Life Is Cruel

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny yawned. She was sitting alone at a small table in the library, and it was still very early in the morning. The sky was turning a pinkish color, and the room was tinted blue. All was silent, except for the snores she could hear coming from another part of the library. Ginny guessed the source of it was the restricted section.

She had come here to plan out the day that lay ahead of her. She had had everything planned out in her head a minute ago, but after she yawned, her thoughts got all jumbled up. She tried to sort them all out again.

First, she would have to find Roger Davies. That wouldn't be too hard. She could spot him at breakfast in about an hour and ask him to join her for a walk. Then it could get a bit tricky.

Ginny rubbed her itchy eyes. If she was going to do this, she would have to be awake and aware. None of this bleary-eyed nonsense. She took a deep breath, and then started coughing violently after inhaling an inch of dust that had fallen on her head.

"Wha- oh. Weasley. I didn't know anyone else was in here." Ginny's dry, dust-coated throat let out a raspy noise that sounded very much like, "!".

Pansy Parkinson climbed down from the ladder she had been standing on holding a very tattered old book and walked over to the choking redhead. She raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but made no attempt to help the other girl. Ginny tried desperately to swallow, but the dust and dirt from bygone ages was preventing her from doing so. She looked up at the fifth year with watery eyes.

"Oh. So all that dust landed on you," she said, sounding bored and uninterested. "It's so filthy up on top of those shelves. You would think that that stupid librarian would clean the place once in a while." Pansy seated herself next to a very bemused Ginny, placing the book next to her. Pansy carried on, not noticing the clueless look on Ginny's face. "I was looking at a book up there and it was covered in dust, so I just wiped it off. I didn't know you were right beneath me." She flicked a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Sorry," she added casually, with no concern in her voice.

"?!" said Ginny. Even though the apology had not sounded that sincere, she had thought that Pansy would have just walked away without even acknowledging her. She had never expected her to even talk to her, much less apologize, no matter how off-handedly it was done. Pansy then looked at her from the corner of her eye and noticed the look Ginny was giving her.

"Do you need a glass of water?" she asked, her eyebrow raising once more. Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out but a hoarse sort of croak. She coughed again and nodded weakly. Pansy scoffed as she got up off of her chair.

"Well, you can go get it yourself, then. I'm not some bloody house elf." Ginny watched as Pansy walked over to the other side of a large shelf, so that she was hidden from view. Her voice floated over from behind it.

"You know, Weasley," she said, her voice muffled, as though she was speaking into something, "I had never really given you much thought before. Just another Weasley, just another cocky Gryffindor. But after what happened the other day..." Pansy let out a sort of hollow laugh, and reappeared from behind the bookshelf, holding her book bag. She dragged it over to the table and sat down next to Ginny again. She began to rummage through it. Ginny tried to swallow again.

"?" said Ginny. Pansy looked up at her, her hand still digging in the large bag.

"Don't know what I'm talking about, do you? Well, you can't expect too much from a Gryffindor. Aha!" Pansy brought her hand out of the bag, which was clutching bundle of quills and a bottle of blue ink. She then stuck her hand back in the bag again. "All those rumors about that Ravenclaw bint. Cho Chang, isn't it?" Then, despite Ginny's feelings for the Slytherin, she grinned at her, a mischievous light glinting in her eyes. Pansy grinned back.

"Hah! I figured it must have been you. Since you were the only one who really tried to talk to Potter about it, it only made sense." Ginny blinked. Pansy went on. "Spreading rumors... and one's that hadn't even been around before, at that! I never thought I'd see the day a Gryffindor did something other than brave and noble." She spat out the words in a nasal-y sort of voice.

"And you did a fairly good job, too. Everyone was talking about it; I couldn't turn a corner and not see someone whispering on about the girl. I knew someone had to have started all that. Someone wanted to get back at her for something. And then I saw you sitting next to Potter the day after, and I knew it was you."

"How?" Ginny managed to get out. She then coughed again, but she was happy with the improvement in her speech, nonetheless. Pansy let out a scornful laugh.

"How? Because you're the little Weasley girl! You're obsessed with him, you worship the ground he walks on! Everybody knows!" Ginny slumped back in the worn chair.

"Everybody but Harry," she said morosely. Pansy sat back up, now holding a few pieces of plain parchment, and looked at Ginny triumphantly.

"That's right, he's always staring at Chang!" she said, more to herself than to Ginny. "And he never pays attention to you, does he? That's why you wanted to get back at her!" Pansy looked very pleased with herself at having figured this out.

She opened the book on the table which Ginny noticed was titled, "Beauty Creates The Beast: Charms and Potions to Keep You Looking Young!" by Belle Vanita. Ginny cleared her throat.

"Looks like you're having boy troubles too," she said accusingly. Pansy looked scandalized.

"I do not have boy troubles. I have man troubles," she corrected, her nose high up in the air. "And," she added haughtily, "I have given up on all males at the moment. Stupid, immature prats, the lot of them." It was Ginny's turn to raise an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I thought you fancied Malfoy?" she asked, though it sounded more like a statement. Pansy's face looked strained.

"He's the reason I've given up on them." Ginny raised both eyebrows. Pansy looked exasperated. "Look," she said, "just because he's a Slytherin doesn't mean I like him. I fancied him until third year, after that... that beast attacked him. It was when he was in the hospital wing and no one else was around. I had been sitting next to him, and I was worried! But I guess I was just being too fussy," she said bitterly, "because after a bit he told me to sod off; he didn't need any girls crying over him."

Pansy took a deep breath, and Ginny patted her arm sympathetically. Even though they were not particularly close friends, or even acquaintances, it was fitting to do so. After all, they were on the same side in the battle of the sexes, and if they didn't stick together, then where would they be? Ginny brought her hand away and Pansy looked more relaxed. She looked at Ginny from the corner of her eye, and said, "I don't need your pity," with no trace of emotion. Ginny took it as a thank you.

"Anyway," said Pansy, pulling herself together, "I was just looking through here for some skin-moisturizing potions." She flipped to the next page in the book. Her voice was back to its original bored tone. "The only problem is that this book is so old, it was popular during the time skin was preferred 'snow-white', and some of these potions tend to make your skin glow after you drink it."

Then, silence fell between them. But contrary to Ginny's previous beliefs, it was not an uncomfortable one. It was as if an understanding had been reached. They were not friends, but they were not enemies. They respected each other. It was as simple as that.

