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Author: Zelthian Story: Lady's Choice Rating: Young Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 11 Words: 13,374
Harry knew it was too good to be true. The summer had passed without a hitch. Granted he spent a lot of time alone thinking about the events at the end of the previous school year, but eventually his mood had lightened a bit. Hermione had spent more time than usual at home; she would later admit that the whole incident at the Ministry had shaken her up and she wanted to spend some quality time with her folks. Ron and Ginny had returned briefly to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, then moved back to the Burrow after Dumbledore had agreed it was safe. When the Order finally came to pick him up, Harry was glad he was going to the Burrow; there were still too many memories lurking at Sirius’s house, and he just wasn’t read to go back there. Not yet. Being at the Burrow lifted Harry’s spirits even more. He finally got back on his broom after Dumbledore released it from captivity and spent hours flying around the grounds. He became fond of putting on his Invisibility Cloak and riding out to watch the sun set. Eventually, he missed spending time with his friends and, once Hermione came to the Burrow, things went almost back to normal. Ginny started hanging around him more and more often as the summer progressed, and by the end of summer she had become a regular member of the group. Harry thought having Ginny around was great: it balanced the group and gave it an extra shot of fun. He also found they would wander off into their own conversations when Ron and Hermione would enter into one of their many, long-winded arguments. It was like having the twins to hang around with, only combined into an attractive female version. All too soon, the summer ended and Harry found himself back home at Hogwarts. Draco was his normal loathsome self, only now his verbal jabs and taunting had taken a decidedly more aggressive turn. Draco’s father, Lucius was still in jail, having being captured at the Ministry. Draco didn’t dare try anything, though; the rumor of Lucius’s deeds had reached the student population and everyone was leery of him. Harry found himself relaxing his guard and actually able to pay attention in classes. Snape, of course, gave him no slack, but Harry expected this. Harry was sure Snape was still annoyed he had managed an “O” on his Potions O.W.L., which allowed him to pursue the classes he needed to enter Auror training. Yes, it was all going much too swimmingly to last. It was at the Halloween feast that Dumbledore made the announcement that completely destroyed Harry’s good mood. “Before we all retire to our dormitories for the night, I have an announcement. The staff has decided to do something a little different this year in the spirit of school cheer. To that end, I would like to announce that, on November fifteenth, in honor of a tradition observed by our American friends, Hogwarts will hold a Sadie Hawkins Day Dance. “For those who are not familiar with this sort of dance, let me explain. In order to attend this dance, a gentleman must first be asked to attend by lady. No unaccompanied gentlemen will be allowed to enter the Great Hall for the dance. Ladies wishing to attend the dance must be accompanied by a gentleman who has agreed to attend with them. Gentlemen are not obligated to accept any invitation by any lady. This process is magically binding: any couple attempting to attend which have been paired by a gentleman asking a lady will not make it past the threshold of the Great Hall. “Ladies may begin asking the gentlemen tomorrow morning after breakfast. If you have any questions about the rules, please ask your head of house.” And that had been that. The whole school had been buzzing all night. Nobody in Gryffindor Tower wanted to go to bed. Worst of all was the giggling. Even the seventh-year girls had been prone to let loose a muted giggle or two. It was more than Harry could stand, much less Ron. The oddest thing was Hermione; she had been strangely silent since the announcement. Ginny hadn’t said a word, but then again she didn’t have to. Thinking back to the train ride home last year, Harry knew her choice of date was obvious. As they sat chatting about the dance, Harry couldn’t help notice several of the Gryffindor girls glancing his way at odd intervals. It seemed he was noticing girls everywhere: even some of the first-years had glanced his way and smiled, blushing wildly. For the first time all year Harry started feeling very self-conscious. “What’s wrong, Harry? You seem a bit squirmy all of a sudden,” Hermione commented. Harry looked at Hermione, but glanced up when he noticed another girl looking at him. The girl quickly looked away. Harry sighed and looked back at Hermione. “Some of the girls are looking at me funny,” Harry said. “You know why, don’t you?” Ginny asked mischievously. Harry glanced at Ginny with a smirk, then decided to stare at the fireplace. “I think so.” “So what are you going to do, Harry? Anyone you’d like to have ask you to the dance?” Hermione asked, smiling slyly. Harry thought he didn’t want to go, really. His experiences with dances to date hadn’t been all that enjoyable. He thought they were uncomfortable, clumsy and kind of silly, to be honest. Besides, the only people he would feel comfortable going with would were either taken or practically taken. Of course, neither of them would be a good choice; it was pretty obvious that Ron and Hermione were secretly fond of each other, and Ginny was with Dean. He wondered if Hermione would actually ask Ron as he gave his answer. “Not anyone that I expect to ask me, no. Besides, I’m not really into dances anyway. I don’t even know how to dance, come to think of it. The Yule Ball was more depressing than anything, if I remember it correctly.” “I suppose you’re right, Harry,” Ginny teased aloofly. “I suppose it wouldn’t be fair knowing all these girls want to go with you, and you would have to say yes to only one.” Harry turned to Ginny. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “Admit it, Harry: You like the idea that all these girls want to go with you,” Ginny said, setting her jaw and looking Harry straight in the eye. Harry shifted in his chair. “No, it’s not like that at all. It’s just that… well…” Ginny raised an eyebrow. Harry sighed. “Dances imply romance, and I don’t want to go to a dance with someone I wouldn’t want to be romantic with, that’s all.” “And you wouldn’t want to be romantic with any of the girls here?” Ginny asked, unconvinced. “Come on, Harry, there has to be at least one available girl who you’d like to go with.” A small red flag went up way back in the deep recesses of Harry’s mind. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it made him a bit concerned. Why was Ginny pressing him like this? Was she just trying to get him to open up, or was there more too it? Harry leaned in closer to Ginny so he could whisper. “If Cho taught me anything, it’s that looks aren’t everything. If I was to go, I would want it to be with someone I know I could get along with, someone I can talk to. I don’t think I could get to that point with any of the girls here in time for the dance, so I’d rather not go.” “Sweet Merlin, Harry, can’t you just relax and enjoy things for a change?” Ron said, sounding oddly like an exasperated Hermione. “Why does it always have to be so dreary for you? Dumbledore’s booked the Weird Sisters, and he’s made the dress code semi-formal so it’s not like we’ll have to wear penguin suits again. At least you could go for the refreshments. Just agree to go with someone you find pretty and have a good time. Besides, if I get asked, you and I can hang out together a bit.” “What do you mean if you get asked?” Hermione asked indignantly. “Well, I’m not exactly the most popular guy, am I?” Ron shrugged. “Ugh, Ron, you’re as bad as Harry sometimes, you know that?” Hermione said, rolling her eyes. “What?” Ron and Harry said simultaneously. “Well big brother, it’s like this,” Ginny started like she was explaining something simple to a three-year-old. “You see, Quidditch is a pretty popular sport, and Quidditch players tend to be looked up to. Now, honestly, don’t you think that your performance in the Quidditch Finals last year would have earned you a little admiration?” Ron’s ears went pink and a smile crept onto his face. “I never thought of that…” Hermione snorted. “Don’t tell me you’d actually consider going to the dance with some Quidditch groupie...” “Well, maybe a pretty groupie, yeah,” Ron said, off in his own world. Hermione’s lips got thin. “And what if someone else asked you, someone who wasn’t really into Quidditch but was smart and pretty just the same. Would you go to the dance with her?” “I suppose that would depend…” Ron said, then caught himself. Harry could almost see the gears turning in his head. Harry distinctly remembered something Hermione said after the Yule Ball, and now it seemed Ron had remembered it too. Before anyone could continue, a girl approached Ron from behind the couch. “Hey there Ron! What would you say if I were to ask you to the dance? What would you say?” Harry looked up to see Vicky Frobisher standing behind Ron. Ron and Hermione both turned to see who it was. Hermione’s face fell as she recognized the girl. Ron stood up to talk to her. “Oh, erm, I don’t know Vicky, I kinda had my hopes up on a certain person, actually,” Ron managed. He was looking very nervous. Hermione’s jaw dropped, but caught herself quickly. Vicky seemed to notice. Ron didn’t. Ignoring Hermione, Vicky put her hands on Ron’s shoulders. “Now Ronald, don’t tell me you’d pick Hermione over me,” she pouted. “I know how much you like a Quidditch gal.” Hermione’s cheeks turned red, and Harry could see the anger starting to build in her face. Ron’s nervous demeanor disappeared quickly. “And just what would be wrong with picking Hermione?” Vicky smirked. “She’s such a little know it all, and it’s not like she’s that pretty. Besides, she doesn’t respect your talents like I do.” Harry thought for a moment that Vicky was going to lean in and kiss Ron. Hermione started to stand up but she never really got a chance to move before Ron grabbed both of Vicky’s hands in a huff and removed them from his shoulders. “Next to Harry, Hermione is my best friend. She has been with me through thick and thin. She is the smartest girl in this school, and there is nobody I would rather go to the dance with. And for your information, Vicky, I happen to think she is very pretty, and I won’t have you talking about her like that. Now, if you don’t mind, we were having a private conversation.” Ron didn’t wait for Vicky’s reaction; he just turned back around and sat down. Vicky shrugged. “Suit yourself, Ron,” she shrugged, turning around and rejoining her friends. “The nerve of that girl,” Ron said, looking at Harry and shaking his head. Harry didn’t respond. He was watching Hermione, who had gone from shock to anger to disbelief. Now she looked like she was about to cry. “Hermione, are you all right?” Ginny asked, having apparently noticed the same thing. Ron turned to discover Hermione’s condition. He was speechless. “Ron, do you really feel that way about me?” Hermione asked, her voice quiet and somewhat broken. Realizing he had let the cat out of the bag, Ron took a deep breath, let it out and put his hand on Hermione’s. “Yes, Hermione, you are my best friend, and I would love to go to the dance with