Madame Josephine's Love Calculator

Ron returned from the well-sparkled Owlery, with a foul owl dung smell drifting around him. The muscles in his arms ached terribly as if he had been stretched on a stiff plaque of wood. His red hair was abnormally untidy and bits of feather and other odd things were nestled in it.

The worst part of his appearance was his face. It was the color of sour milk and his blue eyes that were usually bright and cheerful had been clouded over with tiredness and annoyance.

Hermione and Harry tried not to snicker at their friend as they stared at him peeking over their Transfiguration books.

"So err- did you have a nice time with Malfoy in the err- Owlery?" asked Hermione timidly daring to test her boyfriend's temper.

"Actually I had a pleasant time alone with the company of those rutty birds!" retorted Ron, collapsing into the nearest armchair, not caring if he dirtied it or not.

"What do you mean alone?" inquired Harry.

"We both had to give our wands to McGonagall so that we would not use magic to clean the cages," began Ron. "And Malfoy gave in a Weasley Wizard Wheeze and he then cleaned the cages with his real wand."

"You should have reported him Ron!" cried Hermione. "I mean didn't Professor McGonagall find out that it wasn't a real wand?"

"Apparently not," he answered. "And he left to go talk to Ginny."

"You knew that he was going to talk to Ginny and you let him go?" gasped Hermione and she gave Harry a shocking glance.

"As much as I hate that gritty sod, I have to admit that she's a lot happier being with him," muttered Ron angrily.

"It's true she was enjoying her time with him," said Harry sighing. "And she deserves to have happiness in her life, so... she should be with him."

"That's a bit rich coming out of both of you about Malfoy and Ginny," remarked Hermione.

"Let's just say that we're feeling a bit light-headed tonight," replied Harry and Ron nodded in agreement.

***

Ginny's fingers lightly danced upon the tranquil surface of the water. She was seated on the edge of the dock beside the lake. Though no one knew of it, Ginny often came here to free her mind from her troubles and absorb the atmosphere around her.

Though it was late November and the air was now tinted with chills, Ginny was not bothered by it. Her long red curls swayed in the cool breeze and she clothed her bare hand with her remaining glove.

She looked around to capture the surroundings. The trees that had once been lively and colored with green, now looked dead. Their gnarled branches were naked and old bark that covered them was turning gray.

There were no more melodies from the birds for they were already gone and the forest seemed bare and lonely.

Ginny sighed at the distressful atmosphere and cupped her head in her hands.

There was a sudden crunching noise behind her. It was becoming louder and louder. Someone was coming. She whirled around to see that a boy was standing where the noise had been coming from.

His trousers and shirt were covered with a heavy cloak bearing the crest of a serpent on the left side of his chest. His blonde hair fell down against his face and the side of his head in an untidy manner. His mirror-gray eyes were looking straight at her. The boy was, Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here?" she snapped at him as he took another step towards her.

"I came to speak with you," he answered. "Is that all right or should I be put in Azkaban for committing a mortal crime against the name of wizardry?"

"You should be put in Azkaban," she retorted. "Leave me alone."

"I am not going to leave you alone until I have a proper discussion with you," he said stubbornly, crossing his arms across his chest.

Ginny stood up quickly and tried to pass by him but he caught her wrist briskly.

"Let me go Malfoy!" she screamed as she tried to free her wrist but he would not let go.

"Ginny please I really need to tell you something," he said, his eyes pleading her to stay.

"I don't want to know what you want to say," she began angrily. "And I never want to see you again Malfoy now let me go!"

Draco released his grip on her wrist and she began walking away from him.

"Ginny I was wrong to let you go," he called after her. "I hurt both of our feelings, but I did it because I thought that I didn't deserve to be with you!"

She continued walking away from him so he started to follow her.

"Then I thought to myself that what I had done was a cowardly thing to do," he continued. "I mean you deserved to be loved and so you were not being treated fairly! And I was ignoring that part!"

He stopped walking after her.

"Ginny, I've been such a prat to you but you know what?" he cried out. "I love you!"

Ginny stopped walking and turned around to face him.

"What did you just say?" she asked him quietly.

"I am a prat," he repeated.

"No the other part!" she said.

"I am in love with you Ginny Weasley," he said.

She let out a cry and she ran right into his arms. The impact caused him to stumble back a little but he hugged her back tightly like she was his most priced possession.

"This is a giddy little ending now isn't it?" remarked Draco. "I wonder where the dancing dwarves are."

Ginny laughed at his comment and hugged him even harder.

"Ginny it would not be a giddy little ending if you accidentally crushed my ribs," cried Draco.

She blushed madly and backed away from him muttering a sorry as she looking at the grass.

He approached her and with two fingers he titled her head so that her eyes were looking straight into his eyes.