Ginny looked out the window. The sky was now a beautiful shade of blue, and light, wispy clouds were stretched across the sky. The room was now tinted gold, and Ginny could see the dust floating through the air when it passed through the early sunlight that was pouring in through the windows. Ginny bent down to reach into her bag when she saw the small piece of parchment that was lying on top of it. It was the list from the night before. She straightened up after tucking it away into her bag.

"You know, I've given up on males myself." Pansy raised her head slightly to give Ginny a Look. "Other than Harry, of course," she said hurriedly. Pansy went back to writing down the ingredients for a hair-lengthening potion. Ginny went on casually. "I mean, I don't think I have one mature boy in my house. Except for maybe... no, I suppose not even him. Just because he doesn't care about looks doesn't make him mature. He's still-" Pansy interrupted.

"He doesn't care about looks?" She let out a humorless laugh. "I didn't think they made boys like that anymore." Ginny nodded and grinned. Though Pansy seemed uninterested, Ginny could tell that she was listening. Her eyes were not moving when she looked at the book on the table.

"Yes, one in a million, I'd say. He's a fairly handsome bloke, too. Tall, brown hair, blue eyes, the lot. In fact, he's going to be on the Quidditch team next year. Offered to be a beater after my brothers have gone." Pansy dropped her quill and stretched her arms.

"What's his name?"

"Andrew Kirke."

"Never heard of him."

"Well, he's not a very loud person, if you know what I mean. Likes to linger in the back of the room. The quiet, shy type, I suppose."

"Is he a Mudblood?" Ginny did not blanch when she heard Pansy say this, but she did make a mental note as to how casual the word had sounded coming out of her mouth. She answered as if the word had no effect on her at all.

"No. Halfblood." Pansy looked thoughtful.

"He's going to Hogsmeade later today, in fact. I think he said he was going to Madam Puddifoot's later on to have a drink." Pansy looked at Ginny, her brow furrowed.

"Why on earth would he want to go there to have a drink? Unless he's going with someone..." She trailed off, waiting for Ginny to give her some answers. Ginny's foot started tapping. It was a habit she had gotten into and had never been able to shake it off. It only started when she was nervous, or doing some quick thinking. In this case, she was trying to think very fast.

"No. He's not going with anyone," she said levelly. Then she leaned forward, as if telling a secret that no one else was supposed to hear, even though they were the only two in the library. "Personally, I think he's suffering from a broken heart. His old girlfriend threw a vase at his head when he told her that he thought she was cheating on him. She was, actually, but she still pretended to be innocent. He must be going there to relive happy memories. He's the type who would do that."

Pansy's eyes narrowed as she stared off at nothing in particular, and the refocused as she started scribbling on the parchment again. "Well, he sounds like a bastard to me. If he doesn't care about a girl's looks, then he must care about something else, and I highly doubt that it's one's personality. No wonder the girl cheated on him." Ginny made a noise of agreement, and then sat up straight and stretched, satisfied for the time being.

"Well, breakfast is soon, and I better be off. Lots of work to do." Ginny stood up, grabbed her bag, and then started towards the door. Just as she was about to walk out of the library, she was stopped.

"Weasley?" came Pansy's bored voice. Ginny turned and looked across the room at the Slytherin. Pansy was looking down her nose at her, regarding her in a calculating manner. After a few moments, she spoke.

"Good luck."

They grinned at each other.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Gin? What are you looking at?" Ginny jumped as her brother waved a hand in front of her face.

"Stop it, Ron!" she said, sounding as irritated as she looked. "I'm busy!" Ron looked confused. He had been keeping a close watch on her ever since she had held that meeting with the other Gryffindor boys. No one told him yet that it actually had taken place, contrary to his and Hermione's beliefs. Harry seemed indifferent to the entire affair.

"Busy doing what? All you're doing is staring over my shoulder!" Ginny huffed. She didn't have time to answer his questions! She had to keep an eye on Davies!

"Shut up." Ron shrugged and went back to eating. Good, thought Ginny. He doesn't think while he eats. It should keep him quiet for a while.

Ginny looked over his shoulder once more and spotted her target. He was chatting happily away with a few of his friends. She saw Chang sitting a few seats away from him, listening to him talk, nodding politely every once in a while. On the other side of him was a blonde, whose arm was wrapped around his. She was also looking at him, but it was in a half-dazed way, and Ginny guessed she was not really listening to word he was saying. His plate was bare, so he must be leaving soon, she thought.

"Ginny, would you pass the butter?" Ginny's eyes snapped open wide. Harry was looking straight at her from across the table. He was sitting next to Ron, but since her brother concentrated wholly on his food while he ate, Harry knew better than to ask him. Ginny forced herself to breath normally. She looked around for the butter, grabbed it hastily, and then looked up at Harry again. He was looking at her expectantly, and she fought hard not to get lost in his gaze. Those eyes, they were her greatest weakness...

She blinked and shook her head slightly, and then slowly stretched her arm out towards Harry. Slowly... slowly...

Harry reached out and took the dish from Ginny, and her breath caught in her throat when she felt his fingers graze her own.

She dropped her hand, which had still been hanging in the air after Harry had taken his away, and sighed wistfully. Another tally on her list of reasons to get Cho out of the picture. If he could make her feel like this just by touching her, who knew how happy she would be when he held her close, or whispered sweet nothings into her ear at night...

Hermione then threw a small something at Ginny, which hit her squarely on the nose. She jumped and looked at Hermione, who looked extremely frustrated.

"Finally, how many times do I have to say your name before you pay attention to me? As I was saying..." Ginny stopped listening again. She hardly thought it was anything important. Probably just a reminder for her to study. Ginny had real work to do, and it was far too important to be interrupt-

As Ginny resumed looking at Roger Davies, she noticed something.

Or, rather, she didn't notice something.

He was gone.

Ginny straightened up suddenly, and her arms lashed out and grabbed at the table, sending her fork flying. It landed a ways away from the table, thankfully, and a number of people gasped at her unexpected behavior. Harry jumped, Hermione seemed fairly annoyed ("Ginny, are you even listening to me?!"), the small girl next to her shrieked, and Ron kept on eating.

She looked around frantically. He couldn't have gone far, could he? Damn! Why did Harry have to be so... so... attractive?

She scanned the room, and to her relief, spotted him walking out the doors, accompanied by the blonde from the table. Ginny got up quickly and ran across the room and out the doors after him.

