A/N: Written for the Houses Competition Year 4. I do now own Harry Potter; it solely belongs to J.K. Rowling!
House: Ravenclaw
Year: 4 (stand-in)
Category: Standard
Prompt: [Location] Hogsmeade
Word Count: 1393 (As of Google docs)
"You look really nice today," Harry spoke with a pretty blush covering his cheeks.
It was Hogsmeade weekend, and he'd asked Daphne if she'd wanted to spend some quality time with him seeing how they rarely got the chance to be with each other nowadays. Thankfully, she'd agreed.
Daphne looked at the knee-length, green dress she'd chosen to wear, then back at Harry with a pouty face, "Does this mean that I don't look pretty every day?"
Harry's face lost the smile, and he got confused, "I didn't mean that. You always look beautiful, not just today."
"But I got ready especially for you," Daphne continued with the banter, confusing Harry even more.
"Oh, that's good! I'm honoured I think. You look beautifuller, oh sorry, more beautiful," Harry spoke with a shake of his head that dishevelled his hair even more. "You get what I'm trying to say, right?"
Daphne burst out laughing, not able to maintain a straight face anymore. She was often left wondering how this guy had defeated the greatest and noseless Dark Lord of all times. She pecked his cheek lightly, a move that made Harry's eyes widen. "You're so sweet."
Instinctively, he looked around to see if anyone had witnessed their conversation or not, and it seemed that luck was not on his side. Not too far away from them stood a grinning Ginny with a clueless Luna by her side.
"Did you hear that, Moon darling? Daph thinks that Harry is cute," Ginny said as she moved towards the duo. Harry sported a scowl - when had Ginny and Daphne become such good friends that she was calling her Daph? He didn't know about it. It made him feel a little jealous of Ginny and possessive of Daphne.
"Oh, hey, Ginny and Luna. How are you two doing?" Daphne greeted the girls with a toothy smile, not noticing the daggers Harry was throwing in Ginny's direction for interrupting them.
"Ginny finally got the courage to ask me on a date. I said yes and decided to come to Hogsmeade with her, but the Nargles kept getting in our way when we trying to buy chocolates," Luna spoke in her usually airy tone. The other three people seemed immune to her vague examples now.
"Oh, congratulations!" Daphne exclaimed, obviously happy for the two of them.
"What?" Harry asked at the same moment, "Since when were you two even a thing?"
"Since forever, you dumbhead," Ginny shook her head at him in exasperation.
"Hey, you aren't to call my boyfriend a dumbhead. Only I'm allowed to call him so," Daphne looped her arm through Harry's, and his cheeks were so red, it looked as if he'd put paint on them. He didn't know what Daphne had said in his defence was a good thing or bad.
"Ooh, protective, I like it," Ginny looked Daphne up and down as if checking her out. Harry moved in front of her.
"But I do want to know how you guys got together?" Daphne spoke coming behind from Harry; she could sense that he was a little jealous so she quickly took his hand in hers for assurance.
"It's a long story," Ginny said with a fond smile.
"Maybe we should tell them somewhere more comfortable than the middle of a road," Luna suggested the others. She moved forward touching Harry's cheek lightly, "Not to mention that Harry looks in dire need of a drink. He's all red."
"Are you okay, hun?" Daphne was concerned now.
"Yeah! Brilliant," Harry flashed her a too-enthusiastic smile that looked entirely weird.
"So, Three Broomsticks?" Ginny asked her companions and got two positive nods - one from Luna and other from Daphne. Harry wasn't given a choice, so he reluctantly dragged his feet to the small pub.
"And then, I saw her in that beautiful yellow dress, looking like an angel, on Bill's wedding," Ginny sighed heavily. She intertwined her fingers with Luna who gave her a sheepish smile.
"That was the moment I knew. I mean, I'd always liked her, but at that moment I decided that as soon as the war was over, I'd ask her to be my girlfriend," Ginny regaled them with the tale.
Across from them, Daphne looked so happy that she would start crying at any moment, while Harry's left eye was twitching badly. He was plotting Ginny's murder in every way possible for ruining his plan. His eyes landed on Luna, who was staring at him with a hauntingly expressionless face, and he was forced to take large gulps of his excellent ginger Butterbeer.
"You never told me that!" Hermione's voice joined in the conversation and Harry groaned. Bloody brilliant. The last thing he wanted was his date to be crashed by others as well. He turned around in his chair slowly, internally hoping that it was all a nightmare, but he was wrong. He saw Hermione rushing towards their table with Ron right at her tow.
Hermione came a took a seat beside Daphne after greeting everyone with a polite hello. Ron ordered drinks for them too.
"Well, what did I tell you?" Ginny tilted her head at her friend.
"You never actually anything. We all just assumed that you still liked Harry, you know, because of your celebrity crush on him," Hermione reasoned, and Harry saw Daphne trying to hide her snicker. "Why are you smiling?" he asked her.
"Ginny had never been interested in boys. Didn't you guys know?" Daphne looked at Harry, then Hermione, and then Ron wearing same confusing faces - Morgana they really were clueless.
"How do you know, Greengrass?" Ron spoke in a demanding tone. One glare from Harry and he quickly shut up.
"Well because Daphne and I, had the pleasure to witness Weasley's first kiss with Pansy in our third year," Draco's smug voice boomed as he strode towards the gathered group confidently.
Ron choked violently on his drink when he heard that. His baby sister had kissed a Slytherin? And that too Parkinson of all people? He didn't want to picture that.
"Oh shut up, Malfoy!" Ginny snapped, and the endless banter between Malfoys and Weasleys started then and there. Others joined in the chattering too, and Harry looked around to see that they were quickly gaining everyone's attention. Even Madame Rosmerta had abandoned her customers and was listening to their engaging conversation that was nothing but a competition of shouting at each other. The only person who was composed among all the chaos was Luna, who seemed to be enjoying her drink for once.
Harry was growing frustrated; this was not how he'd imagined his day. He'd thought that he and Daphne would go for a nice walk, maybe have some drink and lunch. Then they would walk back to Hogwarts wherein he'd asked for the elves to help him plan a surprise dinner. But no. The damned Potter Luck wouldn't let Harry be happy for once. So he did the only thing he could think. Harry shouted. He shouted at the top of his lungs gaining everyone's attention, and his idea worked.
No sooner, there was absolute silence in the pub. Every person was looking at him as if he'd finally lost his mind. Good. Dudley's trick to gain attention did work, ha!
Once he was sure that he'd taken out his frustration, he took a deep breath and smiled. Daphne, Hermione and Ginny wore concerned expressions. Draco looked at him like he was barmy. Ron was scared. But Luna was the only one who returned his smile.
He had an entire monologue prepared on how those idiots had spoiled his date, and how he was going to murder them all if he got the chance. He wanted to shout at Ron for not making such big of a deal of his sister's sexuality, and at Malfoy for opening the discussion in the first place, but he chose to keep quiet. He didn't want to scare Daphne off or upset her because of his behaviour. Plus, Luna seemed to be enjoying herself too. So, he decided to let it all go.
"Wanna have a Butterbeer, Malfoy?" he asked and got a sneer in answer.
"You're crazy, Potter," Draco spat but took the offer nonetheless. Others started talking again, and Harry took another sip of his excellent ginger Butterbeer.
All was good.