Chapter 7
"You know what, Fred? I reckon all these matchmaking aren't turning out well."
"But we must succeed! We can't let the future down!!!"
"That's why. So I've been thinking - "
"Since when did you start thinking, George?" Fred smirked.
"Shut up. To continue what I've been saying, I've been thinking of telling Harry to accept Gin."
"He won't listen. Even if he does, he won't have the courage to ask Gin. And I sometimes wonder if Gin even has the courage to accept."
"That's why we have to give the both of them lessons on love. We'll have to tackle the both of them."
"I think we should try something before we talk to them. We'll just try the last straw."
"What do you have in mind?"
"You know, Ginny really wants to learn to ride the broomstick well. We've been giving her lessons but she isn't good enough. We all know it. What about telling Harry to teach her? You know, this way they can get closer and learn more about each other."
"Hey, this is really a pretty good idea!"
"Tomorrow's Friday, Christmas Day, and that's when we have flying lessons too. We won't tell anyone, but we'll tell Ron to scoot off tomorrow. Gin and Harry will then find themselves stranded on the Quidditch Pitch!"
"And love will find a way." George smirked.
Fred sighed. "The things we do for our dearest family," he muttered.
***
The next morning, Ginny and Harry DID find themselves stranded on the Quidditch Pitch. Ginny was sitting on the ground, while Harry was pacing up and down impatiently, occasionally glancing at his watch.
"I guess we'd better start the practice without the rest of them. It seems like they have disappeared or something." Harry finally said.
"Okay." Ginny replied.
"So, erm, we can start flying." Harry said uncertainly.
"Yeah." Ginny mounted the broom and kicked off the ground.
Before long, both of them were flying, the wind sweeping their hair and caressing their cheeks. All the awkwardness between them had magically disappeared.
"Ginny, try a Wronski Feint!"
"But I can't! I'll crash!" Ginny protested.
"Go on, it's fun!" Harry insisted.
"I have no experience in it, Harry! I can't!"
"Ok then. Can you land for a moment?"
"Okay."
Ginny landed and Harry hovered a few feet above the ground.
"Climb on!" Harry motioned to Ginny.
"What?"
"Climb on! I'll do a Wronski Feint with you!"
"I - " Ginny protested feebly.
"Come on." Without waiting for Ginny to reply, Harry grabbed her and made her sit in front of him. Then he placed his hands around her and kicked off. He glanced at Ginny and found her blushing, and was suddenly jerked awake.
"She's Ron's sister!" he silently reproached himself. "How can I get so close to her?" He glanced at Ginny again, and studied her in detail. He hadn't really seen her so closely before, and was surprised that he hadn't discovered her beauty earlier. Ginny had grown to be very pretty, her flaming red hair flying, her cheeks a rosy red, and her big brown eyes clear as water. Harry actually found himself attracted to her.
"Prepare for the dive!" Harry said.
And they dived. Ginny squealed in fright and Harry tightened his arms around her. Just as they were about to crash, Harry pulled out of the dive just in time.
Ginny heaved a huge sigh of relief and smiled at Harry.
"Whew! That was quite exciting. Thanks."
"Welcome." Harry wasn't sure what to say. Then, a question just slipped out of his mouth.
"Ginny? Will you go to the ball with me?"
***
The twins returned from Hogsmeade with Ron. They had first gone to the Quidditch Pitch, only to find nobody there. They returned to the Gryffindor common room and were worrying about the success of their plan when they were greeted by Ginny as they entered.
"Hey, Fred, George, Ron! Where were you guys this morning? We were supposed to have Quidditch Practice, remember?"
"We were? Oh, sorry! We forgot! We only remembered that it was Christmas so we went to Hogsmeade to shop." Fred feigned surprise.
"So what happened, Gin? Did you practise as usual?" asked George cheekily.
"Oh, erm, yes, we practised as usual." Ginny started blushing, then walked back to her dormitory to avoid other forms of teasing.
Ron began to tackle Harry.
"So, Harry, how was Quidditch practice with Gin?"
"Yeah, it was quite okay." Ron noticed that Harry's eyes didn't quite meet his when he said that.
"What happened, Harry, buddy pal? Tell me!" Ron insisted.
Harry sighed. "Oh well, I asked Ginny to the Yule Ball." He blushed.
"Really?" Ron and the twins exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes."
"Oh, it's great! We've finally succeeded! Tell us, what exactly made you ask Gin to the Ball?"
"Oh well, we were flying, then I asked Ginny if she wanted to try the Wronski Feint. She was scared, so I erm. I."
"You what?" Ron asked impatiently.
"We did the Wronski Feint together, and then I realised how beautiful and sweet she was and. the question just slipped out of my mouth! And I just asked her, before even realising what I was saying!" Harry blushed a bright red. "I hope you don't mind, do you? Cos you are Ginny's brothers, and." He looked at them anxiously.
"Of course we don't mind! It's time for celebration!" George whooped. Fred threw sweets he had brought from Hogsmeade all over the place.
