Harry Potter & the other characters and places in this story belong to JK Rowling.
A/N: I hope you like this chapter, because I had a lot of fun writing it.
Chapter Ten - Harry's TortureDinner was an amazing feast as usual. After the meal was finished, Dumbledore stood up to make an announcement. The Great Hall fell quiet.
"After much debate among the staff, we have decided that there will be a Yule Ball this year on the last day of classes before the Christmas Holidays. I'm sure it will be as successful as last year's..."
The rest of Dumbledore's speech was cut off by squeals of delight from hundreds of girls and groans of dismay from hundreds of boys. Ron didn't look nearly as upset as last year about the prospect of going to the Ball, and he looked over and smiled at Hermione. Harry looked quickly at Ginny, to find that she was already looking at him. She blushed and averted her eyes. He wanted to ask her right there and then if she would go to the Ball with him, but that would be suicide, considering that Ron was sitting right next to him. What was he going to do? His stomach twisted in knots and he suddenly felt very lightheaded.
+ + +
Later that night Harry sat in the Common Room, which was filled with the voices of giddy girls. Ginny, was not participating in the general mayhem, but she kept glancing over at Harry when she thought he wasn't looking. Ron had retreated upstairs to escape the overwhelming female silliness. Hermione was in a corner trying to block out all the noise so she could concentrate on her homework. Harry was once again wishing for an advisor in matters of the heart. Should he ask Ginny to the Yule Ball and risk the wrath of Ron? Or should he hide his feelings so no one would get hurt? Would Ginny even say yes if he asked her? Suddenly Harry had a great idea. He could talk to Hermione about his feelings for Ginny. She was a girl - she would know what to do! Besides, she apparently had lots of heart-to-heart talks with Ginny. Harry practically ran over to Hermione's corner.
"Hi Harry," she said, barely looking up from her homework.
"Hermione, I need help with Arithmancy," Harry blurted out.
"Sure, no problem..." then Hermione noticed that Harry had no books with him, and became suspicious. "Ron's not getting you to ask me to the Ball for him is he?"
"No... I just need to talk to you about something," he replied frantically.
"Sure, what's wrong?" Hermione looked concerned.
Harry glanced over at the group of giggling girls nearby. "Can we go somewhere else?" Without waiting for an answer he grabbed Hermione's wrist and practically dragged her out through the portrait hole and through the halls of Hogwarts to the library. There was no one else there besides Madam Pince.
"Harry! What's going on?" Hermione hissed, keeping her voice low so as not to attract Madam Pince's attention.
"I'm in trouble! Big trouble! And I don't know what to do. You're the only one who can help me! Hermione, please help me!" Harry whispered frantically.
"What! Will you please tell me what's going on?" Hermione sounded scared.
"I think I'm falling in love with someone," Harry managed to blurt out.
"So?" Hermione was obviously expecting something more life-threatening.
"It's... Ginny," he whispered.
"Oh," said Hermione and her eyes widened.
"What am I going to do? I really like her, Hermione, but I don't want her to be hurt if something happens to me, like how Cho felt after Cedric died. Ginny's so pretty... and nice... and funny... and amazing. I never knew this before. I can't stop thinking about her. I really want to ask her to the Ball, but I don't want Ron to kill me, and I don't even know if she'll say yes. But I'm just going crazy! You've got to help me!"
"Harry, first things first, you've got to calm down!" Hermione said sternly, although she seemed almost overcome by surprise. Harry nodded, and tried to stop gasping for breath like a fish out of water. Slowly his breathing returned to normal, but there was still panic in his eyes.
"You really like Ginny?" asked Hermione. Harry nodded mournfully.
"When did all this start?" she continued.
"Do we really have to go through all the gory details?" asked Harry.
"Most definitely. I need to know everything before I can assess your situation and offer a solution," said Hermione.
"Well..." Harry hesitated. Should he tell Hermione the truth? She did say she needed to know everything. She was a girl, and knew about this sort of stuff, so he'd better do as she said. "It all started when I heard her playing the piano."
"You heard her? How?" Hermione was shocked.
"It's a long story. But, her music was just so... I can't describe it, but it really affected me. I saw her in a whole new light. Not just as Ron's little sister, but as Ginny Weasley."
"And how do you feel when you're around her?" Hermione sounded like a doctor trying to diagnose a strange disease.
"When she looks at me, I feel like I've been hit with the jelly-legs curse or something. And she's so beautiful. Her hair, her hands, her eyes. I can't stop thinking about her. I just want to get to know her better. But Hermione, I can't. I don't want her to get hurt if something happens to me. I...I can't believe I'm telling you all this. I must sound like a complete idiot."
