A/N: I'm sorry this is so behind! I really meant to finish this story on time, but I was prevented from getting onto the internet. Stupid, right? I know. Well, try to enjoy this :P
The rest of the week passed since Valentine's Day. Hermione started speaking to Ron again without him even having to grovel, and Ginny ignored that Sunday by focusing on her studies. She hadn't seen much of Harry since, though. She saw him at meals. The said a few words to each other, but they hadn't had any real conversations. No one else seemed to notice. Dean, despite a few gloomy looks Ginny had received, continued to be himself. Ron kept on setting off Hermione, and Hermione kept forgiving him. Despite their tifts, they weren't ever seen apart by Ginny until after dinner on Friday.
Ginny had been trying to ignore the increasing volume of voices around her in the common room. She scribbled heartily on her parchment, dipping her quill into the ink several times a minute. However, it was hard to get any of her homework done with everyone around her talking. She'd considered going to the library, but she decided that since she was so close to being done that it would just be a waste of time. The voices grew louder - or really just irritated her more in her mind. In the middle of her Charms essay, she slammed her pen into the bottle and let out a loud, frusterated grunt. Ginny piled her textbooks on top of each other haphazardly and clutched them tightly to her side. She made a grab for the ink and pen and hurried up to her dormitory.
Before she reached the staircase, she was stopped by a hand pulling her arm back.
"I need to finish this," she snapped to whoever was behind her.
"Ginny," replied her youngest brother's voice quickly. Ginny whippped around.
"Make it quick," she said tensely. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and crossed her arms. Ron shot her a look.
"Sorry, do I need to make an appointment with your secretary if I need to talk to you?" asked Ron sarcastic-sincerely.
"What is it? I still have homework to do, Ron," she cried impatiently. Ron nodded one head in the direction of where his dormitory was. Ginny bit her lip in her annoyance as she followed Ron into his dormitory reluctantly, where no one else happened to be. She dropped her books carelessly beside Ron's bed and flopped down, laying her arms by her side limply.
"I just thought of something," Ron continued. Ginny nodded.
"There's a first time for everything," she muttered. Ron glared at her.
"Shut up," he demanded seriously before he continued, "I have a theory on that ring that I may consider giving to Hermione." Ginny tried not to look as interested as she was and just shrugged coolly.
"When you put it on, whatever you're feeling is said in Latin," Ron recapped. Ginny nodded. "When I put it on, nothing happened except severe effects of the ring. That's all I've been thinking about since Saturday. How odd is that? No one just gives someone a random ring in the Three Broomsticks! How could I not have suspected this sooner? We know what our effects with the - "
"Ron," Ginny said sternly, "you need to slow down." Ron huffed.
"Right. Well, we know what happens whenever you put the ring on. We know what happened when I put that ring on - "
"Are you sure it was just the one time?" joked Ginny, unable to stifle her last sarcastic comment before finally looking at him seriously and interestedly. Ron glared at her and stopped talking. Ginny sighed. "I'm sorry. Go on."
"When I had that ring on in the Three Broomsticks, I was thinking how disappointed I would be if I didn't get take Hermione to the dance and have the perfect date. I know it sounds like some stupid fantasy, but I was beginning to look forward to it. As soon as I thought that, Hermione said it. Like she read my mind!"
"Hermione can't read your mind, Ron," stated Ginny as if Ron was stupid. Ron gave her a look considering the same for her.
"I hadn't considered that. Really, Ginny," responded Ron sarcastically, "I know that. But it was really odd! My theory is that whatever you think, whoever you are talking to you will say it." Ginny nodded.
"I think we should get someone else to try it on," suggested Ginny. Ron shook his head.
"Are you trying to get everyone to find out about this?" yelled Ron, uncautious to who might hear.
"Let's just ask Harry to put it on," Ginny suggested again quietly. Ron sighed.
"Fine," huffed Ron reluctantly, then added with a smirk, "Why don't you go ahead and give it to him?" Ginny gave him a very irritated look that suggested to Ron instantly that he best let Ginny go. Ginny gathered her things hastily and hurried out as the tails of her robes fluttered behind her.
Ron fingered the familiar black box and swayed back and forth in his seat on the bed absently until Seamus and Dean came in. They were laughing and hitting each other on the shoulder in fun. Seamus jumped onto his bed and Dean on his. They seemed exhausted as they pitifully hit the mattress.
"Have you seen Harry?" Ron asked loudly over their conversation. Seamus spun around.
"Ah, nope. Maybe. Wait, yes. He is...down in the common room. With Hermione," recalled Seamus.
