Chapter Two: The Dating Game
A tiny object floated in the air behind Bagman. Harry thought it looked like a very small video camera. "Mr. Bagman?" Harry inquired. "What's that floating behind you?"
"Oh, that's just a Memory Capturer. Takes pictures with sound, is all." Bagman smiled playfully. "Don't get out much, eh Harry? Oh! Delightful, here are the girls!" He pointed his wand at his throat, muttering "Sonorus" then at the camera, saying "Initiatal!"
Harry felt his stomach drop. Twenty-five beautiful girls were walking toward him, all dressed in glamorous dresses and beaming at him. Cho caught his eye immediately, and he couldn't help but gawk at her in amazement.
She wore a dazzling red, strapless gown, and her hair was done up in a stylish twist. That twist kind of reminded him of Hermione's hair at the Yule Ball last year. He laughed, remembering how that twist had fallen to pieces when she fought with Ron that night, and his nerves lessened considerably. That's what I'll do, he thought. When I get too nervous during this, I'll just think of my friends. Then he turned his attention to Bagman.
"Hello, I'm Ludo Bagman, and I'll be your host. I'm here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where we'll be broadcasting from all month long! Now, let's meet our bachelor. Harrrrry 'The Boy Who Lived' Potter!" The Memory Capturer turned toward Harry.
"Harry is a fifteen-year-old guy in need of a prom date! He stands at five-foot-four, has black hair and green eyes. Harry spends his free time playing for the Gryffindor House Quidditch team where he's a Seeker. Now, let's meet the witches!"
The girls began to walk toward Harry. They all paused to smile and pose for the camera, and then proceeded to shake Harry's hand and introduce themselves. First up was Cho. "Hey Harry, I'm Cho." He smiled back. "I know. You look-"
But he never got to finish his sentence; more girls were already lined up to meet him. "Hey, I'm Jen."
"I'm Kelly."
"I'm Brayden." Harry couldn't catch half of their names, let alone take a good look at them, they were moving so fast. At long last, Bagman said, "And those are the witches! Join us after these messages for more of The Bachelor! .And we're clear! Good job, Harry, bravo. C'mon, grab some floo powder, we're headed to Hogsmeade!"
"What?" Harry said, caught way off guard. "Tonight?!"
"Well yeah," Bagman said in a matter-of-fact way. "Come on, the girls are already there!"
The next thing he knew, Harry was sitting in the Three Broomsticks surrounded by the twenty-five witches, trying to get to know all of them within the next fifteen minutes. He so wished he were back in his Common Room. This was too much to take in all at once. He had to eliminate ten of them tonight? How was he going to do that when he'd just met them all?
Just then, Bagman came over and sat with him. "Ready, Harry? Have you chatted with all the girls?"
"Chatted?!" Harry exclaimed. "I've hardly gotten a chance to meet them all!"
Bagman laughed. "True, true. But we do need to film as quickly as possible, Harry, so I'm sorry, but you will have to choose the fifteen girls that you like best tonight. Okay?"
Harry threw his hands up in exasperation. "But Mr. Bagman, I don't know which fifteen I like best! I haven't had a chance to speak to all of them! How am I supposed to know if I like them based on, 'Hi, I'm so-and- so"?
Bagman seemed to think this was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "Oh, Harry! This episode is based merely based on looks alone! Which girls do you find the most attractive?"
Harry couldn't believe his ears. "What? But. that's not fair!" "What?" Bagman clutched something in his ear. "Oh! Sorry Harry, no time to discuss it, we're going back on the air now! Just. give one of these keys to every girl you like." He placed the keys on the bar with a jingle.
Harry's stomach knotted up, as he grew more and more nervous. Every witch in the bar was either smiling at him hopefully or glaring at him threateningly. One of the girls looked like she might hex him to death if he didn't pick her. He scanned the crowd of females for a familiar face. Ah, there was Ginny. She was smiling at him shyly. When his eyes met hers, she looked down, blushing profusely.
"Welcome back to The Bachelor!" said Bagman's voice. "Harry Potter will now choose fifteen of these twenty-five lovely young witches for possible prom dates! Go on, Harry. who will the lucky ladies be?"
"Uh. Ginny!" Harry said quickly. He saw one of the keys levitate toward her. She caught it and grinned, still blushing. "Cho!" Another key floated through the air, and was intercepted by Cho, who winked at Harry.
"Um. Jenny, was it? Lavender. Padma. um. Ashley?"
.+.~.+.~+.
"Harry. Wake u-up."
"Yeah, c'mon, Harry, you lucky git! Wake up and tell us about your date!"
"Date?" Harry slowly opened his eyes, and saw one large brown blur, and one large red one. He reached for his glasses, and noticed that he was on the Common Room couch. "You call that a 'date'?" Harry asked sleepily.
