Sorry for the hiatus there. Thanks for sticking with us, and thanks for the reviews!

6. Lighten up any moment with a bit of humor.

Don't worry – you don't have to be a slapstick comedian to pull this one off. Everyone has a different sense of humor, so you can try out any number of things ranging from sarcasm to simple goofiness. Most witches appreciate just the attempt. Keep in mind that if you can make your significant other smile, you're off to a good start.

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Ronald's Tip: Don't be so sensitive that you can't poke fun at yourself. Remember, all embarrassing moments evolve into knee-slapping memories with time if you let it.

Wednesday, February 1997

It was so cold that week that everyone wore coats and mittens and scarves around the school. Dean and Seamus put on earmuffs during Transfiguration and claimed they couldn't take notes because they couldn't hear what McGonagall was saying, which of course nearly got them detention. But McGonagall's frosty glare was nothingcompared to the ice and snow outside.

So instead of going up to bed, we were still sitting in front of the fire in the common room, too warm and comfortable to even consider moving. Ginny had joined us a while ago, so it was just the four of us in the room.

Harry was filling us in about what had happened during Herbology that morning – we'd been put in separate greenhouses for a project involving alihotsy and snapping gorbellums.

"So Parvati was screaming – you know how loud she and Lavender can get – right in my ear, telling me to 'get this thing off my arm!' only she was flailing all around and not helping anybody, right, and Neville's behind us probably about to have an aneurism because he'd know exactly what to do in this sort of situation but he's tied up with his own pair of devilish plants.

"And Sprout hears, of course, and comes running over – it was pretty funny, really – but right then I got a clear shot at the thingso I did a Repellant Charm – only Parvati chose the exact same moment to do some other charm and mine backfired. Missed Sprout by inches and shattered this big flowerpot – you know the one in front of the mandrakes?"

Hermione winced. "Was she very angry?"

Ginny laughed as Harry shook his head. "I still can't hear properly."

"Nice going, mate," I smirked, blowing a raspberry at him.

"Oh, I wouldn't be talking, Mr. I-don't-know-how-to-use-my-wand," Ginny scoffed. "Who's the one who pointed his wand the wrong way and blasted himself in the stomach with a slug jinx?"

"How do you know about that?" I demanded. I knew my face had turned red beyond redemption.

"Hagrid," she said, sticking her tongue out at me. She and Harry laughed.

"That was pretty disgusting," Hermione said in a reminiscent tone, holding out her hands to the fire.

"Well, I suppose it was pretty funny," I said, leaning back and putting my hands behind my head. "Those slugs were nasty, though."

"Yeah, and remember Colin tried to take a picture of you?" Harry grinned.

"And no one wanted to touch you, it was so revolting," Hermione teased while Harry mimicked me vomiting.

Harry shook his head. "Of course it was me and Hermione who had to drag you to Hagrid's, right? And he gave you a bin or something and you just kept belching up slugs the entire time."

"Those were good times," I said, chuckling. "I must've looked a mess." I grinned at Hermione, but she'd suddenly adopted a strange expression that suggested I'd grown an extra nose.

"Was that the year Hagrid showed us his pumpkins?" Harry was saying. "Or was it flobberworms?"

"Flobberworms, I think," Hermione said, looking away from me. I couldn't fathom what that expression was supposed to have meant.

"And Hagrid said he'd just met Ginny 'cause she'd been 'looking around' the grounds, only he suspected she was just hoping she'd run into Harry," I laughed.

Ginny turned red as Harry and Hermione looked at me incredulously. "How do you remember that?"

I shrugged. "You know how you remember weird things." I glanced at Hermione again, but she was grinning widely this time.

"What are you smiling about?" Harry asked her.

She smirked at me. "I'm just surprised Ron hasn't been a prat about the whole thing, is all. It's very refreshing."
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