A/N: Thanks to my Reviewers, I appreciate everything you've said. I love
that you're all so positive and your points are constructive. I know the
story's moving a little slow but I promise the pace will pick up a lot in
Chapter 5 ;)
Read and review! When people stop reviewing I lose the motivation to keep writing. Help me keep the story going!
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When Harry woke up the next morning, he knew exactly what he had to do. The solution was simple. He couldn't understand why it hadn't occurred to him before! He simply had to talk to Ginny and tell her what was going on. If he explained to her that he had a teeny tiny crush and that he had been avoiding her to get over it, she would understand. It wasn't like she had a crush on him anymore. She would probably just laugh at him. Maybe she'd be rude enough to make him stop liking her. Oh that would be perfect.
He prepared his speech all day long. During potions he accidentally added crushed Fwooper heart to his potion instead of Flobberworm mucus. Snape was still convinced that Harry had cheated on his OWL's in fifth year, and embarrassed him in front of the class as much as possible.
He also found himself mumbling a lot. People stared at him strangely during Transfiguration, and McGonagall eventually asked him if he had something to tell the class.
By dinner, he knew what to tell Ginny. His only task was to find a way to talk to her alone. Hermione was the only thing he could think of that could distract Ron for long enough. He decided to talk to her.
"I need to speak with Ginny alone tonight. I was hoping you could keep Ron in the Great hall for a while after I leave?" he asked before they headed downstairs.
"You need to talk to her privately?" Hermione squealed. She was positively delighted at the idea. "Of course Harry. I'll stall him for as long as I can. I'm sure I can give you plently of time to.say what you need to say" she said with a large wink.
"Erm.thanks 'Mione. I knew I could count on you" he replied. It was best to let her think whatever she wanted of the situation. This would all be over soon.
They sat down at the table and began to eat immediately. Ginny did not join them, but sat at the other end of the table chatting with Lavender, Seamus and Dean. Harry hoped she would go to the common room soon. His anticipation made it difficult to chew his food properly.
As the meal dragged on, Harry worried that she might sit at that table forever. She was chatting away gleefully with Dean, smiling her adorable smile. Harry was sure he liked Ginny's smile the most. Next to her gorgeous twinkling eyes of course. Her personality beat everything though. She was so.
She was getting up! She was waving goodnight to her friends and walking out of the room! Harry flung up from the bench, leaving a plate full of food.
"Oi, what's the problem mate?" asked Ron.
"I have to go to bed now" he said unconvincingly, quickly leaving the Great hall in pursue of Ginny. He couldn't let her get to bed before he got there, so he ran until she was in sight. "Ginny!" he called out to her. She stopped abruptly and spun around.
"Oh it's you Harry! You startled me" she said, waiting for him to catch up to her. "What is it?" she asked.
"I just wanted to talk to you about something" he said smoothly. He was impressed by the calmness of his own voice.
"Oh, alright! What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, as they reached the portrait hole and crawled through. Ginny walked towards the couches and Harry followed, sitting beside her.
"Well I just wanted to explain to you that I." he froze. This was the STUPIDEST idea in the world! What on earth had he been thinking! There was no way this was going to work; he would sound like a complete idiot.
"You what Harry?" she asked. "You wanted to explain to me that you...what?"
"I want to go to Hogmeade with you" he said calmly. What a perfect excuse.
"You.what?" she asked in complete shock. She looked as though the wind had been knocked out of her, and she placed her hand on her throat is disbelief. It suddenly registered in Harry's mind what he had said.
"I mean! Oh no, that's not what...you know" he stuttered, panic stricken. It had just come out! He had said it without even thinking. He hadn't planned to say it, but it had seeped from him uncontrollably.
"I'm not sure I understood you Harry" said Ginny, calmly again. "I think I heard you wrong" she added with a nervous smile. He had to cover it up somehow. There must be a way to conceal what he had meant.
"I said, I'd.well I'd really like it if you'd join me and the others on the next Hogsmeade trip. It's always more fun in a group, and I thought I could treat you all to some Butterbeer!" he rambled quickly. Her face returned to a normal color at his response, although she still seemed rather shaken.
"Oh, yes that would be nice" she replied. "Oh, no but wait.I couldn't, I've made plans to go with Dean this time" she said slowly. Now it was Harry's turn to be shocked. His face turned pale as his mind processed what she had said. Dean had dated Ginny for a short time last year, but they hadn't had anything in common. What called for this sudden reconciliation?
