A/N: Ariel
here. Many thanks to TsukiKou, of course, and also my newest reviewers – Sakura
(times 4), MoNmOn, and carly, and those of you who left more than one review or
who I've already thanked. Your support is so great!
Disclaimer: Oh, don't I wish it were mine.
Mixed Messages
By Ariel Star
Chapter 6
As the days progressed the students talked of not much else than the
upcoming ball. Harry felt those old moths start winging their way around his
stomach again – though he didn't have to open dancing this year, he would look
foolish if he didn't have a date. Parvati was completely out, he doubted she
would even say yes if he asked, which he wouldn't. Cho was probably out, too –
he found that this year he hadn't spent nearly as much time dwelling on her.
Ever since the Cedric incident, Cho had been polite but distant to Harry – he
had a feeling that anything connected with the Triwizard Cup was still painful.
It probably wouldn't be best to ask her. To his immense surprise, the complete
opposite happened one morning after Care of Magical Creatures.
Walking from the lesson with Ron and Hermione (who were bickering as
usual), he saw Cho flagging him down from the castle stairs.
"Be back in a minute," he informed a preoccupied Ron, and went to
speak with Cho.
"Hi, Harry," she said, smiling.
"Hello," Harry said cautiously. "How're you doing?"
"Fine," Cho said, her eyes misting over. "Thank you for asking." She
cleared her throat.
"I . . . um . . . miss Cedric, too," Harry said, gazing down at the
stone steps.
"Yes." Cho nodded. "He liked you." She sighed, and cleared her throat
again. "The reason I wanted to talk to you was . . . well, I remembered last
year, when I turned you down for the Yule . . . I felt bad then. I actually
still feel bad now. That's why I wanted to know if you'd like to go to the ball
with me this time around." Cho grinned. "I owe you."
Harry's mind halfway shut down in shock. The other half was busy
sorting through feelings – and to his surprise there weren't nearly as many
happy ones as he'd thought. Sure, Cho was nice, but he didn't think she really
did like him – she just had a conscience. And he had been thinking about asking
someone else, anyway – but she would certainly get a date, and he didn't want
to turn Cho down, she was being kind. He realized Cho was still standing there
and quickly said, "That would be fine."
Cho grinned again. "Great!" she said. "Well . . . see you around,
then."
"Yeah," Harry agreed. Cho walked off, smiling a little to herself.
Harry ran to catch up with Hermione and Ron. He didn't notice the lone,
dark-haired figure slip off from behind a stone pillar that had been only
inches from he and Cho.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"He's going with WHO?!"
"Cho," Raven stated matter-of-factly. "I saw him."
Ginny felt all the solid matter in her legs slowly turn to jelly. "And
I thought I actually had a chance," she said softly. "I should have known.
Harry Potter doesn't give a hoot about me."
"I think you're wrong," said Gwen softly, placing a hand on Ginny's
shoulder. "I think he really likes you. And besides – it's nice being his
friend, right?"
"No," Ginny said sullenly. "It's – wonderful." She smiled
half-heartedly. "Why try to interfere with fates, hmm?" she asked, turning to
look back at the castle.
"Well…" Raven hesitated. "He didn't actually…"
"Actually what?" Ginny cried, whipping around. I knew it, she thought,
I knew it. He didn't ask her. But then why…?
"He didn't exactly ask her. She kind of…asked him."
"Totally against the rules," Gwen stated. "Off boundaries. Guy asks
girl."
"Remember last year? Triwizard champion?" Ginny asked her.
"Oh yeah…"
"Well, anyways, I don't think he looked too happy. If you ask me, his
thoughts were on someone a little more…oh, I don't know…red-headed?" Raven
whispered smugly.
"Shut your mouth," Ginny said, blushing. "You know I'd never – oh,
well, I guess it'll still be fun. You know? That is, if I get a date."
"Don't worry about that!" Raven exclaimed. "Gin, you're like what, the
most popular 4th year at Hogwarts?"
Ginny snorted. "I'm so sure," she said. "Little tongue-tied Ginny who
never talks and turns to butter around Harry Potter and - "
"Has a sweet personality, kind disposition, and not to mention is
really pretty?" Gwen finished skeptically. "I'm sure you'll get more than one
invite this year, Ginny."
And to Ginny's surprise, Gwen was right.
* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Oi! Ginny!" Ron called out as she was walking past he and Harry in
the Great Hall at lunch, her books carefully hiding her face, "sit with us for
a second."
"Oh, all right, Ron, but I'm busy," she answered, tucking a loose
strand of hair behind her ear after setting her books down with a resounding
thump.
"Exactly how many people have asked you to the dance? I reckoned on
four, but Harry thinks five or maybe six. There's a chocolate frog riding on
this, so be honest!" Ron finished, looking at her expectantly.
"Oh, Ron," Ginny stuttered, "I don't keep count of offers! How vain do
you think I am?"
"Oh, Ron, she just doesn't want to tell you that you lost the bet. I
knew she'd been asked at least six times – who wouldn't want to go with her? I
know even William Thomas Bradford the Third asked her, and he can't even go!"
Harry said. "She's smart, sweet" – Harry blushed a tiny bit – "and pretty,
too."
"Why didn't you go with her, then?" Ron asked, laughing. "Oh, I forgot
– the wonderful Miss Cho stole your heart, right?"
"Not exactly," Harry mumbled. He was getting redder by the minute.
"Ron, when you find out that you lost, come on up to the common room and give
me my frog. I've got some homework." He stood up quickly and practically ran
from the hall. However, Ginny wasn't going to let him get away that easily.
"Harry – wait," she called. She jumped up and followed him out,
running up the stairs to catch him.
"Did you want something, Ginny?" Harry asked, stopping on the stairs.
"Yes, I did," Ginny said. Her face was flushed, her chin up. "Did you
mean those things you said at the table?"
"What – about being smart?" Harry asked much too casually. Ginny saw
through him easily.
"Yes," she said. "And sweet."
"Sure," he said, shrugging. "I think you're both of those, Ginny.
You're my friend."
Ginny paused. Harry thought of her as a friend? She'd never realized
that. But she needed to know more. She took a step closer to Harry, who was now
looking crossed between puzzled and panicked.
"What about – pretty?" she asked quietly, willing him to look into her
eyes.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
He didn't look. He couldn't. He'd given himself away, stupid prat –
she knew. Harry tried, so hard, to look into those brown eyes and speak the
truth – but it was so hard. Telling Ginny the truth had always been easy.
He looked up calmly. "Ginny, I think that you are beautiful." He said
it. He'd said it! What would she do?
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Ginny stared. Her brain seemed to be working…fuzzily, but working. He
thought she was beautiful. She quickly filed this quote into her 'remember
forever' category of her brain…then turned back to the matter at hand.
Beautiful! Finally, she thought of something to say.
"If you think I'm all that," Ginny said softly, taking yet another
step so that she was dangerously close to him, "why didn't the one person that
I wanted to go to the dance with ask me?" She brushed past him and ran up the
steps, her hair barrette falling askew and clattering on the marble stairs.
Harry picked it up slowly, staring at it. Then he strode back to the Great
Hall, a purpose in his step. A conversation was long overdue…between him and
Raven.
TO BE CONTINUED VERY SOON
A/N: This chapter was short, but contains some very important words
between Ginny and Harry. I have the next part written but I wanted to post it
as a different chapter because this seemed like it needed to be by itself.
Please review. :-)
