Ginny's point of view. This is what happens after the ball. Hermione has gained an interesting talent for riddle-making... And I don't own Harry Potter. (I feel like a broken record!)

Ginny ran out of the hall, barely able to see where she was going because of her tears. She stumbled up staircases, and her foot sunk into the trick step. Crying now out of pain and misery, she sat on the stair above, waiting for someone to find her.

Her plan had failed. Instead of being puzzled as to who she had been, Harry had assumed that she was Luna.

'It was this stupid necklace,' Ginny pulled at the necklace she was wearing, cracking the chain. She threw it down the stairs.

She head footsteps approaching the staircase. She saw Harry hurrying towards her.

"Let me help you," He said kindly, helping her out of the step. As soon as she was free, she ran off towards the common room.

"Wait!" Harry called after her. She heard his footsteps behind her. She sped up, hitching up her skirt so she could run faster. Harry was a faster runner, and if she hadn't taken him by surprise and had a considerable head start, he would have caught up.

"Mandrake roots!" She shouted at the Fat Lady, then slammed the portrait in Harry's face. She heard him enter after her just as she opened the door of her dormitory.

'Thank goodness boys aren't allowed up here,' She heard Harry's footsteps on the staircase, and quickly entered her dormitory and shut the door, so she wouldn't slide back down when the steps melted into a slide. She head Harry groan and hit the floor.

Ginny sank to the floor, her back against the door. She heads two voices say, 'Mandrake Roots,' and heard footsteps.

"Harry, mate, what happened?" Ginny heard her brother ask.

"Who was that?" Harry asked.

"Dunno," Ron answered.

"I do," Hermione's voice was now heard. Ginny crossed her fingers, hoping that Hermione wouldn't tell Ron and Harry that it was her, "but I promised not to tell. I'm going to go talk to her." Hermione came up the stairs, and knocked softly on the door.

"Open up," Hermione ordered. Ginny did as she was told, for Hermione could force her way in if she really wanted to.

"What?" Ginny asked as she opened the door. She threw her mask onto her bed.

"Ginny, you have to tell Harry," Hermione said as the door closed.

"Why?"

"I think he should know," Hermione shrugged. "He didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I know he was a thick-headed git down there, but it was an honest mistake."

"I know," Ginny sniffed.

"If you don't tell him, I will," Hermione said threateningly.

"But I don't know if I want him to know," Ginny blew her nose.

"Then why did you even do this?" Hermione asked.

"Because I wanted to get him away from Luna. All I did tonight was make him like her even more. I was going to tell him after the ball was over, once he had hopefully realized that Luna wasn't for him."

"So you just wanted to get him away from Luna, not get him to like you?"

"No! Well, maybe yes. I don't know. I really like him. Michael and Dean were just boys that put my feelings for Harry on hold. I want him to know how I feel, but I don't at the same time." Ginny rubbed her head, as if her own answer confused her.

"Tell you what," Hermione tapped her chin, apparently thinking. "I won't tell Harry it's you. I'll give him a riddle or something. If he doesn't get it soon, you have to tell him." Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"Fine," Ginny said reluctantly.

"I'm going to tell him now," Hermione gave Ginny a Professor McGonagall stare.

Ginny reached for her mask as Hermione left her dormitory. She followed her out of the dormitory, but stopped on the landing outside. Hermione continued all the way down. Ginny put her mask on.

"Harry, I'm going to give you a riddle," Hermione said in the manner of a teacher instructing a student. "This is all I'll tell you, so don't ask for anything else. Here you go:

"I'm giving you Tom Riddle,

Thanks to Lockhart,

On a Saint Day,

In First Year,

Burning to save."

"What on earth?" Harry asked, obviously bewildered.

'You have to hand it to Hermione,' Ginny thought. 'That was an amazing riddle.'

"Ron, let's let Harry figure this one out on his own." Ginny guessed that Ron had opened his mouth to offer Harry a suggestion. Ginny heard footsteps, and guessed that Ron and Hermione had left.

"Please come down!" Harry pleaded. "I'm really sorry! Your necklace just looked so much like Luna's that I assumed…." He trailed off.

