. "I'm changing into my clothes now so we can get this fixed." Then she looked at him with slight awkwardness as she said, "You, you stay right there! Don't leave that spot!"
Harry noticed her face had turned a nice pink to match her eyes as she turned around and went behind a wall.
He raised an eyebrow and slumped to the floor to wait for her. Even in a towel with drooping, wet red hair and eyes red with emotion he thought she was stunning. Perhaps it took a strange conquest like this for him to realize it? Or had he noticed it before?
She emerged from around the corner looking pleased that he hadn't moved from his spot. "Well, let's go."
He noticed she was wearing a light yellow t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans that looked really nice on her. Harry was glad weekends at Hogwarts allowed casual dress.
"Hello?" she said impatiently.
"Er... yeah." He said as he shook his head again and stood up quickly.
"If anyone sees me like this, I will absolutely die!" she said. "Let's hurry and get back!"
Harry checked his watch. "It's nearing dinnertime." He said. "There shouldn't be a lot of people in the halls."
"For your sake," she said, "You had better be right!"
Harry peeked his red top out of the bathroom and looked up and down the halls. He instantly ducked his head back in the bathroom and held his breath.
"What is it?" Ginny whispered.
"Filch." breathed Harry. "AND Snape!"
Ginny looked terrified as they listened closely.
"I thought I heard someone in my storeroom." Snape snarled.
"And I could have sworn there was someone in that bathroom not too long ago." replied Filch.
"What?" asked Snape. "with Myrtle?"
"Professor!" said a second year Slytherin as he ran up to Snape. "Justin's plugged the toilet again. He needs someone to fix it."
Snape growled. "He's a wizard, just have him stick his wand in it or something."
Filch followed as Snape and the boy walked off in the direction of the boys' bathroom.
"It's clear!" Harry said as he opened the door once more.
Ginny took a deep breath and cautiously followed him.
They stealthily crept around the second floor and made their way to the third. If they got to the fourth, they could go through the secret passage up to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"So, why exactly were you raiding Snape's office?" asked Ginny as they rounded a corner on the third floor.
"I... er... needed an ingredient for class." Harry lied.
"Well, why didn't you just ask him for it, then?" said Ginny incredulously. "If it's for his stupid class then you shouldn't have to go and steal it from him!" she shrieked.
"Shh!" said Harry. "Keep it down, would you! You'll get me in trouble!"
"Well, why's he making you steal for a project?"
"Okay!" said Harry. "It's not for a project; it's just for something we're trying."
"What do you mean?" asked Ginny as her red eyes smiled with curiosity.
"Well," said Harry not wanting to give away too much information. "You'll see."
"I'll see?" she asked raising her voice. "HARRY POTTER! You included me in this when I didn't want to be included! You had better explain yourself now before I get mad!"
Harry shielded himself from her wrath. It looked to him like she was already there!
He swallowed hard, "Listen, Ginny, I didn't mean for you to become involved it just sort of happened. We're trying to make a love potion, okay? Nothing big, we're just experimenting. I'm really sorry you've gotten dragged into this." he said apologetically.
A smile crept across Ginny's face as the fury in her eyes softened to a more forgiving tone.
"Woa!" said Harry as he pointed at her again.
"What?" asked Ginny as she looked down to see that her once yellow and blue clothes were now the same color scarlet as Harry's. "NOOOOO!" she yelled.
"Come on!" said Harry as he grabbed her wrist and began to run. "We're getting this fixed once and for all!"
They began to sprint down the halls towards the staircase leading to the fourth floor. Unfortunately, they were running so recklessly that they ran right into something.
Clothes went flying everywhere as Harry rubbed his behind. "What the...?" he asked as he saw what had happened. He and Ginny had run right into a house elf!
"I so sorry, Sir and Miss!" said the house elf as it hurriedly gathered up the laundry that had been slung about in the crash.
Harry and Ginny said nothing but immediately began to help her when they head a voice.
"Who's there?" it said. "What was that noise?"
"Snape!" Harry frantically whispered to Ginny.
He didn't need to tell her twice. He barely had a chance to tell the house elf he was sorry before Ginny had dragged him off in the direction of the staircase.
"Just up these stairs!" she breathed as they began to climb them.
