A/N: As you may have noticed, I've been editing and reposting the chapters so that they match the plot that I actually decided to develop! The reason this chapter as an author's note is because...well, I forgot to put them on earlier chapters and this chapter has been significantly edited to include the Harry and Malfoy detention that I had forgotten about the first time round. So, enjoy! Spiv

Harry scowled as he made his way down to the trophy room, where he and Malfoy would be serving their detention. When Ron had found out what Harry's assignment was, he'd burst out laughing. The only advice he'd been able to give was, "don't barf slugs all over the trophies," which hadn't been much help at all. Harry hadn't really needed advice anyway; he was perfectly used to ridiculously hard Muggle labor.

Malfoy was already there and already working. He motioned at a pile of cleaning supplies, identical to the things Malfoy was working out how to use. Mrs. Norris was prowling the room, watching them.

"She's here to make sure we don't use magic," Malfoy said blandly. Harry nodded, determined not to speak to him. He gathered up his supplies and started working in the corner farthest from where Malfoy was.

"I hear Weasley's going to the ball with Granger," Malfoy said, almost conversationally. Harry stubbornly ignored him. "It could be a good thing, you know. Maybe she'll figure out a way for them to make more money…she's certainly clever enough…"

"Shut your mouth, Malfoy," Harry said tersely. "I don't want to talk to you and you don't want to talk to me, so just shut it."

"That's not true. I want to talk to you about a lot of things," Malfoy said, picking up his bucket of suds and coming over to Harry's corner. Harry scowled but didn't move. He knew Malfoy would just follow him and he figured he might as well finish the cleaning he'd started over here, rather than forget about it and get in more trouble when he didn't go back to it.

"No one's asked Sarah yet, I imagine?" Malfoy continued, his voice strangely placid. Harry didn't think he'd ever heard that kind of tone in Malfoy's voice, except maybe when he was talking to Sarah. It was a little unnerving.

"No," Harry said curtly. Malfoy nodded.

"I assumed as much. Are you going to—"

He was cut off as Harry jumped up, almost spilling his bucket, and glared down at the blonde boy below him. Mrs. Norris hissed a warning, but Harry ignored her.

"What do you want, Malfoy? What the hell are you up to?" he yelled. Malfoy blinked up at him.

"I'm not up to anything, Potter," Malfoy said, also standing. "I just want to know how Sarah's doing and what's happening in her House. Believe me, Potter, everything's out of my hands now."

"She's fine," Harry snapped immediately. He turned back to the trophy he'd been working on, scrubbed in quickly, and gathered his supplies. He trudged to the opposite side of the room and went back to cleaning, furiously scouring the trophies and almost knocking a few over in his zeal. Malfoy shook his head and turned back to the unfinished section Harry had left.

Neither of them spoke again.

With the Valentine's Ball only a week away, Harry found Hogwarts in a shambles, much like it had been prior to the Yule Ball. Girls were running all over the place, experimenting with new cosmetics as well as magic spells. One girl went so far as to cast a spell on herself that magnetically attracted all the males in a fifty-foot radius to her, causing them to fly from their positions and stick to her. It caused all the boys in the school to start skipping their classes for fear of coming near her, and became such a problem that she was forced to remove the spell and was given detention.

"I really don't see what the big deal is," Hermione said one day during lunch. "It's just a ball...and you're not required to have a date."

"Easy for you to say, you already have one," Parvati said bitterly. She and Lavender had yet to find dates, and had taken to throwing glares at Hermione regularly. Hermione just shook her head.

"I'd actually prefer to go without a date," Sarah said. "Less restriction. Besides, the only boys I know well enough to go are Draco, Ron, and you, Harry. And since Ron has a date and I would never go with Draco, that only leaves Harry. But I guess Harry'll be going with that pretty girl from the entrance hall, right, Harry?" Her tone had the slightest edge to it, but Harry shrugged.

"I dunno who I'll go with," he said. "It might be Cho, it might be someone else. I don't know yet and I don't intend upon making a decision anytime soon."

However, he found himself wanting to make a decision simply to get some peace. As with the Yule Ball, girls were seeking him out and asking him, sometimes in large groups. He was actually tackled once by a large group of fifth year Hufflepuffs and Sarah had to save him by threatening to give them acne.

"Thanks for that," he said, standing up and brushing himself off. "I thought I was about to suffocate..."

"You'd better get yourself a date quick, Harry," Sarah said. "Or you very well might."

"I know, I know," Harry said. "But I don't want to go with just anyone, especially not someone who tries to throttle me."

"Well, Cho hasn't tried to throttle you, has she?" Sarah said a bit coldly.

"No...she's just thrown herself in my path every chance she gets," Harry said with a derisive snort. "I must tell you, Sarah, last year I fancied her very much, but this year...not so much."

"Well, what happened last year?" Sarah asked.

"I don't know exactly...she was a bit confused about her feelings, I suppose, and it just...got out of control...and didn't work. She got mad at me," Harry said, shrugging.

"Then why is she chasing after you like you're a bloody finish line?" Sarah asked.

"Hell if I know," Harry said. "Girls are weird..."

"I'm a girl, Harry," Sarah said after a moment. "Am I weird?"

"No, no, you're perfectly reasonable," Harry said. "If all girls were like you, the world would be better, I think."