"Oh. That's too bad" Harry said blankly.
"Yeah, really!" she said sheepishly. "It's just that I promised I'd go with Dean. Today he spoke to me about getting back together. He said he misses me a lot, and he's changed a ton. He thinks we'd have much more to talk about nowadays."
"That's nice" he replied, void of any emotion. His mind felt blank. His plan had been to tell Ginny the truth so that he could try to get over her. Instead, he felt more emotion towards her than ever before. He was stricken with jealousy, but he could not let it control him. He had to get over this.
"Well I hope you have a good time" he said, his voice quivering.
"Oh Harry, I mean I'd really have loved to come with you all. I just promised Dean I'd give him another chance" she explained. "I'm not sure what will come of it. I don't know if I want anything to."
"Well I hope you have a good time" he repeated.
"Are you.Ok with that Harry?" she asked, secretly hoping he wasn't. She had only promised Dean because she had been sure Harry would never ask her. She was tired of wasting Hogsmeade trips waiting around for him to extend an invitation. He only wanted her to go with the group of them.this wasn't what she'd hoped for. She had to keep her promise to Dean.
"Yeah, of course" he lied. He wanted to scream 'NO!' a thousand times, but it wouldn't come out. He couldn't find it in him to ruin Ginny's chance with Dean. He would rather it be him accompanying Ginny, but if anyone else, Dean was a great guy. If Ginny was happy with him, Harry would be happy for Ginny.
"Um.I better go to bed now" she said slowly, hiding her
disappointment. She wanted him to scream that he wasn't ok with it.
She wanted him to protest with every possible excuse.
"See you in the morning" he replied with a false cheeriness in his
voice. It felt like Umbridge was back, burning words into his heart
rather than his hand.
Ginny got up and walked up the stairs, glancing back at him with a little smile and a wave. As soon as he was out of sight, tears started rolling down her face. She tried with all of her strength to hold them back, but as she entered her empty dormitory she started to cry uncontrollably.
She had tried to get over her ridiculous crush on Harry for the past 6 years. By her fourth year she had stared dating other guys in the hopes that they could take her mind off of him. She had obviously cared for those people, but it was never the same. Harry had a hold on her, and she couldn't escape it.
She wiped her tears away with her arm and buried her face in her pillow. She only wanted to know if this had been worth waiting for. What if she dated Harry only to find out that they had no chemistry; that they were obviously not meant to be? But she knew they had chemistry. She could feel it whenever he entered the room.
'He only asked me to go with the group' she told herself. 'He doesn't want me, he only wants to be my friend'. It wasn't fair. 'It must be Ron's fault' she thought. 'No. He has nothing to with this. Harry just doesn't like me' she sobbed.
A quiet knock sounded at the door. Alarmed, Ginny sat up and wiped her face off quickly. Nobody needed to know she'd been crying. "Come in" she called.
"Ginny?" said Hermione's voice as she entered the room. "Ginny, are you ok? What happened?" she asked, concerned by Ginny's puffy red eyes.
"Oh, nothing Hermione" she replied. "It just hasn't been a good day".
"What happened? Did Harry talk to you?" she asked.
"Yes, he did. He just wanted to invite me to join you all in Hogsmeade this weekend. Problem is, I've already promised I'd go with Dean" she said stuffily.
"He asked you to come with all of us?" asked Hermione, slightly confused.
"Yes. Not quite what I'd hoped for, but still an invitation" Ginny mumbled.
"That's strange" Hermione said, still confused. "I could have sworn he was going to ask you as a date. That's how he made it sound at least"
"Really?" said Ginny, hope arising inside of her. Maybe there was still a chance!
"Yes, really. Maybe he's afraid you don't like him back?" Hermione said. "I better go to bed though. We can talk again in the morning" she added, standing up to leave. "And don't worry Ginny, Harry's not the only guy we know who can't take a hint!" she said with a grin and a wink, exiting the room.
Ginny smiled. Hermione's visit had given her new hope. Maybe if she talked to Dean he might understand the situation. It would never work out with him anyways; they still had nothing in common. Maybe after she'd spoken to Dean she could talk to Harry. It was about time she confessed that her feelings for him were still strong. This was his final year; it was her last chance.
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Harry lay in bed regretting his entire conversation with Ginny. He shouldn't have talked to her, and he especially shouldn't have invited her to Hogsmeade with him. If she didn't even want to go with the group of them, there was no way she would have gone with him alone. It was a hopeless cause.
