Disclaimer: As much as I might hope to have the magical writing powers (and magical bank account) of J. K. Rowling, it still isn't so. Sigh. Anyway, enjoy! Happy Holidays, whatever you do or don't celebrate!
What if...Luna had already been a part of the trio's group of friends?
"So, who're you going with?" asked Ginny, upside-down in an armchair. She and Hermione had the common room to themselves by then, since it was ever so late.
"Oh...I don't know yet," sighed Hermione, blushing ever so slightly.
"Didn't Victor ask you yet?"
"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Well, did he?"
"Nnno, but...I sort of think he's going to," Hermione confessed to the carpet.
"Well of course he's going to!"
"Moving on," said Hermione, clearly eager to change the subject. "What about you, Ginny?"
"What about me? You know I can't go unless I get an invite. I'll probably ask Neville, though. Just as friends. You know."
"Yes," Hermione replied, supervising her magical knitting needles. "But-"
"But what?" Ginny asked sharply. "What, Hermione? Did you think he's going to ask me? Me? He's still mooning over that stupid Cho. Cho! Of all people! And she picked Cedric, not him! It's just as ridiculous as Ron. Can you believe him?" Ginny almost chuckled, seeing Ron's face after he'd impulsively invited that veela. Then she remembered. And didn't chuckle.
"Well, I was thinking," continued Hermione, for the most part ignoring Ginny's little rant. "That maybe you...could ask him."
Clunk! Ginny's head hit the floor where she had been hanging off the chair, followed by the rest of her. She sat up on the carpet, wincing. "Are you mad?"
"No!" Hermione protested. "I don't think so, but- "
"Hermione!" Ginny said, incredulous.
"-it should work!" Hermione finished, speaking over her. "Just pass it along, you know, 'Ginny wants Harry to invite her to the ball, Pass It On.' It'll work, you know. People here love gossip! And someone'll tell Harry."
"Do you really think so, Hermione?" Ginny whispered, almost fearfully, not daring to hope.
"Of course! We'll start it tomorrow. Now, let's get some sleep," said Hermione as she stood up to go hide her elf-hats.
"Okay," Ginny whispered with hope in her voice, massaging her head. "Okay."
A few days later...
Luna walked purposefully -- well, as purposefully as Luna got -- down the corridor toward the Great Hall. She was on a mission.
It took her a few moments to realize that Neville was standing glumly in the middle of the hallway, hands in pockets, staring blankly out of the window.
"Oh, hullo, Neville," Luna called.
"Hullo."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Come on, you can tell me," Luna coaxed.
"Well, okay," Neville relented, speaking in a rush. "I was going to ask Ginny to the Yule Ball, but I can't find her, and she's probably gotten about seventy-two invites so far, and-"
"Neville?" Luna interrupted Neville, whose voice was starting to crack.
"Yeah?"
"Want to go with me?"
"Do you want to go to the Yule Ball with me?" Luna repeated patiently.
"You mean, just as friends?"
"Sure," she said agreeably.
"Um, sure," Neville said, a bit uncertainly.
"Oh, good. Thanks ever so much, Neville! I didn't think I'd ever get to go to a Yule Ball! You're so kind, Neville." Luna flashed a dazzling smile at him, then skipped off, long braids flouncing. She had to resume her mission.
"I am?" Neville asked, though to no one in particular, completely thrown off. He smiled cautiously to himself. "Maybe I am!"
Luna arrived outside the Great Hall just in time to see Harry, Ron and Hermione exiting, full of treacle tart and laughter.
"Oh, hello, you three," Luna said, smiling vaguely.
"Hey, Luna!" called Ron. "How're the Crinkle-Horned Snoraks?"
"Quite good, thank you, Ron! And guess what? Daddy's heard word of a possible market opening near Elephant and Castle that sells materials to help you catch them, too! And, oh yes, could I talk to you for a moment, Harry?"
"Sure," he answered, a bit confused from Luna's rapid subject changes, but agreeable nonetheless.
"Come on, Ron," said Hermione, winking at Luna from behind the boys' backs. She grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him along with her out the front doors. "We'll see you in Herbology, Harry!" she called back over her shoulder.
"How are you, Harry?" asked Luna, strolling down a random corridor.
"I'm...okay. How about you?"
"Oh, I'm splendid, thanks," replied Luna, suddenly coming to a stop. She turned to face Harry.
"What's up, Luna? What did you want to tell me?"
"Well," said Luna, trying to remember the order of the message she was delivering. "Yes?"
"Well, Padma said Parvati told her that Hannah heard that Lavender said that Pansy heard Hermione telling Katie that Ginny wants to go to the ball with you." Luna finished with a great gasp, looking pleased with herself for remembering the message in its entirety.
Harry blinked, stunned.
"Really?"
