A/N: We all know I don't own Harry Potter.
It really was nice of Neville to invite her. Ginny knew that Hermione had been his first choice but she didn't feel badly about that because Neville wasn't her first choice either. Harry wasn't interested in her though. So when Neville had invited her to the Yule Ball Ginny immediately accepted. After all, third year students couldn't go unless an older schoolmate invited them.
It had been fun too. Ginny's feet were sore from Neville stepping on them but at least he'd been willing to dance. And it was thoughtful of Neville to bring her the punch, even if he'd tripped and spilled it down her only dress robes. At least Neville was attentive. He hadn't even minded when Fred and George asked to dance with their little sister. Neville was really quite a nice boy.
So when he shyly asked if he could kiss her goodnight, Ginny could only say yes. That tentative brushing of lips was Ginny's first kiss. She suspected that it was Neville's as well. There were no fireworks when the two teens touched; Ginny had not expected any. Neville's awkward fumbling when he couldn't decide whether to put his arms around her waist or shoulders was charming in its innocence. Ginny closed her eyes when he leaned in to press his lips to hers. It surprised her a little that nothing went wrong. Neville kissed her softly for a few moments and then pulled gently away. It was a very nice kiss.
Nice was good, wasn't it? She'd always thought of nice as a complimentary adjective. It was nice of Neville to ask her to the ball. He was a nice boy. Ginny had a nice time and received a nice kiss. What was wrong with that, she wondered.
But she knew the answer.
'Nice' wasn't what she wanted. She wanted Harry.