"So you're saying the Blueberry Barrages won't be as successful as the Endless Eruption Erasers?" queried a voice as it came down the stairs.
"Yipe!" said Ginny as she stopped dead in her tracks. "It's Fred and George!"
Harry looked up the stairs where they were coming. "It's either them or Snape!" he said.
"Good point!" she said as she grabbed his sleeve and they ran up the stairs.
"WOA!" said Fred as he noticed the two crimson plunderers. "What happened to you two?"
"No time to explain!" said Ginny as she ran past them dragging Harry behind her.
"What ever you're doing, Harry," said George as Harry was whisked by, "Keep it up!"
Fred winked at Harry and Harry felt his cheeks heat up again as he and Ginny reached the top of the stairs and turned to the right. All he needed to make this more stressful for him was their unusual implied innuendos.
There stood the bookcase. This bookcase concealed the secret passage up to the entrance to the Gryffindor Tower. It was identical to the one in Snape's office. All they had to do was search it for the right book and it would slide open to reveal the passageway.
Harry searched the bookcase and Ginny entered first. "We're almost there!" she sighed as they emerged in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"Smiggleflump!" said Harry as she swung open and allowed them passage into the common room.
"There they are!" said Ginny as she motioned to the fire where Ron and Hermione were standing.
"Hey guys!" said Harry as he waved his hand above his head. "We need help! See we've turned..."
"Oh my..." said Ginny as she saw them for the first time. "Not you too!"
Hermione's sad red eyes finally connected with them and she tapped her foot. "Cupid's Curse." she said. "How could I have been so blind?"
Ron heaved a sigh and put his hand into the pockets of his red jeans.
"I just finished reading up on it." said Hermione as she brushed her bushy red hair out of her face and motioned over to a heavy book sitting on the hearthrug.
"Cupid's Feathers are very rare." She explained. "They have a small curse which affects anyone who touches one."
"Small curse!" exclaimed Ginny. "Look at us!"
"How'd it happen to Ginny?" asked Ron. "She never touched it."
"Uhhh..." said Harry as everyone looked at him expectantly. "She brushed up against it in the bathroom stall."
"Bathroom stall?" asked Ron as he raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"
Ginny held up a hand, "Let's leave it there." she said. "How come I didn't turn red as soon as I touched it?"
Hermione's cheeks flushed to match her clothes. "Umm, that's the funny part."
"What?" asked Harry as he sensed the worst. "What in the world could have caused this??"
Chapter Two - Genuine
Hermione looked as if what she was about to say was the hardest thing ever. Harry had never seen her so tongue-tied. Normally she was always quick to speak her mind, even if it meant telling the bitter truth in a situation where he didn't want to hear it.
Ginny looked terrified. "What is it, Hermione?"
Hermione looked around nervously. "Umm, let's go somewhere more private." She grabbed Ron's wrist and began to drag him towards the boy's dorms.
"Hold up!" said Ron as he planted his feet in the ground. "Do we really have to go up to the boys dorms?"
"It'll be safe there from anyone walking in and seeing us!" she said as they continued to walk. When they go to the top of the stairs, she opened the door to their room.
"Agh!" yelped Harry and Ron as they rushed into the room to quickly put away things they didn't want to be seen. Ron was stuffing things under his bed and Harry had barely enough time to toss a clean pair of his tartan boxers left by a laundry house elf off of his bed before Ginny or Hermione saw them. He then resolved to keep the room clean if he was planning to do any castle prowling incase they needed the dorm as a meeting place again.
Hermione sat down on Ron's bed, closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. "The curse does not take immediate effect." she said. "It must be activated. When it is activated, the cursed person and every article of clothing will turn red."
"How does it get activated?" asked Harry.
"I'm getting there!" said Hermione, who was now sounding more and more like herself. "When the cursed person has a loving or lustful thought about someone of the opposite sex, the curse then becomes activated and the person turns scarlet!"
Harry felt his face heat up and he made a point not to look at Ginny. He also noticed that for the first time that day Ginny had become absolutely silent.
"Then that means..." he finally heard her speak.
"Yeah, yeah." said Ron as the tips of his ears turned pink. "We can obviously tell what each one of us has been thinking about this past hour..."
