An Unexpected Juncture

was the worst two months of my whole high school career. I tried to get
all the things I was feeling in here, and I think I did a good job. I
changed some things though, of course.This is for all of my friends,
and of course me. :)


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"Do you really think he likes me, 'Mione?" Ginny asked skeptically, yet she couldn't keep the small trace of hope out of her voice. Hermione looked at her friend and smiled.

"Ginny, trust me. He does. I can tell by the way he acts around you and talks to you. I can also tell he's trying to hide it from everyone, but not doing all that great of a job." She smirked. Now it was Ginny's turn to smile.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. He does flirt a lot, I guess," her smile faltered. "But he flirts with a lot of girls, not just me."

"Ginny," Hermione sighed as she steered them back to Gryffindor Tower. "With you, it's different. Stephen's eyes light up when he sees you. With the other girls...I don't know," she shrugged a bit. "It's like he's not really seeing them."

The girls had just had a run-in with Stephen Joyce in the library. Stephen was Ginny's newest crush. Hermione was reassuring Ginny that she had nothing to worry about and that Stephen fancied her, but Ginny still wasn't sure how Stephen felt toward her. He was a bit of a flirt, but she just couldn't stop thinking about him. And they got along so well. She felt so comfortable with him, so unlike the other boys she had dated. He was the year ahead of her, a sixth year, but in Ravenclaw. He played Chaser on his house team, and, though he had come close to beating Gryffindor in the last match, Harry and her brother Ron couldn't help but like him. He was just so...nice.

But no matter what Hermione said, Ginny still wasn't sure. She couldn't be positive, but it almost seemed like her friends knew something she didn't about the bloke and they weren't letting her in on the secret. She gave a mental shrug and pushed it to the back of her mind.

"I still don't know," she said to Hermione. "I mean, he has a girlfriend. I don't think he's flirting with me; it's just the way he is around people."

"What, overly friendly and teasing?" Hermione snorted. Ginny rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Ginny."

"Well, I still like him," she said incredulously. "I'm just not going to pursue him just yet. I'll wait till they break up. Then I'll turn on the old Weasley charm and rope him in." Ginny gave her friend a mischievous smile, strangely reminiscent of Fred and George, as they reached the portrait hole. "Devil's Snare," she said to the Fat Lady as the password. The Fat Lady opened the portrait and they continued they're conversation.

"What makes you so sure they're going to break up?" Hermione said.

Ginny glanced irritably at Hermione. "I don't know, they just don't seem to get along well together. I mean, I know he's into music and Quidditch. Anya is just the opposite. They have a completely different group of friends and not even one in common. That's got to put a bit of a strain on the relationship, don't you think? Besides, I've seen the way they act with each other. It just seems too...habitual, really. Like they're only going through the motions."

"Yeah, I guess I can see that," Hermione said after thinking about it. Ginny smiled.

"Well, I better get to work on this essay," Ginny said lifting the enormous books on Ancient Runes she had just picked up (on Hermione's recommendation) from the library.

"Alright. You know where to find me if you need help," Hermione said. The girls waved goodbye in the common room and Hermione went to join Harry and Ron who were sitting by the fire playing chess. Ginny made her way up to her dorm to get to work on what was promising to be one monstrous essay. The whole way she savored the warm tingly feeling she always got after an 'encounter' with Stephen. Not even writing a two foot essay for Ancient Runes could wipe the smile off her face.

* * * * *

"Hiya, Stephen," Ginny said with a smile a week later. She was on her way to dinner when she saw him walking in front of her. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Hey, Gin. How are you?"

"I'm okay, yourself?"

"I've been better, but I'm okay."

"Where's Anya?" Ginny asked looking around for the girl. "You two normally walk down together, don't you?" She looked back at him. He put his hands in his pockets and looked ahead of him.

"We, uh, kind of broke up yesterday," he said a bit nervously. He glanced sideways at her. Ginny tried to push down the hope that was rising in her chest and put on a sympathetic face instead of the smile that was threatening to cross her features. "We were too much like friends. It was kind of weird."

"Aw, that's too bad." As fast as the hope rose, it plummeted to her stomach, dropping like a stone. Too much like friends? Did he think she was too close of a friend to be anything more? She pushed the thoughts away and tried to think of something else they could talk about.

"Eh, it doesn't really matter. It wasn't really going anywhere anyway," he shrugged. "So how's the O.W.L. studying going?" he asked giving her a crooked smile, brown eyes twinkling.

She rolled her eyes. "Stop rubbing in the fact that you're already done with them. I hate it, I'd much rather be out playing Quidditch than inside studying for tests."

