Ginny happily trotted through the crowds, her spirits high, despite her scruffy-looking dress robes that her mother had bought from a second-hand clothes shop. Her long sleeves and the ankle-length skirt (which fell way beyond her ankles) were perhaps a bit loose for her slight figure, but at least she had asked Hermione to help magically rip off the hideous bow from the front of her skirt’s waist.

She didn’t want to complain - she was attending the Yule Ball, after all. Not many third years had gotten to even glimpse at the event. But here Ginny was, taking in the gorgeous decorations, dancing to tunes from the Weird Sisters, and on top of all this, she was lucky enough to have someone as sweet and chivalrous as Neville for a partner. Really, she couldn’t ask for more.

When Neville left her in a seat beside Harry and Ron to get drinks for them, she happily looked towards her brother and his best friend. However, both Harry and Ron looked rather sour, perhaps because their dates were nowhere to be seen. Where are Parvati and Padma, Ginny wondered. She followed Ron’s gaze and found him scowling in the direction of where Hermione and Viktor Krum were dancing, looking rather cosy. Oh, she thought to herself. It was obvious to her why Ron was not enjoying the dance. She knew that he would come to regret not asking Hermione soon enough, but Ginny hadn’t anticipated that Ron would just keep himself away from the celebration altogether. He must like her more than she thought.

She began to wonder if Harry was simply keeping Ron company in his melancholy but found that he was also staring wistfully towards the dance floor. When she followed his gaze though, her stomach squeezed painfully. He was staring at Cho Chang. Cho Chang, who was right now dancing with Cedric Diggory. Cho Chang was perhaps the most beautiful girl in the school, Ginny admitted bitterly. Of course, Harry Potter would only have eyes for Cho Chang.

Someone as popular and heroic as Harry didn’t like shabby little girls like Ginny. They wanted grown-up, slender, and classy women like Cho Chang. Ginny’s insides rumbled with pain again - she didn’t want to hold on to her childish crush on Harry anymore. She knew that Harry saw her as nothing more than Ron’s annoying little sister, so she would bury her feelings tonight.

Yes, that was a good idea. She would ask Harry for a friendly dance and perhaps stop acting like a stuttering fool around him. She would maybe even become friends with him in time, and learn to support his future relationships with other, more charming girls like Cho Chang.

Trying to feel confident about her plan, and ignoring the painful lump in her throat, Ginny flashed the most brilliant smile she could manage and tapped Harry on his shoulder, who looked a bit startled that he hadn’t noticed that she was sitting next to him.

“Harry, do you want to dance with me?�

Harry looked less like himself and more like Lockhart caught in a duel. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, perhaps trying to find the right words, but said nothing. Ginny threw up one of her eyebrows in question and gestured towards the dance floor.

“I, erm, I-� Harry didn’t seem like he knew what he wanted. Or maybe he was just trying to find a polite way to turn her down. She nodded to herself and stood up to walk away. But before she could make her way towards the refreshments table, where she now saw that Neville was engaged in a conversation with Hannah Abbott, she felt fingers close around her wrist.

She turned.

“It’s not like I don’t want to dance with you, Ginny,� Harry was fumbling with his words and Ron was curiously eyeing the interaction between his best friend and his sister. “I just thought you might be busy with Neville.�

“Neville’s taking a break,� she pointed in the direction of where Neville stood. “Look, over there. I don’t think that he’ll mind.�

“Oh.�

G inny waited for a beat.

“Er, then I guess, yes?�

Maybe Ginny should have said no and walked away from Harry at this moment, but that regret would only hit later. For now, she smiled again, took Harry’s hand, and led him to the dance floor. The Weird Sisters had just switched to a slow song, so she and Harry swayed back and forth at a steady pace. Harry looked around a bit awkwardly, not really meeting Ginny’s eyes and only responding to her conversation topics in single syllables.

Before long, the song concluded and Harry looked way too happy and relieved to be getting off the dance floor. He stopped right before they reached Ron, who had a slight smirk on his face, and then he turned to Ginny and gave her a half-hearted pat on her shoulder.

“Thanks for the dance, Ginny.�

“Yeah thanks, Harry.�

After a few more dances with Neville, Ginny was feeling proud of her interaction with Harry. She felt lighter and seemed like she was well on her way to getting over her crush. Neville was now dancing with Susan Bones, so Ginny moved towards the refreshments table, hoping to grab a couple of sweets to make her night even better.

She stopped in her path when she heard someone say her name.

She followed the sound and saw a group of boys standing behind the refreshments table. It was Seamus who had said her name - she didn’t know the context but the rest of the boys (Dean, Ron, and Harry, by the looks of it) were laughing.

