This was a story on my old account, but I decided to move all those stories to this account.

Harry and Ron sat in the Gryffindor common room. Earlier that day, the announcement about the Yule Ball had been made.

"So," Ron said blandly, "planning on asking anyone in particular?"

"I dunno. Haven't really thought about . . ." Harry replied just as blandly, "you?"

Ron looked around the common room, seemingly casually, but he was secretly making sure no one was around. They were the only two in there. "I think I might ask Hermione . . ." he said, as casually as he could.

Harry looked up at him, part surprised, part confused, and part curious, "why?"

Ron shrugged, not really knowing why himself, he just felt like it would be right, and perfect, if he did ask her. Then a thought occurred to him, "She'll pretty much have to say yes, anyway."

"You don't think anyone else will ask her?"

"No, I'm sure she'll get other invites, but she'll go with me if I ask first. She'd go with Neville, if he asked first."

"Wouldn't any girl just go with the first person that asked them . . ?"

Ron raised his eyebrows, "think about it, Harry, how many girls would be nice or honest enough to do that? If someone they didn't want to go with asked them first, they'd lie and say someone else asked them already, and do that until the best option came along. There are few girls that would actually just go with the first person that asked, and of those few, Hermione's the only pretty one."

Harry thought it over, "I suppose you're right . . ." then he raised his eyebrows at Ron, a smug knowing look on his face, "So . . . you think Hermione's pretty, eh?"

Ron's ears went red, "Yeah-well-so what! . . . I can say that; I'm her friend."

Then Harry said, with complete seriousness, "Ah, I see. And do you think I'm pretty?"

Ron looked at him, with the same amount of seriousness and answered, "Yeah, you, you're bloody gorgeous . . ."

They managed to maintain their serious faces for three whole seconds before they each burst out laughing. At that moment, Hermione walked in from the portrait hole.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

They both stopped laughing and composed themselves, and Harry looked at Hermione, once again very serious, and said, "Ron thinks I'm bloody gorgeous."

The three of them stared at each other without a word, then suddenly all burst into laughter at the same moment.

Finally, after a while, the laughter died down to them clutching their stomachs, panting, with the occasional left over giggle.

As Harry looked from Ron to Hermione, an thought came to him, and he suddenly felt it would be best to leave the room. "I just remembered there's something upstairs I need to get . . ." and with that, he was gone before the other two could ask "what," hoping Ron would get the hint, and use this opportunity to ask Hermione now, since they were alone.

After a moment of silence, Hermione asked, "So . . . what was that 'bloody gorgeous' thing about?"

Ron just shook his head and smiled, "nothing . . ." then, remembering what he was talking about before Hermione came in, and realizing there was probably nothing Harry needed upstairs, he decided to ask Hermione now. It would be better if there were no witnesses if she actually did say no.

Attempting to sound casual, he asked, "So . . . you have plans for the Yule Ball?"

Hermione shrugged, "Well it was just announced today . . . so, not really."

"Oh," Ron replied lamely, "Well-"

At that moment, Dean and Seamus came down from the boy's dormitory, discussing some sport called football.

In the short moment that Ron was distracted by them, Seamus opened his mouth, "Oi, Hermione, Wanna go to the ball with me?"

"Oh!" Hermione said, taken off guard, "Um, sure. Yeah."

"Okay. Great. See ya' later, then." And Seamus and Dean walked out of the portrait hole.

"I'm sorry, Ron," Hermione said, turning back to him, "What were you saying?"

"Oh, just that I was Hungry. Harry and I haven't had dinner yet, but I'll just go down without him . . . " and he was gone before Hermione could respond.

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