A/N I am on a roll, don't you all think? Lol...I know the past couple chapters have been short so here is a nice long one for you...Hope you all enjoy! And as always many thanks to Ms. Augurey Song!

"Harry, what's wrong with me?" Ginny asked.

"What, besides the fact that you don't know how to sit in a chair?" He responded, laughing at his friend who was currently sitting upside down on the sofa next to him, meaning that she had her feet over the headrest and her head hanging off the seat, her black hair barely brushing the floor.

"No, I'm being serious," she told him. "Tomorrow is Valentines Day and I don't have a date. Everyone has a date to Hogsmeade tomorrow except for me."

"I don't have a date for tomorrow," Harry reminded her.

"Fine, then everyone who wants a date for Hogsmeade tomorrow has one. It's not like you didn't get offers from half the female population in this school, Mr. Most Eligible Bachelor of the wizarding world," Ginny told him, tossing him the Witch Weekly that gave him that title. "If you don't have a date then that's your own fault, but I didn't even get asked."

"Yeah, but the only reason they want to go out with me is because I'm Harry Potter. They don't know who I am and they don't really care to find out. They just want to spend the day with me so they can go tell everyone they know about it. That is not my idea of a good time. And besides, I thought you said last year that it's a commercial holiday made up by greeting card and candy companies to make money," he reminded her of her words from the year prior.

"Yeah, but last year I had a boyfriend so I was allowed to not care about the holiday. This year I'm single and lonely," she explained with a sigh. "You know, they should really rename it to be called single awareness day, cause that's what it is. How does it not bother you?"

Harry just shrugged in response.

"So you still haven't answered my first question," she reminded him after she saw he wasn't going to respond. "Is there something wrong with me? Am I repulsive in some way? I don't get it! Before this year, I have never had any trouble getting a boyfriend, let alone a date, and yet I haven't been asked out on one all year. Do I smell or something? I mean, I think I'm fairly attractive…" she stopped when she realized something and rolled backwards off the couch so she landed kneeling on the floor.

"Is it my hair?" she asked Harry. "That's the only thing different this year, should I have not cut it or dyed it black? Should I go back to red and grow it back out?"

"Gin, it's not your hair," Harry assured her.

"Then am I just ugly?"

"Ginny," Harry said, putting down the Quidditch magazine he was reading. "I can honestly tell you that your appearance has nothing to do with your lack of dates. You are gorgeous no matter what color hair you have and no matter what length it is. You could have bright blue hair and still be in the top ten girls, looks wise, and as you are now, you are in the top five."

"You're just saying that because you're my friend," Ginny said, leaning forward and propping her elbows on the seat of the couch.

"No, I'm not," he told her, "There is an official list and you are in the top five. If anything, you don't have a date because guys are intimidated by how pretty you are."

"Are you serious! There is like an official written down list?"

Harry nodded.

"Is it all the houses or just Gryffindor?"

"All," he told her grabbing his magazine and finding his place.

"Who else is on it and where do they place?" Ginny asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

Harry smiled and looked at her from over his magazine. "I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you. I have already told you too much. You girls aren't even supposed to know it exists, but I trust you not to tell anyone."

Ginny nodded and fell silent, she stayed sitting on the floor with her chin resting in her hands on the seat of the sofa while she contemplated this new information, while Harry went back to his reading.

"So is it my personality?" she asked after a couple minutes.

"Good Gods Ginny!" Harry exclaimed, "When did you become Ms. Low Self-Esteem? You are one of the kindest, warmest, nicest, funniest, and all around one of the best people I know. You are also one of the most self-assured and self-confident people I know, so I don't know where this is coming from!"

"Then why does nobody want me!" Ginny shouted back, shaking her hands over dramatically in the air.

"Wow...what's going on down here?" Ron asked as he and Hermione stood in the stairway coming down from the boys' dormitory.

"Uggg!" was all Ginny said as she flung herself on to the couch and covered her face with a pillow in disgust with the whole situation.

"Umm...Ginny is...unhappy that she doesn't have a date for Hogsmeade tomorrow," Harry answered diplomatically.

"And I don't know why!" Ginny's muffled voice came from under the pillow. "Harry has assured me it's not my looks or personality so I don't know what that leaves." The pillow fell on the floor as she sat up. "Does my breath smell or something?"

"I think I know what the problem is," Hermione mentioned delicately.

"What?" Ginny asked hopeful that whatever the problem was could be remedied before the next morning.

"Well...I think that perhaps the reason that no one seems to be approaching you or asking you out is...that all the guys are afraid of Harry."

