A Few Good Ships

"Hey, Hermione, do you know where Harry is?" Ron asked, coming to stand in front of Hermione's homework covered table in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Is he at Quidditch Practice?" Hermione suggested, not looking from her current piece of parchment.

"No, 'cause Angelina's in the library. He's not there either."

"Hmm...have you checked the Marauder's Map?"

"Doesn't Harry have it?"

"Why not check?" Ron turned to race up the dormitory steps as Hermione re-inked her quill.

She sighed. Ever since her break up with Victor Krum, Ron hadn't even really noticed her. Back to being sexless Hermione Granger the brilliant, she thought.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" Hermione looked up to see Ginny standing behind the table's empty chair, a novel in hand.

"No, not at all," Hermione said, moving her papers and texts into a taller but thinner pile. Ginny sat in the chair and opened her novel to somewhere near the middle. "No homework?"

Ginny shook her head, and replied without looking up. "It's all done. I don't get as much as you anyway."

"No one gets as much homework as I do." Both girls settled down for a quiet night.

Several minuets later a rather annoyed Ron re-entered the common room with pounding feet.

"Nothing," he said, pausing to catch his breath.

"Hmm..." Hermione contemplated.

"Oh come on! You have to have some idea!" Ron accused.

"I have to finish my homework is what I have to do. Have you even touched yours?" Hermione snapped. Ron glared.

"What are we arguing about?" Ginny asked, putting in her two Knuts. Ron jumped.

"Ginny! Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"She's been her since before you came down." Ron blushed. "Ron's looking for Harry, Gin."

"Has he tried Hagrid's?" Ginny asked. Ron blushed more.

"No...guess I should check there huh?" A much quieter Ron left the common room by way of the portrait hole.

Ginny sighed. "What is it about me that dooms me to never be noticed?"

Hermione snorted. "How should I know? Ron doesn't even notice me anymore."

"But he complained all summer about you and Krum," Ginny reported.

"Really," Hermione said dryly. "He hasn't said a word."

"Well, you did break up with him before school started," Ginny reminded Hermione.

"It's a great friend who only notices you when you're dating someone," Hermione remarked.

"So? Do you want him to notice you?" Ginny asked. Hermione thought this over.

"It's nice to be noticed," she mused. "Yes, I think I would like to be more than just the person with all the homework." Ginny giggled.

"Well then, get a new boyfriend."

"What?" Ginny's eyes danced.

"A new boyfriend," Ginny repeated. "Come on, Ron only really noticed you when there was Krum, now you're no one special. At least flirt with someone!"

"I suppose it's worth a try." Hermione looked back down at her homework and sighed.

"Lavender! Look, my pictures came!" Parvati said, crashing on a bed next to Lavender. She opened a large envelope and dumped wizarding pictures between the two.

"Ooh!" Lavender squealed, scooping up a handful. Parvati reached under the bed and pulled out a hot pink photo album with Parvati Patil embossed in gold on the front. She flipped it open to the first blank page.

"Now, what goes in first?" Parvati excitedly shuffled through pictures.

"Oh look! Here's on of me and Seamus!" Lavender said, showing Parvati her find. The picture showed a smiling and waving Lavender alongside an overshadowed Seamus.

"And here's Padma and her boyfriend!" Parvati said.

The excitement continued through numerous photos.

"I wish Harry didn't hide so in pictures," Lavender sighed. "It's so disappointing!"

"It's not that he's bad looking either! Imagine if he ever fixed his glasses," Parvati commented.

"Or if he got contacts! And cloths that are the right size!"

"I wonder where he gets them. At least his school robes fit."

"True. It's too bad he really doesn't notice things."

"No, he doesn't. One of these days he's going to walk out the window in Professor Trelawney's tower because he's not paying attention."

"You know what he needs?" Parvati asked in a comprisal tone.

"Hmm...."

"Some female attention!" Lavender burst into giggles.

Ginny stifled a yawn as she made her way from breakfast. She was so tired that morning she had left her now long hair down instead of its usual tight braid.

The halls were empty as most students took a few extra minuets before class to do numerous small things. Unlike many students, Ginny took her books to breakfast. Even Hermione do that all the time.

Ginny had eaten early today, hoping to get some extra studying before Potions. She always found it to her advantage to know as much as possible about Potions so she had an extra edge to survive Professor Snape.

