Enjoy this little Harry/Ginny first date fluffy ficlet, based entirely on dialogue. I've still got two major HP stories in the works, but neither are ready yet so...wait! And while you're waiting...REVIEW! Once I find a Beta, I will already have two chapters for my HP vignettes series. Squee!

by DARN i lost my ink pen

Of Soapboxes and Despotism

..

"But it makes no sense! How can you possibly say that you're ready, and then fifteen minutes later tell me to wait a second, and then seven minutes later you finally show up only to rush back to your room to grab your other earring?"

"Because I'm a girl. Didn't you notice?"

"Uh…yeah. I did."

"Pervert!"

"What? Ginny, what'd I do?"

"You looked at me."

"Am I not supposed to look at the girl I'm going on a date to Diagon Alley with?"

"No."

"Oh. So...Did you see Lark's so-called foul last night?"

"Completely faked! Zabini set him up."

"I know, that referee must have had his head charmed backwards not to see it!"

"Yeah, I…Harry?"

"Mm-hm?"

"Why are you staring at the wall?"

"Because you said that I can't look at you."

"Are you mental?"

"No, I'm perfectly sane."

"That was a rhetorical question, genius."

"But you said not to look at you. You specifically stated that I was not allowed."

"No, all I said was 'no'."

"'No' to 'may I please gaze at you, drinking in your stunning beauty and reveling in your perfect company'."

"…You didn't say that."

"Relatively close."

"Mm, I'd say better than close."

"Much better?"

"Definitely."

"Good."

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Stop staring at the wall."

"But you said-"

"Get off that tangent, please."

"I'm not on a tangent; I'm on a soapbox."

"Figurative soapboxes do not count."

"Oh, but imaginary tangents do?"

"Yes, because you can verbalize a tangent. You can't verbalize a soapbox."

"Yes I can: soapbox, soapbox, soapbox-"

"Shut up."

"…You know, I quite like this."

"This what?"

"This state of elevation. Being on a soapbox has given me a whole new perspective."

"You can't just say you're on a soapbox, you have to have a speech. The whole point of being on a soapbox is the world-impacting speech you're giving."

"Oh, okay. Fourscore and seven years ago-"

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

"But-"

"Shut up or I'll make you."

"How…"

"...See?"

"You cheated. Kissing doesn't count as a valid method of silencing."

"Yes it does."

"Because?"

"I said so."

"Oh, so now you're the ruler of the world."

"Yes, all must bow to my will."

"That's despotism."

"It works."

"And all this time I thought you were on our side."

"Haha, that just cost you ten years of your life."

"You can't do that!"

"Absolute dictator, remember?"

"Oh, right. So do I have to ask permission to breathe or something?"

"Not to breathe. But you do have to ask to do anything else; eat, sleep, play Quidditch…"

"…Ginny?"

"Yes?"

"Permission to shut you up by means of an unfair method which you have just endorsed?"

"Granted with pleasure."

Hehe, that's all, folks. I don't particularly care if you review or not, as I wrote this purely for my own pleasure. Fun piece of trivia: the conversation about tangents and soapboxes occured between me and my friend. I was pro-tangent, she was firmly on her soapbox. Lol