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24 - Neville's Slip

It was late Sunday morning. George was giving Kota a more extensive tour of the school than Harry had given her on her last visit to the castle. Harry and Ron got some cold pumpkin juice from the kitchens and took it out to the lake. Hermione had said that she needed to talk with Ginny, who was grinning and looking very anxious. It was no mystery they'd be talking about the dance.

The two boys sat at the edge of the deeper part of the lake. They took off their socks and shoes, rolled their pants to their knees and dangled their feet in the water. The weather was growing warmer as summer approached.

Everyone was in high spirits, temporarily forgetting their anxiety about O.W.L.s. Lately, there had been a sense of foreboding in the air for Harry and his friends. June was approaching all too quickly and it had been taking its toll on Harry. He was fatigued much more often, and would have groups of days where he ceased to have an appetite. His friends were worried, but did their best not to mention it too much.

This morning, Harry wasn't feeling too great. He knew that the pumpkin juice would probably be the only thing to enter his stomach that day. On the way out to the lake, Harry had had another dizzy spell and with a stumble, had spilled half his pumpkin juice. Ron grabbed his elbow to steady him, waiting until Harry's vision returned to normal. This had been happening so often, though, that no words were spoken about it. He chose not to mention to Ron that he also felt weak and overly hot. The cool water felt nice, and he pressed the glass with the cold juice to his forehead, hoping he wasn't developing a fever.

Despite all that, he was in high spirits. Ron couldn't stop grinning and therefore, neither could Harry.

"So, Ron, have fun at the dance?" he casually asked sipping some pumpkin juice and relishing how it seemed to cool the burning in his throat. Ron's smile, if possible, widened.

"Oh yeah. I had such a good time. Hermione...I mean...just wow!"

Harry laughed. "And how about after the dance?" he asked. Ron blushed.

"You'll never guess what happened out on the balcony."

"What?" Harry asked pretending that he didn't know.

"Ha! I thought you'd try that! You should know 'what,' since I saw you and Eloise spying."

Harry blushed with amused guilt. "We weren't stalking you or anything. You want privacy, go somewhere private!" He shook his head with a lopsided grin. "If you had told me first year that you and Hermione would end up snogging on a balcony, I would have committed you to St. Mungo's mental ward."

"You're telling me! She drove me nutters! Still does, I guess, but...I like it now."

"You're mental. So, what happened after I left?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively in the same fashion Eloise had the night before.

"Harry!" Ron admonished. "We just talked for a long while. Then we walked back to the Gryffindor tower together and I er...kissed her goodnight."

Harry let out a whistle and Ron smacked him upside the head. "Oh shut it." But he smiled because Harry approved. "I think I'm going to ask her to be my girlfriend." He sneaked a glance at Harry, silently asking for his opinion.

"You'd better."

"Really?"

"Of course. You both obviously fancy each other. You'd make a great couple."

Ron smiled genuinely. "So, how was your time?" he asked, changing the subject. Harry told him about his night, including the Cho incident.

"Jeez, maybe you shouldn't have said no to her. Maybe she takes rejection a challenge. Or a turn-on!"