Chapter Three

Colin's Right

Harry stared at the chess set sitting on the table in front of him. Everything seemed to make sense on it – solid figures, some tapping their toes impatiently, all lined up neatly – and yet, he was stumped as to what to do next. Moving his pawn would surely mean his queen would be done for. But if he didn't move the pawn, he could be facing a checkmate in two moves.

" Would you think faster?" Ron moaned, reclining over the side of the chair, his face pulled into a sour little frown.

" Easy for you to say," Harry countered, " Since you basically have a guaranteed win. Well, fine." Harry moved his bishop instead, therefore putting another little barrier between his king and Ron's queen.

" HAH!" Ron thumped his knight down, seemingly flying it out of nowhere. The knight yanked the head off of Harry's bishop and then stomped on it (no religious offense intended!).

" See?" Harry exclaimed, " I can't win against you! You're brilliant at this! I forfeit."

" What are you so upset about?" Ron wondered, " You've been down all day."

" It's nothing," Harry replied, looking out the window at the dewy March morning, " It's not important."

*

Hermione pulled a book out of the bookcase in the library. The spine read Love Charms, and though she always felt such things were absolutely silly, for once she felt resolute about trying one. She had been up all night thinking about it; perhaps even distressing about how Harry and Ginny were already the most whispered-about couple of the ball. Everyone was saying that they were the cutest couple, and that they just always knew it would happen. She flopped the book down on the table and leafed through it. She came across the spell:

Two Couple Switch Off
Warning: Use only between two couples!

Gather an eye of newt, a pinch of ground wolfsbane, and
the smallest amount of copper powder. Mix together and
sprinkle it very finely on the food of all four people, while
chanting the names of the people you want to switch in the
couple. Here is an example, to make things clearer for us:

Gracie and Stu are going to the dance.
Emmy and Sam are going to the dance.
Gracie wants to date Sam. She puts
our spell powder on the food of all
four participants and whispers, "Gracie
and Sam, Stu and Emmy!" And by
the end of the night, Sam will fall for
her, and Stu and Emmy will fall for
each other, therefore eliminating any
hard feelings. SHORT TERM ONLY.

Warnings: Effects wear off after four days. Use that
time to make the person really fall for you.

Hermione reread the spell and sighed. If she were to go to the dance with someone expendable, then she could get that boy to fall for Ginny, and then she'd get Harry for herself. It felt almost like cheating herself out of love; but then the fact that the spell was temporary was enough to assure her. In those four days, she'd try her hardest to make Harry really fall for her. And once the spell wears off, and he really loves her by then, they'd be a couple.

But something felt so wrong, still, about cheating like this!

If Harry didn't like her, why force him to?

Hermione put her ill feelings aside, knowing that she just wanted this four-day chance. If it wouldn't work, she simply would give up. But if it did work, she'd be the happiest girl in the world.

*

Colin Creevey was busy polishing up his new camera. It was a gorgeous, sleek little thing, resembling the body of a cat's, black and smooth and all angles. He looked at it longingly as he polished it slowly and gently, imagining what it would be like to take his first few photos with it at the dance. Hopefully, the photos would be either of Harry or Ginny. Harry was his greatest idol, of course, but Ginny… Ginny was like the moon's wafting light; saying her name under his breath made his heartbeat increase as if he were taking a smell of good, strong coffee. And to have both Harry and Ginny going out would be twice as accomplishing for him – he'd be able to fit them both in a photograph!

He could hear it, then, footsteps approaching him from behind. He spun around and stared at whomever it was that had invaded his silence in the library. It was Hermione. She was clutching a book. He could make out the curlicue gold wording on it – Love Spells.

" Hermione?" Colin asked uncertainly.

Hermione looked unlike herself. She looked almost ravishing. She was flushed and her long hair was down and in a sea of dark waves around her face. Her dark eyes shone as she turned to look at him. "Oh! Hi, Colin!" She smiled brightly.

" I didn't recognize you at first," Colin admitted, " You look so excited. You're usually walking with your head down, staring at the ground."

She jostled the book in her arms so that the spine was facing away from Colin, before she continued: " I just happened to find a book I liked."

" Love spells? Who're you going to cast a spell on?" Colin joked.

" Oh, it's not for me," Hermione said, quickly, " My friend's too shy to get it for herself, so I got it for her."

" Was it Ginny?" Colin looked up at her hopefully.

Hermione looked at him intently, " Maybe. Why do you think she would?"

" Promise you won't tell anyone," Colin muttered darkly, " And I'll tell you."

" I promise," Hermione assured him.

" I sort of have a crush on Ginny," Colin said, " It's been like this for the whole year. I guess it all started when she helped me out with my Potions work. I was almost hoping that she's going out with Harry just since she knows I always tag along with him."

Hermione bit her lower lip excitedly. " This is perfect," She gushed, " Colin, I think you might be right."

" Am I?" He exclaimed.

" Not right about what you think, I mean, you're right for what I need you to do," Hermione was saying in a rushed voice, " You see, I need someone who likes Ginny to come with me to the dance. I plan to do a Couple Switch Off spell, and then you can be with Ginny and I'll be with Harry."

" You like Harry," Colin said dumbly, " But that doesn't make any sense!"

" Why not?" Hermione demanded.

" It's just…" Colin thought back to how he overheard Ron and Harry talking in the common room. " … Harry sort of figures you don't want to go with him."

" But that's silly," Hermione said, " I specifically told Ron I wouldn't mind going with Harry." Then, her heart thudded painfully – she had made it seem as if she had other plans. What if Harry thought that she was too busy to go with him? A new wave of hope ran through her in a sharp current.

" Hermione?" Colin asked, seeing how her face was alight with ideas.

" Well, that doesn't matter," Hermione said finally, " What matters is that we can still pull this Couple Switch Off. Are you up to it?"

Colin blushed and said, " I don't really know! Wouldn't that be cheating?"

" Nope," She replied, " The effects last only a few days. In that time, you have to try and make Ginny fall in love with you for real."

Colin sighed, " Are you sure you're just not jealous of Ginny? Maybe you just want to go with Harry all of a sudden because of Ginny."

" No!" Hermione exclaimed, " That's not it at all."

" I don't know," Colin said nervously, " It sure seems like it to me."

" Are you in it or not?" Hermione demanded.

" Fine," Colin answered, " I'm in."

Author's Note: Gary Skinner – You know what's very unusual? I was up all night planning out a story where Morpheus draws Harry and Hermione into the Sandman's world! It will take a few months to get it all together, and now I would have to reread the series to pick up on anything that would help me out. And then you mention doing the same sort of story in the review. Weird!

Anyone Else – www.geocities.com/writermaggie I've finally given myself a webpage… if the link to the left is not showing up then… *shrug*