Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

...

Harry couldn't help but admit that the time he had spent sitting down in an interview type setting was rather enjoyable. While many of the girls had essentially said that they wished to show him all of their favorite places around Hogsmeade, there were a handful which had opted for a more unique approach.

Offering to do his assignments for a month had been put on the table more than once which in itself was different. He wouldn't say that he was above bribery but when he could bang out the assignments required of a third year student in the better part of an hour there really wasn't much point. A sixth year student by the name of Ruth Luddle had offered to bake the entirety of Gryffindor House blueberry muffins. Frankly, he had to say that that was a far better bribe than schoolwork being done.

"...So, after all that, I'd be really grateful if you would consider going to Hogsmeade with me this weekend," concluded Isabelle.

"Thank you for your kind words Miss Lionheat," said Harry, offering a courteous nod. "I will definitely keep your proposition in mind."

"Thank you Harry," beamed Isabelle as she skipped away, giddy with excitement.

"Now," started Harry as he turned his attention to the next person in line. "Susan, how can I help you today?"

"Easily Harry," said Susan with mildly contained rage threatening to boil over. "Given that I've had to wait in line for nearly a damn hour, I've had plenty of time to think about what I was going to say."

"Only an hour, given how long some of the girls earlier were waiting, you got lucky," noted Harry.

"Quiet you," scolded Susan, Harry playfully putting his hands up before gesturing for her to continue. "Last year, you embarrassed me in front of the entire school by refusing to go out with me. I asked you out in the Great Hall and everybody there was watching me as I put all my fear and anxiety aside and asked you out. Now, while I have since learnt of the reasons as to why you did it and just how viable of the reasons are, that doesn't excuse the way you shot me down. You could of walked me somewhere more private and let me down gently instead of the crass way which had me crying for days. So, Harry, you are going to be going with me to Hogsmeade this weekend not because you have a choice but because you have to in order to make things right. Is that clear?"

"Well," said Harry slowly, just to be sure that it was okay for him to speak again. "I will be taking that into consideration Susan and you will hear my answer along with the rest of Potter Fan Club at your next meeting tomorrow night."

"If you don't pick me Harry, I will want a very good reason as to why you didn't do so," said Susan as she stepped to the side.

"Alright then...Daphne, how do you plan to follow that?" asked Harry as he adjusted himself to face the next person in line.

"Simple," said Daphne. "I want you to take me to Hogsmeade this weekend because of the anarchy it will cause."

Harry raised a curious eyebrow. "Proceed?"

"Unlike everybody who has come before Susan and everybody still lined up behind me, I've never been to one of these Potter Fan Club meetings, as entertaining as they sound. Hence, if you were to take me, someone who actively wants to go with you to prevent anybody else from getting the glory, can you predict the anguish and despair such a thing would cause."

"I'm surprised Daphne, I didn't think you'd hit your Disney villain arc yet," chuckled Harry.

"And I've been friends with Tracy long enough to know what a Disney villain is, so I will take that as a compliment given the ambition she says they show. Hence, I will finish my proposal as such, go with me to Hogsmeade and we will see just what kind of chaos it will bring," said Daphne with a wicked smile.

"Well, if you follow Susan to the Potter Fan Club tomorrow night, we will find out whether I'm in the mood for chaos or not," said Harry as Daphne joined Susan, the two of them walking away together as the next student approached Harry.

"I must say, I reckon that was worth the wait," said Daphne. "It's not often I get to play Devil's Advocate."

"I swear Daphne, that if Harry chooses you over me no harm will befall you from my wand," said Susan. "Harry however may not be so lucky."

"The joys of chaos."

...

Draco reread the letter that his father had sent him, doing his best to read between the lines that were on the surface. He had learnt that there was a difference between what was on the page and what hadn't been written. Just because it wasn't in front of him didn't mean that his father didn't want him to do something.

On the surface, it seemed that Madam Umbridge had had to resign from her position in disgrace with whatever dignity she was able to muster. Not only had she spectacularly failed at the assignment the Minister of Magic had given her, striking Draco had been more than the final nail in the coffin. Lucius had spared no expense in making her life a living hell since she had returned to the Ministry, pretending as if everything was fine. Her efforts had, unsurprisingly, been in vain.

According to his father's letter, the Minister was in the progress of finding a new Senior Undersecretary. What hadn't been said was that the applicants were likely associates or had some manner of connection to his father. Only somebody who Lucius was connected with would have any chance of being selected for the position so close to the Minister of Magic. Of that, Draco was sure. A position of power was up for grabs and while his father couldn't grab hold of it himself, someone who shared the same ideals would undoubtedly take that seat. It likely would only be a manner of weeks before it was announced to the public, possibly even in the Yule Edition of the Daily Prophet purely for a quick buy.

