The Bet
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter franchise any more than I enjoy receiving maggots for Christmas.
"She's got to be joking..." Ron said, holding what appeared to be a thick gold chain.
"What's that?" asked Harry.
"It's from Lavender," said Ron, sounding revolted. "She can't honestly think I'd wear..."
Harry looked more closely and let out a shout of laughter. Dangling from the chain in large gold letters were the words "My Sweetheart".
"Nice," he said. "Classy. You should definitely wear it in front of Fred and George."
Meanwhile, downstairs
"I wonder what that slut Lavender got Ron for Christmas."
Fred and George had Bill, Charlie, and Ginny over in their room for a "special conference". They were sitting in a circle on the two beds.
"If I know her, she got him a large, gaudy piece of jewelry," Ginny ventured.
"What does this have to do with your 'special conference'?" Charlie asked Fred.
"Everything," George answered. "You all know we are not the betting types."
"But we'd like to make a proposition," Fred finished.
"Oh, really?" Bill asked, wondering what they could possibly be thinking now.
"We've been watching Ron and Hermione for awhile now - " George said.
"Awhile meaning six and a half years," Fred elaborated.
"Yes, and we've been thinking that it's time we make a bet," said George.
"On Ron and Hermione?" Ginny thought this was slightly odd, but probably the funniest thing she'd ever been apart of.
"On their relationship," said Fred.
"We bet that by..." He looked at Fred. "Christmas next year, Ron and Hermione will be together."
Ginny nodded; she was ready to get in on this one. "How much?"
Fred and George had another look. "Why don't you three decide?"
Bill, Charlie, and Ginny got in a huddle. "I say we go moderate on this one," Charlie whispered. "Not too high, not too low."
Bill nodded. "Ten Galleons."
"Agreed," Ginny said.
Charlie also nodded.
"Ten Galleons," Bill said.
"The bet is that Ron and Hermione will get together by Christmas next year," Fred stated.
"Who is for this?" Fred, George, and Bill raised their hands.
"And against?" Ginny and Charlie.
"So...I'll tell Harry..." Ginny said.
"And I'll tell Fleur," Bill said. Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Now that that's settled," said George.
"What's for breakfast?"
6 weeks earlier
Receiving a letter in the Common Room was an oddity, but Harry knew he wasn't an ordinary person. He untied the scroll from Hedwig's leg and started unfurling it.
"Who's it from?" Ron asked, sitting across from him.
It was from Fred and George, and, normally, Harry would have told him that, but she saw - in large, bold letters at the top - DO NOT TELL RON OR HERMIONE WHO THIS IS FROM OR THE CONTENTS OF THIS LETTER.
"I don't know," he said continuing to read the message:
Harry:
Let us first say that this is the newest WWW product: a letter that can only be read by the person intended. To anyone else, this could be an advertisement or a reminder for you to pay your subscription to a magazine or newspaper. (In your case, it is a mail order list for Dervish and Banges.)
The point of this letter is that you are invited (along with Ginny, Charlie, Bill and Fleur.) to a special conference. It will take place Christmas Day at 9:00. This is a very important meeting and if you cannot be present, we ask you would get this information from someone who can. Your expertise is greatly appreciated.
Thank You for Your Support.
Fred and George Weasley
Harry knew that if Ron and Hermione shouldn't know about this "meeting" that he couldn't go. If he were gone for any period of time, Ron would get suspicious. He would have to talk to Ginny, and that made him anxious. Anxious excited and anxious nervous. He loved spending time with Ginny but he wanted so badly to kiss her. It was the same debate he had the night the monster erupted in his stomach. He wanted to date her, but she was Ron's sister. She was out-of-bounds.
That's what he kept telling himself as he went up to her after breakfast the next morning. She's out-of-bounds.
"Hey, Ginny," Harry said. "Could I talk to you... in private?"
