Raven: The Professional Troublemaker
by: Serena-chan
A/N: Bet you all thought I was gone for good! Well, after suffering from a long bout of depression, and a severe case of writer's block, I think I'm finally ready to continue on with my fanfics. ______________________________________________________________ Part 7: Thursday
Ron sat at the kitchen table, munching on some cereal, and trying very hard to stay awake. He hadn't slept at all last night. He had been worrying far too much about the whole Ginny/Harry ordeal. Really, this whole thing was going way too far. He should just tell Raven that he quit. . .
"GOOD MORNING!!" Raven sang loudly in his ear, making his jump. Ron simply grumbled in reply. Raven plopped herself down chearfully into a chair next to him. "You look terrible," Raven told him bluntly. "Didn't you sleep last night?"
"No, I was up all night trying to figure out a way of telling you that I quit!"
"Don't be silly," Raven said, helping herself to an orange and a piece of toast. "You can't quit now. We've almost got them together."
"No, we don't," Ron argued. "Maybe Ginny's past this silly crush on Harry. Remember last night when you put the truth powder in Ginny's cup? She said she didn't have a crush on anyone."
"She doesn't," Raven said. "I talked to her last night."
"Then why are we still doing this?!" Ron was getting very frustrated by this point.
"Because, dummy, there are other forms of attraction besides just a silly little crush."
Ron stopped and thought a moment. "You're not telling me that she's actually in love with Harry?" When Raven simply nodded, Ron swallowed hard and said, "You're joking, right? It can't possibly be that serious?"
"Of course it is! That's why we've got to help them. Now finish your breakfast or we'll be late for phase four." With that, Raven got up and stalked from the room, leaving Ron with his own thoughts.
Maybe she is onto something, he pondered. After all, if Ginny really is in love with Harry, and he's in love with her, then they should be happy, right? Still, I'm not sure if I like this whole "matchmaker" business. . . but if I don't do what she says, she could tell Hermione about my feelings for her. I can't let that happen!
Jumping up from his seat, Ron dashed out into the living room where Raven sat waiting. "Took you long enough," she grumbled. "Now, today is phase four. That means that we have to lock them in a room for awhile to try and get them to chat some more. What room do you suggest we use?"
"Umm. . ." Ron thought for a moment. "Why don't we use the shed out back. That's where we keep all the brooms. Harry usually goes down there once a day to clean his Firebolt, and Ginny goes down there all the time because she has a few flowers she keeps in there."
"Perfect!" Raven clapped, "Why, Ron, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you're getting good at this."
Turning, Raven left via the back door. Ron, grumbling angrily due to Raven's last comment, followed.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
That afternoon, Harry was sitting on a turned over crate in the Weasley's shed cleaning his broom. He whiped at the handle distractedly looking at the cluttered walls around him.
The shed was rather small, but it certainly held a lot. Shelves lined the walls on either side. They were full of different gardening tools and bags of bird seed. Here and there Harry could make out some muggle object peaking through the clutter. He smiled to himself. Mr. Weasley's garage (where he kept most of his muggle contraptions) must be getting a little full.
In the corner, were Fred and George's brooms. There was only one window in the shed. It was located on the back wall. Under it, there was a small bench. Harry would have been sitting there, but the bench was lined with pots of different kinds of roses.
At that moment, Ginny entered the shed carrying a watering can. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, startled to realize she wasn't alone. "I didn't know anyone was in here. I'll leave."
"No, don't," Harry said quickly, "I could use the company."
"Alright," Ginny blushed. "I just came in here to water my roses."
"Are these yours?" Asked Harry, "Well, they're very beautiful." But you're even more beautiful, he added silently.
Ginny merely smiled and began to tend to her flowers. Harry stared at her as she worked. She really was beautiful. Her red hair was pulled messily into a ponytail, and her exposure to the bright summer sun had caused even more freckles to spred themselves across her cheeks.
Suddenly, the door to the shed slammed loudly shut, causing both of them to jump. "The wind must have blown it shut," Harry said after a moment of silence. He put his Firebolt down and went to door. "It's locked," he said in surprise, tugging hard at the handle.
