An Unexpected Juncture

Ginny sat in the common room on Sunday working on the homework she had neglected the day before. So far she had finished her Potions and Charms essays, did the research McGonagall had asked them to do for Transfiguration, finished her Ancient Runes assignment and was now trying to figure out a particularly tricky Arithmancy problem. She'd been working on it for the last half hour and hadn't gotten very far. She was close to ripping her hair out. The common room was almost completely empty; everyone was outside enjoying the sunny April weather. After erasing the problem for what must have been the hundredth time (pencils were a helpful little trick Hermione had provided her with), she slammed her book shut and gave up. She told herself that after a break she could come back to it and have an easier time. It was only early afternoon and she'd been working since breakfast.

Ginny picked up her books and hauled them up to her bed, put on some sneakers and went to join everyone else outside on the grounds. She had meant to join Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but after seeing them sitting under a tree by the lake having what seemed to be a very important discussion, she felt she shouldn't interrupt. She set off in the opposite direction to find Luna and found her and some other Ravenclaws on the opposite side of the lake. One person in that group, Ginny happily noticed, was Stephen Joyce. They were laughing and joking.

"Hey, Ginny!" Stephen called when he saw her. He waved and she waved back and went to join them.

"Hey, guys," she greeted when she reached them. Luna and Amanda were sitting on the ground. Stephen, John and another Ravenclaw boy she didn't really know were standing around and seemed to be playing some sort of game. One of the Ravenclaw boys, whom Ginny thought was named Ben, was holding a red disc shaped object in his left hand.

"Ben, here was just teaching us how to play Frisbee," Stephen explained. "Want to learn?"

Ginny shook her head. "Nah, I'm not up for physical exertion. I've been inside studying all day. I just came out to stretch my legs and get some fresh air."

"Spoil sport."

"You can play, though. I'll just sit here and watch with Luna and Amanda."

The three boys shrugged. "Suit yourself," Ben said. Ginny sat herself next to Luna as the boys went a few yards away to play their game. They began tossing the Frisbee to each other, sometimes having to dive to catch it.

"What's the point of that game?" Ginny asked the two girls next to her.

"No idea," Amanda shrugged still looking at her copy of The Quibbler. "It just looks like they're playing catch with a disc to me. Ben, he's Muggle-born, brought it from home at Christmas. He's been waiting all winter to play with it."

Ginny laid back in the grass and looked up at the clear blue sky. It felt good to relax. Amanda glanced down at Ginny. "So, ah, have you asked Stephen yet?" she asked looking back at her magazine.

"Nope," Ginny said plainly.

"Well, are you going to?" Amanda asked, almost in disbelief.

"Yeah, if the timing is right," she said nonchalantly.

"I'd hurry up if I were you, Ginny," Luna said in her dreamy way. "I've noticed other girls going after him since he and Anya broke up."

Ginny sat up strait at this. "Like who?" she asked.

Luna screwed up her face in thought. "Erm, let's see, Mandy Brocklehurst, Lavender Brown, but he doesn't seem to like her much. Who else? I know there was one more. Oh yes, Cho Chang."

"What? You're kidding me. What's with her and younger men? I thought she was still after Harry."

"Nope," Amanda said. "She's after Stephen now, and seems pretty hell bent to get him, too. Watch your back, Gin."

"Great," Ginny said dejectedly as she threw herself onto her back again. "Just great. Does he seem really interested in any of them, though?"

"Yeah, a little. I mean, who wouldn't be. They're all pretty."

Ginny groaned. "Well I know for a fact Lavender has moved onto someone else. I walked in on her and Seamus when I was looking for my brother." She shuddered. "And Mandy doesn't seem like the aggressive type. Cho, however, I know is. She's the one I have to worry about."

"Well then I'd get moving because here she comes." Amanda nodded toward the other side of the lake, and sure enough, Cho was walking with one of her other friends on her way over to them.

"Bloody hell," Ginny muttered and got to her feet. At the pace Cho was walking it would still be a few minutes until she reached them. Time to take action. "Stephen," she called, her heart beating faster as she walked closer to him. She felt her palms go all sweaty. He said something to the other two and then jogged over to her.

"What's up, Gin?" he asked brow furrowed, seeming to be concerned by the fact that Ginny was wringing her hands and seemed like she was about to be sick.

"Erm, well, I was-was wondering if maybe, well if you would..." she trailed off.

"Just spit it out, Gin," he said, the corner of his mouth pulling up slightly.

Ginny took a deep breath. "Will you go to the ball with me?" she asked not quite meeting his eyes.

He let out a breath and smiled. "Yeah, of course I will. You worried me for a second there. I thought you were going to tell me something dreadful."

"Great," Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought you'd say no."

"Never." He smiled at her. She returned it.

"Well, erm, I better get going. I've still Arithmancy to finish. It's going to take me forever. See you at dinner?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, bye, then." She turned around and went to say her goodbye's to Luna and Amanda.

"He said yes?" Amanda asked excitedly. Ginny only nodded her head, still blushing like mad. Amanda squealed. "Oh, I'm so happy for you."

"You're happy? I feel like I could burst, I'm so happy! I want to scream."

"Don't, though. It may attract some unwanted creatures lurking in the lake. Father thinks that a cousin of the nargle may live in there. We don't want to take any chances in case it's dangerous."

