Yule Ball Blues

*

CONFIDENTAIL: HOGWARTS UNOFFICIAL QUESTIONNAIRE No. 247

Written in big, bold script across the top, that's what first caught Ginny Weasley's eye (spelling error notwithstanding,) as she unfolded the crumpled parchment that Luna had handed to her as they passed in the corridor. Sitting in Professor Binns' NEWT-level and exceedingly boring "In-Depth History of the Magical World" class, she was glad to have something to occupy her. Even though this was the last week of classes before end-of-term exams, as with all of Binns' other classes, one could easily pass this class just by reading the textbook.

FILL IT OUT AND PASS IT ON!

Ginny let her eyes scan further down the page.

QUESTION THE FIRST: HAVE YOU EVER TOUCHED IT?

She clapped her hand over her mouth as she stifled a laugh, and felt her ears turn red when a couple of nearby students glanced questioningly at her. So, it was one of those sorts of questionnaires, Ginny thought to herself.

QUESTION THE SECOND: HAVE YOU EVER DONE IT?

Ginny glanced all around her, making certain that no one was watching her. The coast seemed clear; this WAS Professor Binns' class, after all, and most everyone was either dozing, doodling on spare bits of parchment, or passing notes themselves, so Ginny slowly withdrew her quill and ink from her schoolbag and tentatively began to write. "What's the harm?" she thought. She'd only pass it along to someone she could trust.

She carefully wrote her answer to question number one: "Almost."

There had been that occasion at last year's Yule Ball with her and...what was his name again...that pervy little Hufflepuff boy with the dark hair, with whom she'd attended the ball that year. He had told her that they'd only go outside for a walk, but they'd ended up in a dark corner of the garden instead, and Ginny had been in just the sort of mood to do a bit of exploring, only she wasn't exactly in the mood to have him reciprocate. She was almost thankful, she remembered, when Snape made his presence known further down the path, and both she and her date had dashed back inside.

She thought for a moment, and answered question number two: "I don't think so."

Last year again, spring term, this time she was with the Ravenclaw boy with the funny glasses and slight overbite. They'd been in the same Arithmancy class, and when Ginny found herself in need of assistance with a particularly difficult essay, the Ravenclaw boy had kindly offered to help. It didn't take long to realize that he was smitten with her, and looking back on it, she'd taken pity on him more than anything else.

She remembered one afternoon in particular, when they'd wandered off the high street in Hogsmeade and found themselves in an empty little park. She knew they hadn't actually done "the act," as her mum liked to call it, but that boy did have a certain type of reaction to what they'd ended up doing on that park bench, when she let his hand wander above her waist, underneath her jumper. It was something she'd never seen before, and it took her by such surprise that it frightened her. It hadn't occurred to her that even with all the magical power she knew she had, that the very basic powers she possessed by simply being an attractive young woman could be used so easily.

QUESTION THE THIRD: IF YOU ANSWERED 'I DON'T THINK SO' WOULD YOU EVER IF YOU COULD?

Ginny thought on this one for a moment. Of course she would, someday. She didn't feel in any particular hurry for that "someday" to arrive, though. She didn't want to give up that part of herself to just anyone. She had promised herself that the one with whom she would share her most intimate self would be one who, without a doubt in her heart, loved her and cared for her. She knew she hadn't met such a person yet. So she scribbled in her answer: "I guess so."

QUESTION THE FOURTH: WITH WHO? (BE HONEST. YOUR NAME'S NOT ON THIS SO IT'S OK.)

She immediately felt a blush creep up her neck and into her cheeks as the answer flashed front and center in her mind like a white-hot bolt of lightning. She'd only known the answer to this particular question ever since she'd come to Hogwarts - before she'd come to Hogwarts, in fact. It was the feeling that had conflicted her most of all, that had made her question if love was really such a wonderful thing, if it could cause her to ache so badly for what she was certain could never be hers. It was what drove her to pursue any boy who showed interest in her, in hopes that she'd find a good enough love to make her forget about the one she really wanted.

Still, a heart will always yearn for what it cannot have, no matter how hard its owner tries to make it stop. She let out a soft sigh, rested her chin in her hand, and rolled the end of her quill between her thumb and forefinger. The answer to question number four happened to be sitting behind her, two rows back and to the left. It was hard sometimes, with some NEWT-level classes containing students in both sixth and seventh years together. She could live with only having to pass him in the corridors, or sharing an occasional chat or joke with him in the common room where escape was easy. But now that she had to see him in half of her classes as well, it was becoming harder to bear.

She hadn't seen him come into the room earlier, now that she thought about it. She would usually make it a point to linger in the corridor so that she could watch him walk toward her. It was hard to see him, though. He always seemed to be surrounded by a group of people these days, with the threat of the escalating war and the fact that he was, without a doubt, the most popular boy in school. It seemed that everyone wanted to be near him, either to defend him or try to have some bit of him rub off on them, or maybe both. Certainly she was just a small face in a large crowd, as far as he was concerned. But today, for some reason, she'd walked into the classroom early and taken her seat.

She had to see him; somehow the thought of him not being in his seat sent a bolt of panic through her. Her textbook sat at the corner of her desk, so she slid forward on her elbow as though she were stretching and sent the book falling to the floor. She bent down to pick it up, glancing behind her.

He was resting his chin in both hands, and his bright green eyes gazed intently at her from behind his glasses. His lips were curved into a boyish grin, and his raven hair fell over his ears in such a way that he looked absolutely, devastatingly, handsome. He had his robe draped loosely about his shoulders and had the top two buttons of his shirt undone, and she let her eyes wander for a split-second to the dimple where the sinew of neck and shoulder met collarbone.

There was that ache again, delaying the shock that hit her when she realized he was watching her.

She bit her lower lip, picked up her book, and quickly straightened back in her chair, letting her hair cascade over the left side of her face, blocking out his side of the room entirely.

She slid lower in her seat, and wrote her answer to question number four in small, neat script: "Harry Potter."

"QUESTION THE FIFTH: DOES HE KNOW THAT YOU WANT TO WITH HIM?"

No need to think about this one, as she fiercely scratched her answer into the parchment: "NO!!!!!!!"

Carefully, trying not to make too much noise, Ginny folded the parchment into a square, folding it over and over again until it was about the size of a postage stamp and couldn't be creased any further. Boldly, she slowly turned and looked over her left shoulder, only to see that Harry had shifted in his seat, and, head resting in one hand, appeared to be sleeping. She then glanced quickly over her right shoulder, and Hermione was in her usual seat, one row back and to the right, just within arm's reach.

Hermione glanced up at her and grinned briefly, and then went back to scribbling notes. Leave it to Hermione to actually take notes in this class.

Ginny held the parchment in her right hand, raising her arms, bending her elbows, and arching her back as though stretching. She reached behind her and dropped the folded parchment onto the corner of Hermione's desk. She knew Hermione would discreetly pocket the questionnaire and add her own answers later. Surprisingly enough, Hermione wasn't above these silly questionnaires, and she'd indulged in answering them more than once. Perhaps Ron's romantic interest in Hermione had helped to loosen her up, after all.

Ginny faced the front of the room again and tried to pay attention as Binns wheezed on and on about Centaur relocation strategies of the fourteenth century. Soon her eyes grew heavy, and she joined the rest of the class in a little nap.

Behind her, the folded parchment teetered at the edge of Hermione's desk - she hadn't managed to get it all the way onto the flat surface - and it fell to the floor. Hermione was still writing notes and didn't seem to notice that Ginny's parchment was even there in the first place. Slowly, two seats behind Ginny, a leg with an untied trainer at its end stretched out into the aisle and came to rest on the parchment, pulling the parchment back, retrieving it, and depositing it into a robe pocket.

****

"What do you mean, you haven't got it?" Ginny demanded, her voice rising in her panic, as she and Hermione walked through the crowded corridor.

"I'm sorry, Ginny, I didn't know you'd put it there," Hermione responded. "And I'll have you know that as Head Girl, I really should be deducting House Points right now for passing notes in class! If it were any other class, I would be!"

Ginny let that last comment pass. "Well if you haven't got it, then who does? Bloody hell."

Hermione gave Ginny a look of sympathy mixed with her usual "you shouldn't have done it in the first place" look.

"It was one of those sex ones," Ginny said in a low voice. "It asked me to name who I'd...you know."

"Who you'd what?" Hermione asked.

"Who I'd...do it with," Ginny said in a near-whisper.

Hermione's eyes grew wide. "Who'd you name?"

"Who d'you think?" Ginny murmured.

"Oh," was Hermione's only reply.

"Bloody hell," Ginny cursed again. "What if Blaise Zabini got it? He sits a couple of desks behind me! Oh, Merlin, if that questionnaire made it back to the Slytherin common room...." Ginny almost felt like crying.

"Honestly, Ginny, I wouldn't worry. Your name wasn't on it, was it?"

"No."

"There. You know as well as I do that most of the girls in this school would've named Harry Potter. Even if the wrong person does somehow manage to see it, they'd be hard pressed to know for certain that it was from you."

"Thanks, Hermione. Lovely vote of confidence." Ginny quickened her pace and pulled away from her friend.

"What? I'm sorry," Hermione called after her, jogging to catch up.

"Lovely way to make me feel better about the whole thing, Hermione," Ginny said after a moment, and stuck her tongue out.

"My pleasure," Hermione retorted.

The clock in the tower struck the hour, and both girls took off in opposite directions at a run, not realizing how late they were for their classes.

****

Classes were over for the day, and Harry climbed the stairs to his dormitory. He had half an hour before Quidditch practice, so he'd decided to drop his books off and change into his gear in the relative warmth of the dormitory. The cold December winds been blowing all week long, and the changing rooms were a bit cool these days. He'd just finished tying his shoelaces when Seamus burst in.

"Potter! Just the bloke I wanted to see. Have I got something to show you!"

"Yeah?" Harry replied, adjusting his socks. "If it's another one of those dodgy magazines full of half-dressed witches that you nicked from Hogsmeade, show it to me later, all right?"

"Ah but no, mate, this is better."

Harry eyed Seamus for a moment, who was having trouble standing still.

"All right, let's see it then. But you've got to make it quick; I've got practice soon."

Seamus smiled broadly and wrestled with the pocket of his robe, digging deep to pull out whatever it was he'd wanted to show Harry. Finally, he produced a small wad of parchment and handed it over.

"Right. Parchment. Brilliant, Seamus, really," Harry replied with a smirk.

