Life Is Cruel

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

As we descend onto the scene that is the Hogwarts grounds, a faint scratching noise is heard, magically magnified over the comfortably quiet setting.

scritchscritchscritch

The scratching noise stops. Footsteps and grumpy murmurs travel outwards from the castle and into the damp air. A chair is pulled into place, screeching slightly across the stone floor. The scratching resumes.

"Bloody buggering hell!" The words echo off of the lake and over the forest. Birds fly into the air in alarm, fish swim into deeper and safer waters, and the grass quivers, although the wind has momentarily stopped blowing.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny Weasley frantically tried to recover her parchment, which had just been blown, for the second time, onto the floor. Her temper, which was expressed with her loving brothers' favorite sayings, was rapidly decreasing.

As she gathered the thick sheets, she placed them on the table she had been sitting at and closed the window. She scowled at the bright morning light. Her life was less than satisfactory - in fact, it was horrible, it was wretched, it was traumatic! And yet, the sun still had the audacity to rise each morning. It simple wasn't fair.

Ginny sat at the table once more while she scanned over the parchment. Just about finished. She picked up her very worn and beaten quill, added a little flourish at the top next to her name, and then threw the ruffled feather over her shoulder in a very dramatic gesture.

Finally! she thought triumphantly. After planning all night, slaving away through the slowly passing hours, it was complete.

She jumped up and ran over to the notice board, the single sheet of parchment in her hand. She made room for her sign by tearing a few others down, and then held it in place with a few well-placed pieces of Spello-Tape. No need to waste her already depleted stores of energy getting her wand from her dorm room - anything with the name Ginny Weasley on it would grab the boys' attention. She grinned at her finished work, cleaned up the mess on the table, and headed up to her bed, which she was almost certain had been calling to her for the last half an hour.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Exactly two hours later, a crowd of Gryffindors were all huddled in the corner of the common room. Hermione Granger had just woken up, and her hair was in a tangled, frizzy, and generally messy heap on her head. She was still in her nightdress, and she was not in the mood to go and see what the fuss was all about. She had just climbed down the stairs, and seeing a group of excited Gryffindors all staring at the notice board was not what she had wanted to see first thing in the morning. After all, her motto was 'If they like it, it's most likely against the rules." But it also was her duty as prefect to see that the law was obeyed, and she intended to do it no matter what.

Hermione marched over to the notice board with her chin in the air and made her way (huffily) through the excited crowd. Once she was in the middle of the crowd of students, she decided that huffing was not the way to go. It took far too much energy. Pushing people aside was a much more difficult than it looked.

"All right, move over there... yes, you too Dean... come on, Seamus, for goodness sakes, stop staring at the thing like it's dinner... move along..." After she had successfully made it through, she let out a breath and started to turn to face the group of people.

Except she didn't.

She couldn't. Her eyes seemed to be glued to the very board the were looking at. Something had caught her attention, and she simply could not turn around and break up the crowd. She had suddenly become a part of it.

Hermione blinked. Nope. Still there. Was this some sort of prank someone was pulling? She had a hard time believing that Ginny wrote this. Her best friend. The youngest Weasley... a matchmaker. Then again, Ginny was known for doing rash things at times... Hermione shook herself mentally. She had to keep her head. First of all, these people needed to-

Hermione's thoughts were interrupted as a tall and gangly redhead started ambling down the stairs that lead to the boys' dormitories. Hermione gasped and looked around frantically. Ron could not see this. Absolutely NOT. He couldn't be trusted with anything that involved his baby sister and the opposite sex.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs Hermione rushed over to him and blocked his line of vision. "Ron! How absolutely wonderful to see you up so early! Did you have a good sleep? It's so strange, I had the most peculiar dream last night! It was about you and I, and we went out to dinner! Goodness, you know, you really do look awfully hungry, and I'm famished - let's go eat!" Her voice was full of false enthusiasm as she gestured towards the door, but Ron didn't seem to notice. He mumbled a few incoherent words and started stumbling over towards the couch. As he plopped down, Hermione noticed that his hair was in a worse state than her own, his robes were on inside-out, and that he had only one sock on. He was clearly not a morning person.