Ron and Hermione were standing over him, looking expectant. "Well, what would you call it?" Ron laughed. Harry groaned. "A mess." He sat up, and his friends sat on either side of him. Hermione rummaged through her backpack and handed him a bulging napkin. He unwrapped it, and found a buttered bagel held together with blackberry jam. "Did I miss breakfast?" he asked.
"Yes," Hermione answered, still fumbling through her backpack. She handed him a plastic baggie containing a turkey sandwich. Finally, she pulled a thermos and a can of pumpkin fizz from her bag. "You also missed lunch."
"Wow. I must have been really tired out. Thanks," Harry said, biting into his bagel.
"Well?!" Ron still looked to be on tenterhooks.
Drinking from his thermos of tea, Harry told them all about his "date". He finished the story, saying, "He wanted me to choose which girls I wanted to get to know better on appearance alone! How awful is that?"
"Terrible!" Hermione agreed.
But Ron said, "Terrible?! Hermione, Harry got to choose fifteen gorgeous witches to date! That's every wizard's dream!" "Yeah, well, it was more like a nightmare for me. This gothic girl was furious that I didn't pick her, so she started beating me with this whip thing until Bagman and Madam Rosmerta pulled her off!" Harry complained.
Ron didn't stop laughing until he caught Hermione's warning glance. "Sorry, mate, I didn't mean to laugh." Harry couldn't help but chuckle himself. "That's alright, I'd be laughing if it were you!"
The next week was pretty stressful for Harry. He had at least two girls from the contest in every one of his classes, and they kept waving and winking at him. To add to his stress load, Snape seemed to hate Harry even more now that he had his own WB show, and he gave him three times the homework that he assigned everyone else. Hermione had come up with dozens of date ideas while reading about secret chambers in Hogwarts: A History. She'd also borrowed Lavender's magazine, Wicked Witch, from which she devised even more plans for Harry and the witches. She sent all of her ideas to Bagman immediately, and he wrote back, sounding as though he highly approved of all her ideas. Harry was going to have three dates over the weekend. Tonight, he was going to the Hogwarts library with five girls to test out Hermione's theory that "the books a girl reads will tell you a lot about her". Tomorrow night, he was to go dancing at a nightclub called The Fairy Ring in Hogsmeade with five different witches. Finally, on Sunday, he was going flying with the five remaining witches.
To My Ever-So-Helpful Reviewers
animegirl-mika: Yeah, poor Harry. But hey, on the bright side, he has four books written about them, and they're all best-sellers! If he only knew.
Mondie: Hello, SuperReviewer, Mushy Banana Boy and Blinky182! Yes, I too heart Ludo Bagman. He's super, and should hook up with Rita Skeeter. Wow, if Conan O'Brien comes to your prom, can I come too? My life-long goal is to dance with him. Oh, I'm glad you like Padma 'cause she's gonna have a big part! Haha, no, it's not bad that you can hear you and I in that nerd's talking! We probably do sound like that! Why, yes! I am H/H! *Evil laughter* But you'll just have to see how the story turns out! You're a great pal, and I loved your review! Thank you, thank you, thank you! *Beams*
RedWingsChica14: *Tears up* Oh, thank you! You absolutely rock! And hey, you like the Red Wings! I must say hurray to this because I am a Michigander!
noodlejelly: *Gets all choked up* I. promised myself I. wouldn't. cry! *Bursts into tears anyway* Thank you! Yeah, Fred and George are my pals, as is good ol' Mr. Bagman. I suppose, since you asked, that I will let you in on my secret. *Whispers* It's going to be Harry/Hermione because I believe that they're destined to be together. Ah, crap, I posted my secret on the internet! Now everyone knows! Oh well, they were going to find out eventually anyway. Thanks again!
QueenOfBananas: I love your name, for I too am addicted to bananas! I'm mucho glad that you find my story interesting! Thank you veeery much!
qwert: Why, thank you!
Wolfbane: Aw, thanks! Oh. I'm terribly sorry, but I will be unable to hook Harry up with the attractive blonde girl that he didn't know. But don't worry, because someone in this story will end up with her!
fopalup: Oh, THANK YOU! That is so nice of you to say that! *Numerous hugs for you*
Shadow Pals: Thanks!
Anonymous Reviewer Whom I Shall Refer to As Ed: Yeah, I heard that J.K. Rowling wishes to hook Hermione up with Ron. But I simply must hook Hermione up with Harry because I feel that they would make the most awesome couple of all time. *Winces* I'm sorry! Please don't hate me! *Hands you a free T-shirt and batch of chocolate chip cookies for your trouble*
Anonymous Reviewer Whom I Shall Refer to As. Um. Eddie: Alrighty! Thanks for the review!