"Yeah, Hermione was whispering with Harry about something and he kept getting irritated," added Dean without turning to look at Ron. He kicked a box from underneath his bed further under. Ron recognized that being a box his mother had sent him once. They had been full of boys' shirts and been given to Ginny in case she ever ran out of clothes. Ron was distracted for a moment feeling bad for Dean as he assumed Ginny had given them to him. He considered asking for the shirts back, but pushed the thought away for the moment.
"Thanks," said Ron almost inaudibly as he stuffed his small box into a pocket in his robes and began to tread down to the common room.
Most of the people who had been loitering around the common room had gone to their dormitories for the rest of the night or a few just remained to study. Harry had been one who chose to remain studying. Hermione had one of her books open and flipped the pages every few seconds, but she was staring at Harry from across the table with an irritated expression. As Ron stepped closer, Hermione looked up and smiled. Ron flashed a quick smile back.
"Hi," she said quietly even though she'd turned back to Harry. He seemed unaware he was being watched.
"I need to talk to Harry a moment. Or really more then a moment, but I just need you to not be here," Ron explained in an almost-whisper. An expression of wrath flashed across Hermione's face, but she shrugged acceptantly.
"Okay. Then good night, Ron - " she kissed Ron quickly on the cheek and hugged him for a moment " - and good night, Harry." Ron couldn't help laughing as soon as Hermione had left.
"What did you do to her?" Ron asked, still laughing. Harry finally looked up from the book he'd been reading and shrugged.
"I didn't do anything. I just wasn't answering any of her questions," Harry explained, shutting the book and sliding it across the table. Ron was very tempted to get distracted again and ask what Hermione had been asking Harry, but shook his head to himself and continued. He looked around the room. When he was satified that no one was looking, he flipped open the box to expose the crystal ball ring. He put it in front of Harry.
"Put it on," he ordered. Harry looked at him with one eyebrow raised.
"Are you...asking me to marry you?" Harry asked as seriously as he could. Ron closed his eyes in irritation for a moment before crossing his arms like a pouty child and opening his eyes again.
"Just put it on," demanded Ron again. Harry looked at Ron to the ring cautiously before sighing and snatching the ring from its slit in the velvet. Hesitantly, Harry slipped it on his index finger. Ron watched it intently for a moment. Harry looked at the ring on his finger with skepticism. Then, slowly, the crystal went from a pale white to a glowing red. It turned more and more scarlet and Ron could see Harry's hand tense up from the burning even if he didn't say anything about it. The light from the ring reflected on the walls and on the table. Slowly it faded away.
"Exactly what happened to me," Ron whispered. Harry looked up at him.
"Why doesn't it do the same thing that it does for Ginny?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged enthusiastically. Harry put his hand around the band but was stopped.
"Don't take it off yet," Ron said. Harry looked at him with confusion.
"Why not?" he asked.
"I have a theory," Ron began with an expression that showed his confidence that he knew exactly what was going on, "that if you keep that ring on, whatever you're thinking will be said by whoever you're sitting with." Harry nodded.
"What makes you think that?" Harry asked with obvious interest that showed he wasn't being sarcastic. Ron explained about that afternoon at the Three Broomsticks and Harry furrowed his eyebrows.
"Hermione said it?" stated Harry. Ron nodded. "And Ginny never said anything?" Ron shook his head. "You haven't said what I'm thinking yet," he added an observation. Ron's expression dropped.
"Maybe it has to be girl," suggested Ron with a shrug. "But...there are no girls around here. We'll ask Ginny tomorrow." Harry had decided to go ahead and take off the ring. He stopped after pulling it off and looked up at Ron with sudden shock.
"Why Ginny? We should ask...Parvati. It will be a better test - we're not as close with Parvati," Harry said reasonably, nodding. Ron cast Harry a stern look.
"You will have to talk to her eventually," Ron said. Harry sighed.
"What am I supposed to say to her?" Harry asked. "It's better if I don't say anything." Ron looked confused.
"Why don't you just say something ordinary? 'Oh, Ginny, what are your marks in Potions?' 'Have you got any sweets?'" Ron suggested. Harry looked reluctant. Ron sighed. "Or ask to borrow something. 'Do you have any extra quills?' 'Can I borrow an ink bottle?' 'Can I borrow...your shampoo?'"
"What?" Harry asked indignantly with such surprise. Ron shook his head and shrugged.
"I am very tired and I cannot make up your conversations with Ginny for the rest of the year," insisted Ron. "Just talk to her, dammit!" Harry glared at Ron for a moment but sat quietly.
"Wait," asked Harry suddenly. "You said that maybe it has to be a girl. But wasn't Ginny with you and then Hermione came in, and she's the one that said whatever it was you were thinking?" Ron's expression looked blank for a moment as he tried to process this suggestion. Then Ron smiled with a nod.