Folding the paper and putting it into his robe pocket, Draco made his way down from the Owlery. There had been some others things of note in the message, partially regarding the upcoming Hogsmeade weekend. While he was a student visiting the village for the first time, he was also a Malfoy and expected to behave as such. It had been recommended that Draco take someone with him who could be of benefit down the line, whether professionally or otherwise.

As much as Draco wanted to go with Crabbe or Goyle and just enjoy his time in the village, his father did have a point to take into consideration. Hogwarts at the moment was a hive of students interacting with one another in ways that had never been seen before. While it would be expected of him to potentially go with Pansy Parkinson or maybe even Millicent Bullstrode, due to their family connections, this was a golden opportunity to look a little outside what was expected. Utilize this time to feel whether or not there was something that could be used to his own benefit down the line.

Just because his father was playing his games at the Ministry didn't mean that he had to play the same games at Hogwarts. This was his terrain and his invisible battles to be fought. Hogwarts was indeed a hive of activity with students from all houses actively mingling with one another without prejudice. There was nothing wrong with using that to his advantage.

...

"Off to your meeting?"

Hermione couldn't help a light smile spread across her face as she turned to face Harry who looked as smug as ever. "I imagine it will be quite a show, one which I do not wish to miss."

"Funny, I don't recall you being part of those who wished to go with me to Hogsmeade this weekend," said Harry as the two of them walked side by side. "As such, I find it rather hard to imagine why you would wish to go to this event."

"Harry, I don't think there is anybody in Hogwarts you spend more time with than me," stated Hermione, matter of factly. "It is for a few hours that you will venture to Hogsmeade with someone other than myself. I for one will spend that time in the village doing some shopping of my own. I don't have to be joined at the hip with you twenty four seven."

"Well are you planning on taking anyone in particular with you to Hogsmeade?" asked Harry.

"I'm actually going with Lavender."

"She's not going with Ron?"

"She actually wants to go with me so that she an have someone to discuss with in regards to getting a gift for Ron. Can you believe that they've been going out for nearly two years now?" said Hermione in astonishment.

"All because someone caused Ron to be in perfect placement for a less than savory act if I do recall correctly," said Harry, flashing Hermione a cheeky smile.

"Indeed, your memory is on point," mused Hermione. "It's funny how an unintentional act can cause such an odd event to occur. Even more so how said event still effects our day to day lives, even if we are relatively oblivious to it."

Harry remained somewhat silent as he considered Hermione's words. It was true that the first time he had been through this time period, he and Ron had been great friends alongside Hermione. Over the last couple years, he had still remained in good stead with Ron in being social but calling the two of them friends would be a stretch. Ron spent a good deal of his time with Lavender and, arguably, the two of them were better for it. Ron's grades had improved drastically without having to copy off of Hermione's work and he actively acted better as an overall human.

It was almost surreal.

"Regardless, I do hope you enjoy your time in Hogsmeade, I'm sure it will be rather fun," said Harry.

"Thank you," said Hermione as the two of them came to a stop outside where the Potter Fan Club were meeting. "Now, it's probably best I head in first and you wait a couple minutes before entering, wouldn't want to upset anyone in there after all."

"Probably for the best," admitted Harry. "Don't want to paint any unnecessary targets on your back."

"In which case, try not to do anything stupid," said Hermione as she entered the room where dozens of other students awaited Harry's arrival.

Harry meanwhile allowed himself to take a couple of calming breaths. He had made his decision and, given that almost everyone in there truly hoped that it would be them selected, only one person was going to be happy with his choice. Still, there really wasn't much he could do about that but he had thought long and hard and knew that this was the right choice. Hence, with his resolve steeled, Harry entered his fan club.

...

"Ohmygosh, he actually came!"

"I never thought I'd get this close to him."

"I wish I was a year younger so I could sit next to him in class."

"I'm in his class and I'm too afraid to sit too close."

"Ladies!" half shouted Harry, calming down the unmitigated chaos in front of him. "If I may have a moment of your time, I have something to announce. Before that however, I find it an honor that you all come together to...talk about me? I assume that's what you do. Or figure out which classrooms are vacant enough to ambush me from. One or the other. I have to thank you for giving me eyes in the back of my head. I'm sure that is something which will help me in years to come."

There was light giggling from the group and Harry raised his hands to prevent them from getting too loud too quickly. "Now, for the reason that all of you regulars, and Daphne Greengrass, are here for. I want to thank each and every one of you who spoke with me yesterday. I understand that it takes a lot of courage to come and say what you did and you each deserve to join me in Hogsmeade this weekend. You should never be ashamed of giving something a go, whether it be yesterday, tomorrow or any day in the future. Always strive for what you want."

