Ginny had started to play very badly. She raised quickly and aggressively. She fidgeted impatiently while she waited for others to make their bets. Nobody folded this time. It was clear Ginny had a bad hand, and everyone wanted the chance to beat her.

When they laid out their cards, George won with just a pair of fives. Harry expected him to hand the ball to Ginny. Ron had her rattled with the last question, and there was a high possibility they could get her to burp slugs if they kept the pressure on.

But George tossed Harry the ball. He caught it awkwardly.

"Why do you think Ginny doesn't want to know who you fancy?" asked George, shooting Ginny a impish grin.

"I have no idea," said Harry immediately. The ball turned red, and he groaned loudly. What else did this ball know that he didn't?

"Maybe she already knows?" he guessed, wondering aloud more to himself than the group. He braced for more slugs, but to his surprise, the ball glowed a weak green.

"Ha! I got it!" said Harry, triumphant.

"That doesn't mean she actually knows," corrected Fred. "It just means that, on some level, you think she does."

Ginny harrumped and shook her head as Fred dealt another hand. She and Ron folded, and Fred won with a three of a kind. He rolled the ball across the table to Ginny, who took it bracingly.

"Who do you think Harry fancies?" he asked with a small smile.

Harry stiffened. Ginny was the only one who knew about their conversation about the adventures… What if she thought-incorrectly, of course-that he fancied her?

But Ginny rolled her eyes at the question. "I obviously don't know that," she said flippantly. The ball remained gray.

"I didn't ask if you knew. I asked who you think," said Fred reprovingly.

"Harry doesn't fancy anyone. He said so himself," she said shortly. The ball turned red. Ginny shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"The ball said that was a lie when Harry said it, and now we know that you didn't believe him either," said Fred.

"Then the Veritaball must know something I don't!" said Harry indignantly.

Fred and George shook their heads, chuckling. Harry grimaced as he realized that nobody believed him, even Ginny.

"Maybe you should just take the slugs, Ginny," said Ron, unable to suppress a smile.

"I'm not letting you goad me into taking the slugs and giving up my lead," said Ginny hotly. "Based on what Harry said, I think he fancies an adventurous Quidditch player who likes Chocolate Cauldrons."

The ball glowed a faint green, but Harry didn't relax. He'd never said anything about Chocolate Cauldrons...

"She didn't even give a name! This thing really is rubbish!" complained Ron.

"Doesn't matter. She was truthful about what she believes," said Fred with a hint of disappointment in his voice. He dealt the next hand with a bit less gusto than he had before.

Ginny's answer was quite a blow for the twins. They'd had her rattled, but weren't able to finally get her to burp slugs.

They played the next hand in silence with everyone folding except Harry and Ginny. Ginny beat him with a pair of aces against his pair of threes.

She picked up the ball and handed it to George.

"How jealous were you when Fred took Angelina to the Yule Ball?" she asked. There was no doubt that she was going for slugs.

"Jealous isn't the word-" George stopped talking when the ball turned red. He flicked his wand, and the bucket floated into his hands.

"I'll take the slugs," he groaned. He started hurling almost immediately. Fred looked at his brother with a pained expression.

"I'm sorry, brother," he said in a rare moment of seriousness.

Ginny grabbed the deck and dealt another hand while George continued to heave. She won the next round handily.

She tossed the ball to Fred.

"Did you know George had a crush on Angelina when you asked her to the ball?" she asked. Harry cringed inwardly. Ginny was not pulling any punches.

"I don't recall," said Fred. He sighed as the ball turned red.

Ron let out a whistle, and Ginny raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Alright, I had a hunch, but I wasn't sure until I asked her," he said quietly. George opened his mouth to say something, but must have thought better of it. He closed his mouth and sat in a stony silence.

Fred dealt another hand, and Ginny won again. She handed Ron the ball. Her next victim.

"When are you going to ask Hermione out?" she said bluntly. Harry was sure this would end in slugs.

Ron's ears turned red immediately. Fred and George both sniggered. It seemed they'd decided to set aside Fred's betrayal to indulge in Ron's humiliation. Harry wondered if Ron was going to explode.

"You don't have to answer," Harry mumbled to Ron.