"No, Harry, you've got to talk about these things or else you go crazy!"
"Really?"
"Yes. I would have been locked up in the Hospital Wing in a padded cell if I hadn't been able to talk to Ginny about my feelings for Ron. Now, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but it might be helpful if I knew about any things that happened between you that might give an indication of what Ginny feels about you."
"But don't you know? She said you two talk about that stuff all the time," said Harry.
"Yes, I do know. But I obviously can't betray Ginny's confidences. Unfortunately you'll have to do the thinking for yourself."
Harry gulped. This was turning out to be more complicated than he thought. He was hoping that Hermione would just give him a straight answer. It appeared he was going to have to go through some torture before she told him what to do. Harry had a sneaking suspicion that Hermione was quite enjoying his torment.
"Well, I don't want to get into details, but Ginny forgave me for a mistake I made. Then she invited me to listen to her play the piano. I don't even think Ron knows about that. And she... held my hand a couple times. And when we were on our way back to Gryffindor Tower, we almost got caught by Filch, and we were standing there really close to each other under the Invisibility Cloak and..." Harry looked up at Hermione, "You'd better not breathe a word of this to Ron!"
"Of course not Harry! Just get on with it!" Hermione said angrily.
"Well, we were looking into each others eyes, and I couldn't look away, and neither could she. And we stayed like that for a long time after Filch had gone."
Hermione sighed and smiled. "That's so romantic!"
Harry glared at her, "You're worse than Lavender and Parvati!"
"OK, OK, sorry," Hermione apologised and regained her clinical expression. "Well, I am now ready to make my diagnosis. Mr. Potter, you are most assuredly in love with Miss Weasley."
"I already knew that!" Harry hissed.
Hermione pretended she didn't hear him and continued "Now, you want to know whether or not to ask Miss Weasley to the Yule Ball." Harry nodded.
"You have presented three possible concerns over doing so. Let us resolve them one by one. First, you are concerned that Miss Weasley will decline your invitation..."
"Will you stop calling her Miss Weasley? It makes me nervous!"
"Alright, alright. Just relax Harry. This isn't the end of the world."
"It is to me!"
"OK. Now. I want you to think of how you felt when you and Ginny were looking at each other under the Invisibility Cloak. Pretend you had just asked her to attend the Yule Ball with you. What do you think her answer would be?"
"Well, I'm pretty sure she would have said yes. But Ron always says women are devious. What if she says no just to torment me? I mean, she's liked me for so long and I hardly even noticed her!" Harry exclaimed.
"Wow, Harry, I'm impressed. Men don't usually clue in to womens' more... subtle... motives. I think in your case, Ginny would not wish to cause you such undue suffering. If you think she will say yes, then I'm sure she will."
"Oh, that gives me a lot of confidence," Harry said sarcastically.
Hermione ignored him and continued, "So, that takes care of Problem Number One. The next concern you expressed was fear of Ron's reaction to you asking his sister to the Yule Ball."
"He'll tear me limb from limb!"
"I'm sure that's an exaggeration. Anyways, I wouldn't let him. How about this. If you ask Ginny to the Ball, I'll take care of Ron. I promise you, he will be positively brimming with pleasure that you are taking his sister to the Ball."
"How will you do that?" Harry asked in amazement.
"Harry, Harry... you underestimate me! I am skilled in the art of persuasion where Ronald Weasley is concerned. Don't you worry one bit about Ron! I promise you, he won't put up a fuss."
"OK, if you say so."
"Great. Problem Number Two is solved. That leaves Problem Number Three, which is perhaps the most serious. You do not wish to become... involved... with Ginny because you are afraid she would be hurt if something bad happened to you."
"I couldn't stand it," said Harry earnestly.
"Harry. Think of it this way. You have concluded that Ginny would be happy to go to the Yule Ball with you, right?"
"You concluded that."
"Whatever. If she has feelings for you already, she will most certainly be very upset if something bad happened to you, as would all of us. How would that change if you were a couple?"
"I never thought of it that way," said Harry slowly. "I suppose so."
"And Harry, if you were to deny your feelings for Ginny your whole life, and end up a bitter solitary old man, you'd be doing just what Voldemort wants!"
"What?!" Harry exclaimed.
"Voldemort wants to bring fear, darkness, and bitterness into the lives of good people. If we change the natural course of our lives out of fear of Voldemort, we're actually doing what he wants us to do. We have to carry on with our lives despite the fact that Voldemort is back. Good people everywhere are going to have to work together to defeat Voldemort. We can't just isolate ourselves from everyone we care about because we're afraid they'll get hurt. We have to live our lives and support each other. And love is the ultimate weapon we have in the war against Voldemort. Harry, if you love Ginny, and I'm sure you do, you can't and shouldn't keep that hidden."
