Chapter 3: One Chance

"Ron, Ron, RON! What did I tell you?" Harry shouted. Ron started to flap his hands up in down to signal Harry to be quiet. Harry got the hint, but would not take it. "I will not quiet down, Ron," Harry continued to yell. "I told you not to do this! I begged you not to do this. I won't meet her. I don't even know her."
"Hey! I didn't like her either! I tried to stop them, but - but they wouldn't listen!" Ron yelled back, pleading with Harry to forgive him.
"How would they have known about this if you hadn't told them?" asked Harry furiously. Ron bowed his head and stopped waving his arms about.
"I was just trying to do you a favor," Ron snapped. Harry crossed his arms.
"About something I told you not to do?" Harry snapped back. Ron shrugged.
"I didn't believe you," Ron admitted. "She's already down at the library, you know. Are you just going to leave her there like some git?" Harry didn't want to go, but this Katherine hadn't done anything wrong. She didn't deserve to be abandoned like that. He stood there for a moment, then finally replied,
"No, I'll go," he muttered, "but I'm still not happy with you."

"Where is she, where is she, where is she?" Harry asked quietly and frantically to Ginny, who'd taken him down to the library. Ginny pointed to a girl sitting quietly at a table, her hand set impatiently on the tabletop and her long, pin-straight hair tied back with a black ribbon. She looked up and smiled at Ginny and Harry and sat up straighter. Ginny waved and dragged Harry over and motioned for him to sit down.
"Katherine, you know Harry. Harry, this is Katherine Linski. She's a Ravenclaw, but I think I told you that," Ginny introduced. Katherine nodded.
"Yeah, I do know Harry," Katherine said slyly. She smiled and crossed her arms as she leaned back in her seat. Her piercing blue eyes and playfully mischievious grin made Harry uneasy. He hesitantly sat down across from her. Ginny smiled at Harry before sitting down and pretending to do her homework at a nearby table.
Katherine saw how nervous Harry looked and rolled her eyes. She leaned forward in the chair again, her elbows on the table and hands folded.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't hurt a fly. Oh, maybe a fly, but you? Not you," she joked. Harry forced a polite smile. Now Katherine was just getting irritated and no longer smiling.
"You don't want to be here," she guessed confidently. "I don't want to be here either." Harry didn't know whether to be relieved or offended, but Katherine continued, "Let's go outside."
"Outside?" Harry asked. What was she trying to say?
"Yeah, the area without the walls," explained Katherine sarcastically. "It's so stuffy and quiet in the library. Maybe you wouldn't be so uptight if we were outside." Harry saw her logic, but he felt more secure in the library. Katherine was already getting up from her seat. Was he supposed to follow her? Reluctantly, he did.
Outside, Katherine took in a deep breath and held out her arms. She closed her eyes and exhaled. Harry didn't quite know what she was doing, except for breathing too much. He stood by politely until she turned around again.
"Fresh air," she sighed happily, "let's sit down." She motioned to a bench along one of the walls. Harry followed her and sat down next to her.
"Nice weather for such a cold month, right?" Harry said, almost in a whisper.
"Yes, enough about the weather. Ginny told me that you just wanted to meet me. Is there anything you want to know?" she asked. Harry sighed.
"Can I tell you something honestly?" Harry asked. Katherine nodded understandingly. She knew just exactly what was on his mind.
"Ginny and Ron and Hermione...they put me up to this. You seem like a wonderful person..uh..Katherine, but I don't deal with this well," Harry confessed. Katherine smiled and nodded. She pat her hand on his back more comfortingly then in a romantic way. It made Harry less nervous.
"Ginny put me up to this too," Katherine also admitted.
"Really?" asked Harry. He was relieved she understood, but he was a little hurt this wasn't her idea.
"She actually told me that she already told you all about me and she needed someone for you to go out with," Katherine explained. Harry was becoming more annoyed with Katherine.
"Why would she do that?" he demanded. Katherine shrugged.
"I don't know, she told me something about needing something to tell Ron and Hermione," Katherine said.
"Tell them about what?" Harry asked, no longer for curiosity but to seek information. Katherine sighed and shrugged again, more frusterated.
"I don't know, but now that we both admitted we were set up, I think we should just go back inside," she said abruptly. Katherine had already walked quickly back inside the castle, but Harry was walking slower then he had when Ginny had dragged him into the library in the first place. He was thinking about why Ginny would do this. Maybe she wanted to show up Ron. Maybe she was just trying to impress her older friends. Whatever the reason, he thought to himself, it's completely harmless. Just ask Ginny yourself.

