Harry missed breakfast the next morning. He almost missed lunch as well. Thinking that he was under the weather, Ron had let Harry sleep in that morning. Left on his own, Harry hadn't woken up until just before lunch time. He had just enough time to take a quick shower and get dressed to meet his friends in the common room before they left for the Great Hall. Hermione was very interested to hear how he was feeling, and he spent the majority of lunch trying to convince her that he was feeling perfectly fine now. He shared a half-amused, half-exasperated look with Ginny when no one else was looking.
Harry was a bit tired that day, but his friends seemed to accept that as coming with the territory of getting over his illness. Harry wasn't about to correct them. He just continued to share small, knowing looks with Ginny any time the subject came up. Reflecting back on it, he really was glad that Ginny knew at least some of what was going on. It was great just having someone who knew. Granted there was still a lot that Ginny didn't know, but he was reluctant to share any more just yet.
There were some secrets that probably wouldn't make a difference if she knew, like his second animagus form, for example. But he chose to keep that a secret until he needed to reveal it. He never knew when he might need to be able to use the form inconspicuously, even to hide from Ginny as well. He had a feeling he'd be sharing that tidbit sooner or later, but there was no rush to do so.
He couldn't bring himself to talk about Sirius. Part of him really wanted to talk to someone about his dead godfather who happened to be visiting his dreams for the past few months. But overriding that feeling was one that forced him to remain mute on the subject. No one else could possibly understand. They'd probably think he was crazy. But he knew better. He knew it was really Sirius. And another little selfish part of him kept it a secret because he wanted it to remain his. This was something for him that he didn't have to share with anyone else.
Then there was the prophecy. That was a complicated matter. He hardly dared to even consider telling anybody about it. Not only would it be incredibly difficult to discuss, but that information needed to be guarded at all costs. And if word ever got out that he had told someone its contents, that person would quickly rise to number two on Voldemort's hit list, right behind Harry himself. If he ever did share the prophecy with anyone, he had to be completely sure that they would be willing and able to guard the information for all it was worth. Even the smallest slip that hinted that they even knew the prophecy was more than they could afford, should the information fall into the wrong hands.
He didn't think he'd ever be able to share it with Ron or Hermione. Ron was too much of a wild card to be trusted with the information. His temper was much too unstable to be trusted with information that sensitive. Not only that, but Harry didn't think he'd like very much how Ron would react to the news. The one good thing that might come of it would be that Ron might finally get over his thick-headed jealousy of Harry. Ron had everything that Harry ever wanted, yet he was jealous over Harry's money and fame. Harry hated his fame and could care less about the money. Ron had a loving family, more siblings than can be counted on one hand, and countless memories from a happy childhood.
Harry would have traded his wealth just for those memories. All the memories he had of life before Hogwarts were of torture and ridicule, all at his expense. Whether he was being beat up by Dudley, mishandled by his Aunt or Uncle, belittled for his freakishness, teased for being different, forced into slave labor by his relatives, starved, or confined to the loneliness, solitude, and darkness of his cupboard under the stairs.
Ron was blind to all of that. He was blind to the fact that Harry was always at the center of attention, good or bad. He couldn't do anything without someone noticing. Everyone always had something to say about him. And people's opinions of him were fickle at best.
Hermione would react terribly to the news when she first heard it. She would no doubt break down in sobs and throw her arms around Harry. For awhile she would be inconsolable. But then her intellectual nature would kick in, and she'd find some reason for all of them to begin research in the library. They'd look into the nature of prophecies and any theories behind them. Then she'd probably have them all trying to look up different spells that could possibly do the "dark lord" in or any hints about what this power could be. And she wouldn't take no for an answer. She would analyze every single facet of the prophecy, every word and nuance. Then she'd want to discuss Harry's feelings about it. She'd pry into his thoughts and feelings every chance she got, determined to unearth anything and everything. Harry had no intention of subjecting himself to that torture.
He could see himself telling Ginny at some point. He wasn't sure how she would react, to be honest with himself. He knew Ron and Hermione well, but Ginny was still new to him, still a mystery to an extent. She wouldn't react like either Ron or Hermione; he was sure about that. He figured she would either just offer him some quiet comfort, try to make light of the subject, or try to find some way to relate to him. Any way he looked at it, he imagined that she would make him feel better about the situation. But he wasn't ready to take a risk telling her yet. Not only did he not want to put her in danger, but he wanted to get to know her better first. He didn't want to risk telling her the prophecy and having her react badly about it. And even when he was pretty sure he knew how she'd react, he'd have plenty to think about before actually telling her.
It struck him at times just how quickly he had become so close and comfortable with Ginny. Sometimes he wondered how he ever survived without her. When Ron and Hermione got to be too much, usually because of their bickering, Ginny was usually there to pull him away. And when she wasn't around, he found now that Neville made another convenient escape. Not that that's all Ginny and Neville were to him: people he went to when he became annoyed or frustrated with Ron and Hermione.
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