He closed his eyes sleepily as he sank into the sofa, and Hermione contemplated what to do. Her main objective was to get Ron out of the door and into the corridor without him noticing anything, even if it meant going out in her scantily-clad self. Sacrifices needed to be made. The only problem was that the notice board was right next to the portrait hole. This could be a tad tricky.

Hermione straightened up from her depressed-and-stressed slouched position and took in a deep breath. She would simply pull him past the notice board and through the hole before he could even glance at it. Yes, that was what she would do. She wasn't quite sure of what she would do then, but after all this was over, she was going to corner Ginny and demand that she never put her in this kind of situation again.

She grabbed Ron's arm and tugged on it, trying valiantly to get him onto his feet. To absolutely no avail. Already things weren't going as planned. This was not going to be a good day.

Dean walked by the couch as Hermione tugged on Ron's arm, and he paused to smile cheekily at Ron. "Hey, Ron," he said smugly. "Can't wait to see your sister tonight. Should be quite interesting - maybe you could get some advice on your own love life. As for me, I know who I'm going to get matched with." He then winked and walked back up the stairs Ron had just walked down. Hermione cursed the lack of maturity in boys, and hoped desperately that Ron was not awake enough to have comprehended what Dean had just said.

Unfortunately, Hermione was right in assuming that this was not going to be a good day, and Ron blinked a few times before speaking.

"Hermione?" Hermione blanched. She had to be prepared for the worst, and stay on her toes. Who knew what Ron was capable of when he was angry and tired?

"Yes, Ron?" she asked carefully and politely, just to be cautious.

"Pinch me." Hermione's eye started to twitch. This was not what she had been expecting. She faltered, not quite sure whether or not he was serious.

"Pardon?"

"Pinch me. Go ahead, just do it."

"But-"

"NOW!" Hermione jumped and pinched him hard on the cheek in her startled state.

"OWCH!" He rubbed his injured cheek delicately and stared up at Hermione.

"Oh gosh- Ron, I'm sorry- you told me to- I mean- I didn't want to-" She let out a frightened squeak as Ron jumped out of his chair with more grace than she thought he could possibly have this early in the morning and ran over to the notice board. He pushed everyone in his way aside and looked down at the sign his sister had put up previously that morning.

Hermione immediately dropped to the ground and rolled under the couch, putting her hands over her frizzy head. Time seemed to slow down as everyone ducked for cover, following Hermione's lead. People were yelling and pushing and shoving, until everyone was hidden from plain view. Time went back to normal again.

"REGINA WEASLEY!!"

The very grounds the castle stood on shook. The birds who had just flown back to their nests flew into the air again in alarm. The giant squid sank into the dark recesses of the lake, the waters quickly becoming an inky black. Animals, small and large alike, trembled in the brush.

Hermione looked over to her right, having felt a small something hit her. A large piece of the ceiling had fallen and smashed onto the floor right where she had been standing just a few seconds before. Thank goodness for womanly intuition.

The entire castle was now awake, startled, and scrambling about, looking for the cause of the disturbance.

Except for one person.

In fact, she was sleeping quite snugly in her warm, four-poster bed in the fourth year girls' dormitories in the Gryffindor Tower.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny jumped as she awoke. She was lying on the ground next to her bed, her thin, white sheets tangled loosely around her. The window was open, and a soft breeze flowed through it and into the room. She groaned and rolled over onto her side. She felt something hard jab into her leg. She reached under the sheets and felt her hairbrush. She picked it up and threw it across the room forcefully, causing it to hit the opposite wall and clatter to the ground. She then stood up and sat on her bed, her wet hair falling into her face.

Oh no.

She looked to where she had been laying and saw her water glass lying on its side. Empty. She felt her hair and the top of her shirt. Wet. Oh, lovely.

But before she could dry herself off, the door burst open, and a very tall, very angry boy was standing in the doorway. Ginny noticed that his hair and his face were almost exactly the same color.

"Bugger."

Ron stomped over to where her bed sat and started yelling at her.