"You might as well save yourself the embarrassment and take the slugs now," warned George.

"I'm happily dating Lavender-" Ron started. The ball turned red instantly.

He rounded on Ginny. "I don't know why you would ask-" He coughed abruptly, and the slugs came pouring out of his mouth and onto the floor.

"Ron doesn't get this game," Fred laughed. He Vanished the slugs and passed Ron the bucket.

But Ron rallied quickly. He won the next hand, narrowly with a high card over Fred. He dropped the ball in Ginny's lap flippantly.

"How come you didn't tell Mum and Dad about Dean?" he demanded. Harry was wondering the same thing.

"Because I thought you would tell them for me," she said bitterly. The ball turned red.

"Liar!" taunted Ron. He leaned back in his chair haughtily.

Ginny looked down at her hands. Harry thought she might be contemplating taking the slugs. But then she looked up with renewed confidence.

"I wasn't sure if Dean would be a serious boyfriend, so I didn't tell them," she said in a calm voice. The ball turned green, and she rolled it to the middle of the table.

"Is he a serious one now?" prodded Fred.

"I don't have to answer that," she said firmly, folding her arms.

"But you told them about Michael," said Ron. It wasn't a question.

"I told Mum because he was my first boyfriend," she said dismissively.

"Let's hope there's no need to tell them about Dean," he replied.

"Ron, you're the only one who doesn't like Dean here," she snapped. Harry suspected Ron had touched a nerve.

"How's that? I'm not the one who cursed him!" he retorted, his eyes darting to Harry.

"Since when is a Confundus Charm considered a nasty curse?" shot Harry. He was not going to let Ron drag him into this.

"I'm just saying that I never lifted a wand against him…" said Ron, raising his eyebrows.

"That doesn't mean you didn't want to," muttered Ginny.

"But it sure says a lot that it's actually Harry who's been the most unsupportive of Dean," argued Ron.

"What does it say, Ron?" demanded Ginny.

"If I were unsupportive, I'd have chosen something much worse than a Confundus Charm!" insisted Harry. He was willing to bet the Prince had written the perfect curse in the margin of his book...

"It says it's not just brotherly instinct-" started Ron.

"No, it says you're is reading too much into this," interrupted Harry, hoping this would end the discussion. Fred seemed to get the hint and quickly dealt the next hand.

Harry picked up his cards and saw that he had a flush. In fact, he was one card away from a straight flush. Still fuming at Ron, he decided to try his luck on the draw…

He felt a rush of excitement when he drew a queen of hearts, completing his straight flush. He raised his bet slightly more than usual. He didn't want to give it away. Ginny and Fred folded, but Ron and George stayed in.

Harry threw down his cards with excitement. He'd finally won a round! Ron groaned while the twins muttered congratulations to Harry.

He picked up the ball, slowly looking around the table. The boys leaned back in their chairs, none of them too concerned about any question Harry would ask. Ginny was leaning with an elbow on the table and her hand over her mouth. She rocked slightly back and forth, waiting.

He didn't want pile onto her more, knowing that it could shift the focus back to him. He'd already taken the slugs once, and he wasn't keen on doing it again.

Fred and George each had taken the slugs once, but Harry thought it wasn't worth getting in the middle of their Yule Ball debacle unless he could end the game.

Ron had already burped slugs twice. Harry could probably end the game with a well-chosen question to Ron about Hermione, but he worried that it may indirectly escalate Ron's current argument with her. Plus, if Ron told the truth, he could retaliate against Harry with more uncomfortable questions.

"Look at her, she's seething about my last question!" sniggered Ron, motioning to Ginny.

"No, I'm not!" said Ginny hotly, her voice muffled with her hand still over her mouth.

Without thinking, Harry handed Ron the ball. "Why do you give Ginny such a hard time about her boyfriends?"

Ginny let out a derisive laugh. "He's just going to burp more slugs! He's only had two questions, and he's taken the slugs both times."

Fred nodded in agreement. "Look on the bright side Ron-if you take the slugs, the game will be over and you won't have to lie to us anymore."

Ron was silent. His eyes focused on Ginny, clearly choosing his words carefully.

"Because…" he started slowly. "Because...they're just not good enough for her."