Sarah laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment rather than a slight on my gender," she said. "Now come on, let's get you to safety." Harry agreed quickly, as a large posse of third years had rounded the corner and begun to squeal.

"So Harry," Seamus said one Friday night in the common room. Harry and Ron were sitting in their chairs by the fire doing built up homework, while Hermione and Sarah were looking at different sorts of fabrics for dress robes. They'd made a pact with each other that they would make their own.

"Yeah?" Harry asked, a bit disgruntled. His essay on Venus for Astronomy had hit a standstill. He needed at least another paragraph...maybe he could mention something about lavender...

"You going to ask Sarah to the ball?" Seamus asked.

"Why would I do that? Girl like her wouldn't go with me," Harry mumbled, not really paying attention to the conversation. Seamus and Ron laughed, but didn't say anything because Hermione had come over to Ron's chair with a scrap of fabric and a picture.

"What do you think of that one?" she asked him while Seamus sniggered behind his hand.

"I like it," Ron said.

"What about the color?" Hermione asked.

"I like that too," Ron said.

"Well, do you think I ought to alter it a bit? I mean, about the neckline, do you think I ought to change that a bit-"

"Hermione! I don't care that much about what you wear, alright? You'll look good in it just as it is!" Ron said loudly. Hermione looked surprised, then smiled.
"Why- thank you, Ron," she said, and kissed him on the cheek before going back over to Sarah. Ron watched her for a moment, then shook his head.

"Women," he said. "They baffle me."

"They baffle us all, mate," Seamus said. "Good luck with her."

"Oh Seamus, who're you going with?" Harry asked, looking up.

"Going stag," Seamus said. "Then, I've got nothing to worry about if I wanna flirt a bit, eh?" he added with a roguish wink. Ron laughed.

"You'd best watch yourself," he said. "Those girls are nasty sometimes. Downright ruthless."

"And I value your advice, mate," Seamus said. "Talk to you later- get yourself a date, Harry, you're not the flirting sort, so you'd best have someone on your arm."

"Right," Harry mumbled, returning to his essay. He finished it in large handwriting and set down his quill with a satisfied flourish. "Finished! Finally. Now a weekend of freedom- that'll feel good."

"It'll feel better knowing you won't look foolish standing on the side while everyone else dances," Ron said. "Just ask her-"

"Fine!" Harry said. "I'll ask her tomorrow."

"Good," Ron said, looking highly pleased with himself.

The next day was a fine, sunny day, but very cold, and most of the students preferred to stay inside over being blinded by the sun reflecting the snow. Most of the girls could be found comparing their robes for the ball, or talking about hairstyles or other such girlish things, while most of the boys were trying to pack in last minute dance lessons from girls like Sarah. Neville was one of these.

"I mean, I know I don't have a date," he said to Harry one day, "but it never hurts to know how."

Sarah wasn't the only one giving dance lessons. Cho was as well, and she tended to follow Sarah, knowing that Harry hung around her a lot. They were tutoring in the entrance hall on the day Harry intended to ask Sarah to the ball, and he went to this place to wait for the opportune moment to ask. He stood there for a moment, watching Sarah show Neville which foot did what, but he hadn't been there long when Cho swooped down on him.

"Hello, Harry," she said. "Would you like a dance lesson?"

"Er- no, that's alright," he stuttered, but Cho paid no attention to him. She slipped her arms round him and dragged him into a clear area, and began to dance him round the room. He noticed Sarah pause in her dance with Neville, but she sniffed in something like contempt and continued.

"So Harry, have you decided who you're going with yet?" Cho asked.

"No, I don't think I'll go with anyone-"

"Oh that's silly, Harry," she said. "It's a Valentine's day ball, you've got to have a date."

"Says who?" Harry said, getting a bit annoyed.

"Come on, Harry, it'll be so much more fun-"

"I really don't think so, I'd much rather go with friends-"

"Well we're friends aren't we? And I heard Ron is going with Hermione, and they're friends, so it could work, we could go together-"

"Cho, I-"

"So you'll go with me?"

"Er-"

"Oh thank you, Harry!" Cho said. Harry tried to protest but before he could say another word she kissed him full on the mouth.

"Ow!"

Cho released Harry and they looked over at Neville and Sarah. Neville was holding his hand and glaring at Sarah, who was glaring at Cho with an immense sort of hatred in her eyes, of such a kind that Harry had only seen it once before...when Dumbledore had revealed the imposter Moody as Barty Crouch Jr. in fourth year.

"Sarah," he gasped. "It's not what you think-"

"It doesn't matter what I think," Sarah said icily. She turned and began to walk up the stairs. Harry ran over and grabbed her arm, trying to force her to look at him, but she whipped out her wand and pointed it at him.

"Extundo!" she snarled, and Harry was thrown backwards violently. Sarah glared at him.

"I thought you were different, Harry. You told me you didn't fancy her anymore," she hissed. "I never would have guessed you were a liar."

She turned around and stomped her way up the stairs and out of sight. Harry watched her go with a sinking feeling and he stood up, rubbing his chest. That spell had been painful.

"So, Harry, are we still on for- for the ball?" Cho said meekly. Harry looked at her incredulously.

"Cho," he said. "I don't want to go to the ball with you. I don't like you like that. Being friends with you is fine, but Cho, I don't fancy you!" Without waiting for her response Harry stormed up the stairs. I have to find Sarah and explain things, he thought...