Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor
Harry had ran as fast as he could but to no avail. Ginny had too much a lead and took full advantage of it. "I beat you! I beat you!" she stuck her tongue out at him in such a childish manner that he laughed. "Ginny, you are so silly. What kind of ice cream do you want?" She thought for a minute. "How about a sundae?" Harry nodded. "Alright. Why don't you find us a seat and I will get the sundaes? The others ought to be in here any minute now." He said though he doubted it. This was probably the best opportunity he had, if he could just get up the nerve to do it. He could face the most powerful wizard in the world without even blinking, but when it came to girls he liked, he got scared. He went up to the front, ordered their ice creams and was just about to go to the table when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around, the sundaes in his hand and looked into the shining eyes of Florean Fortescue himself.
"Hello Harry, it is good to see you back here." He said jovially. "Who is the lovely lady you came in with?" he asked. Harry turned slightly red but managed to keep his voice from sounding like he felt. "That is Ginny Weasley. She is a friend of mine from Hogwarts." He said, glad he didn't stutter or sound nervous. As it was though, Florean saw right through him. "Treat her right, Harry." He said then left quickly so Harry couldn't question him about it. He didn't have time to sit there and ponder though; Ginny was looking at him and he didn't want her to think he was an idiot, so he went over to the table with the ice creams and sat down.
"So Ginny, what have you been up to this summer?" he asked, his voice only slightly higher than usual. She was pondering about it, he saw. "Oh, nothing much. Same old, same old. So, what were you and Mr. Fortescue talking about?" she asked. Harry looked at her in surprise. "Um, nothing much. He helped me work on a project and he was, um, wondering how I did." Oh God, she looks like she knows something. Help, anyone? Well, I suppose I could give it a shot. Wish I wasn't so nervous though. "Um, Ginny?" she looked at him with a crooked smile. "Yeah Harry?" she asked. He looked at her and said, "WhatifIsaidIlikedyou?"
"What? You said that a little too fast for me to catch." She said, looking slightly surprised. Harry took a deep breath and tried to slow down. It was hard though. Why is my heart beating so fast? He wondered. "What if I said that I liked you Ginny?" Her eyes widened. "What way do you mean?" she asked, her heart beating as fiercely as Harry's own heart was. Oh my God! I can't believe it! Harry Potter, the guy I have liked ever since I liked boys is asking me out! He looked uncomfortable so Ginny asked him, "I mean, like as just friends or something more? If your asking if I like you as . . .as. . . "
Harry nodded and Ginny went red. "Yeah, like that. Do you?" he asked and he received a furious nodd from her. "Definitely. You?" He nodded too and smiled at her, feeling bolder. "Yes I do. Now what are we going to do about it?" He asked, a lopsided smile on his face. Just then, the door opened and Ron and Hermione walked in with Neville right behind them. "Answer that question later, Gin." He whispered as they came up. "What do you want Hermione? I think I might get a root beer float." Hermione nodded. "Okay, get me one too. What do you want Neville?"
"How about a sundae?" he said distractedly. He was looking at Ginny. He had went to the Yule Ball with her and other than accidentally stepping on her feet a few times, he had had a nice time. He really liked her but he could never get the courage to ask her out and now . . . Ron was coming back with the ice creams and before long, they had finished them. "Okay, where do you guys want to go next?" asked Harry, wiping his mouth on a napkin and smiling madly. The others shrugged.
"Don't much matter to me but lets wait to go to the Apothecy last. I hate that place." Harry nodded agreeably. If seeing Malfoy wasn't enough, going into his least favorite teacher's haunt was. Of course, Harry didn't know what was going on now. He had not seen Snape much since the day he had came to Grimmauld Place Number 12. Perhaps it was a sort of wake-up call to him; always thinking that Harry always led the perfect life and had everything he could want. That was a laugh.
"Um, how about Ollivander's?" asked Neville quietly. "Gran didn't quite believe me about the year before and I had to use dad's wand wrapped in Spell-o-tape. She gave me some money to get me one since that one blew up." He said and Harry remembered it well. The wand had flown out of his hands with an angry red spark, hitting McGonagall in the chest. He had needed a new one and fast. "Okay then, maybe we can get Ollivander to check our wands out while we are in there." Said Ginny and Harry grabbed his out of his pocket, furiously rubbing it with the corner of the cloak. He didn't want to be embarrassed like he was during the Tri-wizard tournament. They finished their ice creams and headed out the door toward Ollivander's, Harry's hand wrapped in Ginny's.
