Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the characters. Just the story.

The process was the same as yesterday. But not for Harry!

Everything was too slow today!

A boy had to give each of the girls black boards to write their answers and he had to explain the game to them too. He also talked about how this is just a game and nothing more. Rejection doesn't mean anything. The girls nodded to show agreement but you could see that all of them were determined to win. Well, not all of them.

Hermione seemed pretty uninterested if you asked Harry. She was observing the place but not once did she look at him. It was like he should earn her attention.

After a while the girls sat in their chairs and the game finally started.

"You all know him" started Ron.

"Actually, everybody knows him." Gee, thanks Ron Harry thought

"But today we will find who between you, is his perfect match"

"Firstly, Harry introduced yourself" Harry could clearly see how (TOO) MUCH his best friend liked the kind of power he had right now.

"So I am Harry. Harry Potter. I-" but before he could start, sighs interrupted him. Specifically, Lauren's sighs.

"I like simple things." He continued.

"Getting to know each other, hang out and then we can see. Thank you all for coming, by the way" he said with a small smile.

"Okay, now it is your turn, girls to introduce yourselves. You could use a pick-up line or something like that which reflects your way of thinking"

After a minute the girls flipped their boards.

First one, Cho saying "I am Cho. You may not be perfect but I am sure that your weirdness matches mine. Give it a chance? "

"Why not?" Harry replied politely while his mind was clearly saying NO.

Next was Lauren saying "I am Lauren and right now I am chasing my dreams but be careful, don't come close I bite" she said and her hungry look made Harry cringe.

Then Lavender "I am Lavender and I know we can be friends. Meet me at the Hall to get to know me?" she asked winking at him.

Oh my god!

Sasha's turn then "I am Sasha and I work hard to achieve my goals. But let's try this. With me you never lose." she said smiling

And lastly Hermione's turn "I am Hermione. I like books and learning. Why not hang out?" she asked simply.

"So shall we start?" Ron asked too excited. Harry seeing the big smile on his face made a mental note to talk about it in one of the breaks. There will be breaks, won't they?

"First question" said Ron

"Would you be willing to let Harry copy your homework whenever he wants?"

"What?" Harry asked quietly not expecting this question at all.

Ron turned his head and faced him.

"I am gonna find you a girl, mate" he said determined.

"So let me see your boards"

First one, Cho says "Yes as long as he gives me snacks"

Then, Lauren saying "Anything for you. Everything for you"

What the heck? Harry thought

Lavender was next "Yes of course, as long as he did it for me too."

Then Sasha "Yes but not all" she answered simply.

Good answer Harry thought

She seems nice

Last but not least Hermione flipped her board. A well-written NO was written in the middle of it.

"Why not?" Ron asked curiously.

"I could help him with it but I don't think giving him the answers will benefit him"

Kinda right, at least she offered her help

"I like that" Ron said and shocked Harry even more. Who is this boy and what has he done to his best friend? The Ron he knows would never pass the opportunity to copy his homework rather than done it. And he would hardly agree with working hard to achieve.

"So" Ron started

"I will give one of my points to Hermione because I like the fact that she will push him to become better and the other one to Sasha who was willing to give him her homework but not all." He said clearly happy with his decision.

"What about you, Harry?"

"I think I am going to give my point to Sasha" he said quietly

"I have the same opinion on this matter with her" he continued

"Now, second question"

"What would you do if he came back from practice and he was totally exhausted?"

The girls started writing their answers down.

"Let's flip those boards" Ron said once again

Cho answering first "I would make him take a bath, sorry. Then whatever he wants"

After her, Lauren wrote "Massage" and Harry wanted to stand up and get out of the room. Instead he gave her a forced smile.

"I don't think that's what he would need" Ron said

Lavender saying "He knows what he needs, I will help him"

Then Sasha answering "He can come to me for everything"

Hermione lastly answered "Cleaning spell to make him comfortable and then an easy talk to relax"

"Good one" Ron said clearly liking on Hermione.

"So I am giving my first point to Lavender because she seemed willing to be there for him and the other one to Hermione 'cause I really liked her way of dealing with the situation."

"I will give my point to Hermione 'cause I think that would be really helpful" he said sending her a small smile.

She replied back with the smallest smile he had ever seen. Polite yet distant.

"Next question."

"Would you ever change something in you for Harry?" he asked.

Oh that it is a pretty intense question

Harry didn't really know what to expect. He didn't know what he wanted the answers to be. There was not a right or wrong reply to this, even though he believed that Lauren was capable of making him cringe even more.