"REGINA WEASLEY, IF YOU DON'T TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON THIS INSTANT I AM GOING TO DRAG YOU DOWN THE STAIRS DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT MUM WOULD SAY YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER THIS IS ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO PEEL THE BLOODY BLOKES OFF OF YOU I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THIS WHAT WERE YOU THINKING-"

Ginny looked past her raging brother at a very timid Hermione standing in the doorway. Ginny motioned for her to come in and sit with her. Hermione looked at Ron nervously, but he was still yelling and didn't seem to notice anything that was going on around him. She sat next to Ginny and started yelling over Ron's voice.

"He saw your sign on the notice board downstairs!" she yelled. "I tried to get him past it before he could see it, but Dean came over and-" Ginny interrupted and started yelling back. Her ears were starting to ring from all the noise.

"How did he get up here? I thought boys couldn't come into the girls' dormitories!" Hermione looked up at Ron, who was now starting to turn a very interesting shade of purple.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU PUT THAT UP DO YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ANY OF THE PROFESSORS FOUND OUT THEY WOULD GIVE YOU A DETENTION FOR A MONTH YOU ARE-"

"He tried running up the stairs," Hermione shouted, "but he fell back down once they flattened themselves out! He ended up climbing up the banister! He's absolutely furious!"

"So I see," Ginny replied dryly.

"GET OUT OF THAT BED THIS INSTANT AND GET DOWNSTAIRS YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE THAT SIGN DOWN AND TELL EVERYONE THAT YOU AREN'T GOING TO DO IT-" Ginny frowned.

"Of course I'm still going to do it!"

"NO YOU AREN'T I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU YOU ARE GOING DOWNSTAIRS AND RIPPING DOWN THAT BLOODY SIGN AND-"

"I'm not going to do any such thing, Ron! And you can't make me!" She looked up defiantly at her brother. He shut his mouth and stared back with no expression whatsoever.

And then he picked her up.

"Ron!" Ginny shrieked. "Put me down RIGHT NOW! Ron, let go of me! Ron! Ron! RON!!" He carried her out of the room, down the stairs (which had thankfully righted themselves, and obviously didn't mind boys going down them) and over to the notice board. Hermione followed closely behind, but made no attempt to help her friend.

Ginny clung to her thin sheet and looked around with every ounce of dignity she had left. People were beginning to gather around them and stare. Three familiar words echoed in Ginny's mind.

Ron then dropped her onto the floor unceremoniously. She let out a shriek as she fell out of her sheet, which was tangled in Ron's hands, and tumbled across the floor in her old Chudley Cannons shirt and black knickers.

"GINNY!" Ron yelled, his face turning a shade of red so bright Ginny fought the urge to shield her eyes. She scrambled off of the floor and grabbed her sheet from her brother. The boys who had accumulated back into the room were all whistling and cheering. "What are you doing wearing that to bed? I mean, it's... I... ugh!" Ginny quickly wrapped her sheet around herself and looked up at her brother, her face its normal color. Unlike him, she knew how to keep herself from blushing like an idiot all the time.

"Ronald Weasley, it is not any of your business what I wear to bed, and you had no bloody right coming into my room at some ungodly hour of the morning!" Ron peeked out at her from behind his hands and saw that she was now covered. Somehow, seeing his own sister in only her knickers was worse than seeing anyone else in only their knickers. He looked down at her.

"Yes, it is my business; I am your brother, and I'm supposed to keep you safe and out of trouble!" Then his voice softened considerably. "I'm supposed to look after you," he added, a bit sheepishly. Ginny was oblivious to his show of compassion, and pressed on ruthlessly.

"That does not give you the right to invade my privacy, you prat! Besides," she added haughtily and emphasized with the stomp of one foot, "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" And then he did something she was completely unprepared for.

Ron laughed. It was the laugh that said, 'you aren't serious, are you?' Ginny did not move. Once Ron saw that Ginny was not laughing along with him, and realised that she was indeed serious, he crossed his arms and straightened up to his full height. He towered over her tiny form and she was lost in his shadow.

"Prove it," he said mockingly. Ginny's eyes narrowed.

And for that moment in time, it didn't matter that they were related. It didn't matter that she was younger than him. It didn't matter what their mother would say. It didn't even matter that he was over a foot and a quarter taller than her.

She walked up to him, and punched him in the face.

