Crown of Splendor 2: It Wasn't A Date!

Art Mulder -- 11.Nov.2002

DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A/N: I didn't plan on writing a follow-up to the previous. Blame it on the pushy reviewers.
You probably want to read `Crown of Splendor' first.

* * * * *

Schoolwork on a Saturday afternoon is sometimes necessary but never exciting. Now, misery loves company. So schoolwork on a Saturday afternoon when all your friends are off not doing homework but rather having fun or visiting Hogsmeade could not be described as pleasant diversion.

Even the presence of his girlfriend -- he was still not used to that word -- wasn't enough company today. Nope. Even lovely Hermione sitting cozied up beside Ron on the couch could not compete with the fact that his best friend for the past four years, is off, alone, somewhere, with Ron's little sister. All right, so she wasn't so little anymore, but he really wished he hadn't found ... those ... in the laundry last summer.

So, to sum up, Ron wasn't really concentrating that well.

`Ron, relax will you?'

`What are you talking about, Hermione? I'm relaxed.'

`Ron you haven't turned the page for the past ten minutes and I know that even you aren't that slow a reader.'

`Oh, so you're watching the clock too are you? I thought -- Hey!'

Hermione gave him a sidelong glance at his outburst, revealing half a smile.

`Anyway,' Ron continued. `It's not what you think. I'm worried about Harry, not Ginny.'

`What on earth for?'

`He was a nervous wreck this morning about this date of theirs. He just about mounted his broom backward at Quidditch practise. Good thing no one else saw that.'

Hermione laughed quietly. `Well, Ginny wasn't much better. She changed her clothes three times this morning. I think she would have picked out a fourth outfit except Harry showed up.

She sighed. `Those two ... I think they'll be perfect for each other. It was so sweet last night when he sat by Ginny and showed her the pictures of his parents. I just hope they relaxed enough to say more than two words to each other today.'

Ron didn't answer, just smiled evilly to himself.

`Ron, you're not going to tease them are you?'

Ron tried to adopt a wounded air. `Who me?'

Hermione glared at him and he gave up the pretense with a laugh.

`Are you kidding? Pass up this opportunity? I'm going to make him squirm more than a flobberworm!'

`Ron Weasley!'

`Exactly Hermione! I'm a Weasley. Of course I want their date to go well, Harry is my best mate after all. But I'm still a Weasley and there's no way I can let him off without some teasing. You don't think Fred and George are going to go easy on him when they find out Harry and Ginny are together?'

Hermione didn't get the chance to say anything more because at that moment the portrait burst open and a laughing Harry and Ginny came tumbling through it. They had to clutch at each other to remain upright.

`Well...' said Hermione. `Looks like we had nothing to worry about after all.'

Ron waved.

Ginny spotted her brother and dragged Harry along to Ron and Hermione's corner and the two of them flopped into the couch opposite.

`Hi you two,' Harry started, but a fresh bout of laughter caught him, setting Ginny off also. They caught their breath after a moment and Ginny fell back against Harry.

Hermione smirked at Ron, quirking her left eyebrow at him.

`So... looks like you had a good time,' she ventured.

`Yes Harry,' Ron leered. `There seems to be a definite lack of distance between you and my sister.'

Ginny ignored Ron and spoke to Hermione. `We saw Malfoy in Hogsmeade.'

`What'd he say this time?' asked a suddenly concerned Hermione.

`Nothing!' Harry burst out with a grin. `He didn't even see us. It's what we did to him!'

`The anticipation is going to kill me,' moaned Ginny to Harry.

`I know,' agreed Harry. `It probably won't work, but if it does it'll be one of the best pranks I've ever been part of.'

Ron was getting lost. `Wait a moment. If Malfoy didn't see you, then how could you have done something to him? What prank? I thought you were going out on a date not a revenge mission!?'

Ginny looked at Ron with surprise. `Ron! It wasn't a date!'

Hermione was now the surprised one, looking from Ginny to Harry. `What do you mean it wasn't a date?'

`Hermione, we're just friends!' explained Harry. `We just went into the village together.'