The ball glowed green. Ron dropped the ball on the table and pumped his fist, looking for congratulations. He had conquered the Veritaball.

Harry couldn't help agreeing with Ron. What did Ginny see in someone like Dean or Michael? They seemed nice enough, but they certainly weren't...adventurous. They would never take her to Egypt to explore the tombs or join her in the dodgy Hog's Head for underage gambling…

"What's so bad about Dean?" huffed Ginny, folding her arms. Some girls might have felt flattered by Ron's response. Harry thought Ginny wasn't one of those girls.

"Win the right to ask," smirked Ron.

Ginny seemed to take that as a challenge. She bet big in the next hand, trying to force the others to fold. But Fred won the round with a flush, making a significant dent in her large pile of chips.

Fred tossed Ron the ball across the table. "What did you get Lav-Lav for Christmas?"

Ron looked nonplussed. "Nothing, obviously," he said, as if this were a stupid question. The ball turned green.

Harry caught Ginny's eye, suppressing a laugh while the twins guffawed.

"Why would I get her something? We've only just started...hanging out," said Ron, annoyed.

"Is that what they're calling it now?" teased Fred.

"You get Hermione gifts. Why wouldn't you get one for Lavender, your real girlfriend?" asked Ginny.

"Hermione is different," said Ron, as if it were obvious. "And I get Harry gifts, too!"

"But I'm not your girlfriend, mate," said Harry with a laugh. He hoped this was a sign that Ron's relationship with Lavender was nearing its end.

"Do yourself a favor and buy her a box of chocolates," said Ginny, still giggling. "Most girls like chocolate."

"Including Harry's secret flame," chortled George. Harry pointedly ignored him. He did not want to go down that road again.

Ginny lost big again in the next round, this time to Ron. He made a show of celebrating and dramatically handed her the ball.

"What did you get Harry for Christmas?" Ron asked Ginny.

"I saved his life!" she said hotly. The ball started to turn green, but went back to gray. She turned to Harry, "Did you expect a gift, too?"

"Yes, I'm still waiting for it," said Harry with a grin.

"Don't count on it," she replied. The ball remained gray until she added, "I did not get Harry anything for Christmas." It turned green, and she dropped it on the table with a loud clatter.

Fred dealt another hand. George and Ron folded after Ginny raised aggressively. But her luck still hadn't turned-she lost to Fred's straight. He snatched the ball from the middle of the table, guffawing at Ginny's misfortune.

Harry grimaced when Fred handed him the ball.

"So we know that Ron thinks you're not a fan of Ginny and Dean. What are your true feelings about their relationship?" he asked with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"I don't have any feelings about-" Harry banged his fist on the table when he saw the ball turn red. He'd reacted impulsively, still annoyed by Ron's assertion that he'd been hostile to Dean.

"Careful, Harry, you've already burped slugs once," said Fred, a smile creeping on his face.

Ron folded his arms, leaning back in his chair with a smug smile.

"What does it matter what Harry thinks?" asked Ginny, annoyed.

"It matters because it forces him to choose a side between Ron and you," said Fred.

"And that makes it the perfect opportunity to get him to burp slugs," said George, catching on. He passed Harry the bucket. Harry took it grudgingly.

He could not see a scenario where he could make a truthful statement that didn't reveal his disdain for their relationship. It was true that Harry was not thrilled about Ginny dating Dean. He agreed with Ron that Ginny could do better. He'd almost killed himself while showing off to Ginny, for the specific purpose of highlighting Dean's shortcomings.

But Harry did not want to admit these things to Ginny. Even if she didn't say it, Harry could see by her increasingly erratic playing that these personal questions and criticisms about Dean hurt her, and he didn't want to be part of that.

Deciding that it would be better to say nothing, Harry sighed and said quietly, "I'd rather not say, so I'll just take the slugs." His stomach clenched and the familiar taste of mud and rot filled his mouth as he doubled over.

Fred and George high-fived and whooped. Harry and Ron had each burped slugs twice. The game would be over if either of them did it again.

Ron patted Harry on the back encouragingly as another wave of slugs came up.