"Sure," Ginny said, leading him to an empty corridor. They stood silent for a few moments, then Ginny had to ask. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
Harry had been breathing in her scent. Flowery and, somehow, beautiful. He had completely forgotten the reason he had asked to talk to her. "Oh, right," Harry said, gathering his thoughts. "I assume you got a letter from Fred and George last night?"
"Yes. You can't come?" Ginny sounded almost downhearted.
"No, but I was hoping you could tell me about it."
"Oh, sure! I could tell you after Christmas lunch."
"Great! Thanks."
"Don't mention it. Especially not to Dean," she joked. Harry laughed, trying to act like he meant it. "I guess we should get to class."
"Yeah," Harry said, depressed that their time together was over so quickly. "Bye."
"Bye," she said, going off in the opposite direction from Harry's class.
He felt hollow, but he could still feel the monster in his stomach. And it sighed sadly.
Christmas Lunch
As he came back from the garden, Harry couldn't keep himself from looking at her. He tried everything he could think of. He only looked at his food, he talked to Ron, he thought about what Fred and George could've said at their meeting, he thought about the outrageous things Scrimgeour said to him, he thought about the fact that Scrimgeour used the Weasleys. But his eyes kept trailing to her face which was usually smiling and laughingbut was now stony and slightly angry (but still beautiful) after Percy's departure. Once she looked at him and smiled weakly and he tried to smile comfortingly; he felt torn: he was happy she seemed to notice him, but he was sad that she was angry, and though she would refuse to admit it, sad. Nevertheless, He was looking forward to the time they would soon spend together, no matter how short.
Finally, Mrs. Weasley left the table trying to cover her sobs, signaling that lunch was over. Harry stood up and looked at Ron. "I'm going to talk to Ginny." Ron looked at him confusedly and nodded but said nothing. Harry went over to Ginny and put out his hand, to help her out of her chair.
Ginny looked at him skeptically. "Do you really think I need that?"
"No. I was just being polite."
"Good," she said, taking it and half dragging him to the fireplace. She sat down and patted the floor next to her, inviting him to sit with her.
He took this invitation and asked, "So. What happened at this 'very important meeting'?"
"Oh, it was classic Fred and George," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "They wanted to make a bet that Ron and Hermione would get together by Christmas next year. Are you for or against?"
"That was their 'special conference'? That they wanted my 'expertise'."
"Of course. What could be more important than money?"
"Love," Harry said, immediately. "Hence the bet." That wasn't what he was thinking of however.
"And that idiot Lavender," Ginny said.
"And that neanderthal McLaggen," Harry said.
"And Hermione and Ron," Ginny said.
And Harry and Ginny. "Yeah. Tell Fred and George that I'm for that statement."
"You can tell them later. So what'd you get for Christmas?"
"Most notably, maggots."
"What?!" Ginny asked, smiling more strongly.
"Kreacher got me a little gift."
"Ahhhhh... I see."
"But I'd rather get them than what Lavender got Ron for Christmas," Harry said.
Ginny looked excited about this. "What did she get him?"
"A thick gold necklace with big letters that said 'My Sweetheart'."
Ginny laughed out loud. "You're kidding! I was right?!"
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked. She told him about what she said in the twins' room.
"Well, you certainly got it."
They were silent for a moment and then, "What did Rufus Scrimgeour want?" She knew that was the only reason that Percy was there.
"He said he had wanted to meet me for a long time, and then he asked me if I discussed the prophecy with Dumbledore. When I told him we had, he asked me what Dumbledore told me. And when I told him it was between me and Dumbledore, he - "
"And us, of course. Ron, Hermione, and I," Ginny said.
"Well, yes, but I couldn't tell him that."
"Right," Ginny said. "But he said...?"
"Oh, yeah. He said it really didn't matter if I was the 'Chosen One' or not, did it?"
"What?"
"Yeah, He said, 'To you it will matter enormously, but to the Wizarding community at large... it's all a perception, isn't it? It's what the people think that's important.'"
"He didn't?!"
"Oh, he did. And then he said that I was quite the hero, and a symbol of hope for many. It gives people a 'lift'. The idea that someone is destined to destroy Voldemort, that is. Once I knew this, I might consider it a duty to stand with the ministry and give everyone a boost."