There was a cracking noise, followed by a soft popping noise, and Ron fell back onto the floor, completely unprepared for the sudden act of violence and rubbed his chin while staring up at his innocent, sweet baby sister in shock. Hermione gasped and stayed where she was, obviously torn between the decision to help Ron up or scold Ginny. The entire population of students was staring at her in awe, and without a word Ginny walked back up the stairs to her dormitory, holding on to her sheet in a very dignified manner.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny sat on her bed, one towel wrapped around her hair and another wrapped around her body. She had just gotten out of the shower, and had suddenly realised something.

She hadn't seen Harry when Ron dragged her out of bed.

Of course, this really should have come as no surprise to her. He had never noticed her before, he had no reason to now.

But it had also reminded her of her dream. The one she had woken up from not an hour before. The one Ron had disturbed by yelling and causing that crack in the ground. Blimey, Ginny thought to herself, not even my dreams are safe from the undying hatred life holds for me. Ginny sighed wistfully.

It had all started out so well, too. They had been standing in the middle of a field of green, green grass, with purple flowers swaying in the cool breeze. Harry had held her close, proclaimed his love undying love for her, drew her in to kiss his soft, tender lips... and then she had fallen into a hole.

Of course.

And then the figure at the bottom of the fissure had picked her up. Ginny figured it must have been Ron, since he was the only one who ever called her Regina. And he was family, so obviously he wouldn't leave her, or stop loving her. But if only it had been Harry who had picked her up, who had told her those things...

Ginny slammed her fist onto her bare knee. She was going to do this, no matter what. She would get Harry to see her, and maybe someday, he might hold her the way he did in her dream, or even pick her up after she has fallen and whisper soothing words into her ears...

Ginny jumped off of her bed and started to gather up some dry robes. The meeting was in an hour, and Ron had gone to the hospital wing to get his jaw mended (which Ginny had seemingly fractured - on accident, of course), so she wouldn't have to listen to him badger her about the meeting she was about to hold that night. Although, he had already been gone for about half an hour, and it didn't take too long for Madame Pomfrey to mend a broken jaw.

Pity.

Oh well, she would just have to hurry to Potions, her first stop on her agenda of torture for the day. For her life, more like.

As soon as she had Harry on her side, she would get her revenge on life itself, since it seemed to enjoy putting her through misery so much. And Cho, too, but she was just an added bonus.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny made it fairly well through the day, except for a few minor setbacks. Throughout the day she had chewed on the end of one of her quills to the point that it was hard to tell that it had once been something used to write with, but it had been one of her older quills, so it wasn't that big of a deal. Her hair had sort of frizzed up at the ends because of the stress, and it irritated her immensely. Also, she had been slipping into a stupor during Potions, and Snape had come over to her desk and had given her a piece of his mind. But that was not the problem, because he yelled at at least one person each day. The worst part of that situation was the hair he pulled out in frustration, for it landed right onto her homework for the next day. Afterwards she had to throw the entire thing out, since the oil and grease were distorting all the writing and she would have bet five galleons (if she had any, that is) she had seen it eat through the parchment in front of her very eyes.

Other than that, she kept her excitement hidden. She saw Cho heading down the halls once or twice, and each time her lip (uncontrollably) twisted into a smirk. One of those, I-know-something-you-don't-know smirks. Like the ones that bastard, Malfoy, usually sported. She saw him pass her in the hallways also, but she stared determinedly ahead and ignored him. She knew how he liked to taunt her family, how he had never gotten the chance to get a good taunt aimed at her, and how he would probably not pass up that chance if it were given to him, and she wasn't going to push her luck on the matter.

After what seemed an eternity - nay, an eon - of waiting through the slowly-moving, exhaustingly-boring, gut-wrenchingly anxious, mind-deteriorating day, it was time for the meeting. Ginny raced up to her room and put on some of her nicer robes to make a good impression. She then combed through her hair, frowned when the teeth snapped off and flung themselves about the room, and decided that she would just charm the frizz out of her hair. She took up her wand, muttered a spell that Fred had told her would straighten her hair. Why he had revealed this nice little bit of information had remained unknown to her. Until now.

Evidently, his own sister was not above the class of 'victim of pranks'.