The answers were written and the boards were flipped.

"Depends on what he asks" Cho answers

Good answer Harry immediately thought quite surprised.

"Is that even a question? YES" Lauren answered, while her board was filled with small and big hearts.

No change in her behavior Harry thought

"I don't think that's the right approach but let's move on" Ron said soundly more professional than Harry has even heard him.

"Will he be willing?" Lavender answered simply giving him the option to choose.

"Maybe yes, maybe not" Sasha's board read and Harry for the first time felt an interest from her towards him.

That was good, right?

"I am willing to compromise" Hermione wrote lastly.

Compromise? Okay, I guess Harry thought not exactly fond of the idea.

Does she think I am gonna force her to change or what?

"So it's time for me and Harry to give our points. I think I will give both of my points to Hermione because in a relationship, compromising is everything."

"Lavender, I don't think your answer was the best for Harry because he needs someone who takes control when it is needed. Having to make every decision won't help him at all. The same goes for you Sasha, you were pretty unclear and you didn't really answer the question"

"Ohh, I understand" Sasha answered not bothered at all.

"Now I think I'm gonna give my point to Cho because I agree with her completely. It depends on what the other asks and the way he does it" he said giving her a smile not forced at all. Cho returned the smile and Harry could suddenly remember why he had liked her last year.

"So let's move. We have three questions until this round comes to an end." The presenter said clearly wanting to get this over.

"Would you like to be famous? In what way?"

Ron must have put a lot thought into this

Harry started feeling a little guilty because although he really cared about Ron's perfect match, nothing could compare to the interest Ron has shown in his.

"I would like to be known as the best female seeker" Cho replied her eyes shining with determination.

We do have things in common

"I crave to perform on stage. Have the crowd cheering for me" Lauren said then.

Craving for attention

But Harry, being Harry, couldn't help thinking that something had made her crave attention. Do her parents mistreat her or do they just ignore her?"

"I would just like to be famous. I don't care about the reason" Lavender answered

"Hmm" Ron murmured unable to keep himself.

"I'd like to become a historian. Learn the history of the Wizarding and the Muggle World. Maybe even teach?"

Simple but nice

"I want to prove equality"

"What do you mean by it?" Ron asked clearly interested. Hermione was really the one who had managed to capture his attention.

"Every creature should have the same rights as the other ones. Who says that we are better than house elves or giants? What makes us better?"

That was the first time she had spoken so loudly and Harry could see the passion she had. He could see the flame she was hiding. The way she expressed it, the way she believed in it made him want to participate to her long race. She wanted it and he could see that she would most likely achieve it or fight for it until she falls once and for all.

"Wow" Ron said.

She's the girl for him. Ron thought being sure that she was the one.

If it was up to him he would stop the process and he would just give her to Harry. End of discussion!

"So I am gonna give my one point to Hermione. I can't help being impressed by her goal. And the other one to Cho, because we are fans of Quidditch" Ron said a big smile on his face cheering loudly.

"I am between the two too." Harry then added unable to make a decision.

"Probably, Cho" he said then

Ron shot him a look full of questions but Harry wasn't willing to answer them. As for Hermione, she seemed socked as well with his decision.

Quidditch over Equality? Hermione thought disappointed in his decision.

What person choose a sport over a social problem?

"Now" Ron said

"Let's move on to the next question"

"How would you react to Harry's mood swings?"

The girls seemed a little confused but they quickly got over it and started writing into their boards.

First one, Cho said "I would be understanding, whatever he needs"

Lauren then" I will help him, every minute of every day"

"Aren't you afraid that he would feel overwhelmed?" Ron asked unable to suppress his curiosity.

"Hmm. I don't think so" she answered him, eyes on Harry.

"I have the best tips. Snack and sleep"

"Ohh trust me that would definitely work" Ron told her laughing.

Before Harry was able to correct him, he added

"For me"

Then Lavender answered "Provide him help"

"Stand by his side. RESPECT him" Sasha wrote on her board impressing both Harry and Ron.

Last but not least, Hermione answered "Depends on the change and the frequency "

"What do you mean by that?" Harry asked her, somewhat challenging her.

He really couldn't understand her. What's her problem?

One minute she was happy and nice and the other one it was like she wanted to disappear. Like she was flying into the air and suddenly falling to the ground.

"What I mean is that I won't let anyone control my life with his mood swings. I will help however I can but there is always a limit, isn't it?"

