The Alternate Ending
A/N: This is a direct continuation from a section in OotP. My interpretation of what SHOULD have happened! Please enjoy!
"Good for you. Just choose someone – better – next time."
He cast Harry and oddly furtive look as he said it.
"Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?" asked Ginny vaguely.
"WHAT?" shouted Ron, upending the chessboard: Chrookshanks went plunging after the pieces and Hedqig and Pigwidgeon twittered and hooted angrily from overhead.
(p. 763 Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix)
Ginny, looking completely unaffected by this show of masculinity, was chewing her pen thoughtfully. Harry watched her in bewilderment for a few moments.
"Ginny!" Ron exclaimed impatiently.
"Yes?"
She returned his faze rather lazily.
"Dean Thomas?"
"Yes, Ron. Dean. Do you have a problem with that?"
Frustration began to creep into her voice, and Harry wanted to warn Ron about provoking her further. Before he could speak, however, Ginny continued.
"Are all of your friends out of bounds then? Well, make up your mind already you prat! One minute your encouraging me to date your friends, the next you're behaving like an over protective git of a brother!"
Hermione looked on encouragingly as Ginny glared daggers at the brother in question. Ron was attempting to outstare her, but quickly shied away from her wrath. Hermione took the quiet moment to question Ron.
"You were encouraging Ginny to date your friends?"
Harry quietly marvelled at how she could sound incredulous, disgusted and furious all at the one time. Ron flushed uncomfortably and cast a quick glance in Harry's direction. He noticed it was very similar to the one Ron had given him only minutes ago.
"Not exactly. . ." Ron looked decidedly squeamish.
"Ron! What do you mean 'not exactly!' You know perfectly well you were encouraging me! Telling me I should go out with someone a little older than me, someone who was more mature. Perhaps someone you knew well, that way you could keep an eye on them. Even better, someone who was a close friend so we could both spend time with him!"
Ginny, by this stage was on her feet, facing Ron with a particularly dangerous glint in her eye. Harry stared mutely at her from his seat. He had never seen her so mad except when Slytherin had won the Quidditch match against Gryffindor. He gazed at her, in wonder or in fear he wasn't entirely sure. He did know, however, that her eyes looked beautiful when they glittered like that. . . and her hair was really very pretty. . .Suddenly his brain caught up with his eyes, and an image of Cho flashed across his eyelids. Harry sighed. He'd forgotten he was already hung up on someone else. Just then, the image of Cho started and an image of Ginny, looking like she did at the moment, ran into the picture and attempted to attack Cho. The raven haired girl screamed as she was easily defeated by a dangerously angry Ginny. Once Cho ran from the picture, Ginny remained alone smiling enticingly at Harry. Harry's insides bean to churn. He'd never seen such a look. He just wanted to. . . run over and pick her up and. . .
"RON!"
A chorus of disgusted voices jolted Harry back to reality. Ron was standing sheepishly between an irate Ginny and Hermione. His shoulders were slumped dejectedly.
"Ron, I don't want to fight, but. . ."
At this Harry entered the conversation for the first time.
"Hermione, please don't mention the words 'don't want to fight' and 'Ron' together please."
Frowning at Harry, she began again.
"Ron, you're being hypocritical! Why is there a problem with Ginny and Dean if you want her to date one of your friends?"
"It's not like I have many choices," Ginny pointed out furiously. "Let's see – Seamus. Does the name Lavender ring a bell? Neville. . . is Neville. You don't know people in other houses, and I'm related to everyone else!"
Over in his corner, Harry's mind went over this, trying to find the discrepancy.
"Gin – I'm not related to you."
"And since when have you cared?" Ginny turned to him abruptly, her cheeks beginning to stain pink.
Harry pondered. Since when had he cared? Since about. . . five minutes ago, he realised. Opening his mouth to discuss his interesting revelation, he suddenly found Ron interrupting.
"See! What's wrong with Harry? He's a perfectly nice chap! And you've given him the brush off this year. Unbelievable! Yeah, maybe he's a tad short, and he's hair is a bit scruffy. Ok, and the scar is a tad unsightly, I'll grant you that. But Ginny, don't you see? It would be perfect!"
At this, Harry stood up as well, and became the third person to turn on Ron.
"Short? Scruffy? Unsightly? What about you? When are you and Hermione going to stop falling over your own feet and get it together already? Hear me? To-GETHER."
Harry's frustration about Cho and Ginny was suddenly spurting out in torrents.
"And YOU Ginny! Since when have I cared! I can't believe you think I wouldn't care about you! How could you possibly. . ."
"Don't you DARE presume anything about me Harry Potter! You have only EVER seen me as Ron's little sister and you KNOW it. I don't want to hear a word from you about how you care. You have NEVER cared the way I wanted you to. Do you honestly think I would drop everything now if you did?"
She paused for breath, and appeared to be thinking over what she had just said.
"Actually, maybe I would. But anyway – don't you try and distract me Harry. I don't care how gorgeous you are. . ."
Ginny broke off, her eyes wide in confusion.
"What did I just say?"
She looked around in embarrassment. Harry looked at her in astonishment. She thought he was gorgeous?
"You think I'm gorgeous?"
Ginny, blushing profusely, nodded.
"But so does everybody. Right Hermione?"
She looked pleadingly over at her friend, who cleared her throat hesitantly.
"Uhh, Ron and I have to go. . .prefects duty. . ."
And she dragged Ron unceremoniously from the room. Harry and Ginny were left looking uncomfortably at each other, standing a few metres apart.
"Do you think I'm short Gin?" Harry asked bashfully.
Gin closed the distance between them and looked up into his face.
"You're tall enough for me."
"Well, I suppose that's all that matters then."
Ginny was looking nervous now.
"Why?"
"Coz you're all that matters."
Ginny lowered her head in embarrassment.
"I think you're beautiful Ginny Weasley."
At these words, Ginny flung her arms around his neck.
"Oh Harry, you really are gorgeous."
She peered up into his face, and this time, Harry brought his lips to meet hers.