Turnaround

Turnaround

Chapter 3

"The problem is, how am I going to ask him?" I asked Ginny. I just wanted to get off of the topic that she had been talking about all afternoon- Draco. It was Draco this, Draco that. She was driving me mad with all of her Draco talk. I couldn't believe that this was the same Draco who made fun of her family and called me Mudblood.

"You just take a deep breath, look into his eyes, and let it come out, like I asked Draco. Have I mentioned how sweet and lovable and caring he is? He really is. He sent me flowers for my birthday last summer. And you know what? They were yellow roses-"

"My favorite," I finished. "How he knew, I'll never know." Ginny looked at me sheepishly.

"I suppose I have mentioned that story before. Anyway, there has to be the perfect setting. You can't just ask him here, with everyone else around. Then, in the unlikely chance of rejection, everyone will see. And you can't ask him in the Astronomy Tower. Everyone goes there. Also, you'll appear way too forward, and my brother is definitely not attracted to that. Not that Draco isn't..." Ginny giggled. I was amazed at how much thought she had put into this. "Hmmm... let's see... I've got it!" she suddenly announced triumphantly. She lowered her voice and started using elaborate gestures in her speaking.

"You go down for dinner, making sure to sit right next to him. You lean into him, hang on to his every word, and laugh at all of his jokes. Before it's over, be sure to mention something about what a beautiful night it is. You nonchalantly ask if he wants to go out for a walk under the stars, stroll on down to the lake, and ask the question. My brother will eat that all up."

I was amazed to find out that Ginny seemed to know more boy stuff than me, and I'm a year older! This was a Ginny I had never known before.

"All right, I'll try to remember all of that." I suddenly remembered my conversation with Harry a few days before. "Um, could I ask you something personal?"

"Of course. We are best friends, aren't we? You can ask me anything." I had begun to doubt that after the whole keeping-Draco-a-secret-from-me thing.

"Whatever happened with Harry? I thought you really liked him. I mean, at least you did last year." She rolled her eyes.

"Look, I wasn't about to wait any longer for him. I mean, if he liked me, or was ever going to, he would have at least expressed an interest in me, right? But I was always just his best friend's kid sister. He was just interested in that Cho girl. I really tried to make him see that Cho was just a dream, just a fantasy, and reality was sitting right next to him. But he never listened. I just finally realized that I was sitting, watching the world go by when I got that first letter from Draco. He said something about having his eye on me all year but he couldn't find the right way to say it. It was so sweet. I just couldn't resist him. It was time to make a change." Wow. I'd never had such a close heart-to-heart like this with Gin before. She was pouring her emotions out on me.

"I mean, put yourself in my shoes," she continued. " Say tonight, when you ask Ron to the ball, he says he's really sorry but he's already going with...ummm...Parvati and-"

"What? Parvati asked him?" I was shocked. Why didn't she tell me this before? I would just die if he went with Parvati, just die!!

"No, no calm down. It's just an example. Now let me get on with my story. Ok, Ron turns you down but says he'll keep you in mind when choosing his partner for the next ball. And after that he completely ignores you, going to balls with a different girl. Now how would that make you feel?"

"I'd be crushed. And devastated. Oh my gosh, what if that really happens? I wouldn't be able to take it!!" That was true. I couldn't.

"Relax. He likes you. I'm sure of it." I sure hoped so.

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I was pretty scared when I went down to dinner. What if he turned me down? Relax, Hermione. Just focus on making those eight words come out of your mouth at the right time. "Will you come to the ball with me?" Perfect. Just keep practicing it.

"Hi, 'Mione." His voice interrupted my thoughts. I flashed him a smile.

"Hi, Ron. Where's Harry?" No! Don't ask about Harry! He'll think you like him or something.

"He went down to dinner already. I had to finish up some homework so I sent him down ahead of me. C'mon, let's go."

"All right." He flashed me his smile, and we proceeded to walk down the hall as my dream guy started telling me about that poser Trelawney's latest predictions.

"And she actually said to me, 'I see a confrontation, one in which you come out as the winner.' I mean, honestly, now, where does she get this crap? Geez."