As soon as she was past the doors, Ginny looked about. She saw Davies just thirty feet away from her, with the blonde practically growing out of his side. She ran up to him and tapped him on the arm.

"Pardon me," she said, trying very hard not to sound as if she had just ran after him as if her very existence depended on it, "but I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment."

Now, perhaps something needs to be said about Roger Davies. Roger Davies was clever. He was the tall handsome sort, and those are the ones you can always count on to be clever. He knew that there were girls who fainted dead away at the very sight of him, and he took advantage of the fact. If girls came up to him, asking for his autograph, he gave it to them without a second thought. After he was done, he would also kiss every one of the girls present, just because he was Roger Davies, and he could do that. In fact, that is the very situation that landed him the blonde attached to his arm. She had kissed him back with a little more vigor than the others had, and he had ended up being late for his next class. She had followed him everywhere ever since. And Roger Davies allowed it, because he was Roger Davies, and he was going to milk it for all its worth.

So, Roger Davies, being the clever sort he was, knew what a golden opportunity was, and a fiery, attractive, sexy redhead coming up to him looking slightly flushed and out of breath asking him to talk with her for a moment, he figured, fit under that category. He flashed Ginny his most charming smile and whispered in the blonde's ear.

"Darling," he said, because he could not remember her name, "I'll only be a moment. I'll be with you shortly, alright?" The blonde nodded, and Ginny watched as her eyes silently filled with tears. She knew that Roger Davies had found someone new, that he wouldn't only be a moment, and that he wouldn't be there shortly, and she glared hatefully at Ginny before turning on her heel and stalking off. Ginny shook her head sympathetically at the girl, and then looked back up at Roger Davies.

"Would you mind if we went somewhere a little more, er, private?" asked Ginny, a little nervously. She couldn't risk letting their conversation be overheard. Roger Davies nodded pleasantly and took her arm. Ginny blinked at the very gentleman-like gesture and then started walking with him towards the nearest classroom. He seems like a pleasant bloke, she admitted a little grudgingly.

The two made their way into the nearest unoccupied room and stepped through the door. Before Ginny could even address the Ravenclaw, she found herself in a position that she had not quite been expecting. Roger Davies had his lips mashed against hers in a very sloppy fashion, and she squeaked in alarm as he pushed her up against a wall. He continued to grope and squash her, ignoring her attempts to get away from him.

She struggled for a few seconds, but the way he had he mushed up against the wall was preventing her from doing anything. Why did this sort of thing always have to happen to her?

Ginny decided that she would have to wait a few moments for him to get into a more comfortable position before she could catch him off guard. She stood there, looking very bored with Roger Davies pressed up against her, and allowed him to do what he wanted for the time being. She noticed that he kissed rather forcefully. Hungrily, even. She wouldn't want to be with someone who kissed her like that. Oh, no. She much preferred the gentle, sweet type. Like, for a completely random example, Harry Potter. He was one who looked like-

Ginny felt Davies shift against her, so that one of his legs was in between her own, and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. What a pig, she though disgustedly, before bringing her knee up. Hard.

Roger Davies immediately stopped moving, and fell down to the ground. He was facing downward in an upright fetal position, and Ginny straightened her hair while he sat gasping on the floor. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve, and stuck her tongue out in a disgusted manner. She shook her head, smoothed out her robes, and then addressed the (most likely weeping) boy on the floor.

"Terribly sorry," she started, sounding casual, "but you were getting a bit rough there. Do you need help getting up?" Roger Davies waved a dismissive hand up at her without saying anything, and resumed rocking back and forth. Ginny continued unsympathetically. "As flattered as I am that you would start snogging me the first chance you got, that is not the reason I'm here." Ginny waited for a response while picking at her nails. The only sound in the room was his ragged breathing, and Ginny took it that he was not about to say anything.

"I am here, in fact, to set you up with another girl. One you should know quite well. Cho Chang. I would be very happy if you would take her to Madam Puddifoot's later today. Think about it," she said, as she knelt down next to the shaking body, "You get a free snog, and then you never have to go out with her again. And there will most likely be other people there who will see you there. Girls. Pretty girls. Jealous girls who will want what Cho is getting. Do you see what I'm getting at?" Roger Davies nodded.

Ginny smirked and held out her hand. "So what do you say? Take Chang on a date at three this afternoon at Madam Puddifoot's? You're happy, I'm happy, no strings attached." Then Roger Davies looked up, and Ginny noticed that his eyes were red and puffy. Despite that, though, he grinned, and shook her hand. Ginny grinned back as she helped him up. Things were going quite well.

*~*~*~*~*~*

An hour later, Ginny was back in the Gryffindor Common Room, and had just cornered Andrew Kirke.

"Andy, you wanted me to match you up with Pansy Parkinson, correct?" asked the redhead, talking very quietly.

"Yes. Why, did you do it?" he asked just as quietly, sounding very anxious and excited.

"Well, yes. Sort of. Just listen. Parkinson is going to be at Madam Puddifoot's later today, and you have to be there before she is. Whe-"

"Why?"

"Because you'll be depressed about your last relationship," she snapped, getting annoyed.

"What last relationship?" asked Andrew, looking very confused.

"Oh, that's right," said Ginny contritely, "I forgot to tell you. Well, let me start from the beginning. I had to tell color the truth a bit when talking to Parkinson, so just remember what I am about to tell you. You are a very charming person. You are sweet to girls, a great bloke to get along with, and most of all, you don't care about what someone looks like."

"...I don't."

"Precisely. Now-"

"No, I mean, I actually don't care. I won't have to pretend."

"Really?" said Ginny, quite surprised. This was going to make things much easier. "Wonderful. So you'll just need to remember this - you just got out of a horrid relationship. Your girlfriend cheated on you, and you confronted her about it, which is when she yelled at you to get out. She actually was cheating on you, remember that." Ginny waited for Andrew to nod before going on.

"You had been a very sweet couple, and you had both liked to go to Madam Puddifoot's, and you're going there today to dwell in your happy memories. Got it?" Andrew nodded, looking a little dizzy. "Right. Now as soon as everyone arrives at Hogsmeade, go straight to Madam Puddifoot's and order a drink. And make sure you're alone." With that, Ginny spun on her heel and began to walk away. But before she could get far, Andrew had stopped her.