"What?" both Harry and Ginny exclaimed simultaneously.

"She's right," Ron agreed, "I heard some of the guys talking about it a little while ago."

"You see, people think that you are already spoken for and that it is only a matter of time before you get together. So they either think that you won't say yes, or they don't want to get on Harry's bad side for taking you away," Hermione explained.

"What?" Ginny exclaimed again. "That's ridiculous. Harry and I are just friends; everybody knows that!"

"No, everybody doesn't know that," Hermione told her, "And to be honest I can kind of see why."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny asked.

"Well..." Hermione started, hesitant to explain. "Everybody knows that you and Dean broke up because of Harry."

"The relationship wasn't working," Ginny countered, "we would have broken up regardless."

"Well you two do seem to be together constantly," Ron added.

"That's because we have the same friends, and have Quidditch practice together, and that kind of stuff," Harry explained.

"Well you guys are together alone a lot too, without friends around," Hermione mentioned.

"That's because our friends," Ginny looked at Ron and Hermione pointedly, "are dating and like their alone time and ditch us all the time to go snog in a closet." She said, making Hermione blush.

"Plus we have been through a lot together this past year so of course we are close," Harry also added.

"And there are also all of the Witch Weekly and Daily Prophet articles that say you are a couple," Ron reminded them.

"But I have released statements saying that we are only friends," Harry mentioned.

"And even if everything you say is true, and everyone is so sure that we are about to get together any day now, none of the girls seem to have problems approaching Harry!" Ginny exclaimed in frustration.

"Yeah well," Ron explained, "you also didn't recently defeat the most evil wizard of all time. Most guys do not want to compete with that."

"Great," Ginny said sarcastically, "so apparently I have no date for Valentines Day tomorrow because I am spoken for by the most eligible bachelor in the wizarding world who in reality sees me as nothing more as his friend. Sometimes I just love my life."

Ron, Hermione and Harry watched as she got up and marched to the portrait hole.

"Come on Ginny, don't be like that," Harry called after her.

Ginny stopped and rounded on him, "Don't even start with me Harry, its all your fault that I'm alone and dateless." And with that she stormed out of the room.

The trio was quiet for a moment before Harry finally spoke. "Someone should go after her," he finally said. He turned and looked at his friends to find them staring at him. "Why me? Why don't you go talk to her Ron? You're her brother."

"Exactly, I'm her brother she is not going to want to talk about her guy troubles with her brother."

"What about you Hermione, you're a girl, you know what to say."

"Harry, you are the one who needs to talk to her about this because you are the one involved, not us," Hermione reasoned.

"But I don't even know where she went?"

"Harry, you know just as well as I do that she is in–"

"The Astronomy Tower, I know I know," Harry interrupted Ron. "I guess I'll just go talk to Ginny, I'll see you guys later." Harry finally accepted as he left the common room.

"So..." Ron said as the portrait swung shut behind Harry, "do you think that they would be mad at us if they found out that we were encouraging the rumors that they like each other?"

"Probably," Hermione told him, "but they're not really rumors since they're true. They do like each other and it is only a matter of time before they get together and do we really want someone to come between them before they figure it out?"

"No of course not," Ron said grabbing Hermione by the belt loops of her jeans. "That's why you're the smart one," he whispered into her ear before pulling her into a kiss.

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"Ginny?" Harry asked hesitantly as he saw her sitting on the edge of the wall of the Astronomy Tower.

"Please leave me alone Harry," she requested not turning around.

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to get over feeling stupid and making an idiot out of myself for making a big deal out of something that isn't that important in the scheme of things," she explained with a sigh.

Harry crossed over to where she sat and sat down on the parapet next to her. "Its not that silly, trust me I know what its like to be lonely and to want someone to connect with, but to be surrounded by people who act like they care but they don't. That's why I hold on to my true friends like you so tight. Because I know you care about me, not about the famous Harry Potter. So I'm sorry if I am driving potential boyfriends away."

Ginny turned to look at him. "No I'm sorry Harry for over reacting. Your friendship means more to me than having a boyfriend and I'm not willing to sacrifice it for one. And if that means I don't have a date for Valentines, so be it."

Harry smiled at Ginny as he came up with an idea, "How about this, since I don't have a date and you don't have a date...Ginny Weasley, would you do me the pleasure of allowing me to escort you to Hogsmeade tomorrow?

Ginny looked at him skeptically, "Are you serious?"