"Open it, wanker!" Seamus said, and took a seat on Ron's bed.

Keeping one eye on Seamus' wicked grin, Harry unfolded the parchment and began to read.

"Oh, one of these bloody questionnaires that the girls are always going on about," Harry remarked.

"Keep reading...." Seamus drawled.

Harry read, and his eyes grew wide as he reached the bottom.

"Seamus, where'd you find this?"

"Binns' class," Seamus replied proudly. "I didn't exactly find it though. More like, I intercepted it."

"I see," Harry said. "And from whom was it intercepted?"

"Well, it was supposed to get to Granger," he said.

"From whom?" Harry asked.

"How bad d'you want to know?" Seamus asked.

"Who's it from?" Harry demanded, half a smile on his face.

"What's in it for me, then?" Seamus asked.

"Seamus, mate, lemme put it to you this way."

"Yeah?"

"You have to sleep sometime."

"Ah, good answer, Potter. Right. It's from Weasley's sister."

"Ginny?" Harry asked, as if there were another sister in the Weasley family.

"The one and only."

"Ginny...." Harry said again, quietly.

"Looks as though she fancies you, Potter," Seamus said, still grinning. "Or at the least, fancies doing something with you."

Harry nodded absentmindedly.

"Well, aren't you gonna thank me?" Seamus asked.

"Er, yeah, thanks," Harry said, his head still swimming, for some reason.

"That's the thanks I get? I've just given you a ticket to an easy bunk up and that's all you can say?"

The next thing Seamus felt was his body hitting the hard, wooden floor with a sickening thud, and Harry's knee pressing his breastbone into his spine.

"If I ever hear you say anything like that about her again, I swear it, your teeth will be coming out your arse. Got it, mate?" Harry growled.

Seamus nodded his head vigorously, and Harry let off of him. He stayed on the ground, rubbing at his chest and catching his breath, and Harry offered him a hand up, which he accepted.

"Er, sorry, Potter. I didn't realize...." Seamus said as he got to his feet, his voice trailing off.

Harry nodded. "Just, please, don't talk about her like that. The Weasleys are like my family."

Seamus nodded. "Yeah. I didn't think about that," Seamus mumbled. "Well, see you at tea, then."

"Yeah," Harry replied, holding up the parchment. "But thanks for this. It is good information to have."

Seamus managed a small grin and shuffled out the door.

Harry fell down onto his bed and read the questionnaire several times over. He also felt bad about reacting so violently toward Seamus' remark, if a bit confused. Why had he reacted the way he did? Ginny was just Ron's sister, a fellow Gryffindor. She was a smart girl, pretty, and kind...with those warm brown eyes and those freckles....

Harry quickly sat up and shook his head. Where on earth had all of that just come from? Ginny was Ron's sister, and she'd always just been, well, around.

Harry hastily folded the parchment and shoved it deep under his mattress. It was the final Quidditch practice of the season and he was now officially late. He grabbed his Firebolt and ran.

****

It was the night before the last day of term, and Ginny had retreated to the relative quiet of her dormitory to revise, sprawled out on her bed with books and parchment spread out all around her. It had been a particularly tough exam week, and it seemed that Ginny hardly had time to breathe, much less think about anything other than revising. She had put the questionnaire incident out of her mind, since no one had teased her over it, or had otherwise said anything that would lead her to believe it had fallen into the wrong hands.

"Hiya," a voice said from the doorway, breaking her concentration.

"Oh, hi, Hermione," she replied, stifling a yawn and pulling herself into a sitting position. "What's happening?"

"Nothing. I was just making my rounds and realized I hadn't seen you all night. Thought I'd see if you were all right."

"Yeah, I'm fine. My arse was hurting from so much sitting, so I came up here where I could spread out. I could use a break, actually."

Hermione leaned against the doorframe. "Decided if you're going to stick around for the Yule Ball, then?"

Ginny frowned. She'd nearly convinced herself to get on the Hogwarts Express the day after tomorrow and enjoy a quiet holiday at the Burrow. She hadn't found a date for the Ball and she hadn't even tried to - the past two Balls had ended so badly that she had begun to think she'd just swear off the whole mess forever. She looked at Hermione and shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh, Ginny, please stay!" Hermione pleaded. "It won't be the same without you there."

"Easy for you to say - you and Ron are attached at the hip these days."

"I'm certain I can find someone for you to go with, Ginny."

"Please, Hermione. We both know that if someone hasn't got a date by now, then there's probably a very good reason for it."

"Right, and you fall squarely into that category, then?"

"Yeah, like I said, there's a very good reason." She nodded resolutely.

Hermione scowled at her and shifted her position. "So come to the Ball anyway. There's no rule that you have to bring a date, you know. And besides, Christmas holidays won't be the same without you here, Ball or not."

Ginny thought for a moment. "Yeah, I suppose it'll get pretty dull after awhile with just Mum and Dad to keep me company. So I'll stay. But no promises that I'll go to the Ball!"

Hermione smiled. "All right, sounds fair."

There was a moment of silence between them. Ginny absentmindedly twisted a strand of her hair around her finger. "Any word on who's going with Harry?" she asked, softly.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't know. No fewer than a dozen girls have asked him to go with them. No telling who he's chosen, though, but I've seen him around quite a bit with that Fawcett girl in Ravenclaw."

Ginny felt her heart sink, and she slowly let herself fall backwards on her bed, letting out a soft moan, landing on top of books and parchment and ignoring it.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, moving to the bed across from Ginny and taking a seat.

"Sarah Fawcett? I haven't got a chance then, do I?"

"Ginny, what on earth are you talking about?"

"Hermione, have you ever seen Sarah Fawcett? The tall, fit, blonde one who looks like a bloody film star?"

"Ginny Weasley, honestly! Sarah might be a pretty girl, but have you ever tried talking to her? I'm amazed she ever made it into Ravenclaw. It's like she's got a sponge for a brain - it absorbs plenty of things but it's otherwise full of holes and can't create anything interesting on its own. Harry'll be bored to death in five minutes flat."

Ginny had to giggle; Hermione could be quite outspoken when she wanted to be. "Yeah, but I've also heard what some of the blokes say about her, as well."

Hermione pursed her lips. "And you believe them? Wait, let me guess - you've heard Seamus talking."

Ginny nodded.

"Ginny! You know as well as I do that the extent of Seamus' experience with anything female is those dreadful magazines he buys in Hogsmeade. You know the ones - they've got witches hanging all over racing brooms in various states of undress. To Seamus, seeing just a hint of cleavage counts as a sexual experience!"

Ginny laughed out loud, though inwardly she still felt hopeless. Someone like Harry could always get any girl he wanted, she knew this. And having grown up in a house full of boys, she knew without a doubt that he'd choose the beautiful ones; not the plain looking, ginger-haired, sister of his best mate. It was just never going to happen.

Hermione looked Ginny in the eyes and seemed to sense her inner turmoil. "Ginny, listen. Like I've told you before, Harry can be awfully thick. He sometimes doesn't even see what's right in front of his nose until it slaps him in the face. Why don't you just tell him how you feel?"

"Yeah, right, and he'll take one look at me and then remember those dozens of other girls who're more pretty and who'll give him whatever he wants, if you know what I mean, and he'll laugh. And then I'll feel like a right berk, won't I? No thanks."

"Well then, why not let me talk to him for you? Or Ron-"

"NO!" Ginny interrupted, forcefully. "I won't have him giving me a chance just as a favor to a mate, which is exactly what he'd do for both of you. I'd rather have it happen completely on its own. Or not at all."

Hermione nodded, and looked sympathetic. "Yeah, I can see your point, I reckon."

"I just think, Hermione, that if it's meant to be, it'll be. That's all. Not that I don't appreciate you wanting to help, I really do. And besides, I've pined away for him for so long, I don't know as I'd know what to do with him once I got him, yeah?" Ginny grinned.

Hermione smiled and stood. "I understand. But you'll definitely stay for the holidays, then?"

Ginny nodded and touched Hermione's arm. "I will. Thanks, Hermione."

Hermione waved her hand dismissively. "All right, I'll never get my revising done if I don't finish my rounds. I'll see you at breakfast, then?"

Ginny nodded. "Yeah, see you then."

Hermione left, and Ginny tried to revise, but her mind couldn't focus on any of it. She gave up, dumped all of her books and parchments into her schoolbag, changed into her pajamas, and crawled into bed, closing the curtains around her. She felt like crying, but refused to let herself. No silly boy was worth wasted tears, she thought, and she curled up into a ball and fell asleep, grateful that sleep would at least dull the old ache that had crept back into her heart once again.

****

Exams had finished, and over half the school had gone home for Christmas holidays. Most of the older Gryffindors had stayed, though, and Ginny enjoyed her Christmas in the Common room. Her mum and dad had sent the now-famous Weasley jumpers to Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Harry, along with some sweets and a few knuts, and overall, it had been a good day. Soon, the sun began to fade and everyone made their way to their dormitories to change into their formal dress robes for the evening's festivities.

With a bit more pestering coming from both Hermione and Ron, Ginny had grudgingly decided to tag along to the Yule Ball. After all, she did have a rather nice robe to wear this year, thanks to her mum's keen eye. They'd gone shopping together for school gear in Diagon Alley last summer, and she'd tried not to act too embarrassed as her mum went ferreting through the second-hand racks at Madam Malkin's, pulling out a gorgeous robe that had been buried behind the others. It was made of fine silk, a deep red wine color that was almost purple but not quite, and trimmed with delicate ivory-colored lace and satin.

Her mum insisted that Ginny try it on, so she did, and she had to admit it fit her well, and the color was perfect. The scooped neck draped over her shoulders at just the right spot, the waist gathered around her as though it had been custom made, and the bottom flowed gracefully behind her, like a fine evening gown. The price was a bit more than Mrs. Weasley would normally have paid for such a thing, but not outrageously high, and so Madam Malkin had folded it into a box and Ginny had carefully placed it into her trunk, and there it had stayed, until that very night.

She'd just finished putting it on when Hermione arrived - they'd both decided to help each other fix their hair - and Hermione gasped.

"Merlin, that's gorgeous, Ginny!" What are you like?"

Ginny smiled in spite of herself and twirled around, enjoying the kiss of the silk against her skin as she moved. Perhaps tonight wouldn't be so bad, after all. Hermione's new robes were also lovely, their forest-green color really complemented her hair and fair skin, and Ginny complimented her on that, as well. They did Ginny's hair first, knowing it would take less time than Hermione's, and soon they were both as ready as they'd ever be. Hermione produced a tiny bottle of perfume from her purse, and they both dabbed a bit on, giggling, and they were off.