"Don't get snappy. I still have N.E.W.T.'s to take next year. The homework is already starting to pile up," said Stephen defensively.

"Sorry," Ginny muttered looking at the ground.

"Eh, don't worry about it," he swung his arm around her. Ginny's stomach did a little somersault. "I know you're stressed. But just think of the look on your brother's face when you get more O.W.L.'s than he did." He gave her a smile. She laughed and swung her arm around his waist.

"I don't think he'll care much, but it would be nice. If anything, he'd be more peeved at Mum for being on his case about it."

They were at the Great Hall now. "I know you'll be fine, Gin. You're a smart girl. See you around?"

"Yeah, sure." She waved a good-bye and went to sit by Ron, Harry, and Hermione. "Hi, guys," she said as she reached for some chicken.

"What was all that about?" Ron asked with a mouthful of potatoes. Hermione shot him a reproving glare. He swallowed and asked again.

"What was all what about?" Ginny asked confused.

"With Stephen."

"What, can't a girl have a conversation with a friend without her brother jumping to conclusions?" She snapped at him.

"I saw the way you were looking at him, Gin. You like him."

"How would you know, oh he who can't get up the nerve to ask out the girl he likes?"

Ron flushed pink. "That's not the point. You like him, I can tell."

"And what if I do, Ronald? Why do you care?"

"Because he's my friend, that's why. It'd be weird," he said incredulously.

"Oh, no weirder than me dating, Harry right?" she inquired. "Didn't seem to have much of a problem with that, did you?"

"Leave me out of this, please," Harry said uncomfortably through clenched teeth and staring at his plate.

"Sorry," Ginny said. "But Ron seems to have a problem with interfering in my relationships." Ron's eyes bugged out at this.

"Hey, I do not-" But before he could finish Ginny was out of her seat.

"Excuse me. I have a test to study for." She threw her napkin down on her plate, barely having eaten and stormed out of the Great Hall and back up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Ron, you really do need to let her be. She's a big girl, you know. She can take care of herself," Hermione scolded.

"I know, I just don't want her to get hurt."

"You have to let her though, or she won't learn."

"She's right, Ron," Harry piped up. "It's good to learn from mistakes. And I think Ginny has proven able to take care of herself."

"Yeah, whatever," Ron muttered getting back to his food.

* * * * *

"Hey, Ginny!" a voice called from behind her. She looked around and smiled.

"Hey, Stephen," she said. "You guys go on ahead, I'll meet you in Charms," she told Colin and Luna.

"I was just wondering if you were planning on coming to the Quidditch match tomorrow," Stephen asked her as he reached her side. The two turned and began walking down the corridor.

"I don't know yet. I have a lot of homework this weekend. And most of it's due on Monday," she stated glumly.

"Well, come anyway. It'll give your mind a break."

"I'll try," she smiled up at him.

"Great," he smiled back. "Well, I better get going. I might be late for Transfiguration." He ran off ahead of her. Ginny walked dazedly down the hall, then heard the bell ring and sprinted down the Charm's corridor.

"Sorry, I'm late, Professor Flitwick," she apologized as she ducked into her seat next to Colin Creevey. Flitwick gave her a look before continuing with the lesson. Ginny was paying rapt attention and taking notes, when she felt someone poke her in the side.

"What was that all about?" Colin asked her when she responded to his poking.

"What? Oh, he just wanted to know if I was going to the Quidditch match tomorrow," she whispered back.

"And he couldn't have asked that in front of us?"

"Well...he probably could have, I guess."

"Hm."

"What! I thought it was something else," she said flushing slightly.

"Just don't let that guy get to you, Gin. Okay?"

"I won't, Colin. Don't worry," she assured him, then got back to taking notes before Professor Flitwick noticed they were talking and took away house points. But she wasn't paying much attention anymore. She was thinking about Stephen again. He really did seem to like her, but then again he didn't. If he did, why didn't he just ask her to Hogsmeade already? Then again, he did just break up with his girlfriend. But there was something else Ginny had noticed about him. Whenever she saw him in the halls or at meals, he seemed troubled. Something was on his mind. His brow was always furrowed, dark eyes seeming to be looking at something miles away. Ginny was worried about him. A lot of people thought she only liked him because he looked good, but this time, it wasn't the case. She liked him for who he was, not how he looked. And it wasn't just a shallow crush that would blow over in a few weeks. This one went much deeper. It wasn't like any other crush she'd had before. She'd do anything for Stephen, and not just because she thought it would make him like her. Of course she wanted him to like her, but she wasn't going to force herself onto him.

Ginny shook her head. Thinking about this gave her a headache. She didn't care what everyone else thought anyway. As long as she knew, that was all that mattered.