"RON!" said Hermione as she blushed furiously. "I... I don't think I..."
"Come off it, Hermione." said Ginny calmly. "No one turned you red, you did it all on your own. Obviously it was with Ron too; seeing as how you two have been together alone for the past hour."
Hermione turned even redder and immediately pretended to be reading one of Harry's books intensely. Harry suppressed a laugh as he saw it was a copy of a Quidditch magazine, something she would never normally read.
"Well what about you?" jumped Ron as he quickly tried to defend his pride. "I see I'm not the only red-redhead in this room! How did you manage to turn red while with Harry, huh?"
"I dunno, I just..." Ginny stammered for words.
"Um, how do we cure it?" asked Harry as he quickly interrupted the fight between the siblings. "I mean, lose the redness and all before anyone sees us and knows what we've been doing."
Hermione put her head in her hands and Harry saw her turn even redder than before, which he had already thought was not possible.
"What now?" he asked as he looked at her questioningly. "What do I have to do?"
"Oh blast!" she said as she quickly stood up. "I left that book down there, back in the Common Room!"
"Well, let's go get it before anyone sees it!" suggested Ginny as they turned towards the door to the dorms. "Oh, wait!" she said as she snatched a pair of socks off of Harry's bed. "You don't mind if I steal these, do you, Harry? I left mine in the bathroom in all that haste and now my feet are cold." She looked down and wiggled her toes in her sandles.
"Uhh, I guess." said Harry as he flushed. He had no idea why she'd want to steal his socks. He thought he heard Ron mention something once about Ginny's sock fetish, but he had disregarded it. Maybe it was some strange way of showing affection?
"Here it is," said Hermione as her red eyes looked into Harry's. "You basically have to prove that your 'thought' was genuine. Oh, I can't believe I am saying this!" She rubbed her eyes and a hint of pleasure glittered in them. "You have to kiss the person you had thoughts about. If the kiss and the feelings are genuine, you will change back to normal and you will forever be immune to the Cupid's Curse."
Harry stood there with his mouth gaping open. Kiss Ginny? he thought. But... but I've never kissed a girl!
Ron turned pink again and Ginny had mutilated a napkin that she had found on the coffee table. She had been tearing it to pieces as Hermione talked and it was now in pieces so small that it wouldn't have even made good confetti.
Harry looked at her apologetically. She looked about as scared as him. Her hair was still partly wet and it drooped around her shoulders. He just couldn't get over the fact that she was so strikingly beautiful! How could he have not seen it before? Had she really changed that much from his second year?
Her eyes caught him looking at her and she nervously looked away. Harry was sure, though. He knew that his feelings were genuine. She wasn't just another pretty face; he liked her for more than that. She was nice, cunning, and she didn't take crap from anyone, especially her brothers... If his task to break the curse was to kiss her genuinely, he could do it.
Then it struck him: I wonder if her feelings for me are the same. She obviously thought something of me today (by the looks of her), but what was it? Was it genuine?
The room had been silent for some time now. It was obvious that each person was chewing on those thoughts themselves.
"It's seven o'clock." said Ron as he looked at his watch. "Dinner just got over, people will be coming back soon. Then this room'll be swarming like a bee hive... Damn, we're in a tight spot..."
"I don't want them to see me like this!" said Ginny who was once again protesting about the image Harry found attractive. "What would my friends say?"
"Well, I guess we have no other choice." said Hermione as she stood up and moved closer to Ron. Ron shifted and looked uncomfortable.
Then, the unimaginable happened, she stood up on her tiptoes and leaned forward, stretching up to kiss him. She put one arm around the back of his neck and closed her eyes as their lips met. Ron's eyes widened as if he didn't know how to react.
Harry's jaw dropped as he stared at his two best friends. This cannot be happening! Hermione and Ron? Ron and Hermione?
Before he could even regain to his normal composure, Ron slowly slipped his arms around Hermione's waist. As they held their kiss a little longer and then slowly pulled apart.
It looked like something out of a sappy love movie, but to Harry's surprise, he saw the red hue of Hermione's clothes and hair begin to fade. Within a matter of seconds, she was back to normal and looking very pleased with herself.
