Disclaimer- Harry Potter is J. K. Rowling's, I don't own any of it.

oo0oo

Pressure

Ginny was sitting in the common room, looking like she was studying, but was really thinking about Harry. She knew this wasn't helpful toward her attempts to get rid of her stupid little girl crush, but couldn't stop herself. It was a regular activity, she'd sit down and think about the times they'd had in each other's presence the last couple of months. 'This is the last time, after this, I'm done, I'm over him.' She remembered when Harry had first come to the Burrow last summer. Her brothers and father had gone to get him, and she'd hoped Hermione would ask to go along, because then it wouldn't be strange if she did. But she didn't, and when Harry got there he smiled at the two of them and she immediately felt herself blush, the Weasley trademark.

Then there was the World Cup, and after that, the Dark Mark 'd somehow ended up by Harry in the spectator's box and she really didn't pay that much attention to the game, which depressed her in retrospect, she was too busy watching Harry (without looking at him). And with the Dark Mark a bunch of racist pure bloods had gone rampaging through the campsites putting muggles on display doing ridiculous things. Fred, George, and Ginny had lost contact with the other three and the next thing they knew, there was the mark of You-Know-Who in the sky. Harry has always been able to get himself in the middle of everything, whether he wants to be there or not.

On the first day of school, she found out Hogwarts was hosting the Triwizard Tournament, which hadn't been done in centuries due to the death toll. Champions were selected from each school and he'd somehow managed to get his name pulled out of the goblet, along with another Hogwarts student. Even though there could be only one champion per school, and there were age restrictions. He fervently denied having anything to do with it, and Ginny believed him. Her stupid brother however, was jealous of Harry getting all the attention, as usual, and refused to have anything to do with him. The youngest Weasley really wished she could have been there for Harry, he looked so lonely those days, but her stupid infatuation would have gotten in the way and made it awkward. Harry would have been nice to her but would have felt uncomfortable with her fascination, and that's certainly understandable. At least Hermione was there, she and Harry spent ridiculous hours trying to prepare Harry to face a Hungarian Horntail. A bloody dragon! And while Harry had not only gotten the egg, he got the highest points out of the three schools doing some sensational flying to get the mother away from her egg.

Now there was the ball, McGonagall had called it the Yule Ball or something. Ginny could remember McGonagall telling her class about it. She'd selected a boy, her class's was Collin Creevey, and then danced with him showing the class what to do. Of course, this only applied to them if they were invited since the dance was only available to fourth years, Harry's year. The champions had to ask a girl, and then dance with them in front of the whole school. She didn't envy him on that part, but still desperately hoped he'd ask her, however unlikely it may be.

"No no no. I can't believe I just did that." Ron muttered, walking into the common room. He was displaying the Weasely trademark of turning beet red when having anything romantic to do with a person of the other sex. He had the family heirloom of flaming red hair, and was tall and lanky for his age. "Ginny why'd I do it?" Ron asked her, desperation clear on his face.

"Do what?"

"I asked Fleur Delacour to the ball with me. I can't believe I did that, in the entrance hall too, where everyone was watching." He sat down by her and dropped his head in his hands, confused and mortified at how badly he'd screwed up. Ginny felt like laughing but figured he needed her to be the dutiful sister and comfort him, however over dramatic her brother was being.

"Tell me what happened Ron." At that moment the portrait hole opened and Harry crawled in, saw us, and made his way over. He looked great as ever, Ginny thought, black messy hair and features that were comforting, yet the lightning bolt on his forehead making him look dangerous, until you got to know him. Harry was one of the nicest guys she knew, never teased her (the Weasley boys did enough of that) even when she blushed. She remembered a time before her first year, when he came over for summer and while he was at the Burrow she stuck her elbow in the butter dish. She was intensely embarrassed before that happened, but after, she couldn't even look at him.

"What's up Ron?" Harry asked, joining them.

Ron looked at his friend with abject horror on his face, "Why did I do it? What made me do it?"

"Erm do what?"

Ron merely shook his head and put his face in his hands, letting out a soft moan of despair. Ginny jumped in, "He-er- just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him." She was fighting back a smile but said it sympathetically and kept rubbing Ron's back.

"You did what?

"I don't know what I was thinking!" Ron gasped. "There were people everywhere, and she was talking to Diggory, and I just kind of asked her." He moaned again and continued, though he could barely be heard. "She looked at me like I was a slug or something, and I guess I just came to my senses and bolted."

