A Few Good Ships

Chapter Two:

A Few Good Theories

"Lavender, is that what I think it is?" Parvati said excitedly as she sat down next to Lavender in the dorm room they shared with Hermione.

"Indeed it is!" Lavender answered, showing Parvati the cover of Hogwarts, a Yearbook, 1994. Parvati let out a squeal.

"How did you get it? Pince never lets this thing out of the Library!"

"Oh, you know me," Lavender winked. "I asked Professor Trelawney. We're going to see what people's names mean about them!"

"Ooohhh, good one!"

"And, in the meantime, we can think up someone to throw Harry at!"

"Well, why not us?"

"Because, you remember the Yule Ball. Besides, he's not worth fighting over. We'll just give him to someone else and hope he learns something." They both giggled.

"Well, Hermione's all wrong for him," Parvati started.

"Besides, they claim to not be interested in each other."

"True. So, if we're sticking in our year, that leaves out Gryffindor as an option."

"And Slytherin," Lavender inserted. Parvati snorted.

"I want nothing to do with that house! And besides, Harry doesn't either. So, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw?"

"Hufflepuff first, they get along with him the best."

"Well then," Parvati said, flipping to the 4^th year Hufflepuff page. "We have, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Eloise Midgen, and Sally-Ann Perks."

"Hannah's quiet, Susan's not bad, but I don't think Eloise will do at all."

"I don't think so either. Boys don't like anything less than beauty," Parvati said primly.

"Exactly...but Sally-Ann's supposed to be very nice. Now, Ravenclaw. You're sister might be able to help us there."

"She might indeed. Do you think we ought to offer her a shot?"

"If she wants...who knows after she went to the Yule Ball with Ron, though."

"Let's see...other than her there's Mandy Brocklehurst, Morag MacDougal, and Lisa Turpin."

"What does Padma say about them?"

"Well, she's great friends with Mandy and Lisa, but Morag is a plain personality."

"We might actually have luck with her then. I don't think Harry's quite ready for a little flash." Lavender said with a smile.

"Hhmm...now, what's our first step?"

Hermione looked around the Great Hall. Now, one would think that it would be easy to find a boy to flirt with, but it really wasn't. One has to consider all sorts of things. For instance, Justin Flinch-Fletchley wasn't bad looking, and quite a nice guy. But he was also one of Ron's better friends, and Hermione really didn't want to hurt any friendships.

That also hurt her cause in her own house. Seamus, Dean, and Neville were all friendly with Ron. Not that Hermione really wanted to flirt with Neville...she wasn't sure how she get him to flirt back at all! Seamus was in an on off relationship with Lavender, and even if Lavender was told it was all a plot to snag Ron, she wouldn't take kindly to Hermione flirting with her boyfriend. Dean was a bit of a possibility, though. He really was a nice guy.

The Weasley twins would think the whole thing a great joke, as would their friend Lee Jordan. So Hermione figured that in a bind, she good always ask them to help. It'd be terribly embarrassing to ask, though. Maybe she'd have Ginny do it for her...

Hermione sighed, and scanned the Hufflepuff table for boys in her classes. There was Ernie McMillan, who was sweet but not quiet Hermione's type. Besides, he seemed to have a bit of a crush on Hannah Abbot.

Ravenclaw boasted one Terry Boot, who was another Quidditch fanatic. Hermione supposed she had enough knowledge of Quidditch, thanks to Ron, Harry, and Quidditch Through the Ages to hold a good conversation with Terry.

Hermione sighed, hoping she could catch Ginny that evening without Ron and Harry around.

Ginny had brought her bag to dinner, with her theory book as well as parchment, ink and quills. It was rather nice to have so light a bag for once. Unlike her textbooks, the theory book was a softbound book, so it weighed much less.

She sighed as she got up from the table. While she really didn't have much to do tonight, her current major homework assignments being done or nearly finished, she would really rather do anything than have to work with Draco Malfoy, of all people! She did not, however, want to explain to Professor Snape why she had chosen to not show up.

Only a handful of Ravenclaws lingered in the Great Hall, a book out in front of them arguing over something. Ginny made her way slowly to the door, and quietly closed it behind her.

Draco was waiting for her.

"Took you long enough!" he snapped, leading her up the stairs immediately.

"I thought you said you didn't want to be seen," Ginny said reasonably.

"No more than I'm sure you do. But did you have to be the last one out?"

"I wasn't. There's still some Ravenclaws in there."

"Yeah, well, close enough." Draco turned down a dim corridor, one that didn't appear to be used much. He opened a door in the middle of the corridor, and went inside. "This should work. Lumos!"

It was obvious that the room hadn't been used in a while. The desks were not in repair standard to the used classrooms, and most of the things lying around were slightly grimy.

Draco sneered, and ran his finger along one desk. "At least it's not dusty," he said, examining the results. He pulled out a chair and sat down.

Only to have the chair collapse on him. Ginny giggled quietly. Snotty Draco being dumped on the ground wasn't something one saw everyday, after all.

"What are you laughing at?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Ginny said in an even quieter voice. Draco snorted.

"Don't ever laugh at me again, Weasley." He stood up and grabbed another chair, making sure it was sound before sitting in it this time.

Ginny gingerly sat in a chair at the desk next to the one Draco had chosen and emptied her bag. Draco immediately snatched the theory book.

"Do you have the exercises?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Draco said, pulling out a role of parchment from his sleeve and throwing it at her.

Ginny grabbed it and sat down to read. "It says to first examine the theory behind cleaning solutions," she said.

"I know, now where is it," Draco said irritably, flipping through the book.

"I believe it's at the beginning," Ginny supplied. Draco shot her a chilling look, and turned to the front. Ginny sighed to herself, and prepared herself for a long, tiring evening.