Umm...rather short chapter really. Sorry! I just really wanted to post this because I felt so bad for the last one taking forever.
Okay, I didn't have this scene planned but Lavender tapped me on the shoulder and said she wanted a conversation. It was the least I could do after making her so ditzy earlier. So here it is, I don't particuarly like it. I think it's atad confusing, but don't worry if you get lost, the next chapter will clear things up a bit.
Thank you sooooooooo much to my reviewers! You guys make me so happy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you reconize from the Harry Potter books of movies. All of it belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.
"Seamus?" She asked uncertainly. To her immense relief he smiled brightly back at her.
"Hello, Gin. Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, thank you. Could you-could you come with me?"
He stared, looking slightly bemused, but nodded.
When they were outside of the portrait she pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and, standing on her tiptoes, she secured it around his eyes.
"I can't see."
"Well, of course, silly. That's the point of the blindfold." She took his hand and led him outside, carefully guiding down the stairs.
She stopped and dropped his hand. "Where are we?" He asked.
"You'll see. No peeking."
After a moment he felt her small hands on the back of his neck fumbling with the knot. The blindfold fell away.
He stared for a minute, in shock of what he saw in front of him. A large red blanket had been laid out facing the lake, which in the afternoon sunlight gleamed gold. A small picnic basket lay discarded, its contents emptied onto the blanket. She smiled brilliantly at him.
"Do you like it?" She asked.
"What is all this?"
"I just felt bad about, well, you know, standing you up today. I thought I'd make it up to you. Wanna muffin?"
She had snuck into the kitchen earlier to get food, only to realize she had no earthly idea what Seamus liked to eat. She'd asked for a good assortment of food, hoping that she'd get at least one thing he liked, and knowing from experience that it was very likely. Seamus was, after all a boy, and boys ate everything. She made sure to get muffins though. Lots of muffins; they were the only thing she knew for sure that he liked. He had, she remembered, been eating a muffin the night he had asked her out.
"This is…great." He said, accepting the proffered muffin. "I can't believe you did all this."
She shrugged and sat down, gesturing for him to do the same. He did.
"So…?"
"So." She leaned back on her arms, stretching out contentedly like a cat. "This is one of my favorite places."
He stared at her in amazement. She was one of those people who could blend into any situation. It was hard to feel uncomfortable around her.
"Why?"
"Reminds me of home I suppose. We have a quarry back at the Burrow, it filled up ages ago, long before we owned the house. We swim there in the summer."
"You're lucky. It must be fun to have so many brothers." He said sadly. Seamus was an only child.
"Not really. Not when you're a six year-old scared of heights and your brothers stage an intervention."
He laughed. "You were scared of heights?"
"Terrified. My brothers decided they couldn't live with the shame of a sister who wouldn't play Quidditch so Fred and George decided to play a little game of their own. I was the quaffle. I spent a week in a body cast and Mum was livid. On the plus side I overcame my fear."
"You can say that again. You're reckless on a broom."
"Why, thank you. I love playing Seeker, but I've always really wanted to be a Chaser. I saw Glynnis Griffiths play once, not live of course; it was actually while I was still in the body cast at St. Mungo's. I knew right then that I wanted to be just like her: fearless"
"Glynnis Griffiths?"
"Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies, the all-girl pro team." She explained as she bit into a peanut butter Oreo, the one guilty pleasure she had been able to resist. "But then, after they had succeeded in ridding me of my fear, they turned around and pulled a complete 1800. They said flying was too dangerous for me. So when no one was looking I'd sneak out and steal their brooms to practice."
"You're a trip Ginny Weasley, you know that?"
"Hey guys, what's wrong?"
In their dorm room Parvati and Lavender were sitting together on Lavender's bed. Hermione looked up, annoyed from her book to watch Lavender trying to comfort a sobbing Parvati.
"He d-d-d-dumped me." The dark-haired girl wailed. "He dumped me."
"Who?" Ginny asked. Parvati was nice enough, but she went through boys faster then anyone else she knew. Except maybe Lavender.
"Kevin Whitby." She spat, obviously enraged. "A Hufflepuff. I was dumped by a bleeding Hufflepuff."
Ginny sat down and patted the older girl consolingly. She glanced at Hermione who rolled her eyes and mouthed, "She's been at this for hours," over her book.
"It's not like I even liked him or anything. I was just dating him because he was hot and a great kisser. I'm supposed to dump him."
"Of course."
"I mean, you don't think I really liked him or anything, did you? Because I didn't. Not at all."
"I know you didn't." Ginny said kindly.
"His loss." Lavender comforted.
"That's right. It is his lose. Someday he's going to wake up and realize how much better off he was with me and try to come back. And I'll just rub it in his face."
"You know what I think we need? A girls' night. Just the four of us." Lavender exclaimed.
"Ah…sure. Hermione and I will go get some snacks."
"But I was going to finish-" She held up her book helplessly as Ginny clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Shut up Hermione." She whispered. "You'll never finish your book with her wailing like that. At least this way we can stop her from crying."
"Fine. Let's go."
As they walked out Parvati aroused herself from her moping long enough to call out, "And, Hermione, make sure Ginny gets some normal food this time."
By the time they had returned (arms full of candy floss, chocolate frogs, pumpkin pastries, and other such goodies) Parvati had cheered up enough to discuss the various fashion mistakes she had seen that afternoon at Hogsmeade.
"Did you see Elsie? What was she thinking? Green is sooo not her color. And Mary-Beth? Can you believe that hair-coloring charm? As if anyone's hair is that blonde."
"Oh my gosh, what about Justin? Did you see his pants? He looked like a clown."
"I know!"
"Who?"