She shrieked a long string of swears that her brothers would have been proud of as her hair became thick and wild, and ended up looking much like Hermione's on a bad day. In a frantic search through all the drawers in the room, she came across a few glamour potions owned by the girls she shared her dorm with. ('Bunch of dizzy blondes', she had often speculated to herself, so she thought that it was only fair to claim the dorm as hers. If it were left in the perfectly, pink-colored, manicured nails of those idiots, the room would look disgusting. Ginny was not about to live in a dorm that was covered in pink frills and had ponies that pranced up along the walls.) But right now, if they had been in there, she would have willing to forgive them for their girly habits and thank them on her knees that they owned this rubbish.

Ginny cocked her head to the side as she held the bottle of 'Witches' Brew Hairdo' and stared off at nothing for a moment.

And then she let out a sarcastic, yet amused, huff. Yeah, she thought to herself. That'll be the day.

She drank the entire bottle.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny looked at the sight before her through impassive eyes. She was standing in front of the mantle, where a steadily crackling fire was outlining her silhouette in an angelic-like glow. She guessed it looked halfway decent, since all the boys assembled on the couches and ground in front of her were staring at her open-mouthed, their eyes strangely unfocused. She cleared her throat and watched as many of them seemed to come out of a trance. She cleared her throat again, a little quieter this time, and started to speak in loud, business-like tone.

"Good evening, everyone." No one made a sound. She continued. "I am here today to help solve all your troubles with the opposite sex." She mentally thanked the fact that Hermione had dragged Ron and Harry off to practice for the next Quidditch match. If he hadn't been dragged off, Ron would have locked her up in her room for the next week. Thankfully Hermione had told him that she had talked some sense into her, and that she would no longer be holding the ridiculous meeting. Which was true. Hermione had talked to her. A lot of good it did.

Ginny stood up tall. Well, as tall as she could, anyway. "I am the Gryffindor matchmaker." A few 'ah's and 'ooh's floated through the air. Ginny grinned. This was going to be much easier than she had anticipated. "Now to begin, I would like to ask that everyone place the five knuts they were supposed to bring into this little basket right here." Ginny watched as one by one, every male in Gryffindor placed five knuts into the basket. Even her brothers had come - they were a little more easy-going than Ron. As Fred passed, he dropped a galleon into the hat and winked at his little sister.

"Hope you put on a good show tonight, Gin," she said. Then George followed suit and smiled mischievously at her.

"Yeah, I'm hoping to get on Katie's good side." Ginny beamed at her brothers. Their being there made things much easier, for some reason. Support? Or maybe just a guarantee that at least two people were going to participate.

Once all the boys were sitting down once more, Ginny looked into the basket. Little bronze knuts were overflowing onto the table the basket was resting on. She also noted that a few others had decided to give her a little extra - two silver sickles were half buried in the sea of bronze, and another galleon had been placed in the basket after Fred and George's. She had never seen so many knuts in one place in her life.

She picked one of the little coins up and flicked it into the air and caught it expertly - well, it looked as if it had been done expertly. It had actually been pure luck. She then pocketed it and looked out a the crowd once more.

"You are all here today," she began loudly, "to discuss one topic." She paused for emphasis. "Girls." A few of the boys grinned. Ginny kept a straight face and put her hands behind her back.

"And so, to begin the meeting, I would like a volunteer." Ginny jumped as every person in front of her jumped up and started speaking over one another.

"Me! Ginny, pick me!"

"No, not him, Gin! I'm the one you want!"

"She wouldn't want you if you were the last man on earth, Finnigan, take me Ginny!"

"I'll do it!"

"Nah, pick me!"

"Me!"

"Me!"

"ME!"

Ginny held up a hand for silence. Unfortunately, nothing changed; if anything, the tones of the numerous voices in the room were becoming more and more competitive. She called out a polite 'excuse me', but to no avail. Her temper was not one to be pushed, and for split second, she snapped.

"SHUT UP!" The entire room went quiet and the angry expression on Ginny's face faded. "Thank you," she said sweetly. She then studied the boys assembled before her. After a few moments, she spoke.

