Ginny was sitting next to Ron, comforting him in his failure of asking Fleur Delacour to the Yule Ball.

Ginny was almost reduced to laughter when he told her, and the only thing keeping her from erupting in giggles is the face of her brother, pale with embarrassment.

"Look, she's a snob alright, and God knows how many more boys she rejected?" Ginny said in a low voice, trying to seem as calm as possible, "I heard she almost reduced another third-year to tears when she rejected him."

Ron made a weak noise.

"What's up, Ron?"

She looked up to see Harry coming towards them, and despite everything, Ginny suddenly felt as though butterflies had crawled in her mouth and fell to her stomach, fluttering everywhere.

"Why did I do it?" Ron said, snapping her out of her thoughts, "I don't know what made me do it!"

"What?" asked Harry.

"He—er—just asked Fleur Delacour to go to the ball with him," she managed to say, fighting off a smile.

"You what?" Harry said incredulously.

"I don't know what made me do it!" Ron exclaimed. "What was I playing at? There were people—all around—I've gone mad—everyone watching! I was just walking past her in the Entrance Hall—she was standing there talking to Diggory—and it sort of came over me—and I asked her!"

Ron moaned and put his head in his hands. His words came out jumbled and muffled. "She looked at me like I was a sea slug or something. Didn't even answer. And then—I dunno—I just sort of came to my senses and ran for it."

"She's part Veela," said Harry. "You were right—her grandmother was one. It wasn't your fault. I bet you just walked past when she was turning on the old charm for Diggory and got a blast of it—but she's wasting her time. He's going with Cho Chang." He said this somewhat glumly.

"I asked her to go with me just now," Harry said dully, "and she told me."

Ginny felt like someone splashed ice cold water at her. Told you. The voice of reason has returned.

She knew that he fancied Cho; saw how he glanced at her, but she never thought he would actually do anything about it. And you thought you had a chance, the voice smirked.

At least, she thought, Cho didn't say yes. They would end up going to the Yule Ball together.

But then something struck her. Harry didn't find a partner, but she did. She was going with Neville. She thought Harry already found someone, by his fame and looks, but apparently, she thought wrong…

Ron was saying something agitatedly. "—but she told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if! She just didn't want to go with Neville… I mean, who would?"

Ginny turned red. "Don"t! Don't laugh—"

Just then Hermione climbed through the portrait hole.

"Why weren't you two at dinner?

"Because—oh, shut up laughing, you two—because they've both just been turned down by girls they asked to the ball!" Ginny said.

Ginny was pleased to see Harry and Ron shut up.

"Thanks a bunch, Ginny," Ron said sourly.

But Ginny was way too embarrassed to make any snarky remarks that she would have normally responded with.

God, Ginny, what were you thinking? You impulsive idiot, the voice of reason had come back to chide at her relentlessly.

Well I thought he had a date already! she protested weakly.

You thought wrong. And now you're going with Neville Longbottom.

Loud shouts woke Ginny from her thoughts.

"No, you're not!" said Ron. "You just said that to get rid of Neville!"

"Oh, did I?" Hermione said, eyes livid. "Just because it took you threeyears to notice, Ron, doesn't mean that no one else has spotted I'm a girl!"

If Ron knew any better he would have quickly took back his words, but Ron was Ron, so he only stared and grinned at Hermione, oblivious to her rage.

"OK, OK, we know you're a girl," he said, "That do? Will you come?"

"I've already told you!" said Hermione, very angrily, "I'm going with someone else!"

She turned on her heels and stormed into the girls' dormitories.

"She's lying," said Ron flatly.

"She's not," Ginny said.

"Who is it then?" Ginny was surprised to see how sharply Ron said those words.

"I'm not telling you, it's her business."

"Right," said Ron, "this is getting stupid. Ginny, you can go with Harry, and I'll just-"

"I can't," Ginny said, and her voice of reason mocked her internally again. "I'm going with- with Neville. He asked me to go when Hermione said no, and I thought… well… I'm not going to be able to go otherwise, I'm not in fourth year." Lies, she thought, you were impulsive and jealous, that's what you were. "I think I'll go and have dinner," she said.

And Ginny, feeling very stupid and annoyed at herself, walked out the portrait hole.

The hours counting down to the Yule Ball was stressful, firstly because of the flurry of fashion preparations, secondly because Ginny wasn't going with the boy she liked. By the time the fifth girl gushing about what she was going to wear passed Ginny, she was in a sour mood that could only be dampened when Neville waved at her in the common room.

