Something's Gotta Give
Whimsical Firefly
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related characters property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury and Warner Bros.
- - - -
Brown eyes surveyed the ceiling. Four hundred and six, four hundred and seven, four hundred and eight…
The brown eyes in question attempted to close, and then fluttered back open yet again. Ginny Weasley thought she felt her jaw crack as she yawned and stretched. Taking a deep breath she slumped back over her desk and looked at the blank parchment in front of her.
Right, Ginevra Weasley – counting the tiles in the ceiling is not going to get this essay written.
The quill in her hand tapped on the paper. Ginny held the quill horizontal and flicked it up. She watched as it arced and spiral in the air, and then caught it as it came back towards her.
Obviously, the History of Magic essay was not going to be written tonight. Later on, perhaps when Hermione was there watching over her shoulder, supervising every word that was written. Until then…
Ginny began shoving assorted parchments and quills into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. With a sense of a woman with a weight off her shoulders, Ginny exited the library and headed towards the Great Hall, in hopes of seeing 'The Golden Trio'.
- - - -
She was in luck, for as soon as she entered the hall she saw the three talking and chatting as usual. Unaware of the smile that had spread over her face as she watched them, she strolled over to where the trio were sitting and plonked herself down on the bench opposite.
"Hi!" she said with an impish grin.
Harry looked up and nodded, Ron didn't deign to notice her appearance, and only Hermione looked up and smiled fully in greeting. Ginny felt her heart begin to sink slowly.
"So how are you all?" she asked softer than she'd meant to.
"We're good, Ginny," said Hermione absently, going back to talking to Harry and Ron.
Ginny's appeared to visibly shrink inwards, and she remained silent for the rest of the meal, even as she continued to watch them.
Harry had his chin propped up on his left hand as he waited for the other's to finish eating, his green eyes surveying the table, the ceilings, the Great table… never once did he look her way.
Ron's mouth was full as he spoke with Hermione and Harry, and for once instead of lecturing him, Hermione was laughing, her eyes sparkling more than usual as she looked at him.
Ginny mulled over the possibility that Ron and Hermione had finally worked out their feelings for each other, and concluded that it was entirely possible as she watched them walk out hand in hand.
And once again, she was alone, and un-noticed.
- - - -
Ginny had a strong sense of déjà vu as she surveyed the ceiling of the Gryffindor Common Room. Just. Write. Like Binns reads these essays anyway?
Ginny tightened her grip on her quill and exhaled in a way that was meant to mean business. Just as she was about to start writing seriously, Harry came and sat down across from her.
He shot her a crooked smile, and Ginny smiled coolly in return. "So, what are you up to?" he asked in that melting voice of his. Ginny looked down at her blank parchment and back up into curious emerald eyes.
"Binns decided to be creative. He's set us a 14 inch essay on any subject we've covered this year."
Harry blinked. "Well, that should be reasonably simple, right?"
Ginny pulled a face that indicated she thought otherwise. "I suppose it would be, but I can't remember any of the topics we've actually covered this year."
"Ah…" Harry mimicked the expression she had pulled, and attempted to think back to what he'd covered last year. "Sorry, I can't help you," he said smiling apologetically, before getting up and walking up the boys staircase.
Ginny watched him go and then sighed.
Time to make up a History of Magic essay!
- - - -
A few weeks went by after Ginny had created her History of Magic essay. She flirted with some members of the opposite sex, and others flirted back. She ate meal after meal in the Great Hall, not entirely paying attention to what was going into her mouth.
She walked in on Ron and Hermione snogging, and later on declared that there were some things that one simply didn't recover from, and that she was scarred for life.
Far more scarring than seeing her brother and a girl that she already regarded as a sister making out, was walking into an abandoned classroom to see an unknown girl and Harry snogging.
Swallowing the lump that had suddenly grown solid in her throat, she watched for a moment that seemed like an hour. And then without making a noise she exited the room, and walked towards the Gryffindor Tower, perfectly in control of herself.
- - - -
It was strange how life didn't end. Ginny thought initially that it should, and yet…
Harry and the girl become 'an official couple'. Ginny discovered that the girl's name was Sophie, and that she was a member of the DA. When Hermione asked her how she felt about the happy couple, Ginny smiled brightly and said she thought it was sweet. Hermione then asked if Ginny was feeling okay; Ginny replied she was perfectly alright.
And she was, in all bar a few instances. A few pieces of parchment which had been dedicated to scribbles reading 'Mrs. Ginevra Potter' mysteriously vanished into the fire; as did quizzes that ran along the lines of, "Is He Your Soulmate?", "Is It True Love?" and "What's that dreamboat thinkin' about YOU?"
The most noticeable thing that changed was her attitude. She ignored Harry now. Even the year before last when she had declared herself 'over' him, she had stll been ready and willing to talk to him, and mentally hung onto his every word. Now, it made her angry.
She was polite, she was friendly, but conversations were kept short and to the point.
- - - -
Ginny sat curled up on one of the couches in the common room when she felt someone sit beside her.
She looked up and smiled when she saw Seamus sit down next to her, and tucked her knees under to give him more room.
"Why thankye, my most beautiful and caring princess!" Seamus said, a wicked twinkle in his Irish eyes. Ginny grinned – Seamus in a silly mood never failed to cheer her up.
"Methinks you are mistaken, m'lord, for I am not a princess," she said, returning his silliness with her own. "I am naught but a humble student in this institution."
Seamus grinned, quirking an eyebrow. "Ah…how could that be true? My mother taught me that all beautiful girls are princesses."
"Well, that definitely lets me out then," Ginny snorted.
