A Moment Like This
Chapter 4 – The Question
Colin cleared his throat nervously. Ginny cringed. "Ginny, I was wondering..." Here we are, the Question. What do I say? She came back to earth as Colin said, "...with me?"
Ginny sighed. "Colin, I'm sorry. I like you, but only as a friend. I hope this won't change anything between us." She silently prayed that he would understand. What she didn't expect, however, was for Colin to laugh at her.
"Ginny? Are you okay? Did you hear anything I just said?" Ginny shook her head. Colin threw his head back and laughed some more. Ginny could feel her temper getting the better of her, and her face growing hot.
"Well, I'm sorry! I don't think it's very nice to laugh at someone because they..."
Colin toned his laughter down to chortling, and said with a grin, "Ginny. I wanted to know if you'd mind asking Elizabeth to the ball for me." His eyes gleamed as he said that last. "You don't mind that I want to go with her, do you?"
Ginny found herself laughing out of relief. "No, no, of course not! Oh Colin, I thought you wanted me to go to the ball with you! It's just," she lowered her voice, " I've been waiting for Harry to ask. Not that I expect he will, but all the same..."
"Ginny. He's going to ask you. The whole boys' dormitory knows." The gleam had left Colin's eyes now, and was replaced by the serious tone in his fairly deep voice. "And, for my sake, whether you want to go with him or not, say yes." He gave her a small smile. "It'd break the bloke's heart if you didn't."
Ginny gaped at him. Harry's going to ask me? She grinned. "Thanks, Colin." She linked arms with him and walked back through the portrait hole to her group of friends. "Elizabeth! Come here for a second."
Harry glared at Colin as he and Ginny walked back in, arms linked. Beside him, Ron and Hermione didn't know how to cheer him up. Ron had looked like he'd wanted to go over and have a few words with Colin, but seemed to have decided against it. Harry wished he would have.
"Harry, you should probably stop making faces at them and congratulate them or something," said Hermione. She looked worried that he would turn around and yell at her.
"You do it if you want, I'm not," Harry spat. Why can't they see how horrible this is? Ron leaned over just then, with a look of concern on his face.
"Look, Hermione and I'll go over there, just to make sure that it's true. Okay?" Harry nodded dully. Hermione gave him one last scared look before linking arms with Ron and walking across the common room.
Harry watched them as they sat down with Ginny's friends and talked in low voices. Ginny looked up, and saw him staring. Harry looked away hurriedly; he didn't want her to think he cared. He could have sworn that Ginny had given him the slightest of smiles before turning to Hermione and Ron.
Minutes later, Hermione and Ron came back with silly grins plastered on their faces. Harry found himself wanting to curse them into next week, to wipe those stupid grins off their faces. He slumped back in his chair and asked listlessly, "Well?"
"Oh, Harry, you can stop the act. Ginny's not going out with Colin," Hermione said giddily. Harry looked up skeptically.
"She's not?" His heart leapt. If she's not going out with Colin, then why did he have to talk to her so badly? "What do you mean, she's not going out with Colin?"
"Exactly what it sounds like, you prat." Ron chuckled at Harry's expression. "Colin wanted her to ask her friend Elizabeth to the ball for him, he's too much of a wimp to do it himself." He lowered his voice so only Harry and Hermione could understand what he was saying. "Now, you git, get your sorry butt over there and ask my sister to the ball already. It's sickening how you two make googly-eyes at each other, but don't do anything about it."
"You're one to talk," Harry replied hotly. Of course, he was right. Ron and Hermione wouldn't have gotten together if Ron hadn't dedicated his song to her in the first place.
"Shut it, you." Ron looked embarrassed now. Harry couldn't help but notice the way Ron's arm tightened around Hermione's waist. Harry laughed; a sound that neither Ron nor Hermione had heard for a few days. He hoisted himself to his feet.
Turning to look at them, he said seriously, "If she turns me down, I'm going up to my dormitory. You two can put in a good word at my funeral. Okay?" His friends laughed. Harry straightened his robes, then started over to Ginny.
Everyone was congratulating Colin and Elizabeth when Ginny dropped a dish of Canary Creams. "Whoops," she said, scrambling to pick them up. When she straightened in her seat, Ron and Hermione were headed their way. Probably to congratulate Colin, Ginny thought. Sure enough, Ron sat down next to Colin and began making conversation. Hermione offered her best regards, then stooped to talk to Ginny.
"He's been worried that it was you," Hermione whispered. Ginny felt her face getting hot. She looked over at the table where the trio had sat seconds before. Emerald green eyes stared back at her. She smiled to herself. "Ginny! Don't look over there!" Hermione hissed.
"Sorry," Ginny said, lowering her eyes. "Second nature."
Hermione tutted softly. "Not surprised." Ginny laughed.
"And what of you, my friend, who keeps making puppy eyes at my brother?"
Hermione chose not to acknowledge Ginny's statement, as she and Ron rose from the table that second. Ginny turned her attention back to her friends. She had barely gotten a word out of her mouth when she heard a short bark of laughter. Harry. She knew the sound anywhere. Ron probably said something stupid, she thought. What surprised her the most when she brought her eyes up was Harry coming towards her.
Harry. Coming towards me. Her brain shrieked in excitement. She tried to remain calm, but for some reason, whatever Harry might say to her might send her over the edge.
"Hey." Smooth. Very smooth. That's all I could come up with? What am I, some sort of... Ginny was horrified. Luckily, Harry didn't seem to notice. Or care.
"Hi. Listen, Ginny, can I talk to you for a minute?" Harry's eyes darted around nervously. Ginny couldn't help but think he was more adorable when he was nervous.
"Sure." She stood up, and, just as she and Colin had done, went outside the portrait hole. Harry faced the wall, his hands behind his back casually. Ginny's breath caught in her throat. Was he going to...? He turned around, this time facing her. His face was contorted with a struggle between fear and anxiety.
