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!

Chapter 1

Ginny peaked out from behind the door, watching as Harry held Cho’s hand, both of them sharing a butterbeer.  Harry put his arm around Cho and they smiled at each other.  Cho said something and Harry laughed heartily.  They looked so happy together.

Ginny felt like crying as she watched Harry murmur something, leaning towards Cho. He pressed his lips against Cho’s, and tightened his arms around her. Cho pulled back and wiped off her lips with a sort of tentative smile, saying something else as Harry’s face fell slightly.

‘What’s wrong with me? Why can’t he like me?’ she wondered as she snuck closer to them.  She could vaguely hear what they were saying, and strained to catch their words.

“People always think that quidditch is my life,” Cho was saying.  “But really, I like to act.  I’d like to put on a play at Hogwarts, or something like that.”

Harry was nodding, with ‘clunk, clunk, clunk’ heard from his foot tapping against the table leg he leaned towards Cho, causing the table to slightly upset itself. Cho’s butterbeer spilled slightly, and she pulled away from him to clean it up, with a look that oddly enough seemed rather… relieved… to Ginny.  “Yeah, well, I agree about the quidditch, but I don’t have time to do anything like acting,” Harry replied.

“Too busy saying the world?” Cho smiled at Harry again as he blushed. She finished wiping up the spill and walked over to the trashcan to throw out the paper towels.

Ginny was fascinated.  She liked to act too, but was too shy to want to be in a play.  Maybe she could ask Cho for some tips.  She certainly know how to move well, Ginny noted as she watched Cho’s graceful glide across the room. ‘Wow, she’s even graceful when she’s throwing away messes. No wonder Harry is going out with her. I wish I was like Cho!’

Ginny was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice getting up to follow Cho out—and to leave the Three Broomsticks, they were heading straight towards her! 

She squealed and scrambled out of her hiding place—and tripped, sprawling on the ground right in front of Harry and Cho.

“Erm, um,” Ginny was redder than her hair as she stood up and brushed the dirt off her robes.  “Hello.”

"Hi, who are you?" Cho blinked innocently, tucking some of her long, silky black hair behind her ear.

"Um, yeah, hi, I'm Ginny," the girl stuttered.  "I just tripped... I'm... sorry." She lifted her eyes and looked into Cho’s deep brown ones, and suddenly a smile crept onto her face. She was actually starting to feel comfortable.

"Oh, that's OK Ginny... um..."

"Weasley.  Ginny Weasley." Ginny reached out to shake Cho's hand.

"She’s Ron’s little sister,” Harry explained.

Ginny pulled her hand back and looked at the floor as Cho continued.  "I didn't see you anywhere..."

"OH, well, I was here!" Ginny laughed, nervously, trying to keep the tone light, the moment of comfort broken. "Um, yeah."

Harry gave Ginny a pitying look.  "Well, we'll see you around," he said. 

"Nice to meet you Ginny!" smiled Cho.

"Likewise, Cho," Ginny returned the smile. 

*****

Ginny sat in the common room, studying. She rubbed her eyes. ‘How does Hermione do this all the time?’ Studying was one of those things that Ginny does not like. She eventually gave up, throwing her books onto the floor and walking up to the dorm room.

“Hey, Ginny,” Sadie waved. “What’s up?”

“Not much. Just studying for the Charms test.” Ginny turned around to peal off her robes and slip on her pajamas, a soft flannel nightgown.

“Were you in Hogsmede today?” asked Sadie, who was brushing her long, auburn hair.

“I was,” said Ginny shortly, magicking her robes into the laundry basket..

“Stalking Harry again, huh?” Sadie honestly didn’t mean to upset Ginny… it just slipped out.

“Shut up!!” Ginny turned to glare at Sadie. “None of your business.”

“Ginny, I wasn’t trying to be mean!”

“Well, you’re doing a good job of hiding that fact!” Ginny grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste, stalking into the bathroom.

