White Flag

White Flag

Ginny massaged the ball of her foot. Neville had gone off to get drinks, and the scrum at the bar would certainly keep him busy for a while. She sighed. Neville was nice, and polite, and kind. But he wasn't a good dancer. And he wasn't Harry.

Not that I'm going to have Harry. He likes Cho Chang.

Her eyes crossed over to where Cho was dancing with Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Quidditch Seeker and one of the Tri-wizard champions. They looked so good together. Cedric was tall, fair and handsome, Cho was pretty, dark and well proportioned. They made a good match. She sighed again.

Harry's been walking around looking like his dog just died ever since Cho agreed to go with Cedric. And since Ron suggested that he come with me to the Ball.

Ginny looked around. Harry and Ron were sitting together, of course. Their dates, twin girls in their year, were looking increasingly frustrated. As Ginny watched, a Beuxbatons student appeared and asked one of the girls to dance. She exchanged words with Harry and disappeared with the French boy. Her twin soon followed.

She doesn't know what's good for her. If I was with Harry, I'd. . .

Ginny scowled.

I'd act like an idiot and fawn over him constantly. But he wouldn't ignore me.

He'd still be wishing he was with Cho, though.

Maybe I should go over there. Just to say hello. Perhaps Harry wants to dance? I don't think his date - Parvati? Or was it Padma? - dances very well.

Ginny was just about to get up and go over, when Neville reappeared, looking slightly flustered from dealing with the scrum by the bar. The collar of his robes was twisted around his neck and he had butterbeer spilt on one arm.

"Sorry I took so long," he said.

"That's okay," Ginny replied, settling back into her chair and wrenching her mind away from Harry.

"I didn't hurt your foot, did I?" Neville said anxiously, nodding at her bare foot.

Ginny smiled, and slipped it back into her shoe. "Of course not. My shoes are a little tight, that's all."

"Oh. Would you like to dance again?" he asked, very politely.

"Of course," she said, taking his outstretched hand.

On stage, the Weird Sister launched into a slow song.

*

I know you think that I shouldn't still love you

I'll tell you that

But if I didn't say it

Well, I'd still have felt it

Where's the sense in that?

*

A moment later, they were on the dance floor, and Ginny was sure that Harry and she were staring into one another's eyes. Then she realised that she was standing on the other side of Cho and Cedric, and that Harry only had eyes for one girl at the Ball. Abruptly, he looked away, and Ginny was left staring at his ear.

As abruptly, Ginny realised that she was being foolish, and unfair to Neville as well. Harry liked someone else. It was simple. She could spend her life wasting away, pining after him, or. . .

She looked at Neville, all honest, open effort as he tried to avoid her feet. Somehow, despite her small size, he kept treading on her toes when he should have been moving backwards.

Only Neville.

She thought of Harry, and how much they really knew about each other. He had saved her life once, but so what? She's tried not to make a pest of herself after that. She was sure he didn't want reminding of the Chamber, and the basilisk.

And Tom.

*

I promise I'm not trying to make your life harder

Or return to where we were

*

"Are you cold?" Neville asked.

"What? No, I'm fine," Ginny said.

"You shivered."

"I think someone walked over my grave," she said.

"Oh, okay," he said brightly. Ginny smiled. Neville was so polite.

But not the boy who'll take my mind off Harry. I don't think that Neville likes me, anyway. I wonder. . .

Looking around, Ginny spotted her friend Daniella, who had come with a Ravenclaw fourth year. It looked as though she had been abandoned.

"Neville, I just have to talk to my friend," she said quickly.

Well, if I can't be happy tonight. . .

*

Well I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

*

Ginny sat, watching Neville and Daniella sweep across the dance floor. She didn't think that she was a bad dancer, but Daniella was much better. She was the sister of Alicia Spinnet, who had disappeared off with Fred, Angelina and George a short while before, and the two sisters had taken dance classes before coming to Hogwarts. Daniella was deftly avoiding Neville's heavy toes, and the two were happily chatting about Herbology, which was their best subject.

Ginny smiled happily.

Perhaps. . . But I won't push them.

Ginny smiled as Cho and Cedric walked past, laughing. They seemed totally happy, wrapped up in one another. Ginny briefly wondered if Cho knew how much misery she had heaped upon Harry by turning down his invite to the Ball.

The corners of Ginny's mouth quirked up a little.

Serves him right. Arrogant sod.

"They're a nice couple, aren't they?"

Ginny turned around. "Excuse me?"

"Cho and her date. Are you mooning over Diggory being off the market?"

The speaker was a tall boy in dark blue robes. Blue-grey eyes twinkled beneath a mess of untidy brown hair that needed, in Ginny's opinion, something running through it to tidy it up a little.

Like a comb.

"Now, myself, I'm in mourning for the lovely Cho. All us fine Ravenclaws lining up to take her to the Ball, and she slopes off with a Quidditch-playing, Hufflepuff Tri-wizard champion. What chance did us mere mortals have?"

He laughed, and offered Ginny his hand.

"Michael Corner," he said.

"Ginny Weasley."

"Gryffindor, right? I've seen you around."

"You have?" Ginny asked. She didn't consider herself to be the sort to stand out in a crowd.

"Sure," he said. "It might be the hair," he said, reaching out and teasing a lock of it between his fingertips."

"Um."

"Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"S-sure," she said, taking his hand and letting herself be led onto the floor.

Across the hall, Harry and Ron were walking out the door to the enchanted rose garden. Ginny didn't notice.

