An Unexpected Juncture

"Hello, Ginny. Are you coming down to the game?" asked Luna Lovegood. Ginny had just met up with her in the entrance hall the next day.

"Yeah, I am. I think I could use the break from studying," Ginny replied to her friend's question. Luna was wearing a large raven on her head today. "Nice hat, Luna." Ginny pointed with a smile.

Luna looked up and smiled. "Yes, I just finished it last night. It actually sounds like a raven. I've charmed it to squawk every time Ravenclaw makes a goal." She waved her wand at it and it squawked loudly.

"Cool. I don't know how you find the time to do that stuff, Luna. I can barely even make time to go to a Quidditch match." They'd reached the pitch by now and were climbing up into the stands. They took they're seats about halfway up with some other Ravenclaw friends of Luna's.

"Where are Harry, Hermione and Ronald?" asked Luna.

"Um, well if I know Hermione, she's in the library doing research. And if she's not there, she's trying to keep Ron from coming down here and make him do his homework." She smiled. "And if I know Harry, he's brooding in his room not talking to anyone."

"Why? What happened to make him angry?"

Ginny looked around to make sure no one was listening before answering. "Did you read The Daily Prophet yesterday?" Luna shook her head. "Okay, well, it's just been found out by the Ministry that Sirius died. Dumbledore has been trying to keep it quiet until his name can be cleared, but it leaked out somehow, probably by a Death Eater, but I don't know. Anyway, it was in the paper yesterday and of course Harry read it."

"Well, what did it say?"

"It was praising Fudge for finally getting rid of a horrendous criminal who took away the lives of thirteen innocent people. It had a bunch of interviews with people. Everyone said they were happy they didn't have to worry about Black on top of the Dark Lord's return. Well with the exception of a few people. Dumbledore and Lupin both refused to comment on it." She gave a slight smile. "But I think reading that just brought everything back to Harry. I know he was finally just getting over Sirius's death, and then the Ministry has to go and print this." Ginny shook her head.

"Print what?" Ginny and Luna turned to find Ron sitting down next to them.

"That article in the paper yesterday, about Sirius Black," Ginny responded. "I see you got away from Hermione's attempt to get you to do you're work?" she said raising her eyebrows.

"How'd you know that's what she was doing?" he asked.

"Because I know you both too well."

"Well, don't tell her I'm down here. I just told her I went to do Prefect rounds. I can't miss this game. It decides who we're going to play for the Cup," he said with a grin.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Ron, you should have learned by now not to lie to Hermione. She's going to find out."

"Yeah, whatever. The games starting now, shut up." Ginny rolled her eyes again at her brother and turned to watch the game.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Talk in the Great Hall that night at dinner was all about Quidditch. Ravenclaw had beat Slytherin, and for the first time almost fifteen years, Slytherin wasn't competing for the Cup. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor would play for the Cup next month for the first time in sixteen years. The talk seemed to get Harry's mind off Sirius and the impending battle against the Dark Lord happening outside Hogwarts.

"Harry, the team really needs to start training," Ron said as he shoveled food onto his plate. "I know we were all expecting Slytherin to win, so either Ravenclaw got better, or they changed their tactics."

"I know, I'm working on it. I have to work around my extra classes."

"Just don't make practices too late, Harry," Ginny said looking across the table at him. "I have O.W.L.'s to study for."

"See, Ron? Why can't you be more like Ginny?" Hermione asked loudly over all the Quidditch talk. "She cares about her grades."

"I care about my grades," Ron said hotly.

"Then why don't you do something about them?" Hermione said pointedly.

Ron opened his mouth to say something snappy back at Hermione, but Harry cut them off. "Okay, drop it. If you're going to fight, don't do it at dinner. And please, for the sake of everyone in this school, do it somewhere private." Ginny snorted into her food. Ron and Hermione just glared at Harry, but they both dropped the subject.

Just then, Professor Dumbledore stood up. Everyone stopped talking almost immediately, all looking at Dumbledore afraid he was about to dish out bad news about Voldemort. They're fears were all quickly releived when he smiled at them.

"Students, thank you for your attention. I'd first like to congratulate Ravenclaw on their excellent win today. Second, though it seems it is hardly needed now, some other teachers and I think you could all do with a morale booster. I know it must be frustrating to be here when Voldemort"-(flinches could be seen throughout the hall)-"is out there. Therefore, the other teachers and I have come up with something we hope will cheer you up. We-"

"No pink hearts!" A seventh year shouted from near the front of the hall. This was accompanied by laughs and small smiles from everyone fifth year and above who remembered Gilderoy Lockhart's idea of a moral booster.

Dumbledore smiled and gave a short chuckle. "There will only be pink hearts if you want them. But we have planned a sort of ball for all students to attend. First through third years will have their own activities to attend earlier in the evening of April 31. Fourth year and above will attend a ball later in the evening to end at midnight. Now, I hope this months notice will be enough for you all. Now, you may finish your dinner and talk amongst yourselves."

The hall immediately burst with new conversation, Quidditch almost completely forgotten. Harry groaned. "This is going to make Quidditch practice a near impossibility."

