Keep Your Day Job

Keep Your Day Job

Chapter One

Ginny smiled brightly as she walked into the Great Hall the next day. She slid into the seat opposite Ron and Hermione. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully, looking up at the ceiling. "What a beautiful autumn day! A perfect way to start the weekend!" Ron and Hermione eyed each other skeptically.

"What is it, Ginny?" Ron asked his sister. Ginny set down the scone she'd been buttering.

"What do you mean, 'what is it'? Can't a girl say good morning to her friends?" she said, giving her brother a condescending glare.

"Sure, but Gin, come on. I know you too well. You're up to something," Ron said smartly. Hermione nodded her head in agreement. Ginny scoffed at the both of them.

"Well, if you really must know..." she paused in mock suspense. "I have a plan. A good plan," she smiled.

"Ginny, if this is about what I said in the library yesterday," Hermione started.

"I know, Hermione, and I thought about it all last night. And you're absolutely right," Ginny said, eating the last of her scone and grabbing another one.

"What did you say in the library yesterday?" Ron asked.

"She said that we should set Harry up with someone, and I have the perfect person," Ginny said proudly.

"No, Ginny, that's not," Hermione started to say, but Ginny had already stood up.

"Hermione, I have to go to Quidditch practice," Ginny slung her bag over her shoulder. "We'll talk about this later, I promise. I'll tell you all about it," she said with an air that suggested that Hermione had been groveling at her feet, begging her to reveal the genius plan. "You'd better hurry, Ron, we'll be late," she said, and with that she walked briskly out of the Great Hall. Ron turned to Hermione.

"What did you do?" he asked angrily.

"Me? I tried to suggest to Ginny that she and Harry are meant for each other, but she took it entirely the wrong way!" Hermione glared at him.

"Hermione, now Ginny and Harry are never going to get together if she's busy setting him up with some other girl!" Ron's voice got louder.

"Don't you yell at me, Ron! It's not my fault that your sister obviously inherited your incredible ability to decipher feelings!"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ron sputtered.

"Never mind," Hermione said, angrily pushing her plate away and standing up. "You'd better go to practice, you're late," she said, walking away.

"Bloody females," Ron said, shaking his head.

* * *

Ginny, Ron, and Harry returned to the Common Room later that day, exhausted but happy. Hermione was helping Neville finish his Potions essay. They looked up and smiled at their windswept friends.

"Hey guys!" Neville said, smiling.

"Hey, Neville, Hermione," Ginny said, collapsing on the couch. Harry sat down next to her, and rested his head on her shoulder.

"I'm soooo tired," he said in an intentionally whiny voice.

"And you smell bad, too," Ginny said, laughing and pushing him off her shoulder.

"You don't exactly smell like a rose, yourself," Harry said smiling. Ginny punched him in the shoulder. "Ow, okay, I'll take a shower," Harry laughed and bounded up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Ginny watched him disappear up the stairs, and then turned to her friends.

"Okay, so here's the plan," Ginny whispered conspiratorially, leaning towards Neville and Hermione. Ron took Harry's place on the couch.

"Plan?" Neville questioned.

"Yeah, I'm going to set up Harry and Luna!" Ginny said excitedly.

"Luna?" Neville asked. Ginny missed the crestfallen look on his face and continued to speak.

"Yes! I thought it over, and I think they'd be really good together!" Ron snorted and Ginny shot him an evil glare.

"I don't know about this, Ginny," Hermione said.

"There's nothing to worry about! You guys just follow along, and watch my matchmaking abilities in action," she said confidently. Hermione, Neville and Ron exchanged doubtful looks, but Ginny was too busy explaining her idea to notice.

* * *

As Ginny lay in her four-poster bed later that night, she couldn't figure out why everyone was being so skeptical. Harry and Luna would make a great couple! She thought that Harry and Luna seemed to relate to each other really well. And Luna was really nice-looking, even if no one took notice. Her protuberant eyes were actually quite a beautiful, and although her hair was a bit scraggly, it was still pretty. Hair doesn't have to be stick-straight to be pretty, Ginny thought. Look at Hermione! She has bushy hair, and Ron thinks she's the most beautiful girl in the world! Although Ron would probably swallow slugs before admitting this, Ginny smirked to herself. He really needs to get a clue. Maybe I'll get those two together after I'm done with Harry and Luna. Yes, Luna would be perfect, Ginny reassured herself. But this reassurance couldn't squash the nagging feeling that perhaps she still liked Harry, and her matchmaking plan was just a show to prove to herself...No, no, no! She thought. I am over him. I haven't liked him since my third year...she told herself as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"So she really thinks that if we just leave them alone they're going to immediately start snogging?" Ron asked incredulously the next morning at breakfast.

"Well, it's a little more in-depth than that, Ron," Hermione said, closing her Arithmancy book to look at her red-headed friend. "She's going to start dropping hints, so hopefully by Friday they'll have the idea in their head when we leave them alone. Then, well, yes, she expects them to immediately start snogging."

"That's ridiculous," Ron said. "That's just not how it works. I mean, I've been alone with you dozens of times, and we've never," but Ron's sentence trailed off, and strangled sputtering noises came out of his mouth instead. Hermione cleared her throat.

"Umm, right. Anyways, Ron, just leave her be," Hermione said, picking her book up again.

"Leave her be? Why would I leave her be? She's going to make a fool of herself," Ron said, staring disbelievingly at Hermione.

"Ron, has it occurred to you that perhaps this is Ginny's way of dealing with Harry? She won't admit she likes him, and this whole matchmaking business just further proves that she has no romantic feelings for him."