"Wait a minute!" said Ron as he examined his sleeve. "I'm still red! Why, that kiss was genu... I mean, I kissed her... I mean..."
"You didn't kiss her, Ron." said Ginny gently. "She kissed you. She passed the test. Now you have to do the same thing."
"You mean kiss her again?" said Ron as he looked down at Hermione who was blushing once again. "Okay!"
Without further hesitation, he drew her close in an enveloping embrace, this time much to Hermione's surprise. After he released her and they pulled apart, his clothes began to fade back to normal colors.
"Would you look at that?" he said as he held an arm up to examine his sleeve. "I'm cured! Thanks, Hermione."
She just blushed and looked utterly pleased with herself.
They did it! Harry thought as he looked at them with amazement. My two best friends are now practically a couple! They both have real feelings for each other that were just demonstrated before my very eyes! Now things will never be the same. They'll have each other and I'll have...
"Ahem." came a voice behind him.
He slowly turned around to face Ginny's awaiting red eyes. He swallowed hard and looked up at Ron.
"Go ahead Harry." said Ron as he waived his hand. "I don't like the idea of you having lustful thoughts about my sister, but if you get caught like that, we'll be in trouble!"
"LUSTFUL THOUGHTS!" Harry spat. "Ron, I was only thinking about..."
Three people stared at him expectantly.
"Umm, never mind." He recovered as he slowly scratched his head.
Ginny, who was standing next to him, looked utterly humiliated.
"Listen, Ginny." said Harry quietly so Ron and Hermione couldn't hear. "I didn't think anything lusty about you. I just was thinking about how much you had changed, how much you've grown up and..." He shrugged his shoulders and felt his face flush, "How pretty you've become."
Ginny smiled and bit her bottom lip. "Thanks Harry." she whispered as she looked down at the ground. "I guess I'd say the same for you. You're always running off on little adventures and I find that really cute." she looked up at him and smiled teasingly, "Even if you do come barging in on me while I'm taking a shower..."
But that was all she said as Harry bent down to kiss her. He had never felt so right about anything before. It was like that moment, that whole day had been etched in his destiny. That was the most genuine kiss he could have given. When he pulled away, he looked at her and she looked surprised but pleased.
Harry looked down at his clothing to see that they had change back into their usual colors. I knew it. he thought. That was the kiss to break the curse of all curses!
The sound of the portrait hole opening brought him back into reality. Ginny's smiling eyes were suddenly filled with a look of sheer panic. Before he could say a thing, she slung an arm around his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. Harry was caught off guard and this surprised him at first, but he didn't mind it one bit.
"Look at Harry!" someone said as they pointed at Harry and a now normal-colored Ginny embracing.
A bunch of Gryffindors stopped to watch just as they finished up. Comments flew all over the common room.
"That's the last time we let you out of our sight, Ginny Weasley!" said Fred as he grabbed her ear and pulled her away from Harry in a mock-reprimanding tone.
"We knew when we saw you two all funny-looking and running through the halls together that something was up." agreed George.
"Now you're in here doing who-knows-what with Harry without supervision." chimed in Fred as if right on cue.
Ginny looked livid, but Ron spoke up first. "Umm, I was here you guys." he said. "It's nothing to worry about."
"Whatever." said George. "Wait till mum hears about this. She'll be so pleased!"
"'My daughter? Harry Potter's girlfriend? Oh, I'm so pleased!'" said Fred in a Molly-like fashion.
With that, they laughed and walked away. Fortunately, the common room was now empty of kiss-watchers and was quiet as people began to do their homework.
"Well, I'm glad that's over." said Hermione as she slumped down into a chair in front of the fire.
"So, we're immune to the Cupid's Curse now?" asked Ron as he sat down on the seat next to her.
"Yes." She said with a deep breath. "We'll never have to worry about that again!"
Darn. thought Harry. I wouldn't mind going though that again!
It was true, Ginny's feelings for him were genuine as was his for her. Maybe, with time, something could happen for them? He sure hoped so!
He stole a glance and caught her looking at him, but this time, she didn't turn away, she smiled. Harry caught his breath and smiled back. The glances they shared then and there in the Common Room were different than they had ever shared before. They could be described in only one way: genuine.
The End