"Wait, Ginny!" he said, looking nervous. "When you, uh... talked with Pansy... did she, er, did she say anything about me?" Ginny bit her lip before answering.

"She, uh... called you a bastard." Andrew's face fell, and Ginny hastily tried to cheer him up. "Oh, don't worry, I know she'll like you. She just said that because she wanted to sound uninterested. Trust me. She'll be there. Oops! Almost forgot. " Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out a bandage. She placed it on his forehead, patted it so it stayed on, and ignored Andrew's confused expression. Then, after giving him a reassuring smile, she walked over to the other end of the Common Room.

She spotted Ron, Hermione and Harry all sitting at a table with their homework sprawled out across the surface. Ron was listening as an exasperated Hermione scolded him on his memory skills.

"Honestly, Ron, if you can't remember what I told you the first time, why do you even bother asking me again?"

"Well, if you'd just give us the answers the first time, I wouldn't have to ask you a second time, now would I?" he retorted, his ears turning red. Both of them failed to notice his sister standing right in front of the table.

Ginny saw that Harry wasn't paying attention to either one of them, and decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

"Er, H-Harry?" she said quietly. She mentally scolded herself. Every time she had to talk to Harry, she ended up making a fool of herself. Please, please, please, she silently prayed, help me to not act like a complete idiot.

"Yes Ginny?" he asked politely, looking up from his homework at her. Ginny, caught off guard, looked straight into his eyes.

Uh oh.

She was falling. Falling into the black holes at the center of each green galaxy. They drew her in, as if she were tied to a rope, into the swirling masses. So beautiful... were the only words her mind could form. So very beautiful...

"Ginny?" Ginny jumped and saw that Harry was looking at her worriedly. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, yes! Never better!" she said quickly, embarrassed that she had allowed herself to get lost in his gaze like that. "Would you... um... wou-would you..." Ginny hung her head in shame.

She could start rumors about Cho Chang. She could get along with Pansy Parkinson. She could punch her brother in the face. She could even talk numerous boys about girls.

But she could not talk to Harry Potter without getting flustered.

Whoever was in charge of the way things worked in the world, they were certainly having fun where Regina Weasley was concerned.

And then Ginny chuckled humorlessly. How could she have forgotten so quickly? Of course that's the way things went. Life is cruel, and she would never let herself forget it again. Ginny saw the bemused look on Harry's face and made up her mind quickly. Doing this would prove the ruler of the way things worked wrong. It would give her an excuse to be happy. She had to do this.

"HarrywillyougotoHogsmeadewithmetoday?" she said, her teeth gnashing together in her state of tense nervousness.

"Pardon?" said Harry, looking even more confused that just a moment ago. Ginny took a deep breath and tried to loosen her jaw.

"Will you go to Hogsmeade with me today?" Harry looked shocked, and Ginny looked crestfallen to see the shocked look on his face. Surely it wasn't so horrible to be asked to go to Hogsmeade with Ginny Weasley? He glanced over at Ron, but he hadn't heard a word of what was going on since he was still bickering with Hermione. He looked back at Ginny, and looked slightly hesitant.

"It doesn't have to be a... a date or anything..." she included, not sounding hopeful. "I just wanted to talk to you. A-about Quidditch!" she added quickly, struck by a sudden flash of brilliance she had not thought she would have been capable of at that moment in time. Harry seemed to relax and went back to scribbling on his parchment.

"Alright then," he said. "When do you want to go?" Ginny made a little gurgling noise and then cleared her throat nervously.

"Erm... I'd like to go to Madam Puddifoot's at three."

"Madam Puddifoot's? Where's that?"

"It's j-just down the road from The Three Broomsticks. It's a lovely little place, nice and q-quiet." Harry shrugged and smiled at her.

"Alright. See you later." Ginny nodded weakly.

"Yeah. S-see you later."

Ginny walked away very slowly, trying to digest the conversation that had just taken place between them, but only one thing was running through her mind as she went up the stairs to her dormitory.

I'm going to Hogsmeade with Harry Potter.

I'm going to Hogsmeade with Harry Potter.

I'm going to Hogsmeade with Harry Potter.

Ginny opened the door, as if in a trance, and plopped down onto her four poster bed. She stared up at the ceiling for a while, not doing anything. Even if it wasn't exactly a date, it still had to count for something, didn't it? He could have said "No, I don't want to go with you", but he didn't. He said yes. He said yes.

"He said yes," she said, and then did something she hadn't done in a while.

She smiled.

*~*~*~*~*~*

At noon, the school was a-bustle with students trying to move through the corridors. Everyone old enough to go to Hogsmeade was going, and Ginny found it extremely annoying. She pushed and shoved her way roughly through the river of students, looking for three separate things.

One: Pansy Parkinson. She had spotted her just a few moments ago, looking just as bored and uninterested as ever, but there was a certain curiousness in her eyes that one wouldn't notice, unless they knew to look for it.

Two: Cho Chang and Roger Davies. Preferably together. Hand in hand. She had not yet spotted them.

Three: Harry Potter, her date. No, no, she had made it quite clear that this was not a date. They were simply going to talk with each other while sitting in a quiet, secluded little cafe.

Oh, sod it.

It was a date.

Ginny whirled around in a circle, her eyes darting this way and that, hoping to catch a glimpse of any of the three people. Oh, why did everyone want to go to Hogsmeade today? Next week was a lovely time to go too; the weather was supposed to be very nice.

Ginny felt someone bump into her hard and send her sprawling on the floor. Her chin hit the cold, damp stone, and she grimaced as her teeth chomped down onto the tip of her tongue. She sat up, rubbed the scratched on her face, felt her tongue with the tip of her finger, and looked up, ready to throw a stream of insults at the idiot who knocked her over, until she saw who it was.

It was Draco Malfoy. Perhaps the day was not going to go quite as smoothly as she had anticipated.

"Ugh, Weasley," he drawled, "I've just had these robes cleaned. Now I'll have to get them washed twice." He brushed off invisible particles of Weasley-filth and looked down his nose at the bleeding Gryffindor.

"So will I," she spat, with the same amount of disgust and contempt. The Slytherin merely raised his eyebrows.

"I never thought I'd see the day a Weasley allowed themselves to appear vain," he said mockingly. "For vanity and wealth are associated with one another, and you wouldn't want to appear as though you had both, now would you?" Ginny snarled at the smirk on the arrogant boy's face. Instead of perceiving her comment as a retort to his own, he had seen it as a complaint regarding the dirt and grime on the floor. That little bugger.