"Seamus," she said loudly, so no one could pretend to have misunderstood her and come prancing up next to her, "would you mind coming up here for a moment, please?" For a second, he just stood there, his mouth open and eyes wide, with his fist still raised to punch Dean in the face. Then he quickly dropped his arm and walked up next to Ginny, a smug, satisfied look on his face. Ginny saw Dean scowl at him and a third year grind his teeth. She ignored them all.

"Now, Seamus," she began in her business-like tone once more, "who is the girl you would like to be matched up with?" He straightened up and put on a thoughtful air.

"Well, she's in our year, she has red hair that goes down to about her waist, brown eyes, she's about this much-" he put his hand up to his chin, "-shorter than me, she's sexy, she has perfectly sized boobs-"

"Alright!" shouted Ginny. She massaged her throbbing temples. As if she hadn't guessed who it was when he said red hair. Bloody pillock, she thought angrily. Of course, she should have known that this would be his response. She tried another tactic. "Do you, by chance, happen to fancy anyone else?" Seamus shook his head.

"I only have eyes for her," he declared dramatically. Even though her eyes were closed, she could tell that a few of the boys were staring heatedly at Seamus. She opened her eyes with a resigned look on her face and addressed the crowd.

"Would all those here who would liked to get matched with... the afore mentioned redhead, raise their hands?" Ginny watched sullenly as almost every hand went up. She heard a loud whistle and looked at Fred, who was grinning widely, obviously pleased his sister had so many admirers. He winked at her.

"Go get 'em, Gin!" he said to her loudly. The crowd turned to face him. "She's a heartbreaker, that one," he then told them, pointing at his sister. "Oh," he added as an afterthought, the tone of his voice still pleasant, "and if anyone of you so much as breathes on her, we will wring your scrawny little necks." George then smiled and waved to the crowd. A few of the younger years looked anxious, and a couple of first years looked as if they were about to faint. Ginny would have loved to melted into the floor at that moment, but since nothing she ever wanted to happen happened, her hopes weren't high.

After a few moments she spoke up again. "Would all those here who do not want to get matched with me raise their hands?" Ginny saw several boys raise their hands. Her sulky mood was forgotten in a moment as she hurriedly shoved Seamus, to his dismay, back onto the floor and pulled one of the fourth years up next to her. He looked like the quiet, shy type.

"Who would you like to be matched with?" The boy hesitated for a moment before saying, "Susan Bones", his cheeks flushing slightly. Ginny's eyebrows raised. She hadn't thought of her being sought after before, but then she was getting to be quite pretty.

And so, Ginny answered all his questions on good gifts, things to say in front of girls, and how to act in front of girls. In fact, while she was lecturing, all the boys sat in rapt attention, hanging on to her every word. Pretty soon all the boys were asking questions.

"Do girls really like flowers?"

"Oh, yes. A little bouquet of flowers is always a nice thing to give to a girl, on any occasion. Just be sure to find out what kind of flowers the girl you have in mind likes. If she's allergic to whatever you bring her she'll most likely throw them into your face and stomp away."

"Is candy a good gift?"

"Yes. Another excellent gift to give. But just be sure on what kind to get her, like I said before. If you give a girl cockroach clusters and she doesn't like bugs, plug your ears, since she'll most likely scream her head off."

"What about jewelry?"

"Ah. Now there's a controversial subject. Most will often say yes, and buy lots of it, because girls love to be spoiled. But I believe there are some who will only allow herself to be spoiled to an extent. Some girls don't like jewelry, and again, some are allergic to it. Keep a sharp eye to see whether or not she wears any rings or necklaces. If she does, buy her something simple, just to be sure. If she looks uncomfortable receiving it, you might want to go for something not so fancy the next time."

"Do all girls like blokes who write poetry?"

"Not all girls. Watch to see if she likes reading. For example, Hermione. She looks like one who would love to have someone spout poetry to her. But then again, she does fancy Ron..."

And it went on, and on, and on, for what seemed like hours. It wasn't quite so long, but when everyone was done asking questions Ginny felt exhausted. But there was still more to do. Once everyone was quiet, she took out a piece of parchment and a quill, and began jotting down names. She began to write down every name, leaving no one out, except for Fred, who wasn't single. He had just come to watch his sister at work. During a short break, she scanned over the list.

