DISCLAIMER: JKR owns Harry Potter, etc. It's a good news that I'm already employed so, I definitely wouldn't have the need to use this fanfiction for profit…so, no suing!
In One Condition
On the fifth day of Ginny's 'as if you don't exist' behavior towards Ron and Harry, the former decided to do something about it.
That morning, Ron purposely asked Harry and Hermione to go to breakfast without him as he waited by the common room for his sister to turn up from the girl's dormitories. In spite of the youngest Weasley's attempt to ignore her brother's presence, she couldn't help facing him as soon as he jumped before her and demanded for a talk.
"All right, Ginny." He began looking rather apprehensive. "This can't go on like this. I'm sorry. There. You won." Ron said miserably.
Ginny rolled her eyes unconvinced at Ron. After a few minutes of Ron merely staring at her for a reply, and she at the fireplace in consideration of her brother's plead, she finally answered. "So, did you or did you not tell Harry to ask me?"
"I did not. He told you." He answered honestly.
The red head girl heaved a sigh, she crossed her arms before her chest. "Still, you must have realized how much you have humiliated me in front of him." Accused her.
Ron looked down and she saw his face fashioned a regretful expression, "You know me. I have such a big mouth. I didn't mean them."
"Yet, you said them."
"That's why I'm sorry."
"Why are you bothering to make up with me anyway, huh?" Ginny was obviously testing Ron's earnestness. He better not lose his patience again and let his big mouth take over his brain.
"Why?!" Ron asked unbelievingly. Has she forgotten that they're not just fellow Gryffindors who stay at the same house, that they're siblings living at the same home, in fact. That in weeks time they'll be coming back to that home for Christmas? And the word Christmas alone would be reason enough to want to patch things up between them. He reasoned all these to her.
"Oh, right! Christmas!" she barked sarcastically before asking crossly, "Worried about your gift?"
He remembered the scarf, yeah, that too, Ron wanted to answer frankly, but decided that it wouldn't help. "Ginny, why are you so mean to me?" he said instead.
"All right. Give me a good reason why I shouldn't be, then."
"Because I'm your favorite brother." he looked as hopeful as how he said it, nevertheless, was trying to prod her to at least smile.
Ginny tried to suppress the grin forming across her face, even so, a faint smile became apparent. "Are you?" her cross tone was now teasing. "And why would you be?"
"Yes. Because that year when Fred and George went to school as first years, I watched over you. I read you that sick story book of fairy tales. I fed you spinach soups Mum makes, and had to tell lies to her that you finished all up when it was me who had to eat a better quantity of it. I let you ride on my back…"
Ginny was already scoffing, "..ok, ok, I get the point now!"
"So you admit? I'm your favorite brother, and you really couldn't stand being mad at me for long."
Ginny only shook her head but was smiling anyway, Ron knew they were in good terms already.
"Yuck! I remember now that soup! Good thing Mum stopped making them." She shuddered.
"I can't believe she actually thought Dad was right about it to make someone instantly sturdy just because a muggle told him about that Popeye bloke!" and they had a good laugh.
"So, you're really sorry?" Ginny queried.
"Very."
"Didn't mean what you said."
"Didn't. Never. Wouldn't."
"And what about Harry? He must be thinking I'm such an obsessed teenager or something."
"No. No. Harry knows me as much as you. He knows my big mouth." Ron assured.
"Okay." Ginny said thoughtfully, and gave Ron a beam. "But admit, you were concerned about the Christmas gift!"
"I was. But not as much with our relationship as favorite brother and sister."
"Yeah, right! I am your only sister, Ron." She arched her eyebrows in a taunt. "Anyway, we better go down before we completely miss breakfast."
And Ron agreed as he felt his stomach rumbled. On their way to the Great Hall, Ron remembered the Yule Ball.
"So, are you going with Harry to the ball?" he asked slowly and carefully, as if Ginny was a bomb due to explode any minute.
She stopped. "Do I have to?"
"Well, it's not like an obligation, but don't you want to?"
"Does he, really?" she asked suspiciously.
"Of course!"
"And if I tell you I won't?"
"Who would you be going with, then?"
"Just what if I won't go with him?" she pressed.
"He would be disappointed, Harry would. And it would be my fault. And I would be disappointed. If there's someone I see good enough for you it's him not another Michael Corner or.."
Ginny cut him off, "So, you would plead for Harry to be my partner?"
"If I have to, yes."
"You would do anything, say a condition?"
Ron started, "Well, that would depend." He saw that Ginny was determined to make him do whatever she had in mind, and he really wanted Harry and Ginny together, basically because of the reasons he had told her, not that he's pushing them to snog anytime or something. "What is your condition, then, princess?"
A mischievous smirk played across Ginny's lips, "Before midnight, you should have already asked Hermione, made her agree to be your partner, rather, for the ball…If not, I'd have to go with Vincent Crabbe."
Ron looked flustered for a second, but upon hearing her last statement, he burst out laughing, "You wouldn't want to go with Crabbe!!"
"I would hate to, but if you don't meet my condition, I would have to." she looked anxious as well.
Ron collected himself, and became serious again, "Malfoy wouldn't let him. Even if, say, he'd admitted Voldemort's defeat, still, he hasn't changed! Still loathes us, you know."
"I know. I probably would receive a lot of foul comments from him and Pansy, and everyone'll be laughing at me for wanting to go with Crabbe…So, my honor rests in your hands, Ron."
"Ginny.." he protested, but was only cut off again.
"...You want to ask her anyway. Time's started, all right Ron?" she marched again towards the Great Hall.
Ron called back to her, "Ginny, what if she'd already said yes to someone?"
She turned around to face him, "No. I know she hasn't." and winked, "You're a lucky git, aren't you?" and strode back on her track.
Ron ran after her, "No one has asked yet or she'd turned them down? I mean, there should be guys who would ask her, especially after the last ball..she was.." beautiful Ron finished on his thoughts.
"Oh, you mean, the 'ask me before someone else does' solution?" Ginny smiled to herself and enjoyed the color that slowly crept to her brother's ears, "Well, I reckon hearing something that went 'and not as a last resort', so maybe…just maybe, as long as you haven't gone asking other girls, she would be waiting."
The girl walked rather briskly that Ron had to make long steps as well to catch up. "So, she really has turned down some guys already?"
"I don't know, besides, it's just what I think. Let's hurry up, shall we?"
And the two scurried quietly for breakfast. Ginny was beaming triumphantly while Ron was in deepest of thoughts. It would be bad enough if Ginny would turn Harry down, his best mate; worse if he can't go with Hermione; But Ginny with Crabbe?? That's far lot worse than the worst of worst, if there's such!
AUTHOR's NOTE: Sorry if this part took a bit long. Been really busy having been recently employed!! Congratulations to me!! Hehehe..anyway, I hope you like it and please do review. And check out my new fics as well! Review also! Thanks a bunch for the time!
I reckon I should finish this ASAP! When work starts, so would the hectic schedule and this is supposed to be a Christmas fic, so have to be done before the season ends!! Stick with me!!