"Well, now I see," she said with an air of sudden understanding. "I should leave all that to you, then." Draco Malfoy's smirk was gone, and he stared at her hard for a moment. She saw something flicker past his eyes, but before she could discover what it was, it was gone. Then, Ginny blinked, and he was gone, lost in the mass of swarming bodies. What a wanker, she thought to herself angrily. Ooh, if she could just get her wand and have a clear shot at him, she'd -

"Ginny! There you are!" Harry's voice came from behind her, and she suddenly felt herself being hauled up by two strong arms. Her head felt light. What were all these people doing here? Couldn't they see that Ginny wanted them to fall off the face of the earth and let them be in peace?

"What were you doing on the floor?" he asked once Ginny was standing upright. Ginny's cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked straight ahead.

"Oh, Malfoy was just mocking the family name. Nothing new." Ginny was startled when she heard Harry's voice next. It was full of hatred.

"That bloody bastard. He knocked you onto the floor, did he? Which way did he go?" Ginny pointed in the direction of the large front doors.

"That way. But don't go after him!" she added hurriedly. She tried to think up an excuse to keep him there next to her. "He isn't worth getting in trouble for." She grimaced at her own words. She was beginning to sound like Hermione.

Harry glared at the spot she had pointed, but did not move. He glanced at Ginny, and then his eyes widened as he saw the scratch on her chin and the thin line of blood trickling down her lip. He faced her and Ginny watched, fascinated, as his features became softer.

"How did you do that?" He wiped the blood from her lip softly... so softly. Ginny almost melted. He was looking at her with brotherly concern, but that was hardly a problem. She inhaled sharply when his fingers grazed the open cut, and he pulled his hand back quickly. "Sorry," he mumbled. "Come on, lets go over there." Ginny followed him, not capable of coherent speech. He had touched her gently. He had almost gone after Draco Malfoy for her. He was leading her away from the crowd. Ginny held on to his hand tightly, afraid that if she let go, she would float up into the air.

Harry led her over to a corner that was not full of students and pulled out his wand. He muttered a simple spell, and Ginny felt the cuts on her face dry up and become hard. She picked at the scabs. The skin around them itched from being pulled together so tightly so fast.

"Hermione could have done a better job," he admitted, looking at her thoughtfully, "but at least it will stop them from getting infected." Ginny looked up at him.

"I think you did a wonderful job," she said, somewhat breathlessly. Harry blushed, smiled sheepishly at her (causing her heart to flutter and start to beat unnaturally), and grabbed her by the hand. Their hands were clasped tightly, Harry to make sure he didn't lose Ginny again, and Ginny because she never wanted to let go. He led her out of the corner, and they started down the corridor. Ginny looked over her shoulder halfheartedly, and then gave up. Roger Davies knew what he was doing. He could take care of himself. She had other matters to attend to.

In the very back of her mind, a tiny thought niggled around to get to the front. A name suddenly popped into her head.

Cho Chang.

Cho Chang? she thought as she wound her way through the crowd. She glanced ahead at Harry, looked down at their joined hands, and then said to herself dreamily, Who's that?

*~*~*~*~*~*

Andrew Kirke gulped audibly. He was sitting alone at a table in the tiny cafe known as Madam Puddifoot's, his heart hammering in his throat. He had done just as Ginny said: sat at a table, making sure he was alone and left alone. His nerves were making his stomach churn.

Pansy Parkinson.

Here.

To see him.

The very thought was enough to send him flying into the sky, and yet also seemed to weigh him down like a lead weight in his stomach. He imagined her face, delighted to see him, that smile he loved plastered on her face. He imagined her rushing over to him, her eyes beaming, her hair whipping around her. He imagined-

Bah, he thought, and pushed the thoughts away. Those were things that only happened in his dreams.

"All alone?" A lady wearing a fancy ensemble had walked up behind him, startling him out of his thoughts. She was looking at him pityingly. Andrew stammered as he thought of what to say.

"Er, well, yes, but I'm expecting someone later, so-" The lady cut him off.

"Oh, I see." She had a knowing smile on her face, and it caused Andrew to blush. "What would you like, then?" she asked.

"J-just a... a coffee." No! shouted a stern voice in his head. You don't need to get any more jittery than you already are, you twit! Order something else! "Wait!" he said, rather loudly, and them mumbled in his embarrassment, "I'll just have a glass of water, thanks." The lady nodded and left him alone.

Andrew let out a breath of relief. He looked around the little shop, and saw a few people he knew there. Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter were sitting over in the corner, deep in discussion. Near the middle of the room was a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff, and Parvati Patil was sitting by the wall, looking forlorn. He sighed and looked back at his table.

Bare. The seat across from him was unoccupied, and the empty glasses on the table were teasing him, laughing at him in their tinkling little voices.

He fiddled with his napkin. He twiddled his thumbs. He tapped his foot. He scratched an itch on his nose.

He continued to do the random things people do when they are bored, or anxious, or nervous, and annoyed the people around him. After about five minutes, he ended up resting his chin in his hands, and fell into his memories.

As he walked down the hill towards the Quidditch field with his friends, he felt something knock into his shoulder. He stumbled and looked up, and saw a girl with long black hair walk past him. She looked back at him over her shoulder.

"Watch where you're going!" she spat, and then kept walking without a second glance. He was shocked. He had done nothing to receive such a rude comment from her. She had bumped into him. Then, as she walked further away, he noticed that the scarf she was wearing was silver and green. Stinking Slytherin, he thought.

He wanted nothing more at that moment than to grab his wand and hex that upturned nose right off her face, but was held back by his pride. He would not admit that she had bothered him by her rude comment - he would not do anything.

He made his way into the stands, and found himself standing next to Ron Weasley. The game began quickly, but seemed to move agonizingly slow after the first few minutes. The thought of her pushing him down was all he could think about. He couldn't just let her get away with that! He had to get revenge. Somehow.

"Ron?" he asked loudly over the noise of the crowd. Ron looked at him with a look of impatience on his face. "Do you have some binoculars I might be able to borrow?"

Ron handed him some fancy sort of contraption quickly, wanting to get his attention back to the game. He took them clumsily. They felt heavy, and were probably expensive. He handled them carefully and looked through, but instead of watching the game, he looked over at the Slytherin stands. He searched for a while before finding a head of long black hair. She was standing in the front row, looking very bored.