"As far as I know -- there were a lot of names along the way...I might have gotten them mixed-"
"No-does Ginny...really want to go to the-the ball...with me?"
"Well of course she does," said Luna, a bit exasperatedly. "Didn't you know?"
"Know what?"
Luna sighed. Sometimes boys could be really imperceptive. "Never mind that. Are you going to ask her? Or do you already have a date?" asked Luna, already knowing the answers.
"No-I mean, no-I haven't got a date but I-"
"And she's not going to get to go otherwise, since she's only a third-year..."
"I--I don't know. I don't know, Luna!" said Harry, brain whirling, trying not to panic, trying not to yell--not at Luna.
"I'll--let you--her--know," Harry mumbled, trying desperately to escape. He needed to be alone, needed to think, needed to--go to class. Because the bell is--
"Ringing right now gotta go Luna bye!" said Harry, wheeling around and starting to run. The pounding helped clear his head, if only a little.
Ginny-but Cho--Cho turned you down--Ginny's always fancied you--no, she talks when I'm in the room now, she's over her crush--would she still want me if I wasn't in the Tournament--doesn't matter--Ginny--
His thoughts were buzzing, tumbling about his head, not even defined enough to argue with himself, thinking of Ginny, his friend, his classmate, his--date?
Wordless, thoughtless, running, where am I running? whirling, spinning, her red, red hair, her fiery nature, her beautiful--beautiful? yes, her beautiful, freckled fce, her funny, cute, sweet nature, she's--right-in-front-of-me...
"Ginny." Harry gasped, breathless. He seemed to have tripped; for some reason he was on his knees, bent over, gasping for air.
"Harry?" Ginny asked, surprised.
"Do-you want-to go to the ball-with me?" Harry gasped, utterly winded. Didn't he know how to properly form a question? At least he hadn't speed-talked, like with Cho. But who knew what he looked like, exhausted, and--oh, who knew what he smelled like, but--it was Ginny, Ginny, right in front of him, looking down in concern, but with a look of some unknown emotion on her face.
"Harry?" Ginny repeated, sounding worried.
"I'm-okay," he panted, starting to stand up, with difficulty. Ginny held out her hand to help. He took it gratefully and stood up, realizing as he did so that Ginny was almost as tall as him. Looking straight into his eyes, she grinned and answered, "Yes."
At the ball...
Luna, wearing a gown she had embellished with stars that really twinkled, walked in with Neville. The champions had already started dancing with their partners. Luna smiled and waved as Harry and Ginny danced past them. Ginny smiled back. Harry didn't see; he was looking for Hermione, but it was only when Ginny tugged on his sleeve and tilted her head surreptitiously that he saw her. She looked great, and Ron had managed (probably with loads of help from Hermione) to make his robes a bit more manly and--were Ron and Hermione holding hands? Ginny had noticed that too. "Aren't they so sweet?" she asked. Harry smiled and nodded, but he was wondering why Hermione hadn't come with Krum; he'd heard a rumor that Krum had been hanging around the library to corner her and ask her out. Then he saw why. Krum had just passed behind him, with none other than Fleur Delacour. Aha...it all made sense now.
Oh, it was the final champions-only dance. Ginny had helped him practice this dance-he knew it by heart now. One and two and step, back, and one, two, and step, twirl, dip-two-three-four and up-two-three-four, and one-two, do it again.
Ginny loved this dance. To get the twirls and dips and tosses, eye contact had to be maintained at all times. As she was lowered almost to the floor, she was entirely glad that Harry was leading; she was lost in his deep, green eyes. All too soon, the dance was over. Ginny and Harry, breathing heavily from the exertion of the dance, smiled at the crowd as the other students surged onto the dance floor, surrounding them.
As it turned out, Dumbledore had not bought eight hundred barrels of mulled mead from Madame Rosmerta, but there did seem to be an unlimited amount of several other kinds of drinks, one of which appeared to be butterbeer.
Harry turned to Ginny. "Want to get a drink?"
"That'd be lovely," Ginny smiled. "Is there any punch?"
"I'll go check, you sit down for a moment."
"Okay," said Ginny cheerfully, inwardly laughing at Harry's politeness. She sank down onto a handy sofa that appeared to be snow-covered but was actually quite warm. She watched Luna and Neville twirl around, not necessarily in time with the music, passing Ron and Hermione. Ginny smiled to herself. She knew that Ron and Hermione wanted each other, and that while Krum may have seen the beauty that Ron often missed in Hermione, that Krum wasn't what Hermione needed. Krum was, like so many other boys, so superficial--he only cared about looks. That's why she'd tricked him into coming to the ball with Fleur. Ugh. Fleur, of all people! Even her name was gross--it sounded like "Phlegm." Ew. Ginny giggled, just a little, at the thought of how Fleur would react to her new nickname.