Still chuckling, Fred dealt another hand. Ron and Harry folded, so it came down to Ginny and the twins. George won the hand by a hair - both he and Fred had straights, but George's was a 10-high and Fred's was a 9-high.

Harry groaned as George handed him the ball. The twins were going to finish him off.

"Do you want Ginny to break up with Dean?" he asked.

"How is that not the same question?" asked Harry indignantly.

"This one is a yes or no question," said George. Harry didn't think this was a helpful answer. Directly across from him, Ginny buried her face in her hands.

Harry knew he wouldn't be sorry to see the two of them break up. Dean wasn't good enough for Ginny. She was too fun and daring and...Harry stopped himself. This was not what he wanted to say to the group.

He needed to say something that was true, but not revealing. He wasn't going to let the twins beat him like this. He searched himself, thinking about what he really wanted for Ginny.

"Harry?" prodded George.

"It's really up to her," said Harry, trying to buy himself some time. The ball remained gray.

"Of course it is, but that doesn't tell us what you want," said Fred.

"But it's a good reason to lay off!" spat Ginny.

Harry sighed, thinking hard. If he was honest with himself, he wanted Ginny-and really all of his friends-to be happy. He was drawn to her most when she was laughing, joking, or playing Quidditch.

"I want Ginny to do what makes her happy," said Harry. "If that means breaking up with Dean, then yes. If that means staying with Dean, then no." The ball glowed a weak green, and he dropped the ball roughly, letting it bounce a few times before it rolled to the middle of the table.

"Wow, Harry is good at this game," said Fred in awe.

"Too bad he's terrible at poker," snorted George.

"Then why am I losing so bad?" asked Harry. He really didn't think he was that bad, but he'd only won one hand so far.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Ginny. She sounded confused.

"Don't listen to her," said Fred hastily. "She's on a losing streak."

"No, I'm not," retorted Ginny. "They just don't want me to tell you."

"She's on tilt, Harry. We'll bankrupt her if she keeps steaming like this," added George, nodding in agreement with Fred. Harry had no idea what George meant.

"I'm not on tilt!" she snapped.

"Spoken like someone on tilt," sniggered Ron, earning a withering look from Ginny.

"Harry," she said loudly, "you're losing because you aren't folding enough. You're bleeding chips on low probability hands. You might be able to force the others to fold if you were better at bluffing, but you push up your glasses every time you think you have a good hand."

Harry pushed up his glasses absently while he considered her advice. He was a terrible Occlumens, so he supposed it wasn't surprising that he was equally bad at bluffing.

"Why did you tell him that?" complained Ron.

"He asked!" said Ginny, putting her hands up and shaking her head.

Harry suspected that being "on tilt" had something to do with the fact that Ginny went bankrupt on the next hand. She went all in, and George beat her with a straight flush.

"Oh, how the mighty have fallen!" cackled George. Ginny buried her face in her hands and groaned.

George rolled the ball to her. She picked it up with a sour look on her face.

"What do you not want us to ask you for the bankruptcy round?" he asked to appreciative guffaws from Ron and Fred. He handed her the bucket before she answered.

"I'm taking the slugs," she said wearily and disappeared under the table. George walked over to her and held her hair back.

"Thanks," Harry heard her say weakly between heaves.

"It'll be over soon, Ginny," said Ron in what might have been a flimsy attempt to comfort her.

When she resurfaced, Ron handed her the ball for her first bankruptcy question.

"Why did you break up with Michael Corner?" he said.

"I already told you ages ago that he didn't like Gryffindor beating Ravenclaw at Quidditch and got sulky, so I ditched him and he ran off to comfort Cho instead," said Ginny in a bored tone, as though she'd said it many times before. She let out a soft "Oh!" when the ball turned red.

"No, that sounds right," said Harry, thinking back to the Quidditch Cup game at the end of his fifth year. "I remember Ginny played Seeker that match and beat Cho to the Snitch. I told you that ball is broken!"

"And I do remember that Michael started dating Cho shortly after that," added Ron.

"There's a lie in there," said Fred, shaking his head slowly. "Out with it or you'll be burping slugs and tied with Ron and Harry for last place."

Ginny looked thoughtful. "I guess I've said that lie so many times that I'd forgotten it wasn't completely true," she said with a shrug. The ball returned to gray.

