That Red String That Ties Me To You

By: Lady Lithe

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Summary: There's a legend that a red string ties two fated people together by their pinkies. Ginny decides to try to find a spell that will reveal the string. After all, if she can discover who her soul mate is, she won't need to waste time moping over a certain green-eyed boy. Huh, but just whom is Ginny connected to…?

Naru: Something lighter than Paper Planes. I wrote it a while ago, but since I can't seem to update my stories yet...please enjoy this in the meantime.

Chapter One: The Opposite of Being Defenestration

It is said that people who are fated together are tied together by a red string on their pinkies. My red thread… Where is it? Who is it attached to, I wonder? Maybe it's… What if it's…? -Nodaka

"Hermione, are you absolutely positive that I need to start studying three months before everyone else starts to study for the O.W.L.s?" Ginny whimpered to her best friend as she dropped her red head onto an inhumanely enormous book. She was never sure where on earth Hermione dug up these books.

"You were the one that said that you wanted to dedicate yourself to something," Hermione reminded Ginny without looking up from her own insanely colossal textbook. Her brown eyes were practically glued to the page.

"But it's so hot," Ginny complained, fanning her slightly flushed face. She was surprised at how calm and composed Hermione looked – her Gryffindor tie still properly placed around her fully buttoned-up blouse while Ginny had rolled up her sleeves around her elbows and had loosened her tie. It was the fall but they were having an extremely long hot streak recently. Many students simply spent their days in the daze, desperately avoiding any unnecessary activity.

"You know," said Ginny casually, "you would have guys drooling all over you if you would let them. And if you weren't studying all the time."

"Psh," Hermione brushed off Ginny's comment. "I don't want or need guys."

"Oh yes, that's right. Just my insufferable brother. I'll never understand your taste in men."

"Shush," Hermione hissed, turning a deep shade of red. "Now stop complaining about studying. You said it would help you forget about Harry."

"Shh!" Ginny said immediately, her eyes darting around the library. Mercifully, no one else was in the library. Technically it was a secret that Ginny still had feelings for her brother's best friend, the famous Harry Potter.

She had informed everyone that she was over the raven-haired boy during her fourth year and had promptly gone out with Michael Corner. She didn't feel guilty at the least that Michael had been on the rebound because he had been nothing but a sore loser. She was rather grateful for him, however, because he had distracted her from focusing on Cho Chang and Harry's relationship. But now that she had dumped Michael, she had trouble keeping her mind away from the newly single (and taller) Harry Potter.

So she had decided to focus on other things aside from boys. But how could she study? After all, she thought, sighing as she settled back into the book, it was a nice and sunny Saturday.

"I know what I said, but couldn't I have dedicated myself to Quidditch or something? It's much more entertaining!"

"Quidditch means seeing Harry," Hermione reminded her younger friend once again, her gaze still locked on her book.

"I know, I know," Ginny grumbled. But how could anyone concentrate when the beautiful sunlight was pouring out of the window? Or while she could almost hear the happy laughter of other students outside in the shade when she was trapped in the stuffy library? "But I just don't think this is working."

"Still thinking about him?" Hermione inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Maybe," Ginny said plaintively. Suddenly, she sat up, as if struck by inspiration. "You know what? Maybe I should figure out if he is the one for me or not. If he isn't I can finally give up on him because I'll know he's not the destined one for me! Then I can concentrate on the one that is for me!"

"And how do you suppose we'll know that?" Hermione asked, now curiously to looking up from her book.

"Well, I once heard about this Japanese belief," Ginny explained seriously, holding up her right pinky. "You see, there's a saying about a red string connected from your pinky to the one-you-are-fated-to-be-with's pinky."

"This is because there's a vein connected directly from your pinky to your heart, if I'm correct," Hermione reasoned. Ginny paused, arching an eyebrow at her all-knowing friend.

"Right… So if I can figure out who this person connected to me is…"

"I see," Hermione nodded earnestly, fascinated at this new prospect as she examined Ginny's pinky. "But how are we going to make this string visible?"

Ginny's triumphant smile froze. Hermione let out an exasperated sigh.

"I see. Well, at least it's a good thing that we're in the largest library for miles," Hermione smirked as Ginny smiled back nervously.

Together, they searched and searched and searched. Ginny thumbed through more books than she ever had in her entire life. She thumbed through so many that she was sure that she was going to have blisters the next day! Two hours later, she shoved an old textbook back into its proper place and sighed, ready to give up.

"I FOUND IT!" Hermione unexpectedly screamed, startling Madam Pince, the librarian, enough to throw up her papers.

"Miss Granger!" she hissed in her strident voice. Hermione bowed her head sheepishly before hastening to Ginny's side.

"You found it?" Ginny asked eagerly as she wiped away dust from her face.

"I think so," Hermione frowned as she opened the blue book in her hand. Ginny stared down at the unfamiliar characters in front of her.

"It's…in Japanese?" Ginny ventured, gesturing towards the foreign symbols.

"Exactly," Hermione confirmed. "I'm not very good at Japanese, seeing how I've never took too much time to learn it. I have, however, dabbled here or there in the language."

Ginny resisted rolling her eyes. The brunette knew at least something about everything.

"It says here," Hermione spoke as her fingers moved across the old page, "that if you chant this spell, your red string that ties you to that someone will appear."

"Want to give it a whirl?" Ginny asked.

"Alright."

Hermione and Ginny then moved near the window, with Ginny's back facing away from it. For a moment, Hermione almost commented on how stunning Ginny looked. She had certainly grown from her old, eleven-year-old self. Now she had a certain feminine grace. Her body had filled out in all the right places and her lovely red tresses flowed pretty down her back. Many boys had taken interest in the girl, now that she had officially dumped Michael Corner. A pity, Hermione thought, that Ginny still had feelings for a certain Boy-Who-Lived.

"Okay," Hermione now turned back to the book and squinted at it. "It says to concentrate hard on this person."

"Who?" Ginny frowned.

"I think who you want it to be. That, or the feeling of love," Hermione speculated.

Ginny swallowed hard and closed her eyes. The feeling of love… there was only one person whom she felt like that with. She could see him so clearly. His thick locks of raven hair falling over his black wire glasses and his wide emerald eyes as his lips curved upward in a lopsided grin that never failed to make her heart beat faster. Then there was the way he laughed. The sound automatically brightened whatever room she was in.

Harry. Harry Potter. Harry.

Hermione began chanting in a foreign language that Ginny couldn't understand.

The way he had looked so lost on Platform 9 ¾. His mesmerizing eyes. His kissable lips. The victorious look on his face as he soared in the sky on his Firebolt with the golden Snitch in his able fingers.

Harry!

Suddenly a bright white light surrounded Ginny. Her shocked expression mirrored Hermione's. A bright red string appeared out of thin air, tied to her right pinky. The string shot out the window.

"It…it worked!" Ginny cried in awe at the glowing string.

She wasn't able to say anything more because she nearly screamed as the string abruptly wrenched her toward the window. Luckily, Hermione grabbed onto Ginny before the girl flew out. They let out sighs of relief, when faintly they heard screaming. As it grew louder, they realized it was comprised of male voices. Slowly standing up, they looked out the window and what they saw made their eyes widen in horror.

Harry Potter, with Ron Weasley clinging onto his legs, was flying straight at them at an alarming speed.

Hermione and Ginny took a deep breath.

And then they screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naru: Please review and tell me what you think! Thank you for reading.