"Sure I'm serious. It will be fun, I promise. We'll get some lunch, walk around, and just generally have a good time." Ginny still didn't seem convinced so Harry kept talking. "Come on Gin, it's not like it's a date or something. Just two friends spending the day together and enjoying each other's company."

Ginny considered this for a moment. "Alright Potter, you have a deal, but I want to take this one step further. We should make a pact that whenever the two of us don't have dates for Valentines Day or something else that is date appropriate, then we will go with each other. Deal?"

Harry stuck out his right hand to shake hers. "Deal."

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Ginny glanced at the clock while she put on her lip gloss as she prepared for her "date" with Harry. She had five minutes before she was supposed to meet Harry. She smiled to herself in the mirror when she saw the note that Hedwig had woken her up with, requesting her presence at the base of the stairs at promptly ten thirty.

At 10:27 she took one last glance in the mirror and pulled on the heavy white snow jacket that Harry bought her for Christmas last year and to threw her gray, purple and white scarf she had knitted around her neck.

She hurried down the stairs, stopping and walking before she knew she was visible from the bottom. She took a moment collected herself, Come now Ginny, she scolded herself, this is just Harry, it's not like it's a real date or anything. Once she felt more composed, she took the last few steps into the common room and even though she knew it was just Harry, her breath caught in her chest when she saw him standing there looking so handsome. She couldn't help but be surprised that he was dressed so impeccably even though they were clothes that she had picked out, and she couldn't help but smile when she saw he wore the black, grey and green scarf that she had knitted him for Christmas that perfectly matched his eyes, and she was surprised and smiling when she saw he was holding a single white rose.

"Good day, miss. How are you this fine morning?" Harry asked in an exaggerated accent.

"Very well, kind sir," Ginny replied playing along. "And how are you this lovely day?"

"Better for having you to spend it with," he replied with a small bow. "This is for you," he said, handing her the rose.

Ginny laughed at Harry's theatrics as she took the rose and smelled it. "Harry, where did you get a rose in the middle of February?" she questioned.

Harry just gave her one of his charming half smiles and leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially, "Must be magic or something."

Ginny laughed again and took the arm that Harry offered as he led her out of the common room and through the portrait hole.

"Nice scarf," Ginny mentioned.

"Yeah, one of my best friends knitted it for me," Harry told her. "Nice jacket," he responded.

"Yeah," Ginny sighed dramatically even though anyone could see the sparkle in her eyes, "Some loser gave it to me for Christmas."

"Hey!" Harry exclaimed, looking at her with mock hurt, which only caused her to laugh harder.

"You wore your contacts today," Ginny mentioned, changing the subject.

"Yeah, well I know you like them and since I feel guilty and it's all my fault that you don't have a real date and you are stuck with me today, I thought it would make you happy to see me actually wearing them," Harry explained, since he only wore them for Quidditch and special occasions.

"Right," she said trailing off at the end, both of them retreating into their own thoughts.

"You know this isn't going to do anything to quell the rumors that we are dating, especially if we get photographed again today" Ginny mentioned as they continued their walk down to Hogsmeade with her hand still resting in the crook of his elbow.

"With as many times as we have been photographed together I don't think one more time is really going to make a difference," Harry said resignedly. "Does it bother you when you when we get photographed together?"

"No not really, I mean I think that the outrageous stories that they come up with are funny and I mean it's not really about me. And as long as we know the truth and our friends know the truth it doesn't really bother me." Ginny told him. "Does it bother you?"

"On one level it does," Harry confessed. "I mean I don't really like getting attention for something I really didn't have a choice in doing. I mean in a way I am only famous for being born. It was prophesied that I would do what I did, it could have just as easily been Neville and then he would be the one the reporters would be following around. At least if I do what I want to do next year, I will be getting attention for something that I choose to do and not something I was born to do."

"And what's that?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Why don't I tell you that over lunch," Harry suggested as he opened the door to the restaurant for her.

"Okay."

Once they were inside, seated, and had their orders taken, Ginny once more asked Harry what he was thinking about doing next year.

"Well," Harry said, tracing his finger along the rim of his glass, "I haven't told anybody this yet, but I don't want to be an Auror any more."

"What? Really? Why?" Ginny was honestly surprised by this as it was the only thing that he had ever mentioned wanting to do with his life after Hogwarts, and Tonks had just told him over winter break that he was already as trained as most beginning Aurors and already had more experience. She also said that she wouldn't be surprised if he quickly became one of the best Aurors the ministry has ever seen.

"I just don't want to chase Dark Wizards for a living, I think I have had enough of that for one life time, don't you think? My heart just isn't in it anymore. You have to have noticed that I haven't really been putting any effort into my school work this year."