****

The seventh-year boys' dormitory was a scene of semi-controlled chaos as everyone attempted to make himself presentable. Neville seemed to have lost one of his shoes and had scattered the entire contents of his trunk throughout the room in his frantic search. Seamus had arranged several different bottles of aftershave on his nightstand, and had applied half a container of Sleekeazy's Men's Hair Tonic to his hair. He was now smelling each bottle of aftershave and asking Dean for input.

"What d'you think, Thomas? This one says it's 'woodsy, with a slight hint of spice.' Smell it!"

He shoved the bottle under Dean's nose, and Dean immediately pushed his hand away and began coughing. "Argh! What woods did that come from, one that just burned down? Get that thing away from me!"

Undeterred, Seamus trailed after Neville, holding out bottle after bottle as Neville unearthed his missing shoe and began the search for a matching pair of socks.

Harry watched as Ron pulled a large box from Madam Malkin's out of his trunk, set it on the bed, and stared at it. Ron had confided earlier in Harry that he hadn't bothered to look at the robe that his mum had bought for him; he'd been too scared to even open the box. The last robe he'd had was so awful that Harry knew if Ron saw ahead of time that his new one was just as bad, he'd spend the night of the Yule Ball in hiding.

Harry ambled over to him. "Might as well get it over with, mate. I honestly doubt that anything can be as bad as the last one you had."

"I can only hope," Ron said as he undid the string and pulled the lid off of the box, keeping his eyes tightly shut.

"Hmm," Harry remarked, pushing back the tissue paper that covered the garment. "Better."

Ron slowly opened his eyes and let out a huge sigh of relief, and Harry immediately understood why. The new robe had no lace, no frills, no funny looking stains, and no obvious patches from having been mended. It was an odd sort of grayish-brown color, but he knew that Ron could live with that.

Ron grinned. "This night might not be so bad, after all," he mumbled.

Harry stood in front of the mirror and straightened his collar. He'd purchased a navy blue pinstriped robe this year, with a smart white wing collar and matching tie. He dabbed a bit of Seamus' Sleekeazy tonic into his hair, though it didn't do much good, straightened his glasses, and fastened the top button of his robe.

"All right, I'm off to pick up Sarah," he said to Ron. "I'll see you downstairs."

"Yeah," Ron said, absentmindedly, scratching his head as he held up a set of sock garters that had come with his robe. "See you."

Harry left the dormitory quickly, taking the stairs two at a time, anxious to see what girls, if any, were waiting in the common room. His heart fell when he didn't see anyone he knew, so he kept on walking briskly through the common room, out the portrait hole, and headed in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower.

****

Ginny and Hermione bounced down the stairs, arm in arm, and found Ron pacing around the common room, waiting. He looked at them as though he were about to make a snide remark, but then stopped himself. "Wow," was all he managed to say.

"Hello yourself, brother," Ginny chided.

Ron cleared his throat. "Er, you both look so...er, different. But it's good. Really good."

Hermione giggled and kissed Ron's cheek, knowing that coming from Ron, they'd been paid a high compliment. Ginny just smiled, feeling ashamed of herself when she felt a small pang of jealousy shoot through her, wishing she had somebody to kiss.

"Oh, er, almost forgot," Ron said, and he turned and picked up two small white boxes that he'd set on a nearby desk, opening them carefully.

Out of one, he pulled a red rose, and he pinned it onto Hermione's robe.

Hermione blushed. "Thank you, Ron, it's lovely."

Ron's ears turned crimson and he looked at his shoes. "Er, you're welcome. Red roses symbolize love. I think. Don't they?"

Hermione smiled and nodded. "They do."

Ron let out a sigh of relief and quickly opened the other box, bringing out a white rose and pinning it onto Ginny's robe, taking her by surprise.

"Oh, er, thanks," she mumbled.

Ron gave her a quick grin and nodded his head.

"So what does a white rose mean, Ron?" Ginny asked, her lips breaking into a grin.

Ron looked at her, his cheeks turning pink. "Er, it means...I felt bad, you not having a flower to wear?"

"Ah, right," Ginny said, forcing herself to keep smiling. So now she was getting pity, from Ron of all people. That couldn't be good.

"Shall we go, then?" Hermione asked. "We're about the only ones left up here."

Ron nodded, Hermione took his arm, and they started for the portrait hole. Ginny suddenly felt as though her feet had turned to lead, and for an instant considered calling the whole thing off and spending the night in bed.

"Come on, Gin, let's go!" Ron said, and he reached out and grabbed hold of Ginny's wrist, pulling her along. Once they'd got out into the corridor, he placed Ginny's arm in his, and escorted both girls all the way down to the Great Hall.

Ginny glanced sideways at her brother, wondering if the world had suddenly turned upside down. Since when did her brother act so civilized? Hermione had been a good influence on him, too, she reckoned.

****

Ginny had never seen a place look more beautiful than the Great Hall looked that night as she entered the hall with Ron and Hermione. Of course it had always looked gorgeous for each Yule Ball she'd attended, but it seemed that the house elves had outdone themselves this year. A giant fir tree stood in the middle of the Hall, decorated with shining gold and silver ornaments, the gold star on its pointed top almost touching the ceiling. Sparkling, enchanted snow fell from the starlit ceiling, and real fairy lights twinkled throughout the room. Tiny white candles in silver holders hovered over each individual table, and the air smelled delightfully of pine and cinnamon.

They caught sight of Neville and his date, a quiet but pleasant Hufflepuff girl whose name Ginny couldn't recall, and Neville motioned for them to join him at the table so they did. Ginny scanned the room for Harry before taking her seat, but saw no sign of him. Soon, Professor Dumbledore stood and welcomed them all to the evening's festivities, and explained how to order the evening's meal to those who were unfamiliar. He took his seat, rubbed his hands together and said, "roast duck," and a steaming plate appeared in front of him. He tucked in, and soon the entire room was abuzz with the sounds of conversation and clinking silverware.

Ron held his knife and fork in each fist and said, "Roast duck, roast beef, and two of those fluffy chocolate things for pudding," and his meal crowded onto the table between Ginny and Hermione's.

"Ron - " Hermione started, but decided to let it go. Ginny just shook her head and smiled as she tucked into her own plate of roast chicken and potatoes.

After a while, the Weird Sisters took their place on the stage and began to play, starting off with a slow song. Nearly everyone in the room stood and moved to the dance floor. Ron stood as well, but Hermione stayed put, motioning toward Ginny when Ron gave her a questioning look.

"No, please, Hermione, you go and dance. I don't want you sitting the night out on my account. I'll just go and...make myself available," she said, forcing the smile back onto her face.

"Are you certain, Ginny?"

"Yes! Go, both of you! I'm a big girl, quite capable of entertaining myself."

She waved her arms as if to shoo them away, and they walked hand in hand to the dance floor. Ginny watched as Ron wrapped his arms around Hermione's waist and Hermione put her arms around Ron's shoulders, stroking the hair at the back of his neck. She let out a sigh and quickly looked all around her for someone else who was sitting alone, but she felt her heart sink when every table on her side of the room was empty. She rose to her feet and walked quickly around the perimeter of the dance floor, crossing to the other side, where a bubbling fountain of punch on a table against the wall had started to flow.

She reached the table, grabbed a glass of the sweet liquid and sipped at it, slowly retreating to the shadows along the wall where several others in her predicament seemed to be hiding. She glanced left and right and saw a few familiar faces, but many appeared to be fourth years that she didn't recognize. Dennis Creevey and Stewart Ackerly stood nearby in a knot of boys with Seamus Finnegan at its center. Aside from those three, she didn't recognize anyone else around her.

****

Seamus craned his neck and scanned the area around what he referred to as "the lonely wall."

"Bloody hell, not many girls here alone tonight," he remarked.

Owen Cauldwell leaned against the wall on one shoulder, crossed his arms, and smirked. "Too bad, Finnegan. Guess you'll be the only seventh year still a virgin by morning, then. 'Cause everyone knows it's tradition to have a shag after your Seventh Year Yule Ball." He began to laugh, as did several of the other boys.

"Shut it, all of you!" Seamus snapped. "I'll bet you twenty galleons that I could get a leg over with any slapper in this room before night's end."

"Yeah?" Owen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, wanker," Seamus replied.

"All right, then," Owen extended his hand. "It's a bet."

Seamus shook on it, looking Owen in the eye. "Right then, I'll be having myself a right nice shag while you tossers are playing beat the bishop in your beds tonight, mates." He took a few steps forward and glanced furtively around the room.

"We'll need proof, of course," Stewart called after him.

"Proof?" Seamus turned to face them. "How d'you expect me to get proof?"

The other boys all looked at each other.

"Knickers," said Dennis.

"Fine," Seamus said, and turned back around.

"Girl's knickers," the boys all said, in unison. Seamus smacked his forehead with his hand, shook his head, and went in search of something single and female.

****

Ginny began to relax a little, not feeling quite so exposed in the shadows of the wall, and scanned the dance floor. Perhaps she could just stay there all night, taking in the faces, wondering who would be the subject of tomorrow's gossip. She smiled inwardly when she caught Pansy Parkinson smiling and winking at another boy while she was dancing with Draco Malfoy. This might be all right, she reckoned, and then the crowd seemed to shift.

There, directly in front of her, was Harry Potter, holding his date tightly, her head on his shoulder and his cheek in her hair. His eyes were closed and he looked happy, and Ginny, at that moment, wished that she could fall straight through the floor. Harry looked breathtakingly handsome in his pinstriped robes, and his date had on the most beautiful robes that Ginny had ever seen. They literally were the Perfect Couple, and Ginny felt her heart almost break in two.

She took another sip of punch to calm herself and looked in Harry's direction again, only to find that his eyes had met hers. She found herself unable to look away, and he smiled at her - raised his head and gave a full smile - and blinked his eyes. At that moment, the band began to play a fast song, and Sarah pulled Harry into the middle of the dance floor to join a group of her friends from Ravenclaw.

Ginny wanted nothing more at that moment than to disappear back up to her dormitory and sleep the night away. She set her glass down on the floor and turned to hurry away, and nearly ran down Seamus.