"You were right, she's part veela. It wasn't your fault, she was probably working the charm on Diggory and you just got caught up in it. But it's not going to get her anywhere, he's going with Cho Chang."

"How do you know that?" Ginny asked.

"I asked her to go." Harry said listlessly, "she told me she was already going with Diggory." Good, it's happened, Harry's asked a girl, and I can move on, Ginny thought. Harry doesn't want to go with me, he wants to go with Cho. There was still the fact that Cho turned him down hovering around in the back of Ginny's mind. As Ginny was fighting with herself over something she could never have, Harry and Ron turned towards Hermione, who had just climbed through the portrait hole. The queen of bushy hair seemed to be glowing inside.

"Why weren't you two at dinner?' Hermione questioned. Ron and Harry immediately lost interest in whatever had made Hermione so happy and broke eye contact with her, both looking miserable. Ron because he'd destroyed his social image, and that actually meant something to him, and Harry because the girl he liked turned him down. Ginny saw that neither were going to reply and supplied the answer. "They've both just turned down by the girl they asked to the ball."

Ron's face instantly soured up and Harry looked embarrassed. Hermione got a superior look on her face before addressing Ron. "Eloise Midgen starting to look pretty now isn't she? I'm sure you'll find someone somewhere that'll have you. Though you probably won't if their nose has to be dead center." Ron seemed to miss half of what she said and was looking at Hermione like she was his savior.

"Hermione, you're a girl…"

"Oh well spotted. What are you going to notice next, that Harry's a boy?" She said sarcastically.

Ron shook his head like he was shaking off flies, "Well you... you can come with one of us!"

"No I can't," hermione spat, "I'm already going with someone, and if you really wanted someone to go with, you shouldn't have waited so long."

Ron grinned and held his hands up in surrender, "Okay we know you're a girl," he said. "Will you come now?"

Hermione threw her hair out of her face, "I told you! I'm going with someone, you shouldn't have waited so long." She said before storming up the stairway to the girls dormitories.

Ron, who seemed to have completely forgotten the Fleur incident, leaned back on the sofa and crossed his arms. "She's lying." He said confidently. Ginny was already shaking her head no, that she wasn't lying. "If she isn't, then who is it?"

"I don't know, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. It's her business."

"Okay, okay, this is getting stupid," Ron said looking incredibly put out, "Ginny, you can go with Harry and I'll just, find someone." Ginny froze at that. She wanted to have some reason to not be able to go with him, but at the same time was delighted she could say yes. The real question was, would he ask her. Ginny's heart was beating a mile a minute and she could swear Harry knew exactly what she was thinking. Harry was looking extremely pressured and Hermione had told her that he hated having the pressure on him, not to mention his hate of being the center of attention. She really didn't want to say this but… "It's fine, I've got some friends and we're hanging out because all of us are under fourth year."That was a lie but at least she gave him a way out. Harry looked relieved and his eyes said 'thank you' before he quickly headed for his dormitory. Ron seemed to have descended into his own little world right after he finished talking and completely missed Harry's departure.

"What are you going to do then Ron? After all, if you get turned down by the most out of your league girl in the school, obviously you have no chance with any." Ginny said sardonically.

Ron started at the voice and then his face fell again, almost as if he'd forgotten his situation in those couple seconds. "I may not even bother to go at all, I've never really liked dances anyway," He said sounding depressed. "I think I'll just go to bed." He made his way up to the dormitories as well, a couple seconds behind his friend. Ginny was amused by her brother, he was such a dramatic boy and takes everything to heart. Then she remembered her situation and all amusement evaporated. With a dejected sigh she headed up to the girl's dormitory, seeing no reason to stay up any longer with how this night went.

As Ginny passed the fourth year room she saw Hermione, laying on her bed staring at the ceiling. Hermione looked miserable, but why would that be? She was just asked to the ball. Ginny tapped the door as she walked in, letting the other know she was there.

"Oh, hey Ginny." If there was one word to describe her friend, it was despondent. What little make up she put on was smeared, and her hair was disheveled. Ginny was surprised there weren't tear tracks in Hermione's make up with how disappointed she looked.

"Hey Hermione, how are you doing?" Ginny asked, sitting on her friends bed.

"I should be over the moon. Viktor Krum, from what I hear from you guys he's incredible at Quidditch, asked me to the Yule Ball. And I was excited when I walked into the common room, but Ron always manages to ruin my day, this one's no exception.

Viktor Krum had asked her? Oh wow that really changes things. Hermione wasn't just asked by a guy, she was asked by the most famous guy of their time, other than the Boy Who Lived. "Was it that he faked not noticing until now that you're a girl?"