Tim Zeller ~ Susan Bones

Seamus Finnigan ~ Ginny Weasley

Dean Thomas ~ Ginny Weasley

George Weasley ~ Katie Bell

Jack Sloper ~ Mandy Brocklehurst

Colin Creevey ~ Ginny Weasley

Dennis Creevey ~ Natalie McDonald

Neville Longbottom ~ Ginny Weasley

Lee Jordan ~ Ginny Weasley

Euan Abercrombie ~ Ginny Weasley

Andrew Kirke ~ Pansy Parkinson

Ginny's nose scrunched up as she saw the last name on the list. Why he wanted to be matched with Pansy Parkinson... She sighed. She had told them that she would match any two people up, and she intended to do so. Except for all the names that were listed next to hers, of course. She stretched her fingers, which were beginning to cramp, and resumed writing.

She had a lot of work ahead of her, and for about five minutes now, she knew it was all for nothing.

*~*~*~*~*~*

The meeting had been over for an hour, and Ginny sat on her four poster bed with the curtains drawn, her wand her only source of light. She was making some last minute touches to the list she had made just before, by replacing the name Ginny Weasley with that of some other pretty girl. The list now looked a little more manageable.

She paused, and then added two names.

Harry Potter ~ Ginny Weasley

She smiled fiendishly.

Satisfied for the moment, Ginny placed the list on her night stand and muttered "Nox," very quietly. She lay there in complete darkness, the sound of the other sleeping girls' steady breathing keeping the atmosphere from becoming too monotonous. Thoughts buzzed around inside her head, and she sighed. That had been an absolute waste of time and energy. She had become the Gryffindor matchmaker in hopes of having one of the boys want to get matched with Chang.

Sadly, that had not been the case.

She couldn't even pair up one of the boys who had originally wanted to be paired up with her with the girl, because that would mean she would have to talk to Ravenclaw herself. And that was absolutely out of the question. She would not go and even try to have a civilized conversation with the black-haired witch. It would most likely end with her hexing Chang across the room, anyway.

Ginny huffed. This called for a change in tactics. If she couldn't find someone to get Chang together with in Gryffindor, she would just have to try somewhere else. But where? The Slytherins were too much trouble. Sure, she would do it if she had the time, but she didn't. The Hufflepuffs were too shy. If she even approached one he would probably get flustered and start stuttering, let alone her trying to match one up with another girl. And that left the Ravenclaws. That was probably best, she figured, since Chang would know the person better than one she randomly chose from another house. But who would she pair up with her? And how?

Putting up another sign would probably not be a good idea. She had only done that the first time so she would be able to talk to all the Gryffindor boys at once, and so the girls would probably be disgusted with the idea and wouldn't come. Doing it a second time would be much harder. She didn't know any of the boys from other houses, and the whole ordeal would just be awkward, even for her. Too much trouble. She would just have to find someone and talk to them in private. But who?

It would have to be someone Chang knew fairly well, and got along with. They didn't necessarily have to be single, though. Getting rid of an unwanted girlfriend wouldn't be too incredibly hard. She would only have to tell her that she had been cheated on, and she would run away, hurt and indignant. Not a problem. It was just a matter of-

Ginny's thoughts were whisked away as she realised what she was doing. She had been twisting her Chudley Cannons shirt absentmindedly, and as she unwound the fading fabric from her fingers, a thought struck her. Chang was on the Quidditch team. Of course! She would certainly know one of the boys on the team well enough to get together with them! And-

Once, again, her thoughts were cut off. Interrupting her train of thought was a mental image of a tall boy, wearing Quidditch gear and blue robes. His hair was short and a sandy brown, his eyes were a light shade of blue, and he was shaking Oliver Wood's hand...

Roger Davies. The Ravenclaw team's Quidditch captain. It was perfect. Ginny would find him and tell him that Chang fancied him, then she would set up a date to have Harry see...

Ginny bit her knuckle to stop herself from cheering out loud. It was absolutely perfect. Tomorrow there would be a trip to Hogsmeade, and if Ginny planned on getting everything done, she would have to work quickly. Tomorrow, she reckoned as she rolled on to her side, would be a very full day indeed.