"Oh, no!" Cried Ginny, panicking, "What are we going to do?"
"Well, I guess we're stuck in here," Harry said, trying to stay calm. (A/N: They can't use their magic to get out because they're not allowed to do magic during summer vacation. How terribly convenient. . . ^_~) He glanced up at Ginny who was looking very worried. "Don't worry, I'm sure someone will find us soon. With all the people in your house, it won't be long before we're missed."
He sat down on the crate again, this time a little to the side so there was room for Ginny to sit also. She smiled nervously at him before sitting down. There was a bit of an akward pause.
Harry couldn't stand the stillness, and so he broke it, saying the first thing that popped into his head. "Done any more drawings recently?" Drat! He didn't think he'd ever sounded so stupid in his life.
"A few," Ginny said, "What about you? Been practicing quiditch?"
"A little."
There was another akward silence in which both of them metally kicked themselves for not coming up with something intelligent to say.
It was Ginny who finally broke the silence. "Harry?"
"Yes?" He said quickly.
"I. . .well. . .never mind!" Ginny said, lowering her head.
"What is it Ginny?" He asked, shifting himself so that he could get a better look at her. "Is there something bothering you? You can tell me anything, you know."
"Anything?" She asked, meeting his eyes, an odd expression on her face.
"Anything."
Lowering her eyes slightly, she took a deep breath. "Who do you see when you look at me?"
Harry frowned, puzzled, "I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"Well, when you see me, in the halls at school for example, do you think of me as Ginny or 'Ron's little sister?'"
"Oh," said Harry, finally understanding the question. "Truthfully, when I first met you I did think of you as 'Ron's little sister,' but after the . . . er. . . 'incident' at the end of that year, you were always Ginny to me."
"Oh." Ginny went red even though she looked pleased with his answer. "I know that was a bit of an odd question, but I'd been wondering. I'm so tired of just being thought of as 'Ron's little sister.'"
"I know what you mean," Harry said, finding Ginny very easy to talk to. "It's just like how everyone thinks of me as 'The Boy Who Lived.' They all see me as some magnificent hero who vanquished the Dark Lord, when really I didn't do anything at all. I just wish people would see me for what I truly am. I'm not a hero. I'm just plain Harry." He paused for a moment, thoughtful. "Ginny, what do you see when you look at me?"
She smiled at him. "I see a kind boy, who is loyal and would do anything to help a friend. He's a good quititch player, and he loves to pull pranks. He's done some extrodenary things in his lifetime, but he's only human. And burried beneath what everyone else percieves him as, is a normal boy who just wants a family."
Harry swallowed hard and took in a shakey breath. "You don't miss much, do you?"
"When you're as quiet as I am, people don't seem to realize that you're there. So, you see and hear a lot of things that most people don't pick up on."
"Ginny. . ." Harry started, but his voice trailed off. She was staring up at him with an emotion in her eyes that both scared and excited him. He reached out and took her small hand in his. The next thing he knew he was leaning towards her. Their faces were getting closer. . .
BANG! Harry and Ginny both leapt to their feet as the door to the shed was flung open. Fred and George burst in grinning. "Just getting our brooms," Fred said. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"I'll bet you didn't," Ginny muttered angrily, "but it's a good thing you did. We were locked in!"
"The lock on the door's really old," George said, shrugging. "I keep telling Dad he needs to replace it. Harry, you want to play some quititch with us?"
"Sure," he said, gather up his broom and following the twins out the shed door.
"Oh, and Ginny," Fred said, turning, "Mom wants to see you up at the house."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Noooo!" Groaned Raven from their hiding place behind the shed. "I am going to murder your brothers!"
"I know," Ron calmly agreed. "They were pretty close, weren't they?"
"They were extremely close!" Raven started to leave, but paused and said, "Just don't forget to meet me tomarrow for phase five, and don't look so miserable." She added, seeing his dismayed look, "This will all be over soon anyway."