"What are you looking at?" Ginny Weasley was looking over his shoulder.

"I'm looking over in the Slytherin stands, at that girl, there," he said, pointing to her. Ron, who happened to hear him talking and look to where he was pointing, scrunched up his face in disgust.

"Pansy Parkinson?" he asked, incredulously. He nodded. "That pug-faced bint," he said with contempt, momentarily forgetting about the game. "She fancies that git, Malfoy." He then spared a glance at the Slytherin Seeker, who was flying high above the field. Then, Ron's eyes widened as Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter both rushed after the snitch. He started cheering Harry on. So did Ginny, looking dreamily up at him.

He looked back at Pansy again, and was thinking of ways he might be able to get back at her. Perhaps a hex in the hallway, or a curse in the Great Hall while no one was looking...

And then, after searching for her in the stands, he found her. But what he saw made his stomach do a somersault. She was laughing. And cheering. She was smiling widely and her eyes were as round as saucers. He felt his heart skip a beat.

She looked normal while she was laughing. She looked anything but Slytherin. She did not look like the girl who had bumped into him just minutes before.

He was strangely fascinated by this change in her appearance. She looked, in his eyes, at least, pretty. Her cheeks and nose were pink from the cold, and her hair was flying about in the wind. Her eyes were alight with happiness and excitement, and he felt his stomach do another flip. He glanced up at the two Seekers, who were head to head, and then back down at Pansy. She was happy because Malfoy was about to catch the snitch.

He found that he wanted Malfoy to catch the snitch, too.

But he didn't.

At the last moment, something happened that his eyes could not sort out fast enough, and the next thing he saw was Harry holding the snitch up for everyone to see. The Gryffindors all burst into cheers, stomped their feet, and whistled. But he did not. He was searching for Pansy again. When he saw her, his heart sank. She looked so disappointed - her eyes were looking down, and her mouth was shaped in a loose 'o'. That expression quickly went to anger, and she looked over at Harry Potter, who was being rushed away, probably towards a party in the Common Room. Then, her features slowly went back to their original state, and she looked bored and uninterested once more.

He felt strangely empty inside.

He watched her turn away and start toward the way down, and he was then swept away with the crowd. He held onto the binoculars tightly.

He was sitting in his room after the game, and was studying the fancy binoculars Ron had let him borrow. Ron had not asked for them back yet, since he was too busy gloating over their latest victory. He looked at the buttons on the top, and pressed one. It did not do anything. He pressed another. Still nothing. He pressed yet another, and a strange whirring sound emanated from it. He looked into the binoculars, expecting to see the end of his bed, and instead saw the Quidditch game, moving backwards. And there... there was Pansy, looking so sad. He let it go for a bit more. Cheering crowds, Harry and Malfoy going after the snitch, and then-

He stopped it by clicking the button again.

There she was, stuck in a moment of anxiousness and joy. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks were rosy, and her mouth was stretched in a smile. He felt his stomach flop again.

He was captivated by the image in the small machine. He couldn't fully explain it, and never really tried to. If he were to put it simply, he would have had to say it was the feeling one gets when they see such a rare occurrence that they are made speechless by it. He wanted to see her happy again. He wanted to see her mouth not twisted with a sneer, but made beautiful with a cheerful smile.

He wanted to make her smile.

He tucked the fancy binoculars away under his bed, and did not give them back until Ron asked for them a week later. But after that week, he did not need them anymore. The image of her was branded right onto his brain, and he could not get it off if he wanted to.

He had fallen in love with Pansy Parkinson.

"Here you are, dear." Andrew watched as the lady placed two waters on the table in front of him. He mumbled a timid 'thank you' and then propped himself up on one elbow. He picked up the straw that had been given to him, and started stirring the ice around in his glass.

A few more people had walked in while he had been waltzing about in his memories, and the tiny cafe was now full of people talking quietly. He sighed again, glanced over at Ginny, who was still chatting with Harry (looking very blissful), and then rested his head in his hands once more.

He could still see her face, even though the Quidditch match had taken place over a year ago. He could still see the happiness and excitement in her eyes. He wanted to see it again. Oh, how he wanted to see it.

"Excuse me." Andrew's head jerked up, and he saw a girl with long black hair standing over him.

It was Pansy, of course.

She had a look on her face that suggested she was late for another appointment, and did not have the time to sit and chat. He stared up at her, his jaw slack and his stirring straw forgotten. On her face was not a sneer, but not a smile either. It was a calculating, contemplative look. A look that traveled down her nose.

"Are you Andrew Kirke?" she asked briskly. He nodded dumbly, and watched as Pansy slipped into the chair across from him. She began to take off her damp cloak (it had started to drizzle lightly outside, and Andrew noticed that the candle light was bouncing off of every drop of water stuck to her hair, creating a sort of divine light around her head), but stopped when she saw the second glass of water on the table.

"Are you here with someone?" she asked, and she glanced around. Andrew opened his mouth quickly to say, "No, that water is for you", but then, shut it twice as fast, causing the words to get cut off and get muffled in his mouth. Pansy looked at him strangely.

What was it that Ginny had told him to remember? That he was moping because of his last relationship? Who wanted to get matched with someone who was going to gripe and moan the whole time about another girl?

Unless...

Unless Ginny hadn't matched them, per se, but had actually manipulated Pansy to get her to meet him of her own free will, without having been told that he was waiting for her. Perhaps Ginny had told her about him - that he would be there, and that he would be depressed, and that he didn't care about what people looked like (since she had emphasized that particular point strongly) - and then simply left it at that. So then Pansy wouldn't expect him to be waiting for her, but just sitting alone, minding his own business.

Andrew's mind did a cartwheel.

The entire string of thoughts had rushed through his mind particularly fast, and now all he could recall was the last sentence. He had faith in himself, though, to be sure that his thoughts had been correct and had made sense, and decided to take the last sentence's advice.

He opened his mouth again, but he forgot that he hadn't figured out what to say, and had to close it again. He settled on shaking his head for an answer. Pansy then continued to take off her cloak.

"Oh. Good. And," she added without looking up, "stop opening and closing your mouth like that. It makes you look like an idiot." Andrew's mouth, which had just opened again, snapped shut. He watched as Pansy took a small sip of water, and scrunched up her nose.

"This tastes awful," she said without bothering to keep her voice down, making it blatantly obvious that she was a Slytherin. Andrew continued to stare at her.

