J. Rhaye—Yay! I was so happy to see your reviews! I thought you'd given up on me! I understand sporadic reviews…I'm just pleased to get them.does happy dance I love the twins…Like you, I think they're far more perceptive and compassionate than most people in their world recognize. One of the things I've enjoyed most about writing Ginny is being able to write a character with enormous internal strength and resilience and yet an image of fragility and a fear of weakness—to me that's a very interesting dichotomy that can never really be fully portrayed. The way that Tom and Voldemort are the same but different, and the effect of the two on Harry, on Ginny, and on the relationship between Harry and Ginny is another very complex relationship that has really kept this story interesting for me, and I hope for the readers! I love Ginny's relationship with Neville, too—I think, given a chance, Neville could truly shine, and Ginny sees that—in some ways, his lack of confidence echoes her own. I love Mansfield Park as well…Pride and Prejudice will always be my favorite, but MP is a very close second, and I read it constantly! It really made my day to know that someone else who loves the book can see the references I was making—kind of to myself, as it were. That's another thing I love about Ginny…she can dream but she doesn't let it interfere with having a clear view of reality. And writing the relationship between Ginny and Hermione is always so much fun! I look forward to Neville asking Ginny and Ginny's confrontation with Ron and Harry as well…I hope I can do them justice! Thanks again for all your great comments! hugs
Arachnasloom—I think I like Arachnasloom the best; I'm honored you asked my opinion! Feel free to review as much as you like…I love hearing from readers—especially readers that put me on their favorites list:-) I'm glad to hear you're enjoying the story, and I look forward to hearing from you again!
Vixen519—Thanks; it always makes my day to have someone say they enjoy my series! J Ginny is my favorite character, too...but you probably guessed that. winks I do have a very soft spot for Remus Lupin, though! I hope you continue reading, and I love to hear from you again. :-)
Raiining—That line really tickled my funny bone as well…I had such a great visual:-) It isn't often you even have the option to write Hermione as a girly girl…I really enjoyed that as well. I can't wait to see what I do either…I hope it's good! looks nervous Thanks for the praise…more on the way!
Bill—Oddly enough, I hadn't really thought of Hermione as having a confidence problem. . . she's always so in control, so assured of what she knows and how to apply the knowledge. If anyone had asked me, I'd have said she was confident. But now that you've pointed it out, I guess her self-confidence is a little shaky on the popularity front…how could it be otherwise with Ron and Harry neglecting to think she's a girl, Malfoy and the Slytherins always telling her she's ugly, and everyone in her year telling her she's an insufferable know-it-all? I agree the rule hardly seems fair, but perhaps it is simply part of the old standard "age has its privileges." While I think the younger students are jealous of those who get to attend, I also think they like knowing that someday they will receive those same privileges. My thoughts on the TriWizard Tournament completely! giggles It seems to be such a bizarre way to handle something I can only compare to the Olympic games…it hardly seems organized at all…but perhaps with Ludo Bagman as one of the people in charge, that was to be expected? It probably is a good thing that Ron is unaware of Ginny's role, though if he tried to give her a hard time, I suspect she'd get the better of him in the end…of course, I am a bit prejudiced…Harry and Ron are both extremely frustrating in their cluelessness at this point in the book. I do see angst-heavy waters ahead from Ginny's POV…but I suppose they were almost unavoidable at this point, and I do think it will be interesting to see how the coming scenes play a role in the germination of Harry and Ginny's friendship in OotP. I hope you enjoy the way I handle the scene with Neville! I love your film…it definitely deserved that Oscar! ;-) hugs
EEDOE—Thanks a bunch for all your support and feedback…hope the result is worth it! hugs
They couldn't have gotten back to the tower much faster if Hermione had Apparated them. She was pulling Ginny along at such a swift clip; everything around them was an indistinguishable blur, at least to Ginny's eyes. That being the case, it was no wonder she ran—hard—into Hermione as the other girl stopped short suddenly.
"Oh! Sorry, Neville! I almost didn't see you there!"
Ginny thought Neville looked even more nervous and jumpier than usual, though her vision might just have been distorted by the way she was squinting, eyes tearing and stinging, as she reached up to rub her flattened nose. Or, it might have been the fact he'd narrowly avoided a similar fate of being flattened by Hermione dead on. "That's okay," he said diffidently. "Actually, there was something I wanted to ask--"
"I'd love to answer any questions you have, Neville, but could they wait until this evening? Ginny and I are kind of in the middle of something."
It would be a good idea to go over it later, if-if you don't mind," Neville said with a sheepish cough. "But, I -- I really didn't have a question about my homework."