"Justin, the Hufflepuff." Lavender answered. Parvati gave a slight whimper.
"Don't say that word."
Ginny sat down with her Oreos.
"So, Ginny," She said, "How was Bill?"
"I told you, I couldn't make it today."
"Because of your date with Seamus, I know. But I know you didn't meet Seamus and I saw you leave the castle, Ginny Weasley. In my shoes no less. No one gets that dressed up just for a casual trip to Hogsmeade."
Parvati was thrilled at the intrigue of the situation. "So it was you who stood Seamus up today!"
"How does the whole school know about that!"
"This is Hogwarts, Ginny." Hermione said.
"So I've heard."
Parvati played absentmindedly with Ginny's hair. Normally she would have protested when the dark haired girl pulled out a comb and began brushing Ginny's locks, but she made an exception today. The girl had, after all, just been dumped.
"But what did Bill have to say?"
"Quit saying Bill like that."
"What about Bill?" Hermione asked.
"Supposedly he was coming to visit Ginny today."
"I didn't know Bill was coming. Ron didn't say anything."
"That's because it's a secret, Hermione." She said through gritted teeth, hoping the older girl would get the message.
"Oh, I think it's a secret all right. I think Ginny's got a secret boyfriend she's not telling us about."
"Ohh! How did you know?" Parvati asked, enthralled.
"Well, I followed her of course. And don't give that look you were in my shoes, after all. I distinctly saw her go into the restaurant with a man."
"And how do you know it wasn't Bill?" Ginny asked.
"With blond hair? I don't think so."
"Look, you're right, okay? It wasn't Bill. But I can't tell you who it was so just drop it please."
Lavender looked miffed. "Fine, whatever."
Parvati was the one who broke the silence after a moment. "You know what this party needs? A makeover."
"Oh no." Ginny, whose hair was now in two large braids, said pulling away. "You two aren't touching me."
"Not you! Though if you would just let me lighten your hair a bit-"
"No!"
"Fine, fine. It's not you I meant anyway." She said glancing at Hermione who was still devoutly attempting to read her book. She glanced up.
"Not me. No."
"Please Hermione?" The Lavender and Parvati begged.
"You've been crushing on Ron for the longest time, even if you won't admit it. Why don't you just let us give you a little…sprucing up?"
She bit her lip hesitantly. "Well…maybe. But nothing too drastic."
Though Hermione seemed resigned after that to just sit back and allow the two girls to 'spruce her up' she kept shooting murderous glares in Ginny's direction. While the girls worked, they continued their chitchat. Ginny, having never cared for makeup herself, did not participate, though she laughed at the appropriate times and sometimes added a few tidbits of gossip she had heard.
"…and Seamus and Hannah were sitting in the Leaky Caldron when it happened. They can both testify."
"I'm so sure. Like they were really paying attention to what was going on."
"What?" Ginny asked, having let her attention lapse for a moment. The sound of Seamus's name brought her back to reality.
"Oh, I'm sorry Ginny. This must be a sensitive topic for you. I was so stupid to bring it up!"
"What topic?"
"Well, you know, Seamus and Hannah."
"What?"
"Oh my gosh, you mean you don't know? Well I just kind of assumed with you standing him up and all that you…?"
"That I what?"
"Broke up with him of course." Parvati said, not in the least tactfully. Lavender at least tried to be delicate, but for Parvati discretion was too much of a bother. "He was all depressed and lonely and Hannah was just sort of…there, I suppose. They had lunch together and I happen to know for a fact that they were getting awfully cozy in that booth."
"Oh, Ginny. Are you okay?" Hermione asked, eyes full of concern.
She smiled. She was angry of course, but not at Seamus. In reality she found she didn't mind losing Seamus, she minded losing the idea of Seamus. Ginny had wanted someone to like her, and Seamus had. He had treated her like she was special, which was what she had been looking for. But she also knew that she didn't even really know Seamus as a person. She really should have been mad that he had dated another girl, but she couldn't be. She had, after all, stood him up on their first date and had the situations been reversed she would have probably done the same thing. "I'm fine. We never really officially dated."
"Are sure?"
"Of course."
"This has become so depressing." Lavender pouted. Then her face brightened. "Let's play truth or dare!"
Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes. Truth or dare seemed to be Lavender's solution for anything. The girls couldn't count the times they had finally submitted and played the stupid games just to get her to shut up about it. Sometimes (okay, all the time) Ginny pitied the man who would end up with Lavender. She had a talent for annoying anything out of anyone. Inwardly, Ginny sighed, she didn't feel like arguing today.
"Fine." She said grudgingly.
"Good. Hmmm…Hermione, truth or dare?"
Hermione gulped. "Ummm…dare."
Solana:Draco has come to join me in thanking our reviewers.
Draco: I didn't have a choice. I live in your head, you idiot.
S:(pouts) That's not very nice.
D: Well neither is putting me in a fanfiction with the Weaselette.
S: You know you secretly love her with a passion.
D:(looks disgusted) I most certainly do not.
S:(Points at angry D/G fan girls)
D: Uh...I mean... of course I do.
Fan girl #1: I knew it! I just knew it!
Fan girl #2: D/G is cute, but Hr/D is even more cute.
D:(slowly backs away)
Fg#1: As if. Draco and Ginny were meant to be together!
(Crowd of angry Hr/D fan girls shows up)
Fg#2: Why don't we just ask Draco then?
Fg#1:Fine! Draco who do you like-Draco? Draco!
D:Runs screaming back into author's head
(fan girls all leave)
S:Um...if you're still reading this I fear for your sainity. Sorry random thoughts. I love all my reviewers! Please, Please, Please, Review! I'll Love you forever if you do!