A/N: Another Challenge. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I wouldn't be up at 2 in the morning writing these accursed oneshots.
Ten Bucks
Harry and Hermione sat curled in their favorite armchair, surveying the Common Room as only some couples can. They'd been dating for a few months now, and with Ron meeting a new girl every week, there was only one person left out of their gang: Ginny.
Sure, Ginny had never been "in" with the Trio, but Harry felt guilty that they had dated and he had broken up with her. So, that's how Hermione and Harry came to be, staring through the room looking for able boys to date Ginny.
"Oh, what about Colin?" Harry asked, pointing at a mousy-haired, tiny boy.
"Attached. He and Demelza have been together for a week and a half," Hermione responded automatically.
"What about Neville?" Harry asked slyly.
"I bet you ten bucks she'll say 'no'," Hermione laughed.
"Well, Granger, you've got yourself a deal," Harry smirked, shaking her hand.
--
That evening, Harry followed Neville back from dinner and cast a quick charm on him so that he would become infatuated with the next girl he saw for three hours. Sure enough, when Ginny turned the corner just after Neville, he stopped to stare at her. Harry smiled wickedly.
"Hey, Gin," Neville said, pausing so that he could walk with her. "How are you?"
"Good, thanks," Ginny smiled back.
"Look, I'm sorry to spring this on you, but… would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me?"
Silence. Then, Ginny sighed. "Neville, I'm so sorry. I've already planned a date, though. Thank you so much for the offer."
--
"Oh—what about McMillon? He's decent."
"Ten bucks she'll say 'no'."
--
"Hey, Ginny," Ernie caught up with her after their Divination class. "I noticed you were having trouble with the tea leaves. Would you like some help? Trelawney explains it all a little strange…"
"That's alright, Ernie. I've got no use for tea leaves or crystal balls."
"Then, what do you say we skip the studying and get a drink?"
"Oh… I… can't this week. I've got a huge Transfiguration test on Friday. I'm sorry, Ernie. Thanks, though."
--
"What about… Theodore Nott?"
"Nott? Never. I'll bet you ten bucks she turns him down."
--
"Oy! Gin! You, me. Date. This Saturday night."
"Oy! Nott!" Ginny mocked. "No bloody way in Hell."
--
"What about Malfoy?"
"He's just as bad as Nott. She'll turn him down. Ten bucks she says 'no'."
--
"Alright, Ron, here's the plan," Harry said, briefing Ron on the plan for a final time.
"I know the plan, Harry. We go to the Slytherin Common Room, put a few bewitched sweets in their sweet bowl, and then wait for a while so that some arrogant prat can get his hands on my baby sister."
"Yes, exactly," Harry grinned mischeviously.
"Let's go, then," Ron said, throwing the invisibility cloak over them. They trudged down the stairs to the dungeons and waited for a Slytherin to pass by and open the door. At last, a shrewd girl screeched, 'Mudblood!', and the entrance to the Common Room revealed itself.
Harry set off a spring of curses into one corner of the room, causing all the Slytherins to go look at what had happened. While they did so, Ron slipped a hand into his pocket and withdrew a handful of mints. He emptied the bowl on their tiny side table and sprinkled in the mints. Each mint was bewitched with a charm that carried a spell to make the eater fall in love with Ginny.
--
"Hey, Ginny, you want a boyfriend?"
"No, Parker, I'm not interested. Now can you and your fatheaded friends leave me alone? I don't care if it was because of the Goddamned mints. Go away!"
"Ginny," Blaise said, sitting beside her under her favorite tree.
"Blaise?" Ginny half-asked. It was more of a statement, or an exclamation of skepticism. "What do you want?"
"You," Blaise said simply.
"Blaise, what have you been up to? You broke up with me, remember?"
"I want you back, though," Blaise said.
"I'm sorry, Blaise. I just don't think I can trust you with that much just yet." Ginny stood up to go back up to the castle, and instead walked straight into Draco Malfoy. "Malfoy," She said curtly.
"Weasley," Malfoy repeated just as bitterly.
Ginny kept walking. She was almost at the marble staircase when Draco called back to her.
"Weasley, wait!"
"What is it, Malfoy?" Ginny said, turning around to face him.
"Will you go out with me?"
Ginny remained silent for a minute. "Malfoy, did you eat a mint today? From the Common Room?"
"I'm Head Boy, Weasley. I'm never in the Common Room."
"Oh. Then… sure, I guess," Ginny said, turning and smiling with glee. Draco had no idea as he watched her walk away.
--
"Look at that, Hermione," Harry said, pointing at the new couple sitting under Ginny's favorite tree. The red-gold curls on Ginny's head fell relentlessly onto Draco's shoulder, and his platinum blonde hair remained messy as it sprawled across Ginny's face. His arm was around her waist, and they were both smiling.
"I… guess you were right."
"Look at that. I never thought I'd see the day when Hermione Granger was wrong."
"Haha, very funny," Hermione said sarcastically.
"Well, I think there's only one thing to say to this."
"What is that?" Hermione asked.
"You owe me ten bucks."
A/N: I wanted this to be Lily/James, but none of their friends know anything about Muggle money. So, that's why it's light D/G. And I'm sorry it's short and skippy. But I had an idea, and by tomorrow morning, it'll be dead. So it's 2:00AM, I haven't slept for five hours in the last two days, I'm up at 7:00 tomorrow, and I'm not too happy. G'night, all [:
Well, thanks for reading. A review would be nice. But that's imposing. Here. Feel free to review! (I bet you ten bucks you won't.)
Love,
Sinead