Hermione looked as flabbergasted as Ginny felt. "Oh," she said slowly. "But if you didn't want to ask me about homework, then what--"
"Actually, I wanted – I wanted to tell you that you've been really nice to me, ever since you tried to help me find Trevor on our very first day . . . helping me with classes and stuff. I really appreciate it--"
"Don't be silly, Neville, our study sessions help me as much as they help you, and I enjoy them." Ginny's heart swelled with affectionate pride in Hermione's obviously sincere response.
Neville looked pleasantly surprised. Ginny nearly pulled him into a bone-crunching hug, something that would have proved quite a feat with Hermione still standing between them. And, on reflection, as nervous as Neville looked, it was probably best she didn't do anything to distract him until he'd fulfilled his goal.
"Well, I thought, maybe -- it might be nice if I didn't have to go the ball by myself and have everyone stare at me . . . And, if I have to have a date, there's no one at Hogwarts I'd rather go with than you, Hermione. That is," he added with a faint sigh, "if you wouldn't be embarrassed or anything."
"Oh, Neville, of course I wouldn't be embarrassed," Hermione exclaimed. "How could you think such a thing? I'm . . . just so -- flattered that you even thought of me. . .But I'm afraid I can't go with you, even though I'd like to, because I already have a date. I'm sorry."
"Oh, that's okay," Neville said with a self-deprecating shrug, "I figured that might happen. I guess you've already been asked by Ron or Harry, huh?"
Hermione cast a rueful glance over her shoulder at Ginny. "No. . . not exactly. . ." she said uncomfortably, hurrying to add, "But if you thought one of them might have asked me already, did you have someone else in mind you could invite? I'm sure any girl would be thrilled to have you ask her."
"Actually," Neville said uncomfortably, sneaking a glimpse at Ginny and looking down quickly, "I think she's probably already been asked, too, hasn't she Ginny?"
Ginny blinked. "Neville, are you asking me to go with you to the ball?"
Neville, apparently too embarrassed now to speak, nodded violently.
Ginny felt a twinge of pain and regret. Her first invitation to a dance . . . her first date . . . and it hadn't come from Harry Potter . . . but it had, at least, come from a friend. A friend she didn't want to disappoint . . . and wasn't she the one who'd just told Hermione that Harry and Ron had already had their chance to ask them, and they shouldn't wait around for them to come to their senses? "Then, yes, I do have an escort, Neville—you!"
To Ginny's surprise, the fourth year girls' dormitory was completely empty. At least it gave her something to think about, other than the somewhat disorienting events of the day. "I thought everyone decided to stay at school for the ball?"
Hermione, already rummaging through her trunk, paused and looked around over her shoulder. "Oh, they did," she agreed calmly. "They're in the Entrance Hall or about grounds—interviewing perspective escorts, I would imagine. You should hear them, debating the relative merits of every boy they know—Ah! Here we are!" She pulled something out of the trunk with a triumphant flourish and spun toward Ginny looking uncharacteristically girlish. "What do you think?"
The robes were simple, but stunning. Long, full sleeves spilled softly from the slope of the same neckline displayed by their school robes, but the neckline on Hermione's dress robes was enhanced by the narrowest band of silver, a band that so nearly matched the pale, pale, pale blue color of the heavy, shimmering fabric, that it was a mere suggestion. The same silver bound the bottoms of the sleeves, as well as the hem, and a similar narrow silver band wrapped around the waist of the robes twice so that it crossed over itself once in the front, and—as Hermione turned the robes to show Ginny—one in the back, and tied in a simple knot with the ends fluttering loose against the blue length of the robes. As an extra little flourish, the neckline of the robes dipped slightly in back as well. Ginny thought it would stop between Hermione's shoulder blades.
"Well?" Hermione demanded, sounding a bit anxious.
"Well, wow." Ginny said with the faint twist of a wry grin. "Wow, Hermione. They're spectacular!"
"Then what's wrong?" Hermione demanded, setting the robes skeptically aside as Ginny felt the color drain from her face.
"Hermione," Ginny said faintly, "what was I thinking? I can't go to the ball!"
"What? Don't be ridiculous," Hermione said, clearing channeling Professor McGonagall again. "Of course you can go, you just told Neville you would."
"I know, but, Hermione, you don't understand—I don't have any dress robes!"
Hermione stared at her blankly for a moment, then began to laugh.
"It's not funny!" Ginny protested, incensed. "I really wanted to go! And what about Neville? What am I supposed to tell him?"
"Ginny Weasley," Hermione said, still in McGonagall mode, "your brother Ron once said something to me, which I am now going to say to you--"
"I highly doubt anything Ron said is likely to be of much help in this situation," Ginny muttered under her breath, softly enough that Hermione missed it
"Are you or are you not a witch?" Hermione concluded, looking smug.