Madam Match

~ Friday Aug. 29~

Whoa.

I just had the weirdest dream. About Harry. And it was. . .

Weird.

I was in the old Gryffindor common room. But it wasn't like a dream when I was little again. Everyone was their proper age. Neville Longbottom (oh, you know I just found out that he's teaching Herbology at Hogwarts; how weird!) was playing a jump roping game with Luna Lovegood, who was wearing this absurd lion hat (it seemed really familiar, but I didn't remember from where). Hermione was there saying that Harry wouldn't use the planner she got him, and Harry kept trying to drag me away.

"Let's go, Ginny," he'd say. "Hurry, before Hermione makes me do my homework!" It was really weird, because he was, like, twenty-three years old or something, and he was afraid of Hermione (actually, that's understandable; she was holding up her quill like a spear).

But I kept saying I didn't want to leave. I would say I was afraid of the zookeeper. "What zookeeper?" Harry would ask and then I'd point at the portrait of the Fat Lady. It turns out she had decided to become a zookeeper because she liked the hats they wore.

So he left without me, and I was sitting in the common room when Luna came over (how she got into our common, I have no idea). "Where's Harry?" she asked me, and I told her I didn't know. Then she said I'd better find him because Gryffindor had a Quidditch game against Slytherin in a few minutes. That's when I realized why she was wearing the lion's hat; she wore it during a match of ours once.

So I ran out of the place, braving the newly turned zookeeper Fat Lady. I somehow knew right where he was, in the old DA meeting room. There, I ran in, and saw Pansy Parkinson holding Harry hostage (the Pansy who married that Malfoy git last year). She had him drink 62 bottles of butterbeer and he was so drunk that he didn't know where he was, and what he was doing. Pansy wanted him drunk so that it would sabotage the team and we'd lose the game.

I pulled Harry outside and told him he had a game to get to (surprisingly Pansy didn't stop me - but then, it was a dream, so. . .). He was all like, "Thanks, Gin," and while I was wondering when he started calling me "Gin", he had kissed me.

I was shocked, but didn't know whether to take the kiss seriously or not, because he was so drunk. But he had already left and. . .

Then I woke up.

~ 2: 31 pm ~

Today I went out to lunch with Hermione. She wanted to thank me for baby-sitting Denise. I decided to tell her about the dream, because. . well, she knows everything.

"Do you think this means I have feelings for Harry?" I asked her anxiously.

She just pushed her food around her plate with her fork, said "Feelings for Harry???" and raised her eyebrows in a very Hermione way. "No, I don't think so...it's just a silly dream. Besides, you got over Harry years ago, didn't you?"

I looked down at my own plate. True, my crush on Harry died out because I figured it was pretty hopeless and started dating Michael. I mean, Harry and I were "sometimes-friends", but only because his best friend was my older brother. Besides, Michael was really hot (still is, come to think of it...) and he actually liked me.

I guess I looked shifty because Hermione added, "Well it was no big deal. Every girl our age has fancied Harry at least once, with him being so well known, I suppose." She paused thoughtfully. "I mean, even I had a crush on Harry."

I looked up really fast at her. "Oh, it was such a long time ago," she said, waving her hand to dismiss it. "Back in the first year, or something...You won't tell Ron, will you?" She sounded so anxious, it was quite funny.

"You don't think he'd be jealous of something that happened more than ten years ago?" I said, laughing.

Hermione shrugged. "You never know with him, you know." She smiled. "He gets so insecure sometimes, I don't know why. . ."

"Maybe it's because he's worried that someone will steal you away," I said, grinning slightly.

"'Steal me away'?!" she said, frowning. "Who'd want to 'steal' a twenty-three year old pregnant woman?"

"Well, you know, Hermione. You're very pretty and Ron has never been that confident about himself. He probably thinks that if someone good enough came along, you'd leave him behind."

"Oh, that is so crazy!" she exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "I mean, we're having another baby, we've already got Denise, I mean, she'd be so traumatized if I left with another man, and -"

I laughed. "Hermione, I'm not saying it's true!"

"Well how can I tell him it's not?"

"Erm...I suppose you just. . .find ways to assure him that you love him."

"Like...?"

"Like. . ." Oh god, it was so hard saying this with my brother in mind. "Just. . .show him how much you care about him or how happy you are to be with him."

Hermione was laughing. "You'd think he'd know this by now," she said, patting her round stomach.