"Hello there, Ginny. You're looking very, very fit tonight," he drawled, his eyes looking her up and down and noticeably coming to a stop on her chest. "What say we heat up this dance floor?"

Ginny was speechless, so she just shook her head. Her heart was pounding from wanting to make a quick getaway from Harry's gaze, and this sort of thing was about the last thing she felt like dealing with. So she just stood there, gazing coldly into Seamus' eyes.

He began to do a silly dance to the music, bobbing his head up and down and snapping his fingers, dancing in a circle around her. He put an arm around her shoulders, pulled her close and whispered in her ear. "And then, since you're looking a bit lonely and there are obviously no other decent men like myself available, why don't we step outside a bit later and warm ourselves up, if you know what I mean?"

She felt hot tears begin to swell behind her eyelids, and Seamus continued his dance, pushing closer to her. She finally felt herself break, let out a sob, and turned and ran. She dashed out of the Great Hall, ran across the Entrance Hall, and ducked into a seldom-used staircase that led to the dungeons. She went down two flights and stopped, and when she didn't hear footsteps behind her, took a seat on the bottom step, pulling her knees to her chest, and cried. She must be the plainest looking girl on the face of the earth, she thought, if not one boy other than Seamus the Shark had asked her to dance. And seeing Harry looking so happy as he smiled and held his gorgeous girlfriend...it was all too much; just too much.

****

Seamus ignored the sarcastic cheers of his friends as he stood and watched Ginny run away. He felt a bit ashamed of himself; he hadn't meant to come on that strong, but at the same time he didn't think he'd done anything wrong. Ginny was obviously available if she had been standing by "the lonely wall," and he knew, after all, that the flower she wore was from her brother, and that the bloke she really wanted was otherwise occupied for the evening. No harm in what he'd done at all, right?

He slouched back over to the group of boys, purposefully stepping on Creevey's foot and giving Cauldwell a shove.

"Nice one, Finnegan," Owen chided.

"Shut it, all of you," Seamus snapped. "Just a minor setback. I need to try a new approach, that's all."

"You need to try a new life, mate," Stewart said, still chuckling.

Seamus leaned against the wall and looked around the room. There were a few other single girls scattered about, but none of them looked as fine as Ginny Weasley had looked. Ginny had smelled nice, too, and honestly, he was quite surprised that she hadn't decked him one right there on the spot. He'd seen what she could do when she got angry, and her reaction had been better than he thought it would be. He caught sight of Harry and his beautiful girlfriend, Sarah, out on the dance floor, just as Sarah moved her hand down Harry's back and squeezed his arse through his robe, kissing his lips.

"I'll be back later, I've got to use the loo," Seamus mumbled, and pushed through the group.

****

The hard, stone staircase wasn't very comfortable to sit on, so Ginny stood up, straightened her robe, and slowly climbed up toward the Entrance Hall. She didn't feel like going back to the dormitory any longer. She knew Hermione would eventually start looking for her, and didn't feel like making up any excuses for why she'd disappeared. She wasn't ready to go back into the Great Hall yet, either, so she turned toward the castle doors, pulled them open, and stepped outside. The air was cold but it helped to clear her head, so she gathered her robe around her and took a deep breath.

She looked up into the darkness and watched the stars twinkling around a lonely-looking sliver of a moon. Ginny couldn't help but think that she could identify with the moon; such a plain looking, gray thing stuck against the marvelous backdrop of all those sparkling stars. A rustling in a nearby bush, followed by a zipping noise, interrupted her reverie. A figure came out from behind the bush and gasped.

"Bloody hell, Weasley, you scared me. Didn't expect to see anyone standing there."

Ginny pursed her lips. It was Seamus.

"What're you doing out here, Ginny? Aren't you cold?" he asked, walking up to the landing.

She gazed coolly at him and shook her head.

"Right. So you just shiver all the time, do you?"

She gazed off into the distance, willing her body to warm itself. "Well, what are you doing out here, then?" she asked. "Or do you just hang about in bushes all the time?

He leaned against the iron railing and crossed his arms. "If you must know, I needed the loo, but all the ones nearby inside were full. I didn't feel like going upstairs, so, here I am."

"Lovely," she replied. "Thanks for that bit of information."

"You asked!" Seamus exclaimed, and then shifted his feet. "Listen, Ginny, I'm sorry about what happened. I just thought you'd fancy a dance, since you were standing there all alone like that."

"Well, you were wrong then, weren't you?" Ginny snapped back, her teeth beginning to chatter.

"Reckon so. Ginny, please, if you're going to stay out here, have this," Seamus said, and removed his robe, draping it around her shoulders.

She didn't stop him, but glanced at him, standing there in his trousers and shirtsleeves.

"Aren't you cold?"

"I'll be all right. Not like I'll need that robe, anyway. Even dressed in my best, it seems I can't find anyone interested in me."

Ginny nodded her head. She certainly understood. "Well, at least you're trying, Seamus. I can't bring myself to do even that. And even if I tried, there's only one person I'd want, and he's certainly not happening."

"Who?" Seamus asked, and Ginny caught a small grin flash across his lips.

"Oh, I'm not telling you," Ginny replied sharply. "Last thing I need is you going and telling the entire school about it."

Seamus looked hurt, and Ginny felt the tears coming back.

"It's Harry Potter," she blurted. "There, I've said it. I know it's useless of me to ask, but please, don't tell anyone, Seamus, all right?"

"You fancy Potter?" Seamus asked, the grin staying longer this time.

"Yeah, is there something wrong with that? Doesn't every girl in the school fancy him?"

"Well, yeah, but he doesn't nearly crush a bloke's ribcage when he makes an off-color remark about every girl in the school. Just when that bloke makes a remark about you."

Ginny turned to look Seamus straight in the eye. "What in the hell are you talking about?" Even though the light was dim, she could have sworn she saw Seamus blush.

"Nothing, Ginny. Forget I even said it," Seamus quickly replied.

"No, Seamus. Tell me, what are you talking about?"

Seamus let out a sigh. "I said something about you to him. It was something crude and stupid, and I'm not telling you what it was, but the minute I said it, I thought he was going to kill me. He certainly doesn't like anyone insulting you."

Ginny felt her head begin to spin. "I don't...I don't understand," she said, softly.

"I don't either, really," Seamus replied. "All I know is that a bloke doesn't act like that unless he really cares about the girl in question."

Ginny stood there for a moment in silence, letting it sink in. "Do you think that's what it is, then? Do think that he...cares about me?"

"Can't say for certain, Ginny, but you know how us blokes are. We sit up late in the dormitory and talk about girls, and we've said plenty about some of the birds Harry's spent time with and he's laughed it right off. But he certainly didn't laugh when I said something about you."

"Seamus, if you're lying, so help me Merlin I'll hex you into next year!"

"Honestly, Ginny, I'm not lying!" Seamus exclaimed, his eyes wide.

Ginny eyed him questioningly.

"Ginny, let me put it to you this way. If your brother, who, I might add, is much bigger than I, was to find out that I'd lied to you and hurt your feelings, what do you think would happen?"

"He'd pound you to a pulp," Ginny replied.

Seamus nodded his head briskly. "Exactly. That kind of knowledge generally puts a bloke off lying, don't you think?"

Somewhere deep inside Ginny, a tiny gate opened, and she began to feel courage seeping into her heart.

"Seamus, I could...I could actually kiss you for telling me this." And so she gave him a peck on the cheek. "I think I'm ready to go back inside. Maybe I'll try to find Harry now. What have I got to lose, right?"

She slid Seamus' robe from her shoulders and gave it back to him, turning to walk inside.

Seamus quickly sniffed at his robe. "Ginny, wait!" he called.

She stopped and faced him.

"What's that perfume you've got on?"

"Orange Rose," she replied.

"Ah, smells nice," Seamus remarked, with a scheming look in his eye. He touched his hand to his cheek where she'd just kissed him. "And are you wearing lipstick?"

"Yeah, why? Seamus, what are you on about?"

"Er, nothing, Ginny. Just curious, is all."

Ginny nodded and turned again to go inside, but he called out to her again, and walked over to her.

"Er, Ginny," he said, running his hand through his hair and staring at his shoes, "since I've sort of done you a little favor, do you think maybe-"

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Seamus, all you're getting from me is a thank you."

"No, no, wait. I sort of...."

"Sort of what?" Ginny said, growing impatient.

"I sort of bet my stupid friends that I'd...oh Merlin. I bet them that I'd get a leg over with you by the end of the night."

"You did what?" Ginny roared, using every ounce of restraint she had not to pound him into the ground.

"Wait, Ginny, let me finish. You know that it's tradition that every Seventh Year has a shag the night of the Yule Ball, right?"

She laughed. "Seamus, you don't actually believe that, do you?"

"But everyone says it! And everyone I've talked to said that that's what they're planning to do!"

"Well I've never heard anyone say that it's a tradition. Think about it, Seamus. It always seems like everyone tries to sneak off during the Ball and at least snog somewhere, but how many people do you know that have actually claimed to have done more than that?"

Seamus had to think. "Er, none, really."

"There you are, then."

"But Ginny, I bet those wankers twenty galleons that I'd...er, you know, and I don't know about you, but I haven't got twenty galleons. And...and I can get proof without having to even touch you."

Ginny nodded, wanting him to get on with it so she could leave. "All right, how?"

"Er, can I borrow your knickers for ten minutes?"

****

Harry had been enjoying his evening, even though he felt a bit sad about this being the last Yule Ball he'd ever attend. He'd been getting to know Sarah for a few weeks now, and she seemed all right. She was smart, and could be fun to talk to if she was interested in the conversation. She wasn't much on Quidditch, and had a keen interest in Divination, but other than that, they'd had some nice chats. And the fact that she was blonde and fit was nice, as well. But what he'd liked most about her was that she seemed interested in him as a person, and wanted to know him for that, not just because she wanted to be near "the boy who lived" like so many other girls did.

He was having loads of fun on the dance floor, and when she'd pulled him close he had been happy to indulge her. It felt nice to be dancing so close to a girl who seemed to care for him, and who looked so nice.

And then, he saw her, and everything changed.

He couldn't believe that Ginny was at the Ball alone, for starters, and looking the way she did, he couldn't fathom why she didn't have a line of boys waiting to dance with her. But there she was, standing in the shadows. In that moment, he forgot all about Sarah. Ginny looked simply stunning in her robe - like a princess, in fact - and she had looked so sad.