"It's soooooo romantic." murmured Ron. "How do you suppose I can ask Hermione to the Ball? Harry, you HAVE to give me some tips. I'm at my wits' end!"
"Hmm. I'm not a love expert. I suppose you could just ask her, couldn't you?"
"Hmm. Maybe."
***
Meanwhile, Ginny was lying on her bed in the dormitory. She couldn't believe it! Harry had just asked her to the Yule Ball as a date, not as a last resort!
She smiled to herself dreamily. She could already picture herself dancing with Harry in the Ball.
It was hard to believe. She was just a little nobody, Ron's little sister, and Harry actually noticed her! When they were flying!
When they were flying. Ginny blushed at the memory. Her heart leapt when she felt Harry's arms tighten around her, and she went a bright red when she felt Harry's warm breath on her neck. She felt herself flush hotly when she noticed Harry studying her. And he looked so cute when he asked her!
Thinking of the wonderful memories, Ginny fell asleep almost immediately. In her dreams, she dreamt of him.
***
The Christmas holidays passed by, and Hogwarts was buzzing with life once again. Everyone (especially the girls) were very excited about the Yule Ball (which they had just learnt of). Ron had finally gotten the courage to ask Hermione to be his partner, and to his delight, she had agreed. Ginny and Harry were now officially a couple, even though they haven't totally gotten over all the blushing and stammering.
It was finally the evening of the Yule Ball. Harry and Ron were waiting impatiently in the Gryffindor common room for Ginny and Hermione. Harry was extremely glad to see that Fred and George had kept their promises and bought new dress robes (dark-blue coloured with no frills or laces) for Ron.
The two girls were getting ready together, and audible giggles could occasionally be heard from the girls' dormitory. After what seemed hours, the two girls finally emerged. Ginny had on dark-blue coloured robes, with ringlets of flaming hair resting on her shoulders, while Hermione was clothed in forest-green robes, with her hair piled up into an elegant French twist. The both of them looked really pretty, and Harry and Ron seemed to be mesmerized.
The two couples danced the night away. For Harry and Ron, it seemed different from last year. They were dancing with people they liked, and they weren't dancing for the sake of dancing - they were dancing because they enjoyed it. Harry immensely enjoyed the feeling of having Ginny in his arms, her head rested on his shoulder. For Ron, the most magical moment was when Hermione admitted to him that she liked him. To Hermione and Ginny, that night was the most memorable of all. They would never forget it.
"You know what, Fred? I reckon all these matchmaking aren't turning out well."
"But we must succeed! We can't let the future down!!!"
"That's why. So I've been thinking - "
"Since when did you start thinking, George?" Fred smirked.
"Shut up. To continue what I've been saying, I've been thinking of telling Harry to accept Gin."
"He won't listen. Even if he does, he won't have the courage to ask Gin. And I sometimes wonder if Gin even has the courage to accept."
"That's why we have to give the both of them lessons on love. We'll have to tackle the both of them."
"I think we should try something before we talk to them. We'll just try the last straw."
"What do you have in mind?"
"You know, Ginny really wants to learn to ride the broomstick well. We've been giving her lessons but she isn't good enough. We all know it. What about telling Harry to teach her? You know, this way they can get closer and learn more about each other."
"Hey, this is really a pretty good idea!"
"Tomorrow's Friday, Christmas Day, and that's when we have flying lessons too. We won't tell anyone, but we'll tell Ron to scoot off tomorrow. Gin and Harry will then find themselves stranded on the Quidditch Pitch!"
"And love will find a way." George smirked.
Fred sighed. "The things we do for our dearest family," he muttered.
***
The next morning, Ginny and Harry DID find themselves stranded on the Quidditch Pitch. Ginny was sitting on the ground, while Harry was pacing up and down impatiently, occasionally glancing at his watch.
"I guess we'd better start the practice without the rest of them. It seems like they have disappeared or something." Harry finally said.
"Okay." Ginny replied.
"So, erm, we can start flying." Harry said uncertainly.
"Yeah." Ginny mounted the broom and kicked off the ground.
Before long, both of them were flying, the wind sweeping their hair and caressing their cheeks. All the awkwardness between them had magically disappeared.
"Ginny, try a Wronski Feint!"
"But I can't! I'll crash!" Ginny protested.
"Go on, it's fun!" Harry insisted.
"I have no experience in it, Harry! I can't!"
"Ok then. Can you land for a moment?"
"Okay."
Ginny landed and Harry hovered a few feet above the ground.
"Climb on!" Harry motioned to Ginny.
"What?"
"Climb on! I'll do a Wronski Feint with you!"
"I - " Ginny protested feebly.
"Come on." Without waiting for Ginny to reply, Harry grabbed her and made her sit in front of him. Then he placed his hands around her and kicked off. He glanced at Ginny and found her blushing, and was suddenly jerked awake.