"Right," Ginny said with a smile that couldn't be wiped off her face. "I better go work on the rest of my Arithmancy. See you later." She ran off toward the castle, almost knocking Cho and her friend over on her way. But Ginny still couldn't concentrate on her assignment when she got back to the common room. She couldn't stop thinking of Stephen and what it would be like to go to the ball with him. Ginny kept catching herself staring off into space and had to snap herself back into attention.

Hermione, Ron, and Harry found her in such a state when they returned to the common room later that afternoon. Ginny snapped out of her daydream when she noticed the hand waving in front of her face and Ron calling her name.

"Ginny...hello-o?"

"Hm, oh. Sorry. What?"

"Nothing, we've only called your name ten times," Ron said as he, Harry and Hermione sat with her at her table. "What's the deal?"

"Oh, nothing," she said with a smile. "I'm only going to the ball with Stephen Joyce."

"Are you serious?" Hermione exclaimed. "That's great, Gin."

Ron and Harry stayed quiet. This, Ginny thought was strange. "What no objections from my brother?"

He opened his mouth, glanced at Hermione, then seemed to rethink his statement. "Ah, no. I hope he's a good date. Just-just be careful." He got up and sat on one of the couches.

"Have fun with him, Gin," Harry said before going to join Ron. Ginny just shook her head.

"So any developments with your prospective date since yesterday?" Ginny inquired with a smug smile.

"No, I don't even plan on going to the ball."

"Oh, come on Hermione. You can't pass this up."

"I just don't really want to go, Ginny. It doesn't interest me."

"I have a feeling that if a certain person were to ask you, you wouldn't refuse him."

"Well, if someone asks me I'm not going to be mean to him. I'll go, even if it's just as friends."

Ginny's smile got bigger. "What if it's a friend who wants to be more than friends?"

"Like who? Neville? Did he say he wanted to ask me?" she said confused.

"Oh, no. Just someone else I know. Someone I know quite well actually. And in knowing this person well, I know that he's too scared to ask you."

"Who are you talking about?" Hermione asked, brows furrowed together.

"I can't say. I'm sworn to secrecy." Ginny began twirling some hair in her fingers giving a meaningful look to Hermione.

"Wha-?" Hermione started to ask, but Ginny had just given a quick glance over to her brother. She kept twirling her hair, giving it a bit of a tug now trying to get across the fact that it was Ron she was hinting at and not Harry.

"You're kidding." Hermione said leaning forward across the table. Ginny shook her head. "Ron, your brother?" She nodded again. "Oh, my God." Now Hermione smiled. "This is great."

"Yes, but don't do anything yet. I need your help with this Arithmancy problem. I've been working on it all day and I can't solve it. Could you just-"

"Oh, give it here. I don't have time to explain it." Hermione snatched the piece of parchment from across the table and took a pencil in her hand. Less than two minutes later, she slid the paper back across the table, Arithmancy problem completely solved. Before Ginny could say a word, Hermione was out of her chair and walking over to Ron and Harry. Ginny could only gape at the paper. How did she do that so fast?

She was interrupted by her thoughts by Harry joining her once again.

"Oh, hi Harry. Where'd Ron go?" She asked looking around. Harry pointed to the couch where they were both just sitting. Ron and Hermione were both there now talking to each other, but it was like they were the only two people in the common room. "Ah," Ginny smiled. "Figures."

Harry smiled. "I've a feeling I'll be needing to find some other friends to hang out with every once in a while."

"I'm always here, Harry. But I do think she could have waited until she at least explained this problem to me." She looked back down at the parchment Hermione had worked on. "I've been working on this problem all day and couldn't solve it. She did it in two minutes."

"That's Hermione for you. She did take that class last year, though."

Ginny shrugged. "I'll ask her about it later."

"You know, Ginny. I'm surprised they didn't make you a Prefect. You'd be the perfect example of a person who gets good grades but still has fun."

"Thanks Harry." She smiled and beckoned him closer. "I'll let you in on a little secret," she said softly. "Ron doesn't even know. I was made a Prefect, but I turned it down. I don't want that kind of responsibility. And I agree with Fred and George. It would suck all the fun out of life."

Harry laughed. "You better hope you're mum doesn't find out about that."

"She won't," she said confidently. "At least not until I'm out of Hogwarts. And preferably out of the house." Ginny's eyebrows came together. "How come they didn't make you a Prefect. I mean, I'm happy Ron got it, but I was a bit surprised it wasn't you."

Harry's smile fell and he looked a little uncomfortable. "Oh, um. Dumbledore, well, he said he thought I had enough to be going on with. You know with, with Voldemort and, and everything else."

"Oh." Ginny was surprised at his discomfort. He seemed to have really wanted that. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault. I don't need pity."

"Harry, I don't pity you, but what am I supposed to say? 'Oh, well, he's right. You wouldn't be able to handle that'?" she said with her temper rising.

Harry looked up at her again, eyes blazing. "Harry, I didn't mean it like that. Don't-"

"Don't say anything Ginny," he snapped. "I know what you meant. Just-don't bother me right now." He stood up from the table almost knocking his chair over and stormed up to the boy's dormitory.

Ginny put her head in her hands and groaned. It had been a while since Harry had gotten angry like that. Mostly he seemed to have put it all behind him. He was having fun again, like a normal teenager, though Ginny doubted he would never be what anyone considered normal. But he was laughing and making jokes again. Once in a while he'd become quiet and wouldn't want to talk to anyone, like when the article about Sirius came out, but he hadn't had any angry outbursts since school started.

Ginny sighed, gathered up her things, and took them upstairs.