Trains and Nobility Complexes By: Aligirl

Disclaimer: Harry Potter is so much fun to write about but unfortunately I didn’t come up with him or his world that would be the creative genius of JK Rowling who shares rights to Harry Potter with Warner brothers.

This is going to be a long day, Harry thought to himself. Ron was chatting about the cannons as they put away their luggage and stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. Ginny came into their compartment about fifteen minutes later to give Pig back to Ron. Harry took that as an opportunity to ask Ginny to join them but unfortunately…

“Sorry Harry I’m sitting with Dean. Is that OK with you two?”

No that totally sucks and I really hate Dean right now was basically what Harry was thinking. Fear of six large and overprotective brothers forced him to change it into a verbal, “Oh that’s fine, Ginny, go have fun.”

Unfortunately, Ron wasn’t so apparently agreeable and the argument began. “No Ginny, you are not sitting with him! I saw what you were doing with him in the corridor two months ago and obviously you two haven’t stopped. I forbid you from going back there to go snog.”

“You forbid me from snogging, mister. Lavender’s lips are more necessary than air. You can’t tell me what to do," Ginny rebuked.

“Yes I can. I’m your big brother and it’s my job to protect you from blokes like Dean. All they want is--”

“Is what Ronald? There's nothing wrong with Dean.”

And so the argument continued. Harry realized that if he valued his life he shouldn’t stare at Ginny for too long. His shoelace, suddenly, became extraordinarily interesting. He stared at it, dazed, trying to figure out how many stitches it had just to keep his mind off Ginny's radiance. After his neck started to become sore because of all the leaning over, Ginny spoke up.

“Harry, are you OK, or is there something wrong?” Oh, how beautiful her voice sounded when directed at him.

Ron had other ideas to get his attention, “OWWW! Ron, what was that for?”

“Sorry mate, thought we were losing you there.” Harry started to flush, realizing that he looked like an idiot staring at his shoelace so intently. All of a sudden, he went pale.

“You OK mate? You look like somebody just died.”

“Yeah I’m fine Ron, that just really hurt.”

“I said I was sorry. I didn’t think I hit you that hard.”

Trying to get off the meaningless topic, Ginny butt in, “Guys, I think Dean is getting worried. See you when we get off the train.”

Ron, in a type of submission, agreed but told her not to snog too much. Ginny, at that comment, simply stuck her tongue out and then she gracefully winked at Harry, making his heart leap.

“Bye Ginny,” said Harry, hoping he looked presentable without drool itching down his chin.

The rest of the ride passed as a blur. Harry sat on his seat, relatively unresponsive, for the next nine hours thinking of Ginny. All he could daydream about was what their future relationship would look like. Unfortunately, those muses were plagued with thoughts of Dean and Ginny. All he could think about was all that snogging the could be doing. Harry, trying to get his mind off the matter, stopped to listen to Ron, but was interrupted by constant outpouring emotion for his sister. Desperate, he resumed daydreaming as he personally superimposed his face with hers, replacing Dean's in that corridor back in October.

When the food trolley came by around noon, Harry had his usual argument with Ron about being fine with covering the bill. After two minutes or so the trolley attendee asked if she should come back and Ron succumbed to Harry’s begging as usual. Of course, given the option between food and pride, Ron always will chose the food.

So they sat and munched the many things they had gotten in a companionable silence, although Ron was a little subdued. Then Pig set off Hedwig and Harry was again roused by the preferred silence. Then again he was a little pacified because in the daydream, Ginny called him Harry. In a mix of relief and annoyance, Harry got up to tend to the owls with treats.

The train's large and golden whistle blew and it slowed, coming to a stop. Finally Harry came to his senses and thought, I get to see Ginny and get off this stupid train.

Ron and him got off the train almost exactly the way they got on, talking about Quidditch and grabbing their luggage. Trying to stay attentive, Harry conversed joyfully, the image of Ginny still imprinted in his mind.

“BOO!” Ginny exclaimed, as she had just snuck up behind the two boys hoping to scare them. As always, she got her desired result and Ron was extremely freaked.

“Wow Ron I didn’t know you screamed like a girl” Harry said after flinching slightly, relaxing a little because he hadn’t looked like a complete idiot in front of Ginny.

“Hey that is not fair we’re at war I’m supposed to be afraid what if that was a death eater behind me?”

“Well Ron, if they’re here on Voldemort’s— deal with it guys— orders then I don’t think that they would say 'Boo.' They'd try something more like a Crucio," Harry explained, feeling like Ron's mom."

“I guess you’re right mate.”

“Am I ever wrong?” Harry asked in a joking manner.

“That’s Hermione’s line right after ‘I’m so smart and perfect’.”

There is a delicate line between joke and insult. Ron had very purposely crossed it in front of Ginny, not thinking of the possible consequences. Ginny reflexively got her wand out to curse Ron into boogie land and, instantaneously, Harry stepped in front of his best friend and finally realized exactly why Fred and George told him never to cross Ginny when she’s mad.

Ginny quickly reversed the curse and Ron started laughing hysterically which got him a punch in the stomach. “Harry you really have to stop defending your friends like that because it’s never good to be in the cross fire,” she pleaded with a concerned look.

“Stupid nobility complex,” he muttered audibly.

Then Ginny started laughing hysterically herself. ”I absolutely have to tell Hermione about this Harry. That could very well have been the funniest thing I’ve heard…ever.” With that she started laughing even harder and Ron joined in finally spotting the humor. Seeing how amusing Ginny found it Harry joined in too. They stayed in that joyous state until Mrs. Weasley found them three minutes later in the middle of the platform. As a parent would, Mrs. Weasley thought it was odd but was content by the fact that they all seemed happy.

And that was exactly what left Harry completely and utterly overjoyed for the rest of the week. To Harry's liking, it was a long day, but in the end it was a great one.

~fin~

Authors notes: this is my first fic and I hope it doesn’t suck too badly. Thanks to poufwa and your point system with out which I would not have felt the surge of house pride that inspired me to write this. I would also like to thank Dave my beta like man that helped me with my compulsive hate of commas and all other things punctuation related