Chapter 2

Title: For Play

Author: Anisky and Merry the Marvelous

Disclaimer: You recognize it? I don't own it.

Summary:  A common interest brings Cho and Ginny together into a great friendship.... But that's all they are, right? Just keep telling yourself that, Harry.

Archiving: Just ask! HoneyB87@aol.com (Anisky) and Lifeinanutsheii@aol.com (Merry the Marvelous)

WARNING: This will soon be a romance between two girls.  If you have a problem with that, press the back button.  You have been warned; any flames received because of that situation will be sad proof that there is still bigotry.  Oh well.  Otherwise, enjoy!

“What play were you thinking of putting on?” Ginny was sitting on Cho’s bed, one foot tucked under her. By her hip was Cho’s head; the older girl was lying on her back, playing with her hair as she spoke.

”Oh, I don’t know,” mused Cho. “I was hoping you’d have some ideas?”

”Hmm,” Ginny started playing with Cho’s hair too. “Footloose would be fun.”

”Not unless we can get a dance teacher and a choreographer here at Hogwarts.” Cho shook her head. “Sorry.”

”The Scarlet Pimpernel?” suggested Ginny.

”Wouldn’t that be too bloody?”

”Nah, if we do it right then it’s really funny!” Ginny grinned. “Pimpie! Oh Pimpernel! Where aaaaare you?” She fell over laughing, and Cho just stared at her, looking confused. “What, haven’t you seen it?”

”No. Sorry.”

”Darn, well, it’s not playing now, but we can still do the play. I’ll try and get a hold of the script. It has a small cast, too, so we don’t need too many recruits.”

”Well,” Cho the hair out of her face that got messed up with Ginny’s laughing fit, “if you think it’s good…”

”It’s PERFECT!” Ginny cut in.

Cho smiled. “Well, I trust your taste then.”

Ginny squealed and hugged Cho. “Wonderful! I’ll try to find charms for GREAT special effects!” Ginny started to get up, but Cho grabbed her hand. “No… stay. Please.”

Ginny sat but looked at Cho with a curious look.

”We have more to talk about,” Cho hastily explained. “Like… what should we do for a stage?”

”We should ask Dumbledore that one,” Ginny said thoughtfully, and unknowingly started stroking Cho’s hand. “There’s probably some unknown room in the castle or something.”

Cho nodded, making no indication that she noticed that Ginny was stroking her hand. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll talk to him sometime soon.”

”How were you planning on advertising? Because you could get him to announce auditions, too.”

”Good idea.” Cho’s hand tightened around Ginny’s, who suddenly realized what she’d been doing.

”I’m… I’m, I’m really… sorry,” Ginny gasped out, turning an exceptional shade of red. She pulled her hand back and stood up. “I’m really sorry, I’ll go now.”

”C’mon, Ginny, don’t!” Cho sat up as Ginny turned back.

”You mean… you’re not angry?”

Cho smiled and shook her head. “Not at all. Don’t sweat it. Really.”

Ginny hesitantly sat back down. There was an awkward pause for a moment. “Is it possible to transfigure something into scripts?” She asked, for lack of anything else to say.

”No… I’ve tried it. Since it has words, it would only work if you had the whole play memorized.” Cho shrugged. “We’ll have to find some other way to get them. Maybe we can raise the money to buy the rights to perform it?”


Well according to Muggles our school doesn’t exist,” Ginny cocked her head to the side, “and The Scarlet Pimpernel is a Muggle play, so technically we don’t need to buy rights… right?” Ginny trailed off uncertainly. “But then how would we get the script,” she countered herself.

Cho laid back down, stretching on the bd. “I don’t know. Enough technical talk for today, OK? Let’s just hang out.”

’Cho Chang wants to hand out with ME?’ Ginny couldn’t believe it, Cho was so popular and Ginny wasn’t. She just sat there, and once again there was a slightly awkward silence. “Um, OK. If you want…” Ginny paused. “I’m curious… why did you blow off Harry for—well, why did you blow off Harry?”

”For you, you mean?” Cho shook her head and propped herself up on an elbow. “You really like Harry a lot, don’t you?”

”Well, yeah.”

”WHY? He takes you for granted, knows nothing about you yet thinks he can speak for you, condescends you…!” Cho was standing up by now. “Now listen to me. You are too good for him. You’re smart and nice and interesting and beautiful, and he’s just a bastard to you!”