`Right', said Ginny, `Beside, even if it was a date, it certainly isn't any of Ron's business.'

`Harry smiled tenderly at her and squeezed her shoulder. `No it certainly isn't.'

Hermione said `You know, I think you two make a cute couple and all that, but could you please do that somewhere else, all right?'

`So are you going to tell us about Malfoy?' asked Ron. `Or are just planning to torment us?'

`Oh right,' said Harry. `Well, you remember last night and the talk about worthless redheaded families? Well we had a great opportunity today...'

`It was Harry's idea really,' broke in Ginny.

Harry continued, `Well anyway, the two of us were in Hogsmeade today, and Ginny wanted to stop in the Olde Worlde Hair Emporium to pick up some shampoo and other female stinky stuff.'

`Excuse me!?' said Ginny. `Do you think I stink?'

`No, I think you smell wonderful...'

Ginny blushed at Harry's comment.

`Urghh!' retched Hermione. `Stop it you two! We're going to dinner soon and it's Yorkshire Pudding tonight. So could you please not spoil my appetite?'

`See, I told you it was a date,' crowed Ron.

`Give it up Ron,' smirked Harry.

`Now where was I, oh yeah! So while we were in the store -- which smelled... er... a bit strong -- I saw Malfoy walking across the street to the Three Broomsticks. I noticed he was carrying his Quidditch gear bag. You know Slytherin got stuck with a Saturday afternoon practise because we booked the morning time slot? So I thought he would be heading straight to practise after the pub.

`Then Harry had the most brilliant idea!' enthused Ginny.

`You know Gin,' said Harry thoughtfully, `Actually this was your idea. You're the one who first suggested it yesterday.'

`WHAT IDEA!' Ron and Hermione impatiently burst out together.

`Red hair, of course.'

Hermione looked at Ron with a very perplexed expression. `What about red hair?'

`Red hair dye,' said Harry. `I bought some bright red hair dye and had them put it one of their shampoo bottles. Then I grabbed Ginny and we raced over to the Three Broomsticks and sneaked in to find a seat near Malfoy.'

`Harry was brilliant!' Ginny picked up the story. `He performed a Banishing Charm on the bottle, and Banished it right into Malfoy's gear bag. Flitwick would have awarded five points for that shot.

`No he wouldn't! He would have given me a detention!'

`Well, maybe. Still, I couldn't have done it and we've just been studying Banishing Charms in class. Harry sent the bottle right across the room under the table and into Malfoy's bag without breaking it.'

`Ginny's being too modest,' Harry said. `She forgot to mention that she persuaded Colin Creevy to light off a Filibuster Firework outside the pub. That gave me the distraction I needed to Banish the bottle with no one noticing.'

Ron's jaw was hanging open.

`Bloody brilliant!' he whispered.

`Do you really think he'll actually use it?' Hermione asked.

`Hermione, don't spoil the moment!' chided Ron. `Let's just savour the mental image of Draco Malfoy with red hair. Oh, what a thought!'

They all smiled for a moment before Ginny broke the silence.

`Hermione's probably right,' Ginny sighed. `It's really too much to expect that he'll actually use the stuff, but we can dream can't we?'

`So what'd you do for the rest of the afternoon?' asked Ron eventually.

`Went for a walk down by the Shrieking Shack,' answered Harry.

`What'd you go there for?' Ron asked in surprise.

`Because we didn't want to snog in the middle of Hogsmeade!' exclaimed Ginny. `Honestly, Ron!'

`You know you could have just told me it was none of my business if you didn't want to tell me what you did on your date.'

`It wasn't a date Ron, we're just friends,' said Harry.

`...and it's still none of your business!' put in Ginny hotly.

`So what kind of friends snog down by the Shrieking Shack Harry?' smirked Hermione.

Ginny giggled. `Well, only the best kind of friends.'

Their conversation was interrupted as Fred and George came bounding through the portrait whole into the common room.

`Okay, who did it!' bellowed Fred, turning heads all over the room, and bringing people rushing down the dormitory stairs. Like almost everyone else in the room, Harry and his friends jumped to their feet to see what all the excitement was about.