He fell asleep only when his mind was peaceful, imagining ways to torture Dean.
Read and review! When people stop reviewing I lose the motivation to keep writing. Help me keep the story going!
.................................
When Harry woke up the next morning, he knew exactly what he had to do. The solution was simple. He couldn't understand why it hadn't occurred to him before! He simply had to talk to Ginny and tell her what was going on. If he explained to her that he had a teeny tiny crush and that he had been avoiding her to get over it, she would understand. It wasn't like she had a crush on him anymore. She would probably just laugh at him. Maybe she'd be rude enough to make him stop liking her. Oh that would be perfect.
He prepared his speech all day long. During potions he accidentally added crushed Fwooper heart to his potion instead of Flobberworm mucus. Snape was still convinced that Harry had cheated on his OWL's in fifth year, and embarrassed him in front of the class as much as possible.
He also found himself mumbling a lot. People stared at him strangely during Transfiguration, and McGonagall eventually asked him if he had something to tell the class.
By dinner, he knew what to tell Ginny. His only task was to find a way to talk to her alone. Hermione was the only thing he could think of that could distract Ron for long enough. He decided to talk to her.
"I need to speak with Ginny alone tonight. I was hoping you could keep Ron in the Great hall for a while after I leave?" he asked before they headed downstairs.
"You need to talk to her privately?" Hermione squealed. She was positively delighted at the idea. "Of course Harry. I'll stall him for as long as I can. I'm sure I can give you plently of time to.say what you need to say" she said with a large wink.
"Erm.thanks 'Mione. I knew I could count on you" he replied. It was best to let her think whatever she wanted of the situation. This would all be over soon.
They sat down at the table and began to eat immediately. Ginny did not join them, but sat at the other end of the table chatting with Lavender, Seamus and Dean. Harry hoped she would go to the common room soon. His anticipation made it difficult to chew his food properly.
As the meal dragged on, Harry worried that she might sit at that table forever. She was chatting away gleefully with Dean, smiling her adorable smile. Harry was sure he liked Ginny's smile the most. Next to her gorgeous twinkling eyes of course. Her personality beat everything though. She was so.
She was getting up! She was waving goodnight to her friends and walking out of the room! Harry flung up from the bench, leaving a plate full of food.
"Oi, what's the problem mate?" asked Ron.
"I have to go to bed now" he said unconvincingly, quickly leaving the Great hall in pursue of Ginny. He couldn't let her get to bed before he got there, so he ran until she was in sight. "Ginny!" he called out to her. She stopped abruptly and spun around.
"Oh it's you Harry! You startled me" she said, waiting for him to catch up to her. "What is it?" she asked.
"I just wanted to talk to you about something" he said smoothly. He was impressed by the calmness of his own voice.
"Oh, alright! What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, as they reached the portrait hole and crawled through. Ginny walked towards the couches and Harry followed, sitting beside her.
"Well I just wanted to explain to you that I." he froze. This was the STUPIDEST idea in the world! What on earth had he been thinking! There was no way this was going to work; he would sound like a complete idiot.
"You what Harry?" she asked. "You wanted to explain to me that you...what?"
"I want to go to Hogmeade with you" he said calmly. What a perfect excuse.
"You.what?" she asked in complete shock. She looked as though the wind had been knocked out of her, and she placed her hand on her throat is disbelief. It suddenly registered in Harry's mind what he had said.
"I mean! Oh no, that's not what...you know" he stuttered, panic stricken. It had just come out! He had said it without even thinking. He hadn't planned to say it, but it had seeped from him uncontrollably.
"I'm not sure I understood you Harry" said Ginny, calmly again. "I think I heard you wrong" she added with a nervous smile. He had to cover it up somehow. There must be a way to conceal what he had meant.
"I said, I'd.well I'd really like it if you'd join me and the others on the next Hogsmeade trip. It's always more fun in a group, and I thought I could treat you all to some Butterbeer!" he rambled quickly. Her face returned to a normal color at his response, although she still seemed rather shaken.
"Oh, yes that would be nice" she replied. "Oh, no but wait.I couldn't, I've made plans to go with Dean this time" she said slowly. Now it was Harry's turn to be shocked. His face turned pale as his mind processed what she had said. Dean had dated Ginny for a short time last year, but they hadn't had anything in common. What called for this sudden reconciliation?
"Oh. That's too bad" Harry said blankly.