"You do not ever need to apologize to me Ginny," he said softly as he lightly placed his lips on hers.

It was a gentle kiss. Not demanding or hungry. He nibbled on her bottom lip playfully as his hands moved up and down her back. She buried her hands into his soft blonde hair and pulled herself closer to him.

Ginny pushed herself hard again on Draco and, thus caused him to lose balance. They toppled over and Draco landed on the grass in a sitting position with Ginny in his lap. The fall had broken their kiss and they laughed at this.

He then placed his hand on the side of her face and pulled her in for another kiss. It was more aggressive than the first one, more demanding. His tongue played teasingly in her mouth and she acted along with him.

She lay down on the prickling grass smoothly and he climbed over her. His lips moved from her mouth to her cheek and then her neck. She let out a soft moan as he sucked the soft skin on her neck. Shivers flooded over her body.

And then he stopped and got off her.

"Why did you stop?" she asked him.

"We shouldn't spoil it and it's getting cold," he answered standing up.

He took hold of her hands and pulled her up towards him.

"I never thought I'd hear you say that," she told him.

"Yes well you're different from the others," he responded.

"Others what others?" Ginny asked him.

"Err- well my other girlfriends," he replied not really knowing what to say. "I mean, you're not like them see... you're special."

"All right," Ginny said, keeping her laughter inside of herself. "We'll be going back to the castle."

She kissed him again and started to walk along the path back to the castle with him by her side, hand in hand.

***

Ginny entered the castle, face flushed and her hair in a tangle. She was out of breath as she collapsed in an armchair not realizing that Ron was sitting in front of her.

"Where have you been?" he demanded sternly, strongly sounding like Percy at the moment. "I was just about to round up all the Prefects to look for you!"

Ginny looked at her brother clearly. He had been waiting until she had returned into the common room for he had not taken a shower yet. His hair was still a mess and the same foul air was hovering around him, it had even grown worse. She tried not to snicker at him.

"I was on private business and minding it as you should be doing," she answered him trying to sound serious.

Ron was not finding all of this amusing at all.

"I know you were with Malfoy!" he barked.

"Here it goes again," thought Ginny in boredom.

She was irritated about this infinite fight she was having with Ron and just wanted it to end. Lying had no more purpose.

"Yes I was with Dra- I mean Malfoy," Ginny began trying to choose her words wisely. "What are you trying to prove Ron?"

"You were with him too long," he muttered. "He should have known better, especially after what I told him."

"Since when do I have a timer attached to my forehead?" she cried now angry. "And what did you say to him? Why don't you just leave me alone? You're a nuisance of a brother!"

Immediately Ginny regretted what she had just said to her brother. Ron's face dissolved its anger and absorbed sadness and worry.

"When I was in the Owlery with Malfoy, I told him that you two deserved to be together," Ron told her. "But now I'm having second doubts. I love you Ginny and I want to protect you from everything that is harmful to you and I'm sorry if I'm a nuisance to you but I'm your brother."

"Ron I love you too but don't worry about Malfoy," Ginny said as she walked towards him and kneeled down beside him. "Malfoy is no harm to me and you don't need to protect me this time, I'm sorry about what I said before."

Ron smiled down at his little sister and did something he hadn't done in a long time. He ruffled her hair.

"Ron you know I hate when you do that!" cried Ginny, scowling.

He laughed at her and picked her up and hugged her. She gave out a small cry at his sudden movement but then started laughing along with him.

"I'm glad we're not fighting anymore," Ron said to her.

"So am I," she replied. "Does that mean that you're going to be nice to Malfoy now?"

Ron pushed away from his sister without any harm.

"The day that I am going to be nice to Malfoy is the day that Hagrid starts loving normal things," said Ron his temper rising again.

"I was just kidding Ron!" Ginny said laughing at her brother again.

"It's getting late," he said glancing at the clock on the wall. "We should go to bed."

"Okay good night Ron," she said to him as he started to climb the staircase towards the boy's dormitories.

He turned around and said before he disappeared up the stairs, "Oh... Just be careful Ginny."

"I will Ron. Now good night!" she said exasperatedly and she too left to her dormitory.

***

The next morning in the Great Hall, things were rather cheerful towards everyone. Draco and Ginny had decided not to sit with one another during meals due to the great loathing between the houses but often kept eye contact with each other.

"I have started drawing up study schedules for all of us," Hermione announced to Ron and Harry as she spread some marmalade on her toast.

Ron groaned but it was Harry who spoke up to her.

"But Hermione the exams are seven months away," Harry said.

"Have you both gone mad?" she cried. "Harry and Ron this is our last year at Hogwarts which means we must work doubly hard!"