Harry had ran as fast as he could but to no avail. Ginny had too much a lead and took full advantage of it. "I beat you! I beat you!" she stuck her tongue out at him in such a childish manner that he laughed. "Ginny, you are so silly. What kind of ice cream do you want?" She thought for a minute. "How about a sundae?" Harry nodded. "Alright. Why don't you find us a seat and I will get the sundaes? The others ought to be in here any minute now." He said though he doubted it. This was probably the best opportunity he had, if he could just get up the nerve to do it. He could face the most powerful wizard in the world without even blinking, but when it came to girls he liked, he got scared. He went up to the front, ordered their ice creams and was just about to go to the table when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He spun around, the sundaes in his hand and looked into the shining eyes of Florean Fortescue himself.
"Hello Harry, it is good to see you back here." He said jovially. "Who is the lovely lady you came in with?" he asked. Harry turned slightly red but managed to keep his voice from sounding like he felt. "That is Ginny Weasley. She is a friend of mine from Hogwarts." He said, glad he didn't stutter or sound nervous. As it was though, Florean saw right through him. "Treat her right, Harry." He said then left quickly so Harry couldn't question him about it. He didn't have time to sit there and ponder though; Ginny was looking at him and he didn't want her to think he was an idiot, so he went over to the table with the ice creams and sat down.
"So Ginny, what have you been up to this summer?" he asked, his voice only slightly higher than usual. She was pondering about it, he saw. "Oh, nothing much. Same old, same old. So, what were you and Mr. Fortescue talking about?" she asked. Harry looked at her in surprise. "Um, nothing much. He helped me work on a project and he was, um, wondering how I did." Oh God, she looks like she knows something. Help, anyone? Well, I suppose I could give it a shot. Wish I wasn't so nervous though. "Um, Ginny?" she looked at him with a crooked smile. "Yeah Harry?" she asked. He looked at her and said, "WhatifIsaidIlikedyou?"
"What? You said that a little too fast for me to catch." She said, looking slightly surprised. Harry took a deep breath and tried to slow down. It was hard though. Why is my heart beating so fast? He wondered. "What if I said that I liked you Ginny?" Her eyes widened. "What way do you mean?" she asked, her heart beating as fiercely as Harry's own heart was. Oh my God! I can't believe it! Harry Potter, the guy I have liked ever since I liked boys is asking me out! He looked uncomfortable so Ginny asked him, "I mean, like as just friends or something more? If your asking if I like you as . . .as. . . "
Harry nodded and Ginny went red. "Yeah, like that. Do you?" he asked and he received a furious nodd from her. "Definitely. You?" He nodded too and smiled at her, feeling bolder. "Yes I do. Now what are we going to do about it?" He asked, a lopsided smile on his face. Just then, the door opened and Ron and Hermione walked in with Neville right behind them. "Answer that question later, Gin." He whispered as they came up. "What do you want Hermione? I think I might get a root beer float." Hermione nodded. "Okay, get me one too. What do you want Neville?"
"How about a sundae?" he said distractedly. He was looking at Ginny. He had went to the Yule Ball with her and other than accidentally stepping on her feet a few times, he had had a nice time. He really liked her but he could never get the courage to ask her out and now . . . Ron was coming back with the ice creams and before long, they had finished them. "Okay, where do you guys want to go next?" asked Harry, wiping his mouth on a napkin and smiling madly. The others shrugged.
"Don't much matter to me but lets wait to go to the Apothecy last. I hate that place." Harry nodded agreeably. If seeing Malfoy wasn't enough, going into his least favorite teacher's haunt was. Of course, Harry didn't know what was going on now. He had not seen Snape much since the day he had came to Grimmauld Place Number 12. Perhaps it was a sort of wake-up call to him; always thinking that Harry always led the perfect life and had everything he could want. That was a laugh.
"Um, how about Ollivander's?" asked Neville quietly. "Gran didn't quite believe me about the year before and I had to use dad's wand wrapped in Spell-o-tape. She gave me some money to get me one since that one blew up." He said and Harry remembered it well. The wand had flown out of his hands with an angry red spark, hitting McGonagall in the chest. He had needed a new one and fast. "Okay then, maybe we can get Ollivander to check our wands out while we are in there." Said Ginny and Harry grabbed his out of his pocket, furiously rubbing it with the corner of the cloak. He didn't want to be embarrassed like he was during the Tri-wizard tournament. They finished their ice creams and headed out the door toward Ollivander's, Harry's hand wrapped in Ginny's.