"You probably hate me for this," Harry said. "Please forgive me."

"I don't hate you," Ginny said.

"Thanks," Harry said. "I have to admit, I'm flattered that you had a dream about me."

"Now I feel really stupid to have told you," Ginny confessed, "because you will never be able to like me the way I like you."

"I could learn," Harry was speaking very softly. Ginny could hear him perfectly, but then the steps melted, and she slid down, as she was still standing on the landing.

Ginny collided into Harry, who was getting up, as she hit the bottom of the stairs. He was knocked backwards, and she gave him a small smile. He had removed his mask, and it was lying on a table.

"Hi," She said as they straightened up.

'Thank goodness I put my mask on,' Ginny thought.

"Hey," Harry said softly.

"Do you have any clue as to who I am?" Ginny asked.

"No," Harry admitted. "Tom Riddle, Lockhart, Saint Day, First Year, Burn to save." He recited the clues Hermione had given him.

"Does Tom Riddle mean she was giving me a riddle?" Harry asked her.

"Not really," Ginny said slowly. She knew that if Harry put Lockhart and Saint Day together, he would figure it out.

"Ok," Harry began pacing. "Um, Lockhart, Saint Day, First Year, and Burn to save. Lockhart wasn't here our first year."

"He was for mine," Ginny blurted out, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Harry would get it now.

"Wait," Harry's eyes widened. "Lockhart threw a Valentine celebration, and I got a valentine from Ginny. Then I had to burn a hole into Riddle's diary to save her. Now it all makes sense! You're Ginny!"

Ginny removed her mask, and let it clatter to the floor.

"Surprise," She said dully.

"This is your costume?" Harry sunk into an armchair. "What on earth made you decide to do this? I thought-"

"I know what you're gonna say, Harry," Ginny held up her hand. "I guess, now that you know it's me, I should tell you the story."

She recited everything to him: her drawings, her plan, her costume, blushing furiously.

Harry sat transfixed as she finished. He seemed almost scared to talk.

"You must think I'm really stupid to tell you all this," Ginny managed a small smile.

"You're not stupid," Harry stood up, walked over to her, and took her hands. "I admire your courage in telling me who you are, and how you feel. I don't think I could have done the same."

"Thanks," Ginny smiled.

"Why don't we forget about what happened down there," Harry jerked his head towards the portrait hole, "and go back down and have a good time with Ron and Hermione." Harry bit his lip.

"Sounds good to me," Ginny sighed. She wanted nothing more than to forget and start over.

"Here," Harry bent down to pick up her mask and offered it to her.

"I don't need it anymore," Ginny took it from Harry and out it on the table next to Harry's. The firelight danced on the sequins.

"And I have this, which you dropped," Harry held out her necklace, putting a sarcastic emphasis on 'dropped.'

Ginny took it from Harry, repaired it with her wand, and clasped it around her neck.

"The costume looks ten times prettier on you than it does on a mysterious masked figure," Harry joked.

They smiled at each other, and Harry opened the portrait hole for her.

"Thanks," She said automatically. They began their way down to the Great Hall, walking a good twelve inches apart. Although they had agreed to forget about what had happened earlier, Ginny couldn't stop dwelling on Harry's kiss.

It had felt so right. The whole ball, up until Harry had called her Luna, had felt right. It was as if her life was a giant jigsaw puzzle, and the ball fit as a piece. Harry fit as a piece.

She glanced at Harry. He was blushing, looking at his feet, and she noticed that he moved closer to her with every step. He reached out to put his arm around her…

"Harry!"

"Luna?" Harry pulled his arm back and stepped away from Ginny abruptly.

Luna was running in from the entrance hall, waving her camera in the air.

"I got a picture!" Luna danced in front of Harry excitedly.

"That's great!" Harry hugged her, now completely ignoring Ginny. "Want to come to the ball now?"

"Sure!" Luna smiled, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Ginny noticed Luna's pendant gleaming, half-tucked into her cloak.

Harry put his arm around Luna, not Ginny, and began to walk towards the Great Hall.

For the second time that day, Ginny felt her heard being wrenched in two pieces. For the second time that day, Luna had ruined what should have been the best moment of her life.