"Now, with that being said, I have made a decision. It wasn't an easy decision mind you and while over a dozen of you said roughly the same thing, I did take it all into consideration. While a few offers, such as, 'We would make such a cute couple,' and, 'Because you're hot,' were put on the table, sadly they were left on the cutting room floor. Again, nothing wrong with having given it a go, just maybe plan a little bit more before hand. Others were different and definitely had me intrigued but ultimately, there was one that stood out more than the rest. And it is for that reason that this weekend, I will be going to Hogsmeade with..."

...

"Ruth Luddle, can you believe that Harry is going to Hogsmeade with Ruth Luddle?" exclaimed Susan in disbelief as she and her friend left the room, blending in with the rest of the disappointed students. "She's in her sixth year, and not even in Gryffindor. Harry doesn't have any connection to her whatsoever."

Daphne didn't say anything in retaliation as she allowed Susan to continue her rant. She had actively found the meeting to be far more enjoyable than she wished to admit, purely for knowing that so much of the student body wished to make the best impression with Harry. Actively hearing that a number of them actively tried to jinx him in the back to no avail was somewhat concerning.

"I mean, I know that she promised the entirety of Gryffindor House homemade muffins if Harry was to choose her but surely that's not enough of a reason for the two of them to go to Hogsmeade together. Surely there has to be something else," muttered Susan.

"Of course there is," interjected Daphne, silencing Susan temporarily.

"Then what is it?" asked Susan.

"Like I know what goes on in a boy's head," scoffed Daphne. "While I may not know exactly what Harry is thinking, I can deduce a number of things from how he presented himself in front of everyone and the way that he was talking."

"How were you able to pick up on those things?" asked Susan.

"Because I was maybe the only one in that room who wasn't focused solely on being picked," stated Daphne, a statement that caused Susan's mouth to slam shut. "From my perspective, I knew immediately that nearly everyone in that room was going to be disappointed that they didn't get picked. Harry knew that too, it's why he spent so long at the beginning congratulating the courage of everyone and thanking them for their application. He was grateful for everybody approaching him, that was most definitely genuine, but he knew that he could only select one person and as you say, he picked a sixth year student."

"But why would he pick her though?" whined Susan.

"Other than the fact she promised to bake a tonne of muffins, something which will immediately gain Harry favor in Gryffindor house?" started Daphne. "Frankly, picking an older student was always going to be a benefit to him. They've been to Hogsmeade on a number of occasions and know the best places to go without getting bogged down by the more touristy side of things. This is Harry, he is only going to be focused on what is necessary, not getting dragged around with someone going, 'This looks cool' or 'Let's check this out.'"

"I really hate it when you use logic Daphne," grumbled Susan.

"Probably the kicker of it all is that Ruth doesn't likely have any ulterior motives," stated Daphne. "She likely won't be aiming to date Harry after this and both of them know it. She's aiming ahead towards her NEWTS and dating a student three years younger than her serves no benefit in that regard. This is more than likely going to be a one off thing purely for her to say that she went on a date to Hogsmeade with Harry."

"So you're saying that if Harry went with anybody in our year or even their fourth year, the immediate reaction is going to be that they went on a date and therefore they are dating," declared Susan.

"And you know as well as I do that while one date doesn't equate to two people dating, the rumor mill around this place will treat Ruth a lot better than it would treat either of us if we got picked."

Susan grumbled something incomprehensible in response. It was obvious that she hated what Daphne was saying but was unable to rebuttal against it.

For Daphne however, she was enjoying this far more than she should have been.

...

Ruth Luddle stood at the grandiose doors of the castle which would lead outside, shaking nervously in place. She had, undoubtedly, not thought that she would be picked out compared to all the rest of the girls who had wished to go out with Harry this weekend. Her pitch had consisted of her offering to bake hundreds of muffins, primarily because she recalled her mother telling her that a man's heart was next to his stomach.

Surely though that hadn't been the only reason Harry had chosen her!

In the days since she had been selected she had gone over thought after thought wondering just why Harry had decided to go with her. She knew that she wasn't the most attractive student, not by a long shot. Last year she had helped host the fashion show which Harry had been a part of but hadn't walked down the runway herself because she hadn't had the confidence to do so.

Looking over her shoulder, Ruth looked upon a number of her close friends who were unsuccessfully hiding behind a nearby pillar. Each of them were actively sending positive emotions her way and she was incredibly grateful to have their support. While each of them were going to Hogsmeade as well, they all knew that this was her moment.

"Hello Ruth."

The moment had arrived!

"Um, yes, hello Harry," stammered Ruth as she tried to compose herself without seeming like she was too badly startled.

"So, are you ready to go?" asked Harry as he extended his arm.

Swallowing a nervous lump in her throat, Ruth took a deep breath before looping her arm around Harry's arm. "Yes, let's go."

Despite her friends cheering silently, Ruth could still hear it as she and Harry started on their journey to Hogsmeade.

...

Hope you enjoyed.