"It's true that Michael was upset about the match," she continued. "But he ditched me - not the other way around."

Ginny looked down at the ball, turning it in her hands as it glowed bright green. Harry thought a Quidditch match was a silly reason to break up, especially with a girl like Ginny.

"I always knew he was a slimy git, but I didn't know he was stupid too," spat Ron.

"So my boyfriends are slimy for dating me, but stupid for dumping me? Sounds like they can't ever win," said Ginny heavily.

"Guess not," shrugged Ron.

It was Harry's turn to ask a question. He knew the twins were bound to ask Ginny more questions about her break up with Michael. She'd gone easy on him during his bankruptcy round, so he decided to return the favor.

"What's on tilt?" Harry asked curiously. Ron and the twins exploded.

"Really, Harry?" Ron rounded on him.

"Come on!" roared George.

"I wouldn't know, Harry, since that's never happened to me," said Ginny smugly. The ball turned red.

"Merlin's beard," said Fred disbelievingly. "You're bankrupt, Ginny. Seriously?"

"You're really going to vomit slugs on this one?" said George, clearly shocked.

Ginny turned to Harry in a huff and said shortly, "It's when you get frustrated and start making bad decisions in poker."

The ball turned green. Harry nodded, silently agreeing with the others that Ginny was indeed playing "on tilt."

"In your case, I would say frustrated is a bit of an understatement, but the ball has accepted your answer," said Fred.

"Ok, my turn," said George with a hint of excitement in his voice. He cleared his throat. "Why did Michael break up with you? It couldn't have been over a Quidditch match."

For a moment, it looked like Ginny was going to take the slugs. She pursed her lips and clenched her hands together on the table.

After almost a minute, she spoke: "I might have gloated a bit about how I'd snatched the Snitch right out from under Cho's nose-"

"It was so brilliant!" exclaimed Ron. George shushed him.

"-and Michael thought I was being insensitive to Cho's feelings," she continued. "Somehow, it turned into an argument about how I never shared enough of my feelings with him."

Ginny paused, looking at the ball. It had started to turn green, but had returned to gray. Harry held his tongue. He'd wanted to tell her that Michael should have been happy for her for pulling off a win. It had been an against-all-odds win for Gryffindor, and Ginny had led the way. Cho was bound to cry whether they won or lost...

"Go on," urged George. Ginny sighed.

"He always complained that I didn't confide in him enough," she said indignantly. "But if I talked to everyone who asked about my feelings, I'd have no friends left. They'd all be scared away by the girl who let Voldemort take over her soul—"

"You told him about the diary?" asked Harry sharply.

"Merlin, no! I told him he'd never understand me even if I did open up, and he suggested I go confide in..." Ginny broke off, checking the ball again. It remained gray.

"Confide in who?" prodded Ron.

"Just-er, someone else," she said stiffly. "Anyway, I told him to go comfort Cho, who was crying about losing the match and would be sure to appreciate his emotional openness. So he did. And that was that."

The ball turned green, and Ginny let out a sigh of relief. Harry felt a surge of annoyance as he imagined Michael pressuring Ginny to tell him her secrets. He was beginning to think Dean was the lesser of the two evils. At least Dean didn't demand that she share her every thought with him.

"What a git," said George.

"I've got a few things I'd like to confide in him about," muttered Fred darkly.

"He deserves Cho," scoffed Ron. "They can cry about Quidditch together."

It was Fred's turn to ask Ginny a question. He hesitated for a moment, and then said gently, "So how much money did you win playing poker?"

Ginny looked at him gratefully. "About 1,000 galleons," she replied. Harry's jaw dropped.

"Whoa! You've been holding out on us! I guess you'll have no problems buying a new broom," exclaimed Ron.

"Where are you keeping all this money?" asked Fred, gobsmacked.

"Win the right to ask. No more freebies," smirked Ginny.

Ginny made a comeback in the next round, winning easily with a flush. She picked up the ball with a grin. Harry avoided her eyes. He didn't want to answer any more questions.

She handed it to George. Revenge for his latest question was sure to come swiftly.

"Does Ron know you asked Hermione to the Yule Ball?" she asked.