"That's why I keep telling you to just switch to Arithmancy with me. It's loads more interesting than you expect." I hoped he would. I needed just one more class with that red head.

"Well, Harry and I certainly find the homework easier, once we discovered her weakness for death and destruction. I'd rather that than some class where I'd have to actually learn anything." He grinned. I sighed loudly.

"Come on, Ron, how can you expect to pass your O.W.L.s with an attitude like that?"

"Simple. My little brown-haired talking encyclopedia." He patted me on the head flashed me his smile again. I was dying, just dying in his eyes.

"Oh, really. Well, Ron Weasley, I'll help you study, but if you expect me to just give you the answers then you've got another thing coming!" I said jokingly. We started into the Great Hall, where Harry was already sitting down in the middle of the table. Perfect. Wherever Ron sits, there'll be an empty chair next to him.

I slid next to Ron as he asked Harry, "So, what's the tally up to so far?"

Harry mumbled glumly, "Thirteen."

"Huh?" I asked.

"Oh," said Ron, "you didn't walk to Charms with us today. Remember? You were a bit late because you had to stay and talk to McGonagall." I nodded. I had just wanted to know if there was a limit on the length of our essays that were due next week. I didn't want to get points taken away just because it was too long. This year I vowed to get nothing under a hundred and five percent. I needed to start working now to be Head Girl.

"Well," Ron continued, "we decided to keep tally on the number of girls who ask Harry to the ball and announce it to the table every day."

Harry cleared his throat and rolled his eyes. "Ahem. I believe it was you who decided that."

"Really, Harry?" I asked. "You've had that many girls ask you? Which one are you going to go with?" I was shocked, and also a bit nervous. If Harry had had that many girls ask him, there had to be at least a few who had asked Ron. But Harry would have told me, wouldn't he? I had to find out, yet look like I could care less.

"None of them. If I can't have Ginny, I'll just go alone. I just feel like beating my head up against a wall for ignoring her all those years. I just can't believe I was so stupid!" I felt so sorry for poor Harry. He then noticed Ron cringing. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I just can't believe that my best friend actually likes my sister. It's just so...weird, like we're in a movie or a book or something."

"What's so weird about that? Ginny liked me for all those years and you didn't think that was weird!" Ron opened his mouth to say something but Harry butted back in, "Oh, forget about it. Never mind."

He sat in silence for a while and then said, "And, you know what? I bet that guy who she's going with is a total creep or a Slytherin or something. That would just be the icing on the cake, knowing she picked him over me." I opened my mouth to say something but quickly shut it. Unfortunately, Ron saw me and noticed the look on my face.

"Wait a second, you know who he is, don't you, Hermione?" I tried to keep a nonchalant look on my face.

"Why, Ron, I have no idea what you're talking about," I said. Most times Ron is really sweet, but other times he can be a total git!

"Yes, you do. You know and you haven't told us. I see that look on your face."

I sighed. "Fine, Ron, I do know, but I can't tell you. I'm under oath."

He sighed too. "Come on, Hermione, you've got to tell us. I need to know who my sister's going out with! She's been getting these secret letters all summer and I have no idea who they're from! You just have to!"

"Well, Ron, you may be my best friend but Ginny is mine also, and I'd never tell her any of your secrets!" I don't know how I can like him. He can be so annoying sometimes.

"Honestly, Hermione! Sometimes you can be so stubborn! I'm coming to you to try to help my little sister and all you do is keep information from me!"

"Oh, you don't want to help Ginny! You just want to find out who it is so you can go beat him up for even thinking about liking you sister! And then you'll try to get her together with Harry because you know he'll never hurt her. Everything's all about you, isn't it? You know what, Ron, sometimes you are just an annoying git with a bad temper! And you know what else? I was going to ask you to the ball tonight and finally confess that I liked you but I don't think I will now!"

I couldn't believe I had just said that. Well, I had kind of asked him, just not in the way I had pictured I would. Ron just sat there, dumbfounded and shocked. I felt the eyes of every person in the Great Hall boring into me. So I did what any girl in a good romance novel would do. I turned on my heel and stomped out of the Great Hall, hearing footsteps behind me.