"So, basically, they asked you to be a poster boy?"
"Exactly. Then he said that Dolores Umbridge had told him that I 'cherish' a job as an Auror. That could be arranged easily."
"She's still working at the Ministry?"
"Oh, yeah, apparently still in her former position."
"Even after everything she did?!"
"Yeah, and so I asked him if I was supposed to act like I was working for the Ministry. And if I kept running in and out of the Ministry wouldn't that seem as if I approve of what the Ministry's up to. And he said that was kind of the point. I told him that wouldn't work because I didn't approve."
"You right out told him that?" Ginny seemed astonished.
"Of course I did. I brought up Stan Shunpike. I said they were making him a scapegoat like they were making me a mascot. So Scrimgeour asked me if, like Dumbledore, I preferred to keep myself separate from the Ministry. So I told him I didn't want to be used. I talked about how the Ministry never gets it right, and that they shouldn't pretend the 'Chosen One' is working for them. And he thought he'd caught me. 'So you're not the Chosen One?' I said I thought it didn't matter. And that that was the only honest thing he'd said to me so far. He didn't care whether I lived or died, but he wanted people to think he was winning the war. Then I said I hadn't forgotten and showed him my scar." Harry demonstrated by showing her the back of his hand. "I said the Ministry didn't want to be pals last year."
"Of course," Ginny said. "Then the people thought you were a nutcase. No one wants to back a nutcase."
"Exactly. It's all about the people. We stood in silence for a while and then he had the gall to ask me where Dumbledore goes when he leaves Hogwarts."
"What did you tell him?"
"The truth. I didn't know. Then, he said, 'And you wouldn't tell me if you knew, would you?' I told him I wouldn't. He said he would have to find out by other means. So I told him he could try, but I would've thought that he would have learned from Fudge's mistakes."
"Interfering? Looks like Fudge lost his job and Dumbledore didn't. Do the math." Ginny seemed to read his mind.
"That's exactly what I told him and then he asked me if I was 'Dumbledore's man through and through'. And I told him I was glad that that was straightened out and I came back in."
Ginny seemed to be digesting this. "So he used all of us to talk to you. To ask you to be an illusion."
"Exactly. That's what makes me the maddest. That he used all of you."
"He was trying to make you a poster boy! That would be enough to make me mad enough to hurt him.
"But he used my first real family. He hurt something I'd wanted the most since I can remember."
Ginny leaned in closer to him. "You really love us, don't you?"
"Some more than others," he muttered inaudibly.
"What?"
"Yeah, I do." Ginny closed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. After a few moments (all too quickly for Harry), she pulled back from him and said, "We love you, too, Harry." She looked deep into his eyes. Is she trying to tell me what I hope she's trying to tell me?
She leaned in closer to his face, hers just inches away, but did nothing else. They looked deep into each other's eyes and...an owl flew up to her and landed in her lap. She looked at it, obviously not recognizing it, but Harry knew whose it was. He leaned back from her, while she untied and opened the parcel and the letter attached to it. She laughed nervously and said, "From Dean." She pulled a sweater out of the package. It was golden yellow, and looked a little small for Ginny. That made the monster in Harry's stomach growl angrily.
"I guess I better not leave Ron alone for much longer, he might just kill himself for trading Hermione for that tart Lavender."
Ginny laughed and said, "Yeah. That was probably the most stupid thing he's ever done. And I've lived with him for 16 years."
Harry laughed, and said, "I'll talk to you later." He turned and started to walk away, not seeing Ginny's sad sigh and watery look at the sweater. She looked back up at him going up the stairs and threw the sweater into the fire, along with the unread letter.
A/N: Who thought this was going to be a Harry/Ginny Fic? Neither did I. It turned out that way. There WILL be a sequel….so be waiting for that. Thanks to my friend Amanda! She is my sunshine, and my happy medium! The Emobuster is here for you! I hope this bunny will get out of my grill!