Not even the Slytherins came to Potions early, as it was quite close to their dorms. This made for a quiet place to study. Ginny wasn't sure what Professor Snape would think if he ever came out of his office early enough to notice her.

Sure enough, the Potions classroom was empty and silent. Ginny took her normal seat in the middle of the classroom. She figured that this didn't place her in the line of fire, like the front, or place her someplace where Professor Snape would terrorize her for hiding, like the back.

Another part of Ginny's Potions survival strategy was an old, used copy of an advanced Potions book. In it was described many basic potions, and all the ways to make it, and why it worked. With its help, Ginny was more prepared to answer a lot of the Potion master's more obscure questions. She also found it fascinating. There were many days that she wished she dared ask some more advanced questions of the Professor, like why exactly did one plant prove to be a much more effective ingredient than another plant in a more advanced potion recipe.

Ginny took out her things, organized them on the table, and opened her secret weapon to the appropriate page for the lessons her class was currently on. She had spent several minuets engrossed in potion theory when the classroom door opened rather loudly.

"Professor?" a chillingly familiar voice echoed through the room. "I seem to have misplaced that book you lent me..."

Draco Malfoy stridently strode into the room, looking under tables along the way. "Professor?" Ginny shrunk in her seat, not wanting to be caught by this boy, of any.

Unfortunately, Draco was both sharp eyed and keen on finding this misplaced book. He stopped short when he reached her row. "And what is a Weasley doing here?"

Ginny took a deep, bracing breath. "Waiting for class," she managed to eek out, loud enough for him to hear her.

"Since when do Gryffindors come to Potions early?" Draco moved down the row, closing in on his prey.

"I was getting some extra studying in," Ginny said, a little quieter.

"Studying, right. That's not the fourth year Potions book, not unless your family's too poor to buy you the current edition." Draco observed. Ginny put down her theory book and held up her official potions book.

"This is my potions book. That's my theory book."

"Fourth years don't use theory books." Draco's eyes narrowed.

"Well I do."

"Wait a minuet!" Draco snatched the theory book. "This is the book that I lost."

"Not it's not! I bought that book at Flourish and Blots before school started! There is no way it's yours! Besides," Ginny added quietly, "it's much too beat up and old to belong to you."

"What is the meaning of this?" an icy voice demanded. Draco and Ginny jumped and turned toward the front of the classroom. Professor Snape stood in the now open doorway to his office, arms crossed over his chest.

Draco recovered first. "Ginny Weasley has stolen my book."

"I have not. I bought that book months ago at Flourish and Blots with my school supplies," Ginny defended herself.

"And what book is this, Mr. Malfoy?" the Professor asked, moving across the front of the classroom.

"Introductory Advanced Potions Theory," Draco answered.

"I believe that is the book I lent to you last week?"

"Yes sir."

"And what is Ms. Weasley doing with this book?"

"I have no idea, sir."

"I bought at Flourish and Blots this summer!" Ginny said a little desperately.

"And why would you have a book not required for class?"

"I thought it would help with class, and it looked interesting," Ginny said quietly.

Draco snorted. "Can you even understand it?"

"Yes I can! It's not all that hard, just a lot of critical thinking," Ginny snapped.

"Mr. Malfoy, if I may see the book?" Snape asked, holding out his hand.

"Of course, sir." Draco handed the book to the Professor, who examined it.

"It looks like Ms. Weaseley's telling the truth, Mr. Malfoy. This is indeed not the book I lent you. Have you lost it?"

"It appears so, sir." Ginny wondered what the Professor would do to Draco for losing the book. It wasn't like she had witnessed something like it before. The Potion's Master never leant out books to Gryffindors.

"I would advise you to find it, Mr. Malfoy. In the meantime, I'm sure Ms. Weasley would be happy to share her book with you. I expect both of you to do the exercises I assigned Mr. Malfoy." With that, Professor Snape returned to his office.

A few moments of silence followed this. "What exercises were those?" Ginny asked quietly.

"A few questions Professor Snape wrote out. They're in my bag. Now, give me the book so I can do them," Draco said, reaching for the book.

"No!" Ginny said, wide-eyed. "Didn't you hear him? We BOTH have to do the exercises. I have the book, you have the exercises. Why don't we meet in the library after dinner?"

Draco snorted. "Meet with a Gryffindor in a public place? No, I'll meet you in the Entry Hall after dinner. We'll work in an empty classroom. And you'd better not forget that book!"