"He faked that? I doubt it, your brother's incredibly oblivious." Hermione said disbelievingly while shaking her head.

Ginny thought about the situation for a moment, and how Ron was acting, and came up with only one conclusion. "He wanted to ask you to the ball himself, from the start."

"What?"

Ginny got a small smile on her face realizing Ron had a crush on Hermione, though he likely wouldn't admit to that to anyone, including himself. "He wanted to ask you to the ball from the start, he, being Ron, just wanted to act like asking you was no big deal. You know how much he cares about his image."

Hermione was doubtful, "Why wouldn't he just ask me? How would making it a big deal affect his image in a bad way? And why does he even care that much about what others think of him?"

"Well I can't answer the first two, mens minds work in strange ways. But he cares because he has five older brothers to live up to. Bill was Head Boy, Charlie was Quidditch Captain, Percy was Prefect and Head Boy, Fred and George screw around a lot and everyone thinks they're funny. He wants to make himself known, in his own way. That and there are certain things, that if he does, he'll never live down."

"When did you get so smart?" When Ginny just shrugged, Hermione asked what she'd been wondering since she came up here. "What happened after I left the commons?"

Ginny immediately started blushing and looked away from the other girl. Hermione grinned and jumped at the possibility, "Did Harry ask you to the ball?"

The younger girl's face fell, "No, Ron said Harry could just take me and he'd figure something out. Harry had the whole 'deer in headlights' look on his face so I gave him an out. Told him and Ron I was hanging with some friends that night."

Hermione looked scandalized, "Ginny why would you do that? By how you were blushing I can tell you really wanted him to ask you."

Ginny shook her head, "I did, but I didn't want him to feel pressured to. You know much better than me how Harry hates being the center of attention. Anyways, it'd be really awkward if he asked while Ron was just sitting there, not that Ron was paying any attention."

"I'll tell Harry that you have nothing with friends. Since he'd be the gentleman and not ask you because of your 'planned evening'. He'll very likely ask you at some point once he realizes you're not busy."Hermione said confidently. Then she thought about all of what Ginny had said, "Wait, you said Ron wasn't paying attention? With you and Harry involved? That's unlike him."

"He was startled when I told him I was going to bed, and before that he'd had this forlorn look on his face."

Hermione broke eye contact and started fiddling with her shirt, the smallest blush heating her face. "Yeah you're right, something must have been distracting him."

The blush proved the red head's suspicion that Hermione returned Ron's feelings, the fact was they were both blind to how the other felt. Ginny just smiled to herself, said goodnight, and went up to bed, desperately hoping she wouldn't dream of Harry. The many times she did, she woke up feeling less rested than when she'd gone to bed. On the other hand, from what Hermione said, there was still a chance Harry would ask her. Ginny knew she wouldn't get to sleep for a long time, too hopeful Harry would ask her the next day.

oo0oo

Harry sent Ginny a grateful look and made his escape. He went up to his room, and as he was changing into his nightclothes, Ron came up. His friend looked miserable, "What's up Ron?" Ron shook head and they both got ready for bed before he responded. "This whole ball thing is stupid. I don't think I'm even going to go." Ron said, staring at the ceiling.

"You're just lucky you have a choice. I know if I did I'd be staying as far away from the Great Hall as I could. And are you okay with it then if I ask Ginny?" Ginny wasn't the girl that Harry really wanted to go with, that was Cho, but he needed a partner and the youngest Weasley really was a great girl, even if she always turned red when Harry looked at her. He hoped that wouldn't happen at the ball, it'd be embarrassing for both of them.

"What? Oh yeah, I mean you're like an older brother to her."

"Not from her perspective, but yes that's what I think of her." Harry answered, thinking that even if he'd been interested in her, she was off limits.

Ron snorted, "She'll get over her crush on you eventually, when she realizes you're not the person she's imagining."

Harry turned onto his back and thought about that for a second. Against his better judgement he asked, "Who does she think I am?"

Harry heard Ron roll his eyes, "She thinks you're perfect," and he flushed. He figured the same as Ron when he thought about it. After the ball, if she says yes at least, she'll see all my flaws and calm down about me. I'll actually be able to have a conversation with her, without her blushing.

Harry turned over onto his other side, and fell asleep thinking the ball was a lot more trouble than it was worth.

oo0oo

A/N: My first Harry Potter fanfic, I hope I do it justice. Please leave a review!

Geheim