"Look this way, Ginny, please," he willed to her, silently, and suddenly she did, her eyes locking onto his. He felt a spark pass through him, and he blinked his eyes and smiled, feeling his heart begin to beat faster. Could she really still fancy him? If she did, she'd have certainly said something by now, wouldn't she? Hadn't they always been friends, sharing jokes or talking about Quidditch in the common room? And the work they'd done together in Dumbledore's Army must certainly count for something. Of course, she did have that crush on him when she was younger....

The song changed, and he lost sight of Ginny as Sarah pulled him deeper into the crowd. Ginny had looked a bit forlorn, and he couldn't get her out of his mind as he danced. At the very least, he hoped that she'd take his smile as an invitation to talk to him.

"Harry, are you all right?" Sarah asked, pulling him closer as they danced.

"Er, yeah," he muttered.

"Harry!" she snapped, and he looked her in the eye. "Honestly, all of a sudden you're a million miles away. Are you here with me, or are you going to eye every single girl out here?"

Harry looked at her, and she grinned, not taking her eyes off of him. "I'm here with you," he answered, and they began to dance again.

After a moment, Sarah pulled him close, still dancing to the fast song, moving against him in a rather seductive manner.

"Do you like that, Harry? Dancing can be so sexy, can't it?"

Harry grinned and nodded. The truth was, he didn't exactly care for what she was doing; he actually found it a bit embarrassing. But he didn't want her to accuse him of being rude, so he played along. He felt her hands rub down his back and she reached up to kiss him, and he let her. They'd kissed before, and she was rather good at it. And besides, about half of the dance floor was locked at the lips. But when he felt her hands slide further down his back and grab him, he felt a surge of anger, and broke out of the kiss.

Sarah abruptly stopped dancing. "Oi! What's your problem?"

He glared at her for a moment. "Nothing. Just don't do that again, all right?"

"Well, pardon me," she spat, her face twisting into a scowl. "Most blokes enjoy a bit of 'attention,' if you know what I mean. And let's face it Harry, someone like me could have had her choice of blokes tonight. But I'll have you know that I don't date just any old person. A girl with qualities like mine can afford to choose only the most desirable of the lot. I chose to come here with you, and I thought maybe we'd have a bit of fun. You do understand that all of those other ugly little girls aren't going to give you what I can give you. None of these other children know how to have a good time."

Harry felt his temper begin to rise. "Sarah, I-" he stopped himself from going further, knowing he was about to cause a scene.

"What?" she glowered at him, having to shout because the band was now playing a faster, louder song.

Harry took a breath to keep himself from yelling at her. "Sarah, maybe I'm interested in a little more than just a good time, all right?"

Sarah's eyes narrowed and she began to yell a string of obscenities at him. He knew it would be useless to try to smooth things over, and at this point, he didn't think she was worth the time. So, he just grinned at her, gave a wave, and walked away.

"DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!" she screamed.

Harry raised his hand and gave another wave, and kept on walking.

****

"Oh, bloody hell," Ginny cursed, but she turned from the door and faced Seamus. "All right, I'll do it. But under one condition - you'll give my knickers back to me when no one's around. The last thing I need is you making a show of presenting them to me in the middle of the Common room."

Seamus nodded. "All right. I can slip them into your school bag, wrapped in parchment or something."

Ginny looked him in the eye and saw that he was being serious. "All right then, turn around."

Seamus quickly turned his back, and she reached up under her robe and shimmied out of her knickers. She was a bit embarrassed that she'd worn the ones with the little pink polka dots on them, but not much she could do about that, now. She wadded them up and straightened her robe.

"All right, here," she said, shoving the wadded knickers at Seamus.

He turned around, and his eyes went wide.

"Try to control yourself. I reckon this is the farthest you've ever been with someone of the opposite sex, eh, Seamus?" she chided.

Seamus scowled for a moment but then grinned. "Funny, Weasley. But thanks. I'll give these back to you. Er, when the time's right, of course." He winked.

Ginny rolled her eyes and didn't allow herself to ponder the possible consequences of what she'd just done. Instead, she turned, pulled open the door, and went inside, far more concerned with trying to sort out what she was going to do next.

****

Hermione took a seat at the table, fanning herself with her hand. They'd been dancing almost non-stop since the music started, and she'd been having so much fun she didn't realize how hot and thirsty she'd become. Ron appeared and took a seat, handing her a cold glass of punch, and she gratefully drank it, catching her breath.

"Ron!" they heard a voice call out. "Ron!"

Harry emerged from the crowd, walking briskly toward them.

"Ron, Hermione, have either of you seen Ginny?" he asked.

Ron shook his head.

"I haven't seen her since we started dancing," Hermione replied. "She's got to be around here somewhere, she said she was going to try to find someone to dance with."

Harry looked slightly distressed as he quickly scanned the dance floor.

"Something wrong, mate?" Ron asked.

"Er, no. No, I just wanted to talk to her."

"Where's Sarah?" Ron asked.

A very dark look crossed Harry's face at that moment. "Don't know, don't care," Harry mumbled, and Ron and Hermione both understood that that topic of conversation was off-limits.

There was a moment of silence, and Hermione sipped at her punch, then suddenly remembered. "Oh, Harry, I do remember seeing Ginny talking with Seamus a bit earlier," she said. "Maybe she's with him?"

"Seamus?" Harry asked with a look of panic on his face. "Are you positive?"

"Yeah. They were standing over there by the punch fountain. That was a while ago, though. Is everything really all right? Is Ginny all right?" Hermione's face grew serious, and Ron gulped down the rest of his punch and crushed the paper cup in his hand.

"Yeah, honestly Hermione, everything's fine. No worries. Think I'll go and find Seamus, maybe she's still with him."

"All right," Ron said, and Harry darted away and disappeared into the crowd.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. Hermione finished her punch and the band began to play a slow song, so they headed for the dance floor once again.

****

Seamus stood there on the landing for a long moment, dumbfounded that Ginny had actually given her knickers to him. Most girls would have decked him on the spot, but Ginny had been a good sport about it. He couldn't help but chuckle as he unfolded them and saw the pale pink polka dots illuminated in the moonlight. He immediately wondered if she was wearing a matching bra, but shook his head to chase that thought away. Potter's a lucky bloke, he thought. Ginny's definitely not your ordinary girl.

He withdrew his wand, and using a Fastening Spell, stuck the knickers to the inside of his robe. He put his wand back into his pocket, fastened his robe, and shot back inside, running across the entrance hall. He slowed to a walk when he reached the doors of the Great Hall and casually strolled inside with a big grin on his lips. He approached his friends and they caught sight of him and immediately stopped talking, the look on his face getting their undivided attention.

Dennis Creevey was the first to break the silence. "Merlin, Seamus, you actually did it?"

Seamus brushed past them. "Step aside, boys, step aside. Let a man through." He leaned against the wall, and they crowded around him.

"Bloody hell, looks like she kissed you, as well," Stewart remarked, pointing to the lipstick on Seamus' cheek.

Seamus just grinned. "Blokes, a gentleman never tells, sorry."

"Right, and when we meet a gentleman, we'll keep that in mind," Owen shot back. "So tell us what happened!"

Seamus just shook his head, glanced around to check that no one else was looking, and swiftly opened his robe, displaying the pink polka-dotted knickers that were still stuck there. He let them look for a long moment, enjoying the expressions of wide-eyed disbelief and admiration on their faces, and then he closed his robe and re-fastened it.

"How'd you do it, Seamus? Tell us!"

"Nothing to tell, mates," Seamus replied, smugly. "As the old saying goes, 'To please himself only the cat purrs.' Now if you'll excuse me, I'm feeling a bit peckish."

Seamus broke loose from the group and headed toward the snack table. He didn't look back, but he could feel their eyes on his back as they watched him go. He couldn't help but grin, and once he was out of earshot, he broke into a laugh.

****

"Oi! Seamus!" Harry called, and Seamus stopped walking and turned to face him. Harry had to resist every urge he had to wipe the silly little grin off of Seamus' face.

"Hiya, Potter. Saw you on the dance floor earlier with Sarah. Looks like you're set to have a happy ending tonight."

"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked, ignoring everything Seamus had just said.

Seamus straightened crossed his arms in front of him, pressing his elbows against his body and looking madly around him. "Er, I don't know. Haven't seen her recently. Why?"

"Ron said he saw you chatting with her earlier. I thought perhaps she was with you."

"Yeah, don't I wish, Potter," Seamus replied, and began to laugh, but stopped when he saw the look on Harry's face.

"You didn't...say anything to her, did you?" Harry asked him, moving closer, his voice quiet and even.

Seamus shook his head violently. "No. I swear, Harry, I didn't say anything to her about...that. Honestly."

"So she didn't come here with you, then?"

Seamus shook his head again. "I don't think she came with anyone. She was standing over at the lonely wall for most of the evening."

The look on Harry's face softened and he nodded. "All right. Well, if you see her again, would you tell her I'm looking for her?"

Seamus nodded. "All right, yeah."

"Thanks," Harry said, and walked away.

* * * *

Seamus approached the snack table and grabbed a handful of chocolate biscuits. He considered going back to his friends, but he knew that all they'd do for the rest of the night was pester him with questions about what had happened, and he didn't want to bother. If it had been any other girl, he would have gladly made may grandiose tales about his exploits, but he wasn't going to do that to Ginny. So, he pocketed the biscuits and wove his way through the crowd toward the door. He spotted the entrance to the back staircase to the dungeons, and decided that it might be a decent place to lay low for a while. He went down one flight of stairs, took a seat, and ate his biscuits, enjoying the cool silence. He was interrupted by the sound of a quiet belch echoing up from somewhere below him, and he tentatively glanced over the banister, seeing nothing. Then he heard the sound of sniffles and a glass clattering down the stairs below.

He stood up and cautiously began to walk down the stairs, and two flights down he came upon a girl sitting on the bottom step, leaning her head against the wall, a large glass at her feet with the remains of sweet, red punch trickling out. She sniffled, and then wiped her nose on her sleeve.

Seamus went halfway down the stairs toward her and stopped. "All right?" he asked her.

She looked up at him and he watched as she tried to focus on him.

"Whas' it to you?" she slurred.

Ah, so it's Potter's date, Seamus thought to himself when he recognized her. "Right, so you always sit in staircases, then, Sarah, is it?" he asked, and approached her, taking a seat a step above her.

"Shut it, toad," she slurred again, and Seamus smelled the unmistakable scent of Firewhisky.

