Win a Date with Harry Potter!

~Chapter 3~ The Winner

Harry hadn't felt this humiliated since Rita Skeeter's tabloids his fourth year. It seemed like his face was a constant shade of red. Girls giggling and boys jeering as he walked past were ever-present, and Snape would not stop torturing Harry during Potions.

The commotion died down a little after about a week after the article was published, thanks mostly to some spectacular saves Ron made during the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff.

About a month after the article appeared in the Daily Prophet, another one was published. This time, the headline was "Who Will Win?"

"'Three million entries from all over the continent and the Americas'" read Ron. "Blimey. Who would've thought that three million girls would want to date you?"

"I dunno," Harry said, who was still slightly uncomfortable with all this attention.

"Do you know what they had to do to enter?" Ron asked.

"Write an essay about why we should date him," Ginny replied.

Harry, Ron and Hermione stared at her. "How'd you know that?" Ron asked her. "Did you enter?"

"No," she said indignantly, but her eyes didn't quite reach Ron's. "Of course not. I know, because all the other sixth-year girls have entered. As well as the seventh-year girls, the fifth-year girls, and would you like me to go on?"

"No, that's quite satisfactory," said Professor Snape, who had just been passing. "Ms. Weasley, I need to see you before class today, regarding your latest essay. I was rather...confused." He gave Ginny an odd look (as if he was almost smiling) before walking away.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked.

"I have no..." suddenly Ginny turned bright red. She gasped. "Oh no. Oh no! If I...oh, no!" she grabbed her bag and shot out of the Great Hall after Snape.

"What?" Ron asked blankly. "Has every girl in this place gone nutters?"

"You do realize it's all your fault, right?" Hermione asked.

"My fault? How's it my fault?" Ron asked.

"You talked Harry into this," she said simply.

"I talked him into it? He decided to do it on his own! I had nothing to do with it!"

"You had everything to do with it!"

Ron and Hermione continued their row all the way to Transfiguration, but Harry remained silent. He was thinking about Ginny's reactions to Ron and Snape, and how she hadn't really talked to him lately...

***

There were three days to go until the contest ended, and the excitement inside Hogwarts had reached a fever pitch. Harry was reminded of their fourth year, before the champions were chosen for the Triwizard Tournament. He started to get nervous. What if the date was a disaster? Or worse yet, what if it wasn't a disaster?

When Harry voiced his worries to Ron, Ron was incredulous. "What do you mean, 'worse yet'? Isn't that a good thing? A non-disastrous date?"

"I don't know anymore..." Harry said.

"Oh, no," said Ron. "Is there someone...that you...you know? Fancy?"

Harry turned red. "I'm not sure. I mean, there's this girl. I've known her for ages, but recently, it just seems...different. I guess."

Ron buried his face in his hands. "And right before the contest," he mumbled before sitting back up. "Well, what if she wins?"

Harry sighed. "She didn't enter."

Ron looked confused. "Ginny said every girl in the castle entered! Except..." his eyed widened and his jaw dropped. "No! You fancy...?"

Harry gave a goofy grin. "Yeah, I guess so."

"But she's...Harry, she's..." Ron obviously couldn't think the right word, because he didn't finish the sentence. "How did this...when did this...happen?"

"I don't know. It just did."

Hermione then burst into the common room, carrying a couple of heavy, N.E.W.T preparation books. She dropped them on the table and sank into an armchair.

"Have you seen Ginny?" she asked them. Harry blushed, but Ron didn't notice, because he kept looking back and forth from Harry to Hermione. "Hello? Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, sorry," said Harry. "No, I haven't seen her since this morning, when she bolted from the Great Hall."

"Same here," said Hermione. "I really need to talk to her. I'm going to try to find her." She got up, leaving her books on the table, and left the common room.

"I can't believe it, mate. I just can't believe it," said Ron, just as Dean and Seamus came over to discuss some homework.

***

Harry awoke quite suddenly and quite early, and lay in bed very still. He was seriously dreading breakfast; today was the day the winner would be announced. What is someone like Eloise Midgen won the contest? Harry contemplated that for a moment before remembering that the winner was chosen based on an essay, and Eloise had barely gotten past her O.W.Ls. There was no way she could have won. Then Harry was struck with the thought that maybe the winner was really smart, and he wouldn't be able to carry on a conversation with her. Harry thought along these lines until the sun had finally risen, and he heard Ron stirring in the next bed.

He pulled aside his curtains, put on his glasses and saw Ron groggily rubbing his eyes. "All right, Harry?" he asked hoarsely. Harry tried to respond, but all he could manage was a frog-like grunt. "It'll be fine, Harry. And even if it isn't, you'll never have to see her again."

Harry shrugged. He and Ron quickly got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. Obviously, Owl Post hadn't arrived yet, because people at all the House Tables (except Slytherin, of course) were chattering loudly, inquiring of Harry as he passed who won. "I dunno yet," he kept saying. Finally, he reached the Gryffindor table and sank into a chair next to Neville. Neither Ginny nor Hermione were to be seen.

Not one minute after Harry started eating, the post arrived. It seemed that everyone in the room was eagerly awaiting the Daily Prophet, even some of the teachers. Harry couldn't bear to look, so he had Ron do it for him.

"Woo-hoo!" Ron yelled. Harry looked up. "She won, mate! She won!"

"Who won?" Harry asked.

"The girl you fancy! But...wait, I thought Ginny said she didn't enter."

"Ginny did say she didn't enter," Harry said, grabbing the paper away from Ron. "Oh...You thought...you thought I fancied Hermione?"