"But she does have romantic feelings for him!" Ron interjected.

"Yes, but nothing we do will make her admit it. She needs to figure it out on her own," Hermione said.

"But, why would we want her to prove that she doesn't--I mean, what--this makes no sense!" Ron said confusedly.

"Honestly, Ron," Hermione said huffily. "Just trust me. Let it be, play along. It'll happen."

"Whatever you say," Ron muttered.

* * *

"Luna!" Ginny called, rushing to catch up with her friend.

"Oh, hello, Ginevra," Luna said breezily. "Did you finish your Divination homework?"

"Yeah, but I think I did it wrong. My charts said that I should be wary of hippopotamuses in the future," Ginny said laughing.

"Hmm...mine said that I was to make an important discovery in the near future. I'm assuming it has something to do with the Crumple-Horned Snorkack," Luna said dreamily.

"Right," Ginny said. Ginny no longer questioned all the silly things Luna believed in--in fact, she was beginning to wonder if maybe sometimes Luna was right. "Anyways," Ginny began cautiously, "Your hair looks really nice today."

"Thank you," Luna smiled.

"Harry was right."

"Right about what?"

"Well, today at breakfast he said that you looked really pretty," Ginny said convincingly.

Luna looked slightly taken-aback, but she then replied serenely, "That was very nice of him."

Not exactly the reaction Ginny was looking for, but it would do.

* * *

Friday arrived, and Ginny was confident that her plan could not fail. She'd been dropping little hints like mad all week long, and she was certain that they'd taken notice of each other. The idea was simple--they usually all hung out in the Gryffindor Common Room anyways, so all she had to do was make sure Luna and Harry were left alone for a while. However confident she was, Ron had been badgering her all week about her idea.

"Ginny," he said, "it's not going to work. You can't expect them to fall into a madly passionate affair after being alone together for a few moments!" He leaned back into the squashy armchair near the fire and clasped his hands behind his head, giving his sister a knowing look.

"Ron, shut up! Neville and Hermione left to get Luna, and Harry should be down any second!" she hissed at him. "Besides," she continued, "I don't expect them to fall in love, I just want to give them a moment to be alone. To talk."

Ron snorted, "Oh, is that what it's called these days, because where I come from we call it,"

"Ssh!" Ginny hushed him as the portrait hole opened and Neville stumbled in, Hermione and Luna behind him. Harry came down the stairs moments later, his hair standing up at odd angles. Ginny smiled at his appearance, but quickly snapped out of her reverie. She stood up and excused herself, saying she was cold and was going to get a sweater out of her room, and that Harry should take her seat next to Luna on the couch. Harry looked at her confused, but then sat down. As she climbed the stairs, she turned around to see Luna leaning over to talk to Harry. Ginny smiled and congratulated herself.

* * *

An hour later, after all the other students had drifted up the stairs to bed, only the six friends remained in the Common Room. Ron and Harry passionately discussed the upcoming Quidditch match against Ravenclaw. Hermione sat on the rug in front of the fire and knit while Crookshanks batted his paw at the trail of yarn. Neville and Luna were playing Gobstones. Ginny reclined in her chair and watched her friends, a bemused look on her face. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was midnight.

"I'm hungry," she announced.

"Let's go nick some food from the kitchens," Ron said in an overly-rehearsed voice. Ginny glared at him.

"I'll come," Hermione said, also glaring at Ron. "I want to see how the house elves are doing."

"Harry, can we borrow your invisibility cloak?" Ginny asked.

"Sure, I'll go get it. I'm pretty hungry too," Harry said, standing up.

"No, Harry, I'll get it!" Neville said, standing up too quickly and knocking over the Gobstones board. "Oh, sorry Luna," he said apologetically. "You were going to win again, anyways." Neville dashed up the stairs and returned a moment later with the cloak.

"Well, I think I'm going to bed!" he said awkwardly, then turned to bound up the stairs again. Harry watched him leave suspiciously, but Luna was placidly picking up the scattered gobstones.

"There, Harry, you help Luna pick up the stones. We'll get you guys some food!" Ginny said quickly, and then grabbed Hermione and Ron and ran out the portrait hole.

* * *

Ginny insisted that they stayed in the kitchens for nearly an hour. Ron passed the time by eating, and Hermione chatted with the house elves. However, soon even Ginny had to admit that it was time to go back. Just as they were approaching the Gryffindor Tower, Luna crawled out of the portrait hole, a dreamy expression on her face.

"Goodnight, Luna!" Ginny said, grinning widely.

"Goodnight," Luna said as she walked past. Once Luna turned the corner, Ginny squealed.

"Ha! Did you see the look on her face? Something happened!"

"Uh, Ginny," Ron said, "not to burst your bubble or anything, but Luna always has that expression on her face."

"Shush, Ron," Ginny said as she excitedly climbed into the portrait hole. "Looks like Harry's gone to bed...no bother, I'll talk to him tomorrow." She turned to Ron and Hermione. "Well, I'm off to bed. All this matchmaking business has made me exhausted!" She smiled and skipped off to the dormitories. Hermione and Ron were left alone in the Common Room.

"She's quite stubborn, isn't she?" Hermione asked.

"You have no idea," Ron smiled.

"Hmm...well, I'm going to bed as well," Hermione said.

"Hermione, wait!" Ron grabbed her arm. They looked at each other expectantly for a moment, and then Ron shook his head. "Uh, do you think I should talk to Harry? You know...see how it went?" He gently released his grasp on her arm.

"Oh, yeah...that's probably a good idea," Hermione said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Goodnight, Ron."
"Goodnight, Hermione."