`Right. We want to know WHO did it!' agreed George loudly.

`We know it was a Gryffindor, couldn't be anyone else!' continued Fred.

`Who did what, you two?' called out Angelina from the girls staircase.

`We want to know who had the audacity, '

`... the unmitigated gall ...'

`... the sheer nerve ...'

`... to turn Draco Malfoy's hair RED without TELLING us!'

There was a moment of silence, which was torn asunder by whoops coming from Harry and Ginny. Harry grabbed her around the waist and swung her around in circles. Ron jumped up, pumping his fist in the air and screaming `Yes!'. Even Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from squealing.

The twins were over in an instant slapping Harry and Ginny on the back. They alternated between offering up congratulations and threatening retribution for being left out. Ginny and Harry had to spent the next five minutes telling and retelling their afternoon prank.

`So was it really red?' an eager Ron finally asked his brothers.

`Flaming, orange-red, Ron! You should have been there. It was bloody beautiful!' answered Fred.

`Come to think of it, his face was pretty red also,' added George. `Too bad you couldn't manage some freckles also, Harry.'

`One of the best pranks all year.'

`Brings a tear to your eye doesn't it Fred?' asked George.

`Yes it does. I'm so proud of my ickle sister and her Harrykins. I was beginning to give up hope that there would be a worthy successor to carry on our important work after this year.'

`I'm nobody's Harrykins!' spluttered Harry.

No one was listening to his protests though, because another commotion at the portrait hole was taking place. Colin Creevy burst into the room. He was gasping for air and clutching at a stitch in his side. He looked like he'd been running for his life from something, or someone. Everyone turned their eyes to him but he was too busy gasping to say anything. However, they could clearly hear some shouting going on in the hallway outside the portrait of the fat lady. Angry shouting.

`What happened Colin?' asked a concerned Ginny.

Colin looked up at them, still bent over and gasping, but they could see a smile on his face.'

`Malfoy... I... got pictures ... '

* * * * *

Later that evening the common room had quieted down from the ruckus of earlier. Colin had been escorted to dinner by an honor guard of Gryffindor students. They needn't have bothered, however, as Malfoy had not shown up at dinner.

Requests for copies of the `red-headed Draco' pictures had been pouring in from all over the school. A few discrete inquiries even came from Slytherin. Colin was doing a brisk business in orders and would likely soon have enough money for a new camera.

Harry and Ginny had claimed a love seat off in the corner of the common room, ostensibly so that they could have a quiet spot to work on their homework.

However, Harry's Charms homework was lying forgotten on the table right next to Ginny's Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook. Harry had his arm along the back of the chair, and Ginny was snuggled up beside him, leaning her cheek on his shoulder. They'd been chatting quietly for a while but were now just lazily sitting quietly, enjoying the presence of the other.

After some time Harry broke the silence.

`So, are you quite sure that wasn't a date today?'

Ginny sniggered gently. `Of course not, Harry. We're just friends, remember?'

`Right, the very best of friends. Friends who snog down by the Shrieking Shack, I believe you said?'

Ginny laughed and lightly punched Harry's side. `Harry you know I just said that to rile Ron. We didn't go anywhere near the Shrieking Shack today.'

`Still,' mused Harry. `To be honest, I did think I was asking you out on a date.'

`But Harry,' Ginny replied, playing along with the tease. `A date is where you get dressed up, meet the parents, take the girl out to eat, bring flowers, and kiss her goodnight afterward.'

`Ahh, now I see what I was doing wrong!' chuckled Harry. `So let me think now... I wore my new shirt... I've already met your parents... we ate at the Three Broomsticks... and we picked wildflowers by the lake...'

His voice trailed off and he looked down at Ginny intently, with a question in his eyes. He saw the answer he was looking for, and started to lower his head to her, speaking in a husky whisper.

`So that means ... that all I have to do now ... is ...'

But there was no further need for speaking, as Ginny's lips met his.

`I told you it was a date!' said Ron gleefully, popping his head up from behind a chair.

End.