Seamus smacked her lightly over the head. "You shouldn't fish for compliments Gin. S'not becoming at all." With one last grin, Seamus wandered off.
- - - -
'My mother taught me that all beautiful girls are princesses.'
The words continued to echo through her head the next evening. And eventually she sat in front of the looking glass in her room and looked at herself. Really looked, as if it was for the first time.
She had nice eyes. She noticed that straight away. A deep muddy brown that didn't contain any of the 'hidden flecks of colours' that the romance novelists seemed to always bequeath their heroines with, but still nice. They were honest and at the same time mysterious.
She had long, thick red hair which seemed to catch and absorb the sun's rays and throw them back in a brighter colour. It curled and waved at the end of it's ponytail, which she rather liked.
She was lean, long-legged. She had small breasts, but then she thought that anything larger would probably overwhelm her and get in the way of Quidditch. Besides, she told herself – anything more than a mouthful would be a waste anyway.
She had a strong jawline which curved gently. Full lips which were currently pursed with concentration, but which could curve into quite a nice smile. Nice skin – not perfect as it was covered with freckles and the occasional blemish, but nice.
She didn't have the model-like cheekbones that could cut glass, but she did have a nicely oval face which was very in proportion, and very symmetrical.
Lots of nice things, but not necessarily beautiful.
But then maybe, lots of nice features made one beautiful.
- - - -
The next day, Ginny got her mark for her History of Magic essay. She'd done surprisingly well.
The day after that, Harry and Sophie broke up, and Ginny found herself vaguely disinterested, although the halls were rife with rumours about what had caused the split
The week after that, Harry and Sophie got back together, and once again rumours flew through the halls. Some were envious and malicious, others were happy. Ginny once again fell into the rare category of 'not giving a damn'.
She found herself spending time with Seamus. Not intentionally, but he seemed to always be around where she could see him and talk to him. Sometimes he'd come and talk to her if she was by herself. Or if she was with a group of friends, he's smile and wink. She never winked back, although she'd smile and nod.
Jen once elbowed her and whispered that he had a crush on her. Ginny laughed at the idea, but then she thought about it.
She actually wanted to him to have a crush on her, even though she didn't like him. Or did she?
He wasn't Harry, that was for sure.
Seamus smiled at her, and inferred that she was a princess, and that she was beautiful. Seamus took an interest in what she was doing. Seamus didn't constantly need reassurance of his own worth. Seamus had a sense of humour. Seamus wasn't losing his temper every three seconds and storming off into the distance.
He was the complete opposite of Harry. And despite five years of pining after Harry, Ginny was beginning to think that perhaps a complete opposite was exactly what she needed and wanted.
- - - -
It seemed like déjà vu, as brown eyes surveyed the ceiling. Four hundred and nine, four hundred and ten, four hundred and eleven…
Right Ginevra Weasley – counting the tiles in the ceiling is not going to get this essay written!
The quill in her hand tapped on the paper. Ginny held the quill horizontal and flicked the quill up. She watched it arc and spiral in the air, and caught it as it came back to her.
Dear Professor Snape. You are a sadistic, twisted, masochistic, oily-haired, overgrown pointy-nosed bastard to set a 20" essay to be due on the same day as Gryffindor and Slytherin's Quidditch match.
"You look like you're working hard," came Seamus's lilting voice in her ear. Ginny jumped in spite of herself, and turned around to glare at him.
He was smiling disarmingly. "Before you kill me for sneaking up on you, happy early birthday," he said, handing over a rolled up piece of parchment.
She took it, cautiously unrolling it. A smile spread over her face as she realised she was holding an already written essay on the same question that Snape had given her.
She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow in query. Seamus coloured slightly. "We had to do it last year – just reword it so it sounds different, and you should do okay."
Impulsively, Ginny got up and hugged Seamus. At this moment in time there had never been a sweeter or more wonderful boy than the one who she had wrapped up in her arms.
Excluding her brothers and father, of course.
- - - -
Ginny could still hear the cheers reverberating in her ears.
Quidditch is an amazing, fantastic, incredible game. 230 – 20, Gryffindor's favour. Oh, wow.
She was lying down on one of the change room benches; her torso and arms spread above her on the bench and a leg on either side, a blissful smile on her face. Her smile didn't falter when Harry stepped into her line of vision. "Good game, Gin," he said gruffly.
She continued to grin. This must be what muggles feel like when they're high!
- - - -
Seamus was waiting for her outside when she finally emerged, her hair damp and ecstatic smile still plastered over her face.
He picked her up and swung her around. "The Goddess of Quidditch has returned," he declared dramatically, putting her down and handing her a butterbeer he'd bought for her. She elbowed her in the stomach, and then kissed his cheek when he pouted and subjected her to hurt puppy-dog eyes.
"Been meaning to ask you whilst you're in a good mood," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Come with me to Hogsmeade?"
Ginny hesitated, for a moment and then looked into Seamus's eyes. Clear blue, the same as the sky. Muddy blonde hair. He was as physically different to Harry as anyone could be. But it wasn't just the differences in attitude and physique. It was how he treated her. It was the unexpected conversations and smiles he sent her way and that made her smile.
"I would love to."
- - - -
Ginny walked down the hall with textbooks in arm talking to various girlfriends and guyfriends. Harry and Sophie had broken up again, and Harry was said to inconsolable, angry, temperamental and self-important. But then, what else was new in the world of the Boy Wonder?
She saw Seamus and a group of sixth-years coming down from the west wing. Ginny caught Seamus' eye from across the hall and he winked and smile as usual.
Something in her stomach caught, and she slowly winked back.
Such a small gesture, and yet…sometimes that was all one needed.
- - -
And here is where the authoress begs shamelessly for reviews:)