A Few Good Ships

Chapter Three

A Few Good Ponderings

"Ron, do you get the feeling that they're up to something?" Harry asked during a quiet time in the library. For once, not even Hermione was around, which Harry found very odd.

"Who?"

"The girls. Lavender, Parvati, and Hermione."

"What would they be doing together?"

"I have no idea, that's what's bothering me."

"Besides, I don't think they're up to anything," Ron said confidently.

"Really? Why not?"

"Well...I don't know. Why do you?"

"Come on, when was the last seen Lavender and Parvati not break out in giggles whenever they see me? And we haven't exactly seen much of Hermione lately."

"Well, we never see Hermione. All that homework, you know. And Lavender and Parvati are always giggling. What's new?"

Harry sighed. "I suppose you're right..."or being rather dense...

*

"Ginny, how on Earth am I supposed to flirt with someone?" Hermione asked plaintively.

Ginny looked up from the corner of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom that she currently occupied, with her current novel in her lap. "Well...didn't you flirt with Krum?"

Hermione sighed and sat down next to Ginny. "Really, he flirted with me more. He was the one who chased after me, not the other way around."

"The boys never chased me," came a whiney voice from the stalls. "They always laughed at me."

"They used to laugh at me. I still don't know why Krum asked me to the Yule Ball in the first place."

Ginny snorted. "They don't even notice me...I'm just the Weasley girl."

"But you don't have glasses, do you?" Myrtle sniffed. "And you're nice and skinny too. But I'm not!" Myrtle started to cry, and the toilet she was in started to flood.

"But I have bright red hair."

"And mine's bushy."

"And you're both in Gryffindor...everyone likes Gryffindors..."

Ginny and Hermione got up and quietly left, before the whole bathroom flooded. There was really no way of predicting what Myrtle would do once she started crying.

"Do you ever wonder if ghosts get into relationships?" Ginny asked Hermione.

"I don't know...what would be the point? I mean, they can't very well...you know..."

"Have sex? No...but I'd imagine that the afterlife would get to be very boring."

"Yeah...it would. Just look at Myrtle, she's always crying."

"No kidding," Ginny laughed. "Not that she had a very pleasant life."

"No," Hermione agreed.

"Well, anyways, didn't you ever start a conversation with Krum?"

"No...not really. I never really knew what to say to Victor...he was so in love with me, and I never really knew if it was me he was in love with."

"I thought we were talking about flirting, not falling in love." Hermione blushed.

"Well...isn't flirting supposed to make someone fall in love with you?"

Ginny shook her head. "Sometimes, but you don't fall in love with everyone you flirt with. I mean, did you ever fall in love with Krum?"

"No...but still...it seems rather dishonest to flirt with someone I have no intentions of doing anything else with."

Ginny sighed. "Hermione, people flirt with people for fun all the time. Besides, how else are you going to go about getting Ron's attention? Start walking around in a French Maid costume?"

Hermione giggled. "Good point."

*

"Now, Padma," Parvati said, sitting down on a cushion in an un-used classroom. "Would you like to go out with Harry?"

"Harry! Hmm...I don't know, why?"

"Parvati and I have decided that Harry needs some female attention," Lavender put in pedantically.

"He does, too," Padma agreed. "He really doesn't act like a proper fifteen-year old at all."

"Exactly. So, the first step is a girlfriend," Padma said.

"Then we can get Harry to dress a little better," Parvati said.

"You know, grow up too," Lavender added.

"Ron could use this as well," Padma said sourly. Parvati and Lavender exchanged looks.

"Well..."Parvati started.

"Maybe it'll rub off of Harry onto Ron," Lavender said. Neither wanted much to do with Ron's far too smart mouth. Harry was much easier to manipulate. Padma snorted.

"And we can always deal with Ron after we fix Harry!" Parvati said, hoping to get her twin in on the game.

"Well...I think I'll give it a shot," Padma conceded.

"Excellent!" Parvati and Lavender said. Wide smiles were exchanged all around.

*

Draco and Ginny waited for Professor Snape in the Potions Classroom after dinner. They sat a few seats apart, not obviously avoiding each other, but not chummy either. Two copies of the theory book (Draco having found his) and two sets of parchment were between them for the Professor's examination.

Minuets ticked by, but neither said a word. Ginny was far too shy and careful to in avertedly anger Draco, and Draco was far to prideful to talk to a Gryffindor, and a Weasley to boot.

Professor Snape finally entered the room from his office and swept his way to where Draco and Ginny were sitting. He came to a stop, his arms crossed, in front of them.

"Have you finished the work I assigned you?" he asked.

"Yes, Professor," Draco answered, holding out his work for inspection. The Potions Master ignored it.

"So, please report to me on the theory behind Cleaning Potions."

Ginny let Draco do most of the talking, but in a few things here and there so that it wouldn't look like he had done all of the work.

"Not bad," Professor Snape conceded at last, not long before lights out. "Please do these exercises together for next week," he said, pulling a parchment out of his sleeve and leaving.

Draco looked like he was going to kill something.

"Same time, same place?" Ginny asked, tentatively.

"Yeah, whatever," was all the Draco said before leaving rather swiftly.