Ginny ducked behind a table and eavesdropped.

“Yeah, Neville and Ginny make quite the handsome couple. Did you see how many times Neville crushed Ginny’s toes? She must be bleeding inside her shoes, the poor girl,� someone said. She guessed it was Dean.

“Yeah, but it was funnier to see Neville trip over Ginny’s dress robes and fall right into Milicent Bulstrode’s back,� Ron said, eliciting more laughter from the group.

“Yeah, what’s up with those dress robes anyway? Ginny looked too much like a house-elf trying to dress up in witch clothing,� Seamus spoke up again, making Ginny’s eyes sting with tears at the insult.

“Oi,� Ron warned. “Lay off my sister, Seamus.�

“I’m just taking the mickey. No need to get your knickers in a bunch, Weasley,� Seamus paused for a second before speaking up again with a mischievous tone. “Plus, shouldn’t Potter be the one defending her?�

She heard Harry’s voice.

“Why would I defend her?�

“Come on Harry,� Seamus went off. “A whole host of pretty girls at the dance throwing themselves at the Boy Who Lived and you only danced with Ginny.�

“That’s only because she’s Ron’s sister. I didn’t want to say no to her.�

“Yeah, but we all know that she’s in luuurve with you.� Seamus stretched out the word, making Dean laugh and add, “Yes, didn’t she write that poem comparing Harry’s eyes to a toad?�

She heard Harry groan but say nothing.

Seamus spoke up again, “Yeah, best be careful, mate. You don’t want Ginny thinking that you’re interested in her now that you danced.�

She saw from the corner of her eye that Ron squirmed uncomfortably but didn’t say anything, making her think that even he thought that maybe she was expecting Harry to reciprocate her feelings now. Ginny held back the urge to run back to her dorm and crash into her bed, emptying her tears into her pillow.

“That’s not going to happen,� Harry said, sounding like he didn’t believe his own words.

“Are you sure?� Seamus was now getting on Ginny’s nerves. “Who knows, after all? You could always fall for Ginny.�

“NO,� Harry almost shouted. “Ginny knows I’m not interested in her. I would never date Ginny Weasley.�

Ginny sucked in a loud breath, giving herself away. The group of boys turned to look at her as she accepted that she was caught and moved into their view, as confidently as she could. She didn’t care anymore, she was hurt. She hadn’t expected Harry’s words to pierce her heart the way they did, but she felt the pain with a frightful force.

The boys looked surprised and a bit ashamed. Ginny’s hands fisted into her skirt but she tried to keep herself standing straight and tall, glaring accusingly at Ron and Harry, both of whom looked like they were rethinking everything they had said a few moments before.

“I’m sorry,� she said, gesturing towards Harry. “I don’t remember asking you to date me.�

“Ginny-,� Ron started, but she held up her hand and he shut his mouth quickly.

“Yes, Dean,� she turned towards him. “I did send Harry a poem in which I compared his eyes to a freshly pickled toad.� She glanced back at Harry. “But that was two years ago. I don’t think I’ve asked you to date me in recent memory.�

Harry looked horridly guilty, but she didn’t let it soften her. She had been made into a spectacle and her brother and the boy she had had a crush on for years had done nothing to defend her.

“I’m sorry, Ginny, I-�

She’d heard enough. From Harry, from everyone.

“Good night,� she said and swiftly turned on her heels to exit from the situation. As she walked away, she noticed that a fourth-year Ravenclaw student, Michael Corner (if she remembered correctly), was eyeing her. Before she could overthink it, she walked up to him, asked him for a dance, and led him to the dance floor, all the while feeling Harry’s eyes on her.

As she danced with Michael, who seemed genuinely interested in getting to know her, she felt a knot untie in her stomach. Yes, she was well on her way to getting over Harry Potter. She would never think of Harry Potter as anything but her brother’s best friend. She was truly done with her unrequited crush. She decided, then and there, that she would never let Harry make a fool of her again.

Ginny enjoyed the rest of the night, feeling a million times lighter than she had felt at the start of the evening.

Oblivious to her relief, Harry was heading back towards his dorm, a pit of regret forming in his stomach. He had never felt like a bully before. But the whole business with Ginny was making him feel rotten about himself.

However, his regret was quickly forgotten when he encountered Cedric and Cho on his way back. His mind began to focus on Cho Chang and the jealousy he felt towards Cedric Diggory instead.

But the regret would return. In a year or so, Harry would fervently wish that he had done things differently that night. He would come to know exactly how much he regrets rejecting Ginny Weasley.