you. I guess I was just afraid to tell you that because I didn’t know if you felt the same way.” Hermione sniffed as a tear streaked down her face. “Do you remember what I said after the Yule Ball?” Ron nodded. “Why do you think I said that?” Ron’s eyes widened a bit. “You were upset that I didn’t ask you sooner, weren’t you? You would have gone with me if I had asked you before Viktor, wouldn’t you?” “Yes Ron,” Hermione nodded. “But I can’t blame you for that. I could have asked you myself, but I was just as much of a coward as I accused you of being.” By now, Ron and Hermione’s conversation had drawn a crowd. Harry was going to inform them that they had an audience, but he didn’t want to interfere with their mutual confession. “I didn’t think you liked me that way, though. It’s not like I could hold a candle to you, you know?” Ron said. “It’s not like that, Ron. You are the bravest person I know. Don’t you remember? You were the one who took down the mountain troll in our first year! You sacrificed yourself in the chess game, you faced down Lockhart, you faced down Sirius, and you stood by Harry when he went to the Ministry!” Ron thought about his for a moment, then said slowly, “So why are you always on me like you are, correcting me, arguing with me…” “Because I care about you, and I don’t know how else to show it,” Hermione said, hanging her head a little. Ron grabbed her hand. “I care about you, too, Hermione.” It was a beautiful moment. Hermione looked up into Ron’s eyes. They got closer and closer to each other, closing their eyes as they did. The room got very quiet. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, their lips met. There was a two second pause before the room erupted in cheer. “Sweet Merlin I don’t believe it!” “It’s about time!” “Well done Ron!” “She did it, she actually did it!” Harry found himself clapping and trying to catch his breath. He glanced over to Ginny who was also clapping. She glanced back at Harry and smiled. It was then that something hit him: Where was Dean? Why wasn’t he sitting with Ginny? Why wasn’t Ginny hanging out with Dean? That’s none of your business, Potter, he told himself. The commotion caused Ron and Hermione to pull away from each other. They were both more than a bit red, but they chuckled just the same. Hermione scooted over next to Ron and snuggled comfortably into his shoulder. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this,” Hermione said happily to Ron. “You don’t think this will affect our friendship?” Ron asked, putting his arm around her. “Of course it will affect it, Ron. I think I’ll make it stronger.” Hermione replied. “This feels so strange having my arm around you like this. It’s almost like I’m hugging my sister. Almost,” Ron said. “Do you not like it?” Hermione asked, half-faking disappointment. “I didn’t say that, Hermione. It feels pretty good, really. I just didn’t think you’d be the one I’d have my arm around. I’m glad it is, though.” Harry realized Ron and Hermione were no longer concerned with the fact that he and Ginny were there. “Think we should give them some time alone?” Ginny asked him suddenly. “I think that might be a good idea,” Harry agreed. By this time a good number of the Gryffindors had decided to go to bed. Ginny headed to an open spot at a study table. Harry followed and sat down across from her. “I feel like I’ve just been through a Quidditch match. I can hardly believe they finally got together. I was beginning to think my brother was too thick to realize how Hermione felt.” “I thought Hermione was going to lose it. I’m glad that’s finally over. Maybe the tension between them will ease off a bit,” Harry said hopefully. “It should be interesting watching them interact now that they’ve admitted they like each other. After all these years of fighting and bickering it’s going to take some getting used to.” Harry laughed. “You’re probably right.” “So there’s really nobody you’d like to have ask you to the dance?” Ginny asked, returning to their previous conversation. Harry found himself wanting to say, Well, I wouldn’t mind if you asked, but you’re going with Dean, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. What was he afraid of? Was he just being respectful of Ginny’s feelings or was he afraid of what she’d say? Or was he afraid he was starting to like Ginny? And why was he afraid of that? Harry put these thoughts out of his mind. “There is, but I have it on good authority that she’s not interested in me.” This seemed to pique Ginny’s interest. “Oh? Who’s that?” She’s just not going to let up, Harry thought to himself as he let out a sigh.. “Ginny, I’ve come to think of you as a good friend, right up there next to Ron and Hermione, but there are some things I’m just not comfortable talking about. Please believe me; it has nothing to do with the fact that it’s you asking: I’d give the same answer to them. I guess I’m just still a bit burned out over the whole Cho thing, and I need more time to sort out my thoughts.” Ginny’s face fell a little. “I’m sorry, Harry, I didn’t mean to pry.” “It’s okay, Ginny. Like I said, you’re my friend, and I know you were just trying to help.” Ginny smiled. “Well, as your friend, I will tell you that you look very tired and should probably get some sleep.” She was right; he was very tired. “You’re absolutely right,” he said as he stood up and headed for his room. “Good night, Ginny, and thanks.” “Any time Harry,” Ginny said back. As Harry headed up the stairs, several of the girls said, “Good night Harry” behind his back. Harry turned to discover that half the room was looking at him. He said, “Erm, good night, everyone” rather clumsily before taking the stairs two at a time and disappearing into his room.
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