A/N: blushes Dare I show my face? Sorry aboot the delay...and you may hurt me more because this one is the shortest chapter to date, but I figured ya'll would like an update...soooooo, I made it kind of short! Please love it!!!

Krishnaa: I am dedicating the next chapter to Pip. May he live long and prosper. puts up the Star Trek hand thing I lurve you, Krish!!! Keep rockin' on!

MyOwnLittleWorld: I love you. Love you, love you, love you. Okay, before you put a restraining order on me...it is completely platonic, and I swear I won't stalk you. Maybe. wink

the green moose: YAY!!! NEW REVIEWER!!! glomps on you How are you? Do you love it? Do you hate it? Tell everyone aboot my story, please! Don't ever leave! chains you to the computer

Chapter Four
Weasley Tempers

"How could I have been so blind?!" squealed Hermione after Harry related everything, other than Claire, to her. "You and Ginny! What a pair!

"You CANNOT tell Ron," replied Harry, grasping her arm tightly. "DO NOT tell Ron!"

"I may not have been able to see your love for Ginny, but I am definitely smart enough not to tell Ron. He would give you a black eye! Not to mention Fred and George..."

"Thanks Hermione," said Harry, groaning at the thought of the entire Weasley family turning against him.

"And Mrs. Weasley!" continued Hermione, "One time, Ron flew a bludger through the window and it was not pretty. I don't think I've seen anyone get that mad, and it just took her a flick of her wand to fix it!"

"Hermione!" yelped Harry, resting his head on his hands. "Don't remind me!"

Hermione finally realized what she was saying. "Oh, sorry, I suppose that wasn't very comforting."

"No, it wasn't!"

"Well, I'm sorry, it's just hard not to talk about it. I mean, Weasley tempers are the worst and—"

"YOU'RE DOING IT AGAIN!" yelled Harry, which caused the few younger stragglers quickly evacuate the common room, fearing the wrath of the Boy- Who-Lived. After a moment of Harry fuming and Hermione staring off into space, one of them finally said something.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" asked Hermione. Harry thought for a moment.

"Whatever Clai—err, my conscious tells me!"

"Your conscious' name is Clai?" asked Hermione, sensing he was trying to hide something.

"Well, actually it's Claire, but I didn't want to tell you 'cos it's kind of embarrassing that I named my conscious..." said Harry, trying to conjure a blush.

"Oh..." replied Hermione, unconvinced.

"Well, I got to go," said Harry.

"Where?"

"I'm just going up to my dorm to...think," he replied, walking up the stairs.

CLAAAAIRE! I NEED YOU! he thought as fiercely as he could. He thought he could hear the sound of faint giggles, but she didn't reply. Come on, Claire, please? I really, really, really need your help! he thought again. He heard squealing a little bit louder than the giggles. Pretty, pretty, pretty please? I'll give you candy!!!

"FINE!" a fake exasperated voice yelled. He turned around and saw Claire.

"I don't think I've ever been so happy to see you," replied Harry.

"I'm not supposed to help you anymore, dum-dum! I told you to think of stuff by yourself!"

"I know but...I'd really, really like your help. I want this to be perfect for Ginny, and I just don't have the womanly intuition you have!"

"Well I should hope not!" replied Claire, smiling warmly. "Fine, I'll help, but only a little bit, understand? I can't be here for you forever!"

"Why not?" asked Harry. Claire laughed.

"Because, silly, Ginny needs to love you for you, not for the wonderful ideas I come up with!" Claire rolled her eyes. "Can you imagine what it'd be like if I was always there telling you what to say to her or what to do? You'd be like a Claire controlled robot!" Harry looked at her, confused. "Anyway, back to the first date!"

"Well, I got to ask her first, don't I?"

"Oh, no, you got to think of the asking thing by yourself, but I'll help you on your first date plans." Harry looked disappointed and kind of scared.

"Okay, first, let me see your brainstorming list."

"What?"

"Your brainstorming list!"

"Oh, you mean the brainstorming list? The one I left out on the Quidditch field?"

"Nice try, m'boy. You didn't make one."

"No...I didn't."

"Sometimes, Harry, I wonder what you'd do without me," replied Claire, shaking her head. Flicking her finger like Harry would a wand, parchment and a quill appeared and rested on thin air. She poised the quill above the parchment and looked expectantly at Harry.

"What?!" asked Harry.

"I need some ideas!"

"Can't you just write it for me?" whined Harry.

"You are so amazingly lazy, my friend!" said Claire, amazed. "I mean, I thought I was lazy but...sheesh!" Harry thought it was the first time in his life that anyone had called him lazy.

"I am not lazy!" he exclaimed, grabbing the paper from Claire's hand. He scribbled on the parchment as Claire waited. "There!" he said, triumphantly waving the parchment at Claire. "I am not lazy, see!" Claire looked at the brainstorming list skeptically. Her eyebrows raised as she read some of his ideas.

"Harry, I think you're getting the hang of this romantic thing. These are pretty good ideas! But before we can launch into full operation, we have to prepare Ginny with some major flirting. I have noticed that you are really bad at flirting, so we're going to have to practice hard. We're starting today...is that okay with you?"

"We have to break in an hour—I have Quidditch practice."

"Okay. That should be plenty of time. All right, this is going to be rather awkward, but...I'm going to pretend that I'm Ginny and you'll just be yourself. Is that all right or completely revolting?" Harry just looked at Claire for a moment.

"For the sake of practicing...I think I can handle it." Claire nodded.

"All right...let the flirtation classes begin!!!"

A/N: I bet you'll never guess what I'm going to ask you. grins frowns Fine...guess it. huffs off NOW DO IT!!! (for all of you who don't know the one dream of every writer is...lemme give you a hint. coughreviewscough. Now scurry along and do it!!!)