A.N: Wow! Another chapter us not dead! Anyway, review crazy frogs!

"Er…hi…I was just, um, wondering if…you're o…k?" said Harry, feeling his face grow warm as he said it. The girl lowered her book, revealing large brown eyes, flicking her hair from her face.

"I'm fine. I was with some others, but they all went to play Spin The Bottle with those (she nodded her head at the loud compartment opposite) guys. Thanks for asking, though. I'm Avril, by the way." She reached her hand out and Harry shook it.

"Er, hi. I'm Harry."

"Oh. Hi."

Harry stared, bewildered. He was not disappointed; merely surprised that she had not gasped, stared, blushed, or performed the familiar flick to his scar. An unknowing person would not have known that Harry was so famous; even with Fudge and Umbridge putting him down.

"What's that you're reading?" asked Harry, determined to socialize with the one person who didn't care that he was thought of as a big-headed liar.

"Oh, it's really interesting. I thought that knowing the actual arts and their History would be a starting point to actually fighting them, you know. How can you properly defend yourself against the unknown?"

"Well. The Tri-Wizard Maze last year was pretty unknown, I guess…"

"Well, yeah. But you weren't in, say one-on-one combat, so it wasn't quite what I meant." She smiled. After a few more minutes discussion about Umbridge, Hermione and You-Know-Who, she said "Shouldn't you be somewhere? Hermione, or Ron, will wonder where you've got to."

"I guess…Ron's back in our compartment…I dunno where Hermione went…I don't care either…anyway. Nice to meet you and…see you around, I guess."

Harry exited the compartment, determined to tell Ron about the first girl he'd met who, hopefully, believed him, didn't appear to have a mental illness, was intelligent and didn't seem to find fame particularly important.

"Ron!" he said, slamming the compartment door open, slightly out of breath after running.

"Hi, Harry. Where were you? You've been ages."

"I got…distracted." Ron merely looked curious not really responding.

Harry sighed, plonking himself onto a seat. "I met this girl. Avril. Shiny brown hair and big brown eyes? Ravenclaw?"

"What the new one? She looked alright at the sorting, eh?"

"Yeah, her. Well, she was just in this compartment, alone. She said all her mates had gone to play Spin The Bottle with some Hufflepuffs. So I went in."

"What?"

"Yeah, I know. Well, I went in. And I just kind of stammered, asking if she was alright and stuff…and we were talking, and when I introduced myself she didn't…respond or anything. She just…accepted it. It was kinda weird, after everyone whispering my name in all the corridors, you know, to find someone who…didn't."

"Wow. That's cool. So what? You like her?"

"She's alright." Said Harry, turning pink again. He hadn't considered the possibility of like liking her. He just thought of her in a friendly sort of way. He didn't question himself any further.

"Want a frog?" Ron asked, holding out a packet.

"Yeah…thanks…" Harry daydreamed for the rest of the evening, having fantasies of shiny-haired girls dancing with him at the Ball, and Umbridge getting fired.

"Pupils? This is Professor McGonnagal speaking. Collect your belongings and make your way out of the train. Meet your Head of House on the platform and wait until someone gives you another command. Professor Umbridge (there was a pause where McGonagall sounded like she was trying to avoid adding 'our wonderful Defence teacher') will lead us on to the site. Chop chop."

Harry scrambled to find his jacket and grabbed his wand. He hadn't thought of bringing anything else; unlike many girls and a few boys. He stood up, and made his way out of the train, slowly.

"I just c-can't believe it…I-I thought he- he liked me…" a girl sobbed from in front. Looking up, Harry saw none other that Hermione, and hastily moved back to make some distance between them.

After making it out onto the platform where they were checked and counted by Professor McGonagall, they set of towards the beach. Harry had lost Ron amongst the hoards of people now battling to get down the stairs at the end of the station, and hung back at the edge of the scrum; along with a few other sensible people, including the Ravenclaw he had talked to earlier. She looked up, saw him and as they made eye contact, looked away, embarrassed.

Harry, for some reason, felt an urge to go see her, so following his gut feeling, he walked.

"Er…hi…" he said as he made his way down the stairs beside her.

"Oh, hi Harry!"

"Hi. Look, I know this is really weird, and I know that I'm being a bit…I dunno….but um…do you want to come to the Christmas Ball with me? Just as friends you know. It's just I don't really have a date cause…everyone thinks I'm a fat liar." He looked at the ground, nervously.

"That'd be cool. I don't have a date either cause I believe you. Which is why I turned down that pig of a Draco Malfoy."

"He asked you?"

"Yeah. But he's a moron. So, anyway. See you at the ball then. She wandered off towards a group of girls as Harry, realizing that he had slowed to a halt, sped upto find Ron, feeling utterly elated.

Review and I'll do Chp 3…or else…