Love Therapy - 3

"What's wrong with you?" Ron asked. "Are you going to sleep the day away?"

Unless there was a fishing expedition planned for the day, it was rare for Ron to be awake before Harry.

"Wha–" Harry asked groggily, wiping his face.

Hermione and Ginny followed Ron into the room, both giggling at Harry's dazed expression. Ginny colored brightly when he caught her eye, and she looked down at the floor. Harry felt that mad grin returning to his face despite his nervousness. He was tongue-tied and didn't have the faintest idea what he should say.

He really wished Ron and Hermione weren't there. Was there some way they could tell what happened? Would they know? Ron would pound him, and he couldn't bear to see that knowing twinkle in Hermione's eye. He really wanted to talk with Ginny alone rather than just sit here smiling at her…

"You missed breakfast, and it's nearly lunch. What did you two end up doing yesterday that's got you so knackered?" Ron asked, breaking into Harry's rambling thoughts.

"Er," Harry said, faltering and feeling thoroughly trapped.

Ginny's eyes flew open wide, panicked. She imperceptibly shook her head – as if he'd needed her warning not to tell Ron what they'd really been doing.

"Er," he repeated, his voice cracking humiliatingly.

"We went to the beach. You know – down to that part where the waves are really big," Ginny said, speaking very fast. "We rode the bike there. Harry used some Charms so he didn't hurt his arm. It's doing much better. We brought a picnic lunch. Tuggy packed chicken and some lovely bread, and she gave us this wonderful chocolate tart for pudding."

Hermione's eyes sharpened as she glanced back and forth between Harry and Ginny. That knowing twinkle that Harry had feared lit her face, and she stared pointedly at Ginny's impersonation of Colin Creevey. Harry flushed and had to look away.

Fortunately, Ginny's talking about food had distracted Ron from her rambling.

"I'm hungry," Ron said. "Let's ask Tuggy to prepare a basket for us, and we can eat it before we go out on the jet skis. I'm not going fishing today, so I'd like to have a go."

"Why don't we all go and put our swimming costumes on?" Hermione said sweetly, tugging on Ginny's arm.

"Right. Meet you in the kitchen," Ron said, hurrying for his room.

"Ginny, can I have a word?" Harry asked, clearing his throat. He still refused to meet Hermione's eyes and could feel the heat radiating from his skin.

"You'd best let me do your Sunblock Charm today, Harry," Hermione said, smirking. "You must've done a poor job yesterday; you're horribly red."

If possible, Harry knew he flushed even deeper. Hermione giggled as she pranced down the hallway to her own room.

"Hey," Ginny said after Hermione had shut her door. Her cheeks were bright, and she repeatedly scuffed her toe on the floor.

"Hey," Harry said, not understanding why he felt so wrong-footed. Why was it suddenly so hard to talk with her? It was as if they'd both been transported back to his first summer at the Burrow.

"You said you needed to have a word?" Ginny asked, and there was a distinct clipped tone to her voice.

Harry glanced up quickly to find her arms folded across her chest and a faint frown on her face. He knew her well enough to know she was upset about something, and his stomach dropped, realizing that she must have decided last night was a mistake.

"Er," he said, feeling lost. What could he say? It wasn't as if it could be undone? How was he supposed to fix this?