"Come on," Seamus said, putting his hand on her elbow. "Why don't we try and get you back to your dormitory, then."

"Geroff!" she yelled, and she yanked her elbow out of his grip, inadvertently smashing her knuckles against the wall.

"Ow," she said, shaking her hand, and starting to giggle.

Seamus grinned at her. "So where'd you get the drink?" he asked.

"A friend nnn-nicked it at Hogsmeade. S'just no fun, a big party without a little drinky." She giggled again. "We snnnuck it in and poured it in our punch glasseseses." Sarah said, slurring the end of the sentence into another giggle. She tried to stand and had trouble getting her feet under her, and she fell back onto the stairs with a thud.

Seamus shook his head and stifled a laugh. "Well, you can't very well stay down here; you're likely to hit your head and fall all the way down to the dungeons. Why don't you come with me? We'll just go outside. The cold air will help clear your head." He held out his hand.

She looked back and forth from his face to his hand several times. "Oh, all right," she slurred. "Merlin. It's boring down here anyway. You're boring down here."

"Yeah, thanks," Seamus said, and he took her by the hand, pulling her up.

She staggered to her feet and he put an arm around her waist to steady her. "Come on, up we go. Outside."

She giggled some more. "Outside! Whee!"

Seamus rolled his eyes. What Potter ever saw in this one, I'll never know.

Slowly, they made their way up the stairs. "Hey!" she barked. "How'd you know my name?" Her knees tried to give way and she leaned into him, but Seamus kept guiding her up the stairs.

"I'm a friend of Harry's," he replied.

"Oh, him. What an arse he turned out to be, The Great Potter. HA!" she spat. "D'you think he's a poof? He really didn't like it when I tried to touch him like this!" Before Seamus could stop her, she'd reached down and pinched his arse.

Seamus couldn't help but smile. "Oi! All right, enough of that." Sarah kept giggling as they rounded the corner and started up the final flight of stairs. "And no," he continued, "I'm certain that he's not a poof. But I reckon it's his loss, not letting a gorgeous bird like yourself have a bit of fun, yeah?"

Sarah giggled, and Seamus cursed himself. He knew he could be a bit of a shark sometimes, but he was not going to let himself take advantage of someone in Sarah's state.

They reached the Entrance Hall and Seamus steered Sarah through the doors and out onto the landing. He removed his robe and draped it over her shoulders, and then guided her to a seated position on the step. He took his position leaning against the railing again, and kept an eye on her.

After several moments of silence, she looked at him. "It's cold out here, aren't you a bit cool without your robe?"

"I'm all right," he replied, noticing that she wasn't slurring her words any longer.

She looked him up and down. "So, what's your name, friend of Harry's?"

"Seamus. Seamus Finnegan."

"Oh, how very...Irish," she said, her lips curling into a grin. "But I like it. It's cute. Like you."

Seamus looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Shut it, you're still drunk."

"I am not! It's too bloody cold out here to be drunk."

"I can smell it on your breath from here," Seamus informed her.

"Please, it was only that cheap swill they call Mad Dragon. It doesn't last that long, but it leaves its mark."

Sarah stood up and walked over to where Seamus was standing, straightening her robes and fixing her hair, and he noticed that she was walking just fine on her own.

"I meant what I said. You're cute," she told him.

Seamus felt a blush creep up the back of his neck. "Er, thanks. I meant what I said about you being a gorgeous bird."

She stood very close to Seamus now. "You've heard what they say about Seventh Year and the Yule Ball, haven't you?" she said, looking into his eyes.

He nodded. "That's a tradition I take very seriously," he drawled.

"It'd be a shame, two obviously available and fit persons, such as ourselves, not being able to uphold tradition, don't you think?"

Despite his attempt to stop it, a big smile spread across Seamus' face. "Yeah, quite," he replied.

"And you seem like a nice enough bloke, as well. Thanks for not letting me hurt myself in that stairwell."

"Don't think on it," Seamus said, and couldn't stop smiling, even as he watched her move her head close to his.

Her lips met his and he didn't resist, even though the small amount of Mad Dragon that had lingered on her lips and breath tasted rather nasty, he wasn't about to let that ruin a good thing. Perhaps this wouldn't be such a bad night, after all. A little snog with a tall, fit blonde would do quite nicely. He stifled a yelp as he felt her squeeze his arse, and his heart began to beat rapidly. Finnegan, this might just be your night, he thought to himself.

The fact that she didn't push his hand away when it traveled down her back was very encouraging, but she soon pulled out of their kiss.

"Someone'll see us here," she whispered. "Where else can we go?"

"There's- " Seamus stopped himself and cleared his throat, as that first word had come out as a squeak. "There's a bush...over there," he pointed.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her, and he loped behind her like an eager puppy.

****

About seven and a half minutes later, Sarah stood up, fixed her hair, and fastened her robe. "Well, see you around then, Seamus. And here, add these to your collection, hot stuff." She dangled her knickers in front of him and let them drop to the ground.

"What - " he stopped himself. They'd spread his robe on the ground under them, and Ginny's knickers were still stuck there. He smiled.

She blew him a kiss and headed toward the castle doors.

Seamus jumped to his feet, trying to simultaneously button his shirt, smooth his hair, and zip his trousers. "I'll see you tomorrow, then? I'll walk with you to tea?" he called after her.

"No," she called back, "not necessary. If I ever need you again, I'll find you."

"But I...but we..." His only answer was the sound of the castle door swinging shut.

He stood there, dumbfounded, his head spinning. He looked all around him and there wasn't a soul anywhere to be seen. He took a deep breath. "YES! YES YES YES!" he shouted, and did a silly little dance.

He picked up his robe and saw that it was covered with dirt and bits of grass. No need going back into the Great Hall, he reckoned, so he made himself as presentable as possible, stuck Sarah's knickers opposite Ginny's, and folded his robe over his arm. He walked into the castle and went up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower, grinning from ear to ear.

****

The band played the final song of the evening, and Ginny sat dejectedly at the table. She'd looked everywhere for Harry and he hadn't turned up. No doubt he and Sarah had snuck off somewhere to be alone. She sighed as the song ended, and everyone began to leave.

Hermione came back to the table to collect her purse, and looked sympathetically at Ginny. "Come on, Ginny, time to go upstairs."

Ginny nodded and followed Ron and Hermione back to Gryffindor Tower. She gave them a wave when they entered the Common room, judging from the looks on their faces that they weren't quite ready for their night to end. Ginny didn't feel like sitting alone in the Common room while everyone else got kissed goodnight, so she climbed the stairs to her dormitory, changed out of her robe and into her pajamas, and crawled into bed, closing the curtains around her. She couldn't stop playing the scene of Harry smiling at her while holding Sarah over and over in her head. And not only that, her knickers had probably been strung up the flagpole on top of the North Tower, for all she knew. She let out a sigh, curled up into a ball, and cursed each wasted tear that fell on her pillow as she fell asleep.

****

The Great Hall was nearly empty now, and there was no sign of Ginny. Harry desperately stood up on a chair, scanning the room, but her distinctive ginger hair was nowhere to be seen.

He jumped down and found himself face to face with Sarah.

"Looking for something?" she asked him, loudly.

"Yes," he replied, calmly, but not bothering to mask his agitation. "Er, can I help you?"

"No," she said, keeping her voice at high volume. "Obviously you can't. But I'll have you know one of your friends was more than able to treat me like a real man should treat a woman."

"Oh?" Harry said, his nonchalant manner seeming to upset her even more. "And who might that have been?"

"Seamus Finnegan!" she said, loud enough for everyone in the immediate area to hear.

She looked as though she were about to spit venom when her declaration was met with gales of laughter from Harry.

"I don't think it's that funny," she hissed.

"I do," Harry replied. "You and Seamus? That's brilliant. You both deserve each other. Good night, then."

He turned and walked away, leaving her standing there, red-faced and silent.

Harry had to grin to himself as he climbed the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. If what Sarah had said was true, Seamus was bound to be unbearable for the next several days. But, he reckoned, at least the night ended well for someone, and he couldn't fault Seamus for trying.

Harry entered the Common room, and found that the fire had been reduced to a dim glow, and all around the room couples were scattered about, prolonging their goodnight kisses for as long as possible. Harry felt immense relief when he scanned the room and didn't see Ginny, but worried a bit when he didn't see Seamus, either.

He slowly climbed the stairs to the dormitory and was happy to see Seamus sprawled out on his bed, a goofy grin on his lips. Seamus saw him and immediately sat up, eyes wide.

"All right, Potter?"

"Yeah. You?"

He could tell that Seamus was trying very hard not to smile. "Yeah. Very."

"Sarah told me," Harry said.

Seamus looked terrified. "Potter, I swear it, she started with me. I didn't take advantage of her. I didn't even want to! I knew she was with you, honestly!"

Harry held up a hand to silence him. "It's all right. You can have her, mate. She's er, just not my type."

Seamus grinned. "Yeah, that's what she said about you as well. Have I still got a love bite right here?" he asked, pointing at his neck.

Without a doubt, there was a purple mark there, and Harry laughed. "You certainly do, mate."

"Brilliant," Seamus mouthed silently and shifted positions on the bed, sending the robe he'd tossed at the foot of it to the floor. He scooped it up, and a certain pair of pink polka-dotted knickers remained on the floor, their tag sticking out and clearly marked with the initials "GW."

Harry stared wide-eyed at Seamus. "And who might 'GW" be, Seamus?" he asked, moving closer. "I only know of one 'GW!'"

"Harry, mate, I can explain! Honestly, it's not what it looks like!" Seamus scrambled to his feet, his back against the wall.

Harry was standing over him in a flash, fists clenched. "All right, you've got five seconds before I make good on that promise concerning your teeth and your arse."

Seamus quickly recounted the details to Harry, swearing several times that he hadn't laid a finger on Ginny.

Harry stepped away finally, and dropped down onto his bed.

"So you believe me, Potter?"

"Yes, Seamus. Against my better judgment, I believe you."

Seamus breathed a sigh of relief. "Harry, could I ask you one favor? Please don't mention this to Ron. I do value my life."

Harry looked Seamus in the eye. "As long as I don't hear of you telling anyone that anything happened between you and her, then this can stay between us. All right?"

Seamus nodded briskly.

Harry thought for a moment. "Seamus, d'you mind if I take those?"

"These?" Seamus asked, holding her knickers up in the air.

