Disclaimer: Do I own Harry Potter? No. But if I did it would consist of seven pop up books and would never have been published.

Step 5: - Hint.

Subtlety is key! Sometimes all a guy needs is a push in the right direction, especially the silent type. And sometimes they need a real good shove! So use the subtle hints in some cases and more obvious hints in the extreme.

Subtlety was never my best aspect. I'd probably crash and burn…
I skipped down a familiar lane; past trees that I'd watched grow over the course of my lifetime. I smiled to myself as the wind hit my face. I enjoyed this, all of it, being on my own in the woods not anyone there to badger and mother me, no one to tease me, no one, I was completely free. It was bliss. I didn't have much direction but I knew pretty much where my legs where taking me, it had been a few years but I still knew the way to the clearing.

I turned a corner and cut across another path and entered my clearing, it was like returning home again. I closed my eyes and breathed in the fresh air. I opened my eyes slowly savouring the picturesque site. I looked at the beautiful blooms sprouting from the trees but then I blinked, something wasn't the same in my clearing. And this would be the 5'11 boy with jet-black hair currently staring at me like an alien.

"What are you doing here?" We say in unison.

"How did you find my clearing?" he says, almost angrily.

"Harry, this is my clearing I've been coming here since I was twelve."

"Then why haven't I seen you here before." In fact I hadn't been here in a year because I'd stopped needing it.

"Harry it doesn't matter, I'll leave."

"No. I don't want you to, it's just you found my secret getaway." We'd been wondering where Harry kept disappearing.

"Okay. Why don't we stay here together?" He shrugged and didn't look at me before he sat down; I took the seat (fallen log) next to him. I was about to ask him something really caring like 'What's troubling you?' or 'is it about Sirius?' but then I remembered the stupid step and stopped myself so instead I said…

"Do you like anyone at the moment?" he blinked at me as though absolutely amazed I'd said this. He thought it over.

"I don't think so… no." I pouted, and batting my eyelashes added,

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Do you?" He didn't sound very interested. I seized the opportunity.

"Yes I do."

"Oh who?"

"I can't tell you that." I say laughing. He shrugs again and I get the sudden urge to nail his shoulders to the wood.

"Okay, don't worry."

"I'll tell you what I'll hint and you can guess."

"Okay." I wish he'd stop saying that!

"So he's really nice." Harry nods at least he looks slightly interested now, "and he um really likes quidditch."

"Every guy you know then," he laughs, "Is he on the quidditch team?"

"Maybe."

"That means yes, what house is he in?"

"Now really Harry I can't tell you that one."

"just do me a favour."

"What?"

"Just rule out Slytherin."

"Done."

"Great how old is he?" he was starting to sound more and more interested, I just hope he liked the real answer.

"He is… younger than all my brothers."

"Is he in your year." I'll have to think about this one.

"No." he smiles like he is all-knowing.

"Cradle snatcher."

"What!"

"If he's not the same age as you he's younger." I'm panicking not only is this going in the completely wrong direction but now Harry thinks I'm into younger guys! I'll have to sort this out but it'll take some serious manipulation.

"If you want to think that Harry you can." I smile mischievously.

"So he's not?"

"Maybe, Maybe not." Harry is seriously confused now.

"I'll take a different approach. What does he look like? Is he blonde?" The image that pops into my head first is Malfoy causing me to say…

"God no!" Harry has a huge smile on his face.

"Brown or black hair then?"

"Well it kind of changes." (referring to the movie.) Harry looks nonplussed. "His eyes do that as well." I smile.

"So he has to have bluish-greeny eyes and brown or black hair."

"No Harry. He doesn't have too." He is so stupid I can't believe I fell for a guy who possibly has less brainpower than Ron! Meanwhile Harry's face has adapted a knowing smile.

"Oh wait I remember now." Could it possibly be?

"You do?" My voice sounds apprehensive.

"Yeah on the train… Dean Thomas! It has to be he's the only guy in my year who is younger than Ron… except Neville but you don't like Neville."

"Harry how do you know that he's in Gryffindor?"

"Oh that's obvious when I said 'what house is he in?' you touched your t-shirt where your robes normally say Gryffindor." How the hell did he notice that?

"So I'm right then; it's Dean?" I contemplated telling him the truth but that wouldn't be very subtle. I think it's time to bring out the big guns.

"Harry, you've got it all wrong." His face turned into a frown, "This Guy, he is in Gryffindor and yes, he is younger than Ron, he's on the quidditch team and he's sitting right next to me." Harry's eyes had rounded on the words 'quidditch team.' I sighed obviously this wasn't going to work.

"Harry?" He hadn't said anything and was still staring straight ahead. But then he looked at me again with sheepish eyes and said:

"Seriously?" so pityingly that I had to escape, escape from it all. I began to laugh and when I begin to laugh, funny or not, I can't stop.

"No stupid" he looks at me dumb struck and then he begins to understand, and he laughs ever so slightly, relief sweeps over me momentarily until he starts to roar with forced laughter. My heart breaks.

"Gin, your such a good actress, you really had me going!"

Yeah I'm a really good actress so much so I was able to lie to myself for years.

Xoxxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Well apart from complete humiliation I think that one could really work. Do you know what? I don't have to get revenge on Ron all I have to do is advise him on Hermione, using this magazine as my guideline of course though.

Xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxooxoxo

If he hasn't yet realised how wonderful you truly are.

Guys are all stubborn we know this it's just some guys are more so than others. So he may think he doesn't like you but chances are he's wrong. So try some of these steps to change his mind.

Step 6:- Joke.

What does every guy think they are? A comedian so humour them laugh at their jokes it may just pay off. Although we all know that sarcasm is infinitely better than "this guy walks into a bar…" jokes but guys don't get it so tell some jokes and you might just like the punch line.

Keep your eyes out for the clearing it will show up again maybe in this story and perhaps in a few of my other stories winks mysteriously (but not in a weird twitchy way in a way kind of like out of one of those detective movies)

Dies of embarrassment