The Gryffindor common room was a busy place that night, with groups of people curled up in armchairs and circling the fireplaces on the floor. A few people studied, but most were playing chess or just talking. Ginny Weasley, however, was dedicating most of her time that evening to glaring daggers at the complete idiot that was Harry Potter.

"I hope you know that it's pretty obvious who you're staring at," said Ellyn Windsor, fellow fifth year, Gryffindor, and close friend of Ginny's. She idly turned the page in her text as she spoke.

"I know. Why can't he just see that I like him? What can I do to make him like me?" Ginny wailed softly, giving up trying to stare him down. If he hadn't noticed her icy glare in an hour, it was unlikely he ever would.

"I don't think you can make Harry do anything he doesn't want to do. That's just the way he is." Hermione looked up from her book to add to the conversation.

"That's not what I meant and you know it, Hermione Granger!"

Ellyn gave Ginny a tired look. "You mean you want to know how you should be around him so that he at least likes you as a friend. Is that about right?"

"Exactly! I don't think he even knows I exist! Cho this, Cho that, it never ends!"

Hermione looked uncomfortable. "Actually, Ginny, that pretty much has ended. It ended last year, after the DA...you know."

Ginny wilted. "I know. I'm just so frustrated with him. All I want is to impress him, to have him notice me. But then as soon as he looks at me, all I want to do is run."

Ellyn smiled wickedly. "You can tell that's what you want to do. It IS what you do when he looks at you," she said before her face grew more serious. "But in all honesty, Ginny, it probably wasn't the best thing to do for all those years."

"Yeah, when you do that, well...he probably thinks it means you don't like him." Hermione leaned away slightly.

"He WHAT? He thinks I hate him? Oh, what do I do, what do I do?" Ginny brought her legs up against her chest and hugged them close.

"You could try talking to him. That's what most people do when they want to get to know someone better." Ellyn said, raising her eyebrows.

"I can't just talk to him! I'm a girl! I'm younger than he is! He won't talk about anything with me!" Ginny was getting hysterical, now.

"Trust me, Ginny, there is one subject that Harry would talk about with anyone on the planet: Quidditch." Hermione spoke with a certainty that was hard to disbelieve.

"Hey, and look at that! You like quidditch, too! How will this ever work out?" Ellyn's voice was spiked with sarcasm.

Ginny's breathing eased. "Yes, quidditch. I can talk about quidditch. Of course I can. If there is one thing that I can talk about to anyone, it would be qudditch. Naturally I can—"

"Ginny? You're babbling." Hermione's voice gently cut through Ginny's assurances. Ellyn looked slightly amused. Hermione continued. "Why don't you talk to him over Christmas? Is he going to your house over break this year?"

"No, he's staying here. So am I, though, I don't think I can take another Christmas with Auntie Muriel. Are you staying too, guys?"

Hermione nodded her confirmation. However, Ellyn's face fell slightly. "I'll be at home this Christmas. Yet again," she said with a resigned voice.

"Ah, yes, the annual ball. More like an annual get-together of pigheaded, stuck-up, boring purebloods pretending to have a party." Ginny had heard enough about the Windsor Christmas Ball over the years to make a judgment on it. The girl's response to that statement turned many heads in the common room, everyone straining to see what possibly could make three girls burst into laughter so suddenly.

"Do you have to go? You could say you had too much classwork to attend," Hermione suggested, after they calmed down.

Ellyn looked tempted. "I don't think that's going to work. My parents use me as a showcase. They brag about me all year long, and then try to prove everything they said all in one night. There's no way I'll be allowed to miss this one. Plus, mother wants to 'get me settled down' this year. In other words, she wants to marry me off and never see me again."

The girls were silent for a while. Life was moving a bit too fast for all of them.

"Pawn to B4," Ron said, looking bored. The chess game had been going on for an hour and he was quite ready to wrap it up.

Harry looked triumphant. "King to B4. That was stupid, Ron, you completely played into my hands!" he crowed. The board was now nearly empty of Ron's pieces.

Ron smiled. "Knight to E3. Checkmate."

"Seriously? How did I miss that? I can't believe I didn't see that!" Harry was furious with himself.

"I know how. Hey everyone! Medical miracle! Living proof that man can live without a brain!" Ron called. People were looking at them disgustedly. Harry pretended to be insulted. An evil smile spread across his face.

"What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that? ...Harry?"

Harry leapt out of his seat and attacked him. They landed on the rug and proceeded to swipe and punch at each other in a playful way. Life was good.

The girls looked on silently, eyebrows raised. Ellyn looked revolted. "He would die if he were in my place. The purebloods would tear his manners to shreds."

"If he were in your place, he would have grown up learning proper pureblood manners." Hermione commented reasonably.

"Let me have my fun, won't you?" Ellyn was annoyed. "He might get torn to shreds anyway, but I doubt it. He probably won't accept."

"What do you mean? He won't be going to the Windsor Ball, will he?" Ginny piped up.

"He's getting an invitation. The pureblood society is 'allowing' half-bloods to marry purebloods as long as their muggle family is dead. More like forcing them to. Anyway, of course Harry Potter jumped straight to the top of their list for possibilities." Ellyn informed them.

Hermione looked confused. "Harry's muggle family isn't dead. He lives with them."

"That's easily, ahem, remedied, if he wanted to join pureblood society." Ellyn looked sad. Hermione and Ginny looked sickened. Silence reigned for a moment.

"I'm really glad my family's been written off the map. These people are ruthless." Ginny shuddered.

"You said you're staying here for Christmas this year, right?" Ellyn asked. When Ginny nodded, Ellyn got a wise look in her eye. "Then my mother will assume that you are ready to disown your family and 'assume your rightful place in society.' You'll get an invite, too, most likely."

Ginny paled. "I don't think I should go...I'm not very good at all that pureblood stuff."

"Not even if it means you'll get to keep an eye on Harry, if he goes?" Hermione sneakily put in, smiling wickedly.

"Shut up, Hermione."

Two grins were quickly hidden behind hands so that a certain fiery red-head wouldn't notice them.

Please read and review! This is my first story, so I'm really excited to hear what you have to say. By the way, if you're planning on continuing to read, I LOVE you! Meant in the most appropriate of ways, of course.

~Boston