Once back in the library, Ginny pretended she hadn't been staring at Harry at all. She had a wondering look on her face and her pen hadn't moved in minutes. Finally, Harry got irritated with her and walked over.
"Katherine and I both know that you put us up to this," Harry admitted bruskly. Ginny slammed her pen down and crossed her arms. Harry thought she looked a lot like her brother when she did that. This thought bothered him.
"Why did you do that?" she demanded. "Katherine is such a nice girl. You just blew it."
"Well, she didn't want to be there either," Harry replied defensively. "Why did you ask her to meet with me? I thought she already wanted too?" Ginny sat awkwardly in her seat.
"I was just trying to help Ron out - did you really think he could do a better job?" she snapped Harry shrugged. There's your explanation, he thought.
"Yeah, alright then," Harry said. He got up from his seat and returned to the common room.

Ron and Seamus seemed to be having a fight about Quidditch when Harry returned.
"You have to be kidding...Chudley Cannons, all the way!" Ron had shouted just as Harry was walking in. Seamus rolled his eyes and stormed out, dashing past Harry without a good-bye. Ron still looked a little tiffed when Harry sat next to him.
"How'd it go?" Ron asked. Harry shrugged.
"Not at all," Harry replied. At Ron's confused expression, he continued, "It was all Ginny's idea, so we both just...left."
"And Ginny was wrong?" Ron demanded excitedly.
"I don't think Katherine actually has a crush on me," Harry remarked.
"And Ginny was wrong?" Ron demanded again.
"Yes, Ginny was wrong," Harry replied to satisfy Ron. Ron nodded and smiled. Then he quickly took a feigned solemn look and pat Harry on the back.
"I'm fine, Ron," Harry said. Ron nodded.
"Sorry about this whole mess. It's my fault," Ron admitted.
"I know, Ron," Harry replied. Ron looked annoyed, as if he wasn't supposed to say that. Hermione rushed in excitedly and suddenly. She spun around the room, looking for Harry and Ron. When she spotted them, she rushed over and jumped to a seat. She was wearing some hand-knit socks, her uniform skirt, and the sweater Ron gave her for Christmas.
"Hey, you're wearing the sweater!" Ron commented with a smile, "It looks nice, Hermione..." Hermione smiled widely and brightly which made Harry and Ron nervous. It was sort of a plastic smile.
"Doesn't it though?" she said sweetly, "Your mother does have fine taste." Ron's eyes widened as his cheeks, ears, and even neck burned scarlet red. He slouched down in his seat so far it looked as if he was just going to fall through the floor.
"How did you know?" he asked in a mumble. Hermione smiled normally but smugly and crossed her arms.
"Ginny told me when I came in the library wearing the sweater," she said.
"What?!" Ron roared, "Well, then I demand my sweater back!" Hermione giggled. "It's not funny!" Ron barked.
"Oh, oh, but it is," she stated calmly. "You could have just not given me anything. After all, I didn't get anything for you." Ron stared her down.
"That's right," he said, not even breaking his glance, "you didn't!" Hermione laughed and held out her hands as she did.
"It wasn't even a real gift," Hermione said.
"So? At first, you thought it was! Now that's just rude," Ron said disgustedly.
"Since when did we demand gifts from each other?" Hermione asked, now annoyed. "Right, Harry?" Harry shook his head.
"No, no, this a couple's fight," Harry muttered with a little chuckle under his breath. He got up and moved to another table. Ron sighed and shook his head. He stormed off into the dormitory. Hermione sighed herself, but more amused then upset.
"Can you believe him?" Hermione said to Harry as she watched Ron's direction. When Harry didn't even reply, she turned towards him. She waved her hand as if summoning him to sit down next to her. When Harry did so, she asked him, "How did you like Katherine?"
"Oh, Ginny put us both in this set up...it wasn't Katherine's idea, it certainly wasn't my idea, and so we both just walked away," Harry spit out. He was tired of having to keep explaining himself.
"Would you like me to -- " Hermione started, but Harry shouted an interuption,
"NO! HERMIONE - Hermione, I don't want any more set ups. I'm going to bed."
"Harry, it's not even dinner - "
"Then I'm not going to sleep," Harry grunted before pounding his feet up the steps.