A/N: Bet you all thought I was gone for good! Well, after suffering from a long bout of depression, and a severe case of writer's block, I think I'm finally ready to continue on with my fanfics. ______________________________________________________________ Part 7: Thursday
Ron sat at the kitchen table, munching on some cereal, and trying very hard to stay awake. He hadn't slept at all last night. He had been worrying far too much about the whole Ginny/Harry ordeal. Really, this whole thing was going way too far. He should just tell Raven that he quit. . .
"GOOD MORNING!!" Raven sang loudly in his ear, making his jump. Ron simply grumbled in reply. Raven plopped herself down chearfully into a chair next to him. "You look terrible," Raven told him bluntly. "Didn't you sleep last night?"
"No, I was up all night trying to figure out a way of telling you that I quit!"
"Don't be silly," Raven said, helping herself to an orange and a piece of toast. "You can't quit now. We've almost got them together."
"No, we don't," Ron argued. "Maybe Ginny's past this silly crush on Harry. Remember last night when you put the truth powder in Ginny's cup? She said she didn't have a crush on anyone."
"She doesn't," Raven said. "I talked to her last night."
"Then why are we still doing this?!" Ron was getting very frustrated by this point.
"Because, dummy, there are other forms of attraction besides just a silly little crush."
Ron stopped and thought a moment. "You're not telling me that she's actually in love with Harry?" When Raven simply nodded, Ron swallowed hard and said, "You're joking, right? It can't possibly be that serious?"
"Of course it is! That's why we've got to help them. Now finish your breakfast or we'll be late for phase four." With that, Raven got up and stalked from the room, leaving Ron with his own thoughts.
Maybe she is onto something, he pondered. After all, if Ginny really is in love with Harry, and he's in love with her, then they should be happy, right? Still, I'm not sure if I like this whole "matchmaker" business. . . but if I don't do what she says, she could tell Hermione about my feelings for her. I can't let that happen!
Jumping up from his seat, Ron dashed out into the living room where Raven sat waiting. "Took you long enough," she grumbled. "Now, today is phase four. That means that we have to lock them in a room for awhile to try and get them to chat some more. What room do you suggest we use?"
"Umm. . ." Ron thought for a moment. "Why don't we use the shed out back. That's where we keep all the brooms. Harry usually goes down there once a day to clean his Firebolt, and Ginny goes down there all the time because she has a few flowers she keeps in there."
"Perfect!" Raven clapped, "Why, Ron, if I didn't know better, I'd say that you're getting good at this."
Turning, Raven left via the back door. Ron, grumbling angrily due to Raven's last comment, followed.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
That afternoon, Harry was sitting on a turned over crate in the Weasley's shed cleaning his broom. He whiped at the handle distractedly looking at the cluttered walls around him.
The shed was rather small, but it certainly held a lot. Shelves lined the walls on either side. They were full of different gardening tools and bags of bird seed. Here and there Harry could make out some muggle object peaking through the clutter. He smiled to himself. Mr. Weasley's garage (where he kept most of his muggle contraptions) must be getting a little full.
In the corner, were Fred and George's brooms. There was only one window in the shed. It was located on the back wall. Under it, there was a small bench. Harry would have been sitting there, but the bench was lined with pots of different kinds of roses.
At that moment, Ginny entered the shed carrying a watering can. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said, startled to realize she wasn't alone. "I didn't know anyone was in here. I'll leave."
"No, don't," Harry said quickly, "I could use the company."
"Alright," Ginny blushed. "I just came in here to water my roses."
"Are these yours?" Asked Harry, "Well, they're very beautiful." But you're even more beautiful, he added silently.
Ginny merely smiled and began to tend to her flowers. Harry stared at her as she worked. She really was beautiful. Her red hair was pulled messily into a ponytail, and her exposure to the bright summer sun had caused even more freckles to spred themselves across her cheeks.
Suddenly, the door to the shed slammed loudly shut, causing both of them to jump. "The wind must have blown it shut," Harry said after a moment of silence. He put his Firebolt down and went to door. "It's locked," he said in surprise, tugging hard at the handle.
