A/N: Thank you Imp, Frederick, Persephonie, Eraserhead, gibson girl, Josephine, Sache, and Lazile for your reviews. I feel so special now :*).

And now, at "long" last, the fifth chapter. I'm a bit hesitant to post this right now, but I'm in a bit of a hurry as well, so enjoy. Kind of cute, kind of morbid, and like I said in my profile: big cliffhanger.

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Chapter Five
The Greatest Day

            Yet another Thursday morning. Ginny sat in her usual place, still too nervous to actually go out and sit in the bleachers like Harry had offered. Becky wasn't able to join her today; though she was looking better, she was still feeling ill and decided to just stay in. Hence, she sat alone at the window, goggling at her favourite celebrity. Only now, he seemed so much more than that. She was beginning to see a future with him. Maybe she was just young, and she was in over her head. Maybe not.

            He watched him as he exited the locker rooms, his broom in his hand. Almost instantly, his head turned and spotted her at her ledge. He grinned up at her, waving slightly.

            Taken aback, she blushed and meekly waved back. He then beckoned her insistently to come down and watch from the stands. Suddenly spotting Ron, she shook her head fervently and pointed behind him. He turned around just in time to see Ron walking past him onto the field.

            And as he passed, Harry just looked up at her, rolled his eyes, and beckoned her to the field again. Smiling sheepishly, she disappeared from the windowsill and quickly got dressed, careful not to wake the other four. Casting a brief curious glance at Rebecca and then at Daphne, she turned and left the room.

            She was soon walking across the lawn to the bleachers. She tugged at her thin coat against the cold temperature, shivering slightly while she walked through the ankle-deep snow.

            Winter. I hate winter.

            As she took a seat, she saw Harry wave at her again; again, she waved back. She then saw Ron, again had that suspicious look upon his face as he spotted Harry walking up to his little sister. Ginny fought down a laugh and a blush at the same time.

            "You showed up," called out Harry as he came closer. Unsuccessful at her battle, she felt a tingling in her cheeks.

            "You told me to," she countered.

            "Are you saying you didn't want to?" said Harry with a raised eyebrow.

            "I didn't say anything," she said, raising her eyebrows as well.

            Chuckling, they were almost too distracted to hear a loud whistle from above them. Ginny looked up to see Ron on his broom, looking down on them disdainfully.

            "Harry!" he yelled down, not hiding the impatience in his voice. Harry turned and looked up at his best friend. Ron shouted to him again.

            "C'mon! Practice is about to start!"

            Ginny was fairly surprised to see a vague shade of red come across his face, but didn't get her hopes up. It was pretty cold today.

            He turned back to her. "Practice is about to start," he repeated. She smirked softly.

            "But after it ends," he added on, "just wait for me here, okay?"

            As she nodded, she blushed even deeper. Blame it on the weather, she thought to herself with ease.

            With that, he walked out to the field, mounted his broom, and kicked off from the ground. Once he met Ron's level, she could see Ron mouth to him: "What were you doing," it looked like.

            Ginny finally couldn't help it and snickered.

            Braving the weather for two hours, she sat through the practice, getting a fairly better view at Harry as he glided through the air above her. Every once in a while he'd wave down at her. At one point he would even wink at her and then look over to see Ron's reaction.

            Harry didn't think that being near the goal post was the reason the Quaffle swerved so close to his head.

After he ducked, he looked down at her with smiling eyes. She giggled... Hmm, she did, didn't she? She was one who usually smirked or chuckled; she couldn't remember the last time she'd giggled. Whenever it was, Harry was probably involved.

And Harry had changed so much over the past year. A lot seemed to think he would be a bitter person, with all that happened at the end of his fourth year. But if anything, he had become even more outgoing and had developed quite a sense of humour. Well, that much was obvious.

            Practice was soon over, and the moment Ron had disappeared behind the locker room door, Harry walked up to her, smiling broadly.

            "Did you see his face?" he said, laughing.

            Also laughing, she nodded. "Why did you do that?" she asked him, half scolding and half flattered.

            "Well, again, did you see his face?"

            They laughed for a few more seconds before Harry spoke again.

            "Well, I've got to go change. You don't mind waiting a few more minutes?"

            Ginny shivered somewhat as a breeze floated by. However, she shook her head in response to the question.

            "Are you cold?" asked Harry, looking at her with mild concern.

            "I'll be fine," said Ginny modestly. "Weasleys are immune to practically everything --"

            "Here," he said, taking off his cloak and handing it to her. "I won't be long."

            This time, her blush went past the red of her hair. She wrapped the heavy cloak around her, already warmed.

            "Thank you," she said demurely.