"Oh, cheer up, Harry. This is your chance to ask-" Ron's comment on who Harry could ask was cut off by Harry's hand clamping over his mouth.

"I know, Ron," he said through clenched teeth giving a quick glance to Ginny and Hermione. "Just shut up. Unless, of course you want me to say who you can ask." Harry took his hand off Ron's mouth when he saw Ron's eyes widen and his ears turn red.

"No, no. That's okay," he said in an unusually high voice. He swallowed and glanced around to Hermione and Ginny as well. "I'll shut up now."

Ginny shook her head and got back to eating her dinner. She had barely gotten two bites in when Luna and her other friend from Ravenclaw came over and sat next to her.

"Hi, Ginny," Amanda smiled. "Hi, Harry, Ron, Hermione." They all said hello, Harry and Ron not even looking up from their plates.

"Hi, Amanda. Hi, Luna, What's up?" Ginny asked wiping her mouth.

"Gossip," Amanda said grinning conspiratorially. "Trust me, this will interest you." She and Luna settled themselves in and Ginny resigned herself to listening to boring stories about breakups and get-togethers, who kissed whom, and so on. She took a sip of her pumpkin juice and promptly choked on it when Amanda said what she said next.

"I have your chance at Stephen," she stated abruptly. Ginny coughed and spluttered. She pounded her chest with her fist and cleared her throat while her friends just stared at her.

"What?" she asked as she wiped her mouth again.

"Well, we were in the locker room after the match today, obviously, I mean we had to clean up and-"

"Just get on with it," Ginny said impatiently.

"Oh, right. Well I was pulling on my trainers when I heard him talking to his mate. I think it was John. You know him." Ginny nodded. She'd talked to John a few times.

"Tall, lanky, light brown hair?"

Amanda nodded. "That's the one. Anyway, John was saying something about his new girlfriend and Stephen told him he was lucky to find a girl like that, that he hadn't had someone who understood him like that in a long time. Said he felt alone." She gave Ginny a pointed look, then, "Well, better go. Party to get to." She jumped up off the bench. "Come on, Luna!" Luna followed her out of the Great Hall, leaving Ginny as confused as she'd ever been.

"Ginny, do you know what they were trying to tell you?" Hermione asked ten minutes later as they walked back up to Gryffindor Tower.

"No, I don't see how him saying that is my chance to snag him," she said glumly.

"Isn't it obvious? Ask him to the ball!"

Ginny's eyes grew round and her heart started thumping wildly. "You're right!" she exclaimed. She smacked herself on her forehead. "How could I be so thick? He knows I'm his friend and wouldn't do anything to hurt him. If I ask him, he may start thinking of me as more than a friend. Hermione, this is perfect!"

"I'm glad you saw the light," she laughed. "When are you going to do this?"

"I don't know," Ginny said biting her lip. "Next time I see him, maybe. It's got to be the right timing, you know?"

"Trust me I know." They gave the Fat Lady the password and entered the common room.

"So, who do you want to go with to the ball?" Ginny asked Hermione as they sat in the large chairs by the fire.

"Well-" But just then Ron and Harry came through the portrait hole.

"Just ask her, Ron."

"I can't ask her, she's mad at me. She'd never say yes."

"Who's mad at you, Ron?" asked Hermione. Ron started, not seeming to notice she and Ginny were there.

"Oh, er, no one," he said sitting on the couch across from her, ears turning pink.

"So, who did you want to go with?" Ginny said again bringing back the topic at hand.

"Oh, um, never mind," Hermione said. "It's not important. He wouldn't ask me anyway. I know he doesn't like me."

"Who says he has to ask you? And you can always go as just friends. It's better than nothing."

"Yes, I suppose. I'll have to think about it." Hermione gave a small smile and took out a book.

"You two up for a game of Exploding Snap?" Harry asked Ron and Ginny. Ginny shrugged.

"Sure, why not."

"Ron?"

"I think I'll pass, I'm kind of tired. Think I'll head up to bed."

"Okay, night," Ginny said.

"Night," he said getting up and walking up the boys' stairs.

"What's up with him?" Ginny asked Harry once he was gone.

"Girl problems," he said as he dealt out the cards.

"Ah."

"He seems to think that the girl he wants to ask to the ball will say no. I keep telling him, I know for a fact that she likes him back, but he won't believe me."

"Who is it?" Ginny inquired curiously.

"It's-oh I can't say. Sworn to secrecy. Sorry."

"Oh, come on. When have you ever cared about something like that when it comes to this kind of stuff. It's not the end of the world. Besides, I can probably help."

"Okay, come here." He beckoned her forward and whispered in her ear. Her eyes grew wide and a large, triumphant smile appeared on her face.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe I was right. And she likes him back? How do you know?"

"I can tell," he said smiling back.

"What are you two screaming about?" Hermione looked up from her book.

"Nothing," Harry said with a smirk to Ginny. "Just something between us."

"Fine," Hermione replied through a yawn. "I'm going to bed."

"Okay, night," Harry said. As soon as she'd gone up the stairs they both burst out laughing.