"Doubly hard?" repeated Ron his eyebrows raised as he smirked at Harry.

"That's right you heard me correct," snapped Hermione taking a big bite out of her toast and swallowing it down with some pumpkin juice. "We have History of Magic after and I want you two to copy down what Professor Binns is talking about. How the Ministry of Magic was established is a very big part on the final exam."

"But it's so boring!" Ron protested. "What's the point of learning about it when I'm going to become a Quidditch player after I leave Hogwarts!"

"Don't you want to know how your ministry who works to keep you safe day and night was formed?" inquired Hermione.

"No and the ministry is always doing rubbish, just to inform you," retorted Ron.

"Honestly Ron!" cried Hermione in exasperation.

Ginny stopped listening to them arguing and her eyes drifted towards the Slytherin Table and to Draco. He seemed to have gotten his popularity back because all the Slytherins were clinging on to his every word as he was talking to them. He must have said something quite hilarious because all of the Slytherins started snickering and Pansy let out a high pitched giggle, which nearly cracked the windows.

All of a sudden, Draco looked up at Ginny. He winked at her before returning to his flock of dim-witted geese.

"Attention Students!" Professor Dumbledore called out abruptly and the sound of chattering stopped immediately. "I have an important announcement to declare to you right away. Due to the amount of troubles the Ministry and Hogwarts has had with the new method of teaching, Wizard Laptops will no longer be used for entertainment or education purposes."

There were groans from some but to some surprise, a few cheers could faintly be heard among the vast walls of the Great Hall.

"You will give in your laptop after lunch to Professor Flitwick and Professor Snape, who will be seated outside the Great Hall waiting for you," Professor Dumbledore continued, his eyes twinkling. "Alas we return to parchments and quills!"

"Oh great," Ron said loudly. "Just when I was beginning to get used to it, we switch back to tiring hours of writing with quills."

"Don't be lazy Ron," snapped Hermione as she began cramming textbooks inside her bag. "We have to go now, if you don't want Professor Binns to assign you a detention."

"I doubt he'd remember giving us one," said Harry. "He forgot his own body for crying out loud!"

***

During the entire day, Ginny had been able to see Draco three times between classes and managed to squeeze a little opportunity of broom closet snogging.

Ginny had no idea on how Draco could find her in such an immense castle, but there he was, outside of the class, waving her to come out. She'd mutter some sort of excuse to the Professors and away the two would go, free to do whatever they wanted.

"Will it always be like this Draco?" Ginny asked him as they walked down the corridor, hand in hand.

"Why do you mean?"

"I mean us sneaking around together, merrily and we act as if nothing could ever get in our way," Ginny explained. "Will our relationship always be so... so perfect?"

"Nothing is perfect," he said. "Though it might seem like it, it is not. Life is always trying to prove to be perfect and we must never underestimate it, who knows what lays ahead in our lives."

"I see it now; Draco Malfoy, famous philosopher," Ginny said so seriously that it made Draco's lips curl.

"Don't mock me Weasley," he replied.

"I'm not, I'm telling the truth!" cried Ginny but her lie was too big to hide, she laughed out loud and Draco ruffled her hair.

"Don't do that!" snapped Ginny and he did it again.

"Stop!" she screamed.

"Like I said nothing is perfect!" he said, trying to sound wise.

"Oh shut up!"

***

Ginny entered the common room late that night. She had spent a momentous occasion with Draco, who in the end went back to his common room with egg yolk in his hair.

The common room was deserted except for one single person who was quietly curled up beside the dancing sparks of fire. That person was Harry.

"What are you doing still up Harry?" she asked him as she approached the boy.

He looked up at her and said, "I was waiting for you."

"Did Ron put you up, to this?" she said groaning. "I told him to stop."

He stood up to face her.

"Actually I wanted to speak to you," he said without hesitating.

"About what?" she asked.

"I owe you an apology and I'm sorry," he replied.

"You don't need to apologize, Harry!" cried Ginny, her face filled with shock. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"I've been acting like a real git," he answered. "Acting jealous about you and Malfoy, when it is you that should be choosing what you want for happiness and- (Harry started to blush a little) I just don't know who I am anymore."

"Harry," Ginny began, her eyes filled with a thousand smiles. "I love you dearly as a friend and I know that I am not that special girl for you. You will find her one day. I am your friend and I will always be there for you. Our friendship is more valuable than any jewels or money or anything in this world. I hope you will always remember that."

It was Harry's turn to smile.

"Thank you Ginny and I won't forget that we will always be friends," he said.

With those last words, they hugged each other as tightly as possibly as if the strongest tornado was trying to pry them apart. Like they said, their friendship was valuable and it would need to stay that way to stand against what would happen to them in the future...

The End... For now...

***