Ginny looked down and shifted in her place. She wasn’t used to compliments, and was sure that they were given for some other reason than that they were true—which Ginny didn’t think they were. “Does this mean you’re mad at me for liking your boyfriend?”

”Ginny! Have you listened to nothing I just said? It’s him I’m mad at, not you!” Cho ran a hand through her hair in frustration.

”If you think so lowly of him that you think I’m too good for him, then why are you dating him?”

That seemed to stun Cho, and she just stood there for a minute. “You know… I don’t know. I thought he seemed nice—and he is. I don’t know,” she repeated. “It’s confusing.” She just looked at Ginny. After a pause: “And I don’t have to think very lowly of someone at all to say that you’re too good for them.”

”Thanks,” whispered Ginny quietly. “You haven’t known me very long, though, to think so highly of me.”

”With some people, Gin, you can just tell.”

********

When Ginny got back to the Gryffindor Tower that night she was tired but happy. Tomorrow was a Saturday, so she didn’t have to do homework, and she’d probably get to hang out with Cho again. The girl was so nice.

”Fruit Basket,” sang Ginny, and the portrait swung open. Ginny stepped through, surveying the room with a smile on her face. As she settled down in a couch she pulled out one of her favorite books, a well-worn little novel simply titled “Magical.”

She looked up when Ron sat down next to her, his trademark ‘nervous’ look on his face. “What do you want, Ron?” she asked pleasantly.

”Look, Ginny,” Ron started uncomfortably. “I know you like Harry and all, but making his girlfriend ignore him is not the way to go.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Cho isn’t ignoring Harry—she cancelled a date for one night. And anyway, Harry has nothing to do with my time spent with Cho.”

”Oh really.” Ron didn’t sound like he believed her.

”Yes. Really.” Ginny looked Ron right in the eyes. “Cho and I have a common interest that we really like talking about. Plus, she… she realizes that I’m actually a real person, and not Ron’s little sister who has to be spoken for and ignored and in some cases, feared. I mean, god forbid she and I might actually like each other!” Ginny paused, about to add that it upset her that Ron thought everything she did was all about Harry, but Ron broke in before she could continue.

”Ginny, what’s gotten into you?!” Ginny realized that he’d been staring open-mouthed during her speech.

The opportunity was just too perfect. “Some self-respect,” Ginny answered. She stood up. “If I can’t have any peace to red my book down here, I’ll go up to the dormitory.” Ginny walked off quietly.

Rob blinked and walked back to Harry and Hermione. “Cor!” he said. “what’s Cho been saying to her?”

Harry, who had heard the conversation, was similarly stunned. “I’ll ask her tomorrow.”

**************

Breakfast found Cho once again at the Gryffindor table. As Harry walked sleepily into the Great hall, he noticed that his girlfriend as at his table—once again with Ginny.

”Come on,” Ginny was saying. “Maybe he’ll let us. We’re both in Muggle Studies, so it’s educational. It fits in even more if we do the play.”

”Well, I can ask,” Cho said doubtfully. “I mean, I want to as much as you do, Gin, but—oh, hey Harry. What’s up?” she was interrupted by Harry’s sitting down next to her.

”Well, do you want to hang out or something today?” Harry asked uncertainly. “Since we didn’t go out yesterday.” His eyes flickered briefly towards Ginny.

”Well, Gin and I were going to ask Dumbledore about the play after breakfast. Maybe after that, I’m not sure.” Cho shrugged and reached across Harry to grab some pancakes with strawberries. She took two pancakes and spooned the strawberries onto her plate. “It depends on stuff.”

”Stuff? Like what?” Harry asked, half-curious and half-worried as he took a treacle tart.

”I want us to go and volunteer usher at a matinee today,” Ginny put in. “We just need permission.”

”I don’t think we’ll get it, Gin,” Cho answered. “So please don’t get your hopes up, OK?”

Ginny shrugged. “Alright then. You ready to go? I’m done.” She’d eaten about half of her toast and had a few sips of Orange Juice.

Cho nodded, polishing off the last pancake. “Sure.”

”Wait!” Harry looked hurt that he’d been dropped out of the conversation. “Isn’t Dumbledore still at breakfast?” He gestured to the staff table.

”We’re planning exactly what we should say,” explained Cho. “Come on, Ginny.” With that, both of them walked off together, away from Harry… just like they had yesterday.

Harry just looked baffled.