"Well neither have I really," Ginny acknowledged. "I learned so much last year from helping you prepare that I am way ahead on my studies. I just figured that you were even further ahead since you did way more studying then I did. But even without trying you must be doing well, or else Hermione would be after you."

"I am doing well still, but that's not the point. You also had to have noticed that I stopped asking you to train with me months ago."

"Yeah, but I just figured that was because we have been putting all of our energies into Quidditch this year," she reasoned.

"Exactly."

"Exactly, what?"

"I have been putting all of my energy into Quidditch this year," he said as if that explained everything.

Ginny just looked at him as if waiting for him to finish explaining.

"Come on Gin, I know you're not this slow," he teased. "You know I'm never happier then when I'm flying."

"You want to go pro, don't you?" Ginny finally pieced together.

Harry nodded. "I know it's not quite as noble a profession, but I've spent the past six years playing the hero. I think I've done enough for wizard kind. I think I deserve to be a bit selfish and to do want I want to do and what makes me happy..." Harry rambled on, looking for self acceptance of his decision as much as he was looking for acceptance and validation from Ginny.

"Harry," Ginny interrupted reaching across the table to place her hand on his. "I don't think that there is anything wrong with wanting to become a Pro Quidditch player instead of an Auror. Who cares if it's not as 'noble,' as you put it. You should do whatever makes you happy. It is your life after all, and if anyone deserves to be happy, it's you."

"Thanks Gin, you don't know how much I needed to hear that," he said, as he felt a weight lifting off his shoulders. "I don't know why but I haven't told anyone about this yet because I feel like I will disappoint everyone, or that I'm giving up on something."

"See that's why you should become a Quidditch player instead, because of that bloody hero complex," she teased laughingly. "Harry, you shouldn't always worry about everyone else, sometimes it's alright to put yourself first. Of course that doesn't mean I want you to become arrogant, self-centered, git, but you need to do what you need to do. And I can't speak for everyone else, but I can tell you that I'm not disappointed in you and that is enough, because after all, my opinion is the only one that matters."

Both of them started laughing at this, and suddenly Harry felt much better and more confident about his decision.

"So," Ginny asked as their food was brought to the table, "do you know who you want to play for yet?"

"Well," Harry said, "Oliver sent me an owl a while back mentioning that their seeker is planning to retire at the end of the season, leaving an opening. So I wrote Puddlemere's manager and after he spoke to Oliver about me and heard what I was able to do when I was eleven, he agreed to come and watch our game against Slytherin in March."

"Ohhhh, now I understand why you have been working us so hard in practice," Ginny said.

"Naw," Harry responded nonchalantly, "I haven't been working you guys harder, you guys are just getting lazier."

"Hey!" Ginny said as she threw a chunk of bread at Harry's head.

However Harry ducked and the bread sailed over his head and lodged itself in the rather large and puffy beehive hairdo of the witch sitting at the table behind them. Ginny's eyes widened in mortification at what she did, as Harry's eyes started watering as he strained to keep from laughing. He thought he was going to be able to keep it in, but when Ginny leaned forward and whispered worriedly, "You don't think she will get attacked by birds on her way home do you?" Harry lost it completely and busted up with laughter. At first Ginny tried to shush him and get him to stop but that only made him laugh harder and it wasn't long until she too relented to the humor of the situation and also started laughing until her side hurt.

The day continued on in the same fun and light hearted manner and the time went quickly until they were both surprised when they found themselves making their way back up to the castle.

"Well Harry," Ginny announced, " I have to say that you were the best Valentines date/non date that I have ever had. I had a lot of fun today, so thank you."

"I feel the same way," Harry told her.

"Well I don't know if that is much of a complement," Ginny laughed, "considering my only competition cried her way through your date."

Harry laughed as well, "Yes, I didn't make you cry, so that was a definite improvement."

"But seriously Harry, I think this is the best Valentines Day I've ever had," she told him as she smelled the rose she was still carrying that he had given her that morning.

"Me too," he agreed, putting an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to him as they walked up to the castle, neither of them noticing the photographer hidden behind a tree.

A/N So what did you think? I'm actually pretty happy with this chapter so I'm anxious to get your input...good/bad, funny/not, enjoyable/painful...you let me know and maybe tell me a favorite line or two...

B/N: Okay, I take full responsibility for the reason this is late! ColorOfAngels sent this to me almost a week ago, and I've been a lazy ass. Here you go, though! Have fun. Mwah.

-Augurey Song.