BitterSweet: Thank you for reading my story, and thank you for liking it! You're a swell pal, Newsette! *Hugs for you*
A tiny object floated in the air behind Bagman. Harry thought it looked like a very small video camera. "Mr. Bagman?" Harry inquired. "What's that floating behind you?"
"Oh, that's just a Memory Capturer. Takes pictures with sound, is all." Bagman smiled playfully. "Don't get out much, eh Harry? Oh! Delightful, here are the girls!" He pointed his wand at his throat, muttering "Sonorus" then at the camera, saying "Initiatal!"
Harry felt his stomach drop. Twenty-five beautiful girls were walking toward him, all dressed in glamorous dresses and beaming at him. Cho caught his eye immediately, and he couldn't help but gawk at her in amazement.
She wore a dazzling red, strapless gown, and her hair was done up in a stylish twist. That twist kind of reminded him of Hermione's hair at the Yule Ball last year. He laughed, remembering how that twist had fallen to pieces when she fought with Ron that night, and his nerves lessened considerably. That's what I'll do, he thought. When I get too nervous during this, I'll just think of my friends. Then he turned his attention to Bagman.
"Hello, I'm Ludo Bagman, and I'll be your host. I'm here at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where we'll be broadcasting from all month long! Now, let's meet our bachelor. Harrrrry 'The Boy Who Lived' Potter!" The Memory Capturer turned toward Harry.
"Harry is a fifteen-year-old guy in need of a prom date! He stands at five-foot-four, has black hair and green eyes. Harry spends his free time playing for the Gryffindor House Quidditch team where he's a Seeker. Now, let's meet the witches!"
The girls began to walk toward Harry. They all paused to smile and pose for the camera, and then proceeded to shake Harry's hand and introduce themselves. First up was Cho. "Hey Harry, I'm Cho." He smiled back. "I know. You look-"
But he never got to finish his sentence; more girls were already lined up to meet him. "Hey, I'm Jen."
"I'm Kelly."
"I'm Brayden." Harry couldn't catch half of their names, let alone take a good look at them, they were moving so fast. At long last, Bagman said, "And those are the witches! Join us after these messages for more of The Bachelor! .And we're clear! Good job, Harry, bravo. C'mon, grab some floo powder, we're headed to Hogsmeade!"
"What?" Harry said, caught way off guard. "Tonight?!"
"Well yeah," Bagman said in a matter-of-fact way. "Come on, the girls are already there!"
The next thing he knew, Harry was sitting in the Three Broomsticks surrounded by the twenty-five witches, trying to get to know all of them within the next fifteen minutes. He so wished he were back in his Common Room. This was too much to take in all at once. He had to eliminate ten of them tonight? How was he going to do that when he'd just met them all?
Just then, Bagman came over and sat with him. "Ready, Harry? Have you chatted with all the girls?"
"Chatted?!" Harry exclaimed. "I've hardly gotten a chance to meet them all!"
Bagman laughed. "True, true. But we do need to film as quickly as possible, Harry, so I'm sorry, but you will have to choose the fifteen girls that you like best tonight. Okay?"
Harry threw his hands up in exasperation. "But Mr. Bagman, I don't know which fifteen I like best! I haven't had a chance to speak to all of them! How am I supposed to know if I like them based on, 'Hi, I'm so-and- so"?
Bagman seemed to think this was the funniest thing he'd ever heard. "Oh, Harry! This episode is based merely based on looks alone! Which girls do you find the most attractive?"
Harry couldn't believe his ears. "What? But. that's not fair!" "What?" Bagman clutched something in his ear. "Oh! Sorry Harry, no time to discuss it, we're going back on the air now! Just. give one of these keys to every girl you like." He placed the keys on the bar with a jingle.
Harry's stomach knotted up, as he grew more and more nervous. Every witch in the bar was either smiling at him hopefully or glaring at him threateningly. One of the girls looked like she might hex him to death if he didn't pick her. He scanned the crowd of females for a familiar face. Ah, there was Ginny. She was smiling at him shyly. When his eyes met hers, she looked down, blushing profusely.
"Welcome back to The Bachelor!" said Bagman's voice. "Harry Potter will now choose fifteen of these twenty-five lovely young witches for possible prom dates! Go on, Harry. who will the lucky ladies be?"
"Uh. Ginny!" Harry said quickly. He saw one of the keys levitate toward her. She caught it and grinned, still blushing. "Cho!" Another key floated through the air, and was intercepted by Cho, who winked at Harry.
"Um. Jenny, was it? Lavender. Padma. um. Ashley?"
.+.~.+.~+.
"Harry. Wake u-up."
"Yeah, c'mon, Harry, you lucky git! Wake up and tell us about your date!"
"Date?" Harry slowly opened his eyes, and saw one large brown blur, and one large red one. He reached for his glasses, and noticed that he was on the Common Room couch. "You call that a 'date'?" Harry asked sleepily.