Harry sprang from his bed and grabbed them out of Seamus' hand. "Yes, those. And stop waving them about, damnit!"

"Be my guest. But Potter, listen to me for a minute."

Harry clenched his jaw and looked at him.

"I promised Ginny that I'd give those back to her discreetly, all right? And she'll probably have my head anyway when she finds out that I've given them to you. So just, do me a favor and don't be angry with her or embarrass her over it. Because you know as well as I do, that not just any girl would give up her knickers to help a prat like me. If you hurt her, Potter, I will hurt you. All right?"

Harry nodded his head. "All right. But knowing what she wrote in that questionnaire, why should she mind, whether she gets them back from me or from you?"

"I told her- "

"You told her about that parchment?" Harry interrupted, his voice rising with panic.

Seamus' eyes went wide and he shook his head fervently. "No! No, I only told her that you nearly ground me into the floor when I made that remark about her. I told her that that sort of behavior generally only occurs when a bloke cares about a girl. That's all. And she sort of...reckoned something might be up."

The color drained from Harry's face, and he nodded weakly, having nothing more to say to Seamus at the moment. He wadded the knickers up and shoved them under his mattress, on top of the square of parchment, and then changed into his pajamas and drew the curtains around him. But he did not sleep. He lay on his side, head propped on his hand, listening as the other boys trickled in and whispered among themselves before going to bed. In his head, Harry played over and over that moment where his eyes had met Ginny's, and how she was just standing there, alone and sad. Bloody hell, Potter; you've made a right mess of this one, haven't you? he thought, as he drifted off to sleep.

****

Boxing Day got off to a quiet start. Everyone slept well into the morning, as there was no reason to wake up very early. It had been announced the night before that breakfast would not be served, and that a special Boxing Day luncheon would take place at noon.

Ginny, on the other hand, having fallen asleep long before anyone else in Gryffindor House awoke bright and early with the sun. She thought in that first moment of consciousness that perhaps she'd dreamt the events of the previous evening, but as her mind became clearer, she was sad to realize that that was not the case. She cursed herself for waking up so early; she knew that no one would be up for at least another couple of hours, and she had nothing to keep her occupied except for last term's textbooks. She thought of visiting Hermione's room to borrow one of the many books in her collection, but she was certain that Hermione would also be fast asleep. So, she just lay there, staring at the ceiling, until she couldn't stand it any longer and padded to the bathroom to take a long, hot shower, enjoying the fact that the bathroom was quiet and that she didn't feel the need to hurry. When she was finished, she wrapped her towel around her, did a quick drying spell for her hair, and went back to the dormitory and dressed.

It was nearly nine o'clock now, but there were still no signs of life at all in the dormitory, so she went downstairs to the common room only to find the same silence. She glanced out the window and was shocked to see that it had snowed overnight, covering the grounds under a smooth white blanket. Unable to think of anything else better to do, she went back to her dormitory, put on her galoshes and heavy coat, and made her way down to the Entrance Hall and out the front doors.

It was a beautiful morning, despite the freezing temperature. The sky was blue and clear and the inch or two of snow on the ground shone like diamonds in the morning sun. She began to walk, deciding to go where her feet wanted to carry her, and entertained herself by trying to make rings in the air with the steam of her breath. She walked clear down to the Quidditch Pitch, along the edge of the forest, and to the lake. She stopped to rest on a fallen log at the lake's edge, and watched for several minutes while the fuzzy figures of the merpeople swam about below the lake's frozen surface.

She began walking again, going all the way around the lake and circling around the far side of the castle. She didn't have any idea as to what time it was, though she surmised from the position of the sun in the sky it had been at least an hour that she'd been walking.

As she turned to head back toward the main entrance, the wind shifted, and she heard the faint sounds of shouting and laughing. She kept walking, and as she turned the corner to the front side of the castle, she saw what appeared to be everyone who'd been at the Yule Ball the night before. They'd built a giant bonfire, and most were standing by it, warming themselves. Several groups were indulging in snowball fights or building snowmen.

Merlin, thanks for inviting me, Ginny thought morosely to herself, feeling her heart sink to her feet. Still, she realized at that moment how cold she was, and hurried toward the activity.

She passed through the group of students seemingly unnoticed and stood by the fire, its warmth doing nothing for her black mood. She caught sight of Hermione and Ron, building a snowman, and she made her way over to them, though they didn't seem to notice her until she was standing in their midst.

"What's all this, then?" Ginny asked, trying not to sound as annoyed as she felt.

Hermione looked up and ran to Ginny, throwing her arms around her. "Oh, Ginny, there you are!"

"Er, yeah. Had I gone missing and not known?"

Hermione's face fell and she took a step back, but then a look of understanding crossed her face. "Ginny, I'm so sorry. Word had spread around the ball last night that there was to be a pre-luncheon bonfire this morning. I'd wanted to mention it to you when we got back to the common room, but you went right upstairs and I...I'm sorry, Ginny. I just forgot to tell you. And then I went looking for you this morning, but you were nowhere to be found, so I thought that you must've known already." She looked at Ginny apologetically.

Ginny sighed inwardly. "It's all right, Hermione, really. Don't think on it. I still managed to find it, didn't I?" She forced a weak smile, which seemed to put Hermione at ease.

Ron had walked over and taken Hermione's hand. "Glad you're here, Gin," he said, matter-of-factly, cocking his head at Hermione. "This one's too weak to lift the snowman's body onto the base. But I know that you, with your years of experience in Weasley-style snowman making, will be able to help. C'mon, let's get to it!"

Hermione scowled at Ron and then turned and rolled her eyes at Ginny. Ron began to pull Hermione back toward the half-finished snowman, and Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her along. The three of them busied themselves as they heaved and lifted and finally got Ron's giant snowman built. Hermione took off her woolen hat and threw it on top of the snowman's head, and then she and Ginny sunk against a nearby tree, catching their breath, as Ron stood proudly nearby, admiring his handiwork. Ginny couldn't help but realize that she hadn't noticed Harry at all among the other students, and she craned her neck to see if he was anywhere among the crowd.

A moment later, Hermione elbowed Ginny and pointed at Ron, and they both watched as Seamus, carrying an armful of snowballs, approached the snowman from outside of Ron's field of vision. Shortly, the relative calm was pierced by a loud "whoop!" and a barrage of snowballs flew into the snowman.

"OI! Seamus!" Ron shouted, and Hermione and Ginny both burst out laughing. Seamus kept firing snowballs, receiving fresh ammunition from Dean Thomas. Ron finally started to laugh and lunged at Seamus, pushing him down into the snow. Dean Thomas immediately began pelting both boys with snowballs, and soon Neville and Ernie MacMillan had joined in.

Neville turned to face Hermione and grinned, and Hermione crossed her arms and glared at him. "You wouldn't da-" she started to say, but before she could get the words out, Neville gently tossed a snowball and hit her square in the shoulder.

"All right, Longbottom," Hermione said, rising to her feet and scooping up a handful of snow. "You're going to pay for that." Neville turned to run but Hermione hit him in between the shoulder blades, and the battle was on.

Snowballs began flying from every direction as the entire scene turned into a giant snowball battle. Despite her mood, Ginny joined in and took great pleasure in pelting Seamus several times. Snow flew through the air and the bits that flew too close to the fire made sizzling noises. Shrieks of laughter filled the air. Ginny watched as Colin and Dennis Creevey rolled a boulder-sized snowball and attempted to heave it at Ron. Unfortunately, Colin lost his footing and fell, sending the giant snowball square into the middle of Ron's snowman.

All was still as the snowball fight ground to a halt, and everyone watched as Ron's eight foot tall snowman teetered back and forth three times, and then came crashing down.

A great cheer arose, and as quickly as it had begun, the snowball battle ended. Everyone went back to whatever they'd been doing beforehand, and Ron just stood and stared forlornly at the remains of his creation.

Hermione and Ginny went to stand beside him, and Ginny couldn't help but giggle. "Too bad, Ronald," she said. "Fred and George would be so disappointed."

Ron looked at her and scowled, but then shook his head and laughed in spite of himself.

At that moment, the clock in the tower struck noon. Kevin Whitby withdrew his wand and extinguished the fire, and everyone immediately made for the castle doors, anxious to dry off and have a hot meal.

Ginny walked quietly behind Ron and Hermione, and they came to a standstill as everyone tried to push through the doors at once. Ginny remembered that Hermione had forgotten to collect her hat from the snowman's head. She decided that she'd run back and get it for her, so she turned and walked briskly back to the now-demolished snowman, pulled Hermione's hat out of the snow, brushed it off, and carried it back toward the castle. As she approached, she saw Hermione take Ron's hand, and Ron leaned down to kiss her. He put his arm around her and they moved toward the doors.

"Hermione! Hermione, here's your hat..." Ginny said, but let her voice trail off. Hermione was talking to Ron and seemed oblivious to everything as they filed inside the castle.

Ginny just stood there. In that moment, she felt incredibly weary. She was tired of feeling like the odd one out. She was tired of trying to act like it didn't bother her that everyone seemed to have someone, and despite all of her best attempts, she had no one. And furthermore, she was too much of a ninny to even try to speak to the one boy that she'd always wanted. Where was that Gryffindor courage when she really needed it?

And what was worse, that boy, in all the time she had known him, didn't even seem to care one way or the other about her. She was certain that to him, she was nothing but his best mate's sister, nothing but that plain girl who always seemed to be around whenever he visited the Burrow. She was just that girl who was always there, but nothing special.

She watched as the last of the students filed inside the castle, and then looked at the hat she held in her hands. She cursed as hot tears began to fall down her cheeks and stood there, sniffling and playing with a loose thread on Hermione's hat. She heard the castle door swing shut, and all was quiet. She let out a sigh, willing the tears to stop. Thankfully they did, and she considered going straight up to the dormitory and skipping the luncheon, but the growling in her stomach convinced her otherwise. So, she wiped at her eyes, lifted her head up, and began to walk back to the castle.

Or she would have walked back to the castle, if it weren't for the sight that met her eyes when she looked up.

Leaning against the castle doors, with arms crossed, smile on his lips, and bright green eyes looking straight at her from behind his glasses, stood Harry Potter.

Her feet had turned to lead again, and she couldn't take her eyes off of him. He was wearing jeans and trainers, and had a jumper on over a white t-shirt. In the cool wind, his fringe blew into his eyes, and he brushed it back with one hand, allowing his hair to fall over his ears in that way that Ginny found so endearing.