Harry watched Hermione in wonder. He had rarely heard her speak so passionately about anything except schoolwork. He contemplated what she had said, and it made perfect sense. (What else would one expect from Hermione?) A joyful feeling swept over him as he realized his love for Ginny wasn't some forbidden feeling that he had to cover up. It was the right thing to do. It was meant to be. He reached over and gave Hermione a hug.
"Thanks Hermione. You've helped me far more than if you'd just given me a simple answer," Harry said earnestly.
"That was the whole idea!" she smiled. Harry noticed her eyes were unusually watery.
"I thought the whole idea was to torment me," Harry grinned.
"Well... that too!" Hermione laughed. They got up and left the library and returned to Gryffindor Tower. Harry went directly over to where Ginny was sitting, curled up on a chair with a book. After his talk with Hermione, he didn't feel the slightest bit nervous.
In fact, he decided to show Ginny that she wasn't the only one who could be flirtatious (after making sure that Ron wasn't in the Common Room). He knelt down on the floor beside Ginny's armchair, folded his arms and rested them on the arm of the chair, and then leaned in until he was only about six inches from Ginny's face. He gave her a penetrating look with his bright green eyes which he hoped would be enough to melt her heart like wax, and said in a very low, quiet voice, "Hello Ginny."
By this time she was looking directly into his eyes. To Harry's surprise and delight, she didn't shy away at his close proximity, although he could sense her trembling slightly. She gave a small half-smile, moved her face even closer to his, so that their noses were nearly touching, and whispered, "Hello Harry."
He gulped. It was hard to withstand the power that those dark brown eyes had over him, but Harry managed to maintain his cocky demeanour. He tried to increase the intensity of his own gaze upon her, and said slowly, "Miss Weasley, will you go to the ball with me?"
She kept her eyes locked on Harry's, but the smile disappeared from her mouth as she said in a low voice, "I'm very sorry Mr. Potter, but I've already agreed to go with Mr. Longbottom."
Harry felt as though someone had ripped his heart right out of his chest and was proceeding to viciously stomp on it repeatedly. He was going to kill Neville. He started to look away, but Ginny put her finger firmly on his jawbone and turned his head back so that he was forced to look her in the eyes again. What sort of cruelty was she trying to inflict on him? After about ten seconds, Harry saw that she no longer had a serious expression, but that a smirk was beginning to form at the corners of her mouth. Suddenly she released his chin, threw back her head, and began to laugh hysterically. Harry could only sit there with a stricken look on his face. Was she mad? She was laughing so loud that many of the students in the Common Room turned to look at her. When her laughs finally subsided, she put her hand around the back of Harry's head, sending shivers up and down his spine, and pulled his face close to hers once more. She smiled at the look of terror and confusion in Harry's eyes, and whispered, "I was only joking. Of course I'll go to the ball with you!"
Slowly realization dawned on Harry. She wasn't going with Neville. She wanted to go with Harry. She had just played a very horrible joke on him... "That..." he said, "That was absolutely cruel!"
"You thought you could flirt with me and win, eh?" she said with a playful smile. "Don't worry. I rather enjoyed it, and I hope you'll do it again sometime," she whispered.
"So you'll really go to the ball with me?" Harry asked once more, just to make sure this wasn't still part of her joke.
"Of course I will. There's no one else I'd rather be with," she smiled. Harry's heart melted. She was smiling at him! He loved her, and he was doing the right thing! Suddenly he saw her eyes dart over to the staircase and open wide in surprise. Harry looked over and saw Ron Weasley coming down the stairs. He had just seen Harry and his sister smiling at each other with their faces very close together and Ginny's hand still on the back of Harry's head. Not even Ron and Hermione had ever displayed this much affection in the Common Room before.
Ron turned very red, his mouth was wide open in shock. He pointed towards them. Harry and Ginny sprang away from each other, and both had looks of terror in their eyes as Ron started advancing slowly towards them, a murderous glare in his eyes. But suddenly, someone ran towards Ron, made a flying leap, and knocked him to the ground. It was Hermione. Before Ron could recover, Hermione had pulled out her wand, and with a few quick charms, had him bound tightly in cords and covered his mouth with a piece of tape. She called over a sixth-year boy to help her drag Ron over to a chair in the far corner of the Common Room. She sat down in a chair facing him and began to lecture him. Ron struggled frantically, but she pointed her wand at him until he sat still. Harry and Ginny looked at each other and said, "Wow!"
They never found out what Hermione said to Ron, but within half an hour, she had released him, and he came over and said earnestly, "I'm really happy for both of you." He gave Ginny a hug, and shook Harry's hand.
To be continued…