"Ginny, I'm really glad I got to know you better over the summer. Over the past few months, though, it's been hard for me to approach you at all. The singing contest, well, I wouldn't have entered if it hadn't been for the combination of you entering and me being blackmailed. I found out that it was the perfect way to let you know how I felt about you. But when Colin took you aside, I thought that he had beaten me to asking what I'm about to." He took a deep breath. "Ginny Weasley, will you go to the ball with me?"
He asked me! Harry Potter asked me to the ball! Why haven't I said anything yet? Move! Open, mouth, let the words 'Oh Harry, I've loved you since forever, of course I will' come pouring out. Why haven't I said anything? Am I going mad? Am I nutters now that, finally, he's admitted that he likes me? Oh dear! He's waiting for an answer- just do it!
"Harry! Of course I will." There. That wasn't so hard, now was it?
He looked relieved. "You mean it?" He paused. "Because if you don't want to, then that's fine. I mean, I just..."
Ginny interrupted him. "Harry. I mean it. I'd love to go with you. I've been waiting for you to ask ever since my stupid prat of a brother told you I would go with that year, my third year, when I went with Neville." She smiled.
There's that wonderful dimple again, Harry's brain screamed at him. She's smiling, I should be jumping for joy...no, that'd look completely stupid, oh, what do I do? He fought to gain control of himself.
"That's great! I mean, I'll meet you in the common room tomorrow night, okay?" His insides were shriveling. How could he sound so ridiculous? He forced a wavery smile.
Ginny grinned. "Harry," she said, eyes glinting with the trademark Weasley mischief, "you look like Ron's set after you with his wand. It'll be okay. If you want, I'll tell him."
Harry opened his mouth, then closed it. Maybe it would be better if she told him, even if he already knew. "Okay. I'll be under my Invisibility Cloak in the Owlery, if you need me."
Ginny giggled. Face scarlet, she stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you," she whispered in his ear. On his way to the Owlery, Harry couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, even after he tripped over that mangy dustbin of a cat, Mrs. Norris.
Up in the dropping-strewn tower, Harry ran the evening's events through his mind one last time. He remembered the look on Ginny's face when she was searching the crowd. His face burned as he pictured her face, smiling the peculiar smile she had bestowed upon him before starting her song. With that last image in mind, Harry fell asleep in the Owlery, with Hedwig perched on his knee.
Ginny smiled to herself as she pushed past the Fat Lady. Harry Potter had just asked her, Ginny Weasley, to the ball. Not Cho, not Hermione (even though she would think that her brother would go nutters if he did), but her.
Entering the common room, she scanned the crowd for her gaggle of friends. She spotted them over by their favorite painting of Godric Gryffindor (in which he is dressed in his best armor, arm around Helga Hufflepuff). She moseyed on over to them, hands in her pockets. She didn't feel like telling them just yet, even though she had to fight extremely hard to keep from grinning.
"Hey Ginny," Colin greeted her. He was sitting on a scarlet couch with Elizabeth, both grinning.
"What happened?" asked Elizabeth. She flashed Colin a look of worry. Ginny laughed.
"You guys! I can't keep anything from you anymore, especially now that you've teamed up! What happened where?" she teased.
Colin rolled his eyes dramatically. "Gin, I believe you were talking to your Prince Charming outside the portrait hole?" Elizabeth nodded emphatically.
Ginny glared at them. Elizabeth jumped up and threw her arms around Ginny, saying, "Oh Ginny! We both knew he would never stop being so dense! I'm sure you feel horrible, but it'll pass."
Ginny played along, faking soft sobs. "Oh Lizzy! It's horrible! I have nothing to wear!" She cracked an evil smile into Elizabeth's shoulder.
"I know, I - wait a minute, did you just say, 'I have nothing to wear'?" She held Ginny out at an arm's length, eyebrows arched.
Ginny said, "Yeah, I did." She sniffed. "Harry asked me to the ball, and I have nothing to wear!"
"What do you mean, you're going to the ball with Harry?" Colin asked incredulously. He had a look on his pale face that reminded Ginny solely of her brother Ron. Speaking of Ron, that reminded her of something.
"Listen Colin, Elizabeth, I've got to go talk to Ron. I'll be back soon, hopefully. If not, send a search party after me. God knows how nicely Ron'll take this little bit of information."
Her friends gaped after her. "Did she just...?" spluttered Colin, wide-eyed.
"Yup, I think she might have," Elizabeth said as she sank onto the dilapidated couch. "She's telling Ron about Harry."
"Ginny, that's great!" Ron gave her what he hoped to be a supportive smile.
"O-okay, who are you, and what have you done with my brother?" She whipped out her wand and pointed it between her brother's eyes.
Eyes crossed, Ron raised his eyebrows. "Gin, d'you mind? Harry told me before he asked you. And, being the great older brother that I am-," he grimaced, "- I have decided that I won't beat him to a bloody pulp. Okay? That do?"
Ginny looked from him to Hermione, who was sitting barely a foot away from him. She nodded. Ginny raised her eyebrows, gave the older girl a quizzical smile, and turned on her heel, saying over her shoulder, I'm going to go tell him that he's safe. He's hiding in the Owlery." She pushed through the Portrait hole and out of sight.
"Mental, that one," Ron said, resting his head on Hermione's shoulder. "I know I used the same sentence to describe you at one point, but personally, I think it fits her better."
ZagZig722: Good question. You'll find a complete list of songs that we refer to at the end. Wherever that is.
GinnyPotter08: Well, we love cliffies, so- you'll probably see more of them. Cheers!
JamieBell: This is just the beginning of our fanfiction reign. Soon we will be unstoppable!