I don’t know what to do; this is too much for a thirteen year old to handle! Was it fate that I was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets, and that Harry was the one who saved me? Did that mean anything, or was it just because I was his best friend’s sister and he just loves saving people’s lives? He’s always smiling at me, but I don’t know if it is because he likes me or if he is just being nice. Although, I have to admit, I’ve done my part in making him uncomfortable. I’m always turning as red as my hair whenever I see him approaching, or I mix up my words whenever he speaks to me. And why, in the name of Merlin, was I thick enough to send him a singing Valentine last year? Why? It only embarrassed him in front of everyone, including Malfoy. And my idiot brother did nothing except laugh at him about it. I definitely crossed that one off my ‘ways to tell a guy you like him’ list. Not like he didn’t know that I liked him already. How couldn’t he, after everything I did around him, like stick my elbow in the butter that one morning he was at the Burrow.

When he saved me, I didn’t do anything but get even more self-conscious whenever he was near (if that is even possible). Now, I’m even too nervous to thank him properly. What is my problem? I’ve spent my whole life with boys and now I’m too nervous to talk to one. I need help…professional help. Maybe I should ask Mum to take me to someone, like those Muggle psychiatra-people. No, she would just feel my forehead and start having a panic attack or something. I need to find someone else to talk to. All my friends have crushes on Harry, too, but I couldn’t talk to them. They wouldn’t truly understand my dilemma. They don’t know Harry as well as I do, but Hermione knows him pretty well. She might really be some help. She’s over there at the table; I’ll go talk to her.

“Hey, Hermione!” I called. She must not have heard me because she didn’t answer; her head was buried in a very difficult-looking Arithmancy book. “Hermione?”

“Oh,” she responded as she looked up from her studies. “Did you call, Ginny?”

“Yeah, I did,” I said as I walked over to where she was sitting. “Sorry to bother you, but could I have a quick word?”

“Sure,” Hermione answered, but only after a second of hesitation as she closed her books. “I need a break, anyway.”

She followed me up to the Gryffindor common room. Luckily, no one was there so we were free to talk openly.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Hermione asked me as the two of us sat down on my bed. I quickly took one more look around the place to check and make sure no one else was around before I got started. You can never be too careful!

“I need some advice about boys,” I started.

Hermione laughed. “So you’re asking me?”

“Well, yeah, because I think you’d be able to help me the most,” I said truthfully.

“All right, I’ll help you the best I can, as long as the guy you need help with isn’t Ron,” she joked.

“Yes! I’m in love with my brother!” I said sarcastically. “Well, I have a confession to make; it isn’t my brother I need help with, it’s your other friend.”

“You mean Harry,” she acknowledged. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how nervous you get around him.”

“A two-year-old could notice how nervous I get around him!” I smiled. “But what can I do about it?"

“Well, for starters, you can calm down,” Hermione said. “Relax a bit around him; maybe go out with some other boys. He might realize he likes you if you just act a bit more like yourself when you’re…”

“He doesn’t like me, I just know it,” I interrupted. “I’ve noticed him staring at that Ravenclaw girl, Cho Chang, during dinner.”

“Well, don’t give up too much hope, but my best advice would be to move on,” Hermione said. “Go out and meet other boys. There are tons out there that would go out with you in an instant. Maybe Harry just isn’t the one for you.”

“Yeah, okay, I guess you’re right,” I said quietly.

I couldn’t imagine just forgetting about loving Harry and actually starting to hang out with other boys. It was easier said than done. Actually, it wasn’t even easily said! It just seemed impossible, but I figured it might have also been impossible for things to work out between us. I would always be Ron’s little sister to him, and he couldn’t risk his friendship with Ron by liking me. They had been through so much together and there was no point in wasting my young life feeling miserable about it, was there? There were so many other guys in the world, and Harry could just be a crush, couldn’t he? Thinking this, I took a deep breath and said, “I’ll try.”

“Good. Everything will work out as it should,” Hermione said caringly as we stood up and headed back down to the common room. “It’s okay to believe in both magic and fate. It could be fate that things didn’t work out between you two.”

But what both Ginny and Hermione didn’t know at the moment was that it could be fate that it eventually did.


A/N: Thanks to my betas: Magical Maeve and Leanne (dory_the_fishie) Constructive criticism is appreciated!