~ 9: 28 pm~

I thought about what Hermione said. You know, about every girl fancying Harry. I did have a huge crush on him and it was so silly. But sometimes it feels like it never really went away. Like, I'd forget about him when I'm dating someone else, but then after the breakup, I'd start thinking about him again. It was weird. . .like a recurring crush.

Oh, I know!!! It was just post-breakup loneliness. You know, when you get over somebody, and go back to someone that's always been your. . safety, or something.

Duh. I should have known that.

~ Sat., Aug. 30 ~

Back on my feet again! I realized I had to get a date for Dean's wedding or else be utterly humiliated by Lavender for showing up dateless.

I've narrowed it down to three guys:

>> The cute guy who is Seamus's assistant (I wonder what the editor-in-chief needs an assistant for. . .I mean, Seamus rarely does anything. I guess that's why he likes the job.)

>> The guy who I see at the coffee shop every day. He orders an iced caffé mocha every time.

>> That guy in advertisements, on the fourth floor Sometimes he comes downstairs when Katie visits. He wanted to ask her to get Oliver's autograph for his little sister (how sweet!)

Okay, I'm going in...

~ 3: 00 pm~

Actually, I'm not going in. Both the assistant and the marketing guy I only see at work. And I'm at the coffee place right now, though now I realize it is six hours after he usually is here. And that is on work days.

Oh, yeah! My Harry dreams went away --

~ 5: 03 ~

Finally escaped Lavender, who found it in her duty to address my date woes.

"Why would you want your Harry dreams to go away?" she said, conversationally. That was when I realized she was reading over my shoulder.

"Lavender!" I shrieked. She is way too nosy.

"Well, he IS the 12^th most eligible bachelor on Witch Weekly's list. Just beaten by Oliver Wood, he's number 11," she said conversationally.

"Oliver Wood's not a bachelor anymore," I reminded her.

"Yes, well, this thing is outdated," she said, pulling out a copy of the magazine from her handbag.

"Oh, you know that thing is full of rubbish, Lavender," I said, taking the magazine from her.

"Isn't Witch Weekly the parent company for Teen Witch?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, yes..." I said, hoping no one from work found out I said that. But then again, Lavender never keeps her mouth shut. She'd probably tell Seamus who'd tell Alicia, who'd. . .the things they do, just to one expressing their opinions.

"So...bringing another piece of arm decoration to Parvati's wedding?" she said. She was pretending to look at her nails, but I could tell she was waiting for my reaction.

"A piece of what?!"

"You know, dear, you're always brining some silly young adolescent to the events you go to, just to show off that you aren't a colossal, loveless loser."

"What?!"

"Oh, everyone knows. At least all the girls do, I mean." Her eyes flickered to her magazine that I was holding. "You skipped the page, darling." She turned a few pages back to a big title, "25 Most Eligible Bachelors". Scrolling down the article, I saw a picture of Harry, and a paragraph saying, "The Boy Who Lived, is now a 'Man Who's Living Large'. Twenty-three year old Harry Potter is an Auror at the Ministry. . .He is currently living at Godric's Hollow, the place of his parents' residence. He enjoys playing Quidditch and regularly donates to the Brooms for Children organization, which provides orphans, like himself, with Quidditch brooms and balls. . ." Junk like that, the kinds of things they say in beauty pageants about the contestants ("She enjoys bubble baths and taking walks in the rain..."). But of course, Harry's a man and not in a beauty pageant. . .

"So I'll see you at the wedding, Ginny." I realized Lavender was talking, and tore my eyes away from Oliver Wood's charming face under Harry's picture. "I can't wait to see your new man-ornament," she said, smirking.

"Really?" I said, my temper flaring up. "I was told I could only bring one guest, so I don't see how I could invite some random guy, like you've said, when I'm taking my boyfriend. That's right, my boyfriend," I said, satisfied by the look of shock on Lavender's face. "He asked me out a month ago, and he is not," I added, "a 'silly young adolescent'. He's a man, with a job, and he does not live with his mother."

The look of surprise on Lavender's face quickly turned into another smirk. "Well then be sure to introduce us at the wedding," she said, putting on a sweet voice. "I can't wait to tell everyone about your new man," she said, emphasizing the last word. And with that, she snatched up her handbag, and Witch Weekly, and left.

And I still haven't gotten a date. And, oh damn, now I gave to get someone who actually has a job and doesn't live with his mother and. . oh, damn. What am I going to do?