Sadie sighed.

When Ginny got back, Sadie was already asleep. Ginny got into her bed and just laid there, thinking of Harry. The last image she saw before she finally slipped into a quiet sleep was Cho’s beautiful face…

*****

Ginny walked into the Great Hall and searched for a place to sit. Cho was sitting at the Gryffindor table with Harry yet again, and Ginny slipped into a seat next to her. It was the closest she could get to sitting next to Harry.

“Hi, Ginny,” Cho turned and smiled.

“Hey, Cho, how are you?” Ginny couldn’t believe it; someone had actually noticed her. Even Ron never noticed her!

“I’m good… hey, I’m trying to put together a school play here, are you interested?”

“She’s asking everyone that,” laughed Harry. “Can’t seem to get enough people!”

Cho hit him. “Come on, I haven’t asked many people yet. So, Gin, are you interested?” Cho turned back to Ginny, an intent look on her face.

Ginny didn’t get a chance to answer. “Oh, she’s too shy to want to do a play,” laughed Ron. “No way.”

“Yeah,” Harry added, “you’re asking the wrong person.”

Cho turned again to glare at her boyfriend and his best friend. “Excuse me, but can you let her speak for herself? GINNY,” she continued, turning back to the shy, red-haired girl, “are you interested?”

“Well, I am too shy,” replied Ginny uncertainly. Cho was actually making her feel rather comfortable.  Strange, it was like the opposite of the way Harry made her feel: frazzled, nervous.  “But I really like to act. Maybe I could be a techie?” Ginny smiled hesitantly at Cho, who laughed.

“Aww, come on, if you like to act you should!” Cho tucked her black hair behind one year and winked at Ginny. “I can help you get over your shyness, if you want.”

“Ginny, since when do you like to act?” Ron rolled his eyes. “She’s just saying that.”

“I’ve known you a while,” added Harry, “and you’ve never mentioned you like acting.”

“My lord, you guys really do just ignore her and talk for her, don’t you!” Cho stood up and glared for a long time at Harry and Ron. “Neither of you seem to know that much about her, anyway!”

Cho’s defiance gave Ginny more courage, and she took a breath to speak up. “What did you think I DID all that time I spent in the West End over summer break?”

Cho turned to Ginny, excited. “You acted on the WEST END?”

“No, of course not, but I saw tons of plays.”

“So did I!” Cho grinned. “Did you see ‘Anything Goes’?”

“Yeah! Wasn’t Sally Ann Triplett wonderful in it??” Ginny grinned, suddenly in her element as Cho sat down. “I wish I got to see her as Rizzo in Grease!”

“Yeah, and how about 125^th—“

“Ginny, how do you know all that stuff?” Ron was staring at his sister, bug-eyed. Cho and Ginny both looked at him, then rolled their eyes.

“Hey, how about we get together to work on some acting techniques and ideas for the play?” grinned Cho. “If I can’t get you to act—which I won’t give up on, mind you!!—then I can still get you to be manager or something.”

“That’d be great!” Ginny sat up and took a bite of her toast. “Are you sure you have the time?”

“Definitely!” Cho enthused. “Tomorrow after class?”

Harry gulped, nervous to interrupt his girlfriend again after her last two reactions. “Um, Cho, hun, weren’t we going to go out then?”

Cho waved a hand, dismissing him. Ginny was amazed at the way she could just wave him off. How did she do that? “We’ll reschedule. OK, Ginny?”

“Sure, Cho!” Ginny took another bite of her toast and stood up. “I have to go to class now, though.”

“Me too,” said Cho, staking up and grabbing her books. “Bye guys!” she barely glanced at the rest of them at the table as she and Ginny walked off.

“Um…” Harry looked back and forth between Cho and his friends. “What just happened?”

Ron shrugged. “Girls,” he said. “They’re crazy.”

Hermione didn’t yell at him. She just bit her lip, looking thoughtful.

TO BE CONTINUED…