Pansy put down the glass again, and then settled comfortably in her chair. She stared back and Andrew, causing him to blush and look down at the napkin he had fiddled with before. She seemed to be studying him, and it made him extremely nervous. He wriggled in his seat uncomfortably. When he looked up again she was looking at his forehead.

"How did you get that cut on your forehead?" Andrew opened his mouth again, and was about to say "Oh, well, actually I didn't do anything, Ginny Weasley put it there," but shut his mouth faster once more, and he quickly took a sip of water to drown out the sounds of the words which had already formed.

In the part of his mind that was not paying attention to the current situation at all, he realised that the water did taste awful.

"What?" asked Pansy, one eyebrow raised. He tried to think up something to say.

"I said, uh, I said-"

Ginny must have had a good reason for putting it there. Maybe it had to do with his last failed relationship, and maybe Pansy already knew what had happened to him, and was just asking to see if he really had gotten out of a relationship. Maybe he should just shrug and say something about an accident.

His mind did another cartwheel.

Last sentence, last sentence...

He shrugged, and then continued.

"-I said that it was just an accident... er... bumped my head on, um, on something." He finished miserably, wishing he would just fall into a hole in the ground. What a lousy, transparent, obvious excuse-

"I see," said Pansy, and he looked up. His breath caught in his throat. She was smiling. But it was not the cheerful smile he had been hoping for, and the breath that had been trapped came out in a quiet sigh. The smile did not reach her eyes. It told him that she knew something that he did not.

He didn't like that smile at all.

Well, she wasn't accusing him of lying, so he must have said the right thing. Thank goodness. Suddenly he remembered his manners, and felt his cheeks grow hot as he spoke.

"Would you like something else to drink?" Pansy was now rummaging through her tiny purse and did not look up while she responded.

"I thought you'd never ask. Get me something with alcohol in it." Andrew blinked, and then looked at a small menu that had been lying on the table. There was a selection of wines at the bottom, but he highly doubted the chances of being given anything with alcohol in it. He was underage, after all. He was only fourteen, and he didn't think anyone would give a fourteen year-old a glass of wine. But then, he did look older than he actually was... Pansy was in the year above him, and he was about a head taller than her.

He decided to try it, and then hope lady luck was in a good mood today.

He waved a waitress over. It was the same one from before, and she smiled as she saw the two at the table. She winked discreetly at him, and he blushed again. "One glass of Dragonfruit wine, please."

The small part of his mind that was not aware of anything spoke up again, this time wondering what on earth a Dragon fruit was, and if perhaps it tasted like Dragons.

The lady looked at him sternly, and he looked up at her with a pleading expression. She sighed, and mouthed, "Alright, just one," and then left. Andrew let out a silent breath of relief. Then something fell into his lap.

He looked down and saw a bottle with a hand-written label on it that read 'skin rejuvenator'. He looked up at Pansy, and saw that her purse had tipped over and all sorts of potions and cosmetics had tumbled out onto the table. She was hastily trying to stuff them back into the small bag, and Andrew placed the potion upright on the table nearer to her. Pansy grabbed it and shoved it in with the rest of the containers.

"Why do you have so much stuff in there?" he asked. She huffed and placed the bag at her feet.

"I like to look presentable when I go out into public, thank you very much."

"Oh. So you're wearing all that makeup now?" he asked, awed. There was quite a lot in that purse.

"Well," she said, sounding uncertain for the first time, "yes." He looked down at the table cloth.

"I think you're very pretty," he said timidly. "Without the makeup, I mean." He looked up again, and saw that Pansy was blushing. She still tried to look and sound nonchalant, but he could tell that she was trying, which defeated the purpose entirely.

"I thought you didn't care about how people look." He wondered vaguely if she had just let it slip that she had heard this from someone else on purpose, or if she had simply forgotten to keep it a secret in her flustered state. He blinked.

"I - I don't." He saw her watching him, and he reached across the table and tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. He saw her blush even harder, and he added, "I wouldn't care if you weren't pretty." He paused. "But I can't help it that you are."

The next thing he saw made his lungs contract. She was smiling, and she looked just the way she did in his memories. And he had made her smile. His stomach did that peculiar flop that it always did when he looked at her.

He was wrong. She wasn't pretty.

She was beautiful.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny saw Pansy Parkinson blushing, and knew that her job there was done. She smiled as she watched Andrew push some of her hair behind her ear. They were a cute couple, even if the houses they belonged to loathed each other. Hopefully it wouldn't be such a difficult task to match any of the others up on her list.

She turned back to Harry, who had been talking nonstop about Quidditch ever since they had gotten there. His mouth did not seem to want to shut, his hands were gesticulating enthusiastically, and Ginny found that she did not have much to contribute to the conversation.

Not that it mattered.

Half the time she just sat there, watching him talk about what he loved so passionately, studying every detail about him.

For example, she had seen that he had dimples. They weren't very deep, and were hard to notice if you were just glancing. Also, he had a chip in his front tooth, and she had spotted one strand of red hair amongst the tresses of black. It glinted off of the light, and kept Ginny fascinated for at least five minutes.

Now, though, she was starting to get sleepy. One can only listen so long to how wonderful the game of Quidditch is. The smells of the food and the quiet lull of private conversations were also making her eyelids droop.

Suddenly, there was a quiet tinkling sound, and Ginny's eyes snapped open. She watched as a pleasant-looking couple walked in through the front doors and take a seat near the corner of the cafe. One had black hair, and the other a sandy brown. Cho Chang and Roger Davies.

Ginny squeaked loudly in her excitement, and had to muffle the magnified sound by holding a napkin up to her mouth. Harry didn't notice her strange behavior, although some of the other couples around did. Ginny took to notice of them. They could hardly understand the importance of this event in history, she thought. Let them stare and gossip. They didn't know what was really going on.

Ginny watched the two. Chang was smiling shyly, and Roger Davies was flashing her his most charming smile. Ginny rolled her eyes. Chang would have to learn the hard way about boys like Davies. And Ginny would enjoy watching every minute of it.

Now was the time to do it, while things were going so smoothly, she thought. It was now or never, and never was not an option. This was the moment she had been waiting for since the night before. This was the moment she had planned out that morning. This was where all of her hopes and dreams lie.

This was it.

Ginny took a deep breath, and looked at Harry one last time in his happy, excited, enthusiastic state. That Harry would be gone in a moment, but it was for the best. He would get over it soon enough.