"Hello," she heard him say, quietly.

Ginny looked all around her, and then back at him. She put her fingertips to her chest as though pointing to herself. "Me?" she mouthed.

"Yeah, you!" he said, and started to walk toward her.

"This is a dream. It has to be a dream, pure and simple," Ginny thought to herself. But when her feet finally began to move and she stepped into a drift of snow that sent ice-cold water running into her galoshes, she knew that everything was real.

They met at the bottom step of the landing by the front doors.

"Hello," they both said in unison, and they both laughed.

"Hiya," Harry said.

"Hello," Ginny whispered, unable to look him in the eye as he gazed at her.

"I was worried," Harry said. "Hermione didn't know where you'd gone off to."

Ginny nodded.

Harry dipped his head to get her to look at him. "You going to the luncheon, then?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ginny said.

Harry smiled. "Brilliant. D'you want to sit with me?" he asked, his voice oddly quiet.

"All right," Ginny said, having trouble finding her voice.

Harry just smiled, and Ginny just stood there.

"I mean, no," Ginny said.

"No, you don't want to sit with me?" Harry asked, looking nothing short of crestfallen.

Ginny looked wide-eyed at him and put her hand to her mouth. "Oh! I mean, no, I don't think I'm going to the luncheon. My feet are soaked."

A broad smile spread across Harry's face. "Oh. Well, you do look awfully cold, and I've got connections in the kitchens. How about I grab us a couple plates and you can warm up by the fire in the common room while we eat?"

Ginny was afraid to trust her ears. Had she heard him correctly?

"That's awfully nice of you, but you don't have to keep me company, really," she replied. "You should be with your friends."

Harry took a step closer to her and touched her arm, looking intently into her eyes. "But, what if I want to keep you company?" he asked, a grin on his lips. "Last I checked, you were one of my friends."

Ginny felt as though her heart would pound itself right out of her chest and go flopping off in the snow. "All right," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Harry smiled, and his eyes looked so intense that everything seemed to take on their green cast. He stuck out his hand, and Ginny looked at it, feeling like a right fool when he reached down and took her hand in his. She looked at him and smiled, feeling a blush spread across her cheeks, and Harry opened the door. They walked into the Entrance Hall together as the last of the other students had begun to file through the doors into the Great Hall. Ginny caught sight of Ron and Hermione near the back of the crowd, and Hermione glanced in their direction, her eyes growing wide and a huge smile breaking out on her lips when she saw them.

Ginny held up Hermione's cap and tossed it to her. Hermione mouthed the words thank you as she caught it, and nudged Ron. He glanced over and looked surprised, but Ginny gave him the "everything's all right" look, and Ron grinned at her as she and Harry made their way up the stairs.

****

Harry hadn't even noticed his two best friends grinning at them as he and Ginny walked toward the staircase. In fact, he couldn't see anything at all except for the beautiful girl attached to the hand that he was currently holding.

"Potter, why on earth you didn't try to do this a long time ago, I'll never understand," he thought to himself. "She's been right under your nose all this time, you idiot!"

They began to climb the stairs, and Ginny glanced over at him, smiling, and then quickly looked back at her feet. He squeezed her hand in his and she moved closer to him as they walked. He could smell the smoke of the fire and the clean winter air in her hair, and he breathed deeply, savoring the truest breath of fresh air he'd ever had.

They reached the dormitory and he walked her to the foot of the girls' dormitory staircase, and Harry put his hands on her shoulders. "Now then, Miss Weasley, I want you to get out of those damp clothes, put on one of your mum's warm jumpers, and meet me by the fire. I'll be back in a few moments with lunch. Is that understood?"

Ginny giggled, and Harry felt his heart grow lighter. "All right, dad," she said, and smiled at him, nearly tripping over the first stair as she turned to go up to her dormitory.

He watched her until she disappeared from sight, and then raced back down to the kitchens. Dobby and his companions were only too happy to give Harry more than he could manage to carry, including a cauldron full of steaming soup, two warm loaves of bread, half a dozen apples, half a wheel of cheese, and a pitcher of pumpkin juice, along with glasses, silverware, bowls, and plates. They packed everything into a crate for him, and Harry used his wand to levitate the whole works back to Gryffindor Tower.

He passed through the portrait hole and was relieved to see Ginny curled up on the sofa, waiting for him. He also noticed that a look of relief crossed her face, as well. "Did she honestly think I wouldn't come back?" he wondered.

"Bloody hell! Where'd you get all this from?" Ginny asked, peering into the crate that he had levitated in and set down at her feet. "Fred and George always made it sound like it was a grand accomplishment that they were able to nick food from the kitchens!"

Harry smiled. "Hate to ruin it for those two, but honestly, if you go down there and ask for a biscuit, they'll send you off with three dozen. You know how house elves are."

Ginny laughed and tore off a piece of bread. "I'm famished!" she said, and she began to eat it while at the same time taking the glasses out of the crate and filling them with pumpkin juice.

Harry noticed that she'd spread a quilt out on the floor in front of the fire, and she hopped off the couch and sat in the middle of it as she continued to unpack their crate.

"Indoor picnic!" she said, in response to Harry's quizzical look. "Mum used to do it all the time for us when we were small."

"Oh," Harry said, unsure of what he should do.

Ginny looked up at him and bit her lower lip. "Er, but if you'd rather eat at one of the tables, I..."

"No! No, it's just that I've never seen such a thing as an indoor picnic," Harry said, smiling and scratching his head.

Ginny looked as though she understood, grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him down into a seated position next to her. "Quite simple, really. It's a picnic, without the midges and ants."

Harry laughed, and watched as she ladled out two steaming bowls of soup and cut several slices of bread and cheese, admiring the ease with which she accomplished all of it.

She sat back and looked proudly at the food she'd set out. "Tuck in!" she said, and they both did.

They ate until they were stuffed, chatting the entire time. Their first few minutes had been awkward, but they both soon realized that they had lots in common, and conversation came easily.

When they were finished, Harry packed the food back into the crate and set it in the corner of the common room. Ginny withdrew her wand and gave it a flick, making the crumbs disappear from the quilt, and then folded it, draping it over the back of the sofa. She sat down, sitting sideways and leaning against the arm of the couch, and Harry did the same, leaning against the opposite arm of the couch.

Harry reckoned he'd better take advantage of the deserted common room at that moment.

"Er, Ginny?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"I've er, got something of yours, I think," he said, and he pulled a pair of pink polka-dotted knickers out of his pocket.

Ginny gasped and her face turned crimson, and he saw the tears come to her eyes.

He handed her knickers to her. "Please Ginny, don't cry. I only wanted to give them back to you, and assure you that Seamus did not, and will not, do anything inappropriate with them. I've made certain of that."

"Oh, bloody hell!" Ginny cursed as tears began to fall again, and she stuffed the knickers into her own pocket. She couldn't even bear to look at him.

Harry couldn't help but smile. "Ginny, it's not as bad as all that, please don't cry or be embarrassed. That wasn't my intention, to upset you. In fact, I think it was a really kind thing you did for Seamus. You know as well as I do that he doesn't deserve it."

Ginny sniffled and looked at him, and he looked back at her with admiration in his eyes.

"I swear it, I'm going to hex that boy into dust!" Ginny said, through her tears.

"No, Ginny, please," Harry reached over and put his hand on her arm. "Please believe me, if it weren't for Seamus, I...I'd have never known...." his voice trailed off.

"Never known what?" Ginny asked.

"Never known how you felt about me," Harry said, softly.

Ginny looked at him questioningly.

"It's just that, well, Seamus told me what you told him last night at the ball, and I reckon he told you what I'd done when he insulted you and...." Harry almost mentioned the questionnaire he had in his possession, but decided against it. "...And that's when it finally smacked me right across the face, that you might still fancy me, after all."

Ginny looked at him for a long moment, and a tear fell down her cheek. "After all? Blimey, Harry, I'm the thick one. I've fancied you since before you even knew me. Of course back then it was just a silly crush, wasn't it? But now that I've gotten to know you, I see what a great bloke you are, and I've dishonored Godric Gryffindor's name by not finding the courage to just tell you. If only I'd known, Harry!" She touched his arm, this time.

"So, here's to happy endings, then?" Harry said.

Ginny smiled, and then a look of panic crossed her face. "Harry, you haven't told Ron that you've had my knickers, have you? Bloody hell, he'd kill you!"

Harry laughed. "Don't worry, Ginny. I haven't."

****

They chatted all afternoon. Harry was thrilled to have someone to talk to who was as shrewd about Quidditch as he was, and he often found himself lost in the sparkle of Ginny's eyes and the lilt of her voice when she talked about the things she loved. The common room was full of people, but they hardly noticed. Ron and Hermione sat with them for a while in the late afternoon, but neither Ginny nor Harry paid them much attention, for it seemed that they couldn't keep their eyes off of each other.

Soon, the late afternoon sky faded to purple and it was time for tea. The common room began to empty out and Harry smiled at Ginny. "Ready for another round of eating?" he asked.

She put a hand on her stomach. "Ugh, I'm still fairly stuffed from our lunch, but I reckon we ought to make an appearance before people start talking." She stuck her tongue out at him.

He laughed. "Yeah, I reckon you're right," he said, and they both stood and walked behind the rest of the crowd down to the Great Hall.

As they passed by the large windows at the second floor landing, Ginny slowed down and gazed out over the expanse of the grounds in front of them. "The sky is so lovely this time of day," she said, more to herself than to anyone.

Harry squeezed her hand. "Yeah, it is," he said.

They stood for a long moment, and a gust of wind blew away the wispy clouds that had begun to gather, revealing a lone, twinkling star near the horizon.

Harry looked at Ginny, and Ginny looked back at him.

"Aren't you supposed to make a wish on the first star you see?" Harry asked.

Ginny smiled. "There's no need," she said.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"I've already got my wish," she said, softly, and squeezed his hand.

Harry's heart grew wings at that moment, and he let go of her hand and put his arms around her. Her eyes grew wide but she did not resist as he moved his head closer to hers and kissed her lips. He felt her arms wrap around his middle, and Harry welcomed the energy and warmth that began to flow between them. Harry gently pulled out of their kiss, looked into Ginny's eyes and stroked her hair. No words were necessary as he put his arm around her shoulders and she settled against his side, as though she were meant to be there all along. Resting his cheek in her hair and feeling her hand resting on top of his, Harry smiled, and they turned together and walked the rest of the way to the Great Hall.