Hermione seemed irritated now. She didn't like to be doubted. And certainly not by Harry Potter.

"Yes, I get that" Harry said

I am surprised you did, actually Hermione immediately thought

"But" Harry continued

Too good to be true

"Don't you believe that we should do everything for our closest people, our friends and family?"

"Of course, but there are always limits. A wife could sacrifice herself to save husband in a fire, for example, and she could also being beaten by her husband and refuse to talk to the authorities. In these cases, she is 'protecting' him, does he deserve it? Does she deserve to live like that?" Hermione said clearly and loudly wanting to be heard.

"I can see why you say that. But that's different"

"No, it's not. Whatever happens I would be near to the person who needed me. I would encourage him and support him but I expect for myself to stop if the situation is off limits."

"Meaning?" Harry asked wanting to understand her way of thinking.

"Meaning that if someone suddenly became really angry and yelled, broke objects or attempted to hit me, I would immediately stop. He wouldn't deserve it."

"You took it to the extremes" Harry commented.

"Yeah, I did. But these situations do happen"

You could feel the tension between them. Their eyes were searching each other's wanting answers, the hidden meanings. They were trying to understand one other without revealing much about themselves. Their intense glances, it was like hide and seek. But who was really hiding and who was seeking?

"So" Ron interrupted them

"I will give my first point to Cho and my second point to Sasha" he said without even justifying his options.

"I will give mine to Sasha as well" Harry added, breaking eye contact with Hermione only for a second to flash a smile at Sasha's direction.

"Last question" announced Ron

"This will determine the two girls who will leave and the other three who will make it to round 2"

"What do you think about private space?" Ron asked, shocking Harry once again with the interest he had shown.

Clever question

It was known that Harry needed his space. He needed time to think, to adapt to a new situation. Whoever is with him needs to respect that but she also needs to know when to talk to him. Because no matter how many times has he denied, he needs company and help.

Cho flipped her board, saying "It is a necessity. Everyone should get some moments alone."

After her, Lauren answered "I will be there and I will step aside if he needs it"

Wow Harry thought. Not expecting her reply at all.

Lavender then said "I believe that he should share everything that he feels. Relationships are based on trust"

"Yeah but" Ron murmured

"What if he needs some time alone to figure some things out?"

"We could figurate them out together"

"Every single time?"

"No, but usually" she smiled sweetly at both of them.

Harry didn't agree with her but he kind of understood her. She would like to know what's going on in her boyfriend's life. She needed a relationship, she needed to be with someone fully. But on the other hand, there are some things that Harry would prefer to keep to himself.

Sasha then showed her board which said "For me personal space is necessary and undoubtable. He can take as long as he wants"

Harry liked that answer and he had really started to like Sasha. She seemed nice and light-hearted. She looked willing to discuss with him or hang out, without any other promises. Plus, her smile was cute.

Hermione's board, lastly, said "People need personal space but they need company too. It depends on the situation"

"Okay. Now it is time to give our final points" Ron said clearly excited.

He could use to it.

"I will give my final two points to Hermione and Lauren. I do believe in personal space but there are some situations where people need a friend by their sides"

"I think I will give my point to Sasha. When somebody wants space, you give him space"

"First round is over" the presenter announced

"The girls with the least points are….."

Harry looked at them already knowing the answer. What?

He had counted the points.

"Lauren and Lavender"

"I am sorry but that's the end for you here"

"It's okay" Lavender smiled disappointed.

Lauren seemed lost. Tears had started to make their way to her cheeks and she tried to stop them. She quickly placed a fake smile to her face as if nothing happened. Each of the girls approached Harry and gave him a small hug.

"Guess we will talk" Lauren said completely recovered from the shock, winking at him.

"Sure, we could be friends" replied Harry, hoping that he would manage to avoid that meeting.

"Alright, let the Second Round begin" the presenter yelled clearly excited once the girls had left the room.

Author's Note

Thank you all so much for the follows and favourites. When I saw it I was so shocked. It was unbelievable.

So the story continues, Lauren and Lavender are out. Who of the three girls will be able to win Ron's heart to get to Harry? : )) Stay tuned to find out!

After having read the second chapter too many times, I realized I may have made Lavender a little bit OOC but I just need her to be like that for the story.

As for the updates, I am not sure when I will be able to post but I will try my best. Please write me a review if you like it because it gives me so much energy. I love it even more when I know that other people enjoy it too.