"Harry?" Ginny said quietly, tapping him on the shoulder. Harry blinked a few times, looking as though he had not noticed he was sitting with anyone. He looked at Ginny questioningly. "Look, over there." She pointed at the two Ravenclaws. "Isn't that the one you like... the Ravenclaw Seeker? Cho Chang?" Harry spun around quickly, and Ginny saw the expression on Harry's face turn from happy to heartbroken.

His face became very pale, and his eyes - those breathtaking eyes - were empty, and yet full of sadness at the same time. His shoulders slumped, and he looked very much like a man who has just been told his life had been taken away from him. He was watching the couple with a desolate expression. They were snuggling up against one another, looking very cozy. Chang was smiling timidly. Davies kissed her on the cheek, and she blushed. Harry seemed to deflate.

Ginny patted his back and said, "I'm so sorry Harry," even though she wasn't in the least. She put a serious, solemn expression on her face and stood, taking Harry by the arm. She began to lead him in a beeline to the door.

Ginny found it very hard to contain her excitement. Finally! After this, he would no longer be infatuated with Cho, and he would be hers - all hers! He would get over his heartbreak in about a week, and after that, her worries would be over. No more staring over her shoulder in the Great Hall, no more unbearable encounters with the bloody girl, and finally, finally, she will have gotten her revenge on life. She will be happy. She will have a good reason to get up in the morning. She will-

"Ack! Roger, what are you mmmhmm mm mmph!" Ginny spun around and saw, to her utter and total dismay, Roger Davies snogging Cho Chang, with a little too much enthusiasm. By the way they were positioned, it looked as though Chang was having the breath squashed out of her. Her eyes were wide, and her pleas were muffled by the lips pressed up against her own. Davies seemed to be unawares of the fact that they were in a public restaurant, and started groping her. She let out a shriek that made the entire room look over at the corner they were in.

Suddenly, Ginny was aware of the fact that her arm was no longer gripping anything, and she gasped as she saw Harry standing at the table Chang was being smothered at.

"Let her go," he said in a very calm voice. Roger Davies looked up at him incredulously.

"Do you mind?" he asked. "This is none of your business. Go away." He waved him off and descended on Chang again.

"Oh, Harry, help me, please do some- mmph mm!"

"Actually Davies, I do mind." Ginny had to slump into the nearest chair, which happened to be at the table Parvati was sitting at. The way he was speaking was making her knees weak. It was so deadly calm, so daring, so manly...

"Look Potter," said Roger as he came up again. "I don't see why you care so much about this. Just leave now, and we'll pretend that this little episode never happened, alright?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Ginny started fanning herself.

"Oh? And just what are you going to do abou-"

"Petrificus Totalis!"

Without another sound, Roger Davies fell out of his seat, landing on the ground in the same position he had been sitting in, revealing the disgruntled and distressed girl underneath him. Harry held out a hand to help her up while pocketing his wand.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, passionately.

"Yes, yes I'm fine," she said, breathless.

They stared at each other lustfully for a moment.

The rest of the restaurant, which had been quiet up until then, started clapping politely. Chang and Harry seemed to come out of their trance, and both blushed furiously. They then sat down at the table, Roger Davies lying forgotten at their feet, and they did not stop blushing until the applause had died down. Ginny watched as the two started talking shyly with one another. Harry called a waitress over and ordered them some drinks.

He had forgotten all about Ginny.

Ginny looked over at him, lost for words. An entire day of planning, an entire lifetime of waiting... No, no, no. This was not happening to her. Nothing could go wrong so quickly. She closed her eyes, and then opened them, hoping to see Harry across from her, chatting happily away about Quidditch. But he was not there.

' Well, bugger.

Her foul mood was only made more so as Parvati, who had been watching Harry and Chang ever since they had sat down, spoke.

"They really are a cute couple, aren't they?" she said thoughtfully. Ginny groaned and buried her head in her hands.

Life is intolerably cruel.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Ginny was sitting alone at a table in Madam Pudifoot's, and was staring at the wall, dismally. She had tried for about an hour now, concentrating with all her might, but could not come up with one reason worth living anymore. Harry and Cho Chang had left just a little while ago. Chang had claimed that she had had a wonderful time, and that they should do this sort of thing again. Harry had left looking punch drunk. Ginny had stayed looking miserable.

"Well, Weasley, I suppose that didn't go too well, did it?" Ginny looked up glumly to see Pansy Parkinson sitting next to her, holding a less-than-half full glass of wine. She was swirling it around, looking at her with a thoughtful expression. Ginny resumed staring at the wall without replying.

"Come now. You can't give up that easily. You're a Gryffindor. You can't give up." Ginny grunted. Pansy took a sip of her wine. They sat in silence for a moment.

Pansy looked back at Andrew, who was standing near the door, waiting for her. She pointed to him and spoke to Ginny.

"You know, that Andrew Kirke," she said, sounding thoughtful. "I may not be an expert at reading people, although I am rather good, if I do say so myself." She started running her finger around the rim of the glass, and a quiet humming sound drifted from it. "But I think he's something special. There aren't many boys who don't care about one looks like. Not even your Harry Potter. And that's what matters most. Only someone who likes you for who you are and not what you look like is going to matter in your life." She took a sip of wine. "Good thing I got to Kirke before you did," she added as an afterthought. She sat there for a few more seconds, but when Ginny did not do anything, she got up and left without another word.

Ginny lifted her head up to see Pansy and Andrew walking out of the cafe, with Pansy in the lead. There was a quiet tinkling sound, and they were gone. Ginny resumed staring into space. Pansy's words echoed in her mind. Not even your Harry Potter. Ginny sighed. She was right, of course. Harry couldn't know a whole lot about Cho. But she was very pretty. That much was obvious.

And it was obvious that Harry thought that too.

And a pretty girl always gets the boy they want. Cho Chang could get any boy she wanted.

Then Ginny blinked, and sat up.

What if... Cho Chang wasn't pretty? What if she came to breakfast one morning looking so horrible, so disgusting, so foul looking that no one wanted anything to do with her? Would Harry still fancy her? Would he even like her? Would he forget all about her? Would he actually pay attention to Ginny while she was speaking to him?

Ginny's lip twitched.

Well, she thought as she stood and started towards the door, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?

She left the cafe, and there was a quiet tinkling sound as the door closed behind her.