Harry noticed a smashed photo frame by his bed when he reached the boys' dormitory. Inside was a picture of Fred, George, and Ginny. It looked fairly recent, like from over the summer. Fred and George were making faces and teasing Ginny from behind, and Ginny was smiling brightly, her red hair curled around her ears. They seemed to be keeping their cool about the destroyed frame.
"What's this?" Harry asked Ron, holding up the frame for him to see. Ron snatched the picture and sighed about the smashed glass.
"We took this on Ginny's birthday over the summer...it's one of the pictures mum gave me to put on that table," Ron explained, pointing to the bedside table behind him without looking at it. "It must've gotten knocked off when I uh...threw my pillow at it..."
"You have no right to get mad at Hermione," Harry barked. Ron shot Harry such a look that suggested he was crazy.
"What are you talking about, Harry?" Ron asked.
"I'm just frusterated with my problems, Ron," Harry sighed, lying down on his bed and closing his eyes even though he had no intention to fall asleep. He opened his eyes as Ron was still holding up the frame and staring back at him. Everyone in the photo seemed to be staring back at him too. He looked from Ron to the picture. All the Weasleys did look so much alike. He also kept thinking about what Ginny had said.
"You blew it." What she said replayed over and over again. He didn't really think aboutapplying it to Katherine when he thought about it....but what if Katherine was the only one who would go out with him? What if he really did miss his oppurtunity? He was tired of missing out on not having anything. Flashbacks played like a movie in his head. He had the dread of every summer before where he'd have to live with the Dursley's in their homey hell. He remembered having the sneak into Hogsmeade, because he didn't have parents or loving guardians to sign his permission slip. He remembered finally having a guardian, his godfather, Sirius Black. He'd never been so happy then when he had contact to him. But what did Harry do? Sirius was gone, and it had been all Harry's fault. He fell into that trap. And he knew being happy for Ron and Hermione - finally they knew their feelings about each other after all these years. Finally, they were in a relationship. Ron hadn't talked much about it, if at all, but it came as no surprise when he found a letter written out and addressed to none other then Hermione in Ron's red, cloth sack. Harry wondered to himself if he could ever do that. If there was going to be anyone for him to do that for. There'd been a war, but he got through that. He was strong enough to defeat his evil and fear. What he wasn't sure he could handle was being alone forever. With Katherine seeming like his only chance, he didn't want one last chance to slip away. He sat up and sighed. He slapped his hand to his forhead and let out a heavier sigh. Ron finally set the smashed photo frame back on the table and threw the pillow that had taken its place back on the bed.
"Did you meet Katherine?" Harry asked. Ron shook his head.
"Is she nice?" Ron asked uncomfortably.
"I wouldn't know," Harry asked. "It's a long story and I'm too tired to say it again."
"Did you just walk away or explain it to her first?" Ron asked somewhat bitterly. Harry thought he almost seemed offended that he didn't even askthat Katherineon a date.
"We both walked away and explained to each other," Harry admitted quietly. Ron nodded.
"I told you that I didn't want them to do this with Katherine, but you should've made yourself go out with her," Ron told him. Harry scoffed.
"Why?" he asked.
"I've never seen you like this, not even with...well, Cho," Ron said. "It's...very annoying. It's hard to be around you."
"You're right. I just don't know why I'm acting like this," Harry said. Ron swung his arm around Harry in a pal-like way. He nodded and Harry nodded back, as if they were sharing some kind of telepathic understanding.
"You think Ginny is still in the library?" Harry asked. Ron was taken a back. He flung off his arm immediately and stood up.
"Why?" Ron demanded, eyes wide with surprise. Harry realized how it must've sounded to Ron.
"Uh...no, I just..I just wanted to know if she could talk to Katherine for me," Harry explained awkwardly. Ron sighed relief quietly.
"Oh..sure, she takes a while to do homework as well. Runs in the family I suppose," Ron mumbled. Things were a little awkward now, so the two sat on their bed in silence. Harry took another look at the smashed frame before standing up, Ginny still in the middle; the center of the picture.


A/N: I do know where this stories going, I just hope I can write it out fine :) I have a great side...well maybe a little more then side story for Hr/R...will just see where this goes. I hope to get out the 4th chapter out very soon.