Masked

(19) Siblings

Ron was so confused. He thought he could trust Harry. He thought he could trust Hermione. He thought they would always be best friends. Always be open with each other, always there for one another. But Harry was acting different. Hermione was acting different. Seemingly for the same reasons, that's what bothered Ron the most. His best friends were hiding something. Maybe, maybe not. They didn't completely try to hide it, but it was clear they didn't want to tell him. That was the worse part. They thought Ron had gotten extremely angry about the possibility of something other than hatred between Harry and Malfoy, but, although that was a factor, the main cause of Ron's anger was that his two best friends were intentionally leaving him out of the loop.

Ron was standing outside the Gryffindor common room waiting for Ginny. He needed to talk to someone who also knew Harry and Hermione well. He was well aware that Ginny's relationship with Harry didn't go well, but hopefully she'll be willing to help. Unless of course she's also in on whatever Harry and Hermione are up to. That would be horrible. More people he's close to leaving him behind. 'Perhaps it's a surprise birthday party?' Ron thought, 'As if.'

"You look so ridiculous standing alone in a corridor and scoffing to yourself."

"Ginny!" Ron almost jumped in surprise, "I was waiting for you!"

"I'm assuming this is about what happened in the Great Hall? Your 'argument' with Harry and Hermione." Ginny made quotation marks in the air with her fingers.

"Why did you say 'argument' like that?" Ron asked, slightly offended, "and what's with the weird hand gestures?"

"They're quotation marks!"

"But why did you do them?"

Ginny sighed and gave the Fat Lady the password for them to enter the common room. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Why are you asking me that? Didn't you already correctly assume why I'm here?" Ron followed Ginny to the least occupied corner of the room.

"Will you stop being so difficult? And technically, you never did say whether or not my assumption was correct."

Ron sighed in frustration, "It was correct! Can we move on now?"

"I'm waiting for you to say what you have to say."

"Okay, I was hoping you could tell me why Harry and Hermione are acting so different."

"Different how?" Ginny waved to a passing friend, but turned back to Ron when he spoke again.

"Harry was defending Malfoy, his arch-nemesis, and Hermione kicked me under the table when I said my usual comments about Malfoy."

Ginny had seen Ron standing up in the Great hall and the look of anger on his face during that whole meal, but she had been too far down the table to really know what was going on. "Why would Harry ever defend Malfoy? They've been against each other for so many years! But, as for Hermione, she might have just kicked you so you wouldn't say something to make Harry angry, you know how she hates it when you two fight."

"I know she hates it, but still! It was like they were both in on something and then Harry gave Hermione this look for her to explain it to me and she made a face in return. Basically, it was obvious that neither of them wanted to tell me anything."

Ginny made an effort to only ask the important questions, "What did Hermione say in her explanation?"

"Oh well, uh," Ron rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "it wasn't an explanation of everything that was going on, she was just explaining something Harry had said that I didn't understand."

"What was she explaining?"

"Uh, I think she called it an innuendo? Something like that." Ron nodded to himself.

Ginny tried and failed to hold back her giggles at Ron's stupidity, "She had to explain it to you?!"

"Uh, yeah, but we were talking about Malfoy so I was thinking about punching not..." Ron trailed off with a minuscule shudder and Ginny instantly stopped giggling.

"Ron, what exactly did harry say that you didn't understand?" She asked cautiously.

"You heard about how Malfoy attacked Harry on the train?" Ron waited for Ginny to nod. "Well, I asked Harry since when he became so defensive of Malfoy or something like that, I don't remember the exact wording. He replied 'since the incident on the train' and I said 'when he attacked you?' and he said something like 'it may have looked like he attacked me from the position we were in, but it wasn't violent'."

"That's what Hermione had to explain to you?" Ginny's mouth hung open, "Wait, wait, wait! Are Harry and Malfoy together?"

"Together?! Ginny how could you suggest something like that?"

"It would make total sense! And Hermione, being Hermione, probably figured it out and was trying to keep you from insulting your best friend's boyfriend!" Ginny said with an excited smile.

Ron sighed and leaned back in his chair, "I guess it does make sense, but I just can't process it! Harry Potter and the Malfoy heir in a relationship? No way."

"I think they'd look cute together." Ginny stated before a thought suddenly occurred to her, "Ron, how long have you known that Harry's gay?"

"Honestly, I never really thought about it and it doesn't really matter, although I would say he's bi or pan, I mean, he did date you." Ron's eyes widened as soon as he said that and he realized that Ginny might not want to talk about her ex's current relationships.

"Oh, Ron, don't worry! Harry and I have both moved on, it's fine. We're friends now. And, actually, Harry himself told me he's gay, that's why we broke up. I just wanted to know when he told you."

"Oh." Ron was so done with relationships and drama at this point, but he had to ask at least one more question, "Is Malfoy into guys?"

Ginny shrugged, "Seems like it. Unless he's Pottersexual."

Ron raised an eyebrow at his sister, "Really, Ginny? Really?"