Fandom Themawedstrijd –– Laatste opdracht.

      When Ron told Ginny to go to the Yule Ball with Harry, she’d said no, as she was going with Neville. Apart from seeing a glance of Ginny and Neville dancing, when Ginny was mostly trying to avoid Neville’s feet from trampling on her own, Harry couldn’t remember seeing the two of them – which wasn’t because he was not paying attention. He couldn’t remember, as it has been wiped from both his and Ginny’s memory.

      When Ginny decided to sit down for a moment, waiting for Neville to get back from the toilet, she spotted Harry and Ron sitting at another table, alone and seemingly bored. She got up and went to join the two.
      Parvati Patil, Harry’s date, was nowhere to be seen – which pleased Ginny more than it should. God, how stupid had she been, saying yes to Neville? Of course, he’s kind and not at all that bad. But this had been her chance, she could’ve gone with Harry Potter to the Ball. He wasn’t only her lifelong crush and, well, Harry Potter, but also a Hogwarts Champion. The idiot she was.
      “So, where are your dates?” she asked the two boys, trying not to sound too happy.
      “Gone,” Ron said grumpily, watching something on the dance floor. Ginny turned around and saw the cause of Ron’s annoyance. Hermione and Viktor Krum were dancing, and Ginny was glad to see that Hermione seemed to be having a good time.
      “You should’ve asked her earlier,” Ginny told Ron, when she sat down on Harry’s right side. Ron simply shrugged and went back to watching Hermione and Krum. “He isn’t even good looking,” he muttered, mostly to himself.
      “Anyway, where’s Neville?” Harry asked, looking directly at Ginny. Trying really really hard not to start stuttering like she did before when Harry would talk to her, she said: “To the toilet. Should be back soon.” She cast a sideways glance at Harry again. “Have you even danced at all apart from the opening dance?” she asked him. Harry shook his head, watching something at the dance floor, too. Ginny followed his stare and saw another Champion, Cedric Diggory, dance with a pretty fifth year Ravenclaw girl – Cho Chang. Pretty, popular and a good Quidditch player.
      Watching the pair dance, and particularly watching Harry look so jealous at them, Ginny made a split decision.
      “Come on – let’s dance,” she said, taking his wrist, very carefully avoiding his hand, and pulling him out of his seat.
      “I’m going to get a drink,” Ron said at that exact moment. He stood up and wandered off, carefully to keep Hermione and Krum in his eyesight.
      Ginny led a sputtering Harry unto the dance floor. “I don’t – I’m not – I – er,” he said, but Ginny was determined to have at least one dance with him. Taking a deep breath, as if she were trying to get a mouthful of courage instead of air, Ginny took his hand. As if on cue, the happy, upbeat music changed into a slower tune. They started to dance, in complete silence. At some point, they were dancing next to Cedric and Cho. Cho’s head was buried in Cedric’s shoulder, and Cedric grinned stupidly at Harry – who did not return one.
      Seeing the state Harry was in, Ginny asked: “Do you want to get some fresh air?” Harry took one last look at Cedric and Cho and nodded.
      Together they walked out, still holding hands – something of which Ginny was very, very aware. Harry, however, didn’t seem to notice. He just walked and stared at nothing in particular, obviously deep in thoughts.
      Only when they had arrived at the bank of the lake, Harry seemed to come out of his stupor. He sighed deep and sat down against a big oak tree. Ginny sat down beside him, watching the glittering black water of the lake.
      “This must suck for you,” Ginny eventually said, still watching the lake. God knows what she would do if she’d look at Harry right now – never had they been so close and alone together.
      “It does,” Harry said. Ginny couldn’t resist glancing sideways at him, and was startled to see he was looking at her, too. For a second they just sat there, looking at each other. They sat so close, so so close, their foreheads nearly touching. Then Harry crossed that distance, too, so that their foreheads were touching. Harry’s green eyes, his beautiful startling green eyes were really close – Ginny could count the eyelashes surrounding them, she could –
      A voice not far away spoke so abruptly, both Ginny and Harry jumped. The moment was over and both were now listening intently at the voice. Ginny recognized it as Professor Moody’s – although the way he talked was something she wasn’t used to.
      “Yes, yes, it’s going great – no, he doesn’t suspect anything, not just yet – I don’t know, I intend to find out soon – but how – ”
      “Our master wants to know – ”
      Moody’s voice was disturbed by another one, which Ginny didn’t recognize – but Harry seemed to. His eyes widened and his fists were balled. Before she could stop him, Harry jumped up and started walking to the edge of the forest, where the voices seemed to be coming from. Ginny followed suit, walking fast to get to Harry, who was walking even faster.
      “Harry, what – ”
      But he just gestured impatiently that she should shut her mouth and kept walking. The voices were still talking.
      “The Lord won’t want – no, no – Wormtail, you don’t understand – ”
      Professor Moody and his companion, apparently called Wormtail, came into sight. But they had also spotted us – Wormtail squeaked and ran into the forest, while Moody took out is wand at once.
      “Potter – Weasley, what are you doing here?”
      Harry didn’t answer – he just yelled and stormed into the forest after Wormtail. Moody grabbed Harry at his collar and to Ginny’s surprise, pointed his wand at her.
      “I’m afraid I’ll have to modify your memories. You cannot know,” he said, not at all sounding like his usual self. Harry was staring at him, wide-eyed, apparently too stunned to speak.
      “Obliviate,” he said, pointing his wand at Harry first. Harry went all slack and got a dazed look in his eyes. Ginny opened her mouth, trying to scream for help, but Moody was too fast for her.