"What about this," Ron started exhuberantly, "what if it's no one with red hair that answers?" Harry opened his mouth to discourage this thought, but Ron started again, "Harry! I just thought of something brilliant! It's whoever loves you that answers!" Harry's eyes widened slightly and he looked around the room with caution to make sure no one heard Ron.
"Then I guess we should try someone other then Parvati," Harry said with a laugh through the nose. Ron nodded.
"I'm sure Ginny hasn't got anything else planned for a Saturday."
"Why are you so nervous?" asked Ron as if Harry sitting silently on the floor beside his bed personally offended him. Harry stood up and leaned against the bedstand.
"What if I don't want to hear what I'm thinking?" Harry asked indignantly. Ron put a hand on his shoulder.
"It's just a theory. Of mine. The odds of this being true aren't that high, and even if I end up being right, I doubt whatever Ginny might say is going to be that big a deal," Ron said reasonably. Harry slapped on a confident expression. "Hold on," Ron muttered. Looking around and seeing that Dean was up and out of the room and Seamus was snoring on his bed at almost noon, he dived to the ground and dug for an old box under Dean's bed.
"Ron, stealing is a serious crime," Harry commented somewhat sarcastically, raising his eyebrows. Ron smiled as he uncovered what he was looking for.
"Don't worry, they were mine. Well, most recently Ginny's before Dean," Ron said cheerfully with a shrug. He stuffed it under his own bed and sat down. Harry did the same and slapped his palms on his knees.
"Okay, I'm ready." Ginny bounced up into the room and clapped her hands together. "I feel very excited," exclaimed Ginny cheerily, "I know something very important before Hermione." Ron raised his eyebrows and looked at her strangely.
"Right, then, Ginny. Good for you," Ron said slowly. Ginny shrugged. "Just sit there." She smiled and sat across from Harry next to Ron. Ron nodded at Harry. Carelessly, Harry removed the precious ring and smashed it onto his finger quickly. The ring showed the glowing, warming signals until it cooled once again.
"The ring, I just remember researching something about it," Ginny commented.
"What?" Ron responded, surprised. Harry, Ron, and Ginny had been staring at the ring with immense interest and hadn't looked at each other as they spoke.
"Crystal balls are used in Divination to see the future, right?" Ginny asked.
"Uh-hmm."
"I didn't have any homework Thursday so I spent my time in the library. Something interesting I found out is that crystal balls can be created to read your personalities and your wants," she said informatively.
"Like what Hermione said was exactly what I wanted to hear," recalled Harry. He looked up from the ring.
"Exactly what you wanted to hear?" repeated Ginny questioningly.
"Yeah, like Ron put on the ring, and Hermione, whom he loves, said exactly what he wanted to hear," Harry said suggestively as if putting the pieces to the puzzle together in his mind. Ron stared at Harry with wide eyes. Ginny did the same, clasping her palms together quickly.
"Good point. Ginny, do you feel anything yet?" Ron asked excitedly. Ginny and Harry looked at each other briefly.
"I better go check the book and see what else it said," muttered Ginny. She got up to leave but Ron stopped her.
"You are going to sit down and wait," snapped Ron.
"And you say I'm turning into mum?" shrieked Ginny wildly. She crossed her arms and sat down. Each one of them let out an almost silent sigh until there was nothing but the sound of Seamus's snoring heard throughout the room.
"Harry, you don't need to be afraid of me or what I'm going to say. But maybe if you just said exactly how you feel about me we wouldn't be through this awkward situation. I really like you, I admit that, but it's up to you to decide what happens next," blurted out Ginny quickly. She blinked. "I didn't mean to be so forward," she said, blushing almost scarlet red. "I've been meaning to say something to that effect for a while. It just came out. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry," mumbled Harry awkwardly. "I've known the same thing. You just said it first." Ron stomped his foot.
"There!" Ron shouted. Seamus jumped in his sleep slightly but just muttered something incoherent and began snoring again.
"What?" asked Harry and Ginny quietly in unison.
"Wait," Ginny said. "When we were in the Three Broomsticks, Hermione said what you wanted to hear."
"And that's what I wanted to hear?" finished Harry questioningly. Ron snapped his fingers.
"That's it. That's it," Ron said, ignoring the steps of whoever was behind him. "We got it. That is what happens when a boy puts on the ring - "
"Ring?" said Hermione with laughing interest. She put a hand on his shoulder as Ron turned around in horror. "What ring?"
A/N: And it just keeps getting cheesier. No, I'm just kidding, but that was what I was talking about when I said a point would be revealed. Well...anyhow. I hope you enjoyed.
