The Beginning of the End

********Recap********

Harry stood at the entrance to the Great Hall watching Seamus and Effie. Jealousy settled into his stomach as he watched Seamus make her laugh. He wanted to be the one to make her laugh and giggle like that. But he also wanted to make Ginny laugh. It was that moment that he realized that he needed to talk to Ron so that he can try to figure these things out. He turned on his heel and walked quickly back up to the common room.

His mind was racing. What had he just seen back there? He ran his hand through his hair, tugging on the jet black locks as he did so. Why was he so torn up about this? They weren't together or anything.

He burst through the portrait hole and paced in front of the fire. He was going to talk to Ron tonight when they were going to bed but until then, he couldn't slow his mind. He wished that he could write to Sirius about these things but alas, he couldn't...

Harry wondered what else Seamus was saying or doing to make Effie smile or giggle. The idea got under his skin. He didn't hate Seamus or think that he was a bad person, he just didn't want him to make Effie happy. As soon as that thought crossed his mind, he felt guilty. He wanted nothing more than her to be happy. And if Seamus was the one to do that then so be it.

He was torn between the two girls. The answer should have been simple, 'follow your heart'. Well, what if your heart is torn, what do you do then? Flip a coin? Yeah, Harry was definitely not about to do that...maybe as a last resort.....no, not at all. Instead he'd have to weigh his choices.

Ginny was great, with her dark red hair, flawless face, brilliant mind, and warm heart but Effie, oh Effie was a different story. Effie was a spitfire, she was sweet, bright red hair that flowed to her waist, her hot and cold heart, her troublemaker ways. In a way, both girls were perfect for him. Ginny could get along with him but Effie could challenge him, and Harry needed a good challenge every now and again.

Of course, realizing that only made his choice that much harder. Before he had even realized it, it was time to head to bed. He would never admit it but he was slightly worried about Effie. He hadn't seen her come in but she was after all, with Seamus. He pulled himself out of the chair and made his way up the small steps to the dormitory.

"Everything alright?" Ron asked when he saw Harry walk in, looking slightly frazzled. Harry took a minute to reply but he gathered himself quickly.

"Yeah, just doing a lot of thinking lately." His answer was short. Ron scooted up to the foot of his bed, giving his friend a questioning look.

"What about?" Harry was hesitant to answer that. Should he tell him what was on his mind. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that if he didn't, Ron would tear the mickey out of him.

"On this hand, I've got this girl who's beautiful, soft spoken, and just amazing. But, on this hand, I've got this other girl who's absolutely beautiful and she's outspoken, and hard to figure out, and a troublemaker. She's brilliant. I have no idea what to do, Ron." He said, tugging at his hair.

"I think you just made your choice, mate. But whatever you decide to do, you need to do it soon. You can't keep juggling them like this." Ron said, adjusting himself back on his bed.

"But I haven't even confronted them about it so technically I'm not juggling anyone." Harry defended.

"You know what I mean. I don't know what girl you're interested in that's soft spoken but I do know about Effie. She's one of my best mates. You need to decide before she gets hurt." Ron said. Harry didn't know how Effie would get hurt in all this but he shrugged and climbed into his bed. He knew that the two girls were going to haunt his mind that night. He knew he probably wouldn't get any sleep.

It wasn't long after Harry had lied down that he heard everyone's sleeping breaths and Ron's snoring. He reached over and got his Marauders map off of the bedside table and opened it.

He noticed that Effie was up, pacing around the girls' dormitory. He furrowed his eyebrows and watched her steps intently. Even if he was just looking at a piece of parchment, he could tell that her steps were light and graceful. His eyes darted to Ginny's name, which was being completely still, signaling that she was asleep or at least lying in bed.

With a sigh, Harry folded the map and tucked it under his pillow. He took his glasses off, placing them on the table beside his wand, and tried to fall into a slumber.