"Oh, no!" Cried Ginny, panicking, "What are we going to do?"
"Well, I guess we're stuck in here," Harry said, trying to stay calm. (A/N: They can't use their magic to get out because they're not allowed to do magic during summer vacation. How terribly convenient. . . ^_~) He glanced up at Ginny who was looking very worried. "Don't worry, I'm sure someone will find us soon. With all the people in your house, it won't be long before we're missed."
He sat down on the crate again, this time a little to the side so there was room for Ginny to sit also. She smiled nervously at him before sitting down. There was a bit of an akward pause.
Harry couldn't stand the stillness, and so he broke it, saying the first thing that popped into his head. "Done any more drawings recently?" Drat! He didn't think he'd ever sounded so stupid in his life.
"A few," Ginny said, "What about you? Been practicing quiditch?"
"A little."
There was another akward silence in which both of them metally kicked themselves for not coming up with something intelligent to say.
It was Ginny who finally broke the silence. "Harry?"
"Yes?" He said quickly.
"I. . .well. . .never mind!" Ginny said, lowering her head.
"What is it Ginny?" He asked, shifting himself so that he could get a better look at her. "Is there something bothering you? You can tell me anything, you know."
"Anything?" She asked, meeting his eyes, an odd expression on her face.
"Anything."
Lowering her eyes slightly, she took a deep breath. "Who do you see when you look at me?"
Harry frowned, puzzled, "I'm not quite sure what you mean."
"Well, when you see me, in the halls at school for example, do you think of me as Ginny or 'Ron's little sister?'"
"Oh," said Harry, finally understanding the question. "Truthfully, when I first met you I did think of you as 'Ron's little sister,' but after the . . . er. . . 'incident' at the end of that year, you were always Ginny to me."
"Oh." Ginny went red even though she looked pleased with his answer. "I know that was a bit of an odd question, but I'd been wondering. I'm so tired of just being thought of as 'Ron's little sister.'"
"I know what you mean," Harry said, finding Ginny very easy to talk to. "It's just like how everyone thinks of me as 'The Boy Who Lived.' They all see me as some magnificent hero who vanquished the Dark Lord, when really I didn't do anything at all. I just wish people would see me for what I truly am. I'm not a hero. I'm just plain Harry." He paused for a moment, thoughtful. "Ginny, what do you see when you look at me?"
She smiled at him. "I see a kind boy, who is loyal and would do anything to help a friend. He's a good quititch player, and he loves to pull pranks. He's done some extrodenary things in his lifetime, but he's only human. And burried beneath what everyone else percieves him as, is a normal boy who just wants a family."
Harry swallowed hard and took in a shakey breath. "You don't miss much, do you?"
"When you're as quiet as I am, people don't seem to realize that you're there. So, you see and hear a lot of things that most people don't pick up on."
"Ginny. . ." Harry started, but his voice trailed off. She was staring up at him with an emotion in her eyes that both scared and excited him. He reached out and took her small hand in his. The next thing he knew he was leaning towards her. Their faces were getting closer. . .
BANG! Harry and Ginny both leapt to their feet as the door to the shed was flung open. Fred and George burst in grinning. "Just getting our brooms," Fred said. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"I'll bet you didn't," Ginny muttered angrily, "but it's a good thing you did. We were locked in!"
"The lock on the door's really old," George said, shrugging. "I keep telling Dad he needs to replace it. Harry, you want to play some quititch with us?"
"Sure," he said, gather up his broom and following the twins out the shed door.
"Oh, and Ginny," Fred said, turning, "Mom wants to see you up at the house."
~*~ ~*~ ~*~
"Noooo!" Groaned Raven from their hiding place behind the shed. "I am going to murder your brothers!"
"I know," Ron calmly agreed. "They were pretty close, weren't they?"
"They were extremely close!" Raven started to leave, but paused and said, "Just don't forget to meet me tomarrow for phase five, and don't look so miserable." She added, seeing his dismayed look, "This will all be over soon anyway."