"Yeah, really!" she said sheepishly. "It's just that I promised I'd go with Dean. Today he spoke to me about getting back together. He said he misses me a lot, and he's changed a ton. He thinks we'd have much more to talk about nowadays."
"That's nice" he replied, void of any emotion. His mind felt blank. His plan had been to tell Ginny the truth so that he could try to get over her. Instead, he felt more emotion towards her than ever before. He was stricken with jealousy, but he could not let it control him. He had to get over this.
"Well I hope you have a good time" he said, his voice quivering.
"Oh Harry, I mean I'd really have loved to come with you all. I just promised Dean I'd give him another chance" she explained. "I'm not sure what will come of it. I don't know if I want anything to."
"Well I hope you have a good time" he repeated.
"Are you.Ok with that Harry?" she asked, secretly hoping he wasn't. She had only promised Dean because she had been sure Harry would never ask her. She was tired of wasting Hogsmeade trips waiting around for him to extend an invitation. He only wanted her to go with the group of them.this wasn't what she'd hoped for. She had to keep her promise to Dean.
"Yeah, of course" he lied. He wanted to scream 'NO!' a thousand times, but it wouldn't come out. He couldn't find it in him to ruin Ginny's chance with Dean. He would rather it be him accompanying Ginny, but if anyone else, Dean was a great guy. If Ginny was happy with him, Harry would be happy for Ginny.
"Um.I better go to bed now" she said slowly, hiding her
disappointment. She wanted him to scream that he wasn't ok with it.
She wanted him to protest with every possible excuse.
"See you in the morning" he replied with a false cheeriness in his
voice. It felt like Umbridge was back, burning words into his heart
rather than his hand.
Ginny got up and walked up the stairs, glancing back at him with a little smile and a wave. As soon as he was out of sight, tears started rolling down her face. She tried with all of her strength to hold them back, but as she entered her empty dormitory she started to cry uncontrollably.
She had tried to get over her ridiculous crush on Harry for the past 6 years. By her fourth year she had stared dating other guys in the hopes that they could take her mind off of him. She had obviously cared for those people, but it was never the same. Harry had a hold on her, and she couldn't escape it.
She wiped her tears away with her arm and buried her face in her pillow. She only wanted to know if this had been worth waiting for. What if she dated Harry only to find out that they had no chemistry; that they were obviously not meant to be? But she knew they had chemistry. She could feel it whenever he entered the room.
'He only asked me to go with the group' she told herself. 'He doesn't want me, he only wants to be my friend'. It wasn't fair. 'It must be Ron's fault' she thought. 'No. He has nothing to with this. Harry just doesn't like me' she sobbed.
A quiet knock sounded at the door. Alarmed, Ginny sat up and wiped her face off quickly. Nobody needed to know she'd been crying. "Come in" she called.
"Ginny?" said Hermione's voice as she entered the room. "Ginny, are you ok? What happened?" she asked, concerned by Ginny's puffy red eyes.
"Oh, nothing Hermione" she replied. "It just hasn't been a good day".
"What happened? Did Harry talk to you?" she asked.
"Yes, he did. He just wanted to invite me to join you all in Hogsmeade this weekend. Problem is, I've already promised I'd go with Dean" she said stuffily.
"He asked you to come with all of us?" asked Hermione, slightly confused.
"Yes. Not quite what I'd hoped for, but still an invitation" Ginny mumbled.
"That's strange" Hermione said, still confused. "I could have sworn he was going to ask you as a date. That's how he made it sound at least"
"Really?" said Ginny, hope arising inside of her. Maybe there was still a chance!
"Yes, really. Maybe he's afraid you don't like him back?" Hermione said. "I better go to bed though. We can talk again in the morning" she added, standing up to leave. "And don't worry Ginny, Harry's not the only guy we know who can't take a hint!" she said with a grin and a wink, exiting the room.
Ginny smiled. Hermione's visit had given her new hope. Maybe if she talked to Dean he might understand the situation. It would never work out with him anyways; they still had nothing in common. Maybe after she'd spoken to Dean she could talk to Harry. It was about time she confessed that her feelings for him were still strong. This was his final year; it was her last chance.
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Harry lay in bed regretting his entire conversation with Ginny. He shouldn't have talked to her, and he especially shouldn't have invited her to Hogsmeade with him. If she didn't even want to go with the group of them, there was no way she would have gone with him alone. It was a hopeless cause.
He fell asleep only when his mind was peaceful, imagining ways to torture Dean.