Harry and Ron both gaped at George. Fred avoided Ron's eyes. Harry was sure he must have misheard Ginny.

"He does now. Thanks, sis," said George, motioning to Ron. The ball turned green.

"What?" said Ron, finding his voice and turning pink in the ears. "Fred takes your crush, so you thought you'd go after my...my...f-friend?"

"You hadn't asked her," said George defensively.

"Do you fancy Hermione?!" demanded Ron.

"No, I thought we'd go as friends since-" George broke off and shot a dark look at Fred.

"And you didn't think to ask me first?" asked Ron with a hint of anger in his voice.

"No, I didn't want to go to the ball with you," retorted George.

Ginny stifled a laugh. But Ron had clearly considered this a betrayal. Harry wondered if he'd have to contend with Ron not speaking to two people now.

Fred hastily dealt another hand, clearly eager to move on from this subject. Ron's irritation seemed to help him focus, and he was able to induce everyone to fold with an aggressive raise.

Ron handed the ball to Ginny, who took it with narrowed eyes.

"Is Hermione really dating McLaggen?" he asked. Ron had already asked Harry this question at the beginning of the Christmas holidays, and he'd told him he didn't know.

But this was only a half-truth. Harry was fairly certain that Hermione was not dating McLaggen. Even though she had only asked out McLaggen to irritate Ron, Harry wasn't sure how far she was willing to take it.

Ginny reached under the table and grabbed the bucket. Harry had no doubt that Hermione had confided at least the same to Ginny as well.

"No, Ginny, just tell me," pleaded Ron.

"You'll have to ask Hermione because I'm taking the slugs," she said calmly. She threw her long hair to the side and leaned over the bucket.

"You told us all that about getting ditched by Michael, yet you take the slugs for Hermione?" asked Ron, incredulous.

"Nobody wants to get in the middle of this, Ron," said Harry. "If you just asked Hermione, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised."

"Ask-her-nicely!" Ginny choked, her face still in the bucket.

"What aren't you telling me, Harry? Don't take her side!" shot Ron.

"Nothing! I'm just saying that you should talk to her-"

"I'll talk to her when she apologizes!" retorted Ron.

"So-never-then…" breathed Ginny between heaves.

Once Ginny had finished burping slugs, Fred dealt everyone another hand. It seemed Ron was on tilt now. He bet big and lost to George, who only had a pair of jacks.

George tossed the ball to Harry, who caught it cautiously.

"Ok, I'm ending this game before it gets any uglier..." started George. "Harry, what aren't you telling Ron about Hermione and McLaggen?"

"Nothing-" started Harry. The ball turned red as he felt a rush of indignation. He hadn't lied when he told Ron he didn't know if Hermione was dating McLaggen…

But there was also the fact that Hermione had Confunded McLaggen to ensure Ron made the Quidditch team. Harry knew he could never tell Ron about that.

"I knew it!" said Ron. Harry sighed.

"You know this just makes everything worse," said Harry to George. "If I tell him, he'll just argue with Hermione more. If I don't tell him, I'll lose the game and he'll think I'm hiding something much worse than it is."

"Don't you love a good quandary?" smirked George.

"Don't tell him, Harry," said Ginny. "He already knows it, but he wants to drag us into it so he can be mad at Hermione for not telling him herself."

"Don't listen to her. She's on Hermione's side," snapped Ron.

"No, Ron, if you'd stop being so thick, you'd see that we're all actually on your side right now," said Ginny, annoyed.

"Harry, who are you going to listen to? Your best mate or-"

"Or the person who pulled you out of the lake?" interrupted Ginny. She set the bucket on the table.

There was no way Harry was going to get in the middle of Ron and Hermione's argument or crush Ron's confidence about his Quidditch skills. He reached across the table and grabbed the bucket.

"Ron, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to ask Hermione," he said, reaching across the table to grab the bucket. "Because I'm taking the slugs."

As Harry heaved those vile slugs into the bucket, he took solace in the thought that he had kept those secrets to spare his friends' feelings.

But what secrets had he spilled? Perhaps he did fancy Ginny. Maybe she even knew it. But he knew she wasn't serious about Dean, and that was enough for him to hope that her heart could change again.