Ron and Hermione were standing over him, looking expectant. "Well, what would you call it?" Ron laughed. Harry groaned. "A mess." He sat up, and his friends sat on either side of him. Hermione rummaged through her backpack and handed him a bulging napkin. He unwrapped it, and found a buttered bagel held together with blackberry jam. "Did I miss breakfast?" he asked.
"Yes," Hermione answered, still fumbling through her backpack. She handed him a plastic baggie containing a turkey sandwich. Finally, she pulled a thermos and a can of pumpkin fizz from her bag. "You also missed lunch."
"Wow. I must have been really tired out. Thanks," Harry said, biting into his bagel.
"Well?!" Ron still looked to be on tenterhooks.
Drinking from his thermos of tea, Harry told them all about his "date". He finished the story, saying, "He wanted me to choose which girls I wanted to get to know better on appearance alone! How awful is that?"
"Terrible!" Hermione agreed.
But Ron said, "Terrible?! Hermione, Harry got to choose fifteen gorgeous witches to date! That's every wizard's dream!" "Yeah, well, it was more like a nightmare for me. This gothic girl was furious that I didn't pick her, so she started beating me with this whip thing until Bagman and Madam Rosmerta pulled her off!" Harry complained.
Ron didn't stop laughing until he caught Hermione's warning glance. "Sorry, mate, I didn't mean to laugh." Harry couldn't help but chuckle himself. "That's alright, I'd be laughing if it were you!"
The next week was pretty stressful for Harry. He had at least two girls from the contest in every one of his classes, and they kept waving and winking at him. To add to his stress load, Snape seemed to hate Harry even more now that he had his own WB show, and he gave him three times the homework that he assigned everyone else. Hermione had come up with dozens of date ideas while reading about secret chambers in Hogwarts: A History. She'd also borrowed Lavender's magazine, Wicked Witch, from which she devised even more plans for Harry and the witches. She sent all of her ideas to Bagman immediately, and he wrote back, sounding as though he highly approved of all her ideas. Harry was going to have three dates over the weekend. Tonight, he was going to the Hogwarts library with five girls to test out Hermione's theory that "the books a girl reads will tell you a lot about her". Tomorrow night, he was to go dancing at a nightclub called The Fairy Ring in Hogsmeade with five different witches. Finally, on Sunday, he was going flying with the five remaining witches.
To My Ever-So-Helpful Reviewers
animegirl-mika: Yeah, poor Harry. But hey, on the bright side, he has four books written about them, and they're all best-sellers! If he only knew.
Mondie: Hello, SuperReviewer, Mushy Banana Boy and Blinky182! Yes, I too heart Ludo Bagman. He's super, and should hook up with Rita Skeeter. Wow, if Conan O'Brien comes to your prom, can I come too? My life-long goal is to dance with him. Oh, I'm glad you like Padma 'cause she's gonna have a big part! Haha, no, it's not bad that you can hear you and I in that nerd's talking! We probably do sound like that! Why, yes! I am H/H! *Evil laughter* But you'll just have to see how the story turns out! You're a great pal, and I loved your review! Thank you, thank you, thank you! *Beams*
RedWingsChica14: *Tears up* Oh, thank you! You absolutely rock! And hey, you like the Red Wings! I must say hurray to this because I am a Michigander!
noodlejelly: *Gets all choked up* I. promised myself I. wouldn't. cry! *Bursts into tears anyway* Thank you! Yeah, Fred and George are my pals, as is good ol' Mr. Bagman. I suppose, since you asked, that I will let you in on my secret. *Whispers* It's going to be Harry/Hermione because I believe that they're destined to be together. Ah, crap, I posted my secret on the internet! Now everyone knows! Oh well, they were going to find out eventually anyway. Thanks again!
QueenOfBananas: I love your name, for I too am addicted to bananas! I'm mucho glad that you find my story interesting! Thank you veeery much!
qwert: Why, thank you!
Wolfbane: Aw, thanks! Oh. I'm terribly sorry, but I will be unable to hook Harry up with the attractive blonde girl that he didn't know. But don't worry, because someone in this story will end up with her!
fopalup: Oh, THANK YOU! That is so nice of you to say that! *Numerous hugs for you*
Shadow Pals: Thanks!
Anonymous Reviewer Whom I Shall Refer to As Ed: Yeah, I heard that J.K. Rowling wishes to hook Hermione up with Ron. But I simply must hook Hermione up with Harry because I feel that they would make the most awesome couple of all time. *Winces* I'm sorry! Please don't hate me! *Hands you a free T-shirt and batch of chocolate chip cookies for your trouble*
Anonymous Reviewer Whom I Shall Refer to As. Um. Eddie: Alrighty! Thanks for the review!
BitterSweet: Thank you for reading my story, and thank you for liking it! You're a swell pal, Newsette! *Hugs for you*