27Larna found the little entourage to make very interesting conversation on the train. The boys mostly kept to themselves by the window of the carriage, but, being fairly familiar with Hermione and Ginny already, she felt comfortable speaking to them. In fact, it was the first time she had spoken to anyone, besides Hannah, about Fred.
'I don't really remember when I began to like him. I just remember waking up, one day in June, and realising that I was hopelessly in love with him.'
Ginny looked at the Ravenclaw with a mixture of jealousy and incredulity. Hermione, however, blushed, and glancing over at the boys, murmured 'I know the feeling. At least your love is returned.'
Larna followed her line of sight, which lead her directly to Ron.
'No way! You like Ron Weasley!' she whispered, quietly enough for the boys not to notice, being too enthralled in their Quidditch conversation.
The older Gryffindor mumbled incoherently, and the sixteen-year-old took this as an affirmative, and a hint to drop the subject. However, none of the Weasleys were known for their subtlety, and Ginny proved this by near-enough shouting, 'Ron! You fancy my brother?'
An deafening silence fell over the carriage, and, it seemed, the rest of the train. Larna saw that both Ron and Hermione were blushing furiously. It seemed no one could save their integrity, but Harry chose that moment to declare that he was going to find Luna, Hannah and Neville, and he would very much like Ginny and Larna to accompany him. Taking the metaphoric nudge, the aforementioned girls followed the 'Boy-who-lived' down the train, leaving the two Gryffindors alone in the carriage - together.
'So, Harry, are you doing a Young Apprenticeship?' Larna asked, in an attempt to make conversation.
'No,' the Gryffindor replied. 'Ron wanted to, but he didn't get a place.'
'Oh, that's a shame.'
'Yeah, I suppose it is. Then again, if he had a place, he wouldn't be able to spend so much time with Hermione, and that would break her heart.'
Ginny looked at him, as if seeing him in a new light.
'Wait; are you saying you knew how Hermione felt about Ron?'
Harry chuckled. 'Of course I did - and how Ron feels about Hermione. I've been friends with both of them for six years; how could I not know?'
The trio was silent for a few minutes then, until they heard part of a conversation from a carriage they were passing:
'...and Daddy always says that one day, the Nargles will all swarm together and attack the Muggles, and...'
In unison, the three of them turned to look at each other with identical expressions of recognition, and murmured, 'Luna.'
After spending a rather stimulating hour in a carriage with Luna, Hannah and Neville (who said little, but merely kept their hands clasped), talking about Pygmy Puff infestations and all manner of creatures, Ginny, Harry and Larna decided it was probably safe to return to their own carriage for the rest of the journey. When they reached the door, they were pleasantly surprised to see the two Gryffindors sat side by side, kissing passionately. Or, as the youngest Weasley more vulgarly worded it: 'Oh my God, they're snogging!'
Her declaration startled the pair from their engagement, and both turned beetroot, though, as Larna noticed, their proximity did not change.
Opening the hatch, Harry came to the rescue once again; he cleared his throat and asked how long it would be before they arrived at King's Cross, successfully steering the conversation onto something less fragile. As the group of people around her began to chatter happily once more, the Ravenclaw drank in the sight of every face, and the events and feelings held behind each person's eyes. Yes, she thought, smiling softly. This was going to be a very Weasley Christmas.
Author's Note (IMPORTANT):
Thank you to everybody who has taken the time to read this story, which has finally come to an end. I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as enjoyed writing it. If you did - or didn't - please, please leave a review, being positive, or constructive, or both. I have an idea in mind for a sequel, but I need to know that people are interested. So once again, thank you so much for reading, and please review.
Shannon (GryffinPuffGirl) x