Ariella

A/N: This is about a 3rd-year Ravenclaw who has a crush on Ron Weasley, but he doesn't know she exists. She's friends with Ginny, which is how she knows him. I'm going to pretend she meets him in Harry's fourth year. And there's some romance…but not with the obvious person! (And no, it's not Ginny, you sick perverts. ^_^)

Disclaimer: J.K owns EVERYTHING. Hail the great and wonderful JKR!!!!! *bows down*

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Chapter 1

"He's so funny," Ariella sighed to herself, sitting at a table in the library and watching Ron Weasley two tables over. Besides being two tables over, he was a year older also. Ariella was only in third year, and Ron and his friends were in fourth.

"I don't know why you like my brother, Ari," her best friend (Ginny Weasley) said. "He's not your type at all."

"Well, yeah, but…He's so funny!" Ariella fell at once for guys who were funny enough.

Ginny shook her head impatiently. "Actually, Harry Potter's more your type…But could you go for somebody else?"

"Oh, neither of them know I exist anyway, so what does it matter if I like them?" Ariella sighed.

"Yeah, I guess," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. Even though she liked Harry Potter, she seemed quick to judge Ariella when she liked Ron Weasley. "If you like him so much, let's go over and say hi."

"No!" Ariella said, panicked. She gave the round table a deathgrip.

Ginny sighed. "C'mon, Ari." She started tugging on Ariella's arm impatiently. When she had no success, she said, grinning, "Okay, if you won't come to them, I'll make them come to you. Hey, Harry, Ron!" she called.

Ariella gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"It's for your own good," Ginny said, as Harry and Ron looked up. Ariella's eyes widened miserably as she realized Ginny was going to introduce her to Harry Potter. Harry Potter was a celebrity. He was probably big-headed. God, how fun. And he was so brave, anyway. Was her hair all right? Ariella banged her head down on the table in resignation. "Could you come help me with Ariella here? She says she'll kill someone before she goes to Potions today."

"Oh, great," Ariella hissed. "You had to not only get them over here; you had to make me a psycho who's afraid to go to Potions as well." A girl was coming over with Harry and Ron, Ariella noticed. Oh, God. She was probably going out with Ron. She groaned inwardly.

"Hey Ron, Harry, Hermione," Ginny said brightly. "Ariella's giving this table a deathgrip; I need some help getting her off. She's refusing to take the Potions test today."

"Hi. I'm Ariella Zuniga, 3rd Year Ravenclaw. If you make me go to Potions, I'll rip your head off and then force your best friend to make a poison so I can give it to Snape and kill him too!" Ariella said brightly, and then her eyes widened in horror. She'd just said that in front of Harry Potter! He was a celebrity! The teachers were probably all wonderful to him, or he was a teacher's pet. He probably liked Snape. Ariella shuddered involuntarily.

Then, to her complete surprise, Harry Potter started laughing. "Wow, that's a good one," he said. "I won't make you go to Potions now! Well, actually, maybe I will, so I can see you force-feed Snape that poison. I'm Harry…Harry Potter."

"Yeah, I knew that." Ariella forced herself not to look at his scar, let alone stare at it. She laughed nervously. "Er…hi."

Ron Weasley laughed too. She'd made him laugh! It was all she could do not to squeal in excitement. "I'm Ron Weasley. I see you know my sister Ginny. I don't blame you for not going to Potions. I hate Snape."

"Oh come on, Harry and Ron," the girl said. "Snape's a teacher. You shouldn't talk about him like that," she said, looking at Ariella disapprovingly.

Ariella stopped herself from glaring at the girl too hard. A goody-two-shoes.

"Aw, Hermione," Ron said. "You remind me of McGonagall sometimes." Ariella grinned slightly. Hermione's stern look at the moment was rather reminiscent of Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration teacher.

"Hey, little girl," Ron said. "You're too young to laugh at my jokes," he said importantly. Ariella assumed it was a joke, and laughed half-heartedly.

"You can laugh at my jokes anytime you want," Harry said generously. "Er…what was your name again?"

Ariella laughed. "Ariella. Call me Ari."

"Okay, Ari."

"You should go to Potions," Hermione said importantly. "As a prefect, I could give you a detention for skipping class."

"Don't be mean, Hermione," Harry said. "We just met the girl!"

Ariella smiled. "I should go anyway. Bye," she said, getting up from the table and exiting the library, with Ginny right behind her. "So, where am I going to go now, since I don't really have a Potions class, Ginny?" Ariella said absentmindedly, being sarcastic.

"How about you go to the dungeons and disrupt the Potions class? It would serve you right!" Ginny said hotly, yelling at her.

"What?" Ariella said, shocked. Ginny had never yelled at her like this before. "What did I do?"

"You know I like Harry! How dare you flirt with him!"

"Flirt?" Ariella said, bewildered. "But I was just talking to him--"

"You really expect me to believe that?" Ginny yelled. "Go to your bloody imaginary Potions class, and I hope you fail it!" She ran off into the crowd. People started staring at Ariella.

Ariella felt terrible. She hadn't done anything, but she had no reputation now, because Ginny had been her only cool friend. And she'd yelled at her for supposedly flirting with Harry Potter, which she hadn't done. How could she even suppose she had a chance with him? He was a year older. And he was a celebrity.

Ariella sighed.

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A/N: So, what'll happen next? This is another attempt at a cute romance story for me, and it's about an original character (Ariella), so please review, or read my other romance story about the Marauders (Disguised)! That one's finished!

~Hermione2