AN: Ginny's POV when Ron literally offered his sister to be Harry's date.

Disclaimer: Some passages are taken directly from HP GoF and nothing about Harry Potter is mine.

Not a Spare Date

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Ginny sat next to her brother in the common room. One hand laid on his back as she spoke to him kindly in her most soothing voice.

She didn't want to be rude. Or uncaring. But she couldn't help to think the whole situation was hillarious. Poor innocent Ron. He was helpless against veela's charm.

Suddenly from the corner of her eyes Ginny saw Harry. He entered the commonroom and walked towards them.

Her traitorous heart began to thump faster. Luckily this time she didn't blush.

Yet.

"What's up, Ron?" Harry asked.

"Why did I do it?" Ron wailed. "I don't know what made me do it!"

Harry looked confused. "What?"

"He — er — just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him," said Ginny. She was fighting back a smile, but she forced herself to keep patting Ron's arm sympathetically.

"You what?" said Harry.

"I don't know what made me do it!" Ron gasped again. "What was I playing at? There were people — all around — I've gone mad — everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the en- trance hall — she was standing there talking to Diggory — and it sort of came over me — and I asked her!"

Ron moaned and put his face in his hands. He kept talking, though the words were barely distinguishable.

"She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even answer. And then — I dunno — I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."

"She's part veela," said Harry. "You were right — her grandmother was one. It wasn't your fault, I bet you just walked past when she was turning on the old charm for Diggory and got a blast of it — but she was wasting her time. He's going with Cho Chang."

Ginny immediately looked up.

"I asked her to go with me just now," said Harry dully, "and she told me."

Ginny felt her stomach dropped.

"We're the only ones left who haven't got anyone — well, except Neville. Hey — guess who he asked? Hermione!" Ron started to babble but Ginny could barely hear a word.

Her mind was replaying what Harry just said: Harry asked Cho.

Harry asked Cho.

Why did he ask Cho? Why did he ask another girl at all?

"...but she told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn't want to go with Neville . . . I mean, who would?" Ron's voice began to register. She heard he and Harry laughed.

This irked Ginny. Why wouldn't her brother believe Hermione did have another date? Surely it's entirely possible for someone other than Neville to notice Hermione.

"Don't! Don't laugh —" said Ginny.

Just then the bushy haired girl climbed in through the portrait hole.

"Why weren't you two at dinner?" Hermione said, coming over to join them.

"Because-" Ginny's word was cut by Ron and Harry's even louder laughter.

"Oh shut up laughing, you two!" Ginny spat, suddenly felt really annoyed. "Because they've both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!"

That effectively silenced them.

"Thanks a bunch, Ginny," said Ron sarcastically.

Ginny glared at him.

Hermione and Ron began to exchange another less than friendly banter. But Ginny's mind wandered back to Harry. Did he ever even consider to ask Ginny at all?

She was lost in her own thoughts until Hermione's very angry voice broke through.

"I've already told you! I'm going with someone else!"

Ginny watched Hermione as she stormed off toward the girls' dormitories again. She felt pity toward the older girl.

"She's lying," Ron said flatly.

Ginny looked at her brother increduously. Really Ron?

"She's not," said Ginny quietly.

"Who is it then?" said Ron sharply.

"I'm not telling you, it's her business," said Ginny. She's not going to be the one who told Ron that Viktor Krum had asked Hermione. She's not completely suicidal.

"Right," said Ron, who looked extremely put out, "this is getting stupid. Ginny, you can go with Harry, and I'll just —"

"I can't," said Ginny abruptly. She felt her face warmed up. She would not go with Harry as a spare date. But she couldn't just say that... Okay, made up excuse. Quick!

"I'm going with —" with who? Think, Ginny, think! "-with Neville. He asked me when Hermione said no, and I thought... well... I'm not going to be able to go otherwise, I'm not in fourth year," she finished lamely.

Great. Now she had to go to Neville and actually asked him to take her to Yule Ball. Of course things like this had to happen to her.

"I think I'll go and have dinner," she said, despite she already had one before she went to commonroom.

She got up and walked off to the portrait hole, her head bowed. She felt Ron and Harry's confused eyes on her but couldn't bring herself to care.

She had another thing to worry about: her heart.