"She's Ron's sister!" he silently reproached himself. "How can I get so close to her?" He glanced at Ginny again, and studied her in detail. He hadn't really seen her so closely before, and was surprised that he hadn't discovered her beauty earlier. Ginny had grown to be very pretty, her flaming red hair flying, her cheeks a rosy red, and her big brown eyes clear as water. Harry actually found himself attracted to her.
"Prepare for the dive!" Harry said.
And they dived. Ginny squealed in fright and Harry tightened his arms around her. Just as they were about to crash, Harry pulled out of the dive just in time.
Ginny heaved a huge sigh of relief and smiled at Harry.
"Whew! That was quite exciting. Thanks."
"Welcome." Harry wasn't sure what to say. Then, a question just slipped out of his mouth.
"Ginny? Will you go to the ball with me?"
***
The twins returned from Hogsmeade with Ron. They had first gone to the Quidditch Pitch, only to find nobody there. They returned to the Gryffindor common room and were worrying about the success of their plan when they were greeted by Ginny as they entered.
"Hey, Fred, George, Ron! Where were you guys this morning? We were supposed to have Quidditch Practice, remember?"
"We were? Oh, sorry! We forgot! We only remembered that it was Christmas so we went to Hogsmeade to shop." Fred feigned surprise.
"So what happened, Gin? Did you practise as usual?" asked George cheekily.
"Oh, erm, yes, we practised as usual." Ginny started blushing, then walked back to her dormitory to avoid other forms of teasing.
Ron began to tackle Harry.
"So, Harry, how was Quidditch practice with Gin?"
"Yeah, it was quite okay." Ron noticed that Harry's eyes didn't quite meet his when he said that.
"What happened, Harry, buddy pal? Tell me!" Ron insisted.
Harry sighed. "Oh well, I asked Ginny to the Yule Ball." He blushed.
"Really?" Ron and the twins exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes."
"Oh, it's great! We've finally succeeded! Tell us, what exactly made you ask Gin to the Ball?"
"Oh well, we were flying, then I asked Ginny if she wanted to try the Wronski Feint. She was scared, so I erm. I."
"You what?" Ron asked impatiently.
"We did the Wronski Feint together, and then I realised how beautiful and sweet she was and. the question just slipped out of my mouth! And I just asked her, before even realising what I was saying!" Harry blushed a bright red. "I hope you don't mind, do you? Cos you are Ginny's brothers, and." He looked at them anxiously.
"Of course we don't mind! It's time for celebration!" George whooped. Fred threw sweets he had brought from Hogsmeade all over the place.
"It's soooooo romantic." murmured Ron. "How do you suppose I can ask Hermione to the Ball? Harry, you HAVE to give me some tips. I'm at my wits' end!"
"Hmm. I'm not a love expert. I suppose you could just ask her, couldn't you?"
"Hmm. Maybe."
***
Meanwhile, Ginny was lying on her bed in the dormitory. She couldn't believe it! Harry had just asked her to the Yule Ball as a date, not as a last resort!
She smiled to herself dreamily. She could already picture herself dancing with Harry in the Ball.
It was hard to believe. She was just a little nobody, Ron's little sister, and Harry actually noticed her! When they were flying!
When they were flying. Ginny blushed at the memory. Her heart leapt when she felt Harry's arms tighten around her, and she went a bright red when she felt Harry's warm breath on her neck. She felt herself flush hotly when she noticed Harry studying her. And he looked so cute when he asked her!
Thinking of the wonderful memories, Ginny fell asleep almost immediately. In her dreams, she dreamt of him.
***
The Christmas holidays passed by, and Hogwarts was buzzing with life once again. Everyone (especially the girls) were very excited about the Yule Ball (which they had just learnt of). Ron had finally gotten the courage to ask Hermione to be his partner, and to his delight, she had agreed. Ginny and Harry were now officially a couple, even though they haven't totally gotten over all the blushing and stammering.
It was finally the evening of the Yule Ball. Harry and Ron were waiting impatiently in the Gryffindor common room for Ginny and Hermione. Harry was extremely glad to see that Fred and George had kept their promises and bought new dress robes (dark-blue coloured with no frills or laces) for Ron.
The two girls were getting ready together, and audible giggles could occasionally be heard from the girls' dormitory. After what seemed hours, the two girls finally emerged. Ginny had on dark-blue coloured robes, with ringlets of flaming hair resting on her shoulders, while Hermione was clothed in forest-green robes, with her hair piled up into an elegant French twist. The both of them looked really pretty, and Harry and Ron seemed to be mesmerized.
The two couples danced the night away. For Harry and Ron, it seemed different from last year. They were dancing with people they liked, and they weren't dancing for the sake of dancing - they were dancing because they enjoyed it. Harry immensely enjoyed the feeling of having Ginny in his arms, her head rested on his shoulder. For Ron, the most magical moment was when Hermione admitted to him that she liked him. To Hermione and Ginny, that night was the most memorable of all. They would never forget it.