"The key is simply to be bold and take risks. When she's feeling low, console her and cheer her up. If she turns you down, don't be afraid to give it another go. Girls love blokes who care enough to stand outside their window with a boombox playing a romantic love song."

He's watching me steadily. I'm highly aware that his hand is still lingering just below my ear. The late evening air ripples through his hair and washes over my body. He's leaning towards me and, at first, I think his eyes are starting to close that way eyes do before a kiss. But then I realize that he's actually looking down. "My eyes are up here, Malfoy,"

"Just go up to her and give her a genuine, old-fashioned compliment. But don't give one on anything everyone else compliments her on. Let her know you actually pay attention to her, and aren't just jumping on the bandwagon of clichè compliments."

After a moment of thought, I sigh. “Alright, well, if you want to win her over for good, remember the little things about her. Things like her favorite flower, chocolate, perfume, or song, whatever. Go nuts. The more grandiose the gesture, the more she’ll love you for it. Girls love blokes who can show that they’ve actually been paying attention to them all this time,”

“You’re trying out?” She says this as though it is a surprise.

Which I suppose it is, seeing as I never got around to telling her about it. Not that it was at the top of my to-do list anyway. Anyroad, she says it as though it’s an enormous surprise – like a Queen Bee would say to someone that belonged to the farthest recesses of the food chain.