*

I know I left too much mess

And destruction to come back again

And I caused nothing but trouble

I understand if you can't talk to me again

And if you live by the rules of "It's over"

Then I'm sure that that makes sense

*

Ginny was having a wonderful time, whirling across the dance floor with Michael. He hadn't stepped on her feet at all, and he was fun to talk to. Ginny found herself laughing freely, something she hadn't thought she would be doing that night. Not with Harry there, dancing with one girl, dreaming about another, and neither of them her.

It's like one of those moments your read about in books. I'm growing up, right here, right now. Harry and I wouldn't work out, would we? I'll always remind him of Tom. Too many painful memories. Whatever chance I had with him died in the Chamber with the basilisk. And now. . .

Ginny didn't want to rush things. She'd only just met Michael, after all.

But if I run my fingers through his hair, then maybe that would tidy it up as well as a comb would?

In fact, it turned out that that didn't work. But Michael didn't seem to mind.

So I can't have Harry. I can make do. . .

Not that this is exactly 'making do'

*

Well I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

*

Time passed. Ginny learnt a lot that summer, including how easy it could be to Floo over to your boyfriend's house when your mum had her back turned.

Then they got called to Grimmauld Place, where the Floos were blocked, warded and probably had trolls guarding them. It suddenly became much harder to visit Michael. Ginny wasn't too worried. She was sure he'd understand.

And then Harry showed up, looking angry, neglected and very much in need of mothering.

So Ginny did everything she could to stay out of his way.

He's not my problem anymore. Not that he ever was. And he didn't say anything to let me stay to hear about the war. Git.

He

has sort of filled out over the summer, though. . .

Damn.

*

And when we meet

Which I'm sure we will

All that was there

Will be there still

*

Ginny had looked in the common room, the Owlery and by the Room of Requirement.

There has to be a better way of finding Harry then this. If I was still drooling after him - Which I'm not! I'm with Michael! - then I could probably manage to stumble across him five times in an hour. All this fuss to give him his Easter egg!

I probably

should have let Ron do it.

Ginny scowled.

Okay, think. You're Harry Potter - Which means, incidentally, that you're a big, dumb, idiotic boy - and you're in a bad mood. Where would you go that people wouldn't expect you to go?

Five minutes later, Ginny walked through the library doors and saw Harry, pouting at his work. They exchanged pleasantries, Ginny gave him his egg, stole some back, and then they were chased out of the library, bags and bottle and quills beating them every step of the way.

When they were safely out of range, they collapsed against a wall and laughed. Ginny liked it when Harry laughed. His eyes gleamed brightly, and his messy hair bounced around and he looked much more human and reachable.

After a minute or so, though, he grew serious again. With a short "See you," he left, leaving Ginny behind, her chest still heaving from the exertion of running from the library.

Yeah, running all of fifty feet. That's right. Really tiring.

*

I'll let it pass

And hold my tongue

And you will think

That I've moved on

*

Michael was history. After nearly a year together, he'd had a tantrum and she'd told him to stop being an idiot. And that had been that. He'd reacted like an idiot, and she'd told him to go.

He was an idiot all along, really. A rebound that lasted a year. Good grief. How did I put up with him that long?

Okay, so he was a good kisser, but that's not everything.

He wasn't Harry. That's a plus, right?

She looked at Harry, sitting on the end of Ron's bed. She was curled up at the foot of Hermione's bed. There was about two feet between her and Harry, and she kept sneaking glances at him, much to Ron's amusement.

Ron's hiding it well, bless him.

Michael certainly isn't Harry. Harry wouldn't have tried to dump me while I was in the hospital wing. All of that rubbish about us being poorly suited - as if I hadn't noticed that! - and me keeping things from him. Well, yes, I didn't want to give you nightmares. How terrible of me!

Git. . .

She looked at Harry again, and noticed how dull his eyes looked. She wondered if there was anything that could put the gleam back into them that she'd seen at Easter.

I'll think about it.

*

I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

*

No one knew very much about what had happened that night. Ginny and the others had been warned not to say too much, and she was sick of answering questions non-comittally. She was glad that it was the summer. It was about time, in her opinion. The Ravenclaws had been giving her some very odd looks lately, and she suspected that Michael had been saying something about her behind her back. She wondered if his new girlfriend knew what a spiteful tosser he was?

Cho again,

she thought, as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of Hogsmeade Station. What it is about that girl and men I like?

She glanced across the compartment at Harry, who didn't seem too upset.

Does he even know? He's pretty thick. I mean, he must know that Cho doesn't. . . That she's not. . . No, not even Harry could be that thick.

Probably.

An hour later, the subject came up of its own accord. Cho and Marietta Edgecombe walked past, and Ron mentioned Harry and Cho's relationship.

Ginny filled in the gaps.

"I ditched him," she said of Michael. "And he ran off to comfort Cho instead."

Git,

she added to herself. She was someone else's girlfriend. Sort of.

"Good for you. Just choose someone - better - next time," Ron said.

As though it's any of Ron's business!

"Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?" Ginny heard herself say.

Ron's reaction was worth it, even if she did regret the words as soon as shed said them. All that Dean has said was that she should write if she got bored of Ron going on and on, because there were times that he got bored.

Still,

she thought, with a look at the totally unresponsive Harry. Dean's not exactly horrible or anything. Maybe I will write to him. He's a nice guy.

*

I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

*

Okay, so he's not

Harry, but. . .

*

I will go down with this ship

And I won't put my hands up and surrender

There will be no white flag above my door

I'm in love and always will be

The End