"Shower?" she wondered aloud.
"This is the Room of Requirement, you know?" he asked her as he pointed to a door that had just appeared on a side wall. "I won't be long."
She nodded absently and watched as he walked through the newly formed door. She sank down onto the cushioned seat of the machine she was standing next to and let her mind wander. An image of Harry, shirtless, doing chin-ups kept flashing through her mind. It was a tough mental image to shake. She had known that he had changed a lot over the summer and had already figured that he was much more muscular than the previous year based on how his new wardrobe fit him. But it was entirely different to actually see his muscular form in action. Once the female population realized just what he was hiding under those bulky robes, there wouldn't be a single woman left who was not fawning over Harry Potter.
She was glad that she had worked so hard to get over her nervousness around Harry; otherwise, she would probably be a puddle at his feet right now. Even with all the work she had put in, she had still been embarrassed and nervous beyond belief when he had noticed her watching him. But what could he expect? He had completely caught her off guard. Now that she knew what to expect, she was sure she would be able to handle herself in the future.
It did throw quite a gear into her mind's inner workings though. Harry continued to surprise her this year, and she wasn't quite sure what to make of him. Over the last year she had thought she was finally moving past Harry. She had dated Michael Corner for almost the whole of her fourth year, not that it was ever anything terribly serious, but she had finally let go of all her girlish fantasies about Harry. She had never really stopped caring about Harry, only dropped the hopeless adoration and hero-worship.
But she wasn't entirely sure where that left her and what her feelings for Harry were now. There was definitely some attraction there; there was no use even trying to deny that. Any girl who could see what she just saw and claim otherwise was lying through her teeth. He was gorgeous. But she had always felt some attraction for him physically. His eyes had always been his most attractive feature for her, and those definitely had not changed. Now there was so much more though.
But what about beyond physical attraction? It was easy to forget about her feelings for Harry last year because he had been such a moody and annoying prat. She still cared for him despite his attitude, but it wasn't difficult to think of other boys or even to date another boy with Harry being so glum. But this year he was different. This year he was in control. It was such a big change that she could hardly believe he was the same person. Last year he had been lost and completely without direction. His emotions often got the better of him, and he was spinning wildly out of control. Now he had reined his emotions in. He was playful, happy… flirtatious even, which she still had trouble believing.
He still had a serious side, but he seemed to know that there was a time and place for it. He still embarrassed somewhat easily as well, yet he no longer allowed the feeling to immobilize him. He recovered himself quickly and managed to keep his dignity in tact. He had learned to control his temper as well. He no longer lashed out without thinking but kept a cool head and dealt with gits like Malfoy coolly.
There was plenty there to draw any girl in, but she just wasn't sure. She knew that she loved him as a friend. That was a certainty. But after falling in love with the Boy-Who-Lived image in the past, she was not going to cast her lot in without really getting to know him first. She would be his friend, she resolved. And the future would speak for itself.
About ten minutes after he disappeared, Harry walked back into the workout room clean, refreshed, and fully dressed. "Sorry to keep you waiting," he said to Ginny.
"Oh, it's no problem," she replied easily. "Like I said, I was the one who was early. You ready to head down to the Great Hall now?"
"Yeah, let's get going."
And so they walked through the still empty hallways and down the staircases leading to the Great Hall. They did not run into a single person on their trek as there were still 5 minutes until breakfast would begin being served. Nobody was ever down to breakfast early on a Sunday except Harry. He had been there for the start of the meal last week as well. It made sense since he was up so early to jog and work out. Breakfast was extended on the weekends for those who wished to sleep in, and he did not much feel like waiting for everyone else to finally wake up so that he could eat.
They entered the Great Hall to find all the house tables empty. Professors McGonagall and Snape were the only two other people present in the hall and were sitting up at their usual seats at the head table. The two Gryffindors sat next to each other at their house's table ignoring the questioning glances their head of house was shooting them. They chatted amicably for several minutes before food began appearing on the table. Harry tucked into his breakfast with fervor, while Ginny just casually munched on various foods as she carried the conversation. She had all the time in the world, after all, while Harry was in a bit of a rush to get to Diagon Alley and back before his class began at 10:00.
By the time Harry was finishing up his meal, several students had filtered in to the Great Hall and migrated to their respective house tables. A few Gryffindors had joined them a little ways down the table, while the rest of the early risers seemed to be split pretty evenly between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. The Slytherin table was still empty.
Harry announced his departure loud enough for the Gryffindors further along the table to hear but not so loud as to seem abnormal. He told Ginny he would see her later and strode out of the hall. He walked decisively to his office on the fifth floor, opened the door, and stepped inside. Without closing the door, he ducked into a corner of the room and donned his invisibility cloak. Once completely covered, he exited the room and shut the door with a wave of his hand.