Chapter 3

Ron and Hermione were still trying to convince Harry of Snape's unworthiness to be loved (this time, using sock puppets to act out all his evil deeds) when Ginny walked into the common room.

"'Sup, bitches!" the saucy redhead greeted them. Then, noticing the oddness of the scene before her, she asked, "What's going on?"

Ron set down his Snape puppet (onto which he'd Spello-taped a paper speech balloon that read "I am Snape, the Potions master"), and eyed his sister. "It's kind of weird, Ginny…I, er, don't know how we can possibly explain it, and make you believe us."

"Oh really? Try me," she shot back, putting her hands on her hips and flipping her long red hair over her shoulder.

"Well, okay…" Ron began hesitantly, then said in a rush, "Harry saw Snape on the john this morning when he somehow apparated into the dungeon's bathroom even though apparition is supposed to be impossible inside Hogwarts and then he wet his pyjama pants and Snape hurled him out of the stall and now for some reason Harry is convinced that this means that Snape is his soulmate even though we all know that Snape is an ugly greasy bastard who is responsible for Harry's parents' deaths and maybe Sirius' too and oh yeah, he also killed Dumbledore."

Ginny simply stared.

"We can act it out with our puppets if you're confused," Hermione offered, holding up a limp Dead Dumbledore puppet whose face had been drawn with a protruding tongue and X's for eyes.

"No, that's okay --- I, um, think I get it," Ginny said. She then turned to Harry and said, "Harry, are you sure you're in love with Professor Snape? Because, frankly, that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever."

"Love doesn't have to make sense!" Harry exclaimed angrily. "Sometimes opposites attract! Haven't you guys ever seen When Harry Met Sally? French Kiss? You've Got Mail? Whenever two people start out hating each other, they always end up falling in love with each other!"

"You actually take those silly romantic comedies seriously?" Hermione said in disgust. "And when did you see all those movies, anyway --- is your Aunt Petunia some kind of crazy Meg Ryan fan?"

"No, that would be Uncle Vernon," Harry replied.

His friends chose to ignore this comment, and Ginny continued, "But Harry, you broke up with me last June at Dumbledore's funeral because you said that you were afraid that Voldemort would go after everyone you love. How can you turn around and fall in love with someone else? Did I mean nothing to you?" Her brown eyes began to fill with tears --- but then suddenly they widened as if an idea had struck her.

"Unless…" she said slowly, "unless you're only pretending to be in love with Snape in the hopes that Voldemort will kill him, thereby seeking your revenge for Dumbledore's death, and then you can kill Voldemort…oh my God, that's it, isn't it?" Her face full of hope, she flung her arms around Harry and wrapped him in the tightest hug her small arms could muster.

However, Harry shook her off as if she were the Giant Squid trying to stick its tentacles in places We Shall Not Name, and turned around and started walking out of the common room.

"Where are you going?" Hermione, Ginny and Ron all called after him.

"I'm going to tell my Sev that I love him," Harry replied proudly, as if he were a knight about to embark on a heroic mission to slay a dragon. His three friends looked at one another, shrugged, and then followed him out of the Gryffindor common room. Things could only get even more interesting from here.