But weren't Ron and Hermione just perfect for each other? Ginny grinned still wider. She had helped with that part too--spreading the word for Hermione, just as Hermione had done for her, but without Hermione's knowledge or permission. So it was a complete surprise--to Hermione, at least--when, while trying to find Krum (who happened to be with Fleur), Ron had come up to her and nervously asked her to the ball. Of course she had said "yes!" In fact--
"Sorry it took so long," said Harry, returning with the drinks. "There's a bit of a queue."
"That's alright."
They sat together on the couch and sipped their drinks in silence for a while.
When their drinks were almost gone, Harry finally turned to Ginny. "Do you want to go dance? Some more?" Harry asked, sounding a bit nervous. Ginny realized that he'd never been on a date before-at all! They were in the same boat, then. She smiled again, trying to put him at ease. "Sure."
Thankfully, the slow dancing appeared to be over now. The Weird Sisters' hairy bass player had started a new, faster song, and soon they were all screeching into the microphones while the Hogwarts students screamed, jumping up and down with excitement. Ginny and Harry looked at each other, shrugged, and started jumping up and down enthusiastically.
While waving them in the air, Ginny's and Harry's hands accidentally brushed each other. Both froze momentarily, blushing furiously, then took a small step apart and continued dancing.
Finally, toward the end of the night, the music slowed into a waltz. Ginny panicked for a moment, imagining Harry that close--it was what she always fantasized about, but she had given up on the thought of it long ago. But then she relaxed, remembering that she knew how to waltz, from years of dancing along to Celestina Warbeck at home. Thank you, Mum! thought Ginny fervently. She placed one hand on Harry's shoulder and took his left hand in her right. Harry, confused, tried to copy her.
"No, your hand goes here," Ginny corrected him, fighting a mad urge to giggle, and placing his hand on her waist. At least he knew the steps.
The music was slow and sweet, and couples across the floor were mainly swaying back and forth, arms around each other's necks or waists. Hermione and Ron, both slightly punch-drunk from all the dancing and excitement, were one of those couples. They simply moved back and forth to the music, almost having a conversation with their eyes. Hermione's cheeks were very pink, and her eyes were shining. Ginny shook her head in bemusement, seeing Ron "dancing." Ah, well. There was nothing to be done for it now. Luna and Neville were each dancing by themselves, but near each other, a bit too dance for the current dance, but not unreasonably so.
"This is fun, isn't it, Neville?" Luna asked, spinning in small circles and figure eights, while her dress flared up around her.
"Yeah," agreed Neville quietly.
As the song came to a close, the couples slowed to a stop. Luna twirled right into Neville's arms, and they hugged.
"Thank you, Neville," Luna stood on tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "I had ever so much fun. It was like having a friend."
"You're welcome," said Neville uncomfortably, quickly letting go of Luna and smiling uncertainly. Luna smiled smiled and, taking his hand, twirled again underneath his arm before wandering back upstairs, dress twinkling in the blue-and-white lights. Neville, slightly stunned, stayed put, blinking a little confusedly.
Hermione took Ron's hands in her own as the last notes reverberated throughout the Great Hall. "Thank you, Ron," she said, very formally.
"That--that was better than I thought it would be," Ron responded uncertainly.
"Anyway," Hermione started, then stretched up, gave Ron a peck on the cheek, smiled, and left for the Gryffindor common room. Ron, stunned, put his hand up to the spot where Hermione had kissed him. "Wow," he whispered, grinning. "That Hermione--wow."
Ginny, too, heard the music end. Not wanting the evening to be over quite yet, she took Harry's hand.
"Follow me, Harry."
"Where are we going?"
"Just come on," she called softly.
She led him into the grounds, which were decorated beautifully for the ball. Harry shrugged and followed her outside.
Suddenly, Ginny stopped and turned, so they were face-to-face.
"Thanks for inviting me," she said with an impish grin.
"Sure," said Harry, smiling back.
"Look," said Ginny, pointing over Harry's head. "Mistletoe."
Harry looked up instinctively, and Ginny took a step closer. Sensing her movement, Harry looked back down at Ginny and caught a hint of some wonderful, flowery smell. He inhaled deeply and wrapped his arms around Ginny, wishing this moment could last forever. Ginny, returned the hug, and then, with a determined fire in her eyes, kissed Harry squarely on the lips. Harry jerked back momentarily in surprise, then kissed her back.
The kiss was long and sweet, and when they finally broke apart, they stood there for a few moments more, wrapped in each other's arms, simply gazing into each other's eyes, with no need for words. Chocolate brown into emerald green...the shared glance had to be broken at last. Ginny stepped back, still holding Harry's hand, and the two of them walked, silence and shared glances all they needed, back into the castle.
Review....you know you want to...(Still working on my Imperius charm...)
And while you're at it, bring me a pack of Oreos...you know you want to...