Ginny veered to the staircase leading to the girls' dormitories, hoping that she would stop being reminded of her Yule Ball date.

"Oof!" She bumped into a figure clad in blue silk. Steadying herself, she turned and apologized to the girl. "Sorry," she said, just as she saw her face.

"Hermione?" she gaped.

For not only Hermione was swathed in robes of blue silk, her usual bushy hair was tamed and sleek, cascading over her shoulders in a way that Ginny would hardly relate to Hermione. "Your hair," she said, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Oh, that," Hermione said, patting her hair. "I just used some product on it. Does it look fine?"

"Of course it does," Ginny said, smiling as she thought of what Ron would look like when he saw Hermione.

"I was planning on doing a knot, I just need to find that spell for it…" Hermione muttered distractedly. She hurried down the few steps before turning back. "You look great too, Ginny."

Then she disappeared into the corner.

Ginny frowned and patted her hair.

She decided that if she had to spent several torturing hours, she might as well look better.

When Ginny had finally made herself presentable (and dragging the last several minutes to the max), she headed down the stairs and met Neville at the foot of the stairs.

Neville was clad in dress robes that were rather a little too big for him, and he was nervously scratching his collar.

"Hi Ginny," he said nervously. "You look nice."

Ginny had on green dress robes, which were brand new. Being the only girl in the family meant that her parents occasionally would take liberties in buying new clothes. She remembered Ron's face when he saw that Ginny had new dress robes when he had to wear Charlie's.

"Thanks," Ginny said, hoping she didn't sound too miserable. "Shall we go?" she brightened up her voice but immediately cringed; she sounded too cheery.

Neville, still furiously scratching away at his collar, nodded and offered an arm.

Taking it, they climbed out of the portrait hole and made their way to the Great Hall.

They were just in time as the doors opened and everybody streamed in. Soon people were settling close to the walls and waiting for the Yule Ball to commence.

The four champions and their partners were in the middle; Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies, both looking very attractive, though Davies couldn't seem to wrench his gaze off Fleur. And Fleur couldn't seem to stop preening over herself.

Cedric Diggory looked charming, though Ginny didn't quite understand why so many girls were obsessed with him. Ginny, with a twist of envy, saw that Cho Chang looked very pretty, and she now knew why Harry liked her.

Hermione was on the arm of Viktor Krum, smiling widely while other girls gaped at her in shock. Ginny scanned through the crowds to see Ron looking at Hermione with narrowed eyes, clearly jealous. She rolled her eyes. Viktor Krum was looking just a little less surly than usual, mood apparently brightened with the aspect of Hermione by his side.

And at the very last was Harry. Though Ginny tried her very best not to notice him, she still could not stop looking at him. Harry looked slightly nervous, as if he was expecting something terrible to happen any minute. It was clear that he had tried – and failed – at flattening his hair, and Ginny smirked slightly. Then she saw who was by his side, and her smirk left her face. Parvati Patil, though looking quite pretty, was smiling widely with the air of someone who had won the lottery.

Well, at least it's not Cho. She thought in a attempt to cheer herself up. Just as quickly the snide voice returned. But it's not you either, is it? Because you were so quick to assume… Ginny banished her self-loathing thoughts and focused on the present.

Soon enough the night quickened, and Ginny, attempting to take her mind off her thoughts, suggested to dance. Neville agreed, though with much reluctance.

Ginny was starting to regret her decision as it became clear that Neville was so nervous that he kept treading on her feet. After over ten minutes of deftly avoiding Neville's feet and wincing loudly when she failed to do so, she stopped Neville. "Let's sit for a while," she said, and Neville nodded, relieved.

They both sat down, Ginny nursing her feet, Neville finally looking less nervous as he drank some pumpkin juice. As the night wore on, both of them refusing to join the dance floor, Neville soon retired to the common room, tired. Ginny stayed behind, staring sort of resignedly at the crowd of people on the dance floor.

"Ginny, right?"

Ginny turned to see a boy with brown hair, an easy smile and faraway eyes smiling at her.

"Oh," Ginny said, racking her brain for the name of the boy. "Michael? Michael Corner. You're in my Transfiguration class."

Michael nodded. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

"About-?" Ginny said uncertainly.

"Well," Michael blushed. "I wanted to ask you to Yule ball, but you had gotten a date already."

"Oh," Ginny said quite stupidly. See? You were so busy being jealous over Harry while you could've went with this boy.

Michael smiled, and Ginny saw that he was sort of charming and sweet in his own way.

Ginny smiled back.