            Nodding in acknowledgment, he turned and headed to the locker rooms. Ron was then coming out, a suspicious glare still on his face, but decided not to say anything as he passed. She looked curiously after him, but then saw where he was going: Hermione was waiting for him on the steps.

            I guess they are kind of a cute couple...

            She waited there ten or so minutes when Harry came back out, dressed in normal attire. She came down from the stands to meet him.

            "Hello again," he said to her good-naturedly.

            "Hi," said Ginny. She began to take off the cloak, about to give it back.

            "Keep it," he said, wrapping it back around her. "I'm not that cold."

            Damn it, Ginny! Stop blushing!

            "Well, we have to go inside in a few anyway," she said. "Breakfast is about to start."

            "Let's go in after it starts," said Harry quietly. "Ron doesn't seem to be a big fan to the idea of us hanging out. Don't really know why: it's not like we're dating or anything..."

            Ginny's expression faltered in the slightest.

            "He might think that we will be," she suggested without much thought. This earned a curious stare from him for a fleeting moment.

            "Well," he said, "either way, you never know when he might be hiding behind one of those doors, waiting to impale me."

            Ginny smiled. "Alright, we'll stay out."  

            Ginny, who had spent most of her time that day wondering around with Harry, only returned to her dormitory once that day (minus turning in for the evening) to check on her friend's condition. But oddly enough, luck was with her today - you know what I mean by her, I'm sure - and once was all she needed.

            "Do you think Hermione would like this?" asked Ginny, holding out some scarlet robes. Harry shrugged.

            "Personally, I think she'd prefer a book," answered Harry, "but I suppose she'd like that."

            Ginny looked at the robes in concentration, trying to picture them on Hermione. Glancing at the price tag, her concentration was thrown off, and she put them back.

            "Perhaps I'll just get her a book," she said finally. "What did you get her?"

            "A book."

            "I see," she said flatly. "Let's go get Ron's present first."

            "Honeydukes?" guessed Harry.

            "Yep."

            They walked out of Gladrags onto the crowded street. It had gotten colder, the snow on the ground slightly thicker and still falling.

            "We'd better go quick," she said. "It's getting rather dark."

            She was right. The overcast sky was now a deep, obscure gray. As they got closer, Honeyduke's came into view. Like most other places in the village, very crowded.

            "Perhaps we should just come back another time," advised Harry.

            "Yeah."

            The sky became dimmer and dimmer as they journeyed back to the castle, the snow crunching beneath their feet. Harry's faintly chattering teeth caught her attention as they neared their destination, but either way he hesitated going up the steps.

            "I don't want to go inside yet," he said. She stared at him questionably.

            "Harry, you're freezing," she persuaded. He just stared back, and she sighed.

            She frowned somewhat, beginning to take off the cloak again. He gave her a look.

            "Keep it," he said again. "I just want to stay out for a little while longer."

            "Are you sure?" she said worriedly, buttoning the cloak back up. "Perhaps we should just go inside..."

            "Well, actually, there was something I wanted to ask you before we go inside," said Harry in a lower voice. "You never know when Ron might be hiding behind one of those doors."

            She looked at him oddly. Before, she thought he didn't want to go in because of Ron. "What is it?"

            "Well, would you, er..." he sighed somewhat uncomfortably. "I was wondering...whether you, uh...had a date for the ball?"

            Quite involuntarily, her eyes widened as she looked at him. She could hear her pulse faintly in her ear as she switched her gaze to the frozen marble ground.

            "No," she said, trying to keep her voice in a normal volume. Harry smiled a bit.

            "Neither do I," he said, also looking away somewhere. This was awfully different. Harry wasn't usually withdrawn around her or anyone except Cho. True, it was surreal, but at the same time, it was kind of...flattering.

            "So...do you want to go with me?" he asked. She looked at him carefully, studying his face. She could sort of tell that he had gone red by the way his teeth had gradually stopped chattering.

            He seemed to be aware of her gaze and returned it, speaking up again. "Look, I know how upset you were last year, after I asked Cho, but you're the first person I've asked, I swear --"

            "Yes," she said simply, grinning.

            "Really?" said Harry, looking down upon her. "I won't be left moping with Ron in my dormitory again, will I?"

            She smiled. "Colin asked me last time, remember? So yes, I'll go with you," she said reassuringly.

            Simpering, he just responded with, "Okay."

            Ginny broke their gaze to glance at her watch in the dim light that was left.

            "Dinner is starting soon," she informed him. "Should we go in now or should we find some kind of explosive first?"

            "Do you know where we can find some explosives?" said Harry suggestively.

            Becky was fairly surprised to see Ginny come bounding excitedly into the room. She arched an eyebrow at her.

            "Long time, no see," she said with mild humour, staring at Ginny's bright face. Suddenly she stilled and looked at Becky with a serious expression.

            "He asked me," she said lowly. She didn't need to mention what he asked her. There was a small pause, in which Becky's eyebrow shot up.

            "Already?" said Becky emphatically to Ginny, putting her Charms report to the side of her on the bed. She nodded vigorously and then began to bounce up and down. Becky let out a half smirk, a small smile forming across her face.

            "Wow," she said in amazement. "That was fast."

            "I know!" said Ginny between bounces. "This is the greatest day of my life!"

            "Well, come on, out with it," said Becky, patting the bed beside her. "Tell me what happened."

            "I'll tell you on the way to the Great Hall," said Ginny, walking to the door. "Dinner's about to begin." Rebecca remained seated, smile fading slightly.

            "Aren't you coming?" asked Ginny, a bit more subdued as she looked. There was a short silence, in which Becky simply stared absently in at the wall, trying to decide if she should.

            "Rebecca?" she asked carefully. "What's wrong?"

            Finally, Becky shook her head and looked up at Ginny, smiling gently. "Still feeling a bit ill," she said quietly, getting up slowly. "Just a bit of nausea... I'm coming."

            Ginny waited for Becky to meet her at the door and together they exited the dormitory, about to head down the stairs when Becky stumbled with a gasp and almost fell. Instinctively, Ginny caught her by the arm and held her up slightly to keep her from tumbling down the stairs.

            "Careful," cautioned Ginny, letting go of her arm when she regained her balance.

            "Thanks," said Becky gratefully, now holding onto the banister. "That was a close one, huh?"

            "Yeah. Just keep hold of the rail--"

            "Ginny?"

            Ginny looked up at the sound of her name. The muffled voice sounded familiar and close by, but it didn't come from Rebecca. She didn't see anyone else there. But then she heard a door open behind her.

            "Hello?" she called back, glancing around. It was there that she spotted Daphne standing there in the doorway, her hair wet. Ginny fought to keep a casual expression on her face, unable to determine whether to be annoyed or scared.

            "Oh, there you are," said Daphne in slight relief. "I thought I was just hearing things."

            Ginny stared at her for a moment before replying with an anxious chuckle. "You weren't just in there," she said timidly.

            "I was taking a shower," explained Daphne, pushing a strand of her damp hair behind her ear. "And I heard a voice in the next room, and I went to see who was there, and no one was there and… Well, in short, you scared me."

            Ginny just looked from her to Becky, who looked back, and again to Daphne. No one said anything for a few moments. Daphne's brow furrowed.

            "What is it?" she asked. Absently, she looked in the direction in which Ginny had glanced, as if trying to find what she was staring at.

            Ginny swallowed slightly, glancing at Becky one more time and then once more at Daphne.

            "You don't see her?" she asked cautiously. Daphne returned the look.

            "See who?"

            Ginny's eyes widened in the slightest. "Becky. She's right here," she said slowly as if talking to a small child while she pointing to the girl next to her.

            Daphne's eyes widened as well.

            "Ginny," she said in the same register, "there's no one there."

            "Yes, there is," she said firmly, putting a hand on Becky's shoulder. "I'm touching her shoulder right now."

            Quite steadily and nervously, Daphne approached her, stopping in front of her and holding out her hand to Ginny.

            "You don't look very well," she said softly. "Come with me to Madame Pomfrey."

            As Daphne tried to claim Ginny's hand in hers, Ginny steadily backed away.

            "I'm fine, Daph," said Ginny, her voice shaking a little as she bumped into the railing. "How are you?"

            "It's okay," said Daphne gently, taking one of Ginny's trembling hands. "I'm here to help --"

            This sentence was never finished - in fact, it would be the last one Daphne ever said for quite a while - because Rebecca, who'd been doing some thinking while the other two were talking, had a sudden stroke of genius.

            "She said she's fine," said Rebecca sternly. She stepped forth, grabbed both of their wrists, and roughly yanked them apart. Ginny took a slight step backward when she was released to keep from falling; Daphne, however, was not as lucky.

Again, Ginny instinctively reached out to Daphne, but to no avail. The two girls watched in horror as Daphne tumbled down the stair, little terrified noises escaping her on each bump, until she finally came to a halt on the landing face-up with a rather nasty crack! Not making a noise, they looked upon her in pure shock for a few seconds, unsure of what to do except see if she would stir.

But she didn't. She did, however, show some small sign of life: breathing.

Becky was the first one to speak up, after looking grimly at the limp body at the foot of the stairs.

"We'll take her to the hospital wing," she said somberly and shakily, walking lethargically down the staircase to the unconscious Daphne. "If they ask, tell them I did it."

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Ah...one can only wonder what happens next. As soon as I finish my projects, perhaps I'll tell you. Well, thanks for reading, and tune in next time ;).